Slacker!

I have been a complete slacker on my blogging! You would think I would have more time to write now that Logan is in school, but that hasn't really been the case. Well, maybe I do have more time, but I have been busy doing one thing or another over the past few weeks! I won't lie and say I have been busy non-stop, because I haven't. I admit that a few days over the past weeks I have done nothing but sit back and read. Of course, with Landry around I don't get to just lay back all day, but still it's been nice to take advantage of her naps and just do nothing! So, let's see...the last two weeks I have put together the play room. I still need to do a few things, but at least everything is put in it's proper place. I finished up Logan's room except for finding some things for his walls to finish up the decorating. His book area is a constant mess, and I am so tired of putting it back together only to have Landry destroy it within 10 minutes. I keep telling her to leave it alone and if she needs a book, she needs to tell me so that I can get it without knocking all the books over. Grrr. Landry's room is alson put together, except for wall decorations. I still need to get some photos printed for my stairway wall. I am so proud of Logan and really impressed with his learning. We all seem to be getting into the routine of getting to school. The first couple of weeks, Logan didn't really have much to say about school and I was really frustrated because I had no idea what he was doing all day. Now, we get a little informative paper every Friday about what they will be learning in the coming week. I love this, because I can ask him about certain things and I am not just taking a stab in the dark. A few weeks ago they learned about the importance of washing hands to avoid tranferring germs. He came home and talked and talked and talked about germs and getting sick and washing hands! It was pretty cute. During that week they learned how to write the numbers 0-1-2 Each number has a little song that goes with it..."make a circle like and O, then you have a ZERO!" Last week they learned 3,4,5 and this week they are doing 6,7,and 8. I was really worried about the number thing because he is a little advanced with numbers...but really, it's great because they are tying together simple mathmatics with writing skills. Over the weekend Logan wrote all his numbers from 0-100 out on the side walk with chalk. Since he didn't know how to write 6,7,8, or 9, he found them in his little math cards. He traced the number with his finger then ran back outside to write it! GENIUS! Last night was his first homework night. He has an assignment folder that tells us what to do. Turns out, we've been doing "homework" since he was still in my belly. Ha! He is supposed to read for 20 minutes every night. This is where I am so stoked about all our books and the large quantity we got from my mom. First, let me explain that Isabella and Isaiah lived with my parents for most of their lives. My mom was an English teacher and I get my love for reading from her. Randi Beth missed this gene. I'm pretty sure she had/has a learning disorder similar to dyslexia, but was never diagnosed. This passed to Isabella. She was and is still behind in her reading so my mom bought a lot of books to help Izzy with her reading skills. I now have all these books, so last night we picked out two of those and a phonics book to read. Logan caught on pretty quickly and I was teaching him how to sound out letters to make words. After we read those 3, we read a toy story book. Landry loves my Buzz lightyear voice! LOL I wonder if Landry will be smarter for getting to sit through all these "lessons" with her brother??? I won't say Landry is advanced for her age, because I am pretty sure she is on a normal learning curve, but it's just funny because she is so much further along than Logan was at her age. Anyway, it's been a pretty exciting time with the kids. Over the weekend, I worked on cleaning house. Not just the normal "pick-up" but more like a deep clean. We had our 6 month inspection on the house yesterday and I wanted to make sure the house was in tip top shape. I can't believe we have lived here for 6 months! Time has flown by. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to, so I worked on that yesterday and will continue today. Yesterday was the downstairs baseboards! geez! It is amazing how much dust, hair, and dead skin accumulate on baseboards..and lets not even discuss what baseboards look like in the bathroom! YUCK! I also cleaned all the doors. Again, amazing how dirty they can be. You don't really think about it when you're cleaning up your house, but all those hands pushing open a door makes for some heavy cleaning...especially with kids! Today I am going to get the upstairs doors and baseboards, and hopefully get my master bathroom painted...HA! 6 months and I still haven't done it. The thing is, Wed.-Fri. I will be at my mom's painting at her house, so I might as well get mine done too! LOL I went and help her paint last week. I feel bad for her...there is so much to do at her house. First, let me explain that (as I said earlier) My niece and nephew lived with my parents for quite a while. My sister and her husband moved in while She was pregnant with Isabella...that was over 10 years ago. At the time Vanessa was still in Jr. High and I lived there too...so it was a full house. I moved out right before Isaella turned 1. My sister and her husband moved out when Isablla was a little over two. Then my sister and her husband got divorced and my sister moved back in with the kids when Isaiah was 2 and Izzy was 5, they lived there for over three years, before my scum of a sister disappeared and abandonded her children. Now they live with their dad full time, but spend a lot of time at my parents house during the summer and on long weekends and holidays! My sister has been M.I.A since May 2011. It's been over a year and half, but it's hard on my mom. For a long time she left everything as it was. I guess we all thought Randi would show back up. Especially since she left everything, but I guess if you dont care about leaving your kids behind then you probably dont mind leaving any of your other wordly goods! At the beginning of the year my mom decided to remodel her room. I guess it's important to state that my parent's each have their own bedrooms. So, mom re-did the floor in her room, painted it, cleaned it out and gave it a new look. Then she started on the upstairs. One room was Randi's, one was the kids room that they shared, and the other room was a play room, which was actually Isabella's room when she was first born. After ten years, that room is still sporting Winnie the Pooh border and decals! LOL You also have to understand that Randi is a hoarder...this isn't a funny comment about someone who just has a lot of stuff...I am serious. My parent's garage is FILLED with Randi's stuff. Half of the playroom is Randi's mounds and mounds and mounds of STUFF, plus her entire bedroom. So slowly but surely my mom has been working through the rooms to get rid of everything. The problem is that she can only go through it for so long....it fills her with hurt, and pain, and anger until she gets consumed by depression and has to stop for a while for her own sanity. She takes a month long break then goes back at it. She has made so many trips to goodwill, it isn't funny, and she still has about half way to go. So, I am going this week to help her remove some of the "stuff" and to paint. We have to get the bathroom done as well, and then some time in the coming weeks we will replace all the carpeting upstairs. It's over ten years old, and with Randi, two dogs, and two kids..plus the age, lets just say - the carpet has to GO! So...that's whats going on in my world! Oh yeah, and We are booking our Vegas trip today! SO wooooohooo!