{party of 7}

Last night was a milestone of sorts, but a totally unplanned one. That's not usually my style, but after a burned dinner, a smelly house, and hungry kids, I veered from my normal "planner" self, and we met Rick for dinner. That's right. All seven of us--for the first time.

We enjoy doing things as a family, and so we are all out together fairly often. Eating at a sit down restaurant is a whole different ballgame though, and I knew that it would be interesting to say the least.

Some lessons learned:

-We are a party of seven, not five (which is what I told the hostess).

-Our family is a fire hazard. It was a challenge finding a spot where we would all fit--including our two high chairs.

-If you go out to eat before 6pm on a weekday at this particular restaurant, odds are you will be one of the only patrons with children. Not only that, it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Or, every.single.noise my children made. They weren't being naughty--just normal kids, but I was hyper-sensitive since it was so quiet.

-My babies can't eat french fries quite yet. It results in a lot of choking and other things I won't mention here.

-Ryan eats a lot. I did know that already, but when you're paying for the food at a restaurant, you REALLY notice. Good thing the kids' menu was 99 cents that night, and that he's under 12. We just ordered two of them. :) The waitress was thrilled.

-Most of all, I saw that it could be done. It was messy, and imperfect, but the kids loved it (and did really well), and we had a great night as a family. I have a tendency to not want to do things unless they can be perfect, but I'm gradually learning that when I let go of how I think things "should be", I'm able to enjoy my children in a way I wouldn't otherwise.

{4}

Four years ago, my darling and miraculous baby girls were born. Now they are beautiful little girls--full of life, energy, and happiness.

KATE:

daring
dynamic
charming
sassy (in a good way :) )
sweet
a peacemaker
strong and steady

EMMA:

our little "librarian"
expressive
shy
a perfectionist
nurturing
emotional and sensitive
happy

It has been such an incredible experience to watch them grow up, and to see their personalities blossom. Watching them together is always interesting. They are not dependent on each other, and are okay to be doing their own thing, but they like to know that the other one is there. They are protective, and watch out for each other--but they definitely have their moments of disagreement. In the end, they love being together. There is a reason that I put them to bed in different rooms, then move the sleeping girl back into her bed. If not, they will stay up and giggle all night long!

We love you, sweet girls! Happy Birthday!

{dancing queens}

I still remember one of my first dance recitals. Just picture a bunch of 5/6 year olds, wearing shiny blue leotards with lots of gold fringe, dancing to "Uptown Girl". Yes, I know. It was the 80's, and we were right in style.

My dancing career didn't last too long--I traded in those dance shoes for a soccer ball and cleats, but I always knew that if I had girls, I would want to give them the opportunity to dance.
Well, here we are! The girls were old enough in the fall to start in Miss Linda's pre-ballet class, and they have loved every minute of it (and secretly, so have I).

It's definitely a new world, though. After the dress rehearsal on Thursday afternoon, I was exhausted. Full makeup and dress, costume changes, TONS of pictures and posing, and all of my kids to boot, I was in a full sweat within 10 minutes.

How lucky was I, when I ran into the husband of a very good friend. He was there with his kids, since his wife was home with their new baby. He made me the best proposal ever...if I would take his little girl and do all the dance stuff with her, he would take my three boys with him over to the library (it's attached to the auditorium) until we were finished. It was a DEAL!

This recital was just for ages 5 and under, and as you can imagine, it was darling. Emma is not quite as outgoing with crowds as her sister is, so she was a little more intimidated by the full house. The first dance actually went well, but the second dance proved to be too much. Poor little thing. She just stood there for the whole thing, with her head down, but she didn't cry. If you look closely in the video, you can see her behind another dancer, until they all start moving. After it was over, she couldn't wait for the next one, so it must not have been too traumatic!

When they are three, you just want them to have a good time and enjoy themselves. No pressure--just learning how to get in front of other people, learn something new, and make friends. I think that was definitely accomplished.

{brothers}

I LOVE this. As a mother, this just makes my heart melt.

{my little helper}

Miss Kate is my helper girl. She likes to help with everything I do...baking, cooking, cleaning, and helping with the boys. She's the best "finder", and runs faster than anyone else in the house when a baby needs a toy or a pacifier. I just love having her by my side.

This afternoon I was feeding Jack, and had set down his food and spoon for just a minute. When I turned around, Kate had taken over what I started.

I have to say, for being 3 years old, and for it being her first time, she did a great job! Next time though, I think she might need to grab a bib. :)

{egg hunt}

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt is something we look forward to every year. We were still blessed with beautiful weather, and with yummy food and friends, it was a perfect morning.

We divide the eggs up into age categories, and Rick is always in charge of hiding the older kids' eggs (8+). A couple of years ago they let us know that the eggs were just too easy to find, so he took that as a challenge. We are still finding eggs in our woods. :) Good thing I always add in extra eggs, just in case!

This year, he had the help of a very good friend of ours, and they were having a grand time trying their best to hide them as difficult as possible. They climbed trees, used tape, dug holes, and incorporated several other methods I'm sure I don't want to know about. It was so funny to watch them--I think they were having more fun hiding them, than the kids would have finding them!


Ryan was proud of his egg hunting injury (he and a friend helped each other scale a tree).



I love Emma's basket--you'll notice only pink and purple eggs are allowed inside. Miss Kate didn't care--she was only after the chocolate!

What a lovely Easter weekend!

{spring break}

I'm not sure how we got the sun gods to look down on us this week, but it was absolutely perfect. For it being the last week of March/first week of April, it was unseasonably and delightfully warm. We broke out the flip flops (okay, the kids did...mine have been out for months!), pulled the new shorts out of the drawer, and took out the sunscreen (even though I totally forgot to use it, and poor Henry has lobster legs).

Last Sunday I had the kids wear their Easter clothes to church, since this Sunday we would be home enjoying General Conference. It was my boys' first white shirt and tie, and I was thrilled when I found one for Ryan to match. I actually had then all ready by 8:15am (a miracle in and of itself) so I could take pictures, but I didn't have the most willing participants. Oh well, at least I have it documented!





The rest of the week brought bowling, lunch out, good friends, BBQs, the park, a trip to the zoo, and enjoying the sun. Rick was even able to take a few days off, providing us with much-needed and enjoyed family time.


(Notice Emma with the flamingos...she insisted on posing for this picture, because they were her favorite color--pink. She really wanted to see pigs, which are her favorite animal AND color, but these made her happy.)


Rick was trying to prepare me today, for the very, very likely scenario that these sunny days are not permanent, but I'm choosing not to think about that right now. For now, I'm just soaking up the rays, leaving my windows open, taking advantage of all the park time we can get, and enjoying no coats or socks!

{contract}

Ryan presented this to me this afternoon, for my review before he typed up the final copy. He also wanted it to be reviewed by an attorney.

In case you can't read it, here's what it says:

CONTRACT

Subject: Allowance

This contract states that the parents of Ryan __________ will agree to give $5 every 1 1/2 weeks. The payment will be given to if jobs are done and room is clean. It can only be payed in checks or cash.

Mom_________________________________________

Dad_________________________________________

Forget being an architect or doctor (his current plans), I think he needs to seriously consider law school.

{the storm before the calm}

I think they got it wrong. In our house, it is not the calm before the storm, it's the other way around.

Once 4pm hits, the storm starts building, and by 4:45pm it's in full swing. We're talking torrential rains, 50 foot waves, 200mph winds, and fierce thunder and lightning. It hits its peak at around 5:45pm, and by 6:30pm it has finally started to reach calm status.

I can see why it happens. That time of day provides the exact ingredients for that perfect storm...tired, hungry, and grumpy kids, a mom trying to make dinner (and having it be nutritious to boot), homework and cello practice needing to be completed, and babies who need to be fed and require attention. Add in those nights where someone in the family needs to be somewhere, and the whole thing intensifies.

I have done what I can to prepare--steps I take to reduce the intensity of the storm, and that helps some. But in the end, as the captain of the shipt, I need to hunker down and realize it's all part of the job. That keeping the ship afloat is what's most important, and remembering that this life at sea is exactly where I want to be.

{the single life}

The other day I took Henry into the doctor, and by chance it happened to be a day that Rick was off work. So, it ended up just being him and me.

It felt a little strange to be taking just one baby out of the car, and to be able to carry him in without a stroller. When you have two babies, that never happens, and it's never that easy.

Afterward, I really needed to get to the grocery store, and suddenly had the thought---what do I do? I can do two babies, but one? He wasn't sitting up yet, could I actually still put him in the front of the cart? Would the buckle work, and keep him upright? Did he need a blanket? With those questions racing through my mind, I called my good friend for help. I know, it sounds funny, but I honestly couldn't remember. She assured me it would be fine, and off we went.

As we walked through the aisles together, and even as I dealt with all the normal struggles involved with taking a baby grocery shopping, I realized how much I was enjoying myself. It was just so fun to have that one-on-one time with him--where he had my complete and full attention (which is almost impossible at home). I sang and laughed, and we had a great time.

We have always made a strong effort to have separate time with each of our children. We recognized from the beginning that these special times on their own would be important--especially with multiples that share pretty much every aspect of their lives. After this experience with Henry, I realize that it needs to start much younger than I thought.

I have struggled a bit with the fact that my babies get held half the time. I can't hold them both at the same time very often, and with two 3 year old girls running around, it's not nearly as much as I want to, or have the ability to. I feel like they grow up twice as fast as Ryan ever did--maybe because I don't get to experience it in quite the same way. Would I change it? Absolutely not. I could never wish for it to be any different.

Like everything in life, there is a learning process, and sometimes the greatest lessons are learned by accident.

I think I will be making a grocery store date with Jack...very soon.

{a little bit of this, a little bit of that}

This week has been one of those where a lot has been going on--but not really. Does that even make sense? I have a few minutes before the babies go down for their nap, and I'm taking a small break in between loads of laundry. Perfect timing for blogging, right?

-Ever since I started blogging (I can't believe it's been 2 years!), I intended it to be my journal--a way to document our daily life through words and pictures--and so that my family and friends that live far away had a way to keep connected to us. It has kind of morphed since then, including "meeting" people I would never have met any other way, and sharing and gaining thoughts and ideas on a variety of subjects. I have loved every minute of it.
About a year ago, when I realized that I was just not going to have time to do digital scrapbooking (or any other kind--even though I really enjoyed it) I started thinking about publishing my blog into a book, so that my children would be able to look at and read about their life through my eyes, and also to know me--what I was thinking and feeling as I raised them. Now that I have finally decided to go ahead and do it, I have found myself wanting to blog about the very basic things in my life--those true day-to-day items that may seem insignificant now, but will someday give my children a glimpse into their childhood, and fill out their memories. So, if you are a reader, I hope you will understand when I talk about seemingly mundane and trivial items, because one day, they will be treasured.

-Can I TELL YOU HOW MUCH I CANNOT WAIT FOR SPRING? The weather has been teasing us unmercifully the last week, with record high temperatures, a light breeze, birds chirping, and that ever-lovely smell. You know...the one that's so yummy, but you can't quite explain? It doesn't seem to do it justice to call it an "outside smell", because it's fresh, and clean, and wonderful! My windows are open, the heat is turned off, and I'm reveling in the beautiful weather. Even laundry doesn't seem so bad today!

-I'm gearing up for a big weekend, and I'm really looking forward to it. Our church is having a women's retreat tomorrow night through Saturday morning, and it's being held at my house (hence all the laundry--gotta wash all the sheets and towels!). Rick is taking the kids to a hotel, and they will be able to live it up swimming and walking across the street to the pizza place to eat dinner. I just can't wait to have an evening with good friends, good food, and pure relaxation...while wearing my pajamas. I really can't think of anything better than that!

And just because...

{seven months}

Is it true? Can my babies be seven months old? I just want to squish them all the time...and I do.

{11}

I think there must be some kind of internal switch---one that goes off inside a boy around age 11 and triggers a starvation mode. Seriously, Ryan hasn't been 11 for very long, but I'll tell you, this boy can EAT.

By 11am this morning, he had eaten an overflowing bowl of cereal, four pieces of toast, two grilled cheese sandwiches, and ice cream. Last night I made chicken pot pie, and he ate half of it, then a bowl of cereal when I told him he had to save some for his dad. I am finding that I need to ramp up the quantities I make for dinner, especially the meat portions. I knew this would happen one day, but I'm afraid I was unprepared for how soon it came to be.

So...the grocery store has become my second home. I feel like I am always there. I buy groceries that I think are going to last for a specific amount of time, and then when we run out of food three days later, I realize I have sorely underestimated how much he eats.

The grocery budget is a whole other subject. And it's only going to get worse.

{another milestone}

This week, my life will drastically change once more. Me, dramatic? :) Perhaps just a little, but it is significant.

My Henry has outgrown his infant carseat--he has now exceeded the weight limit, and is no longer safe in the seat anymore. So...we ordered new carseats this past week, and they have arrived and are waiting to be installed.

Why, you might ask, is this a big deal? Well, no longer will I have the fabulous Snap 'n Go stroller, nor will it take a mere 30 seconds to click them out of the car and into the stroller. It will now require much more time and effort to buckle them in and out of a carseat, then in and out of a stroller.

Another dilemma? I was not prepared for this during the winter--and since the infant carseat has a delightfully warm fleece insert, the need for extra warm clothing has not been a necessity. It has since become a necessity, however, and I will be spending the next couple of days trying to round up something for them to brave the snow and cold with.

And if I'm honest with myself, I feel a slight tinge of sadness too. Moving out of infant seats means they are getting older, and I'm just not ready to confront that quite yet. So, we will just make a new game plan, and somehow it will all work out.

Wish me luck. Getting to gymnastics at 9am has just become slightly more challenging.

And darling little Jack...he just goes along for the ride. :)

{happy valentine's day...and some randomness}

(Picture of the week...we love Saturday mornings!)

Happy Valentine's Day! The smells of Zuppa Toscana soup are wafting through the house, and the kids are busily making homemade valentines at the kitchen table. I have the perfect view of beautiful red tulips (my FAVORITE) sitting on the kitchen island. It's just a really good day.
I woke up to the music room decorated with balloons and a valentine chain card--it's a tradition that Rick has continued since we've been married, and I love it.

Here's some other bits about our house this week:

• 5 kids, 2 adults, 2 carts, and a double stroller make for a very long caravan, and quite the scene. Our Sam's Club trip yesterday was an adventure (albeit a fun one), especially because this was our annual "stock-up on everything" trip.
  
• Yay for Survivor! This was THE best opening season show yet. We watched the premiere with our good friends who love it too, which makes it so much fun, especially when we are competing to see whose picks make it the farthest!
  
• I did a cartwheel in the middle of our family room this week. Kate has been begging me for weeks to teach her how to do one, and I have done my best to teach her how. I think it's time to sign her up for gymnastics. Anyway, she wanted me to show her how to do one, so I obliged. I think I stretched something, lol. It's been over a year since I've attempted anything like that.
  
• Jack and Henry do not like baby food. I even bought bananas, which as some of you know, is a big sacrifice on my part. I know they need more than just bottles now, but they will have nothing to do with rice cereal. I have tried mashing up our table food, and they don't like that either. More time? Different food? I just don't know.
• Henry is going to be squeezing into his shorts this summer. I bought most of their summer clothes last year, on clearance. The only problem? Henry is now moving into the size I bought. If it wasn't for my compulsion for them to match, everything would be fine. :)