family

I feel like we've really turned a corner at our house. BIG TIME. In so many ways I can't even tell you. I feel like my kids are actually friends these days. They play so nicely together - most of the time. I truly want to foster in them the idea that they are friends and can be friends all their lives.


During our family viewing of Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving.

Ted is a great big brother. He's so helpful and so kind. We had our first parent/teacher conference two weeks ago. I was completely blessed by it. He has wonderful teachers that help reinforce our idea of making good choices and being a good friend. Ted is teaching Sophie how to play using her imagination and teaching her things he learns at school. He helps her use the potty and watches out for her. Even when she's a real turkey. He loves turning the hamper upside down to get her out of her bed on Saturday mornings - her bed is too high for her to get out of on her own. Tonight he was playing cars in the living room after Sophie went to bed. He just looked so big. And he played so big. With his bad guys and his good guys. Using his imagination. When he ate his smiley face cookie that Ben brought home for him, we talked about who he might marry when he grows up. Sydney, Maisie, and Mary Taylor topped the list! Although his first pick was Sophie!


The boy can even relax in his sleep.

I feel like Sophie is a whole new kid - even from when we moved here. She's started playing on her own a lot more. Her favorite things right now are her baby and drawing. She takes her baby all sorts of places - which is somewhat representative of what she and I do during the days. And she will draw for long periods of time. She loves markers more than anything but gets in trouble for drawing on herself. So, she goes back and forth with crayons and markers. Potty training is coming along. She has more accidents than I would like. Pooping is a whole other issue since she only poops every 3 (sometimes 4) days. I KNOW! Seriously. But I'm still not confident of her choices in that area yet since we haven't had a lot of practice. Usually on poop day I stay home a lot just in case. We had a poop incident at the park and that was AWFUL! It is life changing that she has gone from having to have my eyes on her at all times, to being able to leave her in another room and be semi-confident she won't ingest or destroy everything in sight.


This is her attire most days. Tobogan and gloves, no pants. She looks good in hats. Especially with her braids.


And her coloring. Without pants of course!

We eat dinner as a family more than we EVER have before. Ben is home more than ever before. Sometimes in the evenings we're not sure what to do with ourselves. We're not used to time together. It's actually been an adjustment for us. But a great one. Ben helps with baths most nights and even makes dinner every once in awhile. I feel like a family.