Aedan: 39 Months, Week 4
With it being the week before the semester started for Ben, he had a week full of meetings and events he had to make appearances at. We are working on getting into a more consistent morning routine with getting up and getting ready, both in preparation for Ben's semester starting in a week and Samantha starting school in two weeks. Often, I will be finishing getting ready downstairs while Ben goes upstairs to let Izzy out and get Aedan up to take him to the bathroom. However, he likes to come down and say hi to me after he's up and dressed. As I was brushing my teeth that morning, I had the cutest little construction worker join me. I helped him get his safety goggles, head phones, and orange vest on, then he got busy working with his saw and drill.
Tuesday was kind of a dreary day, and instead of having a MOPS play date at the playground, we decided to move it to McDonald's instead. We met there at 11:00, and there were quite a few moms and kids that showed up. Samantha and Aedan were excited to get out and play in the play place. After a few minutes of letting kids play, moms started going up to order food. I made sure I knew what the kids wanted for lunch and told them I was going to go order food for us. There was a little bit of a line to order food, so it took me longer than usual. As I was walking back into the play place area with our food, I noticed another mom was carrying Aedan, and he was crying. Apparently he got very worried when he was looking for me and didn't see me anywhere. He had forgotten that I was going to order our lunch and thought I had left him there. It was sad, but definitely cute to see how worried he got and to see the big tears that streamed down his face, as well as the huge smile on his face when I walked in the door carrying our food. The rest of our time at McDonald's was good. The kids ate well and had a great time running around and playing with the other kids. I even got a chance to sit and talk with other moms for awhile, which was nice. It was a good way to spend our morning, see some people, and get some energy out.
On Wednesday morning Samantha had her last dentist appointment down in Petoskey. The best appointment time we could get was 8:15, which was actually forty-five minutes later than they originally scheduled her for. Again, Ben lovingly offered to take her to her appointment, since I should not be that far from home anyways. He had to wake Samantha up that morning to get on the road much earlier than anyone would have liked, but Samantha thought it was pretty cool that she got to turn on the light in the car so she could see to read books since it was still somewhat dark outside.
Aedan and I didn't have any grand plans for the day because my main goal was to clean the hose, which is a little more difficult and tiring when you're 36 1/2 weeks pregnant. However, I hadn't cleaned in several weeks, and who knows if this will be the last time I do a full house cleaning before little Owen arrives. I chose to do it on Wednesday since Samantha was going to be gone, and it's a little easier to clean with just Aedan around. He tends to be better about just hanging out with you wherever you are and finding something to play with, not complaining too much about being bored. And then I don't have any fights to break up either. :) However, my body was very tired that day. Some days I just feel much more exhausted than others and I'm not quite sure what the difference is between one day and another, but I'm definitely getting to the uncomfortable part of pregnancy where my feet and back are hurting.
At least I got to hang out with a really cute green dinosaur that morning. :)
Wednesday evening Ben had a small group training at church, and even though it was a bit chilly in the lower 60s, I decided to take the kids to the concert in the park. It was the last week we'd be able to go before school started, and it was supposed to be a good group of high school students playing fiddles. The kids and I got everything we needed and went by ourselves. It was a smaller crowd than usual which was kind of nice because we got to sit up close to the front. We even brought a couple blankets to spread out on which the kids enjoyed sitting on while they ate their popcorn. Here are some videos of the kids dancing during the concert.
I've been trying to spend some time doing some "lasts" of summer with the kids, especially specific things that Samantha wants to do before school starts again. Our plan for Thursday morning involved going to pick blueberries before going to Jump U.P. that opened at 11:00. However, the kids were having fun just playing together at home that morning so we left a little later and spent longer picking blueberries than I planned. We ran into another family we knew at the blueberry patch, which was fun for the kids. We had never picked blueberries before, and they were amazed at how many blueberries could grow on one bush. Samantha and Aedan did a great job of only picking the blueberries that were blue and not squishy. We had pretty big buckets from Easter, so it didn't feel like we were making much progress, but we had quite a few blueberries by the end of our time there. Our goal was to have enough blueberries to make a blueberry pie. The kids were fairly interested for awhile, but toward the end started being silly. They were fighting over their buckets and then Aedan got mad and knocked over his bucket, spilling out half of his (our) blueberries. It was getting close to lunch time, and I didn't think the kids really had enough energy to still go play at Jump U.P., so I decided to not do that, but instead plan on going another day and just go home instead. Here are some pictures from our time blueberry picking.
On Thursday I received a text from a mom that also has twins going in to first grade at Bahweting. Both of us specifically requested a certain teacher at the end of last school year, and she asked me if I'd gone on to the Parent Portal to see what class Samantha was placed in. I didn't even know I could do that and assumed that we would have to wait to find out who her teacher was until Back to School Night the following Tuesday. However, I anxiously logged in right away to see who Samantha had. This mom also told me that the teacher we had both requested actually took a job downstate to be closer to her husband, so they hired a new first grade teacher to replace her. Samantha was put in a class that I wasn't thrilled about, and it was difficult for me to not feel disappointed. I was really looking forward to a strong, positive year with a veteran teacher who established good rapport with her students and had strong classroom management. I also enjoyed speaking with her several times during the year about enrichment materials for Samantha, and she seemed very supportive of challenging Samantha in anyway we could. I don't know exactly how the year will go with this other teacher. It's difficult for me as a trained teacher because I know too much sometimes, especially after working at the school during the last half of last school year. I know many of the teacher's personalities, and I know all the previous students that attended there for kindergarten, the good and the bad. The teacher that Samantha has was new to the school last year, although not new to the teaching profession, but she definitely struggled with classroom management. I want Samantha to have a strong start to the year, a strong teacher that has high expectations of her students, and a year of growth and challenges for her, even though she is above average in math and reading. I know in my experience as a teacher, I would want to be given a fair chance, especially because anyone's first year in a new school is an adjustment. So, I am trying to approach this school year with an open mind and a positive outlook. I am not expressing any of my concerns to Samantha, and I hope that this year will go much better for the teacher and her classroom with one year under belt and the summer to plan ahead and prepare for the coming year.
Every once in a while, Izzy will calm down enough to just lay next to the kids on the couch. It's hard for her not to be super excited every time they are around. She loves to run around and play with them too much. However, on Thursday afternoon, I was able to sneak this picture of her laying next to Samantha and Aedan. At first she was asleep, but she was too interested in what I was doing to stay asleep for too long. Ben was also wanting a picture of Izzy to include in his beginning of the semester PowerPoint introduction, so I got a couple cute pictures for him to choose from. She's definitely a cute puppy. She fits in well with our family, and we love her.
On Friday our first job was going to Payless to get new school shoes. I knew I wouldn't be able to get away with just buying shoes for Samantha, so Aedan got some new tennis shoes as well. Samantha picked out some pretty pink ones with velcro because she likes that they are easy to get on and off, even though she knows how to tie her shoes. Aedan picked Cars shoes that light up on the side.
After that we decided to try going to Jump U.P. to play. It was one of the places Samantha requested going before going back to school. The only problem is that they don't open until 11:00 which is a hard time with lunch time and nap time for Aedan. However, the kids were very excited to play even though it was just the two of them and another kid that was there because her mom was working there. They went from one inflatable to another, jumping, climbing, and having a blast. At about 11:45 we got the kids' hands stamped so that we could come back to play again later and then went to campus to pick up Daddy so we could have lunch with him. Again, this is the last time we will be able to just go out and do something like this in the middle of the afternoon, so I figured I'd take advantage of our chance.
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly with getting Aedan down for a nap, doing math with Samantha, doing work around the house, and then talking to my friend Melissa on the phone. We hadn't touched base since we went to visit them back in April, and it was so good to talk to a good friend who knows me, knows my past, and remembers what is going on my life. I love that we are still close friends after all these years, even if months pass by before we talk to each other again. It was such a refreshing, encouraging conversation, and I would love to be able to talk to her and see her and her family more often.
That evening after dinner we tried to go back to Jump U.P. again so the kids could play longer since we were only there for about forty-five minutes earlier in the day. However, even though we got there at 6:30 and they were supposed to be open until 8:00, they must have closed early that evening, leaving two very disappointed kids in the back seat. Instead, we decided go back home and get the kids' bikes so we could go ride bikes on campus instead. Samantha and Aedan love zipping all around campus on the side walks, and it's fun to see them out riding around, getting exercise, and having fun going off more independently, but still in the safety of campus.
Saturday was another last of summer type day. We decided to drive down to Mackinac City to play mini-golf, another request of Samantha's. She had gone to play mini-golf with Daddy once on a date over the summer, but we decided to go all together that Saturday. Aedan enjoyed being a part of the fun this time, even though he hit the ball more like a puck in hockey. (I think we need to be sure to sign this boy up for beginner's hockey since he mastered ice skating last winter.) The kids just hit the balls over and over again until they got them into the hole. Ben and I tried to compete against each other some, even though we were distracted by the kids at times. I did pretty well at the beginning and we were close for most of the holes; however, towards the end I was starting to use more and more strokes, and Ben ended up being the ultimate winner. Anyways here are some cute pictures and videos from our time play mini-golf together.
I tried to get Aedan to look for a picture, but he wasn't interested. He's in an anti-picture phase again, so he turned his head as I tried to take his picture, the little stinker.
I was able to get him to look at the camera as long as he could push the button to take the picture. He still didn't agree to smile, however.
After finishing our game, we decided to get some lunch at this hot dog place that we always see as we drive by Mackinac City to cross the bridge. You don't get to eat at a restaurant with a giant hot dog on top very often.
From there we crossed back over the bridge to go to a splash pad that I heard about in St. Ignace. It was most likely our last warm day with temperatures in the mid-70s, but with the wind coming off the water, it definitely felt cooler than that. The splash pad looked like it could be fun, but we decided it would be too cold to change into swim suits and run through the cold water with the wind blowing so hard. Instead, we went over to a nearby playground where there was also a beach with lots of rocks. Samantha and Aedan had fun just digging in the rocks, hiding things, and building rock towers. We spent most of the afternoon out, deciding it wasn't important enough to push nap time with Aedan that day. It's nice that we can do that occasionally and he will be fine.
On Sunday when I was officially 37 weeks along, I again got overwhelmed with feelings of nervousness. I feel like I am more nervous than I should be, especially with this being my third time around. I know what a birth with an epidural feels like and a birth without any pain medicine feels like. I know that being nervous won't help anything, but for some reason I just feel very apprehensive about going into labor, how and when it's going to happen, and when to decide to go to the hospital. I am trying to calm my nerves and remember that I can do it, that my body can handle it, and that all the details will fall into place when it's time to go to the hospital. I am trying to focus more on being excited for Owen's arrival than nervous, but I feel like I am not ready yet both physically and emotionally. I don't remember exactly how I felt for my previous pregnancies, but it seems like it's been different this time around. Here are some updated bump pictures of me at 37 weeks.
As a way to help me prepare and feel more ready physically, I spent part of the weekend putting away toys and things in Owen's room and rearranging the furniture in a way that I like. My list of things to get done is getting shorter, which is good. Now I just need to pack a hospital bag with stuff for him and for me, as well as a list of last minute things to grab. I have a little more laundry to get done for him, and then we just need to get the new blinds hung up and I need to make and hang up the curtains, which I hope to do when Samantha goes back to school and I have a little more time in the afternoon. Here's what Owen's room looks like so far. Things are coming together nicely, and there is more room with all the furniture in there than I expected. It will be a great room since it is right next to ours, and I won't have to go up and down the stairs to get to him. We are working on getting a door installed between his room and our room so that way we can have more privacy and keep the light and sound out when he starts sleeping in there during the night or at nap time.
Since the kids and I picked a lot of blueberries, making blueberry pie was Ben's next dessert challenge. We found a pretty easy recipe online and had plenty of blueberries to make the pie. Ben made homemade pie crust from his mom's recipe, and we even made our own whipped cream with some heavy whipping cream we had in the refrigerator. It was fun having a dessert that really was homemade, made from scratch. We all couldn't wait to taste it on Sunday afternoon. Ben is an amazing baker and cook, and the rest of the family definitely enjoys the fruits of his labor.
Monday, August 28 was a big day for Ben because it was his first day of the semester. He will even tell Samantha that he still gets nervous before the first day of school. However, he was ready for a new semester to begin, and it was nice to have a week to get used to the semester schedule for him before Samantha started school herself, giving us time to ease into the routine of a new school year. On Monday we just hung out and played at home. It was a nice day out, so the kids played outside a lot. They LOVE their new play set and could spend all day outside in the back yard together. To celebrate Ben's first day of the semester, we went out for pizza and ice cream in Brimley together. It was nice to just hang out and relax as a family together that evening.
I can't remember remember exactly when these stories happened, I think this one happened last Sunday, but I have to share them because they are just too good. At one point we were sitting at the table eating dinner and Aedan mentioned that he was a bad person. We normally just say no, you're not, or say that we don't need to say things like that. However, I decided to push further and ask why he said that in the first place. His answer was because God doesn't like him when he does things he's not supposed to. This prompted a conversation about how God will never stop loving him even if he does bad things, but that we can and should ask for forgiveness, and He is always faithful to forgive us from all our sins. Now that Aedan has moved up to the preschool room at church, he is absorbing much more and you can tell his little mind is trying to process things that he's learning.
On Monday when I put Aedan to bed, he wanted to pray, and he prayed a really cute prayer saying thank you to Jesus because "he knows me" and then said thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I remember this stage with Samantha as well, when things start to make more sense and they begin the first stages of faith and trust in Jesus.
And last but not least, now that Aedan wears big boy underwear, he likes to pick out his underwear in the morning. Lately he looks through his drawer until he finds underwear of that day, for example, he has to find "Tuesday undies" on Tuesday. All of his underwear has characters on it, but none of them have the days of the week printed on them. His declaration of what day of the week his underwear is is also arbitrary, there's no rhyme or reason to it, but it's pretty funny, and we get a kick out of watching him choose his underwear.
(Blog about August 22-28, 2017)
No comments:
Post a Comment