my boy

my boy is rolling over!!!

and he's scooting on his belly!
(harvey age 4 months)

No back to school for us Dotson's. Addie's doing 2nd grade at home again and I am feeling peaceful and happy about it. It was her choice truly and I'm up to the task. I have to give myself alot of pep talks about this since having 3 kids does seem like I am drowning in little people sometimes. The funny thing about 3 kids is that I cannot imagine only having three permanently. With 2 one more seemed really scary. Now that I have Harvey I feel like I will definately have one more and it doesn't scare me. Although it would seriously scare me if I was having number 4 like right now. Then I would freak out! But nope...not yet. anyways, since we are homeschooling we aren't starting school until the day after labor day...the day EVERYONE on the earth should start school. But since I can't change the world I can change my corner of the world. I've been reading The Well Trained Mind to inspire my organization with homeschooling. Naturally I would be a total unschooler but I'm fighting that urge because after reading this book I truly believe there is alot of good things that take discipline to learn and it is worth it in the end to teach my children in a way that they can maximize their potential and ability to learn. But all that will happen NEXT week because as of right now they are fighting over the cell phone and tackling eachother like crazed cats. So the vision and reality once again diverge....

day in the life

woke up
watched Eva sleep. She looked kinda dead. I put my hand over her mouth to try to feel the air coming in and out. She was alive.
Harvey woke up doing his normal leg lifts. I don't know why right when he wakes up his legs go straight in the air but that's what he does and it's pretty cute. Danny and I watched him bench press a toothbrush.
Addie woke up and made us raspberry muffins from a mix. House appraisor knocks on the door just as Eva pours half the gallon of milk on the counter.
Soak it up with a towel as I tell him to show himself around.
pick up toys.
Wait for my piano student.
Keep waiting.
Teach piano and realize she doesn't know any of the note names. whoops.
Drive to the farm (carriage hill). question my choice of ponytails...I feel like a 3rd grader.
Walk around the farm. Meet a very sweet lady and daughter working at the farm. She shows us how to make a quilt on one of those old foot action sewing machines.
Play a quilt game. Basically you take a quilt and make up a story about where each little piece came from..like "this is a piece from the dress you wore when you were a brand new baby..and when I smell it it still reminds me of you when you were born"
Chase the chickens.
Buy candy and commisserate with the candy store lady about the sorry state we're all in with how undisciplined children are and how you can't even yell at neighbor kids in your own yard or their parents will sue you.
Sit outside and realize Harvey has just blown out a weeks stash worth of poo. I had no wipes. Went into the public bathroom and realized the mess extended to under his armpits and even up to his hair. it was intense. Clean him up in the sink and dry him under the hair dryer.
Throw his clothes in the stroller and carry him naked in the sling. I luckily did have a diaper.
uhoh.
BABY

its funny it takes two days for me to post about a day in my life
CONTINUING
left the farm with cleaned baby.
drove to goodwill outlet and met mom. Saw a man that looked like crocodile dundee dude...
was given a small flashlight lovingly from a homeless looking man rooting through the bins.
FOUND SOME SWEEEEET DEAAAALS!!!
Drove home
found Danny playing frisbee golf in the park.
we all ate leftover noodles and chili.
ate my sister Steph's homemade apple pie.
boxed up ebay stuff to mail.
3 in bed.
goodnight.

went to the circus when it was like 100 degrees out. the kids had a good time and we got to sit in the very front row.
harvey was only a little amused. I kept pouring water on his head too
mom was about to die of a heatstroke or shoot someone...I don't know which one first but she still let her little graddaughters crowd her and sit on her lap. good grandma.
and so we are whiling away our summer..... loosing front teeth, watching scary clowns, swimming, and stealing vegetables from neighbors gardens. I didn't do any such thing (gardening) this year.....but I miss having big tomatoes and zucchini and squash. And corn. It's all I want to eat. Rachel I need some of yours!
Addie's lost her first front tooth and she looks extra special without. I think I'm just going to secretely knock out her adult tooth when it grows in so she eternally has a gap in her mouth. But then she'd probably just look all billy bob without a front tooth. It would quit being cute when she's 20 something.
BYE

chilly stinks

I'm hot.
this house is full of drywall dust
chilly really stinks.
I skipped our outing today to the water park because the girls didn't want to go.
Harvey is sweating on my chest sleeping.
girls are throwing balls at eachother across the room.
I taught piano all morning.
considering teaching piano in the students home instead of my own.
too many squawkers in the background.
I want to research charlotte mason homeschooling.
We put an offer on a house...but don't know if it will work out or not.
I'm going to shampoo the living room carpet because someone shook chocolate milk all over it.
Stephanie is pregnant! I was the first to find out....(well besides Aaron) and I'm so excited for her and glad it's her and not me. I'm blessing her with the gift of a 12 pounder. Just so she can experience it.

come on to my house

come on to my house. I'm gonna give you CANDY. come on to my house to myyyy house I'm gonna give you CANDY.
I have no clue where that song is from or if I made it up.
But I will give you candy if you come to my house.

We are house shopping. looking for a new slum house to purchase. Don't worry we will be slum/ghetto lords. It's Danny's new goal.

Today we looked at house number 1: 1920's 3 bed 1 bath with a NIIIIICe yard, but needs a roof, new kitchen, new furnace and a.c. and that's almost all. well not including cosmetics. BUT is only 19,000. And it's on a cute little street and the neighbors were nice. I talked to the girl.

Number 2: a good street in a semi shady overall neighborhood. This house had a cool upstairs apartment with a 2 layer deck. but it stinks like an animal died and rotted and their is no floor and the basement is loaded with mold. 30,000

Number 3: Over by our other house this is a lovely ( I feel like a real estate agent) cape cod. It's actually not lovely...mint green and the bushes are as tall as the house. But it has a newish furnace and the roof looks okay. But it has a huge ramshackle shack in the back with power running to it that makes it look like it was used to grow da drugs or something. Also on a decent street. This one is only 16,000. But it has mold in the bathroom and needs all new interior stuff.


Stephanie said we are currently looking to buy vermont ave and we're going to have to work up to park place.

The last place had a typewriter in it and pea green carpet too. It was awesome.

The girls are just holding their noses and whining to leave. anywho....what else can I write about? this summer just WONT
QUIT. I swear.
okay I'm done.

boys vs girls

I'm spending time with my little nephews tonight along with the girls and Harvey.

When I gave birth to a girl A GIRL!!! The thought of having a little boy was so foreign to me. I pitied all the poor mothers who gave birth to boys first because having a girl was the biggest treat in the world. Like a humongous icecream sundae with loads of whipped cream, and a huge cherry on top. covered in gummy bears. With three flavors of icecream. and hot fudge.(can you tell I still haven't been eating sugar?) That was having my Addie.

Then I had my second girl and I felt the exact same way!

And then I found out (number three) was a boy. Danny yelled an outloud "YES!!!" and I smiled kind of but I was afraid. Boys. Legos. Cars. Dump trucks. footballs. buzz cuts. Mullets. For some reason really bad boy haircuts kept popping in my mind. Attention deficit disorder..hyper.

biased ya think.

I was still a little afraid all the way till I saw Harvey. Upon viewing my 12 pound chubby ,squinty eyed grunting boy my heart leaped and all I could think was "A BOY!!!! I'm the luckiest woman in the world. " and that was like getting a HUMONGOUS mango ritas frozen custard. So now I pity all the poor unfortunate mothers who had girls and can't put a bow tie on their tiny little bald baby man.

3 on the 4th

3 months today!!! So I will take tons of mommy liberties by smooching his chubby cheeks and feel free to squeeze fat thighs to my hearts delight. This was last night at the fireworks in Dayton. We went with our neighbors and their granddaughter and my mom.
The downtown had a cityfolk festival which I'm not sure what that means but there was a ton of puppetting people with their works of art like the one above.
of course another picture of the 3 month birthday boy. Happy fourth!!