There were lots of other fun outfits so I was very surprised to win the contest. Michael and I enjoyed a date out the following night at Pappasito's.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
yodeling
We had Sunday school costume party potluck on Friday night. I really struggled with what we should wear since I can see all sorts of options just from our closet. We landed on a Bavarian couple with some added humor.
There were lots of other fun outfits so I was very surprised to win the contest. Michael and I enjoyed a date out the following night at Pappasito's.
There were lots of other fun outfits so I was very surprised to win the contest. Michael and I enjoyed a date out the following night at Pappasito's.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
ANW in training
This post deserved its own spot.
Through a friend, we learned about a homeschool class at the local gym Iron Sports. For us, it is 15 minutes away, but people drive from all over to go there. And I do mean ALL OVER! This is the famous Houston gym alluded to over and over in American Ninja Warrior. If you have ever seen that show, you have probably seen Sam Sann compete. He is the owner. The latest protege is Daniel Gil who actually competed in the finals this last season. He is a sweet, soft-spoken fellow who also works at Iron Sports. Both are believers. The homeschool class is 2 hours of stretching, obstacle courses, and games as well as a prayer time led by Daniel Gil.
David is so incredibly stoked about this! He has declared more than once over the past couple of years that he wants to be an American Ninja Warrior when he grows up so this opportunity is incredible! It is a bit challenging during naptime for A but the girls also enjoy hanging out and quietly playing with the other little siblings.
Through a friend, we learned about a homeschool class at the local gym Iron Sports. For us, it is 15 minutes away, but people drive from all over to go there. And I do mean ALL OVER! This is the famous Houston gym alluded to over and over in American Ninja Warrior. If you have ever seen that show, you have probably seen Sam Sann compete. He is the owner. The latest protege is Daniel Gil who actually competed in the finals this last season. He is a sweet, soft-spoken fellow who also works at Iron Sports. Both are believers. The homeschool class is 2 hours of stretching, obstacle courses, and games as well as a prayer time led by Daniel Gil.
David is so incredibly stoked about this! He has declared more than once over the past couple of years that he wants to be an American Ninja Warrior when he grows up so this opportunity is incredible! It is a bit challenging during naptime for A but the girls also enjoy hanging out and quietly playing with the other little siblings.
Monday, October 19, 2015
time slipping away
I guess somewhere between homeschooling and other household chores, my kids' lives are just slipping away without any record...just like the fact that they no longer eat yogurt for breakfast EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING. They have branched out in all their foods over the last six months and yet how could a daily routine which had been ingrained over years, just simply slip away, not to be remembered? Life is happening right now.
This post will try to catch the last month of all three.
Abigail has hit a terrible three stage with a lot of tearful outbursts...but to be fair, she still desperately needs a nap and we have kept her on an inconsistent napping routine this month. She is still definitely the baby of the family and as such, can't be cajoled, shamed, bribed, or otherwise convinced that it is worth her time to keep her underwear consistently dry, despite all other signs of being perfectly ready to potty train. Ah, well...Mom is too busy to push the issue. She still is the earliest riser and most mornings wakes the rest of the household too. This is a bit rough when it is at 6 am. She still entertains herself well but has been spending a lot of time with E while I teach D. On the whole, they play together nicely. I can always count on her coming downstairs arrayed in some dress-up dress, declaring herself "bootiful!" She does a good job remembering people's names (a fact that amazes me because D still struggles). She still loves all things "princess." She loves to sit and look at books, especially about princesses. She very neatly and carefully puts away the dishes in the dishwasher and matches the silver in the silver drawer. My favorite word of hers this month is "lollipopper." She still sucks her blanket (Yuck!) at nighttime and will often walk around with it in her mouth during the day if I don't catch her. Probably about time for it to go. This sweet girl is caught between maturing and the desire to always be the baby.
There was one moment this month that COMPLETELY threw me. We were in the middle of a class leader's meeting, and Abigail came downstairs all dressed up and with a french braid that the sitter had done. She walked up to me and just looked at me. And without her goofy grin, I LITERALLY did NOT recognize her. I was trying to process whose child she was. Once, I realized she was my child, I guessed she was Elizabeth...and my brain, frantically trying to catch up, told me "no" it is A. I decided she must be A but then thought twice and literally asked her (and not in jest), "Are you Abigail?" It didn't help that she didn't respond. :) All this took place over a period of about 3 short minutes but it felt like an eternity. And apparently the look of uncomprehension and shock was written all over my face because two different people told me that I was looking at her as if I didn't even know her. And that is quite accurate! So, I guess this little girl will be eventually growing up...
As for Elizabeth, she is a new girl. Yes, we still have some defiance and willfulness on her part, but it is far more the exception now. It is so easy to see God at work transforming this little girl. I have no doubt about her decision to follow Christ last month. She is softer and more helpful too. And when she is helpful, she is by far the most helpful, knowing just what to do and how to do it. E never ceases to amaze me. She is so quick with everything. She has the most incredible sense of smell too. She often comments on far-off smells and can accurately identify the source/scent! Maybe she has a career as a famous perfumer? She has gotten far better at eating most things but still shows preferences for vegetarian protein over meats. She finally sleeps well--that is, if her sister does not wake her up. She loves to color and dance! E is learning as we can. She can count to 12 easily and knows her phonics sounds pretty well, A-H. She is constantly identifying the phonics sounds at the beginning of words too, unprompted by me. Elizabeth is still my little stylish fashionista. She knows just how to put herself together very chic-ly. Her preference is always for dresses with a runner-up of leggings and top (sensible girl). Recently she has been willing to at least occasionally wear shorts or pants. About the only remnant of baby-ness that she still has is with the word "lo-gurt." Too sweet to correct.
David is also maturing into an incredibly sweet, sensitive son. He treats me with such kindness and knows how to give a compliment. This boy will make a real catch one day. He stays up every night because he takes his responsibility to read the Bible very seriously. And while often he is still looking at the pictures of the Action Bible, I can overhear him occasionally actually reading it aloud! His reading skills are taking off! He can read much pretty comfortably now. His spelling is a mixed bag, but he is also spelling 3 and 4 syllable words that often have exceptions to the rule. Math has become a bit of a challenge. The practical word problems, time telling, counting money are no problem at all, but memorizing subtraction tables is torture! We will get there though. School overall has been going much better now that we have a proper routine first thing in the morning. In his spare time, he loves to build sets (forts), play with nerf guns, construct legos (and often puzzle boxes), play kitty with sister E (which involves a lot of mewing), and play games. This kid adores Monopoly! He will be my little gaming buddy. He got a hold of my phone this month (without my knowledge) in order to take some pictures of his lego creations and some selfies. The other picture below of him reading, however, were taken by sister E at the same time. Goofy kids! He has been attending American Ninja Warrior homeschool classes. He loves that! He is such a dichotomy of rough-and-tumble boy and yet so sweet and winsome!
Other moments to prompt photos:
more coordinating dresses (this seems to happen a lot, completely unplanned by Mommy)
Snuggle time with Daddy
Lego club at the library--with friend Brennan (David is all about playing with the lego men right now)
First Grade Bible presentation at church
WOW choir singing on Wednesday night (love David's face when he sees us!)
Impromptu dance time
This post will try to catch the last month of all three.
Abigail has hit a terrible three stage with a lot of tearful outbursts...but to be fair, she still desperately needs a nap and we have kept her on an inconsistent napping routine this month. She is still definitely the baby of the family and as such, can't be cajoled, shamed, bribed, or otherwise convinced that it is worth her time to keep her underwear consistently dry, despite all other signs of being perfectly ready to potty train. Ah, well...Mom is too busy to push the issue. She still is the earliest riser and most mornings wakes the rest of the household too. This is a bit rough when it is at 6 am. She still entertains herself well but has been spending a lot of time with E while I teach D. On the whole, they play together nicely. I can always count on her coming downstairs arrayed in some dress-up dress, declaring herself "bootiful!" She does a good job remembering people's names (a fact that amazes me because D still struggles). She still loves all things "princess." She loves to sit and look at books, especially about princesses. She very neatly and carefully puts away the dishes in the dishwasher and matches the silver in the silver drawer. My favorite word of hers this month is "lollipopper." She still sucks her blanket (Yuck!) at nighttime and will often walk around with it in her mouth during the day if I don't catch her. Probably about time for it to go. This sweet girl is caught between maturing and the desire to always be the baby.
There was one moment this month that COMPLETELY threw me. We were in the middle of a class leader's meeting, and Abigail came downstairs all dressed up and with a french braid that the sitter had done. She walked up to me and just looked at me. And without her goofy grin, I LITERALLY did NOT recognize her. I was trying to process whose child she was. Once, I realized she was my child, I guessed she was Elizabeth...and my brain, frantically trying to catch up, told me "no" it is A. I decided she must be A but then thought twice and literally asked her (and not in jest), "Are you Abigail?" It didn't help that she didn't respond. :) All this took place over a period of about 3 short minutes but it felt like an eternity. And apparently the look of uncomprehension and shock was written all over my face because two different people told me that I was looking at her as if I didn't even know her. And that is quite accurate! So, I guess this little girl will be eventually growing up...
(here she is after I realized it was Abigail, unrecognizable Abigail--and even A who saw the picture just now, thought this was Elizabeth!)
As for Elizabeth, she is a new girl. Yes, we still have some defiance and willfulness on her part, but it is far more the exception now. It is so easy to see God at work transforming this little girl. I have no doubt about her decision to follow Christ last month. She is softer and more helpful too. And when she is helpful, she is by far the most helpful, knowing just what to do and how to do it. E never ceases to amaze me. She is so quick with everything. She has the most incredible sense of smell too. She often comments on far-off smells and can accurately identify the source/scent! Maybe she has a career as a famous perfumer? She has gotten far better at eating most things but still shows preferences for vegetarian protein over meats. She finally sleeps well--that is, if her sister does not wake her up. She loves to color and dance! E is learning as we can. She can count to 12 easily and knows her phonics sounds pretty well, A-H. She is constantly identifying the phonics sounds at the beginning of words too, unprompted by me. Elizabeth is still my little stylish fashionista. She knows just how to put herself together very chic-ly. Her preference is always for dresses with a runner-up of leggings and top (sensible girl). Recently she has been willing to at least occasionally wear shorts or pants. About the only remnant of baby-ness that she still has is with the word "lo-gurt." Too sweet to correct.
David is also maturing into an incredibly sweet, sensitive son. He treats me with such kindness and knows how to give a compliment. This boy will make a real catch one day. He stays up every night because he takes his responsibility to read the Bible very seriously. And while often he is still looking at the pictures of the Action Bible, I can overhear him occasionally actually reading it aloud! His reading skills are taking off! He can read much pretty comfortably now. His spelling is a mixed bag, but he is also spelling 3 and 4 syllable words that often have exceptions to the rule. Math has become a bit of a challenge. The practical word problems, time telling, counting money are no problem at all, but memorizing subtraction tables is torture! We will get there though. School overall has been going much better now that we have a proper routine first thing in the morning. In his spare time, he loves to build sets (forts), play with nerf guns, construct legos (and often puzzle boxes), play kitty with sister E (which involves a lot of mewing), and play games. This kid adores Monopoly! He will be my little gaming buddy. He got a hold of my phone this month (without my knowledge) in order to take some pictures of his lego creations and some selfies. The other picture below of him reading, however, were taken by sister E at the same time. Goofy kids! He has been attending American Ninja Warrior homeschool classes. He loves that! He is such a dichotomy of rough-and-tumble boy and yet so sweet and winsome!
Other moments to prompt photos:
more coordinating dresses (this seems to happen a lot, completely unplanned by Mommy)
Snuggle time with Daddy
Lego club at the library--with friend Brennan (David is all about playing with the lego men right now)
WOW choir singing on Wednesday night (love David's face when he sees us!)
Impromptu dance time
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
a big moment!
David has his first loose tooth! Yes, he is 7+ years old.
Woohoo!
There is blood--- it is only a matter of time now...
Woohoo!
There is blood--- it is only a matter of time now...
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
my three names
My friend Amy so astutely pointed out the significance in what each of my kids call me.
David - "Mommy" It is used as a term of affection by him. He is secure in his relationship with me and so sweetly tells me he loves me as he uses this term.
Elizabeth - "Mama" She is so eager for acceptance and love. She is so strong on her own but still desperately wants to know that I love her. I do, of course!
Abigail - "Mom" She is by far the most independent. She loves me and doesn't mind my help sometimes but she rarely thinks to ask. She can do it all on her own.
How well these names describe the inner workings of their hearts!
David - "Mommy" It is used as a term of affection by him. He is secure in his relationship with me and so sweetly tells me he loves me as he uses this term.
Elizabeth - "Mama" She is so eager for acceptance and love. She is so strong on her own but still desperately wants to know that I love her. I do, of course!
Abigail - "Mom" She is by far the most independent. She loves me and doesn't mind my help sometimes but she rarely thinks to ask. She can do it all on her own.
How well these names describe the inner workings of their hearts!
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