Summer is Here!

Summer is finally here! We kicked off the summer at the beach visiting with cousins. I wish I would've gotten a few more photos (or any), but it's a lot of work watching kids at the beach. Especially 5. We brought along a cousin to splash in the waves. We also recently went to the race track. It was my first time on the dirt bike track. We have a small bike for the kids but I had a blast on it too. One day I can see having a bigger bike for me, and the small one for the kids, because I look a little silly on the small one ;).

The smiles tell it all though. We had a great time while it lasted! I say that because the dirt bike riding only lasted about an hour. The rest of the time I was chasing Hannah around the bike garage. If we are done having kids I can see the days we are all on the track together ;). I think we are done but yea, who knows for sure. For now I'm still chasing a baby.

Gabriel finished up his school year with a bang. Passing his CAT test like a champ. 

We all need a break from "formal" school, but he will be doing some reading and flash cards still. Next year Elizabeth will start Kindergarten. I know she will pick up on the school work super fast since she picks up a lot listening to Gabriel.

On a super sad note we lost our little Stitch last week. I have to say it was incredibly hard to make the decision to put him to sleep. It was time, but I wasn't ready. After twelve years of wonderful memories I miss him so much. 

He was our first "baby" and was there for all of the babies born after him. He endured the toddler phases of four kiddos and even bringing home a Lilo and a Mascha Kitty. I think the cat gave him the most grief of them all. He was feisty until the end though and put her in her place when he could. We'll miss you Stitch so much. 

One!

I'm homeschooling Gabriel, explaining for the 5th time what he is supposed to be doing, while trying to formulate some idea of what I want to write; while listening to Hannah scream under the table because she wants me to hold her 24/7. Being a mom takes the emotional stability of a saint. Or a wall. I can't figure out which. A wall because sometimes you have to stare blankly into space, and zone out, before you freak out--lol. I kid... sort of.

It has taken me a week to get back to this post. I finished it and then my computer died before the draft was saved. So, alas, here I am again.

Hannah is a whole year old. I absolutely love watching these kids grow. It is a whole lot of work, and often a lot of stress, but they are so wonderful and I am so blessed to have them. Gabriel is doing great in school (aside from handwriting), Liz is loving gymnastics and is teaching her brothers, Josiah is a complete ham, and Hannah is a ball of emotions. Hannah is both ends of the spectrum. One minute she's the happiest child in the world and the next she's screaming her head off like she's dying. She's also still my worst sleeper waking up several times at night. We did find out at her one year appointment that she had an ear infection. The doctor asked if she was fussier than normal and the answer was, "yes a little," but honestly she's a mess at home so I didn't notice "much" more than normal. Josh and I did look in her mouth though and notice her one year molars coming in; so we thought it was that and not an ear infection. There was no fever. Anyway, so she is on antibiotics now and doing a little better. She weighs 20 lbs and is in the 60% percentile for height/weight still. Growing like a champ. She is a total momma's girl. My other kids had turned on me by now becoming daddy's kids, but not this one. This one is ALLLL MINE. She loves her some momma and I love her to pieces. She is the only one who has let me sing her to sleep. The other kids would push me away and just want to be in their crib. She will let me rock her, cuddle, and sing. She will often harmonize with me. My mom said I used to do that too. Momma's girl.

Milestones wise Hannah is starting to walk/wobble. I swore she would be walking before her first birthday but that didn't happen. She walked a few days later. She is now getting better and better at it and the other kids love cheering her on. The problem is she would much rather have momma scoop her up and just hold her ;).  She will be running in no time I'm sure. She loves saying, "hi" to everyone especially the cat. She will say, "hiiiii kiki" as she grabs the kitty and pulls her close. Kiki is what we call Mascha kitty most of the time now. Hannah also says, "mom," "dad," "Josiah,"and "bye." She will copy other words occasionally but it's a one time thing. We are trying to wean her from formula but she isn't doing the best at that. She loves her milk and it seems to satisfy her hunger better than what I feed the other kids. The girl eats like I've never seen a child eat. I believe even more than Josiah did, and she gets HANGRY. She will throw her self backwards and scream if she doesn't get her food fast enough. This is why Josh affectionately calls her, "big girl." Not because she is "big" but because the girl can put food away! So I'm having a difficult time adjusting to her wanting to eat 24/7 and keep up with everything else. It is so much easier to give her milk. So maybe I'm actually trying to wean myself--lol.

I think that is all I have the time for now. Here are some Easter Photos we took the other day. It is such a blessing to be able to capture these beautiful memories of my kids. Time consuming, but we all find the time to do things we are passionate about.

I love this life and these babies! 

A Beautiful Mess

The title is a cliche but I really don't know how else to describe this life. If I took photos of my house right now you would probably turn me into social services. I won't lie; my house explodes on a daily basis-- several times a day. I can't help it. I've tried to keep up and it drives me more crazy. I find myself arguing with the kids about "WHY" they took this out or that about 20 times a day. I wish there was a better way to deal with the mess. I wish that I could keep it more clean, but it is literally unavoidable with these kids. I could do it with Gabriel but then I had Elizabeth and she is a walking disaster. She then trained her apprentice, Josiah, to be just like her--maybe even a better mess maker. To give you an example, yesterday I went to the bathroom to find one of them had tried to clean the cat litter box and scooped the "mess" all over the floor. Then they tried to hide the evidence behind the toilet . I have four young children, and this is reality for now. We live here, play here, sleep here, and even school here. There is only so much I can do as one person, so I try to enjoy the moments in between the chaos. 

So, back to school...Gabriel has slight (maybe more than slight) ADD. I literally have to sit next to him and push him to finish a worksheet. If I get up to do the dishes he's out of his chair, thinking and talking about something else, or simply fidgeting after finishing one equation. It isn't easy to keep him on task but I'm trying to optimize my time and read, catch up on pictures/blogging, or mindless scroll through Facebook. It is a daily struggle, but I like to take things day by day. It is how I keep my sanity.

Here is our school desk. I told you it wasn't pretty! We have cups, books, a white board, halo mask, and a baby in a high chair being fed to keep her from screaming. Every day these books get laid out and then put back in a china hutch. The important thing is we get it done, and I'm happy to say Gabriel is doing well. He consistently gets 95%-100% on his math work, A's and B's on his phonics and reading, gets science concepts like a champ, and does "o.k." at spelling and writing. We are working on those last two things, but I am choosing to look at these years as a betterment process. I am not a task master to him but continue to encourage his betterment with words of affirmation and approval. Isn't that what we all crave? Room for betterment and encouragement to do so? I think this is the point of this post. To say that you do not have to be perfect to get stuff done! You just keep doing it and get better as you go. The mess might not always be beautiful, but the moments in between are:

During a short break Gabriel got to hold the kitty cat (we named Mashca) and Hannah put on her super hero cape. Then we all crash at the end of the day:

Even the kitty gets tired after a crazy day! The kids definitely keep her on her toes.