December

I knew it had been a while since I posted, but I was looking at pictures on our computer and realized I haven’t even downloaded anything from my camera for a month! Yikes. Here are some from Ava’s 5^th birthday – FIVE! Sometimes I look at her and she seems so grown up. She loves to help and tries to anticipate when I’m going to ask her to do something, doing it before I have a chance to ask. She loves to color and create. A new coloring book keeps her occupied for days on end. She loves dresses and ribbons and glitter. She loves to sing and dance. We have been so blessed with this girl!

traditional birthday pancakes

much anticipated (and oft-asked for) Sleeping Beauty doll

The same weekend we had her party, the kindergarten choir sang in church. I had a hard time getting a picture since Ava was in the second row and every time she tried to poke her head through so I could get a take a photo, the 2 little girls in front of her would block her! Too funny.

December has not been the best of months at the Button house. From me trying to fit too many tasks into too few hours to multiple bouts of sickness, this holiday season has been more stressful than we would have liked.

I have been busy finishing up a variety of projects that I’d started for a craft fair that was this past week. As is typical for me (surely I’m not alone), I misjudged just how much time it would take to finish up what seemed to be only a few things, so the first 2 weeks of December found me trying to eek out work-time on every possible occasion. As luck would have it, Ava & Carter decided this would be a grand time to stop going to bed nicely each night and come out of their rooms every 10 minutes during afternoon rest-time asking if they could get up. (We’re still struggling on that front and I’m wondering if they make pajamas with built-in straightjackets… maybe that will keep them in bed!). Oh, and Carter came down with strep throat on the first day of December. Then there were extra rehearsals for our church’s Christmas program in which I was involved. Last Saturday, the weekend of both the Christmas program and the craft fair, it became clear that Mark was getting sick. He had taken vacation time from GE Sunday through Wednesday, and it was a good thing since he spent that entire time in bed. He had been scheduled to work at his second job (Smashburger), but had to call off. Thankfully, he ended up with Thursday off as well (he was supposed to have some training that day and the trainer was sick so they just gave everyone the day off!). Monday morning Carter complained that his throat hurt and as he talked I realized he sounded exactly as he did when he’d gotten strep 2 weeks earlier, so we visited the doctor again to find out he somehow managed to get it AGAIN … only days after finishing his first round of antibiotics (or, maybe the first round of medicine didn’t completely get it?). Thankfully (so far) the only other ailments at our house are a runny nose for Audrey and a sore back muscle for me (let’s just say I was not so excited about getting to shovel all the snow we got this week!).

In the midst of all the craziness, there have been some definite highs. My birthday comes at the beginning of the month and about a week before, Ava had cards made and a present wrapped. Closer to the day, she wrapped up one the presents she had received for her birthday on days before to give to me (wrapping paper created by Ava, of course!).

I don't know if you can read it, but the card says, "Iluveoomombecuseoorsespecial" translated, "I love you mom because you are so special." The only word she asked how to spell was "special." I had to take pictures so I never forget her thoughtfulness! (She doesn't believe in spaces between words... no matter how many times I encourage her that they are quite helpful!)

The biggest highlight comes as a result of talking a lot about Christmas and reading the Christmas story from a variety of books. Over the past few days, Ava & Carter have been reenacting the Christmas story using all sorts of different toys from stuffed bears and dolls to dump trucks and school buses… and sometimes even the Little People nativity set. My heart melts when I hear them repeating the word of the angels to the shepherds and then hearing the shepherds excitedly travel to find baby Jesus. Ava has told me several times that her favorite gift at Christmas is that Jesus came. She seems so very close to understanding just what that gift truly means and I’m excited to think that soon she may ask Jesus to be her Savior.

And some random pictures since they're too fun not to include:

Carter (aka, Superman) boxing on the Wii


Pretty sure the chocolate chip pancakes are a hit!

Fun with Leaves

We've been staying busy this fall with a variety of activities.


Our county sponsored a "Try-a-Truck" day. There were all types of construction, emergency and basically any other truck you could think of - even a helicopter flew in and landed for everyone to see. Carter was in heaven.

(You can see a bunch of pictures from the day here)

We took a trip to Young's Dairy and picked pumpkins, fed some goats and played on the tractors.

(More pictures from that trip here)

And we've been playing outside in the leaves a lot!



(more autumn pictures)

I love fall!

The latest

Ava
I cannot believe Ava's going to be five soon. She is growing and maturing and I feel like all the work that seemed fruitless during her 3rd and 4th year is starting to pay off! Lately, she's been much more kind (and will tell me when she's being kind since she wants me to see it, but a great improvement to being UNkind), extremely helpful, can remember so much from Sunday School and Cubbies (before when I'd ask what her story was about, I'd get a big fat, "I don't remember" or the very generic, "God"), and mindful of instruction. We're still working on attitude, but I see such growth... encouragement since Carter has hit the stage where we're dealing with a lot of whining and disobedience - I know we'll get through it!

She loves to color, draw pictures and read books, and she adores all things princess. She's been taking a tumbling class at the local rec center, is in her second year of Cubbies and moved up to the Pre-K class at church where she is in the kindergarten choir and LOVING it. I'm amazed at how quickly she learns and how much she is learning. We've been reading "Little House in the Big Woods" and in case you haven't read it in a while (or ever), much of the book relates what life was like living in the log cabin in the woods - things like slaughtering a pig or cleaning a rifle. I didn't think she'd have any concept of what was going on, much less want to continue reading, but she and Carter both love to snuggle up and have me read a chapter or two at a time. I look at her and can't believe what a sweet little girl she's becoming.

Carter
While Carter is challenging us more these days, he remains our most sensitive and loving child (well, except in any situation regarding Audrey... I know one day he'll come to like her more, but right now he has a hard time tolerating her desire to get at his stuff). Just tonight, I was battling a headache and while we were at the dinner table, I rested my head on my arm. He asked why I put my head down and I told him it hurt. With complete tenderness and sincerity he said, "Aww, Mom... can I come give you a hug?." He has such a sweet heart. He also is great at throwing fits and ignoring me when I call his name, but hopefully, I'll look back and remember the sweet parts.

He still loves trains, cars and trucks (though will play ponies or dress-up with Ava, too). Over the summer, he seemed to lose all his toddler chubbiness and got tall and thin. He's in his first year of Cubbies and is so excited about it. Part of the program includes scripture memorization and I love helping him learn his verses. The best part is knowing he's learning God's Word, but he provides many chuckles along the way as well. He seems to translate the verses into his own way of saying things. For instance, I was trying to teach him a verse that said, "While we were sinners..." It kept coming out, "While us be sinners..." But my absolute favorite so far has been the translation of "... He will be great" to "Him gonna be great." We are only on week 3, so I can't wait to see what other translations he comes up with!

Audrey
Sweet Audrey is ONE! She's rediscovered waving and clapping after quite some time of pretending not to remember how and also learned how to blow kisses this week. Her very favorite is high fives. She took a few steps one day last week and finally today took a few more. Soon, she'll be running after the other 2. She loves to dance and seems to always be smiling and laughing. She loves baby dolls and stuffed animals (and anything of Carter's... seriously, it's no wonder he's a little annoyed by his baby sister!). When I think about how Mark and I had almost decided 2 kids were enough, I am so thrilled God blessed us with this sweet girl.

Work
Mark has accepted a job with GE in their call center. He'd been working at a newer burger place in the area for the last few months, and they tried to convince him to stay and have even left the door wide open to come back should he decide he doesn't like the new job. He starts training on Monday and will be taking some shifts on the weekends at Smashburger. We're thankful for the new position and hopeful that he'll have a chance to move up quickly and no longer need a second job.

Next post will have pictures, I promise!

Vacation

Last month, we traveled to MD for vacation. I never appreciated my childhood home as I do now! My parents have the perfect vacation spot! Huge yard, big driveway, pool out back, great toys, and if that weren't enough, lots of fun places to visit nearby. We started the week off with a family reunion and I always love to see extended family and catch up.

While we were having a great time at Nana & Pap's house (and I think the two older ones would have been swimming by the end of the week!), we spend most of the week at Ocean City, MD.

Ava was my total beach bum and I don't think there was anything she didn't like about the beach.


Carter had fun, too, but kept asking to go swim in the pool. I'm sure he'll grow into an appreciation for the beach.


Audrey hung out in the sand or in the little pool my parents got and was pretty happy attempting to eat sand or lick saltwater off toys.


We had a few days at my parent's before we had to head back home, and tried to fit in as much fun as possible. If you're interested in more vacation pictures, go here.

11 Months

We recently headed to MD for a week of vacation (including a family reunion & a trip to the beach) and I still haven’t had a chance to sort through all the pics and post some, but in the meantime, I need to document Audrey’s achievements of late. Over the past month, she has learned so much and is doing all sorts of new tricks with which to entertain us. Her primary way to make me smile is with any number of faces she makes. She can't seem to smile without scrunching up her face and no matter how many times I catch it on camera, a still photo simply doesn't do her cuteness justice.

After a few pictures, she usually decides she's done and tries to take the camera away.

She’s over the army/commando crawl (dragging the body with the elbows) and is now a full-fledged crawler… and stair-climber. She also pulls up to stand on anything she can find and cruises along furniture (including kitchen appliances… I’ve learned I need to get in and out of the dishwasher quickly or she’ll start grabbing silverware and tossing pieces out onto the floor).

I love to watch her play. She loves to explore and her play often involved copying behavior she sees elsewhere. The other day I wasn’t sure if she really was trying to feed me with a spoon, but I was convinced when I caught her feeding herself the next day!

She also must have been watching Carter play with his cars because she’s gone from trying to eat them to pushing them around and making “vroom” noises just like her brother. I only wish I had the camera when I noticed her pushing a cheerio around her high-chair tray like a car, complete with car noises.

Here's a video (sorry for the quality - I wanted to capture it while I could and all I had was the camera which doesn't take the greatest video... hopefully, you can hear her "vrooms" over Carter's!)

Oh, and she discovered the her finger fits perfectly in her nose. Now a moment we can all treasure.

And finally, so the post isn't ALL about Audrey, this was from a recent trip to Columbus to see our very good friends' daughter get baptized (yay, Sophia!!). I'm sure the kids hate these pictures, but I love catching them all together (although, I really need to remember to get these before we're trying to head out the door because one or more children are melting down).

Vacation pictures coming soon!

3 Years & 10 Months

Carter turned three several weeks ago. Yup, I'm that far behind...

I love this little man so much! He still loves to snuggle, but plays hard. He's all boy, but has a sensitive, sweet spirit. Trucks, trains and cars remain his favorite toys, but he & Ava play together a lot now, so he can also be found playing with her pony castle or dressing up.

Opening presents at his birthday party


Thomas birthday cake (Ava has announced that next year he's having a Little Mermaid cake...)


Eating cake & ice cream on the swingset

He's really starting to lose his toddler chubbiness - he seems taller and thinner. His speech is clearer and he is starting to exert his will more, too. I didn't experience much of the "terrible two's" with him, but about a week before three hit, he started with some major tantrums. I'm hoping this doesn't last long!

Audrey is 10 months old today. Is that possible?? How can this year be going by so fast? She now pulls herself up to stand and spends most of her time attempting to get into every last thing she can't have. Carter and Ava both struggle with her wanting to play with all their toys (she very rarely wants the "safe for kids under 3" toys). She's also gotten LOUD. She screeches for no reason and even makes noises when she eats. She's learned to wave and gets so excited when she sees her brother or sister. Still no real words, but Ava & Carter were both late to talk, and they talk plenty now, so no worries there.

Playing with Ava's pony castle... pretty sure Ava was napping

I love this girl's expressions! I've never seen a baby with such expressive eyebrows...
even a lady at the park commented on them!

Here's a few more pics from a recent trip to Neena & Poppie's house:

no idea what this look from Chloe is about, but I love it!


Audrey drooled on Mark's sleeve for a while before giving in and falling asleep.

And while most of the time this blog is about the kids, there is news for me and Mark as well. Please pray with us as Mark is pursuing other employment opportunities. I'm convinced that God has something better for him and for our family! Also, tomorrow Mark and I will celebrate 12 years of marriage!

Summer Days

Audrey is 9 months. Her first year has been FLYING. She still seems like my baby (obviously, compared to the other 2), but she also seems far too old already! She's been such a sweet baby that I'm not anxious for her to grow up even though I know I can't stop her.


She's showing more of an opinion than her siblings when it comes to food. While they ate pretty much anything I'd offer, she will fuss if I give her something she's not fond of... and sometimes I'll get it spit back at me. She hates having food in the corners of her mouth and I have to be quick to get it because while she hates it right next to her mouth, she's fine with smearing it absolutely anywhere else on her face. Or the chair. Or her clothers. Or basically anywhere else. How can such a small bit of food make such a mess?? She's become a pro at feeding herself finger foods, and she also loves to play with her tongue. At first it only came out when she was eating - in between bites she'd stick it out and see how she could contort it. Lately, it's a constant facsination.



Like her siblings, she loves to swing.


And lucky for her, Carter even likes to push her!


She has mastered the army crawl and has gotten so FAST. She's also starting to stand if holding on to someone or something and she has attempted to pull herself up a few times. I sway between encouraging these new developments and immediately grabbing her, holding her like a baby and asking her if she could slow down just a little.

Carter's not slowing down a bit and turns 3 in just a few days! This morning Ava went around the living room and picked out some of his favorite things so she'd have some presents for his birthday. She also pulled out all the orange construction paper she could find (his favorite color) so she could wrap them and finally, went on to make a card for each present.

For more pics of the fun we've been having this summer, check out this album on Facebook!

Cubbie Bear

So, kiddos who think it's perfectly acceptable to get out of bed multiple times during each naptime and bedtime create a world not fit for having time to write a blog post. I'm hoping to come up with a new strategy for this addressing this behavior as the current one of threats/yelling/punishing (in no particular order) doesn't seem to be working.

Anywho, last post I mentioned I wanted to share Ava's Cubbies experience from this past year. This was her first year in Awana, and she loved it! There's a book to use with a story and memory verse for each week and at the beginning of the year, she was not content to stop with one story and one verse. Even as we got closer to the end of the year and the end of the book she wanted to go back and read past stories. It makes me happy to see her excited about learning God's Word.

Toward the end of the year, there's a Cubbie Bear fair complete with all sorts of carnival type games, balloon animals, face painting and, of course, treats. A parent is supposed to attend, so I got to go with Ava. She had lots of fun, but it was pretty clear that she is not going to be the athlete of the family.... the girl throws like... well, a girl. Sometimes I was really wondering if she even had her eyes open. I felt sorry for the teens running the games who had to run hither and yonder to retrieve whatever item Ava had attempted to throw in their direction. We did find one game where she excelled - a shooting game, surprisingly enough. She pointed that little gun, pulled the trigger and shot down each one of the targets. At first I thought it must be rigged somehow to let the kids "win" easily until the next little girl took her turn and couldn't manage to hit a target after several tries. Go sharpshooter Ava!

She doesn't look it, but she was pretty happy about the face painting.


Ava with her Cubbie Bear award earned for finishing her book & saying all her verses!

Next year, we'll have 2 Cubbies! Well, we will if Carter can figure out this potty training stuff. He can stay dry all day (even most nights!), but the other, oh the other... why, oh why would you want to do that in your pants if you can help it? And I know he can help it!

Creative Juices

Ava seems to be learning things by leaps and bounds lately. She's been very interested in letters and words plus she's started drawing more (for a while, she'd only draw faces... when I asked if she'd like to try other things, I'd get a, "I don't know how to draw anything else." I didn't think 4-year-olds were supposed to be afraid to try things!). She has been on a card-making kick - drawing pictures and writing her name as well as the recipient's. Most have been for me or Mark, but we've also mailed a few and if you come over, you'll probably leave with one of her creations. I love it! I recently got a "Hooked on Phonics" learn to read set for a great deal, and she wants to "play it" all the time. I'm finding it a challenge to know whether we should focus on writing or reading, but I'm letting her guide me.

She also seems to be more sensitive to spiritual things. I love to hear her talk about how God loves us! Sometimes I think concepts are a challenge to understand, though - she has mentioned several times that she is going to ask Jesus to be her Savior, but she wants to wait until after we go to the beach because she wants to go there before she goes to heaven. I've explained on several occasions that we don't go to heaven immediately after asking Jesus to be our Savior, but so far, she's not buying it.


She loves to sing and make up songs, too, and Carter's even caught on to that one. On Mother's Day, he sang a great little ditty with the lyrics, "I love you, Mommy." Of course, the next day I heard the same song tune with the slightly different lyric, "I love you, cars," but I'm willing to share his affection. He also loves puzzles (in addition to the old favorites of trains, cars & trucks). He surprises me with how well he can put them together, but that's probably because when I'm trying to explain something important to him (like why pulling all the covers and sheets off Ava's bed when he's supposed to be taking a nap is not appropriate), he just looks at me with a blank stare. I must have confused boredom for lack of intelligence.

One of many garage sale finds!

Audrey has become the champion roller. She can sit by herself, but is rarely content to. (At least that's what I'm telling myself when she topples over after a few seconds!) She is constantly rolling toward or getting into Carter's toys and he can't stand it! We're working on teaching/learning that she can't hurt them and it isn't kind to viciously grab them out of her hand or roll her away from them. Baby girl also loves to pull off her socks and chew on them (see picture below for proof!). Tights? She pulls off as much as she needs to reach her mouth and sucks away.

I started writing this several days ago, and since then, she's started creeping. She's quite a sight - reaching out with her hands and at the same time propelling herself forward with her toes! Carter is out of luck. We may have to move his toys upstairs!

I'll post soon about Ava and her first year of Awana!

The Cutting of the Hairs

Before

After

Ava's been asking for her hair to be cut short for about a month. I had no strong feelings about her having long hair; the fact that it got long was more due to my laziness in getting it cut (and my cheap nature in not wanting to pay upwards of $15 for a haircut for her!). Great Clips is having their $4.99 sale, so we went for haircuts. This is actually shorter than the "to her shoulders" that I requested, but since she kept asking for it to be cut chin-length, I guess she got her wish. I thought I'd have a harder time getting used to her shorter 'do, but I'm a little more sad about Carter's - there's something sweet about him waking up from his nap sweaty with curls all over and now all the curls are gone! Mark reassures me that they'll grow back, but I do miss them a little.