The last week at our house (Nov 13-Nov 20):
I am so beyond ready to post something current. So even though there was nothing particularly noteworthy about our last week, I am going to record it anyway.
Last Friday was fun, if not super eventful. That morning I put the kids in the bath to get Gabe ready for a haircut. He is the only kid I send off for haircuts because the only cut I know how to do doesn't really suit him. Anyway, I snapped a couple of pictures of Camille because I got such a kick out of her dumping the "bathtub barbies" on the rug and setting up her precious action figures.
Her curls, when I take care of them, just kill me with their cuteness. They are probably half the reason she gets her way as often as she does.
And here is the handsome hair-do (and the suckers)! They are always so impressed by Gabe and his ability to sit so still for so long. But don't worry - Camille makes up for it by being doubly energetic and difficult.
On Thursday I had been at Brynn's school helping out with their fundraiser fun-run. When Brynn was in soccer she was a little self-conscious of her running. But then when I saw her at the fun-run she was running laps around lots of the kids there and had SO much energy. So I mentioned to her what distance running was, and that maybe she would do well with that type of thing because of her energy level. As is often the case with Brynn, my casual mention of it was all she needed to start planning. She was going to be a distance runner, Daddy and I were going to take her out to practice, she was going to find the best tracks, etc. So later Friday afternoon Bryce had football practice at a park that just happened to have a perfect "distance running track." She got a paper and pen from my purse and had me start marking laps. She had a couple companions who would follow her pretty much anywhere. I hope that continues, because don't know how she could set a better example for them than she already does.
This year we put Bryce in flag football rather than soccer and he is really liking it. It's his first time and he is still getting the hang of it. I am still waiting to see my aggressive little tornado make an appearance on the field - he has surprised me with his passiveness...
...And Gabe has surprised me in soccer! I told my mom I was worried he would hate it, but she said he might just surprise me. I thought he might cry when everyone was loud, and kicking the ball from him, and in his personal space. But he is doing amazing! I guess all those times we dragged him to the soccer field for his siblings he was really taking it all in and understanding. He is assertive, gets a hold of the ball and kicks it from the other team all the way down the field often. Getting it in the goal is another story, although he does that sometimes too. He just needs a little practice. It also helps that he is one of the older kids.
And Camille is less of a nightmare on the field than she was last year. Still rough, but willing to be distracted and understanding she can't chase after the ball with everyone else. We spent a lot of time burying Spiderman in the dirt. She tells me often she wishes she could play soccer. Next year is your year, Millie May!
So Saturday was full of the typical. Games in the morning. Brynn had an extra choir rehearsal in the morning that Marty went to as well but at a different time (he is in it now, too). It made the morning very complicated because four people were supposed to be in four different places at the same time. But we finally found someone from choir who could do a swap and brought Brynn to the field after choir. By then it was lunch time so the kids and I stopped at Subway. I always want to keep my kids under control at places, obviously, but when I have a pregnant belly on me I have even more at stake. I try not to notice the, "if you are struggling with the ones you have, why are you having more" looks, but they are hard to ignore. Moms know what I mean. We were doing so well until Camille fell off a barstool and was screaming at the top of her lungs. We ran out quickly and had a successful lunch around our own kitchen table.
The rest of our Saturday was also typical. I'm 17 weeks along but still sick, so I'm not able to keep on top of things as well as I would like during the week. I had the brilliant idea this summer that I would start hosting choir at my house every Sunday. So you can imagine the frenzy we all go through on Saturday trying to recover the house before Sunday, haha!
Then in the evening we got a baby-sitter. Things have gotten a bit dicey with baby-sitters since we've had Camille. She is our first kid with separation anxiety, so we just don't get them as often as we used to. It hasn't been too big of a deal because my parents are here now. But they weren't able to sit that night and Marty had a dinner planned with the rest of the teachers and secretary at his school, which I was NOT going to miss. I have always loved getting together with the other teachers and their spouses a couple times a year, and this one was as fun and pleasant as always. We all met up at Mod's pizza and stayed until we realized we were the last people there on a Saturday night. Then got the fun report from the baby-sitter that indeed, Camille had cried a LOT. The next morning I woke up Brynn for church and she greeted me with, "Oh Mom! You would not BELIEVE what I went through with Camille last night!" I had told Brynn and the baby-sitter that if Camille wouldn't stay down, then maybe Brynn should try to take over because she is used to Brynn helping me put her down. I couldn't believe all that Brynn did that night for Camille - she took her duties very seriously! And the baby-sitter did awesome too, but that little thing can be such a handful. It's ok, I gave Brynn five bucks and she was proud.
Sunday was typical, too. EARLY church for which the kids and I are on our own. I bring granola bars upstairs on a blanket so I don't make 50 trips up and down the stairs while I'm trying to get ready. We need to be there early because I'm often involved in the prelude. That day was the primary program and Brynn was singing prelude with the other girls from senior primary. Brynn and Bryce took the primary program seriously and did a great job singing the songs. They also have zero stage fright and delivered their little speaking parts clearly and directly. Gabe was pretty uninterested in the congregation. When it was time to sing, he completely turned his back to the audience and watched the rest of the kids sing. Eventually he got going with one of his little playgroup friends and they started head-butting each other. There on the front row. He spent the rest of the time on his teacher's lap.
Then we had ward choir at our house, which is going so well! We have tons of people coming, couples can let their kids play upstairs in the loft, I can split up to do sectionals and take a group to the other piano and shut the door, I have an awesome pianist and we are singing songs I have been dying to try the last few years. This is my fifth Christmas program as choir director and I love it! I love bringing out dynamics, strong-weak syllables, momentum, building tension, bringing out the Spirit in every way we can -I love all of it. Sometimes I get sick of doing publicity and being in charge and I just want to sing. I was pianist for them a few years before that, so I have held a calling in choir for about years. But I feel really blessed I have somewhere I can use my music! I have given up a lot to be a stay-at-home mom, but if I gave up music completely I think I would shrivel up and die. After choir we have refreshments and chit-chat. This week was more social than usual and by the time everyone cleared out we had just a few minutes to FLOP down on the couch. Then a quick dinner and off to stake choir for me. It's just for a few more weeks and I will miss it when it's over. I go with my friend/neighbor/choir pianist and it's fun to talk music together.
On Monday we had Family Home Evening at Marty's seminary (or church gym since the sem building is STILL not completed). He is teaching Old Testament this year and had set up a tabernacle, and talked with the kids about the symbolism. I seriously can't believe how "with him" the older two were and how much they understood. He says they understood as much or more as his students. Brynn totally put together the three last phases before the veil as representing the godhead - which he and I had never put together but it was totally there.
Millie spent most of the time washing at the laver. ;)
It was amazing to have us all together on the other side of the veil at the holy of holies. It was another time Marty and I were struck with just how much we want all of us to be together in the Celestial Kingdom someday. And then comes the pressure that accompanies the gravity of our calling as parents. To me it is scary, thrilling, and humbling all at the same time.
On Tuesday before Brynn headed out for activity days, Millie was whining and pulling at me for "school." I don't pay for two years of preschool, nor do I have any desire to send the kids off early. So I do a special three-year-old mommy school, which both the Littles are doing right now. It is really short, nearly devoid of crafts, and totally not pinterest-worthy. But we are consistent and the kids love it. Anyway, I was trying to finish the dishes and there was no way I was going to stop everything going on at the time to do an extra random session of preschool, so I asked Brynn if she would just, ya know, do it.
The DANG kid did a better job than I ever do. She knew our whole routine and took them outside with their back-packs to knock on the door. She taught them criss-cross-applesauce, which I've never done, and they were SO with her while she was doing ABCs, counting, and having a moment to go in a circle to talk about their day. She read them a book, then they acted it out, and she came up with a super-cute "recess" activity, which I also never do. Seriously, I wonder if Brynn's siblings know what they really have in her.
On Wednesday and Thursday winter finally hit Arizona. We woke up with the house at 66 which was SO cold to the kids and me. I know. I looked up the weather and saw that this weekend it would shoot back up to the high 70s. I was absolutely determined to not turn on the heater. I really hate switching back and forth from heater to AC in the same week. So we had hot chocolate at breakfast then went up to play. Millie was making it hard on me - she was SO cute playing with toys and had this silly grin on her face while she shivered like crazy. It made me feel guilty. I decided if we were cold, I wasn't working hard enough and they weren't playing hard enough. So I put them both in a nice warm bubble bath while I cleaned both bathrooms and got the washer and dryer going. After that we chased a little and we warmed up just fine, haha! By Thursday night it was up to 75 so it all turned out just fine. :)
Thursday was another complicated evening between choir and soccer. Brynn's rehearsal was later than usual. We got there early and could hear the combined choirs out the window. So I left Gabe sleeping in the carpool lane and went to sneak Bryce and Camille out of the car for a few minutes to go up to the doors to listen. As I was getting Camille out, she poked me in the eye and my contact fell out. So Bryce and I were on the sidewalk, in the cold, in the dark, shining my phone's flashlight desperately searching for my contact which I really couldn't drive home without. Bryce was so good helping me look pretty much everywhere we thought it could fall and finally found it. Then I sent him around the car with the flashlight (still trying to not wake up Gabe) to look for a water bottle to wash the contact. Of all the times to not have someone's school water bottle kicking around the car! Bryce finally found one in the very back with just a few drops of water in it. So I'm trying to wash the contact, Camille is screaming at me that she needs to go potty, I'm putting her off because I just barely took her before we left, and then I hear, "I go potty car, Mom. Sorry, Mom." So I let her sit there in her mess while I finally manage to get my contact in, change her pants and panties right there in the pick-up lane (I always have a pair in my purse!), and THEN we were finally able to go listen for a few minutes. Bryce loved hearing it and is so excited for next Fall when he can be in it with Brynn. Everything worked out fine. Brynn came out early, we got right home, I carried Gabe right to his bed and he never work up, and had the other kids down within five minutes. Then while Marty's choir was still finishing up, I got some hot chocolate, turned a show on Netflix and went through and bunch of my old college binders (I've been on a purging kick lately and almost all papers are getting the ax!).
So all in all a good week, now that I am starting to feel better and remembering how much I love being busy and accomplishing things.
Today is Friday again and as I'm writing this, things are very laid back. I visited a friend this morning and spent a couple hours at "park day" with some other friends. The kids got home and we had "documentary Friday." Brynn was disappointed because Gabe and I fell asleep and Bryce spent the whole time riding bikes with Taylor. So she was trying to tell me about this ancient Greek computer and I really had no idea what she was talking about. I'm not sure she did this time, either. This afternoon they made "lands" in the loft (this time it was princess land, lego land, and planes land - pretty obvious who was building what). And now they are watching TV and I am writing this. Marty came home exhausted having to move offices in the stake center AGAIN and is taking a break. And then we will reconvene for a frozen meal and Star Wars episode...4? Marty wanted to watch them again with the kids before the new one comes out. We got tickets through the UVU alumni association for a special preview the day before it comes out! They have these nights every so often in AZ and Marty gets to watch cool movies he is excited about and I get to answer all the trivia questions and win free stuff (I am still UVU's biggest fan!!).
Not pictured above from the last week: kid fights, mommy tears, homework battles, no piano practicing whatsoever, more crumbs in every carpet than I care to admit, and a car with a suspicious smell I'd probably be able to trace if I would just go out and clean it. On the plus side we did our nightly routines almost every night! Even if the bedroom standards are lower than usual....
