Hero.

My Izzy is a hero. 

Two times this week, he helped someone on the play ground he didn't know, who had been hurt by someone else.  He came home yesterday and said that a little boy was lying on the ground crying because he had been pushed down. Izzy helped him up and asked who did that to him. When the boy pointed him out, Izzy went to the boy who pushed and said, "Don't you EVER do that again, you could've really hurt him. This is your last chance, you do that again and I will tattle tale you so bad!" The pusher agreed and then Izzy said, "You go home and tell your Mom you did this too."

Turns out, being big for your age really has its benefits. 

Parent/Teacher conferences were this afternoon. I asked Izzy this morning how he thought it would go and he was super confident that it was going to be "all good things." He was pretty much right. He is doing well in all of his subjects, especially Music...obvious. The only real complaint she had was his handwriting. This is my complaint too. So sloppy. We are practicing every night and I know it will improve this year. 

The main thing she wanted to talk about was his behavior. This is what she said of Izzy:


Izzy is the best friend I have ever met. He is a best friend to each and every kid in class. He is super social and nice to everyone no matter what. There are kids in class that are underprivileged and handicapped and he plays with them all equally and without thought. If you ask the kids they each say Izzy is their best friend. He is kind, honest, honorable and helpful. 


Now, I was super happy to hear he is doing well in his subjects and that he hasn't had problems in anyway, but it made me beam to hear what I have always known to be true, he has been created with a special heart. He loves with complete purity. He doesn't care about your skin, your status, your gender or physical limitations. 


I wish I knew more people like that. We are all called to love, and I am learning how to do it even better from my six year old. He is my hero.

 

Homework and Life Lessons

Izzy is in First Grade. He just finished reading his first reading textbook and is on to the second level. With this new level of knowledge, his class has  begun the adventure of weekly spelling lists and Friday spelling tests. This also means that each night we need to add spelling words to our list of things to work on. Izzy is currently trying to fill out his book club sheet, meaning he reads to me each night and records what he read and how many pages and when he reaches 25 he turns it in for recognition in the newsletter and the announcements and receives a small treat. We are up to 50 books at this point, so he is doing fairly well. 

Gotta be honest, I was a liiiiiittle worried about spelling. Some people have a natural talent for spelling and others it just becomes a struggle for life. I was hoping he would fall in the first category to save me from wrinkles and impatience. Luckily, I have awesome friends that all share their tips and tricks with me and when I worked with Izzy that first night, after 5 minutes, I tested him and he got 100%! What a relief!

Between Izzy reading me multiple books (slowly) and Me reading chapter books to him every night, (and devotions and Bible), any homework he didn't finish at school and our new challenge of penmanship... a request not made by his teacher, but completely a necessity for me to be able to save any of his work from school, we hardly have any time for fun. I don't like this at all. Izzy is pretty tired after a full day at school. Add in chores, piano, soccer, homework and reading and most nights he is heading to bed-hours- after his normal bedtime.  

Ever have one of those moments when you are in the midst of your normal routine and you look at your kids and realize, "I am BLESSED!" My boys are not perfect, but I could not ask for anything better. They are loving and kind to one another and they are great friends to everyone they meet. Quiet and gentle and both have been given sensitive spirits. I was working tonight in the basement, when I looked up to find Izzy encouraging Asher and telling him how proud he is of him, followed by a giant hug and a "I love you." No prompting, in fact, I was so into my work I am not certain of the reasoning behind it.  A few minutes later, I overheard Asher telling his Bobo how much he missed him today and he is glad he is home. They were playing quietly so I could work and I loved hearing such positive words. I stopped what I was doing and applauded their behavior and instructed them to load up in the car because I was taking them out for ice cream BEFORE dinner, something I have never done.  It was just one of those moments, that hit me like a truck. I am so lucky and in love with these boys and my 12 mile long list can wait so I can reward them for their kindness.

Priceless.

After our special treat and dinner out with Daddy, Izzy and I came back to buckle down and work on all of that homework. I told him to take a potty break and go to the living room for 2 minutes and get his wiggles out because when we sit, we focus. He loves that, and it really seems to help. We tackled one thing at a time and in the middle of a 3 page lesson with a lot of writing, Izzy got out of his chair and gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear, "Momma, thank you for helping me with my homework and being so nice. It makes me feel good and work hard." *tears*


So, this is my life now. My nights are filled with taxi-ing boys all over the city, Room Mom meetings, school functions, and lots and lots of homework. Tonight was one of those nights, that makes up for the not so easy times and all of the exhaustion. :) 

Glad that a lesson we have been trying to teach Izzy is connecting: Attitude determines everything! Even when things don't come easy to you, don't give up. Make up your mind to be positive and practice until it becomes easy. Negative attitude always gets Negative results. 

This is a great lesson for me too. Impatience is something I am always working to combat. When I allow negativity and impatience to get the best of me, I will only see negative reactions in my children.  Even when they test my patience, my attitude determines their outcome.  


Tonight was a victory for all of us, our good attitudes were rewarded with love, kind words and a sugary treat. What is better than that?

Double the Treasure.

A couple of months ago, Izzy told me his bottom front teeth were loose. They would barely move, but they did. I am not one for these types of situations, so my solution was for him to wiggle them on his own. I am also not one for germs or touching your mouth so like a complete germaphobe, I requested he do it with a baby wipe in hand to create a germ barrier or with his tongue.

Shark Teeth

After a visit to the dentist for a cleaning and check-up, we knew it was important to get these teeth out because his adult teeth have already broke through and they need room and also, it is unattractive to look like a shark with multiple rows of teeth. I knew we were close, so tonight I just told him I would read his favorite book while he wiggled and twisted those puppies out. While he was wiggling he said, "I sure wish my Daddy was a Dentist, it would make my life so much easier right now!"
It didn't take much, one single tear and then POP! the first one was out!

Baby Tooth #1!

He was so excited he ran to tell everyone and check on himself in the mirror.  When he decided it didn't hurt much at all and he looked pretty good, he was determined to get #2 out.

Working on #2!

A couple of minutes later and a few bloody baby wipes and we had not one, but two first teeth out and inside the Teeth Treasure Chest I made for just this occasion.  10/10/2011, my sweet boy lost the very first teeth that kept us up on a couple of nights as a 4 month old.  While I'm sad, I thought I would be a little more emotional  than this. Maybe because I had so much notice and we are months behind all of his friends in the tooth loss game. Either way, I think I am so proud because he was so brave! Anyone who knows my Izzy, knows he is as dramatic as a Telenovelas actor and so I was prepared for a battle. I guessed wrong. He said it hurt, but he did it all himself. I thought for sure the first sight of blood would send us over the edge, but no, we just went through a pile of baby wipes, like no big deal.

Double the Treasure.

Which brings me to the tooth fairy. Do we or Don't we? My parents did, which is very unlike the rest of my childhood. I went to the store and bought an unfinished chest that I later painted,  because I thought it has a lock and I could save his teeth safely and I will just see how he feels about things as it happened. Well, he shocked me tonight with the, "Look Mom, I know there is no tooth fairy. It just doesn't make sense. No one told me about it, I just figure it doesn't make sense. I've never seen no fairy and how do they get in your room? How do they get money in there? What do they do with your teeth? It's not real. So I know it has to be an adult like you guys." So all of my worrying was for nothing because all I had to say was, "Whatever you believe is fine with me Izzy, lets just put your teeth in the Treasure Chest for safe keeping and tomorrow you will have a treasure and you can decide how it got there." He was super happy about that and I was happy not to fib about something he was so not into anyway.

Then, to my surprise, after they were both out and I was wishing him a great nights rest, he said, "I will know she is real if she leaves me a note...not just money." So guess I'm writing a note tonight too.

My next issue ....

What is the going rate for a tooth these days? Because I am pretty sure my parents stepped the reward game up about 20 notches. They each gave me $5 to pass on to the treasure chest and I haven't even given to the tooth fund yet! I don't think they thought this through because 2 boys with lots of teeth....they may need to retire at some point.

I was hoping to get to bed early since I haven't taken a breath since 2 weeks ago Thursday, but instead I am going to have to stay up to ensure he is completely out before I sneak in his room. Let's pray I don't fall asleep before I do, because Izzy wakes before the sun and Mommy does not.

Piano Man

My Izzy has been taking piano lessons since August. It is about time I share what hard work and practice has earned him after only a couple of months. 

I am one proud Mommy! 

 

Mom Duties.

Being a Mommy is hard work, yo.

Take for instance, my little Lovey. In two days he was completely potty trained. Easy. Peasy. *screeeech* Hold up. Then came the dreaded #2. I assumed it would be just as easy and seamless, because once Izzy understood one, he understood the other and he was potty trained in 4 days. After 4 days at home, I could take him anywhere and he never had a single accident. Lovey, however, is a mule. His stubbornness and will power can not be tamed. There is no currency large or shiny enough to entice my mule and he has decided he doesn't like poop. I said it, it's out there now. He believes that if he holds it long enough, the problem will just go away. We can't talk about it, ever. If you do, it is a catastrophe of epic proportions. He turns red, starts to sweat and shakes a little. He gets really nervous and then cries, "NO Mommy, No! I scared! I scared!" When he starts sweating and crying, then I start sweating and want to cry too. Why is this hard?

Last week, he had made himself so sick by holding it, he literally was turning yellow, had a low grade fever, and couldn't stand up or sit down. Late one night, I had to do what I had been trying to avoid-suppository time. Ugh, it is just as horrible and traumatic as you imagine. It is torture!!!! My sweet baby who is sick and in pain needs to feel better, but the one thing that can bring instant relief is just so awful. He looked at me with his big brown eyes and BEGGED me to not do it. But, being the Mommy, I knew I had no choice. Within seconds, it worked and while I held my sweaty, hysterical baby on the toilet, I finally let it out and cried with him. I felt so sad that he was in pain and so sad that he doesn't understand he can make it so much easier on himself. Since then we have had to replay that situation 3 times. Every time has been just as awful and just as quick as it is all over, he is a new boy, happy and well.

Then it happened....

I taught in his class at church today and I noticed he just wanted to lie on the rug and read books and a few times he asked if we could go home. Not big signs to anyone else, but Ash is OBSESSED with church. He asks me every day if it is "Church Day" and when it finally is Sunday morning, he rushes me to get ready so we can hurry up and get there. So when he asked to go home, I knew what the problem was. The dreaded #2 was up to no good. I did a lot of self talk on the ride home from church today. "You can do this. It will be 30 minutes of torture for a day of a happy boy. DO. NOT CRY." I'll be honest, it is heartbreaking and gross. Not how I want to spend any moment of my weekend. When I asked him to come to my room, he knew exactly what was going on and started to fuss. Then it got louder, and he got red...and sweaty. I decided to just try without any medicine and while he fought me the whole way, it finally happened. He was able to go without any help and that is a HUGE accomplishment. You have to understand that this kid is newly trained, and has held it through the night and until NOON before without peeing one time because he didn't want any poop to come out. Do you know how small a 3 year olds bladder is? OMW I didn't think it was physically possible, but he willed it to be. So the fact that he went without help is so major in my life right now, while gross and possible TMI, it deserved a spot on the blog. There is bound to be more crying and sweating over this issue, but I will take it if it means he is learning how to listen to his body's cues and follow through. Some day we will look back and laugh about this and I will remind him that this is just one of many reasons why it is his turn to take such good care of me.

Then, there is my Bobo. Izzy has been working so hard this week and some of the things he was struggling with he has made BIG improvements and I am so proud of him. It is a hard transition from non-stop vacations this summer back to our non-stop school schedule. It took a couple of weeks, but he is in full swing now and instead of being down about all the responsibilities he has, he is looking in a more positive light and working hard to earn rewards at home and at school. So glad it clicked! My Bobo is growing so fast and it is ripping my heart out. He is 6 and almost as tall as his teacher. Not joking. Last week they measured, and he said, "I am as tall as my teachers neck!" He is up to my shoulders already and I fear that by second grade he could be taller than me. That is going to make discipline difficult. :) Izzy is wearing a size 4 shoe and size 10 pants. People: TEN. Like for 10 years old!!! I can't handle this. In the midst of PoopGate:2011, he informed me he has his first wiggly tooth. Of course you do, next you will be shaving and picking out a corsage for Prom. If you know me, I am not a "body" person. (can you tell from my earlier story?) I don't like blood, or gross things. The thought of pulling my son's tooth makes me want to throw up. What did I do? I told him, his tooth will fall out when it is ready and to just let it happen naturally. Why might I say that? Well, lets go back to the 80's, shall we? Back in the day, my Mom, who is the complete opposite of myself-loves all things bloody and disgusting, tied all of my loose teeth to my bedroom door and slammed it. I watched as my baby teeth flew across the room and I wailed as blood poured from my wounded mouth. (Dramatic? Probably, but let me have my memories.) My mom found a weird delight in this. She could barely contain herself until my next tooth was loose, so she could do it again! This is why, I can't handle my baby losing his tooth. I don't want anything to do with it and I have already warned him of Grandma's weird love for pulling teeth and to steer clear of her in this time of his life.

Tonight, he complained that his tooth was hurting while eating an apple, so I sliced it for him, and just thought it is getting close to falling out. No big deal. Baths and bedtime, and as I am kissing him goodnight, I ask to see his wiggly tooth and he says, "MOM I have 4 teeth!" He opens up and I find 2 adult teeth have popped up behind his soon to be gone baby teeth. I. could. cry.

I had made peace with that first baby tooth leaving the nest that is his mouth, but really 2 at a time and the flippin' adult teeth can't give me a month of mental transition time? Come ON! Tomorrow, I am calling the pediatric dentist for a visit. I have a feeling it might be another situation where I am holding a red, sweaty boy on a chair.

And again I say, being a Mom is hard, yo!

Side note: Pray for beautiful adult teeth for sweet Izzy. So far, they are looking good. But we don't need any of this...

Best Moments

Hubby and I will be celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary in less than 2 weeks. Life gets hectic and crazy, and around your special days you start to think about all that you have experienced and shared together. So I thought I would share some of our very best moments in our years together.

Our wedding was a blur, as I am sure most would agree. Our honeymoon however, was like a dream! We traveled to St. Thomas and proceeded to spend several days in swim wear, lounging the beach with umbrella drinks and avoiding iguanas at all costs. I took naps in a hammock on the beach, while my sweetie snorkeled. We shopped, we ate way too much, but my most favorite memory is how much we just enjoyed each others company, completely relaxed. No decisions to be made, no jobs or families to think about. We just laid in our lounge chairs and soaked up the sun and loved being near one another. It was perfect, exactly how a honeymoon should be.

When we returned, we came back to our newly built, apartment. Both of us had only lived at home with our parents (we married at 21) and although we didn't have much to fill up our new pad, we didn't care. When I think back, we had a full sized bed, a 13 inch tv, our clothes and wedding presents. That is it. We had the best time just lying on our living room floor eating chicken because that is all I knew how to cook at the time and talking for hours. We shopped often and picked out pieces that we dreamed of filling our new place with and it was such an exciting experience to feel like a real adult. We had our own place! It was amazing!

Hubby and I both had great jobs and while our apartment was brand new and in a new trendy part of town, we knew our next move was to our first house. I searched with my Mom for fun and when I felt like I found a great deal, I set it up so Hubby could walk through it with me. It was a 3 bedroom ranch with all hardwood floors and an unfinished basement. An older couple had built the house together and shortly after, the husband passed. It was an older house at the time, but it felt barely lived in. We both saw the potential and decided to put an offer in. Next thing I know, we are moving our stuff (I say this lightly, because I think we only added a couch and a huge tv to our list to this point.) into our very own house. We had family over for a painting and pizza party and spent all of our time making it our own. I loved that house.

Something about owning your own home makes you feel like you need something. We weren't quite ready for babies, just yet, but a puppy? Yes! One day, I came home with a 8 week old Brindle Boxer puppy. He was adorable and my very first baby boy. We named him Pele'. He was a perfect fit.

This house is also where we conceived our first two boys. We never had the chance to bring Judah home, but one of my best memories, is bringing my itty bitty Izzy home. Born at 32 weeks, 8 weeks early, we were able to bring him home at the 35 week mark. I was scared to death and didn't know how to care for a preemie. I remember walking in with our little carrier sitting him in the living room and Hubby and I staring at each other like, "What do we do now?" Don't worry, it only took us a few minutes to figure it out. Soon enough the house was overflowing with baby stuff. My favorite picture of all time is when Izzy was probably 10 lbs (around 3 months) and sitting in the front yard in the grass. He looked so tiny and now when I drive by that house I just picture my little baby feeling the sunshine and grass for the first time at that house.

Remodeling... it was a tough job, but after months of hard work, Hubby and my Dad finished off the basement into an amazing area. We had a room for storage and laundry, a 4th bedroom and bathroom and a large entertainment room. It was so fun to have friends over to hang out and we really enjoyed that space.

Before you know it, we've been married 7 years and our little Izzy is now 18 months. Grammy came to visit to stay with Izzy while Hubby whisks me back to St. Thomas for a second honeymoon. It was just as glorious as the first, but we were even more in love. We visited St. John, snorkeled a underwater trail, shopped til we dropped, enjoyed boat rides, kayak trips, hiking, delicious food and each others company. It was wonderful.

A few moves and years of pre-med schooling later, we find out we are pregnant with our third little boy. I remember being hugely pregnant and potty training Izzy who was 2 at the time, sitting in a chair in the driveway watching him ride his tricycle and snuggling extra during the day since Mommy had no energy to do anything else.

Last year we took our first family of 4 vacation that wasn't to visit family. It was all about the kids and we did so many things. In St. Louis, we visited the children's museum, the arch, did some shopping and spent some time downtown. Then we finished up our road trip in Chicago where we hit everything you can imagine. It is our favorite and I could totally see us living there some day. I love those memories. Two little guys with no pressure, time line and only focused on fun. I will never forget the four of us in the giant Ferris Wheel overlooking downtown Chicago. I didn't want it to end!

We have made so many great memories since Asher was born. Family vacations, Friday family movie nights, sports outings, nights with friends, but my most favorite are the moments he doesn't know I see. Catching him go in after the kids are asleep to give them one last kiss. Reading them stories or teaching them something only a Daddy can teach.

I love picturing Hubby and Izzy holding hands as we walked him to his first day of Preschool. Then Kindergarten and now First Grade. OH it is going way too fast! What better highlight in marriage, than watching the babies you made together grow? Um...nothing.


Over the years he has given me so many things I didn't deserve, trips and hugely expensive presents that he had saved for months for. Fancy steak dinners at Mortons or surprise overnights at our wedding night hotel, and of course the 2nd trip to St. Thomas. I don't think there has been a single anniversary that he didn't completely blow me away. Oh I forgot to mention the one with a tiny blue box and white ribbon with TIFFANY DIAMOND EARRINGS! Oh yeah...he is that amazing. Even more than all of that, the best gift he has ever given to me is his faithfulness and love. We have been through a lot. A. L. O. T. over our 11 year marriage. I love that I still get love notes left for me in the bathroom randomly and thoughtful gifts of things he heard me mention months before (he does listen!) One of my most treasured gifts, a love note he wrote to me and framed. Or maybe it is the photo book he made for me with all three of my boys inside and sweet sayings fill the page. Or maybe it is the large photo canvas he gave to me of my pregnant belly with my Asher. Then there was the NYC trip, (a trip we have discussed for years) that he planned as a surprise with our amazing friends and handmade a card with clues as our Mothers Day gift.

Hubs is an excellent at fulfilling my love of surprises, gifts and affirmation. God truly knew the kind of man I would need to get through this life and I am ever so grateful that he created him just for me.

Eleven years, it's been a flash in one sense and in another I feel like we have been joined for a lifetime. Hubby, I love you with all of my heart and I am thankful for each and every day I have spent with you by my side. Happy Anniversary!

Time to Freeze.

Life is insane right now. I am officially a soccer mom. Now both boys are playing on teams and that consumes 3 nights a week. Add in school, events, friends, church, piano lessons my weeks are becoming so hectic, I am finding dinner to be a difficult task. Izzy doesn't get home from school until 4 and 4 days of the week we are going straight from one thing to another no time for me to prep dinner. The last two weeks we have just kind of "winged" it, with a few crock pot meals in between which were a complete life saver. Other nights it was a free for all. Boys ate "packed lunches" in the car and Hubby and I grabbed a sandwich after they were bathed and in bed. While it works, it leaves me feeling overwhelmed and unorganized. I. Can't. Like. That.

Izzy ready for a full night of Piano & Soccer, dinner in hand.

Mondays for me always bring me a fresh wave of creativity and organization. I like the feeling of a fresh week with a new plan. Today I sat down and wrote out my
To Do list for the week, updated the family calendar, updated Izzy's calendar, and made a list of 6 freezer meals that if I can carve out a few hours this week I plan on making to help - future me out.

Here are my ideas:
*Breakfast Casserole- Breakfast Burritos
*BBQ Pork Tenderloin- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
*Chili
*Spaghetti
*Beef Pepperocini Sandwiches
*Honey Garlic Chicken

After spending just a short amount of time making all of those PB&J's and prepping Izzy's lunch, I have found out how WONDERFUL it is! So dinner, that has to be even better, right?

The only downfall....this forces me to clean out the freezer (ugh) and organize it (double ugh). While I love organizing anything, it is cold in the freezer. I hate being cold. I am just going to suck it up and get it done so I don't have to rush our nights anymore than they already are.

My question to you... Do you freeze? Hit me with your best freezer meal ideas. Go!

Happy Freezing to me and hopefully a much happier family at dinner-time!