Children's Museum

Josiah had a doctor's appointment last week (just his yearly and some shots he needed for Kindergarten), and afterwards we went to the children's museum. They had several new exhibits and the boys really enjoyed it.

Asher was in heaven with this new crane exhibit.

Josiah loved this new vacuum exhibit. You put scarves or balls into tubes (like at the bank drive-thru) and they fly around and eventually pop out.

And of course the boats are a favorite.

Our little Graduate

When Josiah was around 6 months old we signed him up for a reading program through the local library called "1000 books before Kindergarten." I was supposed to be writing down each book we read to him, but when he became so challenging, this program was the last thing on our mind. It was always in the back of my mind, but I rarely wrote anything down. We knew he was reading plenty of books as he reads himself, but it was still something I felt I had failed on.

We were invited to the graduation for that program so I spent a lot of time writing down all the books that we had in the house and got to 520 when I ran out of space. I decided to just go and hoped they didn't check his book.

When we were walking in I was making conversation with another mother and she was commenting on how on top of things I must be as I had our book with us. HAHAHA! So I just went along with it and said, "I brought it, but we ran out of pages." Then she said, "yeah, we had to get several book." OUCH!!!

They had a cute little program for the kids. The librarian read a couple of books and then they picked out t-shirts and mortar board caps. They played some music and had them walk down the aisle. Then they handed them little diplomas and a stack of books (to which Josiah said loudly, "I have that book at home!")

I'm determined to get Asher's book in line within the next year!!

Summer Hair

How cute is this little kid? He sweats pretty badly in this humid weather so I was thinking a buzz would feel better for him. It was a struggle to get it done as he hates the clippers. It turned out so cute!

Mommy meltdown

Moms are aloud to have a meltdown every once in a while right??

Well, this was my week.

After 2 weeks of fighting with Josiah about his acts of violence towards me (and Asher) I was done. I picked him up from VBS on Wednesday and he came at me and pushed me hard in the stomach and then started screaming. I got him home and put him in a time out and each time he'd get out he'd do something aggressive and go right back in. This went on until lunchtime when I'd about had it.

Len came back and we weren't on the same page and I couldn't stand to be in the house anymore. We had full coverage so off I went...

31 hours later (after I'd shopped, read, reflected, journaled, and soul searched) I returned home in a much more optimistic mood. I came home last night after the kids had gone down to bed. Len and I had a campfire and a long talk. We came up with some goals and tools to help me cope and I'm feeling better about things.

The boys seemed to thrive without me. They were much happier and laid back when I picked them up from the last day of VBS this morning. Asher was affectionate and happy and Josiah was social and in pretty good sensory form.

Things are looking up for the moment.

Cabin Update

Here's what the kitchen at the cabin looks like right now. Len has removed the floor down to the joists and I helped with some of the lath on the walls. This weekend he put in electrical where he'd need it on the floor and removed the large vent pipe. Next time he plans on working on the plumbing we'll need under the flooring. After that he'll have jack up the floor and put in new support beams, insulate and then put the new flooring. Then we'll have a level floor in the kitchen!! I'm sure that will feel weird as the current floor has about 4.5 inches sloped down to the west.

Ceiling:

Floor: those circular spots seen in the last picture are where he

poured concrete to support the new footings.

Syttende Mai Parade

We took the boys to the parade in town last weekend. This was the first year that Josiah was interested in retrieving the candy as well as eating it. Last year he was so focused on getting more and more candy in his mouth that he couldn't concentrate on anything else. Both boys seemed to enjoy themselves and Asher loved the tractors of course.

The horns were too loud for both kids, but they did well covering their ears. After the parade was done we walked to the park where they had some activities set up for the kids. They had a big bouncy thing with a slide that is a lot like what they have at the House of Bounce. They really wanted a turn, so I bought tickets. Then we stood in line. Not only was the line long, but it was SLOW. They couldn't only let one kid in at a time so it forever to get to the front. Meanwhile, the kids were still eating candy and were starting to get really impatient and whiny.

We finally got up to the front and Josiah was first to go through. Once he went in, we could't see him anymore. It was quiet for a while and then we heard him yelling for Emily. The ride operator waited what seemed like forever, and then finally went in after him. He was excited to go down the slide. Asher needed help as well, so maybe in hindsight the ride wasn't the best idea. By the time they were done they were so whiny and grumpy that we just went right home.

Last day of Preschool

After 3 years, Josiah is finally done with preschool. It truly feels like the end of an era and time to get serious about things now that Kindergarten is next. He started Special Ed preschool the summer he turned 3 and I remember how I felt like we had so far to go before "real" school.

Here is a picture of him on his first day of preschool that day in summer.

These are pictures with Betty (the teacher) and Lisa (his aid) the last day this year. I gave the teachers petunia pots as a thank you. We couldn't have asked for a better staff. Everyone treated Josiah was the right of amount of compassion and sternness. We were really happy with how they never made a big deal out of his differences, especially in front of the other kids. They were really great and we will always remember this great preschool experience for him.

Fire Pit

I love my husband.... Occasionally I get these whims to take on projects that I think I can do by myself. But after totally exhausting myself, I turn to my "fail-safe" who takes over and completes my projects.

Our firepit turned out totally great, but it was a huge amount of work. He hauled these extremely heavy rocks and a huge amount of gravel home to make this vision of mine come true. Our backyard looks so nice now! I also lined the gardens with smaller rocks on the south side of the house and a new garden in the backyard that isn't quite finished yet.

Teeter Totter Spin

The boys have finally gotten into the teeter totter that Grammy and Grandpa gave them for Christmas. I brought it upstairs thinking I would bring it outside, but they love playing together in the living room. Josiah does all the work which is great coordination work for him. Asher has gotten knocked off several times, but he still gets back on. Since we took this video, Josiah has started putting the blanket over his head while he spins!

Aggression

This week Josiah has had quite a change in his behavior. He has turned really aggressive. He's been aggressive in the past, but this is the worst its ever been. He even had a day at school where the aid said he was aggressive with her physically and verbally and even went after a couple of kids.

Today we had a really rough time with him. Sometimes he "goes after" us without any provocation, and at other times he lashes out when something doesn't go his way. We took the boys to the parade (more on that in a later post) and Josiah was rolling down the hill behind us and then biting my back when he got up to me. Then he started doing it to Len as well. He and Asher have been at it like cats and dogs as Asher of course won't tolerate any infraction and hits right back.

Tonight Lara was playing with the boys over at church and when I went to call to them to tell them that supper was ready, I saw Josiah scream and lash out at Lara pinching and hitting. I was about 50 yards away and I told her I'd handle it. When I got to them she was crying saying she just didn't know how to help him or how to handle it. I felt just awful.

I always knew that parenting would be heart-wrenching as I witnessed my own parents' emotions raising me... but I never expected the pain of watching your child really hurt someone else. It tears me up to know the anger he is capable of and how he has no control over himself.

Of course, intellectually I know there are reasons for what is going on with him, but it doesn't make it easier to watch the changes in him. There are lots of transitions going on in his life right now and one of the big ones is Lara leaving... After the incident, we were talking to him he said "I don't want her to go to camp, I want her to stay where I can see her." That is pretty complex thinking and I was so relieved that he could express that. So we talked about how proud we were of him using his words instead of his hands to express how sad he was about her leaving.

Lara handled the whole thing extremely well and came back in a few minutes back to her chipper self. She has just the sweetest heart and it really hit me hard to see her so sad.

Parenting is most surely the hardest job on the heart.

First Tooth Lost!!

Both of Josiah's bottom two teeth had been wiggling and we couldn't believe how long they were holding on. Josiah played with them a lot but didn't seem too bothered most of the time. One time he bit into an apple slice and it must have wiggled and he didn't like that. Other than that he's been pretty good about the whole thing. It must be so weird to lose your teeth after having them your whole life.

So yesterday at supper, Len noticed that one of them was gone. He casually said that it was down in the ballpit in the playroom. I started to get excited and wanted to get pictures, but Len told me I was stressing him out and to calm down. Sure enough, he started to cry and wanted to be held. Stuff that is so momentous for us as parents, can be so traumatic for someone like Josiah. So Len went and found the tooth (it is so tiny as he's been grinding since infancy). Before bed he was very excited about putting it into his Hippo Pillow from Grammy.

When Len and I went in to play tooth fairy, the pillow was by his feet... but where was the tooth?? We moved Josiah, his pillow, his bed... and finally found it in the covers. He slept through the whole thing so that's lucky for the tooth fairy. We put a silver dollar in the pillow as that's what the moose gets in his book that we've been reading. Len said he was very excited about the money and put it into his piggy bank. We had debated giving him a candy bar (ironic eh?) to make him more interested, but he seemed excited about just the money so that's a relief.

He's talking a little funny so that's pretty cute. The second one should fall out any moment.

Mini Gardener

Asher has been very interested in "helping out with the gardening that Len and I have been doing. I dug a new flower bed in the backyard (post to come later with pictures) and Asher really was quite helpful. He would add dirt to the wheel barrow and then spread it around with the hoe. When I would tip the wheel barrow out to get all the dirt out, he would scrape out the last bits. He was entertained, happy and helpful!

Picnic alternative

Today Josiah insisted on eating in his room. I really didn't allow this as I spent 5 hours yesterday deep cleaning the house. But I gave in and watched them really have a great time. I did leave for a little bit to make my lunch. I heard lots of giggling and walked in to find Josiah on the table next to his plate.

I thought it was great that it was his idea.

SEXY!!!

This hideous picture is how I looked after 4 hours of removing lath from the last of the rooms at the cabin. Do you see that pile of dirt at my neck?? That was all over my arms, neck and face. It was a LONG shower to get clean after this!! We have a pile outside that is now about 8 feet tall, 6 feet wide and at least 15 feet long. It is unreal. It will take us all summer to burn it but it feels good to have it all cleared out so we can start rebuilding it the way we want it.

Len is up there this weekend removing the flooring from the kitchen so it will be down to just the joists. Then he will dig the holes for the new footings to support the floor. Aren't you jealous of our relaxing vacation home??

LOOSE TOOTH!!!

Josiah has his first loose tooth!! The discovery was fairly traumatic, I'm afraid. At breakfast yesterday, he grabbed his tooth and started whining. I asked to look at it and it was pushed forward and I thought I saw blood around the base. I didn't react in a calm fashion as it didn't occur to me that it was a loose tooth - I thought he had knocked it out. He started crying and panicking, and then I figured out what it was.

Luckily we have been reading a book called "Moose's Loose Tooth" so he was familiar with the concept. He has adjusted now, and smiles when we talk about the tooth fairy. I can't believe my "baby" is losing his teeth!!!! I'm pretty sure he is losing the first one he got - lower, middle, right.

HAIR

We have Uncle Corey's genes to thank for Josiah's AMAZING HAIR!!! We always kept it short when he was little, but about a year ago I decided to let it grow out and see what it looked like. He has the world's best hair - thick and curly and perfect for a little boy. I don't usually brush it on days when we are at home because it looks so cute when it is messy. Everyone comments on his hair! He'll probably be mad when he sees pictures of himself when he is a teenager!!

Popular Neighbors

I'm pretty sure we are going to be winning some serious friends when our neighbors see the mess we made of our property the last two days. Especially since we have no immediate plans to remedy the situation.

This is looking down onto our "fire pit," although currently there is a burning ban in our county so I guess it is going to have to remain this way for a while.

Here is our yard... Len wants to put a planter in the toilet.

But I painted the shed - isn't it cute??

Here's the kitchen as I left it today. We still have to remove the plaster and lath from the ceiling and the interior wall. The bathtub has to go yet but it is a beast cast iron relic. We'll have to take a sledge hammer to it, but the pieces will be really sharp and dangerous so that will be the last thing besides the floor to go.

Easter Pictures

Wow..... no posts in 6 months and then 3 in one day!!!

These are some sweet Easter pics I got. I worked really hard on making a special Easter dinner. We put a ham in the crockpot at bedtime last night and it was perfect right before church. I also made cornballs, a superb salad (spinach, artichokes, feta, olives, tomatoes), sweet potatoes, deviled eggs and "fizzy juice in special glasses". The boys were impressed with exactly NONE of this and only insisted on having DESSERT.

Grammy sent me this special recipe she was making for the girls and I knew the boys would love them. All that food, and only the bunny cakes won them over!!

Easter Baskets

Grammy and Grandpa were extremely thoughtful this year and sent the boys two beautiful Easter Baskets. I only added a sticker book for Asher and multiplication flashcards for Jo. They were so excited to see them on the table this morning and pulled everything out of them. It was fun to see them really enjoying themselves with this tradition that I adored when I was a kid.

When it came time for church, Asher wanted to bring his tractor and "disc harrow" and tractor and Josiah brought his cards. They both chowed on jellybeans during church, but they were happy and quiet!!

Easter Egg Hunt

The day before Easter we were invited to a community Easter egg hunt in Eitzen by one of Josiah's PCAs. Her mom puts on an annual hunt in honor of a son she lost.

This was the first year that the boys seemed to understand the concept of the secular part of Easter. I tried to explain the religious part, but we are no where near understanding that yet.

There were plenty of eggs for everyone and the boys eagerly took part in grabbing them up. After the eggs were all picked up, they spent a few minutes playing on the playground equipment.

It was a fun time!