Tyson - Party of 6

The Wait

2012-02-14T07:39:00.002-05:00

This is the time of year where people in DC and Maryland enter their kids into lotteries for charter schools. Depending on where you live, these charter schools may be your only option for a decent public education. We have entered our two school-aged kids into two different lotteries. One is for an on-base charter school, and the other is for a school for the gifted. If they get in, that is likely where they will go next year. If they don't get in, then we have decided to homeschool them. I've been doing a little research trying to decide what curriculum I'd like to use, but really we are just in a holding pattern until I hear back from these lotteries. It is rather depressing when I look at the numbers of children entered, versus the number of children who actually get in. We have had a lot of issues with the kids' current school, and definitely don't want them to return in the fall. It hasn't been all bad. Matthew has a fantastic teacher who has made his kindergarten year a happy one. And there are lots of sweet children and nice parents who have been very welcoming to us. In the end the severely short budget and poor administration has forced us to make a hard decision. The final straw was this past week when my kindergarten son was bullied by an older boy. Not only did the school take no action, they were also very rude when I went in to file a report.

Despite the stressful year we've had, I do find myself feeling fortunate that we do have options. I am of course not a single mother, and I have the ability to homeschool my children. My husband is very supportive of that option. We also could choose to move to another school district. It wouldn't be easy, but if we really felt it was necessary we could pull it off. For so many families though these charter schools are their only hope. I feel like the desire for a good education and environment for your children is universal, and my heart goes out to those who aren't able to find that. I watched a movie called "Waiting for Superman" recently, and it really showcased the struggle inner city families go through for a good education. It also profiled some schools who have managed to be successful, despite facing the usual obstacles. The documentary is on Netflix if anyone is interested. It really was well done, although it left me feeling rather discouraged. There are people out there who understand education and have the desire to help children, and it is just too bad that they are not typically the ones in power. I remember being shocked when I did a report in college and discovered that the Secretary of Education (at that time) had a BA in Political Science, and that was it. No educational background at all. She was also a mother, and had used private schools for her son's entire school career.

Well, those are my school thoughts for the day. We will hear back on April 1st about our lottery results, and then we will finally be able to move forward with next year's plans.

Beth the Cheerleader

2012-02-12T18:33:00.003-05:00

Yes, despite my lifelong tomboy ways, I have managed to raise a little cheerleader. Beth loves it, and she is pretty good too! This winter she is on a squad here on the Air Force base, and cheers during basketball games.

Little Carrie is enjoying her first session of ballet and tap lessons this winter. She can be pretty hit or miss. Some days she is really into it, and other days she just wants to run around and good off with her friends. Her class is for ages 3-5, and boy are they cute!

TV in schools

2012-02-07T07:59:00.002-05:00

I posted on facebook yesterday how I was shocked at how much television my kids watch in school. They're in kindergarten and first grade, and they watch everything from music videos for music class, to "The Magic School Bus" for science, to "Reading Rainbow" for reading. The list just goes on and on. If it is wet or chilly outside (hello...it is winter) they watch tv for recess. While they wait for the buses to be called, it's time for more tv.

Since our current county isn't exactly known for it's great schools, I was sure this was a pretty isolated occurrence. I was surprised to see that this morning I had lots of comments, from friends all over the country, who had similar concerns about their own child's school.

Is this really what elementary school is coming to? I don't see any reason in the world kids should need to watch a video at school more than once or twice a month. Maybe the occasional educational film, and also the occasional movie for a class party or other celebration. If they have all this extra time, why not just send the kids home after a half day and save the tax payers a lot of money? I feel pretty certain that everyone could watch tv at home for free. Everyone would hate that idea of course. It would be very hard on working mothers, and I can certainly sympathize there. However, it does beg the question...are public schools in the business of providing daycare or education? If the answer is in fact education, shouldn't they be doing something worthwhile with their instructional hours?

On another note, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of total screen time for children each day. My first thought when reading that is "Who watches tv two hours every single day?" We're not really tv people, so two hours seems like kind of a lot. However, when you add up the entire day, and also include computer time, it becomes extremely easy to meet and surpass those two hours. I think most parents would assume that their children are not spending even more time in front of a tv at school.

I really am just curious as to why this is becoming so widespread and acceptable in our schools. I guess it requires limited supervision, and no real materials, and that in itself is appealing when so many of our schools are in a budget crises. I really implore you though...if you work with children think outside the box. The pay-off is so worth it.

Happy Birthday Beth!

2012-02-05T20:51:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is already time for another birthday post! My little Mary Elizabeth turned seven yesterday. Beth is our oldest, and is such a good big sister. She'll always have a special place in my heart since she is the one who made me a mommy. We spent a great deal of time alone together early on, as her Daddy was away with the Coast Guard nine months out of the first year of her life. Instead of it being a difficult time though, she made it a very happy time for me. We had a beautiful home right near the beach in Florida, and I felt like I was on a vacation with just my little baby. Our days were filled with long walks, trips to the park, and visits with friends. She was very happy and a great sleeper and eater right from the beginning. Older people we met on the Air Force base often asked to hold her, and she always gave them a big smile and went right over. It wasn't until our second child that I realized none of this was really typical. It was only Beth that slept through the night very early, and had a smile on her face everyday. She had some health concerns that first year as well, but even that couldn't keep her down.

As a seven year old Beth still has a smile on her face everyday. That is the one thing that has not changed. She is quick to laugh and is definitely the silliest of the kids. She is also very loving and smart though. We're very proud of her, and as she is getting older she is becoming a big help to me. She makes friends easily, which is great since she has lived in four states during her short life. She loves to read, and is an excellent reader already. We bought her a little booklight a few months ago, and now she reads well into the night. She also loves art, and is always drawing or creating something. I love to see the products of her imagination. Her greatest love is probably animals, particularly her pet cats. She says she wants to be a veterniarian when she grows up, and I think she just might. Beth is a girly girl in most ways, and already loves to shop. None of that describes me, so I think that particular gene must have skipped a generation. Luckily for her, her grandmother and great-grandmother (GG) also love to shop, and they keep her supplied with cute outfits. She also loves to be outside though, and spends her summers hunting for worms and bugs. I guess she has a little tomboy in her after all.

We celebrated Beth's birthday with a double party at a local indoor playground for her and Carrie. In our family we do a party for the kids every other year. On off years we do a small celebration with just the six of us. This year was a party year! The girls had a lot of fun, and overall I think it was a big success.

Happy Birthday Beth! We love you!

Happy Birthday Carrie!

2012-01-30T13:17:00.003-05:00

Sweet little Caroline Louise is four years old today. Wow! Where has the time gone? She is still our little peanut, but it's easy to see that she is growing up. Wherever her older brother and sister are, she is sure to be close behind. At four years old Carrie likes to draw and paint, and can write her name. "cARRie"....so cute. She can ride her bike with training wheels, and flies up and down the sidewalks. It makes her poor mother nervous! Her favorite food is fruit...especially strawberries. Her favorite book is "The Story About Ping", and every time she reads it she longingly tells me how she wishes she could be a duck as well. She loves to watch Diego on tv, and knows how to come downstairs and stream it on Netflix through the Wii in the mornings. We don't have cable tv, but she has adapted well and misses nothing. Her favorite animal continues to be pandas, and she still carries around her good friend "Bobo" the stuffed panda. "He" has been outfitted for the season in a frilly Valentine's Day outfit from Build-A-Bear. Her favorite color is green, followed by yellow. She loves her pet cats, especially Waffles, who allows herself to be carried around. Carrie goes to preschool two mornings a week, and has done very well. She mostly seems to play with the boys and enjoys jumping, running, and roughhousing. She is a wild one! It must be all that red hair.

Happy Birthday Carrie! We love you so much!

Mom Quote of the Morning

2011-12-22T08:11:00.002-05:00

"Life is a learning experience, and now you all know that it is wrong to sleep with silly putty." And so begin the kids' Christmas break.....

Sometimes I feel like I should be upset, but I have to turn my face away so the kids don't see me laughing. What else can you do? Life with little kids is just funny. Of course some things are only funny after the fact. And some things LONG after the fact.

In other news, I had to sit Katy down last night and tell her some sad news. Her last bottle melted in the dishwasher last night. She's 18 months old, so I opted not to replace it. Poor Katy! She had been down to just a bedtime bottle for months, but it was hard to drop that last one. She is just so sweet and snuggly at bedtime. She did very well though, and went to bed after having a little sippy of milk. I can't believe my little one is in a toddler bed and off the bottle. She is growing up on me.

Only 3 1/2 more years...

2011-12-21T11:14:00.002-05:00

Today is one of those days where I wish I knew where Matt's follow-up assignment was going to be...so I could pack up and move there now. This is our fifth base, and we really liked the other four. I guess you can't get lucky every time. I particularly loved Mississippi, and I feel like that is where we should be now. The Coast Guard feels otherwise however! I guess this is it until 2015, and we really are trying to make the best of it.

One Year Ago

2011-12-19T14:31:00.003-05:00

Oh what a difference a year makes! This time last year we had just had the movers pack up all of our things in Connecticut. It was bitterly cold...all of 11 degrees the day we packed up. We weren't able to get any of our Christmas decorations out, as we knew we would be on the move when the big day arrived. Christmas day was spent in a hotel room in Virginia, which was almost half-way to our new base in Misssissippi. To add to the craziness, Matt and I got the flu that week. I remember shivering under the blankets in our hotel while poor feverish Matt stayed up late putting bikes together. Thankfully no children became sick. That was Christmas miracle in itself!

Fast forward to this holiday season. We have now been in the DC area for almost four months now, and are pretty well settled in. I feel like we are getting to catch up on all the holiday traditions we ad to skip last year. Each Sunday we enjoy watching the advent candle being lit at church. We have also enjoyed our own advent calendar at home. The kids have just skipped from one holiday party to the next. There is no shortage of fun things to do here! There was a USO party, the youth center party, the library party, the chapel party, and finally Matt's unit party. Yes, six Christmas parties! Such craziness and good times. We went and cut our own tree this year, and have all of our favorite ornaments up. Most of them are homemade, most have been repaired at least once, and none of them match. I feel like our tree just screams tackiness, and I love it!

Here are my big girls enjoying some Christmas crafts.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2011-12-14T12:51:00.003-05:00

And MOST of the Tyson kids are very excited. Katy however is rather concerned.

Decisions, decisions

2011-12-14T08:12:00.002-05:00

Does anyone else just hate making decisions? The little things - what to wear, what to cook for dinner, what movie to watch - don't faze me. It's the big ones that leave me confused. Especially when there are lots of options, and either all the options sound good, or none do. The first big issue I ran into this year was where to live. Should we rent, buy, or take military housing? If we lived off base, should we look in Virginia or Maryland? How long of a commute were we willing for Matt to have? And if we took on base housing, which of the four bases in the area did we want?

Eventually of course we did make a decision about housing. We are in on base housing in Maryland. Matt has only a 15 minute commute, which is crazy short for the DC area. Most of the time I think we did the right thing. Whenever we have a problem here though I can't help but think "Well maybe this other place would have been better." It is enough to make me nuts!

Big decision #2 is where to send the kids to school next year. Beth will be in second grade, Matt will be in first, and Carrie will be in pre-k. Sweet Katy will be home with me. This year I have Matt and Beth at our local public school. I am not that impressed with it. I have left them there because they both have good teachers and have made some nice friends. The administration stinks though, and the school has some major budgeting issues. Beth did just test into their gifted program, so I am tempted to leave her there and see how that plays out. Since she is identified as TAG now, I could also apply to send her to a public school for gifted children. I'm hesitant though because she would go along, and I like having the children together.

Another option is the charter school they have right here on base. We weren't able to use it this year because of the long waiting list, but I could put them in the lottery for next year. That school doesn't have a gifted program, but the level of the entire curriculum is about a year ahead of their current school. It is also well funded, and can provide things like small classes, extracurricular activities, and field trips.

And finally, I could choose to homeschool them. This base has a very active homeshooling group too, so I could get the kids into some really good co-op classes. A lot of families here homeschool, because the public school is so iffy. I encourage people to make their own decision about the public school, since it does have some good points. It is definitely not a good fit for everyone though.

I really am having a tough time making decisions this year. I just want to be positive that my choice is the right one, and that is very hard to do. In fact, I am starting to think it is impossible!

Hello December!

2011-11-29T09:57:00.003-05:00

Wow, it is almost here! I can't believe it. This year has gone by so fast for us. So many changes, and so many good times. I have been trying to get back into blogging, but I still can't get pictures to post on here. I feel like it is just not the same without the photos. I've thought about switching to a new service, but I'd hate to lose the years of posts I have on here. I am just not good at fixing things. I need them to work by themselves with no effort on my part, lol.

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving down in North Carolina with both sides of our family. This is the first year we have been close enough to have Thanksgiving with family since 2006. Back then Matthew was our baby. Unfortunately, out trip ended with our van breaking down. We had to have it towed away and couldn't find anyone who could fix it on a holiday weekend. That led to our second issue, which is when you have a family of six not just anyone can give you a ride. Luckily we were able to get ahold of some wonderful friends who brought, not one, but two cars to pick us up in. I am now driving an older borrowed van until we can (hopefully) get ours fixed. It is never any fun getting a giant bill like this weeks before Christmas, but what can you do? This is the first time we have dealt with the fact that we HAVE to have a van now. Our second car is an older Jeep that Matt drives to work, and I really thought if something broke down it would be that. We could share the van easily enough, even permanently if needed, but the Jeep just doesn't fit our family anymore. Poor Matt is trying to handle the car repairs from a distance now, as we had to leave it at the mechanic five hours away. They ended up not being able to fix it, so it was moved to a second shop. I am so clueless about cars. Especially being a military wife I should be ashamed of myself. If Matt isn't around to handle things I call my dad for advice, or ask a friend's husband. I guess I am not a progressive woman.

Car issues aside, things are going very well. We have had an usually warm week, and while I'm enjoying being outside in t-shirts again, it feels strange to be putting up Christmas lights. It reminds me of the year we lived in Florida, where we had Christmas decorations up and were still able to wear bathing suits to the beach. It's fun for a change I guess, but who doesn't love a white Christmas? I don't know about snow, but I'm sure it will cool back down considerably soon.

Back in Business

2011-11-13T17:53:00.002-05:00

I've had some technical difficulties, following our big move from Mississippi to Maryland. I think I am finally back in business though!

Let's see...we have had a busy few months since I last posted. Beth stated first grade, Matt started kindergarten, and Carrie started preschool. Carrie only goes two mornings a week, so I have her most of the time, and Katy Ann is with me all the time of course. The kids are all doing very well, and I am proud of them. The only real issue we've had is that Beth's work is so easy compared to her last school. She will be starting in a gifted program this month, and I hope that gives her the challenge she needs. In the meantime her father and I do extra little projects with her at home.

Little Katy is not so little anymore, and is running all over the place. Despite the 2 1/2 year age difference, she is only one clothing size and two shoe sizes behind big sis Carrie. She has seven teeth now, and eats everything. She isn't really talking yet, but trust me, she gets her point across!

We just wrapped up fall soccer, and this year I was able to have both Beth and Matt on the team I coached. Such fun! Next year they will be in different age groups so I am glad we had this chance. Beth will be doing cheerleading this winter, and Carrie takes ballet and tap once a week. So far Matt is taking the next few months off. I'd love to find him a gymnastics class, but so far the ones I found are all girls. I don't find if they are mostly girls, but at his age he doesn't want to be the only boy. He also loves swimming, and I may get them back into lessons sometime after the new year. I limit all the kids to one activity at a time, and just that keeps us plenty busy. The three older ones all do as AWANA's as well, and I don't count that towards their "limit."

I am really trying to get back into the swing of things and start posting more. We've been busy seeing all the sites, and have lots of awesome pictures of our nation's capital to share.

Move Update

2011-08-25T20:33:00.002-04:00

We are in Washington DC! We arrived on the 15th, and are currently living in a hotel. In about nine more days though we will be in our new home. I usually love a good hotel stay, but after about ten days with the four kids and four cats I am ready to move on. In other news, we experienced our first earthquake this week. That was pretty crazy, but we all made out just fine. We were evacuated to a large field on base for a few hours, and my kids had a great time playing with the other children there. They are such troopers. We are also under a hurricane watch now, and are doing our best to prepare for possibly losing power for several days in the hotel. We don't anticipate we will have to evacuate at this point though. The housekeeper came by today and dropped off a flashlight for us. Oh boy....I have a feeling life is about to get even crazier. Assuming I still have computer access I will be sharing some pictures soon. Matt has not started work yet so we have been spending our time exploring the city. I have to say that it is pretty awesome.

Graduation

2011-08-06T22:43:00.002-04:00

Matt has finished his meteorology school this week. He graduated first in his class, with a 100% average. It was pretty awesome! Not that I expected any less from him.

Now we are off to our next great adventure...

Goodbye Beautiful Mississippi

2011-08-06T22:28:00.002-04:00

We'll miss you! The moving truck comes Monday.

These last seven months have just flown right by. We arrived with a five year old, four year old, two year old, and a little baby who wasn't even crawling yet. We are leaving with a six year old, a five year old, a three year old, and a one year old who is toddling all over the place. Beth has grown tall, has gone from reading a few words to reading chapter books, and has made so many friends here. Matt has learned to ride his bike without training wheels, can operate the Wii, and brought home is first "game ball" one happy night. Beth and Matt have both learned to swim, and enjoyed their first season of t-ball as well. As for our little redhead Carrie....she is not so little anymore. She's long since potty trained, pedals her little princess bike around the neighborhood, and happily walks into her preschool sunday school class each week. Finally, we have Katy. The little love of my life. :) She is so sweet and so so big now. She has two teeth, eats everything the rest of us do, and spends her entire day making sure she is left out of nothing. It's funny how so much can change in such a short time. Especially when it comes to motherhood!

Bunk beds!

2011-07-23T17:58:00.002-04:00

These are three happy little kids! Beth is sleeping on the top bunk, Matt on the bottom bunk, and Carrie in the little firetruck bed. I am a little nervous actually leaving them alone with the beds, but so far they have been very good about following the rules concerning the top bunk. We are slowly emptying Matt's bedroom out, and will then use that as the room to keep our luggage and cats in when the house is being packed up. We have just three more weeks here! I am very much in "move mode" now and am making one last decluttering sweep through the whole house.

Tyson Family News

2011-07-01T18:27:00.002-04:00

-We have just five weeks left in Mississippi! We already have the address of our new home too, so I am pretty stoked about that. We will be living on Bolling AFB right in Washington DC. Right now I am busy doing some major decluttering. We will be living in the city, and will not have the same space that we are used to. If we don't use it all the time, or we don't love it, then it is out the door.

-Matt and Beth have learned to swim and learned to ride their bikes without training wheels. Both of them! I can't believe how grown up they are getting. We took the training wheels off just this morning and they both rode away - with no lessons and no falls. I'm impressed really. :)

-Katy is walking well now, and I bought her very first pair of shoes today. A five wide. She has fat little feet just like her brother and sisters did. At least she can fit into a regular wide, which means I can buy her shoes at Payless. Little Matt wore a double wide as a baby, which required $50 shoes from Stride Rite. She also is on the verge of getting her first tooth, and she is so fussy. Poor baby girl! She takes after the others in that aspect as well. Beth was 11 months when she got her first tooth, Matt was 18 months, and Carrie was 15 months. It no longer even seems odd! It does seem odd when I see babies half her age sporting toothy little smiles already.

-We have added two kitten babies to our family. Their names are Tunsas and Waffles, and they are cute cute cute! They join big brothers Romeo (11) and Eric (1 1/2.) Just what we needed right? Four kids and four cats! I find myself asking "What's that smell?" about ten times a day now.

What a great list!

2011-06-24T22:51:00.002-04:00

How to Ruin Your Kids for Life

by Tricia Goyer

1. Give your kid everything he wants. Don’t deny what will truly make him happy. Overvalue money and things in his eyes.

2. Dress your child in designer clothes, no matter the cost. Show her that her outward appearance matters most of all.

3. Place your child’s needs over those of your spouse. If she cries, run to her immediately. If she interrupts, give her your full attention.

4. Entertain your child throughout the day. If she wants to play tea, put your plans aside. If she wants to watch her favorite movie for the hundredth time, forget your idea for going for a walk and getting some sunshine.

5. Plan your menu around your child’s desires. No child should have to eat something he doesn’t like. If, by chance, you want to make something other than macaroni and cheese or peanut butter and jelly, feel free to cook your own meal, just as long as you have time to fix what your child likes.

6. Sign your child up for as many extracurricular activities as she desires, even if it means giving up your evening plans on a regular basis. Don’t worry about trying to gather around the dinner table either. He can only be in the junior soccer league for so long, and you don’t want him to miss out.

7. Don’t discipline your child when she acts up. Everyone should learn to express herself in her own way. If she demands something, then applaud her efforts. At least you know that she will not be a pushover or a doormat in this world.

8. Don’t worry when your child fights with neighbor kids or even when he is a bully. Life is not fair, and someone always has to be the underdog. At least your child is learning to elbow his way to the top at a young age.

9. When your child has a disagreement with her teacher, always choose your child’s side. Don’t show up when the teacher wants to discuss your child’s problems. The teacher will want to take a course of disciplinary action and that’ll hurt your child’s feelings.

10. Don’t share your faith with your child. After all, you don’t want to offend. Let your child decide if she wants to hear Bible stories. And don’t pressure her to memorize Scripture verses. She might get disheartened if she doesn’t get it right the first time and you’ll ruin her self-esteem. More than that, you don’t want her to know there’s a God who runs the universe, makes the rules, and determines eternity. The thought is too hard, and your child might not understand. More than that, she won’t be self-dependent and strive to be a good person.

The Birthday Post

2011-06-23T15:30:00.002-04:00

Katy Ann is officially a toddler! She turned one year old on June 13, and took her first steps that same day. It was a picture perfect finish to a fantastic year.

The best word to describe Katy at a year old is busy. This girl is here, there, and everywhere. I should be used to after four kids I guess, but my other two daughters were always happy to sit and play in one place. She is more like her brother Matt - always exploring and on the go! We have had to really revamp our childproofing efforts these past few months. She is also a stubborn little girl. Everything she does just has such determination behind it. I can't wait to see the person she grows up to be!

Summer Update

2011-06-12T09:16:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we are already well into June! Our summer has been going well, and the kids are keeping me plenty busy. My husband's work schedule has changed, leaving me with even more mommy/kid hours. It's not been bad though. As the days have gone by, we have gotten into our summer groove I think. We have just eight weeks left in Mississippi before our big move to Washington DC. We go on with our day to day life here, but the move is never far from my mind.

Beth and Matt are taking swim lessons this summer, and I'm really pleased with how they are both doing. Matt is the better swimmer...he has always been my water baby. Beth is getting more confident and making a lot of progress as well though.

Carrie is spending most of her time with our new family members - two little kittens. One we named Tunsas, and the other is named Waffles. Just what I needed - four kids and four cats! As soon as Carrie wakes up she runs downstairs to find her kitties, and then all we hear for the next hour is her giggling and their little feet bouncing around my house.

Katy is getting ready for her birthday....which is tomorrow! My six year old Beth sighed last night and said "I can't believe Katy is turning one....time just goes by so fast." I guess she has been picking up my thought process. A birthday post will be coming soon.

We managed to get away for a camping trip this weekend. It was our first camping experience with kids in tow, and I think it went pretty well. This was real camping...just a tent in the woods and the things we brought with us. We were on the banks of a creek, and we spent most of our time swimming and trying to stay out of the heat. We all had a good time, but I think we've decided that Katy is just too young. It was impossible to keep her clean and dry. I don't ever mind my kiddos playing in the dirt, but I enjoy giving them a bath at the end of the day. By then end of day one she was just covered in dirt from her head to her toes, was damp and sweaty, and was putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. All the big kids on the other hand did fantastic! I think when Katy is three (like Carrie is now) we will be able to camp with ease. By some miracle (I think they were just totally worn out) Matt and I got all four kids to lay down and go to sleep in the tent, and we spent a long time just sitting outside enjoying the moonlight streaming down through the pine trees.

Here are Matt and Beth heading off on their fishing adventure.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T15:17:00.004-04:00

"We who are left how shall we look again happily on the sun or feel the rain without remembering how they who went ungrudgingly and spent their lives for us loved, too, the sun and rain?"
-Wilfred Wilson Gibson

I'm thankful to have my husband home with me this Memorial Day, thinking of those who cannot be home, and remembering with reverence those who will never be home again.

Beautiful Days

2011-05-26T13:24:00.003-04:00

Park trips

...with a view only military brats can fully appreciate. Even my 11 month old doesn't so much as flinch when those engines start and it gets LOUD.

The Kitty Show

2011-05-24T09:24:00.001-04:00

It's amazing what kids can come with when they have a well stocked arts and crafts cabinet. I save little bits of everything for them.

Summer - Week 1

2011-05-23T14:42:00.003-04:00

This is it - all my chickadees have returned to the nest! They are getting an extra long summer too (13 weeks) due to our upcoming move from Mississippi to Washington DC. School lets out early here in the South, but starts back about a month later up North. It is HOT here, and I'm sure it will only be getting hotter. I am impressed that the heat and humidity have had no impact what so ever on the energy level of my children. I have to force them to drink water, and to come inside during the hottest part of the day. As for me? I could use a nap. Preferably in a hammock with a cold glass of lemonade. I won't lie - it has been a trying few days. Back when I was homeschooling, it always baffled me when other homeschooling moms would talk about their friends with kids in the dreaded public schools. They'd make fun of them for griping about excessive amounts of snow days, or the long days at home in the summer. They'd finish by saying how sorry they felt for the children...whose mothers obviously didn't want them around. I feel like that is so unfair! I love my children and enjoy my time with them...as I hope most mothers do. You just get used to whatever your "normal" is. When your usual schedule is having your older kids out of the house for part of the day, then that becomes very comfortable. The same was true when I had all four kids home full-time. I grew very used to the freedom we had in our days. I don't think one option has been easier than the other either. Just different. Then of course any sudden change in the routine takes some getting used to.

For me the biggest change so far is having four kids in the backseat every single place I go. My radio is also broken, so I get to listen to all their conversations. We live thirty minutes outside of town, and they tell me *knock knock* jokes the entire time to and from the store. They are also not quite old enough to know how *knock knock* jokes work. That either makes them more hilarious or more mind numbing depending on my mood - which typically is directly correlated to the amount of sleep I got the night before.

In other news, there are now four kittens living in my closet. This is in addition to the two adult male cats we already have- a surly 21 pound old man and a playful (and crazy) one year old tuxedo. We had five kittens, but one has already been adopted. If you live in South Mississippi (or Alabama!) and want a sweet new baby kitty let me know. I do not have the mama. I am just fostering them and hoping to find them homes. We are going to keep the last one who is left for our own family. My kids of course are over the moon. They require no other activities or entertainment....it's just kittens, kittens, kittens from the time they get up to the time they go to bed.

Summer!

2011-05-19T12:48:00.003-04:00

Beth "graduated" from kindergarten yesterday. I can't believe what a big girl she has become. Matt and Carrie are also done with their morning preschool program, and the gang is all home again.

We are looking forward to a fun and busy summer. There is just nothing like summer vacation through the eyes of a child....except maybe Christmas!

Beth and Matt are taking swim lessons next month. The locals pools and splash pad are also opening up Memorial Weekend, and we can't wait! I'm sure we will plan many swimming trips this summer. Here in Mississippi it is pretty much too hot for any other outdoor activities.

We also have a few weeks of Vacation Bible School coming up for Beth, Matt, and Carrie. This Sunday is their last week of AWANA's, so I'm sure they will be ready for some fun church activities by the time VBS rolls around. This is the first year Carrie has been old enough to go (3) and she is over the moon with excitement. For so long she has tagged along to all Beth and Matt's activities, and finally she is getting old enough to do some things herself. When September rolls around again and AWANA's picks back up she will be a Cubbie, complete with her own vest and book.

The library of course will be doing the usual summer reading program, and we will be there each week. It sounds like they have lots of fun activities planned! We love the library. I feel like I keep them in business with all the late fees we accumulate. I don't know how some of you super organized moms pull it off. Before each "return trip" the kids and I spend a good hour searching the house for books - and we still usually forget a few. Or return the correct number, and then get a call a few hours later that some of the books actually belonged to the library on the AF base.

Matt isn't going to be able to get any vacation days this summer, and I don't quite feel up to traveling alone with the kids, so we'll be sticking close to home this year. I think in one more year, when Katy is two, I'll be ready to tackle a solo road trip. We do hope to do some camping as sort of a family mini vacation. We are in the market for a new tent, and as soon as we get one we will be ready to go!

Sleeping Arrangements

2011-05-09T07:54:00.002-04:00

I feel like my life has become a game of musical beds. Wait...that sounds terrible! I mean musical beds for the children only, lol.

We have three girls - ages six, three, and almost one. We also have one boy - age five. Right now we have the baby in her own room, the boy in his own room, and the two older girls sharing. Beth is in a twin bed, Matt is in a twin bed, Carrie is in a toddler firetruck bed, and Katy is in a crib.

As we prepare for our move to Washington DC, I am realizing that our new house is likely to be much smaller than our current house. I looked at the floor plans, and it appears that none of the bedrooms are really going to hold two beds and two dressers. The obvious solution is bunk beds. Luckily for us, the twin beds that Beth and Matt have do in fact convert into bunks. They are the beds that my Dad and his younger brother slept on in the 50's and 60's, and then my brother slept on in the 80's and 90's. They're still in perfect condition too - I don't think make furniture like they used to. At least not in our price range!

I would like to put Matt and Beth together, but when we tried that before those two partied all night. It was really ridiculous how late they stayed up, and it made for one cranky mama. Once we switched to have Carrie and Beth together things went much more smoothly. Plus Matt is getting older, and as the only boy I think it makes sense for him to have his own space.

That means Carrie and Beth will likely end up with the bunk beds. At 6 1/2 I will comfortable having Beth on the top bunk. I worry about Carrie crawling up after her though. Of course she could do that even in those beds were not in her room. That is why we have never bunked the beds before. The other issue is that the only available bed for Matt will then be the firetruck toddler bed. I'm trying to play up the coolness of the firetruck, but he knows very well that it is a toddler bed and is not too eager to move in. He is kind of big for it anyway, but I think he could still stretch out comfortably for another year or so. My older three were all out of the crib by two, so once Katy graduates from that she will move into the firetruck. At that point we may redo the rooms - again.

Anyway you look at it I think we will be bed shopping within the year. It's so hard buying furniture and household items that last, when we really don't know what kind of military housing we will have from year to year. Not to mention we have had terrible luck with things being damaged in transit by the movers. As for the things that do make it to our home unscathed...the kids and pets make quick work of those things. Matt and I have agreed that we will just get all new stuff once he retires. Only twenty more years to go! And then our grandchildren can come visit....better hang onto those bunk beds!

Geoppolis

2011-05-04T08:58:00.002-04:00

Matt and Carrie's city is a constant work in progress. I told them that they might have better luck if they waited until Katy Ann's morning nap. In the meantime, she joyfully thunders over to them every few minutes to join in the fun.

Happy Birthday Matt

2011-04-20T07:25:00.005-04:00

My only son is five years old. *Sniff Sniff* We are done having baby boys in our home I guess. Matt the "big boy" is just as cute and fun though, and he certainly keeps us on our toes.

These days he loves animals, monster trucks (especially Grave Digger, which his daddy took him to see), computers and anything electronic, riding his bike (every day!), and his family. He is clearly the favorite sibling of all three girls. He is quick to share, always has a smile for the baby, and is not above playing Tinkerbelle, kitty cats, or any number of games the girls concoct. He always plays the dad...the kitten dad, the fairy dad, the princess dad (the king? hmm...)

His birthday started off with a morning at preschool, complete with a dozen cupcakes with blue icing and rainbow sprinkles. Carrie is in his class as well, so she was able to join in the festivities. Next I took him for a much needed haircut on the base. He loves getting his haircut, so that made for a fun birthday outing. We also visited the library. At each place we visited he managed to tell approximately ten people that it was in fact his birthday.

At home he had a small party with our family and three little boys from down the street. I set up some arts and crafts...which they did not care about. Instead they ate piles of cake, ice cream, and freshly cut watermelon before getting out every toy we own. I gave them free run of the place for about an hour, and then sent them all outside to play.

His birthday ended with a late night t-ball game for he and Beth's team. Big Matt took them to it since it started at 7:15 and was really too late for the baby girls. He said they played very well, and Matt had his team sing him "Happy Birthday."

Our next family birthday will be in June when little Miss Katy Ann turns one.

Ahhh...

2011-04-19T12:25:00.002-04:00

This is a little too much for me - I think I might need to pack up and move back to Connecticut.

I was doing the dishes this morning when I heard Katy making a strange sound in the living room. I looked over and she had what appeared to be a live black snake - IN HER MOUTH! I screamed and about hit the roof. The little guy turned out to be a lizard, and he made a break for it before I could get to him. I chased him around with a cup for a while, but he finally scurried under the couch, and that was the last I saw of him. At least for now. I know he is still camping in my living room.

The cats didn't even wake up during all this activity. I think I may need to start feeding them less. They're worthless, I tell you! After nine years of vets bills and daily care, I think the least they could do is provide us with a little pest control.

It's official....

2011-04-14T18:44:00.004-04:00

We are turning into very uncool parents. Yes, we do have matching t-ball shirts. And no, we are not even the coaches. Mine says "Beth's Mom" of course. Beth and Matt at least think they are pretty awesome. I guess we need a new family picture! Haha.

The Early Days

2011-04-14T10:02:00.003-04:00

I came across this little video clip this week. I filmed it last fall when Katy was just a few months old and Beth was just starting school. I don't even remember taking it, which just goes to show how tired I wss that fall. Look how little and cute they all were though! Matt and I laughed so hard when we watched this.

Dirt Princess

2011-04-08T12:41:00.002-04:00

Who wouldn't want to wear a tutu for some good ol' outdoor fun? These poor kiddos have been playing out back all morning while I try to "budget" for the month, with the knowledge that the military will not be able pay my hubby for an indefinite amount of time. It's so stressful...I'm glad I have these little people to make me smile.

Family Life

2011-04-08T08:01:00.002-04:00

Big Sis and Little Sis waiting for that early morning bus.

Watching after our "foster doggy." And no...he is not supposed to be on my couch!

A much needed nap for Daddy and his littlest one.

Love This...

2011-04-05T14:32:00.002-04:00

"A Mississippi childhood bestows unique gifts upon its own. The most fortunate of children take from it the stuff of legend - generations of deeply rooted family ties, the space and time for contemplation, a connected community, an awareness and an awe of the natural world, the scars left behind of a conflicted history, the blessing of a rich soil, the curse of an unequal bounty, and a deep and abiding faith in a power greater than themselves. Coming from this exotic mixture, a child is marked by influences both within and without himself or herself." - Judy Tucker

This is why we have four kids

2011-04-04T13:51:00.003-04:00

Surprise...it isn't because I enjoy spending every red cent I have at the grocery store! It's because there is just nothing like watching the bond between siblings. I am so thankful, that despite our frequent moves, my kids will always have companionship as the grow up together.

It's that time of year again....

2011-04-02T14:57:00.002-04:00

Everyday it seems like the mailman brings me a new catalog full of homeschool curriculum. What can I say? I love them all! It is just so hard to decide. I was going to use K12, which is a digital school, because it is considered a public charter school (aka free) in Washington D.C. I think it might be worth a try since it would definitely be the lowest cost option, and the curriculum does look very thorough. Under closer examination it might just be TOO thorough though. It looks like it will take each kid about six hours a day to complete. I think six hours is a crazy long time for a five and a six year old to do schoolwork. The only reason public school lasts so long is that it also includes lunch, recess, bathroom breaks, and lots of wait time. I don't think a child being homeschooled in the early grades should need that long. Plus Beth and Matt would be studying totally different lessons, and with them being only a year apart I would rather group them. Not to mention I have two little girls who need my time and attention too. Sooo....I am back to reading through each catalog longingly. I wish I could see some of these programs in person. On top of my curriculum confusion, we haven't even ruled out giving the public school a try when we move this fall. I have had several people tell me very good things about it, so it is tempting to at least try it. Ahh...I hate having this much up in the air! Matt thinks I should homeschool them, but he is leaving the final decision up to me. As for the curriculum? That is totally up to me. We discuss it, but in the end I am the one who has the teaching background and has done all the research.

Our frontrunners for the coming year are:

Five in a Row - (We did last year, this kids loved it, but it would require me to add in at least math and language arts)

Sonlight....I am always tempted to buy it. Literature and history are my two great loves I think. It is expensive though. And more importantly I think I would have to bulk it up a lot to make it appropriate for Beth. She is what I would consider an average student. She brings home A's (yes they have grades in kindergarten here - crazy!) but is right on grade level. Despite that fact the Grade 1 readers for Sonlight would be way way too easy for her. That makes me wonder if the rest of the program has enough academic strength to it.

Tapestry of Grace. This one reminds me of Sonlight, but there seems to be a lot more prep work involved. I'm not sure I want to attempt it with four little kids, but I totally would if they were just a few years older.

Winter's Promise. Yet another literature/based program. Are you seeing a pattern here?

For Language Arts and Math we will most likely continue on with McRuffy. The kids did well with that this year. I also may add some kind of science program. When I start adding up totals for all these things it just gets ridiculous. See why I'm tempted to at least try to free digital school? On the other hand it is still a heck of a lot cheaper than private school.

Four More Months

2011-03-29T10:50:00.002-04:00

We are almost halfway through our short stint in Mississippi. I really like it here and wish we could stay another year or two. I'm sure after a nice hot humid summer I won't be so sorry to head north again though. We are planning on living on Bolling AFB in Washington D.C. I've never really been a city person...it should be an interesting adjustment. We'll also be only five hours from most of our relatives, which seems like a hop, skip, and jump these days. I've already got moving on the mind, and am really trying to declutter big time. We were several thousand pounds over our weight limit this last move, which was bad bad news for us. It's hard because the weight limit is based soley on rank, and not at all on family size. But each person in our family has a bed, dresser, clothes, and other belongings. Plus toys, toys, and more toys! I am determined to pare down though. Our house in DC is also going to be signifcantly smaller than our house in Mississippi, which is significantly smaller than the house we had in Connecticut. I'm just telling myself that every item I can get rid of on this end of the move will be one less thing to pay to move, to unpack, and to clutter up the new place. Once we get to DC we should be there a full four years, and I am so glad! I need a little break from moving.

What an idea

2011-03-21T10:12:00.003-04:00

With food and gas costs going through the roof we've made several small changes around our house. One change is that we are now eating beans and rice for dinner one night a week, sandwiches one night, and pancakes and eggs another night. Little Matt is just not sold on the beans and rice dinner. Instead he pushes it around his plate unhappily and asks why he he can't a hamburger instead. I told him that there were lots of kids who had nothing at all on their dinner table tonight, and we needed to just be thankful for what we had. His response: "That's sad. I want to give those kids my beans and rice."

If only it was that simple kiddo!

T-Ball

2011-03-20T11:43:00.002-04:00

The kids officially started their t-ball season this weekend. They had opening ceremonies and played in a tournament. The tournament was double elimination and they played two games. The poor little guys had a hard time! Most of the children play well in practice, but I think they were just overwhelmed when it was game time. They were excited, and fifteen different people were screaming at them to do one thing or another. Matt and Beth mostly played in the outfield. It cracked me up because the two of them, plus one other little boy, all stood about a foot away from each other. Beth looked pretty good out there though. At six, she is one of the older kids, and I think that makes a difference. She is also the only little girl! She did play one inning as the pitcher, so that was fun for her. Of course the "pitcher" in t-ball does no pitching, but they do start and end the plays. She saw a lot more action there than in left field.

Matt on the other hand was clueless. I've tried working with him, but he just doesn't get it. What can I say? He's in it for the sharp looking uniform and Capri Suns. During Friday night's game he was wearing his glove on his head when a pop fly flew right to him and landed with a plop right by his feet. He didn't notice. About five other kids ran over to get it, and THEN he decided to pick it up. After he picked it up he held onto it for a few minutes until everyone had finished rounding the bases. He is a very decisive child and needed to plan his next move carefully. During Saturday's game he actually made a pretty good hit. He got all the way to second and then stopped. When the next boy hit and ran to first he just stood on second. Then I yelled to him to run to third next time, and pointed to where third was. The coach came and talked to him and showed him where third was. When the time to run came he ran directly over the pitcher's mound and to home plate. Of course!

I think it is going to be a long season. But the kids are so freaking cute and they love it. Next year Beth will be seven (wow!) so I guess she will be able to move onto Softball.

Beach trip!

2011-03-18T07:24:00.003-04:00

Who wouldn't want to be at the beach on a Thursday night? After Matt got off work we loaded the kids up, and headed for the coast. We even got to watch the Blue Angels practicing for this weekend's air show right above us. Good times!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T08:29:00.003-04:00

This is Beth's leprechaun lunch, complete with a rainbow of fruit. She was supposed to have chocolate coins for desert, but I couldn't find any at the store.

Nooo....not yet!

2011-03-16T16:58:00.003-04:00

Katy stood up today! I just can't believe it. She hasn't even crawled yet, so I thought I'd have a few more months. Maybe she is going to be one of those kids who skip crawling. My other kids walked between 15-18 months old, so pulling up at nine months seems young to me. I feel like she was just a newborn...like yesterday. All of a sudden she is looking very much like a toddler, just standing there calling "mamamamamama....." Daddy is going to be dropping her crib to the lowest setting tonight.

Nine Months Old

2011-03-15T16:36:00.002-04:00

Time is just flying right by!

Katy at nine months old lives on a steady diet of breastmilk and pancakes. That is really about it. She eats a ridiculous amount of pancakes though, and has grown quite plump. She is a good little sleeper, and goes down from about 8pm to 7am every night. She'd sleep later if I didn't need to get her up and ready for the drive to Matt's preschool. She smiles often and finally spoke her first word today - mama of course. She is a mama's girl in every way. She likes smiling at her daddy, and will look for him if I say his name, but does not wish to be left with him. And she REALLY does not wish to be left in the nursery at church or anywhere else for that matter. She rolls everywhere, stands up on her hands and tip-toes (think a pyramid shape) and low crawls where she wants to go. She refuses to actually crawl, and has us wondering if she will in fact go straight to walking. She has no teeth, which is fine, because she doesn't need them for her pancake stacks.

She is very very loved.

Hmmm

2011-03-11T16:19:00.002-05:00

My kindergartner told me that today she spent her school day "working up the mountain of self awareness." She also said they didn't have time to do any music activities because they were learning about positive actions, which include learning about and liking yourself.

I can guarantee you that Beth already knows about and likes herself. I would prefer she spent her music class learning about music.

2011-03-08T08:54:00.002-05:00

“Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.”

-Rosaleen Dickson

Overheard

2011-03-05T09:54:00.003-05:00

There was a lot of Lego building going on very early this morning at our house. The kids have a large Lego table to work with, but with three different projects in mind, they inevitably ran out of space. At that point Beth and Matt zeroed in on poor Carrie, and decided her sprawling Dora cottage was going to have to be relocated. They asked nicely, she refused, and so then Beth said "I'm sorry Carrie, but this house is really really old. It has been condemned by the government and Dora cannot live here anymore."

Younger Children

2011-03-04T07:50:00.003-05:00

Our first two children, Beth and Matt, were born just 14 months apart. I basically raised them as twins. By the time Matt was a few months old they did everything together. They ate at the same times, played at the same times, and napped at the same times. As they got older they started playing sports and doing other activities together as well.

Next in line was our little redhead Carrie. Carrie was such an easy baby. She instantly adapted to fit into the schedule our family already had. She was happy to nap in the car, in the stroller, or at home. She liked being on the go and was just a very easy addition to our family. We didn't even have to really childproof because she never got into anything, and was content to just watch her older siblings play. As she got older she also joined them in many activities. She is 21 months younger than Matt, and just shy of three years younger than Beth.

After Carrie's babyhood I felt like we have the parenting of multiple young children down to a science. I thought that any future children would also just naturally fit into our family fold. So we went ahead and had number four, our little sweetie Katy Ann. After her birth, the realization slowly hit us that Carrie had in fact been born with her easy going personality. That old nature versus nurture debate, remember? Katy however, is not easy going. And she wants a schedule. She would have been a good firstborn. She is eight months old now, and she hates being on the go, has a meltdown if she is late for her nap, and gets into everything! She does love her older siblings though, and is already very anxious to get in on the action.

Right now I am finding it a struggle to balance the older kids' school, t-ball, AWANA's, and just day-to-day activities, with her need to be home and on some sort of schedule. It honestly was easier just to have a house full of babies and toddlers....this mix of little ones and school aged kids takes some juggling.

Life in Mississippi

2011-02-27T19:18:00.002-05:00

I love being back in the South. It is February and my kids can go outside and play in shorts...even after the sun sets. Not to mention Katy can get a little evening swinging in.

Life is good here at the Tyson house. Matt is enjoying his course at Keesler, and we have even gotten used to the EARLY start time. Matt and Beth both love their schools and have made plenty of friends. They have finished their winter swim lessons, and are now getting into the swings of thing with t-ball. We live in a tiny little town, with just a small military presence. It makes me kind of sad, because I feel like all their classmates and teammates will grow up together. Meanwhile, we will be long gone. I have no idea where we will be when it comes time for our kiddos to graduate from high school. We knew it was going to be like this when we started our family though, and it is one reason we had four, and had them closely together. My hope is that no matter how often we move, and where we end up, that they will always have each other.

Best Friends

2011-02-23T17:21:00.002-05:00

Then....

And now....

Back to Homeschooling

2011-02-21T12:41:00.002-05:00

We are going to let the kiddos finish out the school year here, but when we move to Maryland next year I am going to go ahead and homeschool Beth and Matt for first grade and kindergarten. I guess our adventure in public schools has proved to be short lived! I just really miss the freedom we had at home. Right now our schedule is me driving, driving, driving....and Beth's schedule is school, homework, a short playtime, then dinner, bath, and bed. I miss all the free time we had to do things as a family before. In any case, I am not sorry I sent them for this half of the year. They are enjoying it, and it has given me a lot more time to spend with just my little girls. I'm planning on taking the summer off, and then I think we will all be ready to pick back up with the schooling in September. This also means I can stop worrying about finding a half decent school in D.C. or Maryland, and that is a HUGE relief.

Happy Mardi Gras

2011-02-20T08:32:00.002-05:00

Our first Mardi Gras season has officially begun! Yes, it is a full season here on the Gulf Coast - not just one day as I had previously believed.

Yesterday we went and bought our first King Cake. It was sooo good! The filling was made of cherries and cream cheese, and a little plastic baby was baked inside. Little Matt got the baby in his slice, so he was the king for the day. It reminded me of when my Grandma used to bake a dime into our birthday cakes for good luck. I think I am going to be brave and try to bake my own King Cake this week...I want to give the girls a chance to find the baby as well.

We also attended a Mardi Gras parade over in Ocean Springs. The kids had so much fun! They look they have lived here all their lives, what with all the beads and little New Orleans Saints flags. Not to mention it was like eighty degrees. Not too shabby for February!

Carrie's first moon pie. It landed right in her lap - what good luck!

Katy Ann was unimpressed by all the activity.

Still to come is the Mardi Gras parade at Beth's school, the children's bike parade in Biloxi, and two days of school vacation. It's pretty awesome getting to live in new places and experience new things.

T-Ball

2011-02-05T17:16:00.002-05:00

Baseball season is almost here! Beth and Matt are all signed up for t-ball, and they are so excited. This week it has rained everyday and has been in the 30's and 40's....that's chilly for Mississippi. The thought of spending warm spring afternoons at the baseball field, cheering on B and M, and watching the little girls play in the grass sounds excellent about right now.

Happy 6th Birthday Sweet Beth

2011-02-04T10:48:00.003-05:00

You are growing up too fast. We love your sweet personality, happy smile, and contagious laughter. I love watching you pretend to be Claws the cat, Baldy the Eagle, and Oma the Ostrich. What a crazy girl you are!

Big changes in the Tyson house

2011-02-03T15:33:00.002-05:00

We decided to let the two older kids try going to school for the rest of the year. It seemed like a good time to give it a try, since we will once again be moving and starting fresh next school year.

Beth is in kindergarten, and she LOVES it. It is a nice school, but I'm still not really sold on it just yet. What can I say? I'm picky! I think the combination of having a teaching degree myself, and also moving frequently and getting to see all kinds of different schools, has given me a very specific set of expectations. Things are definitely a lot different than Connecticut here, that's for sure! The kindergarten is pretty advanced academically, so I feel like we are doing some catch up work. I wouldn't say she's behind actually, it's more just that I was a teaching a greater variety of material, and in a different order. In any case, she is enjoying all the elective classes and being with all her new friends. She is my little social butterfly! She is also a night owl, which worried me since this school starts at 7am. (Can you believe it?) So far though she has gotten up and gotten ready like a champ though. I myself have to get up by 5:30 to get showered, dressed, and a (very large) cup of coffee. Big Matt leaves for work at 5:15. Let's just say that we are having to learn to go to bed early.

Little Matt was of course jealous that Beth was off to school, so I enrolled him part time in a Christian preschool program. It is very play based, which is perfect for him.

I really miss having my Beth girl and Bubba home during the mornings. It has been nice having so much time to devote to my little girls though. I feel like I have gone back in time to when Matt and Beth were my toddler and baby, and I spent all morning reading board books, pushing the stroller, and playing on the living room floor. The two of them are so cute together, and are really starting to enjoy each other's company. Carrie also potty trained the first day Matt was off to preschool. Just like that....no accidents! They are all growing up so fast on me. :) I'm slowly finding things for us to do in the area as well. The local library has a story hour and craft time that we like to visit, and I've also found a nice children's museum. We've had to stay indoors because believe it or not, it has gotten COLD here. Highs are only in the 30's. I want those 70 degree tempertures we had when we arrived last month to come back - those made me feel like I was on vacation somewhere tropical.

Happy Birthday!

2011-01-30T00:41:00.003-05:00

Wow, time sure flies! Carrie is three today. She had a rough start to life, at just two pounds four ounces. Looking at her today you'd never know it. She really holds her own around her rough and tumble older brother and sister. She loves cats, her stuffed pandas, doll babies, coloring, snacks, and most of all - her Daddy. She doesn't like getting her hair washed, being rushed for any reason, or having people take her things. That's her constant complaint "Mama, Bubba take it right out my hand!" "Bubba" is her name for Little Matt, and those two are inseparable these days.

Happy Birthday sweet redhead. We love you!

You know you're a mother when...

2011-01-28T08:42:00.001-05:00

1. You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.

2. You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into cute shapes.

3. You can't bear to give away baby clothes - it's so final.

4. You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"

5. You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.

6. You hire a sitter because you have't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.

7. You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything

Kindergarten

2011-01-24T11:00:00.003-05:00

Here's the latest from my little kindergartner Beth.

This is Mr. and Mrs. Computer. We've been talking about personification, and she came up with these all on her own.

Hmm...which one of these "sight words" do you think was snuck into the stack? This kid cracks me up.

Field Trip!

2011-01-20T14:45:00.002-05:00

We took our first field trip here in Mississippi. I live for field trip days! Of course just about anything can be a "field trip" when your kids are all as young as mine.

I decided to take the kids to check out a children's museum that is about a half an hour from our new house. Just about everything is a half an hour from the new only took a few pictures since I was busy supervising the kiddos, but it was very house...we are pretty much out in the sticks. Anyway, the museum was a big hit. I cool.

Beth and Carrie spent a long time playing in this fishing area.

All the kids loved painting, and truthfully I am always glad when they get the chance to paint somewhere other than in my house. (especially Carrie!)

They also had some very cool math, reading, and science exhibits. We were there three hours and did not have time to do everything. I practically had to drag the kids out with promises to return soon. Next time I will just picnic lunch and eat in the outdoor area, which is also pretty awesome.

Beautiful days

2011-01-17T14:00:00.003-05:00

We are really enjoying life on the Gulf Coast. Our house is great, the weather is fantastic, the local food is yummy, and our kids are happy and thriving. As soon as they wake up they want to head outside. We try to go ahead and get school done in the mornings, and then out we go.

We're back!

2011-01-13T14:28:00.003-05:00

We are now in our new home in Mississippi, attempting to unpack, and starting back up with our normal homeschool routine. Despite the fact that we did no school at all in December, and not that much in November either, Beth and Matt were able to pick right back up where they left off. In fact they were both really ahead of where we left off. It's funny how that works. Maybe it's just another month of age and experience that helps them out. We found a new church here, started them back up in AWANA's, and signed them up for swim lessons as well. I'm trying very hard to provide some sense of normalcy despite the big move and busy month we've had. Being in our own home with our own things that has definitely helped.

In other news, Matt and Beth both have their own computers now. They are desktops that Big Matt has got all rigged up just for them. It's so nice having a husband who is handy with computers. Little Matt especially loves computers, and is surprisingly good at operating them. I think I will start shifting a portion of their school work over to the computers.

Matt's favorite part of the new house! Excuse the mess, we are still unpacking.

Move - Part 2

2011-01-03T10:04:00.002-05:00

We're in Mississippi! The second half our trip went pretty quickly and was uneventful. We decided to go ahead and drive it in one day. 834 miles....my neck was so sore by the time we arrived. The kids all were traveling well, and there was no traffic at all, so it seemed best just to push through and get there. Unfortunately the lodge on base did not have any pet rooms for us, so we went and found a room out in town. It was nice, but six people and two cats in one tiny room made for a long night. To make it worse, poor Katy stayed up coughing and crying most of the night. She just can't seem to shake this cold she's had. The next morning I decided we could not stay there because there wasn't a kitchen, and I didn't want to have to eat out three meals a day for a week or more. Too expensive and not healthy either. I started calling around, and by 9am I was driving Romeo and Eric to a kennel. The kids cried, and I miss them too. We've never had to board them before. The place seemed very nice though, and we will go and get them as soon as we can.

With our family of six, rather than eight, we were able to move onto the base and into a TLF. We are very comfortable here in our little house. It has two bedrooms, a full kitchen, even a washer and dryer. There are also sidewalks out front where Beth and Matt ride their bikes round and round. We are looking at one (permanent) house today and another tomorrow. I hope one of those will work out and we can be getting settled in soon.

So far I really like Biloxi and Keesler. It's very pretty here. The beaches aren't the white sand beaches like you see in Florida and the Carolinas, but they are nice to walk on anyway. There are many old pretty houses, nice parks, and beautiful trees. This whole area was pretty much destroyed in Katrina, and five years ago I still see many areas of damage. The base itself has been rebuilt though, and is very nice. I already hit the commissary and exchange up yesterday - they're huge!

This week is devoted to errands and getting settled in. Matt reports to his unit today, we are looking for a house, and we need to schedule the delivery of our household goods. I also need to enroll the kids in Tricare South and get their records sent over to the base. I have a church in mind that we are going to check out this coming Sunday, and I am on the hunt for new gymnastic and swim classes for Beth and Matt.

Move - Part 1

2010-12-29T10:02:00.003-05:00

We are halfway through our saga of a PCS. I wanted to recored all of our adventures before I have time to forget them, as I know one day I will.

Let's see....in true Tyson fashion Matt and I spent the week before our move going out with all of our friends. We MEANT to clean and pack, but every time a better invitation came along we jumped on that bandwagon. What can I say...goodbyes are rough! The day of departure eventually did come though, and we stayed up till 5am attempting to clean our house. Fun times! Who knew how long it would take just to do baseboards? So we cut them a $370 damage check and got out of dodge. I thought that was pretty good. I knew we had some damages from our household of kids and cats, and their rates were actually very reasonable. Yay Balfour Beatty! It took the lady like two hours to inspect the house though. Why I have no idea...it was empty!

So we pulled out of Connecticut about noon. It was like 11 degrees so I was all too happy to head south. I had a terrible headache though, which got worse and worse as I drove. Katy Ann screamed for hours which made it progress to a full blown migraine. I had to admire her stamina though. Soo...we made it just into New Jersey before I insisted we pull over for the night. Matt said we would never get to Mississippi if I only drove three hours a day, but I did not care. I told him his vehicle (containing Little Matt and the cats) could go wherever he wanted to, but me and the three girls were calling it quits.

We hunted high and low for a hotel that would take pets and then headed to the Red Roof Inn. We asked for a non-smoking room which was very very smokey. I went and asked the lady at the front desk if they had any other rooms, and they moved us to a second "non-smoking" room that someone had just emptied an entire can of air freshener into, lol. We settled in none the less however - I was just so glad to be off the road. I tried to keep the children on the beds because the floor was filthy. Unfortunately we were there maybe fifteen minutes before Carrie took a head-first tumble onto the hardwood floors. That was incident #1. A few hours later I was brushing the kids' teeth when Matt slammed Beth's finger in the bathroom door. I thought for sure this finger was broken. It was gruesome really. The nail was out of the nail bed and it just bled and bled. And she screamed and screamed. We debated an ER trip, but ended up bandaging it and waiting to see how it looked in the morning. She seems okay now btw, I guess that nail will just have to grow back. That was incident #2. I did eventually get the kids in bed....for a while anyway. A little after midnight I heard a terrible sound. It was Matt with a croup attack. This is honestly the worst sound ever, and if I hadn't known what it was I would have called 911. We have dealt with this before however, so I just snatched him up and started in on the steam treatments in the bathroom and visits out into the frigid parking lock. It went on for hours. Once again we were thinking about going to the ER, but eventually he did fall asleep, my poor boy. He has asthma and I think the smokey/air freshened room was not great for him. That was incident #3.

The next morning we got up...the hot water didn't work and the tv appeared to only play porn, so we got out of there quick. I was feeling surprisingly well rested and chipper considering. Day two was fantastic! Go figure... We drove 11 hours and made it all the way to my parents' house in North Carolina. My girls were so good and rode so nicely....and Matt loved being alone with his dad. The only issue was about two hours out it started to snow. That is pretty unusual for the south, so traffic slowed to a crawl. But yay, we made it!

We then spent several days visiting both sets of grandparents, other relatives, and old friends. Good times! Soon enough, it was on to VA Beach for Christmas though. We stayed in a little cabin on Ft Story, VA. If you're military and ever in the area I really recommend it. It was sooo nice! I only wish it had been warm enough to really enjoy the beach aspect of the location. And the price just can't be beat! I think next time we move I am going to try to plan our route so we can just stay at base hotels. They are all around nicer, cleaner, and cheaper. The kids had a great Christmas. Beth and Matt got new bikes and Carrie got a car ramp for her Little People. The only downside was that the sickness continued to make it's way through the family. I was laid up with a fever on Christmas Eve, but still trying to tend the baby while Matt put bikes and toys together. Then the 26th it hit him too.

Soo...the big excitement of Christmas night was everyone saying a blizzard was on the way. We had plans to drive out the next morning, and I honestly thought we still would. People in the south get all worked up at any mention of snow, and as a kid growing up here I can always remember being disappointed in the actual amount. A projected 4-6 inches always seems to end up just being a dusting. Well, this time I was wrong! It snowed 14 inches. Seriously. They said it was the biggest snow VA Beach has had in a 100 years. If you live pretty much anywhere on the East Coast of course you know just what I am talking about. It was nuts! Of course all our snow gear is sitting in some storage unit in Mississippi - who knew we needed it?? I felt very trapped in our little beach house on stilts too. I had to walk down three times, and slipped and fell two of those times.

Needless to say we stayed another day. The 27th was really not much better though, and we had a truly impressive spin out on the interstate. I held my breath while we fishtailed across four lanes of traffic and then finally came to a stop facing the wrong direction. We proceeded VERY slowly after that. Thankfully we had just put new tires on the van the day before we left. Hopefully that helped at least a little.

We are now bringing the visitation part of our trip to a close. First thing Saturday morning (and the first day of 2011!) we will be proceeding south once more. Mississippi here we come!

One week left!

2010-12-06T14:39:00.002-05:00

The movers will be here a week from today! I have such a massive to-do list to complete between now and then. And then after the movers leave it will be time to clean, clean, clean this house for inspection. I had high hopes of just hiring a cleaning crew to come through, but it turns out we would have had to book them months ago. Too bad the Coast Guard didn't give us months of notice! This move has been crazy with the timeline changing several times, but the big day is almost here.

The kids are all doing well. I think they are just very excited about Christmas coming so soon, and that is distracting them from some of the less pleasant parts of moving. They will also get to spend Christmas with their extended family this year, for the first time ever.

I think we are all mentally ready for the move now, which just leaves a whole ton of physical work to be done. I am slowly start to peck away at my list. I LOVE to make lists. I have tons of lists, for all parts of our family life. I'm not so good at completing the lists. I tend to lose the lists. I also give the lists to Matt, and he in turn ignores them completely. All I can say is thank goodness this a government move! I don't care how much money we'd make, I'd never survive another DITY. At least not with my sanity intact.

Second Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T15:51:00.002-05:00

It sure feels that way in any case! I've been cooking all day, and we're going to send to a yummy turkey dinner after Matt gets home from work. These colder days just make me want to cook, bake....and eat. I better make sure I get some exercise in there as well. The kids and I did get out for a long time this afternoon. It's kind of a pain, because they all need coats, gloves, and mittens now. And only one of them can put all those things on themselves. I was really glad I said "yes" to outside time today though. It was not as cold as I had expected and the kids just had so much fun. Little Katy was cracking me up too. I was wearing her in the carrier, and every time we popped in to check on the cooking she started to cry. She wanted so badly to stay out with her siblings - she knows where the action is! Beth and Matt spent their afternoon making a huge rock wall. Seriously.....they lifted and hauled rocks for at least an hour. I only wish I had their energy.

Yesterday the kids had their very last gymnastic and swim sessions. It feels strange that we will not be back for the spring sessions this year. We have been taking classes through the Rec Dept since Beth was two, and the kids have loved all of them. I promised the kids I would look into classes for them in Mississippi. I've looked a little online, but we still don't know exactly where we are going to be living. I'm also hoping to find a church where they can continue in AWANA's.

As for this week, I am really trying to stay on track and get school done with the kids all five days. We already took last week off for Thanksgiving, and I'm sure most of December and January are going to be very hectic. We started off with a bang yesterday, but then today I couldn't find our current FIAR book. I think it got packed away for the move. Seriously...that is just my luck. It was pretty funny really. I had all the kids scrambling around helping me search for it, and then at the exact same time Beth, Matt, and I looked at the big stack of boxes. And then we knew. I'm trying to decide how badly I want it back. I may very well move onto the next book, and pick that one back up later.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:17:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic day! I was thinking about my family back in North Carolina. I miss them on holidays, even though it has been several years since we have been home for one. We had a very nice Thanksgiving here in Connecticut in any case. I made monkey bread for breakfast (had to start that terrible eating early in the day!) and we laid around in our pajamas watching the Macy's parade all morning. Then it was time to start cooking and getting ready for the big feast! We ate with some friends....there were 33 of us in total. I will miss our CT friends for sure after we move. We have spent so many holidays together now that it will be weird not being together next year. I think that it is only in the military that you can meet someone, and then just a short while later feel like they are a part of your family. Thank goodness the Internet makes it so easy to keep in touch these days. And who knows....maybe we will meet some of our old friends at duty stations again in the future.

Anyway, here are the little turkeys Beth, Matt, and Carrie made this year. Aren't they cute? I call those three my little turkeys all year around, so this project seemed very fitting. I love hearing the things they were thankful for. Some didn't surprise me at all - like Beth naming her kitties, lol. Some I was impressed it - like family, church, and God's world. Some just made me laugh - like a certain child who is thankful for dinosaurs.

And here is my tiny Katy Ann....all tuckered out. I dipped her binks in some candied yams this afternoon. She sucked it sooo hard, and just would not spit it out. I don't think she is quite ready to eat off a spoon though. Maybe next month!

One more month!

2010-11-19T15:16:00.002-05:00

We are down to just one more month here in Connecticut. After almost five years here, it is crazy to think about packing up and leaving it all behind. We arrived here with just Baby Beth, and are leaving with Beth, Matt, Carrie, and Baby Katy. Wow, not bad for one tour! Matt got his final orders today, and it all seems very official now. He has three more weeks of work, and then will be helping me tie up loose ends around the house before we head out. I'm kind of sad, but as the weather continues to get colder, wintering in Mississippi is sounding better and better.

In the meantime we are continuing on with school, swim lessons, gymnastics, playdates with friends, and all our usual activities. Beth is just about halfway through her kindergarten math and reading programs now. Matt is just starting his kindergarten year. Yes, I randomly started him in November. He was super jealous of Beth's work, and is really holding his own at the kindergarten level. He is just learning to write, so he can't do the written work that his sister can, but he is turning out to be quite the math and computer whiz. A stereotypical boy I guess!

Beth's book

2010-11-12T15:27:00.003-05:00

Her Cover

"het" is the

Table of Contents

Catching up

2010-11-08T15:13:00.002-05:00

Things have been busy busy around here!

We have finished one FIAR book, and started another since I last updated. The first one was:

We LOVED this book. It was a great way to learn about geography. I even went out and bought that globe I had been considering for a while. We of course also had to make an apple pie, and it was just the right time of year for us to be able to go pick our own. I think the kids' favorite related activity was painting these apple trees. I saw these online, and the only thing we did differently was using a footprint to make the tree trunk. The leaves were handprints and the apples were fingerprints...it was messy but fun!

Our next book, which we are still working on, is:

The cool thing about this book is it takes place here in Connecticut. In fact the restaurant on the book is on the street where I went to college! It apparently was a real place which closed back in the 70's, but the waterfront in the illustrations still looks very familiar to me. I only wish we had done this book sooner, before the weather got so cold. It would have been a good excuse for a field trip to the beach. We woke up to snow today though.....I think our beach trips are done for the season! This seems early to me, even for Connecticut.

In other news, my kids had their big Gran Prix race last night! They were so excited. This was our first year, and as you can see I had the kids make their own cars. Sadly, they didn't stand a chance against the cars made 100% by parents. I also did not know that you could add weight to the cars. Live and learn, right? Next year I will help them more.

The little yellow one is Carrie's. She was so jealous when they started painting, and then I remembered that I had some plain wooden cars I had picked up some time ago. Next year she will be old enough to be a Cubbie herself.

My Beth girl :)

Finally, I just had to share this picture of my little Katy Ann. Look how she loves her siblings! She is still not sleeping in her bed (at all!) but she has improved in letting me put her down during her awake periods. She especially loves her exersaucer.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T09:42:00.001-04:00

Book 4

2010-10-22T13:41:00.002-04:00

I guess I really can't really post these by week anymore since some of the books have lasted a bit longer than that.

This past week and a half we have been rowing Madeline.

This was a cute story, and the kids really enjoyed it. We learned some new vocabulary words, studied the art in the book, learned a little about France, and practiced healthy habits. I think the kids' favorite thing was when we coated our hands in a small amount of Vaseline sprinkled with black pepper. The pepper represented germs, and we compared the results of just a quick rinse in the sink verses a good scrubbing with soap and warm water. I hope that lesson will stick with them through the coming flu season!

Since the little girls in the book do everything in two lines of six, we also took this opportunity to learn a little about symmetry. I couldn't resist letting them make symmetrical butterflies, which is something I can remember doing when I was about their age. Beth requested orange and black so they could made Monarchs - her favorite. Our butterflies turned out a little asymmetrical in the end, but it was fun making them. I think I will try them again soon, using glue we squirt on rather than paint brushes.

In other news Beth earned her first Awana patch this week - she is so proud! I need to sew it on still so it's not in this picture. She asks me about it like three times a day. I promised her I would get it done before the next meeting! Their next Awana project is the Grand Prix (it's like the Pinewood Derby, if you have been involved with the Boy Scouts.) I am glad to turn that project over to Daddy.

Brrr...

2010-10-16T16:34:00.002-04:00

I think I can finally say fall is here! Connecticut is always jumpy with the season changes. Sometime in September we'll need to get the coats out, and then the next day it will be 90 degrees! It sure makes dressing the kids a pain...it's all about layers yet. Today is down right chilly though. I think we have worn our shorts for the last time this year.

We spent our crisp fall day out apple picking. It's been one of our favorite things about New England, and I will sure miss it. The kids also gathered an assortment of colorful gourds, pumpkins, and mums. As for Mom and Dad....we went in search of the hard cider!

We have just eight more weeks in Connecticut! I feel like the countdown is definitely on. It's been a while since we've done a full fledged military move, and there are just so many details to take care of. Why they make this so confusing I have no idea. You would think that the military would be THE experts on orchestrating moves, you know? Oh well, come hell or high water, we will be arriving in Mississippi in two more months! I just hope we have a place to live. Even a nice hotel room will do. One that takes four kids and two cats, lol.

School is going well. Beth and Matt are like little sponges. I am so glad, since I frequently feel like I don't have enough time to sit down with them one on one. Slowly but surely though we are getting used to having our little Katy with us during the school day. I just can't believe it took four months! I have been doing quite a bit of school with each of them in the evenings too (when Daddy is home) and that has been a huge help. Beth is really starting to read on her own, and that is my main academic goal for her this year. As for Matt....he always asks me when it is going to be his turn to do school. He is so active that I was just going to wait for next year before asking him to do seat work, but he has really surprised me with what he can suddenly do now. He even taught himself how to write his name! He writes it right to left as frequently as not, but still!

Beautiful Connecticut

2010-10-13T12:35:00.004-04:00

I am really going to miss it here! I never would have that that would be the case when we moved here, but 4 1/2 years later it has really grown on me.

We have been spending a good part of our days stomping through the woods. Who can resist in October? I think this is my favorite month of the year! Beth does her phonics and math work in the evenings now, after it has gotten dark and we're in for the day.

This morning we took a little field trip over to Mystic to walk along the river and watch the drawbridge open. We are learning about rivers this week, so I thought it would be a good time for a visit.

Happy Birthday :)

2010-10-11T15:28:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! He's 27 this year, and we started dating when he was 17 (and I was 16.) I can't believe it has been ten years already! I still feel the same. I guess the four kids prove we are not teenagers anymore though. Next month will make eight years of marriage as well.

I'm so glad it fell on Columbus Day this year...it's awesome having a three day weekend! The weather was perfect for apple picking too, so we spent a nice day at the orchard. After that it was home for apple crisp and cider....yummy!

I just love having Matt home. I enjoy his company of course, but it's also nice having an extra set of hands. I feel like I can get so much more done, and he always the best ideas for activities with the big kids. I think I should look for a job and let him homeschool!

Home Again :)

2010-10-05T20:13:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful visit to North Carolina and Virginia last week. It is never easy taking such a long trip with four little kids, but I have to say that my kids all travel pretty well. Unfortunately we did have one get sick on the way down (she had a fever and was throwing up, poor thing) but at least no one else got it. My brother-in-laws wedding was beautiful, and little Miss Beth made a very cute flower girl. We also enjoyed seeing lots of family we have not seen in several years.

After 10 days on the road we were all happy to roll back up to our own home this weekend. Now if I could only catch up on laundry, unpacking, and all of our regular housework.... Katy still wants me to hold her 24/7 so it is very hard to get much of anything done during the day. I feel like I should be some kind of baby expert at this point, but it turns out each baby has been totally different. I feel like my holding her so much we are just teaching her to expect that, but on the other hand she gets SO upset when we do put her down that I feel terrible. She dislikes her swing, her bouncy seat, and the sling I have. I just bought her a bumbo chair and a different carrier today to try. Have you ever met such a spoiled little princess? I figure I will just have to do the best I can for now, and this time next year she will be up and running all over the place anyway. I'm not sure how that is going to equal LESS housework...but at least I'll be able to get off the couch and get to work, lol.

Week 4

2010-09-21T14:14:00.002-04:00

We are having a short school week since we are leaving for my BIL's wedding first thing Thursday morning. I am looking forward to seeing all of our relatives, but not to the 14+ hour drive.

This is our FIAR book of the week.

Another great story! So far I am loving each of the book selections. This one is especially good for us since Beth and Matt are learning a little about Chinese geography and culture, and little Carrie is having fun with duck related activities. Anyone remember this song? I know I sang it when I was a preschooler. Carrie has us singing it all day!

Six little ducks that I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones too
But the one little duck with the feather on her back
She led the others with a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
She led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Well down to the river they did go
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, ho ho ho
But the one little duck with the feather on her back
She led the others with a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
She led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Well home from the river they did come
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble, ho hum hum
But the one little duck with the feather on his back
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack
He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Aside from our Ping related activities we have managed to get some math and phonics lessons in with Beth, and have spent tons of time playing outside. It is about 70 degrees during the day now - perfect! All of our fall activities started back up this week as well, so I have been doing a little running around. We have AWANA's, gymnastics, swim lessons, library storytime, and a science class that meets twice a month. Spread over the course of the week those seem like just enough for us.

In the house the kids manage to keep themselves entertained pretty well. They have never been big on TV, which I suppose is good, but their dusk till dawn playing sure does make a mess of my house! Beth at least is a good little helper when it comes time to cleanup. The others are a work in progress...

When they do venture down from their playroom, this is what I find. I think Matt needs to stop letting his sisters give him fashion advice.

Week 3

2010-09-15T14:51:00.002-04:00

We're having another fun and busy week...I can't believe it is already Wednesday afternoon! This past weekend we went to the zoo, fair, Chuck E Cheese, and the park. I think my house is a kids' paradise, lol. It's because all I want to do is play with the kids myself....I have to make myself stay home and take care of the housework and cooking. I think the kids' favorite outing was the fair. We didn't do the rides this year....we just went to see all the 4-H exhibits. Beth especially LOVED all the animals and wanted to sit and watch all the 4-H kids show their animals. She now wants me to buy her a little brown goat. I think military housing would frown upon that.

We are enjoying our school work as well. This is our book of the week.

It's such a cute story....I recommend it for anyone, even if you are not using Five in a Row. My kids are loving FIAR btw! I wasn't sure that they'd go for reading the same book five times in one week, but we even my hyper little boy loves to sit and listen to the story each day. The books are older and can be a bit hard to find, but so far each one I've read has been of the best quality. Beth is still plugging along with her kindergarten phonics and math programs. Math is a favorite for all of the kids and is easy to include the little guys in, but reading is turning out to be quite a challenge. The other kids are just so LOUD all the time, and I have a lot of trouble trying to keep her focused long enough to get through a lesson. I'm thinking about either shifting her reading work to during quiet time (when all the kids are in their own rooms) or the evening (when my dh is home to help.)

My little Katy is three months old now....she is just too sweet! She never ever lets us put her down, but she does reward us with little smiles and coos all day long. I feel like I could actually catch up around the house if she would sleep a little better....but it just isn't in the cards! Maybe next year, lol.

Matt wrote his name for the first time this week! A certain Very Bad Mommy threw his paper in the trash, then later had to fish it out from under broken egg shells (ew.) Luckily the part he wrote on was dry, so I cut that out and managed to save it. He also enjoyed painting and several other art activities this week. A few months ago he wouldn't have been interested in any of this. I'm glad to see him sitting for short periods at least now.

Mostly though, he just wants to spend his days outside....having sword fights and getting into all sorts of messes. He plays happily with his sisters all day, but he is mighty excited when the school bus comes at 4pm and drops all the neighborhood boys back off.

Week 2

2010-09-08T14:49:00.002-04:00

We are settling into our school routine - if there is such a thing as "routine" with a two year old and two month old in the house anyway. I loved having Matt home for Labor Day. If only every work week was four days with a three day weekend. I think that would make life just about perfect! We grilled out with friends twice this weekend, went swimming at the lake, went to the splash park, and went to an outdoor concert by the CG Band. Basically we just tried to enjoy a last taste of summer! A lot of our summer hangouts closed for the season on Monday, and by the time they reopen next year we will be long gone from Connecticut.

Beth has done about 50 lessons in her McRuffy LA and Math books now (we started last spring, then took the summer off.) She is doing really well. It frustrates me though that she can do perfect work with me sitting beside her, but then when I go to tend to the little ones the whole thing falls apart. I'm not sure if it's lack of focus, just her age, or the fact that she just enjoys me sitting with her, lol. Of course you'd have to have a heck of an attention span to get anything done in this zoo....I know I can barely keep my train of thought most mornings! She is on the verge of reading independently, and I think she will really enjoy being able to do that. She LOVES books, and has since she was a baby. Carrie on the other hand likes to color in her books...or my books...or on the furniture.....I've got to watch that girl!

Kindergarten

2010-09-02T16:01:00.004-04:00

Today was Beth's first day of kindergarten. I just can't believe how big she has gotten!

The kids were super excited about their new lunch boxes, even though we ate at home.

My big girl with her new lunch box and tennies

Matt is in pre-k this year.

We started our day with circle time - complete with the pledge, a special song, our memory Bible verse, calendar, and a weather report.

We then moved onto Math and Reading. Beth is using McRuffy this year. Matt has some workbooks I have picked up here and there.

Our FIAR book this week is "Lentil" so we read that and did some related activities.

Matt did a little pattern work....you can tell he did this for like ten seconds before he made a rainbow railroad track, lol. That's my boy!

At some point we went outside to do some swinging and tossed around the football for a while. It was HOT, but the kids still wanted out.

The rest of our morning was spent listening to music and working with some craft materials. The kids loved making these picture frames. I was really surprised that Carrie could do this completely on her own...she's growing up on me!

After lunch we got on the school bus after all. Sort of anyway, lol. We hit up an indoor playplace for a few hours of air conditioned fun.

So that was my Bethie's first day of school! :) I think it went really well, and the kids are excited about starting the school year. Of course tomorrow we may or may not be getting a hurricane. I thought I had left all that mess behind me when we moved to New England!

Home Again!

2010-08-30T18:28:00.002-04:00

We're home from our fabulous week in the Virginia mountains. We had such a good time, and even the loooong drive went better than I had expected. Beth and Matt just swam and swam and swam in the lake....they never wanted to get out. Carrie loved the boat rides, feeding the fish, and playing with my parents' dogs. Miss Katy loved being fed every 45 minutes, lol.

It is 90 degrees here so it's hard to believe that summer will ever end, but we are in fact planning on starting school back up next week. I've got the first four weeks all planned out and ready to go!

Picture Post

2010-08-17T11:35:00.005-04:00

Wow, this summer is really winding down fast! We're trying to squeeze in a few more weeks of fun while we can. I feel like I have just gotten the hang of taking Baby Katy out and about, and now Fall is just around the corner. I do love Fall in New England though, and this will be our last one here.

This past week we....

Made Tie Dye

Visited the Aquarium

Charlotte, one of the kids' favorite animals there

Dug a big hole, lol

Visited the Children's Museum

Climbed trees

Went to the end of summer camp picnic

And watched our little princess grow even bigger!

Summer camp...

2010-08-14T18:48:00.002-04:00

is over! Beth and Matt had such a fun time going. They met new friends, played games, did art projects, went on field trips, and so many other cool things. I'm so glad we decided to send them, especially since I spent most of my summer taking care of my new little peanut and didn't get out as much as usual.

We now have one more week of summer vacation here at the house, and then we will be gearing up for our annual family vacation in the Virginia Mountains. I can't wait! Well, I could probably do without the 14 hour drive, but I'm trying not to think too much about that.

When we get back, I think we will take one more week off, and then start school the week of Labor Day. I am ready, and I think the kids will be too by then. I guess I have Fall on the mind because it feels like it is here already. The last two days have only had highs in the 70's and lows in the 80's - it's been great!

We are using McRuffy K for Language Arts and Math this year, as well as Five in a Row. I have my first two weeks planned out. I think we'll just see how that goes, and then plan the next few weeks. Of course any scheduling I do has to be pretty flexible with a two year old and a two month old in the house. Wish me luck, lol. Outside of school the two older kiddos are taking gymnastics and swim lessons at the Rec. I'm trying to keep it simple this year. We just have so much going on and stay busy right here at home. Not to mention our big move to Missississippi coming this December.

It's a hat day!

2010-08-10T10:35:00.002-04:00

Matt the tiger. This is so fitting for him since we always called him our "tiny tiger" as a baby.

Beth the piggy (with her friend Oma the Ostrich)

Carrie the bull

CG Day

2010-08-07T08:46:00.004-04:00

Happy 220th Birthday!

Three of my little Coasties...

We spent our Coast Guard Day at Lake Compounce, just as we have all five summers we have spent in Connecticut. Lake Compounce is a locally owned amusement park, complete with a water park, rides, games, food, and the lake of course. It was hot, so the kids spent the first several hours playing in the pool and on the water slides. It was pretty hard having little Katy out in that weather....there was not a place to sit or a patch of shade to be found on the water half. Once we made it over to the amusement park side things were easier. Beth and Matt were big enough to ride a lot of things by themselves this year, so that was nice. As for Carrie, she had Daddy to take her around the park! After many hours of playing in the park, we finished our trip with a big picnic dinner with all the other Coast Guard families. All in all a good day!

It's August!

2010-08-02T12:28:00.002-04:00

That means we have had sweet Katy home for over a month now. She is just all kinds of cute! I have no desire for her to get any bigger at all....but of course I can tell she is already growing and will soon leave the newborn stage behind her. She's much more alert these days and is becoming a champ at holding her head up.

Life is still crazy for me, and I feel like I live for the weekends when Matt is home to lend a hand. Everything seems just perfect when there are two of us and four of them. I'm still getting used to there being four of them and one of me all week! Beth has really matured at least, and has become quite the little helper. I can't believe she is in kindergarten this year - I feel like it was just yesterday that she was my baby! Almost all my baby clothes have gone through all three girls too (and some went through Matt as well) and I can so clearly picture each of them in the little outfits I put Katy in.

Now Miss Beth is all long arms and legs, and loves to swim and bike. I think that by next summer she won't even need the floaties or training wheels. I took she and Matt swimming twice this weekend, and they are both looking really good.

Cows & Cones

2010-07-27T14:17:00.002-04:00

The cows....

The "cones"....

The kids love this place! Ice cream and farm animals....what's not to like?

A new week...

2010-07-26T17:44:00.003-04:00

Wow, this summer is just flying by! The kids are busy with camp, I'm busy with little Katy, and we are all enjoying getting outside when we can. We had a wonderful day in the 80's today...such an improvement over last week's 100 degree days.

This past week Beth and Matt went to vacation bible school with the little boys next door. Our home church is kind of small and doesn't do anything like that, s0 I was glad they had a chance to go to this church. I was really impressed...everyone there did such a nice job working with the kids. It was obvious they had been planning and working for many months. Little Matt had some trouble, the wiggle worm that he his, but I sent him three of the nights anyway because he just wanted to go so bad. We gave him his own little Bible and he was so proud to carry it around. He did a super job memorizing his verses too. Beth knew hers every night, but Matt is the one who can still remember all of them a week later. I just wish he could sit still longer. He's only 4 1/2, I'm hoping it comes with time. Miss Beth went all five nights, and one of the nights she won "Diver of the Day" which goes to a child from each class who has done a good job that night. She was so excited to get called up during the closing ceremony. Then on the last day they put all the previous winners' names in a hat for a big drawing and she won that too. What a lucky kid! She was smiling ear to ear...her teacher had to go up to help her carry all her prizes. She got a great big stuffed frog and a whole backpack full of water toys. She shared everything with Matt since those two are two peas in a pod, and that was the big excitement of their weekend!

Well, we have two big trips coming up in the next two months and I'm sooo not ready. First we are going to the Virginia mountains for a week in August. I am excited about that. I just am worried about surviving the drive! Beth is fine, but Matt gets car sick, Carrie is like half potty trained, and Katy thinks she needs to nurse every thirty minutes. Then in September my BIL is getting married so we are down to North Carolina for that. Those are both about 14-15 hour drives...the one to NC is worse with more busy roads and traffic. I wouldn't normally do two trips so close together, but the mountain trip is our yearly family vacation (which we sooo need - I can't wait!) and then we will really feel like we should be at the wedding. We'll get to see some family we haven't seen in several years too, so that will be nice.

Beach day!

2010-07-19T13:18:00.002-04:00

After moving to Connecticut from Florida I was shocked at what people here even considered a "beach." They will seriously sit in bumper to bumper traffic for hours and hours, pay $30 for a parking spot, all to find a tiny patch of rocky beach to claim for the day. It really made me miss the endless white sand beaches of Florida and North Carolina....and the public parking! Over the past few years though we've found several really nice places to go in the summer. What Connecticut does have is a fabulous state park system. Some are free, some have a small parking fee, and all are very nice. We've even found a few little spots that aren't as busy. That's perfect for us....I don't do crowds with four little kids in tow. And I've come to find that the New England coast really has it's own charm. My kids love climbing on the big rocks, collecting the small ones, and even catching crabs with just a bucket.

Here's Bethie doing a little math on the coast! I do search out the sandy spots for her because she loves writing in them so much.

And some art as well... This was supposed to be a picture of all three kids, but you can see that I had minimal cooperation.

And my little tiny one. :)

Another summer week....

2010-07-17T18:14:00.002-04:00

Big Matt has been pretty busy with work and his night class so I've had lots of time with just the kiddos. With the exception of one very ill fated trip to the commissary everything went pretty well.

Matt and Beth had another fun week of camp. They took field trips to the park, to a library program, and to the beach. On beach day I tagged along with the little girls for about an hour, and Carrie had a big time playing in the sand. I was hoping to go back as a family today but Matt got called into work. We'll have to go soon....the weather forecast for the whole week looks great!

At home we did some coloring, some work book pages, and some crafts.

I am thoroughly enjoying staying in the air conditioning myself. The weather has been crazy humid this year, especially considering that we live in Connecticut. The big kids of course want none of that though - they want to be outside whenever they can!

We also hit up the annual block party this week.

There was tons of junk food (which the kids fully enjoyed,) a dunking booth, bumper cars, a train ride, and lots of different booths set-up. Beth took a turn at the dunking booth and knocked the lady in the first try. I was impressed! She really has had a good arm since she was a baby...maybe she'll play softball in a few more years.

Little Miss Katy spent her week getting lots of snuggles and resisting any attempts to lay her down at anytime. :P

I can't believe July is half over! We'll be gearing up to start school in again before we know it.

Who's the baby again?

2010-07-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

Most of my pregnancy I was worried about how Carrie would react when we brought the new baby home. She was very much the pampered little princess of the family and I thought a tough adjustment might be in our future. I was very relieved when just a few weeks before Katy's birth she suddenly seemed to mature from a baby into a little girl. She started talking more, walking instead of wanting to be held, and just became more independent overall. When she came to the hospital to meet Katy she loved her right away, and has been nothing but helpful and gentle since we brought her home. The only thing I have to watch out for is her love of giving Katy some hard pushes in her swing and car seat. I guess she figures she likes to swing high - why wouldn't Katy?

The one problem that I did not foresee is that she just doesn't want to give up her things! It really is very funny to watch, but it's also becoming a pain to deal with. She is very possessive of anything that has ever belonged to her. The baby blankets and burp cloths are all in a pile in her toddler bed...she'll pull them right off of Katy. She puts on Katy's bibs, crams her fat little feet into her booties, and even tried to put on a newborn onsie. The strange thing is that the few things we have gotten new for Katy she doesn't touch - she just doesn't want to give her any of HER things. I really don't know what to do. I don't want to buy new baby things when we have perfectly good ones already that have made it through my first three kids. The biggest item is the glider that is in Carrie's nursery. I'd love to put that in my room so I could nurse the baby, but Carrie loves that chair. She sits in it and rocks herself and reads her board books everyday. She is one stubborn little mama! If there is a lesson in all of this I guess it is to start weaning your toddler off all the baby things several months BEFORE your new little one arrives.

One month!

2010-07-13T15:12:00.004-04:00

Little Katy is one month old today. The time is just flying right by... She has a little cold, but other than that is doing really well. I feel bad for her, I've never had a baby get sick this young before. I guess that what happens when you have two older sisters and an older brother giving you kisses all the time.

She loves her binky! I've never understood how some moms make it through without pacifiers. Maybe my kids just have a higher sucking need than most...the binkies are a lifesaver in my house!

We went and saw the doctor yesterday and she is up to 6 pounds 10 ounces....almost a pound higher than her birth weight. She still looks teeny tiny to me.

We just love her. I don't even mind staying up half the night with her. Matt stays up the other half of the night by the way - there seems to be no actual sleeping on her part, lol. I know she will be big soon enough though and we are just treasuring every little moment.

2010-07-09T12:30:00.002-04:00

Wow...life with four kids at home is sure turning out to be exhausting. Katy is a good baby, things are just hectic right now. Going from two to three kids was so easy for us, so I kind of expected a repeat of that, but I'm finding four pretty crazy! I did the breakfast dishes at 5pm last night and counted it a success, lol.

I'm so glad I decided to send Beth and Matt to camp this year. It's hard to get outside with them myself since the temperatures have been so high and I don't want Katy to get overheated. I know they have a few fun hours each morning now though to play games, spend time with their friends, and just burn some energy. Next week they are going on a field trip to the beach...they're so excited! Matt and I were hoping to take a family trip to the lake tomorrow, but now they are calling for thunderstorms. Go figure...it's been hot and dry everyday this week. Maybe we'll get lucky with a few clear hours in the morning..

Here's Miss Katy and her only sibling who is jealous of the new baby - Romeo!
Matt says every time he picks her up she licks his chest a few times and then cries. So disappointing, lol. As you can see though she will still settle in for a good snuggle with Daddy after a few minutes. What she will NOT do is settle anywhere other than in one of our arms. She does like being in the sling, which makes it possible to get at least some stuff done around here. I took her out in it yesterday though and I thought she was going to melt...it just seemed way too hot to have her all wrapped up like that. I am rethinking this summer baby that I wanted so much...I think April (Matt's birthday) was a better time for a new baby. BUT...it's just this year I have to worry about. Next summer, and every summer after, we can have a fun outdoor birthday party for her. I'm thinking Popsicles and sprinklers...it doesn't get easier than that!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T15:37:00.002-04:00

We went and saw fireworks last night, went to a parade today, and Matt has tomorrow off from work. All in all a pretty great weekend!

My red, white, and blue kids

At the parade

Happy Girl!

All settled in

2010-07-02T10:27:00.004-04:00

Night two went pretty well. I crashed at like 9:30, Matt gave her a bottle of expressed milk about midnight, and then she didn't get up to nurse again till about 3:30. So six hours of sleep for me....I'll take it! Of course once she got up at 3:30 she was up for the day. I was pretty sad when I saw the sun coming up and realized that the night had indeed ended. Sure enough the big kids soon joined us.

Beth and Matt are also doing really well in their new rooms. I held out on having them share for so long, but now I am really glad we made the switch. Matt came out once and said he was lonely :( but then slept okay.

This is Beth's room...a lot of the art projects on the wall are left over from when this was their playroom. I'm not quite done getting things set up for her, but we're getting there.

And here is Matt's room...it looks so big with just one bed in there! He and Beth's beds turn into bunkbeds, and I always thought we'd have two little boys to use them one of these days.

I know there are a lot of white walls, but we live in military quarters, and I'm not sure I am up for having to repaint everything each time we move.

Yawn

2010-07-01T10:37:00.003-04:00

Am I the only one who totally forgets how much sleep deprivation sucks in between babies? I'm one tired mama today! And it's been all of one night. Only what?? Maybe six more months to go! Really though she did very well. We are just out of practice. Matt and I BOTH got out of bed every time she whimpered I think...she is one pampered little princess.

In other news Beth and Matt got their own rooms last night. They have shared for like 2 1/2 years and I really liked that arrangement. They had a great big room with a big closet, and it was just a nice set-up. The last few weeks though they have been been playing and carrying on every single night, and it was just wearing me out. We really tried everything, but nothing we did seemed to convince them they should stop running around the room and go to sleep anytime before 10pm...or even later. So, last night we did a switchero. Matt kept the big bedroom, and I moved Beth into the small bedroom that used to be a playroom at the front of the house. Her room really looks cute. She has her twin bed, a small nightstand, her dresser, and a set of colored cubbies. It's a lot smaller than the other room, but now that she's all moved in it seems just right. Matt meanwhile looks like he is living in a studio apartment down the hall, lol. I moved the train table and several other large toys in with him. I think the biggest issue with the move is going to be that I now have toys in all three bedrooms. I really didn't mind if the playroom stayed messy for a few days...I'd just shut the door when people came over. I can't let EVERY room look like that though. Beth and Matt are getting pretty good about picking up and making their beds though. I think as long as I stay on them about it they'll do okay. As for last night, Matt went straight to sleep. Meanwhile I caught Beth trying to sneak down the hall and back into his room two times. I guess we know who the instigator was now! After the second time she did stay in her room and go to sleep. It made for a much more peaceful evening for us all. Now eventually someone will have to share again, now that we have more kids than rooms. Maybe we'll put Carrie and Katy together. I think this arrangement is going to work well for now though!

Firefighters Beth and Matt

2010-06-30T20:57:00.002-04:00

Much to Beth and Matt's excitement, they looked out their window during "nap time" (yeah right!) this afternoon, and spotted a firetruck right up the hill at the community center. They were having a kid safety day complete with a firetruck, a stranger danger talk from the police, and even a bounce house. Lucky kids, right? They were already all wound up from bringing their little sister home. Luckily for me, Big Matt took the afternoon off, so he took them up for a bit. Once the little girls woke up I took them as well. I thought they'd opt to spend the afternoon in the bounce house, but the firetruck was really the big hit for Beth and Matt. Carrie found a popcorn machine and that was her favorite, lol.

Oh happy day!

2010-06-30T20:54:00.002-04:00

We brought little Katherine Ann home today. She is just 5 pounds 11 ounces of sweetness. :) She's had a great first day...hopefully that will carry over to tonight as well!

Sibling pictures

2010-06-25T21:22:00.003-04:00

These are just too cute not to post. :) The kids all went to visit Katy this afternoon - she is twelve days old now. I can't wait till we can bring her home!

Beth and Matt checking her out...

My oldest and my youngest

And all the Tyson girls...it's going to be so much fun watching these three grow up together.

Our week

2010-06-25T15:40:00.005-04:00

Today is Matt's last day of leave...he has to head back to work on Monday. I thought for sure we'd have Katy home by now, but no luck there. Hopefully next week I guess... In the meantime we have been trying to keep the other kids as close to their normal routine as possible, while also juggling multiple trips to the hospital each day.

The older kids spent a morning at the children's museum this week, an afternoon at the aquarium, saw Toy Story 3, went to the splash park, and visited their sister in the hospital a few times. Matt (bless him, he's braver than me!) took all three of them to see Katy this afternoon. We were going to put Carrie down for a nap and just have the older two go, but despite us only whispering about it in the other room, Carrie cried pitifully and said "I see Katy too!" So off she went...my spoiled little redhead! They love everything about the hospital from the parking garage, to the toys in the waiting room, to Katy's colorful bedding, to the food in the cafeteria. I'm glad someone is enjoying this! lol... When I took Beth the other day she said "We sure are lucky Katy came early! I like her so much already, and I would have been sad waiting till July to have her."

Anyway, here are a few children's museum pictures. I can't wait to have some pictures with all four kids! I don't even think it has really sunk in that we have four yet...I need to see them all together.

I love summer.

2010-06-21T13:46:00.002-04:00

The first day of summer has finally arrived, although we have been enjoying warm weather for several weeks now. Our little garden is really doing well this year, although I've been slacking since Katy was born and it really could use a good weeding. We have tomatoes, peppers, and various flowers growing right now. The kids planted these flowers from seeds and have really enjoyed seeing them come in.

And look...we caught a little bug in this shot.

Here's Miss Beth and our tomatoes and peppers. These little plants have put out a crazy amount of tomatoes already...the peppers are just starting to come in. I will definitely be planting a bigger patch once we are out of a townhouse and have more space to work with.
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Katherine - 1 week old

2010-06-20T18:09:00.004-04:00

I had hoped that Katy would be home by now, but she is still in the NICU. She is slowly making progress....maybe she will be with us next weekend.

A few days ago she came off of the c-pap and went onto the cannula. And just today she had her IV taken out and was able to wear clothes and move to a crib for the first time.

In order to come home she needs to learn to feed by mouth, get off the cannula, and not have anymore apnea (she hasn't had any in 24 hours!) That doesn't sound so hard does it? Come on Katy...we know you can do it!

She has also had a low grade fever these fast few days. The doctors have checked and checked for infection though and haven't found a thing. We are all just wondering if she runs hot. She looks so funny just laying there in nothing but a diaper most of the time. All the other tiny babies are bundled up from head to toe to try to keep their temperatures up.