Perspective

I was bemoaning getting out of bed to go downstairs to go pack the boys' lunch. Chris reminded me that in a few years there won't ever be a need to pack a lunch again. Perspective.

I was driving home from picking up the boys and Mark was screaming hysterically and I found myself longing for the day that he is old enough to just chill in his carseat. Then I remembered I will never have a little one who needs me and wants to be held so desperately again. Perspective.

I was frustrated with Jack...for having his hands in everything, for typing while I was typing, for having an accident, for asking me "why" so.many.times...I put him down, out of my lap and his sweet little voice said, "Sawry Mommy. I want to smuggle wit you Mommy". Pangs of guilt. This is the two year old season. Perspective.

I spent another day in the car (drove carpool 4 different times that day) and was resenting my new life lived in my car with no time between carpool and nursing (another thing I feel like I'm always doing) to string 30 minutes together to actually accomplish anything. Then the feelings of guilt for running an errand in the 30 minute block of time that Mark could actually get a nap in his bed. And guilt for schlepping him everywhere. And guilt for his schedule constantly being in flux. And guilt that I just want him to stop crying and be a laid back baby, which he just is not.

But then I remembered, I'm living the dream. My dream, my goal in life, to be a stay at home mom to the four children I had always prayed to the Lord to give me. I signed on for carpool, and soccer practice and cheerleading camp and packing lunches and crying babies and snuggling (and even manipulative) two year olds. I signed on for poopy pants, spilled milk, toys always under foot. I signed on for dirt tracked in, muddy clothes and bloody noses. I prayed for sweet moments of joy--praying with my kids, seeing their hearts, dancing to Disney songs, playing in the rain, making cookies...

Perspective. Above all else, I am blessed beyond words. Now I just need to pray my heart to fully "get" what my head already knows.

Favorites, the Pre-school edition

                      Favorites, the Pre-school edition.

                         Ryan Aug. 2012

     1. What is your favorite toy? Spiderman and Capt America

2. What is your favorite color? Blue

3. What is your favorite fruit? Cantelope and watermelon

4. What is your favorite TV show? Batman (old Adam West)

5. What is your favorite movie? Robin Hood

6. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Fish sticks (and Fish tacos)

7. What is your favorite outfit? Turquoise polo shirt (has a rainbow ribbon on the inside of the collar that he is obsessed with)

8. What is your favorite game? Candyland

9. What is your favorite snack? Spiderman cheezits

10. What is your favorite animal? Horses

11. What is your favorite song? Hakuna Matata

12. What is your favorite book? The cookie book

13. What is your favorite vacation place? White Water (or Animal kingdom water)

14. What is your favorite thing to play? Dress up

15. Who is your best friend at school? Lydia

16. Who is your best friend at church? Henry

17. What is your favorite sport? Baseball and basketball

18. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play chase

19. What is your favorite drink? lemonade

20. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween and Christmas

21. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Blanket, Max, lambie, brown bear

22. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  oatmeal

23. What is your favorite restaurant? Pizza

24. What do you want to be when you grow up? Army man

25. What is your favorite thing about school? Playing with friends and the computer

26. What is your favorite school subject? Reading!

27. What is your teacher’s name? Ms. Mary Ann

28. What is your favorite thing you did this summer?  Watching baseball with daddy

29. What is your favorite date to do with mom?  Watching batman shows

30. What is your favorite date to do with dad? baseball games

"yes ma'am"

So Jack believes that saying yes ma'am is the sum of obedience.

For example:

Me: "Jack, sit down on that rug and wait for me."
Jack: "yes ma'am." then proceeds to trot off in the other direction.
Me: "Jack, I told you to sit here and wait. Obedience is first time quickly."
Jack: "WHAT?"

Favorites...first grade edition

Back to school questions

           Anna-Kate August 2012 (1^st grade)

1.     What is your favorite toy? Baby Kate

2.    What is your favorite color? Pink

3.     What is your favorite fruit? Cherries or plums

4.    What is your favorite TV show? Jake and the Neverland Pirates

5.    What is your favorite movie? Snow White

6.    What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Mac and cheese

7.    What is your favorite outfit? Flower girl dress (Uncle Hunt’s wedding)

8.    What is your favorite game? Hide and Seek

9.    What is your favorite snack? Milk and cookies

10.  What is your favorite animal? Zebra and giraffes

11.  What is your favorite song? None

12.  What is your favorite book? Samantha books (American Girl)

13.  What is your favorite vacation place? Disney, especially the Polynesian

14.  What is your favorite thing to play? with my dollhouse

15.   Who is your best friend at school? Grace and Marin 

16.  Who is your best friend at church? Natalie 

17.  What is your favorite sport? Basketball

18.  What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing

19.  What is your favorite drink? Pink lemonade

20.   What is your favorite holiday? My birthday!

21.  What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Pinky the pig, blanket, & lambie

22.  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? White donuts

23.  What is your favorite restaurant? Uncle Julios

24.  What do you want to be when you grow up? A Mommy

25.  What is your favorite thing about school? Getting to see friends and my teacher

26.  What is your favorite school subject? Art and reading

27.  What is your teacher’s name? Mrs. Farrar

28.  What is your favorite thing you did this summer? Be home with Mama.

29.  What is your favorite date to do with mom? Icecream date and going to the mall.

30.  What is your favorite date to do with dad? Starbucks to get cake pops.

Just a fun little comparison picture. She looks a lot the same--thinner face and she is almost 3 inches taller than last year. Still my sweet precious Anna-Kate!

First day of kindergarten

First day of first grade

The report is that school is awesome! She came home and had snack yesterday and asked if she could go back to school. I consider that to be a positive statement! :) I told her she has to sleep first. She said, "Ok, I'll go take a nap and then go back!". So, so thankful for our wonderful school, her sweet friends and a teacher who loves her, has prayed for her and has made this re-entry to school so easy and smooth.

First day of first grade

{alternate title: Time Marches On}

We spent the last 5 days soaking up the last minutes of summer--as in, more fun stuff than we've done all summer! Thursday we went to Six Flags, Friday we went to the zoo with Nana, Saturday Anna-Kate and I had our breakfast date with Leigh-Ann and Adam followed by Anna-Kate's back to school party, then a lunch date with Jessica and Marin! Sunday we went to church, attended the promotion Sunday picnic/bounce house extravaganza and went to home group that night. Monday morning we had a playdate here with Marin, followed by a huge Chick-fil-a gathering (15 kids total counting siblings, but 6 going into first grade with Anna-Kate) and then brought Grace home for an afternoon playdate. That afternoon/evening was spent at school to meet her teacher, see the classroom and enjoy the back to school picnic! It began pouring so we ate first (Chris had BBQ, I had Mexican and the kids, shocker, had CFA). I decided to truly be a fun mom and said we could stay and do the bounce houses/carnival games in the rain. All of the kids were soaked (except for Mark who slept peacefully in the sling under my umbrella with me!) and had the.time.of.their.lives. Whew!

This morning Anna-Kate came in before I had even gone to wake her up, fully dressed and ready to go! Chris stayed home for a fun family breakfast (and so I could take her and walk her in with a bit less chaos than is bringing all of my munchkins anywhere).

Eggs and muffins...breakfast of champions!

Mark wanted in on the family table action.
Ryan wanted him to sit next to him. :) 

My big 1st grade girl! No more canvas bag--
her own backpack this year!

Silly kids. Jack would not be separated from his muffin,
andevidently wouldn't be joined with his pants. Hmm.

Growing up too fast!

With the Daddy

Sweet friend, Adam (got this same picture last year.)

wWth her teacher, Mrs. Farrar

Saying goodbye to my big girl!

Hard at work already!

First grade, here we come!

So, ya....

It might have been {just shy of} two months since I posted last. Oops. First there was nothing to report, then we had company, then the Olympics...

Well, Mark is 10 weeks old now. I know. He's a little peanut still, 11.5 lbs at his 2 month appointment. :)  The first 8 weeks were hard. Harder than I expected, to be completely honest. I got spoiled with Ryan and Jack as they were both such easy, go-with-the-flow, quick nursing babies. Mark was not. :) Mark is a "spitter"--and it is constant. He is small so just couldn't eat as much as I wanted him to, which meant he took longer to sleep longer stretches. BUT, we are in a good place now. He eats every 3 hours during the day, then 11:30 pm, and not again until 8 am, so I am happy to announce my re-entry to the land of the living. Unfortunate that the Olympics have kept me up so late as my sleep deficit has, as yet, not improved. :) 

A quick recap...I pretty much holed up for June with my mom's help (both coming here and taking the big kids to their house for a week) with the exception of VBS (or "PBS kids" according to Ryan). My mother in law came to visit for a week and we took our first major excursion out--to the Childrens Museum. My parents left for France for a month so we kinda holed up again. I did manage to make it to the pool a handful of times with the kids. Since I was stuck at home anyway I decided to jump in to potty training Jack. Praise the Lord, he took to it really well and was trained in a day or so with very few accidents. Very exciting and proud of him! My streak remains--I still have never had a baby love the carseat. Grr. Mark seems to be getting better. I keep having talks with him that his life is about to be lived in his carseat. We'll see. :) We did a good job of reading every day and spent plenty of time in the backyard in the sprinkler and slip and slide. I tried to work on Ryan's handwriting and Anna-Kate's math facts/flash cards. It didn't occur as much as I'd planned, but I figure ever little bit helps, right? :) I'm missing some pictures in the big iphone download, but here are a recent couple.

Anna-Kate is a super helper! Despite his intense scared look, Mark adores her. :) 

Our special breakfast date (at the ever so classy Waffle House, or "Wa-Ho" if you prefer)
to celebrate her heading to 1st grade!

We've been dropping Jack's nap to aid in easier bed times with the boys sharing a room (and school starting) and also so he is used to not getting one (more than a little car cat-nap) with so much carpool coming up. It's caught up to him. 

At the zoo!

The last few weeks I"ve made a concerted effort to do fun stuff with the kids before school starts back--especially since it's been a pretty laid back {or...boring...} summer. We went to the Disney Store and then had Chick-fil-A at the food court, we've been to the childrens museum, Six Flags a couple of times and went to the zoo. Thankful for friends and family who come to help--I'm still not quite a "one-[wo]man show" yet. :)