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Tristan is fascinated by snow this year and that's amazing because, I too, love snow! Ana is a little more hesitant, but she hangs with whatever. Since we've been in CO, we've not had much snow. We are enjoying the flurries when they come.

Anastasia took her first steps today!! I am so excited and proud! We were playing in the loft both times when she took steps. I know that it will be a while before she is walking with confidence, but she is taking baby steps! Today, I am praying for the Paterno family. It has been a sad couple of months and I can't help but wonder if old Jo pa finally gave up the ghost because his heart was broken. He loved Penn State Football.

" I always prefer to believe the best of everybody - it saves so much trouble." Rudyard Kipling In the book Laying Down the Rails , I found the section on kindness very good. Kindness is something that everyone can give, no matter how small, yet it is something that is so often overlooked and taken for granted in our culture. I think it is beautiful that the innocence and naivete of children lends itself naturally to kindness. That doesn't mean kindness comes naturally to anyone. It still needs to be taught and is a choice that we all must make every day. The questions to ask about kindness are as follows: Am I encouraging my child to think the best of other people? Is my child learning not to assume that others will laugh at him for his kindness? Is my child progressing in defending and protecting other people's good character in their absence? Am I helping my child to respond kindly to siblings or others with tiresome tempers? Is my child inspired by the idea of mak...

I did not plan on getting sick yesterday afternoon, and I really didn't plan on Tristan's being sick in the middle of the night, but that's what happened. Jason was amazing yesterday evening and last night, allowing me to sleep and then doing all the laundry all night long! I owe him big time! On a better note, before the sickness, the kids and I had a fabulous morning at the playground enjoying the mild weather and sunshine. Anastasia is getting so close to walking! She loves to climb the play equipment following Tristan around. He is getting so big and wants to interact with all children at the playground, even if they are not so keen. I try to remind him to play with Ana. She loves sliding beside him on the double slide and she loves to swing. Yesterday she was just tipping her head back staring into the clear blue sky and laughing. So cute! Also, Jason and I just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. If you haven't read it, I would recommend it. The book giv...

Snow is in the air and on the ground this morning, so the kids and I decided it would be a good day to clean toys. We all worked together to put toys that are able to submerge in water in the tub and we each had a wipey for those toys too big or not able to go into the tub. It was fun for them, and a great encouragement to me to see the children excited about helping mommy! Some of the toys were very dirty too! Some of the bigger toys haven't been cleaned since when we lived in PA and they were stored in the basement. Yuk! Well, they are clean now!

The past two weekends have been glorious! We hiked at one of the Spring's city parks. It was awesome! Yesterday we visited the Colorado Springs zoo. It was cool. The best part of the zoo were the views. I'll have to get some pics. up later this week. I always screw up the upload. Anyway, things are going well and "the joy of the Lord is my strength".

I received my Colorado Driver's liscence in the mail, Jason has his and the car has Colorado plates. We are official residents. Pretty exciting

Potty training stinks!! I am getting discouraged and angry about it, which is then creating other negative behaviours and dynamics in our home. I've been reading Joshua (with the church we've attended the last few weeks). Reading about the victory God promises his people in the new land and He tells Joshua multiple times to be Strong and courageous. I heard a great sermon today about surrendering anew my life to Jesus (frontlinedc.com) and I'm studying in my devotions about God's awesome power and how He wants to have access to every area in our hearts and lives. It's all adding up to tell me that I can't control whether or not Tristan uses the potty. He can! Only he can! And getting angry only gives him control over me, which he loves!! (What child wouldn't?) I am taking a step back after he wakes from his nap today and I'm going to let him do it. He knows how to poo and pee in the potty. He's done it! If he wants to do it again, fine. If not, fine....

Tristan is growing up. Two nights ago he decided he didn't want his loveys to sleep with anymore. I was so shocked! I kinda teared up, I mean, he has not slept without those loveys in two years. Just a few months ago, they were his security for everything and his best friends. Now he's too old for them. He's slept 2 nights and 2 naps without them and I suppose that era of his little life is over. Sniff! The potty, however, is another story! He does fine for peeing. But number 2! It's apparently the most intimidating thing ever! Perhaps second to your first job interview or proposing to your future wife, but only perhaps. Like a little boy would rather hold it for days before putting it in the potty. He is trying, and Jason and I are trying and being tried, but it's coming slowly. I have to remember that he's doing great with the pee, and we've only been working on the other for a few weeks. I'm sure he'll be pooing in the potty before his 3rd birthda...

In the book on habits, I found this section pretty challenging. Questions to Ask about Cleanliness Am I careful to air my child's room? Do I try to keep my child's room smelling sweet and fresh, or do I make excuse because of the child's gender, age, or hobbies? Am I enlisting my older child's help in keeping his own room (and the rest of the house) clean and fresh? Am I teaching my child to air out clothing and bedding that will be used again before washing? Do I allow my child to get dirty and clean himself up? Do I consistently require washed hands for family meals? Am I teaching my child to groom himself adequately, including caring for his fingernails, cleaning in the "corners," and brushing or combing his hair? Am I taking steps to teach my child how to attend to himself in his bath or shower? There are so many that I don't do! and this is just the part on cleanliness! Well, I guess I'll take one at a time and see how it all goes. Really, a lot o...

Working on instilling good habits in life is a process that never ends. I am diligent about this more now, because I've seen over the past two years with Tristan how a little annoyance becomes very damaging once it is formed as a habit. I'm reading a book on the subject by Sonya Shafer. She compiles all of Charlotte Mason's ideas about habit into one book, Laying Down the Rails . It's a really good read. I even enjoy reading it outloud to Tristan (and Ana). I like that I can read it whenever I have a few minutes, it's broken into little snippets and it is totally thought provoking and challenging. The concept of forming good habits in a child means once they are formed it not only becomes "easy" to acheive good behaviour (hygiene, study habits, etc.) it also makes life easier. The formation of good habits when a person is young allows them to challenge themselves in other areas once an adult, instead of having to constantly remind themselves to brush their...

So, naptime blogging only works if the baby naps!!! Sorry Nat:) Been away a few days. Figured out Ana has a terrible eczema. She's now on an oral steroid treatment and double dosage of lotion (not to mention she can't have baths as often as she'd like -she's my water baby). She's been pretty fussy and not sleeping well for a couple of days. I guess I'll think about adding blogging into my routine sometime during the day, whether there's a nap or not.

The long awaited occurrence happened last night. Since moving into this new home, Tristan has been able to open his bedroom door; Jason and I have been expecting a rude awakening in the middle of the night by little man at our bedside for some time. To prevent this occurrence, we usually lock the gate at the top of the stairs, but last night we neglected this precaution, and at 3:17 am there stood Tristan at our door talking to us about losing a pillow. Jason had, in fact, lost his pillow at some point before Tristan's appearance. I'm pretty sure he said "you lost your pillow" about 3 times before I realized he was actually standing there saying something. I startled awake and elbowed Jason awake. Jason, very calmly, led Tristan back to bed and explained to him that it was the middle of the night and not playtime. Needless to say, neither me or Jason got back into a deep sleep the rest of the night. Tristan, however, slept soundly until 7:00 am.