Fine Motor, Sensory, and Science! Oh my!

Our first Monday at home was a busy one! Last week was technically our first week, but since Monday was a holiday, it didn't really count. Daddy got to be home with us, so it was just like an extra Saturday! Today, however, we did our best to stick to our "schedule" and be somewhat productive in our play. FYI, Mommy still has to work out some kinks in this schedule thing...like changing my alarm clock. Baby steps...

We started our day with a trip to the Dollar Tree. I've been itching to get my hands on some materials to start learning playing with! We left the store with a pretty decent load, but I'm already planning my next trip. Naturally, as soon as we got home, Lorelai was DESPERATE to open EVERYTHING! I wish I could have videoed her while we were shopping. She was absolutely mesmerized by all of the goodies on the shelves! I'll have my camera ready for our next trip.

I managed to hold Lo off until lunch was eaten and Trek was napping. After that, I just couldn't say no anymore. So we broke open the pom poms and muffin tin. I got 160 pom poms for $2! Score! Lorelai loves to sort, so she immediately started using her "alligator fingers" to move her piles around to different muffin cups. 

 

We purchased some tweezers today, too, for fine motor skill practice. I decided to go ahead and give them to her. Honestly, I didn't anticipate much success. It's a difficult task to undertake, and the girl is only 2! But, as per usual, she proved me wrong! I only had to show her once how to hold them correctly, and she was hard at work, resorting her mixed-up colors.

 

This task kept her busy until Daddy got home for lunch, and then she was quite distracted. I anticipate that, if left alone, she would sit and work with these for 30-45 minutes! 

While Lorelai was busying herself and perfecting her fine motor skills (thanks to her sneaky mom), I was working on making sensory bags for the kids to squish and squeeze when they need some cool-down time. All I needed was baggies, hair gel, and random things to mix into the bags. Cheaper is NOT better where the baggies are concerned. Lesson learned! I'll spare you the pictures, because they didn't really turn out as well as I had hoped. But I have high hopes for my next attempt, thanks to my fab sister-in-law! 

After nap and a quick Creation art project,

we headed outside to play with our Ivory Soap Experiment! Let me just say, my family and I LOVE Pinterest! They may not know that they love it, but their bellies know. And my kiddos know because they're learning playing constantly! I found this idea here. It was ridiculously simply. Microwave a bar of IVORY (it has to be Ivory brand. I don't know why...just go with it) soap on high for about 2 minutes. You can watch it and stop it sooner if need be. The consistency of this stuff is crazy cool. I think next time we play with it, we're going to make it snow in the bathtub! Outside, I let the kids mash and squish this blob to their hearts' content. The plan was to then have them add a little water and food coloring, reshape the soap, and use it in a few days in the tub. But Lorelai had other plans! Once we started adding water, she decided that all of the globs needed to be put into our pitcher. And it just went crazy from there. My natural inclination was to correct her, but I restrained myself and just let her play. It was totally worth it! The girl entertained herself for nearly an hour, stirring and pouring and mixing and mashing. I count this sensory play a HUGE success!

 

Times, They are A-Changing

The Lord has opened doors for our family that I continue to marvel at every single day! A brief explanation is in order. 

This summer, I began to feel the call on my heart to stay at home with my children. Initially, I thought that I was only being selfish, and that it really had nothing to do with following the Lord or being a better wife and mother. But the more I listened, the more I prayed and read and studied. I inquired of people who live this lifestyle, and sought wisdom from them as to why they feel it is necessary for them to stay at home with their children. Throughout the summer, God continued to convict me about where the majority of my time and energy went during the school year. Check out this brief overview of a typical day for me: 

5:50 - Alarm 

7:15 - Out the door 

4:00, 5:00, or 5:30 - Off work and headed home 

6:15 - We're lucky if supper is on the table yet 

7:00 - Bath time 

8:00 - Trek is in bed 

8:30 or 9:00 - Lorelai is in bed 

10:00 - CRASH! 

Where is there time for my family in this scenario? Sure, we MIGHT have 45 minutes at the dinner table together. And we MAY have 30-40 minutes of play time after baths. But not usually! The more I considered my life, and the struggles that I actually took the time to notice, the more I realized that my job was getting the best of me. And I LOVED my job! God has given me the ability to teach, and He's given me a love for young, energetic students. So why on earth was I spending 8-10 hours per day with OTHER people's children?! Why was I investing all of my time and energy into serving them? and then coming home completely exhausted, at the end of my rope, and honestly, just plain mean!? So I continued to pray. Fervently. I began to ask very close friends to pray for specific things in my life. And God began to move. He began to soften Jeremy's heart to the importance of me being in the home. He began to show us ways that we could cut back financially in order to survive on one income. He began to open up avenues of communication between the two of us, so that we could share our hearts in a more clear way. God is a miracle worker! 

But I did end up going back to work. After talking and praying and "crunching numbers", we decided to give it until December. That was our compromise, and I thought that I could be okay with that. But I was not. After 1 1/2 days of work (both kids ended up sick almost immediately), I had had enough. Not because I had a "bad job", but because it was not the right job. My mother, in all of her wisdom, suggested I cut my work week to 2 days per week, pull the kids out of school, and stay home with them part-time. Genius! Why didn't we think of this sooner?! Immediately, everything fell into place. And last week, I began my journey of being a part-time Stay at Home Mom. This is not the end of my journey. I am pushing for full time, but that will happen in God's time. I believe that He is faithful. And when He calls you so clearly to something, through His Word and other believers, He will make a way for things to happen for His glory. 

I am still learning. Still searching. Still seeking wisdom. I'm finding it in Scripture, in preaching, in reading, and in women who are traveling this road to the glory of God. I am seeking to honor Him with my life. It is not my own. I have been given the most precious gift in all the world. The gift of children. I desire to maximize my time with them! I will do without earthly comforts and treasures, if only to spend more hours investing in the lives of my babies. I desire to serve my husband better, by being home more and dedicating my time to maintaining our household. I am committed to walking beside and behind him as he leads us in the Lord, and I only want to encourage and strengthen him as we grow together in Christ. I pray that God will use me to minister to others. 

I have no desire to mince words and make everything all sunshine and rainbows. This is hard. This is messy. This is a struggle. But we will do it, and we will do it to the glory of God. May His name be made famous in us. I love to read, and I especially love to read books from which I can gain wisdom. I encourage you to check out these books about the biblical call of wives and mothers. I found both of them in the Amazon Kindle store. I am always looking for more suggestions about where I can gain wisdom and biblical knowledge that I know is necessary to raise our children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." 

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney 

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.

Welcome Back

To say I haven't blogged in a while would be an understatement. I just looked back at my most recent posts, and I was last seen updating about my 10 month old...who is now almost 16 months. Yikes! I believe a quick, relatively brief update is in order! My sweet babies are growing like crazy! Actually, I think at this point in their lives, they're changing more than they're growing...but I digress

Lorelai Roxane is just over 3 months away from her third birthday. WHAT?! She's 2, going on 16. Lorelai is the funniest kid I know. She is so very animated, and she absolutely loves to tell and retell stories. We also love to sing...no surprise there! Lo thinks she's one of the adults, and would usually much rather hang out with Mommy and Daddy's friends rather than the wild bunch of kids we run with. She's very bright, but I'm a bit partial, too. I'm very excited to nurture her ability to remember and recall...who knows where that will take us! 

My wild mad is now RUNNING everywhere! He has quickly caught up to his peers, despite my continuous worry over him in his first 12ish months. Trek Hamilton is a big ball of energy. He's a loud, rough-and-tumble Mommy's boy. He has a temper that might surprise you...especially if all you've ever seen of him is his sweet smile and deep dimples. The boy can bite and head-butt like a pro! He loves hard, and he plays hard. T-man loves to climb and jump and wrestle, and he has the bumps and bruises that go well with being a tough boy. And I wouldn't have it any other way! I love that, despite his fits for Mommy, he really is a rough, rowdy boy! Trek has an incredibly contagious laugh, and a surprisingly still-gummy grin (we still only have 6 teeth). He is brave and sweet and funny and trying. He is my child that tests my limits, and always has a lot of love to give :). 

Jeremy and I are so very excited that we get to be Lorelai and Trek's parents. How lucky are we?! God is doing great things in our family! Lots of changes are taking place! But that's for another post, on another day.

Her Favorite Friend

Do you remember your favorite friend from your childhood? I don't mean a real friend, I mean an imaginary friend. A toy even. I remember having a baby doll that I prayed for when I said my prayers. I remember that I gave her baths, which caused her eyes to stop opening and closing correctly. I feel like I should issue a public apology to my parents for any and all incidents involving said baby doll. Maybe she didn't drive them crazy. But I'm a Mommy now, and I would be willing to bet that she did.

Lorelai has a favorite friend. It started out innocent enough. She got a cute little kitten for Christmas from Aunt Jan. Nothing fancy. Just a little white cat that fits in the palm of my hand. Simple enough. And she's gotten so many little toys like that. The child has a ridiculous amount of little toys! But there must have been something about this cat, because now they are inseparable. I'm not kidding...Catty (name courtesy of the creative mind of a 2 year old) is the first thing Lo talks about when she wakes up, and the last things she asks about when she goes to sleep. Catty is everywhere. And I hate Catty.

I know, I know. I'm a terrible mother. Just tonight, while Jeremy and I were in the kitchen getting burgers ready for tomorrow, I heard Lorelai having a conversation with Catty. I shook my head and said, "I will not be sad when we lose Catty." He told me how terrible I was, and I know this to be true. But I. Hate. Catty. Yes, Lorelai loves her, and she will probably be devastated when/if anything ever happens to her. And yes, I should be sad when/if that day comes. And while it will certainly hurt my heart to see my sweet Lo upset over Catty, I will not miss her. I will probably do a little happy dance behind closed doors.

It's silly, really. She's just a little cat. She doesn't make noise or move, at least not on her own. She doesn't require batteries or maintenance. She doesn't take up a lot of room. But my sweet chatter box of a child is CONSTANTLY talking to/about Catty. She's constantly throwing her or catching her or hugging her or yelling at her. "Where Catty, Mommy?" "Catty gone get you!" "Watch Catty, Mommy!" "Look at Catty! She right they-ah!" "I want Catty, Mommy!" "Here comes her, Mommy!" 

I love Lorelai. I love her imagination. I love her spunk and her humor. I love her intensity. I love every single thing about her. 

But I. Hate. Catty

Trek Hamilton - 10 Months Old

Happy 10 months Trek-man! It is blowing my mind that my sweet baby boy is almost a year old already! He is still growing like crazy.

See what I mean?! Trek is so much fun. He changes every single day. Here are just a few things he's doing this month.

Trek, at 10 months old, you:

• weigh in at 22 lbs, and you are 29.5 inches long! You are wearing 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
• still have no teeth! Just last week I really thought we were about to see some, but I was wrong! You're taking your time, just like your sister did.
• are not very mobile. You are quite lazy, content to just sit in one spot and play all day long. Still no crawling, pulling up, or cruising. But if you are really after something, you usually find a very creative way to get to it.
• are an excellent sleeper. You take 2-3 fairly long naps a day, and sleep 8-11 hours each night! Mommy and Daddy are VERY thankful for that!
• have already had 2 haircuts, and you will soon need another one. :)
• have the cutest little laugh! You do a sweet, low-pitch giggle when something amuses you, and you are constantly laughing big belly laughs at your sister.
• are very much a people person. You do not like to be left alone, and you do not appreciate being ignored. Independent, you are not!
• have struggled a little with your health. You seem to have some type of cold or congestion every 2-3 weeks. It makes us sad, but you are such a trooper!
• can finally clap! Mommy didn't think you would ever be interested in it, but you started a couple of weeks ago. Maybe now we can work more on our signs! :)
• are fascinated with shoes, feet, and anything with wheels. 
• love dogs!

I could go on forever about our boy! Since it's been so long since a "Watch Me Grow" post, I feel like I am leaving so much out!

Just a couple of weeks ago, Trek and Lorelai started going to school full time. We were very torn over this decision, but it was one that had to be made. It was becoming a little too difficult for everyone's schedules to work with ours. It makes me sad that they're not with our family all of the time, but they are adjusting really well to school. Lorelai is loving all of the time she gets to spend outside! And she's a big hit with her teachers, since she's not afraid to open her mouth and tell them whatever she thinks they need to know! :) And I am really loving having them in the same hallway with me every day. I can go sneak a peek and steal a kiss whenever I want! We are more than thankful for the 2+ years that our families have given to care for our children. There is absolutely no way we could every express our gratitude, and we will forever be grateful for the sacrifices they've made for us and for our babies.

My kids are growing so fast! Way too fast for my liking! Lorelai is completely potty trained, and she is definitely entering her "terrible twos." While she's certainly not terrible, she is figuring out that she can try and bend the rules. Sometimes she's little Miss Defiant. But mostly she's still our sweet girl. She gives much more love, hugs, and kisses than she ever has before, and I am LOVING that! 

It's been said a thousand times before, but these kids change so quickly! If I blink, I miss it. I am so fortunate that I am able to spend so much time with them. Yes, I work...sometimes very long days. But I have holidays and time with them that others don't have with their children. For every moment, I am thankful.

It's Movie Night!

More often than not, my evenings pass in such a blur, that I don't even really know what I've done until I'm drifting off to sleep and making my to-do list for the next day. Most of them consist of cooking and cleaning up after dinner, changing diapers, bathing kids, taming toddler tantrums, and finally getting the kids to bed, usually before 8:30. There may even be the occasional load of laundry or quick sweep and mop of the floors before I finally drag myself to bed, sometime between 9:00 and 11:00. Before you roll your eyes and click away, this isn't a pity party, I promise. Hang with me!

It seems like I've been seeing a lot of posts of Facebook and Twitter about movie nights lately. You know the ones... "Snuggled up with my babies watching a movie!" or "Curled up on the couch with my loves for movie night!" I don't know about you, but these posts make me want to throw up in my mouth just a little. Not because I think movie nights or snuggles are silly. No way. It likely stems from fierce jealousy. Who do these people think they are?! Don't they have responsibilities?! How in the world is their house so clean and their children so well-behaved?! Or the best one yet...I must not love my kids because we NEVER have movie night! Well, no more excuses! Tonight, we were doing a movie night!

The idea came to me while the 4 of us were hanging out on the kitchen floor. It seems that we've been spending a lot of time there lately. Trek really enjoys the toys we have on the refrigerator, so that's usually where we "drop" him while we unload everything else at the end of the day. Then it seems like we all end up in the floor for at least a minute or two, discussing dinner plans, sharing about our day, and stealing kisses from the kiddos. It's a lot of fun really, and I'm often tempted to stay there until bedtime! Stupid responsibilities...

So Jeremy was going to be gone, and the kids and I were going to get in our PJs early, make a pallet in the floor of blankets and pillows, and snuggle up to enjoy a movie. I pictured it in my head perfectly. We would laugh and eat cheese balls (per Lorelai's request) and Jeremy would find us all cuddled up and fast asleep when he got home. And that's exactly how it happened...in my head.

Everyone did actually cooperate really well at first! Lorelai didn't find anything to complain about, and Trek was full and happy when we turned off the lights and sat down to start the movie. We were all giggling and playing and dancing to the music. It really was perfect! Lorelai is such a goof ball, so she broke out her fake laugh before the previews were even over. (Yes, we watched previews. We took it old school and watched a VHS tonight! *gasp*). Trek thinks his sister is hilarious, so he cracked up every time she laughed! We were definitely enjoying ourselves. And then it happened. My sweet boy got sick. He got really sick! To say it was everywhere would be an understatement. Just like that, our snuggles and giggles were over, and my brain switched to "gotta-get-things-done" mode.

Everybody needed a bath, and everything had to be washed. Thankfully, both kids were extremely cooperative, and by 8:00, Trek was cozy in his bed, and Lorelai was dancing to "Bibbity-bobbity-boo" in her clean PJs. The best part of our evening came when my sweet girl crawled into my lap and fell asleep snuggled against my neck. I could have put her to bed immediately. I knew she was exhausted and I wouldn't bother her by moving her. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, we laid together for almost an hour. I tried my best to memorize everything about holding my Lorelai. I couldn't help but steal kisses and thank God for every single second of our night together.

So maybe we didn't have the perfect movie night. Maybe we didn't even make it to Cinderella's breakfast delivery. Maybe we never got to eat those cheese balls. But we did make some wonderful memories!

Watch Me Grow - 5 Months

If it seems like this is the only time I ever blog, that's because it is! Once a month is apparently all that I can handle at the present time. We work and play too much for blogging, but I do like to brag on my babies any chance that I get!

Last Saturday, Trek-man had his 5 month "birthday!" To say that my boy is getting big would be an understatement. I weighed him on Saturday, and he tipped the scales at a whopping 18.2 pounds! For those of you who are keeping up, that's just 3 pounds shy of tripling his birth weight, which is what most babies do by their first birthday. Check out these uber-sweet pictures of our handsome little dude!

Trek Hamilton, at 5 months, you:

• Weigh 18.2 pounds, and are wearing 6-12 month clothing
• are beginning to show your sweet personility! You are very smiley :)
• love to talk and squeel! Just last week you really found your voice. We think it is so funny!
• sleep very well at night. Occassionally we have to get up and soothe you back to sleep, but we have completely cut out all night time feedings.
• love your sister the most! She loves to talk to you and play with you, and you just laugh and laugh! We are very excited for the 2 of you to be friends. :)
• have made the adjustment to formula well. Your tummy seems to be responding just fine!
• love to eat your cereal at night! Since you've learned to blow bubbles, you think it's pretty funny to spit your cereal and watch Mommy laugh.
• are more schedule orriented than any of the rest of your family. You like your bedtime routine, and you very rarely let me leave out a step!
• finally started bearing weight on your legs this month! Mommy was beginning to be very concerned about this, even though everyone told us that you would do things slower because of your size. You're still pretty lazy about it, but that's ok with us!
• really love to snuggle. You're going to be attached to your blankets just like your sister is!
• are working on sitting up unassisted, but I think we still have a couple of months to go. You still need to build up those back and neck muscles to support all of that weight!
• do NOT like to miss your naps! You are usually only asleep for 2 hours at a time before you are ready to sleep again. That's okay with Mommy, because you still sleep so well at night.

I cannot believe that our kids are growing so quickly! Lorelai is changing so much, too. She is quite the chatter box. Just the other day, Jeremy and I were having a conversation in the car. We were discussing something pretty important, although I don't remember exactly what it was at the moment. Any time one of us would stop talking for even a second, Lorelai would start to repeat what we were saying! At one point, we both just looked at her and laughed. It was like she was so interested in what we were talking about! She is so funny to us!

Lorelai loves the Rangers. I know, we've raised her well! She knows when they're on the tv. And when she hasn't seen them in a while, she starts to ask about them. During the long stretch after they won their division and all of the other teams were playing, she would often bring us the remote control and say, "Rangers!" We would just laugh and say, "Sorry Lo! They're not playing tonight!" It may be a long off-season for us at the Mitchell house...

We wouldn't be able to do the things we do without our families. Everytime I sit and reflect on the fact that all of our grandparents, and nearly all of our great grandparents are in town, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my King. I am so very grateful that the Lord has allowed us to live in the same town with our families. I don't know how I would make it without them. They are so essential to my survival! :)

We are blessed. We are thankful. We desire to bring glory to the Father in all things.