Easter Eggs 2017

Continuing the annual tradition of dying Easter eggs!!

This year we did Resurrection Rolls again, made from crescent rolls, cinnamon, butter & marshmallows-- they were a great example of how Jesus was placed in the tomb and then he was no longer there (once they're cooked, the marshmallow disappears). The kids had fun making their own and they were delicious.

While they cooked, we dyed the eggs-- no drama this year. The kids are getting more creative and also more careful with handling the eggs. Not a single one cracked and no dye spilled. We tried some with markers, some with glitter, and the end result ended up beautiful. And this year they all tasted a hard-boiled egg and liked them!!

Jacob didn't really dye any eggs but he played on the floor with plastic ones. He didn't really seem interested anyway.

Andrew's High Yellow Belt

Andrew doesn't get excited about much besides games on the IPad or the XBox these days, but taekwando is something he looks forward to and really seems to enjoy. I haven't seen him as excited about it as I did this past Saturday when he tested for his next belt color. He woke up early and was eager to get going, although he didn't test till 1pm.

The "test" was actually a 45-minute run-through of what they normally do in class. They warmed up, they demonstrated the pattern they've learned (see video), did some kicks with some of the black belts, and then broke a board. I know Andrew felt confident and he did a really good job. Many of the kids seemed nervous but he just was excited. Next is green belt, and I think he's actually sticking with this!

Abi, the Fashion Diva

My little Abigail, who was once so shy she barely put sentences together to talk to anyone, has grown in leaps and bounds this year. Part of it is going to public preschool, part may be the tubes in her ears clearing up her hearing, but part of it is just coming in to her own personality, and a BIG personality it is. Abi is sweet and funny, but one of her favorite things to do is annoy her brothers and sister. She really just likes their attention, and wants to keep up with them, but it ends up coming out as aggravating. She is still learning how to deal with emotions and how to interact with other kids. She does GREAT at preschool, and her teacher is saying she's even opening up and starting to talk much more. She is learning her letters and numbers and loves reading books.

Abigail's favorite thing, however, is dressing up. She loves changing her clothes, and she especially loves fancy dresses. It doesn't matter if we're just hanging around the house, any day can be "Fancy Day," in her own words. There are no seasons in her mind, either-- spring dresses can be worn year round. She even wants me to put her hair up now, which she never would like before. When Abi goes in to her room, you never know what she'll come out wearing!!

Jacob @ 18 months

And just like that, our littlest boy is halfway to two. Jacob is one of the funniest, sweetest, and smartest kids I know. He always makes us laugh, and always amazes me with the words he comes up with or the funny things he does. No one would ever be able to tell that there is anything different about this kid, except for that pesky brain surgery we face in less than a month.

Jacob loves bath time! He has learned how to "wash" his body by rubbing his hands together after I put soap on them, and then rubbing them all over his body. You can also see all his teeth in this picture. He has  4 on top and 3 on bottom plus all his back molars.

The boy loves his snacks. He's getting pickier with meals and really doesn't eat as much at all, but he loves his crackers and juice. He used to bring me this box of crackers, which he would get himself out of the snack cabinet, about 15 times a day. He can pretty clearly say the words "eat" and "drink". He also now says "cookie," which covers pretty much any snack he can hold in his hand, including pretzels, crackers, or actual cookies.

This is a cinnamon roll he pulled OUT OF THE TRASH CAN, where I had put it because it got burned. The trash is his new obsession and he likes to put things in or take them out. I didn't really think he'd eat this because it was burnt, yet he managed to finish off the WHOLE THING.

He has excellent hand-eye coordination and has really started to enjoy some of the small math toys I got for Leah & Andrew a long time ago. He does well at stacking Duplo or other larger blocks and can concentrate pretty well on a detailed task when he tries.

He is generally happy much of the time, and most other people who see him or spend time with him will think he's happy ALL the time. But he does get grumpy, and he does have some mega tantrums some times when he doesn't get his way. Usually his tantrums involve food. He has a way of throwing his entire body onto the floor dramatically and he will squirm and wail until he is distracted otherwise.

He walks, runs & climbs like he's been doing it his whole life. He has recently discovered how to get on big chairs and that these big chairs can help him climb onto tables. Nothing is safe! He has no sense of danger and if he's running free, he can't hear you call him. He has also learned to bring me his shoes & say "bye bye" when he wants to go somewhere, or senses we are going to leave soon.

He absolutely loves music and will stop what he's doing to dance if he hears some. It can usually calm him down when he's fussy. He can sing parts of "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "E,I, E,I,O". 

He keeps me moving during school time, but is pretty good about playing on his own for a little while. It usually just involves dumping things out all over the floor. 

That grin! I mean, come on... He can make faces on command: "Show me your happy face!" He also has a silly face, and my personal favorite, the "drama face", wherein he pretends to choke-cry. 

I'm not sure what he'd do for entertainment were it not for his big brother and sisters. He LOVES his "A-eee" and when she comes home from preschool, he'll follow her around, calling her name for quite awhile. He always makes sure to take her her cup if he finds it on the ground, or if he's getting juice too. They all adore their baby and make sure to take care of him.

Ice Skating & a Spring Day

Exactly two years to the day after the kids first went ice skating, they got to go for a 2nd time. Abigail's preschool class got to go three times this year, and I volunteered to go with them one time. Andrew and Leah tagged along. Leah had a blast. She was brave and didn't really want to use the crate much at all. She really got the hang of it. Abi was brave, but mostly hung on to the crate and didn't venture out. Andrew did NOT do well at all. He was so stuck on using the crate, which was actually holding him back. He kept getting tripped up on it and couldn't go. And he was terrified of falling down. So he and I didn't have quite as much fun, and I really couldn't be much help as Abi's chaperone. We need to get back and try again, because I know that would give them all more confidence & skill on the ice!

A few days later, we enjoyed some warmer weather and the kids were able to get outside mid-February. The snow was starting to melt, although the grass was still pretty muddy. Jacob loved the freedom of being outside. He definitely got dirty but as soon as I set him outside, he was OFF and running, with no limits. Too bad it was just a teaser day and spring really wasn't here just yet!

January

January has been just an ordinary month in our lives, no spectacular memories or moments, just the little things that life is made of.


The rung in the New Year with a "Noon Year" party at the library. They had snacks, crafts, stories, and a countdown. We also had our annual game night at church, but we didn't stay up till midnight this year, since church was the next morning. We all made it till about 11 or so.

We got Jenga for Christmas so we're working on mastering this game. 

School at home is progressing really well, although many days I feel like we get nothing done, or the kids aren't learning all their supposed to. Abigail loves going to preschool in town two days a week, and when she's at home, we try to do a few activities, but she has very little interest in sitting down to color pictures unless it's her own idea. She has somehow managed to learn to recognize all the numbers up to 10 without me even teaching it, and now she's saying she wants to do her letters, so we're going to try to find something to help her do that.

(Here they're learning about solids & liquids with a cornstarch mixture that hardens to the touch.)

Jacob keeps us busy every day, running and climbing and getting into everything. He is the funniest kid ever, and always makes me laugh. He has such a fun personality. He loves to tackle his brother and sisters on the ground, and he loves to perch himself on the windowsill in the living room. He gets crackers out of the snack cabinet by himself. Don't dare tell him it's time to take a bath unless you're absolutely ready, or he's off to try to get in the bathroom by himself. He can flash his cheese grin on command. He says "no" and "mine" and "paci" and "Mommy" and "Daddy."

We had another doctor appointment for Jacob at a larger hospital about 1 1/2 hours south of here. His surgeon referred us to an epilepsy specialist who has seen many kids with tumors like the ones Jake has. We met the doctor, and have scheduled brain surgery for April 26th. The doctor gave us complete confidence in his abilities and in the tools the hospital has. For him, it's just another day at the office. He doesn't even have to know how right now exactly how much of the brain he needs to take out because he can do EEG and MRI during the surgery to see if there is still seizure activity. And even if he does have to take some of the brain out, at Jacob's age, the brain can re-organize itself to develop perfectly normal. (This is why they want to do the surgery now while he's still young.) Most days I don't even think about Jacob as being any different, because he really isn't. But when I think about brain surgery it can be terrifying. Yet the doctor made us feel completely comfortable and we know that he is in God's hands.

Brett had a minor car accident this month, also, which actually totaled our old Mitsubishi. (It took less than $2,000 worth of damage to total it, as the car wasn't worth much.) Thankfully, it was paid off, and my car is also almost paid off, so we were able to get another new [to us] vehicle that will be much more reliable for him to drive around.

 And if that fails, Leah can always drive us around in her chariot....