the happiest of all

i think maggie could very well be our happiest baby of all.

we've had a rough start with her reflux,

but she has really come around.

she seems to be smiling most of the time around here.

(i know it may be different in other places)

she has one of those smiles that tends to be contagious.

she has me smiling all the time at least.

i especially smile when she stays content on her blanket.

or when she loves to "crawl" off of it so she can be in the grass.

or when she is content to lay on the floor and hold a toy.

and when she looks at me with those proud, big blue eyes;

it's like she can make them smile.

or when she sticks out her tongue.

and i smile when she tries to grab any food that i'm eating.

and when she sees her brothers and laughs,

that makes me smile again.

she doesn't have to do much to make me smile.

money, money, who got the money?

i was a much better parent before i actually was one.

i was pretty sure i would never be frustrated with my kids because i would love them so much.

i knew i could teach them to play the most appropriate kid games with only kid things at all times and then clean up perfectly once they were finished.

i was certain that every time something bad happened i would turn it in to a teaching moment.

and i was equally certain that i would never be mad at them if they lost or destroyed something of material value.

like my wedding ring.

or like $280.

i'm still trying to cling to my pre-parent knowledge to deal with the $260.

on friday the boys had a play date at our house with their cousins.

they decided to play "rich king".

in order to do this, they took $280 cash out of my drawer and stuffed their pockets full.

then stored the remaining in the bushes behind their play house.

i was unaware of this until saturday morning when sam said he had a surprise to show me.

it was $120 behind the couch.

it took some time to get the story on where the cash came from;

i had a sick feeling instantly.

between sam & emi the true story unfolded.

we found money behind couches, under beds, in pockets, and behind play houses.

it has all turned except a $100 bill.

even as frustrated as i am by this,

i have realized how this will be a teaching moment however i react.

i could've freaked out, yelled, punished, cussed, etc.,

and i would've taught that we freak out when something we don't like happens.

and i would've taught them how much i value money.

or i could've responded calmly yet firmly and taught...

how to remember what we did with things,

how to tell the truth even when you fear you will be in trouble,

how to work together to find something,

how when you lose something of another person you have to spend the whole day looking for it with exception of a lunch break,

how you are never allowed to take something that doesn't belong to you, especially money,

and if you do then you will have to pay your whole live savings to make up for it and when that's not enough you will have to work until you are about 10 to pay off the rest.

and sam taught me that you should pray for help to find something you lose.

he is still praying,

and so i am.

so, if you see a 100 dollar bill laying around,

it could be mine,

and you would be an answer to our prayer.

friday book review: parts

parts

by tedd arnold

suggested reading level: ages 4-8

A youngster is having a hard time;

he seems to be falling apart.

after losing a few hairs, he thinks he is going bald;

his belly button lint is his stuffing coming out.

he even has a chunk of something gray & wet fall right out of his nose.

thank goodness mom & dad intervene before he falls to pieces.

the gross factor is a key ingredient in this book,

along with the comical illustrations.

we received this book as a gift for sam when will was born.

it has been a favorite of the whole family for at least the last year.

i don't agree with the suggested age for this book;

i think kids younger than 4 can also find some humor in it.

will chooses it almost every night for his bedtime story.

pete & i have read it so many times we practically have the whole thing memorized.

it's a family joke to start reciting the book whenever it fits the current situation.

our favorite part is...

"i just don't know what's going on, or why it has to be...."

the boys begin reciting the rest whenever we bust out with that line.

we think it's pretty funny, silly, and a little weird.

it will for sure add a laugh, or at least a weird face after reading it.

s" The gross factor is a key ingredient here, with Arnold exploiting it nicely in bold, comical illustrations that catch the full-blown anxieties of the imaginative narrator. When Mom and Dad intervene, little boy and audience alike breathe a sigh of relief. A zany, ultimately reassuring take on something that may indeed be a child's bugaboo. Stephanie Zv

today was the day

sam has been waiting for this day for 2 years.

he has wanted to go to "real" school for as long as he has known what it was.

today he got what he wanted.

he started preschool.

and it is at a real school.

it was a big hit.

he asked if i could sign him in to go everyday.

thankfully that's not even an option i have to consider.

the drop off was great;

he was polite to me,

but he wanted me out of there as soon as possible.

he wasn't even up for too much of a hug.

i didn't push the issue.

when i picked him up he said he had a lot of stories to share.

unfortunately, he just shared a few of them...

they played outside and inside,

they read stories & sang songs,

his teacher was so funny he thought a 6 was a 7,

and he didn't ask anyone their name yet... he thought that might be rude.

i'm so glad he gets to have this experience;

i know it will be the perfect fit for him.

i am happy about his growth & success.

however, can someone tell me if it gets easier as the mother to send your other children to preschool?

it's hard for me to think about letting my babies go,

and i know this is just the beginning. :(

little miss mag

why do we love her so???

that is a question we ask a lot around here.

we have decided it's because she is so sweet and so wonderful.

oh, and so cute.

i don't want to miss a thing

this is going to be a very long post; i haven't made a post like this for quite some time, and my brain seems to be overflowing with little tidbits that i want to always have. i really don't want to miss a thing with these little ones.

sam: you recently found your clock radio and set it back up. you were thrilled you had your own radio. you kept asking me to find some music. after scanning several stations you said: " i think this needs new batteries; it used to play cool music!"

you continued to search for music on your own. you landed on a talk radio station just in time to listen to glenn beck. after about 30 seconds sam said: "are you crazy or something?" those were his words not mine.

you finally settled on a station; you ran in excitedly to get me to hear. it was spanish music. you loved it and were dancing like a wild man.

sam: you LOVE stuffed animals. you accumulate one every chance you get. you hang them in containers from your wall once their rotation is up. right now you are loving your frogs. you got one from auntie's yard sale, and you bought another at a yard sale yesterday for a friend. their names are harry and stumpy. you always think the tag with care instructions says their name. you also made a sock monkey with me today. i'm glad you love your animals, and i love finding random photo shoots on the camera of your little pals. oh, and i love making things with you. :)

sam: you are in a bit of stinker stage. you are having a hitting problem. your favorite targets are me and will. it is not tolerated; however, i haven't come up with the best solution. it is driving me crazy!! last night you lost the "kingbed" privilege because you hit me. you lost your bedtime story because you hit will. you cried a lot, and in your tears you said "tomorrow will be a better day." and it was. you have also had a problem doing what i ask; often you just look at me and say no, particularly like leaving maggie's room when i try to put her down for a nap. i'm hoping it's all just a stage.

sam: yesterday we were doing drive-bys for yard sales. after driving by one i said we didn't need to stop because it looked like old man stuff. your quick response was "dad, did you want to stop?" we couldn't stop laughing!

sam: you love buying things. you love spending your own money. you want to buy something wherever we go. it is getting less annoying because you seem to remember to get some of your own quarters whenever we go somewhere. you love trying to win animals out of quarter machines. you are quick to share quarters with your brother, and you are always trying to bribe him quarters, too. he normally refuses, and you just can't understand why he won't take the bribe.

will: you got a stuffed animal monkey from auntie's yard sale last week, and i don't think you have put it down once. you LOVE it, and i have to admit it's pretty cute to see you walking around with it EVERYWHERE you go. if it's out of your arms for even a second you are frantically asking where your monkey is. you don't like to have a lot toys, but you sure treasure the few favorites that you have.

will: you are still so afraid of scary guys. you just don't call them "ary uys" anymore. you are so scared of the halloween display at lowes. you have me carry you every time. you also get scared at night and always want the lamp on. i don't think it's a stalling thing; you really are afraid. i have given you a spray bottle to spray the scary guys with at night when you get scared. that has helped a little.

will: i love your singing. you have made up a song that you sing often around the house. it just goes like this:

"i love my mom. i love my dad."

you sing it over and over, and it is priceless.

will: i feel like i never have much to write about you because you are so low maintenance. you are almost always content just playing by yourself with your train, blocks, or monkey. you really are an easy child to raise.

maggie: you are grabbing everything in sight! your preference is paper. you must like the way it feels and the sound it makes. oh, and the taste... you always immediately put it in your mouth.

maggie: you have become so interested in food. you are always staring at it and reaching for it whenever you are near. you've got a major look of determination, too. you are ready to start eating. pete wanted to give you a bite of a chocolate chip cookie, and i did NOT authorize that. you are the only treat virgin in our family, and i would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. i have been letting you drink some water, and you love that. you must be your mother's daughter. :)

maggie: you are totally trying to crawl. for the last 2 weeks you have been getting up on your knees, rocking back & forth, then lunging forward. you have started to move a knee forward, too, but that collapses you. you just look too little to be crawling. crawling at 5 months? that's still too young. i'm not ready for you to be all over the place. you are a mover and a shaker; plus, you've got some serious determination that is already manifesting itself.

maggie: you seem to have sam's determination & drive mixed in with will's charm. you have always looked just like sam, but now you are starting to be a mix of sam and will. you are the mixing link that will tie sam and will's look together, and perhaps your personality will be the tie there, too.

maggie: some of the things you love... being outside, laying on your blanket in the floor, pulling your butterfly mobile, having sam blow in your face (surprisingly you love that; it drives me crazy!), having will carry you standing up, and being held by mom.

maggie: your favorite song is:

"i am like a star shining brightly,

shining for the whole world to see;

i can do and say happy things each day,

for i know heavenly father loves me."

i sing this song to you every time you are put to bed. it must be your signal; you always just lay down and go to sleep after hearing it. plus, i love the message.

friday book review: dear zoo

dear zoo

by rod campbell

suggested reading level: birth-4

this flap book begins with a simple letter to the zoo requesting a perfect pet.

as the child gets several pets the flaps reveal that most the animals are inappropriate.

eventually the child gets the perfect pet... you'll have to read it to see it!

this is a clever & entertaining story.

the illustrations are simple yet colorful,

and the flaps add a creative mystery to the story.

we have owned several copies of this book.

this has been one of our favorites since sam was a baby.

will is really loving it now, too.

lately it has been read several times a day.

we love pretending what we would do if we had each of the animals at our house.

last night we decided we would keep the elephant outside to eat all of our apples off the ground since we don't have any peanuts.

there are lots of fun ways to engage preschoolers in the discussion of this book.

i even found this great coloring story to go along with it that we had fun doing.

click here to print one for yourself.

a MUST HAVE for any child book collection.