What We've Done in Pictures

Obviously I'm behind.  There is too much going on in life right now.  I was planning to post my "What We've Been Doing..." post on the new month/moon day.  Then I had another regular post and then a super long post that I had started working on (and is a saved draft) that was a "travel-back-in-time and journey-forward" post, but ironically enough recent events have caused complications to that...and well, I may do something else with a much shorter version.

This is going to be my "What We've Been Doing..." monthly post with more than normal picture volume, and I'll be caught up.  There have honestly been a lot of days lately where things have been chaotic or at the very least disorganized, even several days in a row where I didn't even read to the kids...not even their daily Proverbs chapter nor any other bible teaching.

So here goes...

What We've Been Reading...

Jaden William's periodicals, plenty to discuss

Trusten's periodicals and more little readers

Liv's periodicals (she was missing a month's worth of stuff)

What We've Been Doing...

Jaden trying to light up a new bulb (an even smaller one that he took out of his flash light), but I think it was unsuccessful.

We went bowling since Jade has been persistently asking for awhile

This is what was going on behind me (without prior permission, so indoors will NOT happen again) when I last updated this blog.  The big fireball flame went quite high.  Jaden (to his credit, he researched the safety beforehand) placed isopropyl alcohol and olive oil in an empty bb or pellet can and set it on fire.  It also started sparking like fireworks, which slightly panicked this momma.  He said something like, "It's no big deal; don't worry," then tossed the lid on top of it, extinguishing it.

Elizabeth, about a month ago at 14 months, sitting to watch a learning video that was started for Trusten and/or Liv, NOT for Elizabeth.  I'm not really big on my babies under two watching anything on a screen, but it was amazing to me that she found herself a place to sit and watch.

Two sweet girls--Liv and Liz--playing and watching the hail outside (Feb. 25)

The day's weather: hail

Liz at the looking window (Feb. 26)

Snow!

Happy girl

Passover and the Week of Unleavened Bread are coming up, and I've been using up my yeast on making pizza crusts, so we've had plenty of pizza lately.  Mmmm...black olives and pepperoncini peppers

See the deer?  In this picture, there are two in the road, one in the yard (right).  I am REALLY getting ready to stop using my iPhone for all my pictures and go back to using my digital camera.  The phone sometimes takes really good pictures, but other times it is truly sub par.  Anyway, we've been watching deer a lot lately, too.  They are frequently in our yard and across the yard, down the road, etc.

Jaden took this picture.  I LOVE this!  I'm able to sit with Elizabeth and look at books with her...just like I did with Jade.  That never worked with either Trust or Liv.

Alphabet magnet book with Liv.  This was the first, maybe second (but it's been a long time) time I did this with her, and she did very well.  She knows all her letters, very rarely getting anything wrong (and when she does, it's like a 'd' instead of a 'p' or 'b' or something).  

The older three are watching an Amazon Prime video about Ecuador, and "Happy" is up there with them to snuggle.

I pull up the blinds in our bedroom, shut the bathroom door, and often gate our doorway so that Elizabeth has a safe place to crawl and play when I'm busy.  Sometimes our bedroom becomes a kids' hangout, though.  LOL

There she goes...Elizabeth is on her way to the window.

Elizabeth watches out our front storm door as Sylvester the cat swipes at the handle, wanting inside.

Liv, who was scooping water out of her and Elizabeth's wagon

Trusten excitedly running to get a picture with me

Trusten and I on a beautiful day

Sweet E and her momma

Trusten playing with Elizabeth who enjoyed crawling all over the yard that day (Mar. 11)

Jaden has been busy doing science experiments, reading about metals and other minerals, studying geography, and studying and learning languages.  He got it approved with me a couple months (I guess) ago to download a language translator app on his iPod.  So between these three things he was about to drive me up the wall telling me me stuff all day long.  I LOVE that he loves to learn and that he gets to explore things on his own like I liked to do as a child (but wasn't able to year-round), but he was driving me crazy, because I couldn't live in my own thoughts.  He finished his last most Language Lessons book, and I can't get him his next one, yet, plus he needs more practice just writing.  SO, I told him that he needed to just write in his journal each day the stuff he wanted me to know about what he learned.  That is working out nicely.

Trusten is still doing well with all his book work.  My really long post I spoke of was going to involve him a lot.  I'm just thankful to have him.  There have been a lot of challenges throughout his life, but he's such a blessing to me.  I just wish others could understand my sweet boy.  I most often get met with two opposite extremes, one of which devalues me and the other of which devalues him.  Some think I'm crazy, because when they are around Trusten they don't see anything out of the ordinary and probably think I'm making up stories about him and his behavior.  Others go to the opposite extreme and think he's evil.  :-(  He's dealt with many issues, and they're not his fault.  I just help him work through the things the best I can.  Here recently he has dealt with complex tics that take up at least two hours of his day, every day, when he lets it all out.

I sat down with him recently and explained to him that I know how he feels and what he's going through.  I have gone through my entire life with Tourette's syndrome, though I did not know what was wrong with me as a child.  I did learn to hide my tics (thankfully my condition is mild enough), but during the peak time, which was around the ages of about 10 to 13, I would get home from school and lock myself in my bedroom and tic for hours. You can't do that kind of stuff in public.  People will think you're a freak.  Nathan went to college with a man about 40 years of age (at the time) who did have the same type of tic who did it during class, and it's just sad.  I've spent years trying to figure out what all and what exactly causes it and related problems.  Of course, that brings me to the fact that it all comes with positive aspects as well (for some).  Thankfully those of us in this household do possess the positives that are common in the higher-functioning individuals afflicted. 

I feel bad for him, though.  He's extremely intelligent, very witty, full of energy and creative thought, and he's loving and kind.  I have strong faith that he will be someone great when he reaches adulthood, but he struggles with a lot.  I've just got to continue to help him be the best he can be (and that goes for all my children) and encourage him. 

Liv is always (as she has for quite some time) talking about being a momma to her babies or talking about how she is a baby tiger (or whatever, but tiger is most popular), Elizabeth is a baby tiger, and I'm the momma tiger.  Sometimes she adds the males in and says that Trusten is a "little" tiger, Jade is a "big tiger," and Nathan is a "daddy" tiger.  She is so funny. For the longest time she has really gotten into personalizing pictures of mother animals and their babies (and we are always looking at nature magazines and such).  She'll point and say, "That's me!"  And then, "And that's Baby Sister...and that's you!"  If there are only two babies, which there often are, it's always herself and "Baby Sister."  So lately I've been teaching her what various baby animals are called, so now when she says she's a baby tiger, she knows that also means a cub.

Elizabeth is still Happy.  She's a happy, smiley baby who is getting along just fine.  She's been getting into things more, but she's still an easy child.  VERY different compared to Olivia at this age.  She's still not walking at fifteen months of age, but she's been letting go to free-stand a lot lately, and then she slowly lowers herself and plops on the ground.  She loves to mimic sounds that she hears.  She still doesn't say much of anything, though, beyond "Momma" and "Da-da."  I need to work more with her on signing.

Well, this is all I have time for, and this catches me up.

 Until next time...