You Don't See That Every Day

Dear Cousin, Do you remember those summers when my mom would let me spend a whole week with you at your house? One year it was a whole month. Those were some fun times! We played in the pool, we rode the horses, we ate tons of Popsicles ... I never wondered about it before, I just enjoyed it! Now that I am a mom, I wonder if she did it to have some time off .... Oh, I know she had plenty to do - especially in the summer; what I mean is time off ... from me. I love my kids, I love having them home (I wouldn't have homeschooled if I didn't!) But yesterday my older 3 were at school and my younger two were invited to go to Portland with a neighbor for the whole day. Suddenly my day looked different. Instead of driving from store to store with 2 children who would need snacks, drinks, bathroom stops, refereeing and other attention, I would be driving from store to store by myself. I could stop anywhere and anytime I wanted to. The feeling of freedom was enticing. And then I got...

Behind this sweet face is One.Stubborn.Girl. We are in the 'throes' of potty training and it's all in her court now. I tried over and over to get her interested for the past few months. And after training 4 kids, I knew it was something I couldn't force her into. Earlier this month, one Saturday we were visiting with my niece who had stopped in for a visit. Little K. slipped away without a word, and then a few minutes later we found a bare-bottomed girl who had gone in and used the bathroom. By herself. Without a word. And then the girl would not do this again for at least another week. Well, this week has been different! We've been home more, and she has been choosing to go without diapers. Maybe it's seeing all her friends use the bathroom, I don't know. Whatever it was, it clicked in her brain, and she is on track! In our circles, opportunities for 3 year old's who wear diapers seem limited. The biggest blow for Little K. was not being able t...

Today is a birthday! Miss M. is 8! Here is a picture of my April babies. Miss M and Baby K were born a week apart, 7 years apart. Miss M weighed 9 lbs at birth, Baby K was nearly 9 lbs. (only 5 ounces less than that). Their siblings were all much less than that. They both have dark, dark hair, unlike their siblings who are blond.  And they look like their father's side of the family; while their siblings take after my side, at least in the beginning. 

Some things change over time. Some things don't. After our 4th child was born and we gave away baby items, I didn't think I would ever see certain clothes again. My sister in-law gets to surprise me all the time now when she passes back the baby clothes to our baby K! Here's the first girl (and big bro), April 2001 (my most favorite picture of them. Ever.) And here's the last girl, Feb. 2011. Same shirt, same overalls. Possibly even the same socks.

Five years. A lot can change in five years. January 2006. Five years ago I had a 4 month-old, an almost 3 yr-old, 6 yr-old and 8 yr-old. We figured our baby days were numbered. Our 4 month-old's antics were caught on video so we wouldn't ever forget the adorable sounds and looks of a baby. And then whammo, five years later here we are in the baby stages! Our almost-9 month old has been a challenge and a blessing. We GET to relive the baby days! We get to RELIVE the baby days! We get to relive the BABY days! Five years ago I had 2 children "going" to school at home. Now I have 4 of them "in" school. I had never heard of chronic hives. I had not yet met Kimmy, Craig, Ben, Caleb, Sophia or Hailey or Karly!  We did not know our friends would be moving to Argentina. A lot can change. And five years before that we had a 3 month old and a 2 year old. (2001) S and S, 2001 Five years before that , we weren't even dating. (1996) A lot can change in fi...

I ran once last week. A week ago today I think it was. My youngest two girls went with me, one in the stroller, the other on her scooter. My 5 year old might just be the runner I have dreamed of having in my family. She likes to run already. She once ran around the track with me, in flip fops, without complaining, and actually enjoying it. She is the one who asks, Are we going to run? when I suggest an outing. Yay! So my run last week - yes, it felt good to be out there, but my shoulders were all tense from pushing the stroller. I'm still trying to get the hang of it. And about 3 hours later I had such a bad headache I barely made it through getting the kids fed and to bed before I toppled into bed to fight off the queasy feeling the headache had brought on. The point? I want to run. I long to run. I see runners and think, "Me!" But my body and sleep schedule don't seem quite ready for it yet. We are beginning to train baby K to sleep through the night. This has a...

So here's one picture from my birthday that I *forgot* to put on that post last month. Surprise! I have had mixed feelings about this for some time. But after my first doctor's appointment this week, I am much more positive about this big change in our lives. We finally told our other 4 what was going on. Now they understand, maybe, a little bit more why Mom is always on the couch sleeping. And they are super excited. I don't think they remember what is was like 4 years ago when the youngest was born and made SO much noise... Of course, she still makes a lot of noise, just a different kind.