Sweet Pea and Sassafras Plus One

Taco Tuesday

2010-03-16T00:01:00.000-04:00

Taco Tuesday was a flashback to my high school days when every Tuesday we had tacos or taco boats in the lunchroom. Okay, moving on from random flashbacks... this was our "family cook night." The kids seem to really enjoy taking charge of their specific tasks. And by the time we sit down to eat, each child has that look of pride about them, that feeling that they have accomplished something that will benefit the whole family - and it was a delicious benefit.

We enjoy this taco seasoning recipe found here if you want to give it a try.

sun catchers

2010-02-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

We decided to do this cute little project this week. It was fun but messy. Each of my kids has stained hands and I think there are a few blue spots on the floor. A little bit of rubbing alcohol and they should be good as new.

This and this are another cute takes on these as well that would be worth it if you feel like venturing out in the cold.

Momma said there'd be days like this

2010-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

You know those mornings when you wake up late, call every child by the wrong name, call the dog by the youngest child's name, go to a room for a reason, end up finding a new reason to be in that room, therefore forgetting why you were there in the first place, standing there trying to remember why you are in there only to notice that the clock says 12:30 which is past lunch time and you are still in your pajamas?!?!

It's kind of like - "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it" or " You know what happens when you pray for patience?" I was just purposing in my heart to do better this year. To be organized, purposeful, and to have a better loving mommy attitude. And guess what, God just threw the opportunity right in my lap and gave me a chance to "prove" it.

Obviously I can only do it with God's help. So my advice - admit that you were wrong, apologize to your kids and tell them we are going to have a better attitude about this day. Make a plan with your family and put some music on and get to work :)!

New Year, New Goals

2010-02-13T23:05:00.000-05:00

Now that you have read my reflections of this past year, I would like to include you in on some of my goals for this year. These are in no particular order and this list is incomplete, as I am sure I will think of new goals every day.

1. Realize that life goes on without Mt. Dew. Oh dear, I can't believe that I just wrote that, but it is something that is going to have to be learned this year. I want to be fit and healthy before I am thirty :).

2. And to help me out with the previous goal, I will be drinking lots of water - at least 32oz a day. Well, that's a lot for me - maybe not for the rest of you, but for me it is. If you have trouble drinking water, take a look at this.

3. To do 1 craft with the kids per week. I know, some of you do crafts every day and others only every once in a while. But I think that I can manage one a week. There are quite a few blogs that have great ideas and I will be adding them to my sidebar soon.Or you could just go to Gina's blog and look at her sidebar!

4. To let the kids make one item in the kitchen per week. I want them to be able to make roasted potatoes from start to finish with minimal hands-on help from me. A different dish every week and I'll have 3 little chefs before you know it.

5. To be more organized and prepared. If I want to do numbers 3 and 4 above successfully, then I am going to need to get organized - time and house! Here is a great idea just to get the ball rolling, and as I find more, I will post them.

6. To listen more and talk less. I know, that is kind of like an oxymoron after you read this whole long post. But hopefully these will be few and far between.

7. To smile more. Have you ever seen a picture taken where you were in the background (not the main focal point of the picture) and looked like life was just horrible? Well I have, and it isn't a pretty sight. I normally look like I could bite someone's head off. So I am going to try to change this....smile lines, here I come.

8. Learn to sew. The theme of my birthday this year was focused on sewing. I received a rotary cutter, a clear quilt ruler, a cutting mat and a birthday cake with a picture of a needle, thread and quilt on it. I haven't always wanted to sew and have passed up many opportunities to learn (foolishness on my part)...but now that I have had a large brick thrown at me, I'm ready to roll, or should I say sew?

9. Pray more. It seems like during this past year I would find myself praying a lot....but mostly when I needed something, or was scared of what was to come. I would like to set aside time everyday to pray and spend time with God. I'm thinking a prayer journal would come in handy here. I'm a list person and seem to do well when I have a list in front me, not to say that I'm just going to check off my prayer list so carelessly but to use it as a guide - so as not to get distracted. I think if I could write my prayers out that it just might help.

10. To do 2 loads of laundry everyday - start to finish. I have no problems washing clothes or even folding them. It's the "getting them out of the basket and into the drawers" part that I seem to have trouble with.

Well, that should do it for now. This isn't a complete list, but it's a start. Hello 29!

On a side note - we need a good family picture with ALL of us in it at the same time. Maybe this will be goal number 11.

Blast from the Past

2010-01-24T21:28:00.002-05:00

Okay, so maybe that title is a little miss-leading. More like "reflections of the past year." I know, New Year's was about 3 weeks ago, but my anniversary of living on this earth was just this past week. I was encouraged to reflect on all that I have learned and have been blessed with over this past year. I must say that I learned a lot and I learned that I have a LOT to learn.

So I am going to give you short glimpses of this past year through words and photos. And please note: the photos may or may not correspond with whatever thought I may be writing about.

1. Dogs will be dogs. In fact, even after you give a dog a bath, he still smells like a dog! We love our puppy, Courage, very much but that is just what he is - a puppy. He loves to chew on things, scratch things, and even rip things! I must say that over all, he is a good puppy and he brings lots of smiles to this family.

2. Tacos are our friend! This meal has been used at least once a week. It suits our entire family and we get lots of nutrition from it.

3. A moment I hope I never forget - the look on my children's faces the first time they saw the beach!

4. And because I don't want to re-number my list - this is a great moment too, the only picture I have of all of my kids together at the beach. (Mark and Simeon are in the water, even though it is hard to see.)

5. Needles Schmeedles! I must thank God for giving me strength and my husband patience! I do believe that I can honestly say that I received more needles in me during my 28th year than I have had in my first through 27th years combined!

6. Music is just wonderful. Pandora is a great aid in listening to music around here.

7. Microfiber is flammable.

8. You don't actually oink when you get the swine flu - it's more like a moo.

9. Loving the snowman in Kentucky - that's right, I said Kentucky not WV, and you can't excommunicate me from the family :).

10. Always tip your tour guide well, especially after having a minor panic attack in the cave.

11. I love, love, love the country!

12. I now know the true meaning of nit picking - and I really don't want to know it again. But if this should happen again, I will definitely turn to mayonnaise as my shampoo!

13. Bakerella is a yummy website for special desserts!

14. Time with God is a necessity not an option.

15. I love my family and am very thankful for them.

Courage

2009-06-13T06:30:00.001-04:00

Courage: That quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear, or fainting of heart; valor; boldness; resolution.

- Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

I want to take a moment and introduce you to the newest member of our family: Courage, an Olde Victorian Bulldogge.

He is 2 1/2 months old and weighs 20 lbs.

Simeon took right to him. In fact, he has somewhat claimed him for his own. He wants to be the one to walk him, feed him, play with him, and train him. Simeon is very excited to have a dog - and I think the dog is very excited to have Simeon.

Abbi is adjusting well to Courage. When we first brought Courage home, Abbi was a little nervous around him. As long as she approached him, she was fine, but when Courage approached her (unannounced), then she was ready for him to go back to his home. Now she does wonderfully with him. One thing that helped was the fact that he loves shoes - once she realized that he has the same shoe fetish as she does, they became great friends. He comes to her unannounced and she reaches out to pet him very lovingly. She also always has to make sure she hugs and kisses him every night.

Abe... hmmm... Either Abe thinks he is a dog or Courage thinks he is a boy. They are both the same weight and approximately the same age (if you go by dog years). Those two are together all the time - best friends. I have found Abe sharing everything from his drink, his cheerios, to his blocks with Courage. Courage, in turn, shares his pillow and chew toys with Abraham.

Courage is a good dog. He is great with the kids and very gentle with them - he reads them very well. He's grown quite attached to them, to the point that he pouts and whines when the kids go to bed at night. He curls up next to the door and whimpers - it's pretty cute. And, much to Daddy and Mommy's pleasure, he is doing well in both obedience training and potty training :).

If you would like to read more about Courage's breed, go here.

"A righteous man cares for the life of his animal..."

- Proverbs 12:10a

Mother's Day

2009-06-12T22:02:00.000-04:00

So I'm a little behind, ok, I'm a lot behind, but I just wanted to post a picture of Mother's Day before Father's Day got here!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward."

-Psalm 127:3

The beach

2009-06-05T10:52:00.002-04:00

A couple of weekends ago our family took a little "big" adventure. We introduced our kids to the beach, and oh what an introduction it was. That first moment of the children seeing the beach for the first time fit right in the list with watching your child take his first step or hear his first word. As we were driving to the beach, the kids asked tons of questions such as "Are there sharks in the water?" or "Will the crabs pinch us?"or "What if we get stung by a jellyfish?". They were beginning to get a little hesitant about this whole "beach thing." But one look at the ocean and it was love at first sight.

Simeon had no fear at all and would have stayed there all day if possible. He and Mark went out as far as allowed and battled the waves.

Abbi enjoyed looking at the water but was happier with the large sandbox at her disposal. She spent a little time in the water with Mark and then ventured out on her own, but as you can see once the water touched her...well, I'll just let the picture speak for itself.

Abe of course was just happy to be there. He loved the water and he loved the sand. What else could a boy ask for ( Maybe a dog? - that will be next)?

Favorite things

2009-05-19T11:45:00.005-04:00

Just stopping in to say "hello" and show a couple of my children's favorite activities. Hopefully next time I will come and stay awhile. But for now, this is all.

Arrrgh, matey!

A horse and his boy.

Dressing up

2009-02-02T09:57:00.002-05:00

He's not so sure about dressing up...

but this one loves it!

My Favorite Cookies

2009-01-22T19:53:00.007-05:00

I am running low on things to post for right now, so I am going to share my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is a combination of recipes. I just kept substituting ingredients until I came up with one I liked. Feel free to substitute ingredients as you see fit. The kids like M&M's instead of chocolate chips.

1 cup buttered flavor shortening

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups ap flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 - 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

I generally mix the first 4 ingredients together and then add the dry ingredients. I add chocolate chips last.

Bake at 375 for 7 minutes. Take them out of the oven but leave them on the pan for 3 more minutes. If you choose to take the cookies off the pan immediately, they will be doughy. If you choose to bake them for 9 minutes, they will be crispier.

Just an idea of what to do with extra cookie dough over at bakerella.

teachable moments and little helpers

2009-01-04T23:11:00.013-05:00

So we have begun a new year and I am still planning out my goals for what I would like to see this year hold for me and my family. Of course I already have a few of the basics lined out on paper, such as get up earlier, lose weight, stick to a schedule, be more organized, etc. - you get the point. Now I am filling in the details and those details seem to hit me right in the face sometimes, making sure that I know that that area of my life needs some improvement.

So here are two specific goals for this year (and hopefully they will improve with every year):

* more teachable moments with my kids

* encouraging my kids to be helpers

It's funny how when you have one child, you can take all the time in the world to watch a bug. To see where it goes, follow its path, discuss what kind of bug it is, and maybe even make a life lesson out of it. But now with three kids, it seems as though I barely have enough time to keep one kid from slaying the bug with his sword (which I am thankful for when there are spiders around) and keep another kid from picking up the bug and loving it, all while trying to get the smallest kid to even pay attention to it, let alone to try to teach them anything about the bug.

These ages are GREAT for teaching. So I am looking for opportunities to teach my kids and to make daily life activities or chores as we know them - fun! My children beg me sometimes for me to let them help me. Unfortunately, my first response is not always "yes". I know that I can get things done a whole lot faster by doing a job by myself, but what will that prove? Granted, there are times when this needs to be done, but most of the time I would say that the more help the merrier! By allowing them to help, I am creating a sense of accomplishment, providing an opportunity for learning organization, teamwork, and the list goes on, not to mention the family time we spend together while cleaning!

One last attempt...

2008-12-31T21:00:00.003-05:00

So I thought I would just post one last blog for the year. Nothing of importance, I'm just a little on the OCD side of life. I can't stand to see every month have at least one blog post in it and then December have nothing. So this will most likely be of no great revelations but it will make me feel better when I look at my own blog. Pathetic - I know.

The past month has been very busy for us, but then again who isn't it busy for? We had Abraham's first birthday party, but good ol' mom (me -Jena) didn't use the camera. So no blogging there, unless someone out there has pictures of it?! I can say, though, that the birthday boy really wasn't up for the party - even his first cake experience didn't win him over. He was somewhat cranky the whole time. We found out Monday that he had an ear infection - which explained most of the crankiness.

We also did a lot of travelling for the holidays but again - no camera. You would think that with my genes there would be a camera attached at my hip. It sounds like a New Year's resolution - MORE PICTURES!

With that I will wish you all a Happy New Year! Hopefully next year I will be able to fill in the gaps of my blog - Abe's party, more Proverbs and maybe some fun kid things!

Our Abbi-girl is 3!

2008-11-24T18:11:00.001-05:00

On November 14, our Abbi turned 3. She had informed me several weeks before her party that she would like to have a pink and yellow castle cake. She chose the theme and the colors - all I had to do was put it together. The cake was easier said than done. The icing didn't cooperate. But with the help of Gramma and Pappa Judd the cake was finished by 1:00 in the morning. Next time I will use this recipe recommended by Shelly.

I was having a hard time coming up with games, but within a matter of minutes before the party started I thought of these 2 short games. One was "princess, princess, who's got your shoe?" - a spin off of "doggy, doggy, who's got your bone." And the other was a treasure hunt game where we took a box full of the princess's jewels (candy bracelets) and hid them somewhere in the house. Whoever found the jewels was to return them to the King and he would then distribute them among all the people.

I think Abbi had a wonderful time. Thank you to all who could join us. You made this day very special!

gleaning wisdom

2008-11-22T23:32:00.017-05:00

A few weeks ago I was at my cousin's birthday party when I heard some great advice. I heard my aunt say that she and her husband "always prayed for wisdom" when their kids where growing up. OK, granted, this is nothing new. I know this and you know this. But when I heard these words this time, they hit me like a ton of bricks! Wisdom - that is exactly what I needed! Why didn't I think of this before. Now don't get me wrong, I've prayed for wisdom before, lots of times. However, this time it was different. I had a clearer understanding of what I was praying for. So the next time I sat down to pray, I didn't just pray "Lord give me wisdom .(dot).(dot).(dot)" moving on to something different but "LORD, GIVE ME WISDOM, understanding, a willing heart, a teachable spirit." Now... I know that wisdom is not going to just "pop" into my brain and I will be a wise person. It is going to take some action on my part. What better place to start than Proverbs. Again, a no-brainer. We've all read it before, several times I'm sure. This time my husband is reading it with me and commentating on it as well (I learn so much better when he reads and shares his insights with me). And this time, though I have read it plenty of times before, it is sinking in deeper. Now no, I am not all-wise and full of understanding. In fact I have a long way to go, but I am enjoying the journey ( I will tell you more about that later). Not only do I have God's Word, prayer, and a godly husband to gain wisdom from, but as I look around, God has surrounded me with quite a few wise people to glean from too.

Thank you Lord for wisdom, for your Word, for wise friends, and for a godly husband.

Snow in October

2008-10-28T09:59:00.003-04:00

This is what we woke up to this morning.

Simeon was so excited that he went and woke up Abbi so she wouldn't miss it.

They couldn't wait to play in it.

Out they went for a small snow ball fight. 10 minutes later they were ready to sit by the heater.

A happy first snow day!

More boots

2008-10-26T06:28:00.003-04:00

So Abbi wanted to show off her boots too! Thanks to Gina, we now have 2 happy kids with boots. 1 kid with boots just didn't seem to work.

Warm, Cozy Moments

2008-10-24T06:14:00.000-04:00

for just a moment...

all three kids are sitting at the table

2 coloring, 1 eating

cold and rainy outside

the smell of dinner cooking

the candlelight makes eyes sparkle

Norah Jones playing quietly in the back ground

and all is calm

at least for a moment

In the middle of fall and didn't even realize it

2008-10-22T06:49:00.000-04:00

So fall came fast for me this year. I couldn't wait for it to get here and then didn't even notice when it came. I walked out back to find that all of our beautiful leaves are already on the ground.

And that of course means lots of raking!

It also means yummy apple butter. Our neighbor has been very generous and is allowing us to have apples from her tree. They make the best apple butter.

It seems like we are taking on a new tradition with fall as well. This is the second year that we have gone to a pumpkin patch. The kids loved it this year! I think they enjoyed digging through the weeds looking for the gourds that "Mommy just had to have."

And of course Simeon can make a sword out of anything! He picked this up instead of a pumpkin to protect us from anything that could be lurking in the field.

Any strays?

2008-10-20T14:27:00.009-04:00

cups that is?

I had a few and decided to make them into candles. Very simple and fun. There are easy to follow instructions here. Don't go out and buy expensive wax to do this. You can buy paraffin wax like Gulf Wax that you would use for canning, at Walmart, in the baking aisle. I also have melted left-over wax from other candles and mixed them with the paraffin wax to make a yummy flavor.

Happy candle making!

These boots were made for walking...

2008-10-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

and kicking, and stomping, and marching, and fighting, and dancing, and working, and running...

Simeon just wanted to show off his new boots.

Thanks for the boots "A", we are loving them!

Gettin' ready for fall

2008-10-03T13:52:00.002-04:00

We got back from vacation in time for a birthday party. Can you guess the theme? You can read more about the party here.

Doing a little jig.

lovin' the camera

Our trip to the farmer's market on vacation inspired me to go to our local farmer's market. And guess what? Ours is small...notice that I am not even using quotation marks. It really is small. I was a little disappointed, but I did find one little treasure - a bag of peanuts. The whole family was excited about this. So, off we went to go home and roast peanuts.

You'll need 1-2 lbs of peanuts

1-2 T. of peanut oil

1-2 T. of kosher salt

And if you are like us, you might want a little more salt.

Rinse the peanuts and pat them dry. Coat them with oil and salt. Put them on a baking sheet and pop in the oven. Oven temp. should be 350 and cook about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and enjoy!

My kids asked if they could throw the shells on the floor. I think my answer went something like this - "ha, ha, hhha, hanha, gasp - NO" .

That didn't get their spirits down, they still enjoyed the peanuts for a very long time, and I got dinner done while they attempted cracking peanuts.

the Newport Aquarium - part 2

2008-10-02T13:35:00.000-04:00

After my parents, we headed to Mark's parents. We spent a day at the park - which the kids loved! Simeon showed off his climbing skills, Abbi showed us how she could go through the tunnels and Abraham enjoyed the swing and slide!

The next day, we all loaded up in gramma and pappa's van and headed to the Newport Aquarium. It was very fun and educational. In fact, I can't wait to take a field trip there again when the kids get older. Simeon loved the sharks, going through the tunnel and petting them. Abbi....um..not so much. She and Abraham enjoyed the frogs. They had three frog statues for the kids to climb on as well as a maze for the kids to go wind themselves through and end up at a slide.

After gramma's and pappa's, Mark, the kids, and I went to a hotel just to relax and have our own little family time before our vacation was over. One last stop along the way (Chuck E. Cheese's) and then home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

Up to Colombus - Vacation part 1

2008-10-01T12:45:00.004-04:00

Enjoying the ride...

and cool at the same time.

For our vacation this year we went several places and included all of the grandparents. Our first stop was to my sister's to see her family, my grandmother, and a close friend. From there, we picked up my parents and headed to the zoo. I didn't really take a lot of pictures at all - I just enjoyed the vacation. Honestly, I don't think I could have kept up with the camera anyway.

After the zoo we went to a nearby hotel and "vegged" for the evening. We left the hotel the next afternoon and headed back to my parents. Our one rule for our vacation was "to be relaxed and if we saw something interesting along the way, stop and enjoy it." So our first stop was The Santa Maria. The kids enjoyed touring the boat and learning how sailors lived. A "dream come true" for a four year old who spends a lot of time pretending to be a pirate.

Our next stop was Renick's farm. A cute "little" farmers market somewhere in OH. They had a hay maze for the kids to play in as well as this slide. Lot's of yummy local foods and root beer for the road.

a cup of tea, four arms, and a good reminder

2008-09-25T14:29:00.006-04:00

Summer is over and fall has begun and I find myself still very busy. In fact I spent all day working on this one cup of tea. I re-heated this same cup of tea 5 times throughout the day and still never finished it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. In fact, the day went very well, and even though it seemed like every minute was taken, much was accomplished. We had homeschooling, cleaning, playing, feeding a baby, dealing with a sleepy baby, a few "disagreements" and the list goes on.

Finally the sleeping/nursing baby time came and I plopped myself on the couch with the computer on one side and a very impatient baby on my lap. As I sat there with my almost sleeping baby my mind started to drift away ( it does that sometimes when it is quiet in my house). This time I sat and wondered why God only gave us 2 hands. Why not 4? Just think of all I could get done with 4 hands. I would have one hand for my cup of tea, one for the baby, and two for the other kids and cleaning! Amazing...then again, maybe not. If I 4 hands, I would probably think that I was "super mom" and could do twice as much, which would then result in me wondering why I didn't have 8 hands. All this to say, God obviously knew what he was doing. I am thankful for my 2 hands and also for nursing babies, which is my time to sit, nurse the baby and with my free hand surf the web (only while the older 2 are sleeping that is). During my post-daydreaming time I came across this encouraging note. It was funny that I found this in the middle of such a busy day.

I'm not generally a wordy person, and this time I went over my "personal word quota". So I will end for now and maybe next time catch you up on our vacation.

Same name, New look

2008-09-24T23:10:00.003-04:00

I'm not back but will be shortly. For now I am just messing with the look of the blog, experimenting, and seeing what I can do. Things may look different when I get back or may stay the same ...

Gone for a while

2008-08-19T20:18:00.002-04:00

I know it has been a while since my last post and I think it will be a while longer before the next. I feel like I have so much to do and need to prioritize my life. So for now I will be planning our family vacation (in September) and getting things organized for homeschooling (curriculum, baby on a schedule, house organized, me on a schedule, etc, etc, etc.)! Simeon starts kindergarten this fall and I want to make sure I'm ready for it as well as the rest of the family. So enjoy the rest of your summer, I will be back in September (unless I just get real industrious before then)!

Sunflowers

2008-07-27T14:16:00.000-04:00

Peek-a-boo baby

2008-07-26T14:09:00.000-04:00

Where is these kids' mother?

2008-07-25T12:22:00.006-04:00

"What a nice little puddle."

"What nice little rocks."

"Let's make a splash! "

"We might be able to make a bigger splash if we stand in the water. "

"It was her idea....really!"

"Believe it or not, she is mad that her shoes are dirty."

Obviously I was there the whole time, cheering them on. This was a great memory from our family reunion.

I spy with my little eye...

2008-07-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

Can you see it?

This chrysalis was found by Abbi on a walk around the house. At first we thought it was poop. Mark immediately told her to put it down. When she did, it started bouncing around. After looking closer at it, we realized what it was. The kids begged to keep. We agreed to keep it just long enough to see it open up. We kept it in a glass jar and watched it for a couple of days. Then, one morning it began to shake. I ran and woke up the kids. The "thing" had already dropped out but it had not blown up it's wings yet. We took it outside, put it on the bush and checked on it regularly throughout the day. When all was said and done, we had "hatched" a moth.

Down on the farm

2008-07-16T09:21:00.015-04:00

We spent our Saturday down on a family farm. The kids had lots of space to run around and have fun. Our day was full of "Firsts"!

FIRST TIME FISHING

Daddy shows the kids the "how to's" of fishing.

Abbi helping load the bait.

Granny supervising.

All 4 generations watching and waiting at the same time...a rare occasion.

Simeon catches his first fish!

We missed Abbi's first fish due to all of the excitement!

FIRST TIME TO FIGHT INDIANA JONES

Little Jedi taking on Indiana Jones

FIRST TIME BEING INDIANA JONES AND JANE

Little Indiana Jones

Indiana Jane

Too much excitement for Abraham.

A sweet little visitor.

FIRST RIDES

We ended our day with some tractor and four wheeler rides!

Just a glimpse

2008-07-15T22:55:00.003-04:00

This is the first of many, I hope.

a trip to the ER

2008-06-28T17:47:00.004-04:00

Our little knight has been busy slaying dragons and fighting bad guys this afternoon. He chose to tackle one of his enemies (aka - a pile of clothes mommy and daddy were sorting) and jumped with great determination on top of them, actually a bit too much determination. Not only did he take out the bad guy but he also took out an innocent bystander ( a chair). We quickly realized that our knight had been wounded and took him to the hospital. Because of the location of his "battle wound" they were able to use dermabond and tape to get it back together. He'll probably have a nice shiner show up tomorrow as well as a headache. After an ice pack, some Tylenol, and a sucker, he's back in the game and ready for action.

Yes, that is blood on his shirt - sorry.

He was obviously tired of pictures....too many other things to do!

Father's Day

2008-06-18T07:36:00.005-04:00

Can you guess what the gift is?

Hmmm, whose gift was this anyway?

For Father's Day this year, the kids bought Mark 2 practice swords and a book on how to use the swords. Simeon has passed his love for swords on to his daddy and I think even to his sister and brother. Mommy hasn't quite caught the "love" but is definitely enjoying the entertainment!

First Foods

2008-06-18T07:28:00.003-04:00

Abraham is 6 months old! Look out food, here we come! We started giving him baby food on Monday and he loved every bite of his rice cereal. I even had to make more! So now a new stage begins as the newborn phase slips into sweet memories.

aaaarrrrgggghhhh

2008-06-13T19:25:00.004-04:00

Simeon shows us all of his mean faces.
Aaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!

Roooaaaarrrr!!!

Abbi joins in on the fun.

And this is what Abraham thinks of it all...

It's not easy being green

2008-06-11T14:00:00.004-04:00

For as long as I can remember, I have never been able to keep plants alive. The big joke in our house is that if you want a plant to live, don't give it to Jena. After all, I can kill even the ones that are impossible to kill. This year though, looks like I may have lost my "killing" streak.

These are called the "essence of rose" and I can't take credit for them. They were planted here before we even moved in. They bloom every two years and this is the first time I have seen them.

Here you see sunflowers growing -hopefully they will bloom- and a lilac bush and peonies that haven't bloomed either but are still alive! Hopefully within the next couple of weeks I can show you this picture again only with sunflower blooms and rock around the edge of the garden.

More sunflowers.

Here is an iris that I did plant. I was very excited about it. Most people would be frustrated that only one out of twenty-four (that's right 24) bloomed. I, on the other hand, am very excited!

Hopefully next year I will have better pictures to share! For that matter, this year isn't over and who knows what surprises I might find in my garden.

Pet Rocks

2008-06-11T13:50:00.007-04:00

The kids have been begging to do crafts this week and thanks to Jessi and Josiah's birthday gift to Simeon, we have a new book full of great ideas. So we sat down together and picked one out. We decided on painting a pet rock. We went on a rock hunt around our house to find ones that would make "good pets". After finding our rocks, I gave the kids a bucket full of soapy water and some rags to clean them up a little. We put them in the sun to dry and took some time to play swords while we waited :).

As you can see, we have a cowboy-wanna-be knight on our hands. Or is it knight-wanna-be cowboy? Either way, he loves his swords, guns, and bow and arrows.

Back to the project!

The painting begins. Simeon decided to do a bug and Abbi chose a turtle. Opposite of what you would think. Me, being the good mom that I am, cut out stencils to help Abbi out a little. I insisted that she use them so it would look like a turtle. Abbi had other plans. I soon realized that I needed to put my OCD (I have no idea where Abbi gets it from:) aside and let her do it herself. After all, this is about creativity and fun, right?

Well, here you can see the first two pets. Cute, if I do say so myself.

Ingredients for a party for Mark

2008-06-04T13:20:00.003-04:00

THE PREPARATIONS:

THE MEAL:

THE DESSERT:

THE GIFT:

THE ENTERTAINMENT:

Dust Bunnies

2008-06-04T12:58:00.006-04:00

This at first was in response to Gina's cute post, however, I don't know if I would consider this cute or not. Actually, it is quite embarrassing. After seeing this dear little foot print, I was reminded that my spring cleaning was interrupted by a 3 week sickness. I cleaned all of the rooms on the main floor except for a few hidden away spots that never see the light of day. Namely, under my bed. I forgot about cleaning and moved on to other projects. It took a little boy playing hide and seek to remind me that my work is not over. I love the little feet and will miss them when they are all grown up. The dust will not be missed.

Happy Birthday Mark!

2008-06-03T07:34:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you very much!

Mother's Day

2008-05-28T14:25:00.003-04:00

Simoen's Birthday

2008-05-27T23:04:00.005-04:00

So here are few pictures from all of Simeon's birthday parties. Because I am so behind, I will try not to be too wordy!

Simeon wanted a dinosaur and green themed birthday party.We included dino sandwiches, dino nuggets, green, red, yellow, and orange peppers, apples with chocolate and green sprinkles, green punch and green decorations. We tried and I think we were successful. Now he is already planning his 5th Birthday party. I must tell you now, these aren't the pics I planned on using. I had mentally decided how I wanted to post about his birthday,but plans change. Every time I went to take a picture, I hit the power button instead of the button to snap the picture. Oh well. I'm just thankful that other people took pictures too.

Simeon requested blueberry muffins for his birthday breakfast.

Lunch was a dino pb&j with apples dipped in chocolate and pink lemonade. Light lunch due to the previous week.

For his party on Monday, kids were welcomed with dino foot prints up the walkway, not tulips as some have thought :).

Gramps, Simeon, and Abbi hid dino's in the sand for all of their friends to find. We also put little dino's in balloons and let the kids "hatch" their eggs.

Sorry this is a little blurry.

Abraham enjoying the party.

Gifts from Gramma and Pappa

Simeon and Abbi enjoying a birthday picnic.

Be back soon

2008-05-07T22:58:00.002-04:00

I know, I know! A whole month of nothing...at least according to the blog. This is just a quick post to say that I will be back up and running next week...hopefully. For the past 3 weeks, our house has been the sick ward. The first 2 weeks the 5 of us, at one time or another, came down with a nasty virus. It sent Simeon to the ER due to dehydration and eventually he was admitted to the hospital for 2 more days. Now that we are finally over that, we have "welcomed" more sickness into our house. Simeon has had another "episode" (for lack of a better word) through last night and this morning, Abraham has a virus that is causing some breathing difficulties, Abbi broke out with a rash this evening, and Mark has Strep Throat.

Hopefully we will all be better soon and I can post some pictures of Simeon's 4th Birthday parties. I did say parties - we had to split them up due to all of the crazy sicknesses (is that a word?). Anyways, I am just writing to let you know that I have not forgotten this blog and hopefully will be back on track next week!

A first and second haircut

2008-04-11T10:14:00.003-04:00

Haircuts were a must for everybody but Abe this week. So, seeing how Simeon has done this before (once, somewhere around his first birthday), he thought he would take charge and show Abbi how it was done. What a good big brother.

Here are the before and after pics. If you look closely, you will see that he had a run-in with a tree branch.

Here is Abbi all ready to go, thanks to her big brother - no fear!

She's a girl and loves getting her hair done!

It was a piece of cake....at least this time!

A Tea Party

2008-04-11T09:53:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday we went to a lovely tea party to celebrate my cousins 5th birthday. The kids put on their best party clothes as well as their best manners and set off to have a lovely day.

I must admit that Simeon does look like he belongs in a gangster/mob movie :). A great detective or is he the mob?

Abbi enjoyed getting dressed up, wearing her mother's pearls, and trying on all of the shoes!

And of course, I think even the other 2 men had a fun time too!

You can read more about the activities of the party over at working title.

Thanks for the lovely birthday party A5 and mommy, it was great.

our children

2008-03-31T10:09:00.009-04:00

All of the kids are growing up very quickly. After holding a brand new baby this weekend, I realized that even Abraham is growing faster than I thought. So I just thought I would give a short update on each of the kids for those of you who can not be here to experience their daily activites.

Simeon will be 4 in May and is very excited about it! He can recognize his Alphabet and write most of them. He is still learning their sounds but I must say, that is coming along quickly too thanks to a Leap Frog DVD that Shelly let us borrow! He is big on being the "protector" right now and loves helping his brother and sister. He is always asking questions and trying to figure out how things work. I do believe he is on the go from the moment his feet hit the floor in the morning until his head hits his pillow at night.

Abbi is quickly turning from our baby girl into a young lady. Her vocabulary is always increasing and her sentences are getting longer. She too can recognize some of her letters and is learning their sounds very quickly. She loves talking on the phone, getting her nails painted and wearing shoes - everyone's shoes! (Thanks Josiah for the great pictures of Abbi.)

Abraham is now 3 1/2 months and enjoying life. He is a very happy baby and loves to watch his big brother and sister. He loves attention and will be glad to talk to you for a while. He can sit in his "activity bouncy seat" and tries to reach for the toys. He makes lots of "oohs" and "ahs" and can mimic some faces as well. If you stick your tongue out at him, he will stick his tongue out at you.

What we have been up to...part 1

2008-03-28T13:27:00.004-04:00

All of this spring weather has motivated us to get out and enjoy the sunshine. We decided to do this by planting grass seed. The kids helped Daddy rake the lawn, sprinkle the seed, and water the lawn.

A fun and...

exhausting day!

Easter

2008-03-28T13:08:00.004-04:00

Just a few pics of the kids on Easter morning. We didn't get a family picture, sorry.

Abbi's painted toes - she is very proud of them and makes sure everyone knows about them!

H-town

2008-03-18T10:42:00.003-04:00

Our BIG trip was cancelled last week due to fevers and throwing up. But we did get to take a quick trip to H-town. While there, we visited with friends and family, and the kids were "spoiled" everywhere we went! As you can see from the pics below, Aunt Cindy gave the kids giant marshmallows, which they completely enjoyed, and Abbi had so much fun that she completely wore herself out! It was a nice break from our normal activities and hopefully our BIG trip will be rescheduled soon!

Colorful Butterflies

2008-03-18T10:09:00.004-04:00

I thought I would show you a cute craft that we did last week to welcome in spring. This kept my kids occupied for about an hour (and I enjoyed doing them too)!The supplies you will need are - coffee filters - markers - spray bottle with water - twisty ties or string.

Color one coffee filter with markers, making sure to cover most of the surface. Get creative and make pretty designs, but limit your colors. Too many different colors may lead to a brown butterfly.

Spray the filter with water until you see the colors blending. Hang or lay flat to dry.

After the filters are dry, pinch the middle together and tie off with a twisty tie. You can put two together or just use one. You can also use pipe cleaners and make flowers with these as well.

Happy coloring!

Just some pictures

2008-02-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

Just a happy boy...most of the time;)!

Daddy, Simeon, and Abbi hiding from

mommy in a "cave." (inspired by "The Hobbit")

Prepare the patlpoats

2008-02-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

Simeon and Abbi have been acting out scenes from books and movies lately. One of my favorites is a scene between Octavius (Simeon) and Jed (Abbi). Simeon is supposed to yell "prepare the catapults" but what normally comes out is "prepare the patlpoats." Other than Simeon using "th" for his "f's" he normally does a good job on his pronunciation, which is probably why I think it is so funny to hear him say patlpoats. I asked him to repeat what he had just said so I could get it on camera. Not the best but if you listen carefully, you can hear his pronunciation of catapults, and you will also notice that the camera shakes due to an attack on me by "Jed."

Grandparents

2008-02-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we took the kids to visit lots and lots of grandparents. The great-grands had not met Abraham yet, so we thought this would be a great time to introduce him before he got much bigger.

Our first stop was Great-Granny P's, which also included Grandma and Grampsie. Great Granny greeted us with a delicious chocolate pie, which Simeon couldn't seem to get enough of.

Next we went to Great-Granny and Great-Pappa J's which included the "J" clan minus 3 (maybe next time?).

Great Granny's house has a great staircase for the kids to go up and down on, plus a "jail" upstairs, as Simeon would say. Actually it was a closet, but a very neat one that kept the kids occupied for a while. They would hunt monsters and bears and lock them up. They also caught a Gramma and a couple of uncles and locked them up. It was a great weekend!

Abbi chillin' with Uncle Sam and Uncle Ben

This is a four generation picture on the "J" side.

for Uncle Jeff

2008-02-04T22:47:00.000-05:00

We hope this is an encouragement to my Uncle Jeff, who is currently in the hospital. We love you and are praying for you. Simeon insisted on wearing the hat;)!

"The Lord bless you and keep you,

The Lord make his face shine upon you,

And give you peace,

And give you peace forever."

Today's Activities

2008-01-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

Today we made snowmen for our windows. I know we are little late in the season but it was still fun. I cut snowmen shapes out of brown paper and scarves and hats out of felt. Simeon and Abbi used a pencil sharpener to make crayon shaving. They arranged their shavings on wax paper and helped me iron the paper shut. I know the picture is a little dark but they are very pretty when the sun shines in.

After the above craft we turned into pirates. We drew a treasure map of our house, grabbed our swords and put on our accents. We followed the map through the house to a treasure of gobstoppers. The kids didn't expect to find a real treasure but were very pleased when they did.

I know the drawing is a bit on the bad side - but at least the kids could still read it ;)

An evening of reading

2008-01-30T08:40:00.000-05:00

Dragons and trolls and dwarves - oh my! Throw in a great story teller and two children eager to hear and you have made the recipe for our newest family tradition. We have always read to our children - that's not the "new" part, but we are now adding books that will encourage more imagination and reading/listening comprehension. We are using this time to read stories that will broaden their vocabulary and help them to think out of the box. Our first book of the season is The Hobbit by Tolkien. The first couple of days Mark was only able to get through 2 or 3 pages before the kids lost interest. Now Mark reads a chapter and Simeon still wants to hear more! Who can blame him for wanting more when you have a story teller like Daddy! Daddy uses so many voices and captures the mood so well that you feel as though you are part of the story too! Yes he is my husband - but I still have bragging rights and I think that Mark is one of the best story tellers ever! And for those of you who are concerned...we still read the kid books too!

Sweet rewards

2008-01-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

Some friends of ours started a sticker chart to encourage good behavior in their children. We thought that was a good idea and started a sprinkle system. It seems as though at times we get so caught up in punishing the bad things that our children do that we forget to also encourage and reward the good. This is a visual reminder to all of us to remember the good. When Mark or I see the kids helping cheerfully or cleaning up without being asked to, they get a spoonful of sprinkles added to their jars. When their jars are full, they will receive a prize...this time a pez dispenser.

An afternoon of painting

2008-01-29T18:49:00.000-05:00

The kids spent the afternoon painting some "Christmas Ornaments." Since we didn't get to do all of the activities for our advent calendar (due to other circumstances) we are doing some of them now. The kids cut out dinosaurs, ducks, bears, and more. They had fun mixing colors to make new colors and painted their "cookies." Of course we have all had to resist the temptation of grabbing one of the ornaments and eating it. They look so much like cookies but are definitely not!

Bake-Art Dough

4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups water

Blend flour and salt, add water and stir. When water is mixed in, work dough into a ball. Knead dough 5 minutes, or until consistency is smooth and pliable. Add more flour or water if needed. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to 1/8" Cut out and place on cookie sheet (if using for ornaments don't forget to put a hole at the top with a toothpick). Bake at 350 for 20 mins. Remove and allow to cool. Then paint.

My Kitchen

2008-01-28T13:33:00.000-05:00

So I usually use this blog to talk about the kids but this time I thought I would show you my kitchen. I know many people have contributed to my kitchen through labor or ideas and can not see the results. So here they are. Obviously this is not my "dream come true" kitchen, but considering what we had to work with, I am pleased. I also appreciate every one's contributions to my kitchen - I just sat back and relaxed while everyone else did the work:) - thanks!

All dressed up and ready to...roll?

2008-01-26T01:01:00.000-05:00

Smiles

2008-01-26T00:54:00.000-05:00

I finally caught some smiles with the camera!

It's that time again

2008-01-26T00:32:00.000-05:00

Today we started potty training with Abbi. The morning was a bit rough with 3 accidents on the floor but the rest of the day looked promising. In fact, she stayed dry the rest of the day -even through nap time. However, tomorrow is another day and I am sure we will have lots of ups and downs along the way. We are very proud of her!

Abraham at 1 month

2008-01-11T14:36:00.000-05:00

My little snuggle-bug!

Just Some Cute Kids!

2008-01-11T14:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day

2008-01-11T14:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas Cookies 101

2008-01-11T14:06:00.000-05:00

First you mix the dough, making sure to get flour everywhere! Next, cut out shapes and make sure to overlap the shapes so they don't quite turn out like the picture. Next, bake...and remember to set the timer! Let cool then add lots and lots of icing and sprinkles! Finally, enjoy, making sure to get icing on your hands and face! Most importantly - have fun with the ones you love!

Snowy Days

2008-01-04T00:23:00.000-05:00

Simeon loves playing in the snow while Abbi tries to decide if she really wants to get snow on her clothes...hmmm, what to do, what to do?!

Abbi's 2nd Birthday

2008-01-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

The long wait...

of a bug cake...

and the reward!

Abraham Isaiah Judd

2007-12-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

So, I have missed a few things, like Abbi's birthday, snowy days and other fun activities that hopefully I will update soon, but for now I just wanted to post some pictures of Abraham and announce his birth, just in case there was someone who hasn't seen him or heard the news. ( I also thought I could post the longest run-on sentence while I was at it too! Sorry) Anyways, Abraham Isaiah Judd was born at 3:54pm Friday, Dec. 14 2007. He weighed 7 lbs. 6.2 oz and was 20 inches long. I arrived at the hospital at 2:30 thanks to my mid-wife. Had I not had a routine visit at 2pm I would have had him at home. Which my mom is very thankful that I didn't considering she was the only one with me and the kids. Due to complications from the previous night, I did not realize that this was "real labor" This being my 3rd baby you think I would have figured it out. Oh well, better luck next time :)!

Enjoying Simeon's Coat

2007-11-01T21:40:00.000-04:00

Ready to go....

or not....

Making a "memory" that's good 'till the last bite

2007-11-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

Our "Punk" Beds are Here!!

2007-11-01T20:41:00.001-04:00

The kids are very excited about their new gift from Gramma and Pappa! Simeon thinks that it was "very special for Pappa and Gramma to bring me those punk beds!" He and Abbi enjoyed helping put the beds together as well as playing on them. And mommy enjoys all of the extra room:)!

Fall is here

2007-11-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

A day of work...

and play!

How do you get one of those?

2007-10-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

As the four of us were sitting at the lunch table yesterday, Simeon looked at Mark and asked, "How do you get one of those?" while pointing at me (Mommy). Mark and I looked at each other with confusion and wonder and asked some clarifying questions. "What do you mean?" I asked, "Get what?". Simeon then asked, "How do you get a mommy?" Now I am really wondering where he is going with this (surely not the birds and bees?!?). He looks at Mark and asks him directly, "How did you get a mommy?" Mark then clarified the question by asking Simeon if he meant "How did I get a wife?" and that was where he was going. Then Mark explained the process of being friends, to being "friends" to becoming husband and wife (just the basics). Then Simeon looked at Mark while patting my arm and said, "I want one like that." Mark said, "Like Mommy?" "Ya." I never thought my 3 year old son could make me blush like that....a sweet memory.

A Morning at Grandview State Park

2007-10-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

Simeon showing off his monkey skills...

Abigayle riding in the big girl swing (she'll hate that term later...)

Has anyone seen my contact?

JenaRae insists that I publish this post as mine - even though her name shows up at the bottom. Your wish is my command! PUBLISHED BY MARK!!!!!

Just a couple of snapshots

2007-10-18T20:57:00.000-04:00

Stud muffin strikin' a pose!

Few can pull off this style and still look cute.

Country Pumpkins

2007-10-10T22:42:00.000-04:00

This past week we took a trip to a local pumpkin patch. The kids enjoyed riding out to the pumpkin patch in a hay-filled wagon pulled by a tractor. Abbi found a "cute" white pumpkin that she wanted to "hold for a minute" and claimed as hers. Simeon looked the whole field over, checking every pumpkin to find just the right one. After a long hunt, he came out with a beautiful pumpkin just his size.

Gifts Anyone?

2007-09-09T20:52:00.000-04:00

So this is just something that has been on my mind, so I thought I would share. Mark and I are trying to get things done early this year since our holidays are going to be busy with the baby coming. That means we are trying to plan how we will use our time and our money. In other words, we would like to have all our Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving :). The only problem is is coming up with gifts for certain people. I want our gifts to be meaningful and thoughtful but not wasteful. For some people I can think of 20 things I would love to buy them, but I am not sure if they already have it or maybe they have a greater need that I don't know about. Then there are those people who already have everything I could think of to buy them and then I end up buying them something useless. Anyways, all this to say that I want our gift buying to be meaningful but not done in vain. So if any of you have any wish lists on the web, such as Amazon or Walmart, please feel free to send them to me. This is not a guarantee that you will get what is on your list, but it will give me ideas and help me get to know you better.

Catching Up on Summer Part 1

2007-07-27T19:10:00.000-04:00

So this summer has been very busy for our family. I will try to use mostly pictures to keep it interesting.

In May, Simeon turned 3. We had a bicycle themed birthday party which was his big birthday surprise. Everyone had a fun time except me (Jena) - I threw up the entire day and was on medicine during the party -medicine that knocked me out.

After Simeon's birthday we went to Lexington, KY for Mark's brother Ben's gratuation from UK.

The next weekend was Mother's Day.

For our 6th Anniversary this year, we decided to make a family weekend. We went to the Louisville Zoo with the kids and Gramma and Pappa Judd (Mark's parents) and Uncle Ben. We are not sure who was more excited about the trip, the kids or uncle Ben. Going to the Zoo probably was not the wisest thing to do during my first trimester of pregnancy. I threw up 4 times that day....however, the kids still had a great time and it was nice to have the extra help from the grandparents!

While in KY we also got a chance to visit Mark's grandparents in Beattyville. The kids had a great time there!

Another Addition

2007-05-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

So I am sure that most of you already know, but if you don't, we are expecting another baby sometime around November. We do not know the due date yet but hopefully our ultra-sound on May 25 will give us some more information. So until then we will just have to wait.

over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go...

2007-03-22T23:19:00.000-04:00

At the end of February, Simeon, Abbi, and I took a trip to see both sets of grandparents. Here are a few highlights from our trip.

A special lunch with gramps, grandma, and great granny

An afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese's with papa and gramma

Ready, Set, Go!

A four wheeler ride with papa

Fun times with Uncle Sam

It's Been a While

2007-03-21T10:25:00.000-04:00

There have been many events since the last entry to blog about but just not enough time. So I will randomly choose some events here and there to update you on and fill in the blanks later.

The most recent of events is a whole week of sickness for our household. We have had many messy diapers and accidents, lots of vomiting, fevers, fatigue, and crankiness. However, through all of the sickness there have been a few highlights through the week. Abbi has now learned how to say "what's that" and "ucky." She has also learned "back" as in give it back, "mine," "ouch," and "help" just to name a few. I'm sure most of those are apparent as to the source of where she learned those few words. She is also doing a very good job of going to sleep without a fuss during nap time and bed time

Simeon has also given us a few highlights from the week. When he has a fever he gets a little "silly." Sometime during the night on Sunday, Simeon came and got in bed with us. He had a fever and didn't feel good so I just let him stay with us and didn't put him back in his own bed. A couple hours of later I awoke to a rousing rendition of "Good Monsters" by Jars of Clay. He sang the chorus through nine times, not once opening his eyes or sitting up. At the end of the ninth round there was complete silence. Simeon has had a rough week but the one thing that seems to bring a smile to his face is the "Good Monsters" song.

Tic Tac

2007-02-19T10:37:00.000-05:00

Is it actually possible to read too much to your children? Maybe so, if it is the same book over and over titled Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type. What makes me think this, you ask? When Simeon came in this morning and asked me, "mommy will you play click clack toe with me?" made me think that maybe we need to move on to another book. I'm pretty sure he meant tic tac toe.

Potty Training 101

2007-02-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

As of bedtime last night, we have successfully finished one week of accident free potty training. Simeon's goal was to go 7 straight days without any accidents. He wore "big boy" underwear during the day and pull ups during the night. For each day that he did not have an accident he was allowed to put a sticker on his chart. Each sticker got him closer to the picture of a green sucker. So today we get to go pick out a green sucker of his choice. He is very excited and I am sure that he will tell everyone he knows about his accomplishment. His next goal is to get a piece of chewing gum. I told him that he could have gum when he no longer wears pull ups at all, which means "big boy" underwear through the night. That will be a bit more challenging. I am very proud of him and so is daddy! He is doing great through the day and even nap time!

Sleeping Soundly

2007-02-15T23:54:00.000-05:00

We are now entering the days - or should I say nights - of somewhat peaceful rests. I know that many will say that we should have been there a long time ago; however, my strong-willed child seems to think differently. This time I am not talking about Simeon but Abigayle. For many nights she has been put to bed at a decent hour (or even later than decent hour) and has cried her eyes out. When Mark and I did not respond to the cries she then began doing all she could do to make herself throw up. After 3 or 4 nights of this, we got very tired of cleaning up "stuff" and changing sheets and clothing, so she would end up in our bed......a very restless night - or should I say nights.

Now we have a new story. She now understands the full meaning of the word "no" (if you get my jist) and the throwing up has ended. She does cry for just a little bit and then begins to moan herself to sleep in just a few minutes.

Now you might ask...."How does Simeon handle this?" Good question!

If Simeon is asleep, he stays asleep. Last night, though, he was awake. He began by telling Abbi to lay down and go to sleep and be quiet. When that plea did not work, he tried a new tactic. He got out of bed, grabbed a bear and threw it in her bed so she would have a bear like his (which his cousin Micayla got him and he sleeps with every night). Then he pulled the tail on the musical bear tied to her crib so she could have some music to sleep to. He loves his little sister so much!

Sleep like what?

2007-02-13T22:31:00.000-05:00

Last night as I went into the kids room to lay down Abbi in her bed I noticed Simeon unzipping his pj's. After I layed her down, I went to Simeon and zipped up his pj's and told him that they should stay zipped up so he would be warm. He then unzipped them again saying that he needed it down so he could sleep with his belly button. I laughed and zipped up his pj's again. I then explained that his belly button was always with him whether he could see it or not. He then unzipped it again and said he needed to sleep with his belly button. So I asked why he needed to sleep with his belly button. He told me that he wanted "to sleep like papa because papa sleeps with his belly button. Papa doesn't wear a shirt to bed". I then explained that papa only does that during the summer time when it is really warm outside. So he looked up at me and asked, "When it really warm outside then I not sleep with my shirt on too like papa, OK?"

Entries from an unmentioned blog

2007-02-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 11, 2006
Away in a Manger
During lunch today I started singing songs so that Abbi would open her mouth with either delight or song and would allow me to put food in her mouth. When I finished singing Away in a Manger Simeon asked me why baby Jesus had to sleep in the hay. So I explained to him the best I could. He sat there for a few seconds when I was done explaining, and then with a very concerned look on his face he said, "I better go get a bed for baby Jesus so he not sleep on the hay anymore. We better go get one mommy." That touched my heart!

Toes... Current mood: silly
The other day as I was sweeping the floor, I brushed over Simeon's foot with the broom. He said,"Don't sweep up my toes" which led into a fun game where I chased him around the house and eventually swept his toes. I continued sweeping my floor and put my dirt in the dustpan, carried it to the trash and threw it away. As soon as the dirt hit the trashcan, Simeon ran to the trash crying his eyes out. He frantically tried to open the trash can lid and get in, the whole time yelling, "give it back, give it back!" I thought maybe i had thrown a toy away. So I asked him what was wrong. As tears streamed down his face he replied, "Don't trow my toes away mommy, give dem back!" And as heartless as it sounds, I burst out in laughter. It is a good thing that laughter is contageous, because he then started laughing in between his tears. Once I calmed down, I had him look at his feet and count his toes. Once he relized they were all there he laughed and wanted me to sweep them up again.

Sunday, October 29, 2006
simeon again
These are few more quotes or stories of Simeon
"Daddy I sorry I kicked your daughter in the head"
After Abbi gave Simeon a BIG kiss, he replied, "Abbi taste me"
"I not want to see the church meeting corner anymore"
After begging to taste Abbi's baby food, he replied "please not make me like that" The flavor of the day was mixed peas, carrots, and green beans. Needless to say he doesn't want to eat Abbi's food anymore.
As I was walking through the door, Simeon was close behind me. I stopped without warning and he bumped me in the behind. In his most sincere voice he said, "Oh, I sorry butt, excuse me" I then went on to explain that you are to appolagize to the person not the body part.

Currently watching : Bob the Builder - Can We Fix It? Release date: By 15 November, 2002

Monday, October 23, 2006
Funny quotes for the day
In response to me telling Simeon it might snow outside..."we can get our glubes and pick up the snow"
"Do you have junk in your mouth?" (junk = anything chocolate, particurally brownies)
"I did it on portant." (port = purpose;ant = accident) so what does he really mean? Hmmm
In the middle of daddy praying.."thank you for pappa and gramma, and uncle Ben, and uncle Sam 'and Bo, tank you for Uncle Bo' " (bo is a dog)
"Going tot he doctor to get a bandjo?" (bandjo = bandaid)
"Where my teeth brush go?"
"I missed you all day"
"Please not say me no, no, no"
Currently listening : Clear to Venus By Andrew Peterson Release date: By 01 January, 2001

More details on "poop pipes"
So I am still trying to find out what exactly poop pipes are and I have been asking questions to see if can figure it out. I only got two questions answered and here they are.
1. What do poop pipes do? They burn you so you can't touch them, they're hot.
2. What does a poop pipe sound like? It goes like eerrrrrggggghhh (in a deep voice).
So I will continue by investigation and maybe one day figure it out.

Monday, October 16, 2006
Abigayle
I thought that I should mention that Abigayle is officially walking Yeah!! or should I say AAAGGGHHH, dangerous pair of siblings

Simeon-isms
Just a few quotes by Simeon for the day...
Abbi cries..I ask "Simeon, why is Abbi crying?" Simeon replies,"Oh I just hit Abbi on the head with a goose."
Abbi is sleeping...Simeon says,"Abbi's thunny, she snores like a dog"
"I sorry I obey you mama"
"I turned the heat on cause I hot, it's my job"

Simeon's distress call
I woke up to hear Simeon in his distressment saying,"Ohhh, I'm wet. My pants are wet and my basthket ball shirt is wet!" I asked him why he was all wet and in a disappointing voice he replied,"I pee, and pee, and pee, and pee!" I only hope that this will not be a sign of how my day will go.
Another comment from Simeon yesterday with dad..... walkin by two puddles of water near our church meeting Simeon points to the water and asks "What's that?" to which dad replies with "What is that?" Only to hear Simeon reply "Poop Pipes" We have no idea where he learned that, I'm sure some older cousins were to blame

Saturday, October 14, 2006
Another random Simeon comment
We are teaching Simeon the days of creation this week. We told him that on the third day God created land and vegetation, such as apple trees and pear trees. We asked him to see if he could name things that would fit in this catagory. His response was "apples, strawberries,... broccoli, celery, vegie tales." It was cute.

Abbi is now somewhat walking. Three to four steps at a time and then sits down. She tries it again and again...She is so proud of herself!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Random thoughts...
The other day I asked Simeon to do something for me. When he was done I said "Thank you", to which he replied "thank you." So then I explained to him that I was saying thank you and he was to reply "your welcome." So again I said "Thank you" to which he replied "I welcome."

We are still having our ups and downs with Simeon going to bed without crying or screaming at us. However the one tactic that seems to bring silence is when we shut his door at night when he screams at us. We tell him when he goes to bed that if he screams at us we will shut his door. So this week he has screamed at us twice. So we immediately go and shut his door, which brings an even louder, more feroucious scream. After a minute we will go in and tell him that if he will be quiet we will open the door, which brings immediate silence. All this to say...at our Bible lesson time at night, Simeon has been learning Eph 6:1-3. So tonight he was telling us his Bible verse..."Children obey your parents in the Lord for if you not obey they'll shut the door."
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