Water

Our trip to GWL was better than I expected. The room was HUGE, and the kids had their own little room/log cabin entirely. And their own TV. I never knew what a blessing that could be. Woohoo! We weren't stuck watching Dora when we really wanted to watch 24.

The waterpark was completely age-appropriate for them. When I called before-hand, the receptionist said our kids wouldn't be able to go on some of the bigger slides, so I was picturing these wimpy baby slides for them while K and I took turns on the big ones.

When we got there, the kids could actually go on almost everything by themselves, including two really long slides, and K and I could take them with us on the three really big inner-tube slides.

I literally had to carry a clinging, crying S up a ROPE LADDER (imagine that, will ya?) and shove her terrified, shaking body down the long slides the first time (before the attendant noticed and told me to stop), because I knew she would like it if she would only just try it.

"Like it" ended up being an understatement. The girl spent most of her day in a constant cycle; going up and down those two yellow and red slides, over and over again. They actually ended up being her favorite thing of the day.

Ahhh, what a little "mom pressure" can do...

There was also a regular swimming pool, a gigantic shallow pool (that I sat in with M alot), and a hot tub.

We stayed for 10 hours the 2nd day.

We'll go back next year.

Five Years Ago, again

When my brother died, I was ten. I remember not knowing how to be on the anniversary of his death. Was I supposed to pretend like it was like every other day, so my parents wouldn't have to remember? Was I supposed to be sad? Was I supposed to be happy, so they wouldn't feel bad about my remembering?

Of course, I grew up, and realized that my parents were thinking about Nate anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to acknowledge the day. And I didn't have to pretend to be happy or sad. I just needed to let my parents know that I still remembered.

Today, five years ago, we lost our Adeline. We didn't want our kids to have that same pressure I felt. We didn't want them to feel pressured into sadness on this day.

At some point, when they are older, the kids might have questions. They might be more affected than they are now. They might be sad at not having had time with their sister. We want to open to talking with them. We want them to feel good about asking those questions. On the other hand, the kids might not be affected by having lost Adeline. They hardly got to meet her. We want them to feel free to not be emotional as well.

So, we decided that we, the parents, should acknowledge the day, (so that the kids don't have to tiptoe around it), and talk about how sad losing Adeline made us feel. Then, because we are thankful for our healthy kids, and we are thankful that Adeline is having a riot with Christ, we can use this day too have fun together too. A day to thank God for our family.

Maybe none of that makes sense to anyone. It doesn't have to. I just know that I would rather acknowledge our sad feelings, remembering Adeline, and then move on from there to thankfulness, for her time with us here, for her good ol' time with Christ now, and for the gift that God gave us in the family we have with us here.

We chose today to go the Great Wolf Lodge. The kids are excited. I must be too, because I couldn't sleep when I thought about getting to go on water slides all day.

FIVE!

The big kids had a birthday. They are five years old.
Z said, "When I was sleeping, I was four, and then I turned five. When I woke up, I was bigger and stronger!" And it seems pretty close to the truth. These five years flew by.

Christmas Money

We are going to the Great Wolf Lodge! A indoor water park and hotel. The hotel offers "a Kid Cabin suite sleeping area with a bunk bed, a day bed and their own TV. In the main portion of the suite the adults have a queen bed, and a corner gas fireplace." Woohoo!

My Grandma gives us money every Christmas, and usually I throw it into our bank account, and end up using it for groceries or gas or something. But THIS year, B saw her give me the envelope, as she said, "Merry Christmas to your kids!"

He asked, "What did Mooka (Grandma) give to you?"

"Money for Christmas", I said.

"What will we DO with that money?", B said.

And I realized that this is the first year that we would actually have to devote that money towards something fun for the kids. I'm sure my Grandma would be glad, as she probably didn't know that her Christmas money went towards tampons, milk, and wheat bread.

So we decided that we should spend it on something that we could do as a family.

Thus, the Great Wolf Lodge...

(Hey, Auntie Ange, this would be a good time for you to come visit us. At least we would be out of the cold winter wonderland for one night!) :)

Happy, Merry, Late Christmas

Nickels

B came out of quiet time holding a quarter and a penny. (He found the treasure under his bed.)
He said, "Can people swallow these?"
"No!" I exclaimed, "People don't eat money."
He said, "But CAN they?"
"No", I said, "I don't think people want to AND I don't think that they CAN."
"Well, I think they can, 'cause I swallowed the nickel."

"WHAT?! You did what? You wanted to swallow a nickel?! (lots of exclamation points)"
"No, but I DID swallow a nickel."

Apparently, the kid put a nickel in his mouth (to see what it tasted like), and then he accidentally swallowed it.

I panicked a little, thinking of the fact that he could have choked to death with me right in the next room, not at all aware of the danger.

B's Turn

It is B's turn to be re-introduced. I am, again, going to help you to see who he is by telling a few, short stories:

We "splurged" at McDonalds for K's birthday: We got Happy Meals the kids and something not on the Dollar Menu for us.

We might have picked another place to celebrate, but the Chinese restaurant waitresses are crabby, and no other restaurant will entertain our kids for us (with an indoor playground) for up to two hours at a time. What better birthday present could you get?!

So, B was still hungry and asked for another order of chicken nuggets. I, (being the health-conscious mom that I am) said, "Do you want a cookie or more chicken nuggets?"
The kid answered, "A cookie. AND more chicken nuggets."

------

On Tuesday, S spent most of her morning crying. B said, "Mom, S is whining ALOT today. Can she go to her room or something?"
S said, "B! I WAS going to get a treat today for earning five stars (which is lost if she whines), and I WAS going to share some of my treat with YOU. Now I won't be able to."
B paused, and then said, "Mom, I think S has been so good today. She didn't whine or cry or hit or anything. She was just nice all day."

Huh.

Last story:
B broke the GLASS (who thought of this preschool craft anyway?!) Christmas ornament that he made at MOPS. He dropped it on our tile floor. It shattered. He walked over to Z, all calm, and said, "I dropped my ornament. You didn't want yours, did you?"
Z looked at his ornament adoringly, and said, "Um, you can have it if you want, B."
And B held out his hand in expectation.

So, in case you haven't gathered it so far, B knows how to get what he wants. Or at least he tries. He is creative in his problem-solving. He takes charge of situations. He is assertive. He makes the most of every opportunity.

Right now, I have to struggle to remember that one day, when he is just a little bit older and less narcissistic, these will all be very, very good traits to possess.

Then and Now

Although it may not look like it from this picture, the scarf was much further away from the baby's nose and mouth than it looked. He COULD breathe. We love you, Baby M! :)

When I was young, we spent alot of time swinging over a giant ravine (complete with poky branches and sharp rocks on the bottom) on a long, long piece of rope. A rope swing. Remember those? My sister Kathi and my cousin left my other sister in the middle, alone and basically trapped, "for hours" (according to her) one day. They were sick of playing with her, I guess. She helplessly hung there until they came to retrieve her.

We had snowmobiles in the winter, and we would be gone (far away in the woods) for most of the day. I remember playing tag with my cousins. We'd chase each other at full speed and try to pull each other off of our machines. Whoever was laying on the ground (with the riderless snowmobile in front of them somewhere) was not the winner.

We also had a sledding hill. It was huge. And really dangerous. There were trees on both sides, and it dropped off similarly to that of a scary roller coaster. I think someone broke their leg (or an arm?) on that hill.

We loved it.

Today's sledding experience reminded me of my own childhood and how much I want our kids to experience those kinds of things. Outdoor things. Good, old-fashioned fun. Fun that doesn't require batteries. Experiences that get the adrenaline going.

All of that without getting hurt, of course.

S, also reintroduced

See that necklace? Z made that for S. Who else in the world, besides a girl with three brothers, gets to wear a necklace lovingly made out of army tank wheel parts? The bright flowers and the black go together well, no?

I promised a while ago to reintroduce you to the kids.

Today is S's day.

The girl is girly. Her papa says she is way girlier now than I ever have been or ever will be in my life. She is obsessed with Barbie (not given to her by me), Polly Pocket (ditto), princess movies (ditto again), and beautiful dress-up gowns and jewelry (geez, are we horrible parents, because I have to say ditto AGAIN!) I just am not girly. At all. I have a dress, but I haven't worn it since before I got pregnant in 2003. (Think Rachel's wedding, Ange!)

She is compliant to the point of getting her feelings hurt when we correct her. Today, she said, "More milk..." and I said, "Could you ask for milk in any other way? Like maybe more politely?" and her lip quivered as she said, "Milk please?"and then, "I'm sorry I asked like that."

She is a helper:

I was drying my hair in the bathroom. The girl came in, and said, "Ohhh. I am so tired. (Wiping fake sweat off her forehead). Man, gettin' those boys ready is a LOT of work!"
Later, I passed S in the hallway. She was leading Z to his room by his elbow, exclaiming, "Now, it just doesn't make sense that you aren't dressed yet."
And while I would usually object to S being the "parent", I was running late that morning, and I was just grateful that someone was directing "those boys".

She is a wimp! I mean, um, safety-conscious? I wouldn't mention this, except that we just put up her new loft bed, and I wondered if we would even be able to talk her into sleeping there.
Surprisingly, she learned rather quickly how to convince her feet (rather shakily) to "just keep going one-by-one".

She is social. She knows WAY more people's names than I do, everywhere we go. If I have a question about someone at church, I only need to find S, and she will tell me who it is. She just wants people around. I found her crying once, in her bed, and when asked what was wrong, she said, "How come B and Z have a room together, and you and Papa have a room together, and I am stuck in here with no one. I want someone to talk to in here!" We got her a Fur-real Pig (temporary fix) and promised that when the baby came, she would also have a room partner (more permanent fix).
Today is the day for the permanent fix! M has been sleeping through the night for about a week now (10 hours last night! Woohoo!), and he has earned a place underneath his big sister's bed. She is elated. "Someone to talk to at last!"

Good Times

B came across some old Creative Memory books that I had started for the kids when they were born. I have about 2 1/2 years worth.

They are mammoth.

But then I started blogging and completely "forgot" about the books. Who wouldn't "forget" when blogging is so much easier!? No cutting out paper, pasting, trimming photos to fit the page, buying expensive embellishments...

But the kids thoroughly enjoyed paging through the books, and so I started to feel guilty...like I should be putting alot more work into documenting our lives together.

In the end, I swayed my guilt by simply uploading a few photos of old times (ones that haven't been posted before) and calling it good. Here ya go, kids. I love you.

Side note: Is anyone else worried about our kids not being able to access our blogs some day? All this writing and they won't even be able to read it? I do happen to save mine to CD, but what if those are obsolete too by the time they are old enough to care?

Toys

See those little guys all over our house? That is the result of not having many age-appropriate toys for our kids. It seems that when our babies outgrew their latest toys, we never bothered to get them new ones. I didn't notice until recently that they have been playing with the tiniest bits of age-appropriate toys they can find (aka tiny, plastic cowboys and combat guys).

Good thing Christmas is around the corner.

But really...the thing is, I don't feel completely bad for them. Maybe being "toy-deprived" helps to boost creativity, and I'm certain that on Christmas morning, with all of their magnificent toy choices in a giant pile around them, the kids will probably still play with the box.

Z, Reintroduced

You may have forgotten that I even have kids, as I haven't written about them in a amazingly long time.

I'll reintroduce you.

We have our eldest, Z, who is exaggeratedly encouraging and just, um, really nice.

This morning, he said, "S, I like your hair. I like that rubber band in it". The thing is, S did have a rubber band in her hair, hanging there from the day before, loose and not at all holding her hair in place. And the rest of her hair, the stuff not tangled in the rubber band, was hanging in her eyes, making it her hard for her to see her cereal. But apparently, to Z, it looked Bee-u-tee-full! Unless, of course, he just couldn't think of any other compliment at the moment.

We walked into the doctor's office yesterday, and B held the door open for him. Wide-eyed Z said, "Man, you are so strong, dude! I can't believe how strong you are!"

We were waiting to be checked out, and the receptionist was checking her calendar. "I like your, um, um, pen." said Z. Who, besides Z, cares about or notices a blue bic pen anyway?!

We went trick or treating, and Z loved it. But after about six houses, he would walk up to the door and greet the neighbors with the rest of the kids (because he "just wanted to say hi"?!), but when the person would attempt to place a candy in his bag, he would say, "Um, no thanks...I have enough." I DID NOT teach him to ever, ever refuse candy from anyone under any circumstances.

(We had, on the other hand, our business man, B trying to do trade-ups, "Can I have that candy instead!?")

And randomly, throughout the day, especially when he can tell I am irritated, Z will say, "Mom, you are a good mom. I love you."

So there ya go. That is Z.

I will re-introduce you to the other three another day.

Crafts

I went to a coffee house the other night to write a paper, and I (always trying to find a distraction) overheard a girl say, "She says she likes to stay home with her kids all day. But COME ON....Who really likes to do that? Does she not get bored? What is she doing at home anyway? Crafts?! Knitting?"

And I wanted to tell her that I, for one, love to stay home with my kids all day. And I don't knit. I probably never will. But I DO like crafts, ya punk.

You may or may not know that we have been busy doing preschool at home this fall. This week's preschool theme was Homes. We are learning about different shapes, sizes, and kinds of homes. Today, the kids traced around "home items", like screwdrivers, scissors, tape, forks, and toothbrushes. B was so proud of his masterpiece that he hung it on Papa's wall, hoping to surprise him with his artistic talent.
Instead, when Papa walked into his office, we heard, "Agghh. What the heck is that!?"

Of course, we (the kids and I) saw that it was obviously a scissors, but apparently, Pops saw something different.

And now I think he questions my choice in academic topics.

It Worked!

I stopped eating dairy, and it seems that someone has replaced the crying, gassy kid with a happy, mostly-sleeping kid.

Milk

Today, B said, "Mom! Look at M! He is awake and he is not crying!"
So, that has been our life here. Crying baby.
All. The. Time.
Unless he is sleeping.
I am currently not eating dairy. Lots of websites say that milk products give breastfeeding babies tummy aches. We'll see how it works out for us.
I might go a little crazy.

Grandma

Today, I brought M to school with me. His first class! He was completely silent during the entire 2 1/2 hours, except one, tiny baby sneeze.
While I was waiting for class to start, a girl whom I would have assumed was close to my age, exclaimed (for at least three people to hear), "Oh, he is so cute! Is he your grand baby!?" I would insert a few colorful choice words right now, but I think that too many people from church read this, so I will just say that that question was REALLY upsetting for me. When people look at me, their first assumption is that I am the GRANDMA?! Did my few years of smoking and not-too-hard partying really age me that much? I am not even an obsessive tanner.

Sheesh.

So.

That's me today...constantly looking in the mirror to note the wrinkles around my eyes and my slightly sagging skin.

Crap.

One-Size-Fits-All

We spent more money than I wanted to on one-size diapers. I bit the bullet (is that the phrase?) and bought them anyway, because I figured, "They are one size, right?! The cost will even out in the end."

But then we received the "one-size" diapers in the mail, and I'm thinking that M isn't happy.

Technology

B: "Mom, how do your boobs work to give baby M milk? (pause, thinking) Do they have batteries?"

She Wanted a Little Sister, But She Seems Extremely Okay with a Baby Brother

Understanding Babies

Soren (who will soon be labeled M on this blog) is now 3 days old (and a few hours). He is currently sleeping on my chest, waiting for Papa to come get us and bring us home (or at least to Grandma and Grandpa's). It is delightful to have just one HEALTHY baby to dote on. Our kids are still trying to decide if they think he is delightful.

Z's 1st impression: "Where's the baby, mom? Hey mom, are we on the top floor? Can I have some of your juice? Do you want me to share my gum with you? How come there's just a bed in here?"
B's 1st impression: "Owwww (holding throat). I need a drink. (He is still recovering from having his adenoids/tonsil removed....I know! Bad timing!) Did the baby have a shirt and diaper on when he was inside you?" ("Nope, I wouldn't be able to reach him to get him dressed.") "Why didn't you get him dressed before he went inside you?" (What jerk parents to not get him dressed before we put him inside me! I mean, who wants to enter the world, in front of a roomful of people, naked!?)
S's 1st impression: "Can I feed him?" ("You can't, because I feed him with my boobs.") "Why!?" ("Because that's how moms feed babies. Boob milk is best for little babies, and it helps them to grow big and strong.") "You mean you're like a cow!?" ("Yup, exactly like a cow...")

Welcome Baby #5!

Before (at 5ish this morning):
















And After (at 8:05 am):

We are so, so, so happy to introduce you to Søren Micah, weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

He is very healthy and most happy (except when he thinks it is time to eat).

Thanks for your well wishes and prayers.