Linking up with Kelly and the usuals...
---1---
Sometimes my kids show me flashes on my childhood...
I had a ski hat phase and M has a few days of needing to wear her new BB-8 hat around with the tag on (of course). Crazy the things that flow through your DNA and the crazy things we pass onto our kids!
---2---
E documenting A's every move...
She was freaking out as in - hurry up we have to get a pic of A standing by himself (even though he's kind of been doing it for awhile now). He can take a few steps on his own earning him the rank of earliest walker at 15 months but he doesn't seem terribly motivated to do anything more than a few steps occasionally sooooo.... walker but for all intensive purposes, not-walker.
---3---
E had a swim meet this weekend and my phone has just about zero space for pics plus I never get a good pic in that pool so...
Here is how you survive your big sister's swim meet... Lots of snack and a little distraction from Jibbe - who actually had the crew camp out at her house Sunday during that part of the meet. We hit Saturday evening Mass and I had high hopes for R to behave like she needed to (trying not to compare with E at almost 5 but having a really hard time). R made it to the Gospel and then was back in the narthex with me and A who was a WRECK. Like we had to stand outside the church because he was screaming SO LOUD. Maybe he needs an extra exorcism or something because the child is not a fan of being at church (both of the ones we go to).
---4---
A is basically like this all the time when I'm around...
He's usually okay in the tub and thought it was funny when I had the goggles on but when the tables were turned it was not so funny. I promise I love him but he is not the most pleasant baby to be around for reasons that I will never understand. Lee will vouch that he does great if I am not home but if I am its a totally different ballgame.
---5---
Lee's new name for M is 'M is the ascetic'...
Some nights she readily eats dinner and other nights she looks at what we are having and announces she's not eating it or she's not hungry and goes and puts on her pajamas... Its no wonder that some mornings she's up well before 6 but who's up for arguing over food with a 3 yr old?
---6---
R had wacky Wednesday brought to you by the letter W...
She wasn't so sure about it and didn't want to wear her dress backwards or do anything more to her hair so this is what we got.
I might have had to throw her socks and shoes and coat out the door because she was little unnerved about wearing 4 different footwear items.
---7---
R, M and A and I were walking the track during E's swim practice...
And an older lady said as we scooted by her, "you are a good woman" and I have been thinking about that. Though I smiled and said thank you, I couldn't help but think about Jesus asking - "Why do you call me good?". Why was this woman calling me good? Because I was walking around the track with my three small children? There's nothing inherently good about that. I mean would she have said that if she knew I had to halfway argue my 6 yr old into swim practice which put us up on the track to kill some time? Would she have said that if she saw us loading up 40 minutes later and me shouting so the people halfway across the parking lot could hear me - SIT DOWN AND BUCKLE UP? Because there was a couple who witnessed that moment of greatness.
I've just had an increased awareness and subsequent pondering of people's reaction/interaction/thoughts about our family as it grows. As we get lumped into the 'y'all must be busy' and 'you have how many kids' mold people form opinions of large families base on what they see. There's assumptions that we are crazy (I stand by that), there's assumptions that we have it all together (I really don't, I just have an excellent game face), there's assumptions that we are 'good' (I fall short daily). I just wonder the different opinions those two sets of people had based on my actions - walking around a track and yelling at my kids. Makes me think twice about how my actions are effect others ideas/opinions whether I like it or not.
Don't judge yourself harshly - if someone calls you good, you are doing good! She sees that you have a lot of kids (open to life -that's good!) , you're keeping them occupied and paying attention to them (very good) and you got them all together at the pool/gym (extra bonus points good - I never take kids anywhere if i don't have to any more).
ReplyDeleteAs for the ones who think you have it all together, they know how hard it is to get even one child out the door, so the fact that you have 4 of them with you, means you're doing something right. (Even if you're like me and have to carry the 2 yr old out to the car because he won't put on socks and shoes in the winter, and you're frantically stuffing his feet in his sister's pink boots before you get out of the car at school...)
And everyone yells at their kids - and seat belts are necessary- so there are no strikes against you for that!
Please know you are good (if tired, worn, and too busy to notice it!).