June has just flown by. I can't believe this week we celebrate the 4th of July and that I'm already out buying school supplies for Emilia.
GROSS
We've done a lot with friends since school got out. We visited the Fort Worth Science Children Museum and got to do some new things we usually don't get to experience.
We went through the Grossology and the Risk exhibit. I really liked both. The grossology section had a playground area shaped like the digestive system. The kids entered in through the mouth and exited through the rectum onto a brown mat. Gross!
They learned why gas makes 'trumpet' sounds, like we call them at home. The kids have learned a lot about their brass instruments because of it. Some gas sounds like a trumpet while others like a trombone.
They also learned about snot as they walked through a nostril; vomit by cranking a pump that resembled the stomach, esophagus and mouth and scabs by rock climbing a wall of skin.
The risk area was also interesing but less hands on. I got to lay on a bed of nails. It wasn't supposed to hurt because my weight was distributed evenly through out the entire surface area but they still didn't feel very pleasant on my heels.
HOUSE UPDATE
We decided to tear apart the bathrooom that flooded to try to see where the water was coming from. My house didn't look very pretty all wet with a toilet and a sink in my living room. I told Carson that for once I would rather him not use the toilet.
The bathroom is still out of order but at least my house no longer looks like a disaster area. Of couse we've been praying to get more water into the house now that everything is pulled apart so we can more clearly see its origin but no such luck. Todd dug a hole outside in that same area an it filled up with at least two feet of standing water but none has entered the house. It is really a puzzle since it hasn't rained in weeks and neither us or our neighbor has a plumbing leak.
We've concluded it must be a natural spring that swells whenever there is too much sprinkler irrigation uphill from where we live.
Todd is having to jack-hammer a pre-existing surface drain to make room for the french drain and sump pump that we are putting in its place. We got a lot done yesterday but we still have a long way to go.
On top of all that I developed a misterious rash that spread ALL OVER my body. I itched for two straight days. It started in one of my arms, moved to my torso, neck and head and eventually my legs and feet. Thank goodness for Benadryl. Stella and I pretty much slep for most of those two days.
We tried to determine what food might have caused it but we never could figure it out. I've read that some times hives are stress induced. I'm beginning to think that stress was what caused it.
Just as my rash disappeared I stepped near a fire ant mound and my feet were attacked by them. I thought I was going to go mad with all the itching. I tried a lot of home remedies to reduce the sting. I smelled like vinegar and itch relief spray for a while. Ice cubes were the best solution. They numbed the area and minimized the swelling. The kids loved rubbing ice cubes on my toes.
SWIMMING
We've also been swimming a lot. Stella loves to ride on the pool inflatable riding boats. She will sit in them and glide across the entire pool with her cute swimming hat to keep her shaded. Stell loves the water and getting splashed by slapping her hand on the water.
Carson swims with his puddle jumper. I love that thing because I don't have to fear that it will come off. He too will go anywhere with it. He was so tired the other day that he swam to me, hugged me and almost immediatelly fell asleep while still in the middle of the pool. So I just got him out of the water, wrapped him in a towell and layed him down for a siesta. He was out for a couple of hours.
Emilia is doing a lot better this year. She will swim with just a noodle and some times wear a life jacket or rides around with an inflatable ring. Her confidence has grown a lot. I might try to get her into swimming lessons again this year, if I ever find the time.
ZOO
We have a family membership to the zoo, so that is another place I take the kids often. Last week we met some friends there. The Fort Worth Zoo is really big. There is too much to see in one visit. We spent some time in the barn play area. Next time we'll have to explore the texas wild section which we never get to see. Emilia is really curious about the bats.
KIDS UPDATE
Stella
Stella is four months old. She smiles and laughs a lot more. I love her facial expressions when she 'talks' to us. She is also becoming more attached to me. She will pout and cry whenever she sees me and realizes that someone else is holding her.
She is still not sleeping well through the night. I can't wait for that to change!
She is reaching for things, holding them and some times will move them from one hand to the other. Stella is rolling from her back to her stomach and back. She still hasn't figured out how to move her arm out of the way to complete the roll but is getting close. She enjoys being in the same room with her older brother and sister and hear them play, laugh, squeal, cry... They can keep her entertained more than any toy I have. I relish the moments when I can set her down and actually get something accomplished.
Carson
I love my Mr. man with his big head, long eyelashes and beautiful brown eyes. He melts my heart. I've learned that with him it's all about patience. He does everything on his own time. He is ready to potty in the toilet but won't do it. I tried encourage him with all kinds of rewards but they don't motivate him. He'll take off his diaper if it's full or dirty and run around naked but won't go in the toilet. He will sit in it if I ask him but won't do anything in it. The other day I let him wear briefs for the day. He peed of the floor twice and pooped once. He didn't even care that he was wearing wet underwear. I have to be more diligent in trying to work with hi on it. I'm just in no rush, except whenever I have to change a really nasty diaper.
Carson eats most anything and his diapers show it. He will chew gum and swallow it like candy. He loves pistachios. The other night he put a penny in his mouth. We asked him to get it out. Instead of doing what asked he proceeded to swallow it. I was in cold sweats for a few seconds while he gagged on it as Todd tried to help him spit it out. In the end the coin went down and into his stomach. I'm so glad our family is watched over and protected by a kind Heavenly Father. I have not checked his diaper for the penny. I even wonder if it will ever come out.
Emilia
Emilia is my rock star. She loves make up and jewelry and has fun playing with her dolls and dress up clothes.I love that I can reason with her, we can make decisions together, make plans, set goals.
I recently attended a parenting class where among other things the speaker discussed ways of teaching children about work and the value of money.
She will pay her kids for chores but require that they buy what they need and want - i.e. school supplies and clothes. I think that chores are something everyone should do without getting paid, but don't like the idea of just giving my kids money every week for no reason.
So Emilia and I decided to come up with a list of tasks that she can get paid for doing - i.e. weeding the garden box, picking up pine cones, helping wash the car, etc. Then we went online and looked at school backpacks for the upcoming year. She got to pick the one she wants to have and we figured out how much money she needed to earn to buy it. She already had some set apart from her birthday so she only needs $8. She earns between $1-2 per week so she should have enough money for her backpack by the beginning of August.
We have a glass jar with a picture of her backpack where she deposits the money she earns. This has taught her much about work, saving, tithing and money management.
On Monday she camed to me complaining about a tooth hurting. I wasn't very happy about the idea of having to take her to the dentist to have a cavity filled on a baby tooth. Then she showed it to me and said "Mom it's moving!"
Her right front bottom tooth is loose. I was surprised because she is barely five years old. I wasn't expecting it to happen for another year. She is super excited and shows it to everyone she knows. She can't wait for it to fall off so she can get the money from the tooth fary and spend it on her backpack.
I just hope she doesn't swallow it like Carson did with the penny.
