Five Month Pictures

Here are some pictures of the kids at five months old. Amanda is such the perfect blend of the boys. She has the same eyes as Andrew, but Scott's cheeks.


Scott at five months:

Andrew at five months:

Here is another of Andrew:

play silks!

March is just around the corner, and in our house, that means birthdays! Andrew is March 6, I'm March 15, Nana is March 27, Scott is March 28 and my niece, Callie, has a birthday on April 2.

Normally, I'm in full planning mode by mid-February because Andrew is so early in the month. But, this year we are simplifying things. We are having one great big Super Hero party at the end of the month. But, since planning the kids' parties is one of my most favorite ways to daydream, I've already started putting it together.

No Super Hero is complete without a cape, so today Scott and I dyed about 20 play silks for the kids at the party (we are not planning to have that many kids - some are for us to keep and others are to give away to other friends.) Our dye of choice? Why, KoolAid of course. I've actually never served my kids KoolAid before, and now I know why. It turned my white silks such bright colors of orange, red, blue, purple, green and pink that I'm scared to see what it does to the inside of my stomach.

Scott loved swishing the fabric around in the dye.




Here they are drying in the sun. Aren't they beautiful!





Play silks are some of the most versatile and fun dress up toys around. All you need is an imagination. If you think this sounds like so much fun that you can't wait to make a collection of your own, I have some advice:

*Here are the websites that I used for instructions:
make-baby-stuff

saras-toy-box

*I had a great time working with Scott, but hit my limit at silk #15. By that time, Andrew and Amanda were up from naps, Amanda was crying, Scott was bored and Andrew was getting into mischief. I have this thing about not finishing a project, so the boys were sent to the living room to play and Amanda was put in the Baby Bijorn.

*The websites suggest to wear gloves. My hands will probably be bright red for two days because I rinsed the first set without gloves.

*I tried the microwave and boiled water (or counter) versions and did not see a difference in the outcome. The counter method was much faster. I boiled water with my handy electric kettle, which made it even faster.

*This process used LOTS of water. I don't recommend this as a "summer drought" project. I also considered that the bathtub would be a great place to rinse, but needed so much hot water that I stayed in the kitchen. Thank goodness for the rag towels I had all over the counter.

*Yes, I dried my silks on the back of our car. I've been meaning to hang a clothes line outside since last summer, but still can't find just the right spot (or height). But, I love the way that the sun bleaches and cleans my cloth diapers, so maybe I'll find a spot soon. Until then, I'll continue to use our car and outdoor lawn furniture. I'm sure our neighbors love that!

Five Months

Today is Amanda's five month birthday. Happy 5-Month Birthday, my sweet girl.

The funniest thing happened today. I dug out some new baby music CDs that were given to us for the boys. In an endeavor to get Amanda to nap by herself, I thought I would play some music. So, I chose our Baby Einstein "Lullaby Classics" CD. After a few minutes, Amanda still was not listening to the music; rather we were all listening to her cries, so I went in to check on her and soothe her. What I heard on the CD brought me right back to my wedding day - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach, followed by Pachelbel's Cannon. And, it fast forwarded me to Amanda's wedding day - all in one split second.

How can I let my baby cry herself to sleep when she will be little for such a short time? I scooped her up and rocked her. Boy, she sure does have me wrapped around her finger. I was never such a softie for my boys.

But, she doesn't have me wrapped as tightly as her Daddy. I overheard Derrick and Amanda the other day. Derrick explained to her that her future husband had better ask us for her hand in marriage (and that Nana should be in the room as well, since she asks good questions)...and that that would be at least 30 years away. I gently reminded him that I was just 22 when he proposed to me. I guess perspective changes when your daughter is involved.

Editing Team

They say that behind every good writer is a great editor. Well, I generally don't consider myself a writer, much less a "good writer", but I certainly have two great editors! Even now, 14 years after graduating from high school and moving out of the house, my parents gently correct my grammar and other mistakes. Most recently, my Dad reminded me that "Bible Study" should be capitalized and my Mom had suggestions about using "I wish I were" versus "I wish I was". I guess raising children really must be a lifelong endeavor. Scott, Andrew, Amanda - watch out!

School Update

I've decided that this preschool adventure may be even better for helping me with the kindergarten transition than it helps Scott. He has done great and his teacher says he just joined the class and is not afraid to make friends. He gets in the car each day just chattering about all that they have done. It is pretty jumbled, but by the end of lunch, I usually have a pretty good idea of what they did.

The transition for me has been more of a mixed bag. When we walked from the car to bible study today (with just Andrew and Amanda), I felt like a mother hen who was missing one of her chicks. My flock wasn't complete. But, on the other hand, I find such delight in having precious time with Andrew. As we were heading away from bible study, I was able to ask him about his morning activities without Scott interrupting and correcting (as older brothers are apt to do.)

We had a great reunion and the boys really enjoyed playing together outside while I prepared lunch. I realize that my oldest "chick" is really getting ready to venture away from our nest. I know he his ready and don't want to hold him back, but part of me is sad that he will be away for so many hours next year. And, with the way this year is flying by, I know it will seem like such a short time before I'll be saying that about my baby. So, I think I'll spend more time wearing a cape and playing "supermom" with the kids than actually trying to be Super Mom.

First day of school

Well, we've switched gears around here. After much thought and prayer, we decided that it would be best for Scott to attend preschool two days a week. There were many reasons behind this decision, mainly that he was bored at home and I wasn't able to keep up with lesson plans for him. We started yesterday and he had a great time. Andrew and I also had a great time at home playing together. When we picked up Scott, I was refreshed from having a little break and Andrew and Scott really enjoyed playing together in the afternoon.

The only drawback was that Andrew did not want to take a nap right away, so his nap was late. At this point, it would be easier if he was able to function without a nap.

What better way to start school than with a Valentines party! I hope Scott doesn't think he is going to get cupcakes every day, but it sure was a fun way to begin.





We arrived a little early to pick up Scott. All of the other moms were also there, so it was a good chance for me to meet the other kids and their moms. There are 10 kids in Scott's class and, including Amanda, there were four babies in the room, all about 4 months old!

The teachers even fixed a plate for Andrew! Now Andrew is ready to go to school also.

Was the groundhog wrong?

I know that I reported a few days ago that spring was a long six weeks away, but we have had beautiful 65-70 degree weather all week. It is all I can do to keep the boys inside until we finish breakfast. We've spent so much time outside playing in the yard and playing with friends. What a welcome refreshing time!

Here are some of the outdoor pictures that we've taken this week.

Sunday was Farley's 2nd birthday. We opted not to make a cake this year, but gave him a bone to enjoy outside while we played and grilled dinner. It was a super-special bone because it came from the delicious standing rib roast that my Dad made for Christmas dinner. It has been in the freezer waiting for special time to be given to Farley. Thanks Mom and Dad for the great Birthday gift!!


We spent Monday morning at Bradford and McCance's house. They have the biggest collection of hand-me-down Lego's that I have ever seen and my boys LOVE going over there to play with them. B & Mc are expecting a little sister in just a few weeks, so they enjoyed practicing holding Amanda. I think Alisa is going to have lots of help once the baby is born, as they had to each hold her a second time before we could leave.

Pictures of Amanda

Don't these look professional! My friend Cindy took them this afternoon. Thanks for such a great photo session!

Groundhog Day

Yesterday was Groundhog Day, so we headed out to our little local zoo to see the groundhog. We got there too late to see them rouse the groundhog and he was already back to sleep by the time we arrived, but we had a great time seeing some other animals. Scott and I agreed that our favorite part was watching one of the owls feed on the dead chicks that the zoo keeper put in her cage. She was so hungry and devoured her breakfast. I think Andrew's favorite part was playing on the playground.

I was surprised that the day was so beautiful. What a wonderful way to spend the morning, as the rest of the week is supposed to be very cold.

Bunny Cakes

Andrew has been obsessed with the book "Bunny Cakes" by Rosemary Wells for the past three weeks. By obsessed, I mean that we read it at least twice a day - sometimes twice in one sitting. It is a Max & Ruby book where Ruby wants to make a Angel Surprise Cake with Raspberry Fluff Icing for Grandma's birthday, but Max keeps knocking over the ingredients. He really wants Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters for his Earthworm Birthday Cake that he is making for Grandma's Birthday.

Each time we finish the book, Andrew points to Ruby's cake and says "I want that one." He points to Max's cake and says "That's yucky." So, today we made a Angel Surprise Cake with Raspberry Fluff Icing.


As an aside...I forgot to sift the powdered sugar before mixing it, so our icing was a bit lumpy. Scott called it "Raspberry Crunch Icing". Nothing like an almost 5 year old to point out all the flaws!