Abby 6 months

Does this onesie make my cheeks look fat?

Ben age 3.

On the way home from a Costco hot dog dinner tonight:

Ben:  Mommy, I’m still hungry.  Can I have another cookie?

Me:  No more cookies, Ben.  How about I fix you a plate of broccoli when we get home?

Ben: Yeth, and I would like a plate of meat to go with it.  For my dinner.

20 days

Sam has been sick with his poorly defined GI issues since June 25.  He does not eat much, but we are used to that.  The thing that is hard is that he acts miserable the whole time, crying and whining, and needing to be held.  He has no ability to cope with anything and no ability to play on his own.  It is exhausting and discouraging and tends to consume our family as much as we try not to let it.  If I was not in the middle of this situation, I would say it sounds like you just have a 2 year old who needs a good spanking.  But, I am being humbled all the time and learning I just cannot understand what kinds of burdens others carry.  I want to have more grace- I sure do need it from others.  I want to be more like Jesus and less like the self righteous, judgmental sinner that I am.  I want to be more thankful and joyful in every circumstance.  As I was feeling so deeply sad yesterday, I was reminded once again there are families who have deeper hurts and need my prayers.  It is a dark path to walk when there are no answers, no clear diagnoses, no cures.  But in this darkness we must walk by faith- there is no other way.

When we go through these cycles with Sam, it feels like I can’t breathe.  After awhile it feels like drowning.  Then as crazy as this sounds, one day, like today, he gets up, eats normally, and goes off to play with his brothers.  The difference in him is so dramatic.  Its beautiful to know little Sam when he is feeling good- its like he is making up for lost time by taking on three fold exuberant joy for life; full speed, full volume, non-stop happy boy.  A huge weight is lifted and we come up for air.

Don’t call this exercise

I am no expert on things, but it seems that boys are pretty energetic by default, and by nine in the morning when I am peeling them off the ceiling I would call it downright rowdy.  Just recently we have discovered that Ben has finally grown big enough to handle a 16 inch bike.  This opens us exciting new energy release outlets for us because he can now ride fast enough to keep up- the little 12 inch wheels made him like a dachshund trying to keep up with a greyhound.  So the scenario looks something like this- Jake and Ben are flying down the trail near our house and I am pushing Sam and Abby in the double jogger just trying to keep them in sight.  Given their intense enjoyment of riding the bikes OFF the pavement, I am breathlessly shouting out safety precautions and instructions the whole time lest someone fly straight into an ancient remnant of a barbwire fence or right off a sheer slope down into the river.  Which is only 24 inches deep right now so the chances of rescue are pretty good, but still it would be traumatic for everyone involved.  The whole time I am feeling like a crazy lady and trying really hard not to wet my pants.  There are still many postpartum issues in play here and like everything else, things just aren’t the same as before having kids!  The scene has all the makings for a great Nike commercial (HA!) or better yet a plastic surgery commercial.  When all is said and done we have traveled about 3 miles and I am drenched in sweat.  It feels pretty good.  When it comes to exercise I am at risk for having an all or nothing mentality and as a result set myself up for failure every time.  So this, what we are doing, is NOT exercise.

Mostly I’m a mommy’s girl, but I’m learning that Daddy is pretty cool too

Little Entrepreneur

I love the creative games my kids come up with.  Today Jake decided to open a toy store where “everything is free.”  Here is Jake’s first happy customer!  I think that is the assistant manager testing one of the products in the background.

July 4

We attended the small-town USA style parade in Pegram.  It turned out to be a little boys’ dream with lots of fire engines, tractors, motorcycles and four wheelers.  We also ventured in the the realm of very tame home fireworks for the first time with a few sparklers, Snaps, and little tanks that sparked and popped.  Each child responded in their own very age appropriate way- Sam cried because it was too loud, Ben cautiously observed and Jake was ecstatic and can’t wait to do it again, bigger and louder.  Little Sam came down with a fever so we had to depart celebrating with our friends early.  After putting the littlest two to bed we were able to catch a front row seat of the neighbor’s big fireworks out on the street with Jake and Ben. 

Priceless

This is Sam’s precious little friend Paige.  At the boat ramp today, Paige was handing Sam rocks to throw one at a time, and each time Sam responded “Tanks!”  It was one of those moments when you wish you had the big camera and the portrait lens and the video camera all handy despite the fact you would be precariously dangling them at the river’s edge while trying to keep up with many small children.