The Snow/ Ice Week

Last week, we were out of school for 3 days due to snow and ice.  We didn't really get any snow this time, although everyone else did.  I think our neighborhood was the only area of Birmingham that did not. We were, however, stuck indoors most of the time.  At least we had Will with us.

We have been slowly working on home improvement projects.  We used this week to finish painting the kitchen.  We have officially painted the entire interior of our home with mostly grays and blues.  We love it!  As it warmed up this weekend, we also began working on sprucing up our porch.  It has always been rather hideous.  A dirty floor and caved in roof were the biggest eyesores.  Other than that, it is just threadbare.  We (Will) painted the floor gray and began repairing the roof.  I ordered some twinkle lights, a new rug, and purchased some hanging baskets.  I can't wait to fill the space with fresh flowers and whimsical accents. 

Helping Daddy clean the floor.

Preparing the roof.

It is overwhelming to think about all that needs to be done.  We have a long way to go to make this home on our own.  It takes time, but we are enjoying the process!

I did several Valentine's activities with the kiddos earlier in the week.  On Monday, we went to the library and made cards for Children's hospital, along with checking out a few Vday related books. Hudson helped me make a heart wreath for the kitchen and a heart banner for the mantle. For gifts, we made bracelets for Maw Maw and Ge.  We also made Valentine's scented playdoh and played with it using cookie cutter hearts.  On Friday, I made a special breakfast of heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes.  We also did an easy art craft by mixing colors and stamping hearts with a toilet paper roll.  We used the book "Mouse Paint" as a reference for color mixing.

"Mommy, I make you these hearts when I love you. Cause sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't, but sometimes I do."

Valentine's breakfast

Heart stamping and color mixing.

 

We gave Hudson a cash register.  He LOVED it.  Sissy got a cute cup with straw.  She was not forgotten!

Will and I celebrated Valentine's with a homemade dinner with some of our closest friends.  It was super yummy.  Then, Will, Brad, Stacey, and I rolled Nikki and Woody's yard.  This was because they left early and we knew they were in bed.  I am certain we started a prank war.  Bring it.

 Hudson likes movies now!  Never ever thought I would say that.  We watched The Croods and The Lorax.  He also is continuing to use more of his imagination.  At one point, his pretend time in his room transformed from dentist's office, doctor's office, tool time, school, house, and pirates in about 10 minutes.  It is a new world for both of us, and I am so thrilled.

Clara now eats at the table with us!  She is waking up at 5:30 most days.  She loves drawing and coloring.  She can make the sounds of a dog, cat, and sheep.  She can also navigate the ipad like a champ.

So happy to be with us at the table!

I tried to keep them busy with a few sensory activities.  Hudson helped me bake muffins and granola bars.  We all played with a sensory bin full of bird seed.

So, that is a hodge podge of our week!  Hoping for sunnier days this week.

Imagination

I shared a picture of Hudson using his imagination on Instagram the other day.  It was nothing profound- just a 3 year old pretending a doll and his snuggie had the stomach bug.  Yet, for this particular 3 year old boy, it was a huge milestone!  It has taken 3 and a half years for Hudson to use his imagination.  There have been glimpses here and there, but for the most part, his play has been very mechanical and repetitive.  He loved keys, doors, light switches, coins, medicine bottles, etc...  Toys have never really gotten his attention.

So, my heart was thrilled when I heard him telling his snuggie and Clara's doll to lay down, not get out of bed, and let him know when they felt the need to puke.  I listened as he comforted them, left the room, and then went back in to check on them.

I pray his imagination would continue to grow and develop and that he would create other worlds in our home and backyard.  Grateful for who he is and excited about who he will become.

Jesse Bear

Hudson and I have been loosely doing Before Five in a Row again.  I love the idea of reading a book for five days in a row, discussing it over and over, and adding a few activities in the mix.  My favorite part is that I can do as much or as little as I want.

This past week we read "Jesse Bear,What Will you Wear?"  This is a very simple book that introduces themes such as daily routines, times of day, and a clean room.

Homeschool Creations has tons of print outs that go along with BFIAR.  Hudson just isn't a fan of worksheets, so we skip those. I usually find tons of ideas on Pinterest.

Here are some things we did:

We played with our wooden dress up bears.  We discussed moods, seasons, and times of the day.

When Huds was tiny, I attended a busy bag swap.  One of the activities was felt clothes, a clothesline, and clothespins.  This was a perfect activity for this week!

We also had a Jesse Bear breakfast and lunch!

Carrots, peas, celery, apple, pear, and rice, and milk. All of Jesse Bear's lunch!

A pitiful bear pancake.

Jesse Bear plays outside in the morning and afternoon.  He plays in the sandbox, attempts to catch a butterfly, and swings.  We made sand out of cornstarch and water, made a butterfly for a craft, and played on our swing.  Easy peasy!

The cornstarch activity was Clara's favorite!

Other than that, we read the book over and over.  We did an easy bear plate craft, and we colored pictures of little bear in his red shirt and blue shorts.  We also counted and sorted with our counting bears. Along with Jesse Bear, we read other books about bears including  Mooncake, Little Bear, Corduroy, and Happy Birthday, Moon.  It was a very simple and rewarding week.

Snow Day

Yesterday morning started out pretty normal.  Will left for work, and I had plans to meet up with friends at Chick-fil-a.  Light snow dusting was predicted, but I usually don't think anything will happen..especially if the schools don't cancel.

It was colder than expected.  Snow came earlier than expected and lasted longer than expected.   Businesses and schools shut down and once, and too many people hit the roads.

It was like nothing I have ever seen.  People slept in their offices, children slept in schools, many slept on interstates and highways, and cars were abandoned as people trekked miles home.

Will spent the "snow day" trapped at school.  It was a bummer because it was a beautiful powdery snow.  The kiddos loved it.  We made snowman heads, snow angels, threw snowballs, and ate snow cream.  We drank hot chocolate and read our snow books.  We watched movies and ate cheerios for dinner.  We had a blast!  We wish Will had experienced it with us.

Snow Cream!

"Mommy, I do not live in this house anymore.  I live outside now."

Daddy finally arriving at 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon.  He had been gone since 6 the day before.

Hudson (A little over 3 1/2)

Hudson sleeps with his lights on now. Even if I turn it off before I go to bed, it is always on in the morning.

He still loves Curious George and Winnie the Pooh.  Will's mom gave him the first Curious George movie for Christmas, and he wants to watch it daily.  He never makes it all the way through.  He also likes Jake and the Never Land  Pirates.

He is still carrying around his pile of nonsense which includes 2 wallets, a tobacco tin, and 3 blood sugar checkers.  He can't seem to part with his original blood sugar checker and has a hard time sleeping if we cannot find it.

A few weeks ago, he ate dinner like this:

He wants to help me cook everyday.  A few days ago, we had a few random items in our green beans, including onion peels and pretzels.

He pretty much stopped napping.  He may nap around once a week, but it comes at a high cost.  He is up to nearly 10 at night.  The no nap is a hard adjustment for me.  Rest time just isn't the same as having both kiddos asleep for two hours during the day.

Quotable:

Me: "Hudson, don't drink that." Hudson: "Mommy, this is Dr. Pepper Coke.  Everyone drinks Dr. Pepper Coke.  Dr. Pepper Coke is good.  I need to drink all of it."

Hudson: (holding a box of doughnuts) "Mommy, I love doughnuts, but I don't like lions.  They will bite my finger off. And it would hurt.

Hudson:  (passing a blue mailbox)  "That is called running an errand, but it looks like a mailbox, so I just can't figure it out."

Hudson: (when he was in trouble) "Mommy, I am the mommy now!"

Hudson: (sniffing an alcohol pad) Me: "Stop, that will make you high!" Hudson: "You mean I will get to go in the sky!"

Hudson: "Mommy, are you about to find poop on the bathroom floor?"  (Found it!)

Hudson: "I spit in that water you are drinking."

Hudson: "Mommy, I am making that elevator go up and down with my finger."

Clara-16 months

Clara-16 months.

She weighed 20 pounds at her 15 month check up at 16 months.  She was also short, but I can't remember the length.

Loves animals.  Seriously, squeals when she sees one!

Likes to draw, flip through books, build with blocks, play kitchen, and cuddle her doll.

Says daddy, mama, hot, bye bye, bubble, what's that.

Points to body parts when asked, but gets it wrong most of the time.

Signs for more and all done and shakes her head for yes and no.

Follows simple commands.

Walks fast and everywhere.

Is sleeping from 7 to around 7...sometimes earlier and sometimes later.

Sometimes takes two naps, depending on what time she gets up.  She could survive one one.

Loves to dance to music and clap her hands.

Gives kisses, hugs, waves, blows kisses, and high fives.

Is obsessed with big brother.

Cries when I leave her, but then has fun without me!


I feel like Clara is often overshadowed by Huds.  I naturally plan for him more and interact with him the most.  She just tags along, and she is great at it.  She naturally adapts to whatever we are doing.  I am grateful for that. She is not as busy as Hudson was at this age.  I can plop her down in front of something, and she will stay and enjoy it.

This is a fun stage. I love seeing her emerge into her own personality and take in the world around her.  Everything is new and an adventure.

Tender Moments

Will caught Hudson and I in the midst of a tender moment yesterday afternoon.  We were snuggled together having a chat.

I needed to soak in that moment. In fact, it had been a sweet weekend.  He had hugged me several times and said, "Do you love this Mommy?"  Melt my heart.

The reality is that the past week has been really tough.  Will has been working 13 hour days.  Hudson has completely stopped napping.  "Rest" time has become a battle.  He has had difficulty obeying me, and my patience has been paper thin.  Not to mention the constant talking back and arguing that comes with being 3.  I feel like my emotional tank is remaining on empty.  I often respond to him in frustration and anger.

Hudson is a strong willed child.  He would rather take the punishment and do what he wants than obey.  I pray one day he is gripped by the gospel of Jesus and that his strong willed personality will be used to do damage against the enemy and bring glory to Christ.

Until then, I need to pray without ceasing, drink lots of coffee, soak in His Word, and keep my friends close!  I also need to remember these sweet moments.   I love this boy so very much.  I would never trade him for anyone else.  Grateful that God gave us each other.

He changed my entire life in one day.  In an instant, love became more scary, messy, hard, and beautiful.  To this day, he challenges me more than anyone ever has.  Oh, but it is so worth it.