The Fourth Child

 

   If you are a parent of more than one child, you might have noticed that your parenting style relaxes with each child.  For those of you that know me well, you know that my parenting style was a little lax to begin with, so you can only imagine what I am like with Gretchen. 

   With Emma, she didn’t receive a single bite of solid food (that I know of) until she was 5 months old.  Then she was allowed to have cereal made with formula.  Gradually, over the course of a few weeks, vegetables and fruits were added – one at a time.  All the vegetables had to be tried before fruits so that she wouldn’t get hooked on sweet things.  After all possible food allergies had been ruled out (at about 9 months or so) she was allowed to get little bites of real food every now and then.

   Gretchen was 6 months old (new APA guidelines) when she got solids, but it was only about a week before we were feeding her off our plates.

  Now I am at that point that if it will keep her happy and QUIET for a couple of minutes, she gets it….

  Yep, she’s got an Oreo.  They’re her favorite.  I can give her an Oreo and she is quietly concentrating on her business for a good 10-15 minutes.  Of course, there are consequences.

   I don’t mind the mess…because sometimes she works so hard on that cookie….

    

…and I get an extra few minutes of peace!

What I Did Over Summer Vacation

(or, Why I can’t wait for the kids to go back to school)

  I will preface this post by saying that I used to be a really light sleeper.  The least little noise would have me awake for hours.  Now I can apparently sleep through a nuclear holocaust.  I don’t know if it is my age, my medications, or just pure fatigue from having 4 kids…Jason thinks the kids know what they are doing and go into Ninja mode when they see I am still asleep.

   I think I gave birth to Dennis the Menace, or maybe Phineas and Ferb.  (I even have a Candace to go along with those two!)  Yesterday morning I awoke to my kitchen with food all over the floor, and the freezer door wide open.  Odd, since we just installed a new, higher baby gate.  Given the fog that I generally wake up in, I just cleaned up the mess and fed the boys.  I observed later how they got in…(they thought I wasn’t paying attention.  Either that, or they just don’t care.) 

   Jake got a small stool from the garage, along with a couple of towels from the laundry pile.  He threw the towels over the gate and set the stool in front.  Then he got Grady and stood him on the stool and “helped” him over the gate, where he landed on the towels.  Grady then got one of the chairs and pushed it so that it was facing the gate.  Jake could now easily climb in and out of the kitchen.

I don’t know what shocks me more – Jake using Grady as his accomplice, or Jake being the mastermind (he’s supposed to be “mentally challenged”, right?) 

    Later that morning, I had to put them in the tub.  I went back to my room to get some laundry together and get dressed, and when I returned there was 2 inches of water on the bathroom floor.  They had decided to stuff half a roll of toilet paper in the toilet, and flush it.  When the toilet wouldn’t eat all the paper, they kept trying…at least they apologized profusely for that  stunt.

  As I was cleaning up that mess, and then trying to get syrup off the living room floor (don’t ask) They once again got into the kitchen and into the locked pantry and brought a snack into the living room….

  It used to be a bag of Andes candies mint chocolate chips I had used to make fudge awhile back.  Now it was a Mo-Mo gravel pit/feed trough.

   All of that – before noon.  And all of this really isn’t out of the ordinary.  A couple of weeks ago my psychotherapist remarked that she felt sorry for me, and she didn’t know how I did it.  That is when you know things are bad – your shrink feels sorry for you.

   Those of you that know me well know that we have tried many forms of discipline without success.  Time out, spankings, reward systems, taking away favorite toys, verbal reasoning, threats….you name it.  My new trick is redirection.  When the boys get to be too much and I can’t handle it anymore, I put them somewhere they (usually) can only get into a minimum amount of trouble…..

  I bet I have the cleanest kids boys in town!

Flexibility

 

  Don’t you wish you were this flexible?  And yes, he is asleep…. and he does sleep like this frequently.

Let’s Build Something Together

 

    Those of you that know me well know that I love a good bargain – and how much better can you get than FREE?  I was searching the internet for freebies (one of my new hobbies) when I came across the Lowe’s Build and Grow Workshops.  They are every other Saturday, and the kids get an apron, goggles, building kit, and the parents get to help their kiddos build a project….all for FREE! Quality time and a cute craft? You can’t beat that!

   Last weekend was the first time we went.  It was actually an “off” weekend because they were doing a special project to celebrate Earth Day.  I of course, forgot the camera.  It was really fun -   Emma and Jake built little planters with a Plexiglas front so that you can actually see the root system as your plant grows.  My mom took the kids home with her to do the planting, so I don’t know how the flowers are turning out yet.  (A green thumb I am not…that’s why the plants are still at Mom’s.  I would probably kill them.)

   After last week,  we made the decision to leave Jake at home and bring the kit to him to build later.  He did great at the building part, but when we went to find seeds  he found the front loader and fork lift instead.  (After having to defend my son to an ignorant Lowe’s employee, I thought it best to let Jake work at his own pace in familiar surroundings…and Lowe’s, if you don’t want kids playing on your equipment, don’t park it in the middle of the aisle!)   The lady that is in charge of the workshops told us that she would be more than happy to send an extra kit home with us each week, so I was glad to have this time with Emma without feeling guilty for leaving Jake out.

   This week’s project was more my speed – a bird feeder.  Emma was very excited to get to work.

                    

Thankfully, the holes are pre-drilled and the instructions are clear and easy to follow.  Emma needed very little help, and soon she had a bird feeder!

   I love these workshops for a lot of reasons – they are free, they are fun, they promote independence and a sense of accomplishment, and they are a great place to meet some new friends.   Emma is quite taken with a young man named Tyler.  His apron is covered in the patches that the kids receive when they complete the project – and he has a bunch more in his pocket that him mom hasn’t had a chance to sew on yet!

     

So, if you want to build something together,  join us at Lowe’s!  This weekend’s project is a really neat schoolhouse…I wonder how we are going to work it around Primary Quarterly Activity?

My Kind of Girl

 

  She doesn’t just have her eyes closed…she’s asleep. In a bubble bath.  The amazing thing about this is that her two brothers were also in the tub -  with squirt guns, a boat, and cups to fill with water and dump on her.

   I rescued her from torture and laid her on my bed so that I could go get stuff to get her dressed.  When I came back this is what I found:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  A bubble bath and then a snuggly nap in the middle of the afternoon…what a life!

You Might Be A Redneck If…

  You go on a “camp out” in your storage shed in the backyard.

  Originally, it was supposed to be all of us, but Grady did not like the air mattress one bit . (Which explains why Jason is sleeping on Care Bear sheets with a safety rail.)  After Grady was settled in his crib, I volunteered to miss out on all the fun and sleep inside with the little bits.

  Turns out, I didn’t miss much. The space heater didn’t come on like it was supposed to and Emma woke up around 4:30 AM and told her dad that she was cold and the camp out was over. 

  Now it is time to buckle down and use the shed for its intended purpose – as a receptacle for all the junk in our garage so that it can be turned into a playroom.  Of course, it would be easier just to turn the shed into a playroom….hmmmm…

Hoppy Easter!

   We had a wonderful Easter this year! We went down to Jason’s dad and Carol’s (Mimi and Papa) house and spent the night Saturday so that we could get up and go to church with them on Sunday. 

  Mimi and Papa live on the St.  John’s River. Literally - the river is their backyard.  They have a wonderful screen porch and deck, then there is a boat dock that the kids love to run down.  We ate dinner outside on Saturday evening and just sat and talked and laughed.

  We woke up early Sunday to discover that the kids had done a bit of a shuffle in the night.  Grady was in bed with Jason and I, Emma was on the floor next to Jason, and Jake had made his way into Mimi and Papa’s bed.

  After we all tried to get a little more sleep, the kids woke up to find the Easter Bunny had made it all the way down to St. Augustine!

  They were all excited to find out what the bunny had brought them – there were crayons, books, treats, and of course, eggs!  Jake quickly figured out the best way to open his eggs.  He shook them to make sure something was inside, and then dropped them to the floor where they cracked open to revel their contents.

   After the excitement and sugar, it was difficult to get the kids ready for church, but we made it with a couple of minutes to spare.  Their church is a small community church and the spirit there is so sweet.  The service was wonderful, and we got to hear Mimi sing in the choir!

  We tried to get some pictures of the family after church, but the kids were not so cooperative.  I did manage to get a couple…

                 

We had a fantastic lunch, and then it was time to hunt Easter Eggs.  I love to find clever places to hide them – I am especially proud of the one I put in the orange tree:

\

  Gretchen wasn’t much into hunting eggs, so she just chilled in her sun bassinet.  

   It had been a fun, full day, but there was still one thing Emma wanted to do, and Jason was happy to oblige.

  We are so glad that Conference fell on Easter this year, and that we got to spend it with Mimi and Papa – thanks, Easter Bunny!

Rookie Mistake

Jason and I haven’t been first time parents for a long time, but we are still suffering from some of our stupidity.

When we got pregnant with Emma, it was quite a surprise. We had not been planning to have children for another couple of years, so there was quite a bit of apprehension when we found out. However, the initial shock soon wore off and the shopping began.

Back then Jason and I both worked full time, so we had two incomes. We also found out we were expecting a girl right before we got our income tax rebate. So, first time parents + money + rebate money = some stupid purchases.

Things like the infant bathtub. My sister assured me I didn’t need one, but I had to have it. I think over the course of two kids I may have used it 3 times. Then there is the bottle/baby food warmer. While this did get used frequently, a cup of hot water works just as well.

I could keep on and on, but getting to my point…when I got Gretchen out of the tub the other night I reached into the vanity and grabbed what I thought was a hooded baby towel: (Even though regular towels work just as well.)

Doesn’t she just look so happy and comfortable? Well, although it may look like a hooded towel, in reality it is the stupidest purchase we made….

Yes, that is a bathrobe. For a baby. It’s cute, but have you ever tried to put clothes on a soaking wet baby? Not to mention that it only comes to her knees, so I had to use a towel anyway.

I guess I shouldn’t feel too bad – after all, baby gear is a huge industry, and there are warehouse-size stores and websites dedicated to all the stuff and fluff we “need” to properly care for an infant. Plus, I have managed not to buy the diaper wipe warmer, the microwave bottle sanitizer, the baby food processor, the video baby monitor, pacifier wipes….but I still really want one of those Bumbo chairs!

Dress Rehearsal

As it does every few years, General Conference falls on Easter Sunday this year. General Conference equals watching the feed from Salt Lake in our living room, usually in pajamas. This means that us mommies that live to dress our children in adorable clothes miss the chance to find the perfect spring dress for our little girls, and to dress our boys in pastels. No problem…we’ll just do it the weekend before! (Sorry daddies – those wallets won’t get a break this time.)

Since we are usually in our own ward on Easter, this year we decided to go to church with Jason’s dad and stepmom in St. Augustine. Today we celebrated Easter with my parents.

I dressed up the kids in their spring finery and we went to church. We discovered that although Grady’s shirt and sweater vest fit perfectly, the scrawny little thing’s shorts are waaaay to big. Guess I need to pin them before next week.

After church, we went to my mom and dad’s house and the kids found a surprise waiting for them:

There were three little baskets sitting there and a trail of eggs that lead to their Easter gift from Nina and Papa – a “gift certificate” to ride the hamster balls at the mall.

I love that in the note, my mom instructed them not to push and shove, and that it didn’t matter how many eggs they found. I wonder who she might of had in mind when she included that line….

After a wonderful breakfast that mom and I cooked together, Jake and Emma went in the backyard to hunt the eggs again. I put some in really obvious places for Jake, but I made Emma work for them – most of hers were above her head.

The kids had so much fun that I told them to have Nina help them hide eggs and then Jason and I would go hunting. There was some trash talking, but I won by default. Jake decided not to hide his eggs, so his (full) basket was sitting by the slide. Jason picked it up and declared himself the winner. I call that cheating!

Once all the eggs had been found (or claimed), Jason came up with the greatest game EVER. The rules are simple: pelt the children with plastic eggs, which they can throw back and (try) to hit you with. I think I am going to have to keep some eggs around the house…I got some aggression out, and they thought it was hysterical fun!

Unfortunately, the rain came and ended our fun. Meanwhile, Grady and Gretchen finally woke up from their naps and I was able to get a few pictures of my littlest Easter egg:

It took a couple of tries to get a good one, and as you can tell she wasn’t really into it:

I do love that picture. Some of my favorite pictures of my kids are the ones when their true feelings and personalities shine through!

As far as dress rehearsals go, this one was great - and I really can’t wait to teach Mimi and Papa our new game!

I think I need…

 

  A bigger bathtub!  It’s getting kind of crowded in there!

All Aboard!

Even though Jake’s birthday was last weekend, his party was today. Jake has the honor of sharing his birthday with one of his friends, so they swap weekends for thier parties!

Jake is obsessed with his Mo-Mos. (That is a whole other post…) Suffice to say that they are little train people, so his theme this year was trains. We had his party at the Main Street park in Middleburg, and he was lucky enough to share his day with a whole ton of family and friends.

Be sure to click on all the little pictures!

Customize a free digital scrapbooking design

To all our friends that couldn't be there due to illness, baseball games, soccer games, and family trips...we missed you! Although we had a great time, it just wasn't the same without you!

Why the Tooth Fairy has skipped our house

 

   Recently I got wondering when Emma was going to start loosing teeth.  Most all of her peers have lost at least one tooth, some of them two or three.  Then she came home from Nina’s house one day and my mom asked “Have you looked at her teeth lately?” Guess I should do more checks after teeth brushing because this is what I found:

  Good heavens! Where did those come from? When did those come from?  I asked Emma how long she had had extra teeth. She said she never noticed them.  I guess I can’t feel too guilty for not seeing them, considering they are in her mouth and she never felt them.

   We had a friend of ours (who is a dental assistant) take a look at them, and she assures us while it isn’t  exactly normal, its common. However, the new teeth usually come in close enough behind the baby teeth that they make the baby teeth fall out.  In Emma’s case, the new teeth are far enough back that the baby teeth are going to have to be pulled – just don’t tell her that!

    Did I mention that she is so scared and uncooperative with dentist that she has to go completely under anesthesia before the dentist will touch her?  I sure hope she has matured in the last year and a half…I don’t think any of us is ready to go through that again!

***I wrote this post as a draft a couple of months ago.  Today, Emma went to the dentist.  She was spectacular! No whining, no fussing, no complaining.  Her new dentist told me that the office I had taken her to previously over-uses IV sedation.  I guess that is why you always need a second opinion.   I was right about those “shark teeth” – they have to come out, but so do the two on either side.  She goes back on April 19th…I hope she is as well behaved as she was today! (Wish us both luck.)

Daddy’s Traveling Companions

     As part of Jason’s new position, he has to travel to all the stores in his district at least once a month.  This means that twice a month he has to go out of town, once to Tallahassee, and once to the Daytona/Melbourne area.

   Even though he is only gone for one night at a time, we miss him terribly!  Jake and the little bits don’t notice too much, but Emma and I have created our own ways of dealing with his absence.  I have him give me a blessing of comfort and strength the night before he leaves, and I try to go out to dinner with a friend and her kiddos the night he is gone.  Emma sends friends to travel with Daddy.

  Emma is the sweetest little girl.  She is always bringing me her toys to cheer me up when I am feeling down, and when he first started going out of town she would send some of her stuffed animals to keep him company, and to remember her by.  This evolved into her sending Pet Shops.

  She has about a thousand (it seems) of these things, and the night before he goes, he asks her to pick out some new friends.  She is always very careful about her choices, and then sits down with Jason and gives him detailed care instructions.   This week he has the mouse, who is a baby.  Because she is a baby, she needs to be bathed three times a day (the zebra can help with this task).  Zebra, who is a frequent traveler, has a hurt hoof, and will probably sleep most of the time.  She also makes sure that they have everything he needs to properly care for them.

   They each have their own bed, food, and yes, that is a litter box.  The baby mouse has her lovey, and in case they get bored Emma sends something for them to play with.

               

The first few times he went, the pets had to survive at the bottom of Jason’s suitcase, but now they have their own method of conveyance.  Emma picked this out for her Daddy for Christmas.  Now they travel in style!

    I love how serious Jason is about his traveling friends.  He always he makes sure that he gets new ones before he leaves, and he makes sure that he has their care instructions correct.  

   I am glad that Emma has this way to help her not miss her Daddy so much in the short time he is away from us, and I am really glad to know that Jason isn’t lonely on the road!

Priceless

  I am sure that by now you might have noticed that I have a new picture of my babies to head the blog.  Eternal gratitude to my very talented friend Katheryn for taking it, which brings me to the subject of this post.

  When the cousins arrived in town, Kendra and I didn’t want to miss the chance to get a picture of all of them together.  We should have known that the photo shoot was not going to go well after the shopping trip to pick out the wardrobe.  (Kendra and I had taken Jake, Owen, Grady and Gretchen to Target.  We were chasing at least one boy through the store at all times.  Kendra called it a success because the authorities were not called in.)

  Even though we have identical cameras, Katheryn is a master behind the lens.  She manages to capture personalities as well as great smiles.  If  Mandi (another talented friend) ever opens her wedding planning business, Katheryn needs to take the pictures.

  The girls were perfect subjects:

                               

The boys, not so much:

                      

    Then we tried to take them outside and get a group shot.  Either Grady was whining, Owen crying, or Jake refusing to look at the camera.  I actually love the shots that she got, because I laugh every time I look at them.  This is one of my favorites – just look at Jake’s frown!

             

Then he decided he didn’t want anyone to see him, but just look at him peeking out to make sure we were all still paying attention…

              

Once it became obvious that the boys had had enough, Katheryn started taking individual portraits.  Once again, the girls were ready to go, but our sons just wanted to play.  No matter – she captured all of them perfectly!

  

  

 

But out of all of them, this is my very favorite:

               

The sweetest part?  Emma wasn’t posing.  This is a cropped portion of one of the pictures where none of the kids were paying attention…

One dress, five shirts, and three headbands: $50.

Photographer: $4 (payment in the form of homemade baked goods)

Capturing all the smiles, frowns,  love and beauty of family:  Priceless.

(Thanks Katheryn.)