Harry Potter...the end of an era

Well, approximately 10 months later, we finished the series. We loved it. The whole family quickly became fans of Harry and his gaggle of loyalists. As I finished reading the last page of book 7, Alyssa looked at me and said, "can we read them again?" LOL

Our new read aloud book is the first in the Trixie Belden series, The Secret of the Mansion. This series was one of my absolute favorites as a child. Alyssa is loving the first one and I am excited at the opportunity to read all of them again!

It appears that mysteries are the new interest around here. Alyssa has been reading some books, that my cousin gave us, from the Clue Mysteries series. We are searching used book stores and antique markets for the rest...hard to find actually. I am also searching out the rest of the Trixie Belden books, I have found a few and had no idea how hard they would be to find. Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books fill the shelves but there's slim pickin's when it comes to Trixie. I think her fans must be pretty die hard collectors. There are so many great books to read, I am just glad that we have been fortunate enough to pick some really fun ones. The first Trixie books were released in the late 40s and although some of the language is dated, we love reading them...cliff hanging chapters don't hurt a bit!

Soccer Rules!

Last season the first soccer game was rained out. And by rained out, I mean my undergarments were soaked, my shoes were filled with water and my camera was so fogged this was the best picture I could get. They literally played ONE minute and it started pouring. It was Alyssa's first EVER soccer game and she was so disappointed I wanted to cry. Luckily, there were 9 more games and we got better pictures.

The coaches were fabulous, nice, fun and fair. No yelling, no threats and always a "way to go" for any attempt. I was leary about team sports because parents can get really freaky about their kids and winning. We focused on fun and Alyssa learned some valuable lessons. For instance, you don't always get to play the position you want. She was dying to play goalie. Why? I don't know. Potential face contact does not appeal to me, but to each his own. She never played goalie...much to my relief. Defense was her strong area. She wasn't afraid to get in there and try to take the ball. She'll likely play defense again this season and I am totally OK with that!

Practice has started for this season and the first game is March 8th. Let's hope for sunny weather and strong legs!!

A few of our favorite books...

Overstuffed bookshelves. Yep, I got 'em. Scholastic books are one of my guilty pleasures and when I taught school I ordered more books than my entire class! Here are some of the ones the kids are enjoying.

This has been one of Victor's favorite books for a few months now. It is adorable with GREAT illustrations. We have read this book so many times I have dreamed about it! Gwen can recite just about every word and often "reads" this book on her own.

Sanji and the Baker has become this week's pick for Victor. This book boasts fabulous art and a valuable lesson in greed. As a toddler, this was one of Alyssa's favorite stories and she has passed the torch on to Victor.

Jesse Bear is a cute, sing-songy book that is fun to read. The illustrations are nicely detailed. This was another of Alyssa's faves.


We have several of the Froggy books and they are some of Gwen's favorites. They are cute and have sound effects that make the book fun and unique.




Amelia Bedelia. What can I say...we love these books. As a child I loved Amelia Bedelia and had purchased several before we had kids. Lucky me, all the kids like these and they have been great reading practice for Alyssa. I read several a week for Gwen.






Gwen discovered seek and find books last year and fell in love. The I-Spy series is ok, but we have found some really fun ones published by Usborne. Gwen has a stack of these on her bedside shelf for quiet time reading.


Alyssa got this book for Christmas and it is lots of fun. There are MANY different things in it, from essential gear to games to women in history. This book is on her bedside shelf for quiet time reading. I can't even say how many bookmarks are in this book!!

Summer Vacation

My mother and I have decided to take the kids on a vacation this summer. We will be headed to North Dakota. What? you say, North Dakota? Yes, it is an odd summer vacation destination, but we are in fact, odd. We also have family there. We took Alyssa when she was 9 months old and had a lot of fun, but now we are taking an 8YO, 4YO(who can be a royal pain in the...well, you know) and a 2YO. Of course Alyssa is thrilled and has already started planning, in fact, last night she asked if she could start packing. The fun stuff for her will be the stops we make along the way. I have been searching and planning because that's what Type A's do!! Here's the tentative plan...

Day One ~ start from here and drive to Kansas City, MO. (estimated time, 5-6 hours) We will arrive in town around lunchtime and visit The Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, KS(http://opkansas.org/_Vis/Farmstead/index.cfm). From the website:

Admission to the Farmstead is free. Please look for donation boxes to help support the best park in town, or consider becoming a Friends of the Farmstead Member today at our join and support page. Visit the Farmstead with your family and here's an example of what you will see:
Charming One-Room School House
Kwanza Indian Encampment
Interactive Dairy Barn with in-house 'Moovie'
Stocked Fishing Pond
Pony Rides
Playground
Authentic Mining Exhibit
Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners farm crops, veggies and flowers
Horse Drawn Hayride
Kiwanis Repose Garden
Butterfly Garden & Chimes
Concessions and Picnic Pavilions
Animal Exhibits including goats, chickens, rabbits, sheep, pigs, cows, peacocks, prairie dogs, turtles, fish, bald eagle, hawk, bob cat, ducks

Whoo Hooo! Sounds fun!

Day 2 ~ We leave Kansas City and head for Sioux Falls, SD (estimated time 5-6 hours) I have not started searching for Sioux Falls activites, but that is the plan for today. I can't wait to see what there is to do! Arrival in Sioux Falls will be afternoonish.

Day 3 ~ We leave Sioux Falls and head to Minot, ND. Currently it is below freezing there, but they have beautiful summers (and HUGE mosqitos). As a kid, all the aunties and cousins would pile into the car and drive up north. One year there was SIX of us that went and we drove in my aunt's VW Rabbit...yeah, you heard me right, a VW Rabbit...we all had to lift our butts when there was a bump or we would scrape the ground!!!! And yes, my cousin did throw up once. Good Times, Good Times. All that trauma aside, I still like to go there! LOL While in Minot we will visit with family and just relax and have fun. We will be making a trip over to the Space Aliens Restaurant(http://www.spacealiens.com/) ...we missed it last visit and I couldn't have been more disappointed!

Along the way there will be hotels with pools (a must) and lots of dining out...which we LOVE to do. On the way back we will be stopping at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (http://www.mountrushmoreinfo.com/) and the Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska(http://www.omahazoo.com/) .

TO BE CONTINUED...

Green Thumb?

Apparently not in our family. This picture shows the watermelon that we tried to grow from a seed. Not great...cute, but not great.

This is the watermelon that we found growing under our deck. We did nothing to facilitate the growth of this monster, as we did not know it was there. It looks very nice, but cut open it was not developed and the kids could not eat it...yes, there was much disappointment.

Spring Co-op

Valentine's Day started the first day of our homeschool Spring Co-op. It was a Valentine's Day Party with treats and fellowship. I have mixed feelings about co-op and the responsibilities that come with it; we are returning after an absence of almost 2 years. After having Victor I found it was too difficult managing him, Gwen and helping Alyssa throughout the day's rotation and occassionally leading a class. I was a basketcase when the day ended. I simply could not participate effectively. I signed up this semester with an (almost) 2YO, 4YO and an 8YO, much easier to manage...I hope. Gwen simply did not want to go to the Valentine's party, she was uninterested. Her main concern was missing the sweets, but opted to stay home with the permission to have some of her cotton candy, so she wouldn't miss out. I did not want to take Victor and after Thursday have decided he will go on occassion. The number of kids has doubled to 100 since we last attended and bigger is not always better. It was pandemonium and I'm not sure I am happy with what it's offering. We will continue going because Alyssa enjoys the social interaction and it's nice to congregate with others who have some of the same goals as your family. However, that being said, sometimes desire to homeschool is where the similarities stop and that can be difficult. Wish me luck.

Why cameras without sound rule...

because this picture wouldn't be as sweet if you could hear me yelling in the background..."hey, watch out for the dog poop!"

Happy Birthday!

My homemade birthday cake...YUMMY! Alyssa baked my cake again this year and she did a great job. The bottom layer of the cake is chocolate, and the second layer is white and the very top tiny layer, made specifically for the honoree, is a tiny chocolate bunt cake filled with chocolate frosting. Alyssa calls it the volcano cake and it's enough to kill you...but it sure is good! The kids also gave me presents that they picked out at the dollar store with their Granny. Alyssa gave me a candle, a pack of gum and a laundry basket. Gwen chose a lemon air freshener and a candle. These are perfect mom gifts! From other relatives I recieved a Dirt Devil hand vacuum, which I was wanting, candles (Wood Wick, Fireside...mmm), mixing bowls (with little handles...thank god!) and a Reynolds Handi Vac vacuum sealer...which you should buy one of these now, because you will LOVE it!!! And three incense burners I bought for myself. So, on this birthday, the Birthday of Household Items, I am happy with smells, happy with food storage and most of all happy with life...minus the big poof of smoke that filled the room when I blew out 37 candles!!

FunBrain!

I just found FunBrain.com and it is lots of fun...check it out!

Clue, The Musical!

The local University is presenting Clue, The Musical this month and I am extremely excited. Yes, call the family to the computer and snicker at my nerd-y-ness, I am fine with it. Further, at each show they will hand out clue keeper sheets so you can solve the mystery!! Whoo Hoo!! My favorite board game has always been Clue and I thoroughly enjoy the movie. Who could resist cheeky murder with multiple endings? We have played the Clue Jr. board game with the kids ever since I found it browsing the game isle...and yes, I jumped up and down screaming excitedly. It's time to pull out the dusty version of the original game and put the movie at the top of the Netflix list.

Eggs anyone?!

Scrambled, you say? Coming right up!! The remaining two chickens have been laying and Alyssa has become the resident egg scrambler. She has taken on the role of chicken mama, as well. She goes out to chat every morning, takes them warm water and checks for eggs. There have been many an egg scrambled in the past few weeks and she is having a blast.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Wow! Things have been happening here and I don't even know where to start! Back in October we began a mini-remodel that included paint for the kids' rooms, dining room and the living room, new carpet throughout the house, new bathroom flooring for the master bath and finally getting the leaky skylight out of the front bathroom. I still have to paint the kitchen, sunroom, both baths and my bedroom, but we're getting there. I am also trying to squeeze new counter tops for my kitchen out of the budget, but Brian won't let go of a penny of his big screen TV money...what a meanie!! Basically, that takes us through Christmas, not to mention the events that were Gwen's 4th birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving feasting (which I hosted) and the general holiday hustle and bustle. Basically, everyone was lucky to have clean undies and food...I was a bit stressed. School became a sideshow that we visited occasionally and stared, in awe, at the schedule I had made WAY back in September. I was sure that the new year would bring about calm and a chance to "get back to normal" whatever that means. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...little did I know things were about to get even weirder!!!
Brian's job has been taking advantage of the fact that he will work, you know, cuz really, you're supposed to call in sick minutes before your shift begins, continually exhibit unethical behavior and just be an all around terrible team member. It all came to a head the first Saturday in January when he ended up working 24 hours straight...that's right, 24. Not at a desk, answering a phone or filling out paperwork, but making 100+ mile trips to and from the hospital for evaluations...in the middle of the night. When he finally reached his supervisor (um, his BACKUP) at 2:30am, he was faced with contempt and just plain disrespect. By this time I was LIVID. Everyone knew it, the neighbors, people in Arkansas, but most importantly, his supervisor(someone we considered a friend until that moment) knew it. The decision was made that Brian would resign. Brian has worked for this agency for the past 8 years, it is a state agency so pay is mediocre (pay raises come when the state is forced by lawmakers to give them, that would be ONCE in eight years), but everyone suffers through to get the unmatched benefits. I liken it to an abusive spouse, they tell you how lucky you are to have them, beat you, tell you no one else would want you, beat you and eventually kill your spirit and you take their abuse because you believe there's nothing better for you. I know, it sounds harsh, but it's the ugly truth. Mental Health professionals see the worst of the worst situations so burnout is extremely high. Brian was burning out. His obligation to us, his family, was more important to him than his sanity. I was burning out watching him suffer and I knew what number the checkbook held. It was time to drop this poisoned apple and run. He was a nervous wreck, but jobs landed on the table the day he decided to quit...literally. He had no idea of the opportunities that were available to him. I, on the other hand, knew that all the letters following his name (and the payment amount on his student loan!) would secure him a position immediately. There were agencies fighting over him. Professionally, he had never been so appreciated. The decision to move on was a good one.
The day after this harrowing 24 hour shift, Victor decided that his daddy needed to remember what life was really about and fell off the back steps and poked his teeth through his lip. The amount of blood was, quite frankly, amazing. Half way to the emergency room, he had stopped crying(Victor, not Brian, lol) and I had the bleeding stopped. I was covered in blood and my one year old's lip was 3 times the size it was just one hour before, however, the emergency room told us it would be a 2-5 hour wait. That would be waiting behind a man with a band aid on his finger, wanting pain medication, er, I mean stitches, a girl who apparently partied too hard the night before and a host of other people who simply had nothing else to do on a Sunday evening. I, on the other hand, decided I could do a better job at home. And I did. He's made a full recovery and likes to discuss the incident while acting out how he fell. Ahhh, one year olds are able to keep things in perspective...a great story I can tell to my friends and family, with demonstrations!!
Realizing that Brian's new job will require a good amount of driving I insisted that we get him a new car. He is currently driving a 1971 Baja VW Bug. Although this is a beloved car in our family, it's not exactly reliable transportation, therefore, a set of new wheels was necessary. Before Brian actually resigned from his position, I ran out and got pre-approved for a car loan through our bank, you know, so I wasn't actually lying when I said my husband had a job. I.Hate.Buying.A.Car. Anywhoo, I chose a 2008 Toyota Yaris and couldn't be happier...it's cute, reliable and best of all, cheap.
Alyssa has been wanting to take martial arts for some time now, but I limit the kids to one "sport" at a time, so as to make my days easier, and she was playing soccer. Now that soccer is on hiatus she chose Aiki Jitsu. Aiki Jitsu is a Japanese martial art founded during Japan's feudal period, it's focus is on controlling techniques for self defense (or controlling aggressive individuals), personal growth and confidence. I am very happy with the class so far and I think she is warming up to it. I think she thought she would come in like Jackie Chan and start kicking butt, but then realized that all movements have a purpose and there is no need to kick butt, only to control yourself and the other person. Great lessons. Gwen is still taking gymnastics, although she is considering dance classes. She loves to dance and sing, so it will be no surprise if she ends up eventually wanting to participate in the local community playhouse productions. She can be VERY dramatic!
Still reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and loving it! Alyssa has been pre-reading and is three chapters ahead of me. She is nice enough not to spoil anything for me, but I see the look on her face when she tries to keep it to herself. I am not sure what we'll read as a follow up, but I hope it lives up to our love of H.P. Now that Brian will have a regular schedule, school will return to normal. Whatever normal is! We will be focusing on the fact that this is an election year and what comes with all of that craziness. Other than that, my plans are still tentative. I hope to be blogging about our adventures soon!

Merry Christmas to All...

and to all a GOOD night!!! We are headed to the Castle in Muskogee to enjoy some Christmas blow-up thingy fun!!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It's cold and I am feeling Christmas-y! I have completed my shopping, mostly online, and I am satisfied with the whole experience! I shopped in a safe, secure, comfy environment where nobody rubbed up against me (eewww), shared their Christmas "odors" with me and, most importantly, nobody shot at me. Mission Accomplished. I am a satisfied consumer this year.
Presents for the kids this year consist of some much anticipated movies, books, games, a sewing machine and a Springy Horse. I am betting the Springy horse is going to be a hit with everyone! Victor has been riding a plastic chair, turned upside down, and calling "neigh, neigh" for a couple days. This is hilarious to me, however, I see bull riding and broken bones in his future. Gwen has been wanting the Polly Pocket movie for months. She wanted it for her birthday, but it proved difficult to find in stores, so I ordered it online and it's waiting in my closet to surprise her for Christmas. I swear, she would be happy if that was her only present! Alyssa will be getting a First Sewing Machine that I ordered from Discovery Channel Store. We were very happy with the DiscoveryKids Microscope we bought for Alyssa's 7th birthday, so I went with the sewing machine and hope to be happy with it as well. She is into sewing and fabric. I am hoping this will expand her horizons. She will be getting Harry Potter#2 and #5 on DVD too. This will complete her collection (which is important to her! lol) AND I purchased the #2 movie used and paid less than $5 for it! Woo Hoo!
We have been Christmas crafting and having lots of fun. I have been an organized crafts teacher so far this month! In November I sorted through my Christmas craft tub and made a mental note of what I purchased on clearance last year and what I needed this year. We have decorated twig wreaths, made ornaments, decorated gingerbread houses and we are going to make bead ornaments tomorrow for our friends and family. We will start candy making and baking the week of the 17th. I can't wait. We LOVE to make candies and cookies. This week we are going to try out a Cherry Pound Cake...YUM.
I took Alyssa and her best bud to the local Christmas parade on Friday night and it was fun. The kids got LOTS of candy and some of the floats were really cool. One of my faves is the Shriner clowns that drive around little cars and motor bikes. We drove around and looked for Christmas lights and they were SPARSE. It was really sad. I miss the days of my youth when whole neighborhoods were lit up! We plan on driving through at the Castle in Muskogee, they have over 1000 of those blow-up outdoor Christmas decorations. I have been wanting to see that for the past couple of years. I am excited to take all the kids, I think Victor will like it just as much as the rest of us. It's a drive thru event, so we are getting some burgers and driving through! Yeee Haaaw!
~Merry Christmas~
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Horses!

Our school adventure officially starts tomorrow! I have chosen Horses as our first theme, as Alyssa is currently obsessed with them. I will be easing into lapbooking with mini-books and notebooking combined. I think they'll be instant hits. I split the theme into three sections that will be covered in about a month's time....depending on interest. We'll be covering the anatomy of a horse, gaits and basic equipment needed in the first section. I will introduce the spelling and vocab words in this first week also. Section 2 will cover the evolution of the horse through history. This will include uses in the West and Asia, in depth look into the top 5 breeds and for fun, famous horses. The last section will cover owning and caring for horses. This will include what to look for when buying a horse, markings and identifiers, costs associated with owning a horse and the maintenance involved. Her math lessons will include using the measurement of "hands" and she will be calculating the costs of owning a horse. I have 15 books on reserve at the library and we are starting with some articles I found on the Internet. Alyssa is very excited and so am I!!

On the soccer front, Alyssa is doing very well and continues to impress me with her spunk. She gives it her all from the second she steps onto the field. Her footwork is improving and she jumps right into the fray when needed. Gwen is loving gymnastics and is proving to be a great student. She works very hard and listens well. I am glad to know that she IS a good listener, even if I tend to see the opposite! Victor is taking his only boy role VERY seriously. He is pushy and loud and hits things when he's mad, oh, and he's messy too!! LOL He is a total clown and keeps us in stitches all day...he's gonna be a charmer.

My next post will either be about how great our mini-books turned out, or questions on how to make them correctly! LOL! Good luck to all of my friends embarking on the lapbook adventure...here's to some fun!

This Year...

Well, September is approaching and our school year with it. I am excited and anxious about the coming year. I will be adding more "school" activities for Gwen to participate in and will be giving Alyssa more time to complete her activities on her own. She is currently exhibiting very creative vibes and I am excited about what this means for our school activities. I see a lot of cooking in our future. She is having an absolute blast experimenting with cooking and baking and it is nice to have someone take over the kitchen for a time.

I am going with a theme approach this year because our (very loosely based) classical style just is not working itself out in my mind this year. I just feel too confined. So theme time it is...this will be fun for all of us. I am looking forward to using this style. I am wondering why I did not do this last year when there were struggles. Tiny struggles, I suppose, they didn't make enough waves to stop us from trudging on to the end. But we were a bit battered in the end and needed this summer break, which was something I was not planning. Typically we start in September and go to July, with traditional unschooling in November and December.

I am thinking wildly of themes and need to write them down and sift through the ones I want to use this year. The possiblities are endless and I am really excited. My dear homeschool mentor at http://homeschoolfeast.blogspot.com/ has started using lapbooks and they sound like something my kids would love. I have been stumped about how to organize this year and I finally figured it out...with one week to go. *sigh* Well, at least it came to me, via an internet blog...thanks homeschoolfeast!

I am looking forward to blogging about our year and reading all the great posts about everyone else's adventures.

Why we like Harry Potter...

Obviously, he is the hero and likeable just for that, but moreso, he gives us a sense of hope, hope that we can struggle through our difficult times and make it out on top, even in the most extreme situations. We are loving the Harry Potter series as a family and it is fun! I enjoy reading these books aloud, everyone comes to the living room when the pages start to turn. We now have the Harry Potter Wii game and the girls are having fun exploring Hogwarts and casting spells. All the movies are favorites, too, but we all agree the books are much better. There are countless hours of "attending Hogwarts" play and it is rich with learning! Harry Potter has become a friend who we love to root for. We are always anticipating the next page, paragraph, chapter. It is a fun world we love to explore.

We are currently on book 5 and cheated and went to see the movie before we finished the book. I felt like Alyssa would be missing out on a fun, memorable experience, so I said OK and we were not disappointed. It was a fun movie to watch. She had a blast. It's fun to watch your child get interested in something and have fun learning everything about it. Without doing tedious lessons or fighting about one more worksheet, your child is learning at every turn. My daughter is learning to read by reading ahead in the read aloud book. Believe me, I never have to force her to read at those times...and they tend to be often...she's sneaky! lol Reading is important but so is loving it. That is what Harry Potter gave to us, another reason to love reading.

Currently...

I am inspired to start blogging our school fun again and will return with new links and fun stuff!! Have fun reading about our adventures last year!!

I'm Back!

Well, two months have gone by and I am still trying to keep up. We have been busy and enjoying the summer. Victor is 3 months old now and he is enormous! He weighs around 20 pounds and is wearing 12-18 month clothing. He is adorable and has continued to be a happy, content baby. He sleeps well, between 6-9 hours a night! I am only saying that because I can...neither girl slept like that and I am sooo excited! Although it has nothing to do with me, I am taking all the credit.

The girls have been taking gymnastics and are having a great time. I finally got them into classes that occur at the SAME time, so there is only one hour per week spent at gymnastics...and I am almost as happy with that as I am Victor's sleeping schedule! Alyssa has started swim lessons, in Tulsa, two days a week, so twice a week for the next four weeks I am driving 3 hours round trip for swim lessons. This girl had better learn how to swim! She has attended 2 lessons and she is doing well. I put her into the level 1 class because this is a girl who would gasp and sputter in the bathtub if water got in her face. Of course she is the oldest one in her class (level one takes 3 year olds!) but she has NO skills and she is a "start slow" kinda kid. Well, on day 2 of her lessons, someone thought she needed to be moved to level 2. On the second day, without talking to me, they put her into a class that was jumping off the diving board into 7 feet of water!!! Now, call me an overprotective mom, I am fine with that, but I know my daughter, and although she went willingly with the lady in charge and jumped off the side of the pool (they told her she did not have to jump off the board...what's the difference, I say!) into the water, she was terrified. All day she put on a brave face and said it was OK with her, then at 10pm that night she came from her bed crying and stressing about the fact that she would have to go back to swim lessons. I was furious!! This is a child that had to wait until she was almost 7 to actually take swim lessons that did not require me to get in with her (and we took 2 seasons of those!) and now she is scared to go back because they pushed her too far. I told her I would take care of it and she said OK, she just wanted to be back in the level 1 class. I called and they truly thought that it was MY being uncomfortable with her being in the level 2 class, not her. I get so mad when people don't give kids credit for knowing what they are comfortable with. For god's sake I raised her to KNOW and TRUST her abilities and feelings, and people constantly second guess that. People do not give kids enough credit.

The 4th of July was great!! We had our annual party and everyone came out for the big show. We had some friends show up that we have not seen in some time. It was fabulous. They have 3 sons and they are all very sweet boys. We had 10 kids there and they all had a great time. We ended up with a huge crate of very large, commercial style fireworks and then supplemented some smaller fountains and kids stuff. The show ended about 11pm and all the kids, except the babies, we still up and running. Gwen fell asleep on the living room floor around midnight and Alyssa finally wound down about 1am. Every year our party gets a little better. Everyone looks forward to it, especially Brian and Alyssa.

Before...














After...














Oh what fun!!!

Some post-mother's day thoughts...

As mother's day came and went I found myself thinking of my fortune. No, not my money (I tend to part with that quickly), but my personal fortune. I have said before that I have very little to complain about in my life and that I would not change anything about it. I really mean that. I have a great husband to works very hard for his family, loves his wife and children more than anything in the world (except for the new Playstation 3, but we accept that), and chooses to spend his free time close to home, with us.

My kids are amazing. They are funny, smart, witty, well behaved (mostly) and they are a light to all those who know them. Alyssa, wise beyond her six years, always makes me wonder how someone so young can be so insightful. She has deep thoughts, feelings and conversations. I have always chosen to drive with no radio or distractions so that we can talk or think or just enjoy the scenery. When she was a toddler, she would look out the window and think. You could tell it was something important. Sometimes she would share, or ask questions, but other times she would just sit silently. When she was 4 years old she lost two great-grandmas in one month she was thoughtful and concerned for her family. For months we watched both grow weak and tired of fighting and Alyssa's main concern was for their well being and the well being of her family. At both funerals she placed flowers inside the caskets to share with her "greats" and she blessed them both with her love. Her view of death is enlightening. She still talks about them, misses them and shares stories of them with Gwen, who was a baby when they passed. She is the best big sister, ever. She takes care of Gwen in all the ways that a big sister should and she enjoys her job as mentor. She takes her role very seriously, as she does many aspects of life. She is a strong, intelligent, wonderful human being and she makes her family proud every day. There are so many more stories that I could share about her, but I will finish with the story of her sister's birth. She was 4 at the time and was determined to be there when her sister was born. Well, that ended up being at 12:30am and all the hooplah kept her up until about 4am. She was patient waiting for her sister to arrive and would not sleep, just in case something happened. She stood at the nursery window jumping up and down, clapping, saying "that's my baby sister!" She was so proud and excited. She stayed at the hospital with us for the remaining 2 days and she grew even more excited. Once we got Gwen home, she wanted to hold her constantly (and she did) and she was the designated helper and she was fabulous at it. I believe there is no child more caring than Alyssa. She wanted to make sure that I was healthy and rested and that Gwen was getting what she needed. Here are a few other things about her: she LOVES to plan a party, she will forgo any toy to purchase something that she can cook with or fill with stuff, she will wear a dress on any day of the year, she will not attempt something that she does not feel she can do perfectly (we're working on that one!), she loves comic books and anything X-men related (thanks daddy!), she has only spent one night in her life without her dogbaby and that was one too many and she has an answer for everything and if you don't agree, then you MUST be convinced otherwise!

Gwen. Well, when we had Gwen we had no idea that two siblings could be so different. Brian and I were both only children and had no concept of siblinghood. Being an only has pros and cons and we wanted to provide our children with siblings, something we sometimes wish we had and are sometimes very happy we don't. When Gwen came along Alyssa was four and we were feeling very proud of ourselves in how well-behaved and mature she was. Little did we know, it sometimes has more to do with personality than parenting. Gwen was overall a good baby but you could tell that she was going to give us a run for our money...and boy has she! She is mischevious, strongwilled, hilarious and a risk taker. Gwen has been climbing on things since the moment she learned to lift her leg and once she was able to push something, she was making "stools" to get what she wanted. She wants to do everything by herself and god help anyone who tries to step in!! She loves to play outside and can have a blast playing alone. She doesn't need toys, she will find the nearest stick, rock or piece of trash and entertain herself. She loves barbies, polly pockets and little people, oh, and anything that belongs to Alyssa! She can go from a screaming fit to laughing in a matter of seconds and sometimes a drink of milk will stop a fit as fast as anything. Fits were something Brian and I had no clue about. Alyssa did not have fits...EVER. Gwen has already had enough fits for her and Alyssa combined and she is only two! Fits in public are extremely rare, she mostly saves them for home (knock on wood). She is easily distracted and most times, when sent to clean up, you can find her playing again. She loves to make people laugh and is a natural joker. While I was pregnant with Victor, she would tell him that people eat dog poop and bird poop. She thought this was hilarious and it has been made clear that she will undoubtedly trick him into doing many things as a toddler that she deems "hilarious." We are going to need eyes in the back of our heads! She loves a good laugh, especially if it's a laugh at your expense! Everything that was easy with Alyssa has been a challenge with Gwen. She will not be made to potty anywhere that doesn't suit her, currently, still in her diaper. She loves to try and push you. Just one more second of ignoring my mother's calls to come here, just one more touch of something my mother just told me not to touch, just one more step away when my mother is trying to keep me from running off. She has a sideways look that can make you laugh even when you want to lock her in a closet and she can smile at you at just the right moment, to keep you from slamming the door on said closet. She is truly a challenge, but I just can't think of her any other way. Here are a few other things about her: she sleeps with her head at the opposite end of the bed, she talks constantly, however, you can only catch a portion of what she says (how much depends on how often you are around her), she loves to give long, slobbery kisses, she loves scooby-doo and the gang, when she is mad she will yell at you and point her finger, she is a great big sister (minus the whole poop eating thing), she bounces when she runs, she loves to sing and she always says "three" when she means "two."

Victor...oh, how mama tried to save you from that name. But, your father and sisters had other ideas. My son. It's very weird to say. My. Son. All little people should have so much love showered upon them. Between parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts and friends there is no shortage of love for this boy. Possibly our last child, I am sad at the thought of him growing up. I have watched Alyssa grow so quickly and Gwen going from baby to toddler so quickly that this time I want it to go more slowly. But, he's already a month old and growing at an alarming rate (he's gained over 4 lbs since birth!) so I can tell that this child will be a "biggie" before we know it. I have refered to all my children as "biggie" as they have gotten more independent and less baby like, but it seems that my endearing term is getting used earlier and earlier. As I referred to Gwen as a "biggie" the other day, Alyssa said "Mom, I remember when you used to call me that." I thought to myself, Gwen probably won't remember me calling her a "biggie" because I will be referring to her brother as a "biggie" before we know it!! Victor is a calm baby that is very much like his older sister. He cries when he is hungry or uncomfortable for some reason, but never just to cry. He looks very much like Alyssa, but is looking more boyish as he grows. He is a grunter. And I don't mean just a little grunt here or there, I mean he will grunt for 15 minutes solid. It's mostly a bed time thing, and he will make lots of grunting noises when going to sleep or when he is about to wake up. However, when waking, he could start his grunting an hour before he actually wakes up and wants to eat. I have had to condition myself not to go and pick him up until he is actully crying because if I go to get him when he starts his grunting, I could be missing an hours worth of sleep!! Speaking of sleeping, he is a great sleeper!! He sleeps 4-5 hours at a time and has been waking only once to nurse at night!! Both girls woke every 1-2 hours to nurse and didn't sleep through the night for YEARS, and Gwen still wakes more often than I would like! Victor is the love of his sisters' lives and is constantly harrassed by them and their kissing and hugging. No wonder he is very snuggly. He is definately a "mama's boy" already and I am OK with that. His room is not finished being decorated, and he doesn't seem to care, and he wears mostly consignment clothing, again, he doesn't seem to care. I have learned many things in my 6+ years of mothering and he will benefit from those lessons and maybe suffer a bit from them as well. I am definatly more laid back, more tired, less worried and know to devote more time enjoying his babyhood. I am looking forward to the experiences of raising a boy and can't wait to see my family grow and change. On this mother's day I am happier than I have ever been and can't wait to see how happy I will be next mother's day, with my growing family.