Joe lost a tooth!

My baby lost his first baby tooth.

It has been loose for a few weeks, and we

have tugged and pulled and wiggled and wrapped floss

underneath and pulled...but nada.

So today he has some dental work done

and our dentist pulled it out.

He was not happy about it, he was in fact very nervous.

Kinda unusual for Joe to be honest.  He is usually a good sport.

He threw a little fit, which everyone at the dentist heard.

And then when it was all over.

He said, I kinda liked that.

Ha, I told him...I think everyone here thought different.



He was ready for Tooth Fairy time...don't you use a jewelry box

Ha! 

 

Man I love them. 

Raising our Kids

Two separate times this week I have run onto thoughts that focus on loving your kids right where they are at.  Meet them there, with your love.  That is what God intends for parents, don't demand more than they are capable of, meet them where they are at. 

Words from James Dobson
 The vast majority of our children are not dazzling brilliant, extremely witty, highly coordinated, tremendously talented, or universally popular! They are just plain kids with oversized needs to be loved and accepted as they are.

I read this on jasonsanders.com...

What if your kid never really does all that great in sports? While all of his friends are making diving catches and hitting home runs, the only action he sees is during practice. In right field. Where he likes to pick flowers and see how long he can stare at the sun before blinking. Oh, and that’s when he’s in the 11th grade. Would that be okay?
What if your kid never really gets it when it comes to reading? Suppose, on her best day, she’s somewhere around the middle of the pack in her class. And in the second grade, when all of her friends find out that they’re reading on a fifth grade level she has the number 2.1 under the reading comprehension column next to her name. Would that be okay?
What if your kid is never recognized for her exceptional good looks? It’s not that she’s ugly. She’s just not prom queen material. Or even prom date material. And so she misses out on the pictures, limo ride and good times that come along with that rite of passage. Would that be okay?
What if your kid just isn’t wired for college? When God knit him together, he was thinking more of trade school than the Ivy League. And so, when all of his friends are getting acceptance letters in the spring and moving away the next fall, he’s looking for a job that will work around his hours at the trade school where he’s learning how to weld. Would that be okay?
There’s a trend among parents these days. Maybe it’s always been the trend but I’m just noticing now that I’m a parent. We want our kids speaking two different languages by the age of six, dribbling a basketball with both hands by eight and talking to colleges in middle school. And here’s the thing about parents. At least the ones in this country. When we want something, especially something for our kids, we’re willing to pay for it. So we give some guy $75 a week to teach our three-year-old the Spanish word for bathroom. And we give another guy $100 a week to tie our four-year-old’s right hand behind his back so that he can dribble with his left hand. But don’t worry, it’s for their own good. They’ll thank us when they get that college scholarship.
No pressure, kid but here’s to hoping that God didn’t hardwire you to be a welder.
And that’s what we forget in all of our parental hustling. God. What might he want? And what if what he wants for our kids contradicts what we want for our kids? Who wins then?
Maybe your kid will grow up to be a beautiful, well-read athlete with her choice of colleges to attend. Maybe. But maybe not. What then? If she never plays for a World Cup, will your daughter still be able to look back on her little league soccer days with fond memories of friendship and building a foundation for good physical health? Or will she think of her life as one big failure because she never met your expectations? Will that be okay?
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
It’s good to know that our heavenly Father is not like some earthly parents.
While some earthly parents tend to focus only on the physical, our heavenly Father looks deeper.

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

While some earthly moms and dads get wrapped up in how their kids look, our heavenly Father reminds us of what he finds to be beautiful.

But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4 (ESV)

Back to the original question. What if your kid grows up to be average? Average as grits. No scholarship. No multi-million dollar signing bonus. Will that be okay? Most of us are quick to answer yes. But that’s just the verbal answer. The Sunday School answer. There’s a better way to find the truth. Maybe the way that we spend our money and time is saying to our kids and the God who made them, “No! It’s not okay. I demand the best.”
Whatever your answer may be, your kids are paying attention to it.
And so is God.
What if all of your dreams for your children came true? The scholarships. The popularity. The success. It was all theirs. And yours. But you lacked one thing. Your First Love. What if you gained the whole world for you and your kids only to lose your soul?
Would that be okay?

Family Picture 2014

I wish I could have recorded our conversation on the way home from Discovery Club last night.

Joe told me that he made a man with all these colors.

We reviewed the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, he agreed that I had the story right

and I asked if he realized that man had the same name as him, and he did but had forgotton.

 

 

And then he went on to tell me about a picture that he made of our family.

Joe: I'm sorry mom but I kinda made your hair an X

Me: Oh, why did you do that?

Joe: Well, I did not know how to make it.

And I made it yellow (As you can see he did not)

Me: Oh, yellow, do I have yellow hair?

Joe: No, but I couldn't remember.

But I made Tiger Night and Shock too

Me: And what color did you make them?

Joe: Black and Gray

Me: Joe, how long have you had those kitties?

Joe: Oh, a little bit.

Me: And how long have I been your mom?
Joe: Oh, a long time.

Sam: Yeah you should know her hair is brown.

He goes on to tell me that he doesn't know what color my skin is...

he is certain the he and Sam and Daddy have brown skin, but mom's is kinda yellow.

Yes, yellow.  I think it may be time for some sunshine in my life.

I need to wash away the winter yellow!!!



Our January

We've had an uneventful = blessed January.

Not much school, that is going to catch up with us.

It has been bitter cold 1 degree today, so many delays and some cancellations

do to snow. 



Proud of my boys and their exceptional grades last term.

Orange Leaf (discount for A's) was in order.

 

And a Graber game night where we played

a great game of Life (I prefer the older version)

 

 

And Twister, not the most flattering pic of me, but

this is our blog and want my boys to remember that we had fun times

here this the proof.

DH was the spinner but he was laughing so hard that he couldn't keep up.

 

 

And we have had fun watching Sam play with the 2nd grade Lions

and a league in Bloomfield.  He plays on Sundays for about a month, a tourney is coming up in February.

 

And there had been work of course.  It doesn't look like it here

because they were sending Dan a message that they were thirsty.

Crazies that I work with, yikes.  Co workers do make work fun though!

Playtime with Joe



I read a good article recently about play.

This boy loves to play

invites others to play whenever he can.

He has been a bug guy looking for creatures around our house,

thankfully he came up empty

 

I often offer to rub or scratch the boys backs for them and Joe set up a massage parlor

for his animals, there was quite the wait for his services but Sam and I snuck in a turn!

 



Carting a load to St Vincent de Paul - he dresses for adventure.

 

 

His new skateboard, already had a minor eye injury just from inside use!

Brave at Eight

To my 8 year old:

There are so many things that you, my sweet 8 year old have taught me,

but the one that sticks with me over and over is being brave.

You are brave.

You still prefer the closet light on while you sleep,

but other than that, oh so brave.

You have been brave.

Brave at each stage,

 from coming to a new country and trusting us from the start,

 to taking your first steps in your own time,

to starting Sunday school and preschool

and trying new sports,

and learning new things.

You have taught me about being brave.

Much braver than I have been thru life.

I am always cautiously there in case you need a boost,

but you step right in a try and I love that.

Some might not know your brave, you are quiet to most.

You observe a lot and you enjoy alone time.

I love the boy that God has created you to be.

I hope to always encourage and offer things

so that you can find your passion.

I love being your mom.

 

 



 

Sam's 8th - Laser Tag

1.

 We took a super group of boys to play laser tag for Sam and Drew's 8th birthday.

It is pretty cool to have a cousin to do life with, to celebrate with!

We headed to Walther's in Eville to have pizza, cake, play arcade games, laser tag, monkey mountain, and just plain have fun!

And that is what they did.

 

Conversations were funny.

No laser tag pics, it was dark and crowded in that room

and a little chaotic with 14 boys

none of whom were interested in my need for pics lol!

 

What a fun group.

This was the way to go, so stress free, so very enjoyable as the parent to sit back and enjoy the kids around you!  Had a fun time!

 

We saved the cards until we got home b/c they were too busy playing

It was a great way to get Sam out of bed early the next morning!!

He read every card, love that.

Basement progress -eeek!

Things are really coming along in the basement.

DH and his dad have been working hard.

We've had some other help along the way too!

It looked like this a long time

like while the ceiling was painted and

the wiring was run for lights

and the wiring was run for outlets and switches

and the studs were moved {for me} to accommodate horizontal wood



 

And then a wall appeared that divided the room into living space

and storage space

 

I have swept and picked up and sorted

and swept and picked up and sorted.

And by the looks of the floor currently, I didn't do any of that

but my contractor has this way with me.

I suppose I'll have to let it go for now.

I am so thankful for DH and his dad and all their construction skills!

 

And like I said they have had some great help along the way!

 

And I came home one day to this

{insert singing angels, well not quite, I mean it is just a wall}

but I do love it!

 And my brother came to help too.

After he, DH and DH's dad did the metal walls in an hour flat I was wishing I had used

that on more walls!  Seriously good looking walls!

New Little Spaces



Sam is a big reader right now, he loves all things books.

So I took an afternoon to make a little space for his books

and reading them.

He was gone to help grandpa split and carry wood, he was

so happy when he came home.

It has been a couple of weeks since we did it,

we find him here often and he read chapter books over break

so I would say success!

 

The space before

 

 

And after...

 

And we turned this mess into a space for Joe, too!

The shelf for Sam's books held some of my paper craft items

(that I don't use much anymore)

And the table and chairs that grandpa made

was a perfect space for Mr Joe to be creative.

He is all about all things marker, tape and paper right now!

 

Before

 

 

 

This is mid transformation

 

Joe was thrilled too, ticket to him loving his space was to let him put it together.

I just gave him a few containers and parted with my marker set and some paper

and away he went!

I added a dry erase board that I don't use anymore.

I put it up against the wall on the table.

I came home the other day and he had moved it to the floor under the and told me

that now he had a double decker art space!

 

New spaces, no cash!