Summer Days

A Buck Fifty

Back, oooohh, 9 years ago, Cory and I made a trip to NYC to pick up an old crane game to put in my dad's shop.  THAT was an interesting trip.  We are not city people.  At. All.  Thankfully we made it back in one piece and we had a crane game to boot!  I admit, I am somewhat of a crane game addict.  The thrill of the "catch".  Now, I'm no dummy.  I know that there are different settings to make it easier or harder to win and it just depends on the machine you use.  BUT, there are little tricks that you can use for any machine that increase your chances!  

Unfortunately, my parents machine ended up breaking after only several years of use.  They tried to have a couple of people repair it, but I think it's beyond repair.  Something electrical.

Anyway!  When Eloise was around 8 months old, I believe, we took her picture in the machine.  Then along came Dinah and when she was around 9 months, we took her picture.  Now that Audra is coming right up to 8 months (and my parents are going to get rid of the machine), we decided to get her picture.  And how could we resist all 3?!  :)  Kind of a fun memory to have!

Anybody got a buck fifty to try to win these little sweeties from the crane game?  ;)

Round and Round...

I feel like we have been on the go for the last couple of weeks... and I'm exhausted!  

We had to make 5 separate trips to a town/city about an hour and 15 mins (one way) for Allergist and Eye Appointments (plus another hour trip to my hometown for an appointment for me!).  It's no joke to have to cart 3 kids under the age of 4.5 on multiple car rides.  I think we're done for awhile.  At least I hope anyway!

The diagnosis is... 

Egg allergy for little miss Audra.  :(  

Boooooo.....

Though I am not overly pleased at that, at least we are already familiar 

with it as we have dealt with Eloise's food allergies for the 

past several years.  And on the bright side, 

little miss Dinah does not seem to have any 

allergies to egg or peanut at this point!  PHEW!

Eloise got her glasses!

She has done very well leaving them on.

I have to admit, I'm still getting used to her eyes being 

a bit magnified... but I am thankful she can see.

And if you looked through her glasses...

you would wonder how she ever could see

without them!  They are definitely STRONG!

 

The Eye Doctor even gave her a Hello Kitty Case, 

which she is extremely proud of!

Poor girl was tuckered out!

And of course, 

Little Sister wants to be like Big Sister. :)

Getting Ready...

Do you ever feel disappointed when you go to the mailbox to find it... *gasp!*... empty?  

Maybe it's just me, but I have a feeling I'm not alone! ;)

Anyway, imagine my excitement today when I got a package in the mail!  

Of course, it wasn't random.  It was something I had ordered.  

But the excitement was still there!  

Taa Daa!!

Cory and I have decided that the best route for Eloise, amid her food allergies (and lets face it, the way this country is going... dare I say... downhill), is to homeschool!  I admit that the thought is a little overwhelming.  I grew up dreaming of being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of my babies until they were school age, only to send them off to school and have the whole day to myself.  I could throw pottery.  Weave at the loom.  Sew.  Cook, clean and all that stuff as well, of course.  But fast forward to REALITY.  Having a kid (or two.. or three) really changes your perspective on life.  At least for me.  You go from being a selfish kid... to a selfish adult... to a parent who needs a major attitude adjustment.  Trust me, I struggle with that daily.  It's hard to let go of years of doing for myself.  Not that I didn't do for others or volunteer, etc.  But you know what I mean.  You get to eat when you want, wake up when you want (well, depending on jobs and responsibilities), go to bed when you want, wear what you want, etc etc... you get the point.  When you become a mama, you are subject to a demanding infant who wants to eat when they want, poop, sleep, play and all other manners of infant to toddler things that make you realize that you probably should go to bed AS SOON AS the baby falls asleep at night because you know you'll only get to catch a couple hours of sleep, if you're lucky.  Or you might as well wear your old Tshirts from high school because you don't want to get your "good clothes" spit up on or projectile pooped on (yes, that's happened to me!).  You eat when you can fit it in... and same with chores.  You feel like you're going CRAZY for awhile.  (Maybe it's just me?).

Anyway, it's taken me awhile to TRULY realize that the most important thing in my life at this moment is to take care of my family, with God as the center.  I used to get restless because I never felt I had time for ME.  But I am finally finding the balance.  It's a good place to be.  Not perfect.  But good.  I still make a little time for myself sometimes.  Mostly when the younger two nap and Eloise has a little quiet time.  I will sew or try to crochet (yikes!).  I am happy to be blessed to stay at home with my children.  And I'm even happier to be able to homeschool and use every day experiences as learning situations.  AND I AM SO EXCITED that our Bible Curriculum came in the mail today!!  My sister, who homeschools her three, gifted me many resources to get Eloise started.  I have been sorting through and figuring out what we want to use this year.  I absolutely love the idea of doing Bible lessons.  Of course my children read bible stories and sing scripture-based songs, etc.... but we don't take them to Sunday School (food allergies make us very wary... especially when even family sometimes has a hard time remembering to be careful with what they bring around El).  We want our girls to be grounded in the faith and what is the best place to learn than at home, by the people who love you most? 

Eloise is 4.5 now and won't be 5 until January, however, she is reading very well and we feel that if we wait another year she will just be spinning her wheels.  She loves to learn, so why not fuel that hunger for knowledge? And the bonus is that Dinah will get to learn along side her in little spurts!  And they'll still have time in their day to play!  Playing is learning, after all! :)

Now... to get myself organized...