Spring 2014 Memories

This is an incredibly Fun, but also busy time of year.  The elementary school is out this week, Preschool was out 3 weeks ago, girl scouts just ended, dance has ended, summer camp has already started, Swimming lessons and Princess's birthday party with her school friends are this weekend.

There have parties galore, gifts to buy and food to make, sitters to schedule, work to rearrange and then all the regular day to day things.  I feel like I have been running, running, running and dropping the boys with someone constantly because their sister has had so many things to attend.  She has quite a social life these days ;)

I am so ready to be done with the school year and all the activities!  By September I will be refreshed and ready to start again, but for now we just have to get past this weekend and life will slow down a bit (I hope!).

 We finally got the swing set just right for all three kiddos.  Booboo discovered that he is one cool dude in sunglasses.  It's so cute because his little nose hardly holds the classes up!  Princess had her very first Girl Scouts Cookie Awards Ceremony.  She received the theme badge and the 200 badge, plus the pencil case, stuffed red panda and a craft tape set.  She was so excited!  Dude graduated from his 3 year old preschool class.  He looks thrilled, right?

This weekend was Princess's Dance Recitals.  She performed 4 times in two days and loved every minute of it.  For her first performance is was just me and Dude attending and we all went for ice cream at a new parlor afterwards.  We don't usually get to sit down at the table and eat ice cream cones :)  And Booboo thinks he's a big kid and has decided that Dude's scooter is his.  He loves riding around on it (with help, of course).

     

Bittersweet

If you have had babies, you know that they go through crazy developmental spurts completely out of nowhere.  In case you haven't been here long, I have a little guy I call Nemo here on the blog that will be turning one in February.  ONE YEAR OLD.  He is my third and likely last baby so I am trying to soak up every second of him (not unlike what I did with his siblings, really).  And this last week has been one of those bittersweet times where I am reminded that he is getting to be such a big boy already.

Starting last weekend, he has become very inventive when he wants to get to something - usually me or Daddy.  We use a wall of furniture to block his path between the family room, kitchen and laundry room because there is no doorway, just one great room.  Two of the three pieces of furniture are his exersaucer (stuffed with other things because he won't actually go in it anymore) and my older sons train table.  He figured out that he can use the toys on his exersaucer to gain leverage so he can pull himself up and over.  He also realized that it's just so much fun to stand up on top of the table...

Nemo has also figured out that words have power.  He has been saying variations of Mama, Dada, Hi, Bye-Bye and light for a while.  He has now added "Mumum," which seems to mean food of any sort ( and he's eating all kinds of fun things now), and something that means "No," which is now accompanied by head shaking and finger wagging.  It's very cute ;)

And last, but not least, he is walking!  He has been standing steadily for a month or two, so I thought it was going to have happened already, but he gets nervous when the other kids are playing around him.  I totally understand, poor guy.  So now, when he sees that he is on his own or they are busy, he does his thing. Yesterday he took four steps in a row and he seems so much more confident!

I can't believe that this time last year, I was so very pregnant and sick and about to be put on bed rest.  I was sooo ready to have him in my arms and get my body back.  This year was such a BIG year for us and it flew by faster than any other year of my life!  What a blessing Nemo has been - I can't imagine what life would be like without our kiddos <3

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Fall Pictures of Our Littles

Clockwise

• My Mom got this shot of the two older kiddos sitting nicely surrounded by Pumpkins and Mums. Such a great fall picture! 
• Princess and Little Man making a Thanksgiving paper chain :) They loved making one for Christmas last year and Princess thought it would be nice to make one for Thanksgiving.
• Nemo being adorable in his skunk sweatshirt and fuzzy shearling boots. I think he looks like one of the little boys in Peter Pan's Neverland crew <3
• Princess told me that she would do all of the laundry for me this weekend so that I could rest.  She made me lay down on the couch with a blanket while she folded.  She was a BIG help!  The laundry was backed up and I had mountains to do.
• Little Man and Uncle Jer watching Jumanji together.  The little boy turning into a monkey was a big hit!
• We were so busy this October that we hardly had time to celebrate fall stuff.  We love taking trips to the orchard to pick apples and pumpkins, but it just didn't happen this year.  My parents took the older kids for a sleep-over (Little Man's first) and a trip to the Farmers Market to pick out pumpkins.  This was my favorite picture from that trip.

So Much On My Heart

I have been somewhat distant and that is because I can't seem to narrow down what I want to write about.  I have so much going on it's swirling around in my brain.  I decided that I will just talk about it all and see where it goes.

My baby started Kindergarten this week and I am soooo proud of her for being such a brave little girl.  She is everything I wish I could be.  She's confident, outgoing and easily makes new friends.  She is so sure that it will be great, and even if she runs into a problem she just lets it roll off her back.  I pray and pray and pray that she continues through life just like this.  When I first went to school, I lost everything that made me like her and it only got worse as I got older.  I just want her to stay Her.

We also decided that it is in her best interest to go full day.  I know.  I hate the idea of her being in school, away from me, but I am having her go more than required?  Yeah.  It's part of what is so wonderful about her.  She craves learning and new experiences.  She wants to play and be engaged.  She was disappointed that she was only going to school half day, so when I found out that there was room in the enrichment program that some of her friends are attending, I jumped on it.  She will get a full day of fun and friends, get to eat lunch in the cafeteria like a big kid and get what she needs for her smart little brain :)  It kinda kills me and I have been agonizing over it, but I think it's the best decision.

Another bonus to her attending school all day is that it allows her brothers to take center stage with their Daddy and Grandmothers during the day.  Little Man has struggled a bit with his place since Nemo was born.  He wants to be the baby and a big boy all at once.  I think that if he can be the Big Brother more and have one-on-one time while Nemo naps, he will feel better and get more of what he needs.  I want to be the one to give that to him all day, but Daddy and Grandmas are the very next best thing.

Ok.  There's more, but I think that's enough for now.  Thanks for the therapy session ;)

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Working Mother Guilt

Today is one of those days where guilt eats me up over being a working mother. I don't have a choice, but I question myself in moments like these.

Did we make the right decisions?
Are we doing our best?
What if...?

The answers are yes, yes and what-ifs get you nowhere.

I know these things, but I still run over them in my mind daily.

Yesterday, my little guy Nemo had his 6 month well visit and received 3 shots :(  And unlike my older two children, they really make him feel lousy.  Each time we have gone he has done wonderfully and then has a very tough few days after.  On top of that, he's teething, so he was already feeling kinda bad.

This morning when I had to get ready for work, he wanted me to hold him and cuddle.  I snuggled him for as long as I could and then I had to hand him over to Daddy.  Luckily, Daddy is his very favorite person.  But he cried!  He doesn't cry for Daddy!  Today he wanted me, his Mommy, and I had to leave.

Gut.wrenching.guilt.

I firmly believe that mothers should be home with their children and I am deeply resentful about how most families need two incomes to survive.  We are making sacrifices now so that my husband can get a really good job that allows me to be home with the kids.  But right now, my baby needs me and I'm not there.  These times make it hard.

No point, no pity.  I am just writing to share.

Do you struggle with this or other sacrifices that you have had to make, even though they will be for the best in the end?

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