Somedays ...

...I can't believe how blessed I am to have these two wonderful, amazing boys.

...I look at Logan and feel like I am staring right into my husbands eyes...especially when he smiles

...I just want to lay in bed and cuddle with my boys, feeling them breath, and smelling their essence

...I laugh so hard at what they are doing and wish desperately that someone was there to witness it...but then they may not think it is that funny

...I ask for "another one" of Austin or of Logan

...I wonder what life would be like without the two of them, but then realize how boring, lifeless, and selfish that life would be

...I thank my Jesus for these little blessings, for their perfect hands and feet, for how smart they are and yet how much teaching they need, and for their little bodies that work so well

...I fall in love over and over again

...I think about the men they will be when they grow up and pray that they love me the same then as they do now

...I never, ever get tired of Logan saying "mommy your so beautiful"

...I make Austin run to me just to see his smiley face and open mouth ready to give me a kiss

...I want to share them with the world and some days I want to keep them forever in my arms

Austin showing off his muscles
Walked in late last night and found Austin trying to get undressed
Look closely...what do you see wrong with this picture...bandaid falling off his right knee, underwear inside out...AND backwards. But hey...at least he did it himself!

Musical Monday

(play the music in the above bar to get the "full effect")

Oh this sweet song brings back soooo many memories. Mike is such a romantic man that it just falls in his lap sometimes! Years ago we were going through our first deployment and I was missing him terribly! We spent hundreds of dollars in phone cards (every penny worth it) and sometimes would just sit and listen to each other breath...You remember those days right? Puppy love? hehe...the best I know. Well, Mike and I were talking one day and he was sitting in his shop...he might have already been moved to Guam from Iraq, but I am not quite sure...maybe he can leave a comment...hint hint:-) Anyways...there we were sitting on the phone together and I wasn't sure what to say. How many times can I say I miss you or I love you...then this song said it all. Through the silence on the phone I heard this song playing in the background.

No matter the distance between us we are always so close. I feel so blessed to have a husband that can read me so well. I have never felt unloved or unwanted while he is gone. He calls just the right amount and sends the perfect kind of love. I hope this song brings some warm fuzzies to you and makes you want to snuggle with your loved one:-) Norah Jones "Come away with Me"

Lessons taught

No Scavenger Hunt Sunday this week. The past seven days have been busy! Full of play dates, bible studies, errands to do, runny noses, and still having morning/evening sickness. I wasn't even able to complete all my assignments for my photography class! (which is very unlike the student that I am) It has been a good week though. One day we went without tv...which was and wasn't hard. See, we don't even have basic cable! Just an antenna and netflix, so there isn't much to watch, but I do usually use it while I cook or HAVE to get something done. But I vowed no TV and even put a sign up saying "NO TV". It was a fun day! Lots of playing with the boys, more messes than normal and a few more tantrums...but I think we will do that several days a week now. Austin either has allergies or a cold...either way the poor kid is miserable. He even forgot how to sleep without breathing through his nose one night and kept me up every hour...I felt worse for him than me:-(

I am starting to feel like cleaning more and more, which is good. I hate surface cleaning and it is hard for me to know about dirt in not-seen places and to have to leave it there because I just don't have the energy to do it. I am praying that I get that second tri burst of energy any day now! Being 14 wks I am now into my pregnancy pants, but haven't wanted to put on those oversized shirts yet. I still look like a chub and not preggo yet, but soon it will come and won't stop growing! I swear I have felt a kick or two, but won't count it true until I know for sure.

I have two great stories for you all! The first has to do with this awful AWFUL spider. One morning this week we were in a hurry (as usual) to get out of the house to either school, or appointments, and I walk around to Logan's side of the van after getting Austin buckled and THANK GOD I looked up or ahead of me, because there was this GIANT spider web with a GIANT spider right in the middle. Yes...it was about the same height as my head and right in my path. It is so amazing to me though, because this spider created this giant web over night. I had just parked the van about 8 o'clock the night before and it was now 9 am. I actually felt bad for the spider as I pulled away and the strong web broke. (after I tried to get some pics of course!) It just amazed me that it built such an detailed web in such a short period of time, or at least I think it was short. Well...I thought this spider had learned it's lesson and wasnt going to build there again. I was wrong...3 more times I came out in the morning and there it was again...strong web in the same place! I wasn't sure how to handle this because the boys and I go outside and play around the van and under the tree often. Plus, God-forbid I actually walk into it one day! So...since I am not that spider friendly, it went to heaven today:-( And anyone seeing me do that would be laughing so hard.

can you see the little dot half way between the van and the branch? It shows up agains the white garage door
You have to look hard to see it this time...

Another lesson learned today that was a bit harder than ye 'old spider. It has been almost a month since the hubs has been fighting "bad guys", and as a family here we have been holding up quite well! I am very proud of how Logan is doing and how he chugs right along, plays hard, and shows a great amount of love towards me and his Dad still. Today was a different story. I went to drop him off at Sunday School, and because he is such an easy going kid, he usually jumps right in and barely says goodbye to me. However, today he kinda lingered by me and the door. I gave a few extra hugs because he didn't run off this time and bent down to kiss him when I saw... that face. It is the face he usually has when he says he misses Dad. I told Logan that I know he does, and that Dad would want him to have fun and play with all the kids. I gave him one last kiss and walked out the door...I stood in the hallway where he couldn't see me, but I could see him. He still stood there, away from the kids and with his head down. My heart was breaking because I knew this time wasn't for attention, he truly missed his Dad. All of a sudden he walked out of the room! Of course the teachers stopped him and I caught him there too. We walked back in the class and I bent down and started talking with him. He said that he didn't want to stay and wanted to come with me. This was so unlike him! Most of you who know Logan, he is always rearing to go play with other kids! Then he says "Can we pray to Jesus?" Well...I was done. Logan came over to me and laid his head on my shoulder and we prayed to Jesus.

Mike is always so good at praying with Logan during tough times, disciplining and any time in general. I decided that whenever Logan had a hard time with Mike being gone I would give him extra love and pray with him, asking for extra strength and a joyful heart. We have done that several times already...usually at night when he wants Mike, or after Logan is disciplined and probably would rather see the other parent right then!

AFter that I went to the teacher and began to try and tell her why he was acting that way. Of course I lost it. I have seen my little man be so strong for so long and as I looked over at him I saw the pain that he is pushing through. And he wanted to PRAY...thank you Jesus for being there for our family, for giving Logan comfort when we talk to you, and for giving us all strength:-) After I stopped blubbering and could actually explain myself, the teacher (also Military wife) said that he would be fine. I knew that if I let him come sit with me, I wouldn't be able to stop crying and would have probably needed to leave. Don't get me wrong, I am not that parent that pushes my child away and doesn't know when they need to be by my side. I knew that he needed to stay, push through the toughness of the moment and deal with what is happening in a Godly environment. I, of course, told the teacher that if he had a hard time, to page me IMMEDIATELY:-) As a military parent you know that you can't baby your child through every tough moment they go through. If someone did that for me as an adult during deployments, I wouldn't make it! Even as a young child, Logan needs to learn to lean on Jesus (which he is doing by wanting to pray) and to be able to keep on living even though half of his life is on the other side of the world. It was such a great lesson taught to me about praying first when things start to get tough. Definitely something I need to work on. Thank you Lord, for showing us how to be faithful through even the littlest of people:-)

D Family!

So I decided I would share a sneak peak of a family photoshoot I did last week. I have little confidence so this is huge for me! I am starting to build a portfolio for future photography possibilities. I know I am very VERY much of an amateur, but oh how I enjoy taking pictures and creating moments and emotions in the photos!

I met this family when we started going to our current church and we have fallen in love with them. They have an adorable and easy going little girl who enjoyed my flower prop very much! They were a fun family and it was easy to capture their "moments":-)

Little advice please!!

So Logan has been potty trained for almost a year and once it happened be caught on real quick! He still wears pull ups at night and maybe once a week or once every other week pees in his pull up at night. He does great during the day, doesn't matter where he is, he will go potty! So...the dilemma~ Logan has been having accidents right in the bathroom-only at our house. He will go running in there (like he normally does) and ends up just peeing on the floor with his undies and pants still on. One day it happened at least 3 times. I don't get after him for having accidents, but I try and encourage him to go potty more. Why do you think he is doing this? Mike has almost been gone a month so I thought that we were past the point where regression would happen. What should I do about this? I have thought about putting him back in pull-ups, but that costs so much money! I am going to start having him go potty more often and be more aware of when he goes. This is so different because he is usually so good about it!

PLEASE HELP!

Birth Order

I think parts of this is funny and true and others I pray it isn't! I know for a fact I won't be hiding from my kids, but rather soaking it all in because this will probably be our last! Plus, over the past few weeks I have been falling more and more in love with my two boys. I am amazed every day at how wonderful, witty, loving and special they are. I am SO thankful to be their mom! Anyways, here is the funny email I found:-)

BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_____________________________________________________
Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
______________________________________________________
The Layette:
1st baby: You pre -wash newborn's clothes, colour-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
______________________________________________________
Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
______________________________________________________
Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you c an go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________
Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
_______________________________________________________
Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
_____________________________________________ _________
Going Out:
1st B aby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
______________________________________________________
At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
______________________________________________________
Swallowing Coins (a favorite):
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!
______________________________________________________

Musical Monday

Today's song is a fun one. This past year Mike and I have fallen in love with the group NeedtoBreathe. We even managed to go to one of their concerts here in VA! There songs have such depth and love for the Lord that it is hard to not sing them at the top of your lungs. We really only know their most recent album, but enjoy hearing their older songs. It was hard for me to pick just one song to share with you this week (I am sure you will hear many more of theirs to come) but this one stands out for our family.

Being a military family has proven to be one of the best ways that I can show love to others. It has made me aware of the hardships that everyone has to go through. Separation, death, loneliness, trials, and temptations are just a few of the crazy things that we have dealt with. Some may wonder, why do we put our family through the sacrifices, and how can a Dad leave his kids for so long, etc. We know that with any job there will be sacrifices and unfortunate times. Many don't agree with what the military does or is doing in the world, but I think they are one of the many groups of people with the incredible integrity. They do a job that no one else wants to, they do it willingly and with pride, and they get it done to the best of their ability. I am so glad that my boys get to see their Dad be a part of a group that has such great character. I know my husband is probably laughing at this right now because of course not every person has this kind of integrity no matter the job, but come on hun...you know that these men are your brothers and are unlike any other!

We know that God has called us to this life, to be a light in the darkness and even though it is hazardous at times (in many different aspects) we won't turn back. This is a catchy tune and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed singing it out loud in the car!

sorry this isn't a better version...I think it is great, hopefully you can hear the lyrics!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

It was a fun week to capture these photos, I actually had to write them down my brain was going a million miles a minute! Hop on over to Ashley's Blog to check out her great photos and many more! If you like this, hook up next week and try it out!

The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate.
2. You're encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge.
3. If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I'm not too strict about it - I do my best to take fresh shots).
4. Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) - you can use the button above.
5. Have fun!

Now for my interpretation of the items this week:

1. DREAM. I was driving around last night, came around the corner and saw this sunset...looks like it was out of a dream!

2. CLEAN. I love it when my house is dusted...then I get clean looking surfaces:-)

3. CURRENCY. Here is some left over money from our trip to Antigua...wish I still knew how much it was worth in Dollars. (added the painting in the background from there also)

4. PAIR. My pair of boys

5. SQUARES. My rug!

Here is next weeks list:

1. Miniature
2. Water Droplet
3. Bedhead
4. Colorful
5. Eyes

Have a great week!!

My Day in Photos

For the photography class I am in I had to shoot my day in photos. I have done this once before while Mike was on deployment, but this time around I wanted the pictures to have a little more creativity to them. I am hoping that you can make out what my day looked like without a description, but if not, here it is:

(right-left)

1-the boys waking up cuddling together

2-driving around town running errands

3-playing with the boys

4-cooking dinner

5-talking with the hubs on the computer (he is looking oh so good!)

6-bed time stories

It was a fun assignment and I may do again for Mike so he can see more in depth what our day looks like! Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Just some fun photos!

Action shot for the Photography class...love his face:-)

Exhausted Austin...so sweet:-)

Logan has been asking to go to the zoo lately, so there we went! The first thing we saw were turkeys and well, look at Logan's face! HA!

I just love his sweet face, I know I am partial...

Let them get wet! Had a blast!
Totally drenched!
Helping his brother up...hilarious!

Portrait shot for my Photo Challenge in my Photography class:-)

One of the many amazing butterflies we see in our garden

DIY Fall Wreath

So this wreath has gotten many compliments, but I can't accept them because it wasn't my idea! I copied it out of a magazine:-) I tried to find the exact magazine it was in, but I must have thrown it out already. More than likely it was a Better Homes and Gardens DIY.

Basically, if you have a craft store like Michaels, or AC Moore around (even Joann's might have it) you will find all your supplies there. In the magazine they used a brown/paper mache letter (looks like cardboard or paper bag material). My Michaels didn't have that kind of letter so I bought a large rectangle styrofoam. Then I cut traced or drew an M, which wasn't a perfect shape at all. It doesn't have to be due to the leaves covering it. Then cut it out using a utility knife (usually the hubby has one). The leaves I also bought at Michaels in small packages. With it being the fall, they are loaded with fake leaves:-) They had packages of mainly red, mainly yellow and orange. I decided to mix mine up.

I then painted it with some brown acrylic paint (I am sure any kind will do) because the white would have shown through in the cracks of the leaves. If you have the paper mache letter you probably won't have to paint it unless you want to. Here you can see a part that I didn't cover with leaves.

I bought some dressing pins and I pinned the leaves on. I tried to put the pins behind other leaves so you didn't see the pin heads. It was kinda tricky and worked out pretty well. You can hardly see them unless you look for it. If you got the paper mache letter, use a hot glue gun, or some really good glue to paste the leaves on. I would have much rather done this due to the looks. DO NOT hot glue on the styrofoam...it will melt.

I had also bought those small bunch of flowers and stuck them down through the leaves and pinned around it. The magazine didn't have that, so add your own personal touch to it!

You can hang it on your door, or where ever. I did mine on the siding next to my door since my large door is usually open with only the storm door closed. Do you like it on the siding, or does it look too lonely and weird? I am not sure about it yet. I used the 3M hooks and it stayed just fine!

12 weeks and updates!

A few more days and I will be in the 2nd tri of this little one's pregnancy! I was 12 weeks last Friday. I can't believe it, but I am also grateful for it:-) I do have a belly that I see every day when I look down, even though I had nothing with my other two boys at this week. It can be hard to see something already, but I know it is just my body already adjusting to the little one inside. Plus, I haven't stopped eating! The only way my nausea is curbed this time around is by eating. Luckily I have been craving fruit, so I only get the salty things every once and a while. Although, I did turn a healthy snack...triscuits into an unhealthy one by adding squeeze cheese:-) I have been refraining from that as much as possible because my youngest is also addicted! The nausea is mainly in the afternoon lasting until bed time and as progressively gotten less and less severe. I am grateful it isn't all day anymore! I have gained about 4-ish lbs so far, which I am happy with (could be more on some days), so that is what I attribute my belly to:-) I got to see the little one in a quick ultrasound this past friday, and I am always amazed at God when I see that little one's feet and hands moving around so quickly. It is just so perfect and detailed how we are created, and people say there is no God! HA!

Logan continues to wrestle with me and does have to be reminded of the baby in the belly. I ask him what he thinks it will be, boy or girl. And he says every time that it is a girl and then I have to remind him that he can't wrestle with her like he does Austin...then he thinks twice and says "we don't hurt girls". I love, LOVE the things that come out of his mouth lately! We will all find out what it is in 7 months!

Some other family updates: Mike is doing well, staying busy with lots of work. That is a nice change for him since he thought he would be bored. Gets up, works and then goes to bed. Wish it was that fast for us! No, it has been good here. Thank you to all with the encouraging words, prayers, and thoughts! Every word has special meaning to me and helps me smile and keep going every day. Thank you!

Logan and Austin have been doing better without Mike. We get to see him every couple of days on skype or talk on the phone. I made a "shrine" to Mike for the boys with a ton of pictures laminated and posted near their play area. They also have a picture of Mike's scanned hand and fist near the door so that they can give Daddy a high-5 when ever we leave or come home. Logan has been acting out a bit more than he used to, so it has been trying to keep my cool and disciplining/training him. I want to let him have the excuse of having Dad away, but this behavior shouldn't be a continued thing, so I am working on it with him. The way I see it, even if Mike was here, Logan needs to respect and listen to me as a parent. This way, I am the only one and Mike isn't coming into the situation like normal to help me out. Both ways are good because both of us parent him, but like I said, Logan needs to obey just me alone. Austin showed some signs of separation anxiety during bedtime and for the first week had a hard time going to sleep, Mike always knew how to lay him down just right to get him to fall asleep. Austin also loves to see Mike's pictures on the wall and constantly gives them kisses.

Despite the hard times, these boys are the loves of my life! I just sit and stare at their prefect faces. The soft smooth skin, chubby cheeks and sweet lips. I am just so in love with how wonderfully made they are! Logan says hilarious things, ideas, and phrases that just blow me away! Austin is talking more and signing more. I love when I ask him to say a word he doesn't know how to sign (but to say it) and he just moves his hands around making up a sign. So funny! Well, I could go on and on with how amazing they are, and I will share more and more lovely things they do later...but it is nap time, which means...cleaning time!

Musical Monday

Another Monday here and going soon! Today is a fun Monday for us here because it is the start of MOPS! Definitely means fall is here and time is getting on it's way!

Today's song for my dear husband is "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes. I am sure many of you have heard the song since it is one of the best love songs (in my mind) out there! To me it shows the reality of marriage...that it isn't always going to be perfect. And that there is a bond that is stronger than anything else because of what God has put together.

Being a Military family I know that we have had our share of hard times. We think it would just be easier to not have to deal with deployments, military rules, etc...but then how would we have grown together and with the Lord? Mike has become the spiritual leader that this family needs and because of that, we have all grown in Jesus. He holds me accountable even though it is hard to hear what I have been doing wrong and I may not be the nicest to him, but he perseveres for our family. Already with this deployment Mike has shown me how he is with me through the storms. There to listen and encourage me. I thank God so much that He gave me Mike.

In fact, way back when Mike and I met in high school, I asked God to give me my husband...and then came along Mike! I found that question in a journal I had written right before I fell head over heals for him. Looking back I see God's hand in the way we grew up, met and fell in love. Such a perfect connection:-)

Here are the lyrics:

I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
*If* There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

There’s more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
and I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
*If* There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
*If* There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
Gave me you.

Some oldie pictures AGAIN!
I believe this is 2005 at the Seabee Ball.

January 2nd, 2004...

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

This week was hard to get the photos done! I had a bunch in archive that I wanted to share, but I only did that for one shot.

Hop on over to Ashley's blog to enjoy many more great photos. Any one please feel free to join in next week. You don't have to be a professional photographer to do it! I am surely not! It is fun to try and be creative for once:-) Here are my ideas for this week:

LANDSCAPE: This was the only one from archive, again I LOVE it and it is also from Big Meadows, VA.

POWERLINES: I really, really wanted to climb up to the top to get a creative angle, but that wasn't going to happen safely:-) There are so many powerlines near our house (even though ours doesn't use one directly) and they are constantly getting broken by the trees around it!

NEWSPAPER: I actually had this newspaper lying around because it was the one delivered the day my hubby left for deployment AND the front page article was about his exact job! (see the picture)

POSE: I had to look back on the pictures taken this week, and found this great one of Logan at the playground. Silly man poses for everything:-)

HOBBY: I have this crazy hobby of trying DIY projects. Some turn out real cheesy and others pretty good. I am not this creative, but saw it in a magazine so I copied it! Pretty easy! I will post a blog about how to make it. Here is my fall wreath.

Here are next weeks line up:

1. Wish/Dream
2. Clean
3. Currency
4. Pair
5. Square

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Art Project: Calendar for Logan

I am trying to do as much as possible to help Logan pass the time until Dad comes home. This is something he can do daily and see the time go by. Plus this will hopefully help him learning his days and months:-) I used a board that was previously a calendar, but with a school theme. I then bought my own wooden shape cards, drilled the holes, painted and numbered them. I tried to find pictures that coincided with the month that had the boys' pictures and Mike and then glued them on! It may take the whole 6 months for Logan to learn days and months, but I hope it will help him figure out when Daddy will be home!

The other days and dates are on the other side of the cards.

I Won Something...and needing some advice

So a few weeks ago I was reading the wonderful blog by Christy at Skinned Knees and saw this awesome mug that she was reviewing. (that is not all she blogs about, she has great photos and fun stories!) She was going to give one away so I thought, why not just comment? I looked at the mugs at their website and thought that they were real cool! So I commented and a little while later found out that I had randomly won! Seriously! I NEVER have won anything...! It is a Brugo Mug with a temperature controlled chamber so you don't burn yourself, but can still drink it hot. Check out her review and the website HERE. When you put the hot coffee in, you tip it so the hot coffee runs into the chamber and then cools it to a temperature you are able to drink! Too cool!

With this pregnancy I have unfortunately have had a horrible aversion to coffee. It is crazy because I used to drink it every day! I actually had my first coffee today after several weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it. So this mug will come in handy real soon!

Here are some silly pics of me enjoying my mug! (I took these pics right after I blow-dried my hair because I knew in a few hours it would be pulled back and a mess!-story of my life!)

Ok...so moms out there, I need some advice. Both my sons (ages 3.5 and 18months) go to a Parents Day Out program once a week for 4 hours. It is the time I get to myself once a week to get errands done, cleaning, appointments, etc. Plus it is at a wonderful church close by. We went to the open house today to meet the teachers and see the classrooms. I got this wild idea to have Logan go one more day a week to help him interact with teachers and other kids, plus I just feel like he is so bored at home no matter what I do! My dilemma is, is that I am very cautious to let my boys be under someone else's care for long periods of time several times a week. It is one of the main reasons why I stay home with them. I don't want or need other people training and guiding my children at such a young age, for this is the time in their life when they really learn heart motivations. (why they do something wrong, how to love others and the Lord, changing behavior, etc) So my question is, do you think a 3.5 year old being gone to a preschool type class for 4 hours a day, twice a week, is too much? (my younger is still going to go only once a week for that much needed mommy time since the hubs is gone). Would it be good for him to learn classroom things such as listening to a teacher, interacting with others his age, instead of here at home? What do you ladies think?