Saturday, September 28, 2013

Imaginary Freind

Jack William has an imaginary friend.

His name is Ted.

Sometimes he rides in the car with us while we take B to preschool.

Sometimes he holds Jack's blankie.

Sometimes he just hangs out.

But he always has great stories!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Friends

We made a lot of friends this summer.  Mostly froggies and wormies and toads.  It started out with the wormies.  We found them in the garden, mostly.  Then it grew to froggies and toads, rolly polly caterpillars and grasshoppers.  And bunnies and baby birds, too.

Jack will hunt for froggies and wormies and toads for hours.  All day really.  Teaching a two year old not to squash a frog or toad is pretty difficult in itself.  But he has gotten much more gentle over the summer.  And we only let the boys keep their critters for a few minutes before they are off to find another one.  Here are some pictures from over the summer.
How Charlotte hunts for wormies, froggies and toads.

He is so determined.
He even catches frogs all by himself.

The toad house we built

Dragon fly


Rescued bunny, born in the garden, ate all the beets.


Little baby bird in the raspberry bushes.

Wowwy Powwy catapiwwer.


catch and release. 
Don't forget the kisses.
Lots and lots of kisses.
They are going to have warts forever.

young siblings

There is something so wonderful about young siblings.  How much they love each other, how sweetly they care for each other, and how magnetizing their presence is to each other.  Sometimes I have to haul Jack and Brayden apart by their collars!  :)

Since Charlotte was born, Brayden has blossomed into the Big Brother of the Century.  He has helped Jack pick out his clothes, all the way down to his undies and socks, helped him get dressed, even helps him find his shoes and put them on.  He also loves to help give Charlie her bath, and I have to remember to be patient, to let him splash water and spill.  It is just his way of loving her now while she is little and can't do much else.


He talks so sweetly to her and always asks to hold her.  He holds her nuk in the car and finds her toys in the house.

She doesn't crawl yet, but she scoots over to what ever her brothers are doing and invites her curios little self into their trouble.  She loves their cars.  I always know that she has one when I hear Jack yell "NO SHAR-WETTE!"   One day we were driving home from the grocery store and Jack said, to no one in particular "Hey all you bad guys, this is our baby!  And if you take her or hurt her, we will punch you!  And yell at you!"  Needless to say he loves his little baby sister, too.  Even if his love is just a little bit rough, and occasionally terrifying for his little sister.  What can I say?  It is a wild, rambunctious two year old kind of love.  :)




I wish I could bottle their sweetness, save their love for each other for later.  For when they aren't so sweet on each other.  For the times when just a little baby love, a little sibling magic from their past would work magic on their hearts and would entwine their little hands together again.  Like when we walk into the grocery store and we are a line of mama and baby Charlotte in her seat, Jack holding my hand and Brayden holding Jack's (unless it was a day that Jack threw down a shrieking fit in order to hold just Brudder's hand).


Charlotte, who put that hat on your head?

They love, love, love books.




Thursday, September 12, 2013

First Day of Preschool

B had is first day of pre-school.



He didn't want us to walk him in.  So the three of us just walked him to the door and chatted with his assistant teacher... who told me I could hand in his paperwork to his teacher...in the class room! So we walked him all the way in and helped him do his attendance chef's hat (he has to find his name and put it in the envelope so his teacher knows he is there).  We got to chat for a few minutes, hand in his paperwork and he was off, ready to paint and play.  I hugged him tight and turned him loose.  And then Jack, Charlotte and I went out the door...Jack and I were both a little bit teary leaving "brudder" behind.


And then we picked him up to take him home.  He gave me the biggest, tightest hug!  Which brought me to just a few more tears.  We quizzed him and quizzed him on what he learned.  He just kept saying "nothin.  We just played, guys."  Oh.  Okay.  

But then he told us that they were quiet.  That they had to practice being quiet.  That they had to listen.  That they had to be quiet a lot.  When he told his daddy about pre-school, that is what he remembered the most, because that is what he told Jeremiah, too.  A couple of times.

Hmmm.

I just might love pre-school.  :)

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Pre-school Orientation

Well, the suspense has been building around here.  It started with a back pack.
And new shoes.  And conferences.

And today, we dropped Charlotte and Jack off with friends and I took Brayden to pre-school orientation.  With 13 other parent kid combos.  One mom and daughter walked in with us and she couldn't stop crying (the mama), so that made me feel better.  Because I could not-cry...mostly because I didn't want to embarrass Brayden.  Or want him to know that I was worried.  Uncomfortable.  Itchy.  Mama Bear defensive.  OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE sharing him with a classroom of people who would start the long line of teachers outside of Jeremiah and I.

He held my hand while we walked in the door.

We were late, of course.

But we snuck in behind Ms. Carla.  Teacher, Brayden called her.

He did great.  After about 30 seconds, he jumped in.  He played independently.  He used all of his manners.  When the teacher told the whole class about the jobs they would do when they first came in the door, he proudly shared that he has jobs at home-the trash with daddy and sliver ware and chocolate, and she was sweet with her reply.

She knows kids well.

I watched her with all of them, helping the noisy ones learn control, helping the fidgety ones be calm.  Letting the others sit on their mama's laps while they got comfortable in her space.

Now we just have to get our homework done by the Tuesday, when my big (little) guy (baby) goes off by himself.

Dontcrydontcrydontcryitsonlypreschool.