At Home Preschool

Just over a month ago, Luke suggested that I start a more structured approach to teaching Augustine at home. 

The conversation started when Luke asked me:
"Are you supposed to be, like, teaching him something?" 
Lol. :) 
"Of course, I am," I thought, "And I do."  Luke knows that I spend all day teaching the kiddos in one way or another, so he wasn't being offensive at all {though, truth be told, sometimes I am teaching them the wrong things...sigh}.  Yet, it also made me realize that there was a lot more I could be teaching him if I made it a priority and had a little guidance as to what was appropriate for his age.
 
What he meant by his question was:
"Maybe you could start doing some preschool lessons at home with Augustine."

Our back door where we hang lots of our preschool masterpieces
and colors, numbers, & letters to practice.

He thought Augustine {and I} could benefit from a more organized and formal curriculum, as opposed to Augustine mainly learning through conversations, observations, explanations, and books.  We read a lot of books.  So I spent like 5 minutes researching online and came across a free curriculum at abcjesuslovesme.com.     

And it's awesome.  If you have a preschool aged child who is not in preschool {or even if your child is in preschool and you want some fun supplemental material}, go check out the site. 

A watercolor "Noah's Ark" and verses to practice.

We have been doing preschool for five weeks now, and Augustine loves it.  Some of the stuff we are learning he already knows {see, I was teaching him something, Luke :)}, but it is still a good review.  We have been doing a ton of coloring, pasting, singing, practicing, and reading!  His mind is a huge sponge, and I had no idea he was ready to do so much learning. 

"Adam & Eve" and A is for ants.

I am planning on adding in one specifically Catholic activity or coloring sheet or song each week just to make it a better fit for our family, but I really love the Christian emphasis already in place.

Salt, glue, food coloring, paper, and water.  Good times.

Augustine is enrolled for preschool two mornings a week in the fall {since you have to sign up for those things like forever in advance}, and while Luke is still leaning toward sending him, I am definitely on the fence.  I am enjoying teaching him at home so much!  If we don't go the "out of the home" preschool route, I will definitely find some other social activities for him to do where he also learns to take instruction from other adults.  But even if we do send him to preschool, I am planning on continuing the abcjesuslovesme curriculum with him at home.

One of the best--and most surprising--consequences of following Luke's suggestion is that I actually feel more productive and less stressed out...even though I am putting more time and effort into our days than I used to.  Feeling like I am doing good by my kids, regardless of the time/energy/etc involved, goes a long, long way in bringing me personal fulfillment and peace.  And I also thrive on the added structure and routine to our days, though we only go by a very loose and totally flexible preschool schedule. 

There you have it, my thoughts on preschool at home in the summer.  Probably a topic that is not on anyone else's mind--because who {especially those with school-agers} would want to think about school in the summer?! :)       

Soccer Mom

You are never too young to play soccer.

Augustine has been kicking a soccer ball since he could walk,

but since moving back to VA, he has really been into it.

He loves watching Luke play and cheering for him.

During the games he will ask me,

"Daddy just scored?"

or

 "Daddy get hurt?" 

At the last game he yelled from the stands, 

"Be careful, Dad!"

{He also yelled, "Dad.  Dad!  Hey!  Heeeyyy!!  Daaaddd!!"

It's hard to explain to a three year old that just because he can see his Dad, his Dad can't see {or hear} him...or stop playing in the middle of a game to have a conversation. :)}

 

At Luke's game a couple weeks ago, Augustine took 7 cents from his pocket to the merchandise trailer, and our sweet friend who runs it let him "buy" anything he wanted.

 

He wanted a soccer ball.

 

I can confidently say that at every moment since his birth we have had an average of four soccer balls, of varying sizes and materials {leather, fabric, plastic, etc}, hanging around our house...

but none have had the appeal as the ball he picked out himself.

 

The night we got it, he was kicking it around with some friends on the field after Luke's game.  Some of the bigger kids dribbled away with it, and he came up to me in the most genuinely sad and concerned way--with his bottom lip trembling and all--and fought to get out the words, "Mom, my ball," with tears forming in his eyes. 

{Anyone who knows my child knows a much more typical

response would include frustration and a loud cry}.

 

He hasn't stopped playing with it since.

The other day Luke grabbed a Sharpie and wrote

"Gunner Verc"

on it.

I know this sounds crazy, but I had to keep myself from crying.

 

Watching him share something like soccer with his Dad is enough to make me emotional...

but then when I add in how fast he is growing up and

becoming his own little person

with his own little ball

with his own little name on it...

well, that makes me cry.

 

I wonder if he will continue to enjoy the game as much as his Dad has. 

The chance of him becoming a pro are very small, but I wonder if he will choose to play in high school--and if his teammates will call him Gunner {his nickname}--or even just, "Verc," like his Dad was called by his teammates.

 

This whole Soccer Mom thing is getting real, and I love it!

Bring on the orange slices and Gatorade!  

Prayers for Connor

Yesterday morning, the kids and I attended daily Mass.  As the service came to an end, a woman and her daughter quickly made their way to the exit with a large bag full of banana bread.  Then, as each person left the worship area, the lady joyfully handed them a small loaf of bread and asked them to pray for her nephew.  She explained that he was in surgery, and when I asked if there were any special intentions for the surgery, she disclosed that he was 15 years old and had tried to kill himself.  My heart breaks for that boy and for his family.  I am so moved by the way his aunt and cousin petitioned for prayers for him with a simple act of kindness.  Collecting the ingredients, making the batter, baking the bread, buying disposable loaf pans, and labeling them with a simple request took time and energy, but this woman acted out of love for her nephew and out of trust in the power of prayer.  Sometimes I lack in my zeal for petitionary prayer because I figure God knows everything I need already, and if He doesn't grant me something it must not have been His Will.  But the problem with that is that God wants us to come to Him with our desires and prayers--even if He doesn't answer them the way we think He ought to. 

I can tell you I have thought about that young man and his family a lot since receiving the loaf of bread from his aunt.  He has been constantly in my prayers.  And now, I ask you, too, to keep him and his family in your prayers. 

And, if you don't mind, I have one other prayer request...

My aunt and uncle lost their home today due to the fires in Colorado.  Tragically, they are out of the country traveling right now, so they had no chance to grab anything from their home before it was destroyed.  My uncle said on Facebook that all they have are the clothes they are traveling with and one laptop they brought with them.  I have not been able to get them off of my mind today.  I cannot imagine what they are going through--not even being able to grab a photo album or a cherished and sentimental item before losing their home.  Any prayers would be greatly appreciated. 

The power of prayer really is remarkable.  I think God and I will have a coffee date tomorrow morning.  

         

Family Pictures {Augustine & Gemma} December 2012

These Little People are my world.

 

He hugs her--a lot. 

Sometimes she likes it,

and sometimes it feels {and looks}

more like a choke hold to her and she screams.

 

Several times a day, I find myself saying,

"Be nice to your sister." 

"Be gentle."

I can't believe it's starting already...

maybe payback for all the fighting my sisters and I did growing up. 

 

Is there anything sweeter than the man you love loving on your babies?

Our babies are blessed with an incredible Father.

 

We just get each other. 

Of course, I would have gladly welcomed a boy or a girl

when Gemma was born, but I am so happy God gave me a girl this time.

I want to do all the things with her that I didn't get to do with my Mom

...and all the other things, too.

 

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are grey.

 

The one who made me a Mama

and showed me that I could love a child

more than I ever knew possible.

 

Augustine is talking non-stop these days--

sometimes a little too much, if you know what I mean.

When the kids and I were in CO a few weeks ago,

Augustine talked Luke's ear off on the phone.

It was his first legitimate phone conversation,

consisting of more than just, "Love you, miss you, bye."

He talked about his plane ride, soccer, his friends--guy stuff.

 

Gemma kisses in her sleep--for real.

Whether Luke is going in to rock her in the middle of the night

or I am going in to nurse her,

she often gives us a few sweet kisses on our chest.

Last night, I went in to console her when she was more awake and she said, "hug, hug," and gave me the sweetest hug before she started nursing.

When I raise my voice out of frustration, Augustine often asks me,
"Mom, you a bad guy? {or, "Mom, you a mean guy?}. 
When I say no, he says, "You a nice guy?"
to which I reply, "I'm always a nice guy {ha!}"

He teaches me something{s} every single day--usually about love,
sometimes about dinosaurs or yaks. 
 

 

Gemma is full of personality. 

She is a go-getter, determined, and stubborn.

She is an extrovert, always smiling, and earns the admiration of passers-by everywhere we go.

Lately, we have been amused by her saying,
"Your welcome," {instead of "thank you"} every time we give her something. 
It makes Augustine crazy. 

She definitely has him wrapped around her little finger.

Each day when Luke comes home from soccer

she runs to the door with her arms in the air yelling,

"Dada, Dada!!"

Family Pictures December 2012

In December I cashed in on a great Living Social deal and had our pictures taken professionally.  I love snapping pics of my kiddos almost daily--and I will cherish those spontaneous, candid shots forever--but there is something special about having a professional get behind the lens once in awhile. 



Gemma's face in this one is priceless--
Luke and I look so happy...not so much our children.



We typically go the Portrait Innovations route for professional photos, but I couldn't pass up this great deal, and we ended up with so many wonderful memories captured...and a lot less stress {seriously, I am always on the verge of developing an ulcer by the time I walk out of P.I.--"Here, are the 2,394 pictures I took of your children.  Let's narrow it down to five in the next 15 minutes"?!!?  If you've been, you understand}.

Sometimes they just need a hand to hold.

So as not to overwhelm you with too many pictures all at once, I am just posting family pictures in this post.  I will do three other posts--one featuring the kiddos, one of me and Luke, and one of our Christmas pictures.  If pics are not your thing, you may want to skip my next few posts...but this blog is mainly for me to look back on and remember what life was like at different stages of our marriage and family life, and I definitely want to remember this time in my life.





So it was a little bright out...

I want to remember that we had just moved to Colorado a few months earlier. Gemma was almost one, and Augustine was almost three. We chose to have our pictures taken in an open field with a barn a couple miles from our home. It was chilly out but not too cold for the middle of December.

I wish I could bottle up moments like these and keep them forever.

  Gemma started walking just two weeks later, taking her first steps on New Year's Day and never looking back. Augustine's little mind was a sponge that fall/winter, singing his ABC's, identifying colors, counting. Luke had finished fall training with the Rapids a couple weeks earlier and was adjusting to working full time in the office {at home}. I was loving our new home! Few days went by that the kids and I didn't see Aunt Cait, "T," and "Fawicitee."

 

 

We couldn't help but laugh hysterically at Augustine's "smile." 

Every time we said to say, "cheese," he made this face.

 

 We had just gotten home from a great trip to Minnesota to visit with friends and witness the Baptism of our Godson, Dominic.  We drove through the night both ways--it just seems to be easier that way with wee babies...at least a wee baby like mine who really doesn't like her car seat. 

I was wearing a new scarf and new earrings, bought specifically for the pictures--I needed some yellow for our color scheme.  We didn't have a lot of expendable money at that time, and on Christmas morning I realized my hubby had wrapped those items and placed them under the tree for me--clever guy.  Unfortunately, that may have been the last time Gemma let me put a headband on her for more than five minutes without pulling it off. 

 

*Quick disclaimer: uploading these pictures was a huge pain, and I don't know why.  It took forever--no, seriously.  So, I am not even going to bother with trying to fix that random watermark picture(?) or stress about ending all abruptly.  I just need to get onto the next batch of pics!  

 

 

 

 

 

What I Wore Sunday: Mother's Day

Mother's Day picture with Mother Mary after Mass
 

Not a great WIWS picture, but it's all I've got.  :)  The dress is from Ross {Surprise, surprise.  Since I pretty much only wear dresses to Mass, Ross is great place to get cute, inexpensive ones that I don't feel bad about if I only wear them a couple of times}.  I won't even go into the shoes and earrings because, well, you can't see them.

I had a great Mother's Day. 
Highlights include:
*the kids sleeping in until 9am, which is unheard of in this house {it must have had something to do with them staying up late for Luke's game last night}. 
*pancakes made by my hubby for breakfast
*a card and dance from my three loves
*staying in my pew with both the kids and my husband during the entire Mass--as in, we didn't have to take a fussy/squirmy baby to the back of the church {I think this was Gemma's Mother's Day gift to me :)}
*M&Ms and coffee for lunch, per my request
*a relaxing and delicious BBQ with friends this evening

Now the kids are tucked into bed, and Luke and I are looking forward to a quiet evening together.

Mother's Day has been a wonderful day for me to reflect on the blessing of Motherhood.  It is not something I take for granted, and I am forever thankful for my sweet children.  As Luke and I pray for another baby in our family {should it be God's Will}, I join in prayer with all those who struggle with infertility or who have lost babies due to miscarriage and still birth.  I also pray for those who have had abortions in the past, for their healing and their conversion of heart.  Being a Mom is hard at times, but I truly can't imagine anything else more rewarding.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mamas, especially my Mama in Heaven.  I know she is looking after me and praying for me incessantly, and she would be just enamored with Augustine and Gemma!!

Go see Fine Linen and Purple for more ladies in their Sunday best!          

Greetings from VA!

The past month of my life has been quite a whirlwind! Remember how I was saying I needed to take a trip to somewhere warm and sunny and watery and that there was a slight chance we would be moving back across the country?

Well, I booked the trip {to Phoenix = sun!} as a surprise to Luke for his birthday...and about two hours later he told me we were definitely moving and that we needed to be in Virginia the very day that we were supposed to leave on vacation. Um, come again.

I could have stayed another week.

Without giving too much away, I told him that that wasn't going to work, and we ended up going on vacation {yeah!} but driving straight to VA when we got back.

And when I say, "straight," I mean we left Phoenix on a plane at 10pm on a Tuesday night, arrived at the Denver airport just after midnight, loaded up the car, and didn't stop driving {except to pee and eat} until 6am Thursday morning! At which point Luke slept for an hour and a half and then went to soccer practice. We must be crazy.

Thankfully, the kids slept really well both nights we traveled and didn't lose their minds completely during the long, LONG car ride. I remember thinking when we stopped for dinner on Wednesday evening that we must be in the home stretch...only to realize that we had only gone half way. HALF.WAY. 13 hours down, 13 to go. I almost cried.

Reading to his baby in his new bed.

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in VA to a fully furnished three bedroom apartment near Luke's practice fields. In an attempt to live simply, we had decided to move across the country in just our Camry, to rent an unfurnished two bedroom apartment, and to borrow or buy off craigslist the furniture that we needed. Perhaps God thought that would really push me over the edge because we were informed last minute that a furnished, three bedroom apartment was being offered to us for the same price as the unfurnished two bedroom! Thank you, Jesus! It wasn't until we arrived that I realized how difficult it would have been to acquire and move all the furniture we would need.

Relaxing with Daddy.

For the most part, we are adjusting well. Augustine misses his friends and that breaks my heart. He often asks if we are going to Tavian's house and many mornings when we leave the house he asks if we are going to "play with friends." Cash and Dominic have also been inquired about, and he lights up anytime we mention any of his cousins, aunts, uncles, or Bapa. He has had fun reuniting with friends at our church Mom's Group and enjoys playing with three little girls who live in an apartment near ours. Last week he was super sick--a high fever and green boogs {like science experiment worthy}, which the {slightly dramatic?} doctor diagnosed as an ear infection, tonsillitis, and strep throat!? Oh my. He was a bit pitiful, but a real trooper considering the circumstances, and was content to watch shows on the computer and drink juice as he recuperated.

Being silly :)

Gemma is Gemma. The cutest and most happy, while simultaneously mischievous and stubborn... plus a finicky sleeper and eater. She is so super lovable though that you just can't help but want to smother her with kisses all day long. She has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger for sure! She loves to be outside, says, "HI!" to everyone who crosses her path, and is very generous with her kisses. She just had her 15 month check up and has plummeted completely off the growth chart for her weight. Thankfully, her pediatrician is not worried--she is extremely active for her age and advanced in her motor and verbal skills. He said a lot of babies who nurse through the night have high metabolisms and aren't super motivated to eat real food if they are still nursing. Meal times are a bit stressful for our family as we try to encourage her to eat, but I am trying not to worry too much about it. I can't believe how much Gemma has changed just since leaving Colorado a few weeks ago. Sigh. Unfortunately, she seems to have caught a mild version of Augustine's illness, as have I. Seriously, the germs of winter/spring 2013 can leave my house anytime they want and NEVER come back again!!

Luke is doing really well with soccer. He is the Captain of his team, and both games he has been here for have resulted in 4-1 victories. And last weekend he got a great assist! Our manager for Little Kicks has been out of town for over a week, so that has been keeping Luke super busy!! He can't wait for her to return. :)

Given that we lived here for over four years and were only away for seven months, moving back to Virginia could be considered more of a "coming home" than a "moving away"--we have many great memories of our first years of marriage and the births of our babies here. Moving to a new part of town than we used to live in and being away from my family {whom I miss dearly} are big transitions, but overall it has been easier than I thought it would be. We already have friends and communities here, and we know Richmond and the surrounding areas really well. Plus, our lifestyle here is so familiar--soccer practice for Luke in the mornings, games on Saturday nights, and many of same activities we used to do {MOPs, church Mom's Group, story time} on weekday mornings. We are no where near being in a "routine" yet...we will probably hit that stride right about the time we move back to Colorado!

Yesterday Gemma and I were messing around with the Ipad, and we started looking through old pictures = not a good idea. I don't feel wanting here on a daily basis, but when I spent a few minutes looking at pictures of the kiddos playing in the backyard and in our Colorado house, I got awfully homesick very quickly. I know the Lord brought us here for a reason, and I feel SO blessed for all that we have here and for this time in VA, but I know it won't always be easy. If you would offer a prayer for our transition, that would be very much appreciated. Specifically, I pray that the kids adjust well and thrive here and that Luke's business ventures do well. Also, I know Luke worries a lot about how we will fare when he travels, so we could use some prayers in advance for that, too. Thank you! I promise to update again soon...real soon ;)