Journal: quick (hopefully) update

TODAY (started Wednesday afternoon, finished Thursday morning)

Out my window:  Sunny, windy, warmish.  It has been up and down, but now it seems we're having more nice days than cold.  The kids are currently all playing in the backyard.  LOVE!!!

Clothing myself in:  Capri sweats and a t-shirt.  I looked nicer earlier, but I don't think anyone really cares one way or another.

Around the house: I finished my last "big" spring cleaning chore (kitchen cabinets), so I am now "done".  But the first windows I cleaned are already looking dirty again.  Bleh.  This housework gig is never-ending.

 

The baby/toddler:  Cute.  Has been eating a ton lately, but still enjoys nursing plenty at night.  Come on kid!!  ;-)  He is the kissiest little fellow, he kisses me a million times a day.  He has such strong feelings about pretty much everything.  He loves his stuffed kitten so much, I decided to order a "spare".  Just in case....  He's been napping less (under an hour), bedtimes have been smoother, and he sleeps a bit later in the mornings.  It works.  OH sleep, once we get in the groove with something it seems another factor changes.  Such is life.

 

The kiddos:  Let's see.  Gemma has seemed to need less sleep lately, but she still goes to bed at the same time as Kolbe since they share a room.  The past week or so I've been going in and reading to her from a chapter book after Kolbe goes to sleep.  It has been so nice.  Cozy.  We just finished All of a Kind Family Downtown, and now we're reading More All of a Kind Family.  I also decided it's time for a chore chart for Gemma.  I found this one and customized it for her.  She has 2 chores a day (in addition to the regulars like making bed, feeding fish, tidying play areas, etc.)  So far so good.  She is really growing up lately, I am noticing so many things about her that are just so much more mature than even six months ago, namely she is beginning to show remorse for her actions (that is HUGE) and I am seeing a ton more empathy from her as well.  Oh my baby girl...

Kolbe is just Kolbe.  I enjoy him in such a different way when Gemma is away at school.  I'm so glad I get this time with him.  Still working on the speech.  Sometimes I worry about how he will be doing come kindergarten, but I suppose that is over a year away.  Still....  I thought about making a chart for him but then thought it may squelch his enthusiasm.  He loves to help with laundry and vacuum the kitchen, and he makes his own bed most days.  So for now we'll leave it at that.

In the kitchen: Black bean and Chicken Tostadas; Meatoaf with edamame and green beans; Meat and Veggie Lasagna with mixed veggies on the side; wraps; salmon patties and simple sides.  This past weekend we grilled some steaks and I steamed asparagus and made mashed potatoes and homemade white gravy.  It was mighty tasty.

Crafting: durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Learning:  Thinking about Summer and what our days will entail.  I think I'll mainly focus on math facts, handwriting and reading with Gemma.  I figure she gets enough science going to the zoo and traipsing around the lake, trees, etc. around here.  Homework can be somewhat of a battle with her somedays, I think she is just "done" and thus has a bad attitude.  So we'll see how summer goes.  I also got her Kumon books on time and money.  Kolbe has some new speech exercises we've been working on.  The kids have been playing together, all three of them (!!!!!!), better and better as the time goes by, so I anticipate lots of basement and backyard play.  The other day they played...all three of them.  BY THEMSELVES.  In the BASEMENT (this is huge, since that's where the monsters and other scary things live).  For ONE AND A HALF HOURS.  It was amazing.  I had to document it here, and am thinking about writing it on a paper and taping it to my fridge so when I am in the midst of wanting to leave and never come back I remember they CAN do things like that!!

Reading: Still working my way through The Joy of the Gospel.  Trying to read the Passion narratives from The Better Part this week.  At least from Matthew for starters.  I'd like to read John as well.  I think his story of the Passion speaks to me the most, maybe for no other reason than I accompanied for the men's choir several years when they sung the Passion, and it was the Passion according to John, so whenever I read it these little snippets of song go dancing through my head.  Hmmm...  I also checked out Ten Days to a Less Defiant Child upon the recommendation of someone, in light of some of my struggles with Gemma.  I really, really hated the title, but still tried to have an open mind about the book.  I skimmed/read about the first half one afternoon while the kids were playing and it just wasn't for me.

Watching:  Not a whole lot this week.  Here's a great commentary from Fr. Barron on the Cosmos series that my uncle (hello!) shared with me.  I believe there are 1-2 episodes left of the series??

Bringing me joy:  The graces and beautiful liturgies of Holy Week and the coming celebration of our Lord's Resurrection.  Gemma.  Gratitude.  Good books.  Spring weather.  Looking forward to an upcoming family reunion with relatives, some of whom I haven't seen in decades!!! 

Thinking about: Logistics for said reunion.  Confession.  My Faith.  Kolbe's skin issues. 

Pictures to share:  

I took some pics of the kids on our deck to update our frames in the hallway and my MIL's grandkids frame.  I thought they turned out pretty sweet.

 

And a few outtakes.  The kids have figured out the whole "making faces for pictures" game.  Oh joy.  I blame school, they hadn't figured this out up until now, haha.

August 2012 mega-update

Well, it's been a while since I did a family update, so I figured it was time.  I will use headers and bullets in an attempt to avoid utter stream-of-consciousness. 

AARON

• His big project this summer has been refinishing the deck.  He's done a very good job, and been quite innovative. 
• His other big project this summer has been keeping the yard alive.  After going through fifty (yes, five-zero) pounds of grass seed last Fall after the brutal summer of 2011, he was convinced to keep on top of things a little better.  We have a sprinkler system, but it doesn't hit all the trees, and misses some of the grass and if we run it too much our water bills are hideous.  So he hand waters with the hose every night, and so far so good.  The trees are looking good (enough) and it looks like we will get away with less than ten pounds of grass seed come Fall.  
• This man.  I'd like to just take a minute to brag about him.  He is the most amazing husband to me and daddy to our children.  I really do marvel.  Daily.  God is so so good, and my wonderful husband is continual proof of that.  I am so blest, so very very blest.  He may not be perfect, but he is perfect for me.

MONICA

• I am glad to be myself again.  Those pregnancy hormones make. me. nuts.
• Enjoying the new minivan (Honda Odyssey) immensely.  I was so nervous about not driving a car anymore, but the transition to van has been great!
• I am also enjoying my new Rubbermaid Reveal mop.  Yes, I am a total nerd to even put this here, but honestly I'm just too lazy to write a review of it so I thought I'd say something here.  For those of you who are curious...I have always scrubbed either on my hands and knees or with a traditional mop.  While those two methods may be slightly more thorough, the Reveal has cut my mopping time by half, if not more (seriously), and to me this is worth it.  Soooo worth it. I  also use way less Mrs. Meyers solution than I did previously, and the pads can be washed with my towels, so it's very "green" and I don't have to keep buying extra accessories.  If you're looking for something convenient and affordable to keep your kitchen floor clean quickly and easily, this product really is worth it.  I picked mine up at Sams for around $25 and it came with three pads.
• I am adjusting to life with three littles.  They keep me on my toes and make me laugh and cry and challenge me in ways I never dreamed (or hoped) possible.  I'm learning and growing and stretching and changing in many ways.  But it's good.  It's life.  And life is good.

GEMMA

• She is really assuming the role of big sis/oldest in the family quite well.  She can be a huge helper and she is just a natural with Clem.  It's wonderful.
• Lest I lead you to believe that life with her is a dream, I will add the reality that she can be quite sassy and definitely has a strong will and mind of her own when it comes to the way she thinks things ought to be.  OH how I love her and OHHHHHH how she frustrates me.  She really challenges me to [try to] be a good parent, that's for sure, so I suppose I should be grateful for the opportunity to grow in grace, but boy it's hard.
• And along that same vein, oh my this girl is cut from the same cloth as her mama it really is scary.  One day she kept running to the kitchen getting ziploc bags.  I finally asked what she was doing...organizing the toys in the toy box.  Yep, that's my girl.
• She is getting really good at writing her letters.  We're getting ready to start Handwriting Without Tears, and I think this will be very good for her.  She is already trying to make lowercase letters, just copying them from things around the house, and hopefully this will help squelch any bad letter-formation habits before Kindergarten.
• I believe that Gemma will be our artist.  She doesn't seem incredibly athletically inclined, and she spends hours a day with crayons, scissors, markers, etc.  She is always coming up with new things (most recently homemade boats with paper, tape and straws).  I hope we are able to give her adequate opportunities and outlets for her creativity as she gets older.
• She has moved to a booster now that we have the van, and this is working well.  She can't buckle herself, but she can unbuckle herself and that is helpful.  She is also a big help sitting by the baby! 
• She weighs 37 pounds and is almost 45 inches. Yes, she's tall.

KOLBE

• Kolbe has seemed to change the most since Clem was born.  I think that always happens with your "baby".  He just seems so much bigger, and so much more grown up.  I wish I had prepared myself for this a little more.  I put him to bed one night as my baby, and when we got back home with Clem he wasn't my baby anymore.  I mourn that a bit.  But such is life. 
• He dropped his nap around the time Clem arrived.  I'm actually fairly OK with this, because getting him down for a nap had become a nightmarish battle of wills, and bedtime wasn't much better.  OK, maybe it was worse.  For the most part bedtimes have been going much better (and earlier!), although it seems like as soon as we settle into a good groove with something we seem to hit another bump in the road.  I had been laying with him while he went to sleep with great success, but lately he's starting being a bit of an ornery little stinker while I'm laying with him.  ;-D  He's doing better at staying in bed and going to sleep himself though, so I think that's the direction we're moving.  That's the eventual ideal anyways.  WHEW, maybe I should have done a separate post about sleep.
• He counts to ten and it is so hilarious.  Speaking of talking, he still continues to learn more words and communicate better with us (although I think he's pretty hard for others to understand). He is probably a bit behind the curve when it comes to the speech skills of a "typical" 2 1/2 + year old, but he continues to progress. 
• He wants to do ev.ery.thing. that Gemma does.  Which is cute, but makes it hard when it comes to things like, oh, GLUE.  He is also picking up some of her not-so-wonderful habits (like covering ears when I tell her/him something they don't want to hear) and this is frustrating.  Maddening really. 
• As much as Gemma is our artist, I think Kolbe will be our athlete.  He is still obsessed with anything "ball", and what he lacks in speech he makes up for in gross motor skills.  
• He weighs 30.5 pounds 

CLEMENT

I recently updated on Clement at a month HERE and honestly, there's not a whole lot more to say so I'll just post a cute picture.  He's a baby. He nurses, sleeps and poops.  He's having longer alert times and has a very mellow personality.  He gave me his first "meaningful" smiles at just a bit over 5 weeks. He weighs 10.5 pounds.  I just love him so much...we all do.  Seems like he's been part of the family forever, he fits right in.

Gemma 4yrs 7mos. - Kolbe 2yrs 7mos. - Clement 1 month

What we're up to

I feel like I've been terrible at updating on the kids lately, and I know that's why most of you keep coming back ;-D so here you go.

Gosh, where to start.  We've really been enjoying the days that are warmer and nicer outside.  We've been taking more trips to the park (our neighborhood one and another area park we like to frequent), blowing bubbles, chalking (as Gemma calls our sidewalk chalk adventures) and just soaking up the good 'ole vitamin D that finally returns every year around this time. YAY!  My MIL brought us some pretty pansies and we have them in a pot on the deck.  They make me absurdly happy and anxious for spring every time I see them.

picked out her own outfit

extremely rare piggytails

Gemma is getting very independent, in some senses. She dresses herself most days and has even washed her own hair a few times lately (with limited assistance).  She has figured out how to open the curtains and blinds on the window in her bedroom and has become quite possessive of that task.  She's really been enjoying coloring lately and is beginning to understand the concept of staying inside the lines.  Oh I am looking forward to doing some preschool activities with her in the coming year!  I think we'll have lots of fun.  It is definitely giving me a whole new perspective on homeschooling, which I really thought I'd never have any interest in.  Catholic schools are still the "plan" but I'm open to whatever God has in mind for us...just need to figure that out here in the next few years.  ;-D  We will definitely "homeschool" (if you can call it that) preschool though.  I don't think either she or I would be ready for the separation preschool would bring.  Speaking of, she's been going through some major separation anxiety lately.  And I don't leave her much, the main time is that either my mom or MIL come over to play with the kids while I teach 2-3 piano lessons a week (so only 1-1.5 hours).  Well, we'll talk about it all day, about the fun things she will do with grandma, and she will seem fine with it until grandma comes and I go down to the basement to teach.  She flips out.  She has spent the past month or so of lessons sitting in her little rocking chair beside the piano while I teach.  She's really very good, either sits by me or plays quietly on her own, so I really don't care that she's down there.  I'm just not sure what has caused this sudden change, she's previously always done fine when I've left her with grandma.  She's even starting getting upset the day I have a lesson and daddy is home.  It's crazy. Hmmm....

Hey, where'd the apple crisp go?

Kolbe, oh my Kolbe boy.  He is alllllll boy.  Have I mentioned that?  He loves to throw things.  Namely balls but he will really throw anything he can get his hands on, so watch out.  Still not walking but he'll pull up to standing on things and cruise along the furniture a bit.  He crawls fast.  He loves to crawl over to the TV and turn it on.  Grrrrrrr.  He likes to sign and uses "more", "milk" and "all done" very well to communicate with us.  I can tell he understands a lot even though he doesn't say much.  He loves to play peek-a-boo and if you ask him what Max (our dog) says he'll say "oof".  Doesn't talk nearly as much as Gemma did at this age, I'm still amazed when I look back at old posts how early she talked, but they each develop at their own rate and he's doing great.  He is very active and definitely keeps me on my toes, probably more so than Gemma ever did.

sharing icecream with daddy

Aaron is gearing up for spring yard projects (champing at the bit, really) and has prepped one wall of the garage for painting (it is currently sheet-rocked and partially taped and mudded).  I've been keeping busy with the kids and some political work I've been doing.  I'm working with a group that's in the process of trying to change our state's current vaccine mandates.  Vaccines are a hot topic, I know, and I really don't intend to start a big debate over it here on the blog (if you'd like more info, feel free to leave your email in the comments or private message me on Facebook). We're simply working towards giving parents back the right to make informed vaccine choices for their children in our state.  It has been consuming a lot of my time of late but it is good, rewarding work, I'm learning so much about the political process and I've been blest with an amazing group of women with whom I'm working.  God is good.

Thanks for checking in with us!  Happy (almost) spring and don't forget to set those clocks ahead this weekend.  BLESSINGS!

Gemma, 3yrs 2 months.; Kolbe, 14 months