Family Memories

Either my family is being extra-super nice and sweet to each other lately, or I'm just all an emotional wreck and want to temper that by taking pictures and capturing regular family moments. I am an emotional wreck - but that was last week. This week I've been fine!

Tyler put this picture together. After baths he directed everyone to sit in this order...and me to take a picture. I had my phone nearby, but not the camera, so that's what I got.

Trenton has been reading the Harry Potter series. He really, really likes them, but those books are getting longer and longer and since we borrow them from the library, we are very close to the due date every time. Getting the books on CD has helped. Tyler and Trenton like to hunker down together to listen while either following along, coloring, playing legos, eating a snack....pretty much anything. I think it's sweet to find them hundled together. It makes me remember listening to stories on the record player with my sister. :)

Trenton has been playing so many Christmas songs. This new book I got him has easy songs that he can play the first time, and some harder ones to learn. It's fun to listen to him play both. I'm hoping between my mom and me we get to play duets with him this December. Which is another fun memory from home.  

We have recently changed our bedtime routine a little. We used to have dinner and then let the kids play until it was time to start that fun song and dance. Now we have switched to immediately taking baths after dinner and getting that out of the way and THEN going and playing until bed. Of course because playtime is dangling in front of them everyone goes faster and Ben likes getting some down time with the kids before they sleep instead of 'hurry up' being the last thing we say. Paige has been bringing books and games to Ben every night. It's so sweet and will be a great thing for me when I'm taking care of a baby.  (And more often than not, the boys come in and listen or play too!)

Another part of our bedtime routine that's been great is that Trenton makes himself a sandwich while I clean up dinner. It's awesome and has saved me so many times the last few weeks. (I have this mommy brain...) The cute part is that Tyler is asking if he can make his own sandwiches when he goes to school - and what mother would refuse that??!! Poor kid doesn't realize that even after he gets to go to school, he won't eat there for a long while yet. Oh, well. We'll have that melt down next year!

Earlier this week I mentioned to Ben that having Trent make his sandwich at night has been awesome. Ben immediately started quizzing Trenton on his lunch number. But I know my husband and I put a stop to that. I put a little money in Trenton's lunch account for me AFTER the baby and AFTER Ben went back to work. Ben was thinking of having him use those lunches when he was here at home. No, no, no. I need those for when Ben leaves me two weeks after the baby arrives. And for my husband who didn't want me to buy them anyway, I don't see him putting more money in for himself. He ended with "you're right, I can make a sandwich". Which was followed by me, "you don't even have to - I've done the hard work of training already! Just put it in a bag the next day! Oh, and then you'll think I'm extra wonderful after making school lunches for a week! :)" Yep, I said that smiley face too.