Last week was an exception to my new goal. I stayed out until 2:30 in the morning! The last time I did that was... well, I can’t even remember. A friend and I went to a double movie feature of Twilight and New Moon. It was actually fun because there were soooo many people and they all seemed to be big Twilight fans which made for good atmosphere. Boy, some women just don’t grow up when they see a good looking body like wolf boys! I also went to see My Sisters Keeper with some friends from church (which, by the way, is a great movie definitely worth seeing). So I literally haven’t been to the movie theatre in about ten years and now I’m supposed to be going to see New Moon again tonight with church girls - 3 times in one month! Well, enough about movies, now onto the fam.
Our guinea pigs are still a big hit in our family and both Hayden and Ashton love to hold them, but as expected, MUMMY is the one left to clean out their cage 3 times a week which simply means one more thing to get done everyday! Grrr. I had no idea guinea pigs pee and poop so much! We finally have a hutch for them and they are outside now. Tony took them into Hayden’s classroom this week for show and tell which was a great excitement for Hayden.
Still no job for Tony. We really didn’t expect he’d be out of work this long (3 months). The sad thing is that all our savings are just about gone since we’ve been living of it and using it to pay the mortgage etc. Talk about a huge bummer. We really hope he gets a job in December or else we might be moving into a tent and camping permanently! He’s getting the interviews, he’s just not getting picked for the job because there are so many good candidates and so much competition with so many people looking for work. As it always helps to look on the positive side, there are some benefits to our uncertainty at the moment. Tony is a very humble guy lately which has been super nice! He's also been forced to spend more time with the kids since he's had little to do. The boys have been thriving on having Tony/Daddy around more. He's also got a new appreciation of what it means to have a job. Tony often complained about going to work, but I think he realizes now that a job is a privlidge and a blessing, and that a lot of peace comes from knowing that he can support his family. During his three months at home we have also grown closer together as a couple. Having said that, I get irritated from time to time that I have to keep the kids quiet during the day so he can talk on the phone or concentrate on the computer, or I get irritated that I have to come home from being out during the day so he can use the car, but there have been lots of benefits too. Tony will take the boys to and from school quite regularly which gives me time to do things for myself, he takes Hayden to his swimming lesson at 6pm so I can get the dinner cooked, or he'll get Noah in the car for me, or get him dressed and all those little things make such a difference. I think our HF always has a plan, but we are eagerly waiting to see what it is and we are struggling to keep the faith.
A little about Noah over the past month; Noah has turned into a bit of a rascal lately. He is just like Hayden when Hayden was 2yrs old, he runs everywhere and away from us every chance he gets. I can’t take him to the shops or any public place without making sure he is strapped in a buggy. The other day Noah kept saying to me; “I behave, I behave, I behave Mummy”. So, I gave in and decided he could walk into the shop like a big boy. It took me 3 minutes to find him and catch him in the store. He ran wild hiding in every corner and laughed mischievously every time I tried to get him. Little devil!
A picture of Noah eating Hummus. It’s his favourite food. He asks for it breakfast, lunch and dinner!
A picture of Noah hiding. After his evening shower he thinks it’s great fun to run and hide under his cot where we can’t get him.
A little about Hayden over the past month; Hayden had his very first trip to the dentist last week (7yrs old). The last 7 years of persisting that he brush his teeth well morning and night paid off as his teeth were in great shape and nothing needed to be done (other than putting a sealant over a couple of teeth that had extra deep crevices).
Hayden started hip hop dance classes about 3 months ago with his friend Alec. The class is BOYS only and there are only 6 of them. The teacher is a very young black African man who is a really good dancer. The studio is full of mirrors for the kids to practice in front of. Hayden had his first dance performance last Saturday. He was a little nervous, but after he performed he thought the lights, stage and loud music were really cool. He’s definitely a beginner at the dancing, but he did very well for only having done hip hop a short time. The class is really good for improving his concentration and co-ordination and he and Alec take the class seriously.
We have noticed Hayden’s personality changing lately. He seems to be growing up and showing signs of maturity by being more aware of how his actions and words affect others. A few nights ago Hayden woke me up in the night because he was having nightmares. I tucked him back into bed and that was the end of it, but I was a little annoyed because I am so frequently woken up by all three boys. In the morning before school, completely out of the blue, he apologized to me for waking me up (what a nice surprise). One afternoon I bought him an ice-cream from the diary (a rare treat) and about two hours after eating it he sincerely thanked me again for buying it for him. But the nicest thing he’s done lately was during one of our trophy evenings. The trophy’s are a big deal to the kids and they get quite excited about trophy night, but there are only two and usually 6 of us (including our student). I awarded him the trophy for doing so well with his reading and going up a level, and then I announced that if I had a third trophy I would give it to Ashton for his amazing clay construction. There was a moment's silence and Hayden said, “Here Ashton, you can have my trophy, you deserve it”. We are proud of him for making some nice choices lately.
A few photos of Hayden. I forgot to take some during his hip hop concert, but he also performed at school last Friday in the Kapa Haka group (maori dance group). Again, this was his first time performing and he was a little unsure of what he was doing, but we're so glad he is giving it a go and trying his best.
A photo of Hayden with Pluto and Gizmo. I just discovered this photo which Tony must have taken during the week. If I had known I would have said, "Please get those guinea pigs off my nice couch cushions!"
Last but not least our little Ashton; Ashton has finally given up the dummy for good. This is a HUGE milestone for him. He was so attached to it for going to sleep at night and we had made several attempts to encourage him to give it up, but to no avail. He would simply have huge meltdowns, wake up in the night, etc. It was stressful for all of us, especially me. If I gave it to him at night he would fall asleep within 3 minutes, but if I refused, the crying and fussing would go on forever. So what was the answer… Well, he went to the dentist too and was told he had beautiful clean teeth. But then the dentist asked if he sucked his thumb or had a dummy. When he replied, "dummy," she firmly told him that he wasn’t to have it anymore because he was pushing his top teeth forward and he would end up looking like Bugs Bunny. He looked at me with a very sad face, but he must have made his mind up right then and there that he was going to give it up. That was all it took, that one small moment… and he has never looked back. He has been SO PROUD of himself for not having it. The first few mornings he would wake up every morning telling us that he GREW because he didn’t have it anymore. Hooray, we finally have that taken care of, and HOORAY for Ashton making his own & first big decision!
1 comment:
Wow Loretta. You are the blog master today. Great entry! You're in our prayers as far as the job goes... Hopefully soon! :)
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