God Loves Me

That is the title of Jadon's first book. On Friday Jadon didn't have school, he was out for a teacher work day. So, he spent the day writing a book. He spent all day and night writing. The idea for the book, every thing he wrote and the spelling was all him, no help. 

On Sunday Jadon decided that every person in his class should have a copy. So, he and Todd spent the evening making copies to hand out to his friends. While waiting for the bus on Monday he was holding his stack of books, he didn't want them put in his backpack to get wrinkled, and he said, "I think my class will like this, if I was given a book like this I would read it every night before I went to bed."

Jadon came home carrying the same stack of books minus 1 that his teacher kept. We received a very nice letter from his teacher explaining why the books couldn't be handed out during class and offered to help him give them to his friends after school.

Todd and I knew he probably would take his stack of books and not be able to pass them out. But we pray daily for our children to have boldness in their faith. We were able to have great conversation about how some don't believe these truths about God, but that we are still called to go and preach the good news, tell friends and everyone about Him.

One of my favorites is where he wrote God is Good and the illustration to go along with it is a picture of a person hurting (bleeding). God is good even when you are hurting. Amen.

Lemonade Stands

Jadon has been wanting all summer to do a lemonade stand. The problem is we do not live in an area that works for having a lemonade stand. When Donna and Karla decided to have a garage sale Jadon took the opportunity to finally have his lemonade stand. Donna made cupcakes for him to sell along with the lemonade.

He did a great job. He proudly sat at the stand and when someone bought a glass from him, he got the ice, poured the lemonade and even counted the change if needed. He did very well at it too, making $13. After putting some back for God, reimbursing me for the lemonade and paying Haven for helping him, she went around asking people if they would like a cupcake and helped him serve, he came out with a net profit of $9. Not too bad for a lemonade stand in the country.

When Haven was not helping Jadon she was enjoying time with Buddy, the Guinea Pig. She loves him and is completely convinced that when she is not there he misses her.

Jude took a time out from looking for frogs to hold Buddy.

I Love Kindergarten

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I have been excited about Jadon starting Kindergarten for some time now. I have thought about how I could volunteer at his school and go on field trips and be a room mom, all the fun stuff a mom gets to do when their kids start school.

I have joined the PTO and so far since the first day of school have been up there weekly doing something. I have helped work the Book Fair, which I made friends with other moms and the wonderful Librarian.

I worked school picture day. My job was to line the kids up for the photographer and check the kids over for messy faces and hair. It was so cute watching the Kindergarten classes and the cute little faces with big smiles. At the end of the morning I was blessed with the fact that my picture package for Jadon was free for volunteering. What a huge blessing that was. The week of pictures was not a great week for purchasing pictures. We went ahead and bought a package because I really wanted Jadon's Kindergarten picture and then to find out we got them free was a huge blessing. I called Todd when I found out and we had a little praise service.

On Tuesday I was able to go to the school and do copying and three hole punch papers for Mrs. Daugherty, Jadon's teacher. At the end of the day she asked if I would like to read the class a book. I loved it, Kindergartners are so fun to read too. Then they showed me a matching game they play on the smart board. I was also there when they called Jadon's name over the school's speaker system for winning a poster from the Book Fair. My heart was very proud watching him go out of class by himself, walk to the Library and pick out his poster, come back to the class and Mrs. Daugherty letting him tell his classmates about his poster. After he spoke his teacher had the whole class tell him "congratulations." I wondered at that moment, how did he get so big.

So, Jadon has loved his first month at school and I have loved my first month of being a school mom. I'm ready for more.

Butterscotch

When we were pregnant with Jude Todd and I talked about the probability of us having 3 kids that preferred sucking their thumbs over a pacifier. At that time both Jadon and Haven preferred the thumb, even with much effort on our part to get them to take the pacifier. I didn't work.

I'm pretty sure that Jude was our earliest thumb sucker too. Great, another one to have to break from sucking their thumb.

I know some parents I have talked to would have preferred thumb suckers. Their reasoning is that it's hard for the child to lost the thumb. I agree with that, we never had nights of crying because they couldn't find their pacifier or having to wonder around retracing steps to find where they lost it.

But that's our argument for being against having thumb suckers. You can't just get rid of it when they reach a certain age. It can continue to be a struggle for them long after you think it's over.

We have been in a back and forth battle with Haven for about a year now trying to stop her from sucking her thumb. We have tried putting band-aids on her thumb, she just took those off. We tried putting hot sauce on the thumb and band-aid, she just waited for the hot sauce to be wiped off. We tried putting hot sauce directly on her tongue when we caught her and even though it caused her to throw up a couple of times she continued on.

Finally, I offered her a present. I put an offer of a stuffed horse on the table along with putting athletic tape on her thumbs and using the hot sauce on the tongue.

It finally has worked. She has been free from thumb sucking for a whole month. So, we went and she picked out her horse, Butterscotch. I am so proud of her.

Here she is with Butterscotch and her unicorn that she's had for a while now, Pinkie Star also known as Alice on occasion.

Jude wanted to get in on the pictures too.

August 19, 2010 will always be remembered in our family, the first day of school for Jadon. This day began a new chapter in his young life and I am excited to watch it unfold.

Just in case you are wondering I did not cry, I did not even get teary eyed. I have been excited about this day for him. I did have that heart swelling proud feeling though.

Jadon has been wanting and ready to go to school for a while. He loves to learn and he honestly just could not wait to go to school so he could learn more.

I have been spending 5 years praying with and for him and every night the one constant in all those prayers is that he would grow to love God more and more with each passing day. For me today was about him going out on his own to put into action what he has been taught and to show God's love to his peers around him.

Todd and I tease with the kids all the time about not letting them have any more birthdays once they hit 5. There is no reason for them to grow anymore, of course we tease and have fun with it. Honestly, though, I am excited to see them grow. I want to see what God will do in their lives and how He will use them.

Here are a few pictures of Jadon's first day and one of him and his teacher Mrs. Daugherty.

And the night before his big, first day of school Jadon lost his other front tooth. He has now lost a total of 4 teeth.

Jadon, I am so proud of you and can not wait to see how you grow and change this next year.

The Fair

We had a wonderful visit from the Bischoff family a couple weeks ago. It seemed as though their time here was way too short. While here though we got to do some fun things with them, the fair being one of those fun events.
The fair had it all this year, for the kids, the magic of the rides and lights and fun foods and most important cousins. Donna went early this year and bought all in one bands, the entrance fee and a band to ride all the rides you want. It was great for the kids and the time of day we went was perfect for not having to stand in line. The night we also experienced a nice break in the triple digit degrees that we had experienced the first part of the week.

I took pictures when we first arrived with the animals and later didn't get a single picture of the kids riding rides. I'm not really sure what happened.

He is thrilled that I am taking his picture.

Ruth Ann loves her Jude and he returns the love to her.

Jadon and Haven walked around with each other holding hands most of the night.

The most important part of the Fair, your corn dog and jug of root beer.

Jude is still asking all most daily if we can go to the fair. He has now added at the end of his question, "next year?"

Clean Rooms

I have a thing about having a picked up house. I don't always get around to dusting or mopping the floors or washing the patio doors that constantly have little finger print marks all over it, but before naps and beds the rule has been to pick up toys and shoes and clothes.

I think I enjoyed about 2 months of the kids liking to pick up their toys. About the time they hit about 18 months to 2 years and they feel so big when they get to help mommy and daddy.

I guess I never realized that time period was so short. I thought we would definitely be in the teen years before they became physically ill when asked to clean. It never fails, the stomachs start hurting, they become so exhausted they can't move or they just feel so bad.

My responses usually go something like this:

• If you're stomach hurts so bad then it really isn't a good idea to eat dessert. 
• If you're so tired then I can pick your toys up, but you can go straight to bed so you can feel rested for tomorrow.
• If you feel so bad lets not have a snack and you can go ahead and go to bed because mommy doesn't want you to get really sick.

All of these responses are followed by sometimes crying and emphatic reassurances that they are just fine. Funny how that works.

The other night I told Haven it was time to pick up toys and get ready for bed. She once again was taking an extremely long time to do it. So, I finally pulled her out of her room and gave her a time limit for when all toys needed to be picked up or she was going to have taken away anything that was not put up.

She finished well before time was up so when I go in to inspect the room this is what I found.

Everything was thrown either in her closet or on her bed. If this is how we do it now what do I have to look forward to when she becomes a teenager? I will give her credit, the floor of her bedroom was spotless.