Midweek Randoms

The girl across the street delivers eggs on a weekly basis to some of the neighbors in our subdivision.  The eggs come straight from Michigan State campus and are incredibly fresh and even cheaper than the ones that you can buy in the store.  One week, she was going to be on vacation, so she asked my girls if they would be willing to take over her egg route for the week.  It would mean inspecting all of the eggs, packaging them in dozen-size containers, traveling to the various houses on the list and leaving invoices.  They were all for it -- and they didn't even know that they would each receive the egg profit for the week ... $5 for each of them.

They took their job very seriously.

I am now considering doing an apple and cider business for them in the future.  It would be a wonderful way for them to start saving for college while also teaching them some of the details of doing business.

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Now that the girls are in school, Jack is my kitchen helper.  It makes me smile because I can remember when Sam was my main assistant ... and then once she started school, Sophia took on that role ... and now it is Jack.

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The neighbors built a boat this summer.  Yes, they ... built ... a ... boat.  It was an almost useless excuse for a boat and probably could have been hauled off to the scrap metal yard at any time.  But, they worked as a family and rebuilt it and then added a slide.  Much to my surprise, the girls were very excited to try out the slide.  In this picture, Sophia was getting ready to go down.  (She had her life jacket on and the neighbor was at the bottom just in case she had any problems, which she didn't!).

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Before bed each time, Jack either requests a book or he likes to listen to construction truck songs on our phones.  One night, I walked in his room to tuck him in and found him and Steve laying together watching the video on Steve's phone.  My heart swelled 100x.

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Speaking of construction trucks, Jack has a huge fascination with them right now.  So much so, that I am strongly considering that to be the theme of his next birthday ... in May!  We saw this construction magazine at the orchard when we were out there one weekend and we snagged it for him.  You would think that it was a toy magazine or something for as much time as he spends looking at it.  Instead, it is a bunch of equipment, averaging about $100,000 apiece.

Keep dreaming, buddy.

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Sophia's hair is really beginning to grow these days.  It has taken 5 1/2 years, but that is because the curls are so tight (much like mine were when I was little).  I am loving the fact that we have versatility now (mini pigtails, barrettes, headbands) instead of just hair bands.  The curls are absolutely the cutest ringlets that you have ever seen and she receives compliments on them daily.

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The major portion of our garage expansion is now complete, including the concrete driveway.  It meant that our house was a revolving door for several weeks; I never knew who was going to show up each day.  But, it was worth it.  And the kids loved watching the action each and every day, like when the concrete was getting poured.

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Samantha's hair was in need of a little trim; just enough to put her layers back in and give it some extra bounce.  Rather than make her an appointment, we headed out to the front porch after her shower one night and I trimmed away until my heart was content.

Of course, Sophia looked on with adoration.  I have only trimmed her hair once in her whole life.  Once.

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Look who is sitting up on his own now?  Yup, and he has the smiles to prove it. 

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My curly-haired girls, ready for school one morning.  I say it all the time, and I hope that it continues forever -- Sophia loves accessories and is never one to leave the house without them.  Headbands, bracelets, necklaces, lip gloss.  She loves it all.

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This boy loves a nice, quiet morning once the girls get on the bus and he basically has me all to himself.  The girls are gone and James is usually still sleeping.  We turn on a show and he settles in with his blanket (and sometimes Shelby, the light-up musical seahorse that my kids have all grown up with).

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Dirt, dirt and more dirt.  Jack has been in heaven digging every ... minute ... of ... every ... single ... day.

Give the kids a shovel, a rake or a hoe.  It doesn't matter.  He can make them all work.

And then, when he is done digging, he brings out any and all construction vehicles that he can find.

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Sophia lost her first tooth (we had been waiting for over a week for it to fall out) and was so excited to put it in her new tooth fairy pillow before bed that night.

It's a definite "right of passage" and she was more than ready for it to happen.

All ready to set out.

Showing me, one more time, the gaping hole in her mouth before closing her eyes for bed:

And the next morning, she woke up to find that the Tooth Fairy has sprinkled lots (and LOTS!) of purple glitter all over her nightstand, the floor and her bed.  And since she is such a restless sleeper, she had rolled in it and was COVERED from head to toe. 

After a quick cleaning and some styling of that unruly mass of curls, she was excited to head to school and tell all of her friends and teacher about the glitter and the gold $1 coin that she received.

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This girl is growing up so fast.  I can't believe how long her legs have become and how quickly the "baby chub" from her face is disappearing.

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And this one too.  I sent this picture to his preschool picture because she had requested one for her bulletin board.  It's hard to imagine that he is almost 3 1/2 years old.

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School picture day.  We compromised this year and I love how cute her outfit turned out.  I can't wait to see the final pictures once they are developed.

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Another task that has been passed on down the line from Samantha to Sophia and now to Jack is assisting me with putting stickers on my students' graded papers.  Even though I teach college-level courses, I still give out stickers to the students that received 80% or better on their papers.  The students LOVE this and so do my kids!

Such a great helper.

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Always smiling.  Always.  It is probably one of my most favorite things about her.

An Impromptu Trip To Sleepy Hollow

Last weekend, we made an impromptu trip to Sleepy Hollow to visit an old coworker of Steve's.  He had mentioned that he would be camping at the local campground -- with his horses -- and that we were welcome to bring the kids up to see them! 

We ate a quick lunch, told the kids to put their swim suits on under their clothes (there is a beach there) and loaded up the van.  We didn't give them many details; sometimes it's just better that way.  Less than 20 minutes later, we were inside the campground, parking the van and showing the kids the horses.

The girls were more than a little thrilled to be up on a horse:

They were able to go for a small trail ride and smiled the whole way.

The boys stayed back with us at the campground, and as soon as Jack saw them coming back, he ran over to get a ride himself.

Even Jimmy was interested in the horses!

After we chatted for a bit and the kids indulged in some snacks that we offered to them, we headed to the beach. 

This is Sophia's traditional pose every time she sees me grab the camera.  She's definitely not camera-shy in the least.

Jack loves the mud and the sand.  He could play for hours just digging ... and digging.

The girls joined in after a while.  The water was still warm (for being September), but they liked the sand a bit more.

The last of our summertime beach trips:

In the meantime, James and I found a shady spot up on the grass and settled in for a little snack and some milk.  It doesn't take much to make him happy ...
 

Samantha and Sophia's First Day of School

The girls started school before Labor Day this year (August 25th) and it was a bit of an adjustment for me.  I am used to them starting AFTER I go back to teaching, giving me some time to settle into a routine and make sure that we have all of their book bags / school supplies / school clothes / shoes / dance items all in order.

Luckily, I ordered their book bags a couple of months ago and had already taken them shopping for a few things (supplies and clothes) earlier in the month of August.  Plus, it is always so hot for the first few weeks of school -- especially in their classrooms -- that they end up wearing a lot of summer clothes that they already have in their drawers.

All ready for school:

A behind the scenes photo of me adjusting Sam's book bag for her, while Sophia anxiously waits for Sam to join her on the front porch:

Almost ready to leave:

As is our annual tradition, both Steve and I took the girls to school on their first morning.  It was wet and rainy, but the drop-offs went pretty smoothly.  Steve took Sophia into her school to help her with her book bag, lunch, locker, etc., while I left with the van and took Samantha to her school.  The boys and I walked her in and made sure that she was situated before we drove back to Sophia's school to pick up Steve.

While I was at the elementary school with Sam, Steve sent me this picture of Sophia:

During the boys' naptime that day, I set up a little surprise for the girls that they could have once they arrived home -- some blueberry muffins, a smoothie, some scented play-doh and some scented dry erase markers.

So excited to be home!  (This is Sophia's first year riding the bus and she seems to LOVE it!)

Later that week, I also surprised the girls with some pencil cookies.  I had seen the idea online and decided to adapt it a bit.  They were a hit!

James is Seven Months Old

Jimmy is seven months old today and is so close to being able to sit up on his own now.  This is one milestone that I am anxiously waiting for because it will allow him to have a tad more freedom for independent play.  Until recently, his favorite thing to sit in was the bouncy seat, and he would be content in that for at least 30 minutes at a time ... just bouncing and watching a show or playing with his toys.  But he weighs it down too much now (he's 18 lbs) and there are few things that he will sit in or play in without fussing after only a few minutes lately. 

Yes, my usually happy little man is definitely grumpier these days and I think that we can safely attribute that to teething.  After all, he cut his first tooth (bottom right) on September 1st ... just shy of his 7 month birthday.  And I have a sneaking suspicion that the adjacent one is going to be poking through soon.

This month, we officially brought his high chair up from the basement to use on a regular basis.  Until now, we were using the bumbo seat for feeding, but those chubby thighs of his are making it difficult to continue using it.  Once in a while, I grab it to use because of its convenience and also because it helps with his posture.

Getting ready to use his high chair for the first time, minus the seat cover, which experience has taught us only gets dirty too quickly ...  It's easier to clean a plastic back, right? 

He's such a good eater.  Seriously, it was like this boy was born knowing how to open his mouth for a spoon.  He can easily tackle a bowl of fruit, a vegetable and some added texture (muffin, puffed cereal, egg, etc) at each meal.  We are also working with the sippee cup, as well.  Some days he holds it all by himself to drink his water out of it.  Other days, he wants nothing to do with it ... those teeth are really hurting him, I think.

Jimmy is continuing to take a morning nap, an afternoon nap (at the same time as Jack!) and a small cat nap after dinner.  He goes to bed around 8 pm, after his bath and nursing, and will sleep all night until about 7 am (sometimes a little later).  Most mornings, he is still sleeping at the time that the girls get on the bus for school.  They miss seeing him in the morning, but it makes things easier so that we can focus on getting them ready.

And then once they get home from school in the afternoon, he is just as happy to see them as they are to see him.

My two blue-eyed babies; Sophia has small blue eyes and Jimmy's are larger than life.  Actually, it seems to be one of the first things that everyone comments on when they see him: how big and blue his eyes are.  They also comment on how happy and smiling he is, even around strangers.

These boys of mine -- I hope that they will always be the best of friends. 

And Samantha?  Well, Jimmy has her wrapped right around his little finger.  There isn't a single thing that she wouldn't do for him.  Well, maybe change a poopy diaper! 

Playtime upstairs:

Yes, it wasn't long before Samantha joined in.  Honestly, these older siblings just love their little brother to pieces. 

I am one happy mom.