No fantastic updates to share but I thought I would post a few videos and pictures. We took the kids to a corn maze yesterday as is the fall tradition here. There is a corn maze, giant slide, petting zoo, camel rides, pig races, tons of food and music, pumpkin sling-shot, hayrides but best of all is the corn pit. So much fun for kids of all ages. Happy took some time adjusting but it was hard to get him out in the end. It was a great day to go weather wise, a little windy but great temperature and best of all it hasn't rained in a while. We've been there years past pushing a stroller through a muddy corn field (no fun). If that wasn't fun enough we then drove to Grandma's for playtime with cousins and dinner. It was a long day for everyone but totally worth the effort.

Other than that the Sloths have been trying to settle into a routine. In addition to Monday ballet class and Tuesday Good Shepard class we've been homeschooling Demand. We try and read about a saint every day at breakfast and celebrate some feast days. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was a really busy day for us but I found time to improv an art project that Demand loved. She received dot markers for Christmas so I covered the table in paper and we made a giant rosary using the dot markers. She loved it so much we made another one later in the week. Some days (if I'm prepared) we do "Preschool". This past week we learned about fall and read poems and books and a bunch of activities all with a fall theme. Other days we do Math and/or Reading. Demand loves math especially since the program we're using has a video for each lesson. Reading is trickier. If you tell Demand you're doing a reading lesson to tenses up and basically refuses to do anything. One day I asked her to read me a book while I nursed Pax...a book she already knew how to read and I tried to encourage her by saying "You can do it!" She said "I can do it!" and then started crying.

Gee-whiz, kid, relax a little.

So I'm learning to be creative about things. We've already bribed her saying that if she reads 10 "pink books" she can buy any book of her choice. While interested she still resists. I did manage to get her to read one of the books (5th of the 10) by telling her she'd get ice cream. She'll do anything for ice cream. 5 more books to go...


Pax is learning a routine of his own. He takes hi morning nap in the swing across from the laundry room while his siblings play about. Even though he gets very little belly time due to safety issues with over-loving siblings he can hold his up really well just like the rest of the Sloth babies. He's still a pretty good sleeper but could be better.

Happy is learning how hard it is to be one and half and Mr. Sloth and I are learning to be patient parents of boys. Happy has a totally different temperament than Demand. If you told Demand "No" she'd stop. If you tell Happy "No" he laughs and does it again. So Happy is starting to learn about time-outs and toy removal. Aside from disciple issues the new joke around the house is that Happy tries to get people to "look into his dimples" almost as a means of hypnosis. Works on me more than I care to admit. Stinkin' kid is so adorable even while causing mischief.







Pax at his first Baseball game. Isn't he cute?




I drew a cross to start the Rosary for Demand. I told her to color it and when I came back to the table she'd drawn the Corpus. Impressive, huh?







The proud artist.

Due to technical difficulties, videos will be updated later

Diving In

Today I decided to brave my first trip out of the home with all three kiddos on my own. I was debating going even as late as this morning but, as Mr. Sloth said, I have to do it sometime.

The real motivator was the underwater aquarium exhibit at the mall which is usually $18/person was only $5/person for homeschoolers and today was the last day to get in on the offer. I'd been wanting to take the kids for years but not at $18/person. So this morning I woke up around 7:30am (an hour earlier than the past week or so) and started my usual day I had decided to go and was pleasantly surprised to find out some of my homeschooling friends were going as well. I kicked it into high gear to meet them there. I must say I did an awesome job (as will be the theme this post) at getting everyone ready in record time. It was pretty easy getting the kids dressed since they got new clothes last night and were eager to try them out. Pax was up late with Mr. Sloth last night so he was all about sleeping and I managed to find clean fitting clothes and pull of a good outfit if I do say so myself. I even remembered to pack everything, diapers, change of clothes, sippy cups, baby carrier, double stroller, cameras...

Off we went. We were even there before they opened. Turns out, offering a 75% discount to homeschoolers really brings 'em in. We waited a half an hour just to buy our tickets. So instead of $18/ticket I paid $12 for all four of us (Pax didn't count). I thankfully discovered yesterday that Pax actually liked one of my baby carriers so I was able to logically manage the kiddos. Pax slept in the carrier the whole time and Demand and Happy rode in the double stroller. After doing the aquarium once we headed for lunch. Here's where I continue to get awesome. The Sloth go out for lunch almost every Saturday mainly because we are out and about running errands that day. Eating at the mall with Demand and Happy has always been difficult for me AND Mr. Sloth this time I was +1 kid, -1 husband. Yikes! I bought a piece of pizza and bread sticks for the kids to split and then sit them at a table right next to where I wanted take-out. Happy was awesome and sat in a big boy seat eating his lunch peacefully while I bought my food (Panda Express, Yummy!). Oh, and by the way, it being a feast day the Sloths were free to eat meat today which made it all the more easy for me.

The kids ate peacefully and then we packed up, had a bathroom break and headed back for another round of underwater adventure. I was more nervous this time because the clock was ticking and I was afraid of breakdowns. Would Pax wake up? Would Happy have a breakdown? It was even more fun than the first time. The kids were really into it and I even let Happy out of his restraints towards the end. He did a pretty good job too. He only ran off a few times, and much to his loss he ran in a dark room full of mirrors. (That was actually fun to see...only because he didn't get hurt of course)

Then we headed home. Pax woke up and cried the first few minutes in van but then fell back asleep. Happy was asleep by the time we got home and transferred to his crib just fine. Pax then woke up to nurse and fell back into a deep sleep.While Demand and Happy peacefully played, I spent the entire afternoon super-cleaning the house. We're talking pre-baby nesting energy. It was FANTASTIC! I even managed to improvise an awesome snack for the kids. Apples and carmel dip in honor of the Feast of St. Therese. (Demand is still wondering how carmel and Carmelites are related)

Mr. Sloth came home to a clean home, happy children, and of course and awesome wife.




Demand looking at Nemo and Dory fish.


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Happy looking at Nemo fish.




Happy admiring Nemo fish.




Shark nursery (There are baby sharks in there!!)




Happy wanted the camera back.





Umm, Happy took this picture...I'm nursing Pax.




Demand being Demand.




Happy being Happy.