Can't Keep Up!

I have the happy problem of having so many fun and wonderful things going on in my life that I simply can not document them all.  I know, you feel terrible for me, don't you? ;-)

Let's seee....First and foremost, we have a very full house right now!  My husband's brother and his family moved in with us.  Yes....moved IN.  They're going to be here for about 6 months while they purchase a piece of land and build a house.  Thankfully, I love them to bits, our kids love each other, and we have a big house!  They've been here about a month now, and I'm loving it.

Sorry for so many blurry pictures.  I've definitely gone over to the dark side....it's just so much easier to shoot a quick photo with my phone than it is to lug my big camera around, then transfer everything!  Just another reason I really want that new phone....better camera resolution. Here are some snapshots of life at our house lately....notice the love busting through every picture :-)

Nick and Esther

Sammy with Stella

Thomas and Milo - good buddies

Thomas's 5th birthday (!!) was extra fun with family to celebrate with us

Cracking up!

And YESTERDAY....a new little addition....Meet Sadie Lynn:

So this is who's living at our house right now:
4 adults
7 kids ages: 10,9,6,5,5,3,one day

W.O.W. :-)

Let's see....what else?

My kids are all doing wonderful.  Ben has started the cello, which I'm loving.  Here's a video of him tinkering around even before lessons began:





Ben, Clara, and Sammy are all excellent students -- learning and growing and just happy busy little people.  I'm so proud of them all!

Thomas -- my baby -- turned FIVE!  Unreal!

We had a wonderful time celebrating our spunky little joyful man!  First, we had a celebration with his friends....homemade power ranger pinata, cupcakes, gifts, and games.

My Luke is such an amazing Daddy -- eternally patient and always
looking for fun things to do with the kids :-)

 

Movin' on up from the scoot bike to a big boy bike with pedals!

  

Then, on the actual day of his birthday (which is a school and work day for the rest of our family), Thomas and I had a sweet day of fun and snuggles.  We spent 3 hours building a Lego space shuttle in the morning (I love that he still has his chubby little baby boy fingers and cheeks):

Then we met Daddy at McDonald's for lunch....of course, as always, the box is the best part:

And then we went to the Boise Aquarium for an afternoon of petting sharks and "oohing" and "ahhing" over all the amazing creatures we saw:

This little boy of mine is such an incredible joy.  I sincerely don't think there's been a day since he's been on this earth that I haven't smiled and/or laughed out loud.  He's busy, joyful, affectionate, smart, and thoughtful.  Thomas.....I love you to bits, and I'm so very proud of you!!

A snapshot of my Thomas as a 5 year old:

See why I'm always smiling? :-)

Whew....this has been a marathon post....and I've barely caught up!  'Till another day...

If you'd like to be in touch with me on more of a regular basis, Facebook is where I'm at most days.  You can find my personal page here:  Daiquiri Facebook

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First Day of School Already?!

Wow -- I'm sitting here in my home office and the only sound I hear is the dog "talking" in her sleep.  No screaming.  No bickering.  No stomping.  No pretending.  No TV.  The silence is making my ears ring!

I dropped my little Thomas off at school this morning.  He'll be going to 1/2 day preschool 3 days a week.  The older three are in full day classes -- 5th grade, 4th grade, and 1st grade.

Where have my babies gone?!  Incredibly surreal.

And NICE
And quiet
And a little bit sad

Here's my favorite picture of my little Thomas this morning before school:

And my favorite quote from him as we got him ready: "Mommy, it's my first day of school, so make my hair as handsome as possible, okay?  And I also have my nice handsome shirt, and my handsome pantses (love this word), and I'll wear my super-fast shoes."

Here's a pic from last week's first day of school for the older kids -- much more representative of our household....love, horsing around, teasing, noisy, wrestling, giggles:

I love these little people!!  Those sparkly eyes, crooked and missing teeth, and soft skin....I just *crave* their little arms around my neck after school.

Sammy has ZERO front teeth, Ben is learning the cello this year, and Clara has the same sized feet as ME.  Crazy how these kids are growing!  I'm so blessed to be their mom, and so very proud of them :-)


I like to think about what I remember from my childhood when I was my kids' ages.

Let's see ----

4 years old?  I don't remember much of anything.  My little sister Tiffany was about 2.  I'm thinking we lived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin?  I'll have to ask Mom and Dad.

6 years old -- 1st grade?  We were in St. Louis, MO I think.  I went to 1st grade at Seven Holy Founders Catholic school.  We had to wear uniforms, and my teacher was Mrs. Mater.  The only school experience I remember that year was picture day.  Picture day was the only day of the year that we could wear "real clothes" instead of our uniform.  I forgot and wore my uniform....and was devastated.  My teacher let me borrow her navy blue sweater, so my picture wouldn't be a "uniform picture".  It was a sweet gesture, but you can still tell in my picture that I'd been crying.

9 years old -- 3rd grade?  We were in De Moines, IA.  I was at Clive Elementary, and I had Mr. Sweeney as my teacher.  I did NOT like having a male teacher (this is Clara's first year having a male teacher too!).  I was convinced Mr Sweeney didn't like me at ALL.  But we had a "menagerie" complete with hamsters, gerbils, salamanders, and even a tarantula.  Loved that :-)  My best friend was Ellen Burger....and we're back in touch now thanks to the miracle of facebook!  This is also the year that my youngest sister, Megan, was born.  Man....I remember poking at her when she slept because I wanted her to wake up so I could play with her.  You're welcome, Mom and Dad :-)

10 years old -- 5th grade?  My family had just moved to Williston, ND and I was starting school there.  Lewis and Clark Elementary.  Mrs.  Lobsinger didn't like me one bit, and I never really knew why.  I liked to play marbles and tetherball at recess.  And the cool girl of the school, a 6th grader named April, wanted me to "follow" her at recess.  She would literally strut around the playground and demand that people walk behind her....her own little fan club or something.  But not me.  I don't play nice when I'm bossed around (not much has changed).  We decided to settle our debate with a game of tetherball.  Since I was just a "little 5th grader", she let me start the game.  I wound up and swung that ball as hard as I could.  And she received my serve....right smack dab in her nose!  Blood was everywhere, and I literally feared for my life...probably because all the kids who'd gathered to watch the game looked at me with wide eyes and whispered things like "you're DEAD".  That was the end of me being asked to "follow" her.  Come to think of it, I don't remember anyone following her after that.  Let the record reflect that I did NOT mean to hurt her -- it was an accident that I felt really bad about....but it sure felt good to have her off my back.  And my first love....Daniel Soggy.  We "went together" all through 5th and 6th grade.  My Dad called him Chief-Soak-A-Soggy-Sock.  Hahaha!!

Here's to a great school year, everyone.

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But You Can Call Me "Slacker"

As much as I'd like to be the blogger I once was, I'm just not.  I can't say that I'm all that sorry either.  Blogging used to be my way to "get out of the house" and communicate with the world.  Now....I more often actually get out of the house and communicate with the world in a face to face way.  I'm loving it. 

My husband said to me recently "You seem more whole than I've ever known you to be."

He's right.

What I do miss though, is the (mostly) permanent record I was keeping of my little family's life.  One of my favorite things is to look back through my old posts and photos.  It's amazing how time flies!  

I know myself well enough to know that I'm not going to get caught up any time soon -- my piles of old prints waiting to go in albums in the upstairs bedroom is evidence of my "slacker" tendencies.  But I don't want to completely let the memories be lost, so I'll do a quick overview instead...

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My baby boy is FOUR!  Holy cow - I just can't believe it.  He's the most loving, stubborn, energetic, and destructive kiddo I've ever known, and I wouldn't change a thing about him!  He is a whirlwind of exploration, destruction, and hugs and kisses....I don't know half the time if I should be hollering at him or giggling at him.  So most days?  I do both simultaneously :-)  I love you, little boy.  I can already see the courageous and fun-loving man you'll grow to be, and I am so blessed to be your Mama.

As a side note....the day of his party was one of my hardest days.  I was STUCK in San Francisco after an R+F event, and I thought I was going to miss his party because I would be getting in late.  If you saw a haggard looking, over-tired, WAY emotional woman blubbering her way through the SF airport....it was likely me.  I felt like a horrible mom, and nearly quit R+F all together.  Thankfully, I didn't miss his party.  Or quit R+F.  

Samantha decided that she didn't want to play soccer this last season - so she was my buddy as we sat and watched her siblings play.  There is simply no one who is easier to spend time with than my sweet little Sammy:

Ben is turning TEN this coming week!  And Clara can wear my shoes even though she's only 8!  I'm so proud of my kind-hearted, smart, wonderful big kids!

Clara came home with this little tidbit of joy....made my day:

Samantha took the lead of her older brother and sister, and started saving her money for her own iPod.  She worked and saved for over a year, and finally had enough money to make her purchase after her recent birthday.  Holy cow, I am SO proud of her!

Yup, Samantha is SIX.  Why does six seem like it's about 3 decades older than five?  She wanted a "flower" party with a daisy cake -- it was so fun to make it with her :-)  We also found a pink poodle pinata, which was just perfect for my little girly-girl.  Sammy is going through an interesting phase lately in which she HATES to be called "cute".

"Well Sammy, 'cute' is supposed to be a compliment.", I told her.

"But I don't LIKE it", was her reply.

"Okay.  What should I say when you look especially nice then?"

"'Pretty' or 'beautiful'.  'Gorgeous' works too."

Well, okay!!

Samantha -- I love your sweet spunk!  I love how you dance and sing and pretend.  You are a gentle and loving spirit, and I just wouldn't be complete without you in my life and heart.  I'm proud of you, my gorgeous girl!

My work with R+F is going great.  I love the people, the "work", and the perks.  I LOVE having a hope for our financial future that is now a joy to imagine.  And to top it off, I earned a free iPad from R+F last month!  My little heart goes pitter-patter every time the UPS guy drives by the house -- can't wait to get it!

Finally -- change -- change is in the air.  The season has changed.  The kids are growing.  The business is growing.  People in our lives are movin' and shakin'.....some in fun ways, some in painful ways, but all good.  I've been in the mood for change too.  I'm going to tackle painting the living room soon, but don't have time for that project today.  Instead, I settled on a new, shorter 'do:

Have a great day, bloggy friends!  Check back in another month or so for another update ;-)  In the mean time, if you'd like to keep in touch with me on a more regular basis, you can find me on facebook here:  Daiquiri fb

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Quotable Quotes

I'm afraid facebook is going to be my downfall!  It's become one of the primary ways I communicate with my friends and family, leaving my sweet little blog way behind the times!

I often hop on facebook to share the cute things my kiddos say, but fb is temporary.  This blog is a bit more lasting (I hope).  So I'm scrolling back through old fb posts and transferring a few of the "zingers" here for posterity...and for the grandparents who are not on facebook!

Here goes:

Finally, we had a warm day!  Thomas was concerned though....when noticing the sweat dripping from his head, he said with a worried look "Mama!  My body!!  It's MELTING!!"


Thomas: "Mama, Ben not wissen a me!  I tell him "SIT DOWN" and he say "No!"  Dat not nice!"  (welcome to my world, buddy) :-)

Me:  "Look at those beautiful puffy clouds, Sammy!"
Sammy:  "Yeah, they're pretty.  Maybe God put them up for us to celebrate the sno-cone shack FINALLY being open!"

I just figured out how to get the pictures off my phone and on to the computer, so stay tuned for some recent pics too...

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Quotable Quote

Sammy: "Mama, when I was sleepin' I hear Jesus talkin' and he had his loud voice on."

Me: "What? Really? What was he saying?"

"He was talkin' to Clara"

"What was he saying to her?"

"He just said CLARA! But she didn't her him."

Okay...well, I've frequently prayed for the Lord to call my children in a way that was irresistible to them. I just never knew it meant he'd have "his loud voice on." :-)

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Little Buddies

The first year or so after Clara was born was really tough.  Ben was only 13 1/2 months old when Clara was born - still a baby himself.  

But look at them now!  They're the best of friends, always chatting and playing and pretending (and nearly strangling each other several times a day).  I wouldn't change a thing.   I love knowing that when I'm gone on to a better place, that my kids will have each other.

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Hello Summer, I Love You

Around here, we're officially calling it SUMMER.  Any time it's warm enough to swim, eat 3 Otter Pops per day, and almost get heat stroke while planting the garden...it's summer.

We went over to Great Grandma's place a couple of days ago and went swimming.  What a blast!

Here's little Tommy getting all ready to get in the water.

I love this shot - Sammy's dipping her little tooties with the assistance of Daddy...and Thomas can hardly contain his excitement in the background :-)

Aww - look at my pretty little lady.

Ben and Clara wasted NO time jumping in and practicing their swimming.  They're already talking about our annual 4th of July trip to Wisconsin!

Thanks for a great afternoon, GG!  

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Quotable Quotes

Ahh, kids and their honesty.  I love it.  And I hate it.  It all depends on what they're being so honest about.  We've had some really great quotes in the past couple of days, so I thought I'd share:

Sammy: "Mommy, can I see your belly button?"

"Sure, see?" as I lifted my shirt just a little.

She, every so slowly, poked her finger into my soft (hey, I've had 4 kids, gimme a break already) tummy and said, "Mommy, your tummy is a-dik-u-wus".  

Charming, my belly is now ridiculous.

I did the elephant ear wash thing on Ben's ears this morning (and got something out of Ben's ear that led him to say "wow, that one looks like a raisin!").  A bit later, I was asking him to put something away.  In the usual fashion, he ignored me.  I repeated my request, and he complied.  Clara, ever the observant one, said "Hey!  Now that you cleaned out his ears, you only have to say things twice instead of 3 or 5 times!"  It's progress anyway :)

I also gave Ben a haircut this morning.  As I pulled out the clippers and comb, Clara said "Mommy!  Make him all bald like the middle of Papa's head!"  Sorry Papa....

Out of the blue, Ben looked at me this afternoon.  With a puzzled and concerned look on his face he said, "Mom, what if when we die some day we learn that God isn't real and we've just wasted our money on AWANA all this time?"

"Hmmm.  That's an interesting point.  But what if we decided to live like God isn't real, and then we die some day and learn that God is actually real?  Then we would have wasted our whole lives instead of just some silly money."

"Ooooo, yeah.  I think I'll do it like God's real."

"Yeah, me too."

One of the best ones though, was a conversation we had with some little girls from next door.  They're LDS, so I'm sure that there have been some pretty firm conversations about the evils of alcohol and hot drinks.  Hubby and I were sitting in the front yard, chatting away while he sipped a beer and I munched on my crackers and Peach Mango Salsa.  We were enjoying the fresh feel of the day after a rain storm had just blown through.  Luke finished his beer, and the empty bottle was lying in the grass at his feet when the girls walked up to say hello.  One of them spotted the bottle.

"Is that BEER?"

"It was, now it's just an empty bottle", said hubby.

"Did you DRINK it?"

"Yep."

Long, loooong pause as they both eyed my husband.

"You drink beer?"

"Sometimes."

"Isn't beer BAD?  My daddy says is bad."

"It can be bad for some people."

"Wow", as she looked at my husband with a confused look.  "You're just so nice.  No one would even know you drink BEER."

They both walked away whispering to each other.

"I do believe you just rocked their world", I said.

We're off to the grandparents' house for dinner and grandkid spoiling.  Have a great weekend, everyone :)

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Poop, Poop, and ....NO Poop?!

Motherhood can be so glamorous. Since having kids, I've spent more time discussing the bathroom (or diaper) habits of other people than I ever thought...or hoped...I would!  And when I say "other people" I'm referring to 4 specific little "other people".  Thankfully, we've managed to refrain from discussing the pooping habits of anyone else. So far.

Motherhood can also be unpredictable.  One minute I'm cleaning poop from places...man, I just don't want to think about how it got there!  And the next, I'm saying, "Why won't this kid just go already!  He/she hasn't gone in over a week!"  You'd think I'd be thankful, but as you can imagine, it makes for a pretty uncomfortable baby.

Thankfully, we're past the stages of unpredictable poopitude.  As kids get older, their little bodies get this basic function figured out, and we're all happy campers.  But when you're going through a phase with your baby, and you're wondering what's wrong and what to do?  It can seem like an eternity.  Take heart.  This too shall...pass.

I mean, really.  Could you have any respect for me at all if I didn't manage to work that in there somehow? ;)

I've learned a few things about helping a constipated baby over the course of the past 7 years and 4 babies, and thought I'd share.  I put it in the form of a new eHow article.  Check it out if you're having a problem with a constipated baby.  It also has some great tips that will help with gas.  Here it is in all it's glory:

How To Help A Constipated Baby

PS.  Mom and Dad...please try to refrain from smart-aleck "apple doesn't fall far" comments :)

 

UPDATE:  To see more great tips (that may or may not involve subject matter more glamorous or interesting that the bowel activities of this family), head on over to We Are THAT Family, the new host of Works For Me Wednesday (Huge Congratulations, Kristen!)

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Clara Is 6!

Six years ago today I was holding my brand new baby girl by the light of the sunrise peeking through our hospital window.  

She had been born yesterday.  We weren't really expecting her yet, but when I went for my checkup my doctor said "I hope your bag is in your car because you're at 4 cm and I'm sending you to the hospital NOW."  Well, surprise to us!  

We got checked into the hospital, broke my water, and before we knew it I was off and screaming "EPIDURAL!!" I had done the natural childbirth thing with my first delivery, and let's just say I was ready for trying something different (besides, I had grabbed hubby by the front of his shirt and growled "don't ever let me do that again" after that first experience, so he was persistent about the epidural this time).

Clara was just moments away from coming into the world, when the doctor looked at my husband and said, "Would you like to deliver your daughter?"  Luke looked at her in shock, then he looked at me "Go for it" I said (happy and content as could be with those wonderful drugs on board).  Luke gowned and gloved up, and got ready to welcome his baby girl.  

His were the first hands to touch her as she arrived.  He held her, he guided her, he cut the cord, and he handed her screaming (and extremely pissed off) little body to me.  It was an amazing moment...the love of my life looking at me with wonder in his eyes as he handed our daughter to me.  Wow.

Clara was born...feisty.  I love that about her.  But it's a bit scary too.  

That first night, I was asleep in my room.  I always like to have my babies sleep in the nurse-supervised baby nursery their first night for fear that they'll stop breathing or something and I won't be able to help them.  They're just so fragile and little!  So Clara was in the nursery, and I was sleeping soundly in my room.

And then, from the recesses of my deep-dreaming-finally-done-with-heartburn-and-having-to-pee-every 2-hours sweet sleep, I heard the sound of a crying baby.  

"Someone's baby is angry", I thought.

The screaming got louder.

"Wow, someone's baby is sure upset", is the thought that went through my head even through my eyes were still closed and the dreams were still vivid.

It got even louder.

"Come on.  I'm trying to sleep here.  That baby has one heck of a scream.  Hope he/she's okay."

And suddenly...that glass-cracking noise...it was in my room.  Oh my, that's MY baby!

The nurse had an exhausted and weary look about her as she announced rather shortly, "This baby is hungry.  There's no comforting her.  I know she ate fairly recently, but there's no consoling her. She has to be hungry."  And she left me with...that very angry baby.  How could she?!

I picked up my little girl and cooed to her.  I patted her back as I adjusted pillows to prepare to nurse.  She settled in to nurse with a contented sigh.  Ahh, my first victory as her mama - I could comfort her when no one else could.

We nursed and snuggled and slept the rest of the night in my hospital bed.  The sun woke us up as it rose over the mountains outside our window.  It peeked up over the snow-covered peak, and shone right in Clara's face.  I was already awake watching her sleep, so I saw her little nose scrunch up and her head turn in protest to her sleep being disturbed.  She turned toward me, and opened her eyes.  She seemed to look right at me.

"Hi there, my sweet Clara Rose.  How are you this morning?  I'm your mommy, and I love you very much."

She looked at me - she seemed to study my face.  And then, as if she heard and understood and believed me, she settled back into contented sleep.

My baby girl.  My Clara.  I love you, my sweet.  You bring me such joy, and I'm very proud of you.  Happy Birthday.  Love, Mommy

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Clara wanted a "bunny" party this year, so a bunny is what she got!

She loved her cake :)

Ben and Sammy were so excited to give Clara their carefully selected presents.  I love how my kids love each other.  I was especially proud of Ben this year.  He's generally pretty tight cautious with his money, but this year he insisted that something from the dollar store would not do.  He spent $5 on a gift for his sister! 

Yaya came to celebrate with us.  It's always such a special treat to have her and Papa visit (we missed you this trip Papa) :)

Hubby and I got her a new bike - she loved it :)

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