P52 - Things that Grow

Alternate Title...."Better Late Than Never"




For this last week's theme, I wanted to highlight some of the things that are growing around my house.

While we were at Disney two weeks ago, Micah was walking down the path after leaving an animal trail. He just announced in his surprised voice, "Hey...5 plus 5 is 10!" Curt and I looked at each other with a little bit of shock. He was holding up his two hands with five fingers each, and it was clear that he was thinking through the total number of fingers showing. Curt asked him about some other doubles, like four plus four. He would hold up one hand with four fingers and another with four fingers, count them, and then tell us the answer. We were in total shock that he was just coming up with this with absolutely no prompting from us. We decided to ask him about a non-double and see what his little overdrive brain did with that one. We asked him what two plus three was. He did his two hand finger routine and announced that it was five. This next thing is what made my jaw really drop. He said, in total and complete shock, "Hey...there are two ways to make five! There is this way (holding up one hand with five fingers) and this way (holding up two hands, one with two fingers and one with three fingers.)" I about fell over. I decided to press my luck and ask him about one plus four. The same routine. Once announcing that it was also five, he said "Hey...there are three ways to make five!" I love that his brain loves figuring things like this out, and that learning can totally happen by just being with his family and exploring the world.



Mackenna showed her growth this week in her fine motor, creative, arts and crafts abilities. Nana sent us these super cool sticker mosaic craft kits. They had got them in the mail and were really excited about them. I thought they were neat, but wasn't up for tackling a project that day. A little later, I was in a different room, and I heard Mackenna talking about completing one of the pictures. I was panicked about the mess she was making and the way she had probably ruined the craft kit and had done it all "wrong" since I hadn't explained to her ANYTHING about what she was supposed to do with it. I came into the room to see that she had nearly completed the high heel mosaic picture, and it looked just like the picture on the box. She had figured it out, got it out, and done it all on her own. It made me smile...a proud and surprised smile.

>

They really are growing up - and I'm loving most every minute of it.

Twinsies

Overheard from the backseat when we were leaving a friend's house....

Mackenna: "I want to stay at E's house. I love her. I want to stay there."
Micah: "No don't stay there, then we won't be a family, then I won't have a sister."
Mackenna: "Micah, you'll have a sister."
Micah: "But I want to be with you."

Reasons to be grateful

There are more photos and stories to be shared, but I can't resist sharing this one! Definitely a top reason for gratitude today.



I just love this quartet so very much.

Here are some more happy things -

- my older two are happily playing something in their room, and have been for 20 minutes or so, while my youngest is happily sleeping in her "own room."
- we didn't lose "froggie" in the Animal Kingdom parking lot/trash compactor like I thought we did
- we had a fabulous family day yesterday and I'm geared up for a fabulous cleaning and library day today

P52 - Sacrifice

This photo theme seemed to be the perfect time to jump back in. Although the idea of what I needed to capture didn't immediately jump out at me, my husband said something that quickly caused it to click. We were talking about what "sacrifice" looks like, trying to brainstorm, and he mentioned I should take a picture of me feeding Jocelyn at three in the morning. I appreciated his sentiment, but that seemed a little self glorifying in my book. I quickly thought about what he was going to do the next day - come home early, give up time at work, stay home with the kids, put off naptime for as long as possible to hopefully still give me a break later, so that I could go and take newborn photos for a friend. He is such a sacrificing daddy.







The photos were taken in less than desirable light, but they are a great reminder of the amazing, tangible, sacrificial love he shows our three children every day.



We love you, daddy!

April 10 on 10

A little TV watching and Twin snuggling


This is what I get to see when I walk into the bathroom after naptime. Such a happy waker-upper.


There was probably more grunting than jumping going on here.


Hiding in mommy and daddy's bed


"Mom, I think she's done."


Building a castle and attacking it with knights and dragons


Little Miss J did a lot of this today.


Some after rest time cheesiness.


Rest time instead of nap time leads to passing out in the car on the way to Mackenna's eye doctor appointment.


A crazy amount of poopiness warrants big sister to write and draw and talk about it for the next 20 minutes.

Random Hearings in my House

Micah: "Can I have one of these?" (holds up a Reese's)
Me: "No, you picked a Snickers for your treat."
Micah: "But I didn't like it."
Me: "But you ate it all."
Micah: "I was just tasting it to see if I liked it. And I didn't."

---
Micah: "I know why I can't pull the weed out. Because ants are in the ground pulling it down."

---
Mackenna: "This strawberry is too small. I need to eat it."

(lots of other strawberry cuteness...like them eating the whole patch and her being my little helper through the whole job of cleaning them and making jam. She was a trooper - and actually helpful.)




---
Mackenna: "Don't lay Jocelyn there. That is Raelyn's blanket."  (Raelyn is Mackenna's doll)
Me: "No, all of this stuff is Jocelyn's. It is okay if Raelyn uses it, but it is all Jocelyn's. Jocelyn is more important than Raelyn."
Mackenna: "No."
Me: "Your doll is more important than your sister?"
Mackenna: "No, they are both important."




---
Mackenna, while picking up her room: "I don't want to do this anymore. I want to do something else.
Me: "Well, who made the mess."
Mackenna: "I did."
Me: "Well, who should clean it up then?"
Mackenna: "Daddy"


---
Micah, after leaving a store where we bought nothing: "What did we buy in that store?"
Daddy: "Nothing."
Micah: "Well then, why did we go in there?"
Daddy: "Son, that is a question you will be asking women for the rest of your life."
Mommy silently shakes her head.