He likes me! He really likes me!

Today I picked up Oliver from preschool.  When all the little kids come running around the house I will get out my car to cross the street to pick him up.  Today he came outta the garage with his little friend Makio and said to him, "That's my mom right there with the curly hair."  Like his friend cares but I thought it was cute that he was showing his friend who his mommy was.  I hope he always wants to show his friends who I am.  I hope that I can be their mom and also be close enough with them that they will come to me and not be embarrassed that I am their mom.  Make sense?  I just love these little boys that I get to raise.  It's dang hard and it's been really hard lately for me as I sense what is coming in the future and I just pray that I am guiding them so they will be smart and make good choices.  They are growing up so so so fast and I both love it and hate it.  Ugh.  I can do this, right?  Hope so since there's no "give backs" when it comes to these sweet babies sent to us from God.

By the way.  Porter just got his first two teeth!  AND he started swimming.  Not crawling, swimming.  Sort of an army-crawl of sorts but with flailing arms like a swimmer.  Such a big, smart, funny boy.

Baby food and other ramblings

So I'm a bit embarrassed that I haven't made my own baby food for my first 3 kids.  Had I realized how easy and quick it was I would have never invested so much moolah in Gerber.  Holy smokes, I spent like 3 dollars and have a TON of food.  For $3 I would have gotten, what, like 3 containers of Gerber food?!?  Needless to say, I have made peas, yams, and pears for my sweet, growing babe.  I have some carrots and beans to do up next.  I cooked everything to make it soft, pureed in the blender, and put in ice cube trays to freeze.  Then you pop them out and put them in a ziplock bag and you just remove however many cubes you need to microwave them.  Wah-lah!  Loving it!

Porter is beyond cute.  He has learned to push up and will push out and scoot himself backwards on his tummy.  His core is getting a little stronger but still does not like to sit on his own.  Too wiggly.  Our neighbor dropped off their little exersaucer and P loves it.  This is a pic from the first time he sat in it. 

He kept knocking his head on the little spin toy trying to get his face right next to the mirror.  Sooo cute.  He also adores his feet and LOVES to eat them.  

I have to quickly remove his socks if I feed him cause he takes a bite of food and likes to wash it down with this toes.  If I don't take off the socks I end up with colored toes on them.  He is a mello, sweet boy.  

His brothers just love him to pieces.  The other day Oliver was watching Curious George while I was making lunch or dinner or something.  I had left Porter downstairs with him playing on the ground.  When I went downstairs to get him this is what I found.  

Sometimes brothers gotta watch Curious George together.  He's also finally starting to coo more and more.  Brandt has said it is his favorite age when the baby will wake up in the morning and just talk to themselves.  Porter is there.  However, he also has his brother in there so I hear giggling a bunch of mornings.  Oliver will wake him up (and I get really grumpy about that) but then O will climb in his crib and play with him and he laughs and laughs.  I am really trying to be calm mother and let the kids be kids more and not harp on them as much so that there is happiness and playfulness abounding in our home.  I feel my children's childhood slipping away and it makes me weep.  It is such an inside struggle clinging to their "littleness" while anticipating the adventures and excitement of growing up.  Ah, being a parent is hard.  I have come to realize this more and more as the dynamic of our family is morphing into something new.  I wouldn't change it but it is definitely hard.

In response to my previous post, I am very proud of my Charlie for trying to correct his bad habit of saying some words that are not allowed in our home.  He let it slip the next morning and started to cry when I caught him because he wants so badly to be good.  We said a quick prayer before he went to school asking for help to remember to say only good words.  When he came home he was so proud that he hadn't said it and had used a more appropriate exclamation instead of the other word.  I too, am proud of him.  He really struggles with the perfection he wants to obtain.  He is wiser than his years.  He asks tough questions that I never thought I'd be addressing with a 6 year old.  He struggles being happy.  I assume it is because of him wanting to have everything be perfect, himself included.  It is tough for me as him mommy to teach him what it means to be happy.  Teach him to find joy in serving others.  Teach him to have patience in learning.  Teach him to be kind to others and brave to find friends that will love him for his quirkiness.  I am indeed grateful that he has Dylan.  I think it was planned all along for those two to come to earth together so that they could help one another.  They have other friends but they know that they always have that buddy there, too.  I'm so very happy about that.  I love when my boys are getting along and playing so well.  It warms my heart.  I have the best little boys around.  I gotta remember to enjoy them being little cause it is quickly slipping away. 

Please stay little...

Today Charlie was saying a bad word.  This is a day that I knew would come but dreaded.  I hate that my little birds are leaving the nest and learning things that I would rather them not learn.  Maybe he learned from TV?  Either way, no bueno.  I threatened soap and I think he's afraid.  That's my parenting method.  Instill the fear and hopefully they'll behave cause they think that my wrath is worse.  Ha!  Who ever thought that sweet, quiet Andrea would be scary?

On a positive note, Brandt had the day off.  Cousins came to play.  Dinner was brought to me.  It was beautiful out today with sunshine and like 40 degrees (so hot, right?).  Porter has been sleeping all through the night pretty regularly (and I know I just cursed it).  Lots to be grateful for.

Out with the old, and bring in NOTHING new

I am trying to purge around these parts.  I saw a great quote tonight that I thought was perfect.  It says:
Clean out your closets.
Clean out your mind.
Clean out your life.
You don't have to take it all with you in 2015.
If it doesn't serve you, let it go.

I have a room in my house, affectionately called my "crap room."  It houses my sewing machine, my fabric, books, ironing board, filing cabinets, yarn, printer and cartridges, and anything else that doesn't have a place anywhere else in my home.  It technically should be my "craft room," but it has morphed into the "crap room."  It has to go.  I'm sick of it.  Brandt can't stand it and I'm finally there, too.  I worked a little bit in there today and it feels good.  I only wish I had more time to spend on it.  Little bit here, little bit there is all I can do.  I'll eventually get there.

The boys today spent a good portion of their day outside sledding.  They've created two slides in our front yard, because why would you want to do it in our backyard.  Their slides take them down our whole lawn and they end up in the road.  I yelled at them to create a barricade so they won't slide into the road.  I helped them build one and then it pretty much turned into a jump...into the road.  I don't know.  I figure at least they're playing well together, outside, and haven't died yet.  I think tomorrow the rule is they have to fall off their sled at the sidewalk.  I don't want them run over.

Happy New Year! 2015

It is a new year and time for a new approach. I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I NEED to be a more frequent visitor to my little journal here.  I am going to try to find two seconds each night to record something each day.  Maybe a novel, maybe a quote from the littles.  I have made it through Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve.  I was lucky enough to host my families annual Christmas Eve party at our house.  We rotate through the children and it was our year.  Made some delicious brisket, cowboy potatoes, veggies, so good hot cocoa, cheesecake, etc.  It was a good night.  Christmas Day was snowy and magical.  My children are at the PERFECT age for the magic.  I am so blessed and so lucky.  Then last night I hosted, yet again, our annual New Years Eve fondue and fireworks party.  Was a great party, good food, fun company, etc.  I wasn't feeling 100% but today I feel a little better after a afternoon nap and a relaxing day with my family.  Last year I caught the flu after the party so I'm grateful that I'm feeling much better today.  I think the hustle and bustle of the holiday season leaves me a little weaker so I need to not try to be superwoman and conquer the world.

This year I am going to work on my balance.  Balance of my family, friends, church, children activities, hubby time, drea time, etc.  I also want to rid the guilt. I'm not going to feel guilty for other peoples expectations of myself.  I'm not going to feel guilty for not being able to do it all.  Between Brandt's and my obligations of our family with 4 small children, two large church callings, a large extended family, and work to provide for our needs we have felt spread too thin.  Hard to find happiness with that and we need to bring it back in and re-group.  What that looks like, not sure, but we will try to figure it out day by day.  It is the first day of a new year and I am going to try my darndest to have 365 days of really great days.  I'm off to a good start.  One great day down, 364 more to go.

On a side note, Brandt has taught Porter a new trick.  Oooohhh-ing.  Look at those lips.  I could just kiss them.

Cute things and not so cute things

I've wanted to post for awhile now and just can't ever find the two minutes it takes to post.  So frustrating.  We are battling sickness around these parts.  Brandt started us out and Brandt is one that when he get sick he still goes to work.  He was home two days this week if that tells you how he felt.  He got the cold/sore throat/puking thing.  He wasn't feeling too hot after work on Saturday and by the time Sunday was here he was fevered and not well at all.  Missed church, missed family party, missed work, etc.

I picked up Oliver from school Monday and he slowly walked out and I knew something was up.  "Mom, I  can't wear my reindeer hat cause my head hurts."  Oh no.  That is the start of it.  He came home, went downstairs, went to his bed and put himself down for a nap.  That folks is sick.  So sad.  He's evolved into fever, cold thing and currently is that way.  Mostly just a cold now.  Tuesday Charlie came home and has a headache, too, and a bit of a runny nose, but he still feels well enough to go to school.  And then last night it hit me and Porter.  Oh dear.  So sad when you are so small you can't blow your nose, not sure how to suck when your nose is all clogged, and we HATE the nose sucky thing.  HATE it.  I was worried that he was going to be up all night as the afternoon/evening were horrendous, but my blessed child slept until 7:45am.  Thank you thank you.  Currently enjoying nap #2 today so I think he's embracing some rest while he feels so crummy.

But the cutest thing.  When I grabbed O on Monday, he said to me, "Mom, Porter can't sleep in my room today.  My bref is going to come out of my mouth and go into his mouth and he will get sick."  Wise words, my boy.  I didn't listen and kept Porter in his crib and apparently O's "bref" made its way to Porters mouth and now I have more sickies.  Oh Sad.

Ramblings

Two things I want to go over today.  First, Oliver.  I took Oliver to preschool today.  I dropped him off the same time a few other kids were being dropped off.  Oliver was taking an especially long time getting out of the car (was in the far back, had to get his bag, needed to kiss and say goodbye to Porter, etc) so when he finally got out we went around the corner of the car and there was a mom and her son there.  She said to me that her son, Luke, was wanting to walk into preschool for the first time without her but he wanted to wait and walk with Oliver.  So Oliver went right over to him and stuck out his hand and held Luke's hand while they walked away.  So sweet.  A few weeks back I was picking up O and most the other kids were already picked up.  O saw me and was running to get in the car and a mom passed me and said to me, "So-and-so (couldn't hear the name) LOVES Oliver."  I love that O is making friends and having an effect on the other kids in his class.  I told Brandt this and said that Oliver is like me where it takes him awhile to warm up to a situation but then he turns into Brandt.  Outgoing, and sometimes outspoken.  He foresees him being a bit of a class clown.  Wouldn't really surprise me.

Other thing.  So the twins walk home with my friend's two kids every day from school.  She told me earlier this week that they wouldn't be there Friday to walk home with Charlie and Dylan.  I planned on just walking up to the elementary school and walking home with them.  Today happened and I forgot.  It was 1:30 and I was about to put Porter down for a nap when it hit me.  Oh crap!  They are out of school!!  So, I put Porter on the ground and told Oliver to stay with him and I'd be right back.  I ran outta the house and up the street.  I was nearing the school and passed a group of 3 boys from our neighborhood and Charlie and Dylan were walking a little bit behind them.  I apologized and said I forgot to get up here sooner.  They told me that they asked the 3 boys if they could walk home with them and the boys responded with, "No, you're not our responsibility."  Excuse me?  You are all walking the same direction.  They told Charlie and Dylan to call their mom and Charlie told them that they don't have phones.  But don't let them borrow yours, just leave them.  That's how we treat our neighbors around here apparently.  I am pretty mad about it.  If I ever hear of my kids not helping a younger kid in the neighborhood I will flip out.  It takes a village and I can't believe that those mom's wouldn't tell their kids to be nice to everyone and to help everyone.  Oh well, enough of my rant.  The boys were good and walked the way they were supposed to.  It's tough letting them grow up and be responsible on their own.  Do I want them going by themselves everyday?  No.  But I'm grateful that they know how to get home in case of an emergency.