So far so good

Thursday was the last day of naps for Justus. Neil and I talked about it and we felt it was time for J to not have to nap anymore. His bedtime was just getting later and later so we felt he didnt need to sleep in the day time. Dont get me wrong, he still will have quiet time. In fact quiet time is still from 2-4. He is expected to play in his room quietly for that time. And so far, so good. He has done just that. Now we will just see if he keeps it up. Oh, and he is sleeping longer and going to bed better. Nice!!

Lovin the Tech World

Recently we have realized the wonders of Skype and Webcams. We have had Skype accounts for quite some time, but truly hadnt utilized them. Recently I got to meet one of my bestest friends new baby girl via Skype and Justus and Haven (especially J) have loved visiting with their Cousins who live far away.

Its so cute to see J truly talking with his cousins who are 3 and 5. They show each other their toys and talk about how awesome it is. They also make lots of funny faces at each other. I love to see him so interested and its great that they can have that special time even tho they are so far away.

No Way, not my kids

So I was in the back room folding laundry when I hear my kids being all excited and saying things like "Color, color, color" I think not much of it, we had been coloring earlier that day. But I decided to go investigate cause I was sure that we had put all the crayons away. Well, apparently not all. I walk out to behold with my own eyes Haven coloring green crayon on the kitchen cabinets. Oh, I was livid. They know that is not right. We always talk about coloring on the paper when we are really coloring. They know not to get it on the table or on the floor.

Then when Im in the back room punishing Haven, she of course is crying, (and it is so pitiful to see her so cute chubby cheeks all tear stained) tells me that Justus was doing it to. Not that I for one moment thought he was innocent. But I went out and asked him if he did it too. "Yes" is his answer (at least he is honest). But back in the back room we go. Then I made them clean it up themselves.

Crafty, yet again

One of my girlfriends got something like this at her shower and I thought it was a cute idea. I remember the girl said she made it and it was easy. Previously I had just been putting Havens hair bows in a basket but they were getting all jumbled and I couldnt easily see what I had, so I thought this was a good solution.

Embracing my inner craftiness

Im really not crafty....not at all. Sometimes I like to think I am, but I have such a short attention span for it, that it doesnt last long. Today, however, I tried. I have wanted to make Haven some hair bows since they are so ridiculously expensive and I know you can make them pretty easily. My sis used to make them for her girls and they always had ones that matched their outfits perfectly. When I asked her to make some for me, she said her hair bow making days were over, so I was on my own.

I went and found some cute ribbon and got some little alligator claw clips and away I went. Here are the ones Ive made so far. We shall see how many more I actually do. Its not hard, just a little tedious...not my strong point! But in all, I feel very proud of my creations.

Justus and thumb sucking

Justus started sucking his thumb pretty much within the first few months of birth. As soon as he could coordinate it, his thumb was there. And I have to say, I was really happy about this. It meant he was a great sleeper. And we all know in those early months thats a huge plus. I never really worried about him stopping. After all, he comes from a long line of thumb suckers. I did until I was 5. My dad also was a thumb sucker and Im sure there are many more in the family lineup.

I had heard around 4 kids tend to loose their need for their safety objects, be it a blanket, stuffed animal or whatever lovey they had chosen. So I was on the lookout for an opportunity to break Justus of this habit. Then around mid summer Justus, all on his own, started asking me if it was ok if he sucked his thumb. So, I took this to mean he was ready. I prepped him by saying that when he started preschool he could no longer suck his thumb. Then when the time came, he knew the only time he could suck it was when he was in his room. (Which basically is nap and bedtime). I have been so proud of him. It was not a battle at all. He really has just owned it and keeps it to his bedroom.

Im so glad it has been this easy!

Heres a pic from July...typical Justus - thumb in mouth, blankies all around. And I believe the other is a pic of the first time he sucked his thumb.

Soccer Game - 1st one

Yesterday Justus and his team the Pollen Jocks, were out scored by the blue team. They are so cute out there tho. You can tell that most, if not all, have never done this kind of play before. They had no concept of kicking the ball continuously until it reached the net. They understood to kick it, but not in an organized way. By half time, most were done with the game. When asked to come back in a sub, most were shaking their heads no. There were even some tears.

Justus was done also. We had to have a conversation about being a part of a team and helping out. But J did get some good kicks in. Their team did score 1 goal. After talking to the coach after the game he said that team was comprised of mostly 4 year olds who probably all played together last year. Well, good thing our little ones didnt really have the concept of being beaten. So it was no worries, just a fun time of running around.