the best years? really?

Last night Aaron called me on his way home from work, like he always does. And like always, he asked me if I needed anything. Usually I say, "NO! Just get home as soon as possible." But yesterday I needed milk, in a big way. I told him to get four gallons. A friend was at our house when I told him to get four gallons and she kind of freaked out. But she has two girls, little ones. I told her that she would understand if she had a houseful of strapping boys.

While Aaron was in the checkout lane with four gallons of milk, he noticed that the man in front of him looked a lot like Albus Dumbledore. And apparently, he was invading my husband's personal space. Aaron wondered if Dumbledore was going to ask him for some spare change because 1) he smelled like he was homeless and 2) he kept looking at Aaron, then back in his cart, then at Aaron again. Finally Dumbledore spoke, but he didn't ask for any money. He said, "Let me guess.... 3 boys and 2 girls." Aaron was impressed and admitted, "I do have 5 kids, but it's 4 boys and 1 girl." Dumbledore smiled and said, "Just remember, these are the best years--- even when they are the worst, they are the best. Before you know it, your children will be grown. These are the BEST years."

I find this incident particularly interesting, not just because I was saying the other day about how these days AREN'T the best days.... but because yesterday was an especially hard day, maybe one of my worst. I could go into details about why it was so bad, but instead I will show you a picture.

Simon and Zack got into a big, bloody fight. and Simon came out on top. The short story is that we wrapped Christmas presents, which is never a good idea with a toddler in the house. After two hours of wrapping (only a handful of presents) Simon wanted to unwrap them all. Zack appointed himself as the wrapping paper police and wouldn't let Simon near the presents. Several minor arguments broke out, and I made Simon sit in time-out. After two minutes of "cooling off" Simon was ready to apologize to Zack. He walked up to him put his arms around his neck and BIT him in the jaw. When I finally pried Simon off, there was lots of blood, but thankfully no chunks of flesh missing from Zack's face.

Some days are harder than others, but EVERYDAY is exhausting. Our family has been through lots of changes these past few months... new school, new job, new baby. I know we will all adjust soon enough, but sometimes I go to bed feeling grateful that we all survived another day.

This morning I received an email from my mom who lives thousands of miles away in Chile. I was feeding the baby before I had to start my day and I read the email from my phone. I giggled out loud and want to share a portion of it:

"Hope you are getting enough rest, Janet. I just read a message on your Facebook page about finding the pacifier in your hair. I smiled, but didn't laugh because I remember how that feels. You wonder how you even make it through the night, don't you think? When Kevin was a few months old, I woke up one night and I couldn't remember if I was a little girl living on the farm, a teenager in high school, or if I was married. I looked around and finally figured out where I was and that there was a baby crying. But I pictured a lot of houses in my mind before I got the right one. I guess you might as well laugh, because, step by step, you will make it through!! Just hang on! It's all worth it in the end! Love you, Mom"

I laughed because every night when I wake up to Roma's crying, I think she is a baby boy. And EVERY night, I have the same conversation with myself about how I have a baby girl... and every night I wonder why I can't remember that she's a she and not a he. But never have I wondered if I was a little girl or high school, so I must be getting a little more sleep than my mom was! I could literally hear her voice saying those words to me. My mother has always been such a positive source of energy in my life. She survived raising ten children (Kevin was #9) and if she could do it, I can too! She has never told me that these years with little kids are the best years of your life. I think saying "it's worth it" is so much more encouraging than saying it's the BEST... because honestly, I just don't buy it, Dumbledore. I just don't buy it. I am an optimist, but I am not an idiot.

ps. this post is a couple of days old. I started writing it on Tuesday morning... then wrote another paragraph or two yesterday... and finally 48 hours later, I was able to finish it. If it's choppy and hard to understand, I blame it on the fact that I haven't gotten much sleep lately. And the fact that I have a 10 year old, an 8 year old, a 5 year old, a naughty 2 year old and a newborn.

sickies

It's THAT time of year again. The time when boogers turn green, coughs keep us awake at night and kleenex is all over the house. Luke, Zack and Simon got hit the worst. The baby and I are stuffed up. Ben and Aaron are immune to everything-- or so they think. Ben won't miss a day of school unless he's on his deathbed. I did convince Ben to stay home from church, though (insert evil laugh). Aaron went early for meetings on Sunday morning-- but the rest of us stayed home, drank hot chocolate and finished our annual winter puzzle. We were able to finish it on the weekend, which was a Christmas miracle... with the kids in school these days, it's not like we have much time to sit around and fiddle our thumbs with puzzle nonsense. It was great weekend, even when we were all feeling under the weather. Christmas is in full bloom at this house!One of the things I remember about being sick as a little girl is my mom rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub on me and making me wear a towel around my neck. Over the years, my parents have discovered Essential Oils and have introduced them to all their grandkids. My boys LOVE to be rubbed down with oils. My husband hates them and thinks our house smells like a hospital, but they are my FAVE! I would link the website, but I am typing from my phone. My parents are essential oil wholesalers and that allows all of their kids to buy them extra cheap, even when they are living in South America. I don't know what our family would do without them. I even brush my teeth with deliverance. Anyone else want to bear their testimony about these healing oils? They are seriously amazing.

These are my cute little sickies last night before saying prayers. You can tell Zack is sick just by looking at him. He has been sleeping more than half the day... which means our house is incredibly quiet. Even though Simon is sick, he's still super busy. He drew on his tummy during FHE when Aaron and I were sitting just a few inches from him. He's such a little stinker... His shirt in the picture below says "boys will be boys" which fits Simon's personality to a T. Don't let that those puppydog eyes fool you.

Zack's nose has been running nonstop. Yesterday I caught him wiping his nose on his arm and told him to go wash his hands. A few seconds later, he came running out of the bathroom with his hands full of clear boogers, saying, "I sneezed before I got to the bathroom!" I was completely disgusted and freaked out. He laughed pretty hard and told me it was soap from the sink. I am still grossed out just thinking about that much snot!

Apparently, I am pretty gullible. Our Santa soap dispenser is filled with dark red soap (stupid if you ask me) but each of my boys have put the soap on their hands at different times and told me they were bleeding. ALL THREE TIMES I have fallen for it. I scream, ask them how they cut themselves, and run to get bandages before they burst out laughing. I swear, that soap looks exactly like blood! After four times of being duped, I've told them I'll never believe them again. Little boys who cried wolf.... I won't come running next time they're crying!!!!

Thankfully, I am feeling pretty good. Our kitchen is nice and warm because the oven is always on. I loved my mom's homemade bread and hearty soup when I was sick and so that's what we've had several nights in a row. I love taking care of sick kids! They are cuter and cuddlier when their temperatures are high.. let's hope they never get better! jk.

in 30 minutes or less

in 30 minutes or less, this child could ruin your life.

in 30 minutes or less, he emptied a bottle of baby wash and turned my bathroom floor into a slip&slide, put mascara on his eyelashes and the rest of his face, painted his fingernails red (only his left hand.. his right hand was doing all the work), squirt out a tube of professional hair color, filled the toilet with two rolls of toilet paper, AND spread minty toothpaste on the shower door.
You wouldn't believe what a perfect job he did on his nails unless I took a close-up. This is one talented little two year old, let me tell ya.
Simon is unbelievably difficult to keep tabs on. There isn't anything out of his reach because he will literally carry a stool or chair across the house to get what he wants. He is a do-it-himself kind of guy. The only time he isn't getting into trouble is when he's asleep. He doesn't sleep enough.
This 30 minute disaster was on Friday night... 30 minutes before Aaron came home from work. And not to rag on my husband or anything, but he was about an hour later than he said he would be-- which means it was ALL Daddy's fault.

*It seems appropriate to mention here that Simon emptied my flour canister (about 5 lbs) a couple of weeks ago. My kitchen was/still is a mess. There was white powder EVERYWHERE. Aaron was at the church late doing tithing settlement and I was feeding a baby just a few yards away from ground zero. It's amazing how quickly a little boy can turn your house into a war zone. I cried for an hour while cleaning it up. I wish so badly I would have taken pictures of the mess, but I was SO tired and SO upset that I didn't want to document it. And that is really saying something.

2 months old

Nothing but LOVE for this lil' Chubs.

It's beginning to feel like December!

I wish I had hours of free time to post the 500 pictures just uploaded from my camera. But I don't. So this is what you get today...

Lil' Ro is a fatty and we are crazy about her! When she's really hungry, I put her up to my face and force her to kiss me. She hates it, but I just can't resist a good make-out session. She has lots of nicknames.. at the top of the list are Birdie, Dolly and Stinkypants. The picture below was taken by Zack. We heart those chubby cheeks!

Zacky is still as wacky as ever. Yesterday while trying to get Stinkypants to laugh, Zack got two inches from MY face and in the highest-pitched voice he said, "Mommy, you're so cute, yes you are! And you're getting so big. Goo-goo ga-ga." I busted up laughing and he said, "I knew that would make you smile."

Luke was recently cast the lead role in his school Christmas play which is a complete shock to all those who have ever had a conversation with him. I am constantly asking him to talk louder at the dinner table, but he's always surprising us. The other day he came out of the bathroom with his hair slicked back with gel. He didn't say anything to anybody, just went about his regular business. When I wanted a picture, this is what he gave me. Maybe he has an ounce of drama afterall.

Ben wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning to get ready for school. He showers, makes breakfast and lunch for Luke, does his jobs, and then asks me if there is anything he can do before he goes to school. I almost convinced him to stay home the day before Thanksgiving break (because his teacher and half the school were gone anyway) but he wouldn't stay home. He's such a goodie-goodie. And that's one of the many reasons I love him so.

Sunny is a quiet, mellow dog when she's asleep. At one year, she finally had her first period. I thought about breeding her and then decided against having a newborn AND puppies at Christmas. We will wait a few months before we make our lives that much crazier. I still want Goldendoodles. She really is a pretty dog and we can't remember what life was like without her.

Aaron works overtime in every area of his life. I don't know how he does it. He had paperwork that needed to be filed earlier this week. When it wasn't shipped to his office in time, he had to jump on a plane and fly to California to get the project done. We dropped him off at the airport and for the next 24 hours straight Simon repeated over and over and over and over, "Daddy an airpane to Cornia."

Simon talks NONSTOP. It's so darling and it also makes me want to pull out my hair. From time to time he will open up the fridge, pull out something to eat (like a rotisserie chicken) and help himself to a meal. When the baby cries, he thinks that dancing in front of her while saying "Wuugga-wuugga" makes her happy. Roma doesn't really care, but the rest of us love it.

And then there's me. I love having a baby around, especially a girl baby. I spend all my time holding, feeding, burping and changing my little Dolly. Aaron says I spoil her, but I don't think it's possible to spoil a newborn. I wish I had more time for myself... more time to socialize, get out of the house, exercise, sleep, blog, read, shower or just sit in complete silence, but I know there will come a time for that. Right now, I am counting my blessings and enjoying the MOST wonderful time of the year...