7QTs - Another week late

Linking up with Kelly and co... 

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Last Friday (actually 2 Fridays ago)  R came home with the class pet

FIDGET!

Fidget has taken up residence here on several occasions. A few short weekend stints when E was in K and then somehow E was named (or self-named) Fidget summer vacation keeper so he's hung out here the past two summers. 

Fidget had a grand time complete with getting rubbed in purple chalk and rolling around in the mulch. All was documented in his journal complete with drawings and black and white pics - but R colored Fidget brown in the pics?!?!?!? because he's definitely brown. 

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The moment

You realize... 

Your mother...

Is a terrible person because she is dutifully washing Ninis. 

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E had a swim meet on Saturday and M wasn't sick so we went

There was lots of snacks involved

C hung out in the stroller on Saturday and helped me be a timer in the Beco on Sunday while the 3 middle kids stayed with Jibbe and Lee tended to deacon duties here in the Mount. 

Can't you tell this is E? She did well for her first meet of the year round season. Times in 25s didn't improve vastly nor did that pesky IM count because breaststroke kick BUT she's determined. 

With my mind on my cup and my cup on my mind... 

We shot over to do some grocery shopping right after the meet without too much ado. But somehow I always get conned into getting some cereal they want - this week it was baby pillows AKA Mini Frosted Mini-wheats - there's a difference. 

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M had a soccer game Monday

Which did not end well but I have a really low bar set. E has been the assistant coach this year 

A is all about the NAK-NAK-NAK and crushed his up on the ride home

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The weather has been beyond nice so we've had some time outside...

A likes to play with the weeds I've pulled

My shoeless little boy

These girls really do play quite well with each other

Twirling in the sun

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School news: 

R brought her zebra for blessing of the pets at school. It is probably E's least favorite morning of school because there's a bunch of dogs and this year it was a full house 

This came home from school last week.... and even E looked at it and said, "Hey we don't have a cat." Also I don't know if M has actually watched an episode of Paw Patrol. 

Rewriting biblical history on the way to school: 

M - Mama, did you know Adam and Eve disobeyed God?

Me - Yes they did

M - Adam and Eve ate from the sycamore tree and disobeyed God

Me - Oh yeah

M - YES!

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Last Friday (the one that started with Papa in the ER), the kids and I vacated for the afternoon to keep it quiet so where better else to go than swim practice: 

A tried unsuccessfully to scale the rock wall and was a screaming WRECK leaving - he was twisting and turning and laying down on the floor because he wasn't getting what he wanted. It was great, let me tell you. 

Let me tell you what else is great... Mom hearing you unbuckle your seatbelt before the van is parked. Know what that will earn you, a ticket out of the van to walk home. Of course E thought I was joking at first and then she thought it was fun but they when we passed her turning onto our street she was really annoyed. 

That night I baked them take and bake cookies for dessert... and then I got a few more batches at the store the next day

The Birthday Boy

Here's to the freshly crowned TWO year old!

Getting this balloon was no small feat, but I knew you'd love it. I'me guessing you will be popping it soon. 

I made banana chocolate chip muffins for breakfast because you can't quite tell me what you want yet but I know you love NANAS!!!!!!!!! so I ran with it. 

And they were a hit. With everyone

You and M could be two peas in a pod but she is way more independent than you, so you are often left in her dust

You adore C and love to lay on top of her while she's in the bouncy seat but thankfully it gives with you

And E who you happen to drive totally crazy sometimes because you get into her stuff

R is the most likely to go outside with you if I tell her you want to play outside (which is just about every waking moment of the day) 

On any given day...

You love to accessorize. If you see your sisters with a coat or umbrella, you want one too - though you are very frustrated by zippers. You also have a knack for finding hair bands and bracelets and commandeering them until your sisters figure out you have their stuff. 

You LOVE to be outside. Getting into stuff. I probably should have bought a broom for your birthday because you enjoy dragging one around the garage. You have dared to get on the bigger tricycle but your little legs can't quite reach the pedals. But I bet you are going to be a daredevil on it once you can work it. You have come to know the word - ANTS - and have started to be more cautious around ant hills due to your run ins with lots of ant hills. I think if I could get a fenced dog run for you and you could see into the house (to see me) you'd live outside with all your trucks and dirt. You also enjoy sitting on a (big kid) stand up swing and just swinging and passing the time. It's probably one of my favorite things to watch you do. 

You are not a great eater. I can count on you eating bananas, cheese sticks and grapes - anything else completely depends on your mood. I do have high hopes for you because I think once you can tell us what you would like you'll be a happier eater. We are just playing a guessing game at the moment. 

I decided to come to grips with your 2-year-old-dom by ripping of the bandaid and cutting your hair in the same day. 

You hopped right up into the chair but then I had to give you a lollipop (It might have been your first ever) so that you would sit still. 

You were mostly happy and totally drooled all over the drape thing - whatever those things are called 

And you left looking a million years older but no less cute than you started the day off, little boy. I think you might be a clone of your Uncle Kev. I hope you have an awesome year and I pray that it will be injury free because you scare me a lot with your fearlessness and I hope you'll always be my best snuggle-giver and just know you've stolen my heart in a way I never knew; I hate it when you cry for me and I take you to tee ball practice some nights not because I want to, but because I don't want you to cry when I leave - even though I know you are totally 'putting on' to get your way. 

All the best, little boy, you are taking us on quite a joy ride and we are all in for the wild ride. 

Odd Squad

Here's to the final night of the Odd Squad... (for a bit). Here's what they are up to

They'd best step up their collective game for the Christmas card pic... just saying

R - 5 - She is rocking Kindergarten. She has made some good friends in her 'new' school. She's got a good class of kids and I love that she loves her school and her friends. Her handwriting is still improving and she's powering through her sight words. Tee ball is her sport of choice is she is making HUGE strides in hitting off a pitch. 

E - 7 - Second grade? E is getting into the groove. The first few weeks of second grade were kind of a bear (maybe more for me than her). She loves to read. LOVES TO READ. She can get so into a book. She's swimming year round again for the second year and doing well. Still working some kinks out of breaststroke, I believe she can do it but she might tell you otherwise. 

C - 3 months - She's talking up a storm and loves to chat it up when I change her diaper and enjoys looking at herself in the mirror. I really need to move her into her crib for the night because I think we are keeping each other up at night. She's still coming to work with me and Papa has not attempted any sort of bottle with her soooooo, I'm never too far away. 

A - 1 and/or 23 months - AAK (get that)! How. Is. It. Possible. A is turning 2 tomorrow. He is all boy. He loves to lay in the dirt and play outside. He is still in the very clingy mom stage during the day - especially when I drop him at school and in the afternoons. He HATES to wear shoes and has the saddest looking feet with splinters, ant bites and scrapes - but he wouldn't have it any other way. 

M - 3 - This girl will be 4 in a month. Also, insane. She is loving her 3 yr old class and has some really great friends. She is mischievous and devious and calculating and cute all at the same time. M prefers playing with the big girls but can be caught playing with A after lunch because sisters are at school. She's a mess and she's got everyone fooled by her cuteness. She played soccer for her third season and did leaps and bounds better (comparatively, but we aren't supposed to do that, right) than her big sisters. We owe her a celebratory trip to Pit Stop and probably a few extra topping because of her season performance : ) I think M is a little E with some third child swagger. 

It is kind of weird dynamics we have going on right now. I think that E, R and M are their own little dynamic in the family. E is definitely the oldest. R is the forgotten middle child who is harassed by the oldest and the youngest (M). I try not to forget her but it is hard because I think of her more like E and she's not as small as M - it is easy to forget she demands her own standards. M is the youngest who thinks they can get away with anything (she does get away with some stuff but when I catch her... score one for Team Mom - she is a predictable 3 yr old.) 

A is the only boy and acts like an only child. He wants me to drop everything for him all the time. Hold him. Feed him. Take him outside. He wants all my attention. 

C is still in that 'finding her place stage'. I don't know where's she's going to fall but A is so so so attached to her and the big girls are good with her but also give C her space because they have a million other things. 

7QTs - Dr, ER, RR

Linking up with Kelly and co

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Sickness report from the last 2 weeks:

An afternoon a couple weeks ago I was SURE that A had an ear infection. He woke up from his nap clingy (nothing new) and on fire. I teetered over taking him to the doctor but I ended up going because 

A. I was sure it was his ear and 

B. I was terrified of an ear diagnosis because any more ear incidents would likely earn us a FastPass to the ENT for tube. 

Well we rolled in there with me and A and C, I was nursing C with A clung onto to me for dear life - he is pitiful when he's sick. Finally it was moment of truth and.... "his ears are the best I've ever seen them". 

Oh the irony of it all. Ear infection parents unite. I can totally see if you have a kid with chronic ear infections why you immediately run to the doctor. I never understood until now.

In other thriller-ish illness news, M woke up sick in the middle of the night last Friday morning - like that kind of sick. She's a pitiful sick-y too. I was sure everyone was going to get the stomach bug and the whole house would succumb.... but everyone else escaped unscathed.

Praise

The 

LORD!

An addendum to the sicky report.... yesterday Lee woke me up saying his back pain (from work - hello never ending pool season : ) had taken a turn to his stomach. Well he decided not to wait for his doctor's office to open and headed straight for the ER. Hello chaotic morning of dropping kids off, worrying about him, not going to the ER because C is small... Another praise report - it wasn't terribly serious, just diverticulitis. A few antibiotics and pain meds plus a change in diet and hopefully he won't be too worse for the wear. 

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During one of E's swim practices we patronized the park like so... 

I think if I had to tote A around on my back all the time I'd be back to my pre-preg weight in a week. Also he thinks he's supposed to ride in the Beco all the time now... but he's not. 

Swing love

Stroller love

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He's so cute : ) and turning 2 next week!

A zonked out after the playground. He is so stinkin cute but he can drive me totally nuts at the same time. I think it might be time to cut his hair but I cannot bear the thought of baby boy looking like little boy. 

CAN'T 

DO 

IT

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This picture is worth a thousand words...

The Nini + her thumb = makes me sad the lady who made the Nini isn't here to see C

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Okay this post is insanely old because these book are due in a day... 

Rainbow Fairy Heaven

39 books checked out... I think about 20 were Fairies. E wanted to leave the library immediately after the fairies were found but I dragged her through the other aisles of books and low and behold - there are other books out there she likes!

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As promised: 

R's art. I think I love the H the most. Also, the D'neilian or whatever kind of script they use - the Ks are the worst. Not a fan. 

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Sports keep going along...

R is making some good strides in hitting a ball being thrown to her which is actually helping her when she hits of a tee ( They get 3 or 5 pitches and then the ball is placed on a tee). I'm excited for her. There will be batting lessons available in the winter so I'd love to sign her up for some so she can be a little more confident in the spring - if she decides to play because you know she is NEVER doing tee ball again according to her. 

2017 Summer Swim reCap

The summer swim season has come to a close. Cra-zee. Here's how it went down:

R gained a ton of confidence in the pool. She's swimming across the shallow end by herself and she really only stops to take a breathe. The breathing in line thing still hasn't happened. : ) 

She had a fun summer and this exemplifies her enthusiasm. We really thought she was going to get moved up to 6 and under from Pup Squad and we even had the racing bathing suits in hand BUT it didn't happen. She really really really wasn't ready. She handled it well. I hope with a few lessons over the winter she'll be good to go. 

E had a good season. She was swimming 7-8 which is tough because she turned 7 right before the cut off but it is what it is, you know. 

She rocked out her diving. She finally got it down. She still dives a bit deep but diving is better than flopping. I was really hoping breaststroke would be the same. She's improved but still very much DQ-able if she isn't 100% focused on the kick (it doesn't help her feet turn in a bit when she walks so having to have feet turned OUT for breaststroke doesn't come naturally). E still loves doing IM. And it that even this year was the thing I want to remember the most about her swim season. It was the last swim meet of the season (before conference) and she has practiced breaststroke a lot that week as to not DQ in the breaststroke portion. She did well in her butterfly length and then came backstroke. 

She was in lane one right next to the shallow end - and I was standing right at the corner to cheer her on. E veered toward the shallow end when she pushed off the wall and she keep going into the buoy line and then hit her head on the wall. She was crying. I kept cheering - you are doing great! Don't stop. Don't stop. And I could see her face and her eyes and she wanted to stop so bad. I felt for her; she needed a mama bear hug in the pool but fortunately I retrained myself 

She recovered and swam breast and free and didn't DQ! It was a 'rough' meet for her she said but to me that was the most defining race of the season. 

At conference she got two 3rds and a 7th. 

She didn't care too much but she might have her eyes and heart and mind set on winning a medal at conference for most points at that meet. 

Nash Rec Swim Team 2020 or bust

M has gotten tons of confidence in the water and I'm excited to see what next year will hold for her. She might be able to get to 6 and under if we go to the pool often over the winter : ) 

Here's to an A+ summer pool season