8/27/10- I know, I know… yet ANOTHER picture of Lyrie sucking on her fingers but it’s just SO.DARN.CUTE!!!
Pool
August 31, 2010 — threelittlejewells8/26/10- Pool Day
All of a sudden I realized it’s almost the end of the summer and I haven’t taken any pictures of them swimming at the pool. The sun was so bright that I didn’t get a good picture of Nathan looking up at me. Here he is with his goggles on and his life jacket swimming in the big pool. Nathan really enjoyed swimming with the swim team in June. We’ve got him signed up with a local aquatics club to swim in their first 6 week fall session- I think he’ll really enjoy it.
Mary- 6 1/2 years old and such a DELIGHT!
A perfect picture of summer- little girls in bathing suits on a hot summer day with popsicles. Love it.
Mary-
All Lyra, All the Time
August 30, 2010 — threelittlejewells8/22/10- Lyra is FIVE months old today!
Lyra in her high chair, chewing on one of her favorite toys. She’s been chewing & drooling a lot- I’m starting to wonder if she’s teething??
She’s also been sucking on her fingers a lot- Mary, Nathan & Savvy were all thumbsuckers and I think this sucking on her fingers is the CUTEST thing ever- I’ve taken a million pictures of it because it’s just so sweet!
8/25/10- More finger sucking cuteness. Also- look at her cute bunny rabbit slippers!
Sleepy Lyra
August 29, 2010 — threelittlejewells8/17/10- 4 months old (almost 5 months)- I put her down on the floor for some tummy time- she grabbed the blanket, rolled to her side and was on her way out.
Savvy’s Birthday Party
August 28, 2010 — threelittlejewellsSavannah’s 3rd Birthday
We did our traditional presents at the table- Savvy came racing down the stairs that morning to see what was at the kitchen table. The three presents on the left are from Daddy & Mommy. The two presents on the right are from Mary & Nathan. I took the big kids to Dollar General the night before Savvy’s birthday and gave them each $5 to pick out a present for Savvy. Nathan got her some bubble solution and bubble blowers and a Happy Birthday Balloon. Mary picked out a pair of purple Dora pajamas and a pack of M&M’s. From Daddy & Mommy- her very own piggy bank just like the one Mary & Nathan have, a color sorter/stacker game and a beautiful Waldorf Style doll with blond hair and blue/green eyes just like Savvy. Savannah named her “Claire” and has taken to calling her “clairey” except she is having trouble with her r’s so she pronounces it “clailey” which is just to cute. 
The table in the morning.
Savvy’s first sight of the table and her presents.
Nathan and Savvy with the gifts her picked out for her.
The piggy bank from Daddy & Mommy.
Color sorter/stacker game.
Savannah with Claire.
That evening we had her Birthday Dinner. Paw Paw came but Mimi was sick. Ms. Barbie came too. Aunt Sarah and Alec would have come except she had to work that night. We had a lovely dinner and Savannah got some very generous presents. From Paw Paw & Mimi- a princess puzzle, doughnut set, (long awaited and much desired) healthy snack set and a pink feather boa. From Ms. Barbie- Savvy’s very own pair of binoculars (finally!) and a set of the Snap N’ Style Dogs.
Savannah loves cupcakes so we made her a giant cupcake cake. The frosting tip is cracked so the frosting didn’t come out quite right. Kip found this marshmallow cupcakes on a stick (kind of like Peeps) at CVS and brought them home to put on top of her cake. She was thrilled with her cake.
Opening her presents from Paw Paw & Mimi.
Her binoculars from Ms. Barbie.
Paw Paw and Lyra- he sure does love babies!
On Sunday, 8/15 we had our Family Dinner celebrating 4 birthdays- Alec’s 12 (7/21), Aunt Sarah’s 33rd (7/25), Savvy’s 3rd (8/13) and Uncle Mikey’s 32nd (8/30). MeMa and Papa James brought Savvy the CUTEST Strawberry Shortcake House! Aunt Sarah and Alec gave her a stuffed Dora, Swiper and Boots, which she has slept with ever since!
Savannah opening her Strawberry Shortcake House. Helicopter lollipops for all the kids courtesy of Mema.
Funny picture from during her birthday day- Barbie was babysitting while I did last minute errands to get ready for the party that night and Sunday- she brought them ice cream cones. I think they enjoyed them!
Daily Life…
August 27, 2010 — threelittlejewellsDad was here 4 times, I think, between 7/22 and 8/22/2010. Here he is on 7/24 with Savvy- she fell asleep all tucked up next to him. Sweet stuff.
We have been working steadily on our school this summer- by the end of August we will be on day 26. I found the long 4 month break we took last year to be really difficult to recover from. We got very little school done that September- it was such a struggle to get back in the school groove and I wanted to avoid that. That also put us in a bit of a rush to get our days in by the end of June- I really felt a lot of pressure and didn’t like that feeling. With 26 days in already that puts us at doing approximately 15 days a month to finish by the end of June, 2011. Probably we will school several months a bit heavier- 20-25 days in order to take some time off to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather in October and to take a bit of time off at Christmas and Easter.
7/27/2010- One of those rainy, humid, hot summer mornings that still manages to feel chilly in the house with the AC going. We tucked up into the schoolroom and spent the morning doing our lessons, playing with the baby and building with magneatos.
8/12/2010- Party in Nathan’s room. This was a “doll party” – some combination of tea party and doctor party with Mary’s dolls- Annie and Katie. (or, as I like to call this- trashing the room. 
Savannah Turns THREE!
August 18, 2010 — threelittlejewellsIt can’t be! Our “Precious” has turned THREE! Wasn’t she just a baby???
10/6/2007- 3 1/2 weeks old.
1/13/2009- 17 months old.
Savannah at three-
As your Pap Pap says- you have so much “ZIP”!!! Oh my, you are so funny- you keep us all in stitches.
-Pap Pap’s favorite story on you: He was here visiting for several days this past spring. He was sitting next to you at the table while we ate dinner. Teasingly, he put his finger on your plate and started to drag it towards him- pretending he was going to take it. Now you like food- any & all food and are just a bit possessive about your personal space at the table. So Pap Pap starts to steal your plate and you let out a “HEY!”. Pap Pap lets go and waits a minute and then tries to steal it again- You say “HEEEEY!!!!!!” . Then Pap Pap went after it a third time and shouted “HEEEEEYYYYYYY!” long & loud! You were really warning him- hands off my food! We have laughed and laughed about this over the past few months.
-You’ve come a long way in the last year. On your second birthday you were still a relatively new & unsteady walker. You didn’t walk until 21 months old. You were not talking much and, in fact, had speech therapy all last year- finally graduating from it this May. What a difference a year makes! Now you are RUNNING everywhere- going as fast as you can to keep up with the big kids. And talking? You have a LOT to say now! Daddy and I often call you “the little informer” because you are quick to rat out your big brother & sister. (Not that they don’t do the same to you!)
-Last winter, (November or December I think) you moved out of the nursery and into Mary’s room! You are still sleeping in a crib- mostly for containment! Also- I am a bit worried about you getting up & wandering at night- the stairs are near your bedroom door and I’m a little afraid you might take a fall so for now I am keeping you in the crib. I anticipate you will be out of the crib and into the bunkbed with Mary sometime soon. You love sleeping in your big girl room and it is such a pleasure to Daddy & I to hear you and Mary up late talking away. I hope all three of you girls will be close as you grow to adulthood! We have set you & Mary’s room up as a little girl’s paradise- we moved the wooden kitchen and refrigerator up there along with all the play food. We put the table and chair set in the middle of the room- you girls have plenty of tea parties at that little table! The doll house is in your room now as well as the wooden doll cradle I got for my 5th birthday when I was a little girl and a dolly white wicker bassinette like the one Lyra sleeps in. The desk that I got for my 12th birthday (with the shell on the drawer) in in the room with a CD player on it for listening to books on tape and your wooden cosmetic set. It’s just the perfect little girls room!
-You still love your “raffi” and carry him everywhere with you- either clutching him in your first or, for some odd reason, you often bite him and carry him in your mouth. Raffi has lost his stuffing and is thoroughly dingy from being carried everywhere but you don’t care- you love your Raffi.
-All of a sudden you just look older- you’ve lost that baby/toddler look! Your blondilocks have really grown- your hair is starting to get long. Another change we’ve noticed is your eyes! All of our kids have had blue eyes and you did too for the first two years. Slowly over the last year your eyes have changed color- you know have beautiful GREEN eyes, just like your Uncle Mikey! (and had you been a boy you would have been named Michael Edward after Uncle Mikey and Pap Pap) Your hair is an absolute nest in the morning- Daddy has taken to teasingly calling you “Phyllis Diller” in the morning.
-Miscellaneous Stuff About You- You love Dora the Explorer. I’ve never been a fan of this kind of thing but you are so cute about it we’ve let it slide. The mosquitos love you. All three of you big kids can be outside- Mary & Nathan won’t hardly have a bite on them but you’ll be covered. I’ve counted as many as 20 bites on you after just a few minutes of being outside. And they turn into large, red, welts- it’s awful. Bug spray doesn’t seem to do anything. At least the AfterBite helps. You must have sweet meat. This is so funny to your Dad and I- You Love to Sing THEME SONGS! You sing the song to Hong Kong Phooey (a 1960′s cartoon we got on Netflix), SpiderMan and Scooby Doo (all the old versions from the 1960′s and 1970′s.) It is so, so funny to hear you wandering about the house singing “spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can, spins a web, any size….”
-We’ve had a potty training miracle! After perfectly awful experiences with Mary and Nathan I was just dreading potty training you and kept putting it off. Around the middle of July you came to me one day and said you wanted to go pee pee in the potty. Now you’ve said this before and done nothing but I thought there was no harm to letting you try again. And from that moment forward you were potty trained! You did it completely yourself with no help from me- it was amazing! We put you in underwear and you were dry all day, naptime and nighttime from that moment forward. You’ve had two little pee accidents- once when I couldn’t hear you calling me at naptime and another time at a playground. It is amazing and such a blessing!
-Little Miss Priss- you hate, hate, HATE to be dirty. This spring you kids were playing outside after a rainstorm. You guys were riding the wagon down the little hill at the front of the house. The wagon tipped over at the bottom of the hill, dumping you into a mud puddle. You came running up to the house, arms spread wide open, mud and dirt dripping everywhere, so HORRIFIED you were hysterical to the point of almost speechlessness. I got you cleaned up and for months afterwards you told everyone “Fall down sticky mud, fall down sticky mud, mommy clean me”. You don’t particularly like to play in the sprinklers either since the water splashing up on you causes dirt & grass to stick to your legs and arms. You were not happy when we were painting one day because you got paint on your arm. You must wash your hands immediately after eating. I wonder if this means you will be an excellent house keeper when you have a home of your own?
-Speaking of Little Miss Priss- you love your twirly dresses and your jewelry. MOST days you are decked out in at least 1-2 necklaces, 7 or 8 bracelets, your binoculars, sunglasses if we are going somewhere, hairbows, pocketbooks, etc. You like to be fully accessorized for any occasion. We so love the pictures we had taken of you in July in the pink dress because they are so perfectly YOU at three! The pink twirly dress, the jewelry, pocketbook, hairbow & raffi. I know we will always look at these pictures and remember how wonderfully they capture the essence of you right now. In addition to the million other little nicknames we have for you, Daddy often calls you “Little Miss Got Rocks” because of your love of jewelry.
Savannah- You bring so much JOY to our family- We just love our precious girl!
Lyra- 4 months & a Quick Catch Up!
August 17, 2010 — threelittlejewellsI am waaay behind on posting so will be trying to catch up over the next few days and get back to blogging regularly. We’ve had such a busy summer. We joined the local pool club so have been going to the pool lots in June & July. August has been so busy that we’ve only been going 1 or 2 times a week. We’ve had company at our house 7/22-7/25, 7/29-8/1, 8/5 and more coming this Thurs. 8/19-8/22. I allowed Mary & Nathan to go to Vacation Bible School for the first time ever- they went to two different VBS’s that both allowed parents to stay. (6 days of VBS) We went to the rodeo twice, had our annual Neighborhood Night Out picnic and started attending a Homeschool Co-Op. Throw in Tae Kwon Do lessons & piano lessons, a nursing baby, two doctor’s appointments & the daily to do list of life with 4 young kids and I am beat!
ANYWAY- on August 8, 2010 Lyra had her 4 month appointment with her pediatrician. She weighed…. 16 lbs. 7 oz.!!!! Her height is 26 3/4 inches. She is in the 97% for height and weight among babies her age. I’m so thrilled with her weight. I have a long history of difficulty with nursing, low supply, etc. I just never felt sure she was really getting enough. Clearly, she’s not wasting away. She does still take 4-8 oz. a day of formula. My supply is always very low in the afternoon- I nurse her for at least 30 minutes by which point she is usually thrashing around, red faced, crying & frustrated. Then I give her a 4 oz. bottle. Sometimes we have to do this again in the early evening but I always nurse prior to the bottle. I am just going to “keep on keeping on” as they say and hope that my supply will hold out. I’d love it if I could make it to a year with her!
Lyra is just the happiest, most pleasant baby. She truly never cries unless she’s hungry, tired or needs a diaper change. Even then, it really takes a while before she’ll start wailing- usually she will fuss for 5 or 10 minutes before the wailing starts. It is super rare to ever hear her crying. She is chubby with the most delicious little leg rolls- she’s got rubber band wrists and little tires of fat around her ankles. LOVE IT! She is chewing and sucking on her fists and wooden toys a lot- drooling even, some. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was teething. I don’t think any of the children have ever got any teeth this early so we’ll see. She did try to roll over the other week and you know what I did? I snatched her right up off the floor! Ha! I am NOT ready for that! I’d like to enjoy her little baby stage as long as possible. I’m teasing (kind of?)- we have been working on more floor time with her and more tummy time. She is also playing with her feet a lot- waving them in the air, grabbing them, etc. It is so super cute!
Lyra continues to sleep beautifully. We typically put her down for the night around 7:30pm and she sleeps all night long. She never wakes up crying and, in fact, most mornings Kip has to go in and wake her up around 6:30am. I have to get in the shower no later than 7:10am if I am to be dressed for the day before Kip leaves for work. I like for her to have a good, long, peaceful, quiet nursing in the morning without all the hullabaloo of the three older children around. (They are downstairs with Kip eating breakfast during this time) Her daily schedule is not set yet- generally I keep her on a 2 hour schedule. Awake 2 hours, asleep 2 hours all day. The problem (and it’s not really a problem) is that after that first nursing at 6:30am sometimes she falls back asleep and will sleep until 9:00 or 9:30 am. But other times she is awake and ready to start the day. So some days her 2 hour schedule starts at 630am and some days it doesn’t start until 9 or 9:30. I expect we will get that sorted out over the next month.
In addition to the Little Papoose, we have taken to calling her quite often “Lyrie Lou Lou” and the “Little Treasure”. I am actually considering adding Louise to her name- I haven’t got any of the children’s birth certificates yet (on my to do list!) and it would only be a $40 charge to change Lyra’s name from Lyra Mae to Lyra Mae Louise. I’m thinking of adding Louise for two reasons- #1- we all call her “Lyrie Lou” or “Lou Lou” allll the time. #2- Louise is the name of my favorite of all of Kip’s Aunts on his Mother’s side. She was such a wonderful lady. Aunt Louise only had one child, a son, and he never had any children. A few years ago, before she died, Louise sent me a beautiful ruby ring that her father had bought her when she was 6 years old. I took it to a jewelry store and had it cleaned and repaired and have it set aside to give to one of the girls. I thought it might be special for her to have a namesake and for Lyra to inherit the ring.
Lyra is such a blessing in our family and we are so lucky to have our little “treasure”!
Aqueducts
August 3, 2010 — threelittlejewellsWe finished up Year 1 of Tapestry of Grace with a short study on Roman aqueducts. We read aloud the section on aqueducts from David Macaulay’s “City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction” and watched THIS VIDEO by BBC about aqueducts. Then we made our own aqueducts using boxes & paper towel tubes. Fun Day!
Ready to build…
Our version of an aqueduct.
Little Miss Blue Eyes likes to be a part of things too…
Mary, striking her “Egyptian” pose from Vacation Bible School.
Savvy’s little biscuits and toes- I couldn’t resist a picture of them. Delicious!
Little Ms. Fancy
August 2, 2010 — threelittlejewells7/18/2010- Savannah
I bought a new headband for Savannah (which Nathan broke the next day!) and new hairclips for both girls while out shopping this weekend. Savannah- our little fancy girl- loved them.
She covered her entire head with the little flower hair clips I bought.
