From the mouths of babes

Walked into this sweet conversation this morning:

LK (9): We are all God's Children, isn't that neat?
LJ (3): But Mommy and Daddy are grown-ups
LK: But they are still God's Children
LJ (looks at me entering the room): Mom!  You know, God and Jesus are listening to me?!

I know that this doesn't have much of a punchline but I wanted to record it.  I wish I had been there or been a fly on the wall to hear the entire conversation.  So sweet that LK is teaching her sister about God's care for his children.

3 1/2 year old wisdom

I really need to write about these more often. Lucy (3 1/2) has some of the funniest things to say. Here is a recent convo with her:

Lucy: Mom, You know, plants need water, and soil, and sun.
Me: wow Lucy that is pretty smart.
Lucy: and pixie dust.
:-P

Another day I was washing the bedding in our room. This was after we had washed her bedding several times that week due to early morning accidents. She came in and with exaggerated exasperation she exclaimed, "Who peed?"

She's always got us laughing.

Our school, week 2.

This week we spent more time on maps. The girls learned about many different uses for and types of maps. They learned about scale and measurement on maps and even made a scale map of their rooms (1in=1ft). We ended the week making two cakes depicting the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. In science we covered biomes, located the tropics, temperate and arctic zones of the globe. We also went on a nature walk and took leaves (from the ground) and made bark rubbings to identify what kind of trees grow in our "biome."they seemed to enjoy being little scientists exploring their world. We ended the week with water and oxygen cycles.
Leslie (2nd grade) is working on ar words in spelling, learning about types of sentences in English, and reviewing basic addition and subtraction in math.
Lindsay starts spelling next week. She is also learning about different kinds of sentences as well as sentence diagramming in English. In Math, Lindsay is reviewing place value and regrouping.
In Bible we have been talking about how Jesus came and died for everyone, not just Christians. Each day has started with rich discussion about this topic- it has been fun to hear these girls grow in wisdom, as well as their faith.
One struggle we have had is with our read aloud time- the book selected by My Father's world is a classical allegory. It is a bit dark and not suitable for my girls at this time. So we decided to shelf it until they are older. So for now, we are reading some of their favorite chapter books instead. The girls are also reading books on their own, as well as reading to their little sister. It was a joy to hear Leslie very expressively read Green Eggs and Ham to Lucy this week, I wish I had recorded it.
I learned a couple of thugs this week, myself. I learned that making a checklist for each girl of what they needed to get done that day was really effective. I also included things that they needed to do sometime before bed that night. Things on the list are generally things that help me out (play with Lucy, take laundry upstairs, read to Lucy, etc.). The list helps the girls stay a little more focused.
I also learned that we need a more specific time limit to some tasks. One of the girls would take all day to finish her work if given the chance! So now we set a timer and whatever isn't done will become 'roomwork,' or work they have to do in their room after school time (we can't really call it homework can we?).
Lastly, I learned that my oldest needs to have her math lesson at the end of the day. For whatever reason, she has been unable to focus during the mid morning math session. But after lunch she can sit and focus on it much better.

It has been great getting to know both girls' learning strengths and weaknesses. I won't lie and say it has been the picture of a perfect homeschool, but we are working toward a school that works for my girls. My goal this year is to not quit! No matter how hard things seem. Here are some pictures of our second week:

Home School, week 1!

So we jumped into our curriculum this week. We are using a unit study from My Father's World called Exploring Countries and Cultures (ECC). This allows me to do several subjects integrated and teach both girls at the same time. They work on math, reading, and English on their own level. Working with my girls in this way has already given me some insight into how each of them learns and what they struggle with. I also have been working with Lucy on pre-school concepts (to her we are playing games).
We are really enjoying the curriculum so far. The first two weeks are an intro to the year in which we will be traveling all over the world. This week the girls learned about maps in geography, habitats in science, and our study verse for Bible was John 3:16. In art we created a collage of beautiful faces from all over the world, and listened to traditional songs from all over the world. In math, as the beginning of the school year usually consists of review, both girls are reviewing concepts. In English, both girls are learning about sentences at their grade level. We also work on handwriting, spelling, and reading. I'm sure I am forgetting something!!
Here are some picture highlights from our week: we discovered how difficult it is to map a round world on a flat piece of paper, we observed the habitat in our backyard.

Our life, no longer in Texas.

It has been over a year since we moved back to Washington.  We miss Texas terribly but had many reasons for moving back here.  Some we knew about, some God has revealed to us in amazing ways this last 14 months.  And since we still own our house in Texas (it is being rented out), we always say there is a possibility that we will end up back in our little town once again.  We are always open to whatever God has for us, wherever he puts us.  That being said, looking back at this blog and the fun we had in Texas sure makes us miss it more!! 

So now on to our next adventure!  (Well there are a couple of them) 1) We are starting home school this year.  It is something I actually always wanted to do but didn't have the confidence.  I started looking into homeschooling last year, knowing we were moving once again (to be closer to Lance's work, going from a 2 hour commute to a 25 min commute), I wanted to see if home schooling might work for us.  I always thought that people chose home school out of fear, but in my research I quickly learned that that was not the reason for a majority of home schooling families.  I also found that all of the fears that I had about home schooling were unfounded, mostly because of my background and education as an educator.  Time and time again, books were addressing the common fears and worries of a home schooling parent- and I did not fit into any of these categories.  Most home schooling parents worry that they don't have what it takes to teach their children- I have a degree that says I have what it takes.  Many home schooling parents face challenges from their own parents and others questioning their ability to teach their children- if our parents have any doubt, they probably wouldn't express it due to the fact that they know I can teach other peoples' children.  I still struggle with my own lack of confidence, but I dealt with that when I was teaching 7th and 8th graders too, it's just part of my personality.  But I draw from my experience in public schools both good and bad to help me feel confidently that we are making the right decision for our girls.  When I started to really research our options for home schooling, I got really excited.  I get to teach the way I was taught to teach in the PLU Master's in Education program.  Something that is seemingly impossible (especially in Washington) with the mess that public schools are in trying to please everyone, being limited by an impossible budget, and increasingly strained by the number of students they have to educate.  I get to teach my kids in a way I always wanted to teach, and in the comfort of our own home.  I get to do what I love, and not feel defeated before I start.  The girls are excited too, hopefully this will continue as we get going.  The other day Lindsay (9) told us that it was the first time she was excited to start school.  She has been asking me to home school her every year since Kindergarten.  We hope to use this blog as part of our record keeping and communicating what the girls are learning.  Hopefully the girls will start making some of the posts so you can hear from them first-hand about how this adventure is going,.

Our second new adventure should arrive around the end of September.  We are currently expecting our 4th child.  And this time, its a boy!  So all of us have some learning to do this year as mom learns about being a boy mommy and sisters learn all about having a little brother.  We are all excited for the adventures coming our way this year!

Lucy Jo is 16 months old!

Time is going way too fast! Can't believe my baby is 16 months old. Sorry I haven't been better at updating! Lucy is such a joyful little girl! She is our little family comedian. Always keeps us laughing. The best time of the day is bed time- she gets a little loopy and likes be silly to get laughs. As for development- Lucy has a few words- Mamamamamama ;-) , Da Da, Uh-Oh!, and woah! This girl knows exactly what she wants, when she wants it, but without words, she can get quite frustrated at those of us who are too slow to understand her. Her favorite thing to do is climb. She's not afraid of much and will climb anything. Usually, you can find her standing on a chair in the kitchen trying to get something that the girls thought they had put out of her reach. She is a busy little 16th month old! And we love every minute of it!

11 months old!

This is really going too fast. I wish there was a way to slow time down!

Lucy Jo turned 11 months old today. She has had a very busy month. We have been to the DR several times this month for weight and ear infection related issues. As for her growth issues. We don't have any answers, except to say that her blood doesn't indicate any problems. She is gaining weight at a better pace now but her height is still slow. I really am not worried about it much. I just think she's a little petite girl. Lucy had been dealing with ear infections this month, going through two rounds of antibiotics. Still not sure if it is all gone yet, but we have to go to the DR to have her checked out again. (Like we haven't been there enough?!)
Lucy has been reaching some important milestones this month(another reason not to be worried about her size). About 3 weeks ago, she began walking independently. No help, standing up from the middle of the floor and taking steps. Now she walks everywhere! And gets into things! She also discovered that she can get up the stairs pretty quickly, like before mom notices, scary! Lucy Jo is also sporting 2 more teeth, making it 4 in all. These teeth mean that Lucy has been enjoying a bigger variety of food, and boy, does she like food! In this food adventure we have discovered that Lucy is allergic to eggs. So we will be avoiding those for her for a couple of years. We have also discovered that Lucy LOVES the pool, she is a natural fish (well, if I let her actually swim!). Finally, Lucy is becoming quite proficient in her signs. She uses please, more, and all done (which works for night night and good bye too). I am pretty sure that in the last few days she has even attempted to say please while signing it, making please one of her first words! Before Mama and Dada- such a polite little girl!

Results of the tests

Well, we have most of the results from the horrid blood test. Everything has come back normal! There is one more test that had something to do with growth that they had to send out. But Thyroid, blood gas and anything else they tested came back normal. She's just an itty bitty for now. Who knows, she could surprise us and be our tallest kiddo. Only time will tell, and I'm in no hurry!

This was definitely not my favorite

Took Lucy to get her second blood test at the hospital today. The worst part was not the hour and a half wait (apparently I showed up at lunch time, which I didn't know until I finally got in). It was the holding my baby down while she cried and seeing a needle stuck in her arm as her arm turned blue from the turniquet. It seemed to take forever for the 3 techs to get the blood they needed for all of the tests. I am sure it was only seconds but before it was over I thought I was going to revisit my lunch. It was excruciating to see her face as she looked at me pleading to save her from the mean needle lady. It was not my favorite, and I hope I never have to do that again, ever.

I hope to get the results of the tests in the next couple of days. I am confident that everything is fine, the Doctor just wants to rule out any problems, me too.

Lucy Blood Tests

Just letting friends and family know that the Dr is running blood tests on Lucy Jo. I am not totally sure what it is they are looking for. But what triggered the tests was Lucy's stalled height growth. Her weight is improving but her height pretty much went unchanged over the last few months. They ordered blood tests last week and most of them came back normal but they are concerned about her electrolyte numbers. So, we have to take her in to the hospital sometime in the next week to get this special blood draw that they only do at the hospital. I'm not totally concerned because I don't know what to be concerned about...I guess ignorance is bliss. Just worried about the finances, as usual. Then I remember who is in control, He has provided in the past, and He won't stop now.

Resurrection Weekend!

We had a three day weekend thanks to school and work taking Good Friday off! Friday morning we all got to go with Leslie to Kindergarten Round-up. Basically, we just turned in registration papers and got to visit Mrs. Merchant, our favorite Kinder teacher! We are praying that Leslie will end up in her class, just like Lindsay did. Leslie was more than ready, she wanted to bring her letter worksheets that we do at home to show the teachers and she wanted to bring a backpack so she could start school now! It was also nice that we ran into 2 friends, one from Church and a friend through Girl Scouts, who are going to go to K at the same school next year. It was definitely different being one of the "experienced" moms this time around. I told one of the first time mom's who was fighting tears that I wouldn't lie to her, it is one of the hardest things ever, but I survived, and she will too! I am hoping that the first week of Leslie's Kindergarten won't be as traumatic as Lindsay's was!Saturday we spent the day cleaning and fixing some things around the house. Lance also spent a good part of the day smoking his first meat on his new grill. It turned out really great! We had too much meat for just our family so we invited some friends over from down the street. It was a very pleasant Saturday. The one hic-up was when Lindsay announced that there wasn't an Easter Bunny in front of all the little ones. Oops- It's really something we've never discussed. I guess we never told her there was or wasn't one. We never really put effort into keeping up the Easter Bunny charade like we do Santa Clause. Hopefully she didn't ruin Easter for the little ones!Sunday we did the traditional Easter egg hunt. The girls did very well. This was the first year we got to really hide eggs. It was challenging but they found all 30. Lucy just enjoyed watching the big girls and checking out the eggs. She has been feeling a little down with her teeth coming in so she was kind of mellow . We went to church, heard a great message that Lindsay really got into. Leslie even got up and sang with the kids at the front of the church! Something we have been trying to get the girls to do for a while! It was very exciting. She just decided she didn't need Lindsay to go with her to be brave. You can't tell from the picture but she was doing the hand motions and singing right along, though a little timidly. After Church we had supper with Aunt Debra and then just played for the afternoon. It was pretty Laid back!

I have to admit that Friday was so busy with Kindergarten round up and grocery shopping and house cleaning that we almost forgot it was Good Friday. I suppose many people go through life too busy to remember what Christ did for us. We almost missed it! Don't miss it! It's not about a religion, rules, tradition, its about a relationship with a God that exists and cares about what is going on down here. Though sometimes, it can seem like He doesn't care. Like so many innocents are suffering. The truth is that God knows, cares and grieves for our situation, but there is a reason for all, and as He allowed His Son to suffer for all of us to be reconciled to Him, he allows the suffering we see and hear about every day, for a bigger purpose than we can understand.

Lucy Jo Is 9 Months Old!

It is going WAY too fast! Little bit is already 9 months old! She is getting more independent by the day and has popped a couple of teeth in the last couple of weeks! Which has made things very "interesting" to say the least.
Since she is now 9 months old, we had a 9 month check up. I have been concerned about her growth since she is truly just a little mite. 2 weeks ago we had a weight check at 14.1 lbs. She grew less than a pound in almost 3 months. So, I spent the last two weeks trying to get her to eat more and get more calories doing it! We did accomplish an improvement of .9 lbs. So the Dr is happy that she is improving and now that she is at 9 months and has a few teeth in her mouth, she is starting to discover the world of table food! Everything else at her 9 month appointment went very well. She is VERY active, which is probably one of the reasons she has a hard time putting on the pounds, she just burns it all off.
Things that Lucy does all the time now:

• smiles very easily
• gets ticklish under her arm
• plays peek a boo with you
  
• claps when you say "clap clap" or she just hears clapping
• pulls her self up on furniture and cruises around
• does not sit still for much, including diaper changes!
• LOVES her big sisters
• Says Da da and ma ma and we "think" she is starting to attach those words
• Sort of waves good bye- but it takes lots of prompting
  

Girl Scout Powder Puff Derby and 3 on 3 tourney

We had a busy Saturday last week. First, we had Lindsay's GS troop Powder Puff Pine Car Derby which was lots of fun! Just like the boy scouts but with lots of glitter! :-)

Then, we went straight from there to the church for the 3 on 3 tournament that Lance helped organize. They also had fun things for the kids so we just had to stop! The girls' favorite thing was the big giant ball (or human hamster ball), I had to tear them away from it!

A few of new milestones for Lucy this week.

Lucy needs to slow it down a little for her momma. There is literally something new every day.
Earlier this week, Lucy started pulling herself up on the baby walker to actually taking steps with it. She is also very speedy in her crawling and keeping us on our toes! I should mention that this also means that she has a few new bruises on her noggin as well. Of course she finds things that she is not supposed to play with much more interesting than her actual toys!
Lucy also poked a tooth through today. For the last 2 weeks I have been very teething suspicious, but nothing to show for it until today!
Finally (and most fun) Lucy is clapping! She will play pat-a-cake and loves to clap when someone says "Yay!"

It's been a busy week for her. :-)

Lucy eating a biter biscuit for the first time:

Lucy Jo is 8 months old!

Today marks Lucy's 8th month. She is growing up so fast! Though not growing out. :-) She is long and skinny, continuing to make clothing her a challenge. Over the last month, she mastered real crawling and in recent weeks, pulling herself up on the furniture. The last few days have been tough for her, trying to push a tooth through gums is hard work. She has also developed a bit of a clogged tear duct, causing her to wake up looking like the cutest cyclops you've ever seen this morning. For now, it is just irritating and causing swelling. If it doesn't get better, we may take her into the DR. As for sounds, Lucy is pretty much sticking with Da Da Da and Ma Ma Ma (not really connected to people though) and she has learned to click her tongue, always entertaining. Lucy also seems to have learned to play peek a boo when she has a blanket handy. In the food department, Lucy loves anything that chef Gerber offers. She loves her veggies as well as her fruits.

Lucy has funny sleeping habits

The other day I checked on Lucy Jo in her nap to find this:

She had fallen asleep crying. I guess that she was standing too. Of course, I had to lay her down after taking these pictures (she moved her head between pictures) and that totally messed her up. She never went back to sleep. :-(


Isn't her little hand cute?

Look out world...

Lucy pulled herself up on the furniture for the first time on Tuesday. Seems early to me but honestly I can't remember when the big girls did it for the first time. This girl is determined. I'm thinking she will be walking a month earlier (at least) than Lindsay and Leslie (Both started at 11 months exactly). Here we go....

Has it really been 7 months?

Lucy Jo is 7 months old!!?? Our sweet little baby is crawling (albeit a pretty scrappy flopping the legs and pulling forward with the arms crawl) and starting to make da da da sounds. She even crawled her way over to the couch and looked like she was trying to figure out if she could pull herself up on it. This one is not content to be the only family member sitting in one spot. Why miss all the fun?
Lucy's favorite playthings are tags. She will completely ignore the toy and go for the tag on the toy. She even ignores the pretty tags on her taggie book and goes right for the product tags.
A surefire way to get Lucy to smile and maybe even laugh is to have her sisters run back and forth. She thinks this is the best entertainment ever. Peek a boo is a close second.
Lucy Jo is our little bit. She is tall but pretty skinny for her age. This creates a clothing problem for me. She is mostly still wearing 3-6 month clothing but even some of those pants fall off of her waist. She will often crawl right out of her pants. For them to really stay on, they has to be 0-3 months but then they are certainly not long enough. I have a feeling this will be a problem for her for the rest of her life.
Lucy has a few nicknames around the house: Lu Lu, Jo Jo, Lucy Belle, Lucy Lu, Belle, this girl is probably really confused about what her real name is.... even then we really never call her Lucille Joann! :-)

We are now a family of five..and other things that have happened since my last post.

So I realize that we haven't been updating much in a while. Life has been pretty busy, to say the least. The last post was the beginning of summer, and now we find ourselves at the end of summer and getting Lindsay ready for first grade! Where does time go?
Anyway, June was a busy month right down to the last day. After school got out, we had one quiet week, then Uncle Brent came for a little visit. Really, it was work but he got to stay for the weekend and play with the girls, Lance, and Debra in the pool. The girls really loved having Uncle Brent around! That weekend, I turned 33. And moving right along...We had a visit from Lance's Aunt Cathy, also here on business but a great visit as well. The week of the 21st-26th, we had VBS, which the girls loved! I was crazy and had volunteered to teach. After thinking I was going into labor after the first day (I was 38 weeks pregnant) I figured out that I was just dehydrated and made it through the rest of the week just fine. The girls loved it! And REALLY enjoyed the music and activities. They are still singing those songs at the top of their lungs all around the house! That week, Lance and I also Celebrated our 10th Anniversary. Being overly pregnant, we settled for a simple dinner to celebrate. We'll have to do it up real good next year! The last week of June brought our last visitors for the month, Mom and Heidi, coming to help us whith the arrival of Baby Lucy.
Which brings me to July, which started with the birth of our third little princess, Lucy Jo (Lucile JoAnn). For details on her birth, if you haven't already checked it out, you can take a look at Lance's blog (www.lancebauslaugh.com), he was there blogging, twittering, and anything else you can imagine in social networking while I was laboring and delivering a baby. :-) It kept him busy! Lucy Jo came into the world in a hurry, and we have been enjoying our beautiful baby girl every minute since. The fourth of July weekend was spent mostly taking care of baby girl, but Lance and the girls (along with Grammie and Auntie Heidi) got to do a lot of swimming. Lindsay participated in the local Fourth of July parade with her Girl Scout Troop, and They all enjoyed the Melissa Fourth of July fireworks. Having baby around took a little adjustment on the two older girls' part but they have come through pretty well. Lindsay is a responsible helper and Leslie is endlessly kissing and loving on her baby sister. The rest of July was pretty much spent locked up inside. With the heat, going out with the baby was not really an ideal situation. The girls have been playing all day long with each other every day, with very few altercations. Two of their favorite things to play are "Food Network Star" and "Design Star." Can you tell what mommy likes to watch? They love it too and will sit and watch an entire show about making delicious food or designing an amazing room with me. At the end of July, we celebrated Leslie's 4th birthday with a small family dinner of her request: pig (pork roast) and green beans.
When August came, we had a visit from Papa Jim and Auntie Heidi just in time for the joint birthday party for the girls (maybe the last year we will get away with that!). Lindsay says it was her best birthday yet, as we celebrated her 6th birthday. The party was planned as a pool party, but a torrential down pour turned the party into an impromptu house party. Thanks to Papa, and Aunties Heidi and Debra we were able to quickly think of games to entertain 15 kids and their parents and clean up the house in order to make it acceptable for guests.

The summer has included some exciting events such as Lindsay losing her first, then her second tooth and learning about the tooth fairy. And both girls learning how to really swim (we have taken FULL advantage of our neighborhood pool once again this summer). Leslie followed Lindsay's lead in this area and has been a true swimmer for a couple of weeks now.

The summer has calmed down a little in the last few weeks. Thankfully. We are currently getting ready for Lindsay's first grade year and Leslie starting to work on pre-k curriculum with me at home, as we did when Lindsay was 4.

Lucy is now 7 weeks old! Time has gone so quickly. She is just now starting to smile at us, and has recently started to notice that there are interesting things too look at all around her. Lucy has been just as easy and content as her sisters. She is still waking us up at night, but we trust that this will be over soon as it was for the older girls at around 8 weeks.

So that is us, hopefully It won't be another 3 months before my next post! :-)