Ms. Crockett

 

Dexter's last day at Northwood Montessori was a sad day for us all.  We had to say goodbye to the beloved Ms. Crockett and all of Dexter's friends.  He still is asking about them and asking to go back to Montessori school. 

At AMI Montessori schools you stay with the same teacher from 2 1/2 when you start, till you are 6 and leave for 1st grade.  So, we were really all set to be with the same teacher and same classmates for the next few years.  It is really hard to say goodbye when everyone else will be returning and knowing what a phenomenal job Ms. Crockett did with Dexter.  He has matured and grown so much these last few months.  It has been a positive experience to say the least. 

Here are a few highlights for his time at Northwood:

• Learning to listen
• Learning his numbers 1-10
• Learning his letter sounds a-z (in lowercase cursive)
• Learning to follow directions
• Learning manners (yes please, no thank you, don't talk with food in your mouth, clean up after you are finished, push in your chair when you leave the table, ask permission to speak, wait your turn, don't distract others while they work, keep hands behind back when watching, etc)
• Learning life skills (clothing, cleaning, potty)
• Writing 1, 0, and t
• And much, much more!

The way Montessori is structured provides clear boundaries, but also a lot of freedom within thouse boundaries.  What toddler doesn't want to "do it himself"?  Being in this enviroment helped Dexter be a much more relaxed boy at home.  I have seen his behavior take a nose dive since he has been out of school.  The routine and constant mental stimulation is just what Dexter needs -- I am struggling to keep up!  Our home is no match for the well stocked Montessori classroom!

Ms. Crockett, we love you!  Thank you for all you have done for Dexter and for our family!

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Chalk Paint Transformation!

Hi all!  I haven't been blogging as usual as it was a hectic May.  I have to say it is a new challenge to parent a very mobile almost 11 month old and a 3 year old at home this summer!  They are both into everything, and one wants to eat everything he finds, be that carpet fuzz or bobbie pins!

So, I have this table with 6 chairs I got of Craigslist for $250 back when we were staging the old house.  They had this really ugly and cheap looking stain that had rubbed off leaving yellow streaks.  I thought they would be perfect to try out the much lauded Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.

Here are the chairs after 2 coats of pure white and a little bit of distressing.

Now, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for my table.  I have white dishes, so I wanted a contrasting color.  Ideally I wanted yellow, but since the yellow from Annie Sloan is more creamy than I wanted, I thought about blue.  But, since the ways are already the color blue I would have picked, I knew it would be too much.

That is when I went to Michella Marie's store in Old Town Spring and she showed me what pure white looked like with dark wax applied directly to the paint.  I thought it could create the perfect wood grain look.

Here is the table with just the white wash on one side.

I painted on a dab of white paint the misted with a spray bottle to thin it out and just washed it on.  The paint is amazing and you can really "work" it and get it to go what you want.  Much more like an artist with a canvas than I thought it would be!

Here is the dark wax going on the left side.  (for great wax tips, check out Perfectly Imperfect's blog for video tutorials and Q&A) You apply a tiny amount, really press it in, then immediately wipe up the excess.  It is like a stain and wax in one, so it DRAMATICALLY changes the color!

Here are the leaves with just a wash and the first section in the background waxed with the dark wax.

The finished leaf!

Here is the finished product before the final coat of clear wax to protect everything!

I love the way the wash and dark stain turned out, and I really loved how fun it was.  I am looking around wanting to paint everything with chalk paint now!

Ta da!

Oh, and the wash and wax took about 2 hours start to finish last night, and that was with the test panel and waiting for it to dry between coats.  It was so fast!!

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What's up, Maxwell?

No, I don't take as many pictures of #2 as I did of #1.  You know though, I definitely hug and love #2 just as much, if not more, than #1.  There.

"Hey mommy, I love you!"

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Montessori Mother's Day

I forgot my camera in the car at the Earth Day celebration, but not so for the Mother's Day celebration (which was on Dexter's actual birthday, by the way).

This is Dexter's class reciting a poem they memorized.  Each class memorized a different poem and shared it with the moms.  The look on Dexter's face when he saw Maxwell and I were in the crowd was priceless.  You could see he was worried, "is she here?" Then once he spotted me he lit up!

Then we got to plant a special flower together in a pot Dexter had decorated. 

Here he is with a friend from class.

 

He was so proud!

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Mother's Day 2012

Mother's Day 2012.  Wow.  This year I am a mother to TWO children.  It is such an honor and such a huge responsibility knowing that I am the person that has the biggest effect on their future.  Will they rise up and call me blessed, or will they go to counseling to undo all the mistakes I made/will make?  I am sure it will be some combination of the two!

Each year the "kids" write me a poem for Mother's Day, and this year Sander surprised me by writing it on the mat surrounding a picture we took at Thanksgiving.  Dexter drew each member of our family around the edge and I love it more than words can say!

This year I want to share a few lists with you, but first I have to share the day that I first became a mom.

May 10th, 2009 was Mother's Day and I gave birth to my first baby boy at 2:00pm.  It was the perfect first Mothers' day present!  Thank you for coming into my life and completely turning everything on its head.  You have changed me for the better and I am so thankful for you!

And this is the day after I gave birth to my second baby boy.  He is the baby who has added so much happiness to our family.  We had no idea that we were capable of loving two babies as much as we do, but with your arrival in our life, the love has just grown and grown!

Now for those lists.

Before I had children, here were the things I loved and valued most:

• Sleep!  Any and all sleep!  Sleeping in was sleeping for 10+ hours and I loved every second of it.
• Vacations!  I loved travelling with Sander, and we sure did a lot of in our early years of marriage.
• Leisurely Saturday mornings of brunch, Wait! Wait! Don't Tell me and naps.
• House projects.  Sander and I loved fixing up our old house together.  He was the mastermind and I was the creative director.
• Spending time with friends.  Going out last minute for a late dinner was no big deal and we did it all the time.

Now, those were just a few of the things that we did that made me "happy".  When Dexter was still in utero, these came to a sharp halt.  There was no slow detox phase -- I had to give all of them up cold turkey.  Not only did I have to learn to be a mom for the first time, I also had to care for a sensitive baby with severe reflux.  At the time, and even until recently, there was part of me that was still mourning the loss of that list above, especially sleep.

But I am finally coming to the realization that the list of things that I love and value now so far outweighs the first list that I have just been wasting time feeling sad for myself.  I had to share this list for myself just as much as with whoever is reading.  They may seem like small, meaningless things, but these things have brought more joy to my life than all the places I have every travelled or all the money I have ever earned.  I want to remember these tiny moments always.

What I love and value now that I am a mom:

• The weight of my baby's tired head resting on my shoulder when only I can comfort him
• The way that your face lit up as you came to chose me as your friend to help pass out muffins at your 3rd Montessori birthday.  This will probably be the last year you choose me over your friends.
• The way you tell your dad that the baby is probably crying "because mommy isn't there to watch over him".
• The way my baby plays with my fingers and holds me so tight when I go and nurse him at night.
• The way your face lights up with joy when I spin you around on the grass and you ask for me to do it again, and again, and again, and again.
• The way that little errands around town become adventures through your eyes.
• The way a donut on Saturday morning makes your whole weekend a party
• The way you remember to pray for people and things I have never brought up
• The way you love to listen to the Beatles, especially Hey Jude, and the way you make up new lyrics, just like your Daddy does.
• The way you have humbled me.  There is no way to look like I have it all together when I haven't slept for more than 3 hours in a row for months, or when I have perpetual snot/spit/spit-up stains on my shirt. 
• The way your eyes look straight through appearances.  You don't care what people say, you care what they do, so you constantly remind me to be a person who's actions speak louder than my words.
• There are days I have no idea what to do!  You bring me to the end of myself quicker than anything else in the world, so I have to look to God as I just can't make it alone.

Dexter and Maxwell, thank you for being challenging, for being dramatic, for being feisty, for being hilarious, and for being sensitive.  You defy the books and make me look to the Lord and pray like I have never prayed before.  I love you from the bottom of my heart. 

You have wrecked my life, and I am forever grateful.

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In Celebration of All Mothers

Isn't it easy to feel overwhelmed as a mom to young kids?  I know I have been a tad sarcastic the past few weeks (such as the day I had to clean vomit off the floor, not once, but three times) that I sure am glad we get a day to celebrate motherhood because it certainly only deserves a day. 

Then I take a step back and realize what a blessing it is to be a mom in the first place...and that motherhood is something that unites me with women around the world.  I know that no matter where I go, or who I meet, if I meet a mom we can share the common experience of caring for our babies and striving to give life to our family.

I have to share with you three stories that have been inspirational to me these past few months.  These three stories are of moms who, just like I am, are striving to provide the best for their family.  They want to raise their children well and live well.  We share the same heart goal, even though separated by miles and cultures. 


The first is Jalia. 

Jalia's story is profound:

Jalia loves art and has a degree in industrial and fine art from Makere University. As a mother of young children, she desired to stay at home with them, but also needed to provide a source of income for her family. It was then that her and her husband took a course on business as ministry. As a former Muslim, with 50 siblings, she wanted to reach out to others with the love of God while empowering them with work. Once a week, these women now gather to make jewelry, laugh, cry, and share their lives together. Jalia has a dream that African Style will grow, train more women in art skills, and find a market for their productions.

"Many women who work with me are really struggling. Most of these women are widows with children; they struggle to look for rent, school fees and food. But the interesting thing is that they are very hard working and some of them have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are in lot of poverty. They cry to us, yet we too can not do much for them, since we are still struggling with food and rent," Jalia wrote to me in an email. "I have a dream of becoming a famous Fashion/jewelry Designer. In this way I can attract a higher market, and be able to support my people, as they work to get out of poverty, which has crippled many; brought a lot of suffering and death in my family and my country at large and I have come to hate it. My dad died 2 months ago, he was much stressed, and because when ever it rained his house would flood. The day he died, it flooded so much that it covered the house up above the windows. He left 8 young children in that house, we are doing what ever we can to help, but the situation is big. We are Trusting God in this and working harder."

In a blog Jessica wrote:

I am humbled when she tells me how I can pray for her. “When you pray for us, pray that we live. The life expectancy in Uganda is so young and we want to see our children grow and teach them about Jesus. You don’t see old people in Uganda much. So please pray that we will live to see our children into adulthood.”

Here main prayer request is that she might live. Live.  Can you imagine??

Then there is the story of Asha.

Jessica shares:

" Asha is a widow and a mother of four – two by birth and two she is caring for because their mother died. Before working with Jennifer and Noonday, she had to decide which of her four children to send to school. Having this opportunity in front of her will give her the chance to send all of her kids to school." 

As a mom I talk about school choice all the time, but it is never the question of which of my children will go to school! 

And finally, there is Cora.

Jessica shares:

"When i met Coral, she was a very miserable young girl, she came to us to learn how to make paper beads, and to get work. After coming to the city to get work, she soon got into a relationship with an older man, who had 2 children with her. He soon left her in a rented house and went away forever. Coral was stranded, with 2 children, no rent for the house, no work, no food, and she didn't have any friends, or family in town. While still in that situation, she got another man who promised to pay her debts, and to care for her and her children. He, too, got her pregnant with no intention to marry her or care for her as he is a jobless man. We shared the story of God's love with Coral and she now loves God and isn't jumping from man to man. She is earning money to provide for her children and she has become the most hardworking and most committed member in our team. She earns more than all the other ladies because she is able to make more products. And she has mastered the red, Kampala with Love Necklace, which is the most difficult to create because the beads are so small."

These women inspire me with their strength, their persistence, and their hope for a better life for their children.  I hope to one day be a mother like them.  This is what I want to dwell on this Mother's day.

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Books and Bikes Birthday

I planned a play-date birthday party for Dexter's 3 year old friends.   Sander and I have thought that we would do a big thing for the kid's "big" birthdays, year 1, year 5, etc, but just keep it simple for the in between years.

For this year's in between birthday, I thought, "let's do it Friday morning, close of the cul-de-sac, and just let the kids ride bikes and eat cupcakes." Great idea, right?  It was until the weather report said 80% chance of rain...all week long!  Huge storms blew through Thursday night so this left Sander and I frantically clearing out the downstairs of our house of anything breakable, and prepared to have a whole bunch of kids running around inside.

Right at 9:30 the clouds began to part.  As our first guest arrived at 10, we went ahead and began to move everything outside.  I was so glad it ended up being a nice, although muggy, day! 

Here are the pictures from Dexter's Montessori birthday celebration and our traditional birthday banner.

Dexter was a little shy when everyone sang happy birthday.

 
Even though he acted shy, he loved every second!

Swords and bikes, a three year old's dream!

One of the older siblings reading a book to Dexter and friends.  It was so cute.

The kids loved getting to go in the street with no one stopping them!

Cousins!

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3rd Birthday Morning

"Mommy, I'm so excited!"

This is his "let me pose for you" smile.  Looks just like me (Whitney) as kid!

Chocolate milk and a present?  What could be better.

We got balloons and he tied them around himself and ran around and around the house.  He would stop every now and then and say "I'm out of gas!" and then would start running again. 

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Montessori Birthday Celebration

The Montessori birthday celebration was a great way to start celebrating Dexter's birthday.  It began by his teacher Ms. Crockett sharing the "story of Dexter" by introducing Sander and I and saying that we met, became good friends, got married, and then decided that we had so much love to share that we would have Dexter.  Sweet, right?  Then she slowly shared a few pictures that we brought in of Dexter that showed him from the day he was born, till now.  The children all sat so quietly and loved seeing what he looked like as a baby.  He then got to pick 3 streamers and wore them on his shirt.

Then, Dexter took the earth and he got to walk around the sun 3 times as we sang a little song.  Each time he went around, he would stop and the teacher would say, "now Dexter is 1 year old.  What types of things was Dexter doing at 1 year?"  And the same for year 2 and year 3.  It is a great visual for what a year actually is for literal children.

 

After the birthday song, Dexter got to choose two friends to help him pass out the birthday muffins he brought to share with the class.

He loved getting to pass them out!  We loved seeing the kids so happy and all waiting to eat until Dexter took the first bite.  It was such a fun, sweet time! 

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Swashbucklin'

Maxwell is all boy and loves his brother's toys.  Sunday, we walked into the room and he was holding the sword correctly and swinging it about.

Back off...

...I'll cut you.

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