Do as I say and not as I..... no don't!

Can we make that "don't say as I say?"  Some current phrases repeated by a 5 year old - once.  And only once!

"Holy Cow"

"Dangit"

"But Dad says it!" 

From this point forward - none of those will be true!  :-)


On a serious note...  We are adjusting to being parents of a big boy.   Gone are the days of chatting about anything and everything in front of the kids - there are now too many shingles on the roof for that.  Too many ears, too many questions.  I find myself constantly trying to figure out how to explain things, keep things age appropriate, and still challenge Wayne to learn and grow.  Case in point:  Weston's speech teacher has asked me to keep my sentences simple and watered down - and Wayne's speech teacher has asked me to elaborate and expand!  This raising a little person thing is a perplexing job!!!

Two Weeks Too Long

without adorable pictures of the boys on the blog! 

A man with a plan.

Wayne's most famous words lately are "I've got a plan."  He may be trying to beat a level of his Mario Brothers game, build something out of Lego's, or even be strategizing how to keep Wyatt in or out of something, but his words are the same "I've got a plan."

Yesterday, he told me he had a plan.  Expecting to hear the usual - I could barely keep a straight face as he told me, "When I am bigger, I'm going to build a Starbucks.  My very own!  And it will be in Eberson.  My town.  Across from my house - and I will be in charge of making the coffees, that will be my job!  And that is how Eberson will finally have a Starbucks!"


Other Wayne moments of late:

• He went up to Uncle Deryl at church, and told him he'd pray for him while he was on his trip (a missions trip to Ensenada, Mexico.)
• He carries Wyatt whenever he can convince Wyatt to be carried
• He wants jobs - and because he's FIVE he wants FIVE jobs before he goes to play.  Frequent jobs of his are unloading the dishwasher with me, watching Wyatt, spraying the sidewalk, bringing coupon clippings to the garbage, cleaning windows, and vacuuming and washing dishes.

Stay tuned - there may be a Starbucks chain in our future!  :-)

The End

Wayne has been reading through his BOB books, and sight words, and even playing a new DS game for preschool - kindergarten for reading which I think is WAY too easy for him, and is LOVING all of it.  And his glasses make him look the part of the "smart" kid!  :-) 

What cracks me up every time though is how he ends each book.  When he gets to the last page, and it says "The End" he ALWAYS says "Amen."  I've corrected him over and over, and asked him to actually look at the words and read them instead of making something up, but he tells me, "Mom, AMEN is what comes at the end.  God said."

Yes Wayne, AMEN!

A majestic day.

Today is crisp, clear, and gorgeous.  After who knows how many 40 degree, gray days - it is finally above 50 degrees, with blue skies, and SUNSHINE!  I honestly think a small part of me had forgotten how beautiful God's creation is, but looking around today, I am in awe of it!

Psalm 8

 ¹ LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
   You have set your glory
   in the heavens.
² Through the praise of children and infants
   you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
   to silence the foe and the avenger.
³ When I consider your heavens,
   the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
   which you have set in place,
⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
   human beings that you care for them?^[c]
 5 You have made them^[d] a little lower than the angels^[e]
   and crowned them^[f] with glory and honor.
⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
   you put everything under their^[g] feet:
⁷ all flocks and herds,
   and the animals of the wild,
⁸ the birds in the sky,
   and the fish in the sea,
   all that swim the paths of the seas.
 ⁹ LORD, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Have you heard what's new with blogger?

Since I know that many of you READING this are also WRITING your own blogs, I thought you might be interested in knowing the "latest" changes coming our way!  I especially liked the screen shots shown of the new changes - looks pretty good!


http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/03/whats-new-with-blogger.html

TGIF!

Thank Goodness It's FRIDAY!!!!  Do you feel that way?  I do!  And you'll never believe this....  I left my laptop at the office!  I will only be checking emails until Tuesday - woo-hooo!!!  I've had some BIG weeks, and finally everything is falling into place and I can take a bit of a break.  The only downside is that Tyler is working all weekend - I'm going to miss him.  Not because he helps a ton with the kids - but he does.  And not because he always cleans the bathrooms for me when it's time to clean the house - but he does.  And not because if he were home I could be spending all weekend at a girls scrapping event - but I could.  Nope, I'm going to miss him because it's March Madness - and he always acts a bit crazy and silly - and because he wrestles with the boys, plays games with them, and teaches the eldest to climb a tree.  He does "dad" things with them, and I LOVE watching him with them all.  He is one AMAZING father, and husband to boot.  I could never have asked God for him - he is so much better than anything I would have ever prayed for!  But God knew who my perfect other half would be, and blessed me beyond measure. 

So, I'll be cleaning the house, baking, and maybe doing a little scrapbooking, and coupon clipping (sidenote:  totally scored at RiteAid today!)  And I will be 8 miles away from my laptop!  :-)

This and That

Can't think of anything to blog about really, things have been pretty uneventful the past week!  So... just a bunch of "day in the life" randomness!

Wyatt loves to say "cheese" whenever he sees the camera.  Today, Weston was getting in trouble, and I asked him what he should tell Mommy.  Wyatt piped in, "Sorry!"  He also started counting at one point, and got to FOUR!  Smart and chatty little guy, he sure is!

More on Wayne in a bit.  Doesn't he have the sweetest eyes though?

Weston's version of "hello" and "goodbye" or based upon the Hawaiian language of having one word for both.  While in Hawaiian that would be "Mahalo", in Weston it's pronounced, "Maaaaaaaagh!"

Aren't these adorable?  Wayne took them to preschool for his birthday.  We are SO doing them again for kindergarten!

Wyatt took a nap in his crib without the side rail this week!  But, when I put him to bed, he kept getting up and knocking on the door, so I put the rail back up.  Soon though!

Wayne had his 5 year doctor appointment today, and at 45 pounds and 44 1/2 inches he is in the 75% for his weight and the 95% for his height.  At the end of the appointment, Kim (the nurse) came back in with her tray.  Wayne asked what she had, and...  well here is their conversation:

Kim:  I have shots for you, for school.

Wayne:  How many?

Kim:  I have four today.

Wayne:  Well I am five, so I should have five shots, okay?

Kim:  Really?  Let's just see how this goes.  Can you lay down for me?

Wayne: Sure, I can do that.

Kim:  (Inserts first shot)

Wayne:  (in a loud agitated voice) okay, I don't need five, four is fine!

Later when we got home, Wayne was sad because his legs were hurting, so Wyatt was kind enough to bring him a binkie.  Wayne was thrilled!

Oh yes, and back to the sleeping arrangements.  Weston has been doing way better now that he is on his acid reflux medicine, and the boys just saw a picture of what their beds looked like together as bunk beds, so... we let them move in together again!  This time they switched rooms with the nursery, but everyone seems to be enjoying the change, and their new rooms!  Oh yes, that reminds me.  I still need to swap out the curtains!

So, there's some randomness for you.  Tomorrow marks the ONE MONTH TO GO point of tax season, which greatly terrifies and relieves me at the same time.  It's going to be a sprint to the finish, certainly no leisurely walk in the park.  I am more than anxious for some nice weather, and am looking forward to getting my hands dirty and being outside with the boys.  I am also looking forward to a digital scrap party the week after the tax season deadline, and to teaching a few upcoming coupon classes.  Busy busy!

Random shots of the week:

Picking up some CHICKS!

The long awaited time has come....  it's CHICK time!  Tyler has asked for three years if the boys were old enough, and finally, they are.  That we went and picked them out on Wayne's birthday was even that much more special! Each boy picked their own, and Wayne named them all:

Wayne picked a fluffy yellow one, with feathers down it's legs, that will turn white.  He named it "Wayne."

Weston picked a black one, and Wayne named it "Weston.

Wyatt picked a tricolored one, and Wayne named it Wyatt.

Now, according to my receipt, we bought an Ameracauna Pullet, an Australorp, and a Light Brahma.  When my aunt asked me if we bought "layers" or "fryers" I told her, "We bought CUTE!" 

Upon further Googling - all are officially layers, with either blue or brown eggs.  Now, to lay eggs they would have to survive that long, and stay cute - so we'll see!

 

I know someone who would like to keep them!!!

Flashback in time... 13 months ago, our lawn was mowed!

Dear Weather:

Please send the sun to dry up all the soggy ground.  Please send weather above 50 degrees.  Please take the rain back, we're sick of it.

Sincerely,
The Silves Family

He's got PERSONALITY!

Tonight the boys were all in the kitchen.  Weston let fly a HUGE burp.   Wyatt took one look at him, then opened his mouth and let his own fly.  I tell you - you would be SHOCKED to hear such a MANLY burp from such a tiny boy!  The best part?  After Wyatt was done with his "business" he burst into giggles, knowing he had just out done Weston's almost equally impressive burp.  Weston's response?  He hugged Wyatt and laughed hysterically.  Wayne looked over and said, "You both should say excuse me, but you can't talk!"

Wayne's Fabulous FIFTH Birthday

When it comes to birthdays at the Silves house - it's go big or don't celebrate!  :-)  My mom made birthdays VERY special for me, going above and beyond every time.  I know how that made me feel, and I want our boys to have that too!

The day started out with Wayne sneaking into our room around 6am, and asking "Is it my birthday today?"   YES!  Here's the very first picture of Wayne when he was FIVE.  

 After snuggles and getting ready, we headed downstairs.  Wayne wanted basketball pancakes with blueberries and bacon for breakfast, and so while Tyler and I were in the kitchen, we let him have one present early - his Dora movie!  Now this was no everyday Dora movie... I had it made, featuring WAYNE and the episode is called, "Who's birthday is it?"  He was THRILLED!  Gave me time to make those pancakes!

 After breakfast...  it was time for his presents.  A five year old just can't wait much longer past breakfast!  Wayne was shocked and overjoyed to see he got his very own DS - big stuff!  He is just loving it, and is following the rules and putting it down when we tell him too.  Doesn't he look smart in his glasses?  Not one complaint of a headache!

 Weston helping to open his first set of Reader 1 books.

 Uncle Deryl and Aunt Shari were at State, but they gave him his present to open on his birthday anyway - a bug vacuum!  Some seriously fun times have been had with this "sucker" (pun intended) already.  Won't it be weird to have a boy with a birthday at State someday?  :-)

 After things settled down - we were off to the Lynden public library for Wayne's very first library card, and story time with the Cat in the Hat!

 Wyatt wasn't as impressed as the rest :-(

 Checking out....

 We worked up an appetite, so next stop - Uncle Donald's!  It was quite a crew between family and even friends we happened to run into:  Joel +2, Amanda + 2, Jen +3, Grandpa & Grandma, Aunt Debbie, Breanne +1, Tara + 1, Tanya + 2, Kristy, and our own family of FIVE!  We had so many people - the manager came and told me thanks for the business! 

 I've got plans for this picture of Grace....

 Whew!  It was time to take a rest after all the fun, so we divided to conquer.  Tyler and Wayne and Weston headed home for naps and party prep, and I took Wyatt to the doctor to follow up on his head to toe rash (not contagious, but will last 1-2 weeks) and get our car from the body shop, then I went to Elenbaas to buy the baby chick supplies we were going to need, because as soon as the boys woke up from naps, we were going back for BABY CHICKS!  Each boy got to pick their own - more on that later!

 Next up:  Pizza!  and then a PARTY!  We had ice cream cake and other snackie things, and Wayne came up to me later and told me, "Thanks Mom, that was a really fun party!"

 Wayne wanted a basketball cake, and a basketball court for a cake.  DONE!

 As the party was dying down, Alyssa and Brenna spent some time coaching Wayne on how to get started and play Mario Brothers on his DS (Grandma gave him the game.) He LOVES it and is now on level FIVE!

 Sisters, hanging on the stairs after serving cake.

 Look at all the little munchkins!  They are not so little anymore!  From Left to right:  Madelyn, Paige, Treven, and Wyatt.

You think you're tired after reading this?  Try EXPERIENCING all the fun and fabulousness!  Happy birthday Wayne, I hope it was your most favorite one ever!

You're All I Need

Ever hear a song, and it just rings so true for you?  Here's my latest, "let's rock out and dance" song for the boys and me!

As you read, be sure to click on the song in the player to the right, turn up your speakers, and SING!  :-)

"All I Need"

When the day is done
And there's no one else around
While I'm lying here in bed
You're in my heart, You're in my head
You're all I need, You're all I need
There are a million voices
Calling out my name
But You're the One I want to hear
So make the others disappear

You are all I need when I'm surrounded
You are all I need if I'm by myself
You fill me when I'm empty
There is nothing else
You're all I need

When the morning comes
And Your mercy is renewed
There's a fire in my bones
I'm not afraid to go alone
You're all I need
You're all I need
The sun on my face
I hear You whisper loud
You're still the God that opens seas
Every flower, even me
You're all I need
You're all I need

I'm drawn to everything that You do
Nothing compares with You

he is FOUR no more

Today we celebrated FIVE years of life with Wayne.   More on the days festivities later, but for now...

Dear Wayne,

Happy FIFTH birthday my sweet boy!  Five years ago, Dad and I were so anxious and excited for you to arrive - and we were THRILLED to have a son.  It was so hard to call you Wayne at first, because it was such a big boy name for such a precious little bundle, but now - I can't imagine you being called anything else. Know this - no matter where you go or what you do - Dad and I love you.  Our love has nothing to do with anything that you do - and everything to do with the fact that you are our son.  With that said - Wayne, you are the most joyful, delightful little five year old I've ever known.  Truth be told - five can be a difficult age of independence and let's face it - being a bit of a "brat" but I see none of those traits in you.  You LOVE your brothers, and look out for them constantly.  I pity the pour soul in school someday that messes with Wyatt or Weston - because they are going to have to deal with you!  Today you were opening gifts and letting Weston help you and touch your presents before you even got a chance to - and you were HAPPY about it.  I don't know many five year olds who would be so kind to their little brother.  You are a grateful boy - you take nothing for granted and you are constantly telling us "thank you" for getting you things, doing things for you, or simply for taking care of you.  We could not have been prouder of you tonight, watching you open your gifts and showing everyone your thankfulness - it was priceless.  You are such a smart boy too Wayne.  This week you got glasses, and after only wearing them for a day you take great care of them all by yourself.  You even read your first book today!  It was book 1 of the "Bob" series, and while you struggled on the first few pages, you were really getting it by the end of the book.  You were so proud, and said to me, "Really?  I can read?  I didn't know I could do that!"  I'm not going to be sad that you are growing up - I am going to rejoice in your bigness.  You are a delight to us - you bring great joy and life to every room you enter.  Your sweet smile - and your loving hugs and kisses make even the toughest parenting days more than worth it. We love you SO MUCH Wayne, and we always will. 

I'll love you forever,
I'll pray for you always.
Forever my baby you'll be.

Love,
Mom

Dear God,

Wayne's been praying a lot lately, asking to pray, wanting to pray - it's been a DELIGHT for me to listen to his prayers, talk about his requests, and his thanksgivings.  The simplicity, ease, and innosence with which he speaks to God is sweet music to my ears.  Here's my paraphrase of his prayer tonight before dinner:

Dear God,

Thanks for my good day.  It was good.  Please be with all the people coming to my birthday - I don't want anyone sick because they couldn't come.  Help them all to be happy for my birthday.  Please help my Dad to stay healthy and not cough at all - he will be sick on my birthday.  Please help Weston to take his medicine and be good - sometimes he's not good.  Thanks for Wyatt, I love him.  And for mom for my food.  And be with all the people coming to my birthday - that we would not be too loud and we will have LOTS of fun.  Thanks God - Amen.