Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

School. It's what we do. I've developed the mentality that school, for us, is not an 8am-to-3 pm-sit-down-and-do-book-work event. It's an all-day, learn-from-everything event. Yes, we do book work, but we also talk and cook and clean and play. I answer question after question. If they're interested in something, we explore and investigate it. My kids are learning and bright and excited for school every day and I love that!

I had a situation recently that blew me away. I was teaching a water aerobics class. As I jump and jog and reach for my toes and yell, "harder! faster!" ever so often, one lady strikes up a conversation. We'll call her, Judy (we have to change the names, to protect the guilty in this case). Conversation is great. We love conversation in water aerobics. Class flies by when people are talking. However, this conversation in particular could not be over soon enough for me. Picture Edith from Archie Bunker, "So Alyson, are you still trying to homeschool your kids?" Are you kidding me?!

"Yes, Judy, I sure am." I smile.

"Well, how is that going for you?"

I make an effort to change the subject by saying, "Just great," and then tell a story about Adelle on the table during school (this occurs about 400 times a day). Judy was not deterred.

(Check out this video to see how that usually goes down: Adelle's new groove).

"Well, you know [our small town] public school has very capable teachers and ..." blah blah blah. I do know that. Thank you for that information. She goes on, "Do you have a degree in teaching?" Nope, sure don't. "Well maybe you should work on that and then think about teaching your kids." Really?! "What grades are your kids in this year?"

I explain with the intention of shutting this down, "Hudson is 6, but he's doing 2nd and 3rd grade work. Pierce is 5 and doing Kindergarten work. Alayna is 3 - she's doing pre-K stuff."

Judy smiles, "Well you're probably learning right along with them." Was that slam?

I smile in return, "Actually, I am smarter than a 5th grader, much less a 2nd grader, Kindergartener and pre-schooler." I laugh and smile and try to lighten the moment. I want to explain what my kids are learning right now. I want to put them on display so she can really see how awesome they are. Yes, I'm biased. I am the mom and the teacher. But, good grief, at this point I am feeling so belittled and wrongly judged, like I'm doing my children a disservice. While everyone else in class is looking a little nervous, Judy is absolutely clueless and keeps going. "What school would your kids go to? ... Oh! they team-teach there. That's a great school." blah, blah, blah.

Finally, I can take it no longer and try to shut her down, "Judy, you're not going to change my mind. I homeschool. It's achoice my husband and I made intentionally. My kids are smart and doing just fine. We're all fine." I say firmly, but with a smile. She smiles back at me and says, "Well, I just have a vested interest in the public school system." I respond, "Well, I just have a vested interest in my children."

I'm not a confrontational person. I hate being put in situations like this. I don't preach that homeschooling is the only way. Everybody do what's best for your family. I'm all for it! But don't shove it down people's throats like it's really your way or the highway. Man, that wears me out.

Okay, in other news...I turned 31. I'm IN my 30's now. Fun, huh? In better news, Pierce turned 5 and had the best weekend of his life including a campout party and a day at the fair to see Toby Mac (who is like a black/white guy, gangster/Christian, vest/skull cap - whatever, he's got a couple of good songs and Pierce LOVES him). Anyway, that was crazy fun (exhausting).

The birthday boy in the tent with his big brother.

Owl cupcakes

"At dawn we ride!" The chocolate-covered tornado.

Camp scene - roasting marshmallows for s'mores.

The girlies in their tent.

Here's Alayna explaining her drawing to me

Here's Alayna singing the timeline song

Someday I'll video the boys too :) Thanks for letting me vent.

Your muscles get bigger while you're sleeping.

Three years ago, Hudson was 3 1/2 and Pierce was almost 2; Alayna was on the way and we needed to make room in the crib, so we put them in a queen size bed together. This summer we were able to get bunk beds for them, yet they still manage to sleep together some nights. Every day they're getting bigger, smarter, stronger. I love watching my babies become toddlers, then big boys. I love teaching them and seeing the fruit of it. I love marking the notch on the door frame that shows they've grown another two inches and seeing the excitement on their faces. Yet, something sweet hurts inside.

Procrastination is the Thief of Dreams

"The assumption of time is one of humanity's greatest follies. We tell ourselves that there's always tomorrow, when we can no more predict tomorrow than we can the weather. Procrastination is the thief of dreams."

--The Walk by Richard Paul Evans.

One of my dear friends lost her mother yesterday. Her mother, of course, was my mother's age. Young, vibrant, loving her grandkids and the life she had been blessed with. Then she was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer - "like the kind of event that blindsides you on a Friday afternoon when you're trying to plan your weekend."

Her journey through this battle is incredible. You can read about it here.

I have many vivid memories of Vicki Dees. She was my bible study teacher through middle school and highschool. She made a huge impact on my spiritual walk and my understanding of God. She was a the happiest, sweetest person I've probably ever met. All of that is a direct result of her love for Jesus.

I spent many days playing at her house with her daughter, Rissa, as a child. I grew up with their family as an almost daily part of my life. But my strongest and fondest memory of Vicki was one summer day when I was over at their house "helping" with a garage sale. I was probably 9 or 10. Vicki had us pricing things. She would strike up a conversation with every person who came to her garage sale. Most of the conversations ended up with this question, "Do you know Jesus?" Her boldness wasn't overbearing or judgmental. It was the sweetest thing I had ever witnessed. Like she truly loved and cared for every person who walked in that day.

If you read her blog you'll see her faith and you'll see one of her last profound statements, "I was created to be eternal." Her faith is now sight and mine is the stronger for it.

Confessions of a desperate mommy

Warning: If you have a weak stomach DO NOT READ the first part of this post!!! (You may not want to ready any of it).

Wednesday is library day for us. Every Wednesday after naps we load up our huge pile of books and movies and make the exciting jaunt to the library to make the exchange for new stuff. Today we did just that. However, everything changed when, from the backseat, I hear, "My tummy doesn't feel good. Mom, I can't hold it ..." He barely missed Adelle who had a front row seat for some serious projectile action. Hudson started the party and it went downhill from there.

My first thought was to get him home and clean up the van. On second thought, I don't want late fees on those movies and if the kids are all going to be sick, we really need new movies (books are good for two weeks). And, if I'm going to be up all night with sick kids I'm going to need some caffeine! AND, mom's who have to clean up after sick kids deserve expensive caffeine. David was headed out of town for a basketball game and I was not prepared to handle four erping (is that a word?) children without ample entertainment and energy. Totally selfish and depraved - I know.

So, we drove home, cleaned up the van, cleaned up Hudson, grabbed a couple of towels, and got back in the van. Yes, we did. Then we drove back to the library. Hudson lost it again on the way there (it's about 4 minutes away) so I told him to lay down on the floor of the van and stay there while we ran in and get some movies. Well, I got what I deserved. As soon as we got into the library Alayna moaned, "Mommy, my tummy hurts." Then she erped all over the library floor. The librarian kindly held the baby while I cleaned it all up, cleaned Alayna up, grabbed our movies (yes, I did!) and finally made a "clean" get away.

We got through the Starbucks drive-thru without any more incidents. We spent the evening watching movies and running to the bathrooms. At one point I had Alayna over one toilet and Pierce and Hudson sharing another one and a towel over my shoulder with the baby. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up!

Everyone is in bed for now and I'm going to make good use of this caffeine and go clean the bathrooms.

Big things are happening

My 30th birthday party at Mom & Dad's

Angela, Me holding Adelle, Amanda holding Lola

Pierce turned 4

Adelle is 5 months with two little chicklet teeth.

We went to a great pumpkin patch with our homeschool group.

We made a Pierce-size scarecrow, that I have yet to make a head for.

Lots of big things are happening, I just have very little time to write about them. As I speak the baby is sleeping and the big kids are eating lunch and I inhaled some leftover sweet potato fries before I tackle this house ... again. I read another blog of a homeschool mom with four kids (a little bit older than mine). She's super artistic and creative. Her kids do all kinds of special projects and experiments. She paints. Right now she's on a coffee cup kick and they're so cute. I want to paint some and hang them all over my kitchen and dining room. But I don't paint. I know we all have different gifts and talents. I'm not usually big on comparing myself to others. But I do always think other people have it all together and must be doing everything way better than me. Yes, I do have four children under the age of 5. And this week after all the lovely hay at the pumpkin patch my allergies have taken a turn for the worst. Being under the weather always leads to lack of motivation.

Anyway, the kids are done eating lunch and are now all pretending to be puppies. The volume in this house just went way up. I think I'll send them out to the yard for a while. :)

Coping with digestive issues

Well, I want to buy every digest from Econobusters Blog. You have to check that one out.

We've had the big D around here for the last few days or, as my kids say, rusty poop. I don't know where they come up with this stuff. So I've been making the kids eat starchy foods as I sneak Cliff bars and protein shakes (mommy and baby are fine). Yesterday morning we (less than successfully) tried Cream of Wheat. They thought it was so awful they opted for plain white hotdog buns instead. Last night I made mashed potatoes. Pierce happily ate those and said, "I like these kind of mashed potatoes but those applesauce potatoes you made this morning were not very tasty." :)

Due to the big D, this mommy has not gotten a lot of quality sleep. Baby A sleeps like an angel (knock on wood), but between Pierce and Alayna I've been up every couple of hours and my entire day suffers. So, this morning when Adelle went down for her morning nap, I turned on Dora and went down for my morning nap. It was glorious. After the nap and feeding Adelle I went to Starbucks for the rare and wonderful treat of a little liquid gold. Now the laundry and dishes are done and the house is in ship shape again. Caffeine as a stimulant is the way to go.

My children are happily eating applesauce and crackers for lunch after a morning of searching for bugs in the back yard (mostly fast spiders according to Hudson). After the big kids rest time we're headed out for an afternoon swim with the cousins and Aunts. Should be a par-tay.

What we've been up to

Water guns make for HOURS of fun.

Even the princess has one.

I love this picture because I can see Hudson's long skinny legs next to my other little chubby-kneed, cankle legged cuties. Adelle sleeps a lot and doesn't mind hanging out in shade by the pool. Noisy boys and a squealy little girl don't bother her at all.

So far Miss Ellie is the most laid back of all the kids. She's awesome.

And here we all are - seriously, I don't think any of them know how to smile for real.

The Little Princess and her Journey to Princess Panties

Well, potty-training is not my favorite part of parenting, but when it's done it's so sweet. Notice how tired mommy is in the picture below ... part of that tiredness could have been that I was rearranging furniture and vacuuming every little nook and cranny, but that's another story.

We still keep the little potty chair handy when we're outside. Boys can just water the trees, but little girls have to run inside every 15 minutes and that's no fun. So we put it on the back porch and that works nicely. :) It's also nice to have three acres and no neighbors to bother.

She fell asleep on daddy after the traumatic discovery that she had to SIT on the potty. Never thought that would be the hard part for her!

The BIG potty chair is way better. I sit on the bathtub ledge and hold her hand. After doing this 100 times a day it's good to remind myself that someday she really will go all by herself ... and so will I! Quality time, right?!

She LOVES her brothers ...

and she REALLY loves her Mimi ...

and lately, she loves her daddy a WHOLE LOT. He'll pick her up and she'll pet his face and say, "My daddy." (Yes, she's still in the "mine" phase. It's sweet when it's daddy though, and he's loving it.)

Mimi and Papa played with the kids yesterday and David and I spent a day on the town. A little shopping, a Ruby Tuesday's salad bar, and a movie. Friday matinees draw an interesting local crowd. Somehow, David and I always get the blue hairs behind us with hearing aids cranked up high and they still talk loud to each other through the movie. Bonus entertainment, right?!

A couple of weeks ago I bought an urn with my gift certificate at Pottery Barn (the $$ leftover after the shower curtain purchase). So, yesterday I filled it with flowers from "Hobbly Lobbly" (50% off sale!!! I was SO excited). I'll have to take a picture of the finished product. I'm pretty proud of myself.

And, today is Saturday so we're planning on finishing up the flower beds and other jobs that require some serious outside time. Loving this spring weather!

Monday

I'm totally wiped out these days. I went to the grocery store this morning and took a two hour nap this afternoon to recover. I have these crazy bursts of energy where I accomplish the unimaginable, but they leave me lifeless. My doctor appointment on Monday should reveal if all these contractions are paying off. I'm never early, but it's a nice thought.

Alayna did remarkably well with potty training. We've had no accidents and she's been dry every night since the first night. She sometimes wakes up at 4 in the morning to go potty, but so do I. No big deal. When she goes on the big potty chairs she always says, "It okay, my mommy gotcha." Her little legs stick straight out and when she's done she giggles and cheers. Adorable. We've replaced the special candy rewards with stickers. She LOVES stickers so the exchange was painless.

Wow, I can't wait for Monday. Does anyone ever say that?!

Easter

I'm a mom, that's what I do ...

Pierce got a tool set for Christmas from Mimi and Papa. He was pretty sure he looked awesome.

This is supposedly his "awesome" face.

I said, "Smile with your teeth." Nice.

Cute kid, but seriously, don't tell him that. During Christmas at Grandma's this year one of my cousins told him he was cute and he burst into tears. "I'm not cute! I'm awesome!" Alayna is the cute baby girl, Pierce is the awesome big boy - don't get the two confused. It's about the height of insult for him.

Last night he and Hudson were playing "bad guys." In his deep, scruffy, voice he yelled, "Cwiminals awe on the woose! Wun for your wives!" (Translation: criminals are on the loose, run for your lives!). He keeps me smiling.

Yesterday, Hudson and I played countless games of Go Fish and about a 4-hour game of battleship (thank you Aunt Epsie!). He's at a pretty fun stage because he can read pretty good and his ability to think strategically is pretty sharp.

Alayna plays a new game where she lines up all her babies, wraps them up in blankets and sings songs to them. Most of the time I have no idea what she's singing. Yesterday I made one out. Sadly it was, "Scooby-dooby-do, where are you?!"

We're pretty set on Adelle for baby #4. Pierce would like us to name her Ellie Peaches. Hudson is pushing for Alexandria as a middle name (his middle name is Alexander). While we haven't settled on a middle name yet, I think Ellie is a pretty cute nick name.

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I'm a mom, that's what I do. I was at a party in December where I heard a girl say that all her mom ever wanted to be growing up was a mom, and now that the kids are grown, she doesn't know what to do with herself. My own mother has echoed the same thoughts. Maybe most moms are in that boat, especially when you have young children that require so much physical, hands-on energy. Time for things outside of mothering is just not there. So, as I wrote out my schedule and goals for the remainder of this school year and the rest of the year, I put a little thought into who I am and what I want to be now that I'm grown up.

This year will be somewhat monumental (I say that very lightly). We celebrate 6 years of marriage in February. Adelle arrives in May. I turn 30 in September. I'll be home schooling a first grader and a pre-schooler (with two baby girls running around).

Right now, in my "spare time," I teach aerobics, crochet, read, write, etc., among the mommy/wife duties of caring for babies and home and husband. I don't want my priorities of God and family and home to become mediocre efforts because I'm focussed on ME. So, I think, while I plan on keeping things pretty much the same, in the back of my mind I'm going to keep thinking about what I want my life to look like in 10-15 years, when the babies are big and the mommy has a little bit more time on her hands.

Playing in the snow and proof reading

Pierce, laying in the snow.

baby girl all bundled up - notice the crazy huge snow drifts. Blizzard conditions on Christmas Eve left us with a lovely white Christmas. It was a fabulous weekend thanks to my family of 4WD owners.

Hudson - taking aim.

The daddy and me playing in the snow too.

I finally got the Christmas letters out yesterday. I really did proof read them, but that was while I was also "reading" to Alayna, tearing out a color page for Pierce and changing the arms of a lego guy from yellow to black because that would be cooler. So, for those of you who read the letter (on facebook too), another year has come and gone, not coma; and Hudson likes to build things out of legos.

Christmas Eve we drove to a friends' house for a little get together ... in a blizzard. The wind and snow were insane. We made it slowly but safely home that night, but because of the huge snow drifts we couldn't pull all the way into our driveway. The van was stuck, and we would have been too if it weren't for my parents (who live about a block away) and their 4WD vehicles. After Christmas morning in our living room, my brother-in-law picked us up for Christmas lunch at Mimi & Papa's where all 16 of us and two dogs celebrated together. We got my dad a jim-bay (don't know how you spell that, but it's a drum. He's wanted one ever since he saw "The Visitor"). I looked up the lyrics for Little Drummer Boy and a few other well-known songs that we didn't know the words to, and we had a very LOUD Christmas caroling session. After presents, lunch and naps we headed to my Grandma's house. Thirty-six aunts, uncles, cousins and grandkids assembled for Christmas carols and presents and more food in a little bitty house. We love it though.

And now the decorations are put away and the treadmill is cleaned off and we're ready for the new year. We'll do that the way most families with young children do: put the kids to bed at 8 and be in bed ourselves by 10. Happy 2010!

Christmas Grace

Lots of things on my brain this morning: Menu planning, what to get my dad for Christmas (the man who has everything or buys it himself on the internet Dec 15 - thanks dad), projects to finish before Christmas, must mail those Christmas cards today! grocery shopping by 9 or it won't happen, am I really only half way through this pregnancy?! I feel huge, probably baking some goodies this afternoon for friends and neighbors, and that little diaper bottom in pink sweatpants that just walked by sure is cute ...

I finally wrapped the presents yesterday during nap time. When Pierce woke up he said, "We really ARE getting presents!" Someone asked Hudson last night if Santa was coming to his house. He looked at them with this do-you-think-I'm-a-dumb-little-kid look and said, "Santa Clause is already in heaven and his real name is Saint Nick." We did supply the history of St, Nicholas, but not the attitude! Good grief! Pierce is a little scared of "Santa Claw" so it's just as well that we don't "do" Santa. When Hudson was about 3, he kept telling me these crazy things about Satan. It was several days before I realized he was trying to say Santa - much to my relief!

I do like the philosophy of giving gifts to my children because I love them and want to bless them rather than gifts magically appearing if they're good vs. bad. We're really celebrating the birth of Christ who came to us, not because we're good and deserving, but because He first loved us. His ultimate gift to us required the greatest sacrificial gift of all time - His life for ours. I have been blessed with grace and mercy and love having the opportunity to share that beautiful picture of grace with my children.

A Very Random Monday Morning

Finishing up the Christmas shopping this morning while mom watches the kiddos. So glad to be feeling better!

Alayna has graduated to the booster seat. She LOVES sitting at the table. After she kept crawling/climbing up into Hudson and Pierce's chairs we decided to give her a "big girl" chair.

In other news, I made these awesome fleece pillows for my nieces. I'll take pictures soon. The boys thought they were SO awesome so I'm picking up some more fabric today to make some for them. I was really impressed with how well those turned out and got really ambitious and confident in my home-ec abilities. So, with some extra fabric I had on hand, I decided to make some pajama pants for the nieces as well. I didn't have a pattern so I used clothes I already had to make one. That was probably my first mistake. Anyway, they'll just be getting pillows this year. The boys were totally impressed with my sewing skills. "Whoa! How did you even do that?!" A good boost for my ego, but it really says nothing of my sewing skills. Sadly, I did take classes for that (ten years ago! - I'm so old!).

Time to get a move on. The mad, mean Christmas shoppers need to make way for the well woman on coffee with no children in tow! A force to be reckoned with!

Finally!

Everyday for the last three days I have felt a little bit better. My energy is not quite back to normal and I still can't hear out of the right side of my head (that'll take a while to get back), but I can breathe (except for this baby starting to crowd my lung capacity) and I'm not quite so dizzy. My poor children have been well for a week but have still been trapped in the house with their sick mommy.

Yesterday I got to go to a surprise birthday party for my sisters. It was SO wonderful to get out of the house and enjoy adult company! I've been craving a good dose of that for over two weeks!

Well, I got home last night and laid out the church clothes and bathed the children and heard my husband say, "I don't know if the kids should go to church tomorrow. We just can't go through two more weeks of this." While I agreed that I don't want to go through two more weeks of this, I cannot hibernate until March and neither can they. So, we had a short discussion and he yielded to my view ... or at least gave me my way. But, what to do? I have to go to the grocery store, I have to start working at the Y again, and I have to teach Sunday school at church. I have to take the kids with me - that's just the way it is. There's no avoiding the germs ALL the time.

So, we're all headed to church this morning. Stay away from us if your germy! Time to let the Sunday morning marathon begin and get the kids' fed and dressed.

Among the many challenges this month: Getting Christmas Pictures of my Children

A flu-ridden mommy and kids watching a Christmas show.

Alayna was NOT into taking Christmas pictures.

Daddy and the boys after I said, "David, smile for real, you look like your dad!" We LOVE Grandad. :)

Alayna, in a much better mood in her warm house by the tree.

After the 3rd day of trying I got a few usable shots. They're in our card and I'll post them later. But, seriously, that's after three days of combing hair, donning the red turtle necks and the Mrs. Santa dress, and mommy "nicely" insisting they look at the camera and smile at the same time. Three days!

I also finished the Christmas letter. I love Christmas letters. I love getting them and reading them and catching up on people's lives. Although, the negative aspect of Christmas letters portrayed in comedy sketches (like the one I saw the other night on Jay Leno) can be true for some, I still like reading them. I write ours mainly for us, though. I envision the kids reading back over them someday and seeing how they've grown and how they're likes and dislikes have changed and remembering the highlights of each year. I think someday I might do two though. One with the "real" pictures and one where they look nice - just for fun, and just for us.

So, what do you think about Christmas letters? Yea or Nay?

Ear drums - who needs 'em?!

I don't know why I thought ear infections were things that kids get and they're not really a big deal. I will have SO MUCH more compassion now when my poor children get ear infections.

I woke up at 5am Monday morning with severe pain in my right ear and all over the right side of my face. I was sure it was swollen beyond imagination, but it wasn't. I called my OB and she directed me to my primary care doctor who couldn't work me in for a couple of days! I detest my home town Urgent Care. I'm pretty sure everyone who works there hates their life and hates all the sick people who come in. It's constantly PACKED with sick people too. I've never been in there and waited less than an hour. But, even after all that I was ready and willing to head into Urgent Care.

My wonderful husband came in from his first early morning appointment that happened to be close to our house and offered to drive me to a different Urgent Care. Yes, we would drive 30 minutes out of the way. That's how much we don't like it! So, mom came over to have a Christmas craft party with my kids (she's incredible) while David and I went to the doctor. I was the only person in the waiting room and we got right in. The doctor came in 2 seconds later - love it! Ear infection, sinus infection, and potential pneumonia! He couldn't do any x-rays but said if the antibiotics don't clear up the congestion within a couple of days to come back in.

David and I picked up Subway on the way home. All of this time that acute pain was constant. I have never experience pain like that that couldn't be relieved. It brought a grown woman to tears! We got home and fed the kids and put them to bed and put me to bed. I didn't sleep a lot until something popped in my ear. I didn't realize until later that my ear was bleeding. After a little research and the confirmation of several friends who had experience the same thing, I realized my ear drum had burst.

So glad God gave us two ears!

It must be Monday

I think blogging is good for the mommy brain, or any brain. It's so easy for me to get stuck in the slog of diapers and cleaning house and cooking dinner and other mindless, routine activities. I've found it so good for me to sit down every day or so and write something - anything. Then I find that throughout my day I think of things or see things "blog-worthy". Ideas start flowing and all-of-a-sudden I'm beyond the daily grind of routine and finding lessons and stories and humor in everything.

My family has been through the flu this past week. The flu is actually not so bad, it's all the crud that come afterward like sinus infections and ear infections. I'm in so much pain right now. I had no idea ear infections felt this bad. David's taking me to urgent care in a little bit. I don't trust my dizzy self to drive!

We tried to take some Christmas pictures yesterday. Everyone was feeling better, so I cut the boys hair, dressed everyone in red and stood them up by the cedar trees. There's nothing quite like testing parents' patience like taking pictures of three small children. Smiling and looking at the camera simultaneously is a feat few under five can handle. I think we got a few of everyone but Alayna, who didn't think standing out in the cold was anything to smile about.

On to urgent care before the entire right side of my face explodes!

Break Time

Saturday's are generally the same as any other day for us. David usually still has work appointments. The kids and I don't usually do any official school, but we may tackle a project and my hands on attention is always needed.

Today, David is staying home with the kids and I get to go out. Grant it, it is a meeting, but it's at Panera with a group of women that I adore, planning exciting things. So, I'm excited.

Here's the part where I jump on my soap box and proclaim deep truths: Mom's need a break every once in a while. Deep, isn't it?! But, seriously, it has taken me three children to really understand this. I always felt guilty leaving my kids with someone else so I could go grocery shopping alone or just get a cup of coffee and sit in quiet. But I would let myself get to the point of weariness and tears and overwhelming frustration, when all I really needed was a moment without someone on my hip, and someone pulling at my leg and someone else yelling "mom" across the house. When I felt like everything I did was mediocre or worse, I would get burned out.

I'm not a preacher of "me-time" by any means. I love my children and I want to invest time and energy and MYSELF into them. However, the truth stand that if my energy is sapped, the only investment my children will receive will be from the frustrated, over-tired mom who has grown to view her role as a mother as a burden instead of a joy.

Last week, a dear, trusted friend offered to keep the kids for the day while I did something fun. She's a mother of four nearly grown children herself, so she understands exactly where I am right now - she was there herself at one time. So, you don't have to depend on your husband and run out the door as soon as he gets home from work. You don't always have to pay a babysitter (though I have a time or two). Even other mommy friends don't mind giving you a break, because they understand too.

So, I'm off to shower and throw on something cute (no maternity sweats - ugh!!) and get ready for a couple of hours OUT! This afternoon holds plenty of lego building, baby rocking, book reading and game playing. For now - a short break that I shall ENJOY!!

Catechisms in real life

Well the kitchen got cleaned from top to bottom, the house got completely disinfected (I'll have to do it again today), and "it" is a GIRL! We couldn't be more thrilled ... except for the boys. Hudson said, "Are you kidding me? Don't you know we like boys around here." He and David had a long talk after that one. He came back and apologized for being disrespectful. This morning he said, "Mom, I really like just having us." To which I responded, "What if I told your daddy before you were born that I really liked just having us and we never had you, would you be sad? What if we went ahead and had you and after you were born we decided we really didn't want any more kids, so we never had Pierce or Alayna. Would you be sad?"

We've been doing our daily Bible study time through a devotional book of catechisms and we're on providence, so I asked, "Hudson, what is providence?" He rolled his eyes a little bit, but answered, "God's wise governing of every creature and every action." I smiled and said, "Do you think God knew I was going to have another baby? Do you think God decided our family would need another girl instead of a boy? Do you think God knows what's best, even if it's not what we want?" He nodded his head to all of that (and sadly it reminds me of the same conversation I had with myself when I first found out I was pregnant). "God has something very special for this little girl just like he does for you." I told him when I didn't like someone it always helped me to pray for them. So he prayed, "God help me to love this baby even though I don't like her"!! I guess we're moving in the right direction.

Alayna pays attention to all this baby talk. She said, "Ah, cute!" Which is what she says about every baby, animal, or clothes she likes. Who wouldn't want another one of those?!

Baby #4

I should be cleaning my kitchen and disinfecting doorknobs, but ... I'm not. I'm drinking coffee and thinking and blogging.

I've been working on our Christmas letter for the last few days - between doctor visits and wiping bottoms and blowing noses and other mommy duties. As I write about our kids' achievements, likes and dislikes and changes over the year, I can't help but think about how different next year's letter will look. We'll have a seven-month old whom we never knew we couldn't live without. I can't even imagine all of the changes except that one - another brother or sister to share a room and clothes and toys with and to love. It really blows my mind even as it growing and kicking me and I know it's there, but it's going to be incredible to put a face to it ... and a gender so I don't call it "it" anymore.

Today is the day we find out what "it" is, as long as "it" cooperates. Excitement!!!