John's 3 Year Check-up

Today was John's check-up. I wish i could say he had been cooperative today. Knowing the mood he was in all day i thought we were in for a rough visit with the doctor. Luckily, my kids LOVE the doctor and dentist. We are there every three months or so for someone's well child check-up. John was happy to get all the attention from the nurses and doctor. He weighted in at 30 pounds, 50th percentile, and was 37 inches tall, also in the 50th percentile. His vision was good and he was right on track with everything else. He is a curious little man. He definitely keeps me on my toes. The nurse asked him if he could peddle his tricycle. His response, " I I I can ride my bicycle, i can ride it weally fasssttt!"

In other John news, today was the day we finally let go of the last swimmie. He started trying to swim underwater with Jack and Ella and realized the two swimmies were holding him back so he began wearing only one. In order to go underwater he would have to hold one arm up and then duck his head. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't just take off the swimmie. Well, today i asked if i could blow some more air into it and he said yes. I really wanted to take some

air out. Then he just asked if he could swim to me and put the swimmie back on. He swam back to the steps and removed the swimmie and then swam back me. He never put the swimmie back on. He can swim from the shallow end to the seat in the deep end. The other two wanted to show off too. :) My biggest fear when we moved here was the kids and the pool. They had never really been in a big pool, not since Ella and Jack were babies. Now my fear is what i am going to do with the kids when i have no pool.

Here are the three little fish in action.

Happy Father's day

I am only running a few days late. Eric came home late Friday and i have been enjoying what little time we have together. He was going to be staying for a few days but had to leave early. Oh, the life. :) Not sure when he will be back so i took a few days off, from everything.

Father's day was great. As great as it can be from a mom's perspective. It started with me getting up with the kids and he got to sleep in. I made breakfast and he ate it in bed. The kids joined him.

They swam. We ate out for dinner and then home for bed. Nothing super special but we were just glad he was here. Eric is an amazing father. There are somethings that he is not so good at, like he forgets the kids are...well kids. He wants them to act like adults and dicipline for a 3 year old makes no sense to him. I try to explain that spanking is not good for John. Eric doesn't seem to get it. Now when John hits and i get on to him he says that he was spanking. HA! Still, he is a wonderful Dad and my kids are blessed.

Can't end a post without wishing my Dad a special Happy Father's day. I have been known to be a bit of daddy's girl. :) I love you Daddy.

Wishing all Dad's a wonderful day. ( a little late, i know.)

Random

Another random moment brought to you by........

John.

Father's day post is late but coming. My update in it continues to change. Lots going on here.

John turns 3!

Today was John's 3rd birthday. Eric got in late last night so the day started off with a wonderful surprise. Jack asked him what he was doing here. HA! First on the agenda was to open the box Melissa sent. It arrived yesterday and i tried to sneak it in but i was caught. He was so excited. I think we are at the stage where he likes to rip all the paper off and open everything and then go back and look at what he got. Melissa sent him a cool Buzz Lightyear cup, two paddle ball sets so the kids wouldn't fight over them,

and a cool Woody and Buzz Lightyear t-shirt. Can you tell someone loves Toy Story (John not Melissa)? Next on the birthday to do list: Toy Story 3. He loves going to the theater. We got settled in for the 10:30 am showing

As the movie began the Mom asked Molly to donate some toys to the daycare. She removes a book from her shelf and finds Barbie. Ella begin to yell "Nooooo, not Barbie......not Barbie!" It was a desperate plea from a little girl who never even plays with the dolls she has. HA! We just laughed and i told her to take it to a whisper. Even the lady at the other end of the row laughed. It was a good movie and the kids loved it. Ran a few errands while we were at the mall and then home for some rest. I headed out to grab the cake and the kids took a swim. After dinner we allowed John to open his gifts from us, cards, and the gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

He was thrilled. He again ripped all the paper off without even looking at what was inside. He got a Buzz Lightyear and towel from us and Woody from Grandma and Grandpa. He got "dollars" from Nana and Papa and Mawmaw Cain. He was thrilled about those as well.

The toys respond to your voice so they NEVER stop talking. Of course, John continues to talk back. John even had them join him at the table for cake.

Buzz said "is there anyone out there?" John said, " Yeah, I am eating my cake."

They are all playing with them as i type. I might be in for a long night. :) Thanks for the cards, calls, and gifts. It has been an enjoyable day and i can't wait to see what the next year has in store for our John.

What we are doing now

Ella has been out of school for a full week now. Seems so much longer! Kim has already come and gone, Eric is finishing up his last project and we are preparing for a busy weekend. Saturday, little John will turn a BIG 3! Sunday, we will spend the day celebrating Eric.

The boys love having Ella home. We sleep in a little, i realize that 8 to 8:30 is really late to some people so i am very grateful. We eat breakfast and then workbooks.

I am an awful mother for making my children do workbooks to be prepared for the next school year. Oh well. Jack LOVES his. I am guessing he might finish two workbooks this summer at the rate he is going. Ella is not as fond of hers. It requires her to write quite a bit and is more difficult than i had anticipated but she still likes to do a few pages everyday. She also checks out books from the library and gets one reward point for everyone she reads by herself. It is like her summer reading program.

When the kids aren't working they are usually swimming. Jack and Ella have started swimming and diving with no goggles. John still uses his swimmies but has started putting his face under while swimming. He already jumps in and goes under the water. I feel sure he can swim but he likes the swimmies so i guess he will get there when he is ready. Ben is in the process of bidding his bottle farewell. I realize it is a little late. I haven't let the other three have one past 12 months. It is so much easier to shove the bottle in his mouth. HA! Anyway, it is time for it to go. I can't say i am going to miss having bottles in the house.

Like i said before, Eric is finishing up the last of the three jobs in Georgia. He will be home briefly and then back to Augusta to tie up a few loose ends. He has already passed inspections for the other two. The CEO of the Tucker hospital sent an e-mail to Eric's boss expressing what a wonderful job he had done. We are all so proud of the job that he is doing. I will be glad when he is home. :) Looks like the next job may be in Kansas. Things can always change and we won't know for sure until closer to time. The job is short so we are up in the air about whether the kids and i will travel with him or if we will stay behind. We are praying for guidance so if you have a prayer list put us on it. This time of uncertainty is often exciting because i know the Lord has plans for us and it is always amazing to see the path he has for our family.

Kim came to visit.

FINALLY! I only had to beg for three months before she shuffled her schedule and penciled me in. She kept feeding me some line about having to work or something. :) She flew into Melbourne on Ella's last day of school so Ella had lots of surprises when she came home. We had so much fun. We did what Kim and I do best when we are together, nothing. Thursday, we swam all day. Mainly Kim and Ella.

It could be why they both got sunburns. I think Ella's was a mix of sun and rash from the strep but Kim's was definitely all burn. We found other things to do for the rest of her trip. We went to the library,

dinner and shopping at the mall,

to the movies to see Marmaduke,

(Ben loved it. Twizzler in one hand, popcorn in the other.)

and then it was time for her to return home. She did get in some snuggle time with Ben

She gave John his Sea Turtle nightlight for his birthday.

He LOVED it. (Please note the light on his face is from the flashlight Ella is shining on him. I guess she thought we needed a little extra lighting.)

Finally, i gave her the coolest 80's prom hairdo ever. Thanks again for giving me the spiral curling iron. I will use it often.

A great trip that could have lasted a few more days. Thanks for coming and staying Kimmie. She is the most amazing, best friend, ever.

Picture Blog

I had gotten so behind on my blogs partly due to the fact that i was without both my cameras for a bit. Anyway, both cameras are at home and have been busy. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the last month...

Our beaches are still beautiful but i am heartbroken that some of the most beautiful beaches i have ever been to are now covered in oil.

They do love each other.

Eric is starting the fishing lessons early for Ben.

She is always so happy with her Uncle Wes.

Ben is a lover of all animals. Sucking the fish face...maybe a little much.

A rare photo of Eric and me.

To much fun in the ocean.

When Ben is upset he throws himself down on the ground and buries his face. Not such a good idea to do at the beach.

I hope he learned his lesson.

Jack is so happy at the beach.

Pure excitement.

My Johnny and me.

My Benji and me.

Pucker up. This is his "what you talkin' 'bout momma" look.

One of my favorites. My beach babies.

My big girl.

John didn't want anyone to see his bathing suit. That would be "disgusting". Solution, wear your underwear over your bathing suit.

Movin' on up

Today was Ella's last day of Kindergarten. There is no big ceremony so Eric and I (okay, so mostly me but he paid) put together a congratulations basket. She got a first grade workbook to do over the summer, The Princess and the Frog stage 2 reader, a beach towel, new bathing suit, Little Pet Shop triplets (her new obsession), and Silly Bandz. She did excellent on her report card and showed off her Kindergarten Diploma. She quickly changed clothes and was back out the door to go to her friend Emma's house for a play date with five other girls.

She has had a wonderful year. The transition from one school to another was seamless and she excelled at both. This summer we will continue her reading, work through the first grade workbook in preparation for her entry to first grade, and have lots of fun swimming.

A big congratulations to my BIG first grader!

Summer Reward Program

Tomorrow is Ella's last day of kindergarten. I am so excited to have all the kids home! On the other hand, with all the kids home it takes about 30 minutes for the house to look like it was hit by a tornado. What to do? I mean, i have great kids. They get along great, with the daily occassional fight/hit/push /kick. They mind and use their manners most of the time. I can take the four of them to the mall or a store or restaurant without being worried about them going crazy. However, when we are home we get so busy hanging out, crafting, swimming, and playing that housework begins to suffer. Yes, i would rather hang out with my kids than do housework. Big surprise. HA! My Family Fun magazine came in the mail and as i was flipping through i came across an article written by a lady with 5 kids, ages 16 to 3. It was about her solution to getting all her kids to help around the house with out her having to stay on them. She got jars, decorated one for each kid and then had a chart with all the chores they could do and each chore had a certain number of marbles/gems attached to it. Example, clean the litter box = 3 gems. Each child place their "rewards" in the jar and when the jar was full they had choices for a prize. I thought this might work with a little tweaking. I mean the kids needed to be able to fill their jars in a few weeks instead of a month and trying to find ways for them to earn points that they can all do. I appreciate that the chores are things they can all do and they can pick which ones they prefer to do and i don't have to assign them. We are starting simple and see if this system works. Fingers crossed that it doesn't go down in flames like our white board/ sticker reward chart that was NOT little kids friendly.

Day 1: Jack made his bed yesterday trying to earn pom poms for his jar. I explained we had to decorate them first. :) I love he is so eager. They decorated while i cooked dinner and this morning they woke up and Jack was the only one who made his bed. :) I am hoping the other two pick up on that habit. Jack quickly earned pom poms for feeding the dogs, making his bed, etc. Sadly he had to give two back for biting. That is a mistake he says " i will not make again". John showed no interest. I guess after watching Jack beg for things to do all day he got the idea and he set the table, cleaned up pool toys, cleared the table and now follows me around asking if he is going to get a "ward" for doing a task. :) Ella was quite excited about the gems for her jar. End of the day, toys are put up, the kids took both trash cans out to the road and brought them back in, all pool toys are put away, table was set and plates cleared, and one bed was made. All earn about 5 gems for their jars. Looks promising.

Jack can dive!

So i am not a talented photographer who can take a picture and portray the motion that was actually occurring. However, i can take a picture and do some pretty neat things on the computer. I wanted everyone to see Jack's new favorite thing to do. He probably dove 10 times just to make sure i got a picture. He LOVES it. He has now added diving in over the turtle. I guess just to up the difficulty level. :)

I love Photoshop and my awesome parents and brother for getting my upgrade for Christmas so now i am the proud owner of two versions! HA! Totally worth it.

Ben's 15 month check-up

We finally made it to Ben's 15 month check up. It really was more important to reschedule his original appointment to go to Sea World. Really. :) We still made it and it was as uneventful as i had imagined. Our doctor was out so there was an older male doctor to replace our younger much smaller nurse. Ben took one look and grabbed me around my neck and held on for dear life. He weighted in at 26 and a half pounds, about the 80th percentile and a whopping 4 pounds heavier than his one year check up. He was 32 1/4 inches tall, about the 85th percentile and 2 inches taller than his one year check up. That is 4 pounds and 2 inches in three months. He has already started wearing 18 to 24 month clothes. Yea for big Ben!

He is doing great health wise. Hips look great so it is a blessing that we haven't had an complications from the breech delivery. He loves his bottle of milk. One in the morning and one at night. We are working on getting rid of it. He loves to be with his brothers and sister and doesn't like to be strapped into his car seat.He loves to be outside. He still doesn't talk much. Only when he wants and lots of gibberish. He is super attached to his mommy. This is great when Eric is home because i can get out of all my household chores and other mommy duty because i have Ben. It is not so great when it is just the kids and i and i can't forgo my work. Usually my house ends up looking like a tornado hit it at the end of the day. HA! It is all worth it when he comes up and hugs and kisses me. When he is not attached to me he looks like this....

Constant motion. Runs everywhere, up and down the stairs and loves the pool.

He is really sweet, really stubborn, really demanding, and really an amazing little boy. He will be even more amazing when we get out of the tantrum/biting/pinching stage. :)

Memorial Day Weekend!

Dad and Mom have been trying to visit since March but the first weekend everyones schedules matched was in May. As time drew closer, things happen and they weren't able to make it. So we plan on the next weekend only to realize Mom had made a commitment to dog sit. That was a no go. I get my schedule for the North Carolina trip worked out and call to see if we could squeeze in a visit Memorial Day weekend. She checks..no funerals, no dog sitting, Dad could work it out. Yea! Wes even rode along so it was a two for one deal. I posted earlier, Ella and i met them in Jacksonville and the boys woke up to see everyone Saturday morning. Well, maybe Dad WOKE John up Saturday morning. John had the "bug" off and on through the weekend. Overall though it was a great time. We enjoyed the pool, out for a nice lunch, a stop by the beach and of course my self timer family shot. :) Got it on the first shot this time. I am getting good.

As i was going through the pictures i found a few reason why this Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Wes were good to have around.

Grandma is good for loving and pretending she doesn't notice Ben trying to bite Jack's nose off.

Grandma is good for teaching bad habits like crunching ice. ( i am positive that is what is going on here)

Grandma is good for receiving silly fish hugs

Grandma is good for teaching good habits like dish washing.

Grandpa is good for giving driving lessons

Grandpa is good for being silly

Grandpa is always good for watching tractors and combines at work.

Grandpa is good for making a killer breakfast that will keep you full ALL day.

Grandpa is a good pillow for a morning nap...

an afternoon nap...

or naps at the beach.

Grandma and Grandpa are good for lots of fun

and for finding seashells to decorate sandcastles.

Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Wes are great for trips to the beach.

Grandma and Uncle Wes are good for playing in the waves

Even when they fall down.

Grandma and Uncle Wes (and Mom) are good for turning a little girl into a mermaid.

Uncle Wes is good for turning Jack and John into super muscle men (okay so i helped with these too)

Uncle Wes is good for making a sad little John have some fun

and taking lots of pictures with his peanut

Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Wes are good for all these things and all the little things in between. Most of all they are good for hugs and kisses, lots of love and loads of fun. It was a wonderful but short weekend. My kids are very lucky.

More pictures to come.