These daysThese days

Hi guys!  I’ve missed you, I’m not sure why – it’s only been a weekend – but I have.  It’s because I love you.  I really do.  I’m THANKFUL for you, too.  Get it?  Because it’s Thanksgiving week?

Some things of little importance that I’ve wanted to share:

Jude calls the dry skin on top of Jace’s head his crumbs or his sprinkles.  And I think it’s cute.

Also relating to Jude and possibly a little more important than the crumbs/sprinkles comments: he is beginning to read simple words.  Josh started reading when he was 4, too, so I can’t really take credit for this one, although all the books I’ve read to him over the years couldn’t have hurt!  Jude has so many of their books memorized that it was difficult for me to know if he was just reciting or reading, so months ago, I started typing sentences for him to read on the computer and sure enough – he was sounding out (and recognizing) words!  It’s been so much fun to see the little wheels turning in his head as he’s figuring it out, and the pride and excitement he feels when he is right is just so satisfying for this mom.  (Sorry, Facebookers, as I know some of you have read this update before.) 

Another thing that I’ve been doing for the last several months with Jude and Jett (…and it hasn’t backfired yet) is when they’re not getting along and just need to be separated, I send one of them to their room and tell them they can’t come out until they “read” four (or three for Jett) books.  They cool down and sometimes I get lucky and they get totally engrossed and spend an even longer time reading because they want to.  The only thing I worry about is that they will equate having to read with being punished, but so far that hasn’t been the case.  I guess that doesn’t happen until high school!  But seriously, as a rule of thumb: don’t take parenting advice from me.  You have seen The Naughty Files, right?  Riiiiiiight.  Moving on…

(I experimented with this photo using techniques Emily posted here.)

I’m beginning to see a little comedian emerge in Jett’s personality.  He has genuinely cracked me up lately and I wish I could remember just a few of the things he’s said for the express purpose of making me laugh.  Over the weekend he intentionally referred to Jude as his sister and then looked at me with a big grin and his nose wrinkled up.  It’s like he’s just thinking of silly things to say.  And of course I appreciate that.

Also relating to Jett: he’s officially and unequivocally potty trained.  Longest six years of my life!  At least it feels that way.  My mom told me that she recently heard something on the radio about kids that aren’t potty trained by the age 3 1/2 are destined to a life of crime and poverty.  No, no, just kidding!  But really: that it is cause for some concern and that it might be time to see a doctor about it.  Goodness gracious!  Talk about pushing the boundaries!  We were at the 3 1/2 year mark with him last month.  He’s been out of diapers for a long time but needed constant reminders to go and had frequent accidents, until one day a week or so ago, he just started saying, “I have to go to the bathroom!” and started making a run for the bathroom on his own.  Every time!  I love it!  Now, if I can just get Jude and Jett to focus when they are going then maybe they wouldn’t make my bathroom smell like a truck stop. 

Jace.  He rolled over for the first time last night!  After the older boys went to bed, I laid him down on the living room floor on his tummy and he rolled over, first to his right.  Then, I put him back onto his tummy and he rolled over immediately to his left.  Josh and I both got to see it, too, which was a bonus.

I continue to try – in vain – to get Jace to take a pacifier.  For crying out loud, why can’t my children figure this out?!  None of them could do it.  Is that strange?  Most of the time I’m not trying to shut him up, I just think he’d enjoy it by the way he goes to town chewing on his hand.  That’s all.  I just want him to be happy.  Although, it just seems wrong to stuff a pacifier in the mouth of a completely content baby who is smiling as much as humanly possible.  At least it hasn’t/won’t be a struggle to give the pacifier up later.  See?  We don’t even have any cute names for it because it hasn’t been anything my kids have wanted anything to do with… ever.

Last thing… I’m just going to say this: I can see why sometimes the baby of the family gets treated as such.