Summer finally!

SUMMER!!!
There is never enough time to get everything done! I’ve started this post a number of times. School year was very busy! I was watching 2 additional kids this school year so there were either 4 or 5 little ones every day! Kids were in school until mid-June so it felt like a late start to summer. We've tried to make it up!

Brett finished 1st grade with all A’s. Rob let Brett pick dinner the first time he brought home a straight A grade card; Brett did not forget this each additional time. He’s officially a reader now! I don’t know why I still get surprised when he reads something off a sign or the t.v. He has such an inquisitive mind; he wants to know about everything! He was named “Rocket Man” at his 1st grade awards assembly, the teachers commented that he runs to get everywhere and always has to be the fastest! He did an after school art class most of the year with Young Rembrandts, which he really enjoyed. He often asks to do crafts at home or will just grab paper to create pictures. I do not have this gene. This is something from his father’s side. Brett did floor hockey and wrestling again this year. He is finishing up baseball, as well as, gymnastics and tells me he’s excited to sleep in for the rest of the summer!

Bailey’s spring was quite eventful. In efforts to prepare her for all day kindergarten in the fall, I signed Bailey up for park classes after her pre-k. She was doing pre-k 5 days a week with the elementary, playschool 2 days with the park, an art class, and a young science class. No wonder she still napped if she had a free afternoon. She loved the idea of packing a lunch on her long day like Brett. She would ask me the night before what I thought I would pack for her. She was such a great helper with Brayden and the other 2 girls we watched. She loves to draw and would come home with 5-10 pages of things she drew or wrote on every day. And you better believe mommy better not throw any of them out!! Bailey may end up being our tall one. At her check-up this winter, we found out she grew over 3 inches in the last year, the doctor said she is on pace to be 5’7-5’8! She is head and shoulders taller than all of her friends in school.

Brayden is a 2 year old monster. A lovable, energetic, smart, hilarious, independent monster. He really is funny…and very challenging at times. I recently took him for his 24 month check-up, he is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. The doctor we saw was not our normal pediatrician so was asking a ton of developmental questions. Can he run? “yes”. Can he run well without falling? “yes, he runs away whenever possible”. Can he climb? “yes, he climbed on top of tables and furniture before walking.” I often walk into the room and find him on top of the back of the couch looking out the window for Brett to come home. He loves anything that Brett is into; legos, Star Wars, football, wrestling, nerf guns, Dusty from Planes and now dinosaurs from Jurassic World! Brayden insisted that he pack his own backpack when Brett and Bailey were getting ready for school. Brett had a small preschool shark book bag that Brayden has taken over, every morning I would find the bag full of his favorite toys, pacifiers and a snack that he grabbed from the pantry.

Brayden can throw a decent fit for whatever reason. I’m learning though, that he does well if you tell him what will happen in sequence. I don’t remember the other 2 being able to do this at his age. He can ask for something over and over….but if I tell him for example “after night night (nap), we’ll go get Brett from school, or after Brett and Bailey’s swim lesson, it’s your turn”, he does much better. He often uses this technique to ask for what he wants. “When dinner done, Truck on T.V?!” Then he will tilt his head and grin. He is incredibly cute when doing so hard to argue with!


Harman kiddo Mini’s
Brett gets set on things. For a couple weeks he wanted me to make him math tests. I was fine with this, but not when he woke me up at 6am on Monday morning to do so. I also had to grade it immediately to confirm he got them all correct.

When changing Brayden’s diaper, he yelled out “AMEN!”

Brayden frequently would blame other babies for stinky diapers. “Brayden did you go potty?” No, baby did. Abby poo poo.
The funniest was in Ohio when I asked and he said “no, grandpa poo poo’d”

Brayden has been the most inconsistent child with sleeping at night. He will go through phases of sleeping all night and then 7 days straight of waking up multiple times. This can get tiring. After a good night, I said to him “Brayden you slept all night in your bed! Good job!!” and gave him a high five. He said “mmm hmmm, mommy ache…” Oh did you give mommy a break?! “Mmm Hmmm!”

This brings me to another topic. Brayden for the longest time refused to say “yes” or “yeah” to anything. He would positively reply and say “mm hm” but FINALLY started saying “yeah” last month.

I was having the kids pick up their rooms. I went to check their progress and see Bailey shoving clothes under her bed! When I asked what she was doing, she said “the only thing I know how to do is hide things under my bed!”

Brett was getting on me about wanting a hot breakfast before school. I explained, if he and his siblings got up in time and I didn’t have to remind them 10x to get ready for the day, I would be able to make something other than cereal. He tried for about a week and then finally he was ready by the agreed upon time. “Thanks for the eggs and sausage mom, will you be making this in 11 days?” It was 11 days until his 7th birthday. Brett had quite the countdown for his birthday this year. He dropped many hints!

Brett said this spring “maybe we should move so we don't have to cheer for the Bears since they are so bad”.

Bailey is still a little drama queen! We had just talked to grandma from Ohio and she said she had a little cold. We were doing prayers that night and Bailey says “hope grandma is ok…and can come home from the hospital (she was not in the hospital). What would grandpa do?! Who would make us all the fancy meals?!”

I was sitting on the floor feeding Autumn while Brayden and Abby were in their high chairs. Brayden kept saying “done hotdog done!” I told him good job and asked him if he wanted more. That did not satisfy him. He said it over and over. I stood up so I could see him. He had plenty of food on his plate…and said “done hotdog DONE!” Then I realized, he was trying to get the hot dog on his fork, he was telling his hot dog to “COME ON!”.

“Brett do you think I like getting kicked in the back as you are climbing over me?”
Brett – “what? I thought you like back rubs?”

Brayden is another snuggle bear. When sitting on the couch, he has to sit so close he’s basically on top of you and links his arm in yours. And when sleeping by us, he has to be touching; either a hand on my face or neck or he wraps his tiny arms all around my neck! It’s all nice and sweet until you are woken up by a swift head butt to your nose because he’s trying to get closer on your pillow!

Brayden is talking so much now! Common phrases "(name, toy) where ARE you?", "Mama, what you doing?", "Noodles for dinner please??", "Daddy at work", "Brett Brett, Bailey c’mon!". If you ask him if he needs a new diaper, he says “No, I ok”. He loves music and singing in the car. Every song is “me jam!” Brayden will act like he’s fallen off the couch and yell “help me help me!” He was obsessed with the Planes movie at his birthday. He would carry his “Dusty Crop-hop-hoper” with him all over the place. He loves the cars characters but calls Lightening McQueen, “King guy”. It took a while to figure that one out. He used to call all cars “guys”, and all he could say of McQueen was ‘king’. So now we know “king guy” is something we need to find often. He loves dinosaurs from the Jurassic World movie. He has not seen this but hears about them from Brett. He can name all the dinosaurs. He has multiple “Echos” that he takes in the car, in the tub and in bed!

Brett is very competitive. This summer is constant games of Uno, Go Fish, Battleship, etc. He is not great about losing….we are working on this.

For some reason, Rob had the kids saying “Sir, yes sir!” one weekend. That Monday, Brayden said it to me. I said, “mommy’s a girl so you would say Ma’am.” So he yelled “SIR, YES SIR MA’AM Mommy!”

Brett “Mom I wouldn’t try the Kragle out on you if we were legos.” Please refer to Lego Movie.

Bailey loves to work on things. She often tries to make things a mystery that she’s figuring out.

Brett- “Mom I love your egg sandwiches. Like, I'm in love with them. I could marry them. Actually maybe I'll just live with you when I'm an adult and you can keep making them for me”. I told him I would always make him a sandwich if he asked even if he was grown.
“What if I'm like 86?”
Me – “yes when you are 86”
Brett- “oh you'll probably be gone by then”

The school had a horrible year with lice going around. We were lucky but we had weeks of me combing and checking their hair in the morning and night. Bailey was clearly over it “Ugh! Are we checking for lice AGAIN!? What, do they just like living and feeding off of hair? Why can’t they just go to China?”

Bailey was pushing my patience one afternoon. I was trying to get things done while the younger ones were napping. She asked for a snack probably 20 times. On the 21st attempt, I didn’t answer. So she said, “Mom, can I get a snack…or do you want Elsa to freeze the house?....Would you like the house to be all cold or would you like to get me a snack?” Ok, this time she wins for creativity.

Brayden can you please eat your strawberries?
“no, I’m batman!”

Soaking up as much summer as we can before school starts!!

Winter 2015

Spring 2015

Summer pictures 2015