My kids are pretty cool

I do complain about them a lot and I should be more careful about that. In the grand scheme of things, I have great kids. They are (mostly) well behaved, kind, loving, and very smart.

I guess it is just hard to be grateful for such good kids when they still know how to push my buttons and I'm operating on very little sleep.

But I'm trying.

I'm trying really hard to be smitten with my children even when my almost-four year old refuses to nap and the heaps on the I'm-so-tired-I-can't-see-straight attitude.

I'm trying to enjoy my seven month old even when she screams like a banshee to be picked up every fourteen seconds while I'm trying to cook dinner. And when she pulls those fine little hairs on the back of my neck.

I'm trying to be thankful even when my 2 year old throws himself to the floor in protest when it is time to leave the train table at the book store.

My kids really are wonderful. They don't run too far down the path in front of me. They don't get into things they shouldn't *very often. They can (and do) play by themselves. They do as told in stressful situations. They roll with the punches when we run out of chocolate syrup. I have it pretty easy, really. And I know that.

Sometimes I need to blog it to remind myself how nice our little (big?) family really is!

We went to Phipps Conservatory

Grandma loves the orchid show at Phipps so we took her there today! Aaron lost his mind 3/4 of the way through & cried the whole way home. Good grief!

It was horribly overcast today so I was using the Canon with the lightscoop & flash... the quality isn't super.

Sneak Peek

I'll be back to blogging next week, hopefully! 

Fell Asleep at the Table!

If you know the Vandervort kids, you probably know that they never sleep.

Ok, maybe that's not true, but what is true is that our kids rarely fall asleep anywhere but in their beds. It doesn't usually matter how tired, how much running, how late, etc. They just aren't the kind of kids to lay their weary heads down and just sleep.

We had a surprise visit from Emily & Adam & co. today. We went to 2 playgrounds (outdoor until we got cold, then to the indoor one) and they boys played straight through naptime. After we were done playing we went next door and had lunch/dinner. Neither Isaac, nor Ian, nor Aaron, nor Asher misbehaved at dinner. They sat nice and ate well. As Aaron was finishing up his meal, I kept looking at him thinking, man, he looks tired! He was holding his own, but then literally before our eyes he started to sway. I asked Roger to pick him up because I was afraid he was going to hit his head on the table.

He absolutely, 100 percent fell asleep in his high chair sitting at a restaurant. 

Hilarious! And pathetic!

I wish I had snapped a picture of the rare occasion. 

That is how hard they played today!

I can't wait until spring/summer & the daytripping with the cousins the warmer weather will bring!

Steeler time.

On sibling relationships

I've been running fewer errands lately in an effort to curb impulse purchases. So on Tuesdays & Thursdays we've been running any essential errands and coming home.

Aaron has discovered a whole new world of playing without Ian here! He gets the run of the house and doesn't have to fight for toys, etc. And he is loving it.

Interesting though, he'll come and ask me if it is time to go get Ian yet. So he misses him.

Isn't it just magical to watch the relationships between your children develop?

When Ian was 8-12 months old, I repeatedly said I wasn't having another child.  Ian really sucked the life out of me during those months and there was no way I wanted to repeat it! Then Aaron came along. Almost immediately Ian loved Aaron. He was never jealous. He never tried to hurt Aaron. Ian has always loved Aaron. Then Lauren came along and it was the same thing. Neither boy was ever jealous. Neither boy has ever tried to hurt sis. If anything they are both too helpful for my comfort.

Ian and Aaron are now reaching the ages when they want to play with each other and be near each other. Built in playmates. It's wonderful. And, obviously, exactly how God intended our family to be in 2011.

Ian and Aaron go to school together on Wednesdays and frequently I hear a report from Ms. JoJo that they were inseparable. When one wanders to the other room to play, the other misses him and starts looking for him. When Ian went to his friend's birthday party at Chuck-e-Cheese and Aaron stayed home with Daddy, Ian wanted to know why Aaron couldn't come.

They are both very capable of having experiences without each other, but they prefer to do things together.

I love it!

Of course, they fight over toys and get on each other's nerves, but for the most part, it is a wonderful relationship. I can't wait to see how Lauren factors in when she gets old enough to run with the big dogs!

I should mention that it was much the same experience for me growing up and now I have great friends and pillars of support in my siblings. I have the greatest hope for my children that they might continue their close relationships into adulthood!

Remind me I said all this in 27 minutes when we pick up Ian and the ruckus starts up again!

Anyone know a decent bathroom contractor?

Bracelet from Aunt Emily

I decided I'm going to have to wait until she's sleeping to really photograph it, but you get the idea.

Christmas Eve

A "Church Clothes" photo & A "new jammie" photo. Stockings hanging, cookies out...  And the rest has yet to be revealed.

This was actually after we got home from church, our first "successful" Christmas Eve service
since 2006
...nobody crying, mama didn't have to leave the sanctuary, etc! Lovely!

we only had 4 hooks, so Roger's and mine are on the same one.

Stockings knitted for us by my "Aunt" Peggy Groover. 

Snow Day!

Happy Baptism, Lauren!

Lauren was baptized this morning at Calvary UMC in Greenville!

Lauren & Papa before the service

Uncle Todd showing Lauren the Christmas tree

Aaron's First time in Cloth & Little Sis Photo

I guess I should not say first time because there were some times as an infant that Aaron was in cloth diapers. Anyway. Here's Aaron... in his Bumkins All-in-One diapers. I bought these probably 2 years ago now... and they've been in the closet just waiting.  Perhaps somehow I just knew I would eventually go for it? Sorry to be posting so much about cloth diapers, but I'm really trying to immerse myself & get really excited about it so I don't give up.

Right now it is a little like starting out breastfeeding: I know the benefits, I'm excited about doing it, but it is hard (for me) to get going. In a few weeks, I'll probably look back and say, "hey, this is alright!"

Of course now I'll just mention since I know you're curious... no, I didn't ever do bottles because I thought it was easier, but I definitely thought about giving up on nursing Ian.  The first 4 weeks of breastfeeding Ian were awful. I stuck it out & I'm glad I did! Now I'm nursing my third baby!

Anyway, that was a huge tangent I just went on...

Here are the pics.

LMV sleeping on the changing table (through a diaper change)

Other things we're up to?

1. All 3 kids have snotty faucet-noses. (Nasty!)
2. I'm thinking about the Apple tarte I'm making tomorrow morning.
3. I'm making Challah right now for french toast tomorrow.
4. Missing Roger & wishing he was on vacation today.
5. Thinking about Aaron's ENT appointment scheduled for 12/14.
6. Trying a new thing where we only buy meat once a month...and really take advantage of our freezer space.
7. Going to Grandma & Grandpa Bishop's for Thanksgiving dinner.
8. Thankful for a great many things this year.

Trick or Treat!

We invited our friend Jessica over to ToT with us this evening. We didn't go to *that* many houses, but stopped when the boy's buckets got too heavy for them to carry.  It was great! They had a lot of fun & so did we!

Ian was Buzz Lightyear, Aaron was Sheriff Woody, & Lauren was Bo Peep.