Monday, July 27, 2009

Random Photos


This is a cicada killer wasp. Jesse and I saw one last week fall from the tree in the front yard a few feet from us. It was holding its paralyzed cicada victim. We watched it carry the cicada back to the tree and up about 6 feet. We lost track of it then but apparently they glide off to their burrow in the ground to feed their babies (the cicada is too heavy for them to fly from the ground with). I saw this one on the tree yesterday and got a picture.


This little critter I found in the dining room devouring a juicy apple. He likes to rub apple juice in his hair to make it sweet and crunchy. I think he just likes to make himself sweeter so I will gobble him up even more often.


I think Jesse was turning into a robot, I'm not sure.


I can't believe I got this picture of Leo sleeping in his crib. So peaceful. Doesn't he look delicious?


This little doll was made for a sweet girl's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. Jesse told me that he does not want any dolls and he was extra happy to give this one as a gift so it would not stay around our house.


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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Discipline for a 3 year old.


My friend Karen has inspired me to write about what has been working for me in the discipline department lately. First I will tell you just how bad it was. Jesse had been throwing more and more fits recently. I was trying to do time outs, but they were just getting harder and harder.

This is basically what was happening: Jesse would do something like take a toy from Leo and I would say no and take it away and he would start huffing and puffing. He would start growling and just act as angry as he possibly could and I would tell him to settle down and stop behaving like that or he would have a time out. He would start screaming and running from me so I would grab him and try to make him stay in one spot for time out. This was getting more and more impossible. If I put him in his room he would not stay or he would try to destroy things. If I took a favorite toy away he would completely flip out. It was so hard not to get angry and when I did I would sometimes spank him. Although I don't think this is a terrible thing, I know it's not good and I know it never helped the situation.

So, after a lot of thinking and talking about all this and some tears for the way I had been acting, I came up with a new approach.

When an incident occurs, taking a toy or whatever, I intervene of course and briefly explain why whatever is not allowed. I do this calmly without emotion! If they can't stop fighting over something I will take it away if that is the only solution. Then the incident is over. If Jesse throws a fit that's his business. I tell him calmly that when he wants to talk or play nicely to let me know and then I go about my business.

The first few days he really threw some impressive fits and tried his hardest to engage me in it. He would try to get me to talk/argue with him. I didn't want to just be completely ignoring him so after a while I would answer him briefly and calmly and tell him that was my answer and I was not going to talk about it anymore. And again tell him to let me know when he wanted to calm down and talk or play nicely. Then I went back to whatever I was doing. If he wanted to push or pull at me I would tell him not to and go walk around, cleaning seemed like a good thing to do because I clearly had something I was doing not simply trying to get away from him :)

His first couple tantrums went on long enough that we went through this routine a few times. It didn't take long for him to see that he got nothing from it and the quicker he settled down, the quicker we could do something fun again. This has been so amazing for both of us and of course makes the house more pleasant for everyone.

Whew, that was a long post.
Sorry!

I tried getting a picture of Jesse and I being happy together before he went to bed and this was the best I got. At least one of us was happy ;)

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Monday, July 6, 2009

More cute kids pencil portrait


My latest pencil portrait. This one took a week. I took last night off and will start the next one tonight.


I think this is such a sweet picture!


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Sunday, July 5, 2009

Yummy!


Mmmm, this is what I made today and it is delicious! My first ever trifle. It was in the spirit of Independence Day, just a day late. That's not too bad for me!


It looked so pretty, Jacob made me take a picture before we dug in.
It is just cake, pudding, cool whip, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
I think this is a dessert for a large gathering, not our little family, but I suppose we will just have to make do.

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Good times


I'm just getting around to posting some pictures from last weekend at my parents house. The boys always have a great time there. Here is Jesse and my mom.


My brother and his adorable niece played with Jesse in the big gravel pile. The boys will miss this pile whenever it goes away!


Leo likes having more space to run around.


They both enjoy the chickens. Jesse likes to help feed them.
Leo was calling them birds.


Here are the boys back in our little fenced in yard this week. I like this picture. Aren't they just the cutest little boys? They gave each other a high five when Leo went to bed tonight.


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