Weekend at the Beach

Last weekend Tim took his first day off in 10months and we went to the beach for a fun get away with the kids. Here is Timmy and I making funny noises. We didn't bring a stroller but brought the backpack so this is how Timmy got around for the weekend!

We flew a kite a couple of times, but mainly just played in the sand on the beach. We were outside as much as possible when it wasn't raining!

Here is Timmy playing in the sand and below is Joya. She found a fort and liked playing in it...too small for us to go in!

We all had a great time at the beach! I say Tim should take more time off!!

BOOT CAMP!

The last two days have been trying! Joya has had extremely bad behaviors that are not allowed, so we have been in boot camp since Sunday afternoon. I call it boot camp because I am embarrassed to take Joya in public because of her behavior and her consequences (some people don't believe in our punishment system)! So we stay at home and do what we need to, to get rid of her behavior that is not acceptable.
Some changes we have made: No more sugar, no more peepee and poopy treats, no more snacking in between meals if she doesn't eat a good meal previously, no more hitting, no more tantrums, and no more screaming "NO!" I think she is just turning the corner on her behavior, she was punished this morning but she has been a pleasant girl since then!!
We made these changes because we realize we were feeding her a lot of junk food, and then she was not eating a good meal, also I think too much sugar really effects her behavior and her ability to think clearly. She also has been getting away with more bad or questionable behavior because I have had more on my plate and has let a lot slide. Its all or nothing with Joya, so I had to buckle down and be very consistent with her!
I really don't like these days, but I know they are needed for her to test her boundaries and my reactions. I know it is a short time, but it seems like it lasts forever!!!! From her attitude today there is hope that she will be back to her normal self!!

Sick Again!

I started "school" with Joya this week! I said I was going to start at the new year, but that obviously did not happen! So we started this week with the letter A. We did the short letter A sound on Monday. I had a little letter A book for her to write in, practice writing the letter A and draw in. On one of the pages I wrote in "aquarium." And then Joya, Timmy, Cousin Vi, and Auntie Heather and I went to Newport to the aquarium there. It was a beautiful day. Unfortunately half of the aquarium was closed for them to build a new section with amphibians! So we were done in one hour, and since it was such a nice day we headed to the beach! Like I said it was a gorgeous day so we played on the beach for an hour and a half and then headed home. The girls ran the entire time they were on the beach! Timmy crawled a long way and was closing his eyes as I put him back in his car seat to head home. Joya was asleep before we left Newport and Vi a short time later.

On Tuesday we had MOP's and while there, Joya decided she wanted to take a nap and go home. Once we were home she napped for 3 hours and woke up with a fever of 102! We laid low the rest of the day.

Wednesday morning I dropped Joya off with Auntie Heather and Cousin Vi, because they were sick too, and I took Timmy to the Gathering (bible study). I kept Timmy with me because I

could tell he was getting it, but didn't have a fever yet. After nap time on Wed. both Joya and Timmy had 102! We again did not do anything for "school" other than recognize and look for the letter A in our books, and when we were out and about.

In this picture above, Joya is on the top of the dune, and Vi is at the bottom. They had a great time sliding/rolling down the sand. Timmy had fun crawling in it too. Needless to say there was a lot of sand in their clothes by the time we got back to the car!! It was a great time though!

Last night was a rough one! Joya woke up at 12:30 really hot, I gave her some Tylenol and it took her until 2:30 to be able to get back to sleep! Then Timmy was up at 4:30 and 5 and then was up for the morning at 6:30. He is now taking his morning nap and Joya and I did "school". She gets very excited to about school, but right now she will practice writing the letter A once or twice, color a few things and then is done with school. So we left an alligator project only half done. I think when she is feeling better and doesn't have a 102 temp, she might be able to finish her projects and have more of an attention span! We also did a bible memory verse with the letter A starting the first word in the verse.

Tomorrow is a big day, Tim is taking his first day off since he started his job, 10 months ago! We are going to go to Waldport for the weekend! I am very excited, and I hope the kiddos start feeling better so they can enjoy it too. But right now we are just reading books, and resting on the couch...we definitely can do that at the beach while watching the ocean!

Timmy Playing

Here is a video of Timmy playing with his truck. He is making the noise of a car vrooming, because that is what Joya and I do while moving cars and trucks.

Timmy tried whole milk today! He has been nursing really hard and the two reasons that Tim and I can come up with; is his attachment issue or I am not producing enough milk anymore. When Joya was this age she was only nursing once or twice a day, but Timmy still is nursing 5 times a day. He also has some anxiety when I leave him...if he sees me leave! Anyway I decided to give him cow's milk today and see if he will stop nursing really aggressively and do a little better when I am not holding him ALL DAY long!!

I can not believe he is almost a year old. He is 10 months but on the 24th will be 11months and it has gone fast!! He is walking 4-5 steps at a time, eating everything from the table that we are, and responding well to directions. For example if you say "where is Mommy's nose?" he will grab my nose. He knows mouth and eyes but not ears yet! He is growing so big, its has been fun watching him develop into a "little man."

The New House

Here are a few pictures of the new house. This is a picture from the edge of the stairs, and entry to the family room and kitchen is behind me. The picture is of the front door, living room and formal dining room.

Here is the family room that is open to the kitchen. It is really nice to hid our toys from the entry!! On the other side of the TV and fireplace is the formal dining room.

Here is the kitchen, a little messy but you get the idea!

Here is Timmy's room. The green wall will eventually be a football field!

This is Joya's room, tan on top and purple on bottom with a princess border.

This is a picture of the kid's doors from the play area!

Here is the play area!

Some Fun Pic's

Here is a picture of the kids playing while I was packing. I just went through my camera and found some cute pictures to post!
Here are Joya and her cousin Violet doing Papa Sir's salute! He has them stand to attention and then Salute. It is very cute. For those of you that don't know, Violet and Heather are now living with Christi right down the street from us! Joya and Violet love one another so much and have enjoyed playing together almost everyday since they moved here! It is so cute how Violet says Joya's name she says "cousin Jaw-a" I love it!!

This was just a fun picture of Timmy going to town on his spaghetti but he wouldn't let go of his ball he was holding. It amazes me how he loves balls, he would probably sleep with them if I let him!!

This was Joya's last day of gymnastics. They were presented up on the stage there and then ran back to us parents! She loved gymnastics and it was good for her to know there are other authority figures that she needs to listen and follow directions from! The bottom picture is for Uncle Jeffrey, Timmy's hair looked especially red that day!

It's Been A While!

It has been a while since I blogged last and a lot has happened! We moved three weeks ago and that would be the number one reason for not blogging. I had a good majority of our stuff unpacked and settled right away. Tim's office and my craft room have suffered, but we need a few things for those to be finished. A desk for Tim's office would help him be more organized and have space to put all his supplies on! I would love a sewing table, but that is not in our near plans, the garage must be finished before we move on the luxury items!! We also have to do something with the back yard, but that has to wait for good weather to even put grass in!

The second reason I have not been blogging is the kids have not slept through the night since we moved...until last night. It was the first night they both slept the majority of the night and I was not up at all hours of the night...it was wonderful!

The third reason is I have been doing a lot of work to start our new ministry call HOME. Helping Our Moms Excel. we are now meeting frequently to be ready for our April meetings. We will meet every Tuesday at NW Hills. It is a well needed ministry for the moms of young children at our church! Tim and I also joined a bible study with couples from our Sunday school class, and I am still doing MOP's and co-leading a bible study on Wednesday mornings. There is a lot on my plate and even more on Tim's as he was just given a new territory to sell to. He now sells to half of the state of Oregon, everywhere south of Salem...its a lot more territory to cover, which means more time to travel. We are making it all work and have made spending time with each other more of a priority since it has to be planned and there isn't much down time to hand out together!

The fourth reason is Timmy is walking! He is a busy boy and I have to keep my eyes on him, he loves to get into cabinets and drawers, which most of them are fine for him to be in. Joya is a very busy girl, she is finishing gymnastics this week and we are not signing her up again but instead going to make more play dates and have more time at home until we start swim lessons in the spring. I still haven't figured out how I am going to do both of them at swim lessons because they both have the have an adult to hold them, Joya is not old enough to do self taught lessons...next year!!