A place to share our story.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Brady vs. Logan

I've been thinking a lot lately how different my older 2 boys are in their personalities. I'm also in the midst of studying the book of Genesis and the story of Jacob and Esau.
Luckily Brady and Logan are NOT Jacob and Esau! I am so glad that Brady was not born red and hairy and that he does have a desire to follow God. I am also thankful that Brady and Logan are not two nations against each other, but two brothers, who are more often best friends than enemies.
And lastly, Peter and I are not following the example of Isaac and Rebekah, by picking favorites among our boys.

Ok, moving on now....
I just wanted to take a couple minutes to blog some of the differences and similarities between the big boys of this house.
Here we go....

Brady:
Quiet
Likes to play alone
Has a few close friends
Loves to write letters, books, and draw pictures
Very thoughtful
Likes to please his parents
Does not take well to correction
Likes to win
Likes to read
Likes to take charge over Logan
Requires very little sleep
Careful
Focused
Messy eater
Prefers to play inside
Long attention span

Logan:
Very outgoing
Has many friends
Will play alone, but prefers to have friends or brothers play too
Would rather do anything than write, draw, or color
Impulsive
Very go-with-the flow attitude
Easily distracted
Loud
Easily corrected
Doesn't mind winning or losing
Requires at least 12 hours of sleep each night and could also still nap
Clean eater
Loves to play outside
Short attention span


So as you can see, there are lots of differences between my big boys' personalities.
Here are some of the similarities between them now....

Brady and Logan:
Wear almost the same size clothes
Brady weighs 51 lbs. and Logan weighs 46 lbs.
Brady is 51 inches tall and Logan is 48 inches tall.
Love to play soccer in the basement together
Can't look at each other without laughing
Both love video games
Both love board games and card games
Both love pancakes and pizza
Share a room very well
Like to help Mom in the kitchen
Like to play sports with Daddy
Basketball
Track and Field
Love Sunday School, BSF, and learning about God!

I'm curious now about my littlest one. I'm not sure if Marshall will fall into one of the same lists above, or if he'll have a totally new list of qualities, different from either brother.

I could start to place his name next to different qualities listed above right now, but since he's still so young, it's hard to know.
Needless to say, both Brady and Logan take great care of their little brother, Marshall. He's been very blessed by having 2 big brothers to help him and play with him.


Friday, February 22, 2013

Valentine's Day with Grandpa

Last week Grandpa came down to be Brady's guest at school for the 2nd grade Valentine's Day Tea.
Brady was so excited to have Grandpa at school with him. He got to share some things he wrote about his grandpa, recite a poem, and even sing some songs.

This was Brady's letter to Grandpa:

"Dear Grandpa,

I like it when you play checkers with me. You are good at building. I like to cheer for the same team on sports. Me and you love to go camping together. I like to do hangman on paper. You're the best Grandpa ever! I like when I have a  sleepover at your house! I like to play board games with you.

From,
Brady"

After the Valentine's event, Brady got to come home from school early with Grandpa. We realized that we were all wearing matching clothes, so naturally, we took some pictures.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

It's getting warmer out

Yesterday afternoon was a beautiful day to play in the snow. The boys went sledding on our side hill for over an hour--all 3 of them this time!!
Marshall and I also built this snowman.

Today at Target, Logan and I found an awesome new sled for only $2. It looks like a fast one, so I can't wait to try it out later. We might have to hit up the big hill here in Farmington as well during this long weekend ahead.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Relax Part 2

After yesterday's post, I wanted to make sure you understand that we do play and relax around this house a lot, even if I do get a little uptight about my household chores.

Here's the proof:

All set for family movie night. This time it was Marley and Me.


Logan's working on his valentines for school. He had SO much fun!


Play Doh!


Playing trains with Mommy while Logan was at a friend's house.


I have to be honest, though. As I look through these pictures, I can see many things in the background that make me crazy; papers not put away, the bucket of crayons on the ledge, an open drawer--guess I really am as crazy as I thought. Oh well. Admitting it is the first step, right?

Monday, February 11, 2013

Relax

Relax....
That's what I did today.
Well, if you consider 2 loads of laundry, one driveway shoveled, 4 beds made, 5 pages of math homework, 2 book-in-a-bags, 3 meals, one BSF lesson complete, 3 books read, 7 puzzles done, one floor swept, and the sheets on one bed changed, etc. relaxing...well, then, that's what I did today.

But really, I relaxed today in one area.
This morning, while getting dressed and ready for the day at 7:30 as usual, I decided that I would skip fixing my hair and putting on any amount of make-up. This is a big deal for me, since I don't remember the last time that I skipped either of those steps in the morning. It's literally been years, like maybe since Brady was a baby or something.
Amazingly enough, I felt ok about my decision all day long, and I am thinking about repeating that decision some day soon.

My relaxed morning today made me think of some other areas in my day that could also use some relaxing. I am not sure if I am ready to take a leap or not yet in these other areas, though, since I always fear not having enough time to complete my tasks, or simply not getting to them at all--I just wouldn't be ok with that.

Here is where I struggle:

I cannot walk out of a room in the morning unless the blinds have been opened and the beds have been made (this includes my own room, unless Peter happens to still be asleep or if I simply can't afford the time because the bus will be coming soon).

I have a hard time allowing any of my boys to go down the stairs until their teeth and hair have been brushed, they are dressed in the clothes that were placed on their dressers (by me, of course), and their dirty clothes are in the hamper.

I, myself, can rarely go down the stairs in the morning without either a hamper of dirty clothes in hand or a garbage can that could use a little emptying.

After making sure that Brady is safely on the school bus each morning, I have a strong obsession with jumping straight into the kitchen to empty the dishwasher, wipe down every counter top and the kitchen table, and sweep the entire kitchen floor (I follow a similar routine after lunch and dinner, but not quite to the same extreme as after breakfast).

Before I can feel comfortable with Logan playing in the basement, I feel like he has to get some homework done or some new words learned. Did you know that Kindergartners get a lot of homework? Logan has about twice as much homework as Brady, some days even more than that!

While Marshall naps each afternoon, I have about 2 1/2 hours to myself each day. This is wonderful! Some days I am able to completely relax and enjoy the time, but most days I can't. Before I can relax at all, I find myself making sure that dinner is in order for later, the bills are paid, clothes are out for the next day, my BSF lesson is done or getting done, e-mails are caught up, laundry is folded, or toys get cleaned up from the basement or living room.

This carries on even into my evenings unfortunately. Once Peter is home, I find myself hurrying once again. This time it's tackling any homework that hasn't been done yet, getting the boys in pjs and their teeth brushed, baths, sports, you name it.
Once the boys are in bed, I usually find time for a quick bath or shower, but then it's onto making Brady's lunch for school, ironing Peter's work shirts, making a grocery list, etc.

I am crazy and I know it!

Please tell me to RELAX a little! Either that, or tell me that I am not as crazy as I think I am.
Thanks.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Practicing for Pictures

While Logan played outside in the snow with his friend Gavin this morning, Marshall and I played with train tracks, mega blocks, and Mickey Mouse guys.
We also ate Christmas M&Ms and practiced "smiling" for Marshall's 3 year pictures that will be coming up soon.








Let's just hope he gets a little better at "smiling" before next months pictures :).
I LOVE my little goofball!!

Friday, February 1, 2013

I Am Excited!

It's been a little over a year since Peter and I had an overnight apart from our children.
I have been working extra weekends and will continue to do so for the next few months, so having special time with my husband is so important to me--to us. To say we are looking forward to our special time together wouldn't begin to describe it :).

This weekend Brady and Logan will be spending some quality time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I imagine they will play a lot of checkers, play with forgotten toys in the basement, eat lots of sweet treats, laugh a ton, and maybe watch a movie or play in the snow. They have both been talking lots about going for a ride in Grandpa's big van and sleeping together down in the basement. They are SO excited!!

Marshall is also having a special weekend of his own. Marshall will be spending some quality time with his favorite Auntie Laura and Uncle Jason. I imagine that he will drive lots of cars around, watch lots of Mickey Mouse, give special hugs for Radcliffe, enjoy quiet time away from his noisy brothers, and ask lots of questions "why?". Marshall has never been for a ride in a car other than ours, but I know he'll love going for a ride in Grandpa's big van.

As for Peter and I.....
Well, we really didn't want to make too many plans. Time alone at home is a sacred thing that we have dreamed about often for the past few months. Because of that, we won't be making many plans to leave the house. Our plans for the weekend include one meal out, warm, comfy clothes, a warm fireplace, lots of board games, some TV, and a few healthy snacks (like vegetables--have I mentioned lately that Peter has lost 16 pounds?).
Since moving to this house a little more than a year ago, I have made a point to get up at 7:30, so I can be dressed and ready for my boys when they wake up around 8 (this includes weekends). In the past year, the only days that I was not up at 7:30 were the days that I was running this past spring and summer and days I had to work (those days I was up at 6). Needless to say, I am really hoping to sleep in a little on Sunday morning!

We are so grateful to have such wonderful family. I am sending my kids up to Coon Rapids and Blaine with complete confidence that they will be loved, well taken care of, and given tons of positive attention. I know that when they return home to watch the Superbowl, they will have lots to tell me about their fun weekends.