Christmas fun

We got a fun Christmas present from Bo and Julie Kennedy as well as their sons, Stan and Penn. (I was Stan's 4th grade teacher at Main Street-many years ago.) Let's say Stan is a Senior this year! When I told Zack that I taught Stan he asked me "What did you teach him, Football?"

Anyway, they took the boys for the evening and we got a chance to run some errands and just have some "quiet" from the rambunctious boys! We had a nice time and the boys had an even better time. When we picked them up Zack said he'd just like to stay with them. And that if he could stay with them he'd be really good. They took the boys to look at lights, eat at McDonalds, and went to the Dollar General to buy Christmas presents for Tim and me! I'm sure I'll be mortified on Christmas Day! Julie snickered a good bit as she told us the boys picked the presents out! So I'll have to report back as to what I unwrapped or maybe not!

Nate's 1st Election

Well, we went to the polls early this morning. It was the only time Tim and I could go together. I didn't want to take 3 kids by myself to vote! Anyway when we got in line (we were in line maybe 2 min) the poll worker said he would need to check Nate's ID... to make sure he was of voting age. Hey, I wonder if they make specialty bibs that say "My first election"?

I also co hosted a church luncheon, I made a dessert and set the tables, the boys helped by wiping all the seats- it kept them busy.

When we got home both Sammy and Zack had fevers. So, I not only hosted the ladies but infected all their children with what may turn into croup! (Nate is just getting over his round with croup) Gotta love that!

Hair for Charity

Sammy's hair needed a cut, and well he would have none of that. He told me, "No I'm gonna let it grow and grow!" So a few days ago, it was warm outside and I told him that the birds were looking for hair to line their nests with...to keep them warm and comfy. So he finally agreed to a cut. He was happy to help the birds stay warm and comfy in their nests this winter with his hair! Hey, have you read The Best Nest?

A ring bearer

THis was the night before at the rehearsal... Sammy and Cami

boys

Some updated pictures...




Yes, that is sammy with a towel over him, walking around...always interesting around here!

Natie's favorite pastime is wandering around with that rolling backpack behind him... but mainly if Sammy can see that he has it! (It belongs to Sammy and always upsets him to see that Nate has it!)

Fire Safety week

We had a fun time at the Fire Dept on base. The kids had a fun time learning about what to do if there is a fire. Not to mention getting to watch the firefighters put out an airplane on fire. Don't know that was the greatest thing for them to see! But it was impressive.

The boys got to put out a virtual fire using a fire extinguisher.



They also had a smoke house where they learned to crawl under the smoke and feel the doors to see if they are hot. (they had a door warmer)



This is the kids with Sparkey the Fire Dog!

Too funny

Last night I told Nate- lets go brush your teeth and I put my finger up to my teeth like it was a toothbrush...and he grinned from ear to ear- putting his finger inside and doing a brushing action. It was hilarious. Tim and I laughed and laughed and he enjoyed showing us his new funny!
He is not much of a talker.... Apparently, I need to teach him sign language!

Nate is

growing up. Today he was eating a cookie with the boys in the kitchen- the three of them were sort of roaming around laughing and eating cookies and Nate was standing with them laughing- just enjoying being one of the boys!

He is not a baby anymore and loves to be outside. He gets very upset when Zack and Sammy are outside and we are inside. He used to not realize this, but now he fusses and stands at the door pointing!

Kindermusik starts up!

We had a great time today at our Kindermusik class. Our instructor is truly the best ever! The boys can get a little silly and crazy at times, but generally are manageable. After class we went to the library. We got some good books and of course some Clifford books to celebrate his birthday. I think we'll make going to the library after music a Thursday routine. Maybe we can meet up with friends for some lunch and play time.

Nate

got three teeth in the same day! Poor thing was pretty miserable. So he now has 7 teeth. He is really growing up fast! He is always walking and loves to push those little musical toys around with him. He has a walker toy and he likes that too! He is generally happy, except when he has three teeth pushing through.

Sammy

has been stuttering quite a bit lately. He seems to have peaks of stuttering and then it goes away. We've been doing lots of singing and memorizing- activities that inhibit stuttering. He notices that he's stuttering and will say," I can't say it." and give up. We read some things about stuttering and one thing they said was to not put him in a position where he has to perform verbally for people. At this point we aren't worried about it, he does notice, but it's very normal especially for boys to go through this. Otherwise, he's doing really well, he has fun doing "school" with Zack and does most of what Zack does. He loves the Saxon Math. It's all manipulative based and he's been able to do all of it.

training wheels

Sammy wanted Tim to take his training wheels off his bike... so on Thursday, I look out the window and see Sammy riding faster than usual. It hit me that Sammy had asked me about taking the training wheels off and Tim was out with them. So I grabbed the video camera and as I'm going out, Zack comes inside. I asked Zack if Daddy took off the training wheels and Zack replies:" It's unbelievable, Mom!" how funny to hear him say that. He really did quite well...then Daddy had to go to work and his outlook changed.
Sammy was miserable he just wanted to ride without falling and decided he wanted the training wheels back on. So this afternoon I put them back on and he is riding happily again. I'm guessing the next time he gets the itch he'll have a better idea what he's getting himself into!

Backpacking

We are planning a fall backpacking trip for our family. We are going to let Nate stay with Grandma and we'll take the boys out for a few days. We just got a tent and the boy's sleeping bags or as Zack called them: Sleep sacks.

Sammy and Nate and I went to find the sleep sacks, and Sammy announced that he would get a green one and he would get Zack a purple one. We all know that these are his favorite colors, and not Zack's. Thankfully when we found them there was a green one for Sam and a blue one for Zack.

When Zack came home from an afternoon with his cousin, he was very excited that there was a tent and sleeping sacks! Sammy, of course, had a special time getting all the things put up and set out. Plus he, Nate and I shared an M&M blast from Sonic and a cherry limeade. A very special, tasty outing it was.

Some funnies from Zack

Z: mama, I'm not a play boy anymore. I'm a man-boy.
Me: so what's a play boy?
Z: Well, Sammy's a big play boy. It means you just want to play all the time.
Me: So, what's a man-boy?
Z: Well, I'm a man-boy, I'm just a man but smaller.

Nate

has been walking. He's finally getting the courage to walk across the room and he likes to do it when he's sure no one is looking. If you look he sits!
I'll get some pictures posted soon. He's been a great baby although, I guess he's moving out of the babyhood to toddler...

First Sick day

Sammy had a stomach ache two nights ago that kept me up late with him. But this morning, after eating some crackers and drinking some water, Zack threw up all over the kitchen floor. It was funny because between puking he'd take a few steps and throw up in another area. I was holding Nate and just watching in disbelief. I finally went to get a towel for him to puke onto or at least to clean up with. Then Sammy unknowingly steps into a puddle that was on the towel. Again, I'm staring in disbelief... It's all very comical at this point. Even at the time, I'm not usually that calm, but it was almost out of a movie!
Of course, I don't dare put Nate down, and he hasn't had his breakfast so he won't stand to be put down, so after getting Nate's milk, changing Zack, starting a load of wash, mopping the kitchen floor, I got Nate and Sammy's breakfast and we ate watching Curious George? I really don't know how, but I managed to get most of what needed to be done today accomplished! And then, I had my first cup of coffee or maybe two! The day got better and Zack was feeling better this evening, but I'm worried that Nate is next or worse, me!

Mat- His first book

Zack read his first book Mat from the Bob Books series. He was so happy! He couldn't believe that he read the whole book (with some help of course!).

Nate's First Birthday

We had Nate's birthday at the park in Grandmother's and Jereme and Rachel's subdivision. We were in Atlanta for the annual family reunion, so we added Nate's party to the festivities. It turned out to be perfect. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

First steps

Nate took his first three step to Tim the day before his birthday. He has taken a few since then but mainly will stand without holding onto anything. Then he slowly gets to the floor to "Power crawl". He is more interested in getting down and being involved rather than being held.

Fish Pie

Sammy: Daddy we need to go fishing. You can catch the biggest fish and I will catch 5. Then we will make a fish pie. Yum!

Kindergarten

we have officially started school. Zack announced that he already knows his letters and the sounds so he wanted to start reading. So I started his first reading lesson. I'm using the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and we did his first lesson- the short a sound with d,t,m,and n at the end. So he learned an,am, ad, and at. Today we reviewed the same lesson and by the end of the lesson he added a consonant to the front thus c-v-c and he read the word M-A-D. Then I could tell he reached his max and we moved to another job- working on some puzzles while I taught them some memory work. We are using the Veritas Press timeline cards with the Classical Conversations program. So the boys have learned the first six cards and some of the History/Bible sentences. They seem to enjoy their "work".

Nate's words

ball, he loves a ball!
Bye-bye while waving
Mama
Dada
He turns one on Sat! I cannot believe he's already one! We're going to Atlanta for a family reunion and we'll have a birthday party for him there.

What Rude Boys!

At Walmart a few days ago there I was in the check out line... (you know it's a good story when it begins that way.) I had Zack and Sammy. Nate was home napping while Walmart had all their school supplies on sale so I picked up some things and they had the personal pencil sharpeners. The boys picked out one each and carried them throughout the trip. So as we are checking out. I am unloading the cart- Sammy is sitting in the seat and I announce that they need to make sure that we pay for their items... So from Sammy's point of view it's time to get his sharpener to the lady and I am between him and her (I'm still unloading the buggy). So he throws his item behind me and it lands right where it's supposed to...the cashier... Man, was the lady mad, of course all I saw was the poor lady get pegged, so as I'm trying to get Sammy to apologize and trying to finish all the check out while apologizing to her again. Zack with a sweet face looks at her and says " Hi, blueberry pie!" All I could do was get them out of the store.

I'll be the first to admit it...

I was wrong- Zack did jump off the diving board today! AnnMarie told him that she would give him 2 tootsie rolls if he would do it. So with a little hesitation he jumped when she told him... I couldn't believe it. Way to go Zack!
Sammy is just about to the point of swimming, he's just a little fearful of being let go. So I may have AnnMarie work with him if he is amiable. I don't want him to be upset with the lessons, but if he could get a taste of swimming he'd love it. We will see how tomorrow goes.

That was fast

On day 2 of swimming lessons, Zack started swimming. When she tried to get him to do some other things he kept telling her, no I don't want to do that, I want to swim! So, he swam himself into exhaustion! He says he's gonna try the diving board tomorrow-I think he might step up there, but will probably not be able to jump!

Sammy was out of sorts after waking at 2am to a wet bed. I had him "motor" or kick his way all over the pool, but he hasn't really progressed, he's only three so I'm really not worried about it. He kept falling and hurting himself or getting into trouble today, so we were all happy for his bedtime! I don't think the boys said a word tonight, just deep breathing!

And Sammy decided to cut his hair this afternoon- not too much and it seems to be in a less noticeable spot. Tim found hair on the bathroom floor,and we knew who it belonged to! When asked, he told us he had. So, I guess it's always something.

Swimming lessons

start tomorrow... The boys are so excited about going. Their VBS teacher is one of the top competitive swimmers in MS, and is trained in life guarding and is giving private swim lessons to children (mainly from church). Tim is not working for the military this week, so I'm taking Zack and Sammy to their lessons and I won't have to take Nate with us! That worked out really well!
I think we will have a couple of swimmers very soon! We will see how lessons go tomorrow.

Say Please

Our Sammy answered the phone a few hours ago, the converstation went like this:
Sammy: Hello
Caller: Can I talk to your daddy?
Sammy: I won't let you talk to my daddy unless you say please.
Somewhere after this Tim got the phone. One of Tim's bosses(higher ranking)was cracking up on the other end.
What a character!

Zack

has been wanting Tim to take off the training wheels for a long time now. So this past Thursday Tim did. I had been resisting it since I don't relish all the scrapes and tears.
Well, the time came and Zack was so proud. He jumped on his bike and tried to ride...he was very surprised that he couldn't keep his balance. So after trying a while, he broke down crying. I told him that he would just have to keep practicing, that he would have to work at it. So he had a few victories (just enough to give hope that he would be able to ride his bike) He did persevere and now he is riding without training wheels! I'll have to get some pictures.

Nate and Hailey

This is Nate's friend Hailey, she is about two moths younger than Nate. It's funny because I was in the nursery with them this Sunday and she can do pretty much everything that Nate does. It's fun to watch them explore together--they were very interested in each other's pacifiers!

Day 2 Besty's wedding

NYC day one

Here are some from NYC when we first arrived we met up with Jereme... we took our first taxi ride from the airport- he was either on the brake or the gas and the horn! Saw the Empire State Building, and I got to shop at H&M. That was one of my highlights of the trip.

pulling up and cruising

Nate just last week started pulling up on everything and generally realizing once he's up he is not sure what he's supposed to do next! He screams in wide-eyed terror until I take him down just so he can do it again:-)
I don't know if I wasn't as engaged with the other boys, or if his personality is just starting to show through in his dealings with unknown territory. Oh, well, he is getting better, but I will be happy when he learns how to fall, as he is starting to bump his head a bit now.

Kindermusik

This was the boys last Kindermusik class this semester. They love Ms. Rachel. She will be teaching them again next semester, hopefully.

email

Sammy came up to me while I was at the computer and said:
"I need to check my email."

mint

Zack was having some mint chocolate today and Tim asked him what he was eating.
Zack answered: melt.
Tim : You mean, mint.
Zack: yes, it just melts in your mouth.

Nate is crawling

He is now really crawling-- of course he only moves his back legs just a little and moves his arms out, but he has it figured out and will soon be moving from room to room trying to keep up with the boys. I can already predict he will be watching for any cords he can find--esp computer cords- we've got a good many of those around.

Sammy

I just love it when Sammy comes in the room and announces:

"I sure love you."

Crawling?

Nate has started crawling. It's not a full up crawl- but he does move forward and scoots backwards. He definitely does not stay in the same area. He gets all over the place. His favorite place is anywhere daddy has cords-- Tim told him "no" for the first time last night and he was so hurt he cried and cried. (I think it was about the laptop cord.)

Anyway, Nate is on the move!

Funnies from the back

This week we picked grandmother up and brought her to our house. We stopped and picked up some lunch from Wendy's. On our way, I was getting the order all together and I asked the boys what they wanted.
Zack: "The five year old, in the back, wants a chocolate frosty."

So we ordered chocolate frosty's all around and came home and had lunch on the front porch. It was a little cold, eating the frosty's and the five year old decided it would be better for us to take our frosty into the sun and then we would be warm. And he was right... That five-year-old has lots of good ideas!

Keep me from the evil one

I was saying prayers with Zack tonight as he was going to bed. He chimed in "and keep me from the evil one, that's Sammy."

My do it!

The other afternoon we were outside enjoying some beautiful weather, we took kites and a butterfly net. It wasn't windy enough to really enjoy the kites but we did get to run them around so they would fly a little. But Sammy enjoyed the net. He was having a hard time catching anything, so I went on a little hunt to find some things for him. I caught a butterfly and then a grasshopper for the boys to look at. So Sammy announced that "my do it myself, mama" as he took the net from me. I gave him the net and he reached out his hand to mine and said "but you come with me". It was so sweet full of determination mixed with a little realism. That's my sam boy.

9 month checkup

Well, Nate took a tumble down off the whole curve below the register in his weight. His head is in the 25% and height is 5 % and weight well it's not even on any curve. But as the doctor noted he is happy, well proportioned, and has baby fat on him. So she is not worried. We will see how he does at his 1 yr appt. He is 26 1/2 in long and 17 lbs.
I guess we need to put him on a high carb diet! All our hopes of having a big boy are starting to dwindle. He has just the best personality and eats a lot! He rolls everywhere and is now getting up on his hands and knees. So I'm guessing he'll be crawling soon enough.
He is babbling all the time and is such a smiley little guy. And the doc was the first to see his second tooth! And Nate ended up biting her...I guess we have a biter! She told me to make sure I've warned the other boys about those teeth!
Babies come in all shapes and sizes, so as long as he is growing I'm not worried. God has made him just the person he is to be.

First tooth

Nate's first bottom tooth came in yesterday. Tim was the one to point it out, however, earlier he was nibbling on my knuckle and I thought that it was a little more substantial than just gumming-- This morning the boys felt his tooth. Nate is not interested in us looking at it, but he does love for us to feel it! I have forewarned the boys that he will start biting with that little tooth, so watch out!

We are supposed to have some severe storms today- this means lots of rain to wash away some pollen! We are looking forward to that. We were hoping to visit Pop, Ama and Grandmother today, but we may have to take a raincheck. So, we might not be getting out of the house this Friday.

We are praying that another Chapman boy (Jereme and Rachel's second) will be born soon!

Zack

ran in the room and showed me that he had both of this tennis shoes/ socks and they were on the right feet before we had to leave the house and he proudly announced "I'm Five!"

Sammy

Tonight marks a beginning of Wed night church excitement. Sammy can now go to Zack's class and he is ecstatic. When Daddy took the boys to class the teacher asked if Sammy wanted to join them. When I saw Sammy after class he ran to me and said, "Mama, I go to Zack's class!" With a huge look of accomplishment.
This was such a relief since lately Sammy was very upset at the fact that he didn't have a class and he had to go to the nursery. So Sammy is getting some satisfaction out of being three. It has really been a turning point for him. He is potty training and getting to work and play with the older kids.

He is growing up!

Developments!

Nate has said his first word. Bah bah--Southern for bye bye! He will say it on command if he's not got all his brain power working on something else-like rolling everywhere, or trying to grab whatever is near his reach.
His voice is so sweet. I had forgotten how calm, innocent, and enchanting their first words sound. It's so pleasant too for the first time hear them converse. Now in a few months he'll be screaming those sweet words and it won't be so "enchanting", but the moment you hear those first sounds is one of the amazing things of parenting.

On to more joys of parenting... Sammy is three and has announced that he will wear underwear. He has done a great job, the last 4 days he has only worn diapers to bed. Day and nighttime dryness are two different animals- we're not ready to start worrying with sheets, pj's and early morning hours! Plus he still has a wet diaper when we get up. But he is learning bladder control-- he usually starts to wet (just about a drop in his underwear)but he is able to control it and come running saying he needs to go. Now if we can get him to let us know before he starts to wet, that will mean less laundry! But only one REAL accident at church Sun night- I mean totally soaked... I took him to the bathroom and said "Do you need to go?" He did try, but then I noticed how wet he was and realized that he had already gone.

So, hurray for Sammy! He's so excited for this. It will be nice to have one in diapers. I guess it's been about 6 years of buying diapers and three of those years we were buying for two! YIKES

Rite of Passage

Sammy was so excited to announce that he was in the Magnolia tree in the front yard. I was sitting on the porch and he called out. "mama, I'm three now!" This was his first time to actually make it into the tree by himself. What an accomplishment. I'm so proud of that little guy. Zack was equally proud, it was neat to hear them talking as friends about all the things that they could do now!

The boys

Sammy thought that Nate would look good in Daddy's Lt. cap- ok it's called a "cover"

Easter Egg Hunt

We had fun at the Kindermusik picnic...


Here are some of our friends.

Birthday fun

Well, March was full of new births and birthdays! Here are some pictures of the boys birthdays.

Zack's Birthday

He's 5 today! So here is a preview of his birthday cake...he wanted an airplane cake..I'm not sure what I started, Sammy wants a helicopter cake!

babies

Today there were two Bandre' Babies born in Columbus

Chloe Faith was born at 2:30 PM