Happy Birthday M!

My dearest husband turned 44 today!  After he returned from Taekwondo, we had a little outside time during the breaks in the clouds.  As always, we had fun and felt very blessed to be here on our 15 acres.

Playtime for Cats and Dogs...

And Girls!

Where did F go?  The last thing I heard her say was, "I'm walkin' Daddy!  Okay?"

There she is!

And she doesn't want to come back!

Who has been feeding the chickens Red Bull?

You know it is time to mow when the grass is as high as F's eye!

Look what we stumbled upon in the pasture!  The stork couldn't find the cabbage patch.

M with less than half of his offspring.  Scary though, isn't it?

Pulling stickers out of F's feet.

We interrupt this tender scene to ask... How long has it been since we've seen F?  Where is she now?

In Grandad's car playing with matches!

While the Boys Are Away...

...the girls and I play!  Today is Saturday, and the serious countdown to IJ's black belt test begins.  Five more days!  M took the boys up to the dojang for an extra class this morning and I have a check from the school district, so I'm going shopping!  Maybe.

Yesterday's Mud Bath

Where should I go first, JoAnn's or Goodwill?  Decisions, decisions...Maybe I should just stay home and work on the projects I already have. Hmmm.

Maybe my inability to make a decision is because this:

likes to wake up around 4:00 every morning and smile and smile and smile.  I have to force myself to stay awake and enjoy this moment (to the best of my ability) because I know that this sweet age of goofy grins won't last.  He sees the lamp and smiles.  He sees a window and smiles.  He sees a picture on the wall and smiles.  He sees me and SMILES!  Who wouldn't want a dozen kids when they are like this?  But after about 20 minutes he gets tired and starts to cry and I come to my senses again.

I think I'll stay home.

F and Movies

F really enjoys watching movies.  IJ also watched a lot of movies at this age and I always felt guilty.  But now that he is eight years old I can see that it didn't have a negative impact on him.  Only time will tell for F!

Today (while the plumbers had the back of the house) we watched Finding Nemo.  This was one of IJ's favorites when he was two years old!  He used to jump up and down during the initiation scene and say "Oo-oo-oo!"  And he would run and hide when the shark showed up.  Before he could even say "shark" he knew that sharks were dangerous.  F shouted during the movie too.  But she shouted out at the end of the movie when Marlin and Dory were trapped in the fish net.  She shouted, "No! No! Nooooo!"

And tonight (while the boys are at Taekwondo and we are waiting for the sheet rock guy to show up...and it's almost bedtime...but I digress) we are watching Up.  During the scene where Kevin the bird is being chased by the dogs, F shouts, "Hurry! Hurry!"  And she looks like this (please ignore the dirty shirt; we've been without a washer during this re-pipe/remodel project):

She also says during The Princess and the Frog [spoiler alert!], "That's so sad!" when Ray dies (IJ cries).  I do love my sensitive children.

Daisy Love

Daisies are a tradition around here.  Specifically, pictures of IJ every spring with a bunch of daisies.  We've managed to be here for the daisies every year since 2005.  And I've told IJ the first year he stops posing for these pictures for me is the first year he stops loving me.  Not to guilt him or anything.

Spring 2005

3 Years Old

Spring 2010

8 Years Old

The Kids

Oh, Yeah!

Bath Anyone?

How I Tricked My Kids Today

I tricked my sons into doing math and housework at the same time.  Hahaha!  I am the first to admit that I am a terrible housekeeper.  I've been a Flybaby dropout for at least five years!  Every once in awhile I am inspired to do better.  Especially when I feel like my life is falling apart (again).

IJ Vacuums

This morning, while I gave Baby Oinker a bottle, I had IJ list six chores that I would have done as a Monday Morning Blessing.  I told the boys that each chore took ten minutes to do.  I had them write two different number sentences that would describe how long it would take for one person to do these six chores. [6 x 10 = 60 and 10+10+10+10+10+10=60].  The boys easily figured out it would take one hour.

S Waters Plants

I then asked them to tell me how many chores three people would do if they split the six chores equally and to write the number sentence [3 x 2 = 6].  And here is the tricky part:  I asked them if three people working together at the same time each did two chore that took ten minutes each, how long would it take for them to get all the chores done?  IJ got the answer first.  

IJ Washes Windows

THEN, I asked them what would be better, IJ doing all six chores by himself for one hour or the three of us each doing two chores for 20 minutes.  And then I let them pick which chores they wanted to do.  I was "stuck" with garbage duty and sweeping.  Instead of the whole list.  Hee hee!

Just for C

Wow, it has been awhile since I've posted, thanks for the reminder C! Not that my life is exciting or anything.  I had to download the camera to see what I've been doing since last week.  Not much now that Baby D has woken from the newborn slumber!  He needs to be carried everywhere and wants to eat all the time.  

Now I remember what it was like having a baby around the house!  Nothing, nothing, gets done.  And this is my first baby since A grew up and left the nest.  She was always there to help make sandwiches and take her siblings outside when I was buried under the baby.

So Grandad gets to pick up the slack (to the best of his abilities).  Here Bat Girl, I mean F, has conned him into reading a book to her.  You can see me in the background nursing the baby.  And helping myself to IJ's birthday books.

Here we have Baby D snoozing by the fire.  Where is spring?  I want my warm weather back!

We are getting our new water pipes today.  And a new bathtub and a new toilet!  Good bye pink stuff from 1968 and good riddance!

Scary Hair

It's a good thing I have my very own detective.  I need to solve a mystery!  The mystery of this:

Who left that pile of hair under my sewing table???  Maybe I don't need a detective:

Mystery Solved!

The real story:  Last night I took IJ to his Cub Scout meeting.  We are getting new pipes today, so M was very busy getting the house ready last night.  So busy he couldn't keep his eyes on the kids every second.  When I got home, E was playing Jump Start in a dark room.  I called her for fruit pizza and didn't get a close look at her until M said, "It looks like you've been cutting your own hair!"  I sent her straight to bed.  This morning I found the pile of hair. And another one in the living room!*  And she knew she did something wrong!  She tried to cover it all up by wearing a headband.

*Edited to add the second pile of hair belongs to the perpetrator's little sister:

See the short patch above and slightly behind F's ear? Detective IJ is questioning the suspect, while Detective M is questioning me.  Of course the scissors are kept out of reach!  The toddler and her older sister both know how to move chairs.  Our solution is to keep all hair out of reach.

Happy Birthday IJ!

We celebrated IJ's 8th birthday yesterday!  I let him choose his entire day.  He started with a bowl of blueberry porridge, played video games, played in the pouring rain, ate grilled cheese sandwiches, watched SpongeBob, ate fruit, opened presents, ate pizza, went to Cub Scouts-where they went on a bike ride, and came home and ate fruit pizza.

Another Fun-Filled Friday

I just can't do school when the sun is shining and I know the rain will return in a few days.  So we gave Baby D a bath:

He is no longer starving!  And the family doctor saved himself the trouble of being "fired" by referring us to a pediatrician.  Just when I was ready to give him a second chance.  So we will be heading in to our new doctor on Monday!

I made some bubble juice for the kids (does that count for a science experiment?) out of water, dish soap, and glycerin.  I bought the glycerin a long time ago at that great little pharmacy that used to be in the old home town.  When I tried to replace it today, the pharmacist looked at me like I was crazy (I'm getting used to that); why would anyone want a bottle of liquid glycerin?  He offered to give me glycerin suppositories.  I said, "No thanks."

I let IJ give his brother a bottle.  I'm working really hard to reassociate Baby D with the breast and reduce the use of the bottle.  But I have to use up what I've pumped.  While I was taking pictures of the tender moment of brotherly love I said, "It's a good thing I won't send you to public school.  You are so handsome, the girls would be chasing you all day long trying to kiss you."

He pretends to be grossed out, but you can tell he is pleased with the thought of a girl kissing him!

And now we move on to wild life stories.  My Husband's Pathetic Doberman was caught digging and chewing on the tire of my van!  And there was a cat on the other side!  We thought the dog was trying to get the cat.  But then we saw a rodent-shaped tail hanging out of my wheel cover!  EEEEWWWW!  I poked it with a stick to see if the tail was attached to something alive.  It moved!  It was clear that both the cat and the dog were trying to get the same thing.  So I got in my van and drove away (I was going to the store anyway).  And I have no idea if the mouse jumped out or got chopped to pieces in my wheel.

Last year we watched twin fawns play in the pasture every time we came down to visit (and then we moved).  Last night they paid us a visit and came all the way up on the patio!  I happened to be sitting on the new couch and nursing the baby and got this picture:

 The fawn is almost nose to nose with Ling Ling the cat.  They got very close to each other and looked like they were going to fight for dominance over the patio!  Ling Ling ran away.  When the Pathetic Doberman saw them she nearly died from excitement.  The fawns ran off when they heard her bark, but they only went as far as the edge of the bank.  Then the played in the pasture, jumping around like they did last year.

Music and Mayhem

Today was an interesting day.  I have "grounded" them from coloring because I am sick of picking up the markers and colored pencils they forget about.  So they had to find something else to do while I was busy this morning.  They started out being a detective (IJ), a mad scientist (S), and an artist (E).  I was relieved to see that they have not in fact destroyed their imaginations playing video games.

They are now playing music.  When IJ first told me he was going to write a song, I said, "Writing a song before you know anything about music is like writing a book before you can spell."  And then I thought to myself, "Hm. They can tell stories well enough without knowing how to spell."  And I said to him, "Go ahead."

 IJ wrote out the letters of the notes he wanted to play and practiced until it sounded...nice.

S also wrote some music on the old Fisher Price xylophone that is older than I am!  And since S didn't have access to markers, he had to find a different way to write his song:

Very clever, yes?  He is working on Zelda's Lullaby.  From a video game.  Take that video game haters!

Mother's Day Weekend

I actually got to leave the house this weekend for 5 1/2 hours of baseball games!  I love this picture of IJ because it shows that 1) He is watching the ball and 2) He is on second base which means 3) He hit the ball hard enough to get on base and not get tagged out.

After the games I returned home and welcomed our dear friends the J family.  They brought us many gifts of dinner, fun things for the kids, and new furniture!  Don't you wish you had a friend like that?  The kids watched Pokemon:

While the Moms caught up and the Dads played catch outside.  What a fun night!  We need to have people over more often!  And here is how the lower living room looks:

Everyone loves having their very own cushy place to sit!  And with a family this size, having space can be important!

Today we took our annual trip to the beach for Mother's Day.  We really wanted to get a new family picture, but this happened:

The kids went swimming.  That is IJ actually swimming behind E.  In the cold, cold Sound water.  He is so much like his dad, who after enough taunting will do this:

And carry IJ out into the water and throw him in, much to his delight.  But F was not pleased and tried to defend her brother.  So these are the best family pictures we got:

And later, I earned my Motherhood Badge when this sweet little guy...

...peed, pooped, and puked on me.

A Week in the Life of Baby D

Baby D is now three weeks old.  Of his three weeks, this last one has been the craziest.  On Monday of last week, Baby D saw his new doctor and weighed in at 8lbs 8oz.  I was surprised that he had lost so much weight; he was down almost a whole pound from his birth weight of 9lbs 4oz.  But no big deal; he wasn't even two weeks old yet and my milk had taken a whole four days to come in.

Last Friday, one week ago, I took him to the doctor again for his circumcision.  When D was weighed, we discovered that not only had he not regained his birth weight, he was actually still losing weight!  The doctor canceled the circumcision, took a stool sample to rule out digestive disorders, freaked me out about congenital disorders that could cause slow weight gain, told me to supplement with formula, and asked me to come in on Monday for a re-weigh.

I hate formula.  I know that if I want my baby to grow, I should focus on increasing my milk supply instead of giving him bottles of formula.  Jeesh.  I thought every doctor knew that.  Plus, formula STINKS! So I started pumping like crazy.  And boy was I disappointed with my output.  Especially when D's demand was so high.  At 2:00 AM, when my supply of bottled milk was gone, Baby D had nursed me dry, and I was crying because my baby was crying for more milk... M got in the car and drove into town to buy formula.  And fenugreek.  Keep in mind we live at least 45 minutes away from the closest store.  And it was pouring down rain and very windy.  Just under two hours later, D was sucking down a bottle of (gag) formula.  And he was happy.

A few hours later I took him in to the doctor where he weighed in at 8lbs 13oz!  He gained 7 oz in only three days!  And the doctor thought is was all due to the formula!  And he told me to keep supplementing- a third of all his feedings-with formula!  My inner Mother Bear was very angry.  So I ignored what he said.  I did feed the baby the rest of the bottle M brought home, but no more after that.  Extra pumping, extra water, and fenugreek brought my milk supply up to a level where I started freezing my extra milk.

And today, when I brought Baby D in for his rescheduled circumcision, the doctor greeted me with, "How is that formula working for you?"  I said, "Oh, I'm not using it.  I finished up that one bottle we bought, but he is just getting my milk."  He looked at the nurse and said, "We need to get a weight on that baby."  Like I was starving him.  Or a kook that doesn't believe in scientific technology.  And guess what?  He weighed 9lbs 3oz!

So we were cleared to continue with the circumcision.  For the third time I was told the risks (including possible amputation) and they took my baby away.  It has been a long time since I've had a baby boy, so I forgot that the procedure takes 20 minutes.  I had S, E, and F with me, so I elected to not watch the procedure and stay in the examination room with my other kids.  I felt weird that my baby would be away from me for 20 minutes; he has never been away from me for five minutes.  But I didn't have to worry long.  Baby D cried so hard that the doctor refused to perform the procedure.  He said that if he did, Baby D "would be catatonic and that wouldn't be good for him."  He then proceeded to scare me again by asking if all my kids cried like this, was there diabetes in the family, are my kids normally this active, alert, and aware that Not-Mom is holding him.  What???

Part of the problem was that he was hungry.  This kid is obviously making up for lost time and eating a lot.  And eating frequently.  So he hadn't had a good meal for over an hour because of their rules about food and surgery.   As soon as I nursed him, he was okay.  So the doctor spent some time checking his eyes and scaring me with questions like, "Does he focus on your face?" Not yet. "Hmmm... I wonder why he isn't responding to the light I'm flashing in his eyes."  Was my baby BLIND?  I had to get out of there!  This doctor is nuts!

So our orders are to come in sometime next week for another weigh-in and we are going to do the circumcision when he can go longer than one hour without eating... or never!