Playing Catch Up

It has been awhile since my last post. So this post is to catch up on the last month or so. If it seems scatter-brained, no worries, that is kind of the last month or so in a nutshell:)

(Will) Right now, Will is done with school, maybe not physically but definitely mentally. I am not sure how or when it happened, but he just sort of checked out sometime after Christmas and has no intention of cheking back in until at least second grade which makes life sort of tough around here. Most mornings are rough and I spend about 3 days a week explaining that it is not me making him go to school but the government and if he doesn't go, then I will go to jail. I think I finish most mornings with, "Now would you like to see Mommy go to jail?" I know that a time will come when he does wish for me to spend some time in the slammer to get me away from him, but thankfully, that time is not right now. So, Will slowly gets out the door each morning but I am certain that on his way to school he is making plans to run for office at his earliest convenience so that he can change this great injustice in America. Will is a no nonsense kind of kid. He can spot busy work from a mile away and he has little tolerance for it. He has a very good teacher who is trying her best to keep Will engaged but at the end of the day, she has 21 kids at all different stages so some busy work is necessary.

Brent and I both hate the fact that Will is bored at times with school and that he would just rather drop out and shovel cow manure. (This the the job I told him he would have if he left school. At first, it was inspirational and motivated him to get up and off to school. Now, he is considering it as a real life path if it means he can stay home:)) We feel bad about his current feelings but our prayer is that through these less than desirable times, he will learn how to adapt and make the best of each and every situation. This is definitely one of the top things Brent and I hope to teach the boys. School is one of the first places we see that life isn't always fun, people aren't always nice, and many of them don't share the same goals and or family values as us. School is where we learn math, science, and art but it is also where we learn patience, true tolerance, empathy, and a love for people so very different from what we know but whom Jesus loved equally to us and gave His life for them just like He did for us.

Outside of school, Will is doing great. He is still very sweet to his brothers and probably takes better care of them and is most likely more attentive to them than his mother:) He has always had a soft heart and a desire to serve. That hasn't changed and our family is blessed by it.

(Sam) He has had a tremendous change of heart these days. Sam is in preschool and has really disliked it for most of the year. He is a real home body and would rather hang here as go anywhere and actually do anything. But, about a month ago, Sam decided he would like to spend most of his time at school. In fact, there have been days when he wanted to go back after just getting home. I was really shocked by this drastic change in attitude, and I was hesitant to ask about it in case he forgot that he hated preschool and my question was simply a reminder but I went for it anyway. His answer for his new found excitement for education, Ninja Turtles. The school has Ninja Turtles, the Chism house does not and that is the way it will stay:) Sam wants to play with Ninja Turtles and to get to do that, he has to go to school. Yeah!!!!! So, the lesson learned here fellow parents: Don't buy any new toys for your house, buy them and take them to school!

So, Sam is happy and really a pretty easy going kid these days. He is still the snuggler and loves quality time. He talks and talks and is really pretty funny to listen to. He picks things up from Brent, Will, and I and to hear our thoughts come from a 4 year-old is a treat! You would think that would make him fun to take places and he is but I do it with definite reservations especially if we are going to be around people we like. Lately, Sam has decided that honesty is the best policy. Now, I am too a fan of honesty but it is one thing when someone asks you a question and you tell the truth. It is quite another when you volunteer information such as, "I don't like riding in your car because it smells funny." or "When I hugged you, I saw that you were a little bald." The hard part about all this besides possibly losing friends that we love or being the target of one of his honest moments, is that he really isn't trying to be mean, he is just telling you how he sees the world. So, we are working hard to keep him from sharing things with others that I guess are probably honest and obvious but still encouraging him to share his thoughts and feelings and maybe with just Mommy and Daddy:) P.S. - I said that Sam picks phrases and such up from us earlier in this post. To be clear, I am pretty certain that none of us (Brent, Will, or I) have told someone that their car smells funny or that they are bald.

(Ike) Isaac is on a terror. I do love him very much but he is working me silly these days. When we are at home, he is like a puppy. He turns over trash cans, pee pees on the carpet and chews on most things including the couch and his family. He loves unloading things like the refrigerator magnets, the pantry, bathroom cabinets, and the plastic container drawer. If he is quiet, there is cause for concern. He is usually up to trouble. When we go out, he unloads things in public too like the stocked shelves at Walmart, the books at the library, and greeting cards anywhere he finds them and this is the worst. About the time I find where one stack of cards go, he is off unloading another stack! I am having trouble keeping up with the Ike lifestyle. We rarely go to Walmart anymore. My mind and body get exhausted just thinking about it. I plan on trying again two years from now, when he turns 3!

Ike is working on his vocabulary. He has about 6-7 words I can understand but my favorite is "chich-in". That is Ike speak for chicken. He is learning all the time and just wants to explore his world, thus the unloading of our house and also a mad dash for any passage way to the outside world! He loves to walk and I would love to allow him that opportunity but most of the time he wants to go left if we need to go right. If we are in one area, he wants to be in another. He is on the move. These days he also is less interested in going to bed. (I guess there are drawers and cabinets that have gone 2 hours untouched.) Used to, I could rock him with a bottle and then place him in his bed with a kiss and he would roll over and fall asleep. Now, he takes his milk and snuggles up to me. (I love that part.) We rock and rock. Just about the time I think he is ready to "give up the ghost", he pops his head up and grins the biggest grin. I am not sure if it is an "I love you SO much that I just needed to communicate that to you before I go to sleep." or if it is a "Gotcha!" I am leaning on the first option. So, most bedtimes and naptimes involve a little crying but nothing that DFS needs to be contacted about.

Brent and I are good. Brent is still hard at work trying to share the news of Coca-Cola to every man, woman, and child that shops at Walmart:) I am obviously busy with the boys. We are blessed beyond belief and are just trying to keep up with all of those blessings!!!