Kling-on

I snapped these photos tonight just before dinner. They show Hailey in her "Kling-on" mode. She had a death grip on my pant legs while I was shooting down at her. She wasn't too happy about the camera in her face when all she wanted was for me to carry her around.

She has these little episodes at least once everyday. I don't know if it is tiredness or teeth hurting or if she just wants some extra attention. She will drive me crazy if I am trying to do something and all she does is hang on my legs and scream. Sometimes she can't get a grip on me, then she just follows me around the house and screams.

I am sure someday I will look back and miss these days. Well - maybe the carrying her around but not the screaming cries!

Cabin

We spent the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend hanging out at the cabin. The boys are begging to spend the night there, but Trent and I haven't yet mustered up the courage to be outnumbered by our children in the wild. Someday soon. An overnighter would be quite fun, the day just seems to fly by so fast up there.

The photos here just scratch the surface of the essence of the cabin. It has been in Trent's family since before he was born - he grew up spending weekends and summer's there. It has always been a haven and magical retreat for him. A month or so after we started dating, he brought me to the cabin for our first getaway as a couple. He tells me that during that trip while I fished in the rain wearing a fluorescent orange slicker he knew that he wanted to marry me. That was the moment he fell in love. A little over a year later, he proposed to me in the very same spot. The cabin has always and will always hold a special place in our hearts.

The boys have always loved going to the cabin and playing around in the woods and river. Even with the water temperature in the low fifties - they hop into that river without a second thought. They love running around up there and hiking on the trails, fishing and looking for animal bones. They are getting older so we don't have to be so vigilant about keeping an eye on them. Things can happen and they are still pretty young but they can be on a shorter leash (as long as they are wearing life jackets) That is so funny to me because I would get so mad at my Dad for making me wear a life jacket around the docks and in boats. I used to think he was just being mean and overprotective - now I totally get where he was coming from and am exactly the same way! It is amazing to me what a difference a year makes. Last year I was totally stressed about Evan going up and down the stairs and being on the dock - this year, he is a seasoned veteran.

There is such a sense of peace and solitude at the cabin. At night sitting by the fire you can look up and see billions of stars and all you can hear is the river running by. It is funny how the river seems to get so much louder at night. We have had so much fun over the years spending time with friends and family up there on our annual canoe trips. Since most of us now have passels of kids the canoe trips are on hiatus for a few years, but in years to come we will be able to enjoy it up there with those we love and our little ones (that need to get a little bigger first). I enjoy hanging out at lake cabins but it is just not the same. Most of the cabins on lakes that I have been to are almost in little lake subdivisions. The cabins are totally close together so it is almost like you are eating dinner at your picnic table right next to your neighbors. Hey, we ran out of potato salad, got any we can have? That is fine if your idea of getting away from it all includes the willingness to socialize. I like the fact that at the cabin you can be walking around in a bikini top with your flab hanging out and there is no one around to see you. No neighbor standing on their dock thinking "Dang, she may want to rethink that outfit!" I want to look grungy and not care about who might see me. It is sort of overwhelming to be surrounded by jet skis and pontoon boats - those lakes are so noisy! Besides, the warm lake water in those inland lakes creeps me out a bit because it always make me feel like I am swimming in pee or something and am destined to get some swimmers itch the minute I get out. The river never stands still.

There is a lot of work to be done around the place. We have been chipping away it it little by little. It is hard to get much done when you have two boys ready to run wild and a toddler girl who is way too curious for her own good. The place needs some TLC so we are doing our best to give it some. I know it means so much to Trent to see his children enjoying a place that means so much to him and holds such fond memories. I hope one day it will mean as much to our kids as it does to us.

You just can't leave the cabin without roasting a s'more. This was a perfect s'more! It would have taken first prize in any competition. Boy did it taste good!

Almost instant regret over this decision...was still not soon enough.

Hobby Lobby had all of their frames fifty percent off. I need two frames for some pictures I want to hang in my kitchen. After lunch I decided we would take a little family excursion to the store. I told the boys on the way if they behaved themselves in the store and followed all of my directions we could stop and get a Slurpee or a shake after we were finished shopping.

They decided that instead of a frozen type treat they would like to buy some sort of craft thing in the store if they were good. I was all for that, I would rather have them doing something creative then sucking down sweet drinks.

They were semi-behaved in the store. I had to break up a couple games of what can only be described as aisle tag, but once I dangled their crafty carrot over their heads, things got much better. In the actual picking out of their "craft" I had to say NO to about a million different things. Rock tumbler. Cast your own mask. Latch-hook rug kits. Stuff way over their heads and not in the price range that I envisioned. In the vacation bible school "stuff" aisle, they found these fuse beads. They decided they could share them and they were forty percent off. Win Win. I hesitated a little because once you get them on the board thingies you have to iron them together. The kids are crazy around the iron when Trent is doing his shirts, heaven knows how they would be around the crafts they made. We don't need more burns around here.

We get home and right away they want to bust out the fuse beads. I try to talk them out of it citing the fact that it is nice out and they can play outside with their new squirt guns. (Also forty percent off, both combined cost one dollar, I know I am a sucker). They were having none of it. Fuse beads it was. Spencer put about five beads on and said he was ready for me to iron. Evan whined (because he hasn't napped in days) that I needed to help him do it. The top was off the bead container for about forty seconds before the floor was covered with beads. They don't sweep up very well because they are like little barrels and roll with the broom. Spence completes his creation and tips it over and all his intricately placed beads plummet and bounce around the floor. I grab the broom AGAIN while Evan (still over tired) cries that I can't throw them away. By the way, he has turned into a pack rat on steroids - I can hardly throw ANYTHING in the trash around him - everything is his favorite or he needs it. We finally get all the beads picked up and I convinced the boys to go outside.

I am thinking these are more of a rainy day activity. I will have to do my best to keep them in hiding until it rains and I am feeling like super Mom in the patience category. A tarp for the floor would help too.

Pretty, pretty Princes?

Fingernail polish and lipstick. That is the latest obsession with the boys. It all started last week on the bus when Spencer sat by some girls that gave him some lip gloss to put on. He came in the house and went straight to the bathroom acting goofy like he was trying to hide something. Later he told me he didn't want me to see his lip gloss. I told him that I didn't care if he put on lip gloss but he shouldn't use other people's makeup because they might have germs. Can I use yours then, and can you put fingernail polish on me too?


We found some glitter polish from back in the day when I actually had fingernails and he was in beauty shop heaven. Evan wanted to join in on the fun as well.

On a funny side note (not too funny because of the circumstances) - while Spencer was in the ER on Sunday with his burned foot, the doctor commented on his painted toenails. He wondered if Spencer had a big sister at home. Well, at least he looked good!

Here are some future bribery pictures of the boys during their spa day. These were taken on their second spa day. I am hoping it doesn't become a daily event!

I caught Evan sneaking into the nail polish again this morning. It is just funny because my kids have never really been "dress-up" kind of kids. They can play with make-up all they want, it doesn't bother me or make me question their "boyishness". I just don't like them sneaking around with the polish because of the stain factor. They already ruined one of my shirts by spilling the glitter polish on it.


Look at their beautiful sparkly nails and their lovely lipstick! You guys are stunners!

They've got the look!

This picture of Evan and Hailey at the park makes me laugh because they both have an exact Oh my gosh Mom, just put the camera away look on their faces. I know that Hailey resembles Evan more than Spence, but here I can really see it.

Maybe the hospital gave me the right baby girl after all.

Wednesday walk

On Wednesday afternoon I asked the kids if they wanted to go for a walk. I figured it would be a good way to get them to stop fighting over the hose. What is it about kids and running water? All afternoon it had been a non stop fight over who squirted who, whose turn it was to be the squirter...ugh...the whole time I could just see our little pennies running into the street.

They were excited about going for a walk. The next question was our destination. Park or Beach? I love where we live. We have a neighborhood park and a pretty private beach just ten minutes walking time from our house. Of course Evan wanted to go to the park and Spencer wanted to go to the beach. I thought it might be cold at the beach since it was only in the mid fifties out - so park it was. We played at the park for a while and I told the kids since the wind seemed to be dying down a little - if they wanted, we could walk down to the beach.

I am so glad we did. It was gorgeous down there. The boys immediately ran to the water and wanted to dip their toes. Spence had the sense to roll up his pants, Ev just tanked right in. Mind you, it is still in the mid fifties - the water must have been freezing! They just had a ball! We stayed and played at the beach for about an hour. Of course I got some photos that I love - it is hard not to love beach shots!

I was so proud of the boys for walking the whole way without one complaint. Normally, the whining and carrying requests come about ten minutes into a walk. They must be growing up!



I love the spring in his step in this photo.

I love how the water twinkles in these photos.

Sun worshipper!

Hailey was not digging the park or the beach much. She is still uneasy with uneven surfaces.

I love this photo of Evan. I think it is a little blurry though.

The farmers in the 'hood

This is Spence and Ev's latest pastime. Playing farmer. They drive the Jeep into the empty lot next to Jed's house and pick all the "grain" they can find.

Today they drove up to me with these hanging out of their mouths and said "Hey Mom! This is what farmers do, right?"

When we went to Wal-mart to get our annuals, Spence was obsessed with buying this potted Strawberry plant. I told him that the amount of strawberries that would come from the plant would be hardly worth the water. He insisted he would care for it, so we bought it. When Evan and I were going back for some hanging pots, Spence remembered that I had tried to persuade him to buy chives instead. He asked if I could get the chives for him as well. I bought the onion chive plant and Spence has been eating them ever since. Yesterday he picked some chives and came inside and made himself an onion chive and cheese sandwich complete with mayo. He wanted the same thing for breakfast.

I sort of wish we had a spot for a real garden since the kids seem to be so into it. We don't have enough sun in our backyard and I don't think the neighborhood association would look too kindly on a big garden plot in our front yard. We will stick to flower pot gardens I guess.

$1.50

Funky girl boots: 1.00

Cowboy hat: .25

Paperback book: .25

Bonding with your neighbors while buying their junk: Priceless

Who says you can't get anything good for a dollar nowadays? Our neighborhood garage sale was this past Saturday. These are the gems we found and they came to a whopping grand total of one dollar and fifty cents.

I LOVE the funky little "no place like home" boots! They are a size five so I am hoping they will fit Hailey this fall.


Evan picked out the cowboy hat and bought it with his own quarter. He could not be talked out of it. It basically puts his whole body in shadow. It is huge! Maybe he will be a cowboy for Halloween.


Spencer couldn't find anything that he wanted to buy and had money burning a hole in his pocket. Finally, at the last house we went to they had a box full of books. I spotted this Boxcar Children book and was transported back to being in grade school. I checked every Boxcar Children book they had out of the library. I especially loved the first one. I remember being fascinated by the children going to the dump and finding cups and plates and spoons to use in their little boxcar home. I remember reading about them making a stew out of vegetables they got from doing odd jobs and my mouth totally watering for stew as I read it. Eventually, the children were found by their grandfather and then they started solving mysteries. The book Spencer got is book number 20 in the series. They list about 5o of them inside the cover. The first book was the best - I think maybe I should get Spencer that one first so that he can get a better feel for why they are the Boxcar Children. Then I will get to read it again as well. It is fun to watch your kids enjoying things that you grew up with.

Demon baby

Or Haydevil. That is Hailey's nickname for the day. She had a bad night last night. I don't know what it was, if she was overtired, off of her schedule or just felt like being a demon.

We spent most of the day yesterday at Troy and Joann's. We meant to catch part of Grant's baseball game but were too late. We went to the mall so the boys could make their Build-A- Bears that they got for Christmas. After the mall, Madi babysat for all the kids so the grownups could go out to dinner. It was so nice to go out to eat with adults! I can't remember the last time we did that. We brought Hailey's pack n play and I told Madi that she could put her to bed or not. Whatever was easier. She choose to keep her up which is fine and I think she wanted to play with her as much as she could - I totally understand. When we got back, Hailey was in good spirits but it was three hours past her normal bedtime.

She fell asleep in the car on the way home and went right to sleep in her crib when I carried her up. The rest of the night is a blur. She would wake up and cry her little head off. When we would go in to get her she would be fine. I brought her into our bed two separate times and each time she would just talk, laugh and basically play around. I would tell her it was time to go to bed and bring her back to her crib and the wailing would start all over again. I think she lasted about three and a half hours before she finally gave it up. Or maybe the infant Tylenol kicked in.

So today I am so tired. I was still getting over what I imagine is the virus that Spencer had last weekend - so I really didn't need to miss out on any rest. I am grumpy as well. We decided to go to church today and I thought that would help me gain a broader perspective. It did to a certain extent. Pastor Dave is an amazing speaker. His sermons make great points and he is totally relateable (I don't even know if this is a real word, but it should be) because with him being a young father in a family with three kids who drives a mini-van, I can see our life in the stories he tells. It was short lived though. After church I got grumpy again. Grumpy at Trent for cleaning out the fridge. Grumpy at the kids for driving the Jeep too fast and crazy down the hill. Grumpy that I have to pick up the house because Gladis comes tomorrow. Grumpy that I have no idea what to make for dinner tonight. Grumpy that Evan refuses to try to take a nap. Grumpy that I can't take a nap.

So I am going outside to get some fresh air and power wash the play house. Demon Hailey is napping right now. She had better not wake us tonight!

Next step: Pulitzer

Last week we got a call from Spencer's school asking if Trent and I would be able to come to the school on Friday morning. I have to admit that the first thought that flew across my mind was: What did he do now? Fortunately, in this case he had chosen to use his powers for good and not evil. Very good, in fact.

In the fall, the whole school had watched an assembly about constructing stories and the key elements you need to write one. The most important element being: imagination. All of the students would have the opportunity to write their own stories and when the "brainstormers" came back in the Spring, they would pick the best stories and act them out.

It turns out that Spencer's story was one of the stories they chose! His story was titled "The shark and the alligator met an angler fish." Granted, his story was about three sentences long so... the brainstormers improvised a bit.


The fact that his was chosen was a surprise to Spence and his teacher, so we had to sneak into the auditorium. It was pretty humorous because we were hardly stealth in getting to our seats. The kids that were already seated were of course looking all over the place at the other kids coming in. The kids in Spencer's class know me from
coming in and helping in his class. No sooner
had one kid spotted me and the whole class
was looking back at us. Spence saw us and waved. I don't think he realized why we were there.

It was quite an honor for his story to be selected out of so many choices. I was so proud of him as he sat up in the "author" chair being interviewed and getting to watch his story brought to life. I know that it is his accomplishment but as a parent it makes you feel like you must be doing something right. I hope it is the first of many more honors to come for him. He definitely has the potential - he is a smart and special kid.




Watching the play based on his story.

Taking a bow and getting his certificate.

Changes

I decided to temporarily change the template of my blog. I really like the cute little dots, but I can't get a picture type header to go across the page with that template.

We will see how this goes. It is already weird to look at. I feel like I am in the wrong place. Next time you look, the dots may be back...

Hailey - sweet sixteen

Hailey is now sixteen months old and as evidenced by this months photos, way too busy and interested in things other than Mommy and her camera. I was so excited to get some shots of her wearing this cute little vintage sweater that I wore when I was her age - she was having none of it. I still think these shots are cute, but I wanted to see her face. She owes me big time next month.







She is walking all over the place and is getting into EVERYTHING! We had to barricade the dining room plant with a chair on its side so she can't dig dirt out of it. She constantly gets into the cupboard where we keep the boy's cups and gets them out and carries them around with her. I have to wash about 12 cups a day. The funny thing is when I unload the dishwasher, she is always underfoot wanting to help. I will give her those cups and she puts them away right where they belong. She stacks them and everything.

She loves being outside. She will walk around the front yard and pick up the rocks that surround our bushes and put them in the grass or a bucket if she has one. She would do that all day long if I let her. She likes to splash around water in the sand and water table. There is only a little bit of rain water in there now but just wait until we fill it with more water and actual sand - she will be in her glory! She is still a little terrified of the grass. The non level surface of it intimidates her a bit and she is not sure about how it feels to touch... even as nice as our lawn is - thanks to Daddy the yard pro.

Playing in the basement is another current love of hers. If the boys run down there and she is left behind, she will stand at the door and cry to go downstairs. I don't know what it is about the basement, but the toys down there keep her attention way longer than anything that is upstairs. Maybe I need to do some rotating.

I can see her third top tooth (fifth overall) poking through her gum. The opposite side is not far behind - she has been fussy at night and I think that is the reason. She has been making different sounds lately that are starting to sound more like actual words. She says "mamama" a lot but I am not sure if it actually means mama, more or mine. It seems anytime she says it, any of the words would fit the scenario of what she wants.

She is very smart. She may not talk much, but she understands anything we tell her. If I tell her to go and get something in another room, she comes back with it. If I say anything about brushing her teeth, she will go stand at the gate waiting to go upstairs. She is a big fan of having her teeth brushed! She has started to give us kisses. Most of the time they are still the typical baby open mouthed slobber fest kiss, but sometimes if she is in the right mood, she will pucker up and make the "MMMm" sound when she gives a kiss. It is the cutest thing!

She is starting to "play" with her baby dolls. She will carry them around a little and pretend they are crying and bring them to me to cuddle. She has been sleeping with her "gloworm" that lights up and plays music. If she doesn't have "globaby" she will cry pretty hard and not go to sleep. She is a fickle little girl though because at some point globaby will be tossed from the crib. I have yet to see a day where globaby has made it in crib the whole night.


She still has some major clingy days. It is strange how she can be so willing to walk around and explore and destroy everything, yet ten minutes later, she won't let me put her down. These are extremely frustrating moments - especially since they seem to occur when I am trying to make dinner or make a phone call or break up some sort of skirmish with the boys.

She is terrified of the vacuum. It was pretty comical tonight with me trying to vacuum up the dirt she had dug out of the plant (despite the chair barrier) with one hand and me holding her on my hip with the other hand as she cried hysterically. I don't know if she was crying because of the vacuum or me sucking up her precious dirt.


Oh, Miss Hailey, everyday is a new adventure with you!

A glimpse of things to come...

So the brother/sister torment has already begun.

Evan received this ball hopper as a birthday gift. It was together about an hour until it became a cage for Hailey's baby. I am not sure which brother is the culprit, but it made me laugh pretty hard.

Poor Hailey would look at her baby and start her "uh uh uh" cry.

Nap time

When is the point where napping goes from being a dreaded childhood event to a luxury that seems too good to be true? I think it must happen sometime around the years you go to college. You know you have to nap during the day so you will be fresh for all the late night partying.

There is a small window of opportunity if I need to get the four of us (the kids and I) down for a nap on any particular day. Today the kids and I were outside and Hailey started to get fussy. I realized it was about 12:45, so time for baba and nightnight for her. The boys asked me if they could run around back and play with Luke and Nathan who were outside. I told them they could for a few minutes while I put Hailey down then they were coming in for resters as well. Spence is home sick for the second day in a row that began with a trip to the ER on Saturday as soon as the last guest exited Ev's party. He just has a virus but was complaining of a headache, sore throat, ear hurting and running a high fever. He has none of the symptoms today but a nap would still do him a world of good. I get Hailey down just shy of 1pm. I go out on the deck and am semi-mortified to see my kids plus Luke and Nathan plus their Mom outside in our backyard. OK - feeling like a horrible Mom who just lets her kids run wild. I apologize to the Mom (who is super nice and says she was just out there because Nathan still needs a lot of help navigating around our monster play set - she didn't use the word monster) and tell the boys it is time to pick out a book and take a nap. They came running in without another word so I was thinking that this nap thing was going to happen after all.

I got Evan into his sleep diaper while Spence stripped down to his unders. He always sleeps better in this unders - his words. Evan picked his new Star Wars book to read. Spence came running in with a Toy Story book that had A LOT of words. I didn't think it was worth the fight so we read the books. Finally ready to go to sleep at about 1:20 or so. I tuck the boys into their beds, turn on fans etc. I went back to my room and got under the covers. I feel like I am getting a touch of what Spencer had (scratchy throat, achy body) so I really wanted to nap. I think I slept for about 20 minutes when I heard Hailey start to cry. I willed her with all my might to go back to sleep and after a few minutes of crying out I think she did. Then I could hear sounds from Evan's room - his Star Wars birthday card playing music, his voice undoubtedly playing with his bed full of creatures and guys. A few minutes later I hear his door open. Now I am starting to get annoyed. Just sleep for the love of God! I get up and go into the hall to find him whispering EVAN in an annoyed tone. I run into Spencer in the hallway who informs me that Evan is in the bathroom because he has to go poop. I tell Spencer to get back in bed and take a NAP! ( I thought he was sleeping for sure! My main reason for chasing down Ev was that he didn't wake Spence) Evan is done going poop so I tell him he is coming to my room to sleep with me (get him away from his room of distractions). He plays the fake sleeping game a couple times and laughs at me and then is out cold and snoring. YES! Just as I start to fall asleep again...Hailey starts to cry. It is 2:30. She is not stopping. Her nap is SO done. Bummed, I sneak out of bed and get her and bring her downstairs. About 3.5 seconds later Spence is calling "MOM" from the top of the stairs. He didn't sleep a wink.

So here we all are. I guess I should be happy for my 20 minutes but it just seemed like more of a tease than rest. Evan is still up in my bed snoozing - he will be until 4:30 I bet - I am SO jealous.

Make it bigger, make it badder, make it AWESOME!

Now I know why Duff never wants to stick around and cut the cake that he made. I felt his pain when I had to cut up the light saber cake. It is like cutting out a little piece of your heart and soul - and hours of hard work.

I was so happy with it. It turned out great. I have never used fondant before and was not sure what to expect. It is a little difficult to work with but the end result could not have been achieved with traditional frosting. Oh, and our wedding cake lady was right - it really doesn't taste that good.

Evan was very excited that he was able to help "paint" the light saber.

I love the silver dust on the handle. Mix it with vodka and brush it on. The vodka evaporates and the dust stays. I got to use a lot of different mediums that I have never used before on this cake.

Now that I have done it once, there are many things that I would do differently - but not too bad for a first try.

Four years...

My Evan is four years old today.

Last night as I was tucking him into bed, I told him that the kisses and hugs I was giving him would be the last ones he would get being three years old - when he woke up in the morning he would be a four year old boy. As I was saying the words I had to try hard not to think too much or I knew I would be sitting at his bedside all night - as if I could stop time from making my baby grow up so quickly.

In May of 2003 I had a miscarriage. The pregnancy was a complete surprise to us. When I found out after numerous negative pee tests by blood work that I actually was pregnant, we were thrilled. Then a week later it was over. I was five weeks along. Barely pregnant - but still pregnant. All I could think about was how much I wanted another baby. Though my doctor said that miscarriages were common and completely normal, I had my doubts. Why was my first pregnancy so easy? Why did my body reject this baby? Will I ever be able to have another baby? I felt guilty because I knew I should be happy with the fact that I had one wonderful child in my life - some people would do anything for that. I felt guilty because I knew people that were going through much worse things in their lives than I was. Still, hearing news of people newly pregnant or seeing that tell tale bump, would make my heart sting with jealously.

I like to think that things happen for a reason. I like to think that there is a divine plan that orchestrates our lives to a certain extent. I know in some cases the reason is not evident. Sometimes God's plan is not for us to see. There are things that have happened in the lives of my family and I that make no sense. I have to believe that someday the reason will present itself but as of now it still feels very raw and very cruel. It is hard not to be angry and to find the faith to trust God. I guess that would be the very definition of faith.

In May of 2004, one year and three days later, I was shown the reason for our pain and disappointment. I knew the reason my pregnancy could not make it to term - that baby was not Evan. My heart is pounding in my chest as I write this because my life without Evan is unfathomable to me. He is supposed to be here with us and God knew it.

Having Evan in my life reminds me everyday to try to have faith. It may be his birthday, but he is our gift. Oddly enough, on Evan's second birthday I found out that I was pregnant with Hailey. He is our lucky charm.

Evy, you are so loved! Happy Birthday sweet Baby Evers!

Mirabel

Here are some pictures from the photo shoot I did with Mirabel last week. I could have posted about twenty more because I love the way they turned out. She is so fun to photograph! With most babies I am happy if I can get shots where they are not crying - this little supermodel was smiley for most of her shots. I can't wait for her to come back to town so I can try out some other ideas.



The kids had so much fun meeting their new cousin. The boys just fell in love with her and can't wait to see her again. They always wanted to help with the swing, or the music on the bouncy seat or hold her. Evan would ask me "Can I hold she?" - in his mixed up pronoun kind of way. Miss Hailey had some minor jealously issues. She is pretty content in her position to be the Baby Girl around here and was not too keen on someone taking her spot - but she will get over it and they will be the best of friends in years to come.



Mira was a great traveler. She was very adaptable to the new situation and even slept through the night twice (for the first time) when she was here. I think she just loved it at Aunt Jeeeeny's house!



Come see us again soon Mirabel - we love you!