I intended to post these on Valentine’s day but since we had just gotten back from the hospital with Ty the afternoon before, I wasn’t on top of my game.

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I had to get plenty of shots of his gap toothed smile that I love so much because his bottom teeth have just broken through.

TANNER UPDATE:

My shy Tanner told me that “He could NOT wait” for soccer to start recently, and if you know Tanner, that is a big deal for him to express that. ??His first game is this weekend. ??He and Noah play on the same team so that should be fun. ??He is doing well in school this year and maturing more and more all the time. ??He is such a handsome little fella. ?? At 11, and because the kids read my blog, that is all I will say about Tanner for now. ??:)

TY UPDATE:

Thankfully, Ty has not has any reoccurence of his headaches. ??We have an MRI and EEG scheduled for the beginning of March.

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When we got home from the hospital a week ago…

Me: ??Tori aren’t you so glad to have your brother home?
Ty: ??I AM SO GLAD TO HAVE ME HOME!!!!

Me: ??Ty a whole lot of people prayed for you and asked God to help you feel better.
Ty: ??And I DID feel better! ??God is a lovely person!!!

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Ty to Tori: ??Tori did you just say that to me nice or mean?

When you are an Aspie, you have to ask. ??Cracked me up.

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Ty from the backseat of the car: ??Hey Mom! ??Did you know that I can lick my arm pit?

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Ty: ??May I have your tomatoes?

Me: ??Yes.

Ty: ??Why don’t you like them?

Me: ??I don’t know. ??Why don’t you like chicken?

Ty: ??Mom. ??I think you have Asperger’s.

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Ty is learning to virtually drive. ??It’s really cool. ??He got on google maps one day and “drove” himself clear to the local Walmart and shopping center so that he would know exactly how to get to Gamestop when he gets his license. ??:)

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Recently Ty figured out a back door to my blog. ??First he went to google maps and looked up our address. ??While doing that, he noticed Live Loved Photography showed up. ??He clicked on my business site and discovered that my business site has a link to my blog. ??Walllah! ??Then he saved it as a favorite. ??I think he should totally be a game tester when he grows up. ??He so agrees. ??:) ?? I heard him reading posts from December 2010 and heard him say “December 2010??? ??I don’t remember what happened then! ??Awesome!!!! ??I am HAPPY to have it!”

How wonderful is that? ??My nine year old is so happy that I captured memories from December of 2010 for him and his is “happy” to have it. ?? That made me very glad that I have kept these diaries. ??Tanner just now asked me if I am updating my blog right now. ??Apparently, he cares too.

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Ty: ??”Mom. ??I want to have a happy life and Tanner isn’t being nice to me.”

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Ty (at the park): ??”Hey MOM! ??THIS KID IS CROSS-EYED AND HE IS NINE!”

You just never know what an Aspie will say. ??The kid, was indeed, cross-eyed, and I was quick to explain Ty’s two surgeries and Troy’s pending surgery for the same issue. ?? I am glad I was not born with an introverted personality type or I would probably hyperventilate before taking Ty in public. ?? Did I write about the day that a homeless teenager asked me for some money and Ty’s first question was “So where do you work?”. ?? ??Oh my. ??It humors me to watch him interact with people so freely without pretention. ??It’s a beautiful thing really and so sincere. ?? ??Most days, I don’t offer any explanations. ??I figure Ty is offering a gift to the people he encounters (even when he is asking the cashier at Walmart what she plans on eating for breakfast tomorrow) and my reaction to his interactions can validate or invalidate him so I have been making a conscious effort to just enjoy what he says and present an expectation that he should be accepted at face value. ??People respond to that. ??Jim and I had a long talk about respect this week. ??It is my long standing belief that we teach people to respect us by the way we respect ourselves. ??If we behave in insecure manners, we are essentially teaching people NOT to respect us. ??I think this is also true of how we treat others. ??If I treat Jim or my children with disrespect, it gives other people the impression that they are fair game. ?? That is my five cents for the day. ??:)

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This week at the park, I heard a 10 year old little girl ask Ty if he was a Christian. ??He said “No”. ?? I approached and asked him if he knew what that meant. ??He did not. ??I had to laugh at that. ?? Illustrates how much I have changed in the last five years. ??My children don’t know the meaning of the word. ??This is not because we have stopped talking about Jesus though. ??Anyhow, I asked Ty if he loved Jesus and if he thought he had a relationship with Jesus. ??Ty said “Yes!” (which, of course, I already knew about Ty). ??This must have started him thinking about things because next thing I know he is talking to me…

(break – I have one child in my lap and one literally laying on top of my typing arms – must quit for a minute)

about baptism. ??This is not something we have been talking about so (other than the conversation about having a relationship with Jesus), I am not sure what prompted it. ??He wanted to know when and where he could be baptized. ??He thought the ocean sounded good and we will be going to the ocean when we go to Cali for Kelly’s wedding so we decided that was a good time for it. ??He has been so excited. ?? It’s funny to me, that out of all the grandkids, he is the first to insist upon baptism. ??This is a topic Jim and I don’t push because we feel this is a decision our children need to make for themselves in their own time. ?? (Though I won’t be surprised if siblings/cousins find it to be a grand plan as well since Ty started the ball rolling. ??We’ll see.)

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TORI UPDATE

Tori really wants her ears pierced these days but is scared to death to do it. ??I keep telling her that she can choose when she is ready. ??When the baptism discussion came up, she said “I am never going to get baptized. ??I am too scared.” ?? I said “Yes but you are too scared to pierce your ears too. ??Are you never going to get your ears pierced?” ?? She then replies with, “I know! ?? As soon as I get my ears pierced, I will go straight to get baptized!” ?? LOL. ??Most of the time, she tells me she will get her ears pierced when she is a teenager.

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Today, while typing this post, I took a bathroom break and encountered Tori painting her toenails.

Tori: ??Are you still doing school with the boys?

Me: ??Yep.

Tori: ??Big job huh?

My little 30 year old.

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Tori: ??Mom I am going to do your hair like Katy Perry’s but you are NOT going to look like Katy.

Me: ??Oh? ??Why don’t you want me to look like Katy Perry? ??(Just curious.)

Tori: ??Because sometimes she wears stuff that shows her belly button and I don’t want you to dress like that!

Ahhh! ??Good to know. ??(And wasn’t plannin’ on it hee hee).

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I was so worried about Tori learning to read because she was showing early signs of dyslexia BUT I was wrong. ??She has done great with her reading lessons. ??I am using “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”. ??This worked beautifully for Tanner is working out the same for Tori. ??She is on lesson 23 and is really doing awesome. ??Interestingly, she still doesn’t know her letter names but this program teaches sounds instead of names anyhow (actually encourages you to start teaching sounds before names). ?? I am still perplexed as to why she can learn the sound but not the name of the letter. ??Maybe it is a usage issue? ??She is reading short sentences needing little assistance. ??Today’s was “This is a rock. ??Sam is at the rock”. ??Brooke and I have long discussed the reading topic and we both agree that (philosophically) kids should learn to read when they are ready and that it really doesn’t matter if your kiddo is reading at 4 or at 10. ?? Practically speaking though, I have learned that it does matter. ??It matters to Mom! ??Not because I am afraid of Tori being behind if she isn’t reading at 5. ??Because illiterate children are very dependent on mama in the homeschooling environment and I need to push them towards literacy as quickly as possible so that I can spread my attention to all of my students. ??Thus the reason why I decided to jump on the reading lessons before I officially start Home School Kindergarten in September with her.

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Tori angry for who knows what at her brothers: ??”Mom I have had had had had had had HAD IT!”

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Me: ??Tori would you please get the towels out of my bathroom so that I can wash them?

Tori: ??It would be really thoughtful of you if you would do that.

Oh really? ?? I couldn’t help myself. ??I laughed. ??Minus 10 parent points for me.

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Can someone please please tell me when little girls outgrow the crying over everything stage?????? ????My mom says I was not a cryer. I. CAN’T. TAKE. IT!!!!!!!!! ??Give me hope people. ??I beg you.

TROY UPDATE:

At 19 months, our LITTLE guy is still only 20 pounds. ??His excema has been awful this season. ??His head is even covered but you can’t see it because of his hair. ??I have a special shampoo but since he hasn’t been scratching at it, I am hesitant to use it. ??I really hate using steroids on my babies even topically so I avoid as much as I can. ??The vanicream works great in combo with the steroids but no lotion is enough on it’s own. ??I have liked vanicream over all others though.

He is still causing all kinds of toddler trouble. ??He hides my stuff and it panics me when stuff goes missing because no telling where he put it. ??You are not likely to get lucky and find it on the floor in the middle of the hall. ??He swiped my Kindle Fire the other day and I ended up finding it put in a box.

His love for drowning electronics is at an all time high as well. ??To date we have lost the following (and this is just off the top of my head):

1. ??Several toothbrushes to the toilet

2. ??Several pacifiers to the toilet

3. ??My cell phone to the toilet. ??Deader than a doornail.

4. ??My Canon 5D Mark III Battery Charger – toilet

5. ??Tanner’s Xbox controller

6. ??Kitchen phone to the sink

Helping himself to the toilet water fountain with a red solo cup was pretty disgusting as well!

What I have discovered through these challenges is that this is the consequence of having several children. ?? Tanner did not do these things. ??His only toilet violation ever was drowning a Toby Mac CD. ?? In retrospect, this was not because Tanner was a less curious child. ??It was because I wasn’t being undermined by three other people. ??Here is how it happens:

With one child, you very quickly learn to baby proof everything. ??You lock off your kitchen area, safety gate, safety lock, turn chairs on their sides, remove all step ladder type devices, plug up outlets, and CLOSE BATHROOM DOORS. ?? With four children, you do all those same things but then three other children UNDO them. ??Baby is aware of the opportunities his siblings provide by forgetting to do all of the above and he cashes in on them quickly before the moment is gone.

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When I do reading lessons with Tori, Troy scampers up on my lap and copies all of her letter sounds. ??So cute. ??He loves book time and has a long attention span for books. ??Like my other children, he is a big fan of Dr. Seuss.

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I was putting Troy’s patch on this week and for the FIRST time he didn’t cry. ?? When I was done he looks up at me and smiles and says “There ya go”. ?? It was so adorable. ?? “Here you go” and “There you go” are his first phrases.

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I do not tell my daughter that she cannot cry (okay well occasionally I do because I might go crazy). ??Instead, I ask her to go to her room to cry. ?? I don’t believe in allowing little ones to intentionally terrorize the household with their anguish so they are free to express in their own space. ?? ?? Recently, Troy was having a whiny day for some reason and I finally said (half joking) “Troy! ??Take it to your room.” ?? ??Tanner and I cracked up when he marched straight to TORI’S room and threw himself on her bed to cry. ??I tried it again later in the day to see if it was a fluke and sure enough, Troy has designated Tori’s room the cry room.

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Troy is talking more and more. ??Not like his jabber box cousin Quinn though. ??She is a true talker. ??He can finally say (and regularly use) Mommy, Mama, and Tanner (which is Na-Nah). ??Tori is still called Ty though. ??He says other words like “shoe”, “sock”, “bite”, “drink”, “up”, “down”, “doggie”, and several more. ?? I heard him tell a dog “No bite!” this week. ??He still is not an animal lover. ??I heard him screaming his head off at the park this week and looked over and he was terrified because someone was walking their teeny tiny little dog on a leash within 20 feet of him. ??Silly baby.

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Not long ago, I was babysitting my niece Quinn. ??Quinn was born six weeks before Troy but is really three months older based on his prematurity. ?? Those three months count for a lot because she is such a grown up little thing and Troy is still such a baby. ??Anyhow, Quinn loves to mother Troy and they do fairly well together. ?? When they quietly disappeared for a bit and then I started hearing a strange knocking sound, I was quick to investigate. ??Good thing I did. ??Quinn had locked Troy in the dryer. ?? The other day Quinn came out and told me that Troy had hurt his head but then Troy wouldn’t come near me while Quinn was by my side so I figured he may have had some help with the injury. ?? Those two little hooligans are so funny together.

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Just like his older brother Tanner, Troy has decided to move in with grandparents. ?? Tanner didn’t make that decision until 3 though so Troy is ahead of the game. ?? ??I was dropping Troy off at Sweetie’s last week and Papa was holding Troy talking to me while I was in my truck preparing to leave. ??The car door was open and Troy waived good bye to me and then gave my car door a good shove. ?? We all laughed. ??Coincidental??or was he telling me to be on my merry way? ?? That question was answered when I came to pick him up. ?? I picked him up to leave and told him to give Sweetie a kiss good-bye. ??He reached for her and I assumed it was to give a hug and a kiss. ?? She took him into her arms and he turned to me, waived, and said “Bye”. ??When I didn’t get the hint, he reached over and pushed my shoulder. ?? Message received. ?? He wants to live with them. ?? 🙂 ?? ??He tried to get rid of me when Grandma had him recently as well. ?? Oh do little children figure out the benefits of grandmothers young. ??Troy is exceptionally intelligent.

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Jim and I were talking about love languages last week and determined that all of our children love physical touch. ??They are all very physically affectionate. ?? Troy, especially so. ??He comes to us all through the day for quick hugs and kisses. ?? He has no people fear still and assumes all people want to love on him. ??He gives the tightest bears hugs of anyone. ?? I have watched him make people cry by the intensity of his tight hugs. ?? He is very sensitive and he seems to know when people are in need of extra affection.

I hear him unloading my kitchen cabinets as I am typing this so off I go to recapture the castle.