Rub Me

I love and hate having Drew and Darcy fall asleep in our bed at night, but I do think it is adorable how they both say, "Mommy/Daddy, rub me." They will literally lift their tiny jammies up so that we can rub their backs or arms while they drift off to sleep. It is something I want to go away so that I can have my bed back, but also something that I treasure.

Jump Starter Cable

Oh, how I love that our dear little man, Ashton, has such a funny side. He was being completely silly, like every child should be allowed to do, and was stretching his gum out of his mouth and sticking it to his toe. Of course, I looked at him with a strange look and told him to put his gum in his mouth, He answered, "Mom, I am jump starting my toe." We jump start our vehicles a lot, due to little ones leaving their back lights on...he is so creative. :)

Morning Prayer

After a crazy morning with a Mommy who was doing a lot of yelling to get the children ready to head out the door, and two boys who did not want to get up and ready, we decided to pray on the way to school. "Dear God, please help us to make good choices and be good people. We ask that you be with us all day...amen."

Since Drew started preschool, he is very worried about Mommy leaving him. At Sunday School yesterday, I had the pleasure of tracing tiny hands and singing and dancing with 3 year olds, as Drew will not stop crying and becomes hysterical. It is becoming the norm for his teachers to hand him over to me screaming and crying, "MOMMY!" So, after our prayer about God being with us all day, Drew says, "Mommy, will you be with us too?" I'm sure he was thinking, 'Oh Mom, please don't leave me alone with God."

He's a challenging little guy, but truly is the greatest.

Signs of Fall

Tonight, Ashton stayed up late and was just hanging out with Mom and Dad...obviously enjoying the attention. I (being the obsessed teacher) mentioned that we should begin thinking about what he is going to bring for Show-and-Tell NEXT Wednesday. The assignment is to bring in one or two items that are "signs of Fall", I started saying, corn, apples, walnuts(from our tree), etc. when he stopped me and said, "Mom, I am going to take in a light bulb." I looked at him with a confused look and asked him to explain his thoughts to me. He said without hesitation, "In the Fall, the sun goes down earlier, and we have to turn on the lights on our cars and inside our houses earlier." Wow, I am a proud Mommy! I'm sure his teacher and classmates will need a good explanation when he whips out a light bulb from his bag. ;)

There is no doubt in my mind that Ashton has Grandpa Spud's creative mind.

It's the simple things in life that truly do mean the most.

Drew's Self-Portrait

Arms and hands coming right out of the head are about my favorite part of children's pictures. Love this!

More Granola Morning Pictures. :)

Our Granola Morning

Gosh, it has been a long time since I posted. It still seems strange to take pictures of the kiddos when Ashton is away, but I am beginning to feel better about it. Slowly, I will be adding our daily adventures again. This morning, it was rainy and cold and we decided the best way to spend the morning, was in the kitchen learning about following a recipe,( I only follow recipes when I am teaching the children about measuring) something I rarely do when baking. I like to add a little of this and a little of that, but today we did what the recipe told us and were very pleased with the results. *Recipe to follow*
While waiting for our granola to bake, we worked on our handwriting lesson using Mat Man and Drew and Darcy did great, I loved how they added nostrils instead of a nose. "He needs two holes, Mommy!" After building Mat Man, we worked on drawing a self-portrait(Drewby put his in his backpack right away and refused to take it out, so I hope to post a picture tomorrow) and I loved how Darcy made herself into a punk rocker with all the different colored hair on her head. :)
Drew and Darcy both started a Co-op preschool on Wednesday with several other stay-at-home mommies and I am really looking forward to it. I ended up staying in the classroom as Drew refused to stop crying for me. Once I was in the room, he did great! I was super proud that only him and one other 4 year old were able to cut out all the shapes to create a hen for the theme "The Little Red Hen". Drew will not stop talking about school and takes his backpack with him everywhere, even to bed. He is very proud and hopefully will be able to participate without me soon. I can't wait for my turn to teach...I am so excited about doing lesson plans again and being a part of this amazing program!

Recipe for Trail Mix Bars/Granola Bars

4 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp honey
7 Tbsp quick oats
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup cheerios
3 Tbsp raisins or craisins
3 Tbsp peanuts or nuts of your choice
4 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
3 Tbsp sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and grease lightly. Set aside.
Put butter and honey in a small pan over low heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally. Place remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Add the cooled butter mixture. Pour in the pan and press firmly. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is just firm to the touch. Once it is cooled, cut into bars and store in an airtight container. Yippeeee for yummy and healthy snacking. I served this with apples after school and the kiddos devoured it!

Yestertime

"I want to make my own sandwich, like I did yestertime." Drewby refers to yesterday as "yestertime" and it is just too cute...something I never want to forget.

Oops, Two Brains!

Well, thank goodness for our dear 5-year old, we now know why Drewby has some behavior issues. Yesterday while Drew was throwing one of his tantrums and I was asking, "what in the world is wrong with this kid?" Ashton said, very matter-of -factly, "Mom, I know what is wrong with Drew, God made a mistake and gave him 2 brains, one is a nice brain and one is a naughty brain...we better take him to the doctor and get the naughty one out." Now, I really do believe that Ashton knows this is not the case, and was just trying to stick up for his little brother. He laughed right after he said it and gave me the sweetest little grin, which made me laugh as well and stop stressing over our very difficult 3 year old.

Wow, I'm going to miss having Ashton around in the Fall when he leaves for Kindergarten. :(

Prayer

Ashton and I spent time reading in his bible tonight and then he was praying to God to help the children who don't have homes. Tears from Mommy were rolling and then he looked up at me and said, "Mommy, why did God make children without homes?" I had to answer with an "I'm not sure, but we try to trust that God has a reason for everything and he knows best."

Thank goodness he ended the night so sweetly as we went through some bumps with him today, yet another way that God shows me how wonderful our children are and how blessed we are.

May God watch over all those children and adults who are without homes, food, and comfort tonight and may we remember just how blessed we truly are.

Drewby

This is what happens when you leave the lid off the sandbox, it rains, and Drewby spots a big mess that is just perfect for playing! Gosh, you just gotta love this kid!

Biker Boy

Ashton is now riding his bike without training wheels and is so happy about it. We waited until he said he was ready and when he was, he just took off. He is now starting off on his own and does not need Mommy to follow beside him. He even rode to preschool this morning. It is the greatest feeling to see your child so proud...we can't get the smile off of his face when he is riding. :)

Our little man is growing up so fast.

Giving up the Binky!

After lunch today, Darcy was looking for her binky and began to whine, "Moooooomy, I need my binky!" I insisted that she didn't NEED it and then proceeded to tell her that today we were going to throw binks away. Drew and Darcy both looked at me with fear and then Drew began to look for Darcy's binky, "Here's your binky Darcy." They were both happy and I continued to clean up lunch and Darcy came up to me with a very serious look and said, "Mom, I just don't like it when you talk to me like that, me and Drewby just NEED our binkies." Okay, I give up.

God bless binkies!

Reading!

Our little Asher is officially a book reader! Ashton started reading words at 4, but is now reading books...yippeee! He wanted to read to me the other night before bed and said, "Mom, I just love to read." That's my boy! I knew once he picked up a book and tried, he would be able to do it...as a teacher, I love this more than anything else! So, now it is time to work on the twinners!

God bless the joy of learning!

The Moon is Broken and Picture Time

A few ramblings...

The other night when I was carrying Darcy to the van to go home from Grandma's house, Darc looked up at the sky and said, "Oh no Mommy, the moon is broken, it is not a circle anymore!" The look on her face was priceless as she was very concerned.

While Drewby and Ashton were playing in our "clubhouse", I came over with the camera and Ashton said to Drew, "Oh man, it's picture time again, don't look Drew!"

Oh how I love them!

Thank God for Grandma

Tonight while tucking in the little ones, they all thanked God for a Grandma. Drew thanked God for Grandma Jill, Darcy thanked God for Grandma Pat and Ashton thanked God for Grandma Jill. I honestly don't know what we would do without our dear Grandmas...living close to them is one of the most wonderful things in the world and I feel blessed to have our children know them so well and love them so much. Now. all we have to do is move Granny Franny closer so they can know her as well. :(


Thank you God for Grandma.

Baby A and Baby B

I don't know if I have even expressed how much I adore watching Drew and Darcy play together. I love more than anything when all three of my children are playing nicely together, but it doesn't happen very often...Darcy is almost always left out when the boys get together. When Ashton is away at Preschool or off with Daddy, Drew and Darcy are so creative together and become the very best of friends. Drewby just now looked at Darcy and said, "I love you Darcy" and then Darcy replied with, "Drewby, you're my best friend." They are laughing with such innocence, the kind that makes all your troubles and sadness go away. My little Baby A and Baby B who spent almost 9 months next to one another do share a closeness that is so sweet and for that, we are truly blessed.

God's blessings

Darcy tucked in bed saying her prayers

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  When in the morning light I wake, show me the path of love to take.  Amen

Dear God, thank you for all your bless yous(I say blessings, Darcy says bless yous)...how ADORABLE!

This is a prayer that my dear friend, Cyndi, and I would say each night growing up.  I can remember sitting up in her bed when I would spend the night and her Daddy, Paul, would come in and say this very same prayer with us.  It means a lot to me that my own children say the same prayer each night and I can't wait to say it with their friends when they sleep over at our house.   I actually sing this prayer to Darcy as she loves for me to sing to her when she is tucked in her bed.  I hope to get a video of the two of us singing it together soon.  Keep checking back. :)

Goodnight and Amen

Drewby

Ashton and Drew were truly bonding today, playing so well together and laughing so hard they literally had trouble breathing. It was refreshing to just be able to watch them and not have to interfere because someone was hitting or pushing the other...it was just good ol' fun.

During our bedtime routine after our prayer, Ashton always thanks God for at least one thing. Lately it has been for Jesus, tonight it was for Drewby. I just smiled, kissed him and left the room feeling like it had been a great day as a Mommy. Now, tomorrow could be completely different. In my crazy life, one really good day in a week of pretty rough days is all it takes for this Mommy to forget the bad, and remember how important it is to be home with them witnessing the sweet moments that take place each day.

As much as Drew is a challenge for me as a mother, he holds a very special place in my heart. A little guy, born small and such a fighter. I can remember all too well the days in the NICU trying desperately to get him to drink 5 CC's of breast milk from a preemie bottle without spitting it up. He was a challenge from the start, but he fought and he was strong and today, he continues to be very ornery, but is also the sweetest "snuggliest" little guy I have ever known. He is our little Drewby and we do thank God for him.

Thank you God, for Drewby.