Fall 2012 Updates

All three of the children seem to be growing and developing rapidly during this season.

Kiera quickly progressed from her first tentative steps at 11.5 months to competent, independent walking within just a few weeks. She understands much of what we say and can follow simple commands such as, "Bring mommy a book from the shelf." She still uses the word dada for most people and points and says "this" for everything else. Occasionally, we hear other words mixed in and she babbles in her own language all the time. It seems like she's on the verge of chattering in real words so we shall see. She weighed 19.5 lbs (25th percentile) at her 1 year check-up and was in the 75th percentile for height. Kiera is just as independent as her older brothers and demands to be a part of any activity (especially the messy ones like painting). She loves toys with lots of parts and her new baby doll and stroller. She also enjoys dancing to music and playing the keyboard! Outdoors, she still loves to swing, but is branching out to slides, sandboxes, and rock pits. Yesterday, she discovered how fun it is to play in a pile of leaves. O yes, and she loves to empty things: cabinets, shelves, boxes. There are times when I literally follow her around the house picking up the messes that she makes.

Gabriel amazes us each day with his growing vocabulary and academic skills. Multiple times in public, people stop to ask how old he is because of his speaking ability and vocabulary. This morning he identified almost every letter correctly and is beginning to associate the correct sounds with the letters. Building puzzles is still his favorite activity. He has an alphabet train floor puzzle that we assemble almost every day. I started some thematic activities along with some alphabet work and number work with him this week and he is loving it! He recognizes most numbers 1-10 and really wants to know more. We have a hundreds chart on our wall and he had me sit down with him this morning and point to each number while I said them. Then he wanted to do it again! He loves hearing stories and has a few memorized so he pretends to read them to be like his big brother. Gabe is just as independent as Luke and loves to be the helper. He still pushes his sister down if she interferes with his play (which happens many times a day)so we're hoping to break that habit soon. We finally helped him stop thumping against the wall/crib to go to sleep at night by taking down his entire bed. We'll put up a toddler or twin bed soon, but we're still debating when we can introduce bunk beds.

Luke continues to progress in his reading skills. This week his Star Wars phonics readers arrived and he LOVES them! Star Wars has quickly become a new interest (right up there with Transformers) so these books were just perfect for him. I love watching him sit down to read with Matt. I really think one of the reasons he picked up on reading so quickly is because his daddy takes the time to read to him or listen to him read so often! Yes, he gets the skills from school and his amazing kindergarten teacher, but the motivation definitely lies in wanting to be just like his daddy. Luke is excited to begin playing hockey and taking skating lessons in two weeks. We will definitely have to post pictures of that.

Kiera's First Birthday

Today, Kiera celebrated her first birthday! This year has gone by so quickly. This little girl has each of us wrapped around her finger with those big brown eyes and sweet smile. She has grown up so much in the past few months. Just a couple of weeks ago she was taking her first tentative steps and today she lets go and just walks halfway across the room on her own. She tries so hard to talk and has such an animated voice (even though she doesn't have a lot of real words yet). She points at everything and says, "this" because she wants to know what it is.

She spent the morning playing at the WonderLab with her brother, Gabe. Then we were off to lunch at the mall and a quick trip through Target. We stopped by Barnes and Noble for her free birthday cupcake and then headed home for a much needed nap. The boys helped me make a simple, but delicious cake (and by helped I mean they licked the icing beaters).

After nap, we spent some quality time playing outside. Kiera LOVES being outdoors and doesn't mind getting dirty, in fact, I think she prefers it.

Kiera really enjoyed her cupcake after dinner!

Gabe serenaded Kiera with several renditions of "Happy Birthday." It was so sweet, but I can't get the video on here. The boys also decided that she should open one of her presents today since her party isn't until Saturday. She really seemed to like her new Minnie Mouse. Luke and Gabe were also very interested in playing with Minnie :).

Now they're all upstairs sleeping (at least we assume they're sleeping since we hear no obvious noises). I have to say one of the best parts about today was seeing Luke and Gabe dote on their baby sister. She has the best big brothers! Happy birthday to the sweetest little girl!

Luke's 5th Birthday

Luke chose to celebrate his birthday at the lake again. He really loves going to visit his grandparents at the lake!

Daddy drew the Transformer on the cake!

Kiera loves Luke's new toys!

Old McDonald

"Old McDonald Had a Farm: is Gabe's favorite song right now and he's pretty good at singing it! I need to get a video of Kiera trying to join in, but for now I just have Gabe. Only it won't let me upload a video :(.

Last Stop: Museum of Life and Science

We had reciprocal membership to this museum so we decided to check it out. We loved it! There were plenty of things to investigate outside (in the heat) and indoors (where we could cool off).

Mommy and Kiera

A life sized dinosaur to climb on (plus many others just for looking).

Daddy loved the dinosaurs too!

Mommy and Gabe

Luke Turns 5

Luke turned 5 while we were still on vacation so we opened a couple of gifts and visited the aquarium to celebrate! The party comes later...

This is as close as we've ever been to an alligator! It was awesome!

Amusement Park

There was a small amusement park down the street that we visited one night. The boys LOVED riding on the rides!

The Beach

Kiera loved the sand (mostly eating it). Gabe refused to walk on it without socks and shoes. Luke loved everything!

Clingman's Dome

Our next stop was Clingman's Dome in the Smoky Mountains. Of course, we had to walk on the Appalachian Trail while we were there!

Definite "dad" moment:

The result:

Rock climbing was a great release for all that pent up energy!

Cumberland Waterfall

Our first stop along our 12 hour journey to the beach was the Cumberland Waterfall in KY. The boys loved checking it out!

Seriously, aren't they just adorable together!

Kiera enjoyed herself too!

Stay tuned for the next stop.

Kiera Grace

Little Miss Kiera won't be little much longer! I try not to think about the fact that she's turning one in a couple of months and will likely walking by then. She hasn't had many blog posts dedicated just to her so I wanted to give some highlights on her development. Kiera is turning 10 months in just a few days and she is a curious little bug with TONS of personality! She's typically very easy going, sleeps all night (8pm-8am), eats anything we give her, and in general only fusses if she's tired or hungry. That being said, she is growing up with two older brothers and knows how to hold her ground. Beware of shrill noises if you try to take a toy that she wants or that piece of lint she just worked so hard to pick out of the carpet!

Physically, she's been arming crawling for months and during our last trip to the lake perfected her true crawling moves (9 1/2 months). She also pulls up on everything and is just starting to cruise though she prefers letting go and falling backward! She's in the 75th percentile for height and the 25th for weight. Still no teeth...

Kiera is very interested in other people and will usually let someone else hold her, but she is definitely a mommy's girl at the moment. She loves being outside, swinging, and swimming. She is our little water bug! Of all three, she is the only one who willing rides around in the little floating lady bug at the lake. She's also very interested in books and new toys. Her main words are mama, dada, bubu, and hi (with a cute little wave). She seriously couldn't be any cuter with her dark hair starting to curl on the ends and those big brown eyes! Well, I better go rescue the newspaper that she's in the process of destroying!

Summer Fun

This was our first lake trip of the summer! Luke and Kiera loved it! Gabe wasn't so sure, but I have a feeling by the next trip, he'll be having a blast. Luke spent all day, every day in the lake swimming or tubing. Kiera spent her days hanging out in the baby pool. Gabe preferred the sandbox and playing blocks on the deck.

Growing Like Weeds

I can't believe how quickly they are all growing! Luke's been eating double helpings at dinner so I'm pretty sure he's about to grow a foot taller and little Miss Kiera gets bigger every day. She's now trying to pull up on furniture - so not ready for that! Gabe's growth has been more in the area of fine motor and vocabulary.

The kids LOVE going to visit friends' houses or having friends come to our house. It's way more fun to play with another kid than it is with mommy. This is true for Luke, in particular. He is such a social kid and just loves to make new friends. Luckily, this week he's had the chance to play with several boys his age who also love transformers, dinosaurs, and all things boy related!

Father's Day

The kids worked hard painting the letters for daddy's present. Taking the pictures was quite a task - I finally gave up on getting Kiera to stop eating it and just took the picture!

Matt won a pie at church for being the youngest dad (even at 31 ;)). We spent the rest of the day playing at the indoor water park in French Lick because daddies could get in for free! Luke tried out the big slides while Gabe and Kiera hung out in the kiddie pool. Luckily, my sister came with us so that we could trade off who was hanging out in the kiddie pool with them.

May 2012 Update

Kiera started army crawling at 7.5 months old! She is a determined little girl with a preference for her brothers toys - trains, transformers, you know things with small pieces. Today, in fact, we pulled a marble from her mouth for the first time. Now we really do try and keep these things out of her reach, but with two boys working against that effort and her newfound mobility, it's proving to be difficult,

Luke graduated preschool on Friday! I'm so proud of how much he's learned. He's on the verge of reading (though if you ask him he doesn't think he can). He is super excited about our Memorial Dat trip to the lake this coming weekend!

Gabe has hit "two" full force! His language skills amaze me as well as the number of songs he's learning. His favorites to sing right now are "Jesus Loves Me" and the abc's. He had the cutesy moment a few nights ago. We were telling stories in Luke's bed when out if the blue, Gabr folds his hands together and starts praying. He says, "Thank you mommy, daddy, Luke, Gabe, and Kiera. Amen." So precious!

Luke Rides 2-Wheel Style

I started writing this post in February and just now got around to finishing it! It warmed up enough a few days ago to play outside again! I noticed as Luke rode his bike with lopsided training wheels that he wasn't really using them so I told him we'd be able to take them off soon. The next day, he convinced Matt to take them off. Much to our amazement, Luke just took off riding! Okay, seriously how did that happen? When did my little baby grow up so much? This year has proven him to be a true "boy" no longer my baby. To top it off, he sat down to tie his shoes a few days later (after months of not even trying it) and tied it perfectly! I mean did he go to his room and practice while I wasn't watching or what? I also catch him trying to read words in books when he things I'm not listening. He even started writing me notes where his words are looking more and more like real words. So not ready for him to grow up....

To Work or Not to Work

So, it's time for me to get serious about my decision for next year. I am so grateful that I've had this year at home with the kids, but my year-long leave will be over when school starts next August. The question that I have been wrestling with for the past several months is whether or not I will be there when it starts up or if I will be home with Gabe and Kiera. I tend to lean heavily one direction and then several things will happen than influence me to lean the other way. This wouldn't be so difficult if I thought I could stay home for a few years and then get back into teaching. Unfortunately, I work in a field where being "overly qualified" can actually work against you when looking for a job. With a Master's and 7 years experience, there's a good chance that I would be too expensive to hire. There is also the fact that I LOVE my school and coworkers! That being said, education has changed a lot in these past 7 years. Authentic teaching seems to be on the back burner while data boards, test scores, and textbooks are creeping to the forefront. This year I missed the excitement of beginning a new year, organizing my classroom, getting everything ready, and meeting the kids. I missed those teachable moments and the excitement that bubbles over when 6 year-olds are involved in hands-on science lessons. I didn't miss updating my webpage, endless streams of emails, dealing with behavior problems, hours of lesson planning, cutting engaging science lessons to spend the "correct" amount of time on reading or math, updating data boards, data folders, and data spreadsheets. I miss the days of truly integrated units of study where learning seemed to happen naturally and didn't need to be recorded every step of the way. Don't get me wrong, I believe that it is important to show growth and progress, but it doesn't have to come in test form. I miss the days of meaningful projects that made kids excited to come to school. I miss seeing kids learn when they thought they were just having fun! I do not miss timers, deadlines, pressuring children to progress further than they are developmentally ready to progress, meetings, state regulations, constant testing, and feeling like we're rushing through activities just to say that we accomplished it all. And really, what have we accomplished if we've rushed through the day? We have created stressed out children who rush through just to get the job done rather than calm, clear thinking children who enjoy the journey that is their childhood and take the time to really understand.

At home, the pace is almost too slow though. I almost desperately seek some sort of mental stimulation. So far that has entailed: couponing, cloth diapering (which led to an ebay obsession), sewing (only to fix things), and making bows and headbands. Each "hobby" gets full attention for a couple weeks or so and then grows old though I still do each of these things some of the time. I have visions of being a "good" stay-at-home mommy. In these visions, I wake up before the kids to work out and shower. I then fix breakfast and wake everyone up (cheerfully). We actually do the activities that I have planned out, but never really implemented on a regular basis such as calendar time, pre-reading activities, science experiments, math games, music/dance time, and scheduled trips to the library and WonderLab. Now, we do engage in each of these activities sometimes, but it is random and unplanned. I keep waiting for motivation to get my act together, but it eludes me. And so I wonder if I would be a better mom if I were to go back to work where things are busier and more scheduled because I would be more productive and energetic.

I know there is no "right" or "wrong" decision here. There is just the decision that is best for my family. I am trying desperately to figure out where God wants me because I know that if I choose to follow His path, He will be there to light they way. I feel that going back to work is actually the safe and easy choice for me because it is familiar. I know what to expect and I feel more in control. God doesn't call for us to be in control though. He calls for us to trust in Him. So, do I trust Him enough to quit my job and enter the realm of unknowns? I wish I could say yes, but I hesitate and He knows because He always knows. So I continue to ask God to guide me in this decision. I want to make sure that if I quit my job (a job that I feel He led me to 5 years ago) then it is truly because God is leading me in a new direction and for no other reason. Quitting would be a giant leap of faith for me. It would be putting into practice what I say I believe - that God will always provide what we need. Thoughts swirl around and around in my mind when it comes to this decision. It keeps me awake at night, robs me of joy during the day, takes attention away from my children, and leaves very little of my mind available for my husband who has been wonderfully supportive of either decision. And so I must decide for my own sanity and so that I know where to register Luke for kindergarten. Next week begins registration for MCCSC and RBBCSC's registration is only a couple weeks away.

Decision Made

So it's been awhile since I've updated on here. I made the BIG decision to leave the teaching profession for awhile to be home while the kids are little. It was such a difficult decision for me mostly because there wasn't a "right" or "wrong" choice. I wavered back and forth for weeks until an email from my principal prompted me to make a final decision. I even loaded all 3 kids into the car and drove to school hoping that somehow being there would help me make the decision. I had both letters (return to work and resignation) in my purse. That visit didn't pan out quite the way I had anticipated. Gabe decided that aside from the chocolate in my principal's office, he wasn't into the trip and made it known. Even Luke was antsy by the end. I took a walk around just to see and talk to co-workers and get a feel for how the year has been going with all the changes in education. I hadn't been in the school since last spring so I wasn't sure how I would feel. I honestly thought I might realize how much I missed it, but in reality a screaming toddler added enough stress that I didn't have time for nostalgic thoughts. Exhausted, I loaded all 3 kids back into the car to head home without actually making my decision final. Though I was pretty sure at that point that I was going to stay home. I had felt God pulling me in that direction in the weeks prior, but it was hard for me to follow His prompting because it might mean never getting back into a career that I really did enjoy. But teaching is changing and the time commitment that I felt obligated to devote to my job was going to impact my three beautiful babies. I keep thinking that if I could teach and then go home and be fully present at home, then I could keep doing it. But I can't do that. I am a person who has to give 110% to whatever I'm doing. I realized that to be a great teacher, I would be robbing my own children. And to be a great mom, I wouldn't be able to give enough to those children in my classroom. I didn't want to be doing both jobs half-way when I could be doing one job really well and obviously being a mom trumps being a teacher ;).

I talked it over again with Matt and he was fine with either decision. So I sat at my computer that evening with my resignation letter up on the screen. It took me hours to finally hit the send button. Once I finally sent it, I felt relieved that the decision was finally made. I was comfortable with my decision for about a week when the doubts started to creep in. For about a week I really started to wonder if I had made the wrong decision. Then I went to church and that sense of peace was renewed. I realized I was being tempted with feelings of regret, doubt, and jealousy and none of these come from God. I know that when I made my decision, it was for the right reasons. It was just difficult to close that chapter of my life. I know that if God wants me back in the classroom in the future, then he will provide a way or He may lead me in an entirely different direction if I am just willing to trust in His will and follow His plan. Eek! I'm not so good at giving up control so I guess I needed to be put in a position where I am giving up control so that I will be prepared to follow. Even now I look around for jobs that maybe I could do part-time or from home, but really I need to focus on three important things: Luke, Gabe, and Kiera (oh, and probably Matt too ;) ).

Growing Up So Quickly

Kiera weighed in just over 15 pounds at her doctor's appointment this week. This was her first "sick" visit because I was convinced she had an ear infection. Of course, there was no ear infection so one more reason for them to add me to the "paranoid mommy" list. This was really the first illness with fever for her, but she seems to be recovering quickly. Just a really snotty nose at the moment. She's outgrown some of her baby items like her swing and bouncy chair. Technically, I guess she could still use them. She just prefers to play on the floor or sit in her exosaucer. So we packed those items and sent them to their new home (friends who are having their first baby girl).

Kiera is a smiley baby. Even when she's sick, she can still manage a few smiles. When she's feeling well, she smiles ALL the time and at everyone! She has shown a definite preference for mommy in these first few months, but she's finally giving daddy and others more of a chance. I'll admit that having my secret weapon (lactating breasts) does give me the upper hand ;).

Her noises are sounding more and more like words. I'm pretty sure she says "hi" but the rest is a mixture of high pitched squeals mixed with a few familiar sounds. Both of the boys said dada first so I'm still working hard for a mama first from Kiera.

Gabe's rapidly expanding vocabulary has enabled him to begin speaking in sentences! His ability to communicate messages and understand what we say is amazing! I love this age, where the learning just takes an astronomical leap. He's working on extending his counting beyond 5 (though 5 is still his favorite number). He has mastered his colors and often names the color of an object when talking about it in conversation. Recently, he has decided that he wants to go to school with Luke. Unfortunately, this means that he typically makes a scene when we leave and Luke stays...

Luke's coordination has developed greatly compared to last year. He easily took off riding his bike without training wheels when Matt removed them. I played catch with him yesterday and he could actually use his mitt to catch the ball a decent amount of the time and his throws are pretty accurate. We have been blessed with some unseasonably warm days - yesterday was near 70 and it's only the end of February. The kids love it so much that I'm pretty sure we will be living outside once warm temperatures are here to stay.

Matt on Travel + 3 Sick Kids = 1 Tired Mommy

Matt had travel for the entire week this week so I made plans to head up north to my parents and his parents so that I would have extra hands helping. This meant facing a 2 hour drive on my own with 3 children under the age 4 (two of whom protest traveling by crying). The drive was uneventful until nearly dying on I465, but that's for another post. Kiera decided to cry off and on for the last 40 minutes, but Gabe did fine, and no one needed to stop so we just kept driving.

Before leaving, Luke had a cold which he so kindly shared with his brother. I debated even traveling since two of them had runny noses and coughs, but we came anyway. Luke's cold escalated to an ear infection by Wednesday, but I didn't get him into the Urgent Care until Thursday (after he spent the morning crying). Being out of town with sick kids really limits your options on where to go and definitely costs more. After spending an hour at the doctor with Luke and another 40 minutes with the pharmacy trying to figure out why the doctor prescribed something not appropriate for his age, I spent 2 hours with Gabe on Friday evening. The first hour was REALLY long and he cried the entire time. The doctor, however, was a genius who handed him a sucker stopping all crying in its tracks! Thinking surely we could get his simple antibiotic filled quickly, we proceeded to the CVS right next to the doctor's office. I was of course wrong about it being fast and spent the next 20 minutes chasing Gabe and his sucker through CVS aisles!

To say the least, I am thankful to have had extra help from my parents and sister and Matt's parents. It was a crazy week, but now everyone is over their colds and back to normal routines (except for Kiera and sleeping). And because my children love to share, they gave some of their germs to my family as a going away present. One I'm sure that they'd rather give back.

Gabriel 20 Months

Gabe is making intellectual jumps like crazy! He has learned most of his colors, can count to 5, names his shapes, recognizes a few letters, loves puzzles, and has amazing fine motor skills when it comes to building with blocks or any other small objects! He is also growing (at least a little). His teeth are finally making their appearance as well. He got the bottom two teeth around 17 months and now has 7-8 teeth. We can always tell when a new tooth is breaking through because he is insane at bedtime! We end up having to make Luke leave their room and sleep on the futon until Gabe calms down. He's not usually crying - just talking and making crazy noises! If Luke is in the room, he goes on even longer trying to get his attention. Gabe has started speaking in small sentences and even asking questions like, "Where Luke?" while shrugging his little shoulders with hands held out.

Gabe is also becoming quite an artist. He loves to get out his Thomas coloring book and color/decorate with stickers. He also loves paint, glue, and anything else he can get his hands on. Ironically, he doesn't like to get messy. As soon as something gets on his hands (even marker), he panics and starts crying for a towel.

Tuesday, he wanted to stay at school with Luke instead of coming home with me! His interest in other children and exploring the world beyond his home is definitely in full bloom. Of course, he'll still surprise us and have a hard time being left in the church nursery from time to time.

A Visit to the Dentist

Luke had his second visit to the dentist today and loved it! I never expected a child to be so excited the night before his dentist appointment, but he was. Even now he's asking when he gets to go back! I guess that means we chose a good dentist for him. It doesn't hurt that they have a treasure box :).

Kiera 4 Months

(I bet you can guess who took the picture with the sword!)

Kiera is nearly 4 months old already! I haven't really had time to sit down and record her milestones so I better get to it! Kiera reminds me a lot of Luke when he was a baby. She is a night owl and sometimes we can't get her to go to sleep until after 10, but once she's down, I don't hear much from her until 6-7 the next morning. I definitely appreciate this sleep. I have hope that once she begins solid food, she will go to bed a little earlier so that Matt and I have some time to see each other kid-free in the evenings. Overall, she's a very happy baby. She smiles at nearly anything we do - so sweet :). She also knows what she wants and will let us know (very loudly) if she isn't getting it. Kiera's been on a nursing frenzy AGAIN so we assume she's growing AGAIN. I looked back at Luke's development and he grew a ton during this time frame too. She has her next doctor's appointment in a little over a week. Our scale puts her at about 14 pounds. She never seems full during the day, but she sleeps well so I can't complain too much. We'll see if she can go ahead and start solids when we go in. Luke started at about this age, but I know nowadays they try to wait until closer to 6 months so we'll have to see.

Back to Reality

The holidays and Matt's vacation time flew by way too quickly! Christmas weekend was filled with baking and decorating cookies for Santa, watching the light show, attending Christmas Eve service, baking a cake for Jesus, and of course opening all those gifts from Santa. Gabe was in love with anything train related and darts. At one point he ran off with a package of darts and refused to open more gifts! Luke was excited about every gift he opened (even clothes)! Some of his favorites were: bow and arrow, Nerf gun, Batman costume, Batcave, and a transformer. Kiera just watched not too sure what to make of all the commotion.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Kids Say the Darndest Things

One of the kids will say/do something hilarious or memorable and I always think, I should write that down so I don't forget (and then I forget)! So I'm going to try to compile a list of interesting things our children say.

Luke (age 4) - "The bank's stealing all our money mom."
He overhead daddy talking about something that wasn't getting transferred correctly at the bank.

Luke (age 1 1/2) - Holding a towel, he says: "Dry grass." He really wanted to go outside.


Luke (age 4) - "Can I please have more (broccoli)? Thank you, thank you!"