Fia, Fee, and our happenings....

Wow, I need to update more. Since I am 29 weeks I guess it has been 7 weeks since I last posted! Once we end shore tour here I am sure I will have more time to blog. I hope to one day be able to add more pictures, add cute backgrounds, and post daily but that is just a bit off for now.

In James news, he is doing well in school and anxiously awaiting kindergarten. He is reading most 3 letter words and sounding things out on his own all the time. I do hear "Mom, what spells this?" all darn day! ;) He spends most of his time riding his new power wheels-esque tractor outside, digging up anything he can, playing in water tables, helping Daddy burn boxes at the firepit, playing soccer outside, and just getting downright dirty! No amount of Oxiclean can save his beloved Mini Boden clothes! I went ahead and hit the $5 table at Walmart because I am sad (don't laugh) each time he gets the good stuff dirty! I have since moved my purchasing of better clothes onto the girlies....

Speaking of all things girlie, Miss Jolee will be 2 in July! I can't believe it! She is the cutest, tiniest, most aggressive ball of love you will ever meet. As sweet as can be in one moment, and a biter/pincher/hitter the next! I get the brunt of her frustration but I know when it is coming, and it is then that she gets tossed right into her crib for nap or bed. I can never let that child tire one minute past bedtime or I'm getting whacked! She doesn't play with toys much, or watch tv, so she hangs on me all day or at the door to go outside. My children could live outdoors if only you tossed them a sandwich and some watermelon here and there!

Both kids seem to be growing like weeds. James got on the scale and looks to be about 47 or so pounds. He is in size 5/6 clothing and 12 or 13 shoes! He is finally in a booster seat because he just can't fit in harnesses anymore! Jolee got on the scale and was hoping it would say 22 but no-go. She is about 21.5 pounds now. She is getting a bit taller so she fits her 18 month clothing better. I did buy 24 month for summer but whoa, only the dresses will fit and albeit long. Her size 5 shoes fit great but we bought size 6 in case she needs a new pair this summer!

Thea Hope is probably a giant by the looks of my belly. I get a first weight sonogram for her this Friday to see what she weighs...I think James weighed 3 pounds at this point and I never had a check for Jolee. Thea is my strongest baby so far and both children enjoy feeling her kicks. James refers to her as Fia and Jolee calls her Fee. Both kiss my belly, and pull my shirt up at the most inappropriate times. Luckily the belly is pretty and no stretch marks so far! I pray daily for the safe arrival of my girl and wonder every night during Braxton hicks contractions, if she is going to just fall out soon. This pregnancy is hard! Whoa, that is an understatement. I am in pain most nights after dinner because whenever I do ANYthing more than sit, I feel like she is going to pop out....And I still have a ways to go!

Vermont is um, well...pretty still but I won't shed tears when we leave. I am ready for civilization again! I will miss the super tiny class sizes and school system that has been amazing for James!

Things are up in the air a bit as far as when/where we go next but in due time we should know more....Jarrod is rocking his Masters degree with a 3.85 gpa and is set to walk the stage June 17ish....I can't wait to see him complete what has been a really daunting task! It makes me totally reconsider grad school for one day when all the kiddos have left the nest! It is no joke!

The kids and I are headed to MD for next week while Jarrod has the students' graduation. It is too hectic of a week for me to stick around and $100 round trip flights were calling James', Jolee's, and my name! The last week of May we will also be making the drive to MD...whilst I am 32/33 BLAH! weeks prego! J is having Lasik done in Bethesda and we are tagging along to stay at my parent's house.....Wow, busy.

We finally got things out of the attic and washed for Miss Thea because we are not here most weekends in May! Once we get back from all of our travels(there are other work/Navy related trips in there too) it will be June and she'll be coming any day! This time is just going to fly by!

There is so much more I want to write about Osama's death and the history being made but I have small people to tend too! I promise to update more when I can! Love to all!

22 weeksish

A few more days and I will be 22 weeks pregnant! We are having another beautiful daughter, Thea Hope. I am really enjoying my pregnancy with Thea because she kicks often to let me know she is ok....no more sickness, just complete exhaustion. I do credit the 2 older children for that last part ;)

James is doing great in school and isn't too fond of days off. I however, am missing him more and more each day. I do watch the clock for the whopping 2.5 hours he is in school and am excited to get to him in the afternoons! I am definitely not throwing homeschool out just yet! He is making vast improvements in language and is reading quite a bit of words I didn't know he knew! I've yet to formally teach the child anything, yet he amazes me with all he knows. This summer we are working on handwriting...which has greatly improved already. I need to keep him ahead of the curve next year since we anticipate moving mid-year. We are undecided on whether we will homeschool or send him to Catholic school, but if the latter, he'll need to pass acceptance tests and our schools run under the state averages.

Jolee is a still a tiny peanut at a whopping 21 pounds! She is slowly getting into her 18 month clothing and a trip to Target (2 hours away) yielded many a matching outfit in sizes Newborn and 24 months. They are not twins of course, but a girl can pretend right? If Thea comes out the size of James, they will definitely be in the same sizes at some point!

The girls (I love the sound of that) are shacking up together after the first few months. I have to order a matching crib for Thea soon....It is going to be adorable to see 2 girls in cribs, side by side...and then toddler beds, ah...melts my heart!

Jarrod's work is out of control busy. I don't even really have words for it. He also graduates with his Masters this summer and that is even more exciting! I can't believe he accomplished so much while here! Me, on the other hand....it's just blah here now. I miss friends, malls, places to go, game nights, football parties....it just doesn't happen here and it's been a long year. Where we used to want to extend to stay in Vermont (because the place really is gorgeous)....we miss things so much. Having Thea this summer will surely keep us busy though!

The snow is ridiculous! We have 10 foot mounds everywhere and as I write this, shocker...it is snowing.

We are headed to Michigan to see lots of J's family....most I've never met. It is a haul though, road trippin' 14 plus hours with the kids! Yikes!

I will take lots of pictures though! Our adventure will last 9 days and I'm sure be full of tot chaos!

Stay tuned for more updates, trip photos, and info on Miss Thea!

2011!

Wow, it has been so long since I have updated! I guess there are plenty of good reasons! We are expecting our third baby in July! I am 17 weeks along and doing well! Although I worry for the entire 9 months of each pregnancy, I can only out faith in God that this child is meant to bless our home. I spent the first 15.5 weeks very sick, tired, and well a tad overwhelmed. But luckily the bigger two kiddos are super excited and have been a joy, even when cooped up in the house!

James started preschool and is doing amazing! He is so bright and so in love with all things school! Today he wore his backpack around the entire hour before just waiting to go! I am so glad that we put homeschool plans on hold for a bit to give him the social interactions he craves. We are exploring all types of education options but are seeming to settle on parochial schools. Next year will be a trial run at public school kindergarten and when we move, hopefully we can get him into a good Catholic school.

Jolee is a tiny little tornado! She is such a peanut topping the scales at about 20 pounds at 18 months old. I even had her in a 6/9 month onesie yesterday! Her blonde locks are too cute for words, but catch all things sticky! She wants everything big brother has and that makes things a bit difficult. Right now we are waiting for a kids table to arrive so she can get out of the high chair. She really hates it! She is also very ready to potty train...I never would have believed it but after finding her pants-less on the toilet saying "Mama, poop!", I think I should let her try! She keeps me on my toes but is such a sweetheart. Rocking her to sleep is my favorite part of the day with her. She tells me "Night night" and kisses me over and over. Pure joy!

I am working on handwriting with James and soon, more reading. Right now I am just letting him enjoy pre-k but he constantly asks me "Mom, what does this spell?"...so a little instruction might be back in the cards for us.

We are buried in feet of snow and really enjoy it. It is a bit of a hassle to dress kids in snow gear and get anywhere on time but we manage. Next year with 3 kids, I might need more coffee!

Our baby names are picked out and once we find out what we are having Feb. 25th...I promise to introduce everyone to our newest bundle of joy!

Goodness...

I need to blog more. There are plenty of reasons that I just don't have the time it seems! I wish I could share them all but in due time! Enjoy the holidays and stay warm! We are in the midst of daily snow and loving Vermont life.....Can't wait to blog in the New Year! ;)

The one with all the judgment...

I read 2 posts on facebook today that truly hit home...Basically, Moms judge. I try not to, I really do. I will laugh at another mother sweating in the grocery store only because it was me yesterday. Kids flailing, throwing meat out of the cart...it is me, all the flippin time. I try not to judge, I really do....I am not a fan of cry it out, so when I hear Moms say they let their kids cry for an hour, that kinda freaks me out. I don't say, so and so is a terrible Mother because she lets her kids cry....but if I babysat them, I just couldn't, I'd pick them up. But that is really the extent of my judging...and up until recently I always felt judged and wondered what people thought of me, my kids, my parenting, my house, my clothes, my weight...etc... One day I left James' summer camp, with him in his carseat crying, myself in tears, and Jolee crying with us for no reason. Then it hit me, my kids love me. I love my kids more than life itself. Why am I trying to be perfect? Why am I taking a super attached 4 year old to a camp he isn't ready for? Why? Wouldn't we all just be happier at home in pj's baking cookies, and watching yet another Baby Einstein dvd while building blocks? What was I thinking?

So I went home, stopped crying, put both kids in the bathtub and sang to them. For lunch we made chicken nuggets out of a bag and ate apples...on the floor of the living room, watching Baby McDonald. And they both smiled and James said "Mom, this is a great picnic."

I walked into the kitchen and cried. I cried for the worry of the past 4 years. I cried because I thought I really have been missing out enjoying LIFE, while worrying about mothering. James doesn't need camp because some stupid speech pathologist thought nature camp might help his language progression. James needed a picnic with Mommy.

So guess what? I want tonight, to write out a ton of what I used to think were my MOM FLAWS. Now I think they are my Mom badges. My kids rarely cry, and if they do it is because it is bedtime and the fun has to stop. They give me more kisses and hugs than a person could even fathom. If I dare go to the store without them, they watch me leave out the sliding glass door, and wave to me as I pull back in the driveway. They truly love me. THEY LOVE ME. I am doing "it" right. I finally get it.

So,

-On most days, I don't get dressed until after 2pm...I shower at night, but if I am not going anywhere, why would I stress about what to wear. Yoga pants and tanks are perfect!

-Jolee uses a bottle 3 times a day at 15 months old. It's cute. She also uses a paci ALL DARN DAY! She likes it and talks a ton, so go ahead paci girl. (You can let it go at 2, or give it to a new sibling)

-Both kids take their silk blankets all over God's creation. Grocery shopping, to the farm, playdates etc....

-James is still in a 5 pt carseat and will be until he outgrows it. Jolee will ride rear facing until age 3 or whenever her tiny butt hits 35 pounds (Maybe age 9 at this rate). I think it's safer and don't care about broken legs, but internal decapitation instead.

-I am not sending my kids to school. I will homeschool them...for a ton of reasons that only matter to J and I.

-I won't defend the "socialization" crap. It's pointless.

-I don't breastfeed my kids. It hurt so bad when I tried with James. I hated the feeling and hated feeding time. So I feed them chemical formula and thank the Lord for Nestle Good Start.

-I cancelled all things language/speech related with James. It was a nightmare. I understand him, he understands us, and if I have to wait until Jolee teaches him how to speak properly I will.

-I rarely mop my floors. I vacuum a TON, but goodness I hate mopping. I will swiffer wet jet sometimes, but I hate mopping.

- We are not spankers and never will be. We don't so much as swat hands. Time outs work for us and if they don't one day, we will implement something new. But I won't ever spank my unruly children.

-I'm never paying for college for my kids. I don't care if we are billionaires. We're not paying. No one paid for us and if you don't watch your hard earned money go to University blah blah blah, you won't appreciate your education Gaz kids.

-And I am probably not buying/giving you a car either. So just don't ask.

-And cell phones...you're not getting them either...until you can pay for them yourselves.

-I don't vaccinate my kids until they are older babies/toddlers. And I don't ever give the flu shot, or the swine, or the equine or whatever the heck else there is...I hate vaccines but know some are necessary.

-I feed organic baby food, if it is cheap (like here in Vermont), otherwise you are eating the pesticide filled stuff.

-And you're not wearing organic clothing because I bathe you in Aveeno or Johnson and Johnson. Those are laced with chemicals so why try to cover the chemicals in organic clothing?

-I have safety crap all over the house. I will keep it all up until the last baby is like 7. I constantly think you kids are going to kill yourselves on something so the baby safe crap helps me a little.

-I read Ok, Star, People, Us weekly and all that other junk you see in line at Walms. I like it.

-I watch The Duggars, but also Jersey Shore. I do. I like Snooki.

-I watch Real Housewives too.

-My kids eat candy, hot dogs, fries, but also veggies, fish and salad. I give them sugar because I think it's ok.

-We read like 15 books a day, but we also watch quite a bit of kiddie movies. We like Baby Einstein, Thomas, Disney Pixar and a bunch of other stuff!

-I leave the tv on a lot...Mostly it is Fox News because I am way too right-winged...but that stupid thing is always on.

-We drive a huge SUV that I am sure leaves a GIANT DINOSAUR size carbon footprint. I don't care really because I don't believe in global warming.

-I potty train when my kids are good and ready. I did have a 35 pound 3 years, 2 months child at the playground in a pullup. When he was ready a month later, he ditched all things pullup in a week, even at night. Jolee seems interested now, so maybe she'll be quicker?

And there are a MILLION other things about me as a person and a Mom that would make some people cringe....But the 2 littles in the picture above think I'm great. And since they are really all that matters...I should get back to our fruit snacks and dvds.....

Footie jammies, freezing temps, and frost!

It's that cold here. We have had a few 30 degree nights and it is in the low 50s during the day....chilly! I am so thrilled with the weather here and wish Vermont were our permanent home. James, Jolee, and I go outside everyday after nap and the kids just run run run! Jolee loves picking the last of the cherry tomatoes from the garden (everything else has been raked over and prepared for next Spring), collecting rocks and apples with James, and playing in the playhouse. James is a master on the swings and loves playing "Three Little Pigs". Of course I get to take on the role of Big Bad Wolf. We also have a budding soccer star in Jolee, mini Mia....she loves kicking the soccer ball around the yard and rarely picks up the ball (unlike James)...His idea of sports is taking the ball and running and hiding with it. Hide and seek is a new love as well...When I search for him, he cracks up so I have to pretend I don't hear him! Too cute! He loves dressing up as a pirate, a fireman, a farmer and a doctor....Some days he is Amos from Fox and the Hound and some days he is Fireman Sam....ya never know. He is so imaginative it cracks me up.

When something was on the heating element of the dishwasher he told me, "Mom, what's that smell?" I told him what it was and he said "Mom, it's ok, I be a fireman, I jus' need some water," and proceeded to grab a throw blanket and use it as a hose! If someone gets hurt, mainly Jolee or myself, he tells us "It's ok Mom/Jolee, you be ok, I a doctor, I fix it and make it all better."....So many aspirations for a 4 year old, haha!

J and J have their first photo shoot tomorrow in Montpelier. I good friend, who makes Jolee's tutus is a photographer and taking some fall shots for us! I cannot wait to see how they turn out and will be armed with plenty of bribes (pez candy, lollipops etc...)

James and I are learning some things about homeschooling, which is fun....I am learning that quite a few tactics I thought would work, totally DO NOT. haha...It really is a job that I am taking on, but I know totally worth it. One curriculum I bought isn't necessarily the best fit or James, but I can tell will work wonders with Jolee....it is story/reading based and while he loves reading, he needs more hands on activities....so I tweaked it some and am saving some of the reading for Kindergarten. Social skills and emotional skills are what we are working most on....He is way ahead in counting, shapes, colors and I don't want to jinx myself but phonics. He is reading lots of 3 letter words by sounding them out and even has quite a few sight words memorized. He now asks me what each word in a book spells...so I am now going to sit back and let the reading happen naturally for a bit and work more on life skills. We need inside voice help (haha, so do I!), listening skills, obeying other adults, sitting quietly for longer than 5 seconds, and the like! haha....I can't really doing any of those so he is pretty much screwed ;) My kids are loud because I am loud. I can't very well say "Please use your inside voice" and then scream at the dog to stop barking...So they are pretty much going to be socially awkward not because they are homeschooled, but because I am socially awkward and their mother. And since I am laying it out there, they are going to be annoyingly quirky. I had to have clothes fit a certain way, bows in my hair a certain way, and I still to this day have a million quirks like that. We're loud and quirky. I think I should change my blog name to that....

Did I mention it's cold here? It is...so I need a pumpkin spice coffee, but no matter what I do, I can't make mine taste like the Dunkin Donuts one. And we don't have pumpkin spice creamer in my grocery store....What does a girl do?

A full night of sleep....

I finally got one! Jolee and I have kinda been coming back from colds so it was sooooo amazing to actually have to wake her up this morning to get out of the house for Storytime! She is even napping right now as I sip my first cup of coffee for the day!

I did want to finally update a bit on the kiddos and life in chilly Vermont! I can't believe that we are already having 30 degree nights! I am trying to conserve the propane before the winter hits but do break down and run the heat at night. There is only so many blanket sleepers and covers I can keep the kids under! Vermont is gorgeous. I think my heart will secretly always long to be here. I love it. My kids are so happy here and so are J and I. We walk to our neighbors farm to pet some sheep and get eggs from the hens. James is so carefree here! He has developed an almost unhealthy obsession with all things farm. I don't know if trains have the number one spot in his life anymore! Can you believe it? So this year, it's all farm. He even wears a farm hat and calls himself "Farmer Jed" at times! (Farmer Jed is a character in a few of our books)....

Homeschool is coming along well, although we don't stress too much about it. Even kindergarten will be a bit lax here....James knows most of what is taught in kindergarten so we are working more on life skills like listening, obeying, proper tone in different situations, personal space, chores, telling time, counting, and those sorts of things. He has come very close to closing the gap with his speech delay. We are no longer getting help for it and he is rapidly improving. We don't notice much of a difference between him and his friends/other littles. He does talk a ton more than most kids so we are working on getting him to slow down and let others speak...but heck, I am still working on that for myself!

Jolee is a tiny firecracker! She is a world different than James was and is. She has an attitude like you wouldn't believe, yet she is a snuggly little Mama's girl. She loves music, rocking with Mama, being carried in a sling, strolling, her sleep-time baba's, her pacis, and all things girly. She loves wearing the shoes of everyone in the house! Her tutu collection has grown to 4, and she twirls away in them! I can't believe how well she sits at times for me to read to her, to do her hair, or just allow me to hold her. I never got that with Jamesie! Off the top of my head she says, Mama, Dada, Baba, Up, down, ow-side, Dah! (James), dog, dog (we have 2), yum, ball, uhs sat? (what's that?) and I am sure a few more. She is very vocal and doesn't babble as much as James did, but is trying to make words for things! Too fun!. She loves taking her Cabbage Patch doll on walks around the house in its stroller...and often takes the baby out by the hair, kisses its mouth, and tosses it aside to run faster with the stroller! Love it!

We had family in town and visited an amazing Vermont working farm. I will definitely be getting a membership next year for our family. There was sooooo much to do, and it was very hands-on for kiddos! Had a ball.

Jarrod is well into his master's degree and working very hard at it. He has gotten all A's, but spends a ton of time on schoolwork. I can't wait to see him graduate in the summer! He is also still loving his job here and I am sure will miss it when our time is up. We have been attending a lovely church since May and have developed quite a few great friendships. We are very involved at church and even sponsor ROTC students on Sundays. It is fun to bring a group of kids back to eat, watch football, and let them call home, sleep, and just get away. I am so glad that our church families know the importance of that for college students. Jarrod took advantage of that at the Naval Academy too!

We spend our weekends keeping warm, watching a TON of football thanks to the NFL ticket, and just enjoying lots of family time! I need to posts some pictures on here soon but never can find the time! Hope everyone is well, and getting ready for fall! We sure are in it here!