I like to hear stories about Benjamin at church from his teachers. His music teacher told me this last Sunday that they were singing Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Trees. She took them outside to show them the "popcorn." Benjamin told her, "No, it's blossoms!!" She also said as of two weeks ago he finally started singing in Nursery! He sings nonstop at home but for some reason wouldn't sing at church. I lectured him about it and the last two Sundays he has sung. I told him today I heard he sang at Nursery and he said "Yeah, I sang LOUD!" Hopefully it sticks throughout his life so we don't go through this again with him as a teenager. :-)
Me: "No thank you."
Benjamin: "Mommy, you're so polite!"
We were bringing in the baby clothes tonight to see what we have/what we need. Benjamin peeked his head through the door and clasping his hands excitedly together said "Mommy, is Baby Peter coming TONIGHT?!?!" Poor guy still has a month and a half to wait. :-(
A sign Benjamin is going through sugar withdrawals from Easter (we didn't even stuff his eggs with candy and he still managed to get his hands on tons of it!):
Me: "Benjamin, what do you want for lunch?"
Benjamin: "um. Sugar."
I'm sure there are a ton more, but I didn't do a very good job recording them this month. He calls Peter "Petey" and always wants to see him (my stomach) and talks to him like he's already here.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
March Videos
Counting
I taught him my phone number to a song in case he's ever lost.
Singing Latter-day Prophets
Playing Captain America with Lamoni
Easter 2016
We went to Bloomfield to spend Easter with the Sam's. It was nice and quiet because we were the only ones visiting! We also got to see Mariah, Dentin and their kids on Sunday.
Lamoni giving them a pep talk on finding Easter eggs.
With cousin, Leena
The next Sunday my parents had an Easter egg hunt for all the grand kids in the orchard near their house.
March 2016
This is our last month of life as we know it. As of May I'm going down to 8-11 students!! I'm having so many second thoughts about it. After some lessons with students I almost change my mind and say I'm going to keep them; after others I realize I am very ready!
This is a typical day for us right now (actually, every single day has a different schedule, but this is the most standard):
7:00 Lamoni and I get up and do scripture study
7:30-8 Benjamin gets up. Lamoni leaves and Benjamin and I snuggle on the couch reading book after book after book then puzzles galore. After about 45 minutes I convince him he's hungry (because I'm hungry) and we eat breakfast/clean/play etc.
9:30-11:30 I teach and Benjamin plays. Some mornings he plays on his own and other mornings I have my mom, Grace, Joy or a student watch him. Wednesdays and Saturdays he gets to hang out with Lamoni.
11:30-1 We practice cello (this takes about 10 minutes of coercion and 2 minutes of actual practice. At least we're consistent...), go on a walk (he insists on the blue stroller which neither Lamoni nor I like) and we eat lunch.
1-3 is nap time. I implemented a standard nap time in the fall when I made my teaching schedule and I am so. glad. Especially since I'm pregnant. I think this pregnancy has been easy in part to having the opportunity for a nap most days. I do so well if I'm well-slept and fed and SO not well if I'm hungry/tired! Benjamin is very good about taking his nap every day as long as there is white noise in the background.
3-5 I teach and he plays. I teach an average of 3-4 hours per day and Benjamin does such a good job playing during it. It's especially nice that the weather has been warm and he can play outside. Occasionally he has a bad day and it's a nightmare trying to teach, but that's understandable.
5-6 Lamoni gets home. Make and eat dinner.
6-8 Business time - sometimes he comes with us and sometimes he hangs out at Grandma's or Charity's.
8-9 is supposed to be bedtime but it has lately become singing and story time. He lies in his crib for about an hour and just sings and tells himself stories. He cracks himself up. "Once upon a time there was a lion. His name was Jesus. Hehehehehe" etc.
9-11+ Lamoni study time and I get to work on projects, which lately include: Graduation announcements, cleaning, getting things ready for Peter, reading, taking a bath, proof-reading Lamoni's papers, computer work (I need a secretary), taxes etc.
Things are going to change so much so soon. I have a whole list of things I'm going to do with Benjamin once I'm done teaching. It's such a blessing that I've been able to support us while Lamoni is in school. I've been able to stay home, not have to work full-time and come out with 2 master's degrees between us, 2 kids, have no debt and be self-reliant! That's what I keep reminding myself when there are hard days.
Lamoni has an interview with the VA hospital next week. We're really excited because he wants to work for the VA for the 2 years of supervised work that he has to fulfill before he can get his independent license. They had a meeting awhile back and told the 3 interns to apply to other jobs because the process can take a long time (like til September or later) IF they get hired on. He filled out an application and started to apply to other places too, although he is set on the VA because he really likes it there. Well, a couple weeks later the interns got an email saying that they had 3 positions available and were invited for an interview the next week! Supposedly they are really impressed with the interns (who wouldn't be? It's Lamoni!) and they have never offered to fast track the hiring process like this before. The earliest he could start working is June (if the interview goes well), because he has to wait for transcripts to post, but that is a lot sooner than we were expecting!
I was looking through my March pictures and I didn't take very many!
This is a typical day for us right now (actually, every single day has a different schedule, but this is the most standard):
7:00 Lamoni and I get up and do scripture study
7:30-8 Benjamin gets up. Lamoni leaves and Benjamin and I snuggle on the couch reading book after book after book then puzzles galore. After about 45 minutes I convince him he's hungry (because I'm hungry) and we eat breakfast/clean/play etc.
9:30-11:30 I teach and Benjamin plays. Some mornings he plays on his own and other mornings I have my mom, Grace, Joy or a student watch him. Wednesdays and Saturdays he gets to hang out with Lamoni.
11:30-1 We practice cello (this takes about 10 minutes of coercion and 2 minutes of actual practice. At least we're consistent...), go on a walk (he insists on the blue stroller which neither Lamoni nor I like) and we eat lunch.
1-3 is nap time. I implemented a standard nap time in the fall when I made my teaching schedule and I am so. glad. Especially since I'm pregnant. I think this pregnancy has been easy in part to having the opportunity for a nap most days. I do so well if I'm well-slept and fed and SO not well if I'm hungry/tired! Benjamin is very good about taking his nap every day as long as there is white noise in the background.
3-5 I teach and he plays. I teach an average of 3-4 hours per day and Benjamin does such a good job playing during it. It's especially nice that the weather has been warm and he can play outside. Occasionally he has a bad day and it's a nightmare trying to teach, but that's understandable.
5-6 Lamoni gets home. Make and eat dinner.
6-8 Business time - sometimes he comes with us and sometimes he hangs out at Grandma's or Charity's.
8-9 is supposed to be bedtime but it has lately become singing and story time. He lies in his crib for about an hour and just sings and tells himself stories. He cracks himself up. "Once upon a time there was a lion. His name was Jesus. Hehehehehe" etc.
9-11+ Lamoni study time and I get to work on projects, which lately include: Graduation announcements, cleaning, getting things ready for Peter, reading, taking a bath, proof-reading Lamoni's papers, computer work (I need a secretary), taxes etc.
Things are going to change so much so soon. I have a whole list of things I'm going to do with Benjamin once I'm done teaching. It's such a blessing that I've been able to support us while Lamoni is in school. I've been able to stay home, not have to work full-time and come out with 2 master's degrees between us, 2 kids, have no debt and be self-reliant! That's what I keep reminding myself when there are hard days.
Lamoni has an interview with the VA hospital next week. We're really excited because he wants to work for the VA for the 2 years of supervised work that he has to fulfill before he can get his independent license. They had a meeting awhile back and told the 3 interns to apply to other jobs because the process can take a long time (like til September or later) IF they get hired on. He filled out an application and started to apply to other places too, although he is set on the VA because he really likes it there. Well, a couple weeks later the interns got an email saying that they had 3 positions available and were invited for an interview the next week! Supposedly they are really impressed with the interns (who wouldn't be? It's Lamoni!) and they have never offered to fast track the hiring process like this before. The earliest he could start working is June (if the interview goes well), because he has to wait for transcripts to post, but that is a lot sooner than we were expecting!
I was looking through my March pictures and I didn't take very many!
He has been drawing pictures of people! It's adorable. This is the first face he drew. It's on the back of a tithing slip at church.
Papa reading to the grand kids.
He has been begging to go on the bus so one day when Lamoni got home early we rode the bus up our street. We got off and then waited 40 minutes for a bus to come back!!! They were supposed to come every 15 minutes. We waited so long that my students drove past us to get to our house for their lesson but didn't have a car seat for Benjamin to pick us up.
I flew to Florida last minute for a business function. Lamoni couldn't go because he had signed up for a 4 day class before he knew we were invited to go to this conference and he would miss 1 of the 4 days. I got to see Johan and Julia - our really good friends and business partners in Russia. I hadn't seen them since before my mission.
This is what they had for dinner one night when I was gone. It's a good thing I'm not gone often...
They went to the zoo with Jason and the cousins while I was gone.
He made this zoo after I got home. Not the wall with all the animals inside. You can't see it in this picture but up on the arm of the couch he has little people who are the zookeepers feeding the animals.
Making forts with daddy one night when I had a church meeting.
He begs to make forts ever since. I'm trying to convince him it's a dad activity.
We still sing to him before we put him to bed. He's still in a crib. I plan on having him in a crib til he's 5. ;-) I love the control it gives me and dread the day he has to be in a big kid bed!!
All ready for church!
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