Our Last Week in Review

So, I didn't write much the last week of our days with the kids. I was trying to soak it all in. 

 I didn't want to miss one single thing we had left to enjoy of them.

But I did try to snap a photo here and there so I could remember...

Our Friday pizza and movie nights.

Leo, eating himself into a food coma.

Breakfast animals.

The day that three year old Lucy wanted to prove she's ready to be a mom...

and she put Leo down for his nap all by herself.

All the board games and laughter.

Bay Beach, again and again.

Not sure they could have ever gotten enough...

of the amusement park, 

OR Jaymee Glynn.

Making donuts

that were delicious.

And all those pre-packaged art projects.

Our last being the highly anticipated paper flowers.

And, of course, the beach. 

And that baby.

Missing him terribly is a little easier when I recall

the way Greg and I took in every last second we had with him.

Although it certainly won't ever be the same around here,

we're learning our way back to "just the three of us" again.

One More Week

So today we start the count down as we have just one week left with the kids.

When I look across the table at Leo's little cheeks and his sweet grin, I can't help but remember that next week none of that will be here. I'm trying to focus on the pros of no more diapers, high chair, dressing and buckling and especially being woken up two to three times a night... but it's been just long enough to remind me what and why all of those things are worth looking past when you have a little one.

When I walk through the living room on movie night and see six awkward long summer-stained legs lined up on the couch with toes pointed to the TV, I feel a twinge of hurt for my son who will not so long from now be the only kid left to kick around with.

Throughout the next week we will enjoy our "lasts" for the summer with Kaila, Jada and Leo. It has been so much fun to have them. They are really good, and I am proud of my cousin and her husband for making such wonderful, sweet, obedient, loving, fun kids. 

The Way Things Are

There's something about the continuous kitchen rotation from sparkling to shambles and back again.

Something about a pile of shoes thrown to the bottom of the stairs, by a baby who loves shoes more than most kids love their blankies, while humming what I'm almost certain is the chorus line of a Beyonce song from three albums back.

There's something about original lego creations in stations set up in the most inconvenient and adorable places around the house.

Something about the living room lounge chairs always being rearranged for the ultimate video game comfort.

There's something about a pee diaper wrapped neatly and set on... the kitchen table!

That basement light that you have to walk way to the back to turn off ALWAYS being on.

Something about never having dry cuffs on my sleeves, or dogs in a state other than ravenous hunters in search of floor scraps, and car seats sprinkled with crumbs, books, and Mentos wrappers.

There's something about wearing a little girl's button bracelet and matching toe polish.

Something about that ring of milk in the bottom of the bottle that reminds you why people have those bottle scrubbers on a stick.

There's something about sink baths, and a line up of bikes, and huge stinky piles of tiny clothes.

The way he flirts and giggles when I sing, "he's Leo and he knows it"

Or the way the oldest asks a second time, right after I assure she can go and play, "are you sure you don't need me to do anything for you Auntie?"

The way my own son has stopped arguing with me and completely stopped complaining all together about anything.

The way the middle one can simultaneously light up my life while letting me know that I light up hers, just with her eyes.

Even though I NEED real sleep, I rarely shower until I can actually smell my own stank, and I'm far more easily persuaded to hand over an entire box of glutinous soy filled Cheezits than I'll ever be proud to admit...there's something about all of this that Greg and I are becoming more increasingly aware, as our days as a family of six draw closer to their end, we are going to miss very very much.

Three or Four Kids

I've heard that once you have three kids it doesn't really matter if you have four or five. Never understood that, but who was I to say? 

Last night Jada slept at a friend's house, and already this morning I can disagree with that statement a thousand different ways... it feels like we lost three kids. And not because Jada comes packing with three kids worth. She's actually my right hand girl. She helps the most, smiles and brings on laughter the most, has the most charm and charisma in the house, and eats the least of all of us. 

This lifted load in her absence does not spur on sorrow by any means. I feel like I could get a part time job in place of her. Maybe I'll sow something this morning. :) 

I guess three would have been a whole different story for us. Though I wouldn't have traded four for a thing. 

Two Weeks Left

I haven't written in a few days, and for that reason I should. 

We have enjoyed a nice weekend at home. We had a showing for the house on Friday, so I spent most of the day cleaning/cooking/feeding/taking care of Leo. It was kind of a lot messier than I thought. :) 

It feels good to have things closer to how they used to be, but at first it made me sad. I felt like I was getting a foretaste of what it will look like when the kids are gone. I know that we will ultimately be happy to get back to the way things were before... but for a time it will be strange and a little hard getting over them. 

I can't imagine how hard it will be for Zeek. To wake up everyday with no kids to play with. No kids at mealtimes, and no one in the back seats of the car with him. :( I feel bad for him for that. 

And although the girls spend most of their time with Zeek, I will surely miss having girls! I'll miss Jada being my little helper in everything I do. And I'll miss keeping an eye on Kaila's heart to make sure she's okay inside, not just out. Our talks. The giggles and fun. 

And then there's Leo. I don't even want to think about it. I know that I will get over him the fastest, because it will be easier for me to appreciate losing the kind of work load he comes with. But the initial letting go of someone who has very much become like my own baby over the past month will be pretty rough. For so so so so many reasons. 

On Saturday the kids had our favorite sitter Alyssa come for the evening while Greg and I went out. They did well with her. We knew they would. 

And today, we just hung out. The kids watched their "What's in the Bible" series, played minecraft, and what other than, PLAYED PLAYMOBILES. It rained most of the day. 

The house is slowly but surely getting back to it's better state of messy. The big kids toggle between their playmobile and minecraft obsessions. I'm finally getting used to making and buying the right amount food the first time. And after a few days of Leo waking me 3 and 4 times a night, he is back to only once again. AMEN! 

Tomorrow, my best friend and I are getting together here to cook all of our dinners for the week at once. If nothing else, it will be a blast. All our kids are going to make a desert, do crafts, and play play play. 

I can't wait! 

BEACH DAY!

We finally made it to the beach with the kids.

The weather was amazing. 

The kids loved playing in the sand.

They especially loved confiscating abandoned play sites.

We went with our good friends, the O Family.

We did a lot of cuddling with the littles...

And we got a lot of sand on and in everything!

Lucy got swimmers itch on her legs 

(the only case from the day)

And we took cute pictures of everyone.

The big kids got ice cream. 

And when we packed up to head home, 

of course, my three oldest stuck their noses right back

into there current favorite reads. :)

It was a great day with very little hassle or drama

and TONS of fun in the sun!!! :)

Mid-week

 This is from our scavenger hunt the other day: 

It was fun, and had all the kids on a mission in the woods. 

Lee was called a "cute little girl" one too many times, 

so he got his hair cut at the barbershop.

He screamed most of the time, so it's not the best, but it works.

He's still super duper cute. 

He loves all the windows in the house that go the length of the walls.

He's always peering out at some wild animal, with a dog at his side.

He's a love.

We went to Bay Beach with our friends this week. 

We were there for longer than any of us thought. 

Leo loved the car ride, and when it was time to get off

he stood with one hand in mine and the other reaching for the car.

He looked at me as if to say, 

"why would we EVER leave this?" 

If we didn't have 8 kids with us, I would have gladly let him ride

them all afternoon. :)

Our days and routines are getting better and better. 

The girls love structure and purpose.

Although, I let them do pretty much whatever they want for most 

of our days home, they still come to me all proud

to tell me how they cleaned this, or set that up, or 

"you won't have to worry about THIS Auntie... we already did it for you!" :)

So sweet. 

They are all playing well, and loving their time together.

Today, we go to the grocery store (our home away from home),

the library, and the dog center for dog food.

Tomorrow, if the weather permits, we are FINALLY hitting the beach! ;)

Weekend Walkthrough

Friday night we had our VBS performances. It was awesome. I've been saying this a lot in the past months, but I don't know if it was me or they changed things at the church, but it seemed to go so much better than past years. There didn't seem to be as many people, as much crowding, as much waiting time between things, and everything was just easy and fun. 

The kids did so well at their performances. 

Jada loved self defense class, all the food she got to make in her cooking class each day, and she took first place in the pinewood derby races with the "glitter car" she constructed herself. She got a blue ribbon and a whole bunch of candy! ;) 

Zeek also made his own pinewood derby car. He did not win any races, and Jada lovingly reminded him of this about every 10 minutes... but she was "sweet enough" to share her candy with him. He said his woodworking class was his favorite. He made a decent sized wooden treasure chest and a piece of cross art. His performance was in sign language. He LOVES sign language. Like passionately, and wants to take a real sign language class (he does not want to take ANY CLASSES in ANYTHING EVER!) Each night he would show me all the sign language he learned that day. Pretty awesome. 

Kaila made a gorgeous piece of statement art. It is on a long plank of wood which she nailed the form of letters into, then strung with colored string to make the words, "Serve others to be great". It's awesome. She also got to be in the rocket class... something all the younger kids long for. She made her own rocket and got to launch it the night of the performances. This is a tradition of the church. All the VBS kids run out into the field as the sun is setting, and all the kids from the rocket classes launch their rockets. The kids chase them as they parachute back to the earth. It's an honor to catch and retrieve one of these great rocket treasures. :) 

Kaila's performance was in co-ed dance mob. It was SO cute. She is such a cute little hip-hopper. 

Saturday we had the Ottos over for a birthday celebration, lunch, and dinner. As always, it was the best. The dads grilled salmon, steak, burgers and potatoes. Greg made egg salad and homemade cornbread. It was all so scrumptious. 

The kids played endlessly, the moms talked, painted nails, and tried on clothes for our moms' night out. 

We had cake and opened presents. It was kind of the funnest day we've all had in a long time.  

Sunday was a down day. The kids did their church thing in the morning with another "What's in the Bible" video. So cute. Then they finished up their Mindcraft marathon. AMEN! :)

Today, they are back to having to make their own entertainment without a media source. I have a chalk scavenger hunt to draw out in the driveway for them in a minute. We're going to do some school, some baking, and a little art project. It's supposed to be hot with scattered thunderstorms, so we will stick around the house. 

We have some big plans for fun this week though!!! 

Hope you have a good week. 

In the Midst of it All

Today, something happened to me. Either having four kids is starting to grow on me, or someone slipped me some good drugs (in which case I want to know what it was so I can put in an order)

Today, nothing could discourage me. I was just grateful and happy all day long. 

Things started out pretty interestingly:
When I started the shower and went off in search of a towel (which I did not find, because every towel in my entire life was in the wash) Frank, the dog, decided it would be fun to jump in and get soaking wet - then, about five minutes before we had to leave for VBS, Jada asked me if I would like her to take a shower before she got dressed and did her hair (I was under the impression she was ready for the car) - and while I was doing a quick change of Leo's last minute poop diaper (20 minutes after we should have left) he took the new outfit I had selected for him to wear and wiped it on his parts, right through the poop. 

But instead of these surmounting road blocks causing me to lose my love for life, I had an unusually peaceful calming sensation wash over me at every obstacle. All I could do was smile. I kept finding reassurance in how precious all these kids are. I was determined to cherish our moments whether we were on time, drenched, poopy, dressed, or not, and I was certain that we were going to enjoy our drive to the church even if we got there late for chapel... 
I can only imagine such a perspective came from One Place. Thank You, God. :)

I also noticed today that I am so much less concerned with shoveling out and organizing the kind of "clutter" that is making its way around the perimeter of every room in my once minimalistic home. 

Sure there are drying bottles, rings, and nipples on my window sill - but I know right where they are, ready and waiting for me at the drop of a hat (which is the time frame in which I generally need most things these days). 

And yes, there has been a dueling set of playmobile vikings, horses and weapons on the top counter of my kitchen island for over a week - but every kid in my house, including the baby, plays with them right there every single day (usually while I'm cooking something and they are sharing their stories with me). 

I know I would have never had a continuous stream of piled art projects in the works, activity books, buckets of colors, scissors, glue, etc... laying out on the dining room table, always - but putting these things away just means more monotonous back and forth, in and out, bustle and shuffle through the kitchen and laundry areas, into the craft room... all FOR WHAT? 

There are books with little dog-earred pages stacked everywhere - but a summer full of reading kids makes my heart sing.

There's a Thomas the Train universe taking up the far left third of my living room -but I love seeking out a missing Leo only to find him sitting with his sister smack in the center of that train-land, reaching up with a content smile, the offering of a blue caboose, and the invitation to join in. 

There are reusable diapers, disposables, and boxes of wipes around every corner - because you just never know when you'll need to pop a squat and change a butt. :)

The line of shoes on the bench in the entry way is endless, the front of my sparkling white kitchen cabinets are, well... not white anymore,  and the fridge literally throws meals out at me when I open it now (kind of convenient I think). 

And I've only taken account of my main floor here. I'm not even going into my upstairs or my downstairs... 
no, I mean literally, I don't go to either floor. 
They belong to the kids. They are filled with forts and demolished kingdoms, dominoes and connect four game pieces, clothes and all those MIA towels??? Yep! They too are scattered from one end to the other. 
But these little areas are dear to the small people in my house. The only thing that upsets them is to disrupt those spaces where they meet with their imaginations to play and create until something else shiny catches their eye. :)

As messy, and busy, and at times chaotic as things can be - with the routines for everything, and the washing and straightening, planning and cooking, feeding and cleaning, diapering, and laundering, setting up and taking back down, taxing, and tucking in... I couldn't be happier. 

I've been looking around all day just beaming from the inside out. Don't get me wrong, I will enjoy when we return back to our own, simpler, quieter, less chaotic reality in a month, but I can say with absolute certainly that I'm pretty in love with our life right now. 

Who would have thought? :)

VBS

The kids started VBS yesterday. Jada and Kaila did well waking up earlier than usual. Zeek, as usual, was already awake. We were in the car and on our way right on schedule giving me plenty of time to tour the kids through the large building and locate each of their classes with them. I stayed with them through the morning celebration time, and then Leo and I left for our alone time. 

We went to Barnes and Noble and poked around... I was looking for some new sketching materials and some activity books for Jada- she isn't into the same stuff Zeek and Kaila are, so sometimes she's my little wanderer with "nothing to do" :)

I let Leo walk around in the store. He was really well behaved. With all that was at his tiny fingertips I was amazed that he only took a few books (with puppies) off the shelves. Even in the kids section he did well. It was nice to have him all to myself. It reminded me of the days of Zeek and I out when he was that age. As much as I enjoy the productivity level of having more, there's just something about having one child. It feels so special and different. Anyway, we were pals. We went to Noodles for lunch and then back to pick up the big kids. 

The kids told me all about their classes, and even what they learned about God and serving. They had memorized their scripture for the week, "He (Jesus) came to serve and not to be served" I believe it was. 

I'm glad they enjoyed it.

We stopped for our groceries on the way home. It's so nice grocery shopping with them. They can find food like nobodies business, so I just put them on missions in each isle. It takes me about half the time to shop with them that it does when I'm alone. Leo must love grocery shopping because he was perfect again. 

Once home, I told the kids they could play Minecraft, endlessly. Zeek got the full version on xbox this weekend and he and Kaila are loving it. Jada, of course, isn't into it as much. But they decided to each build her her own room per her specifications, and she decided that she will chose the best one and keep it. I'm glad they do their best to include her. 

She hung out with her new paperdoll sticker books while Leo and I made meals, cleaned up, did laundry, had a sink bath (well Leo did that part)... 

Tomorrow, it's VBS again, and I would love to do strawberry picking on the way home.
Can you believe we haven't done that yet!? 

I just never know what we're in store for these days. :)

LiFest

We went. We had fun. We defied all bedtimes imaginable and stayed out way too late. It was awesome.

We saw Jimmy Needham three times. Of course, I loved every second of every show. It was my first time seeing him, AND I got to meet him and chat with him a little after one of his shows. 

 (testing camera settings)

Zeek took our picture for me. Love it! ;)

We went through the Compassion Experience, which was a 20 minute personal family tour through the life of a Compassion Student. We wore headsets and used iPods as we moved through rooms where the student's home, city, school, etc... were recreated for us to see for ourselves. It was really cool and moving. It really inspired me to keep writing to and encouraging our sponsored student. The kids asked a lot of questions and we all learned a lot.

We spent some time under a tree in a field talking, relaxing, and playing rock games. Some people stopped us to tell me what an adorable family I have. I had to explain that they are my family, just not all my children. :) I couldn't agree more though, they are all quite adorable. 

We saw an improve comedy show, ate an entire Papa Murphy's family sized cheese pizza, waited in line, no lie, for about an hour and a half for the best french fries on the planet (not all that), and then, FINALLY, when the sun went down and the temperatures dropped into a tolerable range, we got to see Skillet! 

There were flames and fireworks and even the ground shook from the music (as Jada excitedly pointed out to me). The kids loved it. Kaila was rocking out. It was so cute to see them pumping their fists in the air, jumping up and down, screaming the lyrics when the band told the crowd what to sing. So fun and adorable. 

Then we went back the car and got our hoodies, and decided to go back to the party for the worship time with Jimmy. Jada fell asleep in her chair, Zeek laid on my lap most of the time, and Kaila listened to the songs and watched all the people worship... it was very sweet and special. 

We got home around 1:15a, and we were all in bed asleep by 2.
Although, we took the day off to rest and recuperate, I'm hoping we don't still have little zombies tomorrow when we start FIne Arts/VBS. 

Tonight will be an early bedtime, for sure. For ALL of us. :)

"Say Cheese!"

"Give me weird!"

Begging!

Screaming! 

Looking cute!

Holding on for dear life!

"Smile!"