Busy week back

~Cicadas are interesting, LOUD and stupid bugs. I especially dislike getting peed on by them while playing in the backyard. I'm looking forward to having all the birds back in our yard.
~On Tuesday, James started a month of summer school. He was so happy his friend Finn was there.
~Hannah, David and I enjoyed a trip to Walk about Acres on Tuesday. We saw peacocks, emus, turkeys, ducks, pigs, goats, cats and kittens and the honey bees. Then we went to the store and enjoyed honey icecream. It was a fun time with friends.


~On Wednesday we went with the Kiffes to the spraypark. The kids had a fantastic time playing in the water. I sat David beside a spray spout and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He kept putting his hand in the water and when it sprayed him in the face, he just started licking his lips. We seem to have another water baby.:)
~James woke up yesterday morning and when I asked him if he had a good night's sleep, he said he had "a great sleep!". He then proceeded to tell me about his dream of South America and how Daddy asked him to push him into the snow.
~Yesterday, I took Hannah to the ceramics store in town with some other MOPS moms and she painted her own piggy bank. They had a guinea pig that she especially enjoyed petting. I think that she might be most excited when she gets to take it home next week.
~David is starting to get the hang of his jumper and what it does. Our doorways are low, so he doesn't get much of a hang to get some really good jumps.
~We had a nice time visiting with new friends last night and enjoying their fresh from the farm lamb dinner. Hannah and Mark really liked the lamb. Perhaps we can add it to our dinner menu at home.

Long overdue update

~Hannah loves to put her "baby" to bed and make sure that everyone is quiet and the room is dark for her. She is such a mother.
~David ate avocado and thought it was just okay. He has also tried banana, applesauce and carrots. He is really not interested in solids-at least not the pureed kind. I've had some suggestions to try something he can hold. I'm not ready to give in to Mum-Mums yet. We'll keep trying.

~We visited Barrie recently and had a wonderful time.
~David absolutely loves to try and "eat" his cousins Tim and Eric.
~James got to experience his first fireworks. He loved it! He saw them one night on the way home from Mike and Mel's. Eric was with us and said "Holy mackerel". James copied him and kept repeating it thinking he was pretty "cool". When the fireworks ended, James said to Mark, "Daddy, I loved it so much, I almost cried." We then shot our own fireworks the next night. James really enjoyed them too-especially because it was dark and late at night.
~James helped Grandpa put up the hammock. He turned it into one of his favorite spots on Grandpa's property. I put David on it with me, and James and Hannah joined us. David absolutely LOVED it. He especially liked looking at the trees from a different angle. He was mesmerized. At one point, all three of them were kissing my face at the same time. It was so much fun. I love my three kiddos so much.
~We had a wonderful time celebrating Faye's 40th birthday at her party. David enjoyed getting passed around from family member or friend to family member. James really enjoyed "hanging" out with the big kids.
~James and Hannah had a great day at Centennial beach while David and I visited with Karen Parnell and her son Owen. They also had a wonderful time the day before at the spray park with Grandpa and cousins Kerry and Morgan.
~David is officially a SITTER! He is also now a scoocher. Last week he started pulling himself along a little bit. The baby-proofing days are upon us.
~Hannah must have heard grandma say "Oh my goodness!", because she likes to say it a lot now. She is very particular on making sure that you know that she is saying it, because she will repeat it until you give her some sort of acknowledgment.
~We all went to Josh, Tim and Eric's track meet at Park Street High School. We watched Tim and Josh run the relay and Josh do the ball throw. The kids really enjoyed watching the big kids do different activities. Mark even got asked to help out with the ball throw event. I think the cousins liked that we all came to cheer them on. Josh received a lot of ribbons.

~On the way home, we were able to visit our friends in Indianapolis, the Snyders. We weren't able to stay for long, but it was nice to catch up a little and see their place.

I'm sure that I am missing some fun details, so I will probably update this a couple of times.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

~Yesterday and today were 90 degrees! The kids spent much of the day outside, and we definitely pulled out the pool. James and Hannah loved it. I didn't dip David in it today, but it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow, so I will definitely do it then.
~David is now saying his "d" sounds. I can see dada coming in the near future.
~David had his first bites of rice cereal today. He has been itching to have solids for a while. He wasn't as excited about it as I thought that he might be, but that could also be because he was tired. He did fairly well, though.
~David is getting even better at sitting. I'm not quite sure that I can call him a sitter yet, but we're very close.
~James has been soaking up the kid's encyclopedia we got from the library. Today we read a number of pages and then later at lunch time, he said to me that he wanted to learn more.
~For Mother's Day we went to Perche Creek Golf Center and then to CiCi's pizza with our friends the Kiffes. We had a fantastic time! James and Hannah got to ride in/drive go-carts for the first time. They LOVED it. James drove while riding with me, and was quite impressive-as long as he was looking where he was going! James also had his first chance in the batting cages. He got the hang of it pretty quickly and was able to hit quite a few balls. I felt really good in the batting cage, and was more got in a good groove. I enjoyed my day very much and was very happy to spend this special time with my family and our friends. Here are some pictures of our day.

And a gardener is born... or perhaps two or three

~James, Hannah and I planted our first vegetable garden. We've included carrots, beans, peas, zucchini and cucumbers. James and Hannah helped weed and turn the soil and also put seeds into the ground and watered them. James sang songs he had learned at school while we planted. I should get him to tell me the words so that I can put them here. Included in the garden is a cucumber plant we purchased at the farmer's market as well as some peas that James grew at school. I am so excited to eat food that we have grown. I hope that the rabbits don't get to the food before we do.

~Hannah loved visiting the horses at the Equestrian center for MU today. She was so enthralled by the horses that she wouldn't leave the fence, even when the horses were led away out of sight. We enjoyed a perfect ending to a horsey day by watching the Kentucky Derby.
~David is chatting up a storm saying so many letter sounds now.
~David is trying really hard to figure out how to "crawl". He is also sitting up very well now. He still tumbles to the side after a little while, but he can sit and balance himself pretty impressively.
~We celebrated James' half birthday today with lemon cupcakes and icing. The kids went wild afterward.
~I tried to make my first wool diaper cover from a re-purposed sweater over the past few days. My new friend, Melody, however, ended up helping me quite a bit. It has pretty much become a beautiful gift. I will have to try again soon. It is VERY difficult to do any sewing with my machine not working right, and 6 kids to tend to (between the two of us).

Kid's say the darndest thing-again.

~David has started saying his b's and m's. Mamama came out the other day. He is also saying things like Yeah! and Yay!
~I am currently noticing how much the kids hear and copy from me. Today, James realized that he had forgotten something at school and said "sugar shack". It's funny that he would choose that silly term. Hannah on the other hand, was repeating everything that I was saying while a lady in the car in front of was driving really badly.
~I locked the kids in the van today. James was at school and I had just buckled Hannah and David into their seats. I accidentally locked the van with my arm and didn't register it enough to unlock it before I closed the door. Luckily, it was not a hot, or cold day, and Mark was at home with the spare key and could come quickly. I hope that doesn't happen again. David and Hannah were totally calm and happy during the whole ordeal, which was also a relief.

More to update on David/Easter

~David found his feet! He doesn't put them in his mouth much (it's been too cold lately to have his socks off very often) but he likes to hold them and grab his toes.
~David is getting 6, yes SIX, more teeth. He's been a champ with them, barely crying or fussing, and no fever. He's already cut 4 of them.
~The kids enjoyed multiple Easter egg hunts over the weekend. James came up to me yesterday all excited that he found another egg (plastic one) in the backyard. Mark mentioned tonight that he had seen it on Sunday, but was wanting to save it for another day. Who knew he was already able to scheme like that? Hannah, on the other hand, had to be guided to the locations of the eggs just to be able to see them.
~We enjoyed a lovely Easter. I was able to sing in the choir for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. David spent a little time in the nursery for the second time in his life. Mark, Hannah and James enjoyed a special Easter breakfast at Steak and Shake eating pancakes.

David update: a lot is happening with this little 5.5 month old!

~I totally forgot to add this major update of about a week ago: David found his voice! For us, that means that he is becoming a super loud kiddo. He loves it so much, he even makes noise breathing in and out-especially when he is nursing.
~David is cutting 2 more teeth-his top eye teeth. This will look hilarious if he doesn't get his front ones in soon, since his bottom front ones are already in.
~David tried to creep today and is working out the coordination of his legs to get himself moving. The baby proofing is beginning already!

~Also, Bethany, Adam and Isabel arrived safely in Australia! The flight went much better than expected and Izzy slept 11 hours. They are currently enjoying being on the ground and getting a little bit acquainted with the city and time change.

More firsts!

~Last Wednesday David went in a pool for the first time. I was nervous about how he would like it and if he would get cold quickly (I never had my other kids in a pool this young). He really liked it and never got cold. The kids all had a fantastic time going down the slide and floating down the lazy river. Mark was able to join us since he took the day off of teaching to be with us before he flew out of town later that afternoon.
~Mark went to Boston from Wednesday through Sunday to guest lecture at Harvard. He stayed with Beth, Adam and Izzy (for one last visit before they left for Australia) and met up with some colleagues and friends. I had my first extended time alone with the kids and we did pretty great. The trickiest part was bedtime since I depend on him a lot so that I can feed David and get him to bed at the same time as the other kids. While he was gone, we spent some time meeting new friends for dinner and a playdate and went to James' school picnic another night.
~David rolled from his back to his tummy! He did it Thursday, but I didn't see him in action until Friday.
~On Saturday Mizzou hosted an indoor science and arts fair for kids/families. James LOVED it. He soaked in so much. I literally had to drag him to the door to leave. He was VERY interested in the microscopes looking at germs, the chemistry experiments, and the fossils and rocks. The kids (even David) made (well, not David) and received antennae of different bugs (colorful pipe cleaner twisted onto a headband) and Hannah and James learned how to make a golf stroke. James especially liked the tiger mascot that was there and actually started to get him annoyed since he was slightly obsessed with pulling his tail. Hannah, on the other hand, was terrified of the tiger and cried and clung to me every time he was in sight. When he wasn't in sight, she then talked about how she didn't see the tiger and how she knew that he was a nice tiger. Poor girl. David slept for a lot of the fair, which was nice.
~The kids loved seeing Mark take off and land at the airport. They waved to the pilots when he came home and they came in and gave them all treats. It was especially neat to watch the planes get ready for takeoff and then prepare the passengers to deplane.
~Bethany, Adam and Izzy fly to Australia tonight for a 2 year stint in Sydney. We are preparing for the adjustment and quite emotional about it all. We are excited for them and their adventure, and I am looking forward to visiting the Land Down Under, but we will greatly miss the frequency that we have been able to visit in person and talk on the phone/skype because of the distance/time difference.

It's been busy around here

~The kids and I went to a friend's place a little while ago to see their baby lamb. They have a hobby farm and a number of animals. James and Hannah each took a turn to feed the chickens and the goats and sheep. James especially loved feeding the animals (I wonder if he might end up being a farmer one day he loves animals that much!)
~Hannah got her second ear infection of her life. Hannah was off for about a week after Faye, Andrew and Ainsley left, and we thought it was just because she was growing. She did grow a lot though-one whole inch in a little over a month!
~David cut his second tooth. He is also very close to rolling over onto his stomach from his back. He has been working very hard at it and gets everything over but his shoulder at this point. We also were lent an exersaucer recently from a neighbor and he is really loving it. It has all of the bells and whistles and keeps him quite entertained when I am busy with the other kids or housework.
~James has become really great at drawing people. He has almost all of the main body parts now (even some you wish he wouldn't add).
~I gave James and Hannah our old film camera and both of them love to "take pictures". James always wants to show you what the picture looks like after he's taken, like with a digital, even though there is obviously nothing to see. He has also had a chance to try out taking some "real" pictures with the digital. He really likes it and is pretty good. I need to work myself up a little to let him have more chances with this since he enjoys it so much.
~Hannah moved up to the older Sunday school class and managed to transition pretty well. This is a very big thing for her since she doesn't cope well with the unknown or separation from me generally at all.
~James and Hannah played in the sand at the playground recently too. James made friends with some kids there that we digging. When I went to see what they were up to, he told me that they were digging up "ancient roots, coins and other stuff". I love to hear the good influences that older children have on my kids. James looks up to older boys that show an interest in him.
~Mark's parents came for a visit and then Bethany and Isabel came too. Mark's parents were here for 10 days and Bethany and Izzy were here for 4 days.
~The weather has been fantastic lately, which also means that we have had a lot of thunderstorms and ups and downs in temperature. Mark's parents arrived during a snowstorm and a few days later it was 80 degrees. By the weekend when Bethany was here, it got up to the 90's, which we thoroughly enjoyed and spent as much time outside as we could.
~While Mark's dad helped us with some yard work he discovered a toad keeping residence on our property. James and Hannah have named him Thomas, or Tom for short. James loves to hold it and Hannah and James are very interested in locating it almost every day. James has proclaimed it to be his pet since he can't have a dog right now. I did mention that he begged to have a spider that he found on our window sill as a pet, right?
~We all really enjoyed our company coming. Thanks to Mark's parents babysitting services, Mark and I were able to go out, in between David's feedings, for a couple of short dates and I was even able to have some time by myself, with just David and with just Bethany. We all enjoyed playing games and just spending time together. James and Hannah loved visiting with Grandma and Grandpa so much that they packed their suitcases and waited at the car to join Mark's parents for the ride back to their house. James even got in and sat there completely determined to go with them. Hannah cried for quite a while after they left.
~Hannah had quite an emotional relationship with Grandpa while he was here. They both sort of played a game where Grandpa would "scare" Hannah and she would get upset and cry. Grandma would then scold Grandpa and Hannah would like it. She was so good at being upset (sometimes I think that it was pretty legitimate although he was being extremely mild) that we were impressed with her acting skills.
~Bethany and Izzy came to see us one last time before they head to Australia. We cherished the time to visit, share time with Izzy, and give the cousins a chance to play together again. I/we am really going to miss her and our frequent visits. Hopefully in the future she won't have any more epic journeys through too many airports and significant delays like she had leaving here. We would have loved it if she has stayed an extra day and avoided all of the headaches.
~The day that Mark's parents left, the kids and I headed out to a city event called Tons of Trucks. We met up with some friends there and the kids had a blast climbing in almost every kind of truck you can think of. They even got to pet the mules for the MU Veterinary School wagon. The highlights were sitting in a massive scoop, "driving" a tractor trailer tow truck and the Health services truck that had beds and even a bathroom.
~Yesterday, we took the kids to a Corvette Cup event (James loves race cars and such so we knew that he would really enjoy this outing). We saw many corvettes on show ranging from the 1950s to the present day models. The standouts were: one had a mural painted on the interior of the hood; one that had the doors open like a Lamborghini; Indy 500 pace cars; and a 1962 car that the owner told us the story of how he acquired the car. The kids were amazing with looking and not touching.
~I feel blessed to have discovered a lilac tree blooming in my backyard today. Lilacs were my mom's favorite flower, and are mine as well. I especially LOVE the smell they give off.
~David went to his first choir practice this evening. It was the first time I had been to a choir practice since James was born. Our church has assembled a choir for the Easter services. It is so wonderful to be back singing. It has been a long time and I really miss it. David did really well, smiling at everyone and even singing a little bit with us:)

What a week!

~Faye, Andrew and Ainsley came for a visit and stayed a week. They were a great help, fun to play with, and wonderful company. We took them to church, went on outings, shopped and toured around.
~On Thursday afternoon, Mark and Andrew went with a friend of Mark's to the firing range. Both guys shot their first (and second) gun. They really enjoyed themselves and reinforced their understanding of the dangers of guns.


~Before the men went out shooting on Thursday, I took Faye, Andrew and Ainsley, along with Hannah and David to Jefferson City to check out some sites. We toured the State House and the Governor's mansion. The State House was pretty cool, especially the Governor's office (which is oval and 2.5 times the size of the Oval Office in D.C.). Hannah actually got to use the secret bathroom off of the Governor's secretary's office (this office used to be the Governor's office before 1968). When the receptionist offered it to us, we hadn't even noticed that there was a door there. The door blended into the woodwork on the walls. The bathroom was nothing special, but did have a shower in it that Hannah was particularly fond of. At the Governor's mansion we had to wait outside for the tours to begin again after lunch. While we were waiting we noticed a pile of garter snakes on the sidewalk beside the gate entrance. There were five of them and they were all snuggled together in a pile. Hannah really liked that they surprised me (and I surprised them too by nearly stepping on them). She didn't want to go into the mansion, instead wanted to watch them. It took five groundsmen to remove them. The mansion was beautiful, but Hannah was too tired to enjoy it, so she and I waited in the courtyard for the tour to end. Fortunately it was 76 degrees out so it was nice to be outdoors.
~Nearly every evening Andrew and I committed to have a hymn sing. It was really special. We used a new hymnbook that Andrew brought for me.
~On Tuesday James had his first dental cleaning. He got to watch Finding Nemo and really enjoyed it. No cavities!
~David had his four month appointment on Tuesday and weighed in at almost 16 pounds. He is doing great health-wise and we are truly thankful.
~David cut his first tooth on Thursday afternoon!
~Hannah and James were invited to a birthday party at the regional airport today. It turned out to be the most amazing birthday party that any of us had ever been to. The children got a tour of the airport; a chance to sit in the airport fire trucks and watch one of the trucks spray water at them from a distance; and most incredibly, sit in the cockpit (and "drive") the birthday boy's grandmother's small airplane! Mark and I were very disappointed that we had left the camera at home.

Kids say the darndest things

~Conversation with James:
Waitress at the Olive Garden: Would you like cheese on your pasta?
James: Okay
Waitress: Just tell me when.
James: Right now please.

~Conversation with Hannah:
(Scenario: I was playing the piano and Mark, Andrew, Faye and I were singing hymns. Hannah came out of James' room where she was watching a movie)
Coming up to me at the piano, Hannah said, "Hannah sing too."
While trying to climb on my chair and push me off, she said, "Mommy move; Hannah sit."
After I got her her own chair, she played the piano with me for a little while. When she got tired of playing she left the room, but upon leaving she told me not to take her chair. She went back into James' room to finish watching the movie but came out the door every minute (for about 5-10 minutes-literally!) and told me not to take her chair.

In other news,
~David appears to be teething.
~Faye, Andrew and Ainsley Robertson arrived late Friday night for a week long visit. We went for a walk on the MKT trail on Saturday, church on Sunday, and Going Bonkers, Mark's office/classes (Andrew) and The Olive Garden on Monday. Oh, and it snowed 6 inches on Monday-which they were thrilled about.

Four months already and other cute stuff

~I can't believe that David is already 4 months old! He is now holding and chewing on toys/objects and loves looking at books. He is so cute on his tummy while he tries so hard to propel himself forward. Hilariously, he doesn't know how to lift his stomach up yet (of course) and sometimes he even pushes himself along even when his head is down. Poor kid is going to end up with rug burn on his face if he isn't careful. I'm betting that he is going to be an early mover like his brother was.
~Hannah is hysterically entertaining. She LOVES to dance and sing. She also is becoming interested in letters and every time she sees some yells out-"Letters!" Hannah also likes to make up things about animals that she is nervous about (wolves, bears, etc) such as saying that they are going to sleep on her floor in her room, or eat her toes and then saying "no do that". She has some new favorite obsessions, too. I got her a dress up skirt and she rarely takes it off. She especially loves to twirl.
~Hannah is becoming very motherly recently. Tonight, she carried her baby doll around, along with the baby's pacifier, bottle and a blanket. She also took her baby to the potty many times (the wiping was the most hilarious of all to watch), and changed her diaper a few times. She is so cute with it all.
~While driving home from dinner Hannah decided that she was tired and would close her eyes and rest. She was not tired at all. Instead, I hear from the backseat, "Hannah peeking" and turn around to see her squinting both eyes, and then one eye while closing the other one. I could hardly contain my laughter. Love it!
~James has been having difficulty sleeping (and going to sleep)-especially lately. Last night he definitely sleep walked. After Mark took him to the bathroom (he will often wake up and be upset unaware that it is because he needs to go to the bathroom, although this was not the case last night) he put him back to bed. When Mark walked by a few minutes later, James was laughing out loud, while obviously sleeping, and said "I'm nudey booty!"

Sock Hop

Tonight James' school hosted a Sock Hop. We loaded up the kids and headed over.
~Never could we have guessed that Hannah would be such a partier. She danced from the moment she finished a slice of pizza. She loved Miss Lori (one of James' teachers) and checked constantly to see if she was watching each of her moves. She twirled, fell on her knees, ran and danced all for Miss Lori. It was SO adorable.
~James enjoyed dancing after a little encouragement. He so badly wanted to hold David on the dance floor. He also sang some songs with classmates and did a fabulous job. He ran and danced and listened to the musicians (especially the drummer). When we were driving home, I asked him what his favorite part of the Sock Hop was and he said "everything!"
~David didn't seem to mind the loud music, dancing (him too!) and the many, many people (including the women that held him when I needed four hands).
~Check out the cute videos on Facebook!
~On a different note, David has started holding objects. He started with my hair and can now hold onto toys, like rings. He doesn't grab them off the floor or tray yet, though.

Missing Susie

~3rd anniversary of Susie's death.
~Beautiful sunshine to start the day off.
~Listened to some songs we have selected in memory of her:
Feels Like Home (Chantal Kreviazuk)
Oh Susannah
Untitled Hymn (Chris Rice)
Edelwiess (The Innocence Mission)
Father and Son (Cat Stevens)
~Wanted to enjoy nature and go for a nice walk with James riding his bike but his chain fell off--I cried. I couldn't get it back on so we drove to the park. Boo! Just when I thought it couldn't be much worse of a morning, James called to me while I was getting David out of the van. I looked around the van and both of the kids had been walking in deep mud to get to the playground and got stuck. I had to go in after them. My shoes looked like this after I picked them out of the mud. I had a short meltdown and then after realizing it could get worse-much worse (I saw a dead skunk beside the playground but wasn't sure it was dead at first), relaxed and tried to enjoy myself while we were there. Thankfully, they were still able to play since James had a pair of boots in the van. Hannah just wore her socks. On the way home, James had to wear only his underwear since everything else on him was dirty.

~When James saw a bug in the house he asked if he could keep it as a pet. When Mark took it outside he got upset. He has been asking for a pet quite regularly for a while now. Poor kid, but we just can't have a pet right now.
~David rolled over from his stomach to his back multiple times tonight-and both ways. James and Hannah were SO excited each time. He seemed to love the encouragement.
~David LOVES music. When I sing to him he smiles, sometimes laughs and moves his mouth like he is trying to sing too.

Big day!

~Today we purchased a 2003 Kia Sedona for me to truck the kids around in. So happy!

~The weather today was in the 70s. It was fantastic and neither the kids or I wanted to leave the park to go home for lunch and nap. I met a new friend and so did James.
~Hannah is getting dressed by herself. She is so proud of her accomplishment that she raises her arms and says, "self!".
~David is getting so much easier to take care of-as long as you don't take him in the car. He's so fun right now, and I am falling more and more in love.
~I went to bed last night at 9:30 and realized the importance of sleep in a whole new way. I had a most amazing day. I'm sure the weather helped out big time too.
~Dinner with friends, Megan and Jordan, was so nice. The tacos were delicious and the kids played so well together.

Happy Valentine's Day

~David woke up this morning and smiled lovingly into my eyes (I didn't even care that it was earlier than I wanted to be up).
~When James woke up and found me in Hannah's room this morning, before he snuggled with me, he asked "Is it Valentine's Day for you, yet?" When I said yes, he went to his room and got a couple gifts for me that he and Mark had picked out the other day. He gave me a cute frog lollipop and a box of chocolates. SO CUTE! I am blessed to have so many valentines.
~Hannah and James got some new water shoes (and James got sneakers too) at a sale I went to yesterday and they loved playing in the puddles as the snow melted away today. Sadly, our snowman didn't make it.
~While saying bedtime prayers this evening, James asked God to please help Auntie Bethany and Uncle Adam not to lose their house. (I guess he is thinking a lot about their impending move to Australia).
~Today I had my first known concealed weapon in my house. We had a friend over for dinner while his family was out of town, and Mark and he were talking about guns and hunting. They got to the concealed weapons conversation and he ended up showing Mark his. I didn't realize that people carry them over to people's houses. I wonder if that has happened before and I just didn't know. Apparently people bring them to church too, but they have to inform the church staff beforehand. I am definitely in Missouri!

Kids say the darnest things...

~Tonight Mark asked James who he wanted to marry. He said "someone I know...maybe Auntie Bethany.":)
~Mark gave some of a doughnut to James. While the sugar was surging through his veins he began to run around the house as fast as he could. He ran into my room where I was feeding David and announced to me that he ran so fast he made air, and blew it too! Then he said, "Mommy, I ran so fast, faster than Mr. Incredible's little boy."
~James and Hannah enjoyed "painting" snow this morning with food coloring and water in a spray bottle.

~On a tragic note, today we learned of and join in grieving the loss of our dear friend's Zack and Suzanne's little girl, Winter Serafina, who died during labor on Wednesday, February 9, 2011. Our hearts are very heavy for them as they mourn.

New developments

~Mark and the kids made a huge snowman the other day. Here's a couple of pictures:


~David has been batting at toys while laying on his mat, or sitting in his bouncy seat for a couple of weeks now. He is trying to grab and toys now too, but hasn't quite gotten there. He holds onto his blankets all of the time, but not toys yet.
~David rolled over yesterday from his tummy both ways to get to his back:)
~David turned 3 months yesterday! He recently turned that corner in development where he is interacting so much more with the world. He is truly a little being of his own! And does he ever chatter. He loves to coo and talk. Lately, he has been so ticklish-especially around his shoulders and under his chin.
~James and I made his valentine's for his class tonight, since his class is celebrating Valentine's day tomorrow because he doesn't go back to school until Tuesday. A first for both of us. We made them simply out of paper and add a Hershey's kiss to each.
~Hannah's independence and helpfulness lately is mostly sweetness. She wants to help with little or big jobs around the house and anything to do with David. Cleaning up remains a most enjoyable activity.
~Hannah and I made our first pizza together from scratch. She especially likes making the dough, spreading it on the pan and adding the cheese. I had to continuously remind her that we only put the cheese on the pizza once:)

Helpfulness

~James hasn't been napping much lately, so yesterday I gave him some "jobs" to do around the house. He learned how to fold washcloths, wash the floor (a small space coming in from the garage), and how to sweep. He also helped me put laundry away. Today he helped me sort out the winter outdoor accessories into personal piles. He is loving doing grown up jobs. He also enjoys helping out with the dishes and his favorite thing to do is put the detergent in the dishwasher. Both Hannah and James help me regularly with the loading and unloading of the washer and dryer.
~The snowstorm was pretty incredible for this area of the country. They haven't seen that kind of snow in almost a hundred years. That meant that we were trapped in our homes for 3 days. Schools were closed for most of the week and some streets are still not plowed 3 days after the storm. The mail came today for the first time since Monday. Being used to this kind of snow, we thoroughly enjoyed it with the kids playing out in our yard and the neighbors. James especially enjoys falling into the snow on his face.
~David must have had a growth spurt yesterday, because lately he has only been napping for 20-40 minutes at a time, but yesterday he slept most of the day. This was great for getting in a visit with a friend, and getting some good cleaning done around the house.

What we've been up to lately

~On Saturday, we went for a nice walk on some new trails in town. The kids loved throwing rocks into the stream and breaking the ice. They also liked saying hi to the runners of the Yeti Run which was going on at the same time we were there.
~The weather has been really wonderful the last few days with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. The kids and I have gotten outside a lot, which means that David has experienced the stroller, and James and Hannah have had fun riding their bikes. I even took the kids up and down part of the street in the bike trailer while David slept in the stroller in the garage. James is loving riding his two wheeler and is becoming quite accomplished. We are gearing up for some more snow in the next couple of days, though.
~Tonight, James wanted to snuggle with David in his bed. I left them for a little while (maybe 10 minutes) and when I came back David was nearly asleep, and so was James. It was so sweet to see James with his arm around him. They were laying together earlier with me while James and I talked about them sharing a room when David is older and possibly getting a bunk bed. James was so excited about the idea he started rearranging the furniture in his room in his head.
~James asked me tonight if he could make new toys that he never had when he is 5 1/2. I asked him if he wanted to invent them and he said yes.
~Hannah has been a punctual alarm clock for our family, waking us up shortly after 7 each morning. This morning was a little early-at 6ish. She especially enjoys waking up the ENTIRE family. Poor David needs to get more sleep these days (napping is not going very well right now), so we are trying to figure out a way to get him an opportunity to sleep in a little more.
~David is ticklish. It is so fun to tickle him and listen to him laugh.
~David also LOVES the bath. The second he gets in there, he kicks up a splash, and tries to move himself all over. I have to be careful where he moves himself too, as he has managed to make it quite close to the plug (he lays on a towel in the tub).
~A conversation between Mark and James:
MARK: "James, you need to clean your room."
JAMES: "But I don't like cleaning my room, it's not fun."
MARK: "Sometimes we have do things that aren't fun."
JAMES: "Watching movies isn't fun."
Don't worry, his Jedi mind tricks won't work on me.
~My least favorite thing about the newborn/infant stage-burping. David takes FOREVER to burp. Sometimes, after 45 minutes I give up. It's especially frustrating because he is uncomfortable and wiggles around, or cries, or spits up, but he can't seem to get it out. I think I need the "burp queen" (Melanie) to live with me and take care of it. The middle of the night is particularly frustrating. Thankfully, this too will pass.
~We are definitely getting settled in as a family of 5. We've even been going out to dinner a little (Cici's Pizza on Wednesdays, and Fuddruckers this past Friday night). The two older ones are getting easier, especially at buffets, and David seems to like looking around at the new settings. Hannah and James like the regularity of our Cici's visits. Hannah often will be heard saying "Cici's on Wednesdays". They really like the pizza but their favorite part of the whole experience is the arcade room. Maybe one day soon we'll be able to go to a real restaurant again.

Food and Snow

~This week I made my first two loaves of bread (by myself). The first was the same loaf that I made with Deb while I was in Alberta. It was from scratch and baked in an oven. The second loaf I made today with my new bread machine (thanks Dad and Maxine!). Both loaves were a hit with the family. I am excited to try other recipes and even make rolls and pastries.
~The snow here has been a lot fun for the kids. Today, James decided he wanted to eat the snow and dove into fresh snow everywhere to eat it. It was hilarious to watch. He had snow all over his face and a grin from ear to ear.
~We did end up going sledding yesterday, although, only James was brave enough to go down the big hill. He loved it so much that he slid down and climbed up all by himself about 10 times. He especially liked going over the big jump halfway down. The town keeps a fire in a fire pit at the top of the hill to warm your hands which the kids enjoyed very much. I had hoped to go down the hill with David and Hannah, but Hannah wasn't up for it. Some people at the top told me it was pretty bumpy, so I didn't think it would be prudent to take a 2.5 month old down. That was a bummer for me, as I was really looking forward to it.
~David was laughing and smiling today as the kids were dancing around him.
~We hit the winter farmer's market today and the kids excitedly purchased the goods for us. Hannah even put the tomatoes in the bag.

Back into the swing of things

~We finally headed home after a month back in Canada (home?). On the way we stopped in and saw Dan, Kara and the kids for dinner and a short visit before heading to Detroit for the night. In the morning we met up with our friends Brent and Rita and their family. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn't leave until 2pm, for an 11 hour drive. We ended up getting home at 12:30am.
~The kids are enjoying their Christmas presents, especially the ones that we left here when we went home to Canada. James and Hannah have been spending quite a bit of time in the bed tent that Hannah got. They love to hide inside, and read stories there too.
~Mark began his semester yesterday, despite being sick. He thinks that this semester will be a good one, although very busy.
~David has begun batting at toys and saying "hi" randomly. It's cute when it seems to happen appropriately. He is also enjoying tummy time and is really trying to move himself. He tries to propel himself forward, but can't get his body to go. He just ends up sliding his feet. We are all enjoying being affectionate with the adorable boy.
~James is getting smart for his britches, listening to everything that we say so that he can use those words too. I'm sure that we will have some wonderful quotes to add here soon.
~Hannah has started to really like things in her hair. The past couple of days she has been asking for pony tails, or hair clips. She looks so pretty. I can't help but smile every time I see her with them.
~We had a "snowstorm" here, getting around a foot of snow. The wind has been pretty much dead, so the kids and I (and Mark while shovelling) have been enjoying the yard and all of the snow. James' school was closed today so he stayed home, but because he is not in routine yet, he didn't really notice. We are hoping to go sledding in our new blow up sled tomorrow at the "big" hill.
~The kids and I made our first loaf of homemade bread. The kids enjoyed rolling the dough so much that we made playdough immediately after preparing the bread dough for the oven.

Trip to Alberta

~While Mark, James and Hannah stayed at Mark's parents home, David and I took at trip to Alberta for 5 days to see my sister Deb and her family.
~David's first flights went very well. He slept most of the time, but when he was awake he was generally happy. The couple behind us on the way home kept remarking about his size and all that he could do. They were comparing him to their grandson born 10 days later than David.
We also accompanied Deb and the kids to Norquay for their afternoon of skiing. David and I sat in the lodge while they skied.
~We all spent the Saturday at a hostel in Nakiska with Deb and Tom's friends and their kids. Tom and the kids spent the night and that meant that Deb and I had the evening and the next day to ourselves. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in Banff where the cook spent some time in between customers ogling over David. After breakfast, Deb, David and I walked to the Upper Falls Johnson's Canyon. On the way there we stopped to see some mountain sheep walking along the side of the road.
Here are a few of the pics taken:




~David grew a lot over the trip and it was noticeable. Here is a conversation of me telling James over the phone. "James, David is growing so much!" "Mommy, can he walk now?!"
~We were able to have a wonderful trip visiting and having a bit of a break. I was able to get a good part of a scarf for Hannah knitted, plus read a 300 page book!
~While we were gone, James discovered a new way to say potty talk-and get away with it. He now says things like "sham-POO". Kids are so smart.

Glenna Ella McKinley

-On December 28th we received the news that my aunt Glenna had passed away. She died in her sleep after a second bought of sickness in recent months while in a Creemore nursing home at age 72.
-Laury and I were trying to plan a family get together for around that time, but never expected it to plan itself. Our family has an all to often ability to gather in this way as tragedy strikes us way too much:(
-The funeral was on the second of January and I was asked to read a beautiful eulogy that my cousin Andrea had written since she is Australia. Mark was a pallbearer.
-Uncle Bill and Matthew were shown love and support and we will continue to keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
-Amidst the tears and sadness, our family had a wonderful time together catching up, singing, and being silly.
-We will miss you Aunt Glenna. However, we are so glad that you are finally whole, and that you are praising God and rejoicing with your family and friends in heaven.

Christmas 2010

-Headed home (Barrie, Ontario) on Friday night (Dec 16th) at 8:30pm. We arrived in Sarnia 12 hours later after Mark drove through the night in perfect conditions and James and David slept most of the way. Hannah was up for all but 5 hours including the last 4 hours to Barrie. We are looking forward to having a van soon, as the car was bursting at the seams and dealing with 3 children in the backseat while you are in the front is not fun at all-especially at 3am.
-Went to a family birthday party on Monday night and Mark and I picked up the flu-which we then spread to the rest of the household (Dan's family was visiting too). All 11 of us got sick, the only one escaping the germ was Dan. Our kids and Mark got the worst of it with Hannah landing in the ER at 1:30am when it turned into croup.
-Dragged the whole family and cousin Laury to the Elmvale cemetery on the 23rd to make our annual anniversary trip to my mother's grave and Susie's bench. The snow was very deep and the wind very cold and strong. We didn't stay long, but got some nice pictures. We decided to go to Tim Hortons afterward to warm up and reflect a little. The reflecting was pretty limited due to the kids sugar rush from hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies.
-Our dear friend from Victoria, Katherine Fleet, flew in later on the 23rd to spend Christmas with us. We had a wonderful time celebrating with her, even though we were all sick. She enjoyed meeting David, playing with the kids, analyzing with the family and enjoying the Barrie winter.
-Four out of five us (David wasn't sick yet) were still sick Christmas day, so it was a fairly quiet day. We woke up late, opened presents, visited with the family, ate very little and went back to bed.
-We missed all of the fun Christmas services that I really enjoy and look forward to all year. Mark was the only one feeling well enough in our family to make it to the greater family gathering on the 27th.
-My dad, step-mother Maxine and step-brother Dave arrived from Cornwall on the 27th and stayed in a hotel in Barrie. We enjoyed visiting with them there. The kids liked the hotel and James, Hannah and I even got to swim in the pool, while grandma snuggled with David.
-David got sick too, but luckily only with a night time congestion. Unfortunately it lingered and lingered.
-We taught James (and Hannah) how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. He absolutely loved it. We played it for ten minutes straight the first time. It is a great way to pass the time in the car, and stop the squabbling.
-A conversation between James and Mark:
James told me I should hold grandpa's hand on our walk, since he's my daddy. I didn't do it, but I like that he thinks we should hold hands 30 years from now.
-Christmas was nice, but I am really looking forward to (or hoping for) next year being a lot more enjoyable and healthy. We'll have to wait and see...

David Mark John Scott

(Just pretend that this was written earlier-like Dec. 8th)
-On November 8th, at 12:35am, we welcomed our newest family member, a boy, David Mark John Scott, into our family. He weighed a whopping 9.6 pounds and was 21 inches long. He had a bit of a difficult arrival and ended up in the NICU for a couple of hours due to meconium in the fluid. James and Hannah came and visited later in the day and were absolutely in love. Neither of them wanted to leave the hospital.
-We had a very difficult time naming David, and it too almost a whole day before we decided. We had a few names that we had decided on earlier in my pregnancy, but nothing stuck. After he was born, Mark gave me a list of names that we had talked about and I sat there holding him trying to figure out what he should be called. Finally, after many hours of looking at him, I determined that he was a David, whether I wanted to name him something else or not. The middle names were pretty much already decided: Mark for his daddy, and John for Mark's father. People have since joked that we have nearly packed the Gospels into his name, or that there are barely any other good names left, should we have another.
-Mark's mom left to go back home on the 11th after much doting on David and helping out with the other kids.
-Deb, Ruthie, Beth and Izzy all arrived on the 13th to enjoy some time with us and meet little David. They enjoyed taking the kids to the "bean tree" with the Burley; going to Stephen's Lake Park; going to church with us; having a blast at Going Bonkers; watching the Eclipse movies; and visiting with us.
-Hannah and James have become wonderful, helping big siblings. Hannah is overly obsessed with getting David his pacifier if he is crying. She has also reverted back to the occasional suck on her old one. I don't mind this, as it seems to be the only thing that is keeping her a little girl. She barely sucks on it-mostly for the play aspect, and we never leave the house with it. James loves to hold David, and is very good at it. He would sit for hours, if David would only enjoy it that long too. Hannah is funny about holding him. She really wants to, but at the first sign of David feeling uncomfortable, or if he starts to cry, she pulls her hands away. She is sweet, but clearly is too young to hold him by herself.
-Shortly after David's birth, Hannah decided that now is the perfect time to start potty training. I am on board, but she must initiate-and she does. I don't have the brain power to make sure that she is going when she needs to. She is doing really, and I am hopeful that it won't take too long, especially since we are about to do some major traveling.
-David is a sweet, generally quiet little guy. He takes well to his siblings doting and fighting over him. He sleeps while there is noise and chaos, and we enjoyed his first real smile (~6 weeks) while both James and Hannah talked to him while he swung in the baby swing. He is strong and holds his head up very well, and even likes to stand. I am really looking forward to getting to know this little boy.
~A conversation between Mark and James:
ME: "James, how did you get so smart?"
JAMES: "Maybe grandpa or my aunties."
ME: "And maybe mommy and daddy?"
JAMES: "Or maybe just my brain."
~A statement by James and reflection by Mark:
James: "Daddy I'm not real, I'm a toy." In our quest to distinguish between reality and fiction, we have good days and bad!
-3 kids and feeling contentment once again. I look forward to the days ahead.