A Fall/Winter/Spring Photo Recap...Because I Haven't Blogged in a Million Years

This has been the longest winter in the history of winters.  Ever.  It snowed every month from November to April, and that is a lot of snow for this Southern girl!  I kept hoping the thermostat would get above 12 degrees and spring would arrive.  It took it's sweet little time, but it finally did. 

And you would think that all that indoor time would allow me to clean my house or blog or write a novel or something awesome, but all I wanted to do was curl up under three blankets and binge-watch television shows on the computer.  So that's mostly what I did.  Except when I was working on my graduate classes.  Or when the kids were home for snow days.  Which was a lot.  Really. On those days we spent a lot of time at the library.  I think the kids have read through every Peanuts and Garfield comic ever written.  And thank you local public library for having the sense to carry such wonder things in very large books.

So, what have I missed blogging about on the 182 days of snow? Everything.

1. Kate became an expert bike rider last fall, but I didn't manage to get a decent picture of it until November.  Because I am that awesome.

2. Kate's first grade class studied Chinese New Year and performed a ribbon dance for the whole school.  She was amazing, of course.

 3. My kids love each other, even when they are fighting like cats and dogs.  Unfortunately the cats and dogs thing is more common than not.  Thankfully I caught them on a day when they were all getting along.  (I am sure someone got whacked on the head minutes after I put the camera away.)

4. Did I mention it snowed a lot?  This was one of the early days before we actually got bored with snow.

5.  The three bigs were in the church Christmas play.  They sang together as a trio and were 1940's kids who also dressed up like wise men with lampshades and hub caps.  I can't remember why.

 6. We celebrated Christmas, of course!  (I think they have already grown about 2 inches each since I took this picture.)  The favorite gifts this year were video games, puzzles, and books. 

7. In January Will told us that he had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and wanted to be baptized.  We were thrilled and celebrated with him.  And Tim got to do the honors.  After which, we attempted to get a family photo, which only proved that we are not good at group shots.

8. It snowed some more. The kids built a snowman.

9. I celebrated my 20 year high school reunion.  It was awesome and weird at the same time.  That's what growing old is like.  And now you all know how old I am.  (I would post the group shot, but the photographer didn't push the button down hard enough.  I'm looking at you, Cooper.)

10.  Kate played basketball and had a blast doing it.

There is more, but for some reason the kids think I should fix dinner.  I guess they are hungry or something.  See, this is why I don't blog.  Next thing they will want clean clothes or something crazy like that.  Maybe I will write up the rest before the leaves fall off the trees.  Everyone hold your breath.

Happy Easter!

Christ is risen!

 He is risen indeed!

Jack was totally into the egg hunt this year and all about the candy!  Will and Kate of course wanted to beat each other at collecting the most eggs.  And Ben surprised me by still being really excited about finding eggs.  I don't know how much longer my pre-teen will want to do "kid" stuff, but I am thankful for days like today when we can worship and play as a family. 

Swim Lessons, Part 2

As I am sure you have already figured out, summer is our busiest time of the year. There isn't a lot of kicking back and relaxing, what with four kids at home All The Time and a husband whose job kicks it up a couple notches when teenagers are out of school. Add to that doctor/therapy appointments, a visiting niece and nephew, and regular summer excitement, and things can get a little crazy at our house (or wherever we happen to be). 

My plan is write about all of these things, but you all already know how that will probably go down.  It may be next May before that happens.  So let's start slow.  Swim lessons.

The three big kids had swim lessons the first two weeks of June. Once again, Kate has been bumped up to the big kids' class because Mama is lazy (ie., the boys' class was at 9, and the class she was supposed to be in was at 11). I don't want to spend 3 hours at the pool chasing Jack, so they all have to do it together. I was worried at first, but she totally held her own, as usual.

The funny one, also as usual, has been Will. You may remember that he and Ben had swim lessons five years ago? Ben loved it, but Will complained pretty much the whole time.  They were 5 and 3 at the time. 

I called to schedule the lessons last month, and Will overheard the conversation and freaked out. I eventually calmed him down enough for him to tell me why he didn't want to take swim lessons:

Will: Swim lessons are scary!
Me: What is scary about them?
Will: I don't know, but last time I remember I was scared. They asked me to do things I couldn't do.
Me: Will, you were 3 at the time. Do you remember what they asked you to do?
Will: No.
Me: Well, they wanted to you put your face in the water, and that scared you. Are you still afraid of putting your face in the water?
Will: No, but...
Me: And they wanted you to swim in areas where you couldn't touch. Are you still afraid of being in the deep end of the pool?
Will: No...
Me: They also wanted you to jump off the side of the pool, and you were scared of that. Aren't you diving now?
Will: Yes (smiling)
Me: So do you think you can handle swim lessons?
Will: I guess so.

He now informs me that swim lesson are soooo booooring, because he knows it all. He doesn't actually know it all. For example, he has now learned to tread water, do the elementary backstroke, and bob to safety in an emergency. But he knows everything.

(And sorry I don't have a picture to share.  My camera spent the first half of the summer broken, until the good people at Canon sent me another one.  Thank goodness for warranties.)

This Moment

Life as a mother of four has not slowed down in the past year. I don't know why I thought it eventually would, but I did.  And maybe next year when Jack is in preschool, I might possibly have a child-free moment in my day, but for the moment my free time is often measured in seconds instead of minutes or hours.  Which means you are much more likely to find me on facebook than Blogger.  But that is ok for now.  I will take my adult connections where I can get them.

I honestly do miss blogging, and I frequently have moments that I want to capture, but the space in my brain that holds such things is currently occupied with swing set sale ads, online courses I need to take to keep my teaching certificate current, and vacation ideas.  Not to mention school projects, IEPs, and speech therapy appointments.

But right now, in this moment, I am having a moment I want to remember.  A moment when the children are not fighting over video games or whining about their supposed boredom.  And I want to write it down instead of making dinner or folding socks.  Because I make dinner and fold socks all the time, but how often do I get a moment like this?

For the past two hours, my house has been wonderfully argument free.  Will has decided to organize his younger siblings into an afternoon of playing school.  I can hear Will announcing that it is math time, leading them in singing their ABCs, and telling them to line up for recess outside.  (He even sang praise songs while he was "lesson planning". And right now he is reading them a story.  He has taken them on learning adventures all over the house, and they are having so much fun.  The only angry sound I have heard was when it was "lunchtime" and Will made them milkshakes, and Jack loudly insisted that his should be 'NANA!  (He really likes bananas.)  Jack and Kate adore their big brothers, and so they are just soaking up all of this attention. 

Meanwhile, Ben has a massive science project due on Wednesday. I am a terrible mother who used to try to help with such things, but found that this quickly devolved into frustration and yelling.  And so now I just watch.  His dad graciously takes him to the hardware store to pick out wires and switches for his circuitry project, and then helps him to test it all and make sure it works before Ben finishes it off.  The project is almost complete.  Ben just explained to me the difference between parallel and simple circuits, which I also learned in the 4th grade but have long since forgotten. I just go out to the garage every so often to "ooh" and "ahh" and pat them on the back, literally and figuratively. 

And so I want to remember this moment.  When all is peaceful.  I know that soon there will be hungry children to feed, tired children to put to bed, and more socks to fold.  But for right now, in this moment, all is right with the world. 

Overwhelmed.

If I had to pick one word to describe the last four weeks (yep, almost a month during which I haven't blogged), it would be overwhelming. 

While I sometimes like to write with lightheartedness or sarcasm, other times I feel that vulnerability and honesty are the better way.  October (and September, if I am being truthful) calls for that. 

Overwhelming.

I am overwhelmed with the number of appointments. My kids and/or I have had appointments with plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, optometrists, ENTs, audiologists, orthodontists, dentists, speech and language pathologists, OB/GYNs, teachers, and pediatricians. I think we are currently averaging around five appointments a week.

I am overwhelmed with my kids activities.  Individually, it really isn't that much, but since there are four of them, it feels like more.  This fall the three big kids played soccer.  This winter Kate and Will are playing basketball.  Ben is on the academic team.  Ben and Kate want (and really should) take swimming lessons (and I am sure I will force Will to go as well).  Will and Kate also are in Bible Club at school.  Ben has an important role in the church Christmas play (which thankfully requires very little effort on my part), and Kate and Will are in the younger kids choir.  For now, I go to Sunday school with Jack to help him feel comfortable and safe, which we are thiiiisss close to achieving. 

I am overwhelmed by the pain of those that I love.  There are multiple people in my life who are hurting, and I want to fix everything for them.  I can't.  I can listen. I can hug.  I can pray. I can cook.  But I can't fix anything. (And those of you who are in that pain, please don't stop calling me.  I will worry about you whether you call me or not.  Talking to you actually helps. I mean it.)

I am overwhelmed by laundry, gardening, dirty floors, dirty toilets, disobedient children, screaming children (mostly one in particular), home repairs, phone calls, husbands who work around 50 hours a week, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, birthday parties, homework, children's church, political debates, and committee meetings.

But.

And this is a big but;)

I am also overwhelmed with the support I am getting from those I love.  My friends and family have been incredibly supportive of me and my family through all of the stuff I wrote about above.  They have let me vent, cry, and stomp my foot.  And then they make me laugh.  They cook for me and my children.  They help me make plans to make my life easier and talk through my options and give me their honest opinions.  Between my family, my college roommates, my book club, my fellow adoptive parents, and my friends who live thousands of miles away but still call to check on me on a regular basis, I am overwhelmed with support.

I am overwhelmed with joy spending time with my small group at church.  I, along with two other amazing women, work with teen girls each week.  These girls rock.  They are smart, funny, passionate, and compassionate, I can't believe I get to sit and laugh with them every week. 

I am overwhelmed with love.  Because even though we are crazy busy, my kids still take time to crawl up in my lap (or rather, my arms since I am not usually sitting) and tell me that they love me.  My husband still makes me feel beautiful and smart. And my God still reminds me Every. Single. Day. that He is in control of all of this.  Love. 

So, yes, I am overwhelmed.  With good, bad, and in between.  But it is all good.  And this too shall pass.  In about sixteen years.  I really have an amazing life.  If a tad overwhelming at the moment.

Because they will outgrow these before the end of winter...

Happy Mother's Day

Yes, I know this is a day late.  I had a beautiful post in my head on Saturday night - a tribute to all of the mothers in my life and all that they have done for me.  I have especially been missing my Ma-Ma and my Bunk, and wanted to write about them. 

But that didn't happen.

(And you know that when I write a single sentence fragment as a whole paragraph, that I am getting ready to launch into a rant, right?)

Where did we get the idea that Mother's Day is this glorious time where everyone celebrates mom and caters to her every desire?  Because that has never happened at my house.  Not even a little bit.  Never.  At my house, my husband (whom I love, but for the purpose of this story is not the hero) gets up and leaves for work on Mother's Day before I have even considered getting out of bed.  Because it is Sunday and that is what pastors do on a Sunday.  Except, oh yeah, I did get out of bed several times in the wee hours of the morning to help one kid vomit into the toilet after eating too much junk food at a baseball game last night.  Oh yeah, and to get another crying child out of his bed and into mine before he woke up three other children.  (Although in the husband's defense, he did take the crying child from me so that I could go back to sleep for a little while before I had to get up.  Maybe he is the hero of the story.  Or at least one of them. Huh.)

Then Mom has to get the children who are neither crying nor vomiting ready for church and there on time (or at least within 30 minutes of said time for church).  When the children and husband arrive back home from church, the four smallest of the crew want to sit on Mom's lap at the same time.  Which is lovely in sentiment and theory, but is distressing to a mother who wants to avoid two of said children from cold cocking each other.

At which point Mom goes into the kitchen to get some water.  And realizes that no one has bothered to clean up one single dish from the lunch that she cooked.  On Mother's Day.  And so she clears the table, loads the dishwasher, washes the dishes that don't go into the dishwasher, wipes down counters and table, sweeps the floor, and at some point realizes that she needs an escape hatch.

At which point Mom grabs the Kindle, the car keys, and her wallet and leaves.

After cooling off for an hour or so, Mom decides she misses the little boogers and goes back to get the two bigs for a movie date.  Mom and her big boys really do enjoy themselves, and this is the one point in the story where true appreciation is shown to Mom.  Because she did something she never ever ever does.  She let them watch a PG-13 movie.  And so naturally the bigs are very appreciative and kind.  And Mom can't believe she stooped so low just to get a thank you out of her children.


Upon returning to the nest, the smallest bird has decided that he Does. Not. Like. It. when Mom thinks that she can just up and leave and then she returns and expects everything to be normal.  Oh, no.  No, he decides he is not happy with Mama for that one.  And he spends the next few hours refusing to let her give him a bottle, look her in the eye, or let her put him to bed. 


I wish I could say that Mother's Day is typically a really great day for us, but honestly, this story is typical of my Mother's Days.  Except we don't usually throw attachment issues in there.  That one was a new bonus for Mother's Day. 


And now you know why, when Tim asks me what I want for Mother's Day, I tell him I want to crawl in bed. 

T Minus 5 Days

Are y'all getting as nervous as I am?  Because I am starting to really feel it.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

OK.  That's a little better.  Now then.  My dad brought up the new dresser for the boys' room yesterday.  There is no more space for a dresser in Jack and Kate's room because I decided that keeping the rocker was a must.  So the dresser had to go in Ben and Will's room.  Jack's everyday clothes will be in Kate's current dresser, and Kate's off-season clothing will go to the other room.  And I also moved around the boys' clothes to better fit the drawers.  Yes, it is confusing.  Hopefully the kids will figure it out quickly.

Dad and I moved the dresser up the stairs yesterday, and then I spent part of today rearranging everyone's clothes and packing for the two big boys.  I also booked the last hotel.

Check, check, and check. (I like the sound of crossing things off of my to-do list.)

And it is right about now that I am thankful for bunk beds.  Even if they are the devil to change sheets and make the bed.

Another Bad Mommy Confession

We are still catching up on the Summer Activities Report with this one. Unfortunately, I have put off telling this story because I am totally embarrassed by it. Ahhh, confession time.

First, a little back story - As a kid, I swam constantly. Like, every summer weekday I was at the pool. Every weekend, at the lake. I spent about seven summers working as a lifeguard. I swam competitively for awhile (although be aware I am using the term "competitively" quite loosely here). I have been swimming so long that I don't actually remember learning to swim.

If you had asked me ten years ago, what is one thing your kids will know how to do before they are five years old? I would have said swim. Obviously, it is a very important life skill, right?

But all of a sudden, I looked around, and I had three children who were afraid of the water. Had I taken them swimming? Had I gotten them lessons? Had I worked with them myself? Yes to all three, but obviously not enough.

This summer, I decided enough was enough. I declared that this would be the summer that everyone would learn to swim! I told them that every chance we had to be in the water, we would be swimming!

It sounds like an excuse, but it really was a challenge to find a suitable pool. That has always been part of our original problem. Our local outdoor pool is freezing and only about three feet deep. None of my kids were going to learn to swim in water that shallow. The local indoor facility has one pool that is warm, but only about three feet deep, and one that is cold and reserved for swimmers doing laps. Again, not ideal conditions. We ended up doing most of our "lessons" in two locations: my uncle's pool in the next town over and in a tiny little pool (that is five feet!) in my hometown, two hours away.

So, a couple times a week I would drive to one of the above locations, put them in the pool, and work with them individually and as a group. We practiced kicking, holding our breath, blowing bubbles, and moving our arms. They were mostly willing to learn, but I'm not going to lie. Every one of us lost our patience more than once. We all got mad at each other those first few times.

On one particular afternoon in June, I almost had a mutiny on my hands. We were at Uncle Ricky's, and we were all upset. All three kids wanted to quit. One of them shouted that he would learn to swim when he was a teenager. I told them that no way, no how, were they going to be the 15 year-old kids requiring a life jacket to swim in five feet of water. They were learning. Now. Yes, Mean Mama, who was also embarrassed at what a bad job she had made of it, had had Enough!

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, they got back in the water. And they tried. And I tried. And on other days their dad tried. And Daddy John tried. And basically we all worked very hard all summer to not let one more season pass without them learning how to swim.

So, did it pay off? I am very pleased to report, that despite my ineptitude, my children did indeed learn to swim.
Ben is learning basic strokes, and can swim across the pool. He is even starting to learn to dive.
Will was terrified to swim without a life jacket in June. He is now doggy paddling all over the place, and loves to jump in the deep end. And he isn't holding his nose!
Kate NaNa still prefers to hold onto a float, but she can swim across the pool. OK, she can in the shallow end. She can't quite figure out how to come up for air without putting her feet down. But she is only four, so I can cut her some slack on that one, especially since she has conquered her fear of the water. She also has a crazy strong kick that propels her really quickly across the surface.
By the 4th of July, they were able to swim with their cousins without clinging to the wall. Or holding their noses. Or asking 18 times if they could put on their life jackets.

In the end, we still have a long way to go. And I am still embarrassed that I let this go so far. But at least I am now confident that my children will not drown. Or still be afraid of the water at the age of 14 (no offense to those of you who are older than 14 and afraid). We are going swimming at an indoor pool this week, and I am eager to see how much they remember from last month.
I'm sure if I lose my temper again that they would be happy to tell you about it.

What My Kids Do For Fun

Because I am a proud member of the Mean Mommy Club, I do try to limit the television intake of my kids. That is not to say that they don't ever watch. I just try to make sure it is off most of the day. Some days I succeed more than others. Because of this, my children have been forced to create their own entertainment. Sometimes this works out well. Sometimes not so well.

At the moment, there seem to be three really popular games around my house.

The first one cracks me up because it is being played by the two children who live here who can't spell very well. One of them can't even read. But they insist that Hang Man is a fun game, regardless of their spelling abilities (or lack thereof).

I apologize for the poor scan quality, but this paper has been folded up and carried around the house more times than any Hang Man game should be. Notice the fingers. I wonder if every wrong answer got a finger, or if one wrong answer got the whole hand.

The next game just drives me a bit insane, because it nevah evah ends. It is called, "Mommy, if Obi Wan, Yoda, and Kit Fisto were in a fight, and they had fifty clone troopers on their side, and they were fighting against thirty droids, plus General Grievous, who do you think would win? Huh? Mommy, are you paying attention? Do you want me to tell you again?" This game is played by all three of my children, and has as many variations as there are combinations of Star Wars characters.

This is just a few of the many sticker collections around my house. Usually when this game starts, Mommy asks if there is anything good on tv.

Next is my current favorite game. This year, my kids are obsessed with March Madness. They have kept up with the brackets, the schedules, the seedings, all of it. And true to form, they have created a whole new game, called UK versus UConn. Or UK versus West Virginia. Or UK versus North Carolina. Or... well, you get the idea. Basically the kids stand on the parquet floor and toss the ball into an imaginary hoop. When they do, they cheer for UK, and give themselves a tally mark.

This is the score sheet Will kept from the UK/Duke game. (It doesn't matter that UK and Duke didn't play each other this year. They have heard the legendary stories of THE game.) In their version, UK always wins. (Please don't actually count the tally marks. It's an exercise in futility to argue with my children.)

Spring? Is that you?

We have had one of the coldest, snowiest winters ever. I knew when we missed a week of school in December it was going to be bad, and it has been. We missed 13 days of school, plus a delay thrown in for good measure. I don't think I have heard my heat kick off for weeks. (Which makes my electric bill awesome, by the way.)

But this week we have been granted a respite. It has been above freezing for a whole week now, when we have had weeks (months?) of it staying below the dreaded mark. Yesterday, it was a blessed 68 degrees. Heaven.

Honestly, I am not really much of an outdoorsy person. I do like to get out and do a little gardening in my vegetable patch or go for a walk, but overall I prefer my climate controlled home, where I can look out and see the sunshine.

So, why am I so excited to be rid of the cold? Because, warm weather allows me to open the back door, and kick my three children out of my house. I fiercely love my children, but I also fiercely love my alone time. I am desperate for the opportunity to pee by myself. To sit in a house that is silent. Obviously, I wouldn't want silence and being alone all the time (or would I?), but the cold creates so much togetherness that I tend to get a little claustrophobic.

Yesterday, after homework was completed, I sent them packing. Thirty whole minutes passed before one of them came inside or complained or anything.

I know this is probably a brief pause before winter resumes, but I am oh so thankful for it!

Booooooored

My kids have been out of school since Tuesday because of snow. This is on top of the week or so they missed before Christmas for snow. Our roads have been fairly clear (i.e., we aren't entirely trapped in our home), but I am still starting to go a little stir crazy, and I'm not the only one. Yesterday, if my children merely bumped into each other, it resulted in much weeping and gnashing of teeth. We are all pretty sick of looking at each other.

So this morning I called a dear friend who works in the school system. He and his wife don't have kids yet, and he offered to hang out with my kids in the event that I needed a little break. I am definitely there. Break, please!

While I was talking to him, he said that he was glad I had called because he was starting to get a little bored. When I hear people say this it always makes me smile a little.

Bored. I hear that word a lot from my kids, and it rarely produces a smile. Usually when they come in with that whiny voice, declaring, "I'm booooooored.....I don't know what to dooooooooo....." I just want to hit someone. But I refrain. Instead, I launch into my pre-manufactured speech:

Oh, you're bored? Poor thing. I feel like this is my fault. I let you watch entirely too much TV yesterday. If I hadn't let you watch television, you wouldn't have forgotten how to entertain yourself, and you wouldn't be bored now. So, tell you what, I won't let you watch TV anymore since it apparently steals your creativity. Also, feel free to go clean your room, fold the towels, or wash the dishes if you are out of things to do. And then we can bag up all of your "boring" toys and give them to a family whose kids would enjoy them more. What do you think about that?

You can imagine the eye rolling that occurs after this. I think Will was the youngest person I ever met capable of recognizing sarcasm. When he was about four years old he would cock his head to the side and say, "Mommy, was that a sarcasm?" Yes, baby, very good.

Anyway, I remember boredom. In college or when Tim and I were newlyweds, I can remember saying things like, I'm bored. Let's go into town and rent a movie or go out to eat or go the mall or whatever I thought sounded like a good solution to not having anything to do.

I don't think I have been bored one second since Ben was born. I'm not saying that my children are entertaining. They are, but that isn't my point. My point is that there is always something to do - change a diaper, prepare a meal, clean the floors... I could go on here, but you get the idea. When I actually do have a free moment, I am more than happy to sit with my nothingness and just veg. Not that I actually remember that happening in the last 8 years.

I wonder if boredom returns after the children fly the coop. (Today it feels more like a coop than a nest.) Not that I want to be bored again. I just want the freedom to be bored if I feel like it.

Poker Face

One of the kids I babysit is O. She is two years old and one of Kate's best buddies. She is an independent little firecracker, and I am constantly left laughing or rolling my eyes.

Her mom is a good friend of mine, and she is a huge Glee fan. (For the uninitiated Glee is a tv show about a high school choir with lots of angst, and they often break into song and dance.) She often listens to the sound track, and so O knows a lot of the songs. One of her favorites is a song called "Poker Face".

Last week, O comes in the room and says, "Hey, Kate! Let's do 'Poker Face'! Come on! Poker Face!" And she starts to sing a tune that I can only assume sounds like "Poker Face" to her, repeating Poker Face over and over.

Kate, who has never heard that song before (at least to my knowledge), gets a look of panic on her face, covers her eyes, and screams, "NO! Don't poke my face! Don't poke my face!"

They had this exact same conversation all day long.

At some point, I should've pulled Kate aside and explained to her what O was talking about, but honestly, I was laughing way too hard.

How did we get here?

Seriously. We have been having that kind of month. I mean season. (Please don't tell me it's that kind of year.) The kind where you find yourself over-extended, exhausted, and de-centered. That's me and my family right now.

You see, Tim and I pretty much see eye-to-eye on this kind of stuff. Priorities are: family, church, and school. That means dinner together at night, church activities, and homework. If the soccer/play/music lesson/birthday party/play date/committee/extra job conflicts with one of the above, we usually say no. We have gotten pretty good at finding that balance for our family.

Until now.

Last summer, I asked Ben if he wanted to play soccer. He really enjoys it, but he has aged out of our regular league (apparently 8 is soooo old), so we asked him if he was interested in this other league in town. He really wanted to play, so we signed up in June, so that he could play fall soccer. (Don't ask me why they need two months notice. That is a whole 'nother rant.) And then we forgot about it.

Fast forward to August, and Tim is trying out for community theater. When we lived in our previous town, he was in several plays, but the ones here always seem to conflict with our schedules (see above priorities), so he hasn't done it. On a whim, he asked Ben if he wanted to go and try out too. I saw no problem with that, and off they went.

But the problem was that all three of us forgot about soccer. Blame it on school starting back or the book or whatever, but we forgot. They both ended up getting multiple parts in Honk!, which means that they both have several practices a week. They are enjoying spending time together, but it is a large commitment.

Because it is the way things work, almost every single soccer practice or game in September conflicts with a Honk rehearsal. The play ends this weekend, and then we will start in again with the soccer. Along with that, we still have our jobs, piano practice, doctor appointments, and did I mention that Will is playing Y soccer?

I'll admit it, it was a whole lot worse two weeks ago when I was still working on the book. And at least Kate isn't involved in any extra-curriculars yet (not that she isn't dying to - she really wants to do gymnastics this winter).

But, in my defense, Ben originally refused to sing in the play, which meant he wouldn't get a part, which was fine with me. Also in my defense, when I called to sign Ben up for soccer, the lady told me there was one practice and one game per week. This is not in any way, shape, or form, true. We are supposed to be there at least three times per week for one or the other. We were also told there would be no Sunday/Wednesday games. Not true. And I didn't even think to ask if there would be out-of-town games (he is 8 for Pete's sake!). There are. So, the frustration is not entirely of my own making.

But enough of it is. And Ben is grumpy. This is a kid who requires about 11 hours of sleep a day, plus 2-3 hours of down time. (He would like nothing better than to play with his brother and sister all day long. He is a homebody like his mama and daddy.) He is definitely not getting that right now. We agreed that from now on, we really need to choose between activities. He was totally in agreement, but I have no idea which one he will choose in the spring. I just know that after October, we are taking some much needed time off!

I know some of you won't believe me, but we are not "keeping up with the Jones" kind of people. You hear about my schedule when I am stressed, but that is not our happy norm. We consider a good weekend one in which we have nothing planned, and we play in the backyard and read on the couch. We hate the stress of schedules and fees and practices. When we are tied up in that, we forget how much we actually like being together because we are rushing around all the time. We enjoy living at a slower pace than everyone around us. We do it intentionally. And now we are being reminded why we are that way.

Sometimes we joke that we are going to quit everything and move to Hawaii. But I hear that if we did that the joke would be on us. One of my dearest friends lives there, and we have talked weekly about how the stress of kindergarten and preschool and swimming lessons and dance and jobs and.... Well, it's killing them too. She is convinced that city life is the problem, but I say we have to intentionally learn to say no. Say, not right now. An eight-year-old doesn't need a 12-game soccer season. A three year-old doesn't need to drive 1/2 an hour one way for gymnastics.

We need to just be. Be a family. Be together. Be with God. And breathe.

Surprise Visit

A few weeks ago (yes, I know this post is very late), my brother-in-law and his wife called out of the blue and said they were coming to visit. The house was a wreck, Tim had meetings, and I was trudging through the church project (which I will tell you about later), but none of us cared because it is always a treat when Brian and Melissa come to town.

Their kids are almost 7 and almost 5, to go with my kids, who are 8, 6, and almost 4.They love to be together, rarely fight, and play, play, play. Michael says that I have the best toys at my house.

I say he has the best pajamas ever.

And Caroline and I got to have important conversations about school lunch boxes and ice cream flavors.

I love those kids.

(And just ignore all the red eyes. I don't have time to fool with that right now.)

They stayed the night, and Uncle Brian and Aunt Melissa took all 5 kids to get donuts, which made them big-time heroes with my crew. Then I got to sit on the couch and have grown-up conversations with two people I don't see often enough. It was really, really good. Did I say really? Really.

So, whenever you're ready to come back and visit again, come on over! (Although now that I think about it, I don't think they read my blog. Oh, well. The rest of the family does, so you come on over, too! :)

Summer Confessions

I have been on my best behavior so far this summer, so I thought I would give you all the Top 10 list of things I would never do.

10. I did not lose my 3 year old at an amusement park.

9. I did not pretend to be asleep for an hour and a half while my children ran around like banshees.

8. I did not forget to take Ben to piano lessons. Twice.

7. I did not call my friend and tell her that she had to come save my garden because I didn't have time. Twice.

6. I did not selfishly convince my boys that having one big birthday party for both of them would be more fun than having two little parties. In reality the only difference will be that there will be two cakes.

5. I did not refuse to get in the lake with my children and play.

4. I did not throw my oldest son in the lake because he bonked me in the head with a noodle. Whereupon he did not cry and yell a lot.

3. I did not ignore my leaking toilet for an entire week so that my husband can fix it when he gets home.

2. I did not lose it completely and yell loudly and at length at my five year old while I was babysitting our two-year-old friend O. (Thankfully, her mother did not have to forgive me when I apologized.)

1. I did not confess to my mother that it is already time for my children to go back to school!


As Will would say, that was definitely a sarcasm.

And we aren't even halfway through the summer yet.

Sunday Snapshot: {Say Cheese (Touch)}

I have spent the entire week of vacation trying to get a decent shot of all three kids.

You know. One where their eyes are open.

Or where they aren't yawning.

Or moving.

Or just being plain silly.

One where everyone is looking at the camera.

And this is what I came up with.

And I had to say, "Cheese touch," to get it. (If you don't know what that means, ask your nearest Wimpy Kid fan.)

I don't know how you photographers out there do it. I'm exhausted.

Grandpa

This is Tim's grandpa.
Is this not the cutest man you've ever seen?

He's so sweet and kind, too, that he has set the bar high for his sons and grandsons.

Last week we got to spend a couple of days with him. (I'm too embarrassed to tell you how long it had been since we had made the trek to northern Ohio.) And Grandpa suggested we take the kids to the park. Despite the fact that he is 96, he likes to make sure everyone is having a good time.

(And they had one of those vomit inducing, death machines that I loved when I was a kid. It's hard to find those anymore.)

We had a really good time:) We love you, Great Pa-Pa!