Reading Corner

I think I have way too many ideas and not enough corners in our home to fulfill them.  I am trying to form a more Montesorri approach to education for the children, but it takes a lot of space to do that!  So for now, I formed a reading corner in the bedroom so they can have a defined, quiet reading space.  Well...it was a hit with both of them!  Tobias immediately sat in the princess chair and starting reading, and Magdalene loved the pillows on the floor for her reading time.  

We pray you are all well!  We miss you tremendously.  I hope this blog makes you feel apart of our lives more.  They may have not met some of you, but they see pictures of you and pray for you.  

Just in case some of you have been wondering about my new life with a fake tooth, well, here's the update.  Last week was definitely a shock.  I didn't expect the pain to be that intense and to last that long.  I wasn't taking pain medication to keep the milk safe for Philomena.  After all that Tobias has endured, I am very cautious about what I am putting in my body (and the family).  But the earaches have finally stopped.  Thank the Lord!  My partial denture doesn't fit well right now so I will be heading back to get it fixed.  I have been walking around the house toothless, and honestly, I am just laughing about it now.  I pray that someone doesn't randomly knock on my door, or they will get a little scared.  I fit the tooth in my mouth just for Mass this past Sunday, and it worked.  It's odd to wear one, but I am sure I will get used to it.  Thank you for your prayers during this whole ordeal.  I feel like I resemble my father a bit more now....that I am toothless.  hehe.  Love you, Pai!  

And Then There Was Peace!

The kids were all having an independent and quiet activity at the same time!  So I just enjoyed the moment by snapping pictures to remember the moment.

This morning alligators were coming to get us.  So we had to use the bridge.  

Quiet time begins! 

You are just too cute, baby Mena!!!  

Magdalene reading at her "desk".

She has influenced Tobias in her good reading habits.  She has been sitting and looking at books since she was at least 14 months.  Jordan, did she do this earlier?  I can't remember.  

Working on H today.  Magdalene did a great job on the one below.  Tobias helped me do the others.  

Beautiful scenery and more snow today!  

Magdalene's Opinion

Magdalene and Tobias never noticed the missing tooth when they came home from Grandma and Papa's house.  I was starting to wonder when they would notice.  Time passed....they never said a word!  Then I said to Magdalene, "Magdalene, remember Mommy went to the dentist yesterday."  

"What happened to your tooth," questioned Magdalene.  "Well, Mommy had to get a new one."

She beamed and then said, "I want a new tooth."  She then placed a finger over her front tooth to pretend it was gone.

Now that melted my mommy heart.  Magdalene, you made a difficult time for me seem so much better.  

An Authentic Portuguese Lady

BAM!  Scary right!  Well, it's over with and now I have to deal with having one REAL front tooth.  I do have a denture for the missing space.  And no Helena, I will not use a Chicklet gum in its place.  Although that would be entertaining for others, but not me.  haha.  You would think I could bear pain well with having three c-sections, but wow, yesterday was miserable.  I had my hands in prayer mode the entire time.

Why did I chose to get a denture instead of another alternative, well, the other alternatives could have resulted in yet another infection down the road.  I read the studies on root canals.  My front tooth has been dead since I was twelve years old.  It allows bacteria to be harbored, which could lead to a serious illness down the road.  So I contacted the Iowa "Dr. Oz" on this, and he recommended a denture.

http://iowaholisticdentistry.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/hello-world/

I have a lot of dental anxiety and hate sounds.  Well, who would like those sounds, right?   Now Jordan will be returning to him to remove three mercury fillings.  If you have mercury fillings (they look silver), they can cause a multitude of health problems.

I guess I look more Portuguese now.  Where's my head covering, walking sticks, and sheep?

Teeth Removal....and Snow...in the House???

 Good evening ,family and friends!  We are just recovering from colds.  Compared to last winter, this cold seemed like a breeze!  It seemed like we were afflicted with various illnesses last winter.  We are truly grateful that it was minor, and we all recovered quickly.  We pray you are all in good health!

Miss Magdalene is going to start school time next week.  Initially, I was going to start with her this week, but I decided to wait until I get my teeth removed.  Yes, my teeth removed.  Oh my....

I have had a binator, braces (twice), gum surgery to keep my front teeth from spacing, a root canal (from a sport's injury), and now teeth removal.  I am finally getting my wisdom teeth out....and the tooth with the root canal.  It's infected.  I read too many studies and recently visited a holistic dentist.  I will have a denture in its place.  By the way, did I mention that it's my front tooth!  

So please pray for me.....I love to smile, but smiling with a fake tooth will be hard.  I must be humble.  Now on to the fun pictures!

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Egg nog anyone?  Magdalene placed an egg in her cup and called it egg nog.

I brought the snow to them after naptime.  It's just too cold and windy to play outside.  Thank you to one of my favorite blogsites.  Sensory bins with snow!

Philomena touched the snow for the first time!   

Patty Cake in Portuguese!

Winter Mornings

Winter can seem long.....

when you are in a house under 900 square feet, but we are thankful for our little home

Here are some of the things we do to pass the time when Daddy is at work:

We sings songs, 

say our prayers,

 help Mommy in the kitchen with baking and cooking,

help with the laundry,

decorate the walls with stickers,

read lots and lots of books,

puzzles

AND 

Tease Percy with spray bottles.  We actually were painting the snow with our fun washable paint mixed with water.  It didn't come out very blue, but we had fun painting our snowman.

Coffee!  It's a must for mommy so she stays alert.  You never know what the day can bring.

Kisses and hugs....lots of kisses and hugs

Playing outside if the weather is nice.  Magdalene, for some reason, thought our candy cane decorations seemed tasty.  

Getting the mail is good exercise!

Watching God's beauty when we're outside.  

And dreaming of going to the park

Playing with window crayons.  Tobias loves to draw and color on the window, and the best part, they are washable!  

Rediscovering old toys.  We brought our easel back into the house, and the kids had fun with it all morning.  We plan on using the easel for "school time" as well.  

Having fun with presents from Christmas.  

Thomas...train track....and Tobias wishes Daddy were with us.  Daddy always sets up the train track just right for Tobias.

Tobias looks so much like Jordan in this picture so I had to post it.  I think this is the first time that son looks like father.  

Playing with magnets

Playing with Philomena

And most importantly, we pray throughout the morning.  This morning we brought baby Jesus down for our morning prayers.  We specifically prayed for our guardian's help with obeying Mommy.  

The kids have been really good about including Philomena in their play time, but they are not so kind to Percy.  I don't even have to kick out Percy from the living room anymore, because the kids remind Percy he has to go back into the kitchen.  Philomena is really loving Percy time though. She smiles when she sees him.