WE COULD PUT THEM OUT OF BUSINESS

I am not taking any bets, but feel confident that our SUV could give the local grocery stores a run for their money. Food makes kids happy. Period. The kids want to eat at least every other hour. Yep. That is almost 12 times per day that I have to have food ready to eat........times 4! We eat three meals a day and snack ALOT. The children like to snack if we are running errands. They like to snack at the ballfield. They like to snack when we get out of church on Wednesday evenings. They like to snack when we go outside and play. Most of the time I don't really think about it in depth. I'm aware they require a lot of food and enjoy eating frequently. I am aware that a big chunk of the hours in my day are spent around snacking: preparing, planning for, putting them in baggies, trying to be creative to introduce new ideas. A part of our daily routine is to have a snack when we go to pick up Bottle Rocket from school. One afternoon we were driving back into the neighborhood and I stopped to ask a neighbor something. He walked over to the car and politely scanned the front seat and console area. You could barely see either one as they were both covered with bags of food. I could see his eyes growing big, but he did not say a word. I was this close to offering him a snack, just to break the awkardness. As I drove off, I began to laugh. I wanted to yell back out the window and explain that all the food in the front seat was not for me! And when I say all the food, I am not exaggerating- saltine crackers, Town House Crackers, rice cakes, plastic cup with fruit, Triscuits, cheetoes, sippy cups, grapes, BBQ baked lays, bottled water and pretzels. Whew! And that was normal to us! With four kids whose taste vary, I have to plan and maintain basically my own rolling grocery store. Look out local chains, the Super Sub Store is moving in town!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!!

Another week already! Where does time go? We had a fun and smooth week here. I bought the kids sunglasses and they have been the hit of the week. They wear them nonstop...to the store, to school, to church, in the house. We have to remind them to take them off when we get somewhere. It must make them feel so grown up! Bottle Rocket borrowed some roller blades from a friend and loves them! He has worked hard and is pretty fast on them. He even conquers the curbs and driveways! Sparkler is doing great and has lost all but two stitches from the surgery. We found out the growth they removed was benign, so she will not ever have to worry about it again! Smoke Bomb had a Trike-A-Thon at preschool this week and he had a blast! The teacher gave medals to all the children which you will see in the pictures. Fire Cracker has been busy chasing his freinds in the cul-de-sac, building tents and talking up a storm. Have a great weekend and don' t forget to make it a fun one!

EXCUSE ME, IS THAT SEAT TAKEN?

Sparkler likes to sit on things. It has to be one of her most fun things to do. Don’t get me wrong, she is a very active little girl. She just likes to try out different seats. Well kind of seats.

We have a little seat that straps on top of a dinner table chair. She kept pushing back in it, so we took it down worried that she would fall back. Of course things move a bit slow around here as far as organization, so the seat is still sitting in the playroom. Well Sparkler has deemed this her seat. She sits in there to read books, drink her bottle or sippy cup or…..just to sit and watch her brothers. Sometimes the boys even clip her in the seat and, you guessed it, she will just hang out until someone unbuckles her!

Sparkler also likes to sit on the foot stool in the bathroom. With four kids in the house, it is not possible for a mother to “visit the reading room” without leaving the door open or ajar. So of course little people always tend to wander in. One little person in particular likes to join me in the reading room. She toddles in, turns around and then sits (just so!) on the foot stool under the sink. Then….she starts to swing her little legs as if she is sitting in the best seat in the house. She just looks at me. If she could talk, we would surely have a lengthy conversation about life, brothers, organic milk and baby dolls. I cherish this time as it is quite sweet- who cares about modesty, right? Well the other day Bottle Rocket got a full dose of Ms. Sparkler on her reading room throne. I heard him go in the bathroom, but heard two voices resonating from the bathroom. I knocked on the door and peaked in. Sure enough Sparkler was sitting on her seat and Bottle Rocket on his! I asked what she was doing and he said, “Just talking to me!” He told me a few minutes later that she did in fact just sit there, swinging her legs and looking at him!

Her newest seat in the house is………………….the dog bowl! She likes to throw it around a few times because it makes an atrociously loud sound. Then she circles around it as if to make sure she has just the right position (a miss on the landing would surely not feel good even with diaper cushioning!). Then she plops down right on top of the bowl, which happens to fit her “seat” just perfect. Usually she is well prepared with her Puppy Love book and reads for quite a time. It is hilarious to see her get up after she has literally sunk her bottom into the bowl!

I think it has to be one of the cutest things around! She is just exploring and learning. To me they are memories engraved for a lifetime!

YES, THEY ARE ALL MINE

It never fails! At least once a week someone will approach me and count the number of children I have with me in and around the grocery cart. I smile and say hello, knowing exactly what question is coming next: Are they all yours? Not understanding the true intent of this question, I have resigned to taking it as a compliment. So I smile and politely reply with a standard answer- Yes! This is almost always followed by the question: How do you do it with four children........and so close in age? After numerous variations, I now have a standard reply: They are all really great children and a blessing to parent.

I mean how do you answer those questions? Of course they are all mine. Just take a look - you cannot miss the resemblance! I don't ever think about "how I do it" each day as a mom, it's just second nature to me. Of course we are all made differently and that is not the case for each woman. But to me, having four is really not much different than having two and in many aspects it makes things easier. For example, when the older children are at school, I often think it is easier to run
errands...grocery shopping, post office, library, etc. The reality (which will sound insane to some!) is that many times it is easier to run errands with all four. Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb are quite helpful with the younger ones and help keep them entertained while we are out. When I have just two, they almost seem bored and cranky!

I know large families are not the "norm" in today's society. Sometimes the things people say are hilarious. There is a lady in the school carpool line who asks me at least every other month if they are all mine when she opens the door for Bottle Rocket. It is tempting to tell her that I just enjoy carrying the neighborhood kids to carpool each day! Her consistent pondering makes me wonder if she thinks I will change my answer one day?! On the other hand, it is a treat to have someone around my grandmothers age stop and chat with me. They delightfully share how it was raising four children of their own. These sweet souls have taught me more than they will ever know. I have learned tips and advice for raising a large family from such people. Most importantly they advise me to enjoy EACH moment- fun, good, hard, bad, sad, joyful, heartbreaking, momentous and minute. Each moment makes life worth living!

I am not saying a big family is easy- it takes a lot of dedication, patience, determination and energy to raise 4 kids. I believe it was God's will for my husband and I to have a large family. I couldn't imagine our family without four children. Having four might seem overwhelming to some, but it feels natural to us (most of the time!). Of course there are pros and cons to small and large families, but we think bigger works well for us! As a family of six we are a team. Each "player" has their own "position" and we all work to live, laugh, love and learn together. Not to mention my husband's delight that we are just 3 short of a full baseball team!

Today I ran across an article online that talks about how bigger families just might be easier. The article is written by Matthew Archbold for the National Catholic Register. He describes this notion to a "t" and it all rings true to our experience although we are not Catholic. Click on the link above to read this highly amusing take on large families- it will sure bring a laugh to your day!

PS: Don't worry Mom, we have stopped at 4!

JUST A FEW LETTERS OFF MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

It is often amusing to hear things children say. Many times it is hard (if not impossible!) not to giggle when they say funny things or mispronounce words. As you can imagine, with four young children, this happens in our household quite often! Over the weekend Bottle Rocket saw some of his friends roller blading up the street. He came over and announced that he would love to have some "razor blades"! Just a few small letters can make the cutest saying! Smoke Bomb used to ask us if we could pat his bovum (bottom) at bedtime. Remember when Bottle Rocket asked for a hamster?

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

IT'S A GIRL THING!

While pregnant with our boys, other moms were always quick to tell me that little boys love thier mamas. As soon as we had each boy, I realized they were in fact very affectionate little bundles of joy. They might act tough, but they still need their mama and love on me graciously! I never imagined that we would have 3 boys. Now I cannot imagine if we did not. My husband often refers to them as little bear cubs which is a perfect description of the trio- always close to each other, wrestling each other, bickering from time to time, there for each other and quick to help one another. What
a blessing!



When I was pregnant with Sparkler, other moms were always quick to tell me that little girls are way different than little boys. As soon as we had her, I realized that girls are in fact very different than boys. From the day she was born, we could tell things were quite different. All the things that worked for the boys seem to not work for her, she is more mellow and calm natured, she sits longer and cuddles more often, she is a bit more fiesty, she cries (literally) each morning to put her shoes on (they always just took them right back off!), she sits still while I brush her hair, and she brings me bows when they fall out of her hair.

But what really cracks me up is how innate certain things are to her as a girl. When she got her first baby doll for Christmas she held her and rocked back and forth! I didn't teach her this, she just knew what to do! When she got her first purse, she put it right on her arm and trotted around. I didn't teach her this, she just knew what to do! She can even be seen carrying around the boys toolbox as a purse. She will often pick up my purse - forget all the stuff inside, she just wants to carry it around! When she sees a necklace or lanyard or such, she picks it up and puts it around her neck! She loves to wear her Hawaiian lei when we take Smoke Bomb to preschool. She pitches a royal fit when I try to take it off! I see some things that are innate to our boys, but they are not as prominent as what we see in Sparkler. She seems so young to know so much- it must be a girl thing!

CHAIR RACES IN GREEK

Bottle Rocket is studying the Olympics in his reading group at school. On the way home today I asked him what he has learned about the games. He said that the Olympics began 280,000 years ago in Greek (Greece)and some of the first games they competed in were chair games (chariot!). Hope he does not talk his siblings into having some chair races in the cul-de-sac!

IT HAS TO BE SOMEWHERE

The next night after her surgery we gave Sparkler a bath. She loved it and must have been so refreshed to splash in the tub and get clean. When finished, I laid her on our bed to dry her off. I had all I needed right there....onsie, diaper, pajamas, socks, lotion and brush. I also had the polysporin on the bed to put on her head. She began to fuss as I was putting baby lotion on her so I handed her the polysporin to "play" with while I finished drying and dressing her. While I was putting on her pajamas, I realized that the polysporin was missing. Well, not missing...it was gone! I was 100% sure she had not swallowed it since it was too big. It was not under her or under the bed. It was not flung on the other side of the room or under the nearby chair. It was not on her person as we both patted her down. My husband and I spend about 20 minutes trying to find this polysporin, the brand new-just-bought-an-hour-ago neosporin that we needed to put on her head. It was to no avail. The polysporin was gone. I stewed awhile as I don't care to lose things, especially important-brand new-just-bought-an-hour-ago things! So you ask.......where was the polysporin? The next morning I was helping Fire Cracker get dressed for the day. My husband came in and tossed something at my side and remarked, " There it is. Brand new. Unopened. Wet. Covered in pee. Fresh out of Sparkler's diaper!" Now that I think about it, that tops the kids asking me why my phone is on the pantry shelf or the remote is in the fridge. No one ever said being a mom is not humbling!

FINALLY FRIDAY!

Whew! This has been a week we have been waiting to get through for months now, so we are especially happy and relieved that it is FINALLY FRIDAY!! We don't favor any of our children over the other. It just happens that Sparkler was the feature of most pictures this week since she was headed to surgery. Enjoy the weekend and do something fun!

UNTITLED

Sometimes words just don't quite do justice for things. Our daughter had her surgery yesterday and I have not yet found the right words for a title to this blog entry. She breezed through surgery and recovery and was home before we knew it. The surgeon was awesome, skilled and compassionate. We had the love and support of our families. Our pastor and children's pastor came by which helped pass the time during surgery faster. The entire staff was great- we could not have asked for more loving and encouraging people to take care of our little girl. We felt God moving in so many ways during the days and months leading up to the surgery as well as the day of the procedure. It was a very hard decision to make for our daughter, but we felt rest assured that it was what needed to be done. With the whole thing behind us now, I see so much has come from that one event. I have learned so much and have grown as a person during the process. It is a bit overwhelming to step back and breathe realizing that so much has happened. I learned to trust God completely, to let our daughter out of our hands and into the loving, caring, all-knowing arms of a Savior who loves her even more than I do. I learned that many times God puts times of waiting in our lives so that he can share with us, draw us closer to Him and teach us what we need to follow His will. I learned to take my selfish thoughts and feelings of responsibility for the "what ifs" and turn them back toward God who has been before us and will never leave us or forsake us. I learned that my daily quiet time with God must be an absolute, not a cruth for times when things are challenging. I saw the hand of God at work from all the "coincidences" of the procedure- my husband's co-worker who works in the same group as the anesthesiologist who was in Sparkler's surgery, the case nurse whose daughter attended a summer camp we have taught for years- twice!, the sweet nap that Sparkler took in my lap while waiting in pre-op, the peaceful manner of Sparkler when being taken back to the OR, seeing the surgeon in the hallway at the elevator when leaving. I could go on and on about the places He was yesterday and ways He manifested Himself. I learned that I don't want to only treasure the moments more so because what if they were the last....I should live and love each day, in every way, as if they were the last. I learned that I am a strong parent, but only because I have a strong Father! Trust me there were times when I wanted to take Sparkler and run yesterday and a time when I thought I was going to faint, but there was also a sturdy set of hands that held me up and gave me strength. What an experience to go through-very thankful for our daughters health, safety and recovery yet almost more thankful for the opportunity to strengthen my relationship with God and draw closer to His love.

From The Mouths of Babes

Bottle Rocket
+ I learned about Nois and the aminals today at church
+ Can I have some pimp cheese please (pimento cheese)
+ Where's the offer Dada? (remote control)
+ Can we go to Jesus' birthday party?
+ Does God have a cell phone Mama?
+ Now Dada, be nice to your friends at work and share your things, ok?
+ Can we take it apart and look at the insects (insides)
+ I think I have a stomach fection
+ It was the wrong kind of poop! (when he had an upset stomach)
+ Will you still me my mama when the baby is born, Mama?
+ Girls have a “gina”
+ We are fine- go ahead downstairs and me and the baby will be just fine
holding Fire Cracker as a newborn
+ If you need anything, just call me & don’t forget to feed the baby and check on him while I am at school

SMOKE BOMB
+ In portajohn for first time at t-ball practice - “where flush?”
+ The moon is broken!
+ You say no, I say yes!
+ Can we watch a moomie (movie)?
+ I want to go to “P Hut” (pizza hut)
+ Mama, you can't eat anymore because the baby will get dirty!
+ We should name our baby sister "gina"!
+ Does “Sparkler” have her own little house in the bubble in your belly Mama?
+ Don’t pass gas in my room, I try to keep it clean in here!
+ I can spill my drink myself (means he can pour it himself
+ That car is missing its lid (convertible)
+ Sparkler is such a fweetie (sweetie)
+ Mama, can you make me some cheese (while I was nursing Fire Cracker)!
+ I like pepeoni pizza (pepperoni)

Finally Friday!!

Have you had a long week? Ready for some rest and relaxation? Well it is finally Friday!! Enjoy the weekend!

So Sweet

While in the carpool line today, Fire Cracker told Smoke Bomb that his girlfriend's car was in front of us. The car he was referring to was our neighbor who has a daughter 4 months older than him. These two are best friends, chasing each other in the cul-de-sac, talking to each other, riding bikes side by side, etc. Everytime we are all outside the two of them are together. So people giggle about it and think it is cute. Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb tell him that she is his girlfriend. Hence the discussion today.

A few minutes later, Fire Cracker asked Smoke Bomb if he had a girlfriend. He promptly replied no and then in almost the same breath said, "But I do think that one girl in my preschool class looks nice some days. Like picture day, she had on a pretty dress". How sweet! I about melted and had to keep very cool so he didn't think I was making fun of him. I told him that was very nice. It cracks me up that he even thinks on that level.

Smoke Bomb has always been very affectionate. He spends a good portion of his days loving on his baby sister and can often be overheard telling her how pretty her dress is (even if she is wearing a onsie or pajamas!) or how nice her hair bows look! He will vie for her attention from the time Sparkler wakes up to the time he gives her a hug goodnight. Bottle Rocket even told me the other day while I was cutting his hair that he was sure Smoke Bomb would have lots of kids when he grew up. I asked why and he said well just look at him- he already knows how to take care of babies. I looked over to see Smoke Bomb rubbing baby lotion on Sparkler's legs- she had just gotten out of the bath and was just laying there enjoying each moment! May this tenderness forever be fostered in Smoke Bomb! He is truly a sweet and compassionate little boy.

Did Someone Use Some Of Mama's Perfume?

This morning while the children were eating breakfast I was making lunch for Bottle Rocket. As I walked past the kitchen table several times to get bread and chips, I kept smelling a very strong, sweet odor. It was not a subtle aroma, but a "Wow what is that smell?" kind of odor. It was not offensive, just strong. I was racking my brain trying to remember if I had put lotion on the baby or sprayed some air freshener. Finally I asked if someone had sprayed my perfume. Bottle Rocket sat up straight in his seat with a huge grin and said "No Mom, it was me. I used my deodorant this morning! Don't I smell good?" I didn't have the heart to ask how much he had used! This is the same Bottle Rocket that stopped the other day in the middle of basketball and said, "Be right back. I need some deodorant!" What!?!? Do hormones really surface at the ripe old age of seven? I giggled to myself this morning thinking ahead to his teacher's reaction when she reached over him to help check a math problem or spell a word! Trust me, he will definitely "Spice" up the room with his Old Spice Sport Scent Man Freshener, as they call it!

I Would Walk 500 Miles.....Just To Be With You

I pray daily that our kids would be close to each other and remain that way for life. Moments like this are an answered prayer!