by Amy | Nov 1, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized
It has been quite some time since I’ve posted on our family’s blog. I’m trying to get better about doing that and adding pictures and recording the boys’ milestones. Time is flying by!!
This year marks a lot of firsts for Tate. He went to preschool for his first time and LOVES it! He also started playing in a soccer league for the first time and his last game for the season is tomorrow! He has really enjoyed it. The kids he plays with are all really sweet and Coach Matt is awesome!
This fall was also a lot of fun spending time outdoors, going on playdates with friends and enjoying a little bit cooler weather. Notice I say “a little bit”. In Texas, there is really no difference between summer and autumn. Autumn is just more bearable.
At the end of September, we flew to Colorado to visit the Mathews family. Although it was very brief, we had a great time getting to see all the aunts, uncles and cousins. We also attended Oktoberfest in downtown Denver. The boys had the opportunity to wear their Lederhosen.
October has been quite a busy month with preschool, soccer, Mommy’s teaching and children’s choir, Daddy’s work and our increasing involvement in our church and community. We are enjoying everything we do, but the busy-ness makes the time fly even faster. This past weekend, we went to a nursing home to give the elderly folks some pumpkins and let them see us in our Halloween costumes.
This past week, we’ve just been getting ready for Halloween. Mommy made Halloween sugar cookies in the shape of bats, witches and pumpkins. It seems Mommy is the only one who enjoys the cookies : ) This evening, we went to a Fall Fest at our church where there were bouncy houses, huge slides and food. The kids enjoyed playing and wore themselves out. After we left, we quickly went home to do a little trick-or-treating before heading to bed. They were so tired they could barely walk! But we had fun!
by Amy | Sep 14, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized
Our lives are so full and rich right now. We are so blessed by our little boys, Tate and Julian.
As I mentioned before, Tate started preschool last week and is attending on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He was excited to go at first, but when he realized he was going there by himself and staying there without us, he was not very happy. Each preschool morning, Tate asks with anticipation what we are doing today. When we tell him he’s going to preschool, he usually gets upset and says something like, “I don’t want to go to preschool!! I want to stay here with you Mommy!” The first couple days of this broke my heart. Thomas and I were both beside ourselves with guilt. Not only that, but Julian walked around the house (and still does) with a sour look on his face and points out the window saying, “Daddy! Tate!” He doesn’t like being left out, and since Thomas takes Tate to school, Julian sees them leaving and wants to go too.
Today was Tate’s 4th official day of school. He barely ate this morning and threw a mini-meltdown when he realized he was going there. We tried to change the subject at breakfast so he would at least eat. lol! Once he got there, he began to tell Thomas he didn’t want to go, but when they got to the classroom, he was fine. The teachers at his preschool are absolute gems and they have been so helpful with distracting him and helping him feel right at home there. I am so grateful we found this place!
Well, perhaps even more newsworthy than Tate’s day at preschool is the fact that Julian turned 16 months old today! I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long!! He is getting to be so big. He says so many words now and does so many cute things.
He has been saying words like Daddy, ball, park, dog for a while now, but his vocabulary is growing so rapidly I can hardly keep up. It’s the same with his teeth!! I don’t even know anymore when he got which tooth because they all seem to be coming in at once. What a cutie!
These past couple weeks we’ve been working on his colors. We point at something blue and say “Blue”…we point at something red and say “Red” and so on. Today he was looking at a book and we were pointing at the different colors and he was repeating them after me. It’s so cute! Also during the past few weeks, his favorite thing to do is point at the flowers in the antique quilt from my Grandma. They are all different colors, so he has been fascinated by pointing his finger to each one and repeating the color of the flower after me. He is so smart!
Today he was walking around just pointing at objects and either saying their names or looking questioningly at me for the answer. He knew most of them though. He pointed to a glass of water and said very clearly, “Water.” He then started playing with blocks and looked at me and said, “Block.” He knows his eyes, nose and mouth in English and German. And when he says Moon, he usually mixes the two languages and says, “Moond”. It’s truly fascinating to observe him learning. This afternoon we were in Target and he kept taking his shoes off and saying “Shoe” and throwing them on the ground. He thought that was so funny! He loves to go pick out a book and bring it to me and plop it in my lap and say “Book!”
What else is he doing? Well, he hates it when I’m on the computer. So now he shuts my laptop when he wants my attention. Maybe a sign I’m on it too much? ha ha Until today he has always cautiously sat down when he wants to go down a step — even a very small one. Well, today his big accomplishment was standing up on the fireplace and stepping down off of the bricks onto the carpet without sitting down or falling. He was so proud of himself that he did it about 20 times just to show everyone. We, of course, all clapped every time! And he clapped too.
by Amy | Sep 4, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized
Well, tomorrow is Tate’s very first day of preschool! It’s more like a “Mother’s Day Out”. Call it what you will, but it feels weird to me. I am so excited for him and I know we are all ready for this day. But, I can’t help but feel like he is slipping out of my reach. Sweet Little Guy! I love him so much!!! I still can’t believe he’s almost 4 years old! This doesn’t seem possible. And he’s growing so quickly as each day passes.
Last week, we went out and bought him a new “spaceship lunch box” at Target. He is very proud of it and always wants to take it with us when we go somewhere where we need to take our food. On Saturday, I finally convinced him that he needed to get a hair cut for school, and he didn’t fight me on it. We went to a kids’ hair stylist in town and he did great! The cut is very cute on him, and when we left he said very excitedly, “Mom! I didn’t even CRY!!!” lol He didn’t. He was a big boy!!
Other than that, we have completely taken the casual approach. For starters, I have no idea what he will wear tomorrow, and that probably doesn’t matter because he usually ends up wearing whatever he wants anyway. He is pretty stubborn that way. I hope I can convince him to at least wear something that matches and looks good. I will also be sure to pack an extra change of undies and shorts because he’s been going through them like crazy lately with little accidents here and there.
Anyway, we will see how it goes tomorrow. I am praying that everything will go as smoothly as possible and that he will LOVE it!!! Whatever the case, the day will be wrought with anticipation.
Help us God!
by Amy | Aug 31, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized
Gosh, everything seems to be the same one minute and then, the next minute, it feels like things are rapidly changing. One minute you have a brand new baby who needs you every second of the day, and the next minute, you have a toddler who plays on his own and walks from room to room. One minute, you have a little boy who is struggling to grasp the concept of going potty and poo poo on the toilet, and the next minute, he’s going into the bathroom and doing everything all by himself.
Today I was a little saddened by all the changes happening with us, but happy at the same time. Tate starts preschool for the first time on Tuesday. Today, we went to meet his teachers and other classmates and get familiarized with the room he’ll be in. He was very clingy and panicky when we first got there, and then he eventually opened up and started playing on his own without needing me right beside him. When we got in the car, I could tell he was SO proud of himself and so excited about the prospect of starting preschool. I know he’ll be a little apprehensive for the first few days, but I really think he’s going to nail this and enjoy it! For this, I’m so overjoyed and happy for him. He’s such a sweet, smart, funny, social little guy, and he will thrive in an environment like this. I’m so thrilled we found this preschool at OLC!
The sad part about all of this is that Tate has never been without me during the day. I have always been there with him, and if I did hire a sitter or leave him with someone, it has always been for just a couple hours. I know it probably seems dramatic and silly, but it occurred to me this evening that as of Tuesday, we will no longer be his only teachers. He will learn from the preschool teachers and of course, the other kids he gets to know. Truthfully, I’ve dreaded this day for some time. In my mind, I’ve always romanticized the concept of homeschooling and dreamed that maybe, quite possibly, I could do this. But, I don’t know that I’m cut out for it, honestly. I wish Tate could learn all of his information through me and the tools I introduce to him, but right now, I barely have enough patience to sit down with him and read. I feel terrible for admitting this, but it’s true. I love reading to my children, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes it just feels like an uphill battle. We’re either out running errands, meeting people for playdates or I’m home trying to get things done. I tell you, I think sometimes days and weeks go by before I realize that we haven’t spent that special time just sitting down and reading or learning how to do something new. Part of it is me and the other part of it is him. I don’t know how to change that and turn the cycle around. I don’t know how to make him more responsive to me and not always wanting to “do something else.” I don’t know how I get him to sit still long enough to read to him and focus on something like writing his letters or numbers. So when he is able to grasp a concept, I feel happy that he did it in spite of my ADD instruction which typically involves me trying to get something else done and keeping his younger brother out of things we’re doing simultaneously.
Anyway…that was all said to say that I have mixed feelings about next week. I want this so badly for him. I want him to grow and learn and thrive, but I also just want to keep him here ALL to myself. I don’t want to share him with anyone, because deep down, I feel like, if I do, I will never be able to have him just to myself again. It means that he will forever be changed. We will forever be changed. His horizons will continue to broaden and he will naturally move in a direction away from the safe, little haven we have here at home with our routines, our outings and our rituals. He will naturally gravitate toward new friends, new activities and new ideas.
Today, he said to us: “You’re the best Daddy in the whole world.” “And you’re the best Mommy in the whole world.” “I love you guys so much!”
What a great kid!! What 3 year old says that to his parents?
Mine does : )
by Amy | Aug 14, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized
My Tate, what a big boy you’ve suddenly become! I can hardly believe it’s happening this quickly before my very eyes. One minute, you were still drinking from a bottle that we couldn’t get you to give up and wearing a diaper I thought you’d never be trained out of, and then, here we are, just a few months later, making HUGE milestones!
For starters, we are COMPLETELY potty trained. When I say that, I mean that Tate goes potty by himself and can wipe himself after pottying, put the lid back down, flush the toilet and wash his hands with soap and water and dry them. When he goes poop, it’s a little different. He still needs our help with wiping, but we’re almost there. He still wears a diaper at night to make sure he doesn’t wet the bed. Sometimes, he still pees while he’s sleeping during the day, but not so often anymore. I’m so proud of you for figuring all this out! It’s a huge step!!
In addition to that, Tate is starting to recognize all of his letters and numbers and drawing them on paper. This needs a little more practicing on my end, but he gets it. He is doing SO well and learning so quickly. I wish I had more time to just sit with him and help him understand everything I want him to know.
This past Sunday, Tate went to Sunday school all by himself. Of course, Daddy helped prod him a little and coerced him into going in and at least “saying hello” to the kids. Once he got in there, he played with the kids on the playscape and ended up staying. I can’t tell you how proud I was of him for doing that. This has been such an uphill battle with Tate. He is so social, and yet, he really resists being left alone without us there. I guess that’s normal, but he’s starting to come out of it.
Today, we started our very first swimming lessons. Tate went to one side of the pool with some lifeguards and learned basic swimming techniques while I went to the other side with Julian and worked with him. They both did extremely well, and Tate was paddling and going under!
After swimming lessons, I dropped Tate off at JW Tumbles for gymnastics camp. He has been talking about it all week. He was hesitant when I was starting to leave, but when the girl asked him if he could be her helper, he quickly forgot that he was even upset. Such a sweet boy! He was there for 3 hours without me and did so well! He wants to go back again tmw!
In just a few short weeks, Tate begins preschool at O’Chester Learning Center at Great Hills Baptist Church. I am so happy that he’ll be doing this and so much at peace with our decision to send him there (despite the drive it will be for us). I just want to stop for a moment and pray. Dear Lord, please make this a smooth transition for all of us. Help this to be a positive experience where Tate loves school and learns as much as he possibly can. I pray for the perfect teachers to be placed in Tate’s life and the best of friends for him to get to know and be with during the day. I pray for wonderful experiences that help shape him and help teach him and build a strong foundation for learning God’s word. I pray for an amazing experience for him and for the kids to be sweet and the parents to become great friends as well. I pray for a really strong, healthy community both at O’Chester and at Great Hills. I love this place, and I keep having to pinch myself everytime we go there on Sunday. It is just the most awesome place! I didn’t really even want to give it a chance at first, but I’m so glad we’re there.
Well, there ya have it. Tate is an amazing little boy. Actually, I couldn’t ask for a sweeter, kinder, more loving and affectionate kid. He is so good natured and kind. He is also very vivacious and smart! He is constantly asking questions and constantly observing things that I don’t even notice.
He is currently very fixated on Monster Trucks and skate boards as well. He loves his shows about Monster Trucks. He is very maliable right now and learns things very quickly. This week, he has been obsessed with trains again and we checked out some train dvds at the library. He goes around the house saying, “CHOOO CHOOOOO!!!!” and pretends to be a train. He also sings “Get on board, Little Children…Get on board…Little Children” as well as “I love the mountains…I love the rolling hills, I love the flowers, I love the daffodils, I love the fireflies, I love the lights are low…boom diada boom diada boom diada boom di-e.”
LOVE. THIS. KID!!
He says things like:
“Mommy, you’re like a stinker bug.”
“I just love you, Daddy.”
“Julian, you’re a sweet little baby.”
“Julian’s Tate’s baby.”
“Is the orange one Home Depot or Lowes?”
“I went to Home Depot with Daddy and we had popcorn from outside and I fed him while we were walking through the store.”
On top of being incredibly smart and thoughtful and funny, he is just precious in so many other ways as well. His eyes are such a beautiful shade of blue and such a beautiful shape. He has this gorgeous baby face that I hope he never loses. He is just fun loving and full of life. I can only hope and pray that he finds friends in his life who can appreciate him as much as I do. I pray that he would find other godly, kind-hearted children who are sweet natured and help him and encourage him to continue along a good path. I want so much for him!
by Amy | Aug 1, 2012 | mama confessions, Uncategorized
OK, I’m a hot mess today! Why does this always happen after my family leaves from visiting? We were just getting over being sick last week when they hinted to the idea that they might be coming in town. The next thing I knew, I was receiving a text message at 8:00am on Sunday morning saying they were roughly 40 miles away from our house!!! Who does that? Not only that, but they just then decided to mention that they were bringing my 11 year old niece. Really?? I mean, I was glad she was coming on one hand, but I was also a little peeved that no one bothered to mention it to me beforehand.
So, they came. They got in around 8:45am on Sunday morning. We had plans to go to church, so we went and came back and met them for lunch at one of their favorite Mexican places right by our house. We ate, we had fun and we came home. Later on, Thomas cooked dinner for us all — a very flavorful gulf shrimp and pasta.
Then, the real shit hit the fan. Thomas started getting sick (again) that night and wasn’t feeling well at all the next morning, but he went to work anyway. We all rounded up after breakfast and went to IKEA. My Mom can roam a store like that for HOURS. My back wasn’t doing well, so it was really hard on me and the kids were pretty tired too, but we had fun and we made it through the store without any major meltdowns. When we got back home, I made some Asian sesame noodles and we all had a nice dinner.
The next morning, I awoke to learn my Mom had been up sick all night. As we ate breakfast, my niece also got sick and they both ended up lying down for the most part of the day. I felt so bad for them. We weren’t able to do much of anything but hang out at the house all day. My Dad didn’t want to risk getting sick, so he took off before lunch and was gone all day. When I got the kids down for their nap at around 3pm, I began making pizza dough for pizzas later. That’s when the drama began.
My sister (my niece’s mother) was writing me text messages and asking about her daughter and how everyone was doing. I didn’t have time to text at that moment, so I wrote her and said I’d call her back later. She was clearly upset by that and began texting me angry messages.
I don’t want to get into all of that, because it’s not worth rehashing…however, it brings up some emotions in me that I want to deal with.
I seriously get almost physically ill everytime my parents come and leave. One reason is because they never tell me exactly when they are coming. They might say something general like, “This weekend…” but I never know when they are arriving until they are in Dallas. This time, it was even later than that. This doesn’t give a person time to shower…let alone buy groceries and get the house ready.
On top of never knowing when they are coming, they like to keep us out of the loop as to when they are leaving. For some reason, it seems like they just get here and are able to rest up from their long trip and they have to turn around and leave again. I don’t really know why that is, honestly. Today, we got up and had breakfast. I was planning on cleaning up a bit and taking the boys and dog for a walk. My Dad acted like he wanted to join us. As I’m cleaning up after breakfast and putting away dishes, my Mom came in and said, “I think we’re leaving around noon.” What?! Really?! I felt a huge surge of emotions take over me. I said, “oh…uh…ok…I was thinking we could go to lunch somewhere and Thomas was planning on taking off and meeting us for lunch or dinner.” I had unconsciously planned our day with them here, and I had to stop in my tracks and change plans. This isn’t easy for me to do — especially when it comes to family.
Truth be told, I’m a planner. I’m not the most organized or well-planned person out there, but I like to know what I’m doing from one day to the next. If I’m really on top of things, I like to know what we’re doing for the entire week, and sometimes I know what we’re doing over the next two weeks or month. I don’t like things sprung on me. I didn’t before kids, and I don’t now. Sure, I can be flexible and go with the flow, but I like to know what we’re doing. I like to have a plan.
So, we took a walk. My Dad went with us. They packed up their car. We met them at HEB so they could get some stuff to take back with them. We went from there to The Corner Bakery and ate lunch. Thomas met us. They got in their car and left for K.C. That’s it.
And you know what? I’m sad. I’m really sad. It takes me a while to adjust to them being here and how they are. But after a day or two, I’m used to it and it works. This time, we didn’t even have that much time. It was so short. And so filled with sickness. And who knows when we will be up there again to see them. I don’t know. I’d like to say we could make it back in a couple months. But, truthfully, I don’t know. I don’t know how we’d get there. Where we’d stay. How we’d cope.
Anyway…slap slap…snap out of it! That’s what I plan to do. I plan to hug my babies a little tighter today and enjoy them. And then, I plan to hug and kiss my man a little tighter when he gets home and just enjoy his presence in my life. These past few days took a lot out of us. And the past couple weeks before that took even more. We’ve been exhausted. We’ve been stressed. And now I just want to relax and enjoy each other…and bask in the love and joy we have as a little family.
The hardest part for me about growing up and growing older is knowing that you grow more and more separated from your own parents as you grow closer to your own children. I wish it didn’t have to be like that. I really love my parents. I miss seeing them more and talking to them. I really do. But, there’s a big disconnect. There are things they do that I simply don’t understand. I feel like everything I do or just my sheer existence and way of doing things makes them uncomfortable.
Anyway…long way of saying, I’m sad. I am fortunate enough to have girlfriends who call me up and pray with me over the phone. I needed it. I love that I have friends who understand my tears as much as they do my laughter.
Thank you, God!
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