We were getting ready to go. Just before we left the house Maggie filled her drawers. As I'm buckling Jack into his carseat Leesha is shouting at us through the closed van. She's shouting "MOM IS CHANGING MAGGIE!". I give her a look. Jack takes my look, turns to Leesha and shouts from inside the van to her, "LEESHA, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!"

Perfect.

More on Jack

Sitting down to breakfast; "Mom, this so yummy." (Mom's heart melts)

Susanna and Abby were over. All four kids had colds. Jack wiped his nose on his sleeve. I told him not to do that and he asked why. So I told him; "Because you just wiped snot all over your sleeve." He then proceeded to go find Susanna and tell her; "Susanna, I just wiped snot all over my sleeve."

Jeffry went in to check on Jack a while after we'd put him to bed. I overhear;
"Dad, where's my flashlight?"
"I don't know. Is that why you're still awake?"
"Yes."

Jack now has what I term "poop time". He'll poop on the potty if left pants-free in his room for a while. If he poops, we'll usually give him a treat. I just put him in his room, told him if he made muckers he'd get a treat before bedtime. He asked; "We watch a show?" As I pondered this, he asked; "Plobly?" (Probably?)

Memorable moments

During our most recent van test-drive: "Mom, let's pray." Hmmmm.....

After his nap, Jeffry asked him if he dreamed, and what he dreamed about. "I dream about God."

Maggie is using her roll-ability to move towards toys.

Jack was intrigued by the others in the waiting room while the CRV got new tires. They were very tolerant. He also insisted that the tires were "broken" and that's why we got new ones. After driving with the new ones, I realize that the old ones just might have been "broken".

I went to investigate the running water in the bathroom recently. Jack was trying to rinse out a wet wipe he'd used on himself after pooping in the big potty. I'm glad he's got the right idea in cleaning up his own messes. Glad I figured out what he was doing so I could be of assistance.

He's been remarkably good on the potty training front. At certain times of the day, we'll stick the little potty in his room and allow him to run around bare-bummed with the doors closed. Not too long after being left alone, he'll announce; "I made muckers!"

Arriving at Mom and Dads as Dad removed the last traces of snow from their driveway, Jack asked; "Grandpa not lie the snow?"

Leesha has finished reading the Twilight books. I'm sure she is looking forward to some uninterrupted reading time over vacation. She had fun on Sunday when my extended family came over. The kids watched Stuart Little and played Tetris.

Camera phone

Jeffry let Jack talk to Grandpa Steve and wish him a happy birthday the other day. Jack was walking around the house turning the phone to different things and telling Grandpa what they were. I guess he assumed Grandpa Steve could see through the phone.

Jack misunderstood the word "grits" so referred to them as "Grimace" repeatedly. He says "salt" as "sot".

When asked; "Do you know what we're going to do today?", he'll enthusiastically reply; "Yes!" And we'll respond; "What?" and then he'll ask; "What!?"

At Grandma and Grandpa Sorley's yesterday, Jack was telling them that he "Watched a Gundam" (one of Jeffry's shows). They thought he was saying that he "Washed a condom."

Listening to They Might be Giants again, Jack and I were following the instructions to "clap your hands" then "stomp your feet" and finally "jump in the air". When Maggie saw us stomping, she started jumping in her Johnny Jump Up right along with us.

Dip

I finally brought the Christmas books up from the kids library in the basement. Jack has been enjoying looking at them - especially the Peef series we've got. While Jeffry was resting tonight, he was looking at them quietly as I was trying to figure out what Maggie needed. Paging through one, he noted that the boy was eating a sandwich and then decided he wanted a sandwich. So he came and asked me for one. I was trying to find out what kind of sandwich he wanted as I pulled out the bread. At that point, he decided he just wanted bread. Slice in hand, he decided he wanted "dip". Then I was trying to determine what type of "dip" he wanted - ranch, mayo, mustard. He didn't specify, so I gave him some of each. After a few minutes with that, he opened the fridge stating that he wanted the "orange one", which I determined was ketsup. When the bread was gone, he asked for one of the cookies I have cooling on the counter. Apparently, the "dip" did not make the cookie appetizing enough for him to finish.

Jack's mash up

Tuesday was Winter Driving 101. I was on home duty that day, so I missed the experience. No problem for me.

Yesterday was Winter Driving 102. I participated so that I could go to work. As I was driving, I thought of some things I was thankful for;

• we didn't get the van we thought was perfect because I'd have been more worried driving that around with the $13,000+ loan we'd have gotten for it.
• even though the tires on the CRV are in desperate need of being replaced due to worn tread, I was really thankful for the All Wheel Drive that the vehicle has.
• my driveway was already cleared
• I wasn't THAT car stuck in the snowbank
• a hearty laugh after reading a sign on the side of the road which stated; Watch for Turkey and Deer; and now that I think about it, I'm thankful that I didn't have need to avoid any turkey or deer

Back at home, the kids and I had an early dinner since Jeffry was working late. When he got home, I made his dinner and in the process, made the upstairs all smokey. So, I opened windows and set the fan in the door to air the house out. As one would expect, the house cooled considerably. Walking past the nursery, I asked Jack what he was doing. He replied; "Warming up my bottom" as he stood in front of the vent. Moments later, he turned around and, well, I probably don't need to say any more ....

Jack was also overheard singing; "Baa baa black sheep wonder what you are"

Mister Jack

When trying to get Jack into is night time diapers I said to him "Come here Mister Jack."

He replies "I'm coming, Mister Dad."

-Leesha says

Leesha-wow what a week...Jack hyper and Maggie crying and parents busy as usual.ME GOING TO SCHOOL EVERY 6am.I still say wow what a week.(man this computer is slow) zzzzzzzzzzz tired sleepy(Yawn) I read twilight in 3 days and eclipse in 2,wow wonderful books i guess being tired isn't as bad when you are going to spend time with your family.(and an itchy leg)

BYE BYE

-Leesha

Defending the fort

Jeffry asked Jack how he slept ... Jack said; "Like this!" and squinted his eyes shut.

Leesha has now read 2 of the Twilight series books. Longest books she's ever read. She sits down and devours them. What a great hobby - reading. I'm so thankful she enjoys it.

Since Jeffry was sick lThursday night, I took the kids out on Friday so he could "belax" (as Leesha used to say) for the day. While Jack and Maggie napped, Leesha, Mom and I made some cookies. We made spritz. Before we started them, Leesha was having fun with the cookie "gun". At one point, I noticed her holding the "gun" and peeking out the window on the front door as though she were looking for "the enemy" and ready to defend us. I don't think she knew I saw her until I said something. Back at home, I put up the garland, and Leesha hung the ornaments.

Maggie now rolls over 180 degrees. Of course, sometimes the compulsion annoys her. We lay her on her back, then she rolls to her tummy and fusses about tummy time. Ah, babies.

On Saturday, we traveled to Wisconsin to visit friends of ours. A good time was had by all. Might have been better if we'd gotten the van, but I can't wait to see what type of vehicle God has in store for us, since it doesn't seem we could do better than the one we tried to purchase.

Amusing moment

We suspected Jack needed to "make muckers" before dinner, so I had him sit on the potty and coached him to no avail.

After dinner, he was playing around and I noticed "something" so asked him what he did. He takes off for the bathroom shouting; "I need to go potty." As he's running, the "something" works it's way down the leg of his pajamas, and he starts running like a cowboy. After we get to the bathroom, I have him sit on the potty, and coach him again. This time, he produced!

And, on the other end .... Maggie had rice cereal for the first time. I didn't grind it up very well though.

At dinner, Leesha says to Jack; "Jack, you're the slowest eater in the world." Feeling that that statement is more true of Leesha, Jeffry and I burst out laughing.

Trains

Jack has some Thomas the Tank Engine toys, but he prefers the ancient train created by his Great Grandpa, Bruce Smith.

Big Brothers

Keane is over today waiting for the arrival of his baby sister or brother. He arrived before Jack was up, so he and I went downstairs. I did weights while he played. Maggie woke up before I was done, so I went to get her from the nursery. I noticed Jack was starting to wake up, so left the door open. Keane called me before I'd gotten downstairs, and Jack heard that. We'd told Jack that Keane would be here today, so Jack came around to the gate saying; "What's here?" I asked him who was here, and he said; "Keane!" When the boys saw each other they were very excited. I think Keane did a little dance. Jack decided against the dance due to the fact that he was making his way down the stairs.

Around 10 am, Keane seemed tired, so I put him down for a nap. When I came back out, Jack asked; "Mom, you put Keane away?"

The rest of the day was too busy to write. Korbin arrived safely, and Keane joins the bands of big brothers worldwide.

That was Tuesday ...

Keane is back today (being Wednesday) since children under 5 are not allowed in the hospital.

Sitting down to a snack, Jack demands; "Keane, let's pray." He then says something which I couldn't hear from the kitchen, ending with; "Amen".

This morning, before Maggie had a bath, she was laying on the rug in the nursery. She rolled over, and Jack was commenting on that and snuggling with her. Then he decided she needed her hair combed, so went to get a comb, and proceeded to comb her hair.

Change of Heart

Jeffry was crabby today. Here I'm thinking; he's had a long week at work, he wants his "me" time (sub-thought, I'd like some "me" time too), he's becoming a recluse and doesn't want to spend time with people any more, etc.

I felt I'd done my fair share of preparing him for the day; friends over for breakfast, Jack naps, we head over to Mom and Dad's to eat dinner, pick Leesha up, return to Mom and Dad's for dessert, home and the usual nighttime routine. Despite my efforts to prepare him for the day, I sensed he was just unhappy.

So, we ended up with a discussion of one another's shortcomings but in the end it came out; Thanksgiving just wasn't what it should have been. We should have been serving others instead of ourselves. This thanks to the Compassion by Command series we've been doing at our church, Woodland Hills. Greg Boyd has been preaching against societal norms for a while now, and it seems tonight that we've finally let a tiny bit of it sink in.

I'm not feeling an enormous amount of guilt over having turkey and trimmings or overeating. But I stand with my husband on this. We have been too self centered. Holidays seem more about duties, expectations, busy-ness and self.

Years ago, I made the decision to not buy any gifts for Leesha at Christmas. Instead, we went out and got toys for others. Family didn't understand, but they didn't have to. After we moved into our house, we decided we weren't doing gifts because we couldn't afford it, and figured family would rather us not go into debt on things they didn't need. This time, they understood and supported us.

So, how do we make this about what God would want us to do? Society not-so-subtly says; overeat and overspend in the name of celebrating. We've gotten a bit better with more charitable causes becoming available during the holidays. But I have to ask; is buying toys for children in need really what Christ would want? If the child is considered to be "in need", is it toys they need? Think about that word - need.

I don't think I ever expected to see myself say this with any measure of heartfelt honesty, but what they need is Jesus. Strange, coming from someone with parents and grandparents who served as overseas missionaries. Not that accepting salvation rights everything in peoples lives, but it's a foundational start.

I'm starting now. (that was very intentional typing)

Join me.

Elephants in the house?

Just a few things I've managed to take some notes on ...

On the way home the other day, Jack informs; "My mouf hurts. Somping in dere." I told him I'd look at it when we got out of the car, which I did. When he opened his mouth, I noticed that his 2 year molars had come in. I suppose that would explain the pain as well as there being something in his mouth.

Pulling up to my parents house; "Mama, Grandma's outside! I wanna go talk to her!"

Jack was playing in the basement and then came running upstairs. I heard a thunk and then Jack said; "I be sick!" I immediately assumed he'd opened the lid to the toilet and knew that he was going to throw up, so went to attend to him wondering where he'd figured out to throw up in the toilet, and how he knew he was going to be sick. All that momentary worry over nothing ... he was just shouting at Jeffry through the laundry chute. Near as we can figure, he heard Leesha call down; "Dad, I'll be down in a sec.", thought that was really cool and decided to give it a go himself.

While we were still lounging around the breakfast table with our friends the Pfeifers this morning, Jack discovers that they have a clasp on the handle of their waffle iron and states; "Ackshually, it opens."

While he's supposed to be sitting and eating in the dining room, Jack runs out to the kitchen informing me; "I see elephants!" Thinking he's seen the Newfoundlands out walking on the street, I follow him and say; "Really? Where?" He replied; "In the closet" as he walked over to our buffet and points inside. There on the shelf is the tray that my Grandmother gave us as a wedding present. It's from India and has ..... elephants on it.

More with Grace and Charlie

Grace and Charlie came over again. After Thursday together and part of Friday, I think the novelty of one another had worn off a bit. But they did well together again.

Sitting down to breakfast, Jack states; "My baby sister over dere" indicating Maggie who is in the kitchen still.

Being a protective big brother, Jack takes Maggie's bib from Grace. He then finds Maggie (on the bathroom floor where I'm drying my hair) and throws the bib on her. Somehow, he managed to get the opening right over her face so she was peeking out, and thought it was very funny, so he began to laugh. Maggie smiled in response. Grace was observing this from the doorway and states; "Be kae-po Jack." (Be careful.)

Grace likes to say; "Tuck-a tuck-a tchoo tchoo" with Jack's trains.

At lunch, Jack states; "Gracie, I eating applesauce with my blue dish."

Charlie was saying; "Ack". I don't know if he was trying to say "Jack" or not.

With Grace and Charlie

Grace and Charlie are over today. Some snippets .....

Grace: (shouting) "Jack!" Jack responding: (shouting) "Stop shouting!"

Jack: "Mom, what those guys saying?"

Playing around, knocking on a door .... Jack: "Knock, knock. Who's there?"

Jack, to Grace who is touching the doorknob cover on the side door; "We can't go out there honey."

Jack to Charlie after he burped; "Cha'lie, what you say? 'Xcuse me."

"Jack, you need to walk." "No, mom. I'm Batman. Need'a run."

Jack to Grace before I got a clean pull-up on her: "Cute little butt." (We always tell him that when he's running around bare-bummed.)

Grace: lots of singing! So sweet.

Charlie:
(yeah, he didn't say much. But he would walk around clapping his hands and making happy noises every so often.)



And, of course, a good bunch of; "No!" "Stop!" "Mine!"

New phrases

New phrase; "Mom! Watch I do!" (missing word - what. Mom, watch WHAT I do.)

- or -

"'Bey me!" (Obey me.)

Overheard; "Leesha stop (or was it leave me alone?)! I trying to eat."

Maggie is like a breakdancing sloth. When we lay her down, she'll pivot around on her shoulder ever so slowly.

Jack has been doing great on the potty. When we stopped for gas once, I took him in to use the bathroom. When he was done, he looked around; "Where's a door?" I suggested; "Where's the handle?" As he looked around; "Oh! Dere it is! I foun' it!"

Knock knock

After reading Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear several times, Jack was trying to recite it. "Jesse Bear, what you wear? Pants." on every page.

Leesha likes to pretend taking pictures of Jack, saying; "Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching." Jack told me he was taking pictures of me and said; "Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching."

For the first time that I can remember, I'm allowing Jack to have "water play" in the bathroom sink. He must think I get to do that all the time in the kitchen sink when I do dishes. Now, if I could figure out a way to make him think that he's having water play with the dishes in the kitchen sink .....

Leesha had homework tonight. She asked to use my calculator, and I told her to do half the problems herself, then I'd let her use it. After some "balking" (a mild descriptor), I looked at the homework and realized that none of it needed a calculator, so told Leesha to do it all without and then I'd let her check her answers. Once she was done, she got the calculator and was able to check her work. The calculator didn't find anything she hadn't found herself. I'm proud of my girl.

It was a pleasant evening as a family - hanging out and making jokes while Leesha finished her dinner. Jack picked up on the concept of "Knock knock" jokes, even correctly doing both sides of "Knock knock" "Who's there?" "Doctor" "Doctor Who"

Jack - n - Maggie

I told Jack I was going to switch the laundry. He said; "I will do it. I will switch laundry."

I feel a measure of success! I took the babies grocery shopping. Jack stayed dry AND asked to use the potty - - twice. Not that it's entirely convenient to stop shopping twice and go to the bathroom, but he asked! After the first potty break and he was back in the cart, he noticed that his pant leg was pulled up. So, he told me; "Mom, my leg fell out."

Jack now sees himself as a big brother. He actually pays attention to Maggie and tries to meet her needs. Some examples ...

When she is in her saucer and fussing, Jack will tell her; "I right here." We often think she fusses because she cannot see us, so we'll tell her; "I'm right here."

He also asked; "Where Maggie little hanni (hand)?" And when I showed them to him; "Oh dere it is!"

When she was laying on the bathroom floor, he brought her her big lovey and laid it on her. Then he laid down beside her, putting her bitty lovey over himself.

He's interested in my laptop and has pulled the "eraser head" off a couple of times. After putting it back on, he discovered that the arrow on the screen moves when you move the "mouse". I informed Jeffry that Jack had discovered the mouse on my laptop. Then Jack tried to tell him; "I d'scover' mouse on Mommys 'puter."

When he was in the bathroom, he kept telling me; "Mom, I can' hear you. I in bafroom."

The furnace fan was making the toilet paper flutter. This did not please Jack. I don't remember if he was saying; "No!" or something else, but it was amusing.

Jeffry dumped the bristle blocks out on Jack's rug. Not long after, Jack said; "Dad, put bristle blocks away. You made a big mess."

I took the babies with over to Eric's house the other day and the boys started watching Monsters Inc. Jack will now inform people that he watched Monsters Inc. at Eric's house.

On to Maggie ....

She rolled over from tummy to back several times this morning of November the 15th. Not entirely sure it was intentional, not entirely sure it wasn't.

She's grabbing toys and pulling them to her mouth - either to suck on or chew on. One of her places of entertainment is in her crib where I've strung together her plastic rings. I'll put different toys on there for her to bat at, and pull down. It's always fun to see how she scoots about and pulls them down.

Jack is a great source of entertainment to her (well, honestly, she's not the only one entertained by him) and she'll quiet down when he's within sight.

Narrative on getting dressed

Narrative on getting dressed; Jack: "I need socks. Oh dere my socks! I got my socks on?" Mom: "You've got one sock on." Jack: "I got two socks on. Mom pull my pants up."

Veggies one morning; "No! I don' like dat."

"Mom, get "Jesus Loves Me" book. Should I read it for Nikki?" (Nikki is one of his stuffed dogs)

In the car, on our way to the Doctor, I turned so the sun shone on Jack. "No sun! Stop. Hurt my eyes." And later, when I told him Maggie was getting shots, but he didn't need to get any; "I want shots too!"

After the Dr. we went over to Eric's house to help him with installing their countertops. Jack was very excited, but was pronouncing it; "Side ick".

Upon noticing the band aids on Maggie's legs from her shots; "Should I kiss it?" and after doing so; "Should I kiss the other one?"

A little catch-up

I'm avoiding dishes like the plague, and there's not even that many of them.

Tonight, we babysat our Godson, Josiah. He was pleasant and quiet. Jack was very thoughtful of him at times - taking him his cup, handing him his plate of food, etc. It's so cute to watch.

We did our best to de-leaf our yard yesterday. Leesha raked the back yard and had fun playing in the pile with Jack. Jeffry took some pictures after helping her. I mowed/mulched. The neighbors must be at least partly pleased.

Jeffry survived all three children again. He was done early on Friday, so we called off the scheduled sitters and he tended to the children while I went to work for the afternoon.

Thursday evening, we babysat for our friends the Browns. We had a very busy household with our 3 kids and their 3 kids. We even survived the first serious toilet overflow in our house with no water leaking into the basement. I was impressed.

On Wednesday after work, I got the babies and came home to get Leesha. Then she sat in the car with the babies while I ran in and did errands at various places. It's so nice to have a big kid to keep an eye on the little ones so I can get some stuff done a little more quickly.

We were at the Browns house for Small Group on Tuesday. The kids watched a movie while the adults studied. I kept taking Jack to the potty every so often, and was about to do just that when I looked up and there he was with his pants down. I think he'd gone all by himself! He does pretty well at home - especially when he's not encumbered by clothes - but then regresses a bit when he's elsewhere.

On Monday, I tackled the job of cleaning Leesha's room. Jack watched a lot of Clifford because cleaning Leesha's room takes a long time. Now it's done and looks good. She even seems to appreciate it.

Maggie has figured out how to bat at things, grab them and pull them into her mouth to chew on.

When asked what the bus says, Jack responded; "A' fru a town" (all through the town), and later; "Roun' and roun'".

"Nember" = remember

"Fum" = thumb

Halloween

Jack got to go Trick or Treating for the first time. He was shy at the houses, but what child isn't their first go round? He did not want to let go of the bag of candy, even though it was a bit too heavy for him to hold on to easily. We'd offer to hold it for him and he'd say; "No. 'Smy candy."

This year, he was a Jack O'Lantern.

Maggie was a babybug for a few minutes. She was nursing when we first went out. I guess she was "Eating Baby" and I was "Dairy Queen" at that point.

Leesha didn't get to dress up at all. She was with her dad and they'd been out while the neighbors party was happening. Poor girl. Good thing that my Aunt, our neighbors and Grandma Darlene donated plenty of candy to us so she didn't feel too left out.

At dinner one night, Jeffry said; "What the?" Jack filled in; "Heck."

Jack will come out from somewhere and say; "Here I am!"

Leesha will ask Jack if she can get him out of the car, give him a hug, etc. Many a time, Jack will respond; "No. You may not."

Open Sesame!

It's been a busy week .... and since I worked 4 of 5 days, I wasn't with the kids much to record their cuteness.

Maggie is currently doing raspberries. She gets rather wet blowing bubbles. But it's a happy thing, so what's a little spit? She is also reaching for toys, and pulling them to her mouth when she gets ahold of them. She now sucks her thumb, sometimes even putting it in the open end of her sucker - doing double duty.

While trying to settle Maggie a bit, I watched Jack copy me. He had his Peef bear up on his shoulder and was bouncing up and down.

He has also started to feed Peef (still called Poof) with one of our pop beads.

I'm guessing that Jack's current singing; "Mack of dust, dust, dust" is from They Might Be Giants song in which they say; "Speck of dust, dust, dust"

Leesha was teaching Jack "Open Sesame!" He practiced; "Open Sesame Street!"

Jeffry gave Jack an Allen wrench. So then Jack informs us; "I wrenching."

Leesha and I were laying on Jack and Maggie's floor with our heads on Jack's mattress. Jack was jumping on the mattress. He managed to pull Leesha's hair and once again make her cry. He then kept asking her what was wrong, and went to get her a tissue. He also suggested; "Leesha, go in you room. Go in you room if your iPod."

Car birthdays

Upon entering the bathroom, Jack fell. Leesha asked him if he hit his head. He replied; "No. I hi' my e'bow."

Last Christmas, Jack couldn't get enough of the Peef books. Today, as I was going through the gazillion stuffed animals we've accumulated in the last 12 years, I found the Peef bear we have. So, I put it somewhere that Jack would see it. Sure enough, he found it, but didn't make a big deal about it. So I asked him who it was. He said it was a tedddy bear. Hmm.... I told him it was Peef, then put it away. Seconds later, he asked; "Mom, where's Poof?"

On Friday, Maggie rolled over. It was an accident. On Saturday, she learned that diaper rash hurts. She also laughed, but not long enough to catch on camera, so we'll work on that.

Jack said to me; "Mom, dance with me!" How could one resist that?

We've had some interesting weather recently. A very windy day which blew a lot of needles off of one of our evergreens onto our driveway, and a couple of days of snow. We haven't had enough snow to shovel, but I figured we needed to clear the needles off the driveway before needing to shovel the driveway. So, Saturday afternoon, that's what I did. I blew the needles off the driveway. So long as I was out with the leaf blower, I blew some leaves around the yard. Jack decided to forgo playing with the balls, chalk or his bike and help me. He pulled out all three shovels and tried raking with those, then finally I pulled out the little rake and showed him how to use that. What a little helper.

Meanwhile, Leesha was on the phone with her St. Louis grandparents giving them a "rake by rake" from the comfort of the big brown chair.

They're not underwear or undies, they're "undie-wear".

New phrase: "I'm busy." (Wonder where he hears that?)

Coyotes are "Ka-wo-tees"

Abraham is "Ade-a-ham"

Apparently, the fascination with the "Little People" is over for now. He's back to the matchbox cars. The Jeep Wrangler, Chevy Blazer, Yellow School Bus and taxi were just serenaded with Jack singing "Happy Birthday". I think they're having hamburgers in the nesting barrels.

Monsters and conferences

When Jeffry got home from work, I went out to Leesha's conferences. Her teachers all had glowing reports for us. She's transitioned well - managing lockers, keeping things organized, etc. She's polite and kind to everyone. Participates in class without being called on. Doesn't need to be told to stop talking. Does homework. Turns work in on time. Is prepared and organized. I've had good conferences before, but this one kinda took the cake, moreso because I had a better attitude, I think.
Upon my return home, Jack was already in bed. I went in to say goodnight and he told me; "Monsters run away. Jesus help me." He's been mentioning monsters recently - thanks to Leesha and Eric. Jeffry tries to fight it. I just agree with him since I don't think he has any concept of what "monsters" are. When I mentioned it to Jeffry, he said they'd been watching Dr. Who and there were creatures on there which Leesha called monsters. So Jeffry told him to say; "Help me Jesus." And the monsters will run away. He switched things around a bit, but I like it the way he said it.
Yesterday, while my mom was working at Rosedale, I asked her to look at some shoes for Jack since crocs aren't going to cut it in a Minnesota winter. She got him the ones I'd seen online and when I was picking up Jack and Maggie after work today, mom and I were trying to get Jack to try them on. He blatantly refused and several attempts to coerce him failed with him simply stating; "No. Don' wan' try 'em on." It was incredibly amusing to see how he'd see through our attempts at manipulating him. I finally succeeded when I looked at a book with him and snuck one on his foot. Of course, then he hardly wanted to take them off.

The Butcher, the Baker...

We had kind of a fancy dinner tonight with candles and everything. When we were finished Leesha blew out one of the two candles. I made sure Jack was able to blow out the 2nd after he watched her do the first one. Later Jack asks mom "...can I blow out the candle-stick maker?"

It's been a while, and here's a long one

We went shopping for a winter jacket for Jack. I found one at Burlington, which I got. Later, we were over at Target and I looked there too. I held one up for Jack to see and asked him if he liked it. He said; "No mom! Don' like da' one. Puddit back."

Jack has a good-sized stuffed Winnie the Pooh bear which he really likes to treat as a baby. He'll ask us to put Maggie's shoes (my old baby shoes) on him, put him in the doll stroller and bouncy seat we have or in Maggie's exersaucer.

After his first taste of my peanut butter on a banana; "I like to try the other side."

When Jack finished eating dinner, I asked; "Have you had enough to eat?" "I haded 'nough to eat."

I seem to remember, and forgive me if I am repeating myself, that around the time of Hazel's last visit, Jack sas overheard saying; "Stay. Stay. Okay" like we do when feeding Hazel.

I needed to change Maggie, and Jack was trying to talk to Jeffry while he was on the phone, so I asked Jack if he would bring me a diaper; "Sure." He toddled off to get one. I thanked him and he toddled off again - bringing me the wipes. Not expecting nor needing those, I thanked him and praised him for being a big helper, then gave him a hug. As he toddled off again, he said; "Love you." then came back in with the piece of fleece that I use as a changing pad.

Jack wanted his bristle blocks down, so I got those for him. He then proceeded to make a phone with a couple of pieces, on which he "called" "Jer'my" (Jeremy - Leesha's dad). Here's a snippet of the "conversation" ...

"Hi Jer'my."

pause

"I playin'."

pause

"Nember my toys?" (Nember=remember)

"No, dey're my toys. Dey're not your toys."

And later ....

"Hi Jer'my, where you house? It's dollers?"

The last couple of days, Jack has been very interested in playing with his Little People. He pulls his castle out and gets the animals situated, then starts conversing with them - something Jeffry has taught him.

Maggie was in her saucer, and Jack was "feeding her a cookie" which means he was shoving one of the toys in her mouth. She tolerated it happily for a bit, the he pushed too hard, hurting her and she cried. When I got her settled down, I asked Jack to say sorry. He leaned in to give her a hug and they bonked heads ....

Leesha loves her little siblings, and often wants to hug them. Jack isn't always up for her hugs, and has started taking some extreme measures to get out of them - like scratching and pulling hair. He did this the other day, which started Leesha crying. Jack went back to his playing, then realized she was crying. He went over, gave her a hug saying; "I sawwy Leesha."

Upon hearing lots of little pitter-patter in the bathroom, I braved the question; "Jack, what are you doing?" His reply; "I cleaning muckers." I think; "Muckers" can translate into either "#1" or "#2", and cleaning probably means he's dabbing at a puddle with a tiny bit of toilet paper, so I go to investigate. I was wrong. I think he started pooping, and made a run for the bathroom (the first step is admitting you're pooping) but didn't make it. So, he tried to clean it up. What a good little boy. I was a big helper and assisted him in cleaning it up.

Way to make old toys interesting again? Give them to someone else, and they become fascinating.

One time when Jack was in Maggie's exersaucer, he had his knees up to his chest, with one foot down in the seat, and one foot up on the play tray. He was spinning the rattle with his one foot and saying; "No sockie! 'Smy turn."

Now he's doing the "complimentary laugh" at his own antics.

I've been informed; "Mama, Maggie's 'wake. You bedder go get 'er. Downstairs."

Apparently "Cooloo" has something to do with the temperature of food. As in; "Is it cooloo?"

When asked what clothespins are; "Mom, dey're Frink pink pencils."

Some of this blog was lost in cyberspace .... bummer.

On the way over to Grandma's, Jack was just looking at Maggie in her carseat and smiling at her.

Upon their return from their nightly patrol, Jack notes the pile of dirt I've swept near the floor. He then decides he should help me sweep it up and goes to find his whisk broom and dustpan. What a little helper.

We survived our first Middle School Dance. Leesha rode with our neighbors to the dance since I was working. I then chaperoned the dance and brought the girls home. There were several activities to choose from; an inflatable maze, dance, swimming, basketball and karoke. I walked through the gym where the dance was but assumed Leesha was there because I didn't see her anywhere else. She said she was dancing. Way to go Leesha! Not being a wallflower.

Quotable non-Bible verses

He that sitteth on a tack shall surely rise.

We shall see the fruits of our parenting when our children are out of our hair.

Better to sweep, and sweep again, then never to have swept at all.

Thou shalt not wake a sleeping child.

And lo, at the end of one laundry day all thy socks shall have their mates.

errands for nigh' nigh' s'eepers

Jack was running around saying; "Super Jack to da wescue."

Maggie spent her first night in the crib in Jack's room. We all survived!

Jack and I went on errands yesterday. As we drove away from the house, I told him we were running "errands". I informed him we were going to try to find jammies for him. Since I'd said "errands" and jammies, he then wondered about Nathaniel, Tracy and Craig and their jammies. Explanation: Aaron and Nathaniel are his cousins. When I said "errands" he heard "Aaron."

We went to Babies R Us, Carters and JCPenney. Jack used the potty once and kept his undies dry the whole time!

Jack will kindly inform anyone who needs to know; "It's time for dinnertime."

Leesha just got herself another iPod. She's very excited about it.

I posted this on Facebook the other day:

Child 1 comes into the bathroom while I'm bathing child 2. Child 1 says; "I just wanted to see child 2 because child 2 is adorable." Child 1 leaves. I sniff. "Did you just fart and walk out?" Apparently, Child 1 has been told to fart in the bathroom. Unfortunately, those making that suggestion failed to mention that the bathroom should be unoccupied.

Currently, Jack is singing; "Fank you, fank you Jesus for dis food. Fank you, fank you Jesus for dis good food."

Piggy thumbs

The other day, Jack found his "Little People" pig and brought it out to me saying something about a pig and a pancake. I can only assume that's from the "If You Give A Pig A Pancake" book we have.

This morning, when I was getting Jack out of the car at Babies R Us, he was saying; " I had an idea." I responded; "You had an idea? What was it?" "It was exercising." he said.

Maggie has found her thumb. Which is worse; the thumb that you can't lose, or the pacifier that gets lost when you don't want it to?

We decided to try putting Maggie in the crib in Jack's room, so Jeffry and I re-assembled that last night. We didn't try putting her in it yet though. Maybe tomorrow.

Leesha has her first all school party coming up this Friday. Hmmm .... we'll see how that goes. I may even chaperone. How fun will that be?

Yesterday, Leesha came home from school upset because she had 2 missing assignments in Math which brought her grade down to a D. She didn't want to re-do the work, but probably wouldn't be pleased if the D stuck. I emailed her teacher to let her know we'd support whatever she decided Leesha needed to do. The teacher wrote back saying the grade report was wrong and Leesha actually has a B. What a relief!

Last night, Maggie went through another of her "fits" where she just screams uncontrollably. I knew she was tired, but she didn't fall asleep for at least an hour. We were so relieved when she finally did. That was about 11:30 last night. It's almost 9am now and she hasn't woken up. I even tried pumping which usually means she wakes up just as I finish. Poor little gal, just plumb tuckered.

When Jack went to bed last night, Small Group was still going on. This morning, when he woke up, he said something about "Blankie back." He's been waking up and calling for me to come and put his blanket back on his back. I asked if he wanted me to put his blankie on his back, and he said; "No, Jon put a blankie on back." (Jon is in our Small Group.) I told him that Jon had gone home and was probably at work. He went out to check, and then decided I could do it. Later, he asked; "Jon go to work with his flip flops?"

Eating the other day; "Dat taste like good!"

On the way to Mom and Dad's this morning; "I like a wallypop."

Moments ago: "Reepunzle, Reepunzle, let down ye hair."

Leesha had to be picked up from school today because she wasn't feeling good. Good thing Jeffry got off of work early and was able to pick her up and be at home with her.

Yet more Jack-isms

To Maggie when she was fussing on the floor; "Do you need some dawa?" (Dawa means medicine in Kiswahili.)

To someone at some point; "Do you understand?" Guess he hears that a lot.

How he says "beautiful":"Beaut'ful" or "Beau'ful"

While laying on the floor next to Maggie; "Jesus died for me, died for you, died for mom. pants. Die for my pants. Die for Maggie's pants. Jesus, something or another, amen. Maggie, amen."

After hurting Leesha somehow; "Sawwy Leesha. You okay bud?"

At some random point: "Hi Super Readers!" (Something from a PBS show.)

"What's wrong Humpty Dumpty?"

"Rubber band-aid" not rubberband

"May I have my 'lo'lo?" "I don't know where it is." "It's up dere, I fink."

Cuteness

Jack was playing with a wonderful book that Auntie Caryn gave him. It is a cloth counting book with bits of velcro or pouches to attach various numbers of hearts, butterflies, mushrooms, etc. He was playing with it while I showered this morning. At one point, he must have wanted to put the fish in his pockets, but realized he didn't have any pockets in his undies. So, he decided he needed to wear shorts. He pulled some out and put them on (backwards, of course) and put the fish in his pocket. Then he came and told me he had fish in his pockets.

Then, he kept mentioning "muscles" which I couldn't figure out until I saw the mushrooms. A simple, but cute mis-pronunciation.

To the motorcyclists beside us at the stop light: "People, you need'a wear a helmet."

On the way home from church, Jeffry was revving up the engine and then letting the clutch out. Jack kept saying: "Daddy rem if'a car!"

I got him some slippers the other weekend. When he put them on the other morning, he called them "keelapers" instead of "slippers".

Just moments ago, he was putting his slippers on. I asked if he needed help. He replied; "No. I needa help by myself."

Maggie is such a happy and content baby. When we make the time to have some one-on-one with her, she coos up a storm. So sweet.

Leesha was having a lot of fun playing with both of them tonight after dinner. It's great to see her interacting nicely with Jack and Maggie.

Boys

Keane came over on Wednesday. While he was with us, I noted the following:

Jack sang much of Baby Beluga to him when he showed off his stuffed beluga.

Jack was looking at "Goodnight Gorilla" and did the page that has all the "Goodnight's" just like I do it.

At one point, Keane was upset and went into the living room where he stood by the couch crying. Jack went and copied him after a few minutes. He must have been thinking it was the thing to do.

Maggie is in the midst of figuring out how to make her bouncy seat make music on the setting where she can make that happen.

Once the boys were up from their naps, I took them outside for a little bit. I told them to put their crocs on. Jack put his on, and Keane got his, but didn't put them on. In his eagerness to get outside, Jack asked Keane; "Can I show you put 'em on Keane?"

Guess he's listening

I put something away in the fridge, and since Jack was standing where the door would close, I asked him to close it. He said; "Mom, I'na see beggies carbs in fridge." (Mom, I want to see veggies and carbs in the fridge). I will stand in the kitchen and say; "Okay, we've got carbs, veggies, fruit, dairy, protein."

Yesterday, he'd run to do something saying; "I be right back." Then return and announce; "I came right back!"


I overheard him saying; "So 'mazing."


Maggie was in the nursery for the first time on Sunday. I went to collect her and they looked at me like; "The room is empty, they've all been picked up." When I mentioned that she was the little tiny one, they said; "Oh yeah! She's been sleeping the whole time" and pointed to her in a bouncy seat at the back of the room covered with a blanket.

Pacifiers and photos

Driving the other day, I asked Jack; "You being silly?"

He replied: "Yes. I being silly."

Jack got a towel that has a hood in the center of it. The hood has a lion's face on it. Since it drapes over his head much like "ghost" costumes, when he was wearing it and trying to climb up on the couch, he was having difficulty, so said; "I need help 'if a' (with the) couch."

We went to the oulet mall in Albertville on Saturday. Jack kept calling it : "Eberbale" (Albertville)

The kids both went in to the Dr. on Wednesday last week. Jack had his 2 year checkup and Maggie was in for her 2 month. Both got shots. I realized it was not a good idea to take both kids in by myself when they're both getting shots. Both did fine during the routine stuff. Jack kept the Dr. hopping with his curiosity. Jack got a finger poke for lead teasting, then 2 other shots. Maggie got a total of 3 pricks as well. Poor little girl, she really cried.

While actually getting some Maggie-n-me time, Maggie was cooing. Then she vocalized a higher decible and startled herself. Very cute.

Yesterday, we met my brother and his family at their apartment for lunch. Maggie made some not-quite-feminine noises. A bit later, I went to give her her pacifier which was underneath her. As I pulled it out, "something" dripped out of it. We kept the explosive poop fairly contained - thanks to the pacifier.

Jack got quiet while I was showering today, so I asked him what he was doing. I didn't understand it the first couple of times; "I take a smile." Translation: "I've gotten the digital camera down and am looking through the pictures." I'm not sure how he figured out how to turn it on and scroll through the photos, but he did.

Jack adked Jeffry the other day; "Daddy, can I give you kiss?" Jeffry gave him a kiss, but not on the lips. Jack said; "No, do dis." and kissed him on the lips.

This morning, Jack asked if I had an owie while looking at my leg. I told him I'd hit my leg on a table the other night and now have a bruise. Just moments ago, I asked Jack to go get some T.P. to wipe his nose. He went and got it, wiped his own nose, then started wiping the bruise on my leg. He called it a "caboose".

Hmmm

First 10 word combination that I've recorded: "Mom, I got a bug bite on my apple cheek."

Jack somehow got injured getting into Maggie's bouncy seat this afternoon. He came over to me and said; "Mom, I got hurt. Mom, will you kiss my butt?" So, I lean down and put my cheek to his cheek and made a kiss sound. He says; "No mom, over here." and displays the other cheek. I laughed as I tried to fool him again, but he grabbed me by the hair. Ha ha ha ha ha

Jeremy came to spend some time with Leesha this afternoon. When she got home, she was a bit out of sorts. So, we sat down on the couch and talked about it. Turns out she was tired, hungry and missing her friends from NHCA. She'd tried to call them yesterday, but they were at volleyball practice. Bummer for her. The highlights of our conversation include; we talked about inviting new friends over here to do crafts, baking, etc. Also, it was the first time I remember where we actually seemed to have a real friend-type conversation.

I get to work tomorrow! So, I really ought to have been in bed an hour ago, but wanted to note this last memory. The other night, I checked on Jack like we usually do. He was totally zonked, and I adjusted him or put his blanket on him. Despite being half asleep, he still said; "Gank you."

How sweet is that?

Lollipops and locations

Yesterday, while I was in the kitchen, Maggie was fussing a little bit. To try to pacify both of us, I was nicely saying; "Maggie, what's your problem?"

Jack copied me by asking; "Maggie, what's your ploblem?"

When Jack woke up this morning, we had the following conversation ...

"Where's Daddy?"

"Daddy is at work."

"Where's Leesha?"

"She's at school. Where's Jack?"

"Wite here." as he pointed to himself.

This afternoon, both babies went to the Dr. Jack got a lollipop. He was asking me what it was. Since we call pacifiers "suckers" I decided to go with "lollipop". He figured it was "Wollipop."

After he nap, when he found it on the counter, he asked; "Mommy, what's this? Blee blee blee."

The rest of the evening was rather hellish. Jack was hungry, and possibly sore. When Maggie woke up during dinner, she too was hungry and possibly sore from her shots. Both babies were screaming and difficult to comfort. Both Jeffry and I were beside ourselves. Poor Leesha got lost in the shuffle a bit.

Labor Day Weekend

Friday:

We spent most of the day preparing for Great Grandma Mary, Grandpa Steve and Grandma Holly to arrive.

Jack took to everybody right away, even announcing "Grandpa Steve" when he saw him through the window on the door.

Over the course of the evening, he discovered Grandma's bracelets and both Grandmas' bracelet watches. He put them on his bed before he went on patrol with Jeffry. Later, when we checked in on him, he was wearing all of them.

Saturday:

Leesha doesn't start mornings with; "Good Morning." She starts with questions. I'll set the stage for question #1 for today: grocery boxes are clearly visible in the kitchen, and I'm putting groceries away. Leesha: "Did you go grocery shopping?"

Setting for question #2: she sits down on the Ikea bench we have by the door, right next to Jeffry's backpack (which, is like and American Express card: he won't leave home without it) with his shoes at her feet. Leesha: "Did Dad leave yet?"

When Jack woke up, he asked for his granparents right away. Shortly after they arrived, he was asking for the watches and bracelets.

We had a great day catching up, eating, and seeing Willis West. After dinner, we took a walk down to the park. On the way, we met one of our newer neighbors who I had met on a walk a couple of weeks ago. I'd been hoping they were believers, and found out they were. New friends in the making!

To honor Great Grandma Mary's birthday, we celebrated with berry shortcake. Yum! God makes the best desserts - or in this case, part of the dessert.

At some point in the day, I think I overheard Jack say; "Can I hi you?" I don't know if he was thinking "high five" or talking on the phone.

Sunday:

After church, we headed out to Willis West. While there, I took notes on some of Jack's more amusing speech ....

When the dogs came inside: "Hi Cogs (or was it dogs?)! I realy missed you!"

Grandpa Steve pointed out a grasshopper. They lost track of it when it must have hopped near Jack's diaper: "I got a grasshopper my diaper."

While petting either Cogswell or Eddie on Greg's lap; "Can I call him Bud?"

About Smith's sunhat: "He wearin' a patrol hat."

About a talking toy: "It's speaking to me."

While we were there, Mandy gave us Simon's Little People Circus train. Once we got home, I put it in Jack's room.

Monday:

I woke up with a start becaus I'd heard a thud and Jack was crying. I went into his room and he said; "It's loud!" He'd pushed the button on the train and must have been startled badly enough to sit down (causing the thud) or fall. It took him a couple of minutes to recover, and now we've lost track of the number of times we've heard the train move or play the circus song.

Upon hearing Maggie's "rumble pants" as we like to call it; "He sure did make muckers. Make big muckers."

After listening to the Pixies with Jeffry, I overheard both of these phrases; "Dev-oh six." "Da God is seven."

2 year old "conversation"

Keane came over today to play with Jack while his dad got some stuff done. Keane had a runny nose. After observing Keane's dad wipe Keane's nose, Jack realized how this works and shortly afterwards said; "Keane need a tissue." Jack went to the bathroom to get some toilet paper and then stated; "I got a tissue for you Keane" and wiped his nose. Later, he informed anyone who was willing to listen; "Keane got a runny nose." The trip to the bathroom, wiping Keane's nose and throwing the t.p. in the toilet was repeated many times.

On a smilar note, while standing face to face, Jack said; "Keane, you got a booger ova dere?"

While they were playing, I took the opportunity to blow dry my hair, and try to get some of my natural curl tamed down by using curlers. The boys thought that was great. Jack wanted curlers in his hair, but alas his buzz cut won't allow. Keane has longer hair and Jack thought it was fun to place the velcro curlers on Keane's head because they actually stuck for a little bit. When Keane tired of watching me put curlers in my hair, Jack found him and said; "Let's go see Mommy." and "Look what Mommy doin'."

At some point, I had Jack apologize to Keane. Jack: "Keane, I so sorry."

Jack has a book that stated; "SUVs drive on rocky roads." So, today while he was playing with his Little People wheelchair, I overheard; "Keane, I gotta drive rocky roads."

When Keane woke up from his nap, Jack said; "Keane, I missed you!"

At lunch: Leesha: "Are you a zone warrior?" Jack: "I'm not a zoing warrior."

Jack to Keane: "You okay bud?"

Much later in the day, after a conversation with his cousin Simon, Jack asked; "Can I talk to black Simon?" We're trying to figure out the "black" part.

Free Peepee Oh

is Jack for C3PO!

In the car yesterday, Leesha and I were talking about something and he asked; "Da com?"  (ot.com)  Words that weren't even in Leesha's vocabulary at this point in her life.

Jeffry is on a Pixies kick, and is often overheard singing the phrase; "My Veloria..."  The other night, as I was taking Jack on a walk, he said; "Daddy sing; "My Veloria"."

The other morning, I gave Jack a bath right after he got up.  As he was standing in the tub waiting for me to wash him, he started humming something from Star Wars.

Last night, I made him a quesidilla for dinner.  He wasn't excited about eating it and called  it a "quesidee dee ah" after only hearing the word  a couple of times that I know of.

This morning, I bleached my moustache.  When he looked at me, he stated; "Mom, you're wearing a walrus!"

More Jack-isms

On Tuesday, Eric came over with glow sticks. Jack and Keane each got one and we called them their "light sabers". They called them their "light savers".

Yesterday, Leesha pulled out her pink stuffed poodle. Jack called it a "toodle".

He and Leesha have already begun the sibling bickering. He now knows to say; "I no/not do any-fing!"

Last night, we were at my cousin's house for dinner. Jack was eating ice cream. He put a really big scoop in his mouth and I warned Kara and Jeffry (who were sitting on either side of Jack) that it might be coming back out. But he struggled through it with a pained look on his face, then turned to dad crying. First brain freeze - gotta love it.

The inevitable body discovery has occurred since he spends so much time running around naked. In past days, he's asked; "Is this my penis?" "Can I play my penis?" Then, this morning, he asked me where mine was.

We got some back-to-school shopping done yesterday. $77 for school supplies - for one child! Ouch! She got her first Aeropostal shirt and pair of DC shoes as well as some other things. Jack and Maggie were good for the whole excursion. It was really nice to have moms help with everything too.

Jack was gently shaking Maggie's hand the other day saying; "Graduations."

The other morning, when Jack got up, he was informing me from his room; "I got butt rash. I need butt goo." Strangely enough, he didn't want me to change him for quite some time. I finally got tired of it and asked him if he wanted to splash in the tub. That got him moving.

Leesha's friend Catie came for a sleepover last night. Jack kept calling for "K-I-80". That must be her code name.

Maggie's doing it again - falling asleep by herself. Good girl! She seems so big for just 7 weeks - well, tomorrow she'll be 7 weeks.

Leesha is busy cleaning her room. I'm sure it will look lovely in a little bit.

Yesterday, Jeffry didn't have work, so he was able to go with us to Leesha's new school - Skyview Community School in Oakdale district. A nice facility. She'll have about 260 in her grade, with a class size of about 33. We're hoping that all goes well.

I did talk to her principal at North Heights to let him know she wasn't returning. A very sad moment. (I swallowed hard at least once trying to retain tears.) I guess I always figured this would happen when she was done with 8th grade.

It will be a nice breather for us to not have the tuition payment, and the commute (approximately 30 minutes 1 way, so 2 hours per day). But, we will really miss the school. I'm thankful for 6 years there, that I'll be able to stay as a sub and that Leesha is welcome to visit any time.

A new chapter ... pray for Leesha and I as we "plug in" in Oakdale, because I intend to be an involved parent. Can we say dance chaperone?

minute updates

The other day, I told Jeffry that I anticipated being blessed even more by the people we know from church in days to come - especially in regards to the potential for a daycare co-op and maybe even home-school co-op. He replied; "I agree in the name of Jesus." Jack repeated; "Name of Jesus!"

Moments ago, Leesha was tickling Maggie here on our bed and getting Maggie to coo.

Smile!

The kids and more ...

It appears I have a few minutes to do some catch-up. Forgive me if I repeat previous blogs.

Maggie has had a few days where she hasn't take her long afternoon nap. Nerve wracking! After one day where she didn't take a good nap, she slept for 12 hours. Yes, she did eat a couple of times, but went right back to sleep. I did not complain, and am not complaining now.

Today seems to be better. I wonder if she's settling in. Eat, look around, fall asleep. (Shhh, don't tell her, but she's fallen asleep on her own, by herself three times today!) She's also spent some non-screaming time with dad. I think he likes it that she's beginning to think he's okay.

Her eyes are still very blue. She is definitely smiling now, and coos a little bit.

Jack pooped on the potty again! We made a big hullaballoo over it, but he hasn't gone for a repeat performance. I may attempt allowing him to "stew" in a dirty diaper for a while to help move this training along. Otherwise, we still have good and not-so-hot potty training days. I've been trying to stay around the house so he can run around in just a t-shirt, but we'll have to get him fully clothed at some point in the future. It has worked well this summer since I didn't get bigger shorts, just bigger shirts.

We disassembled his crib after he fell when climbing out. He now has loads of fun jumping on his mattress which is on the floor.

He is still pretty good with Maggie. When she's in the boppy on the floor, he likes to lay down with her. He did get her in the eye with an eating utensil the other day though. It looked painful. We're glad she's okay.

Jack-ism's:

"Mom, looka my head!" When I walked back out to the dining room to see what he wanted me to see; he's got his plate on his head and is bobbing his head with his hands in a praying pose. Made me think of how one might have tried to portray an Asian person before we all went P.C. Honestly, I don't know where he got the idea.

After Maggie threw up the other day, he kept asking; "Wha happen to Maggie?" I would tell him she spit up. After a little bit, he'd say "Maggie spill out/over." Priceless!

We went to church last night and our friend Lara sat with us. She's in our small group. Jack adores both her and her husband Jon, and the feeling is reciprocated. Jack kept asking; "Lara, where's Jon?" Then, as Jeffry and I sat, stood or sang, Jack would keep Lara abreast of what she "needed" to be doing. "Lara, sing!" "Lara, sit down!" "Lara, stand up!"

Leesha has gotten to spend some time with a friend from school. She joined them at their cabin on Friday night. We're looking forward to seeing her this evening when her dad brings her back home. The Friday before, she got to go to a Twins game with family. While there, she caught up with a friend of hers that had also attended North Heights.

Jeffry's brother and family sold their house! Unfortunately, they're moving even further away than they already are. Big bummer!

We're dog-sitting again. Hazel is so well behaved. Leesha has been just great with her - taking her out on walks, putting her outside or in the basement to protect her from Jack's enthusiasm. Jack, like I just stated, LOVES "Haz-o". I've resorted to needing to physically remind him that he cannot pull her tail, ears, hair, or feet. He very much enjoys taking her out on walks and then informing us that "Haz-o make muckers on a grass. Mom put it in a trash."

Mom helped me run some errands on Thursday, then watched the kids in the afternoon, so I was able to go grocery shopping all by myself!

I took the little ones out yesterday afternoon just to get out of the house and give Jeffry some uninterrupted "me" time. When I got back, Jeffry and I fixed our garage door, but I think he already blogged about that.

I think that's all I've got.

Hazel's Food

We are dog-sitting right now. Hazel is our dog for 10 days and Jack won't leave this poor animal alone. Her owner left us with only one bowl and that is almost always filled with water for her. When it was dinner time for her she still had water in her bowl. So I just poured her food onto the floor (where some always ends up anyways, so why not). Of course Jack is right there for the action. As she starts to eat up the food Jack asks me, "Daddy, Is that dog cereal?"

A few highlights

Wow, getting online to blog is hard.

A few things Jack has said over the last week or so:

Jack has discovered that he can peek out under his door, and he'll figure out who is in sight by their feet. One morning when I was up and in the kitchen, but he wasn't out of his room yet, he said; "It's not a tauntaun" stemming from last week's viewing of The Empire Strikes Back.

On Saturday morning, he was in the basement with Jeffry. He comes running up to ask me if he can watch a show. I tell him he needs to go ask dad, and he just as happily trotted off to do just that when Jeffry came into the room. So I asked Jeffry if he'd sent Jack to ask me about a show. He had. I wonder how long we could have kept him busy anticipating a show by telling him to go ask the other parent.

On Friday night, we went out to eat. At the restaurant, Jack would observe the other patrons and say things like; "Hey Guy."

I do not recall what I did yesterday, but it prompted the response; "What a big helper!"

Today's mammoth sentence; "Can I have a little bit of water?"

Leesha got to go to the Twins game with Grandma Darlene, Uncle Craig and cousins Nathaniel and Aaron on Friday. On Saturday, she went to the YMCA with a friend from church. Today, she's at the home of a friend from school. I think this has been the busiest summer for her that I can remember. I hope she's having fun.

Maggie has had a couple of days where she simply does not stay asleep for long enough naps. It's amazing how much I need her to nap. I have really been beside myself at the end of those days. Yesterday was such a day. She finally stayed asleep at 11pm. I fed her a couple of times, but she didn't really wake up until 11am. Must have been tired, just like I was telling her all afternoon yesterday.

Shortly after we got home from church yesterday, Hazel came over for a 10 day visit. Jack is nuts about her, and was a handful for us. With Maggie not sleeping, and Jack being so very difficult, we were all worn out by the time he went to bed. Leesha was such a huge help in taking Hazel out (on her own accord), holding Maggie or helping with other little things. This morning, when I got up, Leesha had taken Hazel out already. I love seeing this responsibility.

Almost A Smile

Maggie's muckers

The next post by Cara precedes this one, or most of it does.
For Small Group last night, we went to one of our group member's homes and worked on some landscaping. Jack got rather dirty in the process, so when we arrived at the house, he went straight into the tub. Once he was done, I was heading into his room with him to get him ready for bed. Jeffry was on the way from his room to the bathroom with Maggie. She had pooped and some of the poop had evaded the confines of her diaper, so she needed a bath now. We swapped children. I usually just rinse the bottom half of Maggie off if she needs a washing, or else I take her in the bath or shower with me. (she prefers showers) As I was rinsing her off, I managed to tip her head the wrong way and got some water in her nose. Poor little girl, she got and gave quite a scare.

I was just thinking about my birth experiences.

With Leesha, I had a 5 hour labor. I knew it was the worst pain I'd ever experienced, I remember the difficulty sitting afterwards.

On our way in to the hospital to have Jack, I remember telling Jeffry that it was a good thing we forget the pain. I wanted to remember more with Jack since I don't recall a lot from Leesha's birth. So I tried to be more cognizant of what was going on. I also had the benefit of having someone I loved with me throughout the entire process, someone who hadn't been through it before and was looking to me for direction. I don't know that I gave Jeffry a lot of direction, but he survived the 4 hour process.

I expected Maggie to come in weighing 10 lbs or more in 3 hours. She surprised me on both accounts. Although I could have been in "labor" longer, I'm only counting the 1hr 42min of the real stuff since I hadn't really had much pain nor regular contractions before they broke my water. And she was just over 8lbs. I think it was the last 15 minutes or so before she arrived that were most intense and painful.

Now as I look back, I wonder if I've forgotten the pain with Maggie the fastest. Ah, who am I kidding, I still remember the pain.

Maggie smiled at Jeffry yesterday morning. She still sleeps in a laundry basket on our dresser. He was getting ready for work and him using the drawers made her open her eyes and then she smiled. She smiled for Grandma Darlene this morning too.

The last two nights, Jack has fallen asleep on his floor. He hasn't fought bedtime for a little while, but will stay awake for a long time. He has figured out that the can peek out under his doors and that's where he falls asleep - watching for and talking to us. Sunday night, it was the repeated; "I need to go potty." Sometimes with mom, dad or again attached to the end. He also overheard Leesha coming home and said something to her. When her dad left, he asked; "Where Joe go?" That stemming from Friday evening when Jeremy picked her up. Since it was the opening night of G.I. Joe, Jeffry came upstairs to greet Jeremy and said; "Yo! Joe." Now, Jack thinks Jeremy's name is Joe.

On Monday, I talked to a friend of mine who moved to Florida a couple of years ago, and also just had her third child. He was born on Jack's birthday. She was having a tough morning and said talking to me was a big help. I miss her, and can only hope I was an encouragement to her.

Today, I get to spend some time with my old friend and former neighbor who is visiting from Pennsylvania.

Just moments ago... Jack was playing with one of Caryn's old toys called "The Sunshine Family". One of the chairs comes apart and he pulled it apart, then came to me saying; "I ac-sha-ly (actually) broke it. I broke a chair momma. It's pieces."

That was mostly written on Tuesday, now it's Wednesday ...

At Small Group last night, we were keeping Jack entertained by allowing him to watch some of The Empire Strikes Back. Much of the way home and many times today, he's asked; "Why dinosaur die?" I keep telling him it's because Han Solo sliced it open with a light saber, and that it's a Tauntaun.

I survived a trip to the dentist with all three kids! Maggie fell asleep in the car, so she stayed in her "bucket" with Leesha out in the lobby. Jack went in with me and got to watch part of Finding Nemo.

Leesha was such a big help yesterday and today. During Small Group, she helped with digging window wells. That made me realize that modifying our basement to give us another legal room might not be as far fetched as I thought.

This afternoon, Jack was in his room for his "rest" (I'm trying to not use the word nap). He said something about muckers or yucky, so I went in to investigate. He'd pooped, so I took care of that. While he was out and about, he told me; "I need-a go to Boundary Waters." Later, it was; "I need to go to work."

Last, but very important, we got a letter yesterday stating that Leesha may still get half of her scholarship!

Smile horsey!

The little ones and I spent the day with Grandma Darlene. We went to the mall. Before we left the house, Grandpa Steve and Grandma Holly called. Jack talked to them for a little bit, and when we got off the phone, Jack wanted to be sure to say; "I love you!" Too bad they missed it.
On Thursday, Willis West came to celebrate Jack's birthday. When they neared our house, Simon stated; "Jack's house!" Impressive!
Before heading home again, after I'd fed Maggie, I swear she smiled. Precious. She's snuck them in while she's sleeping, but this was a fully awake and possibly intentional.
Last night, I got groceries and returned to the house at about 10:45 pm. Jeffry and I were watching an episode of Torchwood to end the evening. During the show, I wondered if I heard Jack crying. Jeffry went to check and found he wasn't, but did discover that he was sleeping on the floor. A few moments later, I was sure he was crying, so we both went upstairs. He was crying because of the storm. So, we spent a few moments comforting him before putting him back to bed. When Jeffry left, Jack asked him to close the door.
While at the mall, we took Jack to the play area. He was sitting on the horse ride when mom discovered a dirty diaper. It took some doing to get him cleaned up and in fresh clothes. A little bit later, I asked mom if we needed to clean up anything on the ride. She went back over and realized it was fairly dirty, so she told the mall janitor. Glad we discovered it before someone else did.

4 weeks and counting

i'm not going to bother with caps and such tonight since i'm doing this one handed.

leesha has been a big help the last two days - mostly in just being nice to jack. yesterday, we met some others from our small group down at the lake by our house. leesha kept an eye on jack while he was on the playground and then in the water. it was highly amusing to see his diaper absorb a lot of water. today, grandma darlene came over and helped leesha sew some clothes for her doll.

jack is a bona fide (sp?) two year old. he cimbed up on the kitchen counter to get maggie's bottle yesterday, and started to climb up on his dresser today. today, he stayed dry from the time i took his night diaper on until just before bedtime minus naptime. before bedtime, i took his undies off because he'd gotten water on them. he went and chose a ew pair of undies, then another, and another and finally a fourth pair. then he wet all of them. FAIL on my part. after dinner tonight he wanted to give maggie some attention. she was sleeping in her carseat in the kitchen, and at one point, he said; "i love you margaret." when jeffry came in to the kitchen and hugged me, he told jack to look. jack came over and joined us.

maggie seeme to be gaining some baby fat and, in our opinion, seems to be getting cuter. her eyes are still very blue. i'm hoping for green, but blue will be cool too. she took a bottle from me yesterday after not liking one at all on sunday. she showered with me laast night and much preferred that to her first bath. unfortunately, the shower seemed to initiate cradle crap. i was hoping to avoid that with her. after our shower, she got her first blow dry. i'm no hairstylist.

guess thats it for now.

Yo JOE!

The G.I. Joe movie came out today. This afternoon Leesha's dad, Jeremy, was coming over to pick her up for the weekend. He and I have talked about what we might expect from the G.I. Joe movie. As he arrived and rang the doorbell I greeted him with a "Yo Joe" (which is the call the G.I. Joe characters often yelled in the '80s cartoon). Jack was right there for all of this. In his mind he now recognized Jeremy as Joe. So he goes about showing 'Joe' his sippy cup and his new truck, "Joe, this is my truck", etc. We tried to correct him a few times, but Jeremy is sealed into Jack's mind as Joe.

The long absence

We'll see how long Maggie stays asleep while I type with both hands - what a luxury!

Maggie will be 4 weeks old on Thursday. It still doesn't seem real to either Jeffry or I. Maybe once life slows down a little bit - ha ha, like that's going to happen anytime soon. I have managed to make a few notes, so now I'll fill those in.

Highlights during my blogging absence ....

Jack was in his room for a nap. I heard a strange noise and asked him what he was doing. He said; "I rub a leg." Not feeling like we'd gotten the whole story, we went in to find out what he was doing. He'd gotten the sunscreen off the top of his dresser and was (just as he said) rubbing it on his legs. As Jeffry helped me get things and son cleaned up, Jack informed us he had "Ice cream rub a leg." I think he knows it's sunscreen now, and not ice cream.

One of his other antics is to run around the "loop" in our house - through the kitchen, his room, the living and dining area saying; "Superhero" or "Superman" with his fist raised.

On the way home from our vacation in Vergas, MN, he realized the power of the words; "I need to go potty." Not that he actually has to go potty or will go, but he knows those are magic words. We have good days (yesterday) and bad days (today) when it comes to training.

Before we left for our trip, I told Leesha to make a note that we needed to pack his "Maggie Doodle" (Magna Doodle - the little screen with the magnetic pen).

While on vacation, one of the many things he enjoyed playing with were some coasters. He asked me what they were. I told him they were coasters. He looked at his cousin Caelyn (age 5.5) and asked; "Can you say coasters?" just like we ask him about new words all the time.

For those of you that check regularly, you already know about his birthday phone call with his cousin Simon. We'll have to do it again sometime with both sides recording the conversation on camera. It was very cute. He kept looking at the phone as though it were Simon. Jack's birthday went by with little other fanfare. We'd done a party up at the lake for all the cousins, and his actual birthday was right after the vacation and another reunion, so I was just too tired to do anything else. It's a good thing he's only 2, because he doesn't care yet.

Maggie decided to eat right before we headed home from our vacation. We'd had enough chasing Jack around and dealing with his not wanting to eat, so we were in the parked car waiting for Maggie to finish and listening to Rush. I was sitting there with Maggie, then got out at one point. Jack said; "Mom, you sit a you seat." When I did get in the car, he said; "Good listener Mom!" Well, I guess he's heard that before.

When I was a baby, my family made up a song ... Cara Joy we love you, Cara Joy we love you. All the time we love you, little Cara Joy. With each of my kids, I've sung their names with the same tune. Jack has been overheard singing "Maggie Mae we love you ..."

A new baby means new stuff in the house - the bouncy seat is back, the carseat is inside, rather than out in the car, etc. Jack loves the bouncy seat and has informed me; "I sitting Margaret's bouncy seat backwards." We've been trying to teach him about 'in front of", "behind", "beside", etc. I guess it's a good thing we have two exersaucers - not because we won't have to transport a single one up or down the stairs, but because Jack will want to be in one if Maggie is in one.

Maggie tends to look to the right and simultaneously kick her right leg. On the rare occasions we've gotten her to look left, only once have we noted a left leg kick.

Jack has told Maggie; "Don' worry." when she's crying and I haven't gotten to her yet.

Jeffry cleaned up what I refer to as his "lair". It looks so nice when that happens. He felt bad that I didn't notice it for about 2 days, but I think that's because I wasn't downstairs.

Jeffry has changed Maggie a couple of times. At least one of those, she peed in the process. It's happened to me too.

That's it for the highlights, here's some more mundane stuff ...

We've enjoyed lots of time with family. My sister and her family returned to Thailand a week ago tomorrow. Their visits were wonderful, but a definite whirlwind. Caryn has an amazing energy and activity level. I guess being 8.5 months pregnant and recently delivered while she was here may have accounted for my lack of energy. We're looking forward to their next visit when the kids are older. Maybe if they move fom Thailand and get jobs in Europe, we'll actually be able to visit them ...

During our vacation, our carpenter friend re-finished our living/dining/hall floors. Jeffry and I moved all the furniture out so Jon could work. What a [lovely birthday] surprise when we got home to find all the furniture back where it belonged thanks to Willis West!

Jeffry was amazing on our trip. He was basically on "Jack watch". Jack, like any little one, wanted to keep up with all the big cousins. Activities weren't always toddler friendly, and nobody was old enough to keep an eye on him. Jeffry was very busy. Guess that legitimizes how he got naps and I didn't take any.

On our way up to the cabins, Maggie had a screaming episode. It started just outside of Sauk Centre and continued for about 10 minutes. We pulled over at one point, then I had Jeffry turn around so we could all eat at McDonalds. Otherwise, she was great on the trip. It was really exciting for us to ride alongside a train for a good chunk of one of the highways. Most fun for Jack - or that's what we think.

Jack didn't like the water much. Jeffry tried taking him in the lake a couple of times, but we think it was too cold. Good thing he didn't seem too disturbed when he fell in face first. I was glad he had the life vest on as it gave me a good means of retrieving him from the water.

It was great to spend my birthday with my whole family. I don't know how long it's been since I last had that blessing. We went out for pizza and took the kids miniature golfing on a warm day. Just days later, we got to see all but 2 cousins on my mom's side of the family. Another whirlwind trying to keep track of Jack, but good nontheless.

Sunday was a trip! Jeffry stayed home with napping Jack while Maggie and I got groceries. All was going well until the last few things on our list when she started screaming. That made for slow unloading of the cart as I held her. At one point, when I'd put her back in her carseat, she started coughing from her screaming and the lady behind me in line thought she was choking and jumped to her aide. I think the other lady had more of a start than I did. Thankfully the staff were willing and available to pack the groceries up while I nursed her. Paid and loaded, we carefully made our way out to the car where another lady came to help me load the car.

And, now, I think I'm all caught up.

Thomas the Tank Engine

Jack got his first Thomas the Tank Engine train for his 2nd birthday. His Great-Aunt Doris got him a Gordon train.

His cousins visiting from other countries all were or are into Thomas the Tank Engine. As they start to grow out of it they are hading down some of their extras to Jack. So now he's received several additional tank engines to his Gordon.

However, he is having a real hard time sharing with anyone. If we sit down to play with him he stumbles over this sharing issue saying "that's my train...". It is impossible to play trains with him.

Moments ago I sat down and tried again. He said "that's my train". I asked him which one I could play with. Show me which one is mine.

He put his hand on my arm and said...

"Go sit at your compoo-pee-oh"!

I think he meant computer.

Jack Willis

This morning Jack was wearing a good looking outfit. Leesha and I were complimenting him on it. Leesha said, "You look cool! Are you cool?"

and Jack replied, "No! I'm Jack Willis."

Jack and Simon on the phone

Jack's Bible Stories

Maggie grew hungry while we were at church this morning. So Cara took her to the nursing room and fed her. There was a technical problem with the video feed in the room causing the moms to miss a majority of the sermon.

At dinner, this evening, Cara asked what the sermon was about and I started to describe it's theme. While I was explaining the message, Jack gets out of his seat and starts asking Cara to read him a Bible story. He wouldn't let up, either, running off to go retrieve one of his Bible story books. Finally Cara had to page through it as she listened to my retelling of Greg Boyd's message.


It seems he picked up on enough of my words to know what I was talking about and associated that with his Bible stories. He is amazing.


(This image is not from the book Jack selected. It's here jsut to add humor).

Our fist week with Maggie Mae

Wow, I'm feeling overwhelmed which seems strange since;

Maggie is a very easy baby - so far, very content to sleep - even at night

Jack has not responded to big-brotherhood with the ignore tactic nor the being mean one. He has acted out a bit, but seems okay after we give him a little attention which can even be done while I'm nursing.

Leesha has been surprisingly helpful - carrying Maggie to and from the car, holding Maggie, opening doors, etc.

Jeffry has helped with household tasks as well which sometimes just means holding Maggie while computing just so that I don't have to keep the older ones from annoying her.

I'm feeling really good. Still recovering, but up to most things I normally do when at home - cooking, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. And the last few nights, I haven't missed much more sleep than usual. I also fit into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes already!

Anyhow, I suppose anticipating 5 days away from home next week and all the preparations necessary for that could be considered stressful for a new mom.

Enough griping, on to the last week ...

Maggie and I stayed in the hospital until Saturday. I let her sleep in the nursery so that I could get some sleep. That proved to be a good choice Friday night since she apparently had a choking episode and they put her on oxygen for a little bit. Glad I didn't have that stress. The normal heart murmur she had disappeared by the time we checked out. Again, our stay at Regions was wonderful. I almost feel bad I won't be going back.

So, Saturday morning, I got all ready and we waited for Jeffry to come get us. Then we waited for the nurse to go over my discharge instructions, and we were on our way. We headed up to mom and dad's for lunch and (more importantly) to pick up our little man. Funny how when thinking about Maggies birth, I never thought to make accomodations for Jack and Leesha while I was at the hospital. Thankfully, mom and dad were willing and able despite their own busy schedules.

(One of the most amusing things about my stay in the hospital was reading the following instruction on the package of sanitary pads; "use adhesive side away from body". Every time I read instructions like that, I wonder just what sort of situation necessitated that.)

Arriving at their house, Jack was excited about Maggie. He kept asking her questions almost seeming to expect her to answer. So far, he's been good with her. A little unaware of his own weight or strength at times, but hasn't seemed to do any permanent damage.

In the car, on the way home, I realized that I feel happy and complete. My family is complete now. Even though all of my kids weren't in the car, I still felt complete. I had really missed Jack and Leesha while in the hospital, and even considered going home on Friday instead of Saturday just to be with everyone. After Maggie choking though, I'm glad we stayed.

We went to church on Sunday and Maggie got oohs and aahs from several friends and people we don't know yet. One of the kids I babysit, Grace, was very excited about baby Maggie and I'm told even thanked Jesus for her during her bedtime prayers. Leesha got home from being with her dad while I was outside in the yard trying to nurse Maggie and let Jack run around a bit. He just loves being outside, and I don't think to take him out much, which is awful since we have such a great back yard.

On Monday, we had to put Maggie on our insurance and then get her to the Dr. We picked Jeffry up at work before heading downtown to take care of the insurance thing. That was quick and painless - except for the fact that the kids regular pediatrician isn't on our health plan, so we've still got to figure that out. We let the Monarch staff ooh and aah over all three kids before stopping at mom and dads to feed Maggie. The Dr. we saw in the afternoon was full of praise for all three kids and thinks Maggie is doing just fine.

Tuesday brought the need for groceries to a head, so we went shopping. Leesha pushed Maggie in one cart while I had Jack in the other. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We'll see what I think when Leesha's back in school .... For Small Group, we went to help friends of one of the couples in group. We worked on some painting. Maggie got to meet Abby who was the other recent addition to group. The girls are about 3 weeks apart. Jack hung out with Grandma and Grandpa. Apparently while he was there, he told them that Maggie eats applesauce.

Willis West (Jeffry's brother and family) came over on Wednesday to meet Maggie. It was surprising to realize how much Maggie will grow in the next 4 months when we looked at Smith. Jack and Simon got along pretty good too. Jeffry was surprised to get work since Summer School let out on Tuesday. We were expecting him not to have work for the rest of the week, but are being blessed with more hours than he's had all summer so far. We'll make up for it with our week of vacation next week. Emily from our group brought dinner by, so I had a night off.

Thursday, Jeffry had work again! Mom had arranged to watch my nephews Nathaniel and Aaron, so the kids and I met the three of them at Como Zoo. Great zoo. We didn't have the best timing with many school groups also being there when the doors opened. But we survived - even with the double stroller. Poor little Jack, since I shouldn't be chasing him around, I made him stay in the stroller. He kept asking; "Ma-ge-out-a-st'oller please?" (May I get out of the stroller please?) While the bigger kids were enjoying a couple of the amusement park rides, I went and found the playground so Jack could have some fun too. It was so precious to see Nathaniel and Aaron attend to Jack on all the equipment - going down the slide before him to catch him, going down the slide with him. So very sweet.

On our way to the zoo, Jack asked if we could listen to some music. Leesha found a station and Jack started copying the short phrases in the song. He's learning to sing. Another very sweet moment.

Later in the evening, while I was nursing Maggie, Jack was playing with his new favorite set of toys - the little plastic animals and the wooden barn - on the couch beside us. He pulled out the dolphin and said; "That's a walrus. No, it's not. It's a dolphin. That's a dolphin." And then, quoting Raffi's "Baby Belugah"; "Dolphins play. Splash all day."

We've heard a lot of "Yashur" (Yeah, sure.) and "Gank you's" (Thank you) as well as several "I'm shawwy" (I'm sorry) (even when he hasn't done anything wrong) recently. So cute how he says it.

Now that it's been a week since Maggies arrival, I can't help but feel sad that I'll never have that again. I'm enjoying it as best as I can.

We'd describe her as a squaker. She does cry when she gets worked up enough, but when she's hungry, she usually just squaks a few times.

This last week, we also learned that the organization that's been providing a scholarship for Leesha to attend North Heights won't be able to help this next year. Ouch!