Christened the Crockpot

N brought home a new crockpot last week. The last ones handle broke off the lid. I was using a pliers to take the cover off and on. Not the most convenient way to cook. I washed it up and made chicken for tacos in it this am. Baby Girl woke up around 5:15 and heard N. Today is his early shift. Just the sound of him was enough to get her up and curious as to where he was and what he was doing. Wasn't planning on starting my day that early, but oh well. We're working on shoe tying with Seven. Yes, seven seems too old to not know how to tie his shoes. My bad I guess. I've had so many battles with him about other things, I waited until we had to learn to get the job done. He's blown me away with things he's shared lately. For Thanksgiving they made paper plate pies. A tack in the middle held the top and let you spin the pie slice. Underneath, it was divided into fours and he wrote four things he was thankful for. He wrote family, God, Jesesu, and Life. Wow. We'll have to work on how to spell Jesus. But wow. He's come a long way. It's great to see we're doing something right. I love that boy. Parent teacher conferences were right before the holiday. Did I mention them yet? I don't think so, but can't remember. Both boys are doing really well. Five had her conferences a few weeks ago. She too has improved. I wasn't really aware of how many tears she shed the first few weeks. She's come a long way. Sometimes she tells me things that I don't completely get until later. One day, a girl in her class drew marker on her shirt. She was also pinching Five on a regular basis. I informed the teacher of the pinching right away, but didn't think too much of the marker. Most of the time, Five likes to carefully chose her outfit for school. It didn't occur to me weeks later, she would chose what to wear to art based on if Elizabeth would possibly draw on her again. Seven has improved in school. He is one point off with his reading. He did very well with counting money. He is well liked in class. The teacher taught Eight last year. She's happy to have another boy of ours and likes to see how different they are. I really like her and am so thankful both boys were able to be in her class. Eight makes good choices. His teacher said he too is a good boy and nice to have in class. She shared with us that if someone he is next to isn't doing quite the right thing, he will move or give himself space away from that person. He's doing some 4th grade level work. He did very well on his concepts and was ahead of others in his class. So proud of him! Baby Girl is sleeping better. I say this, and I'm probably doomed for a bad night. We had one not too long ago, she was wide awake at 2 am. It had something to do with a wet diaper and long fingernails. She's decided to pinch anything her little hands can grab and boy does it hurt. She's all over the house, exploring every corner. I am constantly cleaning the floor. Yesterday, I didn't think the floor was that dirty. It wasn't until I put her fleece pants on to discover just how dirty the floor was. She was like a swiffer, covered in lint and crumbs. Our Thanksgiving was nice. We went to church in the am and that set the tone for the day. Did I already write about this? I sent some emails and no I'm not sure if I'm repeating myself or not. I think I need more sleep, or at least to look back and see what I've written. Sorry readers. Today I get to go to a movie with a friend during the day without any kids. Miss D from next door is coming over to spend the afternoon with Baby Girl. I know they will have fun. I've been frustrated with my picture orders from the store this week. I thought I was on top of things, getting my Christmas cards ordered now instead of later. Nope. They cut off half of Five's face. The prints I ordered were quite crooked as well. What was supposed to be simplified by having shipped home turned out to mean a trip to the store anyway. That's on the schedule for Thursday with N. That's all for now. More to come I am certain.