Adventures with Little Boys

I was sitting in the living room when Braden approached me.

“Mom,” he said with excitement. ”I’ve got something for you. Wanna see?”

He reached into his pocket, and fished around for a moment. With a troubled look on his face, he plunged his hand deeply into his other pocket and felt around thoroughly for a minute. Finally, he stopped and shrugged.

“Hmm. Well, he’s not here anymore. He must have got away.”

Of course, I immediately wondered what creature was now loose in my house. Not to worry; it was just a potato bug. I love little boys!

My Baby Girl is Six Years Old

Sweet Madalyn. What a joy she is in our home. Maddie is whimsical, playful, empathetic, obedient, tender-hearted, cheerful, and imaginative. There isn’t a mean bone in her body, she’s completely selfless, and she’ll do anything to make someone else happy. She is a happy, playful little girl and she is always deep in some whimsical, imaginative fantasy. Maddie is eager and enthusiastic in everything she does. She loves to learn, she thrives on hugs and words of praise, and she talks and sings constantly. Maddie is new to cheerleading and she absolutely loves it. Cheer has been so great for her confidence and sense of self. Maddie cherishes her family and is very affection. She cries when even one person is absent for even a moment and she prays daily for us to have “100 babies.” Madalyn is very sweet and obedient and she tries so hard to do everything right. She is such a sweetheart and we are blessed to have her!

And now she’s six! Yes, the tiny six-pound infant I held such a short time ago is now a beautiful, happy, growing six-year-old princess. It’s hard to believe how fast she’s grown over the years. I hold firm to this, however: Madalyn will always be my baby girl!

Maddie has been looking forward to this birthday with great anticipation. Every March, when the older kids begin their birthday plans in earnest, Maddie must wait. She waits through birthdays in April and May. She waits clear until July. And then she still has to wait until the end of the month!

This year Maddie really wanted her ears pierced and her hair cut short. She talked of those two things constantly and I figured that her upcoming birthday would be a great time for a mini makeover. While we were visiting family less than two weeks before the big day, I arranged a makeover day for our princess to celebrate her birthday.

I found a salon catered towards little girls and arranged for several cousins, a few aunts, Nammy, and Grammy to be there. This place was a little girl’s dream and I think we delighted all the girls that day!

Maddie got her hair cut first, a cute short cut that suits her face nicely. It really accents her beautiful, brown eyes and her delicate chin. Maddie was thrilled! Then all the little girls picked out dresses and shoes and accessories from the big dress up closet. Maddie chose a green tinkerbell outfit with wings. 

The girls got their nails painted, hair done (complete with glitter and the colors of their choosing), and makeup applied. It was a thrilling experience for them! Maddie chose orange and green highlights in her hair and green eye shadow. I do hope her tastes subdue a little bit before her teenage years! Everyone said she looked like a little woodland fairy and that is so fitting considering Maddie’s fun, impish personality. Brenna chose a more grown up look: a long purple dress, fancy up-do with sparkles but no color, and subtle makeup. Once they were all fancy, the girls settled around the table and enjoyed “pink sodas” with whipped cream and sprinkles on top.

At the end, Madalyn was ready to get her ears pierced. She sat bravely on the chair and claimed she wasn’t scared at all, but I could see that she was nervous. Her poor cousin, Kate, sat nearby with her hands clamped tightly over her own ears. “Does it hurt yet?” she kept nervously asking Maddie, before anything had even been done.

Madalyn requested a hug, but then held onto me so tightly that I knew she was scare. I stood behind her, hugging her tight, while her ears were pierced. They did both sides at the same time. Maddie didn’t even flinch and then she began to giggle with relief.

“How did that feel?” I asked her.

“Awesome!” she declared, and I chuckled at the adjective she chose. “It only tickled,” Maddie assured us all. She was beaming, a beautiful smile covering her face. She ran to inspect her new earrings in the mirror and she was even more excited when she saw them.

After several hours of fun at the spa, we all went our separate ways. Aunt Michelle, Kylie, Taylor, Nammy, and Grammy all went home. Aunt Elaine and cousin Kate took Brenna, Maddie, and myself to buy new earrings for Maddie to wear once her ears are done healing. Maddie got to pick out three pairs of earrings and Aunt Elaine bought a pair for Brenna as well. The girls picked out matching “best friends forever” necklaces. Then Elaine treated us all to yummy ice cream.

It was that evening, when I went to clean Maddie’s ears, that I realized that her left earring was positioned completely wrong. It was way too high on her earlobe, looked uneven with the other side, and was completely above the blue mark that we’d agreed upon before her ears were pierced. The next morning, I took Maddie back to the salon and explained the problem. The earring was far enough away from where it should have been that we were able to simply remove it and repierce that ear.

Maddie was obviously nervous, but put on her bravest face. She claimed that the piercing only tickled again, but I saw little tears in her eyes. I felt so bad, but I was glad that we got it fixed early so that she wouldn’t have to grow up with crooked earrings.

As we left the salon, Maddie asked, “Mom, which day should I remember forever? Should I remember yesterday because I got my ears both pierced yesterday? Or should I remember today because I got this ear pierced again?”

I thought it was cute that she was concerned about this, about which day should be remembered forever as the day she finally got her ears pierced. I told her to remember yesterday with all the fun and excitement of her cousins and her makeover.

“So I should forget today?” Maddie clarified.

I chuckled and told her that she could remember both days because not every little girl gets one of her ears pierced twice. That seemed to satisfy her.

Madalyn loves her earrings and her hair cut. She looks so adorable! Her earrings make her look cute and grown up. Her hair cut is perfect for her face and she loves how easy it is to take care of. She can wash it and brush it with minimal help. It’s super soft and she tells everyone that she’ll cut it short again as soon as it grows out. She loves it!

Today was Maddie’s actual birthday. We spent so much money on her spa, makeover party that we kept today fairly simple. On his way home from work in the morning, Rick bought her an enormous bouquet of flowers and a singing “chipettes” birthday card. She was absolutely tickled by this little surprise! The flowers are on our kitchen table and she carried the card with her all day.

We ran errands for most of the morning, stopping at several stores for last-minute party supplies. I bought Lunchables for a special birthday lunch. We never buy Lunchables so this was a real treat for everyone. I let the birthday girl pick out a fancy Lunchable with a sandwich, jello, cookies, and juice and she was thrilled.

We woke Daddy up in the late afternoon. Maddie opened her birthday presents… a big, cozy, Princess blanket (homemade) from Grandma and Grandpa, two baby dolls sets complete with a carseat and a bathtub from Nammy and Papa, a Snow White doll from her siblings, and a baby set with a doll, bath supplies, slippers, diapers, ducky robe, and terry towel from Mommy and Daddy. Maddie was thrilled that she could take this doll in the tub as well. Of course, she also had the earrings from Aunt Elaine and the ear-piercing from us as well.

(I see my Mama in this beautiful face!) 

Maddie requested pizza for her birthday dinner. She wanted her favorite pizza, which she calls “meat monster” and was excited when I let her have the piece with the most meat on it. We drank raspberry pop (also at Maddie’s request). I made Maddie a chocolate fudge brownie cake with marshmallow topping and chocolate chips on top (all at her request). She picked out ice cream to go with it. She wanted fresh fruit too (bananas, peaches, and cherries) so we ate that for her birthday dinner as well.

The kids then had a three-part movie night to celebrate Maddie birthday. That’s right, we started at 6pm and I let them watch three entire movies of Maddie’s choosing. Earlier in the day, I bought giant old fashoined lollipops that were literally as big as the kids’ heads. They slurped and sucked and licked and chewed on those during the movie night. Somehow, the biggest suckers they’d ever seen and three entire movies all in a row made it a really special and exciting night!

I think our sweet little girl had a very happy birthday. She certainly deserves it!

Preparations, Homeschool 2010

Man, I love this time of year! I’m eagerly preparing for another great school year and I am giddy over it all. I usually have things mostly ironed out by this point in the summer, but this year has been extra busy and my homeschool budget has been extra tight (because we used most of it to buy Rick a car when his old one unexpectedly died) so I’ve held off in my prep until now.

But NOW I am ready! I know basically what I will be purchasing. I’ve done a lot of research about the new math curriculum I am looking into for Brenna and I think I am almost ready to that expensive plunge. It’s pricey, but I think it will work well for her.

I’m also reorganizing my homeschool closets and cupboards, including a major shelving makeover in our front closet. (Who needs a place to hang coats anyway?) So I am planning that out as well, drawing and labeling little sketches of the closet with the shelves as I imagine them. That’s really exciting for me as well. In fact, I am probably way too giddy over shelves right now.

Tonight, after the kids are settled and my blog is updated and the dishes and laundry and tidying has all been finished for the day, I plan to sit in my bed with my laptop and my papers and do lots of research and writing and doodling. It will be fun.

CONTINUED on DAY TWO:
I stayed up most of the night planning. When I finally got ready to go to sleep at around 2 or 3 in the morning, Jacob woke up sobbing. We rocked and snuggled for a while and I think I finally slept around 4 o’clock or so. Rick was a sweetie and took care of the kids when he got home at 7:00. I slept clear until 8am! Bliss!

I spent a lot of the morning looking at school stuff and planning and budgeting… all while the kids totally trashed the house. *Shrug* It happens I guess. This afternoon I finally got going on chores and things are looking better around here. Tonight I will finish up my list and I will order within the week! Yay!

Happy Birthday, Maddie!

Braden flopped himself across my lap this morning and asked, “Mom, is today’s Maddie’s birthday?”

I told him that it was indeed her birthday today and that he should tell her happy birthday. “Happy birthday, Maddie!” Braden shrieked, and then he threw his arms around her in a hug that made her grin from ear to ear.

Asher, always the eager mimic, ran to me and announced, “I uh happy too!” Before I could even respond, he spun around, threw his arms out wide, and shouted, “Happy day, Mah-ee!” He ran and hugged her so tightly and so exuberantly that they both nearly fell over.

Pulling Up

Jacob has been pulling himself up for the past few weeks. He generally only pulls up to a kneeling position and he could only pull to stand against objects that were low to the ground. But today he crawled to the coffee table and pulled himself all the way up to his feet. Go baby!

Today…

Today…

We did homeschool. Our school year is rapidly drawing to a close. I am excited for the completion of this year because it’s always nice to look back over the year and see what’s been accomplished. I also can’t wait to start the new school year. We really found our homeschooling “groove” this past year and the balance of big kids, little kids, and babies gets easier every year. I am excited for Brenna and Joshua and the many new things they’ll learn this year as a 3rd grader (gasp!) and a 2nd grader. I am also thrilled for Maddie; as she transitions to 1st grade, she will get more school work and I know that will make her happy. Braden, in his final year before kindergarten, has an exciting pre-K schedule ahead of him. We’ve already started some of his new lessons and he’s eating up both the new knowledge and the extra one-on-one time. The littlest ones will have plenty to learn and join in on as well. I’m sure Asher will be a particularly eager learner this year.

We did chores. I gave our regular schedule a bit of a face-lift this week and it has really helped our days run more smoothly. Our routine is largely the same, but the presentation and re-wording has changed things a great deal. We had a major shift in our job chart system as well and I really like the new system we’re using. I am seeing my children become more goal-oriented and less reward-motivated. Jobs are being done quickly and with minimal reminding. My energy level is increasing lately and I am happy to be able to tackle laundry and dishes as normal, rather than pushing myself so hard to do things around the house. Combine all those factors, and housework is going very well these days.

We made cupcakes. What can I say? They just sounded good. We made two dozen chocolate cupcakes this afternoon all frosted in delicious chocolate frosting, and ended up with two little boys absolutely covered in chocolate. Good times! I ate two cupcakes myself, the kids enjoyed cupcakes for snack, we gave some away, and we had just enough left over for dessert.

We read books. When my first three kids were small, we read constantly. We didn’t have a lot of other things to do at the time so reading and playing at the park were high priorities. Now things are much, much busier and sitting down with a pile of books multiple times a day is not as easy as it used to be. Still, I try to read to the little ones every day before naptime and I try to read to all the kids every night before bed. The effort is well-rewarded. I love snuggling up with tiny children and reading books. There is nothing else that holds quite the same sweetness as a lap full of toddlers, children on each side, and a stack of good story books.

Asher took a nap. It was the first nap he’s taken since coming home from our trip. I’m glad he finally took one because he still needs one in the afternoon. His sleep schedule and patterns are pretty messed up- for both naps and bedtime- after our vacation so this was progress.

We played with MoonSand. While the youngest two took afternoon naps and Brenna played with friends, Joshua, Maddie, and Braden played with MoonSand. It was fun to watch them be so creative. My kids love this stuff and I must admit that it is really fun stuff to play with. It’s got a great texture, doesn’t dry out, is easy to build with, and (best of all) MoonSand is gluten-free. I also love how totally easy it is to clean up after the kids are done creating with MoonSand. We brush it all back into a container and sweep whatever is on the floor into the trash.

We ate an early dinner. Rick has been leaving for work earlier lately and we still try to eat together when he does. It was a simple meal of chili cheese hot dogs and corn and cupcakes for dessert. It was yummy… but now I have heartburn.

We cleaned up again. Is stuff like that ever done?

I tickled Jacob. That boy has the cutest giggle and he’s so fun to tickle! I also admired his brand new tooth that just popped through his gums on Tuesday! He sure is a cutie!

We had baths. I’d already given the boys “baths” in our kitchen sink earlier in the day (after making cupcakes), but they ended up sticky with chocolate after dessert so it was off to the tub. Asher was less than thrilled at first, but then joined in the splashing and squealing that was going on around him. I love the smell of freshly scrubbed children. Sometimes I even use Johnson’s & Johnson’s on my big kids just so they’ll smell like babies again.

We had scripture study. I so enjoy our nightly scripture study. It’s nice to come together to study and pray as a family. We also took the time to talk about our daily family goals and see how we did for today.

Brenna and Joshua folded the laundry that I washed today. I bribed them though. In exchange for folding, they got to stay up past bedtime and watch TV while they folded. I’d say it was a win-win situation for all of us because they got to stay up late and watch cartoons and now there are three loads worth of freshly washed, neatly folded laundry waiting to be put away in the morning.

We read stories again. While Brenna and Joshua folded laundry and Jacob slept in his crib, the rest of us read stories. It was snuggly and nice and the kids’ hair smelled like shampoo this time. Afterwards, I cuddled up with the kids in Braden’s bed for a while.

I sang for like an hour. I don’t really know how long I sang to the little ones as they fell asleep, but it felt like it was at least an hour. I started with just a few Primary songs, but Braden burst into sobs when I announced that I was going to sing just one more song. “I don’t want you to leave!” he sobbed. So I reassured him and tucked him back under his blankets and then I sang and sang and sang until Maddie, Braden, and Asher were all soundly asleep. I was running out of Primary songs and Hymns by the end.

I remembered to put my older kids to bed. It was about that time that I remembered that Brenna and Joshua were still awake. I found them lounging on the couches, wide awake in front of the TV, with all the laundry neatly folded. I thanked them for their hard work, kissed them good-night, and sent them off to bed.

I kissed Maddie goodnight. Of course I kissed all my kids, both the sleeping ones and the ones who were still awake. But when I kissed Maddie, I paused for an extra moment and got a little emotional. After all, this is the last time I’ll kiss Maddie goodnight while she’s still five. Tomorrow is her sixth birthday!! And here I go getting teary again as I type that. She is growing up so rapidly. She is such an incredible blessing in our lives! Happy birthday (tomorrow) Sweet Girl!

I chatted with my awesome sister-in-law on facebook. Just as I was settling into bed, my sister-in-law sent me a text that she was on facebook. I was excited to talk to her so I jumped out of bed and hurried to the homeschool computer downstairs. (I still can’t remember to use my laptop now that it’s finally fixed!) We had a very nice chat and I was glad to talk to her.

I updated my blog. Which is what I am currently doing.

I went to bed and slept all night long with NO interruptions. Okay, I know I haven’t actually gone to sleep yet, but I’m adding that in because a little positive thinking never hurt anyone! If Jacob will sleep, then I hopefully will too! Positive thoughts!

Puppy Love

For a while now we’ve wanted to get a small, furry companion for our dog Sophie. When we learned that our brother (Rick’s) and sister-in-law were selling their purebred Shi Tzu pups for a mere $150 we couldn’t pass one up! Sophie is a Shi Tzu/ Poodle mix and we knew that we wanted another small, sturdy, non-shedding dog who is good with kids. One of their cheaply priced pups seemed perfect, and the timing was excellent- summer, mid-pregnancy, no traveling for wrestling until fall.

We picked up our new little family member on Sunday afternoon as we drove home from two weeks spent visiting family. My, he’s a cute little guy! He traveled well and has done great being home with us. He’s quite obedient and mostly house-trained, and is already doing better in both of those areas than Sophie was at this age. He’s got a darling face and a sweet temperament and he fits right in with our family pack.

Asher is absolutely obsessed with this new pup. He loves to hold him and carry him (we discourage the carrying part, but it’s a hard habit to break). Even little Jake, who loves soft things, delights in rubbing his face against this puppy’s soft fur. The older kids all adore the little guy as well and have really pitched in to help care for our new puppy.

Sophie gets along with the pup, though their relationship is still new and developing. She seems to like having a playmate at times, and they occasionally run and chase and bark happily at each other. But at other times Sophie seems a bit annoyed by this new little dog in her life. While the puppy very obviously recognizes that Sophie is, in fact, another dog, Sophie seems oblivious to this. She seems to consider herself quite human and I think I see her sometimes rolling her eyes at being compared to an actual animal. She’s being forced to face her own canine status and I don’t think she likes it much. At bedtime, Sophie stretches out on our bed as she always has and is somewhat put out when the puppy follows her and tries to snuggle with her. But overall, Sophie and our new puppy are getting along very well.

I haven’t mentioned a name here because this little fellow still doesn’t officially have one. Turns out, naming this puppy is much harder than naming any of our children has been! Rick’s favorite name is Max, while I favor Oliver. The kids love the name Tucker and have taken to calling him that. I suspect that in the end it will be Tucker that wins out. After all, there are already five opinionated children calling him that!

2 Years and 9 Months

I took my little boys in for their 2-year and 9-month well child visits today. As I was rushing out the door, Braden begged to go along. I had no idea why he wanted to go to the doctor’s office, but I agreed. I didn’t want to say no to such a simple request. Braden was thrilled to go on this outing. He grabbed his shoes and half-skipped, half-ran out to the van.

The boys loved the fish in the waiting. “Hi fish!” Braden and Asher chortled with glee and even little Jake was fascinated by the swimming fish. The boys played quietly in the waiting area and got drinks from the drinking fountain… ’cause, you know, drinking fountains are totally cool when you are two.

Asher was apprehensive as soon as we entered the exam room. He’s been nervous about the doctor’s office ever since his flu shot last fall. I tried to reassure him, but he was still very wary. Braden tried to reassure him as well, but he also kept reminding me that he himself didn’t need a shot like Asher.

Both boys look great. They are developing well. The only milestone that Jake still hadn’t reached was using his pincer grasp… but then he went home after our appointment and expertly ate his peas with his thumb and index finger. Go figure. Our pediatrician was particularly impressed with Asher’s verbal skills, which she says are very advanced for his age. She praised me for my use of sun screen (no tan lines for these little boys) and reminded me of the AAP’s new carseat recommendations (at 2 years old and 9 months old, both boys are still rear-facing anyway).

Jacob still has an umbilical hernia, but she said he has about 3 more years before we’ll think about surgically correcting it. No need to rush. She believes that Asher’s chronic runny nose, which has been nearly constant since January, is a combination of allergies and maybe recurrent sinus infections that were caused by those allergies. We’re going to try Zyrtec and see if it helps. He has fluid in his ears so we’re going back to recheck that in a few months.

Asher jumped from the 3rd percentile where he usually is, clear to the 10th percentile! At just over 24 pounds, he weighed more than I expected him to (though the 8 ounces of milk he drank right before our visit probably bumped him up from the 23 1/2 pounds that I expected to see). I think he was almost 33 inches tall, which is also the 10th percentile. While Asher weighed a half a pound more than I thought he would, Jacob weighed about half a pound less than I expected. He tipped the scales at 17 pounds 8 ounces, putting him in the 10th percentile as well. (I was also shocked that his percentile was so low because he seems much bigger than that to me!) He was 27.25 inches tall, the 25th percentile for height.

The boys were well-behaved during our visit and even Asher relaxed a bit. Braden got a little noisy at one point, but he sweetly told the nurse, “I’m sorry I be’ed kind of loud today.” Asher and Jacob both got shots and then Braden and Asher both got suckers for their good behavior. It was a good visit. How I love those three tiny boys!

The Verdict is In!

Ultrasounds are incredible!!! You would think that after six children already and after having 2-5 ultrasounds with each of them, that ultrasounds would be old news by Baby #7. But, NOPE! I am absolutely enchanted by each and every ultrasound I have of this precious baby! It’s as magical as the very first ultrasound I had with Brenna. And at the same time, having experienced the pain of several miscarriages, I see an ultrasound and a precious new baby as more miraculous than ever.

I was very excited for this ultrasound because I have been so eager to know the gender of our baby. Our children were thrilled as well. We talked about what to expect during our visit and they all knew that we’d find out the gender of our new baby as well.

The kids all settled into chairs in the darkened exam room, and focused on the screen. The doctor performing the ultrasound was sweet and kind. He showed the kids the baby’s nose and fingers, tummy, legs, and so on. The kids were fascinated, though I am not sure how much they truly recognized in those grainy, black and white images.

Baby’s legs were crossed and I was somewhat nervous that we wouldn’t get a good view. With a little prodding, we were finally able to see clearly. This little one is definitely a BOY, just as I had thought. We’re going to have FIVE sons! Our own basketball team, the doctor commented with a chuckle. This fifth sweet son will also give us 4 boys born in 4 years. I think that’s exciting too!

We got a handful of darling pictures. I must say that this little boy has the cutest little nose and such a sweet face! Although it’s hard to tell in 2D images, he already reminds me of Braden’s face and Jacob’s nose, at least of their ultrasound pictures while I was pregnant with them.

Now that we are having a boy, the name debate has begun. Our mutual favorite name is Paxton, but I’m really hung up on the fact that Jacob and Paxton are such polar opposite names. Maybe that is a silly concern, but it bothers me. My second favorite name (and one of Rick’s top 5) is Drew, and I think it fits much better with Jacob. With these 4 boys in a row, I could see Braden, Asher, Jacob, and Drew being a very cute lineup. Then, somehow, it seems like adding Paxton after Drew would not seem so out of place: Braden, Asher, Jacob, Drew, and Paxton. See? *giggle* I admit that I am being somewhat silly!

We are so happy to be expecting another sweet baby boy! Our kids are thrilled, especially those that were hoping for another brother to join the ranks. I am thankful, most of all, that this sweet little boy appears to be perfectly healthy! What a blessing!

A New Tooth

After a month of not sleeping and drooling constantly, with teeth so close I could almost feel their sharpness through his swollen gums, Jacob now has his first tooth! My, it’s certainly cute, peaking out of his tiny mouth whenever he smiles. He’s had such a painful time getting this tooth through so I’m glad that it’s finally here. One down… only a mouthful to go!