flower girl!
Our long time babysitter turned friend is getting married! We’re so excited! She and her fiance asked Zoe to be in the wedding as a flower girl. What a special treat for her!
We’ve been blessed with a lot of good news this week.
Congratulations T&K!
Well, Zoe has started having night terrors at night. She’s done it twice this week. Mark and I were a little scared by it and did a little research last night. Apparently, it can be due to being overtired and there’s also a way to help it go away. We’re going to work on getting her to nap or getting her to bed earlier than the boys. A night terror is when a child wakes up within two hours of sleeping crying and screaming. Sometimes they walk around the room. Their eyes are open and they can see things in their room but they aren’t awake. Zoe’s night terrors come with her looking and batting at things on her bed and crying when she looks at them. From what we found, you’re not supposed to wake them but just comfort them and try to get them to calm down. And they don’t remember it happening. It’s also hereditary, but when I told mom she said that I never did that. Last night she kept hitting at a small pillow on her bed. I prayed over her eyes and she calmed down almost immediately. I’m thankful that God helped her to calm down. Both times she’s done it I was close to calling our pediatrician…but thankfully she calmed down quickly probably within in 10 to 15 minutes.
Josiah is now doing much better during the day. He can put himself to sleep in the morning and in the afternoon. Now the goal is to extend nap time from 45 minutes to however long he needs to be rested. He’s also doing good at night. He still wakes a couple of times but Mark is able to get him back to sleep without much work and then he nurses at 5 or so in the morning.
Ace still has a fever that is fluctuating. It got up to 100.7 last night but he still acted fine with it. Weird!
How cute are they?! It’s safe to say that Josiah adores his big sister and big brothers! Zoe’s getting to be his favorite though.
This week during school we talked about the moon and astronauts. The kids made a space shuttle and went to the moon. Here’s their shuttle!
Yesterday, we took Zoe and Liam to build their “bear” at BABW for their birthday. Zoe picked out this nice pink leopard (surprised?!). Liam picked out a monkey. Well, we picked it out for him and he picked out the Spiderman shirt. After the trip to BABW, we headed to see Santa. We got there just in time because school buses were unloading. Zoe and Ace went straight to see Santa and told him what they wanted. Liam handed him his new monkey.
For those that don’t know or are just tuning in, Santa only brings one thing to our house. The kids get three gifts from us and one of them is usually a gift for all of them. Well, Zoe and Ace told Santa what they wanted and then he asked them what else. They froze. They had no clue what he was talking about. So, Ace said he wanted a candy cane. Mark and I were proud of them and their lack of greediness. Next year, we’ll have to coach Santa ahead of time to just bring one thing for each kid.
This time it’ s Ace and Josiah. Wednesdays seem to be the days for Josiah to learn something new. He’s now learned how to blow raspberries or motor boat mouth. He was showing off his new talent last night after church and I was blowing raspberries on his belly. Ace asked to try and then did it and Josiah had the biggest time laughing at him. Ace was a little worried that he hurt him but soon started grinning and doing it again. Did I have the video camera? Of course not!! Uggghhh.
My kids have no concept of what this means and I pondered whether I had lost my mind this morning as we set out to a local art museum for Toddler Thursdays. Then I remembered that I have no brain to speak of…so I was good 🙂
Anyway, after getting lost and ending up at the city history museum, we made it to the art museum and headed over to hear the end of the talk about color (which Zoe and Ace already know but I thought they’d have fun. Then we went to do our art activity. It turned out better than I expected.
Zoe, Ace, and Liam all made bubble art. Zoe called her’s “Bubbles of Art.” Ace called his something that was incoherent (he makes up his own language sometimes).
So here’s what ya do:
Take some dishwashing soap and drop some food coloring in it. Have the child (or you if you child doesn’t know how to blow yet) blow bubbles then place a piece of paper/cardstock on top of the bubbles. It makes really cool designs.
We only saw one child suck instead of blow and taste some yummy soap. Liam was very good at letting me blow for him and when I wasn’t paying attention he’d call out “bow, bow peas” Just a couple of spills on our part and we were good.
After the art activity, I took them around the museum. It had a lot of wonderful, beautiful paintings that Zoe and I enjoyed looking at and Ace kept wanting to touch. Liam was firmly strapped into the stroller (I may have lost my mind but I know what’s smarts!) and Josiah was napping in the stroller. Ace about gave the security guys a heart attack but they left us alone for the most part and Ace enjoyed holding my hand most of the way through. As we were walking around, Zoe said she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Surprise, surprise!! I can’t wait to see her face when she sees what “Santa” is bringing.
After the art museum we decided to head over and see what our city history museum held. To be honest, I can’t tell you about the history of our city, but I can tell you they had a cool train engine locomotive and car and a streetcar and a really great little play area that held the three olders attention while I breastfed Josiah.
So, that’s been our day and I’m hoping the kids get a nice long nap so they can play with daddy while I go out with MOPS.
Zoe started drawing people last year (she was 3 1/2). Here’s a picture of her first drawing:
I was reminded this week how different our children are and how God has blessed them with different gifts and abilities. Notice her person is a ballerina (this is her first drawing, no lie) with a body and arms and legs in the right place.
Here’s Ace’s first drawing he did this week:
This is how preschoolers at 3 1/2 should be drawing! Ace told me this was the giant falling down. I suggested that he might want to put eyes and a mouth on it, and he informed me he already had (opps!). They’re on the right side of his face. I think the jellyfish thing beside the big person is David. I love his silliness. He’s so creative in telling stories.
I guess I’m bragging on Zoe a little bit, but Mark and I both have noticed how she seems to enjoy drawing and have a knack for drawing things. She amazes me daily as she comes up with different things to draw and can do it. Her first drawing she got upset because, she said the arms didn’t look quite right. Such a perfectionist!
And, in keeping with the season, Zoe has now been studying the art of drawing Christmas trees! She got the idea to draw them on her own and she’s been drawing them since Thanksgiving (before we got our tree or had decorations out).
Liam is really starting to show how much he looks up to his big brother, Ace. I’m using this as a teaching tool for Ace so he understands what’s at stake when he acts up. He’s not really getting it.
During our “puking period” on Friday, Liam rushed over to see what Ace was doing at the potty…then proceeded to try and throw up in the potty himself. (see how sweet…just kidding…it gets cute, keep reading).
Ace then went to lay down and Liam grabbed his blanket and lambie and lay down beside Ace. Later, when Ace thought he could get up, he was sitting on the step going to the playroom and Liam came up and sat beside him and put his arm around him. It was beautiful and not a camera in sight! This may never happen again. Oh well, now it’s preserved on here for all to see.
Pictures from November.
Let me out!
Zoe “reading”
My manly man burning brush!
Goofy face
The sandlot kids with a neighbor.