I was thinking tonight about how HAPPY I am to be home and not to be working some job somewhere on someone else's schedule.  I know that not everyone can do this, and we've worked pretty hard to make it a possibility for us.  I'm just super grateful tonight.  I also wanted to write down some things that have happened the last little while to keep myself up to date!

Yesterday Munchkin came in the door after school and I said, "Hey Munchkin!"  He replied, "Howdy Mom!  That's what cowboys say when someone greets them."  Today he had to draw an I'm Sorry picture to his brother Little Dude, for killing his character on a computer game.  I'll scan in a picture tomorrow, but he wrote at the top...all by himself the following:  Soreforti  - which if you separate out the words spelled Sore (sorry) for ti (it).  Not bad Munchkin!

Little Dude read the last book in his Dot Book reading series and so gets to start a new one tomorrow.  He has come a long way with his reading.  At the beginning of the year he would have to sound out EVERYTHING and the sounding out was so slow that by the time he got to the last letter, he'd forgotten the others and couldn't put it together.  He continues to sound out many of the words, but it is much quicker and he is able to put them together right away.  Reading is not going to be his easiest subject, but he has worked hard and seen improvement.

Alvin is going to be potty trained this weekend, I hope.  Twice he has completely undressed himself and smeared poop all over his crib and wall...I'm hoping that indicates a readiness to potty train and not a fascination for squishy warm sensations.  He's also getting little blue Harry Potter glasses which look very cute on him.  Again, I'll take a picture to put up a bit later.  He still has a limited vocabulary, though he is talking more and more all the time...and some of that is understandable! 

Sprout is growing leaps and bounds!  He loves to identify and announce the colour blue.  He completely adores his older brothers and wants to do everything with them - that's only a problem sometimes.  They are very accommodating and allow him into their 'club' most of the time.  He revels in it.  He especially loves copying Little Dude by trying to do hand stands and somersaults.  He is most definitely a monkey in training!

Theodore is sprouting up a bit I think.  He is still tipsy on his feet, but loves to walk and climb ALL over the place.  He has figured out how to get out of his crib, but has only done it once at night.  We've changed things up and have him in a playpen in the living room for naps and for the initial falling asleep part at night time.  (He and his brother were having too much fun together in their room and not doing any sleeping.)  He can't get out of the playpen.  I'm not sure what this means - perhaps we'll have to make the playpen into the toddler bed for him, we'll see what the social worker says.

Here are some everyday pictures...

Sprout and Alvin

 Theodore

 Sprout and Alvin...either good buddies or worst enemies it seems.

 Sprout and Theodore

 From left to right, Theodore, Alvin, Little Dude, Sprout, Munchkin

 Pizza night with the comedian.

 Everyone helped make their pizzas.

 Theodore decided to get into the ingredients.

 At the amusement park.

 Theodore is hard to impress...this little guy does not smile for the camera...he's so deadpan that he ends up making ME laugh!

 Party coming up for Little Dude and Munchkin who are turning 7 and 5 respectively.  Big E found this idea online and then helped me make them...sorry they are tinged a weird colour, it's my red drapes!  So, this is the party invitation....

 And then you pull out the sword for the invite info...sorry we didn't mail any out but it was kinda short notice!  :) 

A MONTH!  It's been a whole month.  I am sorry...mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, which loosely translated means, it's my fault...it's big time my fault.  :)  Turns out integrating 2 children into the family and keeping up with the laundry of 7 people leaves little time for blogging.  Our good news??...Big E is back to work, and Alvin's eczema is so nearly gone it's almost a footnote.  Today we went to see a variety of doctors and I think by the end he had had enough of waiting rooms and exam rooms.  When we got home Theodore made his displeasure at our long absence known and I spent the next half hour with him sitting on my lap otherwise he would just howl!!

I've had the opportunity to talk to both Little Dude and Munchkin about how not all children grow up in places where they have a bed to sleep in and a Mommy who gets them breakfast in the morning and not everyone learns to play properly.  Both agreed that they could be patient while our two bonus guys learn how to behave and settle in.  I'm sure they don't realize how LONG that could take, but it's one step at a time around here!  A couple of Sunday's ago Munchkin drew a picture as part of a lesson at church.  He drew a picture of his family and there were seven little stick people there, so obviously it's starting to gel.

This past Saturday I was able to go with Little Dude and Munchkin to a winter frolic close by.  We sledded, ate hot dogs and popcorn, went on a sleigh twice, tried snowshoeing and built a little fort out of ice bricks.  And it was all FREE...definitely on budget.  :)  First we did some sledding...Little Dude is a fan of the Penguin Slide.

 Both had lots of fun on the hill, but were soon ready for something else.

 We got to ride a sleigh!

 Then we tried snowshoeing.

 Munchkin was a bit more unsure of himself than Little Dude was on the shoes.

 Little Dude walked for a couple of minutes and then started to RUN!

 There were moments where they tripped over their shoes...I however, stayed on my feet!

 Making our own tracks.