September 2023

Holy cow!  I took so many pictures in September.

We started the month off with our sweet Lucy’s third birthday.  It was a magical day.

She had been talking about her “pink buhfday” for a few weeks and I think it was just about perfect. 

Her brothers decorated for her the night before with hearts all over the walls and pink streamers.  Atticus baked and decorated her cupcakes pretty much all by himself. 

Their cards were SO stinking cute! 

After breakfast and presents they got her all dolled up and then took her for rides in a “carriage” (the bike trailer) to the “ball.” Hinckley was the “footman.”

She loved it all! 

In the latter half of the month my mom came to visit.  We definitely had mixed feelings about her visit.  It was absolutely wonderful to have her there but a few of us weren’t feeling well so I was worried the whole time that we’d get her sick (and that she wouldn’t enjoy her stay!)  On top of that poor Atticus couldn’t play soccer while she visited, so he felt very disappointed.

Still, the children and I loved having her more than words can express.  She sat and read...and read and read some more with them.  She baked and cooked international foods with us, did Indian rangoli art with us and music class. She washed and washed dishes and washed some more.  

I’m sure she was relieved to get home and rest!

We haven’t had a visitor for a pretty long time so we are so grateful she came with her sunny smile while so many of us were under the weather.  Come back soon, Mimi!

Israel turned 7 months on the 21st!  

He started sitting up (for real), which is so nice, especially for his reflux.  Speaking of his reflux, the doctor was surprised that it’s still around but I’m happy to report that it is better than before.  So we’re just hoping it continues to improve.  

He is scooting and twisting all over the place.  He LOVES bath time.  I think it’s his absolute favorite time, although he is warming up to finger foods.  (He doesn’t love being fed.)  He still doesn’t sleep well (during the day or night) and he wants to bite us more than we’d like but ohhhh, how we love our squishy, bouncy, happy little boy. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, Lucy turned 3 this month and, like her brothers, has been much more difficult for us.  She often won’t take her nap, wakes up early and will wake up her older brothers if we don’t catch her beforehand.  As if that weren't enough, she has been throwing more and more tantrums.  Boy, is she loud!  She’s definitely louder than the boys were!  

She is still hit or miss about going potty.  She watches the Daniel Tiger episode about going potty a couple times a week but still isn’t motivated to go all the time.  It’s almost like she wants to surprise us and keep us on our toes.  One day she’ll ask to wear a diaper all day.  The next day she’ll put on undies and I’ll randomly find her shorts and undies on one side of the house and hear the toilet flush as she quietly went, used the toilet and washed her hands.  It’s a little exasperating but at least we know she’s perfectly capable. 

Listen to Lucy:

• I’ll be on my way!  (After going potty. It’s from the Daniel Tiger potty song.)
• You calm now?  You not mad?
• We can fix it!  With glue!  With tape! (After she broke her closet door.)

Hinckley is still louder than he should be at his age but I felt like he tried harder to be less needy this month.  He is doing so well in soccer.  It’s fun to watch him grow in skill and confidence, although we had to get on to him about messing around at practice.

The biggest thing that happened this month for Hinckley and for our family, really, occurred on the 26th. We nearly lost him when he got hit by a car on his bike. 

I have been worried about him for months.  I had forced both boys to wear their helmets for a few months but then with the coming of a new baby I let it (and many other things) slide.  So for the past few months neither of them were wearing helmets while riding way too fast in our little neighborhood.  I had had the idea nudge me numerous times that he was going to get hit by a car- he was just too little to be going so fast and recklessly.  I tried to show him how to ride and explain but he just wouldn’t listen, telling me he was too fast for a car to hit him.  

On that fateful day Hinckley cut a corner, riding on the left side of the road.  A driver who didn’t fully stop at the stop sign hit him.  The rest of the story is a miracle.

  

Dane just happened to be leaving the house to go running just as it happened, so he was able to arrive on the scene within a minute or two.  What a blessing it was to have him there so quickly.  He scooped a very frightened Hinckley up in his arms, gave the driver a piece of his mind in a way only Dane can and called an ambulance so Hinckley could get checked out.  

What they found was also miraculous.  Although he had not been wearing a helmet, he hadn’t hit his head.  In fact, all he had to show for his experience was a small scrape on his neck and a bruise on his ankle.  After it was all over we went home as a family and knelt in prayer, weeping in gratitude that our son’s life had been spared.  

You can bet that they are wearing their helmets now- every day.  What has put this even more in perspective just occurred at the beginning of October, only a couple weeks later.  A little 5 year old boy was hit and killed by a car while exiting his car to go to school.  It was a very sobering thought for the whole family.  Hinckley is five.  That could just as easily have been him two weeks previous.  Once again, we knelt in prayer as a family, this time praying for that little boy’s family who, for whatever reason, had not been spared.  We’ve told Hinckley that God has a purpose for him.  I hope he can take that to heart and discover what that purpose is.

Hinckley speaks:

• “Know what I love about you?” (Me, glowing with pleasure, “No, what?”) “That when you sit down in the car, the chair goes down.  When Daddy sits down, the chair goes up.  But when you sit down, it goes down and I can stretch my legs.”  (Me, disappointed, “Oh.  That’s what you love most about me?  Out of everything?”) “Yup.”
• "Mom!  The soft spoken parent!" (As he could see me starting to get ready to yell about another mess.)
• "Now I can POOOOOP!" (While running to the bathroom as soon as the prayer was over.)

 

A poem Atticus wrote early in September for our poetry group.  I only helped a little.  He is always surprising us!

Atticus didn’t just make Lucy’s birthday special.  A couple days later he dressed her up again, donned his church suit and pretended to be her butler.  He announced we were having a tea party for her and called her “M’lady” the whole time.  I was delighted!  I pulled out some herbal tea and poetry books, along with some snacks and we had a wonderful poetry tea time.  

Hinckley joined us just a few minutes later, informing us he was “Bruce.”  “Bruce Wayne?” we inquired?  The answer was affirmative.  So Atticus waited on both of them as “Alfred.”  It was adorable.  

Atticus continues to wow me with his growing abilities in art and music but the area that stands out to me the most this month for growth relates to soccer.  I actually would say he took a step back in soccer.  Don’t get me wrong- he’s still very good but his confidence took a hit.  For various reasons I can guess at, he just wasn’t feeling very good and then after getting sick he just felt tired... and his emotions began to get out of control again.  It has been so hard for us to watch him seemingly regress and go from playing all the time to sitting on the bench a lot.  We understand- his team can't rely on him when he's in this negative mental state- but it’s a painful life lesson.

We are trying to help him restore his confidence and emotional control.  As of the beginning of October he is watching more soccer and training on his own more (which he just wasn’t motivated to do for several weeks.).  It’s an ongoing story but we are hopeful that this will help him make the mental shifts he needs to enjoy the sport he loves once more.

We did so many cool things for Homeschool this month!  It’s been a little dizzying to try and keep up with all the wonderful resources we have through the Belle Ame at Home program.

Japanese soba noodes and snow peas.

Scallion pancakes

We studied the following areas: Japan, China, India and the 13 colonies.  We made sushi, Japanese soba noodles and snow peas stir fry, the boys drew anime and we made a cherry blossom craft.  

The boys drew tigers, we made delicious Indian Dahl, curry and naan bread, the boys drew tigers, and had so much fun trying to make rangolis with colored sand.  

Rangolis

We made Chinese scallion pancakes and ate egg rolls, watched Mulan and Kung Du Panda again.  

The boys drew turkeys, we made Pilgrim strawberry cornmeal cake, made hornbooks and read so many fun books on all the topics. 

 

We learned beautiful Indian and Chinese songs ("Chandamama Raave" in Telugu and the Kangding Love Song in Mandarin.)  

We also went to the planetarium and LOVED it!  We'll definitely be doing that every September.  Here are the boys sitting on a wheel that actually touched the moon.

Attticus's cherry bloosom art.

Some of our favorite homeschool friends at P.E. class.

We went apple picking with them.  So much fun.

Attempting to do so much has been almost dizzying some weeks but oh, how we love it!