Hello Kitty

My Warrior pirate and my Hello Kitty princess in her pajamas and sparkly pink slip on shoes.

We took it to the doughnut shop. Leaving it in the car was not an option.....pick you battles.

The bag goes to Wal-mart. It had to have a special red sticker on it when we went in so they would know we brought it in with us and weren't leaving the store without paying for it.

Yaya bought Maggie Beth a Hello Kitty backpack. Boy, does she think she is some kinda cool now that she has a backpack like Bubby has. So now every time we leave the house she thinks she needs to take it with her like Price does when he goes to school. In public, she gets many smiles and comments about how the bag is as big as she is, which makes her walk with a little more swagger.

The Character that is Maggie Beth

Here are some pictures that give you a peek into our Maggie Beth. She is a character for sure. She keeps us laughing and guessing what she will do next....

Never say 'never'

That would be my daughter...wearing Dora pajamas, holding a Dora doll, drinking from a Dora cup and watching Dora the Explorer. Never say never people....Never say 'never'

Best friends

I grew up an only child. I had a half brother and sister who are 9 and 10 years older than me. I vaguely remember them living with us, but even when they did, it was for a short time. I did have cousins who were like my siblings. I loved being an only child, but there were times I wondered what it would be like to have have someone close to my age who lived with me. I would see my friends fight with their siblings, but then at the same time, it was like they had a built in best friend. That is how I see Price and Maggie Beth. Though they are 4.5 years apart, they play together. Every morning through the monitor, I hear my children saying good morning to each other. What a precious way to start the day. They are always calling each other to play or asking where the other one is. They like to sit by each other at the dinner table and play in the covers of our bed. Price will pour a drink for himself and his sister. Maggie Beth will grab 2 bowls when I am dispersing snacks, knowing her brother will want one too. They roll around on the floor, Price gives horsey rides and as you can see from the pictures, they are also partners in fight crime! Maggie Beth loves wearing his clothes and putting on his shoes (which, she has a shoe fetish anyway...) Price is great about sharing treats and taking turns with special toys. A friend once told me that a sibling is a gift. Some may say it divides love among children, but true love doesn't have to be divided; it multiplies. What a blessing it has been to watch these two little people develop a relationship!

Limbo

A year ago, Jon started his own insurance business; Molder Insurance Group. With much time, effort, blood, sweat and tears, he poured himself into serving others and meeting their insurance needs. Sounds dramatic and a little cheesy, but it is true. His phone rang non-stop. He met customers on demand and worked long hours. I have no doubts the business could have been successful, but insurance had lost its luster and he hated the daily grind. Jon is the hardest worker you will find, but he hated waking up everyday to deal with the claims, the complaints, the paperwork and spending time on quotes that never got issued. We also found out that the insurance business is like a fraternity of sorts. If you were not a "legacy" so to speak in the industry, then those who are will try to keep you down. It all turns out to be a good thing though! Jon found out early on that insurance is just not for him. You have to have a certain 'personality' for it. Jon was not willing to 'tweak' applications to get a lower premium, or as one guy suggested Jon "whore himself out to get business"....uh, no thank you.

Jon had been contemplating closing the office since spring. He knew for sure it was the right decision by June. Come July, he made the decision official. He notified his partner and sent out a letter that stated August 26 as the official closing date. Just in the short amount of time (a month or so) that he has not written insurance, he is a totally different person. He is eating better, sleeping better, is happier, looser, friendlier, more relaxed and much less stressed. There are still obvious concerns regarding money and a career path, but there are a few options available.

Seeing God's hand in the last year and a half has got me excited about where things are headed. We are renting a house from our church. I am working part-time there and get to spend everyday with Maggie Beth who is just down the hall in the church nursery with a precious woman who loves Maggie Beth like she is her own granddaughter. I get to take Price to school and pick him up. Jon has NEVER gone a day unemployed, and now is no different. Our friend, Ryan owns a manufacturing company. He hired Jon for a temp job through the end of the year. We are currently waiting to hear about a job Jon has applied for at Union Pacific Railroad. He has had both a test (which he passed) and an interview. We should know more tomorrow, so more about that later.

In the meantime, we see how God is providing for our family while we wait on Him. We will trust and obey whatever he leads us to do.

Can it be?

I can't believe summer is coming to an end. My little man is growing so fast. Tomorrow is his first day of first grade! Princess is 20 months old. She is full into discovering her independence. Price watched the Harry Potter movies this summer and we might end it with a bang this weekend by watching the final movie in 3D. Maggie Beth has is a complete and total fish. She loves being submerged in water and shreeks like a dolphine when its time to get out. This was my first summer to work (part time), but none the less, it was different than summers past. Price and Maggie Beth spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with a women from our church they call Gogee. We didn't go to the lake near as much as we normally do. It was too hot to be out, even in the water. These record high temps (108-111 degrees) day after day have been a real drag! The grass and my flowers are dead. Maggie Beth cries every time we head to the car saying "hot, hot." Price is constantly asking to play video games and most of the time I say yes. There is nothing else to do. We have crafted, colored and read books until we are all sick of it. So, though I can't believe it is time to go back to school, I have to admit that Price and I both could not be more thrilled! He misses his friends and the routine of school days. Here's to hoping fall will bring more smiles than summer 2011.

Sassy 6's? Really?

Over the last couple of months I have noticed a change in my lil man. He has always been busy, feisty, creative, sweet as sugar with just enough ornery in him to keep me on my toes. But lately the debates are constant, the begging, whining, fussing, and bad attitude are almost more than I can take. I kept wondering what the problem was. I had talks with him about what might be the issue, spent more time with him alone, made more clear my expectations and consequences of unacceptable behavior and consulted my mom about what she thought might be the deal.

We came up with a few things. Maybe he is starting to show more jealousy with Maggie Beth. She is walking, talking and doing the adorable things that 18 month old babies do. She captures everyone's attention and maybe he is starting to resent it. Maybe?

Maybe he is bored with summer. This is the first summer I have been working even; though its only 3 days a week. He is probably missing the routine and social aspect of school and so he is 'acting out' of boredom. Maybe.

Maybe it is the "first half of the year is harder than the second half" theory. Meaning, the first 6 months following a birthday shows more challenges and behavioral adjustments than does the second half of the birthday year. I must admit I find this to hold some truth. Maybe that's it. ??

Well, just out of shear desperation for some insight into a 6 year old's head, I googled 6 year old development. The results were astonishing to me. I read that the 6's are as infamous as the terrible 2's!!?? But often times worse. WHAT?? I must say I was feeling a lot relieved at this time, but a little peeved that no one bothered to inform me of this most pertinent information! I read on. Come to find out, sassing, random crying fits, teenage attitudes that show up out of NOWHERE are all completely normal for a 6 year old. NORMAL, I said, not acceptable. So that left me with the question: What do I do about it? One person's advice (a mother to 4 children) was to "brace yourself and ride out the storm" Oh geez. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but okay.

After reading further, there were some great tips about how to handle 'the sassy 6's.' Some will stretch me as a parent. A few suggestions were:

* to address the behavior completely separate from the child, saying such things are "slamming the door is not acceptable." instead of saying "you know better than to slam the door."

* Discipline mainly to obtain the desired behavior and leaving the moral lesson out of it (for now). No preaching. Apparently six year olds can be pretty stubborn. If parents feel they are disciplining their 6 year old often, then when every actions is backed with a moral lecture, it's just to much for them to take in. Address the behavior, speak clearly the offense, the consequence and then follow through.

* Check your emotions at the door. Try very hard not to communicate anything through your tone or facial expressions ONLY WHEN DISCIPLINING. No raising voices, using sarcasm or showing anger of frustration of any kind (which doesn't work for any age really, but apparently the 6's are a precursor to the teen years, which I am sure is hard to restrain on the above listed behaviors, so I suppose I could use all the practice I can get). Kids this age like to see their parents get as upset as they are about something. Even if its not about the same thing; ie, Timmy mouthed off and now his evening play date is cancelled. He is now throwing a fit. Mom is getting frustrated with Timmy's reaction to his consequence, so she begins engaging Timmy with his fit. She is yelling over him, threatening further consequences and so on....Timmy, even though upset, has won his mother's attention and now she is feeling the same anger he feels even though over completely different things.

* Praise their good behavior. This seems obvious, but it is easy to overlook. There needs to be a distinct difference in the reaction to good behavior and poor behavior. When a child is doing what they are supposed to, a parent needs to be as willing to acknowledge and praise that actions as much as they would discipline a bad behavior. Smiling, laughing, listening, engaging conversation, asking questions, participating in play, high fives, tickles, hugs and kisses are easy ways to acknowledge desired behavior without saying anything. When this happens children will DESIRE to please their parents and know it is possible to capture their attention without acting inappropriately. If necessary, put a reward system in place.

These are just a few ideas. Some seem obvious, especially if you don't have a 6 year old, but this 'phase' Price is going though has really thrown us all for a loop. I remind myself often that his behavior is separate from who he is. He is so sweet. He is a wonderful and loving big brother. He makes friends easily and has many leader qualities. Price is so creative and likes generally likes to please.

I am hoping the structure of school will help. There are changes on the horizon (more on that later) and I would like to get through this point in development with Price so we can approach future transitions a little more smoothly.