halloween!

halloween started with a party on my bed... exclusive for those wearing footie pajamas.

brothers

I'm trying to win over my new visiting teaching companion.

reading happy haunting Amelia bedelia, Brady was all "mom, is it REALLY blood?!"  that kid is so dang literal.  the whole book was mostly completely over his head, despite me trying to explain it to him.  plus side: now he knows about things like putting a leaf in the table and cracking the window.

second year in a row being a baseball player.  he might be following in his uncle Wally's footsteps.

all ready for school and waiting for the Quentin bus (as we lovingly call it... bless my dear friend Danielle for picking Brady up for school all the time)... swinging his perfectly matching rockies backpack.

does this kid look pumped or what?!  ps- I didn't have any suitable baseball socks for him so I cut up some little girl tights that had been stretched out after having been used so much.  we used rubber bands to hold up the tops of his baseball "socks" which maaaay have little Mary Janes on the toes.

Elizabeth doesn't know what it's called, but she is excelling at photobombing these days.

this is 100% natural and I can't even handle how much I love it.

I knew I was on to something. 

while the two were napping and the other two were at school, I used my precious kid-free time to finally tackle Abigail's horrible junk drawer and I turned it back into. craft drawer.  no true before picture because you couldn't even see anything really because it was so full.  I found a number of old papers from church and this photo of her and Elle from the primary missionary activity a month or two ago.

part way through.  this is once I got out all the stuff from the drawer and there was just this under layer left that had to all be sorted through individually.

Danielle sent me this picture from Brady's school halloween party.  throwing the cotton balls on the spider web.  Brady explained it to me after school but was all "and when you got it to stick it was kind of like you got a goal."

the treasures from the drawer.  I reimplimented a "special drawer" for each kid.  Brady has a drawer in his dresser and Abigail has a drawer in her desk.  I'm interested to see what will happen when they start running out of space. so far, everything is special enough for the special drawer.

eventually this,

turned back to this.  it's a craft drawer again!

we started Abigail on medication at the end of fall break.  one of the most significant side effects is a decreased appetite.  even knowing that, I am truly shocked at how Abigail's appetite has nearly disappeared.  she used to eat an entire peanut butter and Nutella sandwich, a whole apple (or equivalent in a fruit or vegetable... about a cup... I always use the same size containers), a yogurt, and at least a little handful of pistachios (or other equivalent nut/trailmix).  lately, she eats her yogurt, maybe 3-4 bites of sandwich, a bite or two of apple, and a taste or two of nuts.  at first she would just tell me that she didn't have enough time at lunch but now she's finally started telling me that she's not very hungry and I need to start packing her less food.  she has no idea that this is a side effect of the medication but never asks questions so I haven't had to explain anything to her.  I mean, even giving her just part of a sandwich instead of a whole one, I can see how she's only taken a few bites.  it just blows my mind.  I weighed her before I started her on medication so I would have a baseline... mom fail though because I guess I never wrote it down... I can only guess.  I weighed her again though and she's down to 42lbs.  it is possible that she's lost three pounds in 2.5 weeks?!

Elizabeth was Minnie Mouse for the library party, a lady bug for the ward party, and chose Elmo for halloween night.  she was the most adorable Elmo ever.  pictures don't really do it justice, but she looked HILARIOUS walking around all night. I got SO many comments from people we passed.  even teenagers and older kids were all "ummm, I just have to tell you that that is the best Elmo."  I wish I had gotten a decent picture but that just didn't occur to me so I just had some blurry snapshots.

it was cold but we all survived.  thank goodness for no wind, rain, or snow!  Andrew stayed toasty warm in some fleece footies with his fleece footie costume on top.  I was actually even a little worried about him overheating in his carseat/stroller.

Brady started sorting his candy (he's just methodical like that) and Abigail jumped over to help him.  it kind of made me nervous though because I don't want him to be aware of how much of his candy I'm going to eat.  ; )

another year in the books!  I can't believe little Andrew will be toddling around with them next year!

chick fil a date

this is exactly what he used to do with Elizabeth.  I'm so glad he hasn't grown out of this.  he's just so naturally nurturing.  when I asked him a week or so ago why he wanted to learn to read, I thought he would for sure say it was so he could read books in the car like Abigail or so he could read chapter books like Abigail.  his response?  "I want to be able to read books to Andrew and Elizabeth."  he is just so sweet to them.

we dropped Abigail at school and went straight to the gym.  Brady requested that I pick them up sooner than last time so I let them play for an hour and then we went outside and I let them run around on the playground a bit.  we stopped by sprout for groceries and then went to chick fit a for lunch.  I took honey's chick fil a card and so we got two fruit cups and two giant drinks.  well, and the chicken sandwich, nuggets, and large waffle fries.  ; )  it was all delish.  the kids played in the play place for just a bit but really weren't that interested in it.

bless his neglected little heart.  he's getting more of a voice these days and will cry or yell if he's angry about something.  it's maybe once or twice a day... not sure.  but overall, he's just so patient with us.  thank goodness because we need it.

getting some fresh air.

Abigail's homework this week is to read 20 minutes and then write 1-4 sentences.  we did it on Monday, Chris and Abigail dropped the ball yesterday when I had my migraine so it didn't happen, and tonight we managed to get it done, although it was a long process.  over two hours actually.  this is how she was working on writing sentences.

so she completed her 20 minutes or so of reading with no problem and, after 45 minutes of writing, this is what we had.  it's supposed to say "Tiffany is the" but she wasn't quite all the way through the word "the."  eventually we got three whole sentences written.  with help from Christopher and myself, it took an hour and 45 minutes.

on that note, there was a lightening dismissal today and so we had to go inside of the school to pick Abigail up.  I said hi to her teacher and told her that I'd be sending an envelope to school with Abigail tomorrow and although I would let Abigail know to deliver it, could she please try to remember to receive it.  she asked something about it and I asked if she would be willing to fill out the Vanderbilt scale for Abigail.  then she asked a question about it and I answered and she, in semi-code speaking, said "I can see why you're doing this."  it made me feel simultaneously sad and reassured.  this teacher has spent exactly 15 days with Abigail.  so, sad that it's that obvious that quickly.  reassured that I'm doing the right thing in pursuing this and am completely justified in my thinking that something isn't right.  and then sad again because I know the hard road that lies ahead for her.  and my own mother knows the hard road that lies ahead for me.  deeeeep breaths.

Elizabeth went in my bathroom this evening and took off her pj pants.  when I was about to take her to bed, I couldn't find them anywhere in my room.  she kept telling me they were in "mommy's room" but I couldn't see them.  finally, it occurred to me to look in my closet.  I laughed out loud when I saw them on the bench in my closet.  that's where I throw my clothes that I've worn but aren't ready to be put in the dirty clothes basket... y'know... like a pair of pjs pants.  that girl is just so observant.  also, she's getting really good at knowing where we throw stuff away.  regular trash can go in whatever trashcan is closest, diapers go in the kitchen trashcan, recycling goes in the blue bin in the garage, etc.  recycling is her favorite.  it's probably also my favorite word to hear her say right now.

last week, I typed in "1 2 3 magic" into our library website search and just put everything that came up on hold.  and then I got the audiobook on hoopla so I wouldn't have to wait.  well, I picked everything up at the library yesterday and it was just sitting on our island tonight when Abigail asked about it.  "it'll help me be a better parent and you to be a better listener" I told her but she was still eying the stuff.  then I was all "oh, yeah, that's actually a kids book.  you can read it sometime if you want."  "I want to read it right now!" and then she skipped off to the red chair with the book.  and read it all in one sitting.  she didn't say anything about it though and I didn't ask her.  maybe tomorrow.  I'm genuinely curious what was in it and what she got out of it.

also, I'm thrilled that she's eagerly reading books even if they're not about fairies.

I've got goals and ambitions!

today was picture day for Abigail at school.  we started early and somehow managed to get her picture-ready and squeak her to school on time!  woohoo!

Brady got himself dressed and on the stairs called out his typical "BASEBALL PLAYER COMING THROUGH!!!"  he walked in so pleased with himself that I could hardly stand it and then climbed into bed with me and said "I dressed so cool I can't even believe it!" and it put me over the edge.  he is too much.

how could you not fall in love with this guy?  he's so endearing to me.

he's also really skilled and surprised me today with a new trick.  I've never even seen him practice anything relating to standing on his bike seat so it totally took me by surprise that he was so proficient.  he's also really good at riding with one hand and can even ride with no hands for a few seconds at a time.

Jill recommended this book to me on Thursday when we were at her house to see the baby pigs... I ordered it a few days later and it just came today while we were eating lunch outside.  we did the first five lessons in 34 minutes.  they only went so fast because Brady already knows his letter sounds but I thought it would be good to not skip any lessons so we're just doing them quickly instead.  once things get more challenging, I've heard the lessons take at least 20 minutes and sometimes parents split them between two days and also take several days of a break in between lessons.  Brady doesn't love it, but he's extremely motivated by mini marshmallows at the moment so we'll see how things progress with this.  I'm working my way through reading the parent portion.

honey sent me this picture on his drive from Vegas to st. George.

our neighbor's are having sprinkler issues so we had a stream of water washing onto our driveway.  Elizabeth found it and promptly took off her shoes to frolic in the little stream.

she was thrilled.

Abigail got home from school and started spinning.  Brady joined her. surprisingly, no one got seriously injured.

I can't remember what it was, but I made a request and this was her response.

which led to her being keenly interested in exploring her belly button.  we're all pretty easily distracted around here.

lately, I've let go of trying to have a clean house and it's amazing how much else I'm able to do during the day.  today, we spent a ton of time outside, I worked with Brady on reading lessons, I read the intro of the reading book, and I continued to listen to the audiobook of 1, 2, 3, magic which was recommended to me yesterday afternoon by the family therapist that Abigail and I met with.  Chris and I will meet with him again in two weeks and I want to have read the book and had time implementing it before I return.  luckily, our library has hoopla, which I've heard about a lot but never actually used.  I put the book on hold at the library but realized it could be a while before it became available.... but it was instantly available on hoopla, so I made an account, downloaded the app, and was listening to the audio book within minutes. today, I've just had it on play while I've been outside watching the kids or inside nursing Andrew.  I've never been into audio books, but I may have to give them a fair shot because I'm getting in so much more "reading" than what I otherwise would.  I'm over 2 hours in and have less than 5 hours to go.  but I know it's less than that because I'm listening to it at 1.5 speed.  I haven't started using it at all, but tonight with the kids, I kept thinking about how it would come in handy.  as with every other thing, I'm insecure about trying something new because it's hard for me to remember things long term.  it's one thing to parent a child with ADD... it's another thing when the parent also has ADD.  like last year, Abigail did SO well at school with the star chart her teacher did to reward good behavior.  I didn't even attempt anything like that at home because I just can't remember stuff like that.  honestly, it's hard enough for me to remember to get my kid a glass of milk if they ask while I'm cooking dinner or doing anything else in the kitchen.  sooo, wish me luck.  

I feel like I've just got a lot on my mind lately that I've had to think about... and I know it's nothing for anyone else, but for me it feels like I'm juggling ten million things.  

Brady is now in the afternoon A class at preschool for just Tuesday/thursday and his first day will be tomorrow.

my paint color is still getting considered.  HA.

I'm planning to join the rec center gym.

I'm hoping to do reading lessons with Brady during quiet time.

we checked out a tablet from the library that's loaded with math games that Brady can also do for a bit during quiet time.

I'm listening to 1, 2, 3, magic on audiobook and will implement it before our next appointment... hopefully with all three kids... Elizabeth is turning into a bit of a defiant firecracker.  

I'm slowly getting the kids on a schedule and moving up their bedtime.  tonight I got everyone in bed by 7:45 and lights out for everyone by 8.  Brady and Elizabeth were out by 8:15 and Abigail closer to 8:30 or 8:45.  progress.  

as I said... no one else would really consider this anything to juggle but for me, it's felt busy and chaotic.  I'm hoping as we stick to the schedule I've made and I power through things, it will become more mainstream and automatic for me.  one thing that has really really helped is that I quit Facebook two weeks ago.  I did this a year and a half ago (I think maybe February of 2016) and didn't get on Facebook until October when I became pregnant and was in bed 24/7.  this time, like the last, wasn't planned.  it was just one day that I decided I would skip Facebook and then it felt good so I kept doing it.  two weeks ago, my neighbor Stephanie that just moved posted on Facebook a picture illustration of the varieties of spiders and posted about how she'd just killed four spiders already that morning in her apartment.  I commented about how she better not ever post pictures like that again and then realized that that was a big mistake.  because then my notifications were filled with that photo every time someone commented, liked, replied to, etc. that photo post.  I know you can unfollow the post... which I tried to do without looking at my phone (because spider picture)... but almost reported Stephanie to Facebook by accident.  whoops.  gave up on that and decided I would just take a few days off Facebook and wait till it blew over.  but then I just decided maybe I should go on a Facebook fast for a bit.  I'd love to quit Facebook for this whole school year but I'm not committed to it because the second I tell myself I can't have something then I want it fifty times more.  right now, I'm just actively remembering and choosing to abstain from Facebook because it makes me happier.  I truly need to quit it forever, I'm just not there yet.  who wants to change my password for. me?

and now I'm off to clean my kitchen.  or go to sleep.  or maybe just eat a cookie (thanks mother! the gift that keeps on giving!!!).  it's just glorious that I've already enjoyed over an hour of silence and it's only 10pm.  woohoo!

but first... just wanted to say how grateful I am to have ambitions again.  my mentality about life right now is a complete 180 from what it was earlier this year.  reading parenting books, deciding to homeschool (and preschool) my child, spending time outdoors with my kids, choosing to join the gym... when six months ago I struggled to get out of bed, feed my children, and get myself dressed.  just thinking about any one of those things would send me into a fit of depression and overwhelm.  now, I'm back to waking up excited and just feeling frustrated that there's not enough time in the day to do everything I wish I could do.  not the opposite of wishing that I didn't have to live my day and that it could just be night time again so I could fall back asleep into unconsciousness.  it's so crazy to try to wrap my mind around the change.  someone point me to this post next time I'm pregnant, please.  ugh, I'm so not looking forward to going back to that again.  in the mean time, I'll just enjoy this ambitiousness and hope that I feel.