last day of july update

Someone somewhere has said, "The days are long but the years are short." This is especially true during the hot summers in Texas... which is why for the last 6 years we have gone to Pennsylvania for weeks at a time. (Well, that and to see grandparents and teach kids how to work on a farm.)

We got home at 2 am last Friday after deciding last minute to skip our planned visit to the St. Louis Arch. We were ready to leave Mark Twain country around 3:00 pm and someone (me) offhandedly mentioned that we were only 9 hours away from home and wouldn't it be nice to sleep in our own beds? It was kind of crazy (and impulsive--which I'm not), but we made it, and it is wonderful to be home. (Remind me--when does it cool down?) 

Auggie was not a great sleeper in PA, which means I was not a great sleeper, which means that I was tired, and therefore cranky. Happily, we have gotten back into a flexible routine and he is sleeping much better. (Thank you, son!) Actually, he has been a much happier baby this past week, which means I have been a happier mom. His fun personality is starting to emerge, and we are all completely smitten. He has recently discovered his hands, started batting at toys, and he even enjoys tummy time now. 

For the past 4 months we have enjoyed having a large field behind our home. It felt like we had a little bit of country and privacy in the city. Sadly, I think it's about to change. Yesterday some big, bad tractors showed up and they've been creating dirt mountains and what appears to be future roads. We will miss having these pretty sunflower neighbors. 

I also wanted to note that after 4 months of living in our house we finally hired someone to install ceiling fans. I resisted at first because I felt lame that we couldn't do it ourselves, but I'm so glad I caved in! It took the man about 3 hours to put 4 fans in, and he will come back on Saturday to finish the last few. Why didn't I call him sooner?!

6th annual summer road trip

I am blogging on my phone, in the car, somewhere in the middle of beautiful Pennsylvania. Technology is amazing! 

Auggie had an early 2 month appointment at 7 weeks since we were going to be gone all summer. A week ago he weighed in at 12 lbs 4 oz and he is 24 inches long. Big boy! 

He has done ok on the road, although yesterday we went to Gettysburg and had to cut our 2 hr audio tour short because he just cried and cried. We will have to go back again when the kids are all a little older. 

Anyway, I'm jumping ahead. We dropped Joe off in Washington D.C. for a conference, picked up my dad (who drove down to meet us), and then drove to Fenwick Island, DE, where we stayed at my aunt's beach house. 

Our first day there we went to Assateague Island, where there are lots of wild horses. They didn't seem too wild, but it was fun seeing them on the beach. The kids read Misty of Chincoteague as preparation. 

Everyone but Auggie had fun on the beach. 

Grant got lots of sand in his shorts and my aunt taught us how to do a "sand evacuation." 

Logan got pretty good at the boogy board. Those waves were quite strong and even I got knocked down more than once. 

Logan. I found it on my phone just now. (I was reading up on puberty and boys and was relieved to learn that muscle obsession is normal for adolescent boys. I'm not ready for teenagers!!!) 

He really is a happy boy most of the time. 

The kids loved kayaking and were able to go out on the water every day that we were there. 

Grant's arms weren't quite long enough. 

Madi and Logan got pretty good at kayaking and even went out to the bay a few times. 

We went to the local beach our second day (pics mixed in above), and on the third day packed up to meet Joe in Gettysburg. Everyone told us it was a bunch of fields and not very exciting to drive through, so we tried to prep the kids as much as possible by learning about the battle of Gettysburg as we drove across the country. I highly recommend the book, What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? We bought a self-guided audio tour, which would have been fantastic if Auggie hadn't been screaming. Our trip coincided with the 152 anniversary of the battle, which was neat. 

Little Round Top

Pickett's Charge 

We ate a late dinner at a random pizza place; good pizza, nasty bathrooms. 

We stayed the night in Harrisburg, PA, and then visited Hershey, PA this morning. I wish we had studied up on the history of the man and the town before we went. We took the free tour, which was lame, but at least we got miniature kit kats at the end. There is a lot to do right there if you want to spend money, but as a family of seven, that means a good chunk of money and the kids kept saying they wanted to go to Grandma and Grandpa's, so we skipped out of Hershey after an hour of being there. Maybe next time.....

Now we are on our way to the farm, where the high today is 72 degrees. The kids are excited to ride four wheelers, gather eggs, pick wild berries, and play with the dog and cat. Grandpa even told Grant that he could be as loud and crazy as he wanted (outside). Yay summer!! 

monday monday, summer monday

First of all, I put August to bed at 10 pm last night and he didn't wake up to eat until 4:30 am this morning. That's 6 1/2 hours, people, and let me tell you: amazing. I can't remember the last time I got that much uninterrupted sleep! I know it might not happen again tonight, but it gives me hope that someday soon I will once again know what it feels like to not be totally and completely exhausted all day. 

I didn't get a picture of Joe with all the kids, unfortunately, but we had a good Father's Day. I took the kids shopping to pick out cards and gifts on the first day of summer vacation. Usually I have the kids make cards (cheaper and more meaningful), but it turns out that The Dollar Store has some really cute cards, and it is actually pretty meaningful to let them pick out their own cards because they manage to find cards that fit their personality--serious or funny or with a dog on it! They each wrote their own messages to Dad, and he said the cards were his favorite of the gift-giving part of Father's Day. It is also interesting to see what the kids pick out for their dad. Logan got him a picture frame, Madi a #1 Dad mug, Grant a pad of paper and pens, and Ammon got him water balloons and silly string. The funniest part was when Joe was about to open Ammon's present and Ammon leaned over excitedly and said, "You're really going to like it!" I was almost crying with laughter and love. I got Joe a watch (that he picked out and is wearing so it's not in the picture). We are so grateful for our wonderful dad and granddads! 

I try to keep things real, and I have not made it a secret that I was kind of dreading summer. I made a CHOICE that we were going to have a great summer, and I have a new testimony that my ATTITUDE really makes a difference--good or bad.  

Just because everyone is home does not mean my house has to be in a state of constant disaster. In fact, having everyone home means I have a lot of helpers. The amazing thing is that they have, for the most part, been very happy to help. The kids have been doing most of the cooking (with my help) and cleaning up after meals. We have had some interesting meals! For instance, today Madison decided to make chocolate milk whole-wheat waffles. They actually didn't taste any different than regular waffles, so it was a waste of perfectly good chocolate milk, but not a waste because now we know! Big kids really are so much fun! 

I continue to become more and more like my parents every year (which is ok; I can think of worse people to be like 😉). I put up a bulletin and white board right by our garage door entrance (they have one by their front door), mainly so that I can write down what the kids need to do each day before they can turn on the tv (also what my parents used the white board for). The kids find satisfaction in rubbing out their responsibilities when they are done. 

The house doesn't have to be a disaster, but it doesn't have to be spotless, either. That is another decision I have to make (every day). Creating and playing can be messy! 

My sister Rene taught the kids how to make wands when she visited in March. Grant and Ammon's wand broke, so Logan decided to make them new ones. He took 90 cents to Walmart and searched the craft aisles for wand bases. I really didn't think he could do it, but he has been making wands all weekend, and they are pretty awesome! 

His wand-making station 

A few of his creations. They are getting fancier and fancier! 

Some friends came over last week and were so impressed by the wands that he has decided to become an entrepreneur and sell them. He has had some great and encouraging feedback (thanks Facebook!), now we just need to figure out how to make a webpage so he can actually sell them. Maybe a blog to begin? I'm not sure. 

Speaking of wands--Grant finished Harry Potter 1 this morning. He was so excited and did this crazy happy dance while he pulled out the Harry Potter movie and the next book. He started reading it a few weeks ago and at first wanted to take turns reading it with me or with Logan and Madi, but once he got into it he figured out it was faster to read it by himself on his own time. I am so proud of him! 

A few years ago I bought this side table for $5 from a garage sale site. I have been intending to paint it for years but have never had the motivation to do so. When Logan was looking at the craft aisles in Walmart I noticed a small jar of gray chalk paint. I bought it, and last Saturday Madison and I spent an hour painting it. It looks good--much better than before--and Madison loved painting so much that she decided she wants to paint stuff (first up is a fun bright color for that picture frame). When she realized Logan just might make some money with his wands, she decided she wanted to figure out something she could do to make money. So be on the lookout for Madi's creations in the near future! 

surviving summer

So far so good in the summer department. Here's what's been going on: 

Cousin Maggie came to visit! 

 

Tummy-time!

Pool with friends. Every single day. 

Pizza night! 

Madison's hair-doing skills are getting pretty good. I am very happy to let her practice on my hair. 

The kids and I read Because of Winn Dixie together and decided to have a book/movie party with friends. We made the food that they ate in the book. Logan made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Madi made egg salad sandwiches, and Grant made punch. I tend to get stressed out about things easily, but I put the kids in charge and we kept things very simple, so it really wasn't stressful, but it was a lot of fun and we will definitely be doing more book/movie parties this summer. Book suggestions welcome!

They got the living room ready. 

Madison made signs to hang on the front door.

Grant swept the kitchen without being asked. 

Madi's signs. 

The party! I think I am missing a few kids in the picture. We had a great turn out!  

I should have taken a picture of the stairs. Logan taped them off early this morning to prevent kids from going upstairs (where all the toys are). It worked! 

summer kick-off

Sometimes I love summer and sometimes summer frightens me. Five demanding, begging, fighting, mess-making, noise-making, in-my-face kiddos. 24/7. There really is no escape and no personal time. This summer I am fighting against feeling frightened. We are going to celebrate summer and celebrate learning and celebrate time together.  

Day one of summer: Harry Potter party. 

The kids are planning and cooking most of the meals this summer. And they are getting better at cleaning up. These really are things to celebrate! (Logan made oatmeal for breakfast while I took a shower. It was a LOT of oatmeal!)

Madison has been practicing her fishtail braid on me while I read to the kids. (They know that if they play with my hair I will keep reading and reading and reading.) We just finished reading Because of Winn Dixie together and we are planning a movie party with our friends next week. Also, I sat down to read Harry Potter with Grant yesterday and he was almost 100 pages into the book. He explained that Madison had been reading it with/to him, and that really made my day. There is hope for sibling friendships! Yay for summer!! 

Happy 5 week birthday August! One of our favorite things is when we hear you start talking after you wake up in the morning. Everyone runs in to crowd around you. They make the silliest sounds and faces just so that you will smile for them. They also take turns picking out your clothes and getting you dressed each morning.

one month old, what?

I knew this would happen. It always does. The days/week/months just fly away and the kids grow up in a blink.

August is happy for about 15 minutes after he eats. He smiles and kicks his legs... and then he cries and fusses until we get him to fall asleep. I'm

hoping the crying tapers off as we reach the 6 week mark because honestly, it's exhausting! Luckily, everyone around here loves him and we have some great helpers. 

He has some baby acne, which is always sad. I just tell him to be glad he's not a teenager yet, because right now it doesn't bother him at all. 

Nights are going better. He has been sleeping between 4-6 hours, which is actually--believe it or not--a lot better than 2-3 hours. 

These stayed on for about 30 seconds. 

Grant took this picture. We played around with some of the filters--there are some really crazy ones that make us look really scary- like we are zombies or from the Dust Bowl. The things we do to amuse ourselves around here! 

And finally. Today is Fast Sunday and we have afternoon church, so we have some hungry kids when we get home. Today Logan prepared his break-the-fast snack before he left for church. It's a pretty random assortment. He even buttered his toast before he left. Logan was our crankiest baby, and he is turning out to be a pretty good guy, so I have high hopes for little Auggie. 

2 weeks

8 lbs 9 oz--not quite up to his birth weight, but he isn't quite so....bendy....so it's crazy to think that he was bigger than this when he came out of my belly. 

He is pretty consistent about eating every 2-3 hours, then he is awake for about an hour, and then he's back to sleep again! He usually wakes up twice to eat at night, and he has been getting better about going back to sleep--but it's still exhausting. My good husband lets me sleep in while he gets the kids ready for school. He has also been working from home and picking the kids up every day from school, so I am almost always able to take a nap during the day.  Love that man! 

I'm not sure if I am excited about school ending in 2 weeks or overwhelmed at the thought of having FIVE kids home with me all day, every day. Crazy!! 

Those lips!