On My Mind ~ Crying Babies

From late spring

Wrinkled nose and wide-open, toothy mouth scream and cry for immediate attention. Squinted eyes and angry tears tell me that someone isn't getting their way. Frazzled hair and stomping feet let me know that this little one is a very unhappy.

I see it every day -- really, every-single-day. The angry, crying baby looking up wondering when mommy will give in. I've seen this every day for about seven years.

And I love it. To me, this is beauty.

So I pick up the sweaty, angry little mess at my feet. I wipe the tears, I kiss the forhead, I coo in the little ears, and I give a gentle squeeze to the baby that is mine -- a gift from God.

Care to share a favorite picture? Go to Heart Reflections to share what's on your mind.

What a Weekend

We had quite an interesting weekend, our family did. It was collectively a sort of comedy of errors, really -- a line up of fun and excitement with just enough strange surprises thrown in to keep things interesting and make for some good stories around the reunion table many years down the road.



Friday night we decided to go out for an out-of-the-ordinary dinner at McDonalds after-which J took the boys to a baseball game and the girls and I headed out for some grocery shopping. We meandered around, grabbing another cap-gun (for Teeny) and looking at shoes and such, then collected all the groceries we would need for the week. . . The whole time I had this haunting feeling that I might not have my check card with me, but I kept blowing the idea off. Finally, when I got to the check out counter, I couldn't take it any more. I decided to check my wallet before loading my things on the counter. Good thing. I was missing both my check card and my driver's license. Ugh! So, I went around the store returning things all the while panicing over where I could have lost these cards. I got home and rummaged the house, interrogated my daughter, and then found them on my third check of the kitchen basket.



Saturday we all went back to a camp that J used to work at a few years ago. It was great getting to see old friends. We had so much fun catching up and laughing with everyone. The kids were thrilled to get their faces painted, go on tractor pulls and barrell rides, hikes and walks, to play putt-putt and bouncy house. . . G was especially happy getting to see one of his "best" friends. It all was just so wonderful, we decided to top it the day off with a trip to an old favorite ice cream/fast food shack before leaving town. This particular eatery has a couple different wooden play structures set up for the kids to play on during the visit. I had just found a slightly shaded table, and J had just been handed the kids' three chocolate cones with sprinkles when I heard an agonized Teeny cry. I looked over and saw her holding her mouth. . . I saw blood. . . I figured it was just a mouth injury and casually walked over to get her and bring her to the soothing balm of ice-cream. But when we got to the table and forcibly removed her hands from her face, we saw a huge gash in her chin. There was a collective intake of breath coming from all the surrounding tables. People bagan shaking their heads and offering us napkins and wet wipes. G grossed out and refused to look. After collecting our thoughts we loaded back into the van and attempted to make the two hour drive back home so we could go to our hometown ER; but Teeny was just too uncomfortable, and we couldn't get G to stop crying hysterically in sympathy with her. So we stopped after about half an hour. I stayed in a mini-van with three rambunctious youngins while J held Teeny's hand as she got five stitches, poor thing.

Sunday we went to our church plant's first ever Sunday morning worship service. Hailed for the last month or so as a "practice run", we met at the local YMCA. We were all excited to be there, especially the two older kids who have been wondering when we would start having "morning church" again. We dropped baby and Bud-Jack off at the nursery, and they both seemed fine. Then we went to the work-out room. . . I mean "sanctuary". . . for worship. Now, the kids, unfortunately, have been spoiled by children's church. So they were horribly antsy having to stay in the service (we are not at the "children's church" point with this plant). I was totally unprepared -- had nothing with which to entertain my children -- so I handed G (definitely the antsier) my notebook and pen. He set to work drawing monsters. Then Teeny wanted a pen, so I got up and went out to the car to go hunt one down. When I got back, I found, to my dismay, that the doors to the Y were locked. You could get out but not in. (Closed on Sunday). I took a deep breath, went back to the car, got a good book, and came and sat down outside the door to read and wait for someone to notice I was missing. But no one noticed. Evidently, right after I left to get the pen, the lady in the nursery came and got J because little M&M was in hysterics and wouldn't calm down. He left our two oldest, thinking that I'd be back soon and either come switch out with him or stay in the service. G and Teeny tell me they were "well behaved". I know that a family that we are good friends with came and sat with them when they noticed I hadn't come back -- they assumed I was sick or something. So, I got a good 25-50 pages read out in the fresh summer air, J got to experience nursery duty while explaining to the nursery lady why we homeschool and have so many kids, and the kids managed to sit through church maintaining some semblence of quiet without my intervention.

Makes me wonder what the week holds for me.

Mid-Trip Musings. . .

J has seriously contemplated moving to the beach. Or at least selling our home, buying a less expensive one, and then buying a small cottage down here to live in half the year. We have also craigslisted RVs.

I finished Murder on the Orient Express in just a matter of days. I loved it! I love all the reading I can get done when on vacation. Our first day here I just sat out on a sunny deck reading while the kids soaked in the "hot pool" or watched TV.

G and I have discovered the joy of Mancala. We have been playing together obsessively. I'm thinking we may have to buy the game when we get home.

Teeny is literally obsessed with the "hot pool". Not an hour goes by that she does not ask about going in.

We often ask the kids what they'd like to eat for a given meal. Bud-Jack *always* says, "Hot dogs and chicken wings." A-l-w-a-y-s.

M&M took her first steps!!! And she seems to be attracting attention wherever we go. The Park Ranger at Fort Raleigh NHS referred to her as the "Sunshine and warmth" that a visiting lady said she was missing on this vacation. Isn't it nice when someone complements your children?

You Want a Piece of Me!?

That is what I feel like saying to my four dear children sometimes. It seems they all want a piece of me all the time, all at the same time.

M&M gets me. . . well, almost any time she wants. She nurses and she probably is the one that gets most of my attention right now. I'm sure the others covet her ranking on the "totem pole" of kids here.

Bud-Jack is second in line at this point. He still gets me at nap time, diaper changing time, and in the middle of the night when he crawls into bed with J and I.

G comes next thanks to school. He gets at least an hour of my undivided attention.

Poor Teeny, the one who probably needs one-on-one time with me the most, gets it the least.

Most of the morning, G begged and begged me to go out and play catch with him (he's prepping for T-ball in May -- signed him up today). I finally got around to it this afternoon. We all went outside. G and I played catch while M&M played on the deck, Teeny searched for her friend down the stream and dug in the mud beside me, and Bud-Jack occasionally tried to join in the game but mostly climed on the yet-leafless lilac bushes/trees.

When we came in, Teeny begged and begged to help me make dinner; but first I had to feed the baby her late lunch. While I fed her, Bud-Jack begged and begged, "Baby share! Pease!?". When I offered him his leftover lunch he literally threw it across the table, cried, and forced his way into my lap. He didn't want baby to share her food, he wanted her to share Mommy.

So, after I finished feeding the baby, I took Bud-Jack up to bed and cuddled with him for a while. Then I remembered Teeny and dinner.

I finished up snuggle time with Bud-Jack and went down to make dinner with Teeny -- who, incidentally, got the credit for mixing up the black beans for the meal tonight.

So, what to do? I think M&M is good to go on Mommy time. Bud-Jack will get me at nap time; and if he misses nap time, I'll do some cuddle time with him in the late afternoon/early evening. G will continue to get me at school, but we'll probably keep practicing baseball in the afternoons for the next several months. And, since she seems interested, Teeny will keep helping with dinner prep -- I'll guard that time from the other three -- no one helps but Teeny. I'd also like to start going for evening walks with her so we can have Mommy-daughter talks.

Oh, and then there is J. He gets me after the kids go to bed!

The Ups and Downs of Having Littles

G has almost memorized all of Luke 2:1-20. We move next to Matthew 28 -- the story of the resurrection. His brand new bottom tooth is coming through already -- a nice big one that he is quite proud of. He has become quite the demolition man, and consequently has had his room cleared of almost everything. . . including the tools that Santa, ahem, brought him for Christmas. He also recently got the inside of his snow boots wet, but insists on wearing them for some reason unknown to me. His one solution to the problem, shoving colored tissue paper into the boots before putting them on, turned his socks a variety of pretty colors. We now refer to the coveted socks as "The Rainbow Socks."

Teeny got a few new shirts recently and has loved every minute of wearing them. She too has become a bit obsessed with her snow boots. Not sure what that is all about. She had a rough day on Friday. First, during a game of hide-and-seek, she climbed half way up a very tall pine tree and couldn't figure out how to get down. Then her younger brother pushed a piece of wood over on her and cut her head. She topped it off by biting her tongue. Yet she didn't once scream as loud as she does when G makes a funny noise that annoys her.

Bud-Jack is as cute as can be. He is a big Indiana Jones fan and most often tries to get himself out of trouble by saying cute things like, "Nope. Me Jone. Dis me whip.", "Dis me gun. Han up. Pakew, pakew.", or singing the Indiana Jones theme song while running around in circles. Such cuteness even softened J's heart the other day when Little "Doc Jone" took his "whip" (a belt) and whipped our flat-screen TV, cracking the screen and ruining the picture.

M&M has become even more personable in the last few days. She has taken to talking very aggressively and excitedly if you will talk back. She has also developed a very hearty laugh that takes her daddy by surprise sometimes. And there is also her cute little sideways glances that melt our hearts too. I really need to get some new pics of her because no description can do her justice. And this I remember when she wakes up early in the morning, just before sunrise, and decides she is going to have a hard time going back to sleep.

Kids are a handful. They try my patience like nothing else in the world. But God made 'em cute for that very reason. No matter how much sleep they cost me or how many TVs they break, I'll never stop loving their little unique selves; and I know I'll miss these days like crazy when they grow up.

Quality Time with Four Kids

One frequently heard argument against having several children close in age is the seeming impossiblity of spending quality time with each of them. Even I, when I sit down and try to plan special one-on-one times with the kids end up desperately wondering if my children will forever be deprived of quality time with me. Fortunately, these things just seem to work themselves out if let alone.

Yesterday, after the hustle and bustle of church, lunch, and yard and house work, quality time just happened. J whisked Teeny off to the basement to sit by his trial-run hearth fire and "talk trash". (Don't ask 'cause I don't know.) I had gone up to the kitchen to bake some whoopie pies for "Ice Cream Sunday" (I realize the connection there is obscure.) and was followed by my little helper, Bud-Jack. He stood on a chair beside me enjoying being sprayed by cocoa powder, licking the beater, and dipping his finger into a few unbaked pies. While I was enjoying my time with Bud-Jack I began to feel guilty that perhaps G and M&M were being neglected and missing out on all the bonding time. That is when I realized the G was just out the back-door, cleaning the sunroom while entertaining his baby sister with toys, small-talk, and many stanzas of "Koombaya".

So, you see, even "large" families can enjoy quality one-on-one time. After all, isn't quality time with one's sibling just as important as quality time with one's parent? I think so.