Life is getting bigger

I am really enjoying this summer.  The kids are getting bigger.  Putting on shoes isn't as hard anymore and they mostly keep them on understanding that we are going somewhere (Hannah sometimes has issues).  Nathan and Sarah have booster seats and they do up their own seat belts.  Abby also does up her 5 point harness seat belt by her self. Hannah is the only one left in diapers, she should be potty trained soon.  They actually follow us while we are walking somewhere (with exception to Hannah) not running in random directions.  I still feel the need for a sheep/children dog for the sole purpose of making them all go in the right direction, but things are definitely getting better.

For the second time we have re-homed our dog. I felt so guilty.  The dog had become such a burden to both of us and the kids did not enjoy him either. Life without the dog has been very good. I love animals but the last few we have had have cured me of "pet nostalgia" for awhile I think.  Sometimes Abby will ask me when we can have another pet. I tell her that we can get another one when they are older and can help to look after it.   It has been such a relief to be without a dog.  The only thing I missed where the daily walks. Recently we have been herding our children around the block or by the lake for fresh (muggy?) air so the walk experience is still there.  I am amazed at the energy or lack of energy from them.  Abby runs the whole way and gets upset when someone beats her home, if she were smart she would walk with the rest of us and save her energy for a final sneaky burst at the end, but strategy seems to elude her. Hannah runs the whole way , sometimes more as she often runs back and forth between us , unable to decide which hand to hold on too.  Nathan likes to run ahead and stop at a stop sign or a shady tree to wait for the rest of us to catch up. Sarah gets tired as soon as we leave the drive way and walks slowly.  One of us is at the back of the pack walking with Sarah and one of us is running with the rest trying to herd them on one side of the road.  All of the kids are fascinated with the spongy back tar they use to fix cracks in the road and they will stop immediately and crouch down to poke their fingers in it, we have to be careful not to trip over them. We must make quite a scene for the neighbors.

I always have ideas about the summer, where we will go and what I teach the kids, or what I will occupy their time with.  If I get 1/4 of what I had thought up done I consider that a successful summer.  This year Nathan is working his way through a work book to get computer time and I have started to get the kids to learn one verse from each book of the bible (this is going slowly, since I often forget to highlight it).  We have been to the African Lion Safari, local parks and beaches, Aunt Emily and Uncle Jeff's farm, and went to see a movie. I hope we can go mini golfing with them as well some time.  Sarah and Abby have been playing outside for hours at a time during the day.  They play with their ponies - burying them in the dirt (we have a dirt box instead of a sand box), then wash them off in the kiddie pool.  It is a little morbid, as they act out the burying process ("NO , don't bury me! HELP!) , but they are having fun outside , how can I complain about that? Nathan , our little "stay inside and watch something" child is loving the Olympics this summer, he gets so excited he can barely sit still.  I have an exercise ball he bounces on so he can actually watch the program without running around like a crazy person.

Hannah continues to find ways to get into trouble.  She can no longer get at the flour but she will try for the sugar every once in a while.  She is getting taller so she can reach more.  I found all of the brown sugar on the floor in a bedroom one afternoon , who knows how much she shoved in her mouth before making sugar hand prints on the couch ... Hannah knows when she has to poop and will strip all of her clothing off and poop allover the back porch, running over it with the ride on toys we have.  Hannah also has this thing with doors, all of the kids forget to close the back door when going outside (one of my main pet peeves this summer), Hannah will close it coming in but not going out and she goes out often.  If the back gate is left unlatched she will go out and walk around the house and ring the door bell , sometimes she goes to the neighbors doors as well. It freaks us out when she is unattended in the neighborhood but at least she comes to the door right away and she does not often get out.

Mark has been hard at work taking out flower beds.  It's unfortunate because someone had put a ton of money in landscaping that yard, but we don't have time to spend weeding out gardens and the kids pick all of the flowers off as soon as they come out.  At least now we have a bigger yard!  I gave up on my vegetable garden this year again.  Last year it was the dog nosing around and stepping on things , as well as little girls pulling up/stepping on plants.  This year Hannah was still digging around in there trying to eat the dirt and throwing it around.  We put some mulch down and gave them another place to dig around in , so hopefully next year....

Life is getting bigger. Our kids are growing and our circle of where and how we spend our time is getting  ever wider.  I'm painting more and learning more.  Our house is changing to suit our needs more.  I love our life and I am still excited to see what the next few years will bring.

There will always be a next step

Life it seems is a series of goals short and long term.  Our family has been working through goals in the past 4 months, some of us doing better then others. My goal was to paint more , and I have :).  The next step will be to try to sell some paintings. There will always be a next step with rewards along the way.  Mark has repainted the entire basement, ripped out the carpet and replaced the floor with a easy to clean laminate.  Sarah has been working on spelling her name correctly (sometimes she writes it completely backwards ), Nathan has been working on learning how to type, Hannah has learned to sleep in a single bed instead of a crib, and Abby has done the best of all. Abby has learned how to pee and poop on the potty , then on the big toilet, and is now working on not sucking her thumb during the day.

Toilet training Abby has been difficult to say the least. There were a lot of exhausting days where I was glad to finally put a diaper on her. I think I gave up at least twice. I hope we never forget the day we were jumping and cheering in the kitchen after Abby had finally pooped in her potty rather then the playroom downstairs. As the accidents became less common the celebrations also became less. One afternoon she hulled the downstairs potty up to the dining room to show us her poop. Mark and I gave Abby a "that's nice dear comment".  Abby set the potty down and looked at it, she shrugged her shoulder and said "that's too heavy for me to carry downstairs by my self" and proceeded to go downstairs without the potty....she didn't get that far.
 One day I heard a "BALEY ATE MY POOP!" from the bathroom. Mark and I gave each other a horrified look. Abby came out of the bathroom and I asked her why she didn't stop him or tell me he was .....eating her poop. Abby's eyes where getting bigger by the second and with some hand wringing she replied "Well.....I just wanted ....to watch him ate that".  I could just picture Baley enjoying his "snack" with a fascinated Abby watching closely.  

With Nathan and Sarah in school , it seems like we have double the germs at home. This past winter has been steeped in colds  and the flu (or several variations of it) we were even all treated for strep throat. Even now I am trying to keep my eyes open while typing this.  Hannah was sick yesterday and has been getting out of bed frequently during the night. It seems like the kids take turns getting sick , I take care of them, and then I get the grand finale of it when everyone else feels better.   I guess we will be fighting viruses for a few more years yet , as Abby goes to kindergarten this fall and Hannah starts the following year. Maybe we will have super strong immune systems once the youngest learns that sneezing everywhere and wiping your nose on your sleeve or your mom's pants are not good ideas.

Hannah has been targeting the flour bag recently (the past few months).  We buy flour from Costco so the bag is large and difficult to move around. Hannah gravitates toward flour , she throws it all over the floor and tracks it through the house. I put it on the counter (taking up a lot of space) but she simply gets a chair and ALWAYS finds a way in that blasted bag of flour somehow. She will also do the same thing with sugar or baking soda ...sigh....maybe she will be a good cook when she gets bigger? I am so tired of cleaning up flour.  I'm starting to hear my words come out of Hannah's mouth. I will hear her say something like "..kidding me?" or "Look at that!" (referring to an accomplishment) , and I will wonder where she learned those phrases until I remember that I say them. Speaking is done thoughtlessly , effortlessly and it surprises me to learn that someone is listening to my speech , considering it , and repeating it.

Nathan and Sarah are both still mostly enjoying school.  I love watching and listening to them develop.  Sarah has several friends , even a boyfriend? Nathan has one friend he talks about.  Sarah and Nathan visit at recess and say hi to each other when passing in the hallways.  They come home with tons of paper projects and stories and art projects. Sometimes I'm afraid for them, while watching the news or reading articles written on the prevalence of bullying and sexual abuse.  I have to remember that we gave all of our children to God and I need to follow His leading in raising them not my personal anxieties. It's hard to see the big picture sometimes. When I am painting , often Mark will not truly see what I am so excited about until the painting is almost complete. I'm reminded of the verse in Psalms "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" - a lamp to my feet , not a spot light or even a strong flash light to see ahead, just enough light to see where your feet are walking :).

I think any front landing area would remain crowded with this crowd getting ready :)

Lip balm belongs on your face obviously 

Easter eggs and missing teeth :) 

    

Singing and Jumping in the new year

When I think back on the past few months ...I get tired.  This Christmas especially has been exhausting .  The kids have been sick on and off , we traveled a little more then we usually do and Mark had a kidney stone three days before Christmas.  Currently those little munchkins are almost making me wish the Christmas break was over so some of them will be in school for most of the day.  Since they haven't been feeling well there has been a lot more whining, fighting and crying.
In spite of all that we have had a great time!  We attended a Santa Clause parade , picked and cut our Christmas tree, we walked around the neighborhood admiring the lights and delivering packages of homemade cookies to neighbors, they were pleased to see a troupe of kids and an enthusiastic dog wishing them a merry Christmas. We visited Lakeside Park and admired those lights, we visited relatives for a Christmas party and then had one at our house and then there is always Christmas morning :).  When the kids get older , I would like to add caroling to the to do list, or maybe some volunteer time.

This year I watched the silly statements surrounding the term "Merry Christmas" as opposed to "X-mas or happy holidays appear on social media again.  Along with those type of statements come ones like "Jesus is the Reason for the Season".  Is he really?  Truthfully?  I think it is all about the presents. The gift giving overshadows almost everything in Christmas.  We listen to the bible story at least once and then it is back to the anticipation of presents.  How could I change that for our family?  I'm still trying to figure it out.  This year the kids exchanged names and picked out gifts for each other so at least they could experience the "giving" part of Christmas as well as the getting.  I told them that Christmas is Jesus's birthday , but instead of getting presents Himself , He wants us to give to others.  Hopefully we can figure out different ways of doing that later :)

We celebrated New Years Eve watching tv while the kids slept.  I think if I were anywhere else I would be wishing that I was there on the couch watching a British TV series with my husband and eating some disturbingly good chocolate caramel pretzels (disturbing because Mark does not like pretzels , so I will end up eating all of them).  This morning I slept in to 7:00 am while my amazing husband dealt with kids squeezing the dog's new squeaky toy above his head down stairs. When I got up they had all charged upstairs and were very excited to eat breakfast. Hannah was jumping/dancing and singing as loud as she possibly could about Jesus and waffles (those were the two words I could understand).  There was lots of jostling , teasing more singing and finally they were quiet for a few minutes as they ate breakfast.  My husband was irritated by the noise (possibly due to the dog toy earlier) but I am smiling inside.  We are starting the new year with singing and dancing - featuring an original song by Hannah Hawkins (Jesus and waffles), what could possibly be better?

Sarah enjoying her birthday party - which is in early December 

decorating the tree 

Hannah doing more decorating rather then trying to eat ornaments this year 

Warm memories , warm summer

We have had a great summer.  Full of laid back fun at home , and two family trips.  One to Greenview Aviaries and the other to Storybook Gardens.  I'm happy that our kids have reached an age where we can travel a bit more.  We even stayed overnight at my sisters house with success!  I'm also glad we have decided to keep the vacations local.  A week long camping trip or a long drive to a cottage or an expensive trip to Florida all seem more like nice packages of stress/exhaustion rather then vacations.  Next year may be different, but we plan according to our kids' state of craziness. The kids have had lots of fun playing at parks, splash pads, and beaches.  Nathan has tried to keep up a "park count" where he labels all the parks with numbers.  I think he is up to 5 or 6, but I'm not sure if that is an accurate count :).  Next summer I hope to put the older two at least in swimming lessons.  They love the beach, but they make us nervous frantically splashing around as soon as they loose their footing...if they could just remember to stand up...  

Nathan lost his first tooth - naturally!  He now has two bottom teeth missing. Unfortunately I think he brushed it out and it fell down the sink drain. My husband being the awesome father he is even took apart the pipes looking for the missing tooth, but we never found it :(.  I think he may have a loose one on the top as well.  He will be starting grade 1 in a few weeks.  Sometimes I think I get into a rut where I treat all the kids the same (which usually works - they are all very close in age) , but then I'm faced with things like Nathan turning 6 soon and heading to grade one! Its exciting to see them grow up!  I'm so proud of Nathan, and all he has really had to do was grow and learn things. Mark and I left the kids with my mom to go on a shopping trip.  I got a hug from Nathan and a hug and a kiss from Sarah.  Nathan looked at me and said with a smile " I don't like kisses", then he and Sarah returned to their game of "acrobats" on the couch (involving a series of flips/somersaults and other odd positions).    

The other day I saw Abby and Hannah reading books to each other - neither one making any sense, but it made me smile on the inside (and probably the outside).  Sometimes they sit watching TV holding each others hands , sucking on fingers and thumbs (usually when they are tired). Other times Hannah is pulling out Abby's hair or stealing toys.  Hannah is picking up more and more words.  She picks up words that she hears often like "GO AWAY!....STOP IT!....WHY?".  I heard her unload all three in succession when in some sort of confrontation with Nathan and Sarah.  For a moment I felt a little sad that she learned these words first , but a few minutes later I remember why she knows those words so well.  I hope she won't be scarred by our response to her industrious destructive tendencies. I have however remembered to praise her for things like throwing away garbage and not running away yelling "NO!" when I need to change her diaper (she learned that one from Abby) or saying "Sorry" when she attacks her sister.

The summer remains as a warm comforting memory.  It pleases me to know that the kids will start to remember summers like this.  They remember Green View Aviaries from last year and they will remember Story book gardens next year.  I love my family so much :)

Appropriately exhausted after a family trip  

 

Out of Order

One morning I told Nathan to get dressed.  He obediently walked in his room and started to pull down his pajama pants , but then he noticed that the Peter Rabbit books were out of order.  I think there might be at least 15 of them....and he stood there half naked (pants around his ankles) putting the books in order again.  He also gave them little voices and had conversations with them.  He then walked (rather trudged) out of his room completely forgetting that he was getting dressed (or that his pj pants were still around his ankles).  Nathan has got a lot better at listening and obeying - he no longer fights me when getting ready for school,  he mostly gets off the computer without fussing and he even decided a day this month where we would cut his hair (never a pleasurable experience).

Sarah is an amazing little girl.  More and more I can see her having fun at school all day.  She will be going this fall.  Sometimes I make Sarah a little book, she draws the pictures and I write down the story for her.  The stories have usually been focused  on what she calls "the hiker family" (a family that lives next to a mountain and does a lot of hiking) but recently she wanted to write a story about Fluttershy and Rarity going to jail (my little pony characters).  Sarah loves drama and inspiring stories.  What would normally disinterest Nathan and scare Abby, Sarah likes.  Recently she watched the Disney movie "Spirit".  Most movies made about horses are sad/traumatizing and this one was no exception , but she has asked several times now to watch it again. She does complain of bad dreams every so often so sometimes I wonder if she absorbs too much drama.  Sarah is not lazy but she is a bit of a princess.  If we go for a walk , she gets tired first.  I think about going to Pt. Pelee canoeing when they get bigger and I know Sarah will be the one in the middle of the canoe relaxing :).  She loves wearing pretty dresses and getting me to braid her hair. Sarah and Abby seem to enjoy doing things themselves more and more. Nathan on the other hand .... I asked him why he wouldn't wash himself in the tub one night.  Could he not do it?  Or was he just being lazy?  He paused for a few seconds and looked at me and said "I'm just lazy".

Abby is being a three year old currently.  I have to remember that sometimes.  I feel like calling her "opposite Abby".  It seems like everything I try to get her to do she does the opposite or runs away or ignores me.  As frustrating as that is , Abby's joyful attitude /noise usually makes me smile.  Abby still sings ... a lot.  She made up a song titled "I'm not Scared".  It goes like this "I'm not scarrrrred!" It has a refrain and sometimes includes things she is apparently not afraid of like monsters.  Maybe someday she will include flies in the song.  Abby has decided that she is afraid of flies this summer- she really doesn't like them landing on her head and wears a Dora hat when she notices them flying around.  Abby also sings her interpretation of "Let it Go".  She sings "Let it Gooo, let it go! (inaudible jumble of words) inside!".  We get the let it go song in our heads sometimes , but getting Abby's version stuck in your head is a little worse :).  She likes going outside with Sarah on "adventures".  They look at bugs, pick flowers in the garden, and slosh around in what ever puddles happen to be leftover from the last rainfall.  They like going outside in the rain as well.  

Hannah has accelerated her craziness if that is possible ,,, but it must be , because she IS more crazy.  She no longer walks anywhere, she always runs or skips or dances.  She has figured out how to take off her clothing and does so everyday.  She will be turning 2 in a few weeks and I was at a loss as to what to put on her wish list.  Hannah mostly tries to either destroy things or take things away from people hoping they will chase her to get them back.  She throws things, runs into walls (or everything else), has fallen off of everything (except the top bunk of the bunk beds- but she is working on that), she tries to escape from the house and run down the street (we have to lock her in), she bites and eats everything she gets her hands on (including us) and attacks her siblings (sometimes viciously). She is starting to count before she can talk and loves to have books read to her (often reading them to herself as well).  She does all of that with a big smile, lots of laughter and an amazing amount of energy.  Life would surely be more dull without Hannah around :)

Every time I get around to writing one of these things I remember how much God has blessed me.  :)

Abby's "fly hat" 

two animals wanting in  

 

Hannah the Barbarian

I remember all the nicknames we used to call our babies.  Nathan was "Thunder-butt" - he had some gas issues.  Sarah was "Jabba the Fuss".  I think she cried the most out of all of them.  Abby was "Abbzilla or Abbalicious" kind of like Jekyll and Hyde.  Hannah did not have one until recently.  Mark had been playing a game that was similar to "Final Fantasy" and when he named his characters he named them after the kids.  Hannah turned out to be a "barbarian" on the game and it matched her so perfectly it has become her nickname.

Hannah has upgraded herself with learning how to walk.  Sometimes I have to run to chase her, and I need to chase her because she always grabs something she knows she is not allowed to have and runs away.  Just this afternoon she was in the pantry and snatched a bag of crackers (that happened to be open) , as she ran away she waved her arms and so created an instant mess of cracker crumbs all over the floor.  She has also started squawking in such a way (when she doesn't get her way) that I can only describe it as something between an eagle cry and a duck being stepped on.  All this sounds like it could be annoying , but actually it is pretty funny (depending on how tired you happen to be).

Abby told me a story the other day while I was getting her out of the tub.  She informed me that she had found a "Dora jewel ring" in the tub , but an alligator stole it from her and escaped through the register in the ceiling (she was in the big tub downstairs).  On another night I was playing with her in the tub.  I was a mommy duck and she was the baby.  She told me the mommy duck could not fly because it had "yogurt" in it's wings.  Abby also likes being outside , the most I think, out of all of them.  After we had a snow storm I spent time with her outside throwing her in snow banks which she thought was hilarious.

Sarah is like a blossoming little flower.  She has taught herself how to "spin - jump" and thinks that she should now be a figure skater (often wondering why we haven't bought her skates yet).  She brings up school and wonders why we haven't gotten her a lunch bag and back pack yet (as if that were the only thing keeping her home).  We have been talking about weddings because she has two uncles that will be getting married this summer.  She has decided that she will marry Nathan when she gets older.  The most frequent question I hear from her is "Mommy, mommy?  What can I do while I am waiting?"  - most of the time I don't even think she knows what she means when she asks me.

Nathan continues to be his bouncy crazy self.  Lately he has been fighting kindergarten germs  and has had to stay home several days.  One morning I was convinced that we had missed the bus. Nathan was upset , I was flustered , so when I called him in I felt really dumb when they laughingly told me it was a PD day :(.  This morning I gave him a sticker on his chart because he was so agreeable with getting ready for the bus - he even thanked me for helping him!  Then later on in the morning Mark had to pick him up because he had thrown up in class.  I hope he will sleep well tonight.

After supper the kids often play a made up game that they call "Hannah boy".  They run around yelling/laughing/screaming "Hannah boy!" while Hannah chases after them/runs away yelling "GO". Mark and I try to have a conversation while finishing up our meal (impossible while they are eating), but we usually have to wait until they end up down stairs.  

When I put them to bed I read them books and then we talk to Jesus.  You would think that after 30 something years of going to church almost every Sunday I would know how to pray , but I don't really.  I still find it mysterious and confusing.  We start off by thinking of one thing we can be thankful for (each) . Then I ask them how I can pray for them - usually I get some interesting requests.  Sometimes Nathan wants Jesus to help him to be good so he gets more stickers and then a lolly pop and a new toy (rewards on the chart).  Abby often asks for protection from the bugs that seem to be on her bed at random times .... it used to be a fish.  I have discovered that when talking about "bugs" she sometimes refers to the lady bug toy that is on her bed...sometimes she decides to be scared of it.  Sarah is thankful for her books or her bed and usually wants to feel better or be nicer to her brother (usually she asks that they not fight with her).   Then comes the time where we just try to talk to Jesus ...and no one really knows what to say.  I have to try and be an example for them while it is still new for me.  We also try to listen for a response.  Tonight Nathan could not keep quiet to save his life so it made listening interesting. Sarah commented that she didn't hear anything.  I didn't either but I told her sometimes we are not very good at listening and the more we try the better we will get.  I love those times with them.  Sometimes I think I am learning as much as they are :)

Sarah pretending to be a ballerina 

Hannah even says something like "Cheezze" when she sees the camera 

Putting lip gloss on each other 

Nathan took this in the old house with his camera 

He took a "selfie" as well - I don't have that many pictures of him currently because he is in school most of the day

         

Cleaning up Christmas

This isn't the best time to write.  Half of the kids are still in pajamas ....wait more then half and I'm not dressed either.  At least most of them have eaten breakfast.  I'm finding it difficult to type with Abby jammed beside me on the chair.  This post will take most of the day likely :)

This year Christmas was very fun....when it happened and when it was over.  I still struggled with feelings of stress/anxiety when buying gifts and planning events.  I'm not sure what my answer is to surviving that time of year.  It feels like I fall into a trap of trying to do too much and feeling like I'm not doing enough at the same time.  After all the shopping and budget fussing we had a great time with family and the kids really enjoyed the whole holiday.  During the Christmas break it seemed like a handful of viruses had time off as well and decided to spend some time with us :(.  We got sick in groups of twos ..with me being last (getting sick of course the night before Mark went back to work).  Just today as I'm finally starting to feel better I have Nathan home because he threw up a few times last night.  I'm not sure how sick he is though - he was bouncing around this morning talking about how much he grew (during the night?).  I'm hoping he will get the bug out of his system today....he has pizza day in school tomorrow.

School is going much better for Nathan.  I rarely get phone calls or notes with negative things ....although part of me still wonders school is going well for Nathan ....or just for the teachers.  They have moved him to a different class, citing difficulty with placing him with a DSW using words such as "undiagnosed"  and "unidentified".  Testing someone for autism seems to be a series of steps which could take awhile.  I will not be OK with them moving him to a different class again to follow around the DSW's if this is not resolved to their liking.  Nathan still really enjoys going to school so at least that part of my "mother worry" is appeased :) Now I have that new sex education that I don't 100% agree with (hard to tell ....since no one has actually seen it) looming in the back of my mind (starts in February).  Sometimes I wonder if it would be better homeschooling , but then I think I would have just as much or more "mom worry" - they would just be different.

Sarah is starting to get bored during the day.  I hear "Mommy?  Mom?  MOM?  ....What can I DO?" often in the afternoon.  Mark and I have been attempting to wean her from her soother.  She used to take a nap in the afternoon , but refuses to sleep without her soother.  I feel torn between getting my much needed quiet time after lunch and being industrious - getting her something to do.  I think she will enjoy kindergarten next year (or maybe I will?).  There is only so much "Paw Patrol" I can take during the day, leaving the TV off for a  portion of the afternoon is sooooo nice.

Hannah and Abby are starting to play together more often.  Yesterday Hannah wobbled over (yes she walks now!) to Abby and poked her giggling and then "ran" away.  Most of the time they are screaming at each other though.  Abby still sings and dances for a good portion of the day.  

Cleaning up after Christmas this year seemed to take the whole month of January.  Everyone got sick over the break and laundry turned into an everlasting chore.  :( .  I always forget how much work laundry is when you get behind.  I can't imagine hand washing everything.  I guess we would not have that many clothes :)

Look who is using a spoon! ....when she isn't waving it around

decorating the Christmas tree 

She wanted me to open the Doc Mc Stuffin's case for her....I didn't respond quick enough 

Two tired Christmased out guys