Fun Pics & Life Update

We're calling Schaeffer "Stink-pot-Tater-tot", a named borrowed from one of my nieces. When Caroline can't remember it, she calls him simply, "Potato."  The guy is a hard charger, so much like big brother was at this age. Groan. Can I live through the next 4 years again?  

There's almost no stopping the baby once he gets his mind on something. Determined, focused, driven, active and spitty are all words that describe him. 

And he would rather stand than sit thankyouverymuch. I'm predicting he will be our earliest walker. 

He continues to be a terrible sleeper. Last night was like a newborn night: up every 3 hours. He will be 9 months old this week. It has been a looooong 9 months. 

Good news: this is the first fall I've had my act together to plant and reap a harvest. Going to our community garden is my happy place. We've already eaten 3 messes of greens (kale & mustard greens) from my raised bed garden. It's not much food but such a sense of satisfaction to raise one's own sustenance. The kids loooove greens, much to my surprise. 

Caroline likes to go to the garden with me because it means we'll play at the park a bit before coming home. She is such a tender-hearted girl. If we were to count her daily costume changes, one would think she was in training to be a runway model. 

I made cooked play-dough the other day, for Caroline.  Above is a bowl of "spaghetti". Both kids had a wonderful time playing in it. Heck, I enjoyed it, too. I forget that John Isaac is still a kid sometimes. Earlier this week, I was instructing him on a character issue and said, "One of my responsibilities as a mom is to teach you about these things so that you will be a good employee one day."

He almost cut me off by saying, "I'm gonna be the boss one day, Momma."

Heaven help. Yes, he will be a boss one day. Look out world. 

Caroline, on the other hand, is a little Momma. Last week (the entire month?) she insisted that "You be the baby, and I'm the Momma."  I had to call her Momma. This week, she's "baby frog and you da momma frog."  I don't know why frogs. She caught two at the garden after insisting she was a baby frog. Together she and JI made a frog habitat (they were released at day's end.)

I love my job. If you'd told me 14 years ago (we just celebrated an anniversary) that I would be staying home with 3 kids and homeschooling, I'm not sure I would have believed you.  I would not trade my job for another.  Sure, most days are exhausting. Everyday is a new adventure. And I'm the boss ... for a little while longer.