gullible

It turns out Tyler is really gullible. This of course means that I have lots of fun feeding him all sorts of "lies" throughout the day. I realize that probably isn't something a good parent would do, but it's too much fun and I just can't help myself. This is the conversation we had this morning. He came into our room and woke us up and after a few minutes he said,

"Mom, is Ryan still sleeping?"

me: "no, he's downstairs playing with a few of his friends. Katelyn and Tanner are over and I think they are playing with toys."

He thinks about this for a minute and then starts to go downstairs. This is remarkable because for some reason he refuses to go downstairs by himself in the morning. He'll whine at the side of my bed for an hour if I don't get up and come down here with him.

He comes back up a minute later and said "He's not down there."

me: "Uh-oh. I don't know where he is then. Oh, I know, I bet they went out in the sandbox to play." Remember, Ryan is 3 months old.

Tyler again goes downstairs to check. "He's not out there either mom."

me: "Oh shoot, I've lost him and his friends? I'm in trouble."

Jeremy: "I bet he went on a bike ride. I think he rode your bike Tyler."

me: "Oh yeah, yesterday he asked me if he could ride your bike."

Tyler: "He did? What did you tell him?"

me: "I told him he had to ask you. Maybe that's why he took it while you were sleeping."

Then Tyler comes downstairs AGAIN and checks in the garage to see if his bike was missing. At this point I turn to Jeremy and ask him if Tyler is messing with us too, or if he really thinks Ryan may have taken his bike for a ride. We can't tell.

He came back up and told us that his bike was still there so we suggested maybe Ryan was at the park. Finally Tyler says, "I think maybe he's still sleeping. Can I go check?" And would you believe it? Ryan WAS still sleeping--you can imagine my relief!

pictures of my babies, taken today, August twenty-fifth twenty ten

This is my third baby.

Today marks twelve weeks of his life. He's recently found his hands for eating and saves all his best smiles for me. He also happens to be an awesome night time sleeper and in his whole twelve weeks of life I haven't once called my husband, my mother, or a good friend in tears saying "this baby won't stop crying" or "this baby just won't sleep!". And that is considered a miracle in my book.

This is my second baby.

Currently the middle child, as evidenced by the fact that I'm only posting one photo of him and two of the other children. Today he is wandering around like a lost puppy, unsure of what to do with himself. We played several games of "Go Spidey" (which is "go fish" with spiderman cards, of course) and when he was counting his matches he counted all the way up to eleventeen. Where do you suppose eleventeen falls in numerical order?

And this is my first baby.

She is the one that is tugging the hardest on my heartstrings today. Despite my best efforts she went to 1st grade today. She was nervous, but once she got her backpack on and we started the walk to the school the nerves seemed to dissipate. I was sad to see her go and I've spent all morning asking whoever will listen if they think Alexis is having fun, or if she's made a new friend, or if she found someone to sit by at lunch. It's scary to be a mom and send your still small child out into a big school on their own for 6+ hours. But we've armed her with all we know how. She's confident, she knows she's good at making friends, she's smart, and she's one of the best readers you've ever seen in a 6 year old--I think she'll be okay. The real question is, how will the rest of us do without her everyday?


The upside of this is that my house will stay a little cleaner--she is by far the messiest kid I have. The Queen of the "drop it where I am and never give it a second thought" way of living. Now that is her teachers problem for half the day.

6

Last Friday, late in the evening, I looked at the calendar to check the date: August 13th.

Friday.

Friday the 13th!

As soon as I made the connection my mind went back six years, when August 13th, 2004 also fell on a Friday. I remember that because I spent many months thinking about when that day would come--it was Alexis' due date. I've learned since then that due dates mean nothing to my body but everything to my mental sanity. My body gladly passes them by, but my mind refuses to let them pass.

6 years ago Friday the 13th came and went with no signs of an arrival in the form of a baby. My stomach was still large. I was having no contractions, making no progress. I had also quit working and had nothing to do to occupy my mind. On Saturday I complained a lot. On Sunday I went to church with a frown on my face because I wasn't supposed to be there, and complained a lot. On Monday I sent Jeremy off to work with a warning to stay by the phone, and complained a lot. On Tuesday still nothing had changed but I had hope in my heart because I was going to see the doctor! He sent me to the hospital for a stress test which revealed that the baby needed to come out, whether she wanted to or not. Unfortunately for all of us, she did not. But finally, on Wednesday, at 9:01 am, she showed her beautiful face. And I stopped complaining.


Every addition to a family alters it and makes an impact, but the first child is always the biggest change. Alexis changed our family in a huge way almost 6 years ago, and she continues to change me every single day.

She is a delight.
She is a challenge.
She is beautiful.
She is smart.
She is kind.
She is talented.
She is a friend.

And this week she turns six years old. It seems like almost every day this summer I've watched her do something and thought to myself, "When did she get so big?" Shes grown up a lot the past few months and I can't believe the changes that have taken place right before my very eyes.

I marvel constantly that something so beautiful came from Jeremy and I. And that I get to be the mother of someone like her. Someone so full of potential and ability and pure awesomeness.


And I hope she's excited about the silly Silly Bandz we got her for her birthday.

almost like playing dead

There is no question that Ryan is loved around here. In fact, he is too loved and often mauled by the kids. Sometimes when they are surrounding him with their craziness I see his face go blank and he stares off into space as if he's checked out of reality. It's at that point that I imagine he's gone to his "happy place" and is reciting to himself, "it'll all be over soon...it'll all be over soon...it'll all be over soon..."

It's undoubtedly the best survival technique for a person with little control over their limbs.

Ryan, in his "happy place"

Blessing Day

Whew! Now is the point in the summer where I begin to wonder where the summer has gone and marvel at the fact that it's almost over. Even with having a newborn I feel like we've had a busy summer. Jeremy and the kids definitely have, while I've mostly just watched them come and go. But last week was pretty crazy and I'm glad to have this week to recover before the craziness picks up again.

Yesterday in church Ryan was blessed. I got the crazy idea to make his blessing outfit and cut out all the pieces about a month ago. Then I had him weighed and realized he might not actually fit into it by the time he was supposed to wear it. So as I made it I had to adjust the seams which made for some interesting sewing. It ended up fitting well, but the leg holes were a little tight around his chubby thighs. I'm just amazed that I actually finished it in time (and a week ahead of time, not even the night before I needed it!), because I'm notorious for starting projects and never actually finishing them. I've got a few more recent sewing projects that I've actually finished that I need to share too.



And speaking of sewing, look at this really bad picture that I took with my phone:
He needed something sewn and I had to feed Ryan, so I set him up and he did it himself. I thought it was so cute I had to take a picture. He's a jack of all trades.

Baby crying, kids screaming, lunch needs to be made. It's crazy over here but I wouldn't trade it!