I haven’t updated on us in awhile. Things we’ve done, sure
but not us as individuals. So, for posterity’s sake, I want to write down the
more day-to-day stuff.
Brayden is growing up so fast. He counted to 100 for the
first time last week, flawlessly, and without any help. He knows how to ride
his bike with training wheels (finally) and he loves getting out to practice.
He is going to Kindergarten this Fall, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for that
or not. I know that HE is ready, and that’s all that matters. He is constantly
amazing me with his reading abilities and Sean and I can no longer spell to
communicate without little ears understanding, because Brayden always picks it
up! “Sean, should we make c-o-o-k-i-e-s?” And Brayden pipes in and says “I want
to make cookies!” It’s adorable, though a teensy bit inconvenient J
Brayden is such a great big brother. He knows how to make
Everett laugh and smile. He takes care of him when he cries and loves getting
him toys. The other day we were driving in the car and it was kind of quiet. It
must have been nap time, and we had the music on so the kids were pretty
mellow. All the sudden, out of nowhere Brayden says “I want a baby sister!”
(No, I am NOT pregnant.) He is sad that Everett isn’t a little baby anymore and
cannot wait until there is another baby in this house. He has already claimed
dibs on naming her. I said “You know, Brayden, We don’t get to pick if the next
baby is a boy or a girl. Do you know who picks?” and he replied “Yes! Heavenly
Father picks, and he knows how much I want a baby sister, so that’s what we’ll
get next!” Oh to have that kind of faith! Brayden is really into relationships
lately. He’s really intrigued by Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. “So,
Grandpa Harston is your dad, and Grandpa Janeway is Dad’s dad, right Mom?” He
talks about his wife and he can’t wait until he’s old enough to get married
because “I am going to love my wife! She’s going to be beautiful.”
He still says “I amn’t.” like, “I amn’t going to do that.”
It’s adorable, and I’ve tried hundreds of times to get him to say “I’m not” but
it doesn’t work. I’m not too disappointed, since it’s funny but he’ll have to
learn someday! Or, he could just use it enough that it catches on for other
people.
Asher and I have been working on his speech, and he has been
making huge strides. He now flawlessly, without even thinking about it says his
L’s properly when they are at the end of a word; like wall, ball, motorcycle,
apple, temple. If it is at the beginning or middle of the word, he still
struggles. “Eh-weh-fant” for elephant, or “wucky” for lucky. He tries and says “LLLLL-wucky”
but he isn’t quite there. He still can’t say his R’s, S’s, and Sh’s but
chocolate chips are a great motivator and he has been doing really well at
wanting to practice since he gets rewarded with chocolate. Yes, he’s my son J
We have been red-dye free with Asher since December and we
have seen great progress in him since we did that. He is much more willing to
say “Okay Mom!” or “Sure Mom!” instead of fighting every single thing. He is
more predictable, and doesn’t fly off the handle anymore for seemingly unknown
reasons. It has been such a great blessing, finding that out, and the shift has
been SO worth it.
Asher loves riding his bike as much, if not more than
Brayden. He asks every single day if he can get out. And as long as the sun is
out, we let him! He loves to explore and get outside and run amok. Asher likes
to feel powerful. He likes to know that he can do things. He likes to break
things, or hold things high above his head, or jump off high ledges just to
show that he can. He can be overpowering sometimes, but is getting really good
at holding himself back. He has the best laugh I have ever heard and it is
absolutely my favorite sound in the world. I hope that he never loses that!
Everett is walking all the time now. About 5 days ago is
when he made the transition from mostly crawling, to mostly walking. He hasn’t
crawled at all today, he just walks everywhere! If he falls, he gets right back
up onto his feet and continues to walk. He can officially crawl down the stairs
now all by himself. He’s been able to do it for awhile but still chose not to.
Well, he now chooses to. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing,
but it is what it is! He has 5 teeth now, and I think he’s getting a 6th
but it isn’t affecting him negatively at all.
Everett is a light. He always draws so much attention
whenever we go anywhere. I was telling my sister in law yesterday that I kind
of feel like a celebrity when I go out in public, because so many people stop
and pay attention to us. They just look at Everett and he lights up and beams
and makes anyone’s day better. He absolutely loves people. He has the most
adorable giggle, and his eyes…I cannot explain them. They are so unique and I
absolutely cannot get over them. I hope that quality of his never fades or
changes. Everett’s favorite thing to do is spin while Daddy is holding him. It
makes him squeal with delight. He loves getting into stuff and his favorite toy
is any type of ball. He is obsessed with them. If I want a few minutes to clean
the kitchen, I stick him in the living room surrounded by about 10 balls and he’s
content for hours. His favorite game to play is “fetch.” He will throw the
ball, then B or A will go and get it and bring it back to him. He laughs and
giggles, then throws it again. He has them trained well!
Sean has been spending a lot of time working on his Quinset
business, trying to build the foundation stronger so that it can support more clients.
He is a dedicated and devoted father, and I hope that someday soon he finds
that niche that will allow him to flourish.
Sean recently found out that he is both lactose and gluten
intolerant. Starting this week we are attempting a brand new approach on how he
eats and since I have to cook new foods for him, I figured I might as well try
it too! We won’t make the kids go Gluten Free, but him and I will be trying it
for the next little while at least. I’ll probably blog more about this soon.
I’ve been staying busy with 3 children 4 and under, but
apparently I like chaos because I signed up for an 8 week CERT class. CERT
stands for Community Emergency Response Team. It’s a free class put on by the
City of Beaverton that teaches you what to do in case of a natural disaster or
large scale emergency. We learn cool stuff like how to put out fires, how to
identify and treat burns, how to triage injured patients, CPR, splinting,
search and rescue, etc. I absolutely LOVE this class, and am so grateful for a
supportive husband that encourages me to get out and learn! I hope and pray
that I never have to use anything that I’ve been learning, but sleep better at
night knowing that I can make a difference in the event that something does
happen, even if just in my own home.
Sean and I have been working on building up our food storage, as well as
our emergency preparedness supplies. It has been so comforting and I’m so
blessed that we are able to slowly but surely start preparing.
I’ve been trying to get back on the “lose weight” bandwagon.
I still have about 16 pounds I’d like to lose but life is so chaotic lately I’ve
struggled getting into a groove. I just wish I didn’t like sugar so dang much!
With attempting this Gluten-free thing, I might try to kick sugar too. We’ll
see if that’s just too much at once though.
Sean and I have really been enjoying each other’s company
and I can’t believe how much he makes me laugh lately. I really am so blessed
to have him in my life! I am so grateful that life has calmed down a little bit
and I seem to be able to find the joy said to be hidden in the smaller things,
that I was missing for so long.
Well, there is a not so short update on our little family. All
in all, we are happy and healthy, and definitely are SO ready for summer to get
here!!
