Catching up!

Is anyone still reading? Goodness, I have been slacking on this blog, which makes me sad! I promise to do a better job. We have been keeping busy. Dan and I feel very blessed to have found ways to take turns being at home with the boys so that they hardly ever need to go to daycare (although, they thoroughly enjoy spending time with their friends there). We currently live quite the unconventional life, and it suits us for now.

At the beginning of the year we had to switch to different insurance policies (one for Dan, Sammy and me and another for Elijah), which is, well, SCARY. With our medically-needy boy, change in that arena is scary. We will see how it all shakes out as the year rolls on.

Sammy is practically ready to apply for colleges. Seriously, this boy seems to be an over-achiever in every way. It is hard to believe sometimes that he is only two! He grasps concepts that I don't think most two-year-olds would, and just insists on doing everything himself which makes him really good at everything. We haven't nailed down potty yet, but it is near (I hope).

Speaking of potty, Elijah is still working on that. :) Dan and I have created quite a system of rewards and loss of privileges/toys for him. As I always say, over time progress is being made. I think back to last summer when I wanted to get on an airplane and fly to somewhere far far away and I am thankful for where we are at now. Things are so much better, but we still have progress to make.

Since Christmas break, we have been dealing with some extra behavior issues from E. Some days are tough. There have been days when EVERYTHING is a battle, and it gets tiring. Especially when Sammy mimics those behaviors because he looks up to his big bro so much. Elijah had a few days since the holidays when he was not nice to his teachers and friends at school. :( This made me very sad because he is such an incredibly sweet and friendly and kind person! Dan and I took that very seriously and addressed it immediately. We are constantly thankful for his amazing teachers and their great communication and their desire for the best for E.

As I always do when we stumble upon an issue with our boys, I went back to the basics. Before Christmas he was fine (or at least not telling his friends to "shut up"), so I figured he must be sleep-deprived from the craziness of the holidays. We have been putting him to bed at a ridiculously early time consistently for a few weeks now, and things are better. We still have plenty of battles, but he hasn't had any more issues at school and things are better overall.

I tell my boys about ten times every day things that I feel they need to hear: you are a GOOD person, you are SPECIAL and you are LOVED! I have said it so much lately that they have been saying these things back to me. "Mommy, I love you VERY much! You are a special girl!" :)

I will write more often so I don't create such long posts for you to read (if anyone is still reading)! Have a great weekend! Dan is off to the Northern woods with his pals, so it's just the little boys and Mama this weekend. We have pizza-movie night planned for our evening!