"Long Time, No See..."

So its been a while huh?  ha!  shout out to my one reader, thanks sis!! :)  but really, I am doing this more for me than anyone else, because I do not want to forget the wonderful memories that I make daily with my babies.  We just got done with a wonderful summer spent mostly at jobugs swimming with the kids.  They loved it.  Jace was absolutely fearless in the water.  he took right to it, just like he had done it forever.  kyndal was not so in to it during the beginning of the summer, but towards the end she LOVED it.  so many good memories and pictures from the pool!  Cant wait for next year!! 

we will start with updates!  

Triston started first grade this year.  He is in Mrs. Fowler's class and I get to be his homeroom mom!  I am excited and also nervous about doing that.  there will be a lot of work that goes in to it, but I think it will be fun for the most part. He has taken off on his reading and is really doing great.  He is so smart.  just the other day in the car we were listening to a Leap Frog DVD and it was saying the incorrect sounds to the vowels and I told josh "that isn't right, a says a-A-ah, e says ehh-E, I says i-I, O says o-O-uu, and u says u-U-uh" and he just looked at me with a blank stare.  lol!  then i said "Boys what sound does A make?" and they both said "a-A-ah!!!"  and then i went thru the rest of the vowels with them and they knew them all!  i loved it!  CHA is awesome! :)  triston brings home a book to read pretty close to daily, so i enjoy getting to do that with him, along with the rest of his homework.  then usually before we go to bed, we have started reading a random book, with ALL the family sitting down to listen.  jace doesn't do great at the sitting down part yet, but i am hoping he will get the hang of it soon! 

Carter has started Kindergarten this year.  

we went back and forth with him being on his medicine or not, but we finally realized that it was in his best interest for him to have it until he doesn't need it any longer.  Lord willing that day will come soon, but if he needs it forever, then so be it.  He is doing wonderful and longs to have homework like his big brother!  makes me laugh at times, because i know in a few years they will both hate all their homework!  Carter is always so excited to come tell me what he learned that day in school.  just the other day he came in the house and told me he learned a new song!  so i asked if he would sing it for me and of course he obliged.  "Leaning, leaning, leaning on the LORDS side.  leaning, leaning, leaning on the LORDS side..." that was the only words he knew.  haha!  but it was precious.  then he also told me his memory verse, which he said perfectly!  i was very impressed.  he is also extremely smart and has a love for learning, which makes me so happy!!  it doesn't come quite as fast to him as it does to Triston, but he is doing wonderful!!! 

next up is Jace!  

jace is 2 1/2 and he is ornery as ever.  he is a sweetheart for the most part, but he has his moments where he can be quite defiant.  he has his daddys stubbornness on top of my own, so you can only imagine how stubborn the boy can be.  we are in the middle of a HUGE battle with him and we are trying to get him to eat more foods other than French fries or soup or cookies.  it is much harder than i would have ever thought.  we have had to make him go hungry for a while to get him to try the 2 new things he has tried.  he will not try anything if he doesn't like the looks of it.  i get very weak most days and end up giving in here and there, but i desperately want to stay strong in it because i do not want him to be so unhealthy.  not that im a picture of health or anything, but i want BETTER for him!!  also, right now kyndal is eating great, but my dad mentioned the other day that she will eventually stop that when she sees jace getting good food while she is eating fruit or vegetables.  so i don't want that for her either.  i MUST out-stubborn jace in this.  so far, he has only tried yogurt and a granola bar.  he liked both, but still refuses to try anything more.  so pray for us that we can get thru this struggle.

lastly, we have precious baby girl Kyndal Faith, who just turned 1!  

i love her!  she has such a sweet spirit and is a wonderful addition to our 3 boys!  they all 3 love her so much and always try to make her laugh and play with her.  jace occasionally gets mad at her for taking his toys, but most of the time he is sweet to her, which i love to see!  here lately she has developed MUCH more of a personality and strong will!  she now throws pretty large fits if you don't do what she is wanting you to do.  its quite funny to watch.  she screams as high pitched as possible and from the sitting position she basically goes into the splits and puts her face on the ground and lays there for a minute and if you STILL don't pick her up she will turn over on her back and kick her legs SO HARD and continue screaming til you fix the problem!  but what can i say, the girl knows what she wants :)  she spends pretty well all her time with jace so she plays well with him and laughs at him often.  the other morning i had them both sitting in the recliner and i was rocking them back and forth and they were both laughing so hard.  i got a few pictures of it!  it was so much fun! 

i am going to try to write more often and keep up to date with the things going on in my home!  i love getting to stay at home with my babies and i am so thankful every single day that i get to do that!  i have been reading The Power of a Praying Parent here lately and it really makes me think how fleeting this time is while my kids are still young.  they will soon be grown and no longer want me to hold them or kiss their "boo boos" and i do not want to forget these times!  just today jace woke up cranky from his nap and all he wanted was ME and to sit with my in my lap and it made my heart so happy!!  he is usually the one who is ALWAYS moving and going, so for him to WANT to sit with me and be still and hug me and hold my hand just made my day!  he eventually got up of course, but it was great while it lasted!  as for Kyndal, she pretty much ALWAYS wants me!  which makes me happy too!  she is a mommas girl at the moment and if i am holding her she is pretty close to always content.  i love all my babies so much and i am excited to use this as a way to keep up with things in their lives.  i am heading to bed, so i will catch ya later!  have a lovely evening! 

LOVE,