Taft Turns ONE!

Our little bubba turned ONE! He entered this world with clouds of joy trailing his sweet soul! Our lives are forever blessed because of him!

Poetry Class

I'm embarking on a new adventure. I am going to teach poetry at Alyssa's co-op next semester. She is currently doing a fairy tales class. However, the teacher is moving and a spot opened up for a new teacher and new class. I volunteered to do it because, honestly, ever since I heard about this co-op I have bee thinking about how I could contribute. I LOVE IT!

In my read aloud fanaticism I have run across poetry quite a bit as an important thing to include with your children when you homeschool. I listened to a podcast about how people have warm fuzzy feelings about poetry when they think about it from their childhood. But most people kind of hate it when they contemplate their experience with it in high school. I'm just teaching kids, so hopefully we can embrace the warm fuzzies, and hopefully they will love poetry all of their lives.

One thing that has stuck with me as I have been learning about poetry so I can teach poetry, is that poetry has a way of saying things with a punch without unpacking things for pages and pages. You might have enjoyed my couple of little poems from my last two posts, or maybe not, but I do feel like it is a way to say it without using any grammar or in between stuff at all.

I may be practicing a bit more of my own poetry on here and I am psyched to help budding little poets. I hope they can love the poetry we read and even see that it is a beautiful, fun and fulfilling way to express themselves.

Camping

Idyllic.

Year long desire finally fulfilled.

Beautiful weather.

Wonderful People.

Campfire 

Reese's s'mores

Baby Back Ribs

Sweet Potatoes

Rolls

Corn

Blueberry Peach Cobbler

Warmth and Conversation.

Clear sky

stars

openness

Heaven poured down.

Family

Conversation

Insight

Connections

Joy

Laughter

Sleep.

Lake O' The Pines

Swimming

Strolling

Playing.

Trees

Pinecone woofle ball

Jump Rope

Picnic.

Fall Visit

Fall Visit

October 6, 2016 - October 11, 2016

Air turns cool,

Night comes soon.

Grandma and Grandpa 

here to play!

Legos

Barbies

Kindle

Books.

Adventures to new places and old!

Petrified Forest

Over the River Run (and walk)

1st place for Alyssa

3rd place for Erik and Emily

Naptime for Taft.

Military Park to see a train!

BOPS and

BOPS.

Projects completed!

Alice in Wonderland,

 a Halloween marvel.

Trim from piles 

to trim in place!

New skills acquired.

Anxiety of the undone

relieved for once in 

three months!

Love extended. 

Memories saved.

Thanks for visiting, Mom and Dad!

Happy Halloween!

Erik was the "unfinished house project" (ain't nothin' scarier)! Alyssa was Alice in Wonderland and Taft was a firefighter! We had another lovely time dressing up and amassing large quantities of candy!

Happy Halloween!

wha ha ha ha ha!

Crazy Hair

That day we did crazy hair day...

And Erik wanted to be a zebra!

Our Homeschool Journey

For some odd reason I'm homeschooling.

It doesn't feel quite so odd anymore, but when I think of me two and a half years ago with an almost three year old moving to Mississippi, I know she would not have homeschooled. She was eager and anxious to find a preschool upon stepping foot in Mississippi because it seemed like that is what everyone else was doing. She was longing for "me" time so that she could do whatever she wanted to do without any interruptions.

But that didn't last long. My heart slowly began to change. I decided to put off preschool until the fall and I enrolled Alyssa in a two day a week school. Fall came and I had AGONIZED for 6 months about whether it was right to put Alyssa in preschool. If I didn't, would she socialize? How would she ever learn to share? What was she missing out on and what would I miss out on?

A week before school started in 2014 I withdrew Alyssa from the class.

That year together was important. Alyssa made important changes at that stage of her life. It is the point where your toddler becomes a little kid and can talk and play and become independent. We had some really hard, frustrating days, but we also had fun.

She went to preschool when she was four. I was pregnant and I felt she would enjoy that time to do something for her. It would give her a school experience and after the baby was born, she would have some place to go that was familiar and all her own.

By mid-year of that preschool year, I knew I was going to homeschool and I became confident in responding that such was our plan when people asked about kindergarten.

Mid summer Alyssa said she wanted to start school, so I jumped on it. We had purchased a math workbook that she enjoyed and I had bequeathed upon me mounds of other people's homeschool stuff, so I thought we were ready to go.

The first few weeks went ok. It was novel and we had fun, but then I started to get a little caught up on the rigidity of routine and the excitement of progress and I met resistance. Oh resistance. It can be such a scary thing. I want my child to succeed, but I don't want to push her until she breaks. I want to enjoy learning and I don't want tears.

But I am learning resistance doesn't need to be scary. It is a sign that humility is needed. It requires reevaluation of goals and priorities. It is a reality check. How old is my child? And I'm expecting what?!

Already in the last 3 months school has morphed to new things. We have really long centers - you know, like you had in kindergarten. Instead of the Lego center lasting 20 minutes, it lasts a week at our house. Math and reading happen, but not to the extent of hating it. And we read out loud often. Books are our friends. We go on adventures, meet new people and experience new feelings.

Sometimes we trap ourselves into cages that society has built with bars of expectations. But when we let ourselves get out of the cages, we find there is so much beauty to enjoy. We are no longer crowded in by judgments, but we find we have wings to fly! (cliche me!)

Maybe when all is said and done I will tell you what my homeschool philosophy is. Maybe I will understand it all better, but I hope now to enjoy each day together with my children and I hope they will have memories to cherish. I hope they will learn and grow and with little stress they will find that the world is theirs to have! I hope that I will not look back and wish I had done things too differently, but that I will know I did my best and that we did it at a pace that is sustainable and enjoyable.

I am excited for our journey of learning that we are embarking upon and I hope we will reach the end together, sane and happy!

Hotter Than Hell

These studs took it upon themselves to flirt with the temperatures of hell! They participated in the Hotter than Hell bike race in Wichita Falls, TX this past weekend! They rode 50-100 miles and proved to themselves that they have what it takes to go to hell and back.

We had a fun weekend in Texas with the Archibalds! Erik and I went to the temple, we celebrated Maria's birthday and spent Saturday in the sun...even though we thought we were sitting in the shade, our sunburns prove otherwise! It was a nice break from everyday life and we had a good time.

My favorite thing about visiting family of any kind is how they play with Alyssa and Taft. Alyssa was orchestrating quite the doctors office with Doug and they also played Legos. She helped Maria feed her rats and there was swimming with everyone! I am grateful Alyssa has strong relationships with all of her aunts and uncles. She loves to be with them and I love watching them play with her!

Days Go By

When Alyssa lived her first year of life, I think I lived 10 years. It felt so long! I had no idea how long and taxing it was until we had Taft and now he is already 8 months old! Today was a day with wings. Somehow it was already lunch time and yet it felt like we had just had breakfast!

Sometimes time goes slow though...like when you are sitting at the Norrell exit waiting for American Airlines to pull their act together.

And we all miss this guy.

Photo Cred: Me @ Joseph while Alyssa and Ben make farting noises and pull their seats up between their legs over and over again.

My Hungry Baby

Taft has a little chair that attaches to the counter top. He often sits there while I make dinner, playing with random items from the kitchen and eating crackers. The other day he was sitting in his seat and I was making burritos. I had the burritos all wrapped up in the pan and was preparing a sauce to put on top. I turned from the sauce back to the pan and noticed a burrito was missing! Guess who had it...

Taft was hungry and he wasn't going to wait around all afternoon for the burritos to finish cooking!

The Lake House Birthday Party

We had a fun weekend going to East Texas to the Young Lake House on Lake Callender to celebrate JL's birthday! It was a super fast trip so we packed it with as much fun as possible! We watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics, played a switch seats game, ate cake, fished, rode on a jet ski, rode on a tube pulled by a jet ski, swam, and laughed! Alyssa led Doug in a rigorous Fitness Blender routine while wearing her new exercise clothes and Erik and JL got their own workout in with a bike ride or two!

The only picture I got was this one...Taft's face after Nana said hello!

By the end of the day on Saturday Taft was fine sitting with Nana and no longer was surprised by her exclamations!

Erik's favorite part of our weekend trip was riding on the jet ski with me driving. Alyssa's favorite part was swimming in the lake. My favorite part was being away from real life - if only for 24 hours and enjoying time together when time was not of the essence...until it was time to go home.

When the Nelsens come to the 'Sip

The whole Nelsen clan came for a visit this week! It has been so fun! Alyssa and I counted down, anxiously awaiting their arrival! And it came! It finally came! We visited Monroe and Poverty Point in Louisiana. We ate at Frog Head Grill in Clinton. Natchez and Vicksburg reminded us of the war that raged as a divided nation sought to preserve unity and expand freedom. 

The true joy came from the time spent together doing new things and remembering the good ol' times! We tried alligator (...everything is good when it is deep fried, right?!) and ate donuts. We swam in the hotel swimming pool! Alyssa spent a couple of fun nights with Grandma and Grandpa in their hotel room, and she entertained and included everyone in her Barbie's escapades! She also had us all in for a salon treatment - face wash and lotion included! Our friendships deepened. Taft became familiar with everyone. We laughed until we cried! 

Time passes quickly and moments are fleeting. It's so hard to remember every little thing that happened, though I wish I could! Ultimately I hope I can remember how it felt to have everyone around. I hope my children will know how much they are loved by Grandma and Grandpa, Jacob, Ben, Claire, and Porter. We are so blessed to have visits like these when many miles separate us.

Until next time!

Grandma and Grandpa

Tonight my family is sitting around Grandpa and Grandma Nelsen's graveside. It's July 24 and it is Grandpa's birthday. This is the second birthday he has spent with Grandma on the other side of the veil, but we're celebrating like they still live at 3216 Joyce Drive. 

We spent many Sunday afternoons sitting on the patio, eating creamies, drinking Pepsi, feeling the canyon breeze and talking. Grandma and Grandpa were always there for us. They supported us in all that we did, coming to recitals, plays, baby blessings, baptisms, and birthdays. 

We always celebrated every birthday in the family with them. They would come to our house for cake and ice cream. Grandpa often brought me a rose from 7/11. They would talk and smile, sitting on the sidelines of the celebration, giving their full heart and support to the occasion.

You may not be able to see them in the circle around the graveside, but I'm sure they are there. God has lent them some spiritual resin chairs, and they are laughing along with everyone. Grandma has her pink shorts and cardigan on, Grandpa has his legs crossed, elbows resting on the arm rests, and middle finger to pinky finger intertwined with pointer to pointer and thumb to thumb. They miss us like we miss them, and that is why it is wonderful that families are forever and that we will all be together soon enough.

 

My Brother, Ben

Oh Ben. I'm glad you came another summer. I'm glad you make Kool-Aid for dinner every night. I'm glad you play with Alyssa and teach her ridiculous sayings. I'm thankful you play the guitar for Taft so I can exercise. I'm thankful you mow the lawn and do the dishes. I'm blessed that you are willing to drive six hours sitting "back seat, middle, feet on the hump" just so Erik and I can go to the temple together and you can get a fried catfish po boy! Can the next three weeks be a little longer? It's gone way too fast and I hate to see it end so soon.

Slow Down

I felt joy bubble up inside of me as we sat on the couch while Erik read Winnie-the-Pooh. The narration of the novel is magically simple. It brings joy to the young listener and nostalgia to the aged. In that moment of imagining Winnie floating as a cloud in the sky trying to avert the suspicion of a hive of bees, I felt grateful for my motherhood. I felt happy to know that the toys littered around the house and the pile of paraphernalia necessary for proper imagination games meant that my children were happily engaged today. I saw that the time I spend with them is fleeting! I just want to soak it up and never forget.

How much longer will my sweet girl ask me to color with her? How many more times can I kiss my bouncing baby boy's soft chubby cheeks? When will afternoons cease to be passed in restful slumber by all members of the house? Will my baby lose his sweet smell that makes me want to eat him up?

I love to see Alyssa learn and grow. She is starting to read and do math. She can unload the dishwasher and collect eggs. She whips up a mean batch of pancakes and she can put her clean clothes away by herself. She is playing the violin and the piano and can swing so high she kicks the top of the carport entrance. Somehow her opportunities just keep increasing and as a mother I want to see her meet her potential!

But I am starting to fear that all this learning and growing is taking my little girl away and turning her into a smart kid who will know more and imagine less. Independence is exciting, for mother and child. It relieves some of the burdens on the former and grants the latter more opportunities. Yet it is also terrifying. Independence gives street cred to the kid and smothering the innocent flame of the child. I'm not ready for that. I know it's not all bad...growing up and all, but I just want my baby, though she be five. I don't want her to grow up too fast (though she has reassured me she will chat with me everyday) and I definitely don't want to look back and see that I was the one that forced* her to grow up!

And so I relish in the moments we share with Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh. I'm grateful for the songs we sing together at night and the afternoons we spend napping on my bed. I'm grateful she still needs me to read her a story and color with her. I'm glad that sometimes she wants me to wash her hair or help her pick her clothes. She is still my daughter and I am still her mommy.

"Sister Crimm dressed like this on Sunday. I'm going to dress like this every day."

You know...5 year olds and primary teachers...they have the same style!

*Lest I look back or you read and think that perhaps I already am forcing her to grow up...two instruments for a 5 year old?! I am really just trying to follow her interests and I do it all with great caution.

Taft is really cute....

Though I must admit that the above photo slightly resembles the below photo.

The Chicken Whisperer

We're project-ing around here. One thing leads to another and what we have now is a bunch of bare studs trading in their wood paneling for dry wall. Alyssa was a mighty helper today. See below; exhibit A. She was able to find time to help and march in a handful of parades around the house (to the tunes of patriotic music) and make sugar cookies and take care of chickens.

Exhibit A: Alyssa pulling nails out of studs.

Alyssa is also a chicken whisperer. She goes outside and they flock to her. She can pick them up, pet them, feed them, clip their wings. And she does not fear those creepy talons! She declared she wants to be a chicken for Halloween. Erik will be an egg and Taft will be a "hatchling". Erik's costume will be soft so Taft can fit inside. And I will be the coop. Not just any ordinary coop though. An inflatable one! Then the three of them can fit inside!

My heart feels grateful for what we did today and the time we spent together. It was a work filled Saturday that brought joy and laughter. We ended the day eating fried catfish, collard greens, and big fat patriotic sugar cookies! Mmmmmm. What a lovely day with lovely people!

Freeze Frame

There are moments that are beautiful. Today we experienced one of those moments. Alyssa asked for Taft to lay next to her so she could play with him. She loves her brother and he loves his sister. It created a memory and a picture that puts little flutters into my heart and fills my soul with joy. Look at his eyes and his hand clutching her shoulder. Look at her smile!

Where do these kids come from? I can hardly believe them are mine!

A gagillion pictures

I have pictures coming out of my nose, like water when you laugh while drinking. They all remind me of the beautiful children that God has blessed us with! I am grateful to have Taft and Alyssa. I am grateful for how Alyssa has adapted so well to Taft up to this point. She loves him and loves to make him happy, which is wonderful! Having a second baby seems infinitely easier because he has such a great source of entertainment in his sister!

 Taft's awesome bedhead that he woke up with and kept for 3 days.

Alyssa and Taft. "Take a picture of us, Mom!"

Taft being so handsome and blue-eyed at 4 months.

 Taft singing during singing time at about 3 months.

 My cute family reading books!

Baby Taft! "Taffffty!"...Love, Ian

So cute!!! Taft at about 2 months!!