Too many boys, or too little tub?

Funnyisms

I know all of our kids say funny things now and then, but every once in awhile they say something that just has to be shared.

Brianna: Now that she's a "tween" she doesn't say many things that I would categorize as "cute and funny". Some of her comments do throw me off a little, for example yesterday she asked, "Sometimes it's a good thing for our bodies to bleed, right? I mean, we don't want too much blood pumping through our heart, because maybe it could explode?"

Hayden: He inherits his memory and his capacity for eloquent speech from me. A few weeks ago he asked me, "Mom what was that thing we did, uh, at that one place, and I got that thing that I really liked?" (What??? Translation please!) I replied the best I could with "I'm sorry Hayden, I guess I can't remember either."

Tucker: He likes to say things out of the blue, thoughts that have probably been milling around in his subconscious, but every once in awhile they pop out of his mouth and we are left thinking, where did that come from? For example, the other day he was sitting at the table drawing, then he looked up and he said, "There's smart, and there's K-mart smart". My conclusion is that K-mart did a really good job in their advertising. I also have to include an incident that my Mom reminded me of, these are her words. "May I add one more, of which I was a witness to? Let me set the scene: Tucker is sitting on the potty (at grandma's house). His mom (several rooms away) yells, "Push out your poopies!". He yells back, "My bum is empty!"

Mason: On Saturday I told Mason that if he helped his brothers clean up their bedroom, we could go do a fun activity. He replied, "Okay Mom", then ran upstairs. When he reached the top I heard him yell, "Boys! You need to clean up your room... (in a higher screeching voice he repeated) Boys, clean up your room... MOM SAID!" Next time I'll have to clarify what I mean by helping.

Happy Birthday and Halloween

Hayden's birthday is the day before Halloween so this year we did a Haunted House for his party. We set it up in our garage and I started putting it together 3 days before the party, but I should have started a week earlier. We went all out and made dividers for the course, using boards and hanging tarps. I bought plastic table clothes from the Dollar store to use for covering up walls and section dividers. Gabe had the idea to make fake bodies, wrap them in plastic sheets, and attach them to the wall. The three things we found most useful for putting up the decorations were zip ties, a staple gun and ladders. A neighbor lent me most of the decorations, and the rest I bought at the Dollar store.

Gabe and I were working on the haunted house up to the last minute, and even then we had to fore go some things so we could actually host the party. Elizabeth came and helped, and if it wasn't for her, the party would have been a big flop. She designed and decorated Hayden's Frankenstein cake and set up the decorations inside.

The kids had fun playing Hot Potato with a zombie head and pin the eye on the Mummy. They spent the last 1/2 hour of the party going through the haunted house over and over.

Jack-O-Lanterns

The kids were so proud of their pumpkins this year. Somehow I ended up doing all of the carving, but they did help scoop out the pulp, which isn't the most fun job when your kids hate having anything slimy on their fingers. Hayden picked out a very unique pumpkin this year, but I think I like his the best (shhh). Now for the not so fun part, I get to go clean up the mess.

Safety

I usually go about my day flying by the seat of my pants, trying to keep up with the demands of running a household and raising five children. My mental "To-Do list" usually consists of laundry, washing dishes, running errands, making dinner, helping kids with homework, etc. I could compare my self to the energizer bunny, I just keep going and going and going. But today I stopped. I realized that my To-Do list is poorly prioritized. Yes the laundry needs to be done, the kids need to be fed, and at some point it would be nice to see what the counters would look like without all of the clutter. But those things don't matter when you think about how fast our children grow up. The time we get to spend with them is precious and in some cases fleeting.

Sunday afternoon Gabe and I received heart breaking news that his friend and co-worker suffered a tragic loss. His 18 month old daughter was accidentally ran over when she jumped out of her hiding spot, in front of the truck her mother was pulling into their garage. Gabe's friend witnessed the entire event, unable to reach his daughter in time to save her. I can't begin to imagine the pain and grief they must be feeling. I wish I could always keep my children safe and protected from harms way. Learning of this tragedy has made me contemplate my own life and the role I play in the lives of my children.

I remember as a child I loved playing tag with my siblings. Before each game began, we would designate a 'safety' spot where we could rest from running and find protection from the chaser. Now that I am 'grown up' I still feel like I am playing a game of tag, but as a mother my role is different. I am not running trying to catch others, nor am I being chased. I am the safety. I get to be the 'couch' that my children jump on when they need a safe haven from the chasers. I would love to be able to keep my children safe from making mistakes and safe from the hardships and tragedies that life can bring. But that is not how it works. My role is to provide comfort when they experience pain; to help them learn from the mistakes they will make; and to provide a safe and supportive environment for them to learn and grow.

Today the number one thing on my 'To-Do list' is to hug my kids tight, tell them I love them, and thank the Lord for the opportunity I have to be their mother.

Pick'n Pumpkins

Last week my friend Shauna and I took our kids to a local pumpkin patch where they got to pick their own pumpkins right out of the patch. They had hay bails stacked up into a fort, a maze made out of hay bails and a little petting zoo of farm animals that included a baby kangaroo (which was random, but much more interesting than your average bunny or chick). Tucker was so excited to be able to use the trimming sheers all by himself to cut his pumpkin off the vine. At home everything sharp is hid away or confiscated.

Happy for Halloween

I dressed Gage in his Halloween costume (which I purchased last Fall on clearance) to make sure it would fit him. I couldn't stop laughing because he was just so stink' n cute!!! Of course that made him laugh uncontrollably too. Mason wasn't as amused, he was hesitant to get close to him because he thought Gage's alien feet were a little too real looking.

The Monster Mash

Halloween Rap

Broccoli Boy

Gage loves to be at the table when we are eating dinner. He hasn't been very interested in eating baby food, but he is so enthralled in watching us eat. The other evening I stepped away from the table for a few moments and returned to find Gage pillaging the broccoli bowl. It seems he would prefer to skip the baby food all together and go straight to the good stuff.

"Mommy, I see a pider!"

This morning while I was in the kitchen helping the older kids get ready for school, Mason called to me from the living room, "Mommy I see a pider (spider)". I told him him I could help him in a minute, but he was insistent, so I told him to grab a tissue and catch the spider himself. He ran into the kitchen, grabbed a kleenex then was off to catch his spider. A few moments later he ran back to me exclaiming, "I did it, I did it"! I was still helping other kids, so without checking for myself I told him that he did a great job. When I finally was free, I walked into the living room and discovered his "great" catch.