A Good Week

This has been a good week.  Has there still been whining, arguing, and general foolishness?  Yes.  BUT.....
Zadie decided she wanted to try the whole potty training thing again.  She's been in underpants since Monday, and she's had one pee and two poop accidents.  She still isn't telling us she has to go, but she holds it until we take her in, and can hold it several hours at a time.  And whereas she hasn't said "potty" yet, she's using a lot more words - her vocabulary has probably doubled in the last couple weeks.  (She understands everything, but wouldn't talk to you.)  Her [somewhat] intelligible words now include, milk, please, thank you, I love you, baby, more, night night, bye bye, MINE, Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Pa-Pa, and Josh.  (Josh is a friend at church with 3 boys that have adopted her as their little sister.  I think she thinks all of them are named Josh.)
Jacob has had this habit, for a year, of getting up in the middle of the night to potty, then coming to our room to wake me up to take him back upstairs.  If I tell him no (which I have done since he turned 4, and always tell him before bed that I will tell him no), it turns into whining, sobbing, blubbering DRAMA.  I stick to my guns and he goes upstairs and lays in bed and wails, sometimes kicking the walls to get my attention, waking the whole house up.  (Do I need to mention how well that goes over with me?)
Anyhow.  All that to say:  he hasn't done that once this week.  Bliss.
Speaking of night time bliss:  Gideon is sleeping.  I think it's that magical 10 weeks (this week was actually 11, but it started last week).  All the sudden he's been going to bed at night with just a tiny bit of fussing.  He sleeps a solid 6 hour chunk, then I can put him back in his bed (if I haven't been lazy and put him in bed with me).  He cries again when I put him back to bed, but he sleeps til morning and wakes up happy.  I feel like my life has been on hold, waiting for this to start.  The next step will be getting in a predictable daytime nap pattern.
And my oldest..... He wants to read!  I had a feeling the key was finding something he would want to try to read.  I have an old 1949 State of Kansas reader called "Tip" that has lots of repetition.  It's probably a 60 page book of a story about a dog that uses only 20 words over and over.  "Tip.  Tip.  Here, Tip.  Here, Tip.  Tip, Tip.  Come here, Tip."  (It's by Houghton Mifflin, which is the publisher of some readers that my niece uses in her school, which Lurenda passed on to us.  Also similar to the popular "Dick and Jane" readers.)  On Tuesday, Nathan read 25 pages of the "Tip" book, and 4 of the readers from Mackenzie, words only.  (Sometimes I think he's "reading" the pictures, so I typed out just the words.)  That day was the turning point.  He realized - he CAN read!  He's asked to do it every day since, and hasn't argued when I tell him it's time.
He also has learned how to add double-digit numbers.  He hasn't even learned all of his addition tables, but I just put the problems together with ones he does know (doubles, +1, +2).  We showed him how to "carry" and he has that down too!  Really proud of him.
And on that note - I realize there are different ways of learning, but I just don't "get" some of the ways presented in his math curriculum (Saxon).  What's the purpose of measuring something with pennies or linking cubes, instead of with a ruler?  And I get teaching double-digit addition with pennies and dimes, but what purpose is having them "estimate" before they add them up?  They teach +1 as "one more", which makes sense, but they teach +2 as "next even/odd number."  On problems such as 3 + 4, 4 + 5, 5 + 6, they teach it as "double, plus one."  I get it.  But to me, addition tables should be rote memorization, not a process that requires an extra step.  And yes, I'm sure it sets them up for being able to add larger numbers in their head later on, but....  For now, it seems like we're teaching 15 different ways to remember something that is as easy as, well, one plus one equals two.  And Nathan seems to be one that likes memorization, so I think he would do better at memorizing a table.
But on the upside, what I do like about this curriculum is that it covers so many things that I don't think of as being math - at least not at this point.  Calendar, time, right/left, shapes, patterns....  Things that I probably wouldn't think to teach if it weren't in the book.  Also counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, and counting backward.  When I think of math at this age, I think of the tables, but he's getting a well-rounded education of all these things, with daily practice.
Anyhow.  So that's been my good week.  Now to have a good weekend - and get all the crap piled on the dining room table put away!  My life is happier when I get rid of the clutter.

Quote to Consider:

God's man, in the center of God's will, is immortal until God is done with him.
-Dr. David Jeremiah


This is not to say, "Hey, I'm living in God's will and am invincible!  Let's go base-jumping!"  (video, in case you don't know what base jumping is) It's more of a, "we can rest in confidence."  Anything that happens is God's will.  I can't escape it, good or bad.

"The LORD is for me; 
I will not fear; 
What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6).

It Hasn't Been a Month. (Barely.)

I guess I haven't blogged lately.
I am getting a bit more sleep.  Gideon is sleeping a 5-hour stretch when we put him down at night.  Unfortunately, he goes to bed early enough that I still don't usually get more than 4 hours in a stretch.  And then he doesn't want to go back to sleep easily.  My sanity couldn't handle the lack of sleep anymore, so at 2 months, I started making him cry it out at bedtime.  And I do it sometimes in the middle of the night, depending on Paul's work (sleep) schedule.  I've decided he's just a baby that has to cry a little before going to sleep.  It's not screaming (usually), but he never goes to sleep without letting us hear him.
Hmmm.....  What else?
Zadie decided to take up potty training again.  She doesn't tell us (at least not in a language we can understand) when she needs to go, but she holds it very well till we take her in.  Still plenty of accidents, but I think it's starting to tip toward more successes than accidents.  She is so proud of herself when she goes.   (I'm sure the candy award at the end helps.)  She makes this hilarious face, surprised and very pleased with herself, whenever she starts going on the potty.  Priceless.
We had a mini spring break this week.  Temps were in the 50s and 60s Monday and Tuesday, so I let the boys PLAY OUTSIDE and skipped school.  We've had long stretches of bitter cold this winter, and cabin fever was definitely setting in.  But that's the beauty of homeschooling - we can do that.
I've been doing better on keeping the house picked up, until the last week or so.  (Sleep begets sleep - I actually am getting some, and that made me realize how much I wanted more!  Naps all around!)  Why is it when you get behind it takes forever to catch up?  I was lazy two weekends ago, and I'm still spinning my wheels.
The laundry situation is another story.  It's never going to be caught up.  I just can't seem to be one of those people that can do a load a day and get it folded.  Our laundry seems to go from not enough for a full load of anything, to OH CRAP in a day, and I need to do 8 loads to catch up.  And we are a family the re-wears clothing several times before washing it, so I don't know why it can pile up so fast!  (Paul says that's because that's the day that we make the boys round up all their socks and clothing they've shed all over the house.)  It seems like it's done this with every kid, too - add one tiny human who wears one tiny outfit a day, and the laundry doubles.  Explain that.
We got a large tax return (which requires a rant blog), so we'll hopefully be doing some home improvements (which I'll address as they happen).  I'm looking forward to it.  We've been here over 8 years - it's time to make it our own. :)
And that's what's going on here, more or less.

Almost Human

It's amazing how a decent night's sleep can make me feel almost human again.
After a major regression on Gideon's sleep over the weekend, last night we had our first (since birth!) what I would call "normal" night of sleep with him.  He fell asleep around 10, and slept until 2:30.  I nursed him (and fell asleep in the recliner) and then put him back in his bed around 3:30.  He settled in right away.  (Most times I have to pat him for several minutes and give him the pacifier.)  He slept there til 5:30.  Then I was lazy, since Paul was working nights, and I put him in bed with me til my alarm went off at 7.
He's been in our bed a LOT the last couple weeks, and whereas it's better than holding him in the recliner all night, it's still not the same as out-like-a-log, soaking-the-pillow-with-drool SLEEP.  So even though I didn't go to bed til midnight (first chance in a while to fold laundry and clean our bedroom!), I still got over 4 hours of unaccompanied sleep.  Bliss!
And I feel like I could conquer the world this morning!  Here's hoping that last night was the first night of a new normal!

Rhodes Report 2013

(Better late than never!)

What a year 2013 was!  There were ups and downs, surprises and blessings, challenges and changes, and through it all – God was, and is, ALWAYS faithful!

Let’s start with what stayed the same:  We still live outside Ottawa.  Paul still works at AGC (just finished his 14^th year!).  I still stay home with the kids.  We still attend Ottawa Bible.  Our parents are at their same homes, and doing well.

Now let’s talk about our biggest change:  We had another baby!  We were very, very surprised to find out in April that I was pregnant.  Zadie wasn’t even a year old yet, and even though we were fairly sure we wanted another baby – we weren’t expecting to have two so close together (20 months)!  But God loves surprises, and we were thrilled to welcome another boy into the world on December 9^th.  We named him Gideon Robert.  Gideon has the eating thing figured out (he’s gaining about a ½ pound a week!), but we’re still trying to establish days and nights.  He sleeps all day – despite the noise and chaos of his brothers and sister – and will sleep at night…..only if he is snuggled with someone.  But he’s been more alert during the day, and I think (fingers crossed!) we may be making headway to him enjoying his space in his own bed at night.  We’re very proud to have another future warrior for God.  (Gideon means “mighty warrior.”)

Zadie continues her reign as princess of the house – like it or not, she IS the princess.  She turned 1 in April, and is a sassy, spirited little girl.  She still doesn’t have a very big vocabulary yet, but she communicates her wishes (demands) very clearly.  Her words usually make no sense to us, but she regularly will walk up to someone and “give them the what-for” – and it’s obvious that, to her, whatever she’s saying makes complete sense.  Zadie adores her baby brother, and is constantly petting on him and mothering him.  (Honestly, we were a bit worried, as she would get jealous whenever I would hold other babies or children.)  She’s a big girl, and holds her own very well with her big brothers.  She’s also a girly-girl (oh my!), and loves clothes, shoes, and jewelry.   We love our beautiful little girl.

Jacob turned 4 in October.  We started pre-school curriculum with him at home.  He already knew a lot of basics, like colors and shapes and numbers, from learning them alongside Nathan.  He’s coming along with learning his letters, although we had to get creative to entice him to want to learn, which we did by playing matching games with his flash cards.  He is slowly progressing on violin (slow because we aren’t diligent about daily practice); he can now play the first line of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”  He started his first “official” year as a Cubbie in Awana this fall.  Our hearts were overjoyed when, in February, he asked Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart.  Jacob has a sensitive spirit, yet a stubborn will, which is a unique combination to learn how to parent!  We are very proud to have him as our son.

Nathan turned 6 in September, the same month we started 1^st grade with him at home.  We are minimalistic on our curriculum this year, for two reasons:  1/ We knew that welcoming a new baby in the middle of the school year would take up a lot if my teaching time, and 2/ Nathan has no interest in reading, so I wanted to allow plenty of time to focus on that.  So we are pretty much just doing phonics/reading and math.  Homeschooling a very strong-willed child means daily battles.  If Nathan doesn’t see the point of something, he will argue it to death, or else flat-out refuse to even try.  So progress on reading is slow.  He would rather try to hurry through it by guessing, which makes it take twice as long.  (Try convincing him of that, though!)  He can read simple words and stories, but since it takes effort, he’s not keen on it.  He enjoys math, because it makes sense to him.  He’s working on his addition tables and counting money.  Nathan started his 2^nd year of Sparks in Awana.  He is coming along with his violin, and gets excited when he masters new songs or skills with it (even though, as mentioned earlier, he argues it to death while learning it!).  He has nearly a dozen songs memorized, and is pretty adept at playing by ear.  We’re starting to teach him to read music, and I think his ability will really take off when he figures that out.  He’s lost 7 teeth – but 3 were in accidents, so are slow to come back in. :S  He is a huge help with his little sister and baby brother, and with chores around the house.  We are proud to have Nathan as our oldest son.

More changes: 

Paul’s Grandpa Rhodes passed away in February, at the age of 88.  We took our first long trip in the van to Colorado for the funeral.  It was a wonderful service honoring him and his service to the community and his country as a World War II veteran.  We enjoyed the time with all the relatives together, although sad it had to be under those circumstances.  (Grandpa Rhodes was Paul’s last living grandparent.)

This fall, Paul and I both felt God telling us it was time for us to step down from the praise team at our church.  We felt it separately, and when we talked and realized we both had been feeling it, I wrote a letter of resignation to our Elders.  I have been leading worship weekly for 7 years, but we both have been involved in the worship ministry at church for 13 years, so it felt like a huge decision.  We’re not sure why God called us away from that ministry, but we’re looking forward to seeing what He is going to use us for in the future.

Blessings:

Paul has been very involved with a ministry called Men’s Encounter this year.  It is a weekend event that challenges men to surrender every area of their lives to God.  He, along with my brother JC, has helped organize and “launch” groups from the area to go to four Encounters this year.  They started a men’s Bible study following the first one of the year.  It has just been a blessing to watch these men grow and challenge each other and lead their families.  “As iron sharpens iron….” – being involved in these ministries and studies has made Paul an even better man.  Paul encouraged me to go to the Women’s Encounter in April.  I went, and was blessed and challenged.  Some of the challenges I’m still working on.  I returned in July as a server, and we had 9 other ladies from our area go at the same time.  It was an uncomfortable weekend for me, forcing me out of my comfort zones, but one that ended in uncontainable joy:  to be able to share in the salvation of one of the ladies that went with us.  (To find out more about the Encounter ministries, check out www.EncounterTheCross.com.)

In October, we were able to go on a “mini vacation” to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, with Paul’s parents and sister.  The kids loved it.  It was wonderful to be able to go and spend time as a family, and extended family, and also get some couple time for Paul and me.  And the fact that adults outnumbered children made for a mostly stress-free weekend!

We, along with Paul’s sister, were privileged to provide music at two weddings this year.  We love playing the music to set the atmosphere for these most special of days.  We also were part of two community “worship nights” where we got together with musicians from a couple other churches to provide a night of “just worship” as an outreach and blessing to others, where people can sing their praises and connect with God on their own level.   We look forward to doing a couple more of those this coming year.

My sister Carlsie made it home from Zambia, Africa, after two years there with the Peace Corps.  We are beyond thrilled to have our family complete again.  I’m sure she’s tired of our questions about the experience and culture, but we love hearing about all of it!

And I think that wraps up the big news for the year.  As I said before, GOD IS FAITHFUL.  We are privileged to serve such an awesome God who has all things in control, and who knows our future, and who loves us deeply.  And to think that the God of the universe longs to have us know Him!

In HIM we live and move and have our being,

Paul & Rachel

Nathan, Jacob, Zadie, Gideon

Biased.

I have the most beautiful and perfect little girl in the world.
But, then again, I may be biased.....

Overheard:

Maybe after church is done we can have a Finish Up Dinner!  (Fellowship Dinner)

Mommy, when we get home, you need to get in the kitchen and cook me some food!
(Paul informed him that even he doesn't dare talk to me like that, so Nathan shouldn't either.)