{A Little Longer}

I wish he would stay little a little longer.  My days of having him home with me during the day are numbered.  There are days where that sounds wonderful, but for the majority of the time I am sad that my baby-having kids at home-time is almost over.  Bitter-sweet is the right description for how I feel.

Bitter because this phase of my life is coming to an end.  Bitter because I wonder if I have done everything I needed to or should have done.  Bitter because honestly it means I am getting older.  Vain I know, but true none the less.

Sweet because I see on the horizon a new phase.  The phase where my kids turn into the people that they will ultimately be.  The phase where I can have a clean house for longer than 30 minutes, perhaps between the hours of 9 and 3.  I know this next phase is just as busy as the last one, but in a different way.  Different is good, right?!  

If only he could stay little longer!!

{St. Patty's Day}

"We've been attacked!!!"  

That was the cry that went up Sunday morning as Ryan tried waking up our sweet dead head, Meysa.  All the other kids were awake and downstairs eating breakfast.  She bolted out of bed and scurried downstairs to see what really was happening.

Sunday we tried our best  to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  I fully recognize that our attempt was basic and simplistic but that was what we were able to muster.  There are other people way more creative and ingenious than I at making childhood magical.  Let's be honest I can barely get the tooth fairy to show up on time. The "attack" occurred in our kitchen.  Our milk and our pancakes were turned green.  Which by the way, the kids thought was awfully tricky of those leprechauns !  All the kids except Meysa.  She wasn't phased at all by their treachery.  Perhaps because she was still semi-conscious she wasn't able to grasp the magnitude of it all!!  

Wyatt kept saying, "Those tricky leprechauns !!  and couldn't wait to tell his Primary teacher about it once we got to church.  Only Ryan wore something green to church, although I think Meysa had a necklace with a green turtle on it.  That apparently was sufficient!!  We had lasagna and french bread for dinner.  Very Irish I know!!  Hey at least I semi remembered the day at all.  Maybe next year we can set a trap for the sneaky leprechauns and catch them in the act!!

{Big Enough}

Wow, I am such a liar.  Not intentionally mind you but I have said that I would keep up the blog better and post more frequently.  I said that for the last two or three posts.  Well I as you can see I haven't and I really have no excuse.  Sorry.  But today I am going stop lying.  How about I'll post when I post.  That way I won't be a liar and a failure and you can be surprised when I do post more often then every two weeks!!  Sound good?  Ok, now that we have covered our expectations let us move on shall we!!?

This morning as I was sitting at the computer balancing my checkbook, I heard Wyatt in the kitchen getting into something.  It really isn't new for him to be in the kitchen rummaging around.  He is always in there getting into something.  The other day he made his own lunch, a PB& Jelly sandwich, a banana and crackers.    With absolutely no help from me.  Anyway back to this morning, unlike my usual response to him being in the kitchen (I usually holler for him to get out) I peaked around the corner and saw that he was playing in the sink with the breakfast dishes.  He is on dishes this week and he is actually better than any four year old I know of at actually doing the dishes.  I decided to get my camera and document this little nugget of our life.  Him being four and doing dishes by himself.  He finished "doing the dishes" and headed to the freezer and got out some juice.  That was when he noticed me and the camera.  He proudly told me that he was going to make some juice.  So I sat back to see how he was going to do it.  The only part I helped him with was to tell him that he needed three refills of the juice container of water.  He handled the rest all by himself.  The little booger!

 

 

Question #1:  How did he get so capable?  Question#2:  How did he know how to make up juice?  To my knowledge he has never done it before.  Question #3:  What am I gonna do with this smarty pants?

There are some days where I wonder if he will be ready for Kindergarten.  Not because he shows me any signs that he is struggling in an area.  Mostly just my own thoughts and questions about how well I have prepared him over the last few months in Preschool.  And then he has a morning like this and I slap myself and say "woman, the kid can make his own food, of course he can handle Kindergarten!!"

Wyatt cannot wait until his birthday comes in August.  He is so excited to do summer school in a few months and so, so excited to start kindergarten.  I don't know if I am as excited but I can be sure that he will be ready for whatever life hands him.

{Pretty}

The other day, after dinner, the kids ventured out into the back yard to play.  They were out there for a little while before Meysa bustled back inside looking for her camera.  When I asked what she needed that for, she declared she just had to get a picture of the sunset.  After taking a peak for myself, I too grabbed my camera and we stood shoulder to shoulder on the back deck capturing this beauty.  I silently was smiling to myself at how determined Meysa was in capturing that specific moment.  I loved that she recognized the beauty of the setting sun and wanted to keep it longer by taking a picture of it.  For me that is what pictures do.  I can look at a picture and remember so many emotions, so many memories.  I guess a love of pretty pictures isn't too terrible a thing to pass onto my kids, is it?!!  

{Winter}

Moving on....sorry I am lousy at blogging.  My mind just doesn't seem to function well lately.  We are alive and well.  We have a few bumps and bruises after enduring January, so we are VERY happy to see the month of February come.  I think this last January was the worst month on record, of any month, ever!!  To go along with losing my Brother in Law, we also lost my cousin who had been battling colon cancer for the last year.  He passed away on the 26th of January.  As my Dad put it, we don't want to see the inside of a funeral service for a long while.

We have been keeping busy here in these parts.  School has been keeping the kids busy, busy.  They are all doing well in school and we are really proud of them for it.  Wyatt is in "Prepare for Kindergarten" mode.  He is not so patiently anticipating turning FIVE and getting to start big kid school.  I love this time of them growing up.  Wyatt is only mildly concerned that he will be leaving me alone during the day by myself.  He tries to reassure me that I will be ok, and that he will only be gone for a little while.  I think I'll manage just fine little buddy!!

We have gotten slightly more snow this winter than last.  We have been getting only a dusting of an inch or so at a time, but the kids are making the most of it darn it.  It has been an improvement on the two inches of frozen snow that we had to play in last year.  The weather man says we will be getting 5-9 more inches of snow this season.  I'll believe it when I see the flakes piling up.  While we haven't had much snow, the temps have been plenty cold enough!!  Holy Peanut Butter it has been cold some mornings.  Ayden has complained of his poor legs freezing off as he walks the few blocks to school and poor kid, I believe him.

We are looking forward to Spring time.  We have planned our Spring Break to the coast and a fun camping trip to Gettysburg for Memorial Day weekend.  The kids are wanting to play some sports this Spring as well.  We will see how fast my calendar can fill up with practices and games.  Tis the season of my life I suppose!!

Ayden has been working his tail off accomplishing a ton in Scouts.  He just earned the rank of Second Class and six merit badges at the last Court of Honor.  He is on track to earn his First Class rank by April and another 6 merit badges.  He is having fun and learning a lot.

Our family Economy has been working out really well so far.  The kids have really figured it out and our house has a much better flow now that everyone knows their jobs and does them.  They are also learning the valuable lesson of needs and wants.  Meysa had turned in a library book and from the time that she dropped it off and it got checked in the cover got torn somehow.  She could either pay 9.95 for it or she could work in the library for a recess.  She thought about what she was saving her money for and thought it would be easier to work in the library for a recess.  So that is what she did.  Lauryn too is learning about saving vs. spending.  She really wants the Girl of the Year American Girl Doll.  She is saving in the hopes of being able to get her by the years end.  She also would like a new Jessie doll (from Toy Story) as her Jessie doll had a traumatic head injury (she was decapitated).  But after thinking about it she decided that she will continue to save her money for the American Girl as she is only here for the year and Jessie will be here next year.  Valuable lessons that I am glad they are learning now.

So I think I am caught up on the happenings of the last month now and hopefully I can stay that way.