This couple of weeks in pictures

A broken pair of glasses turns into a fun toy!

Do you think they’ll always be so excited to do laundry?

New favorite game: Chasing each other around with oven mits…???

How many Geesaman boys can fit into a Cozy Coupe? Again, they are not allowed in the car with each other until they are 28!

Aaron was sent to time out and in a show of solidarity, the twins sat there, too.

 

Hair vs. Vaseline

Aaron at the Round Rock Express baseball game with daddy.

I don’t know, I just think babies sipping through straws is cute!

Soon after the taking of this picture, Eric was released and went spinning like a helicopter…and loved it! Thankfully, no babies were harmed in the filming of this event.

In case you ever wondered…

In case you ever wondered what Vaseline looks like in a baby’s hair, this is it…and it doesn’t come out with soap and water. I’m taking suggestions on how to remove this! His brother got into it, too, but not quite as bad.

I have to admit, he does make it look pretty cute.

Super Mom or Abiding Mom?

In the course of being pregnant, raising twins, then deciding to home-school, I’ve been called a “Super Mom”. It’s a popular term that I think pretty much describes any mother who has a child or children and manages to keep them from running into traffic most of the time. This mothering thing is no joke. It’s a daily, 24-7, 365 thing for at least 18 years, but really I think it’s for the rest of our lives. They’ll never stop being our babies and we’ll never stop wanting the best for them. I’m never quite sure what to think of the Super Mom label…is it really a compliment or have I lost focus? Does it mean I’m trying too hard? Am I doing these things to impress people? These questions were rattling around in my brain and then I came across this great graphic from www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com that paints a clearer picture of my role as a mom in God’s eyes. Just read through the Super Mom list first, you’ll need a strong drink after it thinking of having to live up to all those expectations (if you aren’t pregnant, of course). Now, read through the “Abiding Mom” side and I find the comfort and peace of knowing that I am in the Lord and He in me through this journey of motherhood. I know that however much I fret about lesson plans, curriculum or whether or not to take a sick baby to the doctor, He is in control.

Here’s a printable version…

P.S. I like the last one on “Abiding Mom” side. “Her children arise and call her blessed.” Ahhh…doesn’t that sound nice? I’ll have to keep praying on that one because my children arise and beg for a diaper change and breakfast.

Homeschooling Challenge #1 of 1 billion

Sensory exploration tubs for table time with toddlers.

We’ve been doing some sort of official-ish Pre-K type activities at home the past couple of weeks. Right now this feels like more of a practice for me figuring out how homeschooling is all going to work with our family and in our home. I’m really enjoying the challenge of finding engaging and educational activities, learning Aaron’s learning styles and adjusting my teaching and parenting styles so we don’t both go insane. But, despite all that, the biggest challenge to our at home learning has been…dun, dun, duuuuunnnnn…the twins! Two 18 month old boys who’s only objective in life is to touch, feel, explore, climb every inch of space they can and then eat whatever has just been found and explored. As you can imagine this poses a challenge when I try to get into learning with Aaron. I found last week that the babies can sit in their booster seats for up to 30 minutes and do a lot of their exploring at the table. So, I sat them down and started giving them whatever scrap of paper, ribbon, q-tip (clean, of course), thing I had laying (or is it lying??, we’re in trouble when it comes to grammar time) around. So, cheap crafty momma brain turned on and came up with an empty coffee can filled with said bits of things that I can change out each day to keep things new and interesting. The twins can play nicely on their own for a certain amount of time. That quiet play combined with this learning will hopefully allow Aaron to get some learning done as well. I imagine for a while that we will have to have our reading time and any other focused learning happening when the twins are napping in the afternoon. Each day is a new and different. The home-schooling journey is beginning!

And, yes, I realize that we’ll be adding a newborn into the mix in 12 or so weeks. It’s all about adjusting and finding what works for the moment!

Bubble Snake Maker

 

Got this idea from Come Together Kids. It took about 30 seconds to make and they had at least 30 minutes having fun exploring it. This was so much better than trying to have Aaron blow bubbles from a wand. That always creates a drippy mess and someone ends up knocking over the bubbles. This is just a plastic bottle with the end cut off, put a sock or washcloth over the bottom and secure with a rubber band. Dip the cloth in a detergent/water solution and blow your bubble snake! Definitely a keeper!

Grant and Eric weren’t quite sure what to think. They were very interested in the bubble snake, but didn’t want anything to do with touching it for quite a while.

This week in pictures

Another fun filled and mommy tiring week with the boys. Baby Lance Arthur (yes, that’s his name in case you haven’t heard) is growing big and strong. He’s already measuring ahead…not a big surprise there! I predict at least a 9 lb-der this time. He’s doing lots of flops and kicks, which entertains biggest brother, Aaron, when we are snuggling and reading books. Aaron is baseball crazy, just like his dad. He’s forever telling us about all the different (made-up) scores by all the different teams and looking forward to going with daddy to see the Memphis Cardinals in Round Rock in a couple of weeks.

Aaron and I have been working on swimming all summer and today he figured out how to take breaths and keep swimming. He made it halfway across the pool!

 

After Grant’s first couple of steps a couple of weeks ago he didn’t try to walk much again until this week. Now he’s finally walking more than crawling. We call is the T. Rex walk, but he’s getting there, just shy of 18 months! Notice how I call him Eric at first? I mix their names up the majority of the time.

 

Eric has the giggles and a little fighting off of big brother.

 

Aaron and I made dinosaur fossils this week. Yet another fun project from icanteachmychild.com

Love this one of Grant playing with play dough while Aaron and I made the fossils. Eric has been taking morning naps again this week, so he was snoozing through this.

Here’s Eric ripping apart some old magazines I had. I just filled an empty plastic container with pages from a magazine and let them go to town. Fine motor skills and a few minutes of not opening cabinets and climbing on the table.

First Hair Cuts

 

It was hair cutting night at the Geesaman house. I’ve buzzed Greg’s hair for years, started with Aaron a couple of years ago when he finally started growing hair, and tonight we added Eric and Grant in on the fun. We’re gonna have many years of hair cutting line-ups around here! Eric watched with fascination as Daddy and big brother got their hair cut and was eager to take a turn. This kid doesn’t sit still unless he’s eating, sleeping and apparently, getting his hair cut.

I look pretty horrible here…I plead six months pregnant and 101 degrees outside! I had to include it because doesn’t Eric have the sweetest look on his face?

He doesn’t look too sure about it here, but he did a great job, didn’t fuss at all.

I had to get picture of his cute little pigtail before I snipped it off and put it in a little baggie to stick in his baby book.

My little peach fuzz boy!

Grant didn’t really need a hair cut, but he did not want to be left out of the action, so I took a little off around the ears.

The VERY Hungry Caterpillar

I have no idea what exactly this thing is, but it ate an entire (large, very nice) jalapeno plant we had growing in a pot in less than a day.

When we found it that poor thing could hardly move, kinda me when I eat too much!

But, the boys enjoyed taking a poke at it. Guess we’ll have to keep buying jalapenos from the store this summer!

Water Coloring Pages

Another idea from icanteachmychild.com on the books today. Just print out coloring pages from here onto white cardstock. You can either use water colors (there’s even a recipe to make your own watercolors) or watercolor pencils. I was cleaning out my office last night and came across ones I bought from Stampin’ Up years ago thinking I’d take on a new hobby (it didn’t take). I just made little colored marks on the sheets and then Aaron went to town with a wet paintbrush. If you’re using watercolors, just make dot with the colors and let the sheet dry. This will be a great quiet time activity and could even be a great on the road activity if you can figure out a way not to spill the water. This also lets me get out my occasional craving for some good ol' coloring time!

He was so into it, he could hardly wait for me to get the color on the sheet.

Of course, a Cardinals sheet for daddy who had to work on a Saturday.

This week in Pictures

A random assortment of thing that happened this week. A new weekly post? That’s the idea anyway…

Got this idea from www.icanteachmychild.com. I am LOVING this blog full of great pre-school activities using things you probably already have laying around. I am making little activity kits that I am hoping will keep little brothers entertained and learning while Aaron and I are “doing school”. I made segments up to the number 40 because that’s how long the noodle was. Aaron did well with it until about number 20 and then was ready to move on, but he came back later in the evening and asked to do it more. I need to stock up on containers to keep all these activities, and of course find places to keep the containers! 

He’s pinching his marker!! He held his writing utensils so weird. I bought one of those grasper things you put on the end of a pencil and he seems to have gotten it pretty quickly.

Playing dinosaurs with his friend Isabella. I’m not kidding you, these two have have played dinosaurs quietly and contently for up to four continuous hours on a couple of occasions. I need to read up on it, but I think girl/boy little friends get along better than girl/girl or boy/boy friends. Maybe less competition?

And this is what Aaron does with his boy little friends! I set up a blanket in the backyard to try to create more shade over the sand box in the morning. I worked marginally well for sun shade, but the kids had a much better idea and turned it into a stage. Here are Aaron and his friend James “fighting” out their drama.

These boys aren’t allowed in a car together by themselves again for at least another 20 years! And that “oh” look by Eric is something we see often. He has such a cute personality and tries to hide his little smiles with an “oh” face. Hard to explain, but very cute.

I have a shot like this from every fireworks show we’ve ever been to. We had a great spot for one of the only fireworks shows in Central Texas.

Here’s the one from his first 4th of July 2007. Look at his bald little baby head! I thought he would never grow hair!

This is how I spent my 4th of July before the fireworks. I totally cleaned out the junk cabinet. Thanks to my neighbor and friend, Melissa, for this idea!  It’s funny how clearing out cabinets has a domino effect. I had to clear the cookbooks out of this top shelf in the cabinet, moved those to baskets above the fridges (I don’t use them that much anyway!). Above the fridge was another favorite junk spot that got cleared. And, the organizing kept moving me from one cabinet to another until most of them were done! I’m discovering the key to organizing is having lots of containers and not packing them with too much stuff…leave room to find what you put there!

Sandbox Fun in the Sun

I usually try to send the boys out in the afternoon while I’m making dinner. It’s been 100 or close to it every day for the past month or so here in Texas, so we have to make sure our fair skinned boys are in the shade and keeping cool.

A couple of weeks ago we (meaning Greg) had to move the sand box one load of sand at a time from the sunniest part of the yard to a spot that is more shaded, especially in the afternoon and evening. We (really, it was me this time) put the umbrella in the center of the sandbox for some more shade. And today I put the hose on the “mist” function and set it up inside the umbrella while the boys played. Yes, it created wet and dirty sand, which created wet and dirty boys, especially the Eric boy.

He’s very into his sand box playing!