The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbed up the water spout...

Down came the rain and washed the spider out...

this moment brought to you by starfall.com  :)

Andrew: 3 months

When I was pregnant I was continually told that 3rd kids tend to be the wild card, not to expect them to be like either of your other children.  I wasn't sure what to think.  Andrew has proven this to be true.  He is our first high-needs baby.  He must be held a specific way to calm down.  He hated the traditional swing we had bought for him, but we discovered he loved the Cradle swing the church had, so we went shopping again and he is happy.  He will fuss if his diaper is wet, and let us know he needs a change.  He has also had some issues with being regular so that has caused some new experiences for the family.  He seems to have some reflux so he disliked laying on his back to sleep so again we went shopping and got a "Rock and Play" Cradle for him, it keeps him at a comfortable angle and rocks gently as well.  It even seems he is picky about what mommy eats, which mommy isn't so sure she likes.

At least he is starting to coo and roll over so he reacts more to all of us.  Making the hard times easier to handle and keep us looking at the big picture that he won't be this little forever.

Andrew's happy place!

Financial Peace

We just graduated from Financial Peace University, a 9 week class on Biblical personal finances.  Dave Ramsey, who teaches in the video segments is known for his stance on debt, it all bad get rid of it.  Debt snowball and Baby steps are a few of his tag lines.  Honestly I wasn't sure what I would get out of the class since we live debt free and have only in the last year gotten a mortgage.   But I have to say I was impressed and entertained by the weekly class and we have changed the way we do our finances.

A Budget:  Somehow I never connected before this class of a budget being very specific.  We have had a family budget for most of our marriage but it was very generic so it never seemed applicable.  The main homework of this class is to make a monthly budget each month specific to that month and stick to it.  So for March our budget included new clothes and a haircut, in addition to each of us having blow money to use as we please.  It was so freeing to get my haircut and know we had the money set aside for it and at the same time, money was still going into our long term savings plans.

Using Cash:  I had heard about this from many people and wasn't sure it was for me.  Dave says, using cash makes you feel a purchase by handing over the actual cash instead of just swiping a card.  Its also easier to watch your spending when you use cash because when its gone, its gone.  I have started using the envelop system that comes with the class kit, so my cash is divided out in the categories I have pre-planed to spend it.  It gives our money purpose and we know where its going better than we did before.

I went in to the class wondering, "If we are already debt free, what will dave teach us?"  The biggest take away for us was how we communicated about our money and getting on the same page for financial goals.  And that has brought us "Financial Peace."

Tot School Sharing: Spring

We did a spring theme for the week.  We looked at flowers, rain, and other themes with the season.  We used Fruit Loops to do our Do-A-Dot pages and had a yummy snack at the same time.  Caleb used the Fruitloops to cover his letter Bbs on his Tot School page and Lydia used them to fill in her F is for Flower page.  We also threaded the fruit loops on pipe cleaners for practice.

Lydia used a cut and label page to practice her writing and labeled the parts of a flower.  She also had fun making a flower out of different shapes.  We went outside and found a flower in our yard and observed it with all our senses.  

On Thursday daddy ran in a 5k race, our team's tent was near the water and we got to watch some swans.  Some were white and some were black.  Lydia didi several activities with our Spring Bible Verse:  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation" 2 Corinthians 5:17  She surprised me at gluing her verse in the right order on her coloring page.  

We wrapped up the week with a word hunt around the house to practice tracing letters and some CVC code sheets from 3 Dinosaurs.  Caleb liked building towers with his blocks and doing some foam letter puzzles when he joined us.  

Here are some of the printable sets we used this week:

from 1+1+1=1:

Pretty Bugs and Creatures Preschool Pack
Tot School Printables Letter B

from 2 Teaching Mommies:
Flower Unit & Rain Unit

Spring Preschool Pack from 3 Dinosaurs

In My Heart: 2 Corinthians 5:17 from Totally Tots

Linking up with Tot School Gathering Place

Easter Drawings

Both Lydia and Caleb love reading Bible stories at bedtime.  We have had to repair our Story Bible twice and we have had it only a year.  Lydia recently discovered The Picture Bible on our shelf, one of Bob's favorites from childhood.  It uses a graphic novel/comic book style to tell the stories of the Bible.  Bob used it to share the Easter story with Lydia this year.  Later in the day they were outside and drawing with chalk and drew the story on the drive way.  Bob drew the cross, the sealed tomb, and the empty tomb, and Lydia drewJesus's face on the cross and the best part, Jesus risen from the dead, waving at us!

Three Years of Good-Bye

Thursday was an interesting day for me.  It didn't feel like thursday at first because I had been sick the day before and Bob had stayed home.  Second, our mom's group did something different and we didn't chat like usual but spent the time individually in prayer.  It was so refreshing to be able to have a large chunk of un-interrupted time when I didn't have to worry about when a child might bounding in with a request.  My afternoon brought an unexpected text message and more phone calls and then Bob ran in the Orlando 5k and we cheered him on, to return to our car to see another text message bringing me to this post to sort my thoughts. Grandma, my last Grandparent, had passed away.  It was quickly and quietly like we had hoped it would be, in a hospital and not at home, but peaceful and surrounded by 2 of her children.  She had lived a full life and met 4 of her great-grandchildren.

Lydia receiving the last great-grandchild quilt, hand stitched

Her and my grandfather were in a major car accident in December of 2006 and should have both died then, but didn't.  It helped them both heal and lifted their spirits when they were able to see each other through the shared bathroom.   Every moment since then has been a gift.  They attended my wedding the following year.  Grandpa passed away in 2010 an emotional roller coaster of a hospital stay.  I was at Disney World that day.  How extreme the contrast.

Lydia in the front yard (May 2010)

Grandma and Grandpa were truly knit together as one soul.  Many of us wondered if she would live to see the next Christmas with such a broken heart for her husband of 65+ years.  She lived another 3 years, again a gift of time.

September 2011

People ask how I'm feeling and its always a mix when dealing with grief.  But relief is a word that comes to mind.  Her care was becoming exhausting for her family, and her body was just wearing out.  She had lived a long full life, and seen the world.  Her friendships circle the globe, with no exaggeration.  Daily life was becoming more of a burden and her heart continued to be lonely for her husband.  So now that she is gone, she is free from pain and reunited with the love of her life in Heaven.  I'm sure she is touring the garden he has spent the last 3 years working on in heaven just for her, he was a Master Gardener.

Caleb "signing" the guest book

The extra years they lived together let them celebrate my wedding with all of their children together in one place.  They met their third great-grandchild, and only great-granddaughter.  The extra years she had with us meant special memories with 2 great-grandchildren crawling and running and discovering the wonders of farm chores and picking fruits.  

picking tomatos

watering plants w/Aunt Alice

We said our last good byes in January 2012, Lydia watered the plants as had become her chore when she visited with water from the pump, we played Candyland with Great Grandma, Lydia's birthday present, and when it was time to leave, Caleb wanted a bite of Great Grandma's York Peppermint patty.  She readily shared it, expecting him to take a bite, but instead he put the whole thing in his mouth.  Sorry Great Grandma!   Memories we can keep, when we must let go of people.

Playing Candyland with Great Grandma

Caleb stealing Great Grandma's York Peppermint

Chocolate Rocks and Bullzer-Dozers

  Caleb's vocabulary is ever expanding.  With plenty of references to Thomas the Tank Engine and Veggie Tales.  Sometimes he comes up with his own words.  He has 3 pairs of winter jammies and 2 of them have special names.
  First, we have his "Banjo Jammies"  They really have electric guitars on them but when he first wore them he called them banjos, not sure where he has heard a banjo before.  His second pair of named jammies are his "truck" jammies (pictured)  These have "bullzer-dozers" on them among other things.
  Caleb has also taken notice of one of mommy's snacks, peanut butter and chocolate chips.  But to Caleb they are "chocolate rocks"  Last week he even helped himself to some while mommy was taking a nap.