Seasons Change

I never realize I've been in the midst of a "stage" until I reach the end of it. We fall into rhythms, comfortable with the daily routine whose variations are represented by blue squares on the calendar. And even those tend to repeat themselves. But then all of the sudden something happens--the birth of a child, friends moving, a new job, the beginning of a school year--and feelings of nostalgia creep up out of nowhere and I long for time to stand still. I don't typically show much sentiment on the outside which is why I wonder if these feelings hit me so hard. Maybe I need to be better at expressing my joy in the little things before they are no longer.

I was walking to the bus stop to pick up the girls after school a few weeks ago and Luke insisted on bringing his umbrella. As you can see, it was a very sunny day. I watched him marching off in front of me, perfectly aware of the routine even at his tender young age and thought about how great this past year has been. I hope I will always remember how excited Luke would get when the girls stepped off the bus. Squeals and hugs all around. Having a child run to you with arms wide open after a day away is the best feeling in the world. And of course, being able to spend one on one time with Luke has been wonderful. I love having a buddy.

Now we're looking forward to another Virginia summer (with a Utah escape in the middle) and I'm going to try to experience it with gratitude because when school starts again in the fall, I'll be longing for lazy summer evenings.

Bring on the next season. Life is good.

The Brother

I like to think Luke chose our family, knowing he'd have two adoring older sisters. Though, at times, I wonder if he has any regrets about that decision.

Well, Hello There! (And a Review)

Hmmm....where to begin here? I have lots to catch up on, but that will have to wait. I'm going to share something with you:

With each of my kids I have had moments while using products where I've thought "If only they'd...". One such product that I never seemed to find just the right fit for was baby baths. We've always lived in limited space, so the thought of having an extra tub for baby that doesn't store anywhere was never appealing. So I tried the baby-sized sponges that supposedly float in the tub. Yuck! They never dry out and are really just nasty. So I resorted to the awkward contorting over the tub, simultaneously cradling baby while trying to wash the many folds. It was never a good experience.

Well, a girl named Katie contacted me to see if I would be a product tester for a baby "tub" she has invented. See, back in the day I used to clean her teeth (I had to fight to get her as a patient...the other hygienists wanted her too...she's that darling). I took one peek at it and thought "she's done it!" She obviously had the same feelings I did about bathing baby...only she did something about it. And it looked awesome! Super light-weight, low profile tub (it shipped in a 1 inch thick box) made out of antibacterial foam that doesn't absorb water (yay!). It's seriously ingenious design (when you see it you'll wonder why you didn't think of it).

Since my "baby" is two, I went ahead and contacted a friend who graciously let me use her as the tester with her little cherub. Her baby is not a newborn, but we went with it anyway and you know what? It's every bit as great as I thought it would be. It fits in the bathroom sink so you can stand comfortably while bathing baby. It hangs up to dry and doesn't absorb water. It unfolds, completely flat so storage is not an issue. Plus, the material it's made of is nice and soft, so you feel good about putting a tiny little baby in there instead of a cold, hard tub.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. Every mother of a newborn needs one of these things. It seems to be super durable, so I would imagine it would last through as many children as you're willing to have. :o)

My pictures and review only give you a glimpse of how cool it is. Check out the Puj Tub for yourself at the new web site exclusively for baby bath tubs! (And yes, the gorgeous blond is Katie).

So, beautiful Katie, thank you for an awesome product moms will love!

Seven.

Barrett makes her say "Sister Suzie Sittin' on a Thistle" every night. And we all have a good laugh. She's actually singing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" in front of the school today. (If only I had a dollar for every time someone has said it to her in the last few weeks).

And because I have been wanting to record this for her for a while, seven things I love about her:

• She's always happy. She really is.
• She's oozing with creativity. It's rare to find her without a pile of scrap paper, crayons, scissors and glue within reach.
• She gets excited to do things for people.
• She still loves to cuddle.
• She loves to make lists.
• She has big dreams. (She's even writing a chapter book :o) )
• She loves to hear me tell about the day she joined our family. And I'm so glad she did.

Anna, just before her 7th birthday. I love you sweet girl.

More Treats than Tricks

Halloween was lovely this year. Beautiful weather, no costume arguments and plenty of sweets to consume while the kids are off at school. Perfection.

Luke and I went to the Halloween Parade at school and thought our little girlies were absolutely adorable. Anna was a gypsy and Kate (bless her soul) wanted to be Dorothy...same as last year. Easy peasy. Luke (bless his soul) didn't know any better and we stuffed him into a fluffy chicken costume because it's what we had. For all he knew people were handing him candy and life was good.

(I need to get some pics from a friend of the costumes Barrett and I wore...it was pretty fun!)

(And the pumpkin...that looked more like Swiss cheese than the "lantern" effect I was going for, but it was fun)

This Little Heart of Mine...

...sometimes feels like it's about to burst.

I really miss the girls at school. I really do. I love it when they get home. But I'm treasuring the alone time I'm having with Luke. It is so great to see the world through his eyes. The other day we walked outside, heading to the car to run errands and he said, "OH! Piddy day!" And it was a pretty day. So we ditched the errands and took the pink bigwheel to the tennis court for a spin while wearing jammies.

I think maybe turning the handlebars around and putting on a tough guy face lessens the feminine impact of the Pink Barbie Bigwheel, no?

Magic in a Box

"Mom! Same thing I always do."

That's the answer I usually get when I ask the girls what they did at school. But a few weeks ago I found a trick up my sleeve. Well, in a box actually. A package from lovely aunt Abbey with glow sticks in it! One of the girls (and I won't say who, but it wasn't me) was very grouchy and thankfully the treasure that came in the mail snapped her out of her funk. The lights were turned off and I pulled a Katie Couric on them, asking all sorts of questions about their out-of-mom's-sight activities for the day.

They totally fell for it. They gave me all the details. They even begged for more. So the questions were asked, answers were given and then some fun was had. I whipped out the camera and we got silly dancing and arm waving and camera-wielding. Dad even joined us. Who knew glow sticks could unlock the mystery of a silent child?

Off to School

Only two weeks into it and they seem to have it down pretty well. I cried like a baby the night before...I hardly even slept. But I kept it together for them when they got on the bus. As they were driving off I confess, I started imagining them inside that big bus, off to an unfamiliar place and got all choked up again. I told Barrett I'm not sure what makes it more difficult: thinking of them at school and me at home when they need me, or thinking of them at school and me at home and them not needing me. I don't care for either scenario.

I had an idea I wanted to try. Here's my mediocre attempt. Watch for Kate's expression off the bus. What you won't see are the pictures of me tapping on the bus door after Kate gets off and before the bus driver starts driving away. He stops, opens the door and I ask very sheepishly if he by chance has my other child on the bus. Thankfully, he does. I found out Anna was sitting dutifully in her seat waiting for him to call the first graders like they did in the morning when he dropped them off at school. I told her she was a good girl, but asked her to please not scare her mama like that anymore. :o)

We Have Exciting News

At least, Anna does.

A few weeks ago Anna told me, like she often does, that she had a loose tooth. Obligingly I asked her to show me. And I couldn't believe it was really loose! I had to pretend I was excited because I was, in fact, kind of sad. My little girl is no longer little.

She and Kate went right to work. I wasn't sure exactly what sorts of things were going on behind their closed bedroom door until Kate came into the kitchen and asked me if I had any food they could use for their fairy trap. They wanted to catch her (what they didn't know was that "she" was actually a "he"). They'd actually made a little house with pictures in it and a bed and blanket and everything. They wanted her to want to live with us. It was awesome.

Westward

I did it. By myself.

I flew to Utah with my three kids in tow to stay with my sister. She's pregnant (with number seven) and her husband had to leave the country on business for a week. I'm not sure how exactly we deduced that my coming there with three extra children would be any help to her, but there you have it. That was the conclusion we reached. And now we're back and we had a great time.

I remember the first time I traveled alone with my two girls. I didn't sleep for a week before-hand. Maybe I'm a little more seasoned now, but I slept just fine. I guess with enough experience you learn that you will in fact get from point A to point B and whatever happens in the middle is just "stuff." The only major glitch was our layover in Atlanta. Our first flight got in late and so we ran through the airport. I was carrying Luke, a shoulder bag, and dragging a carryon up and down escalators and whizzing on trams. I'm sure we were a sight. Somehow, the girls enjoyed it.

Long story short, we missed our flight and ended up in Atlanta for another six hours. My precautions as a germophobic mother went out the window. Kids playing on airport floors isn't my first choice, but when it's the only choice, you just close your eyes halfway and smile when someone asks for the thousandth time if you are traveling alone with three children. The plane rides are bearable as long as the dum-dums don't run out. I think we had 27. Each.

My brother and his wife hosted a gathering at their amazing home. My parents came down from Idaho and all the Utah siblings were able to come. And then I took advantage of all of them. My brother-in-law found four cavities (think it was the dum-dums?) and went to work. My sister cut my hair. I'm sure we ate through several siblings' pantries, drove their cars, interrupted schedules for lunch dates, met up with three of my Virginia friends (who never should have left) and made one of them watch my kids while I was being drilled on.

When we landed back in Virginia Kate said, "It seems like we were only there for a minute." I guess time flies when you're having fun. Thanks everyone!!

I was lousy about taking pictures, but here are a few:

Luke watching "hairplanes."

After paying $20 bucks to check each bag, they give your kids wings. Sticker wings.

Enjoying cousins in the hot tub. You can see with so many kids around the same age why they love making the trip so much.