May I Bend Your Ear a Tick?

May has been a busy month around here and I don't see things easing up for a while. I've been meaning to sit down and write about these events as they happen, but since I didn't, this will be a picture and word- heavy post about the month of May. 

Mark and Paul got braces.  They look awesome!  The first few days were hard on them pain-wise, but now it is not a big deal.  Hopefully they will be better about flossing and brushing than I was (but I'm not going to hold my breath!)  They have been exchanging insults about braces to each other (calling each other "brace face", "railroad tracks", etc.)  I've warned them not to kiss each other or a girl who has braces so that they don't get stuck together.  Since chewy and hard candies are off the menu for two years I have been looking into fun alternatives for our camping treats (they love to roast Starbursts and Hot Tamales, but those are forbidden foods now!)  We have a few camping trips scheduled for the end of June and I think that I've got some good ideas. (Roast mini peanut butter cups inside of a marshmallow!)

Daniel hosted our second Magic the Gathering card game tournament.  We had a big turnout this time with 18 people!  

Michael, Seth and Sam

 Jane is done with diapers.  We have spent a lot of time together in the bathroom this last week.  I have said the words 'potty', 'panties', 'pee'  and 'poop' a lot.  A LOT.  We have broken a lot of rules during this potty training week.  I allow food in the bathroom, she gets to take my tablet into the bathroom, I allow food anywhere in the house for her to eat and drink . She gets a candy if she has success even if she hasn't eaten breakfast yet.  The boys are a bit jealous and it makes me laugh a bit. 

We have gone through a lot of panties and laundry this last week, but it will all be worth it!  I will be very happy when this is all routine.  I have felt rather trapped at home during the days because I'm not willing to go out and about with her yet.  I know that I need to be patient and in a few weeks things will be a lot better. 

 Mark started taking Tae Kwon Do at a new studio in February.  He started sparring and he has really enjoyed it.  It is much more tame than I thought it would be, so I'm not bothered by him being involved.  I am impressed with the self-control and skill that is necessary to train for sparring.  I would be intimidated to have someone kicking at me and pushing at me, but Mark loves it!  I feel much better about him doing this than participating in football.  (I tell my boys all of the time that they are free to play football but only as a kicker- because the kicker generally doesn't get tackled and if they do the player gets in trouble!) 

World Class Tae Kwon Do had a tournament and Mark participated.  I helped with the certificates and awards, Mark helped set up for the event.  A lot of work went into this event.  Mark lost some of his sparring equipment and had to borrow some last minute which was a bit stressful, but he did great.  He took 2nd place in his division.  The kid who took first place has been taking TKD for 5 years and actually has a black belt but was competing in a lower belt class for a requirement on his 2nd degree black belt.  So- we weren't surprised that Diego came in first place.  I am super happy for Mark that he did so well! 

 The night before the tournament, Mark went to the auditorium to help set up.  Paul went on a bike ride with his friend and his dad.  Paul was supposed to be home by the time we left to take Mark to the school to watch Jane and Seth while Daniel and I went to dinner with our friends, Madeleine and Ed.  Paul's bike ride went a lot longer than they anticipated so we had Seth watch Jane.  I was surprisingly calm about the whole thing, too!  The friend's dad thought that they'd be back by 6 and they didn't get back until 9!  He was tired, wet, cold and hungry, but he had a lot of fun!  I'm proud of him for having a good attitude about the ride! 

I started a squat and a pushup challenge.  My goal is to do 200 squats and 100 pushups in a row after a 6 week schedule.  My starting numbers were 50 squats and 25 pushups.  After 3 weeks I have doubled my numbers to 100 squats and 50 pushups.  It has been hard to stick to doing the challenge, but I am enjoying this project. 

On the 21st, Mark turned 13 years old.  He wanted to go to Café Rio for dinner.  We invited my brother Dan to come with us.  After dinner, Dan came over to our house for dessert and to fix Paul's bike (his chain was stuck).  Dan spent a while tuning up the boy's bikes.  It was a beautiful evening, so we played outside while we waited for the cinnamon rolls to bake.

 The boys did a little bit of wrestling on the front lawn.

 Jane played with the broom.

 Dan fixed the bikes.

 Apparently we were a bit goofy with our smiles that night! 

Mark is growing up fast.  I have actually enjoyed having a teenager in the house.  Sure, he can be moody, but that is such a small part of who he is.  He is very clever and funny.  I am amazed at how quickly he can memorize things.  He has entertained me a lot with quirky little sayings and songs that he is either repeating or making up.  I've quit asking him where he heard some of the really quirky things because I know that the answer will be "You Tube"! 

School has been a sore subject with us this year.  Clearly the homeschooling adventure didn't work out.  He really struggled with getting things turned in on time and his grades really suffered.  He is a very smart kid so we just couldn't figure it out.  One day things came to a head at our weekly meeting.  He was crying that he was just lazy and stupid and would never be able to do well.  I realized that it wasn't laziness that caused the poor grades but rather a lack of organization.  We talked about options and went to the store to get some folders.  He has turned a corner since then.  He feels better about himself and his abilities and he is on the road to getting almost all A's this term!  Yeah!  I have to admit that we have bribed him with money for his grades.  If he gets a 3.75 or better he will get $50.  If he gets a 4.0 he will get $60.  This money would go towards a Kindle reader that he wants to get- we would pay for the other half.  We also told him that if he got  4.2 that he could get $1000.  He really did try to see if the teachers could grant more than a 4.0 for an A, but alas, no. 

The other morning Mark was ornery.  He woke up late and there were no waffles left for breakfast and he didn't want to eat anything but waffles and was mad.  We got him to eat a tortilla before heading out the door at the very last second. He was in a foul mood and I was worried that he was going to have a rotten day. The first thing he said to me when he came home from school was, "Mom, I'm sorry about how I behaved this morning".  What?  I was so happy!  I accepted his apology and thanked him for recognizing how his actions impacted other people. 

See what I mean about him growing up?  He is noticing others.  His science teacher's brother died a few weeks ago and he asked if we could go to the store to buy her a gift.  He got her some Dove chocolates filled with caramel because he knew that she likes chocolate and caramel.  I was really proud of him for thinking about her and wanting to do something for her.    Are we out of the woods for moody behavior?  No, but I'm okay with that.  I'm excited to be able to continue watching my children learn and develop. 

I've always love to watch my babies grow and develop, but I was weary of how things would go with a teenager.  The growth that I watch is different, but no less exciting.  There was plenty about taking care of an infant or toddler that I didn't necessarily enjoy, but overall I loved the journey.  Raising a teenager isn't any different in that respect.  The highs and lows will be different, but rewarding just the same! 

On the 24th, my little baby Jane turned 3 years old.  Three?  Already?  She wanted pancakes for breakfast, so I made her a little 3-pancake cake including a candle.  She loved it, but really had a hard time blowing out the candle.  She nearly burned her lips and her hair.  She didn't quite understand the whole birthday thing, but I'm certain that she has it figured out now!

 

 Jane opened one of her presents while the boys were at school.  She played with these cute magnetic 'paper' dolls all afternoon.  It was a lot of fun to see the different clothes combinations that she made.  I was so excited to give these to her! 

 She requested chicken nuggets and chocolate milk for dinner.  I make homemade chicken nuggets/fingers that are delicious!  I make up a big batch of them and freeze them, so they are convenient to make for dinner or lunches.  The kids didn't even realize that they were gluten-free until they saw me eat them! I made some GF cupcakes from a boxed mix and they were great! 

 Jane still couldn't figure out how to blow out the candles come dinner time. 

She blew one candle out...

 She blew two candles out ...

 

And she blew them all out!  Yeah! 

 

I am absolutely loving being around Jane.  We have had a lot of one-on-one time  while potty training.  She is a delight to be around.  I am getting things put together to start doing preschool at home in a few months.  It will be fun!  She will probably go to preschool next year just for the social aspect since she doesn't have any friends in the neighborhood. 

 

Overall, I have been feeling very blessed in my life.  I feel a calm and a peace that I haven't had for a long time.  I want to keep making improvements on myself, but right now I am pleased with where I am as a mother, a wife and a person.