the fine line between addiction and obsession

No more Glee episodes til April! At least, no more new ones! I'm not sure what it is about this show that I just really really find so enjoyable, but I find it so soothing. Course, there's usually no rhyme or reason to what it is my brain gravitates towards on any given day. Most things I get attached to, I end up disappointed, because not enough other people find it as intriguing as I do, which results in shows being cancelled. Plus, no one knows what I'm talking about when I go off on my latest 'discovery'. Which leaves me talking to myself. Not that I mind... much.

Speaking of talking, I was able to actually catch a friend at home today and talk to her! It was good, just a spontaneous chat while our kids ran circles around each other. I often find myself wishing for a small-town kind of neighborhood connection with people, you know, the kind that older folks talk about when they were raising their families, where they'd talk over the fence to each other and such. Problem is, these 'spontaneous' meetings don't just happen. No one waltzes up to my fence to talk anyway. I've tried just waiting by the fence, I've tried engaging strangers in conversation as they walked by said fence, but, it just didn't quite yield that level of satisfaction that would radiate off these legends I'd heard of this elusive neighbor-fence-talk. Anyway, I've been trying to puzzle this out this last year. Turns out, people are more responsive if they know your name first, or have seen you more than a few times. Or if you've happened to call them three times a month to see if they'd like to come over this week for a 'playdate' (a note: it's never for the kids). Check and mate ladies and gentlemen. I had a conversation with another person today that did not involve 'Are they all yours?' or 'You sure have your hands full.' Nope, this conversation was pure two-sided. Very refreshing. My friend got to vent about health insurance coverage, and I got to feel important enough for another person to vent about their health insurance to. Win- and -Win.

A lady said that to me at the post office the other day, as I was struggling to keep three little boys within arm's length while filling out address labels. Some idiot had decided it was a good idea to prop the door open (okay, small shop, lots of people inside, I get it. I mean, I was sweating.)... a door that led, may I add, right into a busy parking lot. There was lots of fun things to distract said boys once they got in the store, so of course, they all went for the door. This is where the lady said to me 'Looks like you have your hands full!' And you know what I said? (keep in mind I'm very mature for my age). 'Yeah, thanks for pointing that out to me.' I mean, I know how utterly ridiculous I look, balancing two packages in one hand, leaning over far enough to hold my year1/2 old son's hand on the other side while using my right foot to herd my other two in front of me. I'm not unaware of how awkward this looks. I'm not unaware of it because I happen to be living it!

I took a video tonight of the boys in a game of 'get-a-serving-spoon-for-dinner-and-pretend-that-everything-you-find-in-the-silverware-drawer-is-the-serving-spoon.' Hilarious.

December 4th of 2009. it's friday!

It's been a little while since I've posted, and it's not because there's been absolutely nothing going on, I can promise that much. Now, where to start.....

For starters, we're all healthy, mostly, although Mike and I have been fighting monster-painful sinus infections. But, those have been lessening since we've been back from Texas (yup, we did it... or really, Luke did, cause now he's married! Yeah! And I got to be a professional photographer-assistant. I know. I'm awesome. The lighting in the pictures? All me. Had nothing to do with the clear blue skies and 70degree weather. All me. And a little the actual photographer). I'm not sure what to think of Texas, but I'm feeling oddly empowered, now that I'm related to a full-blooded Texan. Hmm.

Speaking of which, Thanksgiving was great too. The boys spent a few days with their paternal grandparents, who spoiled them nutty, while Mike and I got some time alone, mostly spent at 30,000 feet, but it was nice. Little weird and disorienting, not having someone hanging on me or tripping me up every time I turned around, but nice. So, now, we're all back home, and Christmas is less than a month away. We got the tree up and the lights on. Life is still good.

Adam is still doing real well in school. Went on a field trip with his class to see Charlotte's Web, as a play. Every morning, when I drop him off, two or three kids always call him out by name. That's nice to see. He lost yet another tooth this morning while eating cheerios. He was pretty excited. He's recently come up with the idea of singing to Ben in the car when mom is loading up everything else, so Ben 'won't be sad.' He's a very sweet, protective older brother.

Cole has decided that he likes preschool again. He seemed to come to that conclusion when I decided it was okay for him to take a lunch with him in his backpack that he got for his birthday. Just like his older brother. Even though Cole doesn't actually stay for lunch. It got me points for 'nice mommy' anyway. Cole is usually the first of his brothers ready in the morning, meaning shoes and socks, coat, gloves and backpack on, waiting patiently by the back door. He's very good at doing his jobs, and if I've forgotten, he's sure to ask what his job is for that day. And he loves to spell his answers. N-O! Y-E-S!

Andrew is...3. And adorable. I should add that. And too much like his mother, but we'll all survive each other, I just have a feeling. Andrew knows exactly what he wants, and exactly how he wants it. which is admirable. although a bit hard to appreciate as he takes 45 minutes to finish a meal, 10 minutes to put on shoes... he loves to look nice and feel nice, and he loves to do it HIMSELF. He's still a great help with the dishes, and has recently gotten into 'I'm Bad' by the McMullens.

Ben is literally running circles around and with his brothers. Anything they're doing, he's in the middle of. No major injuries yet, although there have been some close calls. Mostly big brothers learning that we don't lift babies by any part of their anatomy other than carefully under their armpits. From behind. Better yet, we just don't pick up babies. Ben is taller than he was last month too, as evidenced by him bringing me any and everything he happens to find on the kitchen table. This has included, but not limited to, scissors, full cups of milk, sharpened pencils, old sandwiches and plastic bags. And that was just the first day. He's also figured out how to climb. And empty book shelves, kitchen cupboards and under bathroom sinks. The other day, he was happily eating an old bowl of half-finished oatmeal straight out of the kitchen sink. I had the gall to take it from him. Not a happy moment for Benny.

Ugh. Makes me cringe, the amount of immunity his little body is hopefully building from these experiences.

Life continues on. Occurred to me the other day how my life will not always be this, with my boys hanging on my every word and action (or inaction). It's really flattering that they feel they need me so much, I guess, although it's dead exhausting too. But, I chose this, and I would again. I'm their mommy first. For now at least. A friend in California once put it this way. She was frustrated that, as soon as she seemed to get any time to catch up on housework or something she wanted to do, her son would be there by her side, wanting to 'help' or 'needing' her for something else. One particular instance, she was mopping the floor. Her son insisted on helping again, which she knew meant it wasn't going to get clean, and the small portion that did would be hardly worth the massive time to show him how. Then it occurred to her: 'I'm not mopping a floor. I'm raising a son.' I think about that a lot. It helps.

Cole is officially the first to be hit with the flu this season. As of yesterday afternoon, he was running a fever of 102, and had a headache. My first clue was when he wouldn't move from the couch. That, and his eyes were all glassy, and he was burning up. He has a bit of a cough, but mostly is just achy and hot.

But, we made it through the entire Halloween weekend without one person throwing up or creating a similar mess.... except for one time when Ben projectile-ed his third cup of grape juice all over his pjs. Which was completely not related to Halloween, so... I'll call it a success.

The boys had three parties in the two days approaching Halloween, so they got quite a load, which they proceeded to eat through all day Saturday. Andrew was very proper about it, and kept telling me that this was his 'last one', only to tell me that this one is really the last one.

By Sunday, they were sick of candy and wanted some dry toast.

I'll have to post some pictures of them in their cute costumes. As soon as I figure out how to do that, that is.......

Halloween coming up, and I finally sat down and got all the costumes done. I actually sewed a cape for Adam's dracula... excuse me, VAMPIRE... costume. I was going to just buy one, get one of those kits that comes with the fake fangs and makeup and cape all in one, but my cheap sensibilities were offended at Shopko last week, and there was just no going back. 50% halloween costumes is not a deal when the original costume is marked at $60. No deal. Seriously.

Which is how I ended up at Joanne's Fabric store 9 at night last thursday. I got myself a yard of black fabric that I wasn't sure what I was going to do with, but it was half off, which with FABRIC, means 3.99. And some ribbon to tie it around his shoulders.

I'm not obsessive. really. I took the fabric home, figured I'd just tie it around his neck. But, today, I hemmed the fabric all the way around, made a loop for the ribbon, and it looks like a real cape. That with the fake fangs, and it doesn't look half bad. Andrew's ghost sheet makes him look a bit like a hench-man, but I think if I re-do the sharpie mouth, it will look a lot better.

Cole's was easy. He wanted to be ninja again and all he needed was a headband. I got Ben a set of killer monster PJs.

So, I did something productive today. And it was fun. So, double whammy.

The boys helped me rake the leaves before dinner. Adam climbed into the yard waste garbage can, and then helped his brothers in with him. They thought it was pretty hilarious when I started throwing the leaves in on top of them. Giggling til they gave themselves hiccups. When I finally made them all get out so we could go in and get ready for dinner, Adam was shocked by how cold it was actually outside. He wanted to stay in the garbage can where it was warm, with all the leaves.

weekend from....

Mike was gone this weekend on a teacher workshop, where he got to camping on a mountain lake and study eco-systems. And honestly, I was really happy for him. He loves this kind of stuff, and to get to incorporate it into his teaching, I know that just really does it for him. That said, I pray to all the Holy powers that be, that I never have to find out what it means to be a real single parent. I did three days, and I'm about dead.

Day one: Not so bad. 6yr old to school all day, had the three youngest at home since 5yrold (official as of Tuesday!) had a day off from preschool. Pretty routine stuff. Grocery shopping, laundry, put a dent in the dishes. Took the garbage out. There was a mommy-dinner group get-together out in Naches that I didn't think I'd be able to make, cause, hello! I have my own dinner to make at home and a hubby I was planning on seeing, but since he ditched in favor of the mountain air, I felt pretty good about joining in. Kids in tow, I spent an evening making omelets alongside other mommies with their kids in tow. Note: I NEED an omelet maker. Seriously, most awesome invention ever! And, if we ever need to move again, I'm looking into Naches, preferably with a view of the golf course. Yum!

Kids get to bed a little late, but not too bad! I'm asleep by 1130, and only get woken up once at 0100 by 3yrold who's had an accident. Another note: don't let 3yrold wear zipper sleepers to bed anymore.

Day two: All the boys are home. 10am consignment sale at the mall, which I was made aware of last night at the omelet feed. Load boys into van, drop off at hardware store for a thing of soil and a pot. Off to mall sale. Wait for 10min outside locked doors. Try to browse casually like I haven't been waiting said 10min outside locked doors. Fail miserably as I trip over my boys in an effort to get in first. Spend the next half hour picking over picked-over sale items, vowing to get there on day one next year, but still come away with $30 worth of clothes, Christmas gifts and a very cool laundry hamper. Seriously, it's aesthetic.

Back home. Lunch, quiet times. And.... change shifts with the babysitters as I take off for my 8hr/wk job.

In the middle of my last med pass and with 2 hours left on my shift, a distraught 6yrold freaks out a co-worker by calling the nurse's station asking 'where's my mommy?!?' Spend 5 minutes talking said 6yrold down off his ledge of panic. Less than 24 hours til hubby comes back.

4 phone calls from home and a belated end-of-shift page to the on-call doctor, I'm home only 15 minutes late. 6yrold watching Looney Toons on the couch, 18mnth old contently sucking his pacifier, cradled in babysitter's lap.

Pay babysitters. Spend the next hour getting 18mnth old back to bed. Fall asleep around 2.

Day three: Woken by 3yrold at 6. AM. Past the use of full sentences. Calico cat staring at me from the window. Crawl back in bed feeling superstitious.

Back awake a little after 7. By some unearthly miracle, to church by 9. Remember to take the boys. And fruit snacks.

Home for lunch. Make birthday signs for dad (yes, he's missing his birthday!) and cake. Which we will wait to eat until Dad gets home.

Dad gets home at quarter to eight. 3/4 asleep; number 4 lectures dad about getting home on time next time. So we can have cake.

Sigh. Tomorrow, love.

i'm not a racist: a vignette from a couple years ago

It was a hot afternoon, too hot for a two month old to be out in the exposed heat, anyway. He was sitting, muscles limp and relaxed, propped up in my lap, in nothing but a onesy and a baseball cap, the sweat clinging us together, even through the layer of my shirt. His head lulled forward in a way that would've looked awkward on anyone but an infant.

I hadn't felt this bored in... well, years.

And it was wonderful.

There was a light breeze, but it was more like having someone breathing down your neck while standing in front of an open oven. I had brought a book to pass the time at the Farmer's Market, but the current weather was conducive only to a handful of limited options: dozing or sitting perfectly still.

Or, if you happen be a multi-tasker like me, both at the exact same time.

Yes, boredom could be wonderful. My baby Andrew shifted his weight against me, almost imperceptibly, but at two months, I had every feel of him memorized, and I sighed as I nudged his head deeper into my chest. The afternoon crowd that had gathered at the downtown venue, where I was currently seeling crocheted baby hats in the middle of July, blurred past in the afternoon sun, their faces and legs merging together in syncopated beat back and forth. Then suddenly, a single figure jutted from the mesh of color and movement, a solitary form, tall and dark, a soft amused smile playing at the corners of his lips, his hair shorn, a cigarette tucked neatly behind one ear. His hands were tucked casually into the pockets of his baggy jeans, and his toned sculptured arms were bare. In fact, his whole chest seemed bare, naked, but was in actuality covered with a tight white wife-beater. The man reminded me of every hispanic I'd ever gone to school with. Gangsters, real or wannabes, it didn't make much difference, they all looked the same. Although the man in front of me was definitely years beyond high school. And there he stood, in all his intimidating ethnicity, staring down on my own very white self and veyr white baby boy. The rest of the market melted away as our eyes met in a tractor beam of concentrated aim.

He swaggered towards me, pulling the cigarette out from behind his ear in a fluid easy motion, and I got a sudden image of the Rock pulling a similar move, but of course with him, it would be a gun. The man smiled, opened his mouth to say something, but paused as he carefully cocked his head to one side as if trying to get a better view of something just out of his reach. It all seemed so scripted, I felt like I was watching reruns on TNT. I wondered if I was playing the role of the sassy free spirited hispanic or the stubbornly social-conscious mutedly racist white lady. Whatever part, I willed myself to appear casual while leaning figuratively forward in my seat, waiting to see how the scene played out.

He was leaning in now, a mere two feet between us. I could feel the sweat stand still on the back of my neck and I held my breath. He was still smiling, lips drawn like he was trying to keep it from erupting over his features. It reminded me of a carnivore's stealthy quiet motions right before it went in for the kill.

He leaned in closer, almost touching my baby now; my fingers are trigger happy and on a muscle pathway to all out slapping him away when he finally speaks, but in a voice that is at once gruff and disarming.

"Cute baby."

I sputter a cough, apparently choking on my own racial generalizations, but I cover it quickly with a friendly guffaw. The man waves a friendly good-bye and melts back into the crowd.

I hug my infant a bit closer despite the heat. It's not his fault he's so darn adorable.

the fortunes of shopping

things i've learned in the past few days:

-crushed pineapple, while lovely in baking, isn't the best alternative as toppings on pizza.

-the orange color at the store that looked muted looks fluorscent at home

-always, always, always ask about special discounts before you pay

-leashes on kids in discount stores should be a mandatory condition upon entering.

-the store should provide said leashes.

So, I've gotten some Christmas shopping done. One particular gift that I picked up at Costco when the kids were with me I ended up acting like I was going to send to their cousins (as in, 'mom, i want one of those.' 'oh, well i was thinking of sending that one to your cousins. what, you want one?' 'yes mom! please please please, i'm gonna die without that wonderful toy!')---- -something along those lines anyway. So I didn't lie and say straight out that it wasn't for them, but I'm trying to keep something a surprise. today, i told 3yrold that he couldn't tell his brothers (or his dad--- whose birthday is coming up) what we had gotten at the store for them. Which was, a cuddle dragon for Cole (an adorable 3headed one), one of the 'don't let the pigeon' books, and a pokemon guess-who game for Adam. I got a sweater for me since i'm low on winter clothes and a book for Mike's birthday. You wouldn't think that the purchase of 5 items would take 2 hours now, would you? Yeah, well, Borders doesn't have carts, and i had two distractable walkers who kept wandering away. i ran out of hands again! i hate it when that happens. but, we did finally get out. i really don't mind being stuck in a book store. those have always been some of my favorite places.

4yrold (almost 5now!) wrote 'P' yesterday, all on his own!

perspective

So today at the grocery store I was moving the cart into the cashier line when 6yrold decides to start a tug of war. A lady and her daughter are behind me and totally takes my spot in line while I'm trying to convince Adam to push instead of pull (or maybe it was the other way around). Anyway, they all thought the boys were so cute, which is accurate, but seemed to miss the point that they had just cut me out of my spot! Not a huge deal, but you know when people complain about people with kids being pushy and oblivious to the stress they cause those around them? Yeah, parents are oblivious because all their energy and attention is being taken by said kids. They don't have anything left to pay attention to what else is going on. Parents, by their definition, give and give and give and give and give.... so, yeah, that lady and her daughter are gonna have to excuse me for barely restraining my evil eye after they so casually took my spot.

As you can probably tell, I'm feeling very mature this evening, but there you go.

This all was before finding out that one of Cole's classmates lost a little brother yesterday. The little guy was only 3. I guess someone cutting me off in the grocery line is little beans next to something like that.

I let the boys throw dirt around and read a few extra books tonight after hearing that piece of news. I don't know how a parent survives that.

Lots happening since I last posted. We're gonna try a list here. Since the school year's started, my mind has been compartmentalizing.

soooooo.....

-Adam's started first grade, had his first field trip, is really getting along with his reading skills, and has learned to use the monkey bars at school. I can't tell which of those he's most proud of, but they'd all be toss ups I think.

-Cole started preschool, which I wasn't sure about, but an opportunity to try Montessori presented itself, and we're trying it. He's really doing well. He jumped right in without hardly a transition period. Just went like he always has. That's how he's always done things though. He decides it's fun, and there's no fuss. Definitely didn't get that from me. He has a birthday coming up and wants an umbrella and a motorcycle (a real one). I tried explaining to him that he'd have to wait til he's old enough to drive (16 at the earliest!), and he told me that he had already figured that out with his magic gun. Apparantly, he shoots himself, and viola! He can be any age he wants. So far, it's been jumping from 5 to 16, depending on what he can't do til when. He's been convinced for weeks that he's already 5 and is waiting mostly patiently for me to remember and get him his umbrella.

-Andrew is adjusting to being big brother to Ben while his brothers are occupied with their school, and he's takes that responsibility pretty seriously. He likes to carry his baby around and play peekaboo and wrestle with him and keep him safe. He is mom's big helper now, and wants to do everything i do, from vacuuming to starting the car. Most things, he can help with, just not all of it. He's learning this. slowly.

-Ben..... Ben, Ben, sweet Ben.... is growing up on me. He's walking everywhere, and actually doesn't like wearing socks without shoes because he slides everywhere on our wood floors as he struts around. very frustrating. He is evidentally cutting the mother of all teeth, which is painful for all of us. Once he gets to sleep, he's back to himself, he sleeps deep and long, and is very happy in the morning. Then he realizes that something is not right again, and we go through a screaming war (his side, not mine...yet.) right around lunch/naptime. He eventually calms down, but has only been napping about half the time he usually gets (during the day... thank goodness this hasn't affected nightime...mostly.), and i don't know how much longer either of us can last. outside of those few hours during the day though, he's mostly happy, mostly able to tell me what he wants. He can say 'yeah' and loves to sing and giggle with his brothers. He knows how to ask for seconds and thirds and fourths.... yeah, he's eating well. hopefully, he'll get past this mid-day freak out soon.... very very very soon. oh, and if anyone is curious, he just had his 18mnth appt, and his official stats are 21#, 33 inches tall. He's shot up 3 inches, although he's not gained as much weight-wise. But, he has learned to walk in that time, and has been teething.... which bears mentioning at least once more. Any good happy thoughts you can send Ben's way would be appreciated.

-As for me.... I've made jam. I'm surviving my first cold of the season (gah, it's only September!), finished my story (we're to the 'letting it rest' stage), and have joined a mom's group here in yakima. i went to the berry picking thing last week. I've hung out with some friends (yes, this is a big deal for me), and yes, still working on the house/yard stuff. which has actually been a lot of fun.

That's it for now.... I'm out y'all. All my love, Arianne

today, i bought some candytuft and lemon thyme to put in front of the tree out by the driveway. i've been trying to think of something to make the flower gardens look a bit more 'done', but evidentally, after talking to some knowledgable people, i have what would termed a 'country garden', which from the looks of it, means a variety of perrineals that follow each other in close succession and are very fertile and propagating. and redundant.

in similar news, our garden is producing! enough beans for a dinner side dish every few nights, and enough squash that i'm trying to come up with ways to actually use it beyond dinner side dish. there is also talk between mike and i concerning a possible widening of our garden plot in the foreseeable future. stay tuned.

ben has taken his first few steps, although he is not near walking consistently yet. he stands up without support and will walk between two targets when they're close enough, but that's it for now. he likes to throw himself into people, in order to get his hugs. he's even starting giving open mouth kisses. i remember when adam first starting doing that.

andrew today insisted on wearing his 'cape' a very specific way, that is, taking the yarn blanket over his shoulders and drawing his fingers through the loops underneath. he'd get very frustrated if it came off, and i'd have to help him with it all over again. cole is king of the sprayer hose this summer, but recently, has refused to go outside unless i go out to 'play' with him. he likes to pick up the insects and spray them with said hose. adam starts school tuesday! 1st grade! we have all his supplies picked up, a few new outfits, new shoes. i think it's going to be okay. seems harder for me sometimes than it is for him, but what can you do?

today, i cleared off the piano, which is now officially up for grabs, if there's anyone out there who actually reads this and is in need of a converted player upright piano, it is now available. all i can say is, get in line. act quickly. i also picked up a box of peaches and some plants for the front this morning. i did a load of laundry, vacuumed a bit, kept the kitchen reasonably clean, took out some recyling, fed my boys three meals, and cleared out the paper clutter in front of the microwave. oh! and i cleared off the back porch shelf, swept said back porch, and brought in the garbage can. and in between, took care of my boys (laid on the floor and let them climb on me). but, it's something.

dog days of summer

In the last 24 hours, my baby slipped down the stairs, and my 3yr old stuck his finger in a live socket (and scared the bejeebers out of himself). The baby has gone the last two days without a nap, and last night, he didn't get to sleep til 9 and woke up at 6. But, tonight, all the boys were asleep by 8pm. So, I am officially happy right now.

i am so tired

It's been a while, hasn't it! But, I've got a very good excuse. It's summer and we've been having too much fun!

Speaking of which, we were able to take the boys for a trip to the coast. That was really just a rip, watching the boys discover the bigness of the ocean, watching them jump the waves, fully dressed down to their socks and shoes, even Ben would squirm and wiggle til I'd finally put him down, only to crawl straight for those beautiful big waves.

these kids would definitely not survive without us.

So, we all got very sandy, visited some tidepools, and generally got outside and just breathed. It was nice.

The next week, we dropped the kids off at the grandparents and went on our own little trip. We went whale watching (a 5hour trip of it), which was absolutely incredible. One pod of about 15 got so close that about half of them swam right under the bow of the boat. Mike planned this esp for my benefit, as it has been a life long dream of mine to see them in the wild. And that was only the first day.... we slept in, we went window shopping up and down anacortes way, and we went on a nice 9mile hike on a beach loop, a trail called lake ozette. very fun. and very good for the self-esteem boost. I mean, we hiked 9 miles! Awesome!

And were very sore the next day.... but we did it!

And the boys.....Ben is officially on the giggle bend. Long as he's fed and getting enough sleep, everything we do is crazy amusing to him. He's staring to say a few words very clearly, like yes and mom and dad. Put shoes on him for church, maybe the second time he's worn them. Every time he tried to stand up, he'd screech. Turns out, he's a toe-curler, so his little feet were folded up in those new fancy shoes. Oh, and he's learned that he has enough height to help me out with playing piano during relief society. He's actually quite gentle with the keys, and pretty proud of his participation.

Andrew is...adorable. How else do I describe him right now? He has this head tilt, big eye, careful pronounication of his words that just makes you want to squeeze him. Cole continues to jump everywhere. He never really walks, he only jumps. He's always running off. He'll be in one room with me, and i'll look up, and he's gone. I'll call for him for a few minutes, look around, and he'll be in the backyard or he'll be in the bathroom or he'll be in the closet with his flashlight. He always answers, but he's enamoured with the bathroom locks now cause he's paranoid that Ben will follow him in. Adam is enjoying his summer vacation, loves reading calvin and hobbes and likes to make up games for us all to play with him. he likes to tell us our parts and have us all play along.

it was a good day today. Spent some time talking to the neighbors as the sun went down tonight. Beautiful sunset.

New teeth... still!

Ben has been screaming off and on today. Poor little guy is cutting at least two more teeth. And a little bit ago, he woke up completely panicked, his little twisted in his blanket. He dragged another outfit through the dirt again today.

All the wallpaper in the bedrooms is officially down now.

Mike told Andrew the other day that he was choosing to give dad his sippy cup if he got out of his bed after bedtime. Ten minutes or so later, Andrew sauntered out of his bed, handed his dad his sippy cup and told him that he 'didn't need it anymore.' I had to hide my laugh at his antics. Mike told him okay and to get back in bed. And he turned right around without a fuss and went straight to bed. Didn't hear from him the rest of the night.

Waiting for those summer peaches. Can't wait!

June 10

Adam had his kindergarten celebration yesterday afternoon. They all took turns reading their project entitled:What I Want to Be When I Grow Up. Adam wants to be a paleotologist (which I can't even spell), but if he can't be that, he's told me that he'd be okay being a nurse like his mom. to which, if you would all allow me a brief pause: awwwwww. :) That put a smile on my face. We had a good conversation about how he could be a doctor like Uncle Jared or a lawyer like Uncle Seth and Luke, or a teacher like dad (and half the Cabbage clan), or a computer whiz like grandpa. So many choices. Adam loves to ask about the detail in things. I'm having a hard time keeping up most of the time.

Cole is between a rock and a hard spot, jumping between wanting me with him at all times and wanting me far far away from him. If I can get him to laugh, we're golden. He loves his attention when he asks for it. He's not one to be put off. I tell him 'just a sec' and he's done waiting. Funny guy. He's the first one to say good morning to us and loves to help dad pick his clothes out for the day. He makes excellent wardrobe suggestions. This morning, he thought dad should wear his brown shirt. Mike had a hard time convincing him that he couldn't do that, because he had just worn that shirt yesterday. He makes sure that daddy gets his wave good-bye from the porch every morning and has recently learned to crack an egg all by himself. He was appropriately proud of that.

Andrew is learning to modify his voice volume...almost. He does well until about 2pm, at which point, all bets are out the window. He loves building with the bionicles right now and pretending to be whatever his brothers are pretending to be. This afternoon, Cole and he decided that they were cicadas. Who breathed fire and yelled when they flew. At first, they told me they were aphids, but they had mixed up the pictures. I helped straighten them out. :) Andrew has helped me to let go of some things, and has convinced me that him and Cole are big enough to make their own sandwiches. That's been okay, actually. He insists on putting his own shoes on, opening doors by himself, everything. until he's walking down the hallway tripping and sobbing cause he can't figure out how to get his pants up from around his ankles. Life can be so rough when you're little.

Ben loves getting in everyone's way. Each of his older brothers have tripped on him at least once, which makes our little guy very sad, but he bounces back. No flesh wounds yet. Mostly, he likes to climb. His brothers have learned very quickly to move their floor toys up on the couch or table if they don't want him joining him (as in, they don't want him climbing up on them and messing up their intricately made stuff). His favorite game is climbing up on people. He can stand now, pull himself up, and he's crawled a tad here and there. It's so funny to watch, he'll shuffle on his knees and hands for a step or two, then plop down on his belly and go for it.

School gets out Thursday!!!

Change of Seasons

We had quite the conversation about summer blankets and winter blankets at bedtime today. Poor Cole had quite the time with it, but finally decided to cuddle with his old worn green blankie in lew of actually being tucked in with a bigger blanket. Andrew chose a sheet and small lighter baby blanket. Tomorrow, maybe I'll have them chose a special summer blanket for their beds. Hopefully, we'll avoid the chaos of change in the future.

Ben loves the mimicking-growl game. It's very fun to watch. He'll grunt or growl or roar, and then you answer back in echo, he laughs uproar-ously, and he starts it all over again. He loves to explore all over the house, but will answer when I call out for him (it almost sounds like a 'yah?' to me... yes, he's that brillant). He also loves to tickle toes and climb on his brothers (Andrew is not sure how he feels about this). He gets right into their space and messes with their toy-set ups; He's pretty strong and withstands their pushing away pretty well, but I've yet to convince his older brothers that he really is more fragile than he looks.

Cole had his last day of gym-nastics last Friday. We start swim lessons in the next couple weeks. He's still unholy-attached to his hat, which is not helping him stay cool in the least. He loves to come into our bedroom between 1100 and midnight, hunker down in his 'special' bed (the floor on mom's side) and promptly fall asleep. This is how we've discovered he both snores and talks in his sleep.

Adam will be done with Kindergarten in a couple weeks here! He is sounding out words and writing really well. One of the games he likes to play is adding and subtracting numbers, and he's getting pretty good at it! I'm looking forward to Mike being off work for a bit, and practicing all these cool new skills with him over the summer. Everyone, just know you'll be getting some mail this summer! Adam's favorite song right now is 'Since You Been Gone' by Kelly Clarkson. He thinks she has such a beautiful voice.

Andrew is fully toilet trained, and sleeps well once he is asleep, but is currently in the phase of getting up several times after being put to bed to ask for 'one more thing'. He will copy anything the other boys do, which is mostly good, but sometimes frustrating. If the older boys are struggling, he's usually right behind them. Like a row of dominoes. He loves to read, but mostly, he wants to tell us all about the books, not so much have us read them to him. He counted 40 waterfalls with his brothers on our drive up to white pass today.

Guess that's it for the update. We're all still happy and healthy for the most part. I'll be posting some pictures as soon as our main computer decides to stop being difficult.

Pool day

We got the pool out! It's officially (almost) summer. The boys were beside themselves. I baricaded Ben inside with me and opened the windows. He keeps catching his little fingers in the screen door. He's smashed it up pretty good a few times too.

Speaking of smashing things, warmer weather and my boys in shorts...... Andrew has biffed it enough times already with his bare knees on the concrete to have both knees scabbed up. Adam has one side scabbed, Ben is producing rubber on his knees (plus perpetual grey streaks), and poor Cole has an ouch on his upper thigh from his shot at the drs a couple days ago. He has a bullet-speed lunge, and the nurse, while attempting to not poke his hand, scratched his leg as she was pulling the needle out. So he has a little scar there too now.

Poor boys. I also made them eat their broccoli salad before they could get seconds of their dinosaur-chicken nuggets. It just never ends sometimes.

But, their drawers are now all stocked with clothes that fit and that is appropriate for the summer weather. Yeah for me! Now, we move on to the toys, starting probably with the boxes I whisked away to the basement after the third day of them not putting them away. Hopefully, in a few weeks once school is out, Mike and I can finish Adam's room, move him and Ben back in, and start to store things where they actually belong.

we're raising weeds

Beautiful day out today. I'm almost done weeding the front bed behind the big driveway tree, but i'm at a bit of an impasse. To get to the weeds, I have to step on some plants. hmm. And weeding in the evening (which seems the best time) gives me a tingly cold feeling in my spine about all the things that are living in the mesh of old leaves and weeds and actual plants. And why is it that I can't keep a plant alive that I actually plant, but that the weeds I'm pulling up by the roots come back the next week in hordes. I should start cultivating weeds. My garden would be prolific.

Andrew pooped twice today in the toilet. And they all got down for their naps at the same time today, all of them actually sleeping (!) when Adam's school called. He got engrossed in his computer lab time and had an accident. I hurried three bleary-eyed boys into the car, raced over, thinking my oldest boy was traumatized by this, only to run into the office to find Adam smiling and saying, 'oh, it was just an accident.' Glad to know that Adam is the 'bounce-back' type.

my babies

Ben is definitely standing now, pulling himself up. He's tucking his little knees under him and starting to push with his knees too. He gets into everything. I've recruited his brothers into helping keep things out of his mouth that shouldn't be there. He started on graham crackers and scrambled eggs and even tried some apple juice. Adam loves to make him laugh and will break every rule to get that giggle out of him. He'll spit his food all over the table just to get him to smile. funny boys... :)

Adam has been working towards getting his stars every day in his kindergarten class, and he's done it two weeks in a row, but last week, he got a warning on friday. He didn't get his pokemon mac and cheese for dinner that night, but before our little incentive idea, he was only getting stars maybe every other day. I've really been proud of him actually. He's been working really hard.

Cole is insisting on sleeping with four to five pillows a night, and won't take off his hat unless we're sitting down to eat. Makes me wonder what this summer is going to look like, cause it's a crocheted yarn winter hat that covers the ears. I've tried trading with a baseball cap, but Cole is yet to be convinced. He likes that the weather is getting warm enough to go barefoot outside. He runs straight to the dirt, and at least one plant is missing, or at least, not in the same place I had seen it before. He's introduced his dinosaurs to the dirt and learned to blow bubbles recently. When he's not doing those two things, he's most likely drawing with chalk on the driveway. His favorites to draw are dragons with wings.

Andrew has successfully pooped and peed on the toilet. He refused to wear his diaper last night, and had his first dry night. We got to use his birthday present (a sprinkler ball) yesterday. He liked that! He loves to help me with dishes and dusting and pulling weeds. Big helper right now. He wants to see everything I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Our conversations pretty much consist of him saying 'what' and 'why', followed by yet more 'what' and 'why'sssssss. I usually give up before he does. Had to tell him a couple times today to rest his mouth. He seemed to understand that for a little bit, but then he scrunched up his little forehead and said, 'why?'

thursday

Cole is writing numbers now. His favorites are 8 and 3. Andrew can do a number 2 and the letter A, but past that, his interest wanes a bit. Ben is standing for a minute or so at a time, and is really into putting things in his mouth. The last thing I found in there was the edge of a fruit snack wrapper. He seems content to chew on things, and not swallow them, but I'm keeping him in my line of sight for now.

Adam's class has been taking care of a butterfly house. Today, they got to watch one come out of the chrylassis. I have no idea how to spell that.

It's been nicer outside lately, and the boys have spent a lot of time outside in the dirt and riding their bikes, and throwing balls around. They keep asking if they can swim yet.

I'm ready for summer!

We were invited to join family home evening at a neighbor's place yesterday evening. There were 4 families total, and a LOT of little kids running around. Adam got to lead the song, and then for the activity, our friend handed out 3 m&ms to everyone, to share three things about themselves, to get to know each other better. Cole shared that he flew and was a dragon and could throw fire. They asked about his hat. I don't think he's been without a hat (except for mealtimes; very respectful fellow) for the last year or so. He's a bit attached.

Adam set up his paints on the backporch and did a nice painting. His brothers were very good about not touching it. They've been into drawing with the chalk on the driveway the last week or so. Cole likes to do pictures that resemble spongebob with wings, but that he describes as dragons breathing fire.

Ben was pulling himself up today. Almost got himself on my lap as I was sitting on the couch. Andrew esp doesn't understand why Ben likes to climb on us or pinch our skin or our hair. Speaking of Andrew, he's trying the toilet thing. not quite convinced yet, but he has peed a few times, mostly at bedtime. We've yet to hit during the day yet, but he's warmed up to the idea of wearing underwear during the day, so that's progress.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! We went up for a drive up to White Pass. There's still quite a bit of snow up there, and lots of run-off with the waterfalls. Very beautiful. The boys got to run around in the wild, Mike got some water samples from the creeks for his classes, and I took a little nap in the car. All in all, a very nice day. Mike BBQed some chicken for dinner and checked the boys' heads for ticks during their baths.

Mike brought me breakfast in bed this morning, with a rose on the side. He brought me roses early this year, on Friday, a big bouquet of red roses. I've been feeling very special.

Ben has been eating dirt, crawling on the flowers and generally charming everyone he meets. He crawled under the bench at church today, and the nice lady behind us (with her own children btw) scooped him up and held him when he started fussing. Two teeth have cut through on the front bottom. He is feeling a lot better now, although I can sense more teeth coming in the future. At least he's sleeping now.

So, over the weekend, we got the baseboards for Adam's room. Next on the list is a rug. We also got a new toilet seat to replace the vinyl nasty old blue one. Cole, for one, is really grateful for the new seat. The old one hurt his bottom, he's said. Other than that, we did a lot of yard work, and, if I do say so myself, it is looking quite nice. The bushes are edged, the beds are weeded (for the most part), and the yard is mowed. The fence fell down while I was at work, and Mike had to prop it up with the help of some neighbors. That's next on the list too.

We've decided we really are liking our neighborhood and feeling like we're taking good care of our place here.
That feels good.

the meaning of burgersmeasly

i'm watching an elephant play soccer. who knew?

Andrew has developed a fascination with waterfalls. he likes to make them in the sink when he helps me with the dishes. He'll stack dishes in this formation so that the water cascades in riverulets. I have to make sure and put them away when he's not looking though. He gets a little attached to his work.

Made the boys burgersmeasly this morning and then had a fifteen minute (well, it might have only been 5minutes) discussion about why we call it that. I tried to tell him that it was the german word for what our breakfast was, but he was having none of it. I think he actually wanted to know the origins of the word and what it would sound like if we said it in english. The kid's 6! You'd think he'd slow down a bit!

Ben is definitely teething. He was up between 10 and 11 last night, cause he NEEDED a major cuddle on the couch, which turned into a big-eye charm turnon to get the remotes. I can still see the front bottom two sticking out, but the rest of his gums are pretty swollen too. poor kid.

This is Ben, same location as below. I think the finger in the mouth is priceless.
This is the most recent photo of the three oldest, taken at the mountain goat feeding area. I think we went in February or March. Anyway, they're all very cute.

hello

welcome to the world of my blog! I'm sure you're all very excited. me too.

So, the updates:

Adam is learning to read, and insisted on checking out all-snake books from the library this afternoon. We were at the library because I'm a pushover. We stayed at the library and played with the puzzles while Ben crawled on the rug and pushed over neatly stacked piles of books, and waited for Mike to come and rescue my keys which were stuck in the van. It's been raining hard since about 1 this afternoon, hence the library. At any rate....
Andrew and Adam swept off the driveway in the middle of said downpour for 40minutes after we got home, during which time Cole quizzed me on multiple diverse Pokemon names, Ben stuck old food in his mouth and I made taco soup. Adam very kindly told me that we should have that more often because it tasted so good. He is a sweetie.

Ben prefers to lean his head on my left shoulder, which feels akward to me, but which must be pretty comfortable for him. Yesterday, Sarah Ditto commented after RS that she didn't know my baby could talk. Well, that fallacy was corrected. Ben is definitely feeling better. He is back to bouncing when he's picked up, but can't stand to hold still if he sees something that needs holding and exploring: his favorites right now are mom's cellphone (he doesn't care to punch the numbers so much as just hold it and feel important) and the TV remotes. Those buttons he loves to push. He gets a kick out of frustrating the system.

Mike and I are thinking Montesorri for Cole starting this next school year, but there are two in the area, and I've only checked out one so far. When I went to for my tour though, Cole jumped right in with his usual enthusiasm with the classroom activities. The director told me this was very unusual for a 4yr old to do right off the bat. He was right in there doing the activities with minimal direction. The director asked me if he had ever been in childcare or preschool before, what kind of training he'd had. I told her he'd just been with me, although he got out to playdates now and then.
Anyway, made me feel kinda good. Oh, here is where I insert a little shout-out to Rebekah's KinderReady kit.
Let's see.... nothing else right now I guess. I caught up on the laundry, we did some weeding before it started raining (leafs= good mulch, but offer lousy sunshine ratio, by the way), and I found out today that me at home during the day is equivalent to a 100k+salary.
sigh. some things are priceless, but hook me up with some of that!