Theodore | All the Little Grubbs

Category Archives: Theodore

a moment captured

Foster, Jonah, Katie, memories, motherhood, Parker, Theodore August 8, 2013 Leave a comment

It’s not often that I catch a picture of all of my babies smiling these big, genuine smiles. I am not a photographer. The lighting is always wrong and their are weird blurry spots where there should be a child. The background is full of unflattering things no one wants to see, like dirty dishes, filled to the brim trashcans or toys randomly thrown about the yard.

I have a couple of friends who take pictures of my kids because we run in the same circles and I look at their pictures and think “that is the most beautiful child in the world” (not that I’m biased). You’ve seen some of them, I post them on here and tag them on Facebook.

I always do feel a little proud that somehow my husband and I managed to give birth to these little beauties. Well, I feel proud briefly until I have to break up a screaming fist fight before someone ends up bloody. Then, I realize that pictures only tell so much.

I want to frame the pictures from the professionals. They are classy and elegant.

This picture, the one where all of my children have piled into a cardboard box, is the one I want to memorize.

The one I want to stare at and have the image burned into my brain.

I want to be able to smell the smell of summer and dirt. I want to hear the sound of giggling and laughing and jostling one another. I want to see the sight of Foster’s sense of humor, Katie’s desire to please, Theodore’s sweet spirit, Parker’s adoring look at Daddy and Jonah doing his best to imitate his big brother.

Only my pictures, the ones I took, the moments I felt compelled to pick up my camera and “capture” are the ones that can give me all of that. Imperfect as they may be.

taking off the training wheels

Theodore July 23, 2013 Leave a comment

Taking off the training wheels,

It’s not so easy for me,

I think of what might be,

Bumped head and scraped up knee,

I hear you urging and offering help,

But these kinds of things I must do myself!

When I sit on the seat and pedal with my feet,

You can’t be the one who balances for me.

Don’t give me a push, don’t hold the seat.

I am the biggest boy you’ll ever meet!

reunited (and it feels so good)

daddy, Foster, gratitude, Jonah, Katie, memories, Parker, Theodore, vacation July 23, 2013 1 Comment

Yesterday Chris went back to work at his “real” job. That’s what we call Daddy’s civilian job. After he returned from 190 ish days out of the country, we desperately needed that time to adjust to being a family again.

Deployments effect everyone in the family differently. Each of the kids, Chris and I are all getting used to being together again. If your family has never gone through a long separation you could have the false impression that when you are together again it’s all celebration and fun. Most of the time though, the emotions are fluctuating and range from elation to confusion to frustration to joy.

What I feel, what my kids feel more than anything is relief and security. A family is meant to be together, separation for any reason feels chaotic and insecure.

I don’t have nearly enough pictures taken to chronicle the past month’s fun. I haven’t been grabbing my camera as often, or blogging. Hopefully, now that we are getting back to “normal” I’ll be able to spend time on those things.

a little boy’s sacrifice

daddy, military, Theodore June 12, 2013 Comments: 3

Theodore came to me late tonight. He was upset, crying. He looked at me with those big, blue eyes full of tears and said “Daddy didn’t get to see my last baseball game.”

I held him and we talked.

“Why did he have to go?” he asked me and I told him in a way he could understand.

He told me he understood. He said that he knew that Daddy was helping the Air Force to protect us.

“That’s important,” he said “because somebody has to protect us.”

reading out loud

homeschooling, parenting, reading, Theodore June 7, 2013 Comments: 4

My 5 year old has just finished up Kindergarten. If he was in public school he would probably be starting to read.

3 years ago I had 6 year old who finished up Kindergarten and couldn’t read. Although I had pushed him more, sitting down with excruciatingly boring phonics curriculum that made me want to jab myself in the eye with a pencil. Foster was (is) such a flexible, kind child that he humored me and was only occasionally driven to tears.

Foster and I soldiered on and finished that whole stinking phonics curriculum by the end of 1st grade.
He was starting to read at 6 but still out loud and slowly. I was really starting to worry. What was wrong with this kid? (Poor first child.)

Then, the spring after Foster turned 7 he took off. He started reading everything that wasn’t nailed down. At 8, I had to order a grade level above for his readers. Now at 9, he’s reading at a 5th grade (or above) level. He reads constantly. As in, I think he just finished almost 150 Hardy Boys books from our local library. He stays up reading until 2 am sometimes.

Katie, my second, had a little less pressure from me, but pressure just the same. Being a much more sensitive child, the amount of tears and wailing caused us to do less in the book and only make it through about half. Now she is 7 and guess what? She is starting to take-off. She’s reading chapter books in her bed. Staying up with her flashlight to read all about Ramona and Beezus, Judy Moody and other little girl favorites.

So with Theodore the third, I did pick up the book a couple of weeks before Kindergarten was over. I felt like I should. We sat down 2 or 3 times and tried to get through a page. He didn’t cry. He was compliant, he just didn’t get it.

A few days ago, Theodore was on the couch looking at a Star Wars book I had gotten him. He looked over at me and said “Look Mommy, I can read this.”

I was in shock. I couldn’t believe he was about to just read something to me. Then he looked at his book. First the left page, then the right, tracking the words with his eyes and being completely silent. He looked up with the best, big dimpled smile and said “See, that’s how you read Mommy! You look at the book and be real quiet.”

This morning, Theodore told his 3 year old brother Parker, “I can’t read those words out loud. I can only read them quite.”

So if you ask Theodore if he’s reading yet, he’ll be sure to tell you he is.

And one day, he’ll be telling the truth.

Theodore the graduate

homeschooling, Theodore June 1, 2013 Comments: 2

Theodore hit another milestone yesterday. He graduated from Kindergarten. The coordinators of the graduation asked us to send in some things that our little graduates had accomplished this school year and my response was kind of lame. I basically sent in that he’s been learning Kindergarten stuff and that he loves playing baseball. To be honest, Theodore’s past year has been full of changing and growing, way too much to sum up in a 30 second snippet as he received his diploma.

Theodore’s Kindergarten year has looked the way I wish more little boys and girls year could look, he’s spent most of his time just playing, just being five.

Yes we talked a little about letter sounds, did some handwriting practice and started writing numbers and adding. We also got dirty in the backyard, watched cartoons and played games. We spent lots of time with friends and fights with siblings. Theodore learned (is still learning) to be kind and patient, rather than lose his temper so quickly. He spent hours building Lego’s and chasing his big brother down the street. He did not receive one report card, grade or “progress report”. Yet, I know he has progressed.

Theodore’s Kindergarten year has also included something that I am thankful not ALL little boys and girls must face. He has spent the majority of it without his daddy. That boy and his daddy are very close. They have a special connection that Theodore really doesn’t have with anyone else. They understand each other. So having Chris deployed for the past 6 months has also been part of his Kindergarten experience, one that probably “grew” him more than any other.

dollywood (again)

field trip, Foster, friends, Katie, Theodore May 31, 2013 Leave a comment

Going to Dollywood never gets old for the kids. What makes it even better? Friends! Oh and funnel cakes.

boat float 2013

church, friends, Parker, Theodore May 31, 2013 Leave a comment

Have I told you how much we love our church lately?

batter up

Foster, sports, Theodore May 31, 2013 Leave a comment

field day 2013

Foster, homeschooling, Jonah, Katie, Parker, sports, Theodore May 2, 2013 Leave a comment

This is the first year we participated in our local homeschooling group’s field day. The kids had lots of questions but since I only had my past public school experiences to draw on I just shared what was important.

1. “Field Day was one of the best days of the year because it meant school was almost out for summer.”

2. “Field Day was great because we got to spend almost all day outside with our friends.”

3. “Field Day was my favorite because it meant NO school work (and usually NO homework either)!”

I guess you can gather by my responses that I am not very athletic. I didn’t mention trying to win ribbons or win races. I don’t remember ever actually winning anything at field day. I know I enjoyed the 3-legged race the most but I’m not sure why. It could have been my partner was a cute boy. Who knows?

It turns out, they did just fine even though they didn’t know what to expect.