Little Reader

We went to Tuesday storytime today!

Oh those LASHES!

Sitting up on his own for longer periods.
(And by on his own I mean we help him get balanced there and let go.)

It's the first time we made it to story time in almost 2 months!  I am so glad that we were all well enough and that the weather allowed this week. We saw our favorite librarian who is like a 3rd grandmother to Ayden. He's kind of her favorite too which is really sweet. 

While we were there I took some time to talk with her about Ayden and his reading. I asked if they had the BOB book series because he knows his letters, both capital and lowercase, his letter sounds and a few high frequent words that he looks for and finds when we are out and about. He is ready to start reading!  

I had heard good things about these BOB books and asked a fellow teacher friend if she had used them and she likes them so before going out and buying a set I checked with the local library. They had the whole series and she was very excited to hear about Ayden being ready for them.

 The thing that stopped me in my tracks is that the level he is ready for says "Kindergarten" on the box. I know we still have a couple of years before he'll start Kindergarten but it just made me realize how quickly it will be here. We still have a lot of thinking and research to do to know what kind of schooling we will start him out in and I feel like I need to put figuring it out higher on our priority list. 

All of that being said, I am so happy that he has a love for books and for reading. I am excited to start this next adventure with him because once one learns to read they can then begin reading to learn!

Something very important to keep in mind. We will just follow his lead!
We don't want to rush him but we do want to make resources available so he can run with new skills whenever he is ready.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Big Stuff"

Two years ago today: "Little Ayden Had A Farm"

And three years ago today: "Magical Music"

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For The Birds!

We were out of the house all day today!  Play group met at the indoor bounce park again. 

The boys had their naps on the way home. When they woke up we had lunch and got out again. We ran a few errands and then visited with my parents at their house for the first time in weeks!  David stayed home after dinner tonight due to the cold so I was able to make some chocolate zucchini bread and fruit leather for the dehydrator. 

It is amazing what normalcy can do for my spirit. I was in such a good mood all day!  I do what we need to do for my family (like staying home for a week straight while waiting for them toget off their colds and for the snow to melt so we can be safe) but being out of control of my days for too long is hard on me!  

We usually stay home on Tuesdays so I can do my weekly cleaning tasks but we are heading to Tuesday story time in the morning. Staying home is for the birds at the moment. Ha!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "No Telling"

Two years ago today: "The Secret Life Of Bees"

And three years ago today: "Tummy Time"

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Chicken Birth Supplies

Tonight was the last time turning our first clutch of eggs!  We have some that were added a few days later so we will continue turning those tree times a day but the first clutch gets to rest until their big debut in about 3 days!  I've started gathering their home birth supplies :) . We needed to put cheese cloth under them to help contain the mess, we also needed to add a sponge of water and close a vent hole on the lid to increase the humidity. Once they hatch they are to remain in their cozy incubator for about two days and once they are completely and adorably dry and fluffy we move them into their "brooder" where they will remain until mid Spring. 

We are so excited about the arrival of these babies and I know that come mid-Spring we will be excited to get them out of the house and into the coop!  

I haven't posted any house progress in a while. Things were put on hold during our recent snowpocolypse but they have been working this weekend and they have made a good deal of plumbing progress. They are done with the drain/vent system for now and are ready to move on to the supply side.

The exciting part is that we are getting to the stage where I get to start choosing interior fixtures, faucets and stuff. 

The bathroom faucets I chose.
It's a good example of the overall feel we are going for...
{via}

With the help of Pinterest I have a great idea of how I want our home to look and luckily David is on board with all of the ideas I have pitched so far.  I've heard that building a home together can be tough on a relationship but, knock on wood, we seem to be on the same page. It has been really fun getting to start using my virtual daydreaming to make this house into a home!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "A Driveway"

Two years ago today: "What's Up Doc"

And three years ago today: "Best. Day. Ever."

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Good Reads

Every time I saw or read something worth sharing over the last couple of weeks I copied and pasted the link for it into a draft post in hope to collect enough to share them with you guys.  Some of them are just good reminders that I have seen (and possibly even shared) in the past.  Some of them are enlightening or just encouraging. I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of them and I hope they can bring you inspiration too!

A motto I am going to *try* my hardest to adopt in an effort to acquire less and save money for decorating our new home!  I found this photo in this blog post which is also a good read.

The Most Powerful Thing You Can Say To Another Mom

This video below is hilarious but gave me goosebumps by the end.  We are all different mothers/parents but at the core we have something VERY similar in common.  We all LOVE our babies. That alone makes us more alike than any of us realize.

When Did Being A Good Mom Turn Bad

My midwife linked this up on Facebook recently and it could be a good read for anyone who desperately wants to succeed at breastfeeding: The Slippery Slope of Supplementing

How To Be A Calm Parent

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Name Hunting"

Two years ago today: "Snug As A Bug"

And three years ago today: "Early To Bed"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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Day Dreamer

This is what we woke up to this morning:

Brrrrrrrrrrr is an understatement. 

The boys hung out in bed together for a while. 

Staying warm and being sleepy.

I know he was bread for this and all but I still couldn't believe how much Mav enjoyed the sub zero temps.

In this drafty old cottage the upstairs gets HOT while the downstairs is frigid so we spend a lot of time up in the playroom in the Winter. 

Working on his sitting up skills!

I felt CRUMBY today, both physically and mentally. It was a combination of so many things: Logan had me up for about an hour and a half in the night, the boys have not napped at the same time all week, I had SO much sinus pressure, we've been cooped up for too long... To name a few. David hitched a ride to work with a coworker who drives out our way so I'd have the car but we never made it anywhere. It was SO cold in the morning so my plan was to get out after nap but for some reason Ayden had in his mind that he was boycotting nap today (which was a first). I stood my ground and after about an hour and a half of just hanging out in his bed, calling for me about every 10 minutes or so, he FINALLY realized that my stance was firm and he went to sleep (and then slept for TWO hours). Naptime is still a necessity for ALL in this household!  Because of the delay and then the log nap, he didn't wake up until 4 and by then it was time to start dinner. I still HAD to get some fresh air and a change of scenery so after dinner I left Ayden and David to watch a movie while Logan and I went out for a night on the town! At the grocery...

Logan had skipped his evening cat nap that he usually takes at around 4:30 so he fell asleep on the way there and slept the whole time. It felt like I was alone which was exactly what I needed to recharge a little. I took my time and even looked through a few magazines. I felt like a whole new person on the way home. 

The grocery was a bit of a madhouse because we are supposed to get 4-8 more inches of snow tonight (!!) but I didn't mind since I was in no hurry. I'm glad I got out because we might be snowed in again tomorrow and I'm not sure I could have endured one more day without a break! 

 If anyone needs me, I'll be daydreaming about the warm days of Spring. Planting our veggie garden, going to bee school and doing our first hive checks, hanging clothes outside to dry and playing with the boys out at the building site while David works on the house. Ahhhh. It seems far away but the days are gettin longer and it is coming!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "5 Kitchen Gadgets Worth Having"

Two years ago today: "The Five Love Languages"

And three years ago today: "Sleep Solutions"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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Still Snowed In

Another day at home in the books. I am really looking forward to taking David to work and having my car tomorrow!!  Even though it's going to be COLD... Considering that we have been snowed in all week, it was still a pretty good day with my boys. 

Thanking me for his milk.

He named his parrot "Open Wing Parrot Eye"
Haha.  Sounds Native American or something...

Bedtime stories.

I am getting the cold that the boys had. I have had some early signs for a few days but it hit full force today. I've been drinking lots of water, downing my feel better tea, taking some immune boosting/infection fightig supplements and diffusing aome dōTERRA Breathe all day. A good thing is that, since the boys are on the mend, we have all been sleeping better. More rest should help too!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Reassurance"

"Two years ago today: "Mothers Are Strong"

And three years ago today: "Sunday Funday"

COLD Forecast

We got three more inches of snow overnight...

That's a COLD forecast, folks!

Yesterday it said the low on Thursday night was going down to -20* so -13* really isn't going to be so bad... right?

Needless to say, David took my car to work again today and we had another stay home day! And we (the kids and I) plan to do it tomorrow too.

Logan's sleep is finally falling back into familiar (predictable and solid) patterns.  His current developmental leap along with teething and being sick has been a doozy.  We are lucky it took a whole 5+ months before we had any sleep issues with him but that fact doesn't make us feel any better to endure physically.  I'm just glad an end seems to be in sight because he had me spoiled!

Our day went MUCH better today and it was my attitude alone that was different.  We can't control what happens in our lives but we CAN control how we handle it.  

Happy mama = happy kids.

We needed a few things from the grocery since I haven't made any trips to restock our kitchen staples so when David got home we took a family trip back out.

It was my first time out since we got covered by a beautiful blanket of snow and I soaked up all of the beauty that is a snow covered horse country.

We plan to stay in again tomorrow due to the low temps and the fact that David's car is literally buried in our driveway.  I'll probably drive him to work on Friday so we can spend the day out and about.  

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Getting Dirty"

Two years ago today: "Big DC Day"

And three years ago today : "4 Weeks Old"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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