Training little boys

#109 - Chores

One of the things I feel strongly about is children having responsibilities at home - helping keep the house neat and clean.  Since this is something I really struggle with, I want to instill this in them at an early age.  

Every morning Most mornings we get dressed right away and the boys put their pajamas away and make their beds (pull up the comforter).  At night after getting our pjs on the boys put their clothes in the appropriate bin in the laundry room (darks, lights, whites) - by the way their clothes are always dirty at night.  

Carter has been emptying the silverware container out of the dishwasher each morning for 6 months or so but I thought it was time to move on.  

Now after breakfast Caleb empties the silverware and Carter wipes the table off and vacuums under the table, pulling out the chairs so he can get ALL the crumbs.

"the habits of the child produce the character of the man . . .every day, every hour, the parents are either passively or actively forming those habits in their children upon which, more than upon anything else, future character and conduct depend."  Charlotte Mason

"The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secrures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children."     Charlotte Mason

This is what we are focusing on right now.  Carter may still not know all his letters and can't write his name, but those are things that are easily learned later.  Right now I am "laying down the rails" for "smooth and easy days".

And making some lucky lady a great husband :)

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Little Boy Heaven

 #107 - Little Boy Heaven

Andy and Sam have been working on the yards getting ready for the sod.  We have bermuda grass which needs sun - now that our trees in the backyard have gotten bigger we have no sun.  Therefore the grass died and our backyard had become a big dirt/mud area.  So the dads planned to get a big load of dirt to even out the yards and then put down fescue sod. 

So here is the dirt pile. 

Here are the boys climbing, digging, shoveling, wheelbarrowing, driving, dump trucking, tractoring.

Complete heaven.

Their feet were brown for 3 days despite 2 baths a day.

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Nature's Alarm Clock

#103 - Meet Rooster

Meet Rooster - our new alarm clock.  He is a Red Bellied Woodpecker.  Evidently Red Bellied Woodpeckers like to tap on things that resonate - loudly.  They do this to attract mates.  

The gutter outside our bedroom window resonates loudly - very loudly.

And evidently the Woodpecker Singles Club is hopping between 6:30 and 7:30  ......  AM!!

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Full of questions - and song

#98 - Onward Christian Soldier

He is so full of questions about God and Jesus - many of them I just can't answer, or don't know how to answer so he can understand.  I love how he talks about God and Jesus all the time.  How he loves singing his Bible verse songs and Veggie Tales.  He reminds me that we need to read his Bible and will sit and look through the pages asking me questions.  Here he sits (pantless :) ) playing the RockBand guitar and singing "Onward Christian Soldiers".  

I pray that this interest for God will lead to a heart for God and a heart full of Jesus.

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Little Engineers

#97 - Loving my little train boys

Love even more that he is holding his baby.

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Easter bonnets - not

 #92 - Happy Easter

Since I don't have girls - no Easter bonnets yet.   But I do believe in matching the boys for holidays at least!  We had a beautiful Easter - church, big lunch (yes I am Suzy Q. Homemaker and fixed a big Sunday lunch for the first time), nap, walk around the lake at our State Park.  Glorious day to celebrate the Risen Lord!!

We stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the park and I was pushing the cart around with the boys hanging off the sides. 

Carter was singing, "I believe that Christ is Risen, I believe He is."
Then he yells, arm raised in the air, " Yea Jesus!"

While I was laughing and a little proud, I was also a little embarrassed. 

Luckily no one was in the aisle with us.

Wish I had the guts to go around yelling, "Yea Jesus!"  To have the faith of a child.

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My buddies

#92 - Beautiful children of my beautiful friends

7 out of 8 kids looking at the camera is as good as it gets.  These are the children of my dearest friends.  Friends who every week hear my frustrations and my struggles and still love me.  We cry and laugh together and it helps that our children also love each other.  I truly look forward to seeing our friendship grow and deepen in the coming years.

Here, also is Carter's beloved Ava and Caleb's "Ne ne" - our arranged marriages.  

Love you Jen and Leanne!

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Yes you can feed the animals

#91 - Petit Creek Farms for Jackson's birthday

We had a great time at the Pettit Creek Farm feeding the camels and goats, seeing the porcupines, peacocks, cows, zebras, chickens, parrots, and various other creatures.  Hot, but fun.

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Pictures - finally

So - we are home and I finally have a chance to post those pictures I've been promising.

#78 - Camping with Grandma and Papa in their motor home while Mommy goes to the church Women's Retreat.  Caleb's first "campout" included waterfalls, geese, bike rides and of course - smores!

#79 - Women's Retreat - Pam Hamilton sharing her beautiful music with us.

#80 - Whenever the big boys sit down to play Rockband the little boys all grab instruments and play along - too cute!!

#81 - "Hello Stephanie!  Remember me? I'm your vacuum cleaner - long time no see."

#82 - Playing hopscotch on a beautiful spring day!

#83 - Bread, peanut butter cookies with choc chips, zucchini muffins (some with choc chips too!)

Busy baking day.

#87 - Plopping rocks in Great Grandma's pond.  This is THE past time of every little kid who has been to my grandparents' house.  All the cousins have spent hours plopping rocks here and almost every gray hair on my Grandmother's head has come from worrying about those said kids falling into the pond.

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Recent Random Pictures

#70 - My weird kid with a glove on his foot

#71 - Homemade donuts - are you drooling?

#72 - My most expensive consignment purchase - $20 tractor with trailer.

Worth it.

#74 - RockBand Carter - he actually attempts to follow the colors on the video game!

#75 - Love how my kids love to look at their Bible!

#77 - Building a train and learning patience - for Carter AND Mommy!!

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#62 - Another snow day

My kids don't believe me when I tell them that snow is unusual for Atlanta.  All said and done we got about 1.5 inches.

And yes they have their pjs on.  They wanted to go out so badly so I just put their coats, hats and gloves on over their pjs and let them go out on the deck. 

Caleb is trying to catch a snowflake on his tongue.

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#61 - Muffin Tin Monday

There is a whole group of moms who started Muffin Tin Mondays where they serve their kids lunch on Mondays in a muffin tin.  It's just a fun way to start off the week.  I decided to try it this Monday and the boys really got a kick out of it!  I think I'll have to start collecting some cute muffin tins to go with our Monday lunches!

Of course I have to say that I had to refill the sections as my boys eat more than fits in a muffin tin!  I don't know what we are going to do when they get bigger.  The other day I fixed scrambled eggs and toast.  I fixed 8 eggs and we ate them all.  When they are teenagers I'll have to fix 2 dozen!!

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#60 - Love him so much

I can't believe he is sooo big.   Makes me sooooo sad and happy at the same time.  He is so affectionate and loving.  Becoming creative and imaginative.  Loving really playing with Caleb.  Finally interested in learning his letters.

Told Sam the other day -
"Daddy, do you know who's my best friend?"  (The answer is always Ava.)
"Jesus is my best friend - and God too."

Love him so much.

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#59 - The perfect spot

For our "new to us" chairs?

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Construction Zone

#58 - Construction Zone

Complete with cones (dollar section of Target), dirt from the creek, dump truck and droopy drawers. 

I have finally talked Sam into building a sandbox in the back yard as the grass won't grow and the boys just dig in the dirt anyway!

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#57 - A Daily Ritual

 

Running through the house.  Notice Caleb's feet.

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#56 - In the closet

having fun with glow sticks.

An additional note - I went to a consignment sale this particular evening and Sam called me to tell me that Carter had managed to break his blue glow stick, spilling it on the carpet.  

He said it looked like Predator had bled on the carpet!  :)

Luckily it faded away.

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#55 - "Reading"

"Reading" a nursery rhyme book to Caleb. 

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#54 - Fun with a blower

 

Sam has been trying a new lighting and editing look and decided to add the Shop Vac on blow.  I couldn't believe Carter was willing to stand in front of the blower!  I couldn't stand being in front of it for more than a second and like Carter couldn't open my eyes.  

He looks pretty funny doesn't he - hair standing on end!!

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#53 - How long?

Before he fell in? 

One minute later when one of his boots got stuck in the mud and while trying to pull it out he ended up on his tush in the puddle.

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