Busy, Busy Days

Look at these angelic faces. Man have they been running me ragged the past few days. Call me crazy, and I know I am, but I am totally enjoying this crazy, hectic time in our family. For the last 3 weeks in April I was working almost full time from home, which is not as easy as it sounds. I give major props to those who do it full time, year round, and keep their sanity. My kids absolutely hate me working. I sit on the computer all day scoring english essays for various high school and college tests, and am monitored by someone out in cyber space so I can't get up too often to take care of small wants and desires. That doesn't go over real well with my spoiled children. The work is a blessing, it is sporadic, but it is a nice little supliment to our income, and it makes me feel good to contribute monitarily a bit also. Its just very difficult on all involved at times. It really is a great, fun, job, and if you have a Bachelors degree and are interested, check out this link.

Work ended last Thursday for me so Friday it was potty training time! Mason will be 3 on the 20th and I wanted him trained before his birthday. He was not at all interested just a few weeks ago, but it was like magic on Friday. He willingly donned the big-boy underpants and decided to give it a try. The first day we had 5 accidents and no tinkles in the potty. The next day only 1 accident! Both those nights he woke up dry. Incredible! Sunday he got out of nursery to potty, which I think made him feel pretty cool, and today he has had no accidents and even stayed dry during his 31/2 hour nap! What a kid! He is trying his darndest because his daddy promised him a train ride when he gets it down. Every time he uses the potty he ask if he can take his ride now. Oops! Hopefully the MAX will be a big enough train to placate him. I am so proud of my big guy. I was putting his 2T clothes in storage yesterday and started to cry a bit at the loss of my baby boy. He is definitley a kid now, no longer a baby.

This is a picture I dreaded finding so soon. Darcy heading up the stairs! Time for the gate that Mason can't get over so I have to heft him over the 50 times he wants to go up or down the stairs in a day. This little girl of mine, who is almost 10 months old(!), is one FAST little body. I turn my back for an instant and she is gone. She doesn't crawl correctly, she uses the soldier crawl where she slithers on her tummy, but she is very efficient at it. Its a ton of fun trying to rush Mason to the potty and keep track of her at the same time. And I think Hoover ought to design a vacuum cleaner after her. She finds things in the carpet that I can't see or vacuum up the few times a day I try to get it done. She is always chewing on something and we are lucky she hasn't decided to swallow some of those things. I spend lots of my time just laughing to get me through the last couple of days. I swear I am asleep before my head even hits the pillow at night.

And here is my Drewsy, reading. She was reading my book over my shoulder the other day! I am so proud of her and her ambition, and I wish I could help her out more with it. She is constantly asking me to spell things for her and it is a constant frustration for me that the English language seems to follow no specific rules from one word to the next. Take for instance "mama." She had me spell it, then she tried to spell "mommy." Sounds the exact same, spelled differently. I find myself telling her she just has to look at the word and memorize how it looks instead of trying to sound some of them out. I guess I wasn't cut out to be a Kindergarten teacher. I really need to get her some sort of series to help her learn to read because she is just so eager to be reading. I have to admit that spelling everything I say get a bit old at times too.

I am usually one to wish my time away, waiting for the kids to get older so I can get some sleep, or carry on a real conversation, or quit wiping dirty baby bottoms, but I really am enjoying the stages my kids are in. It is so fun to watch each of them in their stages, growing and progressing before my very eyes! I am so blessed to have such good kids and I look forward to the adventure each day promises to bring.