We just found out today that another little blessing is growing deep within the depths of my belly.  Praise the Lord for His abundant kindness to our family. We feel rich and unworthy.  Pray for me if you think about it,  while God will give me the strength to make it through another pregnancy,  it’s not my very favorite stage of life.  But I just love the cute little bundles that come from it!

Aaron (3yrs) just told me the baby’s name should be “Zana”.  Hmm…Sorry kiddo, we’ve already got names chosen.  Our names are Sofia Cristiana and Isaiah Calvin. So soon (well in 5 months) we’ll see if Emmie will have a mini me to play with, or if she will be sandwiched in between two boys on either side of her.

We’re back from Josh’s parents’ house.  We had a great time. The kids loved playing with Granny, Grandpa and Uncle Nathan.  They especially loved eating “Candy Cames” and throwing snow at Daddy.  We had a mostly peaceful drive there and back, although there were some moments of craziness. And I think that out of all the tips to traveling with littles, the one that worked the best was to let the kids snack as much as possible =)

 One of my favorite moments was when we drove past a bunch of cows and Emmie excitedly stated, “OOOHH!!! Elphans (elephants)! Wow!”

This week I am packing up our family because we are leaving Friday to go to Albuquerque to visit hubby’s parents. A friend suggested that I blog on how to travel with little ones in tow.  I am happy to do this, however keep in mind that I *only* have four littles =) I know many who read my blog have quite a bit more than me =) So, these are the ideas I have come up with so far, some are tried and true, others I am trying for the first time this trip. If anyone has anything to add, please comment.  I’m sure we all need all the ideas we can get this holiday season.

In no particular order…

-Make a detailed packing list for each member of the family. As detailed as you can possibly get it.  Mention everything this person could ever possibly need on a trip (even if you don’t end up using things you packed, it’s better to be safe than sorry)

-Count the number of days you will be gone, including driving days. Then think of how many diapers each child usually uses each day. Our example, Owen: 5, Emmie: 3-4, Aaron (who pees in the toilet more often now!): 2-3. Then add three diapers per child per day (in case anyone gets diahrrea).  So, on this trip we will potentially need 259 diapers!

-Or =) you can do what we have sometimes done to save precious van space.  Bring diapers only for the drive up, around 20 diapers for our family. Then buy a big box once you get to your destination. With us being gone a week and a half, we usually use up enough of the big box that we don’t have to bring a hug box of diapers back with us.

-Make sure everyone has a lap blanket and small pillow.  This ensures that if the littles want to take naps, they are able to get comfy enough to do so.  There’s NOTHING worse on a long trip than a child who is tired enough to sleep, but can’t get comfy.  If you have various colors available, tell the kids which color is theirs, so they don’t end up fighting over colors. They are responisble for their own pillow and blanket.

-Make sure everyone has books, and quiet toys. Loud toys are almost as nerve-racking as loud kids on a long trip.

-If possible, try to have the children play with multiples of the same toy. If everyone is driving little cars around they are less likely to fight over the neater toy that brother has.

-SNACK! An eating child is a happy child!

-This one can be VERY difficult to do. But when the kids need discipline,  actually pull the car over and DO IT.  If you will not pull over, the kids know your authority holds no power over them in the car. They will act up in every way they can think of.  For our family, public infractions are always more serious. Our children should know that they are examples to the watching world.

-AT LEAST one week prior to the trip (if you haven’t been as consistent as you would like),  have a week long obedience boot camp. Work on first time obedience and God-honoring attitudes.  BTW, you will most assuredly need another boot camp when you get home =)

-Also, at least a week prior to the trip, teach any child older than 18 months what “no talking” means.  Have them sit still in front of you, and say, “no talking.” Then at every sound give them a training swat (also cover their mouth, for the little ones, so they associate the swat with what they did with their mouth), and repeat, “no talking.”  This is such a useful thing for kids to know. If they start arguing, complaining, etc, just tell them no talking.  Whenever they are not using their mouths in a God-honoring way, give them a No Talking time.  This is also great to know to get the kids to sit quietly in church. 

-Make sure you start with a clean van/car/whatever. 

-Organize everything that goes into the vehicle. This trip we are using some cloth cube-shaped box things.  Toys and books in one (put next to the oldest child, he can pass out toys at command), snacks *only finger foods*  in another (put next to the adult riding shotgun, adults snack more than kids anyway=), trash in another (empty at EVERY stop), grown up toys in another (books, crossword puzzles, CDs, etc.) At each stop, do a 5 minute clean up. Put away anything that is not being used.

-My theory is that kids whine the most when they are allowed to get too bored.  Play games with the kids, interact with them. Play I Spy. Sing with them.  Talk with them. Read books to them holding the book up so they can see the pictures. Keep their attention focused on something, whether it’s a snack, a game, a song, a book, a toy, or a nap. 

-Drive in the dark as much as you can.  If either you or hubby is a good night driver, take advantage of the kids bedtime, when they are sleepiest.  Leave for your trip about 1-2 hours before their normal bedtime. Drive through the night if you can.

-Plan to stop often. Take 5-10 minutes every 3 hours or so, just to let the kiddos stretch and run around.

Ok, I’m all out of ideas.  But really, I’d love to hear more before we leave on Friday!  

Dear Readers,

Please praise the Lord with me.  Gabriel started school on Monday. Many of you know that it is a public preschool.  I had been so concerned with the idea of sending my firstborn baby out into the “world”.  I do not like public schools, and never in a million years had I thought I’d be sending one of our children there.  But Gabe needs surpass what I am able to give him.  I am still struggling with the idea that I cannot fully supply him with all he needs. It hurts.  But I need to remember that it is not I who is supposed to supply all Gabe’s needs, it’s God.

I am so very happy with the special ed program at Gabriel’s school. Right now he goes to school Mon - Thurs, and from 8am to 11:45am, he is in a special needs class with other special needs children, then from 11:45am - 2:45pm, he is in a class that is 50% special needs children and 50% typical children.

I am almost crying as I write this, but Josh and I have both been noticing the past few days, that after only 4 days of school (which is mostly ABA therapy), Gabe is talking like a 4yr old.  He still speaks slowly, very slowly at times, but he is saying things 4yr olds say.  He is making more sense, his communication is not as confusing.  And he is being more talkative overall.  Before he started school, he would answer questions when asked, but not initiate conversation.  But now *ok, actually crying now* he will initiate conversations just to be friendly. He answers questions with more clarity.  This may not seem like much, but I know it is a miracle from God.  My child wants to talk with me to be friendly.  I know it may be easy for a mom of typical kids to take for granted the fact that their kid initiates conversations with them.  Aaron does this, so I know what it’s like to raise a typical kid (Emmie is just starting to be more talkative, and Owen doesn’t talk yet). So, when Gabe doesn’t talk except to answer questions, I feel the void there.  He was so hard for me to relate to him, because we couldn’t converse in the normal way.  But now, he’s talking to me.  Praise the Lord.  I have so much joy in my heart at the thought that my son is talking to me, not just saying words to me but  actually  talking with me.

 But of course there are other issues to work out with him going to public school. The other day, he came home and said he was a “lucky duck”. I’m guessing one of his teachers called him this.  I told him, ”Gabie, the next time someone calls you a lucky duck, you tell them that there’s no such thing as luck because God controls all things.”  I had him practice saying this =) He also started singing the Frosty the Snowman song today.  He’ll be getting a visit in his classroom from Santa each Christmas also, so we’re teaching him that Santa’s just some guy in a costume and whatever presents he gets at Christmastime are gifts from parents or grandparents.

This weeks, been good. I know Gabe’s having fun at school, because even though he insists that his friends have no names, each day after school he tells me over and over, “I want back to school!”

Ok, that’s it for now. I need to get some shut-eye in preparation for my spiritual holiday (the Lord’s Day)!