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.