I
think I have the weather to blame for my somewhat introspective, thoughtful
mood lately. I have been spending my
days focused on my boys, their needs, my responsibilities and our time
together. I lost my old life with the twins when Wyatt joined our family, and
making time during Wyatt’s afternoon nap to do pre-school with them has been
such a joy. I feel like in parenting three at once, I am often missing special
moments with each one individually.
The
boys look forward to pre-school each day, and while it is generally less than
an hour, I am excited for their attention spans to grow, and for their little
brains to soak it all in. This week we
are doing the letter A, the number 1, the shape SQUARE and the color RED. Those are the goals. Recognition of letters,
numbers, shapes & colors. That’s it.
I am keeping it simple both for myself and for the boys. Each day I am also reading an educational book
and discussing any questions they have.
We also practice cutting and do some kind of art project, to keep it
fun!
{Yeah... that's the view out my front window right now!} |
Today
we read a book on Feelings and I asked the boys about specific feelings. These
are the answers I got. Jack said he feels HAPPY when he is proud of (his
cousin) Gustav for writing his name. He
said he feels SAD when Daddy goes to school.
Logan said he feels MAD when Jack takes his toys. And he said he feels EXCITED when we go
camping. “It’s pretty much fun,” he added, holding his fingers up, continuing
on with, “You can go fishing… swimming… do smores…” I could eat them sometimes!
When
I am there, doing school with the boys, I am channeling my home school guru,
Josh’s older sister and my best friend Julie.
She has homeschooled her three boys for years, and she is my motivation. I know if she can do it, I can do it. I am excited that already the boys recognize
the letter A, and can attempt to write it, although it looks more like an H
than an A. Hey, it’s a start!
In
addition to finding time each day to spend with the big boys, I am trying to
make sure I spend some quality time on the floor, playing with Wyatt.
His
favorite toys are containers with lids and the pop up toy where you push, pull
& turn the nobs to make the animal doors pop open. He also adores opening
drawers & leaving surprises in them, like his taggie or his brothers’
Legos.
His
favorite time of day is bath time, and he is a super naughty splasher!
He
is getting better about staying in the playroom with Logan & Jack, joining
in whatever they are playing, which they have been surprisingly tolerant about.
He
hates when Josh goes to work and gets so excited when he gets home. His favorite treat right now is this freeze
dried fruit (mostly he just eats the strawberries) my sister-in-law found for
him and he has four teeth on top and four on bottom with which to chew them.
As
soon as we got here, I feel like his language just took off. It has been so
exciting! He can sign and voice “more”, “water”, “done” and
“bye”. He also voices “hi”, “hello”, “cracker”
& “thank you”.
When
he wants to nurse, he pulls on my shirt.
We are still nursing. I had
planned to quit while we were home shortly after his first birthday, but then I
talked to my doctor and apparently breast feeding for two years can reduce your
risk for breast cancer by 80%. I have
talked to my grandma and it seems that maybe her family has the breast cancer
gene, which means I could be at risk. So if nursing Wyatt a little longer can
reduce that risk, I am all in.
I
am happy to be home with him all day, every day so he can nap on his own
schedule and not be pushed onto the twins’ schedule. I left him only a couple times while we were
in Vancouver, but each time I had trouble enjoying myself, worried over how he
was feeling without me there. I always
thought, when I used to be a baby-sitter, that parents who felt that way were
weird! I just knew I’d want a break
from my kids when I had them! And while going out without the kids is nice, and
I do need adult interaction time without my three little distractions, I just
really feel that my place is at home right now.
There will be time, when they are 6 & 9, for me to have a life
outside our family, but right now, I belong here with them.
Yesterday
Josh had orientation for University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) after work. He will be taking two classes toward his
Masters of Education in Counseling this fall, and let’s just say his plate is
going to be very (very) full!
While
he was gone, the boys and I made tortillas and then made enchiladas. They were awesome helpers, and I thought
maybe if they helped make them, they would eat them. I was shocked when it had that exact effect I
had hoped, and they each ate one & a half enchiladas! Every new food they add to their repertoire
is exciting to me! They even ate
the leftovers at lunch today!
Well, I think that's all I have for now. Just a little update on our day to day life, figuring out our new routines and settling back into life in the bush!
What a wonderful post. Made me so happy hearing about your time with the kids. The picture of Wyatt looking down is so beautiful. He looks angelic. He is so cute! I am also happy to hear that your plan was successful and the picture is so cute, little hands working :)
ReplyDeletei want to start hayden helping in the kitchen. at 18 months i think he might be able to handle doing something right by my side. were those wyatt's little hands helping with the tortillas?
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Shelly! I'm glad you're enjoying your valuable time with your boys. :)
ReplyDeleteLove this. I homeschooled last year for preschool and my curriculum was pretty much the same as what you are doing. I did add in music though--although we weren't trying to do school during anyone's nap time--and it was a huge hit. Have you heard of Dr. Jean? Or has Josh? She has fun music for preschoolers and you can download songs from her website.
ReplyDeleteI love love love the pictures of Wyatt especially the ones with Josh. I was thinking this morning that it was fun to see Wyatt's personality this summer. To see him becoming less of a baby was sad, but exciting too. Awesome you let the boys cook with you! I was always too anal to let them help, something I regret.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I love the picture of Wyatt smiling at Josh!
ReplyDeleteI love you too, Wyatt! His shirt :) Wyatt looks like you SO much in the picture of Josh kissing him. I knew he really was saying BYE to us at the airport!
ReplyDeleteGood job with preschool! I'm having more 1-on-1 time with my boys and it's paying off, too!
Welcome back! You seem to be settling in well. Also, breastfeeding until 2 (or beyond) is really good for baby's immune system.
ReplyDelete