Hooray! Hooray!

It's a new (school) year around here and we are pres-chooling at home together and loving it so far! The kids have been asking for their "calendar time" and "story time," and are so proud pointing out their art creations hanging on the family art wire in the kitchen. Isaac knows the big basket of picture books in the family room are "our school books," and he began his first official math lesson, but didn't realize it because it was all fun--counting popsicle sticks and sorting colored bears.

We went to a nearby children's museum to celebrate our first week of homeschooling. My mom accompanied us and we all had a blast!

Let's see....general updates: the girls are potty training and doing lots of ABCs and counting. They like to count their toes before putting their socks on for bed. Last night Sadie decisively counted "6" for one foot and "7" for another! Grace is continuing to get lots of m&ms for her potty training successes.

Isaac is in the midst of a lego building storm these days. He is very proud of all the variety of vehicles he creates. Plus, he's become a fish in the pool! All the kids love swimming, but Isaac is shining especially brightly since he had been the more cautious of the three.

Dave and I are painting, re-organizing and generally getting back in the spirit of home improvement these days, after taking a year or so off post-move. Our house is a mess, but will emerge better than ever we hope. Dave is training for a triathlon in October at the beach with my brother Stuart and sister-in-law Liz--we'll have a great time cheering them on!

New Year, New Habits

It's been a new endeavor for our family this year: going to Mass 'en masse'. It's been a suprisingly easy transition.



What we used to do, for the first 20 months or so of the girls' lives, was Dave and I would switch off taking Isaac to mass every other week. It worked out great, especially when we were worried about the girls getting sick during cold/flu season, as well as giving one parent the opportunity to get out with Isaac one-on-one. Of course, when the girls were napping in the morning, it just made sense to not try to take them to church. But the overarching reason that we didn't all go together to church was simple exhaustion.



Not that we are getting 8 hours rest yet, but I think both of us realized that it was time to expose the girls to church and to start back in the habit of going to mass together as a family. I think we all need the graces it provides! I know I do.



The girls love it and it's been fun to go together. It's understandably tiring and stressful at times, but I do think that God will bless our efforts in getting the kids to mass and helping them to learn about his community.



It's an added bonus to see all the kids dressed up so cute too! ;)

Quiet

I'm sitting out on the screened porch on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. Birds calling, wind blowing in the trees, sounds of Dave and Isaac around the house/yard doing projects, wind chimes, and the faint sounds of neighborhood and road traffic. Lots of sounds, but quiet for me. I love it.



With the busy and often noisy daily life I have with three littles, I don't take for granted these peaceful moments. I appreciate Dave giving me these snippets too, since he's occupying a very very talkative and busy 4 year old.



I love my kids and enjoy my life, but I'm soaking up these brief respites. Very thankful.

Gettin' back on that...um....gator

It's been too long and I feel like I have so much that I'd like to document about our family and life right now. So stay tuned for more!

Puppy Love

Tonight Isaac was playing "mom" to his sisters' two little stuffed animal puppies. He told me that they would cry if he put them down, so he was holding them and cuddling them. They were hungry so we fed them some imaginary milk. We decided that Grace and Sadie wouldn't mind if he took them upstairs to sleep with him tonight. He tried out several "beds" for them, such as a plastic tub he uses for toys, and a woven basket with a blanket. Finally, he picked them up and hugged them as he snuggled down under the quilt.

After our bedtime story and prayers, I had three little upturned faces to kiss: one sweet little boy and two pink and white polka-doted puppies. My heart is full.

Broad Tailed Hawk

We have been really fortunate to observe a broad tailed hawk who has taken up residence in our backyard. He/She uses our yard for a hunting ground, perching on the top of the swing set or along the top of the fence. Today Isaac and I watched him preen himself, cleaning the plumage of his tail and wings. He will dive off suddenly to the ground to grab a worm, or take off to somewhere in the forest across the creek. I saw two hawks the other day, so maybe it's the mate of this one? I need to read up on the mating habits of this type of hawk.

What a great priviledge to be able to observe this animal!

End of an Era

The Bob Revolution is sold! We loved, loved, loved this stroller. Countless hours were spent walking Isaac in it. Thank goodness this best most amazing stroller is going to a good home - a UGA graduate who played on the tennis team who is expecting her first child. I'm sure she will love it as much as we did!

Stroller count at peak: 7 (3 doubles, 4 singles)

Stroller count now: 3 (2 doubles, 1 single)