An Early Start

Every year, retailers push Christmas on us a little earlier. And every year, I complain about it. Ever heard of a holiday called T-h-a-n-k-s-g-i-v-i-n-g? Yes, I realize Thanksgiving may not be as big of a money maker as Christmas (except for grocery stores), but, c'mon. It's the pre-cursor to Christmas. It's the holiday that gets us thinking about family and friends and how much we love them. It's the holiday that makes us stop and think about how blessed we truly are...about how God has graciously given us so much. Counting our blessings leads us into the Christmas spirit. It makes us want to give back. God has blessed us with so much, why shouldn't we want to bless others? We need to take note and recognize this special holiday for what it is, giving thanks to God for all that we have and all He has done in our lives.


That being said........I've actually found myself "pushing" Christmas this year...just a little. I guess I'm just ready. Now, don't get me wrong. I am ALL ABOUT Thanksgiving. We are not forgetting Thanksgiving at our house. All month long, Jacob, Annabelle and I have been talking about Thanksgiving -- turkeys, pilgrims, Indians (Squanto, in particular), the Mayflower, being thankful, traditional Thanksgiving foods, etc... We LOVE Thanksgiving. But for some reason, I just couldn't wait to put up the Christmas tree.


So, our tree is up and decorated. It's the earliest it's ever been up at our house. I usually wait until the Thanksgiving festivities are over, but not this year. We set it up over the weekend and added decorations yesterday. I thought it might be fun for Jacob and Annabelle to help decorate, so I pulled out all the boxes of decorations and waited for naptime to end. Jacob was very enthusiastic about trimming the tree and immediately tore open boxes searching for his favorite ornaments to hang on the bare branches. Annabelle.....well......Annabelle's enthusiasm rivaled Jacob's, but she didn't care anything about hanging ornaments on that silly tree.



First, she dumped out several storage containers -- red, green, and silver Christmas balls...everywhere. Then she began taking them apart, one by one, removing the hooks and throwing them onto the floor where they got lost in the carpet. I attempted to divert her attention by showing her an ornament. She walked over to the Christmas tree and I taught her how to properly place an ornament on a branch. Jacob gave her a little lesson as well. Annabelle immediately ripped several ornaments off the tree and took off down the hall, laughing and squealing with delight. As I chased her through the house, hoping I could salvage at least a couple ornaments before they were destroyed, Jacob took off after me. "ANNABELLE!!!!!! WHY are you MESSING UP Christmas???" he yelled. "Can't you just be HAPPY???" My frustration level was at its peak, but hearing the complete exasperation in Jacob's voice made me giggle. His sister was "messing up Christmas" and he was going to do something about it!


As the afternoon progressed, the situation only got worse. Annabelle was dead-set on pulling off every ornament within her reach and Jacob was on a personal quest to save Christmas. The tone at our house was less like Christmas and more like World War III. After Annabelle climbed up onto the counter and broke the lid to my cherished snack jar (it came from my grandparents' house), I decided to call it a night...in terms of decorating. Whew.


As I swept up a million tiny shards of glass from the kitchen floor (the remains of my snack jar lid) and Jacob cried because "...now we don't have anything to keep our snacks in!", I debated even putting out anymore of our Christmas decorations. The tree has lights. Does it really need anything else? What about that Nativity set? Maybe it should just stay in the box this year. And that glass snowman platter? There's no way I'm setting that on the counter.


Well, today was a new day. I got up early and put the finishing touches on the tree. Jacob helped. Let's get real. Having a Christmas tree with no decorations was out of the question. I set up the nativity and put out that snowman platter (along with several other things). Annabelle slept until almost 11:00 this morning, allowing me plenty of time to decorate and store away all the now empty containers, not to mention, pick up all the hooks that she threw all over the floor.


Jacob couldn't wait to show his sister what we had done. He couldn't wait for her to see all the decorations, but he was also worried she would "mess up Christmas" again. Much to his surprise (and mine), we are well into the afternoon, and "Christmas" is still intact. A couple ornaments have disappeared throughout the day; we had a minor incident with some Christmas bears; and the time out corner has been visited several times......but don't worry, Jacob. Christmas is NOT messed up!


Besides.....it's not time for Christmas...yet. It's Thanksgiving. REMEMBER??? :)

School Update

Here's a post (mostly) for the grandparents, as I am sure you are curious to know what kinds of things Jacob has learned during these past 12 weeks.

So, what is Jacob learning? Well, I think the more appropriate question might be, "What isn't Jacob learning?" He's got all the basic subjects covered, plus a few more: history, science, math, art, music, reading, English grammar, geography, Latin, Bible.

Yes, we are twelve weeks into Classical Conversations and still, I am amazed at what Jacob is learning -- things like nominative pronouns, the 1st conjugation (pluperfect tense) of the latin verb "amo", the geographic locations of Constantinople / Istanbul, the European rivers,and mountain ranges, etc... It's incredible.

Even more incredible? He still loves it...everything about it. He loves reciting his memory verses. He loves learning the songs that help him remember his history sentences. He loves going to class on Tuesdays and he loves doing his show and tell presentations. Jacob says his favorite part of school is geography and "doing the timeline." By "doing the timeline," he means reviewing his timeline cards (160 flashcards that feature important historical events and people from creation to the present). And he is very good at geography. I give him a blank map and and a dry erase marker and he names and marks the European countries, cities, features, etc... He also knows the seven continents, four oceans and can point them out on a map. He learns about a different area of the world each week.

Jacob has now memorized 11 verses of the sixth chapter of Ephesians. We're working on verse 12 now. Yesterday, he asked me to make a video of him reciting his memory verses, so I obliged. I know it looks like he is reading, but he isn't. (He can read now, but not quite at the King James level :) ) He just likes to point to the verse number as he recites each one.

Hooked on Phonics is working out great for reading. Jacob enjoys the short cartoon lessons on the DVD and he gets excited when it's time to read another one of the little purple books. He actually likes doing work in his workbook too. Right now, we're working through the Kindergarten Level Two books. He's really zooming through this. I predict we'll be in the first grade books by Christmas.

Math-U-See is also going well. We have to wait until Annabelle takes a nap to pull out the math blocks because if we didn't, those little things would...be...everywhere. Although I haven't asked him, I think Jacob's favorite part of math is building numbers with the blocks. We spent the past couple weeks concentrating on place value, so he's been happy to finally use the giant hundreds blocks to build bigger numbers.

After Bible yesterday, we moved on to science:

Today, he learned about constellations. For his science craft, he made a little dipper that glows in the dark. As soon as we arrived home from school, he grabbed his little dipper out of his backpack, ran to the bathroom, closed the door and turned out the lights to see if it worked. It did.

Jacob looks forward to his show-and-tell presentations. Each week, his teacher assigns a different topic. This week's topic? Your favorite stuffed animal. Jacob has several and I honestly wasn't sure which one he would choose. We laid them all out on his bed and it didn't take him long to choose "E". Erika made this little monkey for Jacob and gave it to him for his birthday this year. He absolutely loves it!

For the first six weeks, the fine arts segment of Classical Conversations focused on drawing. Jacob learned about the basic elements of drawing -- things like basic shapes, mirror images, upside down images, abstract art, perspective, etc... For his final project, the children each drew a bird. They had to listen carefully to instructions from the teacher and copy what she drew on the board. Jacob did really well with it.

The past six weeks, he's been learning to play the tin whistle, which also involves music theory. He can look at a piece of sheet music and tell you what most of the symbols are and what they mean. He also expanded his vocabulary to include musical terms like symphony, harmony, cacophony, discord, legato, staccato, forte, and mezzo piano. As far as actually playing the tin whistle.......well........hmmmmm......let's just say he's better at the drums. :) BUT, he enjoys it. Today, in class, after playing his own special version of Mary Had A Little Lamb, Jacob announced, "Playing the tin whistle is fun, isn't it?!" I will say, he has definitely improved over these past couple weeks. And I'll admit, I can't play the tin whistle very well either. Jacob could give me a lesson or two. :)

I feel very fortunate that Jacob loves school so much. I never have to force him to do anything. In fact, sometimes, he is the one begging me to "do school." His desire to learn makes my job much easier. I'm sure there will come a day when he's not so "into it," but for now, I am certainly enjoying his eagerness and am trying my best to take full advantage of this time with my smart, precious, four year old student.

Two is the Magic Number

According to our pediatrician, there are certain foods children should avoid until a certain age. One of those foods is peanut butter. Doctors recommend children shy away from peanut butter until they reach the age of two years old. Jacob didn't have his first taste of peanut butter until a few days after his second birthday and I planned on following the same rule with Annabelle; but, with an active peanut butter eating two year old around, the rule becomes slightly more difficult to enforce. I know Annabelle has eaten peanut butter cookie crumbs dropped on the floor by her big brother and she also got into a bag of roasted peanuts once. She had several whole peanuts (shells and all) crammed into her mouth before I could reach her to stop the madness. Thank goodness, she never showed any signs of an allergic reaction. Despite these occurrences, I still waited until her second birthday to let her officially have her first taste of peanut butter.

The "first taste" was fairly uneventful. She ate it off the spoon, but didn't beg for more. I'm just glad she likes it. At least now I have another EASY lunch option to add to our menu. Annabelle, welcome to the delightfully delicious world of peanut butter!

Hmmmm...let me close my eyes and concentrate on what this stuff tastes like.

I think I like it.

Yeah, I like it! But, I like to play with this spoon even more!!

The other day, I overheard Jacob and Annabelle playing in the living room. They had arranged the big red blocks into a square and were sitting inside. I asked Jacob what they were doing and he said he and Annabelle were at their vacation house. "Do you want to come to our vacation house?" he asked. Before joining them inside, I ran to get the camera. When I returned, Jacob had apparently turned into a rap artist...or something. Check out his poses. Maybe he was pretending to be on an episode of CRIBS. After all, he was in his vacation house!

After they left their vacation home, they headed over to the bookshelf for a little reading time. I videoed them from around the corner, but Annabelle soon spotted me and turned on the "cheese."

I love these moments -- when they are actually playing together...and being nice to one another. No hitting. No slapping. No yelling. No biting. No kicking. Just having fun. I love those two little munchkins!!

More Adventures of Cowboy Sheriff and Little Cow

We weren't sure what to do or where to go Sunday evening, but we didn't want to stay home. We didn't really want to take the kids trick-or-treating and we weren't prepared to hand out candy to all the neighborhood children. So, we dressed Jacob and Annabelle in their costumes and headed out to......destination unknown.

We ended up at Rita's Italian Ice, first making a stop (at my request) at Starbuck's for a pumpkin spice latte. As we approached the door to Rita's, a lady yelled to us to come down to Piggly Wiggly because she had "something for the kids." We shuffled the cowboy sheriff and little cow down the sidewalk to see what that "something" was. She gave them each two little candy bars and two bags of pretzels. I realize that doesn't sound like much, but the cowboy and the little cow were thrilled. It doesn't take much to please a four and a two year old!

We got another pleasant surprise at Rita's. Since the kids were wearing costumes, they each got a free Italian ice! Then, later, Heath and I shared another FREE Italian ice -- pumpkin pie with vanilla custard. Yummmmm. We couldn't have chosen a better impromptu destination!

When we got home, the cowboy and little cow had a dance party. At our house, dance parties happen frequently...sometimes with music, sometimes without. Who needs music when you have Jacob? He's a human beatbox. He creates his own music. The funny thing is, Annabelle copies him. On many occasions, when we have sing-a-long time, I end up doing a Wheels on the Bus solo while Jacob and Annabelle dance around and make beatbox sounds. Where do they learn this stuff???

Earlier that day, Jacob chose a pack of Warheads as his after lunch treat. According to the package, these Warheads were extra sour. Jacob didn't seem to mind. He ate the entire bag, with the exception of the one piece I stole when he wasn't looking.

I know it doesn't seem like much of a treat, but Annabelle chose cheese for her dessert. I think it's the bright red wrapper that appeals to her. It opens like a piece of candy. Now, if only she always chose cheese over candy. Wishful thinking.......

Look Out World! Sheeeeeeeeee's Two!!

Hello, people!!!! I am two years old and I am ready for my Minnie Mouse party!!!!

Flashback to two years ago: I was waddling around our church's Trunk or Treat event helping my little astronaut (Jacob) play games and collect candy (mostly for me to eat). I joked about how all the walking, combined with excessive chocolate consumption, would send me into labor. As it turned out, my comments, made in jest, became reality. I began feeling contractions later that night. The next evening, at 8:41 PM, our little live wire made her grand entrance into the world. Annabelle has been running at full throttle ever since. Hmmmmmm...now that I think about it, perhaps all the chocolate and my insatiable craving for Texas Pete hot sauce had something to do with Annabelle's spunky personality. :)

So, here we are, two years later. I know I always talk about how wild and crazy she is, but Annabelle is the sweetest little thing. I love her so much. She is more fun than I could ever imagine. She's spontaneous. She's funny. She likes to make silly faces. She loves it when you spin her around and throw her up into the air. She LOVES sweets and can polish off a cupcake in record time. She has an infectious laugh. She likes to climb on ANYTHING. She likes to dance...on tables. She's messy. She doesn't mind getting dirty. She has an odd fascination with the toilet. She sucks her thumb when she's sleepy and carries around her most treasured posession, Minnie Mouse, upside down, by the leg. She practices very good oral hygiene, brushing her teeth no less than seven times per day. She still likes to be rocked before she goes to bed. She loves music and can play a mean air guitar. She loves animals and gets super excited even when she sees a dog. She can maneuver her way out of any high chair, booster seat, stroller, buggy, etc... She refuses to be tied down. She prefers running over walking, and jumping over running. She likes a good nap -- three hours everyday. She likes to play hard. She loves to slide. She has no fear. With Annabelle, each day is a new, exciting adventure and I thank God for blessing our family with this beautiful little girl.

I can't believe she's two already. She's growing up so fast. Everyday, she learns and says new words. She recently started saying, "No tat-you." (No thank you.)

Me: "Annabelle, please just take one more bite."

Annabelle: "No tat-you."

How cute is that? Pretty good manners for a two year old, huh? Unfortunately, those good manners seem to come and go. She's a little inconsinstent -- one minute she's saying , "No tat-you", the next, she's slapping her brother in the face....or even worse....biting him. Yes, folks, it appears we've got a biter on our hands. Like I've been saying, she is a feisty one!

To celebrate her birthday, we had a small, low-key party at the house with family and a few friends. Although, Annabelle is so high-energy, I'm not sure if you can call any party for her, low-key. :) The party's main event was painting with pudding. I knew Annabelle would love it. It's messy. It's colorful. And the best part? It's edible. She started out fingerpainting and ended up shoving handfuls of pudding into her mouth...and all over her face. What fun!! Jacob created a masterpiece a little at a time -- a little pudding on the paper....a little pudding in the mouth.

"Yook, Mommy!" (Look, Mommy!)

After the pudding paint, we let the kids play for a bit. They needed to burn off some of that sugar rush before round two: cake and ice cream.

Since she loves Minnie Mouse so much, I decided a couple months ago Annabelle should have a Minnie Mouse cake for her birthday. My fabulous friend, Erika, and I searched the internet for ideas and finally settled on what I think is now my favorite cake that we've made. We were especially excited to try out a new marshmallow fondant recipe. I'm so glad we decided to go with the fondant over the buttercream. We were very pleased with the finished product! THANK YOU, ERIKA for helping out again this year!!!! I would never attempt these cakes without you...not to mention....it would be really boring if I had to bake and decorate by myself.

Yes, that is a tear under Annabelle's eye. She and Jacob collided in the hallway just prior to the cake celebration. And, of course, that little collision left her with a bruise. I guess we can call it "the birthday bruise." After I turned the camera off, everyone kept encouraging Annabelle to blow out her candles. She heard the word "blow" and blew her nose instead. Eventually, she stopped blowing her nose and focused her efforts on the two candles. :)

Annabelle is a girl after my own heart. She loves cake and finished off her slice in a few short minutes.

After every last chocolate crumb was eaten, we moved on to the presents. She had plenty of help opening her gifts. After all, opening presents is fun...even if they aren't yours.

Until recently, Annabelle never really played with toys. She's always been more into running, jumping, and climbing. Now that she's two, she seems to play a little more. She loves to push buttons and likes anything that plays music. She also enjoys her baby dolls and especially likes to push them around in her new stroller and grocery cart.


So, we've officially crossed the line into what everyone calls, "the terrible twos." However, I am choosing to think a bit more positively. I will call it "the terrific twos." I mean, Annabelle is already a "spirited" child. How much more "spirited" can she possibly get? Hmmmmmm....I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Let the fun begin!!!!!