"Wear it Out"

So how do you know when it's time to replace an old crib sheet?  When after 9 years, 4 babies, countless tantrums, lots of blowouts, puking on it, and jumping on it . . . it no longer looks like it's just wearing thin.

 

"Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without."

I'd say I got my money's worth.  Time for a new one.

4 Babes

My parents gained 4 new grandbabies all in a one year period, and the first time all 4 were together was at the house we rented on the coast.

The two on the right are brother and sister, while the two on the left (Alice being one) are just 2 weeks apart.

What's more amazing than 4 grandbabies in a year is the fact that we got these pictures without even one of them crying.  Weird.

Beach Day 1

3 words adequately describe the Oregon coast: beautiful, cold, and windy. 

Alice, thankfully, thinks wind is mostly funny (as are loud ocean waves apparently.)

 It was so hard to keep Alice from eating the whole beach, but what are a few extra minerals to your diet anyway, right?  SO gross, but she kept doing it!

Notice Lacey's activity below?  Guess she knows a good mud-bath when she sees it.

The Mobile Birthday Party: Jossy Turns 6!

We drove out to the Oregon coast the first week of June for a family trip.  We were supposed to leave on June 1st but Dan caught a stomach bug in the wee hours of the night on the eve of our trip, so we had to  postponed a day.  We PRAYED OUR GUTS OUT that no one else would get it because that drive is horrible enough without puking involved. 

So we left June 2nd which happened to be Miss Jossy's birthday!  She was not super excited to spend the day in the car instead of at home.  We let her open one present before we left so she could be happy and have something to play with in the car.  Too bad the Mobigo batteries died in less than 30 minutes from the time we left.  :(

We stopped for the night near Boise to stay with my college roommate Sandi (one of the last readers of my blog if I go by who actually leaves comments.)   It had been a long day in the car, and I feel like we just fell over her doorstep, thankful our day's driving was done.  Sandi had decorated for Jossy and even made her a chocolate cake.  We let a very antsy Jossy open her gifts at last. 

We then participated in a quick backyard water fight, a good way for the kids to get their pent-up energy out . . . and a good excuse to soak some parents. 

What? I'm holding the baby and a camera and can't get wet?  Oh, darn.

Growth

This isn't about my kids growing but my growth as a mom.  How do I know I've grown?  A few years ago I never would have let my child wear THIS to church including a black sweater on a very hot day, Dora socks, and white sandles over them. 

See? Growth.

Last Day

 So how do we feel on the last day of school???

Not half as excited as mom is!!

That's right!  No more packing lunches the night before, no more kindergarten bus to hurry home to when it's not even eleven yet, no more doing hair at an unreasonable hour, no more driving kids to the bus down the street bra-less just so they can maybe get there before it leaves, no more daily homework assignments, no more spelling tests trying to come up with 2 new personal words every week for Matty The Whiz, no more reading charts to fill out last minute making up amounts read each night, no more teacher gifts, no driving back to school to get forgotten homework, and no more fundraisers!!!

Now to survive the next couple months with all 4 at home before we start it all again.  Easy peasy . . . right?

Old friends

Lately Dan and I have gotten to visit with several of our old college roommates and friends.  Friends from our college days are some of the dearest we will ever have and I'm so thankful for the ones we made. 

A couple weeks ago one of Dan's roommates (and his best man at our wedding) was visiting Utah from Arizona, and we sadly hadn't seen him in 10 years.  We had him and another of Dan's roommates who lives nearby over for dinner with their familes. 

I always think my husband's tall . . . until I see him standing next to someone else.  

Our kids were in heaven playing with their kids all night.  I wish we got to hang out more often. 

Show and a Splash

We lacked any plans on Memorial Day so I took a big box from the bunk beds and turned it into a puppet theater for the kids.  I got it ready the night before and had it out in the morning to surprise them.  I can't stand them having cardboard creations they want to keep forever, so I wrote on it "One day only!!"  Yea, it's still in my basement weeks later . . .

Matty wanted to make sock puppets so we quickly put some together.  They had fun all day putting on shows for us and each other.

We also took them to the local splash pad for the first time of the season.  I don't love lugging my camera there, but it was going to be Alice's first time getting wet here so I took it along.  Despite the smile here, she really didn't love it.  The water was super cold and big kids spashing her wasn't so fun. 

I told Dan since he had his suit on it would be funny if he grabbed a kid and ran through the fountain getting them wet.  He did it to the older 3, some handling the surprise better than others.

 

 

Jossy's Kindergarten Program

 

Typical program singing songs for your parents, watching a slidshow from the year, and going back to the classroom to see counting books the kids (and sometimes parents) made.  

But the best part was when each kid got the microphone in the middle of a song to say "Hi, my name is _____ and I'm the world's greatest _______."  There were some hilarious answers.  Jossy said, "I'm the world's greatest mermaid."  It was so funny. 

  

 

 She's so sad to not get to go back to kindergarten and does NOT want to move on to first grade.  I'm glad she loved it so much.  And I don't blame her.  Kindergarten is really the highlight of your school career.

Ballerinas

Jossy had to miss her dance performance last week because of our family vacation.  So instead I took some pictures of them practicing during class before we left.  She's a stoic little dancer.

 Lacey would usually dance with Jossy's class just for fun.  She learned the entire routine as well as the girls and even as I'm posting these pictures, she's saying the routine to herself.  She'll start her own class in the fall.

I tried to get Jossy to smile.  She broke for a second, then right back to serious.

Keepin' it Real

A nice, perfect Mother's Day photo would be grand . . . but completely unreal in this house.

Lacey wanted us to all sit on the swing for a pic.  Just couldn't happen.

 

 

 We tried again after she got to swing for a minute.  No luck.  

So we joined her instead. 

 

Which then reminded me a lot of this picture from her newborn days.

 We are not a perfect family.  I don't need perfect. 

I just want the kids I have.  

 

Jossy and Matty made me the sweetest gifts at school.  Bless teachers who do this so that Dad's don't have to take them shopping.  Lacey wrapped one of our princess dolls for my gift.  Pure love right there. 

 

Jossy's book was very cute.  This page said "I love my mom because . . . she gives me milk, and she sings to me and she loves me."  

Matty wrote me the best letter ever.  It says, " Dear Mom, Thank you for forgiving me when I am bad, thank you very VERY much for going through all the pain to give birth unto me, for shopping and doing the budget to keep track of our family's money, loving me, taking care of me, Jossy, Lacey, Alice, and dad when we need your help, providing a safe home, and teaching me to be safe.  I will also try to change poopy diapers, make you breakfast, (on Saturdays) obey your commands, let you sleep in, and love you even more.  Your only son, Matty.  P.S.  I love you so much, the love is over 1000%."

Motherhood is completely exhausting.  I want to pull my hair out most days, lock myself in a closet with a bag of chocolate and never come out.  But I do it all because of letters like that.  I'm blessed. 

11 Months

This was a month ago and to be honest I really can't remember much about it.  I know she started finally crawling on her hands and knees around this time.  The rest is in my journal and it's way too late and I'm way too behind on posts to go look up any more. At least this pic is getting posted.  Sometimes that just has to be good enough.

What It Looks Like

What it looks like when you're incredibly indecisive about a new color for a bedroom:

What it looks like when you forget to take a picture of the painting process until the last strip to paint is left:

What it looks like when you're painting despite your daughter feeling uber sick (and throwing up an hour later):

What it looks like when you get things back into place only to have the baby make a quick mess of things:

What it looks like when you ask your daughter to pose on the bed so you can take a picture of the wall and new bedspread together and she decides it's funny to fake sleep:

What it looks like when someone is jealous everyone else is getting their picture taken: 

What it looks like when you start assembling a new bunk bed a week later and a little one decides it's a great place to play:

What it looks like as you finish assembly and the kids can't wait to hang out on the new beds: