Indian Summer

We've been enjoying a much appreciated Indian Summer here.  It's given us a chance to get outside and ride our bikes and hit the park.  We've also been cuddling the cutie kitties while Alden is in his once-a-week neighborhood preschool down the street at Jennifer's.

Gracen LOVES animals but doesn't always know how to handle them.  Fortunately these kittens are really good natured.

Grandpa is always watering his lawn and it never fails that at least Alden comes in drenched head to toe.  It was warm enough this afternoon that I suggested the boys just get into their swimming suits rather than wet yet another set of clothes.

They had a blast jumping on the wet trampoline.

Gracen hit the swing while they jumped.

I know, that last one's a bit blurry.  But I wanted you to see the mouthful of teeth this girl has and this was the best I could do.  And this girl is a biter when she eats!

Eli seems to be semi-obsessed with swings these days.  It seems like everyday at breakfast when we discuss what we have to do that day, Eli always chimes in "And then we go to park and swing!" at the end.  He was shivering and had purple lips here but would NOT go in the house without his turn in the swing first!

Just an Update

I'm getting to that point again where I feel like I'm doing great on posting pictures of what we're up to but not great at explaining the thrills of our day to day life.  Since we've had big changes to our day-to-day lately and since the children are all *miraculously* sleeping at the same time at this moment, I am going to avoid my homework by posting a little about our day-to-day life right now.

Our day-to-day really starts with the nights.  Nights have been rough since we left Saba.  A few things have factored into this - our big move from Saba to Grandma and Grandpa Brunson's was an issue of course, but to add to that, Gracen cut 4 teeth at once and all of us have been sick.  The first few weeks here all 3 kids were waking up multiple times at night - because they needed a drink for a sore throat or because they were stuffy or because mom wasn't there and they were in an unfamiliar place or just plain "because!"  Needless to say, I've been mostly a zombie since we've gotten here and it's made handling the days parenting alone a little tougher.  We've got two bedrooms here at Jaron's parents' place and I've been shuffling us around to try to figure out the combination that equals the most sleep for all of us.  Staying up late to do my class would be a lot easier if I didn't have sleep habits that resemble those of the mother of a newborn!

I started an online class at the University of Phoenix a few days after we got here.  It is a junior-level psychology class (Cognition) and is a pre-requisite for starting my master's in October.  It's definitely been keeping me busy and consuming most of my "me" time.  When it's finished, I will take a 20 hour "History and Systems of Psychology" refresher course and I'll be all set to start my master's degree at the end of October through an online degree at Sacred Heart University, a Catholic school in Conneticuit (I joke that my undergrad is at a Mormon school and my MS will be from a Catholic school - maybe I can find a Jewish school to take me for a doctorate?!).  I know what most of you are thinking - why am I doing a master's at this crazy-busy time in my life?  Mostly because of our student loan situation.  It is not easy to get loans from Jaron's school in the Caribbean so our best option for interest rates, etc, is for me to become a student as well.  And when I think about it, it's something I've always wanted to do and when is my life NOT going to be crazy-busy?!  Carpe Diem!!  I'm really excited about doing the master's.  It's in Applied Psychology and I plan to take the Community Psychology emphasis to be able to work as a career counselor or in public agency situations.  I get almost giddy when I read the class descriptions so I know this is the perfect program for me.  It's really kind of a crazy story - I've been looking for master's programs ever since we got to Saba and I've never found one that fits my needs "just right" until now.  I "stumbled" upon this one and everything has just worked out for it.  I have no doubt that doing this program right now is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing and that is a VERY comforting feeling.

Outside of school work, the kids are keeping me running  I love it when people ask what I do for exercise.  I tell them I do my best to keep up with my kiddos!  Alden is almost 4 1/2 and is growing up so fast (I know, EVERY mom says that about their firstborn).  I can't wait for the opportunity to put Alden into school.  He is such a smarty pants and loves to learn new things.  This morning while we drove to Target Alden saw what he thought was an airplane at a distance and told me how if he only had binoculars or a telescope that he would be able to see it better to make sure.  He then proceeded to describe to me what exactly a telescope is - the shape and the layers of glass, etc.  It amazes me what this kid picks up along the way!  NOTHING gets by him!  I am also eager to get him into the social situation that school will provide.  He is so eager to make new friends.  Alden is still having difficulty grasping the fact that the United States is not an island and that even though his friends have also moved back to the States, Ohio and New York are still very far away!  A few weeks ago I found Alden his first bike and he is LOVIN' it.  Everyday he spends a good deal of time out in the driveway riding his little Huffy on training wheels in circles.

I found 2 1/2 year old Eli a little plastic tricycle on Craigslist and although he can't quite reach the pedals, there is no stopping him.  He scoots around on that thing, doing his best to keep up with his big brother and won't let anyone push him on it.  Eli is into everything trains right now but he wouldn't pass up any toy with wheels on it.  Eli is still very attached with his mommy and who can blame him?  He's had 5 moves in his short life and even fewer babysitters.  So I accompany Eli to nursery every Sunday and can't usually even go downstairs without him calling for me to wait for him.  Sometimes it is challenging to have him so attached but I think I need to revel in it a little more.  In no time, I'm sure he'll need me much less than I want him to!

Ten month old Gracen is growing in leaps and bounds.  Besides the mouthful of teeth she's gained here, she's also been changing fast in her motor skills.  She frequently stands up in the middle of the room on her own and loves to climb so I'm sure taking steps is coming up soon.  Yesterday she got herself stuck trying to climb up the backside of a kitchen chair.  She's mastered going up the stairs and has tumbled down them a couple of times.  Gracen loves to be included in whatever the boys are playing with.  It's fun to see her grow cognitively as I catch her doing things like trying to put socks or shoes on her feet or brushing her hair with a brush she finds.  This girl can't pass a mirror without smiling and waving to herself - it is too cute!  Her hair is finally starting to grow but I can't quite figure out how to make any kind of ponytail out of it.  I can't believe Gracen is going to be one in just over a month - I have enjoyed her happy and fun baby personality so much!

In about 2 weeks we will leave for a trip up to Canada to see my family, who I haven't been back to see in about a year and a half!  We're very excited for that!!  I tell ya - ONE DAY I will convert my husband to Canadianism - just you wait! ;-)

Speaking of my husband, we get to see him on Skype a few times a week but I chat with him on there everyday.  We sure miss him!  It's amazing what being apart can do for your marriage - I recommend everyone do it at one point or another.  We just come to appreciate each other so much more - we are able to better recognize what each of our roles in our family are and how we complement each other in them.  We sure love you Daddy!

And that, my friends, is us at the moment!

Harvest Festival

Last Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with my college roommate, Marie.  I had such great luck in college roommates - we all still keep in touch even though we all live in different States now.  Marie's husband just finished a Master's degree and has moved back to Idaho for the interim while job hunting.  I was so glad for the opportunity to get together with her because she is one fun chick!  We met her and her cute little 3 year old daughter, Lilly, at the Harvest Festival.

The kids all loved the bouncy houses but the crowning jewel for my kids was this cute little train.  Oh, my boys would have ridden this all day if I'd let them!

Someone had a Pinewood Derby track set up and this was probably the boys' next favorite thing.  Racing those little cars down and then winning a prize at the end.  Isn't it cute how into it Lilly is?

The festival had a hay maze, which is right up Alden's alley.  He loves mazes these days.

The festival had a few other fun little booths, including a cookie-decorating booth and a few games that you would only see in Idaho!

All in all, we had a very fun day.  Let's get together again soon Marie!

Alden's First Bike and Grandpa's Pool

We finally got Alden his first bike.  He's wanted one for so long and I kept having to tell him "When we get back to the "States!"  I managed to score one at DI for $10.  Unfortunately, the $5 bike I got for Eli turned out not to be such a bargain so we're still in the market for a tricycle or small bike for him.  Sweet little Eli has been a good sport about not having a bike yet, though - pushing Alden whenever he got stuck.  Alden really took to the whole pedaling thing fast and has got it down after just a couple of days.  All day he asks if he can go out and ride his bike. (I should have made this investment a LONG time ago!!)

We've been having other fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house too.  Jumping on the trampoline seems to be a favorite, as well as going out in the evenings with Grandpa to do chores (feeding the dogs and the birds).  We've also been up to a few of our old tricks in new places.  Grandpa's old swingset has been perfect for us.

And I can't say enough good things about bathtubs.  Oh how I missed them!  It is wonderful to be able to soak in a hot tub when you have a cold (We never spent a day sick on Saba and we've ALL been sick already since we've been back!).  It is awesome to be able to bathe all 3 of my kids in one round!

Today we "helped" Grandpa take down the pool.  They left it up for us but, man, it is FREEZING here!  I make my kids go to the park in winter coats already and all the other crazy kids are in shorts and t-shirts!  How will we ever survive the winter?!

Anyway, back to the pool.  Gracen kept trying to crawl in and I kept pulling her out.  She'd scream and fuss and then a minute later climb right back in.  So I let her go to town, despite the (obviously) dirty water.

Then Eli decided that looked like way too much fun.  So he got in.  Then Alden got in.  I took off their pants to keep them from getting wet.

I should have taken off all their clothes because in no time they were drenched, despite the freezing cold water!

But nobody got wetter than Gracie!  Man this girl is a handful these days.  I have a feeling that my work is just beginning though - good thing she's so darned cute!!

Family Pictures

Right before we left Saba, we convinced our friend Amanda to spend her last day on the island taking pictures of our family (thanks Amanda!!).

Mostly the whole morning looked like this:

Jaron and I wrangling 3 youngins, trying to get them to look at the camera, let alone smile.  This is a very difficult task when you don't have someone drawing their attention from behind the camera!  But we managed to get a few where everyone is (pretty much) looking at the camera, even if someone's foot is in the air or someone else is making a face.

At the end of the whole episode, Momma doled out m 'n ms to the kiddos for being so good during the shoot.

Then we played at the park where the pictures were taken.

Another Zoo Day

Today was my great SIL Melissa's birthday.  Since her husband had abandoned her to go hunting, we celebrated with her by meeting at IHOP before heading to the zoo.  Eli enjoyed his yum-o pancake thoroughly, as you can see!

The zoo here is so darn cute!  It is the perfect zoo for us - it has tons of fun animals in close proximity.  It takes only a couple of hours to do the whole zoo and its small enough that both Alden and Eli can walk it.   It cost us a whopping $2.50 for our whole family to get into today because they had a special that if you have a baby in a stroller, an adult gets in free!

 

Isn't this the cutest little drinking fountain you've ever seen?!

This little egg playground was so fun!  I got a great picture of all these cute little chicks chirping at me.

Then sweet little (22 month old) Jenna got herself stuck trying to climb in.  Her tiny legs were flailing about, trying to get out - it was too funny!

This was the swingingest monkey I've ever seen.  He was a hoot to watch.  He was also quite verbal, serenading us constantly as we watched!

It is definitely nice to live close to family.  Alden and his cousin Katelyn, who's only 5 months younger than him, get along great.  It's so fun to do stuff with their family. 

Being back in the States obviously has its perks but it's funny - the things that stick out as "different" most to me are the not-so-obvious things.  You know, like power steering, drinking fountains, no honking cars, dry skin, and days that fluctuate 30 degrees in temperature.  We started the zoo this morning in our coats if you can believe it.  Brrr....  When I look at the post below, my heart aches to be in that wonderful heat again!  Funny how it wasn't so "wonderful" when we were there!