Alana Update

So....I didn't really keep my promise of keeping up the blog very well...obviously. What can I say? So, here are a couple videos of the two little ones. The video of Alana in the snow is TOO CUTE! She loves to be outside walking around. This was taken of our first time in the snow with her at about 0 degrees. It was fun and Alana really enjoyed it.

Alana in the Snow


Alana is now in her crib in Lucas's room, i.e. their room. She goes to bed SO easily now...she has some milk at bedtime and once she is done we put her in her crib with some music and leave the room, door shut behind us! How different it was with Lucas...He always HAD to be rocked to sleep...She does still get up about once per night to have more milk, but goes right back to bed after that. Sometimes Lucas and Alana wake up and talk to each other...so cute! We'll go in after a few minutes and Lucas will yell out with the biggest smile "We are talkin' Mommy [Daddy]!"

Below is a video of Lucas and Alana sliding on the slide we have downstairs...one of James' band buddies gave us that and it saved us last winter! And it is saving us again this winter! Lucas and Alana love to climb and slide on it every few days or so...so nice when it's dark out most of the time we are home with them. During the weekends when it gets light out in the middle of the day, Lucas will tell us it's time to go shopping because it is light out...very funny.

Lucas and Alana sliding on the slide


So we are trying a new strategy with Lucas...every time I get on the phone with my mom she always gets to hear of Lucas's latest whining or yelling or hitting or screaming fit or...you get the picture...So I've finally picked up a book. At the beginning I thought I was at least doing some things right...well, according to the Love and Logic books, I sort of was...there was more I was doing not right, though. So we've put some of the ideas into action last night and this morning and so far, so good! For example, Lucas decided to whine and wipe his peaches off the plate I put them on onto the table and insisted on wanting to put them on a pink plate rather than the blue plate I asked him to put it on. I instantly scooped him up stating (with lots of empathy) that it was so sad that he would have to have some room time and not get to eat lunch yet. So I put him in his room not saying another word and stood outside his door for about 15 minutes before he calmed down. I then opened his door (yes, he did try to come out but I just held the door shut...), gave him a big hug, told him I loved him and asked if he was ready to eat at the table (earlier he insisted on eating in the living room). I said nothing more, no lectures, nothing. Lucas came calmly out of the room, immediately picked up his peaches and put them onto the blue plate and proceeded to eat his lunch without another incident!!! I was absolutely shocked, pleasantly surprised, and very pleased.

Bull moose we had right outside our house the other night! It actually walked within an arms-length away while he was standing in the doorway with the cameras!!! Scary, but so cool!


We'll be putting a video of Katie's latest main part in her Christmas play shortly. She did great on her Math final ALL ON HER OWN! Without any help she got an A on her math final! We were amazed and she was pleased. Overall, she got 3 A's and 3 B's and we'll be going to a report card movie during the break. She always enjoys those.

More to come...Lucas's b-day pics..he is 3 years old! And more miscellaneous pics as well. Love to all!