"Mommy I fixed Cara's hair."

This morning Caleb came into my bathroom where I was getting ready for the day, scissors in hand, smiling ear to ear, and said, "mommy I fixed Cara's hair."  The phrase every mom dreads hearing from her four year old son.  My heart sunk to my toes.  "You didn't cut it did you???"  "Yep, I did."  I held my breath as I hurried into the living room to see the damage.   I have to admit it could be much worse he took a few sections out of the back that will not affect pulling it back.  Basically he gave it a serious thinning, but all in all didn't cause major damage.  Unfortunately their piggy bank puppy, Daisy, wasn't so lucky with her ears.  Daisy is one of Cara's favorite toys.  Just before the hair cut I took a picture of Cara feeding Daisy breakfast.  At least we can hold onto the memory of her cute long ears.  I am glad that Cara's hair is only partially redesigned, and I am hoping Caleb has learned that cutting hair is not acceptable.

 


 

Easter!

Our Easter celebration started on Saturday morning at the park next to Cathie's house with a big West Point, Easter Egg Hunt.  The kids have had a little practice with Grandma Iva and at the Lows so we thought they were good to go.  Well. . . we were wrong.  In the 0-3 category Cara couldn't wait until they said go.   She kept dashing out into the eggs upsetting the children around her.  When it was finally time to go she ran, and ran, and ran.  It took some coaching to help her remember that she needed to pick up eggs.  She and Emi did well. 


 



On the other hand Caleb was excited and ready to go right up to the point that they said go.  That is when he started to freak out.  He broke into tantrum mode which put him way behind the other kids.  When Josh saw that Caleb was about to have no success he took him to the "special needs section.  Josh's comment was, "it was obvious that he had special needs."  The poor kid buckled under pressure. 


 



The Easter Bunny made it to our house this year even though Josh didn't understand why the Easter Bunny needed to bring presents.  He thought hiding eggs would be sufficient.  He tried to tell me it wasn't Christmas, but I held out and the kids scored a $120 swing set from Walmart.  I say if the cheapest swing set worked for me (my family had an identical one to the one we have for 15+ years) it will work for my kids too.  The kids love it even with the snow still in the back yard.  Josh was not happy trying to put it together on Easter afternoon when ALL of the screws were just a little bit too short.  It is amazing what a hammer and a frustrated man can do.  Caleb informed Cara's speech therapist on Monday morning that his dad is a builder and "he can build anything."






Our eggs didn't get colored until the Monday after Easter, but I am quite proud of myself for even embracing the messy tradition.  Honestly, it was quite fun.  I think we came up with some egg-celent designs.

Happy 4th Birthday Caleb!

Caleb had a great birthday! It was a party all day long. He was lucky enough to have his friends and cousins here all day and then loving visitors all evening. The day started with him yelling from his bed "mom come get me up." He couldn't stop talking and he just wanted to know when his birthday "starts." I tried to explain that it was all day, but he needed a starting point. Thanks to everyone who made it a great day!

Joy School

This school year I have become a huge fan of Joy School. Joy School is the curriculum we have used for Caleb€™s preschool. Basically it is a preschool coop in which the focus is teaching children Joy. For example my unit last semester was the Joy of the Earth and we explored the earth and fall using our five senses. I taught two mornings a week for three weeks (six times) and then I was done for the semester. So Caleb got 15 weeks of school and I only had to teach three of them. The curriculum is awesome and the other moms and kids in the group are fantastic. If you want to learn more about Joy School or find some fun resources go to valuesparenting.com.




Last week I subbed for a mom who is teaching The Joy of the Body. Our lesson was on loving yourself. We spent most of the lesson planning a celebration for €œsomeone they loved€. They made brownies and Noodle Necklaces (for the letter of the day €“ N) and wrapped them for €œsomeone they loved.€ At the end of the lesson they learned that the someone they loved was themselves. These pictures are the kids considering how they love themselves in front of a mirror.

My Boys

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Josh and Caleb. Aren't they cute? I don't think most men like dressing in matching cloths with their kids, but Josh loves it. He an Caleb are two peas in a pod.

Surgery

Caleb and Cara both had surgery on Monday August 13th. They both had their adenoids out and tubes put in their ears and Caleb had his tonsils out too. Needless to say it has been a rough week. Caleb knew that he was going to the hospital and he was going to have surgery, but he had no idea what that meant. He has been such a good sport about it all, but he hasn€™t wanted to do much this week. Cara has been a sport too. She has spent a lot of time sleeping this week, but has done well otherwise. I have some pictures I will add soon.

Ready for Church

Sometimes I think the kids are so cute when they are ready for church that I can't resist taking a picture.



Caleb wears a backpack with all of his chruch toys and snacks. Cara looks like a princess.



Getting a picture on Sunday morning is not an easy thing to do, but it is fun to see the kids in matching outfits.