Merry Christmas!

Oh, my heart is full. We're all gearing up for Christmas around here. The tree is up, the house constantly smells like some sort of baked good (I think we've been through about 25 pounds of flour in the last 6 weeks!), and all of the shopping is done. Now on to the wrapping and such. The kiddos are VERY excited about Christmas coming and are loving all of the music and the Christmas specials and the lights. I think our best gift came early this year. For those who aren't on Facebook (and I would question how you would ever survive!), Lainey prayed yesterday to receive Christ as her Savior. It brings tears of joy to my eyes every time I think of it. This is something that Lon and I have prayed for since before Lainey was born so what a sweet blessing it was to hear her pray that prayer and ask Jesus to forgive her for her sins and be Lord of her life. Later in the day, she said to me, "Mom, I will never forget this day. I will never forget the day I became a Christian." I daresay that I won't either.

Tonight instead of our evening Bible study at church, we had a time of singing Christmas carols. Afterwards, we rode around town for a bit and looked at the holiday lights. Abby was most excited and precious when she said, "Yights. Some. Cute. Oooo."

I'm praying that this Christmas we will all be able to focus on the One who came to be the light of the world. As I marvel in seeing one of my own children come to faith in Him, I am reminded of the true meaning of the season. God saw our need for forgiveness and sent a Savior. What a very precious and priceless gift He has given!

Oh My Goodness. . .

Does this thing still work? It's been so long, I wondered if I was going to remember my username and password! I'm not even sure I remember how to write about all that goes on in our house, but I shall try. Where to begin?

Often when I'm getting ready in the mornings, one or more of the girls ends up in the bathroom with me. It's a place where we get some good memories made, I think. I can remember watching my own mom get ready in the bathroom each morning so it's neat to share something similar with my own kids. This morning, Lainey got up earlier than the other two girls so she ended up in the bathroom with me by herself. I really enjoy moments I'm able to have time one on one with each of the girls because they're quite rare! As she and I were talking, I complimented her on what a good job she's done lately on being obedient. She said, "Yes, I want to have a new life." I asked her what she meant (I sortof knew already, but wanted to hear it from her.) and she said that she wants to go to heaven when she dies. I asked if she knew how to do that and she said that it was by belieiving in Jesus. We then started talking about the need to ask for forgiveness of sins and (trying to explain that we all sin) I asked what the worst thing was she could think of doing. She said, "Like killing someone." I said, "Well, you haven't done that, but you've still done things that are wrong." She said, "Yeah, because you won't let me have a gun." As though she would have killed someone by now if only I wasn't holding her back. I am Obi Wan to her Luke Skywalker. (Did you see that Star Wars reference, Lon? Be proud.)

For those who don't know, Sarah Grace has a birthday a month from today. The only way you could possibly be unaware of this fact is to have not been around Sarah Grace at all for the last two months or I suppose to be completely unrelated and not have all of the Graham children's birthdays written down in permanent marker on your calendar. She is obsesso about turning 4 and is constantly naming off what she might like for her birthday. Never mind that there might be presents for Christmas. To her, Christmas is something we just need to get through so that we can get to her birthday. She missed out on a birthday party for her 3rd birthday due to pink eye so I wonder if that might play into her obsession just a little!

Our home is gearing up for Christmas. When we lived in NC, we bought a big artificial Christmas tree because we had enough house for it. Alas, we moved before the next Christmas and never had enough room. Once again we've finally got enough living room to contain this giant artificial tree and we're very excited. Okay, I'm excited and I suspect the girls are as well. Lon would probably have preferred the 3 foot tree on the small table since he's the one who had to carry it down two flights of stairs so we could put it together. The tree is together and lights and decorations will come tomorrow. We don't give it long before someone attempts to knock the tree over and our money is on that someone either being Abby or the cat! As Lon and I sat on the couch this evening watching a movie with the girls (Joey goes to bed very early most evenings), my heart was full and I whispered to Lon, "Life is pretty good." I'm so grateful for these blessings that the Lord has entrusted to us and LOVE the memories we're making with them!

143 Days

That's how long it's been since Lon and I had our room to ourselves! But we're finally there once again! We finally got Joey's crib all set up (thanks to good friends Jen and Travis) and have booted him upstairs! After quite a bit of crying, he finally settled in to his new digs. Here's hoping that he'll love them so much, he'll sleep all the way through the night or will at least live through me ignorning his crying so that I can train him to sleep all through the night! I must say, after three girls, it was fun to put on little sheets and blankets that had trucks and boats and such!

And this picture was just for posterity's sake because one day these little feet won't be quite so little and I want to be able to remember them just like this:

Lesson 5438 of Parenting: Don't Leave Dishwater Unattended

This is what I discovered this morning when I finished washing dishes and just left the water in the sink to go and tend to something else: Abby playing in the sink saying "Bubbie, bubbie" over and over!!

Bound To Make You Laugh A Little

I delight in listening to the things these girls say each day. They can be quite entertaining! Sometimes I can even remember them well enough to write them down. I knew that diaper changes would prove to be interesting and trigger a few questions once we had a boy in the family. We have chosen to just be honest in answering the question "What's that?" when asked. Because of such, the word "penis" is often bandied about at times other than diaper changes. This can make for some pretty funny conversations. The other day, Sarah Grace asked, "Mom what is the first planet?" I told her it was Mercury. She said, "What's the second planet?" I said "Venus." Do you see where this is going? She then said, "Like Joey has a penis!" I said, "No, Sarah Grace, Venus. With a V." She also informed me a couple of weeks ago that "when Joey grows up, he won't have a penis anymore". Not sure where she got that information, but I tried to correct it! Never boring around here, I promise.

We've often discussed what good little lawyers children can be. You know, when you tell them they can't do something and then you find out they've done it and you call them on it and they try to get off on a technicality. At this point, Lainey is especially good at it. I heard her arguing with Sarah Grace yesterday and Sarah Grace said, "Hey, you kicked me, " to which Lainey said, "It was more like a push." Maybe the answer to my college fund quandries is a scholarship to law school!!

College Fund?

With four kids, wondering how we're going to pay for college is always somewhere in the back of my mind. Well, it seems that Lainey is thinking about it as well, but she's planning on starting much sooner than even I had anticipated. I overheard Lainey and Sarah Grace talking yesterday morning and something was said about Sarah Grace being 8 at some point. Lainey said, "I'll be 14 then." I said, "No, Laine, you'll be 11." She said, "Oh, I'll be 11. I bet I'll be in college then." Guess I need to double up on how many pennies I'm putting into the college fund!!

Ramblings from a Mild Mannered Mother

I don't know if many of you faithful readers (and if you're faithful at reading this, I commend you because I'm sure not faithful at writing) have seen the movie Jerry Maguire but there's a kid in it who is constantly spouting of facts to anyone who will listen to him. He is perhaps most often quoted as saying something to the effect of "The human head weighs 8 pounds." Add to this line, a slight lisp, a spiky hairdo, and some cute little glasses and you'll understand why movie viewers loved him. My point in telling you this is not so that you'll run down to the local video store (do people still do that? or does everyone just watch stuff on the computer now?) and rent this classic movie from 13 years ago. Rather, it is to share with you that Lainey has now entered the phase of spouting off random facts to any and everyone who will listen. I LOVE how much she reads and just takes it all in. I think she remembers everything. Today she said to me, "Mom, sea lions and seals are cousins." She also shared several other oceanic facts, but, unlike her, they just didn't stick in my head. Homeschooling is going very well this year and I'm really enjoying it. Lainey seems to be excited about learning things and amazes me with her abilities. That's a proud parent and teacher talking and this is MY blog, so I can brag. Thank you.

We laugh quite often at Sarah Grace and her little sayings that don't come out quite like most everyone else. It sort of makes my heart ache when she gets it "right" and stops using her version of things. Her latest phrase is "later often" instead of "later on". As in, "Mom, later often can we watch a movie?"

Abby is talking more and more these days. Like Sarah Grace at this age, every animal she sees says "neigh" unless it's a bird and then it says "cack cack" like a duck. My dear friend Jana gave us a wooden rocking "cow" the other day. It was handmade by a man from Texas and even though it has long horns and is a steer, she, being the diehard OU fan, refuses to call it a Texas Longhorn. Anyhooo, when Abby wants to ride it, she has to have a little help to get on it. As she is unable to say to me (yet) "Mother, please I'd like to ride the rocking horse. Could you please assist me in getting on?", she comes to me and says, "Neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh" over and over until I get a clue and put her on. And when she rides, she RIDES noholdsbarred!!! It seems that today, Abby really mastered saying "Joey" instead of "Jo-jo". Again, this is one of those moments when I wish I could slow time down just a little bit. I want him to always be "Jo-jo".

Our token little male is just awesome. He weighed in at 12 pounds 13 ounces last week and is growing like a weed. He is long and lean. He has mastered rolling over and can also get from his tummy to his back, especially when he's mad that I have not retrieved him from his bed as quickly as he might like. He smiles all the time and had several really good laughs tonight. He warms his mama's heart!

It's interesting to me the looks and comments I get when I take all 4 kids out in public somewhere at the same time. I get comments like ,"4?" and "You've got 4?" and "You've got your hands full!" and my least favorite "You finally got a boy!" as though there was something inferior with our 3 beautiful girls and we've finally got one worth hanging on to! I guess to an outsider looking in, it does appear to be a fairly busy life we lead, but as the one who's in the middle of it, I must say, "it's just life". It's what I know. Do I even remember what it was like to parent just 1 child? Barely. I think it's great training for these little kids to grow up in a home where they have to think of others above themselves and where they learn the importance of multitasking. On a good day, I can pay bills on the computer, get a knot out of a shoelace, remember the location of most all things in the house (except the DVD remote which has been missing since before we left for NC) and make 3 different breakfasts all before 8:00. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit (it's usually 8:30), but my point is, "it's what we do". Yep, I've got 4 and yep, they're all very close together, but I can't imagine it any other way. One day, they'll all be grown up and the house will be quiet and I'll be sad because I'll finally know where the DVD remote is, but won't have anyone here asking to watch one!

First Grade Pictures

As promised, here are pictures of Lainey's first day of first grade!

Sarah Grace: Just a Plain Ol' Kid

We are settling back in and adjusting to West Coast time again. It's a slow process, but we're getting there. On Tuesday night, we were in bed by 7:30 and up between 5:30 and 6:00 on Wednesday. This morning we were all up and doing breakfast by 6:30. Being up early is sort of nice because we really get a jump start on our day, but no one has really been in favor of a decent naptime since we got back so that makes the day feel a little longer. As we were getting ready this morning, I went down to the laundry room to put some clothes in the hamper. Sarah Grace walked down with me and (talking a mile a minute) said, "Mom, when I get bigger, I'm going to wear big girl panties but right now I wear short panties because I'm short. I'm just a plain ol' kid." Good to know!

NC Visit, Part One

Our time in NC is quickly drawing to a close, but it's been a great trip. Our time at the beach was incredible. We had a great view from our front porch of the ocean with a beach access just outside our front door. The girls LOVED the ocean and spent lots of time playing there with Daddy, Nana, and Aunt Kelly. Mama doesn't do water or bathing suits as I have a phobia of both. I think my phobia of the bathing suit might be stronger than my phobia of water and that's saying a lot! Two words, Jana: beached whale! At any rate, we had a great time and I think the girls made some memories. We took lots of pictures so as soon as we return to WA, I"ll get them posted. We did lots of rocking on our porch, a lot of laughing, and a lot of eating! On Tuesday, Nana, Lon, and I took all the kiddos for a ride on the ferry and a trip to the NC Aquarium, or as Sarah Grace calls it, the "inquarium". It was great. The girls LOVED the fish and ran from exhibit to exhibit to see what was next. As good as the aquarium was, I think I enjoyed watching them enjoy it most of all.

Joey didn't know well enough to care too much either way about the beach. We did grease him up with sunscreen one day and let him stick his toes in the water, but he seemed rather unimpressed. But I must say, he was hot stuff in his Hawaiian outfit and his hat! I think he was too busy working on other skills to care too much about the beach. This was the week he learned to roll over! I've really not had opportunity to let him be on the floor too often to practice because Abby usually tries to sit on him and that can't be good. So, I really had no idea he was so close to rolling over. I got up to feed him one night and realized, after I picked him up, that his back was to me and that I hadn't put him in bed that way! He's got it down pretty good now, but still needs to work on what to do once he gets over on his tummy. At this point, he thinks that what comes next is "getting mad"!

It's taken me about two days to get this posted so as I write this, we are preparing to leave tomorrow. We have had a wonderful time and I know we've all made some great memories. More highlights to follow soon along with pictures.

First Grade Was Awesome; Flying With Four Kids, Not So Much

Lainey's first day of first grade went very well. She came running into the living room on Tuesday morning at about 6:30 and said, "FIRST GRADE!" She was very excited. Lots of pictures were taken before leaving for school so as soon as we get back to WA, I'll get those posted. She has the same teacher that she had last year as well as many of the same students in her class so I think that gave her a little confidence in heading back. She has a good little friend named Abby (she is often referred to as "friend Abby, not sister Abby" so as to avoid confusion) and it was neat to see them reconnect and play together. I catch myself trying to look down the road of time and wondering if they might still be friends in 10-15 years. They're too cute.

Our flight to NC went fairly well. Traveling with 4 kids using any mode of transportation can be an adventure, but when it's an airplane, it's even more so! Abby wasn't too thrilled with flying because it meant staying in one place for a long time, but we managed. Flying with two lap babies definitely made things interesting and I'm sure folks had to smile when Lon and I "traded" children a couple of times. Traded as in "this one's quiet and that one isn't" so let's switch for a while. At any rate, we arrived safely and have enjoyed our visit thus far. I spent part of Thursday cleaning out some of my old stuff from my parents' attic. Wow, what a step back into time that was! I relived a few childhood memories as well as some painfully tacky fashion choices of the 80's and 90's. The good news is that I got rid of a number of boxes and bags of things and opened up a little space up there for them. There are more bags to sort through and as I have more time, I'll get up there again to throw away some more stuff.

Yesterday, we visited with Miss Alma, our dear family friend. She's in a nursing home now so our visit was a bit shorter this time, but I know it delighted her to see our kids. Last night, we had dinner with one of my dear friends from college. She's adopted two kids and I've had three since we'd last seen each other so we had some catching up to do. Dinner with 6 kids (especially my 4 with no naps) did not really lend itself to a lot of visiting, but I did enjoy seeing her.

Today is beach day! We're all headed down to the NC coast in just a few hours for a week of fun. When I was little, we vacationed at the beach quite often and I can't wait to share some of those memories with my kids. We'll be staying at the same beach so many of the things we'll be able to do will be things I did there. I'm most excited about taking them to play miniature golf. I told Lainey about it the other day and she said, "Oh I LOVE golf!" She's never played, but I'm glad to know she's excited! Before they head down to the beach, Lainey and Sarah Grace get to take in a Wake Forest football game with Nana and Kelly. Neither of them have any understanding of football, but I suspect they'll enjoy the mascot, the band, and the atmosphere!

More to follow once I have a view of the ocean!

Look out First Grade! And NC!

Today is our first day of first grade and we are VERY excited around here. Our princess bookbag is ready, our pencils are sharpened (Can I tell you how difficult it was to find those in Whatcom County? Nearly impossible. None at Walmart on two separate trips, none at Rite-Aid, and almost none at the grocery store. I finally found some Hershey's pencils with the candy logos on them. Nothing like a little advertising during math class!), and our princess lunch box is almost packed. Yesterday, I was downstairs folding laundry and I overheard Lainey in the bathroom saying, "I can't WAIT until tomorrow. First grade. Tomorrow is first grade day!" Can this be the same little girl who was so nervous about making friends last year? This year she's going to have the same teacher with many of the same kids in her class so she's feeling much better. I'm sure several pictures will be taken this morning so I'll get those posted as soon as I can!

In traveling news, all our bags are packed, we're ready to go. We're leaving on a jet plane at 6:00 am tomorrow morning headed for the Old North State and I can't wait! Lainey and Sarah Grace are very excited about getting on an airplane and I'm praying that Abby and Joey will be calm, yet excited as well. Yesterday as Abby sat in her high chair eating lunch, we heard an airplane fly overhead. She perked up and said, "Pane?" I guess much of our conversation has centered on these recently so she's learned a new word in the process! Can't wait to see family, friends, and the Atlantic Ocean!! And most importantly, eat some good ol' NC BBQ!!

One Busy Night!

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Murphy's Law: if something CAN go wrong, it WILL. Well, today I discovered that there is a Murphy's Law for Parenting: if someone can wake up just as mom is drifting off to sleep, they will. Joey woke up to eat at 2:30 this morning. That was a little earlier than he usually gets up in the middle of the night, but I went with it. I always turn the TV on when I nurse him with the hopes of being mildly entertained while I'm up. Since we only have basic cable, my options usually include an infomercial on the latest diet/exercise fad or a TimeLife music collection. Lately I've been watching the one for greatest rock ballads and let me tell you, those hair bands of the 80's really rocked! But I digress. As Iwas nursing him, I dozed a little and woke up to find that I was watching a show on TBN about a group of Christian builders/volunteers remodeling homes. It was really good so I stayed up to finish watching it even though Joey was no longer eating. I got him back in bed about 3:50 or so. At 4:00, he was up again and was very unhappy. I finally got him settled and back in bed about 4:40. At 4:55, he started to cry again at which point, I said to Lon, "I can't do this anymore; you've got to take a turn." He got Joey and laid him in the bed with us. Thinking all was well, I drifted off to sleep. Five minutes later, Abby started to cry. As she usually sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00, this was much too early for her to be up. Looking back, I should have let her cry and I think she would have gone back to sleep. But, sleep deprived as I was, I got up to get her. As I came downstairs with her, I heard Sarah Grace crying downstairs. My thought? SERIOUSLY? IS EVERYONE GOING TO GET UP NOW? I was soon to find out that the answer was yes. It turns out that Sarah Grace had wet the bed (her first accident since she started sleeping in panties all night long so really we were due). So, at 5:15, I had to get Lainey out of the bed, strip the sheets, put them in the washer, and change both girls' pajamas. I put Sarah Grace in the bed with Lon and Joey and attempted to get Abby back to sleep on the couch with me. No dice. So, at 6:00 I called it quits on the attempts to sleep and just got up for the day. Going on only 3 1/2 hours of sleep while trying to homeschool one and maintain order with the other three wasn't an easy task, but we made it through. My only hope was that naptime would be beneficial and it definitely was! There's just never a dull moment around here. Sometimes I find myself wishing for just one or two dull moments just so I can catch my breath!

We are all growing very excited about our trip to NC. The girls are most excited about flying on an airplane again and I'm praying that flying with 4 little ones won't be the end of our time of flying, our ability to parent with sanity, and our marriage! I plan on stocking up on new crayons, a couple of new coloring books, some story books, snacks, and Benadryl, lots of Benadryl. I'm not sure if I'm going to drug the children or myself; only time will tell.

Off to catch up on some sleep. Praying that no one is up before at least 4:30 or 5:00 and then not again until 7:00. I never would have guessed when I was in high school that sleeping until 7:00 would be considered sleeping in!! How times do change!

Six Years Old! Seriously?

Can it really be that our Lainey is already 6 years old? It seems so! We've done birthday all weekend long! A party at McDonalds yesterday complete with 10 little girls of varying ages and one little boy (a brother to three of the girls), presents yesterday and today, and a dinner out tonight! So much for keeping things simple! She loved it all and I hope has made some great memories!

On our way home from dinner tonight, we heard Sarah Grace say to Lainey, "You'll be 6 forever, right Laine?" Only in mom's imagination. I fear that, soon enough, she'll be grown and with her own 6 year old and we'll be wondering where the time has gone! So for now, I'm just going to hold on to her as tightly as I can and love her forever and ever and always.

Is This Thing On?

Sorry for my delay in blogging. Life with four children is busy, busy, busy. It seems that someone is always crying, wanting to eat, or needing help with some sort of bodily function. I don't mind it most days, though I must say, at the end of the day, I'm glad bedtime has come and welcome the quiet. Let me just say that each day I have a new respect for my Aunt Janice and marvel at how she seemed to keep it all together with 4 kids running around.

Today I did a crazy thing. I took all 4 kids to Walmart and Costco for the monthly shopping. Perhaps that doesn't sound crazy so allow me to explain further; I did this without any medication or strong drink prior to leaving the house. My goal was to get out of the house early this morning so that we could get our shopping done and be home in time to eat lunch here instead of out somewhere. I grow weary of feeding them in the car and knew that I didn't want to sit in a McDonalds with all 4 of them for any length of time. We were out by 9 and home by 1 so that goal was met. I wish I could say the rest of the trip went as smoothly. Joey is his father's son and let me know in no uncertain terms that he was weary of being in Walmart and wanted out. For about the last 20-25 minutes of our time there, he cried. This was no sweet little baby cry; this was a scream of rage that said, "I HATE WALMART." To top that off, he pooped while we were standing in the checkout line and overflowed his diaper until there was poop all over his back. So, picture me pushing a cart loaded with groceries (20 pounds of cat food and 28 pounds of litter plus many other items) and Abby with a screaming baby strapped to my front trying to maneuver two other children (one running way ahead and the other lagging behind) all the while trying to remember where we parked our van. There's a reason I only do this once a month and I'm having serious doubts about whether or not I'll take all of them with me next time. I know it shall get better. The first time I went anywhere with both Lainey and Sarah Grace, Sarah Grace cried the entire time we were in the mall (approximately 34 minutes) and then Lainey started crying because I expected her to put her coat on to go outside to the car. When I got out to the car, I couldn't figure out how to get the car seat out of the stroller even though Lon had given me a lesson just before leaving the house. The wind was blowing like crazy and my hair was in my face which meant I couldn't see a thing. I was afraid I was going to shake Sarah Grace to pieces from jostling the car seat so much. I was also afraid I was going to have to call Lon to come and get us before I figured it out. When I arrived back home after being gone just over an hour, I declared, "I'm never doing THAT again." But I did, and it did get easier! So, I have hope that our Walmart trips will get better and that I won't always have people looking at me like "Oh, she needs to do something with her kids." I must say, however, hats off to one lady in the parking lot who saw that I was having a hard time and, even though she had a child of her own, stopped and asked if she could help me in any way and also to the 85 year old lady in front of me at the check out who saw things were not going well and came and helped me unload my cart. There ARE nice people out there!

We survived our heat wave last week and have now returned to more normal Northwest summer temperatures. The heat reminded me of why I'm glad I don't live in the South anymore (though it will always be home, I don't miss the heat and humidity) and why A/C is such a vital part of existence when one is below the Mason-Dixon line.

Lainey lost another tooth last week and is now down by 3. Her first two show no signs of making any sort of return so now she just has a big hole in her mouth. She's cute and is quite proud. Today she was trying to figure out how to whistle through the hole and was beginning to make progress.

My 34th birthday was quite nice. It was very low key because it was much too hot to get out and do a lot, but I enjoyed it. The girls woke me up by saying Happy Birthday and then sang to me as we had Holiday Danish for breakfast. They helped me bake a chocolate cake and later helped me eat it. We went out to dinner at Red Robin and Lainey delighted in telling our waiter that it was her mommy's birthday (I think she was just gunning for the free ice cream). I let all of the girls have the sundae so her little trick worked well. The Lord has been very good to me during my last year. As I told Lon when I got up last week, I can honestly say that when I turned 33, I didn't plan on having another infant by my 34th birthday! The Lord has plans that aren't our own, but they are very good. I'm very grateful for the blessings and look forward to what He has in store for the next year.

All Smiles

We spent part of last Saturday at a parade in Birch Bay. Here are a few (really great) pictures we got of the girls. I love these smiles and the light in their eyes!

WARNING:Sweetness Overload Below!

Here's one of our more precious moments from this morning!

What My Children Teach Me About God

I think we've entered a stage with Lainey and Sarah Grace where they feel they must constantly be arguing about something. They really do play quite well together most of the time, but recently, they've only been interested in arguing. Today in the car as we drove to Bellingham, we heard a funny conversation between the two of them. Sarah Grace provided the following instructions to Lainey, "You say, 'Yes we are' and I'll say, 'No we're not'." Lon looked at me and said, "Great, Sarah Grace is trying to organize an argument." I guess they'd run out of natural things to argue about! As I sat in the car with the girls while waiting on Lon to complete an errand, I heard Lainey say, "I don't like anything," to which Sarah Grace say (quite indignantly) "You have to like something. Don't you like toys?" As I was trying to negotiate the hostile takeover of a doll this morning and provide some discipline to one who needed it, I thought, "Why must everything be a power struggle? Why can't they just accept that I know what I'm talking about and have their best interest at heart?" I immediately was convicted and thought, "Isn't that how we are with God? He shows us the best way and we (like my children) say, ' I'll do it my way. I'll do it when I'm ready. I don't want to do what You say.'" I do believe that the Lord give us these little people to teach us more about our relationship with Him. It's hard work, but I hope I'm learning what I need to and passing it on so these precious little folks can grow up to be wise, God-fearing, Christ-loving, teens, adults, parents,spouses, and friends. My shoulders feel heavy with that burden; I am grateful not to have to rely on my own strength!

In Need of a Nap

Abby missed her morning nap yesterday, but decided to make up for it on her own time. She often goes down into Lainey's and Sarah Grace's room to play, but after a while yesterday, I could no longer hear her. I went down to check on her and this is what I found curled up beside the toy box. It didn't last too long as I needed to vacuum upstairs and once it started, she came staggering upstairs.

Nine Whole Years!

Today Lon and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's already been nine years, but in some ways, it seems that we've always been "Lon and Amy". It's hard to remember a time when he was just "Lon" and I was just "Amy". I'm very grateful for all that we've shared through these nine years and pray that the Lord will give us many, many more years together. It was a low key anniversary, but a good one none the less. We have plans for a dinner out tomorrow night and are looking forward to that. Joey will be accompanying us on our dinner date because at 3 1/2 weeks old, he's just a little too small to leave behind. He doesn't talk much so I don't think he'll interrupt our conversation too often!

The kiddos are doing well and have been enjoying lots of sunshine and time outside the last few days. I'm discovering that adjusting to having 4 is a process. We're getting there, but it's definitely taking time. It seems that at least 3-4 times a day, I have 2-3 crying about something. It seems that Joey wants to eat, Abby has fallen and hit something (I'm sure she looks like a battered child to outsiders), or Sarah Grace has gotten her feelings hurt about something all at the same time. Imagine being a fire fighter with 2-3 small fires going at once. They all need to be put out, but you have to prioritize and decide which one has potential to become the biggest blaze without attention and which one will likely burn out on its own. Sometimes two are large blazes, but they're on opposite ends of the house. Those are REALLY exciting. Add into this a sleep deprived mother, 8 loads of laundry, a sink full of dirty dishes, a dishwasher needing to be unloaded, cats needing to be fed, and 2 sorely neglected house plants and you'll understand why stay at home moms, at least this one, completely RESENT the question, "Do you work or do you just stay at home?" Let me tell you, I'd love to "just " stay at home. I do cherish the time I have with them and see it slipping by all too quickly. I look at Lainey and think, "Didn't I just bring her home from the hospital?" "Wasn't I just trying to figure out how to nurse her and get her to stop crying so much?" Where has that time gone? I look at this blog and realize that I started it a year ago tomorrow and that I talked about how Lainey had just read her first book to me. Now, at the end of one year of schooling, she's reading at a 3rd grade level. One of my friends on Facebook commented today that she needed the super human ability to slow down time. I agree completely!

Lainey and Sarah Grace wanted to get out and ride their bikes today and, while there were 49 chores needing my attention, I decided going out with them was much more important. It takes longer to put on helmets and pads than they actually spend riding, but they had a good time. Sarah Grace was obsessed with the trash truck coming down the other side of the street and had to park on the sidewalk until it had passed and was several house down the street before she would ride again.

We're looking foward to our town's annual Fourth of July celebration this weekend. The girls are very excited about the parade and Lainey has already formulated a plan for collecting any candy that the parade folks might throw her way. Lainey told me on Sunday, "I think we should take a paper sack with us so that when they throw candy, we can put it in there instead of in our pockets." Sarah Grace asked yesterday if it was parade day and if they would throw Hershey bars. Lainey is also planning when they can eat their candy and how they should eat a little after lunch and a little after supper. She's quite the planner! As she would say, "I've got it all planned out."

Overheard

Sarah Grace to a crow on our roof:
You'd better get down here right now. You're going to fall and get hurt.

Who says our kids aren't concerned about the world around them?

Early Readers and Anatomy Lessons

We start them reading pretty early around here! In fact, they're so advanced, they can read upside down!!

All is well around the Graham home. After being sick and wishing for death last week, I think we're all on the mend and back to normal. Joey is sleeping really well at night which makes a huge difference in how mama feels during the day. We took him back to the doctor yesterday to have his circumcision checked and all is well. He weighed in at 7 pounds 13 1/2 ounces which means he's gained back up to his birth weight. He's a pretty personable little fellow and is quite the snuggler. I know that these days will pass too quickly and we'll have to work on him being a tough little man-child, but for now, I'm enjoying his snuggling. No worries, I'll not turn him into a mama's boy, but I figure at only 17 days old, it's okay that he loves being close to his mama!

After I'd given Joey a bath a few days ago, we noticed that his skin was quite dry in several places. As I was changing his clothes one evening, Sarah Grace noticed the white flakes of skin on his feet and hands which prompted her to ask, "Is Joey salty?" I said, "No dear, he just has some dry skin." She's pretty curious and quite funny in her commentary. Diaper changes have been interesting (I've only been sprayed twice, but it was quite impressive) and have provided opportunity for anatomy lessons. Sarah Grace has been most curious about the differences and, after having it all explained using correct terminology, asked "Does Abby have a peanut?" Nope, no peanuts there!

A Few Random Photos

The last of the grandparents said goodbye tonight and will be heading out for their cross country drive tomorrow. We had a great visit with everyone who came and will now be busy trying to get everybody back into our normal routine.

Here are a few random shots we got today.

"How much more of this can I take?"

A New Name And Other Happenings

In light of the fact that, in later years, I doubt Joey will appreciate being identified with the ponytails and pigtails sect, we're going to be doing a little tweaking to the blog. First change, the name. Lon and I discussed a few names, but thought that adding "puppydog tails" was probably our best option, though it certainly wasn't our funniest. I'll be attempting to make some other changes in the days ahead as time and know-how allow.

Joey had his first bath at home tonight and was less than thrilled. But after some new jammies, a warm hat and blanket, and a good feeding he was sleeping peacefully and ready for bed. After our first couple of nights of sleeping on the couch, he seems to have embraced a better sleeping/feeding schedule and is letting me get a little more rest. I'm hoping that trend continues!

The girls continue to be quite taken with him. Abby is very fascinated with him and wants to sit with me (and on Joey) whenever he's eating or in my lap. She calls him "O" and occasionally "Oey". It's too cute. Both Lainey and Sarah Grace are proving to be great helpers and really love him very much. I think we're blending quite well into a family of six. My heart is very full.

Here are a few bath time pictures as well as some random shots.

And Now Introducing. . .

Joseph Alton Graham

June 8, 2009

8:07 AM

7 lbs, 13 ozs;19 inches

Coming Soon. . .

A New Blog Name!

Dance Recital

Lainey did GREAT in her recital today! As promised here are a few photos!

Good Times in the Graham Home

We are so much closer now and anticipation is mounting! Wouldn't you know that the last week of my pregnancy is one of the hottest first weeks of June on record? I know my Southern friends and family will no doubt scoff at the idea that 80 degrees is "hot", but with no AC and this portable furnace I have living inside of me, trust me, it's warm. The girls have enjoyed lots of grandparent time this week. They've had time to read with Nana and have been able to spend time in Nonie's hotel room, a magical place of advanced cable and better snacks than mom has to offer! I am very grateful for their willingness to travel across the country to spend time with our family and I know that the girls are making great memories with them.

Thanks to the grandparents, Lon and I were able to have what many outside of parenthood know as a "date" last night. And guess what, this "date" didn't involve Walmart or any other errand running as many previous childless evenings out have. We went to see Star Trek (amazing on 2 levels: 1>Lon convinced me to see it and 2>This was our second movie in 6 days time; a feat which will not be completed again until the year 2030.) and went to have a nice dinner out. Our favorite restaurant is The Keg so we'd anticipated the greatness all day long. I LOVE their mushrooms and had nearly drooled throughout the movie thinking about how awesome they were going to be. Alas, when we pulled into the parking lot , we discovered that The Keg is no more! There was just a sign hanging on the door that said, "Thanks for the memories!" Oh well, my dreams of great mushrooms were dashed, but we still managed to find another good restaurant down on the water and had a view of mountains and boats and enjoyed our time together. The grandparents took the girls to our local eatery "Big Al's" or "Big Owl's" as Sarah Grace calls it.

As it has been so very hot this week, we've kept our windows open almost constantly. Our windows in the living room are without screens and therefore we are not able to open them too far as we fear Abby will use them to escape. As one of them is a little higher than would be safe for her to climb out of, we only open it a small amount and then lock it into place. While this does prevent for the escaping of Abs yet still allows for some slight breeze to come in, it does not prevent the entrance of birds into our home as we discovered yesterday morning. I was coming downstairs to suggest that Lainey read some of her writing from school to Nana only to have Lainey meet me at the stairs with the broom saying, "We have a bird in the house!" Sure enough, I looked up high on our window ledge and there was a baby bird perched as though he was surveying the scenery trying to figure out what he would poop on first! Nana attempted to lure him out with the broom while I tried to open up the windows and doors a little wider. He did manage to fly across the room a couple of times before he flew into the window and fell to the floor stunned. Nana, our caped crusader, came to the rescue and picked him up and put him back outside on the window sill. He seemed a little shocked by what had happened,but later flew off to tell his feathered friends about his adventure. I can hear him now, "Do NOT go in there! Sure they've got high ceilings, but this crazy lady will beat you down with the red broom of death!" It makes for a good story and Sarah Grace enjoyed telling Faz about how the bird "flewed" around the house, but then Nana holded him with her hand and put him outside.

We are gearing up tomorrow for Lainey's dance recital. She is very excited and has been anticipating it for sometime. She gets to dress up like a fairy and should be absolutely precious. We'll post pictures as soon as we can!

Almost There

Only 6 days left until Baby Graham makes his appearance and I gotta say, I'm ready! I've done my nesting, the house is as clean as I can expect it to be with 3 other children living here, clothes are washed and ready, and mama is ready to go. There is much going on this week so I'm hoping that means the time will pass by quickly. I have to say I'm ready to be "un-pregnant", but more than that, I'm ready to hold this precious little baby I've only known through kicks and bumps these last several months. My heart is full when I think of the blessings the Lord has given us. What a joy it is to see these girls grow and play together and to hear them laugh with one another. Now, to be realistic, it's not always so "precious" around here; we certainly have our share of whining, crying, back-talking, etc, but I still count it all joy.

Last night I was attempting to help the girls clean their room. This basically amounts to me sitting down there and pointing out what they need to pick up and put where as well as my putting up what they can't reach or refuse to see. I've discovered that it's amazing how blind they become when being directed to pick up a toy. Please pick up that doll and put her in the toy box. Where is she? You're standing right next to her. (Child steps over toy to walk across room.) I don't see her. This baby doll? No, the one you tripped over to get across the room. Where? I don't see her. (Mom's frustration growing by the moment.) Right there, you're now standing on her face; don't you feel the life squeezing out of her? OH! THIS baby doll? I didn't know what you were talking about. Right! Me thinks we have too much stuff. At any rate, it got clean enough. As Sarah Grace was coming downstairs to go to bed, she found her toy school bus and had also found the driver of said bus. Only when she told us she'd found him, she sounded like she might have had a little something "special" in her sippy cup. As she came down, she said, "I found the drus biver." I tell you, these are funny little people we live with.

In other Graham family news, the number of teeth in our family has now decreased by one. Lainey lost her second tooth on Sunday evening. It was literally just hanging on so Lon wrapped a piece of thread around it and gave a quick tug. Lainey was very excited and we celebrated with bowls of ice cream. She put the tooth under her pillow on Sunday night and woke up to find $2.00 in its place yesterday morning. When she came up to our room yesterday morning to show off her find, Sarah Grace (who'd already crawled in bed with us) said, "You got $50 Laine!" to which Lon said, "Well, it looks like the tooth fairy won't be eating as much this month!" and I said, "Looks like the tooth fairy won't be paying her utility bill this month!" Let's hope that when it comes time for Sarah Grace to start getting tooth fairy money, she still believes that $2.00 is worth so much!

Movies, Picnics, and Babies, Oh My!

We have made it a tradition in our familiy to have a movie outing just before a new baby is born into our family. Before Sarah Grace was born, Lon and I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia; before Abby was born, we took the girls to see Horton Hears a Who; before Lainey was born was too long past and I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure we saw something. So, in keeping with tradition, we took all of the girls out to see Up today. In hindsight, it would have been better to have let Abby sit this little tradition out because she was not up for sitting, walking, rocking, standing, or being quiet throughout the show and Lon ended up just walking around the mall with her. At any rate, and in spite of a few scary parts for the girls, Lainey, Sarah Grace, and I did enjoy the movie. Given that this is likely the last baby born in the Graham family (never say never, I suppose) and given that it cost us all over $30 to go to a matinee (!), this will likely be the last movie we see in the theatre ever. Okay, maybe not, but given the price to get us all there, it's definitely a rare occurrence. The movie was quite cute and I hate that Lon missed most of it because now I can't share funny lines from it without having to explain too much. During one scence, the two main characters, an old man named Carl and a little boy named Russell, are walking along and Russell is talking non-stop. Carl says, "I've got an idea; let's play the quiet game to see who can be quiet the longest." Lainey leaned over to me and said, "I'd bet you'd love that game, Mom. Especially when you're on the phone!" I think she knows her mother well!

We also went to a picnic today for Lainey's school. The weather was fabulous, the park was beautiful and the girls had a great time playing. Lainey got to be in a sack race and while she didn't win, she still had a good time. Sometime later, the lady who organized it came to Lainey and said, "You know, I think you left too early; I think if you had stayed, you would have won this medal." She then gave Lainey a little medal to wear around her neck. That was great, but the biggest prize for me was the ten mile wide grin Lainey wore on her face. I told Lon, "Oh, I'd do anything to see that smile."

So, we're now down to the single digits before little boy Graham makes his appearnce in the world. I'm ready to be unpregnant and just a have a baby to hold. My heart is very full as I ponder the blessings the Lord has given me and I am very grateful. Grandparents begin their travels today and will be arriving next week. We are anxious to see everyone and are grateful that they are able to be a part of this time in our lives. What a blessing that we live in a day and age when travel is so easy and families can be so quickly connected! I am very grateful for the help they offer and couldn't imagine doing this without them!

Busy Bees

We enjoy seeing how different our girls' personalities are. They're all very busy, but it's becoming evident, especially in Lainey and Sarah Grace, what they enjoy doing. Lainey LOVES to read. I went to the library this afternoon around 5:30 and checked out 4 chapter books for her. By the time they went to bed at 8:30, she had started her 3rd one. She loves to hunker down on the couch or in a chair and lose herself in a book. She is often oblivious to the world around her. What a blessing that at 5 (!) she has already developed this habit. I pray that it will be a lifelong one.

Sarah Grace, on the other hand, likes to be in the kitchen helping. She delights in washing dishes and being a part of any kind of baking project. Tonight, Lon made a cake (awesome by the way!) and for the better part of an hour, Sarah Grace stood on a chair playing in the sink. She moved water from cup to cup, played with the measuring spoons, etc. Her recipe was quite interesting. She said, "I need butter, sugar, cinnamon and soil." I'm not sure what she was making or that I'd want any part of it once she finished, but she was determined. I think she'll enjoy reading as well, but at this stage, she's very content to "help". Abby is too young to have shown much interest in any one thing, but she had a great time standing in the chair with Sarah Grace playing in the sink as well. Here are some pictures Lon got of them engaged in their various activities!

We have had fabulous weather here this week and have really enjoyed being outside some each day. A dear friend from church came on Wednesday and weeded my flower bed for me (this is the same friend who did most of the painting in our house; I'm going to hang on to her for a long while!). The girls enjoyed being outside with us and were quite taken with every worm and slug that we found in the dirt. Every one was "huge" and elicited a "wow!" from Lainey.

We are busy getting ready for the arrival of the Graham boy in just 17 days! The cradle is together and little blue clothes are beginning to appear in the laundry. I'm definitely nesting these days and find myself cleaning random things. The girls are excited about the arrival of Joey and talk of him often. I pray that they're as taken with him once he gets here. I'm certain that Lainey and Sarah will be, but I wonder just what Abby's reaction will be.

I've written here a few times about how Sarah Grace makes up words that just make us chuckle. Today, she was looking at something that was evidently messy and said to me, "This is a torrible mess." I said, "Oh, it's torrible?" She said, "Yes, torrible." Yesterday I took a nap with her. As I am not sleeping well at night these days, I find that these afternoon naps are great times of refreshing. When we woke up, I said to her, "That was a good nap." She said, "Well at least we did get a big one." She then stretched her arms out and said, "It was this huge." I stretched my arms across her face and said, "Oh, mine was this huge!" She said, "Ow, you poked me in the eye." I apologized and she said, "Well, it didn't hurt my feelings or anything." Okay, good to know!

Abs is beginning to talk more and more. She will whisper "hi", yell bye-bye, say pup-pup for most any animal, but especially for dogs, say mama, dada, and Nay-nay (Lainey). She has said Sarah Grace once or twice but that one isn't quite as easy. It's exciting to see the many changes she's made just in the last month. She walks like a champ now and is initiating games of peek-a-boo. She wants to do whatever she can to keep up with Lainey and Sarah Grace and can often be found playing near them. She's developed a fond affection for one particular baby doll and is really quite cute carrying her around everywhere she goes.

It is indeed an adventure; somedays are great, somedays leave me longing for bedtime to come early, and somedays I hope I can remember forever. We are very rarely bored!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Children are indeed a blessing from the Lord. What an amazing gift God has given us in each of these three girls. As we are on the eve of Mother's Day, I am in awe of what a blessing it is to be a mother. It is extremely hard work; I can't say that I've ever done anything more exhausting than pour my heart and soul and time and energy into these little lives, but what an amazing blessing it is!!! They make me crazy sometimes and drive me to the point of tears at others, but I praise God that I have each of them and pray that He will grant me many more Mother's Days with them!

Lainey has been working on Mother's Day presents for the last couple of weeks at school and has been very excited to give them to me. She got up on Tuesday morning and said, "I'm so excited about giving you my surprise today!" But evidently her teacher reminded them they needed to wait until Saturday or Sunday. So this morning after breakfast, she could wait no longer. She gave me her little brown paper sack with her hand print that she had traced and cut out and told me I could open it. Inside, was a little card she had made with flowers on it as well as several little magnets that had some of her artwork on the inside. But I think the most precious thing of all was a note she wrote me that said, "Dear Mom, Happy Mother's Day! I love you because you take me to McDonald's. Love, Lainey". I have to confess, it made me cry. I tear up even now thinking about it. It's just the little things you do for them that makes them think you're special. That's one of those notes that will be kept forever and ever. Lon took the girls out this afternoon so they could pick out a present for me. They came back with a beautiful hanging basket of red geraniums. Both of the girls were so proud as they told me that they picked it out. I love this phase of life (even in its most exhausting moments)!

A Day in the Park and a Little Bit of "Guarding"

We took the girls to the park in Lynden today after school so that Lainey could play with her special friend, Abby, from school. Today was the first day since last Saturday that it hasn't rained, so they all enjoyed being outside again. Lainey and Abby had a great time running and playing and Sarah Grace and our Abby enjoyed the park as well. Here are some photos from our time there:

We have quite the space for flower beds in our front yard and a number of flowers have come up already, but we've also been overtaken by weeds. Lainey and Sarah Grace and I went out this afternoon to try our hand at taming some of them. There is much work yet to be done, but with me being this pregnant, I can only squat so much! We're supposed to have sun again tomorrow so we'll be out again then. The girls enjoyed "helping". This basically amounted to them fighting over my trowel and then digging in the dirt. Lainey ended up with a book on the front steps for a time, but as Sarah Grace was helping me, I heard her say (to no one in particular), "This is guarding. I'm gard'ning with my mom." She then proceeded to call all of the bees in the neighborhood in for dinner. "Come on bees. Come and get your dinner!" Someone in the neighborhood was working outside with a saw and everytime she heard it, she would say, "Do you hear that? That's a bee." Here are a couple of pictures of us "guarding".