Wednesday, February 20, 2013

my baby

It is happening right under my feet but it's still hard to believe. I would think after having 3 others, I would know that there's this window of time when your babies transform into little people. They shed their babyness and strive with all their might to be big. That season has come and invaded my home. There's a baby in the house who's looking up to his older siblings and striving to figure out what will make him a "cool dude". The bath tub toys have slowly disappeared. They have been disposed of because of yuckiness and I've known that plastic containers, toothbrushes and bubbles are enough to satisfy my little one. But last night, he threw me for a loop. It's bath time for my baby and he declares, "Everybody else takes a shower; I want to take one too." We tried out a booster seat for my sweet boy for a few days last week and he just looked too old and too big for that. He's still sleeping in his toddler bed being over run by stuffed animals but he just seems too little to move into anything different. He chooses chapter books at the library for me to read to him. He answers questions correctly during class. He sings our Latin "Second Declension" song under his breath as he moving about the house. He helps me mop,vacuum, dust and clean the windows. He buys his own gum at Walmart and practically gives most of it away to friends and family without hesitation. He knows that he has to be a whole hand older before he's allowed to watch Star Wars. Thankfully, he hasn't figured out that he's too big to snuggle in bed with me in the morning. Thankfully, his favorite place to hear a story is in my lap. He's growing up but I suppose he'll always be my sweet baby boy to me.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The unknown

Sometime ago I skimmed the pages of one of those homeschooling books that advocates for denim skirts, reading only the classics, making fresh bread and all the other things that go along with that! One chapter that I did spend a little more time reading had to do with boys! I don't remember too much from this book but I do remember their advice. If your family includes boys seriously consider moving to an area where you can have a small farm. Boys need to be kept busy and productive!

On this point, I couldn't agree with the authors any more. There's a part of me that would love to have a small farm.

And since there is no small farm in our near future, I suppose we will make do with what we have!

I have not been included in the planning sessions for what will be occurring with this pile of red clay nor have I been privy to how long this project will continue. I've just been handed over loads and loads of very dirty jeans. I suppose when you live in NC and you have a few warm winter days, there's no telling what will happen when you are encouraged to enjoy the sunshine.

The Farm

Last week when the weather was relatively warm, we invited ourselves over to our friends' farm.
Although our kids do have lots in common, I think one of the major commonalities amongst them is their love for animals and desire to have their own furry friend.  Well, I probably shouldn't say furry as there is a strong contingency that would go for gills, scales or basically anything that breathes!