Summer Fun

I realize that snow suits are on the store shelves and Christmas trees are at the local Hobby Lobby but around here it's still summer.  As in it's hot, the kids sleep in (sort of) and I don't have much gumption to tackle any major projects.

But just to prove to posterity (and my mom) that we're not completely lazy here ya go, part one of our summer in 7 pictures.

Yogurt really is just as messy as you'd think.

Imagine the dental floss.

Happy birthday to the baby!  Picture of her cake but not of her, what's wrong with that picture??

Houses that we can't afford (thank you student loans) but they're nice to look at!

Swimming with 5 kids is no joke.  It's an achievement man.

I've always wanted to play in a fountain but because I'm a grownup I'm the one telling the kids no while secretly thinking that fountain swimming would be super fun.

Proof that kids really are able to sleep anywhere.  It makes my neck hurt just looking at this picture.

Happy summer!

It's my choice

I'm pulling out the soapbox for just a minute.  Pull up a chair and get ready.  Here goes:  life and motherhood and pretty much anything is what you make.  

Focusing on the screaming and the crying and the sheer drudgery of laundry/ dishes/ cooking for ungrateful people/ not sleeping more than 6 hours in a really long time just makes me cranky.  When I'm cranky my kids bug me, the husband pisses me off and the house is just too small and too dirty.  I can't live feeling like that.

I choose to not let the ever expanding mud-hole bother me (can someone explain the fascination with kids and mud).  I choose to find joy in the fact that I have a washing machine and a dryer and a dishwasher and the chance to be home with my kids all day, every day.  I choose to be grateful that I have food that I can put on the table.  I choose to look for what is good rather than pointing out the negative.

And sometimes I choose to take a walk ALL BY MYSELF when life gets to be too much.  Cereal is a perfectly balanced dinner and sometimes I've even been guilty of putting the kids to bed an hour or two before the usual time.

I look a little freaky but ignore me, LOOK AT THAT BABY!!

I'm a grownup so I get to choose for myself.

I choose joy.

That one night I tried to nurse a fiber filled product

One night I heard the baby crying.  So I got up.  Picked her up and latched her on.  Peace reigned again.

Then I heard Maggie crying.  From the other room.  

So what was it that I was cradling in my arms, trying to nurse?

A pillow.  A fluffy, non- human pillow.

Will someone please come sleep train my 5 month old baby?  I am so tired.

Stickers and Sisters

I keep trying to think of something witty to say but this picture is just turning my brains to mush.

Maggie just hit the big 3 month mark.  She weighs a giant 11 pounds.  Okay not giant at all, her doctor calls her "petite" but she is getting close to doubling her birth weight and I swear I saw the beginnings of a dimple.  Jennie (and Grant) turned 7 a few weeks ago.  It blows my mind.  Of course I forgot to take pictures of the birthday cakes, presents and even the actual birthday subjects.  And I call myself a mom...

In case you were wondering, those are stickers covering my baby.  But before you judge let me tell you that they were letter stickers and Nathan was practicing his spelling.  Helpless baby sisters make excellent subjects.

Have a happy Tuesday, Mags insists that you do.

love the miles

2:36 AM

I sat straight up in bed, my heart was racing and I just knew something was wrong.  I hadn't heard from the baby in a while.  As I ran into Maggie's room I checked the time.  2:36.  Babies don't sleep that long.  I listened for sounds of her breathing and grunting and generally making noise.

The girl is a noisy sleeper, that's why she's had her own room since she came home from the hospital, but now her room was silent.  I put my hand on her to feel movement, nothing.  So I wiggled her around a bit and she started grunting.  Finally I could breathe again.  I went back to bed where I laid down and tried to relax.  About ten minutes later Maggie started crying, probably because I woke her up.  This time when I went back to her room I turned on the lamp and looked over at her crib.

She was on her belly with her face pressed into the mattress.  That's when I really started to lose it.  I'm not sure how a 6 week old baby who was swaddled tightly managed to roll from her back all the way to the front.  I don't know if when I put her to bed I put her on her side and she somehow rolled over.  I just don't know what happened.

I do know that Someone was watching over my baby.  It was Divine intervention, I'm sure of it.  Whoever or whatever it was that woke me from a sound sleep, thank you.  Thanks for watching over my girl.  We'd be lost without her.

*don't worry, I laid Maggie down while I changed my shirt (that she vomited on) and that's when I snapped the above pic, I didn't leave her laying like that, I promise

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Maggie will be month old tomorrow.  

I still don't sleep.

The house is umm, frightening.

The kids are getting sick of cereal.  Of cold cereal can you imagine?  I would have killed to have cold cereal everyday but I digress.

We found out that Maggie has acid reflux.  That's why she's been spitting up through her nose.  Weird huh?  She doesn't have any of the other symptoms like weight loss or screaming or projectile vomiting.  Just spit up through her nose.

I realize that you have responsibilities, a life, a husband, animals, etc to take care of but really I could use your help.  Plus I'm out of granola bars.  I really need some more.

I have proof of just how competent you are, here you are running payroll for hundreds of people all while comforting my crying baby and telling me that millions of women have had children and they survived so odds are good that I will too.

So like I was saying, come back Mom.  I miss you.

Love,

Your Favorite Daughter

Introducing...

She came early.  But this post is late.  Only not really because technically she wasn't due until tomorrow.  So let's call it a wash.

I'll let her take it from here.

Hi guys.  I'm really pretty aren't I?  I know, I know looks aren't everything but they don't hurt.  But let's cover the important stuff.  My name is Marjorie Grace but I answer to Maggie, Mags, Magzie, Magzilla and Maggie Mae. Give my siblings some time and I'm sure they'll come up with a few more names.

I was born on July 23.  I weighed 6 lbs 5 oz and I was 19 inches long.  I wasn't supposed to come until tomorrow (August 8) but my mom started having this thing with her kidneys and the doctors said it was my fault.  So they pulled me out of my nice warm home, her kidneys recovered and I was healthy so I guess it worked out okay.  Don't worry, I've since apologized to Momma and she's forgiven me so we're good.

My siblings love me.

So there you go.  I'm healthy.  My mom is healthy.  My family loves me.  I'm also hungry so I'll stop dictating this to my secretary so that she can feed me.

Love you guys!