Remembering the Little Things

The days have been full.  The weeks have flown by, and I have dozens of pictures that haven't hit the blog.  It tends to be the little moments that I forget as time passes.  

I want to remember the little things like Isaac going through a two week period where his eye "hurt."  He would say, "My eye surrrts."  Ice didn't help.  Drops didn't help.  The sleep mask, however, seemed to solve the problem...although it resulted in a few stubbed toes.

I want to remember what it was like baking with Clare...my overeager "helper."  I don't anticipate forgetting this because she is like a moth to a flame when it comes to baking.  Upon the first clank of a pan, she is in the kitchen ready to "help."  Anyone who has ever baked/cooked with a 5-year-old knows exactly why I keep putting the word help in quotes.

In case you haven't cooked with a 5-year-old, and you don't understand why I keep putting the word help in quotes, here is just one example of the work of my "helper."

I have come to accept the fact that handing over the baking reins is one way of stripping me of my need desire to bake with any perfectionism. 

I want to remember watching Phil do crafts/experiments with the kids.  I sat back thinking, he is crazy for letting them loose with shaving cream and food coloring.  

Then I saw their joy and heard their giggles and realized that the ridiculous mess was trumped by their delight.

 Subsequently, I want to remember how (after this project) their hands were stained such a terrible gray color that Clare insisted on wearing pink gloves to school the next morning.  Keep in mind that it was probably 80 degrees, and she was wearing short sleeves, a skirt, and sandals.  The pink wool gloves cracked me up.  Since I don't have a picture of her fashion statement, I needed to record it.

I want to remember how Phil brings home the strangest animals, and how seeing a baby opossum on our kitchen table doesn't even phase me anymore.

 The kids think it's pretty fantastic to help Daddy with the animals.

I want to remember our backyard owl.  This Barred Owl has frequented our backyard and must somehow know that an ornithologist lives on the premises.

 I want to remember how sweetly Clare "takes care of" Myles.  She wants to do anything and everything for him.  She crawls in his crib every morning as soon as she hears him wake up.  She makes funny faces and noises (some would argue that they are less on the funny side and more on the terrifying side) to distract him or make him giggle.  She is an outstanding big sister.  Seeing this picture also reminds me of the hours that I spend doing her hair. 
Day after day...braid after braid...snarl after snarl...and so on.

Isaac...oh Isaac!

Isaac, who was late to talk, is now a regular old chatterbox.  His standard greeting is, "My name is Isaac.  I'm free (three).  My burfday is November 9.  I'm going to get a biggg truck."

I want to remember the funny way he mixes up his pronouns.

"Yes her did."

"Us need to do that."

"Them are not here."

I want to remember his obsession with McDonalds and how he always, 100% of the time, calls in "The Donalds."

In wrapping up this post, I realized that I hardly made mention of Myles...our other child.  Yes, I do remember that we have three children.  Myles continues to be the perfect addition to our family.  He is 7-months-old today, and he has piercing blue eyes and a smile that melts my heart.  He still has a toothless, gummy grin.  We've been waiting for a tooth to pop through for the past two months, but he's in no hurry.  I'm in no hurry either.  I want to preserve the baby stage as long as possible.  Now that he is sitting up, scooting all over the place, and eating like a linebacker, I think the baby days are almost a thing of the past.

Even on the days when my 3-year-old steps on the bag of groceries in the car, and obliterates the loaf of bread and bundle of bananas, I want to remember that these three gifts are what made me a mother....the best job ever.

Easter Weekend - 2014

Easter is a special time for our family.  I think it might be one of our (or at least my) favorite holidays.  We sprinkled some traditional festivities throughout the weekend (dying eggs, hunting for eggs, and eating enough jelly beans and Peeps to put us into a diabetic coma), but our genuine focus was on the true meaning of Easter.
Christ is Risen!

 The kids (including the biggest one, Daddy) loved coloring eggs.

There was only one spill...

which thus resulted in half of the table being naked.  Take your pick! 

 We went to an egg hunt at First United Methodist (Clare's school and our other church).  

Myles was jealous that he didn't get to join the hunt.

Clare was excited about her loot.

The Allens joined us, 

and the three amigos (Clare, Isaac, and Grace) had a great time

Isaac and Grace have grown up together, and she is like Isaac's other sister.

Isaac was delighted with EVERY SINGLE EGG that he opened on Easter morning.

Clare carefully surveyed and organized everything.

 (Side note: In the days following Easter, I learned more about the personalities of my first and second born children.  Clare systematically chose which treat to enjoy, and she always asked permission before eating something.  Isaac devoured everything in almost one sitting, and had no desire to savor or save anything.)

                          2014 Easter                                                                                 2012 Easter

 Notice our wardrobes in the above pictures.  Phil and I were in Indonesia on Easter last year (2013) otherwise we might have made a three-year-fashion statement.

 So blessed!!!

I've had this vision of seeing our boys in matching shirts, and this was the first time it actually happened.  I didn't exactly envision the picture depicting a very unhappy 6-month-old, but you win some, you lose some.

Overall, Easter weekend was a big WIN!

HALF a YEAR

Our itty-bitty baby is no longer itty or bitty.  

He is officially closer to a ONE-year-old than a newborn.  Ugh!

He has been eating "solids" for the past month, and he took to them like a pro.  Seeing that he comes from parents who were both born at Gerber Memorial Hospital (shout out to Fremont, Michigan), he is somewhat of a Gerber baby. 

I wish I could say that I make all of my own baby food, and that he only eats organically, but I have two other children who still need to be fed.  Therefore, this little chunk of love gets Gerber's finest (as well as his daily doses of Mama's Milk).  He seems to enjoy everything that he's tried thus far.

He has a smile that just grows and grows until you think his cheeks might pop.  Speaking of cheeks...he seems to have finally taken on the shape of our other two chunks.  We seem to have babies with cheeks that are wider than their actual head.

Weight - 18 lbs. = 50th percentile
Length - 25.75 inches = 50th percentile
Head - 17.25 inches = 50th percentile

At this point, we think that Myles is looking more and more like Clare.  

What do you think?

Clare at 6-months

Isaac at 6-months

Mr. Myles is chill.  He is always happy when being held.  He is a third born child, which means that his "schedule" is determined by the schedules of the first and second born.  He has to go with the flow, and he does an awesome job of that.  Phil and my mom are both the 3rd child in a family of 4 children.  They maintain that their birth order contributes to their spontaneous, flexible, and laid back nature.  As much as it hurts for me to toot their 3rd-born-horns, I have to agree.  Myles, Daddy, and Mema have bonded over this!

This was the first 3-kid bath.  Which sings louder...the joy and excitement of the older two or the sheer terror of the youngest?

He actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

We love being a family of five. 
Apparently, we are also fond of clothing our children in stripes.

Here's to hoping that the second half of Myles' first year 

doesn't go by quite as quickly as the first.

Family

Feeling thankful for my family!

Clare came home from school with this picture.  Most of it made sense.

1. "I am thankful for my family who I love."

Yes...that makes sense.

2. Left to right: Dad, Mom (the girls always have long eyelashes), 

Clare (with her princess crown, of course), Isaac, and Myles.

Yes...that all makes sense.

3. The black-hearted person with red eyes???

This is where it gets confusing.

Upon asking Clare about the mysterious sixth member of her family, she immediately explained that it was The Statue of Liberty.

Ah YES...that makes sense.

This little family has been hanging out in our yard for the past few weeks.  They look pretty cute until you find them pecking on your car.  They love seeing their reflection, so they just peck away until there are little dents and scratches on your vehicle.  I may or may not have chased after them with a broom.

 Back to our actual family:

The Boys

 Oh, my heart just explodes when I see "my boys."

The Girls

I love my sweet Clare.  She is tender-hearted, full-spirited, expressively theatrical, and very perceptive.  She keeps this Mama on her toes.

 The Kids

 Watching "Frozen" for the umpteenth time.

The Buds

The Partners

Phil and Clare are always in the middle of a project.  They work in the garden.  They chop wood.  They clean the pool.  They make Rainbow Loom projects.  They go "out and about."  They are in the mutual admiration society!

The Happy Couple

This moment captures how our family started.  This picture, from 9 years ago, was when Phil and I saw each other at Busch Gardens for the first time since high school.  That day marked the beginning of our love story.

Thus...the beginning of our blessed FAMILY!