Enter the Tree

No Thanksgiving weekend would be complete without the harvesting of a beautiful Douglas Fir.


Or, as the case has been the previous couple of years, the decorating of our fake, 12 inch, Charlie Brown-ish tree. Yes, you read that right, 12 inch. Complete with tiny little ornaments, a bitty star on top and, of course, a mini strand of lights. Our beloved tiny tree matched the tiny budget we had as Daddy was in school full time. But we decorated it while listening to Christmas carols and lighted candles for ambiance. We truly enjoyed ourselves and our bitty tree always looked so lovely.


Well, this year Daddy has a job (although he is also in school full-time, as well) and we splurged on a real live 7 foot Douglas Fir. It smells so good!

My little Christmas tree hunters, all bumkined up in flanel and blue jeans!
"Aaaaaah! This is the one!"

We load up and take the tractor-pulled trolley back through the farm.

Back to the lodge for coco and cookies before we head home.

Although he's happy about the tree, the boy who isn't fond of spiders is keeping his distance from it until Daddy can shake it out, thankyouverymuch.

And, alas, the little tree is such a sweet tradition for us that we found a spot for it on the breakfast nook. The big boys decorated it after the babies went to bed and we spent a nice night together. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without our little Charlie Brown tree.

So Thankful

So very, very thankful.

Just Another Evening in the Lewis House

While Dad, Solomon, Malachi, Lexx and Furgus were chilling in the front room,

And Zephan was popcorning on the floor,

Levi and I were in the kitchen confronting this problem:

How to remove a very stuck potty seat from his head. Now, his head is smaller than it looks once you smash all that hair down, but still, that seat wasn't going anywhere!

aaaaaaw...maybe I will decide to have a girl someday :)

Feeling Much Better

OK. So I found a few pictures that made me feel so much better about my potty training woes. According to these glyphs, I do everything right. I am a fantastic parent, people! Just look at all the things I do right:

See, d? We're doin' just fine.

And here's the book info, should you find that you need everyday encouragement on hand:

Safe Baby Handling Tips

by David & Kelly Sopp

Loathing.

Oh, my friends. Please allow me to vent a moment. I despise potty training. Hate it. You know my prior post when "up-beat-potty-training-mommy" was so enthusiastic about this new task she's attempting to impart to her 2 year old?
Well, "up-beat-potty-training-mommy" is a fraud, folks. She doesn't exist. Like the Yettie or low gas prices. In her stead is "disgusted-mommy-who-shutters-and-throws-up-in-her-mouth-a-little-bit-whenever-her-son-poops-his-underoos".
Unfortunately, this is the mommy I am. At least today, as my son prefers to quietly steal away and hide in a corner to poo instead of using the potty chair he's quite capable of using.
Folks, I've potty-trained 7 children. Yes, between the daycare of my early twenties, the foster care of my mid twenties and the parenting of my late twenties, there are 7 children roaming this earth who are apt at using the toilet because of my efforts.
I was so patient with the first 3! It was all sticker charts and smiles!
Starting with numbers 4 & 5, the sticker charts were replaced with the immediate gratification of M&Ms and the childhood obesity and diabetes epidemics be darned.
Now, with Levi, I'm very much lacking my positive attitude. Don't get me wrong, I clap and smile and hand the kid a Jelly Belly when he's successful, but I find the whole ordeal tiring. As I asked my friend earlier today, please pray that I will find the patient, understanding, cheerful potty-training mommy who's hiding waaaaaay inside me.
Oh, today she's buried so deeply.

NW Kids Club

So, we have a new place for PE this school year and I'm pleased as punch about it. In the past we've participated in PE classes specifically geared toward homeschooled kids. Which was great except for the cost ($7 per child per class) and the location (the other side of town).

This place is an indoor playground for kids 7 years old and younger. It has a HUGE sand box,

Goodies for imaginative play,

Toddler-sized play equipment,

This cool little bikes-on-a-track thingy,

A swing to push the baby,

Dress up outfits,

Lots of neat push toys and cars for littler ones,

A bouncy house,

And playground equipment for the bigger kiddos.
And it's only $20/month for an unlimited membership for our family with 4 kids. Let me tell you, I love Oregon and would never leave it. That having been said, the beautiful rain I adore so much can produce some rather stir-crazy little boys. This place is only 2.5 miles from our house and will serve us really well this year.

Oh, and they have an espresso bar with cheap peppermint tea.

Happy Mommy.

Happy Boys.

...and I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that coffee offer soon, Andee!

Firsts

So, last week had some novel experiences to offer - and some firsts for my guys:

Zephan got his first haircut! The "frow-hawk" was successfully tamed by Nana and is much easier to manage now.
He's also....drum roll please...walking! I'll post some pics soon as Nana's camera captured the exciting fist steps. I need to borrow her card and grab them. We're in trouble, now!

He also enjoyed his first pickle, compliments of Malachi:

As for Levi, our potty-training adventure is in full swing and he's doing pretty darn good. We had begun a couple of months back, but K moving in set us back. But, we're back in the saddle and I'll be glad to shave some money off our household's $42.00 per month diaper habit.

Also, I wanted to post this gem! Now, Levi's hair is obviously different from the other boys'. It has it's own set of very important do's and don't's. For instance, never, NEVER comb Levi's hair while it's dry... ....or he will end up resembling one of the Jackson 5.

In other exciting Levi news, his birth dad has signed the adoption mediation agreement and we're now on the path to finalization! Maybe we can get this wrapped up by the year's end!

On the big boy front, Solomon is now playing chess online through Connections Academy. And loving it. Thursday he was matched with a 6th grader and held his own pretty nicely. The big boy won, but was very kind and encouraging to Solomon as they real-timed back and forth during the game. They got one another in check several times before Kevin won the game. I think the chess program alone is worth being enrolled in Connections Academy. Here's Solomon playing and Malachi advising (Malachi will be eligible to join next school year).

And here's "The Chess Face". Looks just like his Dad's!

And this one I just took as I looked down from typing to see my rabbit sitting contentedly with her paws crossed. In spite of all the chaos surrounding her and various little boys "loving" her all the time, that is one serene bunny.