Woo! Hoo! 3 down, 1 to go

Eli is officially out of daytime pullups. He hasn't had any daytime accidents for over a week, and I am celebrating. What a wonderful, incredible feeling to be free from diaper duty. And for our house, Mark's sister and brother-in-law came to help us paint last weekend. The carpet went in early this week, and the kitchen & dining room flooring will be going in early next week. We move next weekend. Mark will be in Alabama for the weekend pretending to be active duty Air Force. The kids & I will be moving boxes and cleaning the house.

Time for a haircut?

How do you know when you need a haircut? As I was getting Sarah out of the van this afternoon, I tried brushing her very long bangs out of her eyes. For some reason they wouldn't move. I leaned in for a closer look and realized that her bangs were glued to crusted snot under her nose. It was very pretty.

The first snowman of the season

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning, so the kids spent the whole morning outside. The snow melted by lunchtime, but we have one little momento left. Isn't he cute?

Yikes! It's SNOWING!!

So, Jonah throws a fit every morning when I tell him that he has to wear long sleeves and long pants. Here is what he wore outside to play yesterday. Yes, winter hat and mittens with shorts, a t-shirt, and crocks. Here is what it looks like outside tonight. I don't think he'll be arguing with me anymore!

Here is just a cute picture of my little Eli. He is maturing so much now that he hit the big 3, and I am finally really, really enjoying him.

The kids' classes at the public school are going great. Jonah is undoubtedly the most popular kid in kindergarten right now. Every morning when I drop him off the kids greet him with wild excitement. It's a lot like Norm from Cheers. When I picked him up this week, they said goodbye to him with the same excitement except some of the kids needed to give him hugs too. We should have named him Norm.

Anna is having a blast in her class too. She even has a little magnetic mirror in her locker. Hot stuff for 2nd grade. Last weekend she had an overnight Friday night and a playdate on Saturday. Then, today, the mom of another girl told me that her daughter really wants to be Anna's friend. Her daughter seems to be a little jealous of the other two girls who already had playdates with Anna. Yikes. I don't know if I can keep up.

This public school thing has been working out much better than I anticipated (but of course it hasn't been super cold yet). Not only do the kids get the fun classes, but they are participating in the fun activities too. So far this year they have participated in the homecoming parade, a visit to the library, a visit from the firemen and firetrucks, and Norwegian folk dancing. I like not having to schedule our own fieldtrips or music lessons. Very nice.

School at home has been so smooth this year since I finally figured out to do our lessons during Sarah's afternoon nap. It is so easy now. Anna continues to blow through her reading and math. She has a great attitude, and she is super easy to teach. Jonah is starting to sound out simple words, and he loves his reading lessons. I am amazed. I never thought he would be so excited about school. My only concern right now is that Jonah has started to stutter. It seemed to start when he started blending letters, and it has gotten worse over the past week almost in tandem with his reading progress. I think it's just a developmental stage, but I'm watching him. I know the stuttering is really frustrating for him.

Another day, another picture

Here are the kids eating dinner. We eat in the kitchen when Mark isn't home since it's easier for me. Sarah usually sits on the counter. It's just easier for everyone that way. She is very proficient at stealing food off other plates when the kids aren't paying attention. Anna & Jonah created guitars yesterday, and they have been working on a band ever since. Eli plays the drums and Sarah dances. They performed an original work titled "Popcorn" this morning.

Anna found a paper wasp nest. Luckily it was vacant. Paper wasps are our nature topic for the week. This picture will be in her nature journal.

Since I wash EVERY dish by hand, I spend a lot of time washing dishes. To keep Sarah occupied, I put her in the sink while I wash. It's a very interesting process. This is the beginning of yet another dishwashing session. Anna felt the need to be in the picture too.