Spiders

I am very scared of spiders! It doesn't matter what kind they are, whether they are inside or outside... I hate them! So I am preparing to have a garage sale this weekend and I've been spending a lot of time in our basement sorting and pricing things. I had a group of chairs sitting by a wall in the basement probably for about 2 months now and I noticed maybe 3 weeks ago that this group of chairs was covered in spider webs. It kind of grosses me out to see that but its no big deal as long as I don't have to go near them. Well within this group of chairs is a highchair that I want to sell in my sale... so you guessed it, I have to touch this highchair... clean it, take it outside and try to sell it. So I go down in the basement with a paper towel, all prepared to get all the cobwebs off and carry it outside. It's just my luck that today there was a spider on it! And it wasn't just hanging out for fun... come to find out that it has decided to have it's babies on my highchair! That's right... there are a bunch of little spider eggs all over this thing! So gross! So I'm down stairs trying to figure out how to get this mama spider off my chair and I just can't get close to the highchair... did I mention that I hate spiders?! So I get enough courage to finally drag the highchair up the steps and out the door, stopping every few moments to make sure the spider is still on its eggs and not preparing to attack me! So I get it outside and get the hose out and spray the crap outta the spider and the eggs... at one point I shot the spider and saw it shoot a web and try to stay attached to the chair and its eggs but the water was too strong! So now the highchair is sitting in my yard, wet, with the eggs soaked, but still attached... and I am still scared of this spider! I don't want to go back out there b/c I'm afraid it's mad at me and will attack me! I know this is very irrational thinking, but I am terrified! Maybe I'll just leave the chair alone until Thaddeus gets home and let him move it for me!

Bennett is 4 Months Old

Bennett turned 4 months old on Sunday! Where have the months gone?? It seems like just yesterday she was new to our family and we were all just getting to know her! We are very blessed to have easy, happy babies and I would have to say that Bennett has been even easier than the boys were... it might just be that I know more now as a mom than before, but she really is a very content baby! Some things about Bennett:

• She loves to sleep on her tummy
• Her favorite place to hangout is in her bouncy chair w/ the vibrate on
• She is usually sucking on something... her favorite's are her hands, her bear, and her burp rags.
• She will smile and talk to anyone who talks to her... I think she will be a people person, just like Thaddeus and Gunnar!
• Her eyes are definitely brown... there was a hint of blue when she was first born
• She is very talkative, especially compared to the boys! She coos and laughs and makes lots of cute noises!
• The only time she cries is when she is startled... usually only happens when Thaddeus sneezes!
• Instead of crying when she is unhappy she kinda screams and yells... it's really funny and loud.
• She can roll over from her tummy to her back... and sometimes will do this in the middle of the night and won't be able to fall back asleep again until we roll her back
• She is a great eater! It only takes her 5-10 minutes to nurse each time... I love how fast she eats! She gets very distracted while nursing lately too!
• She kind of sleeps through the night... 9pm-5am most of the time... she'll nurse for 5 minutes and then go back to sleep for a few hours.
• She usually takes 4 naps a day and almost always wakes up happy!
• Her favorite time of day is in the morning when she wakes up... just like Thaddeus! She is so happy and content in the a.m!

Bennett has been such a blessing to our family! I love having a baby around to snuggle and cuddle and just love on! Her smile always puts me in a great mood! We are so excited to watch her grow up and to see the little girl that she grows into... we love you Bennett Nelle!

Currently Reading

I am currently reading "Parenting by The Book" by John Rosemond. I just started it yesterday so I'm not too far, but I am already learning so much! I have never put much thought into how the world around me influences my parenting... mainly b/c we try not to be of this world... but as a mother it is very easy for me to care about and judge how other moms do things. The first chapter of the book is called "The Great Deception" and here is an exert: "Progress constantly infuses culture with new energy, but in the 5th commandment God promises a stable, secure society to people who adhere to fundamental family traditions. But that understanding went by the boards in the 1960's, the single most destructive decade in the history of the USA." "In the 1960's, however, the now-adolescent television industry began to take on a rebellious, activist character. Its movers and shakers became determined to use the influence of television to reshape America consistent with the vision of the emerging neoliberal, secular elite. And they succeeded." "By the mid 1970's, the United States had become a full fledged "progressive" culture. Progressivism holds that just as most technologies (such as computers) are better than old technologies (typewriters), new ideas are better than old ideas. For the most part, the progressive mind-set rejects tradition." In the chapter Rosemond is talking about how before the 1960's parenting was a very traditional thing. And it was, in most cases, much easier to be a parent before the 60's arrived. Generally, parents would parent the exact way as their parents and grandparents had... If they had a question about what to do with johnny not listening they would go to grandma and find out what she did, whereas now a days we ask someone outside of the family, or read a book or magazine, or even look online... which i am very guilty of! I find them very helpful actually, and the internet is usually my first choice in finding info. I really feel like I connect well with what Rosemond is saying. As far as my parenting goes I do not want to emulate my parents parenting style... It's not that I think they did a bad job or that I don't respect them, it's just a preference. And I don't think that I'm alone in that... at least according to Rosemond. I find it very interesting how our culture and media have such a huge impact on our lives and how generations can be shaped by them! I'm looking forward to delving into this book and learning how to parent from the Bible!

Gunnar Goes to Preschool

Today was Gunnar's first day of preschool! We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of September 1st in our house for a couple of months now. Since June, Gunnar has asked almost everyday if it was time to go to preschool. This last weekend his Grammy and Poppy took him school shopping for a book bag, clothes, and shoes and last night I picked up what little supplies he needed to start school today! We left for school around 8:30am... after Gunnar had asked about 10 times if it was time to go! When we arrived I took Gunnar in and left Bennett and Conrad in the van... I had picked up a new Mater truck for Conrad last night because I knew he would need some kind of distraction from Gunnar leaving, but unfortunately it didn't work and Conrad cried for about 10 minutes after we left Gunnar. 11:30 rolled around quickly and we went and picked Gunnar up from his 1st day! He seemed very tired when I picked him up and he is napping as I type this now... I don't know if it's a boy thing or a 3 year old thing, but I didn't get too many details out of him about his morning... i guess we'll work on it. Thankfully the preschool sends out a monthly calendar which includes a list of things the kids will be doing each day... so I do have some sort of idea what he's learning! He used glue and scissors for the first time today! I know that some kids don't ever go to preschool and lots start when they are 4 but a few reasons why we chose to start Gunnar at 3 are: To make friends and learn how to be social... Gunnar is very extroverted (like Thaddeus!) and he craves interaction with other kids. Since we are planting a church and not involved in a church at the moment he doesn't have many opportunities to play with other kids his age... so preschool is a good alternative. So our other children can have more alone time with mommy... If you have more than 1 child then you know that making time for everyone can be hard. Some days more of my attention goes to Gunnar than Conrad or the other way around... having Gunnar out of the house for a couple hours gives Conrad and I a chance to hangout (especially b/c Bennett is so easy and sleeps a lot) With Conrad being the middle child it can be easy to push his needs to the side so I am excited for my time with him so I can get to know him a little better... I believe that sending your child to preschool or not is a big decision... every child and family is different and what works for us might not for you... I'm just thankful that Gunnar is excited to be going and looks forward to his Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Voyages Preschool!