Gearing Up

I am gearing up for one my least favorite things to do...fly with three children under the age of 6 half way around the world.  I think it ranks a little better than childbirth.  On top of that, poor Lucy has an upper respiratory infection.  We went to the doctor twice...the first time I mostly wanted to get her ears checked out before we flew since she had a bad cold.  Then the next night she started with this awful, croupy cough and was up most of the night.  SO we went back to the doctor (since I knew the flight was coming I just didn't want to wait).  She had no fever and probably it is just a virus, but to see if it would help with her cough and breathing, they have me giving her a nebulizer treatment a couple times a day.  She is a little better today, but still coughing some.  Would love prayer that she would sleep better tonight and be done with this bad cough by the flight.  It could make a long 14 hour flight even longer.

Once we get past the flight and jet lag, we are really excited to have a summer in America.  We are most looking forward to seeing family and friends, and also enjoying some of the perks of the US (like clean air, amazing grocery stores, and a direct quote from Austin "I like America better because the play places are funner" I think he thinks people who live in America spend all their time going to beaches, amusement parks, Krispy Kreme doughnut runs, etc). Bennett is still not quite sure what he is getting into. If we ask "Bennett, are you excited to got to America?" he always says "I'm not sure".  So cute. We leave at 3:45 pm China time and land in Greensboro, NC at 9:40 pm EST.  America, here we come!

It looks so pitiful...she cried the whole time the first time, but now she mostly just sits there if we put a Baby Einstien video in front of her...first time really for her to watch a video but she actually watches it.

And the countdown begins

Actually, the countdown has been going on for quite some time with Austin.  Every day at breakfast, Austin informs us how many days are left until we fly to America.  It is coming faster than I can believe...except when I look around my house and think of my never ending to-do list.  But we are excited and Monday is coming REAL soon.  I am semi-packed...about as much as I can do this far out.  There seem to be so many things that you need right up until the day, but most of the other stuff is packed and we are all wearing clothes we won't take with us (and it is cool again, so that worked out well).  The not great news is Lucy started a bad cold, Bennett was sniffling at dinner and I think Austin has had it too. Please pray they feel better by Monday, b/c an infant with a head cold on an airplane for 18+ hours is NOT in my travel plans.  Poor thing- she was rather pitiful today.

In other news, Chris just finished recording his first album!  I am so proud of him and it went really well.  There is still mixing, editing and production to do so it will be a little while before we can share it, but watch out!  It will be coming.

So, I better go cross something else off the to-do list.  We have another family living in our apartment for a month while we are gone...which is great, but also means I have to have clean closets, extra drawer space and everything really in order.

Fish Day!

I opened my door this morning to find Angie knocking on the other side as she exclaimed "It's Fish Day!  Hurry."  My mind blanked for a minute and then I remembered what "Fish Day" was...the day our neighborhood lets kids release goldfish into the ponds and streams in our complex.  It was great fun last year...but the fish supply only lasts so long.  If there was any notice, we missed it.  So we called for the kids to hurry and get shoes on, grabbed a bucket and nets and ran to the management office.  There were dozens of families already outside with their buckets and fish...I have never seen so many people out in our complex as I did today.

As you can see, it was lots of fun again!  The kids had a great time, only one goldfish bit the dust on our watch and it makes for a really fun tradition.  We are so thankful again that we are not moving. We really like this neighborhood.  We meet with our landlady sometime this week to sign our new contract for the upcoming year...pray that all goes well.

Pig Won't

I don't WANNA!

There are two characters in a Richard Scarry book called "Pig Will and Pig Won't", two brother pigs who have opposite answers to whatever they are asked to do.  Well, Bennett is in a "Pig Won't" phase these days.  Perhaps being the middle child is catching up to him, perhaps it is a normal three and half year old boy phase, perhaps it is just sin rearing its head.  But his favorite phrase at the moment is "I don't wanna" and that is his answer a lot of the time.  "I don't wanna ...take my bowl to the sink, clean up my markers, share with my brother, go outside, go potty etc."  This has resulted in many time outs, where I have to hold him down in his chair or else he runs out. Or hits me. Or throws things.  He used to be super obedient about time-outs or receiving discipline and it usually had a good effect, but lately it just escalates tenfold as we discipline him.  Needless to say it is rather tiring.  I am not sure traveling halfway across the world, jetlag and a new country he doesn't remember will help matters in two weeks time.  I think Austin was more disrespectful and disobedient around three and half to four, though it is hard to remember exactly. 

In his defense, he gets a LOT of bossing from his older brother these days and can almost never do anything completely right in the eyes of his rule-following, perfectionistic brother.  And everyone loves Lucy, so I know it is hard being the second brother and the middle.  Anyway, we love our crazy, explosive Bennett but pray for him and me!  He is also still hilarious in the things he thinks up to say.  Here are three quotes from today that I keep chuckling about.

"Mommy, my nose has skins in it (as he rubs his nose like crazy).  I have a skinnny nose! I don't want a skinny nose. I don't want a nose, just two eyes and a mouth."

"Mommy, my shadow is copying me.  Don't copy me shadow!  (as we walked outside today)."

"Mommy, I had gas,  Just gas (how he explains he farted)" 
me "Bennett what do you say?"
B "I had JUST gas." (I was looking for excuse me, but he was so serious in his answer I had to laugh).

He loves to wear two different socks or two different shoes, or better yet, one slipper and one sock pictured here.  And still prefers to only wear underwear whenever possible. And almost never pants if he is in the house.

"I'm crazy and wild.  Look at me.  I would make a wonderful actor someday with all my drama. "

Handsome...even on Easter he insisted on two different socks. I battled enough to get him to wear the jacket, so I decided the socks didn't really matter.

It's tough being in the middle.  But he sure is cute. And still the snuggliest of all my children so far.  I think his love language must be touch...he is always good for a cuddle.

Forming opinions

 Miss Lucy seems to be forming her own opinions these days.  Today she showed the most definite preference for a particular book over any other toy or object I tried to give her.  If I gave her something else, she fussed and kept reaching for the book.  If she dropped it or couldn't pick it up she got upset.  It was the first time I have noticed her really have a clear desire for something and be upset she couldn't have it (other than milk, which doesn't really count).  I am also glad it was for a book, since I had been feeling guilty that I have read to her so very little.  I was starting to worry that while my oldest appears to be a bookworm, the third might end up illiterate.  Such is the life of the third child.  Though it is encouraging that my sister Emily (the third) now has a graduate degree in library science, so there is lots of hope for third children :).  Here are some pictures of the episode.

I am not sure if chewing on books will help her be more literate, but that was mainly what she wanted to do.  Even though it was rather awkward for her to get in her mouth.

Ok there we go...a little reading too.  But mostly this was just in between attempts to get it back in her mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guess who? This is Austin at about the same age.  He was turning pages and actually looking at the pictures (as opposed to just eating it).  And now he is really reading and still quite the bookworm.

At some point Bennett came along and wanted to read the book- to her or just himself I was not clear on.  But she wanted it back...check out that look on her face.

He was a good brother and gave it back.  Someone was very happy.

 So here are pictures of all three of them right around 6 months.  Who does Lucy look like?She definitely has Bennett's brown eyes, but something in her face and expressions are so much like Austin.  I think she is looking more and more like a hybrid of the two, though we daily get comments about how alike all three look.  Any comments?

Bennett

Austin

Bree turns 6

The big event of the week was Bree's birthday party.  She turned 6 on Friday and we all had fun at her Star Wars party. Though Austin only knows a very little bit about Star Wars from Bree and Jesh (and Bennett next to nothing) they made good Jedi warriors anyway and all had fun.

Sporting a new (to us) sunhat that fits (her head takes after her brothers and father), even if it is size 24 months

Darth Vadar "aka Jason" made an impressive appearance and was successfully fought off by all the kids

The cutest little Padawons at the party (in my opinion).

Cute picture of our great friends!  Check out the cool Princess Leia cake...cinnamon rolls for the braids.

Austin was gleeful as Bree opened her present, which included a playhouse bathroom set...what could be a more appropriate gift from the bathroom word buddies?

Watch out world, I am a serious Jedi warrior with my light sabor (which Bennett calls light saver, saviour among other things).

 

"Who me?"  says Bennett to a clearly distraught (but tired and overly sensitive) big brother.  Yep, it was time to go home...but fun was (mostly) had by all.  This is unfortunately a not uncommon scene lately.

Happy Easter!

 Two weeks of fevers made little time for blogging.  But I am happy to report everyone is healthy at the moment and we have been doing some Easter celebrating!  Earlier this week we made an Easter garden (thanks Laura K for the idea).  We started by collecting dirt, rocks, leaves and flowers.  We made Jesus out of a pipe cleaner and started him praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

 We died Easter eggs with our neighbors...for 3 more weeks.  Glad to report though that they found a place still in our building on the 10th floor.  So we won't be moving and they will still be pretty close.

 I always make deviled eggs on Easter and I brought them to our neighborhood Easter dinner...got a little creative thanks to Pinterest but I thought they were fun.

 Sunday morning we were greeted by this table.  After putting Jesus on the cross, them wrapping him and putting him in the "tomb" (a potato) and rolling the stone in front of it, removing all the dead flowers and leaves, the boys were greeted by an empty tomb, new flowers and a resurrected Jesus in the garden.  Such a neat visual picture of the Great Day.

 

Thanks to Nana and Bop for the Easter basket fillings!  I confess I added nothing of my own other than the handmade cards...but they loved the candy and cards.

 Not the greatest family shot, but it was one of the best we took.  Bennett is a wildcard these days and you never know what you are going to get, except for non- cooperation.  But we managed to all look not sad. :)

 Again, hard to capture three genuine smiles at once.  Or even one for that matter from anyone over age 2.

 An Easter dress!  Love it.  Thanks to my friend Emily who gave this to me the night before Lucy was born.  So girly and fun for mommy (at least probably more fun for mommy than for Lucy at this point).

 I love my airborne Bennett, wildness and all lately.  Love the excitement captured here as the kids got ready for their Easter egg hunt. In general, Bennett has been testing many boundaries and receiving lots of discipline...not sure if being the middle child is catching up with him 6 months into it or what, but he has been rather crazy lately.  I am trying to look for ways to spend some more one on one with him.  But we had fun with our neighbors- so thankful for this community. Also, as much fun as pink dresses are at Easter, check out Bennett's little southern gentleman suit...so handsome.

Sweet Austin, a rule-follower to the T.  The kids were told to find 6 eggs and after that to make sure everyone found some before finding more.  Once Austin had his six, he was done...didn't even try to look for more after we said he could.  "but Mommy, we can only find six,". If you give him a rule, he will follow it.  We are trying to teach him more about learning the spirit of the law rather than just the letter of the law these days.