When Jakey was getting nervous over his loose tooth, I tried to cheer him up by telling him we would have cake...a little party. I thought this party would be cake after dinner. Just the five of us. Instead Jakey asked if he could invite some friends. "Sure." Well, we ended up inviting all 16 kids from his kindergarten class, to possibly the first ever "Tooth Party."
So here's a little update on my sweet little monkeys. They are growing too fast and getting sweeter everyday.
Jakey Bear- He is so funny! He is doing really good in school, is very well behaved, well liked (especially with the ladies), and has quite an imagination. Recently, his teacher walked him out to my car (the pick-up line) and asked me if Jakey was coming back to his school next year? Apparently, he announced to his entire class that he was going to a different school next year. I was getting phone calls, emails, and getting stopped in the parking lot by the parents of Jakey's friends, who were wondering where Jakey was going. Next, I find out he has been inviting his class to a "silly pary" I didn't know we are apparently hosting. Mom's were calling each other asking about the party and if they missed some kind of information about this party...their kids were asking to go to Home Depot to buy wood for slides (all Jakey's idea). He also told the kids I am pregnant with a little girl (he's obsessed with babies). He gets invited to play dates with some really sweet friends (all girls) and he is the only boy..what can I say, he's a cutie!
Sissy- Such a sweet heart. She has the most obnoxious laugh when she's trying to be funny. She is madly in love with her brothers, loves her babies, loves playing with her friends, and pretends she's a dog daily. Her favorite game to play is pets and owners. Sissy says, "Mommy, let's pwetend youw the ownew and I'm the doggy," then she pants like a dog and crawls up in my lap so I can pet her. We do this all day and I love it. We've also been baking a lot together. Thanks to Auntie Heather, she has a pretty little apron that says "Mommy's little helper." As soon as she sees me in the kitchen with my apron, she runs to get hers, and she's right at my side. Sissy also enjoys her new dance class, ice skating, and going on dates with Mommy to get our nails painted. What a pampered poochie!
Grant- The funnest, curliest headed, little kid ever! He is fully potty trained at 21 months!!! That is enough reason for me to leave everything I own to him. He is so influenced by big brother and sister. Grant loves kicking balls, throwing balls, holding a ball, a car, a doll. He loves to eat the toothpaste off his toothbrush. As soon as Jeff gets home from work he takes his shoes to Daddy, maybe even a jacket, and says "Daddy, bike." He wants to go outside with Daddy and Jakey, they all ride their bikes at the end of the cul-de-sac. Jeff bought him a little two wheel bike, with no pedals, and no training wheels. The concept is to walk, then run the bike, and learn to balance the bike. Once he gets better at running and balancing he should be able to get on a two wheel bike and ride without training wheels...it's a daddy thing ;) and it is sooooo cute to watch them all at the end of the street.
I feel so blessed to have three sweet little treasures. They are awesome and I love hearing them play, love on each other, and have fun! I am also blessed because not only are my kids great, but my husband is super wonderful also. Today, in the pouring rain, he took them all out to Target to get a new toy, Starbucks for a soymilk, then to a reptile store where he paid a dollar so the kids could watch a rat be fed to a monitor (hmmm...), well they loved it! My hubby ROCKS!! I'm so glad he's mine.
This has been a life long obsession. Just ask a Wendell or Fischer family member. I love Halloween! I know, I know, a pagan holiday with witches and freaks alike. But, I can't help it, I love to dress up and go trick-or-treating. It is even more fun now that I get to dress up the whole family. So here is a picture from my fun night. We had such a great time. Thanks so much to the Hertzigs for a super fun Halloween party! Hmmm...what should I be next year?!
I have been wanting to teach my children the joy of giving and serving. It feels a little challenging with having three very young children though. So this morning I decided we were going to bake cookies. I started to get excited. We would make cookies and serve them to our neighbors...no better yet, we would take them to the convalescent home down the street! Cool!
I told the children what our mission was for the day. We talked about how God loves to see us serving one another, be kind to others, all that good stuff a child should know ;) We were ready to get started baking, when I realized I didn't have chocolate chips on hand. So I figured I would make oatmeal cookies instead...only one problem, we were out of oatmeal and didn't have enough raisins anyway. I was so bummed. My plans were getting ruined fast. Sure I could have gone to the store but I was still in my jammies (yes, at 10!). Then I thought, snickerdoodles, I have the ingredients for those little yummies. So I popped out my computer, found a great recipe, wrote it all down, then realized I'm out of butter..no joke. Well being the nifty baker that I am, I figured I could substitute coconut oil for butter, and with the whip of a whisk, voila! My little angels whipped up some yummy snickerdoodles to share with new friends.
While our delicious cookies cooled on the rack we all went upstairs and dressed our very best. Sissy and I wore dresses (I know, she's always in a dress) and the boys wore button up shirt with collars, and I did their hair extra nice. Then we came downstairs where I debriefed them on what they should expect and how to politely respond. We practiced making eye contact, telling our ages instead throwing up 3 or 5 fingers, and we even practiced giving gentle hugs. My pretty prepped pals were ready for service.
When we arrived at the home, which happens to be where our neighbor works, he and his son Max (age 7) were both there. His little boy, very sweet, knows the home and is there regularly to visit and play his violin for his elderly audience. They were both pleased to see us and Max was dismissed early from his concert to escort us around and share cookies. 
We were there for well over an hour. I figured it would go okay, but honestly expecting a little preschool drama at some point. Thankfully and so proudly, my little ones were so wonderful. They both were calm, gentle, loving, you name it, they were amazing. Jakey and Sienna took turns offering snickerdoodles, they accepted and gave gentle hugs. My heart leaped a hundred times that hour. What an amazing opportunity to serve and be blessed. 
Before we left, Max took us outside to the courtyard. Max and his friends had thrown some rocks in the fountain out there. So the kids decided, on their own, that they would take all of those rocks out of the fountain and put them back where they belong.
The kids were happy as we left. I asked them how they felt and Jakey quickly responded "Good!" Sienna said "It was fun."
So Day Two went well. Tomorrow we're going to grandma and grandpa's house. They'll get to play with toys, great for them. I think I'll leave ours in that room still. I'm enjoying watching these kids without them. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
Now it's your turn to serve. Have fun!
http://www.recipezaar.com/Soft-Snickerdoodle-Cookies-97496
What? No toys? Well, they have a handful of items they can play with: wood blocks, one ball, the water fountain, and a couple ride on toys...other than that, every single toy we own is upstairs locked away in the office.
Why no toys? Simple, I am so tired of the endless arguing, stealing, and lack of appreciation for all the toys they have. Now I can say this, because I have seen just about every child I know exhibit some or all of these behaviors, not only my little angels.
So it all began last night, well long before that, but last night was the last straw for this mama. I realized my little angels have received so much, they were not appreciating what they had. I was ready for a change. Sounds bad, but I want them to have as close to no toys so they will learn to appreciate each little thing.
I thought they may get upset, but ah contrare. My toy obsessed Jakey happily, willingly, brought me each and every toy he could find. He lugged toy bins upstairs for me and asked why we were putting the toys in the office. I answered him and he seemed almost relieved that everything was getting put out of his reach...I know, weird!
Wondering how today would go and bracing myself for an earful of whining, I laid in bed this morning picturing who was going to battle me for the beloved toys. To my delight, but not surprise, I had the happiest house all day. The kids came in happy, walked with me downstairs where they began their search for random items to create their own toys. We went for a nice long walk in the heat, where Jakey collected sticks to build a fire, and even asked to buy a toy for our neighbor (not himself).
When we came home: Jakey built a bird feeder with his sticks, 
jumped on the couch (I choose my battles) pretending he was captain hook in the ship on the ocean (see the sword stuck thru his boxers),
he wanted to help me wash dishes, and even hugged me when I had to take away a "toy".
Sissy had her own fun, although not quite as imaginative as her brother...she'll get there. She enjoyed playing in the backyard with the water fountain, and even found a lid and cup holder to make "alphabet soup" with the water.
We did some gardening in the front yard and I had two of the most helpful, happy children ever. They helped pull some weeds and dig with the shovel; but they were soon distracted by Jakey's new pet grasshopper. That's okay, they were happy and not battling over toys, so I gave up the help for the day. They played with that grasshopper for a good half hour.
We went in when our little neighbor came over to play. The kids excitedly explained to her that I had put all of their toys away (you should have seen her eyes bug out confused, ha ha!). I thought she wouldn't want to stay, but soon all the kids were upstairs. What were they doing up there with no toys?? Well, they were pretending to be animals. Jakey was a hamster, Sienna was a dog, and Caroline was a cat. They jumped on my trampoline, then played outside with the water fountain and lids.
Well, that was a glorious Day One with no toys. They should really think about whining for toys at some point...if they don't I'll be tempted to leave all those toys in that office. Do you have any idea how nice and clean my house stayed today? The kids seemed so happy with the challenge of creating their own toys and entertainment. They really had to spend their time thinking about what they were going to create and what they were going to play.
WOW! Life without toys...who would have thought kids could be happy without?
Well, I am obviously not the best blogger. So much has happened since March. Thank God, nothing like chopping off limbs. But we have had a wonderful few months. Our little Sissy turned three, Grant pants turned one!, Jakey finished preschool, Jeff still has a job, and I am officially an octopus and have my thumb all grown back perfect. We have so much to be grateful for.
We have been having a wonderful summer. We are enjoying a zoo pass, beach parking pass, and love playing at the little water park one town over. The summer's are always so much fun for me. I must admit I feel a little guilty enjoying each sunny day as much as I do, when my hubby is all suited up walking in an out of appointments, working so hard for us. I am grateful to be blessed to stay home with my little ones and to have a beautiful home to keep up for all of us.
A little update on my little ones:
Jakey Bear- still crazy as ever. He is now at the comedian stage I believe most children go through...he thinks he's so funny. Sometimes he is, sometimes he is really not, but in the end we usually have a good laugh. He is becoming more and more independent each day, loves soccer, and is excited about starting school this fall.
Sienna Gracie- is so sweet...well most the time. Sad to say, but it is so funny when she gets mad. She will call us "baby!" then stick out her tongue. I know it's bad, we address it, but we laugh about it when she's not around. When Sissy's happy, which is most of the time, she plays really sweet with Grant. I've truly enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. I know they will grow closer and closer each year.
Grant Pants- lovin' our little man. He is at a very fun age. He walks around, gets into things he shouldn't, kicks a soccer ball, knocks over the beautiful block towers brother and sister made, and he loves pointing his fat little hand at the hummingbirds in our backyard. We have a game we play...I'll say "Ahhh, the baby's crying" and he scrunches up his nose and makes a little whimpering sound "aha aha aha." We do this a hundred times a day and I love to see his face every time.
Well, that's my update for now. Eventually I'll post new pictures...when I find my camera. Love to you all.
I may have to take 600mgs of Ibuprofen every 4 hours to manage the throbbing pain...
I may not be able to change a diaper...
I may not be able to give my kids a bath...
I may have to wear elastic waist pants...
But, nothing, no nothing, will come between me and my daughter's hair! I will push through all obstacles in order to achieve ~the french braided piggies~
