What Leah is up to

Or shall we say where has she been going? Up the stairs, both on the steps & on the outside of the bannister on the edge of the stairs - already figured that out, too. She can also commonly be found around the kitchen table searching for left over Cheerios, etc.

She's also really starting to make a lot of sounds. Yesterday I gave her a banana & she said, "na-na." She'll also say, "Ugh" which is cute. Lots of shaking her head side to side when you tell her, "No." Still saying, "Da-da." What's missing? STILL NO "MA-MA!"

Oh well, at least her eyes still really light up when she sees me! What a doll. Growing too fast. Hard to believe she'll be one in about 6 1/2 weeks!

The other thing I notice so much is how interested she is in cups. She'll swipe any cup she can find...especially Jacob's (who by the way, is really enjoying that he has a little one around to push around & pick on). But, there can be three cups on the floor & she'll always go for the one Jacob has been using that day - it's like she knows it's his & that it must have something good in it. I don't know how good, though, as Jacob pretty much always drinks rice milk.

One last thing is that she is the happiest girl right up until she goes to bed. She just doesn't get fussy. She'll play and play and play, and then literally you pick her up to take her to bed and the first step into her room, she starts rubbing her eyes & is ready for the bedtime routine. It is so cute.

Our little princess is doing great!

The Answer I've Been Looking For!

Tonight Nathaniel solved my problems...
"Mom, I need a stuff room."
He went on to describe: "You know, a place to put my stuff. Then it could all be put away and we could keep our house really nice & clean."

Ah ha! That is it! We do need a stuff room. That's exactly what we need!

5am Conversation with Nathaniel

We had a thunderstorm this morning & Nathaniel came in our room to lay by me. He was talking sweet & sounding completely awake. These were his comments:
"Mom, I hope the lifeguard isn't outside."
(Me: "Oh, she's not, she's at home sleeping I'm sure.")
"Mom, the light bulbs almost came on with that big lightning."
(Me: "Really?" Then there was a lull in the thunder & lightning for a moment.)
"Mom, isn't that nice of Jesus to take away the thunder for a little bit so we can have some quiet time?"
("Yes, it is.")
"Mom, does it rain all over the world?"
("Yes.")
"Even in California?" ("Yes.") "Even in Mexico?" ("Yes.")
"Oh."

True Dedication

Last night we were coming inside for the night and Jacob was already in. He was in the bathroom, actually, with one of our big flower watering cans. I peeked in and found he was working very diligently. He had a small medicine cup (like the ones that come on top of a bottle of children's Tylenol or something) and he was filling it about half full and dumping it into the big watering can. I asked him, "Jacob, what are you up to?" He said, "I'm filling up this sprayer thing." He just kept dumping that water, about 1 1/2 tsp per load, into the can.

Day of Major Milestones

Today I thought about and enjoyed the fact that each child hit a milestone. I would call that a great day! First, all three boys had dentist appointments. This was Jacob's first appointment. He is typically pretty brave and independent, but as his big brothers sat and tried to avoid their turn in the exam chair, Jacob proudly and maturely left the area where I was to sit in a chair in the next room with the hygienist who would clean his teeth as he sat there & didn't move a muscle. I was very proud of him. I couldn't believe how well he did.

Then, after we came home, the big boys decided they wanted their training wheels off their bikes. Not hard to guess where this is going...they both accomplished riding with no training wheels today! I was so proud of them. At first I think they had quite a bit of doubt, but they worked on it all afternoon and have pretty much mastered it. Leyton is probably the best at it right now as Nathaniel was a bit more tired & lost interest a little easier. But, they both did it and did an awesome job. After dinner, we went around the block, even. I was so excited for them that they did so well. Leyton even managed several turns, bumps in the road, and fairly steep hills for the first day. He seemed so proud. Nathaniel did great too, but I think another day or two & he'll really be even better. He was getting a bit frustrated when he'd stop peddling in the midst of riding (without enough energy going to coast) - he'd fall over, as expected, but really didn't like that! It was cute. That's always a big day, isn't it? Seeing them ride off on their own and appreciating all the pride they show and the pride I have in being a small part of it. It is always so exciting being a part of their accomplishments.

And my little Leah. She is on the go for sure. She was in the basement and decided it was time for her first complete trip up the stairs on her own. She'd crawled up a few steps lately, but today was the first time she made it up all of them. She was so steady & happy. She didn't stumble or falter a bit, but just climbed & smiled the whole way. I stood behind her & she had the biggest grin when she got to the top. Even more cute was that her brothers were there at the top smiling at her & cheering her on. Too cute. This week she's also been starting to stand for brief moments on her own. No rush, Leah, I don't need her to walk too soon. I just enjoy her being little. Each stage is so neat.

Deanna Rose Farmstead

Tuesday the weather was just perfect. Sunny, not too hot or humid, and it seemed just right for a trip to the Deanna Rose Farmstead. We hadn't been there this year at all, and so we went on an impromptu trip and had so much fun. We arrived around 10am and were actually there until after 2pm, which for us, was a long time. The boys enjoyed watching the bunnies chase each other, the ducks walk around, and so much more. Jacob & Nathaniel brushed a baby calf's hair, all three of them fed baby goats bottles of milk, they fed bigger goats some food, rode pedal tractors, and played on the playground. Leah really got her eyes full, too, by just watching everything going on. She didn't fuss about anything at all. It was so much fun. Nathaniel also went on a pony ride. The only problem with that was you have to be 3 to ride & of course Jacob wanted to, but was not old enough. Leyton thought maybe he'd ride next time. They actually wanted to go back the next day. We've been there several times before, but this time just seemed like they had so much fun. It is such a neat place & unbelievably, pretty much free. We didn't fish (mostly because I'm a wimp when it comes to worms, hooks, and handling fish) or ride the hay ride, but maybe next time. I was so glad we went.

Memory of the Day

So I guess it follows Murphy's Law that as soon as we opt to replace most of our kitchen appliances, it would happen that the main one we did NOT replace (dishwasher - since we'd replaced it since we've lived here) decides to break on us! Yikes. A week and a half ago on a Sunday was our dishwasher's last run and boy have we missed it! Last night, though, we did order a new one that will be in on Saturday. I can't wait.

In the mean time, as I wash the dishes, I come to my memory of the day:
the house Grandma Rita used to live in had a ceramic sink in the kitchen & she did not have a dishwasher (yes I realize I'm spoiled today as we didn't always have a d/w as a kid). I remember how she used to wash the dishes & it was always, well, shall I say, with a purpose. We used to pretend to wash like her & swish, splash, push around the dishes in the sink. It always made this noise & it made us laugh like the silly kids we were.

Excellent Reporting

I had to laugh today when the boys went to play downstairs & I was cleaning up lunch in the kitchen. Nathaniel came upstairs to give me a great report on what was going on downstairs:
"Mom, this came off (he was holding the handle from the basement toilet), Jake is taking his diaper off, and no one is encouraging him."

I appreciated the thorough and step-by-step nature of the comment. Always good to know if someone was encouraging someone else to do something out of the norm, too. It actually turns out that Nathaniel used the restroom and then Jacob was attempting to do the same! YEAH!

Washington Town & Country Fair

We had a great time at the fair. Well, aside from Jacob's very odd and very severe allergic reaction on the first day of the 5 day event! Long story short, he went from sneezing to hives to eyes swelling shut to a quick dose of Benadryl which really helped. He almost got a shot of epinephrine from first aid!

Anyway, the fair was great. We rode many rides: ferris wheel, roller coaster, swings, kiddie rides (dogs, cars, carousel, etc.), Tilt-a-whirl, etc. Lots of great names for the rides, too. We also got to see the bull riding, motocross, tractor pull, a magician, a large cat exhibit/show (with tigers), a dog show, Huey Lewis & the News, Tracy Lawrence, other live music, kids pedal tractor pull, farm animals, and other children's exhibits, etc., etc. The kids really liked the motocross event - I think it was their favorite. Leah didn't really care about the fair, so she went a little & stayed the rest of the time with Grandma.

We were also able to visit some with Grandma Rita, Uncle Dave & Aunt Jill, Uncle Greg & Aunt Debbi, Uncle Ben & Aunt Rachel. We really kept busy! Grandma & Grandpa had a full house, but it was a lot of fun.

Signs of Brotherly Love?

Signs of brotherly love can resemble anything from a hug, to a shove, to an act of sharing, and many other things. The boys do actually get along very well. Sometimes I'm amazed at just how thoughtful they can be. Then, there's the other side of brotherly love - those things they just do to each other as most kids do, that I just don't know how often to intervene. Leyton has been showing this most lately.
Example:
Background: Leyton & Nathaniel are running or riding their bikes for a while, Jacob & Leah are in the stroller as we walk around the block. All the boys now decide they want to run. Jacob desperately wants to be in the front at all times - hard to guess where this is going?

Crisis coming: Well, the big boys are obviously faster at these ages and Jacob gets devastated easily given he can't keep up along with the fact that it's about 90 degrees and they're already tired from the day anyway. So, he screams, and screams..."I want to be first, I want to be first."

Resolution (if there is one): Leyton stops running and says, "OK, you can be first." Wow, can it be this easy? I think, oh what a sweet boy. Jacob takes off running to get ahead. Just as he catches up, I am about to say, "Leyton, how swee-" Then Leyton turns to run again to get back in front.

Crisis returns: Jacob stops again and resumes screaming at the top of his lungs & crying. "I want to be first."

Resolution: (see resolution above, then repeat crisis...repeat, repeat)

Ugh. No easy way to win this one for anyone! Just chalk it up to brotherhood I guess. It reminds me of when I was a kid & Lissy & I walked home from school with Uncle Todd - long story with details of dirty bobby socks, being in 2nd grade & carrying an 8th grade uncle's bookbag home, having to race the whole way to set a new record, eating A LOT of plain ketchup to avoid wasting food, etc., etc.

Excitement Brewing

This next week is the much anticipated annual trip to Grandma & Grandpa's for the Washington Town & Country Fair. The fair always begins the first Wednesday in August and runs through Sunday. Usually it's about late August or early September when the questions begin:
"Mom, when can we go to Grandma's to go to the fair?" This lasts for the next several months. Believe it or not, we've made it to August again! YEAH! They really enjoy the fair. So much to see: tractor pulls, bull riding, moto-cross, Agri-land (small farm animals, corn & soy beans & wheat to play in, etc.), greased pig contests, rides, etc., etc. It's actually a great fair. Hopefully Grandma & Grandpa are ready for the troops to invade their home! It'll be a full house as the whole family will be there - all Kansas and Texas troops. I'm sure all 8 grandchildren in one house will be quite a hustle & bustle time! We haven't seen the Grahams since about February, so it will be a lot of fun to see them as well.

The other funny thing is that typically, when the kids know a trip to Grandma's is coming up, they prepare WELL in advance - they're usually packed at least 48 hours prior to departure. This time, no different. It's been a challenge, though, as Leyton packed his bags late Friday or early Saturday - including every pair of underwear he has. So, as we get dressed these days, we have to politely ask him to unpack a pair & then reassure him we'll have plenty of time to do more laundry & still pack adequately.

Oh they joys. It will be a fun trip!