Weston's Party Prep May 2102

Filling the bird!

Everyone is in on the fun!

Peter's amazing talent of painting...

Angry Bird Cupcakes

I think it's a hit!

We had a good time getting ready for Weston's party.  Weston and I started planning for his party on the night when Sierra and Peter were at the Father daughter dance.  We chose the theme,  made party favor bags, chose this cupcake design and began making the Red Angry Bird pinata! :)  

The pinata worked surprisingly well.  Fourteen kids got to hit it and still we had to get an adult to smash it at the end.   Pretty strong for something that was made of 1 flour and 3 parts water and various pieces of junk mail! :)   (I think of this every time I make pancakes now- it can't be good for us to eat what is essentially glue, but that is for another post! :)

The pictures of the part are on Peter's computer.  I will post them next.   And then I'll nearly be up to date and able to keep blogging about NOW! :)

Omaha Zoo with Grandma and Daddy April 2012

These are all Weston's pictures from his camera.  He saved up and got a little point and shoot.  So far he has taken good care of it.  I was impressed with some of the pictures from his zoo trip.  I was flying back from California while Grandma and Peter took the kids to the zoo in Omaha.  My trip was delayed five hours, so they got to stay at the zoo a long time and then came to pick me up!  Lucky for them, not so lucky for me! :)

Weston's on a two wheeler!

Just in time for summer.  He decided in true Weston fashion, that he wanted to ride a bike.  Then he learned in 10 minutes! :)

Backwards wacky party

Weston went to a birthday party.  He wore his pants and vest backwards,  and two different shoes!

Fun times!

interesting day

Today almost everyone i met was like minded. It was bazar. At the store, this women gave me parenting advice when she heard Sierra whining. I had to push down the desire to be offended. She told me to make the children talk polietly and if they don't know how to make them repeat me. Good advice, really. Yet it was a bit odd to have someone launch into a parenting discussion/advice in the applesauce isle.

It evolved into a great chat about all manner of things. Gardening, canning, several books that we had both read and clear indication she was a Christian. She homeschooled her kids. She said they all turned out and that she was so glad for the years with them.

Then today I got a delivery. The UPS man knew about K12. He was discussing the great program and that he and his wife home schooled his kids with Christian curriculum. His kids are all in high school now. He said he thought I was making a great decision to home school. He said, "I'll be praying for the girl at 7413."

Wow, encouraging! It almost felt like angels... weird.

Another visit from the tooth fairy

Friday one of Weston's teeth came home in a little envelope. He is a big boy, it's offical. His man teeth are coming in already.

We sewed a special tooth pocket to put in the tooth fairy box we made.

He did a great job!

The little pillow has the tooth in it.

It's underneath his pillow. We'll have to see what the Tooth Fairy brings!

Big boy

Tonight I was flossing Weston's teeth and I gasped! I was afraid at first. Then I realized... He lost his tooth. He has been complaining about his bottom teeth and I made him a dentist appointment, afraid he may have a cavity.


Tonight at dinner we were eating lasagna and he said, "Mom did you put a rock in my food?" Now we know what he swallowed his tooth!

We wrote a note to the tooth fairy.

He dictated, "Dear Tooth Fairy, I'm sorry I swallowed my tooth tonight at dinner." Then he signed his name and wrote his age. We put it in an envelope under his pillow.

Sierra's Christmas Show and Snow at school

This is a bit blurry, but you get the idea!
They had snow delivered on Friday night and the kids got to go sledding.
Merry Christmas!

I love my hubby

He has been gone 11 days, it feels like much longer. What a trip for him. I can't wait to see him tomorrow and hear all about it.

What a wonderful man to share my life with. I am so blessed.

Sierra keeps pointing at his picture and asking where he is with her hands. I notice she does this especially when mean mommy rears her ugly head!

Peter is a wonderful help around the house. My dear sister, Shauna, has helped me so much. Peter helps me make sure that the laundry gets from the couch to the drawers. I had 10 loads on the couch today when my sister arrived and she helped me get it off the couch! Yay. She helped me vacuum, she brought hotdogs to serve to our kids. YAY for sisters, friendships and HELP.

I admit I am very spoiled having so much help at home and God knew my sanity was at stake when He planned our life and the help He has given to me is such a gift.

I've been so busy, I promise you I think my new job is taxi driver. Driving and driving and driving. Today that included the eye doctor. Wes got a new prescription and I ordered him new glasses today. Lets just say, they are the finest glasses in the world- bendy frames, thin lenses that turn to sunglasses outside. He is worth it and I am so so so excited for him to get new glasses. He has done a really good job keeping his previous pair intact so I felt confident to get the best. I bought them at the optometrist so that I could get the best. They come with a one year guarantee that they will not scratch and I'm sure Weston will put that to the test! They will come in two weeks. I've been wanting to do that for months, so I guess I can check it off the list! :)

Black Widow Hunting

Peter and Weston love black widow hunting. Weston waited all day to hunt with daddy! He came running up to us after dark dressed in black, new batteries in his flashlight, and ready to hunt.

They found 9 and killed them. :)

I'm back...

Hi, I'm missing blogging, so I guess I'll be Tundra Mom from CA.

I enrolled the kids in school and I can't tell you how excited I am for them to have the opportunity to study with someone besides me!

Weston did his testing with Mrs. Liles. He cut circle, build structures with blocks, wrote his name, counted, told the names and sounds of letters. He named all the numbers too. Smart boy.

Yesterday I said 17 days until school starts. He said, that's 9+8, right?

I think he's ready!! :)

Good Day

Today was a good day. It was the first day that there was hope that Spring was indeed coming. We bundled up and walked over to Terri's house and we were not cold, not even our noses. It was only around 30 degrees, but that is 70 degrees warmer than it has been and so it feels nice; and the sun is bright and warm on our faces as we walked and ate chocolate mints.

Then we had a good time at our friends house and Peter came to pick us up. Then we decided to go out for dinner. Here going out for dinner is not about going out for a great meal, it's about NOT doing the dishes! Yay for me! We have found a cafe that sells vegetarian food, which is really a lot nicer than meat dishes here. The meals have eggs, and a lot more veggies and are served with steamed rice on the side.

As we drove home Weston talked about his icicle collection. We told him how he is lucky to be able to collect icicles and store them outside for an entire winter!!! I think this is one of the best places in the world for that! He has quite a collection growing on top of the dog pen.

Peter came up with a great idea to photograph them and measure them next year and try to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest outdoor collection! What a fun idea. Weston is delighted.

New Passport

2005-2010
(sorry about his new picture- it won't turn)

Weston has grows so much since his first passport picture. He was 9 months old when we got the first one. At the post office, where we got his passport in 2005, they wanted him to sit on a stool all by himself so they could take his picture.

I was scared he'd fall off, so Peter held on to the back of his little onsie and ducked down behind him.

What a life this little boy has lived, and he doesn't even know it. The other day I told him he was lucky to get to go to Thailand for vacation. He said, "Why?" I said not very many little kids get to go on vacation there. He said, "Why not?!" To him our life is normal!

• His first flight at 6 weeks old.
• More frequent flyer miles than most US businessmen
  
• In and out of countries near and far-trips across the world and across the country.
• Sleeping in cars, in airplanes, in trains, in strollers-- if that boy is tired- he sleeps!
  
• In various homes that we've made together- First our little rental condo, then here, then the "borrowed" house, then the "tree" house and back to our cabin here.
  
• Riding water buffaloes, elephants, and camels.
  
• Swimming at hotels and walking on foreign beaches
• He could traverse the Incheon airport alone!

I love you little boy, our boy with a heart for exploration, maps and imagination- He knew you in my womb and knit you together specially to thrive in this wacky and amazing life.

February - March 2009 pictures

I was going through my pictures and realized all my February and March pictures are in the same file, so here are A LOT more pictures and memories.

After our final trip, we had been traveling nearly non-stop since Sept 2008, we were able to start Weston at preschool. He wasn't nervous at all! His teacher and assistant teacher were perfect for him. He loved Mrs. Aranda!
He was even invited to a birthday party on the first weekend. It was so fun!

His class was really interested in Weston's life and where he lived. So we made this picture chart. I asked him questions and then wrote his answers. We added the pictures together. (you can click this picture to make it bigger if you want a close up.)

We also let his teacher know that he would be absent a lot. I let her know our goals for Weston were to learn about how school works and have a great time with his classmates.

So we were absent a lot! It was a perfect fit for us because in March, we went on a vacation to the beach. We rented an RV and stayed RIGHT ON THE BEACH.

Time with grandpa, feeding the birds! What a fun time together!

Time around the campfire after one of Grandma's great breakfasts!

Sierra loved helping Aunt Megan walk the dogs!

The boys loving the fire! They were blowing on it to make it bigger!

Sierra enjoying the sand!

Her name in rocks and shells

Weston dragged this up and down the beach!

See, I told you I NEEDED that stroller- Sierra rides in style...

While Weston runs with Uncle Brian, like a crazy man!
I love how their feet are in sync and their form the same!

His name in sand dollar and rocks.

In early February we made an offer on our house:

Halfway through our vacation, we had to leave and drive 3 hours and back to sign loan papers.
We drove home and VERY nervously read and signed all the documents, praying that we were not making a mistake. We were so nervous!
Our poor loan officer had to wait for us to read them ALL and answer a million questions for us! But you've gotta be throrough, right?
Then we hopped back in the car and drove 3 hours back and enjoyed the rest of our trip.

GUESS WHAT?

Weston read his first book today! I am so happy!

It is a Bob Book. It has 8 pages and 21 words. He did it! I am so happy.
Mat.
Mat sat.
Sam.
Sam sat.
Mat sat. Sam sat.
Mat sat on Sam.
Sam sat on Sam.
Mat sat. Sam sat.
The End.
:)

We diligently sounded out s-a-t, m-a-t and s-a-m each time! WHEW!

He has been doing great at learning letters, but hasn't shown any interest in putting letters together into words. I decided not to press the issue and let him enjoy school.
We have practiced some ladders:
Ba
Be
Bi
Bo
He would only do about five of those before losing interest, so for him to read this whole book is really a big step of maturity and skill. He really enjoyed it too! Yay Weston!

Asian Fashion

I got the kids new fleece lined jeans today. They are decent quality and warm, so they serve their purpose. It will be nice to not have to fuss with getting the kids dressed in two pairs of pants.

They are from China and very showy with embroidery and random letters and pictures.

Weston's have an "S" an "R" on either side pocket. On the front, there is a giant orange spider and web. On the other leg there there is a big silver "O." These are the most muted lined pants that I have ever found!

Sierra's are a little cuter, but they have velvet mushrooms that are patched on the front of each leg.

The kids both like them because they are soft on the inside. I am glad to see them in something other than pajamas. :)

I was talking up the pants with Weston trying to get him to like them. He is a hard sale on clothing, it has to be perfectly what he wants!

He was wearing them without a fuss. So I asked, "Weston do you want me to get you another pair of those pants?"

He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No, I mean look at them, they're UGLY!"

I cracked up. I didn't know he had such a refined sense of style! Good for him!

Back by popular demand, my children!

Weston helping carry out the decorations

Sierra admiring the tree

Making Candy Turkeys

Train track fun

Here are some new pictures of recent times here.

New things the kids are doing-
Weston literally talks, ALL day! He is laughing in the kitchen now, because Peter is making him a peppermint mocha. He asked for one and even said pretty please. It has a tiny smidgen of coffee- it's really hot chocolate.

Sierra is playing with dolls now. She loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Do you think it could have something to do with spending 15-20 days at Disneyland last year!? ;) She carries them around by their heads and loves tucking them in. She is also really into train tracks and Lincoln Logs. She is very skilled with her hands and loves putting things in a straight line and stacking things up.

I love my 5 year old!

I have to tell you the conversation I'm having with Weston. He has his piggy bank and is counting his money.
"Which is the strongest animal, a hyena or a wildebeest?"
"I'm going to hire ten wildebeests to come over here, how much do you think it will cost?" he says.
"Do I have 200 for each wildebeest?"
"This will hire one wildebeest to come over, I'll probably need all my my money because I need 200 for each wildebeest."
Do you think I'll need that much for one widlebeest?"
"Do you think that they can live here in the cold?"
"Do you think that you and daddy can attack ten hyenas?"
I say, "I don't know, what weapons do we have?"
He says, "The only weapon I can give you is a really strong sword."

Ten points if you can guess which movie he's watching!

Freaky Rolly--- a mommy brag!

My kids are so imaginative and creative. Now they are playing camping. Peter draped a king sized blanket over their dressers and some chairs. They are looking at the "stars" (a light on low) and eating pretend mealworms (on Nim's Island- she eats mealworms) and chocolate chips! :) They have a bit of pretend water in their tool box and they are having a great time.

Another game Weston made up is "Freaky Rolly." All you need is a thick roll of duct tape. Then you sit on the floor and roll it back and forth to one another. If it hits the person's foot,he calls that a "hoof" and it is good. Everyone gets to yell "HOOF, HOOF, HOOF" like a cheer. If the tape rolls to the into the goal--- we yell, "Freaky Rolly!" He also made a new way to roll it by making a ramp. He puts up his knees and rolls the tape down the front of his shins and says, "RAMP!" We all like playing it. It's super freaky!

They just came out of their room. They set up two 1.5 liter bottles that Weston filled halfway with water and they are throwing the beanbag frogs at the bottles. They are "bowling" in the hallway!

He makes up the games all by himself. I know my kids miss out on somethings like T-ball and ballet classes, but they get to stay home, make up games and pretend to their hearts content. When I see them playing like this, all my worst fears of ruining them by taking them out of our homeland and living here are laid to rest. They have the opportunity to have an old fashion childhood where they enjoy making the most of their imaginations and I think it is a wonderful way to grow up.

The Slurp

Weston runs constantly from morning until night. At night, he runs to his bed and falls asleep in about 3 seconds.

He is really good at making games. He is very creative and switches from robot to zorro to doctor ambulance all day long. While he runs he also makes shooting, swooping, and flying sound effects. He has just begun coupling this with force jumps and he is very cute.

There is only one problem… we have wood floors under all the carpet and padding and it is LOUD. Then there is “The Slurp.” The Slurp is one of his sound effects. It sounds something like, “pwew, pew, pew, sucky slurpy pwew, kew kew, sucky slurpy pwew.” Also there is a constant, “bang bang, bang,” of his little feet on the floor. Then there are the feet of Sierra which have a different cadence and her regular squealing and crying in frustration when she can’t keep up or is inadvertently mowed down by a force jump. But it is The Slurp that throws me over the edge.

Adding The Slurp to the cacophony of other noises and by 6:30pm I am READY FOR BED! (it is 6:39!)