This and That

What a crazy couple of months we have had! We have finally almost finished painting the house--the only rooms left are the downstairs bathroom and the dining room. Unfortunately, we need the bathroom tiled before we can install the toilet, and we haven't had much luck getting Chris' friend, who promised to help us out, to actually help. We've replaced several light fixtures, and we finally have some art on the walls.

Katie's off to a fantastic start in second grade. Seriously, how can she be in second grade already?! So far, she's gotten all As on her assignments, so I hope she can continue with the good work. Lately, she's been wanting to read more than what is required nightly for school, so I hope she continues her love of books. Luckily, she makes friends easily, so she has become friends with several girls in the neighborhood and in her class. In fact, our next door neighbor is only a year older than Katie, and they have quickly become good friends.

Aidan is adjusting well to Pre-K. I must admit, I was worried about him. He can be kind of shy, and for the longest time, he would cry if any child came up and tried to play with him. However, he loves school and has made a couple of good friends, one of whom lives across the street from us. His name is Hayden, and he and Aidan rode bikes together in our driveway and on our sidewalk last Saturday. He always wants to do "homework", which are simply those activity books I found in the $1 section at Target that is geared for Pre-K--things like learning the beginning sounds of words and writing letters. He has become much more well-rounded lately. He is enjoying his Thomas trains again, as well as his Imaginext Batcave and playing Nintendo. He's asking to play t-ball again, which is perfect because Hayden plays t-ball and his dad is a coach, so Aidan will be very happy!

Noah has been a bit more of a challenge. Lately, he fights speech therapy and refuses to repeat anything for Trip. Instead, he will talk up a storm any other time, but it's only half in English. He has his own language, and I know he's telling me about his days because I catch familiar words mixed in with his words! However, this has been my most trying week with him. He has become very stubborn and determined to get his way, and he's actually quite strong. I don't know where he has learned this, but he pushes his siblings and will throw hard toys at us. Keep in mind, he only does this at home--he's great around other kids or adults! On Tuesday, I went into our utility closet to throw something away, and he slammed the door while my head got caught between the door and the door frame! Needless to say, it hurt for a long time, and though I rarely spank my children, he got two swats on his bottom and went to time out. Once my pain subsided, I talked with him and explained that he gave me a boo-boo and was not being a good boy. He decided to stay in his room for an hour more. I am at my wit's end. I must admit, I am at a complete loss with how to discipline Noah. When he gets into a stubborn mood, he cannot be reasoned with. He will cry if one of his siblings, in trying to play with him, plays with any of his toys because he thinks they are taking his things. Any advice on discipling Noah is appreciated. He will stay in time out, but I'm not sure how much of an effect it has on him, you know? Every time he hits, he goes to time out, but we are still having the same behavior.

Chris and I have been working a lot lately. I've been helping out at Van Adams Jewelers, but Chris and I have also been helping Van get his rental house cleaned and ready to sell. His ex-wife used to live in the house and completely destroyed the place--we've been tearing and scraping wallpaper, scrubbing the bathrooms and kitchen, scrubbing doors and baseboards, and we will help paint. Van is getting new carpet and a kitchen floor, since a leaky sink destroyed the hardwood in the kitchen--such a shame. We're doing this to help Van and also to earn some extra money to fix up our own house.

Peaches has been enjoying having a fenced in yard and loves playing ball outside. Unfortunately, she got into some mouse bait that was hidden the garage, so she's currently at an emergency vet with Chris. Luckily, Chris knew immediately what she was playing with, so he took her in. They've induced her to vomit, and we're hoping she can make a full recovery. Chris mentioned that he's getting rid of the bait when he gets home--it's just not worth it. He had our exterminator set the bait just in case there were unwelcome guests who made our garage their home while the house was vacant--not that we've seen any, thank goodness. Please keep Peaches in your prayers--she's such a sweet, loyal girl who loves the kids as though they were her own, and whose been there for us when we need her.