He'll only do it once...

Just this week, I decided to start switching the kid's bedrooms around. I think it has to do with spring fever or something...

Noah had a queen bed in his room that we were using for guests when they came over... He'd get the boot, and they'd get the queen. I decided to switch out his bed and replace it with a set of bunk beds for him (and eventually Nathan). Noah claimed the top bunk as his own and slept there last night. I asked him how he'd slept and (half joking) if he fell off in the middle of the night. He casually replied, "Nope, but I'd only do it once. I wouldn't fall off again after that." Ha! That boy has learned a key parenting strategy! "He'll only do it once." He must have heard me say that more than a few times. If I've told the two year old not to touch the hot tea pot, and they do it anyhow, I can just about guarantee that they've learned their lesson and won't do it again. Or how about when they leave their favorite stuffed animal out in the rain and mud when they were told to bring it in? It's called "reality discipline", and I love it. It's disciplining without having to be the bad guy. Nature has it's own boundaries set up and if you overstep them... whammo! She'll teach you her lesson. (Now, before you think I'm a total ogre, I'll admit that I do add an addendum to the principle every once in a while... no running with scissors; no jumping off of the roof; no leaping over campfires... you get the picture :)

Selah's 3 months!

Outside fun!

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being able to play outside again without having to dress in a multitude of layers to stay warm. And it is oh, so reassuring to know that any snow we get from here on out won't stick around very long. The boys have been outside every afternoon breaking in the hibernating grass and letting the earthworms know that it's time to start popping out. In fact, Ellie has been spending her afternoons digging those earthworms out of our dirtpile, and showing them to everyone to prove just how "brave" she is. She thinks she has one-upped me because I refuse to touch them. I may just have to give in if I get "double-dog-dared", but thankfully that hasn't been tried yet... :0)

Baby Chicks!!

Monday, 6:30 A.M. rrrring, rrrring... "Hello?"

"This is the Minooka Post Office. We have your baby chicks and you can pick them up anytime."

Ugh, that's too early for me, so Paul and the older boys run into town to get the cardboard box of 70 baby chicks. By the time they get home, Caleb, Seth and Noah are ready to unpack the chicks and dip their beaks in sugar water (they've been in shipment, without food or water, since Saturday). I, on the other hand, am still in bed grasping the last few fleeting moments of sleep for the day. I am sooooo not a morning person. Paul comes up and hovers over me until he's positive I'm awake, then he takes off for work. After making sure baby Selah is going to stay asleep and yanking on some sweats, I head down to the garage to find my boys anxiously waiting to open the box... Spring has officially arrived.

The baby chicks are so adorable. Soft and downy and oh, so very fragile looking. They don't have me fooled though. I've seen Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs about hatching chicks. I've seen how they fling the chicks around by their legs. Still, I am overly cautious when it comes to my kids picking them up and snuggling them...

This year was Nathan's real experience with the chicks. We got them last year, but he was so young, he didn't get much touching-time with them. Not long after they arrived, Ellie was letting Nathan "pet" one of the chicks. She looks at me and says, "Mom, can Nathan pet it's eyeball?" "No." I reply. "Well, he did. And he pulled it back like a sling-shot." Hmmm, he'll need a bit more supervision, I guess.

Ahhh, the first days of spring. Tulips poking out of the ground, babies of all kinds being born (or hatched)... and the familiar barn smell that's elluded us all winter...

Nathan saying The Beatitudes

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMq1l6k_ecE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from my iPod

My Birthday!!

Ahhhh, it's that time again... my birthday. "How old are you now? 29 and holding?" Naaaa, I've decided that this year was well used (in a good way), and I'm ready to start working on the next one. No problems here with rolling over another number on the dial... not this year, anyhow. Now, my dear hubby, who's turning 40 in October, has already mentioned his coming age several times in a negative light. It's not for 7 more months, but he's already focused on the coming "doomsday". Maybe that's one reason I don't feel any angst toward turning 34...

My actual birthday was on Sunday, so after going to church, we went out for lunch at Chile's (had a gift card and a coupon :). Then we headed home for some rest and time to celebrate with Paul and the kids. Paul had taken the kids shopping the day before (or earlier in the week... I can't figure out when) and they each had a present to give to me. Caleb and Seth had bought my presents with their very own money... Seth's gift was chocolate covered pretzels. He made sure to point out that they were "sugar free". He was showing me that he put thought into finding a gift that I would like. He was very "sweet". Caleb, on the other hand, went the full sugar route. I have always had a liking for those funky colored, fluffy "Peeps". You know, the little marshmallow birds coated with food-coloring and then rolled in sugar granules. Yep, those. He got me 34 of the little birds. (Which required him to open a package and eat one of them since they come in packs of 5). He also made sure to point out that he got the "light pink" and "light purple" ones because they have less food coloring. Whoo-hoo! Man, my brainwashing is paying off.

My favorite gifts from the kids are always the cards or notes that they make for me. Seth is much more prone to put the contents of his heart down on paper than he is to just spill it out of his mouth. I love it. Caleb also gave me a card that reminded me that I only get 23 hours of actual birthday because of the daylight savings time switch. Gotta love the practical mind.

I had been hinting to Paul about getting an iPod Touch for my birthday. Not really hinting... more like reminding him every chance I got... poor guy. :) He didn't let me down. He had been working on getting Wi-Fi set up the week before my birthday. I just figured it was for the laptop, since he knew I liked it better in the kitchen (and our Verizon reception is bad in the back of the house). Little did I know, his real reason was for the iTouch. Now, I can check my mail anywhere in the house. Yay! I also didn't realize how much fun the kids would have with it. I acutally have to use it when no one is looking, otherwise I feel like a meanie to keep saying, "No, it's mine. You can't use it." Noah has started asking me for jobs to earn money to save for his own iTouch. He's already saved $14 in the last week! As long as it doesn't burn a hole in his pocket, he'll have his wish before long...

Every year, my birthday seems to carry on for a few more days. My parents came over on Sunday night with a cake (yum). Monday, I went out with my mom, sister, brother and nieces for lunch, then Paul's parents brought over a full enchilada dinner (complete with yummy beans, rice and a giant cookie!) on Monday night. On Tuesday, I went to downtown Naperville with my girlfriends for our twice-yearly dinner out. What a fun birthday!!

This is the Stuff...

About a month or so ago, I heard this song on the radio, and I thought... "I like it!!" Now it's on the top ten list and I hear it much more often and I still like it. It describes how the little stuff that is irritating or drives us nuts is the very stuff God uses in our lives. The first verse totally applies to my life... losing my cell phone and keys are regulars for me. The second verse, not so much. So, I've written my own... Once you have the tune, you can replace the words with the ones I've written. They are so much more applicable to my life :)

Verse 2:
My kid whines.... In the middle of the store....
He doesn't get a treat... So he hits the floor....

THIS IS THE STUFF
THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY...