too long...

um... hi?

I'm almost embarrassed to post because it's been so long. I don't know what's happened in blogging world, well I take that back, I DO know.

My 4 yr old doesn't nap anymore and while I admire parents who have this amazing "quiet time" every day? It just doesn't work in our house, or at least I haven't found a practical way to make it work.

So, here we are...
Summer has hit and we are enjoying every minute of it, soaking up the sun, the fun, the water, the swingset, the garden. We are lovin' it!

Levi is almost 4 1\2 now. How did that happen? He's loving learning how to ride his bike, climb trees, and will be taking swim lessons in a couple of weeks. He LOVES to be outside. He asks a million questions all day. Someone recently described him as an "inquirer", and I thought that perfectly describes our son. This past week he participated in his first VBS. He really enjoyed himself, and today alone we've listened to the CD twice, all the way through.  

Ruby will be 19 months this next week. That seems impossible. I often look at her, as she jumps on the trampoline, swings on a big kid swing, climbs the ladder to the slide, and think... you were a lump of nothing last year! My how a year changes things. She is a pistol, a ball of energy, and very much knows what she wants, much to the detriment of the person attempting to figure out what it is she does want. She puts two word sentences together these days, like "all done" "get down" "up please".

Mike is working full-time, and he is also speaking at a weekly vespers service on Sunday afternoons. He is a tireless worker, often out in the garden until 9 at night, while I tidy up the house, clean up, get kids to bed and try to resume some sense of normalcy before we crash into bed ourselves.

I am enjoying summer, teaching a few piano lessons, but mostly, just hanging with the kids, trying to hit the park, the zoo,the lake, the farm, and everything else in between. We recently went strawberry picking was so fun, until my jam didn't set, then it was a nightmare, but thankfully, through some ingenuity of some friends, I managed to get it set.

Levi reads!

My mama heart is proud tonight. Levi has been ready and wanting to read for quite a while now. Thanks to a dear friend, we've been working hard on it for about a week.

Tonight?

He read his first short story. I, of course, painfully recorded the entire 10 minutes it took us to get through 5 pages, but you know what? 

He did it! 

My 4 year old son, who I swear was just born, read a book! How on earth did that happen? When did that happen? I'm overwhelmed and so thrilled for him as he begins this new chapter (ha!) in his life.  And reading? well it opens the doors to everything and we couldn't prouder of him than we are tonight.

You can enjoy all 10 painful, amazing minutes if you'd like. :)

The end of the beginning....

at 17 1\2 months my sweet baby girl, has stopped nursing.

I'm happy, and a little sad
I'm glad to be done, but right now, I miss our sweet moments together

For now, Mike is doing bedtime with her, just so she transitions a bit more smoothly, but I look forward to holding her, rocking and reading to her again soon.

We went away this past weekend, and I was really nervous about leaving her, but she has only been nursing 1x a day for quite a while now. She did great!! I took my pump with me and pumped, but decided, I'd just wait when we got back to see if she asked for it.

She didn't.. and it's time.

It's the end of the beginning she and I had together
but that just means a new beginning is starting.


Thank you Lord for giving us this sweet girl and for allowing us the privilege and honor of raising her.

busy busy.

I feel neglectful of this place. We've been busy.

Mostly, we've been playing outside! It's finally warm, and we are soaking it up, playing on the swing set, jumping on the trampoline, digging up the garden, going for walks, going to the zoo, and just generally enjoying the sunshine!
Also, Levi doesn't take naps anymore, and rest time, just doesn't work well for us, which was when I would always update this place. I better figure that one out!

Anyway, we've just been outside, which is so nice after a long winter.

feeding giraffes

Ruby is 17 months now, and is a crazy ball of energy. She LOVES animals. She points to them everywhere we go, and is slowly learning the names and sounds each one makes. This morning she brought me an animal book, was pointing to the Lion and roaring.   Her vocab is exploding everyday now it seems. Yesterday she said orange, what?!? where did my baby go? I love her so much, she is a ball of energy and fun.

Levi is riding out his last days of preschool. He has 3 days left! He has thoroughly enjoyed school this year. We are thinking a lot about what we want to do next year for him. His preschool recommended he skip the 4's class, and do a young fives classroom. (This was of no surprise to us, he's crazy smart, and LOVES to learn.) It would be a jump, from 2 days a week, to 5 days a week, 1\2 days. We have also toyed with the idea of homeschooling him this next year. (and who knows, maybe more?) Ack! I don't know... homeschooling feels so scary to me... and then you're one of those people.. you know, the weird homeschoolers, and while I KNOW that's not true, and I know plenty of perfectly normal people who home school, it still feels like you might just be one step closer to jean skirts, and buns in your hair...

 I wish there was a easy answer.  I feel like we jump back and forth on the home school boat constantly. I think there a lot of valid reasons to home school, I also think there are a lot of valid reasons for public education. Which is why, depending on any day, I will have a different answer for you if you were to ask me about it. I mostly just wish it were an easy answer, so far, it hasn't seemed that's the case.



And my heart?

It's May, and while, for most, it brings about lots of thoughts of spring, warmth, and sunshine, May for me is always a hard month. If you've been around long enough, you know that we lost our first pregnancy (back in 08) to miscarriage, and I was due in May. It, without fail, brings out thoughts and emotions in me, that never, and I don't think will ever, go away. This year, it feels fresh, as the baby I carried in the fall was also due in May.

I'm so incredibly thankful for the blessing of children. I'm thankful that I've carried 4 children, even if I didn't have the opportunity to hold them all in my arms. That's where my heart is these days, thoughtful, a little sad, but most certainly, thankful.

Levi's book

The other day Levi told me he needed paper and markers.
He later came to me and said he needed to use the stapler.

Do you want to know what he was up to?

My little kiddo wrote a book.

He brought it to me, beaming ear to ear and read me his story.
It makes this Mama heart smile.
So here it is.

Written and Illustrated by Levi

"I like to ride trains"

"I like to eat on trains. I like to drink tea on trains" 

The End. 

Yup. I'm pretty in love with this kid.

Our life in pictures

I feel like just kind of passes us by sometimes without even realizing it. Most days, our lives consist of a morning nap for Ruby, while Levi and I do a craft, project or some sort of learning together, all while I try to do housework and the ever growing pile of laundry.

We normally eat lunch around 11:30, then it's down for naps\quiet time, followed quickly by babysitters arriving so that I can teach piano lessons in the evening.

When the weather is tolerable, we do our best to get outside and enjoy the snow.
There ya go.. our life in pictures.

A PlayDoh Zoo. Bonus points if you can name all the animals. : )

One of Levi's favorite projects as of late. We spent a morning painting and putting this train together.

Levi has been very into wanting to go swimming lately... He spends a lot of his day dressed like this. 

Less laundry, so I let him. :) 

Miss Ruby is ALWAYS bringing me books to look at.

And of course we spend time outside. 

We love winter, unlike most people who live here.

Ruby at 14 months

My sweet Ruby,

Mama is a few days late, but you, my sweet girl, are 14 months old these days. I still have zero idea how that  has happened.

At 14 months you...
--> Are learning new words all the time... your words include Hi, Bye, Mama, Papa, Please, More, Eat, Drink, you use signs with all but mama and papa. I really need to get a good video of you jabbering away, because it really is like you are talking, it's just that I can't understand you.
--> Are developing a bit of a temper, and like to throw fits when you don't get your way. Oh silly girl.... this  means that timeouts are now in your life.
--> Have several teeth now, I"m not even sure how many. You have all but one of your molars, though it's right under the surface and I imagine it will be up soon.
--> Have crazy hair. It's too short to pull up, but too long to not look weird, I guess. I don't know, just different from boy hair, so it's just crazy all the time.
--> Still take 2 naps a day, though the morning one seems to be getting shorter.
-->  Go to bed around 6 and sleep until around 6 each morning. You, more and more, sleep consistently all the way through the night. Mama thanks you for that.
--> Are still nursing, though not much anymore, nursing, most days, just in the morning, and again at night.
--> Favorites still include bath time, books, and more and more you like to try to wear other clothes you find, or you'll turn something into a hat, necklace etc. It's amazing to me how much this boy\girl stuff is different.
 --> Love following your brother around, enjoy playing with him, and even playing hide and seek with him. It makes me laugh, every. single. day.

I'm so thankful for you my baby girl. You bless our lives each and every day.