Jesslyn is FOUR!

I know the pic is sideways---Blogger doesn't care for portrait orientations. But I wanted to mark this momentous occasion! We've been celebrating all day and having a blast! Jesslyn got a bunch of new dress up clothes and ponies, so she's a happy camper. I'm just glad her age is finally beginning to catch up with her personality! Our little princess is full of spunk, and super sweet. We love her so much! It's been quite an exciting four years!

2nd day of school!

"If at first you don't succeed, try try again."

Yesterday was rough. I mean, ROUGH! Between me feeling overwhelmed, Joy refusing to nap at the right times, Judah whining and a whirlwind of a mess post-getaway this past weekend, nothing went smoothly. But we did complete "school" for the day, and made it today, which went MUCH better.

We're still figuring things out, but the kids practically demand school now, and they're eager to begin once the babes are sleeping (oh I hope that never wears off!) Today, we learned about the letter "B" and it was more of a struggle than A, but they still did well.

They're now asking for craft time. They have it in their head (probably from church/VBS/MOPS/etc,) that you have a Bible story, lesson, craft time, play time and then "go home" time. Well, after 45 minutes of "lesson" time, they had had enough, so I let them have "play" time, to which Jesslyn exclaimed, "But Mommy! We didn't do a craft!" Guess what I've been looking up tonight?! For "C" day, we'll be making a cute little pom pom caterpillar. That'd better be good enough. :)

Tomorrow is busy, as I'll be at "training" for CBS, since I'm teaching some of the kids this year. I'm starting to feel like I'm in my sophomore year of high school again. Why? Well, in my freshman year, I got my yearbook and noticed there were pics for EVERY activity at the school. So I was determined to get in as many group pics as possible. I signed up for the Yearbook team (ha ha!,) chorus, drama, and a couple other things that I just can't remember (my yearbooks are downstairs... I guess I could go look. But I'm quite happy here in my chair for now.) They did all the group photos on the same day, and you were called out of class to take them. After the 3rd or 4th time, the photographer joked that I should just stay there the rest of the day. I did not repeat that busyness in my Junior/Senior years.

So yeah, why is this year like my sophomore year? Because, boy do I have a lot of pics to take! Between MOPS leadership, Preparing for Marriage Coaching, CBS teaching, helping out with 2nd Saturday at our campus, and, oh, raising and homeschooling four kids, I've got barely enough time to breathe! Oh, and I forgot, volunteering in preschool once a month at church. :/ Something's gotta give. They're all GOOD things to be doing, but I dunno. And the crazy thing is... there's so much more I still wanted to do! Someone put a leash on me!

My prayer lately is that I would be able to juggle it all while still glorifying God. Yes, all those things are good things, but if they're distracting from Him, than it's not worth it. Thankfully, I've actually been able to find a little bit of time for quiet time lately. I figured out that it's [usually] pretty quiet when I put Joy to bed, and it's just her and me (and she's sleeping most of the time!) So in that regard, I'm better than I was when I started all this craziness. I'm still working on the "be still" part, though. I have a hard time just shutting off me and really listening, y'know? I think the next step will be waking up early and having my quiet time at some ghastly hour, like 7 a.m. (oh the horror!)

Anyway! Yeah, busy day tomorrow, and I've got lunches to pack. Gonna try my hand at "bento boxes" for them! I will post pics, if they're anything to get excited about. :)

First day of school!

Today, Fairfax county school kids returned to their classrooms and studies began. Here at the Wilcox abode, my "students" arrived ready bland eager to learn. Although their teacher [me] was not quite as eager.

We had a rough first day to say the least. But! The kids did well, had fun, and are ready to work again tomorrow. So I guess it wasn't a total bust. I think it'll take a few more weeks until we're in a good rhythm, but their excitement is encouraging.

Now Mama just needs to figure out what the heck she's doing. :)

Randomness

I have a lot to post about on the recent meanderings of the Wilcox Fam, but for now, I wanted to share this tidbit of randomness. Our espresso maker that we got Jeremy for his birthday is on the fritz. So I decided now was a good time to register it with Cuisinart, in case we need to call in a warranty repair. Here's one of the [many] questions they ask you to complete during the registration:

Please check all that apply to your household.
 

Shop by Catalog/Mail  Shop via the Internet  Member of Frequent Flyer Program  Donate to Charitable Causes  Own a Compact Disc Player  Have a Dog

Have a Cat  Own a Wireless/Cellular Phone  Speak Spanish  Own an Apple/Macintosh Computer  Own a CD-ROM Drive

I get the first two, about shopping habits. But then it gets.... random. Not sure why they need to know the type of pet we have, if we own a compact disc player (what's that?? lol) or a CD-Rom drive (people still use those?? Ha!) I guess that kind of makes sense from an instructional standpoint (our machine came with a dvd to watch,) but I still don't get the pet thing. Or donate to charitable causes?? Raaaaaandom!

Anyway. Just thought I'd share. It gave me a chuckle.

Momma/Dadda date night!

Mommy and Daddy may be heading to dinner at a schwanky restaurant, butter that doesn't mean our little Princess can't get dolled up as well! :)

All he wants for Christmas is...

Jeremiah has now lost 6 baby teeth since just before Christmas. If there we're an Olympic event for losing the most baby teeth in a year, I'm pretty he'd win at last bronze.

He's not really capitalized on the whole Tooth Fairy thing, though. Half the teeth ended up under his pillow, the other half are still in baggies on the fridge. He's just not all that excited about money making. Jesslyn, on the other hand, is practically counting down the days til she can start losing teeth and filling her piggy bank. Kids. :)

Vroom!

Jeremiah made these playdough race cars all by his little self. Then I had to make a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd medal stand for them.

That orange car is always sneaking by to place first...

Free gift!

I gots my nails did tonight.

Since Jeremy it outta town and Mama needs regular adult interaction to stay sane, I called in some backup in the form of Uncle James for some babysitting. He watched the kiddies (which is as much a treat for them as it is for me,) and I ran off to get a pedi.

The place I go to is a hoot. They give you soda and chocolate when you get there, and then they have a pile of "free gifts!" when you leave. This pile consists of old library books, anime and Hd-DVD's. The selection cracks me up. It's no wonder they're always stacked high there.

It was a tough choice.... Hammerboy was tempting, but I had to go with Billy Madison on HD DVD. Gotta go dust that drive off now to play it...

Awesome pedi, though. :)

Prayer

I wanted to take a little nap today while the girls slept and the boys played. So I asked them to sing me a lullaby to help me fall asleep. Judah put his hand on me one said, "Thank you Jesus, for you, bless ah bodies, sleep."

I love listening to the kids prayers. :)

Happy 9 months, Joy!

Yeah, I know, this is a week late. COMPLETELY blanked on it. Not sure how that happened---guess I was a little preoccupied coming up with yumminess for "Miss Amelia's" birthday party. :)

Nine months. Wow. I only have 3 more stickers for her pictures, and then.... she'll be ONE.

I know, I know, Joy. I don't want you to turn one, either. You're still my sweet baby girl! Even though you're so close to standing alone without support, and will probably be walking super soon (and climbing all over everything,) you're still my baby. Although you still wanna cuddle with Mommy, especially at bedtime (don't even think about Daddy taking you up, huh?) Yup, still my baby. Until we have another, at least. 

What? :)

Jeremiah has really been into building with Legos lately (hey, he's a 5.5 year old boy. It was inevitable, right?) He's got a set of he smaller ones, but I don't like finding those all over when little ones are crawling around. I bought the kids some used duplos  and they're very happy to play with those instead.

Jeremiah wIll build all sorts of things with Legos. Planes and swords are his favorite, but yesterday, he wanted to make a hot air balloon (shown). He was quite proud of it.

Oh, and yes, that's Jesslyn trying to "photo bomb" his pic in the background there. Gotta love little sisters.

Doublemint twins

She wants to be just like her big brother. :)

Jeremiah prays

I went in to pray for the boys tonight, and Jeremiah insisted that I let him pray for himself. So I prayed with him. This is what he said:

"Dear God, thank you for myself and help me have good dreams tonight, and you have good dreams too, because I love you so much and I love you all the time. And thank you for Minecraft, because I love it so much and it's my favorite game and I love the creepers. In Jesus name, Amen."

Amen. :)

Dear cicadas and other bugs of the night who keep trying to enter our house by slamming into the glass door.

You're doing it wrong.

Love, us.

Washing windows

Judah is something else. I never know what's going to happen when he's around. He's got this personality that just makes ya chuckle, though at other times, you just have to take him seriously.

Today, he decided he wanted to wash windows. Actually, I'm pretty sure the thought process began more with the fact that there was an open pack of wipes within view, but he needed a good reason to take one. Ah ha! Raindrops on the door. So he grabbed a wipe (or 3....) and proceeded to clean the inside of the door before moving outside to get the errant raindrops leftover from an afternoon shower. In a few years (probably sooner...) this won't be fun anymore. And the door is a bit streaky as a result. But hey, you're only two once.

If only we could dial him back to when he couldn't climb out of his crib. Like, yesterday?

Ah, Judah. He's my favorite Cakers.

Separated at birth... and 33 years.

Look! We found Uncle Ben's OTHER twin! 

Seriously, the whole time we were at dinner (at the Counter in RTC. Because it's yummy,) I thought everyone was going to think Judah was his kid instead of ours. We had to buzz his head, since his blonde hair is SO THIN that it mats almost instantly when he sleeps or is in his carseat. And since it's even more challenging to comb tangles outta a 2 yo boy's hair than a girl's, it was easier to just shave it all off. 

He looks so tough now. Well, if he could look up without seeing the sun.

Joy Ella, the "cutey cutah!"

She lives up to her namesake. Here she is enjoying some sushi paper/seaweed/nori/whatever. :)

I'm back!

Well, you know what they say... if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. And Facebook was that kitchen. So I quit. For now, at least. I'm sure I'll be back someday. In the meantime, I sure am enjoying all this extra "free" time. And since my outlet is gone, thought it'd be a good time to update ye old blog. So here we go.

Okay, first off, the name is about 9 months too old. Joy Ella joined our expanding family on Nov 9, 2011 around 2:04 a.m. The only reason I can remember the time is because I was looking at Lori (our birth assistant's) phone as I was pushing her out. The midwife hadn't yet arrived so she put her on speaker so she could talk Lori through it. Exciting times. :) She was our second smallest baby, at 10lbs 6oz. Had a full head of dark brown hair, which, unfortunately for Mommy, has lightened up considerably. Oh well.

Secondly, this place is in major need of renovations! But that's for another time.

Whoops...

Looks like I've let the blog slip away from me again.  I must say, kudos to the gals with more than one kid who can keep up with their blogs---it's not easy!  Here's the latest from us:

Jeremiah ~ Jeremiah is now 4.5, just a few months away from turning 5!  He figured out the whole "potty training" thing back in the early summer, and it seems to have "aged" him quite a bit.  You grow up a lot once you stop peeing in diapers/pull ups!  With potty training came dressing and undressing, and more independence, which he has taken his fill of!  He's my "go-to" helper when I need something, usually letting Jesslyn or Judah in and out of the family room, since he can open the gate and they can't.  Or going down to the basement to bring up a gallon of milk.  Or getting his own drink of water.  He even makes his own sandwiches now!  Sure, it's just two slices of bread and a piece of cheese, but hey, we gotta start somewhere right.  Oh, and he can buckle himself in his car seat, which is a HUGE plus for Mommy!  My little man isn't quite so little anymore.  :(

Jesslyn ~ Jesslyn is now 3, going on 30, and the most "grown up" out of all the kids.  If Jeremiah can do it, she can "definitely" do it (even if she can't....) And if Mommy can do it, she's gonna try!  Last week was her birthday, and it was quite a long celebration---we had a small Chuck E Cheese party for her on the Thursday prior (since her b-day was on Saturday, I wasn't about to make that mistake again...) and that was loads of fun.  NoVA experience a small monsoon (Rainapocolypes!) that day, so roads were flooded, streets closed, and Chuck E Cheese was empty.  I made her a princess cake, complete with an edible chocolate tiara on top (she ate half of it.  :)

Then on her actual birthday, we did a movie night out on the pipestem.  Our neighbor, Sybille, shares her birthday with Jesslyn, so it was a good excuse for all of us to hang out, party, have some cake and watch a movie.  At one point, we had about 50 people there (only about 30 were actually invited.)  I had kids asking me for cake, and I had no idea who they were.  :)  But it was fun---we watched "Gnomeo and Juliet" and "Thor".  Very cool.

She's really into My Little Ponies, dressing up, toy phones, and flashlights right now, so that's what she got for her birthday.  :)  Her and Judah are also "best buds" and very close, though usually Jesslyn is WAY TOO close.  She doesn't always grasp the idea of "personal space" and hasn't figured out that Judah's whining/crying means "back off!"  But I'm sure she'll get it eventually.  Or not.  It's kinda a part of who she is.  :)  But she's very sweet, too, and always up for cuddling, and loves having her back tickled.  She's a big sweetie!

Judah ~ Judah is now 18 months, and quite the character!  He started walking back in June, while we were at the beach (we went to the OBX the first week of June.  He was taking a few steps at a time before that, but really started moving once we got there.  That wet sand is a good learning tool.)  He's a bit of a chatter box, trying to say every word we say.  Not quite as wordy as Jesslyn was at his age, but pretty close!  A short list includes car, truck, plane, train, go, open, bye bye, hi, phone, apple/applesauce, juice, milk, water, drink, oww, Kookie, 'gunco' (for Uncle), bird, cat, dog, puppy, Dora, Boots, and so on, and so forth.  It's awesome.  :)  He's also very sweet, and loves to wrap his arms around your neck, yelling, "Mama!" or "Daddy!!" or just cuddling with "Gunco James" (it's kinda weird... James'll pick him up, and Judah will just put his head on his shoulder and leave it there, for like, 5 minutes.  Just looking around with his head on his shoulder.  Only with James, though.  :)

Let's see, what else with Judah.  Well, he loves Big Fella.  And babies.  So I'm hoping that that carries over, because..... #4 is due in 6 weeks!  But a little more on that in a minute.  He's a bit addicted to his Mommy and Daddy, especially his Mommy, so I am a bit worried about how he'll take the baby taking up so much of Mommy's attention.  The other two were great when their younger sibs showed up, so this is new territory for us.  Of course, maybe we're worried about nothing, and he'll be smitten with his new brother/sister, and all will be well.  Guess we'll see!

Oh yeah,  and Judah's quite the little comedian.  He always has this big smile on his face (with dimples!  Love the dimples!) and does all sorts of silly things to get a laugh!  He's also the hamiest of the bunch, dropping whatever he's doing for a chance to get his pic taken.  It's adorable.  :)

Finally, #4!  Yup, we're expecting the next member of the Wilcox clan sometime around Halloween.  We don't know if it's a boy or a girl (and hopefully won't have the chance to find out 'til they're born!)  We're planning another homebirth, so getting things ready has been fun/exciting, but of course, there's still much to do.  The pregnancy has gone well, thus far.  No complaints.  Just some morning sickness at the beginning.  It wasn't as bad as with Jesslyn, but worse than the boys, so I have no idea what to expect based on that.  But we're very excited, and can't wait to meet this new sweet bundle that God has chosen to bless us with.  :)

Other random news:  The kids and I (Jess) now have CBS (Community Bible Study) every Tuesday, and MOPS every other Friday.  It's a nice break, and a chance to socialize in a positive way with other Moms, and the kids get to hang out with their peers instead of just their siblings.  We did both last year, and it was good, but I have a feeling this year will be even better!  So I'm excited for that.

Jeremy's job is going well, though it has its challenges at times.  But overall, he's very blessed, and his boss is great, which is always a plus, especially with new babies on the way.  Jeremy's getting more handy around the house, having replaced the faucet on our hall bath, patched a hole in the hallway, and did a good bit of painting in the dining room.  So I'm proud of him.  :)  It's the little things.

And with that, it's off to bed.  Hopefully, I'll better about updating from here on out.  We'll see... :)

Well, hello!

Long time, no chat.  Here's a brief overview of what we've been up to:

Jeremiah:  Jeremiah celebrated his 4th birthday at Chuck E Cheese back in January.  We made the mistake of having his party on a Sunday afternoon.  Bad idea.  Friday night was MUCH better (when we had Jesslyn's.  More on that in a minute.)  Other new stuff?  Umm... he's about 42" tall, and last time I checked, weighed 45-ish lbs.  He still loves his trains, cars, trucks, basically anything with wheels.  He's a big help around the house, as he loves to help me cook, and is our "milk man".  He's responsible for bringing the milk up from the downstairs fridge for us, and takes his job very seriously.  :)

Jesslyn:  Jesslyn turned two in September, and we had her party also at Chuck E Cheese (hoping for a new venue for the next round...)  She requested a Yo Gabba Gabba cake, which MeeMaw and I made for her.  I did most of the cake and MeeMaw did the characters.  It came out really cute!  She's very chatty, and I would say almost rivals Jeremiah's vocabulary, so it's cute to listen to the conversations they have together.  Yesterday, she ripped off 19 keys from my laptop, and when asked why she did it, her response was, "That's how I roll."  :)  That's my girl!  Last time we checked, she was about 39" tall, and probably weighs as much as Jeremiah now (at least, it feels that way when you hold her! She's solid, alright!)  Such a little Mommy, she loves to take care of her 'babies', still sucks her thumb, and loves having a baby brother to carry around, much to my dismay.  :)

Judah:  Judah is just a few weeks away from turning 1!  I can't believe it.  Yikes!  He's super sweet, and perfect in every way.  He's very friendly/smiley with people, unless you're dropping him off with someone he doesn't know.  He loves his Mommy!  While he's not quite walking yet, he can cruise and crawl pretty well, and get pretty much anywhere he wants by climbing.  Gotta watch that one!  :)  At his 9 month check up, he was just about 20 lbs (50th %-tile) and 28"? I can't remember, but he was in the 70th for that.  For the first time ever, we have a child who actually wears the clothes his age dictates.  It's weird.  So used to being a size or two ahead!  He looks just like his Poppy did as a baby---the resemblance is quite remarkable.  We love our Cakes!

Jeremy:  Jeremy had a great year at work last year, and is on target to do even better this year! Yay, Jeremy!  We're really proud of him, especially in an area where it's tough for one parent to stay home.  I definitely do not take it for granted!  :)  His birthday is coming up next week, and as an early present, we re-did the basement while he was gone on a business trip two weeks ago.  It's now all decked out in Steelers colors, with the screen down there, seating, a table for eating/playing poker/games/etc.  I think he likes it.  :)

Jess:  Well, the most recent fun news from me is that I'm typing this on a Chrome Laptop, supplied to me free by Google.  Just came in the mail yesterday!  Woot!  Otherwise, nothing very exciting.  I'm still involved with my Mom's group, and started going to MOPS and CBS in the fall.

As a family, we've done some major things recently.  Went to the Azores in October so the kids could meet their great-grandmother, or "beezavo".  They had a great time, but I'll never do that trip again.  Wayyy too stressful to travel that far with 3 kids so young that you need to bring beds/pack n plays/strollers/car seats, etc.    Plus, there are new security searches at the airport that I'm not thrilled about (the patdowns have become far more invasive...) so I refuse to fly if I can.  If we can't drive there, we ain't going there!  :)

In October, we started getting our milk from a farmer in PA.  It's raw---unpasturedized, and unhomogenized.  It tastes so much better than store bought milk, organic or otherwise.  We also get our eggs, cheese and now chickens from them.  We've got a cow coming at the end of February, and signed up for a CSA that starts in June for all of our fresh produce.  We're living off the farm as much as we can, and I love it!  :)

More to come another time... Hopefully before 6 months from now. :)