Children and Chewing Gum

Children + chewing gum = Disgusting! I had the brilliant idea to give Andrew chewing gum in a desperate attempt to keep him from whistling. It caused such a riot that I had to give some to Lizzy too. So far both kids have swallowed their gum (as I expected from Lizzy but not Andrew). Eliz says her gum got stuck to her back tooth and made her do it. Andrew tripped and swallowed his gum in the process - too funny! I didn't consider the gum falling out of their mouths only to be put right back in. Nor did I consider the pulling on the gum and taking it out of their mouths to inspect it. I didn't consider the amount of gum that would end up on their face either. However, despite the challenges, the whistling has decreased (yep, just decreased b/c he still has managed to find a way with the gum in his mouth to squeak out a whistle every few minutes), and for that, I am so thankful. My sanity has been found...for a while at least! I'm back from a little time of running errands. The kids have been saving bottles b/c they earn $.05 for every bottle they recycle. They begged me to take them to Price Chopper (a local grocery store that has a machine where you can return bottles) so they could get return the bottles. I needed to go to the Dollar Tree to get some things, and the kids who each got $1.00 for the bottles were able to pick out one toy. They both still had their gum upon entering the Dollar Tree, but Lizzy didn't have it one the way out of the store. Turns out, she had tried out a toy that you blow into, and the chewing gum got stuck inside the toy.

Whistling

My son whistles. ALL. The. Time. It's gotten so bad that he's started doing it even in his sleep. Mostly he whistles random sounds, but his favorite is that wootwoo...you know the one that you make when you see something/one pretty. He's gotten into lots of trouble making that sound, and we've done the best we can to encourage him to STOP! So we were walking in the mall today when along came a rather scantily clad girl in her 20's, and just so you can get the full picture of my mortification, her top was nearly completely exposed. Fortunately, my sweet little innocent children did NOT see this young girl or notice her appearance. It was at the exact moment that this girl passed us when Andrew whistled none other than his wootwoo. I turned toward him in horror as though he knew what he had done, but there he was just staring at the floor none the wiser for what he had just done. I turned my head to see who all had heard, and it was clear that the girl noticed as well as several other people around us in the mall...people who were probably all thinking the very thing that had just come out of Andrew's innocent mouth. They were giggling, and I *hope* that girl was significantly embarrassed. I wanted to shrink into the floor or hide and pretend that I didn't know my little boy. Instead, not wanting to draw attention to the girl (I noticed that neither of my children were privy to the scene around them) I just strolled along. I didn't giggle, I didn't chastise Andrew for whistling, I just walked *quickly* away. And yes, later, I did give Andrew a reminder not to use the wootwoo b/c it was inappropriate. I didn't tell him about the situation he created earlier though. I think I need some duct tape unless anyone else has any ideas as to how to stop his whistler!

But We Don't Live There Anymore

My children are at great ages. I wish I could freeze them right where they are. The years are going by too quickly. They are the best of friends right now, and of course, often nag each other to death in the same breath. Elizabeth keeps us in stitches. She loves to make up stories and talking. All. The. Time. Lately, she's been telling lots of stories about things we used to do in our old house, and after each story, she says, "but that is not our house anymore" or "but we don't live there anymore." I wish I could put the inflection she uses in writing. It's just the cutest thing. She's also started telling some doozies like how if something happens that's unexplainable, she says, the birds came in and did it. I think she has it out for the birds ever since that one bird stole her french fry right out of her hand. Andrew is at the perfect age to be the best at competing in games of all kinds. We've been playing Uno together (which Elizabeth can even competitively join us on that game), we've played lots of Skipbo, but we've also added Phase 10, Sequence and even Settlers into our game repertoire. I managed to remember to pack those games to bring with us to the hotel, and we've shared countless hours in competition with one another. I love it, and I especially love that he shares my passion for both game playing and good ole competition! We've enjoyed a little bit of a slower pace here, and it's a pace I could certainly get accustomed to. While our pace has slowed down, our social life has not. We have had several play dates already with new friends and friends from our past. The kids have enjoyed meeting and playing with friends, and it's done our heart good to be so readily accepted by everyone. I feel like we didn't even skip a beat when we moved here, but I'm sure it's all part of God's plan for our family. It's so great to be right in the center of His will. It makes even a 1225 mile move go smoothly!

She can't let big brother go anywhere without tagging behind. Even if she has to run double time to keep up. Here is Lizzy "reading" a story to Andrew. She uses a lot of inflection when she reads.

Easter 2012

Easter came, and we had the awesome privilege of visiting a nearby church so we could see our sweet friend Megan get baptised. She was just so sweet. We have pics on the big camera of the grand event & I will have to upload those pics later...when that camera has been uncovered :) We ate lunch with our small group family, and it was yummy. It was special to get to celebrate Easter with these special people. The kids and I came home and had an Easter egg hunt while Mat rushed off to Connecticut to have Rooky Camp.

Sharing a Room

I was a little concerned about how it would work out with Andrew and Elizabeth not only sharing a room but sharing a bed as well during out time living in a hotel. I hasn't been bad at all!

Stuck

I don't like being stuck at home. It usually feels a little suffocating to be stuck. Today is a bit different. All of us are so tired. Maybe it's the move that has taken it out of us. Maybe it's the weather change. Maybe it's the different allergens here or maybe it's the bugs we've shared. Whatever it is, today I find it nice to be stuck in the hotel. Right now, both of my babies (yep, even the big one) are sound asleep in their room. Elizabeth has been taking a nap every day since we've been here...with no complaints. She actually been asking to take a nap. Andrew has a virus, and he didn't complain much when I told them to lay down. I'm pretty drowsy myself so maybe I should take this opportunity to nap too. I haven't done that in a long time! Sadly, the sickness kept us away from a much anticipated activity with our new CC group, but there will be other adventures with these new friends.

My Asthmatic Daughter

Shewee...we have had some issues with Lizzy since our arrival in our new state. Right before we moved, she had her first asthma attack. She's had 2 more since we got to Connecticut. Talk about scary stuff! She's been sleepy, had fever off and on, and she's had leg pain. It's been hard to watch her suffer. We got her checked out at our new pediatricians office today, and they are sending us to an asthma and allergy specialist to see if we can figure out this mystery. I am thankful for docs! I am also thankful for caring and praying friends who have fervently prayed for my sweet daughter.

I do believe we've just moved to Mayberry. I heard tales of the harsh, uncaring, unfriendly, people we would meet here, but our experience has been quite the opposite. Everyone has been very kind, warm and loving. We've already had a play date. The kids and I met up with Susan, a dear friend I know from Georgia, and her 2 cutie pies. We had a fun time playing in the library...and by library, I mean indoor amusement park for preschoolers! Wow...that place is amazing. There aren't any roller coasters in there or anything, but they have a large kitchen fully equipped with lots of food and baking needs for pretend play. They have at least 3 doll houses with furniture. They have a puppet show and stage area with a large seating area for an audience. They have a bank with cash register, atm, and play money inside of a child size bank building. There is a large train table and tons of legos. I can't even remember all the things b/c the place was really. That place is amazing!...and conveniently located walking distance from our new rental house in West Hartford! We stuck pretty close to the hotel for most of the week b/c Elizabeth had a really bad bug that (we think) is what caused a very scary asthma attack. It seemed almost like she had a seizure b/c her eyes rolled back in her hear, and she got pretty lethargic. We've noticed this bug has really drained her. She's had a fever for days, and we ended up taking her to the Children's hospital here. After 3 days of sleeping and being feverish, she is finally starting to act normal. She's still tired, but she is fever free and eating well today. The sweet ladies at the front desk purchased gifts for the kids, and they were in our room when we got back from the hospital. They go over and beyond at this Residence Inn. It's a great place to "live" if you have to live in a hotel! I was invited to a Homeschool Used Curriculum sale in a nearby town. A sweet new friend (who was introduced to me by Susan and is also the director of our homeschool co-op CC group) picked me up so we could go to the sale together. We had a great morning, and we both found some great deals. I bought 25 books and only paid $22. Most of the books were chapter books for Andrew, but I scored a few for myself too. I also found a book that I've been wanting to look at in person - Shurley Englist. Wow...that is some good stuff. It was free and a 3rd grade edition, but I know that I for sure want to check that out at the Homeschool Conference in June. I met so many friendly people and fellow homeschoolers at the sale. Earlier in the week, I was researching Dairy Farms to visit, and I found a really unique store that sells Boar's Head deli meat for $5.99 a pound. It was a strange looking place online, and I had to go check it out in person. We got there to find that it's a convenience store that sells all this deli meat, cheese and other stuff including some fantastic potato salad. We got a little bit of each item...and I will be going back there to save some $$$. Everything is super expensive up here, and I hope to find lots of little treasures like this store to pinch some pennies! My sister and I area planning to share Mother's Day together - yay for being close enough to some family again to be able to do this! Our cars arrived and were delivered to our hotel today so it's seeming a little less like a vacation now and a little more like reality. I kinda like that. I'm ready to settle down into our cute little rental house in West Hartford, but I'm thankful in some ways for the transition. We're heading to this new store called Bob's today. It's supposed to be like Kohl's or a very nice Walmart. I don't know how the 2 go together, but I'm excited to find out. I hope to find some cute little warm dresses or fancy long sleeved shirts for ME. I've done so much shopping for the kids that I've honestly not purchased much for myself in a very long time!

Lasts...

I love looking back over the past blog posts, and I love reading old posts and looking at old pictures with the children as we remember the past. I want to share a little about our last few very crazy weeks, and I'll have to add pictures later. I'm still very unsure about how to load pictures from our new camera onto our new hard drive and then get them on Facebook or Blogger. I feel quite overwhelmed by technology, and Mat will have to patiently try to teach me (for the 3rd time). Our family had a great very special last month in Florida. Classical Conversations ended at the beginning of April. We were sad to say goodbye to so many dear friends there. I really feel so blessed to have been a part of the CC group in Winter Garden. There is a very special group of women and children there unlike I have experienced anywhere else. We loved the content of what we learned there, but more than that, we loved the special friends we made. One family who was especially dear to us there invited us over for a Norwegian pancake breakfast (where their dad is from) and to dye Easter eggs together. All 4 of us bonded with each member of their family, and we were so sad that this new relationship was blossoming as we were moving away. This same family planned a going away play date for us at DeLeon Springs. We enjoyed a day playing in a natural spring, getting a final day out in the sunshine, and just spending time in fellowship. There is a pancake house (hmmm...I'm sensing a theme with this family) there where you make your own pancakes on a grittle right there in the middle of the table. It was a perfect day, and the kids thought it was even better when they found an alligator just a few yards away from where they had been swimming all day. CC ended with an awards ceremony/coverdish event that we were able to attend right before the big move. Andrew learned so much with CC. We have already joined a new CC group in CT. We also met some other pretty awesome friends at the homeschool convention in Florida, and they also had us over to their house for a final play date.

Our Bible study group (we found just a the beginning of this year) has been so special. We made some forever friends in that group...all of which have children they homeschool too. The ladies in the group all got to go out together the last week we were in Florida. We went to Wolfgang Puck Express (my favorite) at Downtown Disney for dinner FREE from kiddos!!! It was bittersweet to say goodbye to these sweet friends...so much so that we decided to get together again the following night with the kids at our favorite park, Chapin Station. We played there while the Dad's all got together for dinner. We had so much fun that we continued our little party past dusk at Chick-fil-a. The kids had a blast, and they got to say their goodbyes until July when we plan to return for a little vacation to Disney while Mat works on a project there. It's nice to know we will be seeing these sweet friends again so soon. We took lots of pics of the 7 kids...can't wait to upload those!

Mat and I have been helping in Awana at our church, Harvest Bible Chapel. It has been such an amazing experience to see those little children absorb God's word and grow in their knowledge of Christ. There are a few that we are especially going to miss. I am so thankful for Facebook so we can keep in touch and even share pictures easily! We made some very special friends through Awana, and I was able to have get togethers with some of them. We especially enjoyed going (being treated to) T-Rex with the Mathemeier family and then we ate an Earthquake at Ghiradelli....wow...what an experience. Andrew ate so much that he made himself sick. It was an experience for sure, and we loved spending time with that sweet family!

I think my most difficult good bye (although all of them were hard on me) was with Andrew's piano teacher and her family. They are so dear to us. They have loved us, helped us in the middle of the night when we had the wreck, were instrumental in our homeschool adventure, and are just plain cool people. We got to enjoy our last Twisty Treat with them.

Much of the last week was spent organizing and purging. We had a yard sale at our house the Saturday before the movers arrived. A friend came over and helped me get ready for the sale, and while we were working, the kids were inside playing dress up. A couple of friends joined us to sell some of their things too, and it made for a very fun sale. There wasn't too much traffic, but we ended up selling many of the bulky items that we didn't want to take North as were were packing up the sale around 2pm. The forecast was 80% chance of rain for the sale, but we all prayed hard. The rain held off until we were all packed up in the garage around 4! Go God!

Elizabeth had a major asthma attack on Tuesday (her first ever). I was so thankful that we had the nebulizer out and ready to help her. One more day, and it would have been packed up! Again...Go God! Wednesday, the movers arrived with the giant 18 wheeler truck. They (3 guys) packed up nearly the entire house in one day. They were great! The whole move was relatively easy. The only drama came from some new neighbors (whom you may have read about on Facebook). They are old and crochety and didn't enjoy a big truck in front of their house. They called the police, and the police asked if the movers would move the truck until they were actively packing the truck. Mat called a buddy at church who offered to just let them put the truck in the church parking lot right up the street. That night, the crochety only 2 week long neighbors went to the neighbors and asked everyone to park in the street to prevent the moving truck from getting to our house. Our sweet neighbors didn't give the crochety old folks the time of day so the new neighbors were the only ones to park on the street. It was quite ridiculous.

Bye bye Florida house! By Thursday, the movers had packed nearly everything in the truck so Friday morning, it only took them a couple hours to finish up. We spend Friday and Saturday wrapping things up, cleaning the house and cleaning our the fridge. We stayed at a hotel Friday and Saturday, and we were able to go to Disney for a couple of hours Saturday night once everything was wrapped up. We even ran into friends at Disney randomly! We didn't get to do much, and really none of us were sad to leave Disney. It's a great place, and we've enjoyed unlimited access these past 2 years. However, we think it will be more exciting and magical to have Disney as a vacation spot again. We already have a trip planned in July!

Sunday morning came all too quickly. We had to put Sydney on a separate flight b/c the airline we flew didn't accept large dogs in the cargo. We spent an hour trying to find WHERE to drop Sydney off, and finally, after being redirected several times and starting to feel the stress, we found it. She had to make a stop on the way there so she got to enjoy 2 flights, and by the time we got to Connecticut, we still had to wait for her to arrive. We were safely in our 2 bedroom hotel suite by 8pm...home sweet hotel.

The weather is war enough that we just need a light jacket or long sleeves. We really like it here so far!