Operation Bedtime Star Update

Mommy asked us to give you an update regarding Operation Bedtime Star. Grant and I would call it a success. Since the program was implemented I have yet to get out of my bed or call for Mommy. Okay, there was that one episode last night when I had to go to the bathroom. I always like Mommy to accompany me. She gave me the okay.

Grant had a rockier start. The first night he was out of his bed twice. The second night once. Then the past three nights he's stayed in his bed and remained quiet. Well, last night he did cry out and stood by his bed for fear of losing his sticker if he moved any farther away. Mommy was gracious and didn't take his sticker away for that night. So, I'm just waiting on Grant to get one more sticker (hopefully tonight) so we can have popcorn and watch a movie tomorrow during naptime. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

As for Kate, I think she's trying to earn stickers too. She's been sleeping better and better. Why, last night Mommy said she went seven and a half hours straight and she didn't even have to cry it out at all. I don't know that she could last a whole movie though and I hear popcorn isn't the way to a baby's heart. Maybe some good ol snuggle time will do.

Half of my Whole

As I write this, I'm struggling with something. A nap without a blankey. Not just any blankey though, MY blankey. You see, he's my life. And without him, well, life is hard. Sucking my thumb without "blankey boy" is wrong. Just. Plain. Wrong. But, he has to take a bath. Let me advise any blankey lovers out there not to spill grape juice on their's. Nope. Especially at lunch time...too close to nap time. It seems his baths take longer than mine. So I wait. Not so patiently. I am asking Mommy quite frequently where he is. I'm supposed to be sleeping but how can one sleep when half of his whole is missing?

Pals

It seems Mommy really wants me to be friends with this giraffe. She puts him with me all the time. I thought, what the hey, he seems nice enough. A giraffe with that big of a smile can't be all that bad. In fact, it's that big all the time.

Mommy's Moment: Operation Bedtime Star

Imagine this:

It's 11:00 pm. You've just feed your baby. Now, time to slip into peaceful, restful sleep yourself. You climb into bed. You doze off. Your eyes open. Maybe an hour has passed. You see two little eyes staring at your's. It's not a dream. It's your 4 year old. Staring. Sucking her thumb. You crawl out of bed. Together, you walk, without saying a word, back to her room. She climbs into bed. Your turn the music back on. You walk back to your room and back into your bed. You sleep. You awaken. Perhaps one to two hours has passed. This time standing before you is your 2 year old. He says, "I just want to hug you." You say nothing. Scoop him up. Lay him back in his bed. Restart the music. Back to your room. You lay back down. You awaken. This time, no eyes, just crying. It's your baby. You're teaching her to sleep through the night so you give her a bit to fall back to sleep. You wait. You watch the clock. She finally returns back to sleep. Then, you do as well. Now, it's not unusual to repeat this pattern. Hannah or Grant, or heck, maybe both one night will reenter at a surprise time. The only difference is when the next time Kate cries, you feed her. You return to your bed 15 minutes later. It's almost 5 o'clock, the time your husband wakes up. Then, wait an hour and voila, your own alarm rings and look, it's time to start the day again.

So, tedious to read right? Try living it. Yes, that is how my nights go. Somehow, somewhere along the way, Hannah started waking up and walking to our room. Now, funny how her little brother has followed in her footsteps. I'm tired. So. Very. Tired. So, it's time for...

OPERATION BEDTIME STAR

If they don't get out of their beds at night, they get a star. When they have acquired 4 stars, they get to watch a movie and eat popcorn during their naptime. Will it work? We shall see. I am desperate. I am tired. I am ready for them to kick this habit. I want my UNINTERRUPTED sleep back. Game on.

"Smovies"

Hannah calls them "smovies." I can't be positive, but I think she's got the pronunciation wrong. Whatever you call them though, they're tasty. So tasty that I wanted to save some for later.

*these were supposed to be fed in the other way so you could get my full progression from little moustache to big, happy moustache...*

Speechless

Speechless, right? I felt the same way when I saw this ensemble. I just had to put it on. When I wear it, I feel, well, fabulous. Put me on a runway and let me work it. When you've got it, you've got it and let's face it, I've got it. . .thanks to the fabulous designer who put such excellent patterns and colors together. Leopard print is oh so chic. And, hot pink faux fur, well....who can pass that up? I've got everything I need for weathering these harsh winter temperatures. Mittens, check. Shawl with extremely upright hood, check. Scarf with stuffed leopard head and tail, check. Braving the winter weather in style, SUPER check.

Party Animal

Hope your Friday was a blast. After an exciting playdate, a little Just Dance 2, and nonstop entertainment compliments of my siblings, I'm one tired party animal. Time to catch up on some z's. Peace out.

Kate

Mommy's Moment: Mischevious

I'm sick. At 12:30 my little buddies were all tucked away in their rooms. Perfect, I thought. Naptime for me too. However, only one of my little buddies was cooperating, Kate. The other two were not. At all. In fact, if you heard them you would think they were having a party. I decided to crash the party. Upon entering I found my middle child, Grant, trying to sit in a drawer. At the sight of me he quickly returned to his bed. Too groggy and puny to take it to the next level, I shut the door, eager to nap myself. However, I made a mistake. A few short minutes later I heard a thud followed by shriekish yells I hadn't heard before. I RACED (probably faster than I ran at my peak in track) to their room to find what I thought I would find. Two little bodies looking up at me from underneath the chest of drawers that had fallen on top of them. Screaming. I freaked out. Grant came out easily. Hannah did not. Her two tiny little feet were caught underneath a drawer. I'll admit, I said a few choice words. I panicked. I HOLLERED to the Lord for help. I was so afraid those little feet would be broken. Thankfully, they were not and somehow, thanks to the Lord, they came out. By the Lord's protection, Hannah and Grant both came out unscathed. Scared, but unscathed.

I have never felt so much adrenaline pump through my body before. I'm still shaking. After the three of us calmed down, Grant said, "pray to Jesus." So we did. And I included in my prayer one of repentance for my "bad words" I said in the heat of the moment. I always wonder how I will respond in the midst of an emergency. I want to think I'll be calm, cool, and collected. Yeah, that's not me. I freak out. But I am honestly thankful that the Lord is bigger than my "freak outs" and that He is there in the midst of the chaos too and He doesn't freak out.

On a lighter note, I called my Mom to share and she called my kids "mischieveous." They so are. To the outsider you wouldn't think so. But what they have gotten into since sharing that room is crazy. Blinds have been broken, diapers thrown, toys scattered, beds stripped, music blared, furniture colored on, and diaper cream spread. Perhaps it's bad parenting. I know I could do more to stop the madness but I will admit, lately, if they're in their room and Kate's asleep...I let some of the noise slide. But, probably not so much anymore.

And on a side note, my little Kate, she slept through the whole ordeal. And she still is...along with those two mishchievious kids.

Guess Who?

Guess who's sporting the brown, ruffled, suede ballet flat paired with a blue Barbie skate? Let's just say, he has blonde hair and he's my brother.

Homeschool Diaries

So, I thought I would start a new section to my blog: homeschool diaries. This way I can "journal" my thoughts as I start this new endeavor. I will share the good, the bad, and the funny as I walk this unfamiliar and yet, not so unfamiliar road. We all know why it's unfamiliar, I've never homeschooled before. But, aspects of it are familiar thanks to my teaching background. And I absolutely love teaching. I love preparing for teaching. I get excited as I plan out activities and LAMINATE them. My laminator has provided a source of motivation! Sad, I know.

Our first week back, with the laminator and using Confessions of a Homeschooler, was good. We stuck to our schedule: an hour usually in the morning while Kate napped but some days we did it in the afternoon due to prior morning obligations. The cute activities kept their interest. I will admit though, teaching your kids is different than teaching someone else's. It's harder. I suppose I expect more out of them. So, I found I lost my patience more easily. I'll have to work on that one. ALOT. And Grant, bless his heart, can't sit still for too long. But he's 2 and 1/2. I kept telling myself that. We started our time with prayer. A must have for all of our sanity's sake. And seriously, I am reminded I can only do this through the Lord's strength and wisdom. It is only by His grace that I can do this. I also introduced the Pledge of Allegiance to them. And we said it. Well, I said it. And they stood on their chairs (yes, their chairs) with their hands somewhat over their hearts. And, to be honest, I felt super silly holding the small flag and doing this. BUT, again, it's important. And if they aren't going to be in public school, I feel like this is something they need to know and understand. So, we did it. All three of us.

I plan to enroll Hannah in a homeschool group next year called Classical Conversations. A good friend heads it up down here and I've heard good things about it. This will be our true trial run for homeschooling. We'll all go (meaning me and the kids) every Monday and then do everything else at home the other days. Well, that's about all I know right now. I'll go next month for an open house to learn all the ins and outs. I'm looking forward to it.

And, so, here we go, on another adventure....

C is for Caterpillar

Thanks to Mommy's new laminator, school time is back in business. Last week we learned about the letter C. Again, thanks to Mommy's new laminator and Confessions of a Homeschooler blog, we had plenty to keep us busy. Grandmama got us the Dot-a-Dot markers which were perfect for our caterpillars. On this day we worked on sorting for one of our activities. This was Grant's favorite game. He called it the "medum" game. I guess he likes the medium ones since they are in the middle, just like him. We did all sorts of other fun activities like read Mommy's favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as well as count caterpillars, lace caterpillars, write the letter C, and play a caterpillar dice game. My biggest success: by the end of the week I could put the numbers 1-10 in numerical order. My a small feat for some but a big feat for me. I really do like school time and am so glad we're back in business! We owe all our thanks to the laminator for getting Mommy in gear!

Mommy's Moment: Kate

Life with three. Not as hard as I expected. Primarily because of this little squirt. She's easy. Really, really easy. And I am thankful. Really, really thankful. Perhaps the temperment comes with the third or last born (I'd like to think so since I'm the third and last born!). Scheduling takes on a new meaning with the third. Naps in the car aren't uncommon. Naps at the grocery store aren't either. Quiet naps aren't so common. Screams and squeals from the other two have become her "white noise." But there she "sits", quiet, calm and happy (as long as hats aren't involved or the scrape-age of cradle cap from her head). She smiles. Killer smiles at that. And my heart melts. She smiles when I suck her nose out with the nose sucker thing. Even in the middle of the night, in the dark, while I am changing her diaper, she smiles and coos at me. I LOVE it. Thankfully, I have no drama stories to tell about her. . .much unlike her brother! My only complaint is that she is growing too fast! She is our last and I am trying dearly to hold on to every moment with her. Soak it all in one last time. The rush I had with Hannah to see her grow up I don't have so much with Kate. And, I'm guessing that's normal. So, she'll always be my baby. . .even when she's grown. Sweet little Kate.

P.S. remind me of this post when I blog in three years about how I'm about to pull my hair out because she won't listen to me and is hitting her siblings and talking back....

The Great Ice

It seems "The Great Snow" has become "The Great Ice." At least in our backyard. Our dreams of snowmen, snowballs, and snow angels have to wait. Instead, our feet crunched through a couple inches of ice. But, we didn't mind. Nope. Because you can still eat ice. That's right. Grant and I ate the ice. It seems Mommy thought it was okay to do. However, not all mommies think alike. I wondered if Mommy was embarrassed when my neighbor friend's mommy gave an adamant "no, that's gross" response when her daughter asked. I didn't tell her we gave her the idea. For Mommy's sake. Grant and I crunched our way through several chunks of it. Delicious. We also attempted sledding down our hill. It didn't work too well unless Mommy was pulling us. She did. Once. I tried. Once. It seems 30 lbs. can't pull too much weight. It was fun trying though. So, even if we didn't have true snow, we enjoyed the ice. And probably will be for the next couple of days!

Dear Snow

Dear Snow,

On this eve of "THE GREAT SNOW", we remember your last visit. Shoot, it was only a couple of weeks ago. It brought us great joy. However, we ask to see more of you this visit. While short visits are fun, longer visits provide ample time for snowmen, snowball fights, and snow angels. And, have you seen our back yard? It's the envy of the neighborhood. That hill, well, you can really catch some speed sledding down that baby. So, please, stay awhile (because it also means lots of more cups of hot cocoa).

Sincerely,

Hannah for all the Harman kiddos

Mommy's Moment: You've Gotta Love this Guy

Grant. What can I say? He is one of a kind. For those staring at the above pictures, yes, I'm well aware it appears he has a droopy eye. Thankfully, I can chalk it up to the goggles. How could I not share it? It's funny and well, so is he. He makes me laugh so much. I think he will be the comedian of the family. So, this post I dedicate to Grant. My funny little man. His antics are quite amusing, even if at times they could be potentially harmful. Like today, for example (I know that's not a complete sentence and many of my sentences aren't but just roll with me). I'm picking out the new Yoplait smoothies from the freezer at Publix (by the way you can grab two for $.17 a pop). In the background I hear, "Mommy, look what Grant's doing," from none other than the always informative Hannah. I turn to see my 2 1/2 year old licking the freezer doors. And we're not talking little licks here, we're talking long, tongue pressed flat against the freezer kind of licks. I tried to act horrified (there was a Publix worker near by) as I abruptly told him to stop. But, as I turned I couldn't hide my smile. But, again, to sound "in control" I reprimanded Grant as the Publix stocker walked by. So perhaps he'll get sick in a few days by allowing thousands of germs to enter his body (but not the flu thanks to the trusty shot this year) but at least it provided a good laugh in the process.

While we're on the subject of Publix and funny man Grant, here's another one: the kids love to weigh the produce. So, if I'm in somewhat of a patient and good mood I'll let them weigh the fruit we buy. However, Grant has no clue that we are weighing the fruit. Nope. He thinks we put it in there to WAVE at the fruit. So, there's my little guy enthusiastically waving at the scale until the produce comes back out. I must admit, sometimes I just allow them to do it so I can laugh at Grant. Bless his heart.

What little brother doesn't look up to his older sister? Grant loves Hannah (most of the time) and mimics all she does. And that doesn't stop when it comes to ballet. Grant knows how to do (phonetically spelling here) an ashape better than Hannah. When asked if Grant wants to go hunting with Daddy he replies, "No, it's yucky." I'm sure in 5 years he'll be humming a different tune. . .and it won't be to the music in a ballet studio.

As I was putting on my new necklace (my only necklace...accessorizing has taken a back seat during these early days of motherhood) Grant complimented me. He said, "Mommy, that looks coot." He's my gentle little soul who also can melt your heart.

And now, what was supposed to be more of a witty post chalked full of Grantisms I've drawn a blank...exactly why I want to write posts like these...to help me remember. I didn't realize how quickly you forget things as a parent. I can't remember which of our kids used to say "daddy 2 daddy," a phrase we'd laugh at often. I can't remember what Hannah sounded like at Grant's age. . .until I look back on video tape. And heck, I can't remember the funny things Grant said two days ago. All the more reason to write it down...and hopefully to entertain other people out there while doing it.

Oh and check out the frog sweatshirt, a must have in Grant's wardrobe. In fact, it's getting a bit snug but we still force it on. He resembles somewhat of a marshmallow but in his mind, he's a good looking, frog wearing marshmallow.

And Some More...

Our Christmas Day continued with Grandmama and Grandaddy, Uncle Tim, Aunt Bethany, and baby Luke. Well, who am I to call him a baby? I'm 6 weeks younger. But I sure am glad to have a buddy. Grant got a new guitar. It's loud. And he can't carry a tune with it but he loves it. Hannah got a new dress-up dress (that will be mine one day). Anyone looking for a bridesmaid? Hannah's ready! As for me, well, I got some neat new toys. My favorite is my glowing seahorse. Mommy still calls it a glow worm. Come on, Mommy, get your mind out of the 80's. And we forgot to mention Mommy's new camera lens from Daddy. She loves in. In fact, these photos were taken with her new lens. Thanks to Uncle Tim's coaching and lots of practice, she's fine tuned her skills just a bit. And who, you ask, did she fine tune most of her skills on? Why me. So, most of the upcoming posts will feature little ole me. I know you're excited. Our day ended (apparently) with singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and eating some yummy cake Mommy, Grant, and Hannah made. All in all, my first Christmas was a blast...well...for the part where I was awake at least.

And, speaking of Uncle Tim, if you live in the Atlanta area and are looking for a great photographer, check him out here.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day soon arrived. Hannah and Grant were eager to get downstairs. As for me, well, I was just eager to eat. And eat I did. Afterwards I got to watch Hannah and Grant move like tornados around the den. Mommy kindly showed me my Christmas gifts. They look great. Seriously. Can't wait to improve upon my hand/eye coordination so I can actually play with them. Hannah got a camera. She's eager to post her first pictures on the blog. Grant was busy trying to learn to read with his new Tag Jr. I hate to break it to him but I think it will take longer than Christmas morning to learn how to read.