the window - the window

Sometime during this last half of the year, Bryson Jr. learned a song in his music class that he thought was hilarious.  It takes nursery rhymes and sets them to song - but then the ending has quite a twist to it!  For example - he came home singing... 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 

All the King's horses and all the King's men...

THREW HIM OUT THE WINDOW! 

The window, the window

The 2nd story window! 

He will sing this every so often & still laughs about how funny the ending is. 

On Monday when we got back from our morning swimming lessons, I told the kiddos to run inside and change as the Thiriot boy cousins were coming up to play.  I was on the phone talking to my sister-in-law when suddenly Madeleine let out a cry and I looked over and she had fallen down the window well!  One of her legs was sticking out and her arms were above her head and I quickly ended the phone call and ran to help her.  It turns out she had wanted to help out by watering the plants first, and had gone to turn on the hose - which is located right by the window well - and she lost her footing and fell down.  She was shaken up & had a few scrapes on her arms.  Thankfully the towel around her waist had helped cover her below and she didn't get injured, but we had a talk about when I ask them (the children) to do something, they need to obey.  We have a lot of experiences when they don't listen and inevitably they get hurt.  Hmmmm....you'd think they would see the connection and just obey - but it seems to be part of the lessons of life that they must try this out again and again. 

The good news is that Madeleine wasn't hurt in any major way & she even smiled later that night when we were talking about the experience and I suddenly started to sing the song that Bryson Jr. had learned - changing the words about how Madeleine fell down the window well.  

Hopefully this is a sign that this life lesson was learned & that with age comes the ability to laugh at ourselves...even just a little bit :) 

what is sounds like

While we were in the car a few weeks ago picking Jacob up from school, the kiddos were talking in the back seat and I was casually listening to their conversation.  It seemed harmless for awhile, but then as boys do they started to use words that rhyme or went from one word to the next - with each word getting sillier and more along the lines of "potty" language (words that creep to the dirty diaper stage...why boys think those words are so funny to say I have no idea!  Maybe once we have dirty diapers to change in the house, they'll want to talk about flowering violets.  One can wish!).

Suddenly, Jacob is talking and all I hear is "....and DIARRHEA" 

"Jacob!  We do not say that word in a joking way.  That is not a word you want to use that way." 

"But Mom...." 

"No, there are exceptions.  It's not a word to use when you are kidding around." 

Suddenly Jacob was in tears and through his crying he said, "It's just a book in our class - the Diarrhea of a Spider." 

My heart sunk as I realized MY mistake.  

"Oh honey, you are talking about the book the DIARY of a Spider!  The way you said it sounded like a different word.  You want to say it DIARY - without the extra A at the end of the word." 

"Okay Mom - the Diary-a of a Spider - is that right?" 

We practiced saying the word a few more times, and finally he got it.  

I'm still learning the fine line of listening to what the kiddos are saying - and KNOWING what they are saying!

*******

Another time I was driving Jacob up to the school, he leaned forward and whispered, "Mom, Bryson said the S word yesterday!"

I froze a little bit as I thought this is it - the time when I have to explain what a swear word actually is.

I tried to keep my voice calm as I asked, "Oh yeah, and what was that S word?"

Bracing myself for the worst, Jacob again whispered to me....

"He said stupid!"

Phew - crisis averted.  I affirmed to Jacob that that is not a word we use in our family & home, and thanked him for knowing that it was not a nice word.  And then I chuckled inside at how naive our little world is right now.  I hope that we can stay this way for quite some time to come! 

what to expect

For Mother's Day we gave a simple present to our children & then our moms that included this picture...

Our family is growing by TWO FEET!  

Coming 12.12.12

We told the kiddos after church - even though I'm only about 9 weeks along, the last two weeks has brought on the lovely 24 hour sickness that I experienced with each pregnancy.  I do believe that each pregnancy has gotten better --- or maybe I just don't remember how terrible the previous pregnancy was!  We decided we needed to tell the kiddos as I was starting to feel worse, and they were starting to ask questions why I was throwing up so much, why I wouldn't go downstairs to tuck them in bed (the smell of that basement puts me over the edge!), and have wondered why around 8/8:30pm each night I  need to be laying down for the night - if I'm up late or move after 9'ish there is more of a chance that I'll throw up...bodies are so strange but interesting aren't they?!  

Here are the kiddos before opening the bag which held the baby booties - which was to be their clue to figure out that we are having a baby....

I wish the video I took of their reactions would upload - but I'm guessing it's too big & I have yet to figure out how to edit videos on this computer.  I'll recap their reactions & some day I'll work to get the video up.  They each reacted par their personalities...Bryson & I were laughing at how funny it was to have them figure out that first of all the baby booties were not for their little cousins Noel & Juliet, they weren't for anyone but them...which we then had to help with some other clues such as there would be a present coming in December & no it wasn't related to Santa Claus (one of their guesses).  We finally threw them the line that the present would be a baby brother or sister that would be coming in time for Christmas --- which we got BIG eyes & grins in response and also these reactions: 

Madeleine - just kept giggling & giggling :)  She giggles a lot when she is excited and doesn't know what to say :) 

Bryson - kept asking "Really?  Really?"  "How do you know?  Are you sure?"  He is our logical boy :) 

Jacob - asked "Will we get to keep it?"  with his huge smile & goofy face on....he is our comic relief in our family :) 

I actually felt so good the first few weeks that we thought maybe my body had changed due to being older and therefore perhaps my hormones had changed to make the pregnancy easier & that I wouldn't get (as) sick.  Oh that was good wishful thinking!  :)  

Some days are terrible, and some days are manageable....I have unbelievable nausea so most of the time I am sucking on hard candy (a complete no-no in our house because of what it does to your teeth!), chewing a flavorful gum and I've been known to get a slurpee almost every day.  The taste of that Mango flavored Slurpee is one of the few things I can tolerate.   I love sour things - which I remember really craving Sour Patch Kids & Slurpees when I was expecting Madeleine...perhaps it's a girl, but I don't want to say and jinx it!  We would be happy with either gender of course - it would be fun awesome to have another girl though....Madeleine so wants a sister! 

My sense of smell is amazing - Bryson says I should go hunting or use my nose for some great purpose right now.  As I write this I can smell the candle that is UNLIT, and on the table about 2 feet away - but it smells like it's right under my nose.  In church on Sunday, we were sitting in the chapel for our Sunday School class - we were back about 3/4 of the way and suddenly I turned to Bryson and asked what that intense smell was?  He looked at me like I was slightly crazy (which I am), and told me he didn't smell anything.  I told him it smelled like someone was painting their nails - and then I realized it was the smell of the dry erase marker that the teacher was using at the front of the chapel.  Again it smelled like it was right next to me it was so intense!  

The bad news with the smells is that I hate going into our bathroom - I usually start to gag, and then that has led to throwing up multiple times.  The smell of the fridge is more than I can handle - so sadly my fridge which I love to keep organized & moving food along that is past its' date & needs to be thrown out --- is all just thrown in there in a random order.  Sad, sad.  As mentioned above, I don't go downstairs - unless it is really needed, and then I plug my nose & make a run for it...looks so silly I'm sure!  Then there is the smell of people - wow, there are some strong smells out there!  The other day Madeleine had her violin performance at the school - my mom came to support Madeleine and sat by me & right away I knew that seating arrangement wasn't going to work.  She was trying to talk to me, and I kept my head another way -- then finally I told her I wasn't trying to be rude, but either it was her laundry detergent or her soap was making me ill....so Bryson and I swapped seats and he sat by and I sat by the aisle where I smelled no one! :)  Everyone in the family has made me gag at least once with their smell - I can't stand the smell of Madeleine's shampoo, so after she gets out of the shower I can't have her around me until her hair is dried...which is so sad!  I'm not as sensitive to Bryson's smell as I have been on past pregnancies - with Madeleine I couldn't have him anywhere near me most days during a really bad spell!  Now, I can definitely smell him when he is out of the shower & getting ready, but I either hide under the blanket or if I'm feeling up to it I get out of bed and attempt to help the kids get ready for school.  

We are all excited about having a baby in the family again....Jacob turns 6 this September & so it's the biggest span we have between children.  We've been feeling for awhile that another baby might be ready to join our family - we talked about it every so often in NY, but life was absolutely crazy there and the minute we'd talk about it we'd realize that it would put our family over the stress edge.  When we moved here to Utah and life calmed down considerably - we realized it was probably time to start listening to our hearts and let this baby come if the timing was right.  Bryson & I joked that it was a good thing our hearts won over our heads because our heads kept telling us we were older, it had been too long & that we were in a phase of life that was rather pleasant right now...why go backwards & start over with a baby?!  That's why when you get an answer to a prayer you can't argue with it...it might defy all logic and thinking of the mind...but it makes sense in your heart & you know it's right.  

It's been fun to tell family as it's helping me to be more excited about it all & to make it feel real.  Before then it felt like we were pretending that we were going to have a baby - now with more people that will know & definitely the sickness aspect...it feels VERY real! 

We will probably find out what the gender is when the 18-20 week mark rolls around - ever since I guessed that Madeleine was a boy & felt that Jacob was a girl...I'm grateful to get to know & plan on the right gender that will be added to our family.  If only I could wrap up the pregnancy years by finally having TWINS...that would be my dream!  You are welcome to pray with me for that one :)  

magic time

For the last 5 minutes in class each day, Jacob's teacher takes out a book and reads a chapter with the children.  They have read Magic Tree House (MTH) books since Jacob has been going to the class, and he loves them!  We have collected a few over the years as the series was a favorite with Madeleine & Bryson as well.

Last week, Bryson Jr. cleared off all the MTH books from his bookshelf and brought them to Jacob....who was thrilled to see so many of his favorite books in one spot.  We tried to read them for his bedtime story, but often if the kiddos do not get in bed on time, they lose the privilege of having a story.

Instead, in the morning after Jacob & I wave goodbye to the older 2 kiddos who are now walking to school (hooray for good weather and that they think it's wonderful to get to walk on their own!) - we get one of his chapter books and we snuggle up on the couch to have our read.  I love how entertaining the book is, and yet it's full of historical facts from the specific time that the characters Jack & Annie travel to. 




We've had a lot of fun reading together my Jacob and I - it's quite magical to just sit down and get to read for our chapter (or two or three) each morning.  These happy & magical moments are brought to you by the Magic Tree House series :)

missing

The boys worked most of the day yesterday turning a rectangle piece of wood into Bryson's dream Pinewood Derby vehicle.  And what type of fast, sleek, and amazing vehicle did he choose?  The WINNEBAGO.  Oh yes he did & thinking more about it, what a perfect match-up that is!  Bryson's an all-in-one type of kiddo, he wants the biggest bang for the buck in what he does and what he gets....so I suppose an all in one vehicle makes absolute sense for that boy!

The exact Winnebago he has his eye on to paint wouldn't copy - so click HERE to check it out.  Bryson Sr. & I have no idea how to accomplish that paint job on the piece of wood!

The only problem is that today no luck on finding the Winnebago.  He thought he put it on his dresser - and after searching his room, the house - it's nowhere to be found.

Either we hope and pray we can find it within the next 24 hours....or a new Winnebago will have to be made.  Again.

Thankfully Bryson's version isn't as pricey as a real one....although finding another few hours this week to sand and work on the wood isn't exactly what we need.  Please, oh please, let's find that Winnebago! 

Central Park ~ Spring 2010

I am working to do a photo book at least every other month this year - however to get through the thousands of images I have it should be at least a book or two each month!

This is my latest order - I needed to do a quick project as the deadline/deal I was trying to use at Shutterfly was expiring within 24 hours.  I can't believe how much the online sites have improved since they started - I can add so many embellishments, change the paper, and add captions/words anywhere on the page.  It's almost like original scrapbooking - it's just not multi-dimensional but I've been really happy with the results!

This is from 2 years ago (I'm so far behind!) the spring when we were able to go into Central Park with a photographer that needed some subjects for a photo shoot.  I'm so glad that we got in on this - the memories of the day & of course the pictures are priceless!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Go to  Shutterfly photo books. to start your own book.....they are 20% off for Mother's Day!  

girls just wanna have fun!

For Activity Days the girls are getting ready for a Mother & Daughter Garden Luncheon we are having. They put together the invites tonight - I had the print done, but they made a flower & wrap for the card & we think they were cute! Added bonus - the girls have a headband for their American Girl dolls :)

We then mod-podged a flower vase using the stain glass technique - I was amazed & impressed that the girls finished & that a huge mess wasn't made!

I forgot to take a picture of the girls - our fingers were rather sticky all night, but these were some of the end results. It's a lot of fun serving in a calling where I get to hang out with Madeleine :)