Just some things I don't want to forget...

Carter, Will, and Bella being themselves. And Will is clothed.  I promise.

I need to write these down so I don't forget them.  The kids are constantly doing things that tickle me, thrill me, aggravate me, and humble me.  So these are mostly for posterity.

Carter:

Third grade brings new challenges, especially when you are actually in 4th grade math, 4th grade spelling, and 4th grade literacy.  The homework is quite a bit more.  The spelling words are now ridiculous.  The times tables are practiced nightly.  When we were on the 5s, Carter explained that it was merely half of what 5 was timesing.  For example, if it's 5 x 7, half of 7 is 3.5 so the answer is 35, and so forth.  I asked if his teacher told him that?  No.  A friend?  No.  Oh, well, how did you realize this pattern?  "Well, I thought it was kind of OBVIOUS."  Poor Carter, his mother is so limited in her math abilities.  Actually, his sense of humor has become really keen.  His timing and play on words is really advanced.  I suppose he comes by that honesty from the men in his genetic lineage.  Hanging around them has honed those skills, but his delivery is so dry for a 3rd grader that, if you don't know him, you probably wouldn't think he was joking.  He's a great big brother to both Will and Bella, looking out after them and teasing them in turn.  Bella clearly adores him.  When he picks her up, she rests her head sweetly on his 8 year old shoulder, as if to say, "You are my hero."


Will:

If you could put his dad in the washing machine, in hot water, and shrink him down, you would have Will.  He is smart, silly, and almost eternally enthusiastic.  He might not be the best soccer player on the field but he has the best time.  He gets so excited about life's small gifts that it makes you feel like you take too many things for granted.  His Kindergarten teacher is the perfect match for his sweet personality.  She is so very sweet herself, and so encouraging to Will.  He can read so well, it amazes me every night.  Where his brother dreads, hates, and cries over homework, Will loves it.  He curls up next to me to do his reading each night and usually asks if we can do a little more when we are finished.  At his class's Christmas party, they put on a little play for us.  It wasn't until that very morning that Will told us that it was "The Gingerbread Man."  After asking 100 questions, he admitted that he was the Gingerbread Man!  He loved being in spotlight and played the part with gusto.  The only downside is that Will, in this particular time in his life, must be told to accomplish tasks at least 3 times.  From brushing teeth, to picking up toys, to getting his jacket, he is often distracted from his task the first two times you direct him. Just this morning, after telling him 3 times each to brush his teeth, put on his shoes, and put on his jacket, he said, "It's just that this tv really wants me to watch it!"  His dad uttered those exact words to me many years ago.  The nut truly does not fall far from the tree.


Arabella:

Please note that her Daddy dressed her.

Girls are different.  Girls talk early and a lot. I do not know a word that she cannot say.  She is next to me now saying "hippopotamus."  She often admires my jewelry: "Mommy, I like you necklace."  She is a good mommy, loving on her dolls and stuffed animals, cradling them to sleep.  She loves sparkly, flashy, pink things.  And so many times she will see anything from a puppy to a hammer and coo "Awwww cute."  Just like her brothers, she is full of energy.  She climbs on everything - kind of like Carter when he was little.  Which sometimes causes her to get into trouble.  Like a couple of days ago when she got her foot caught in the heavy duty laundry basket.  Maybe I should say stuck.  It wasn't going to come out without some sort of intervention.  Her daddy had to come home from work, bringing sharp wire cutters with him to cut the basket and get her foot out.  Once she calmed down, she lounged on top of her brothers' clean clothes, eating some chicken nuggets and watching some tv.  OH, and I shouldn't forget that everything belong to Bella.  My tv is turned off.  My phone is ringing.  My legos.

But back to her language development, here are some of her more funny utterings:
"Aw come on Dad... Are you kidding me?"
"Oh ga-ross!"
"Oh no.  Not again."
"Mama, you cookin'?" or "Mama, you ex-uh-cisin'?"
And just moments ago, "Hey mommy!  I'm making a mess!  Look!"
She walks around singing most of the time and loves to dance to the beat.  When she wants to snuggle, she wants you sing Jesus songs.  She loves the Jesus songs.  If you have to scold her, she breaks down sobbing and tells you "Ookaaaay.  Sorry mommy.  Sorry.  Sorry."  She is super sweet and so funny, really dramatic and we just couldn't imagine our house without her. 

I know I need to do this more often.  I really don't want to forget a moment of my life with these kids.  They are all so sweet and loving, except, you know, when they're not.  :)

The Bittersweet First Day of Kindergarten

You see this super sweet boy here:

Well, he just finished his first full week of Kindergarten.  Will was made for Kindergarten.  He is so smart, he just absorbs all information around him. He is so sweet, a Kindergarten teacher's dream.  And my house is so quiet without him around all day.  He was so excited to start Kindergarten and be at the same school with is big brother. 

Sending him off to a full day of school has caused anxiety.  Not just because I miss him so much, but because of his food allergies.  Particularly the peanut butter.  Will's allergist said he did not have to have a peanut free room now and that brings all sorts of crazy scenes of horrible reactions to my mind.  And it forces me to hand my precious boy over into the protective arms of an all powerful and infinitely loving God.  I full admit that I have control issues.  Managing Will's food allergies feeds into that need to supervise, and now, I have to let go a little more.  I have to trust that God's love for him is even greater than my own - which is so much I can't imagine how there could be more love.  Yet God's protection is all we have anyway.  Even I am just a delivery system of God protecting my Sweet William.  So, I again stand humbled at how patient God is with my stubbornness and balking.  He gives us situations to gradually let out babies become big kids, to let them be independent of their hovering, smothering, LOVING mothers.

I have loved asking Will how school is going each day when I pick him up.  Every day he's had a good time EXCEPT, "we had to walk so much." If there is one kink in his precious armor, it's that he doesn't like to walk.  Just walking to school in the morning, he huffs and puffs like we're trekking across a barren wasteland.  So, the walking around to lunch and specials, I'm sure, is no less exerting.  But, it makes me giggle every time he talks about all the walking.  In all other ways, he just so enthusiastic.  His teacher seems to appreciate his happy little personality and has given him great notes at the end of each day. 

It's such a bittersweet time, realizing one of your babies is needing you less and less but also realizing your big boy needs you less and less.  He's so different from Carter that I'm excited to see how he navigates this exciting world of elementary school

Post Script:  I started this post a couple of days ago and as life goes, I haven't had much time to finish up.  But I had to add that I spoke to the mother of Will's new school friend.  I mentioned I visited at lunch, and because he has food allergies, I just wanted to scan the crowd and see where the peanut butter was.  I told her I was relieved to see her son had a ham sandwich.  She grinned and said, "Oh he hated peanut butter.  I can't believe it because I eat it all the time but he won't touch it."  I smiled and responded, "Well, it seems like this friendship was meant to be."  So his little buddy hates the stuff that he's so allergic to.  More like a friendship made in heaven.

Diamonds and Caviar

Nathan had to go to Europe on a business trip.  At his old job, he traveled a lot.  And by a lot, I mean he has been to every continent except Antarctica for work.  Usually, he asks if I'd like something from whatever country or city he is visiting which leads to a conversation of what products are famously produced in that area.  For example, when he went to Paris, I asked for some perfume I knew he could only get there.  Or when he went to Belgium I suggested chocolate.  This trip was through FOUR countries:  England, Sweden, Finland, and Norway.  He's been to these countries before, and every time he's gone to Amsterdam, I've casually remarked, "Isn't Amsterdam known for diamonds?"  He always shrugs off my obvious hint and says he's never heard of that.  That has been the exact conversation every time.
"Isn't Amsterdam known for diamond?"
"I've never heard that" (which isn't true after his first trip there as I had clued him into that information already).
"Yes, I'm pretty sure it is."
"Hmm."
Every time.

But Nathan is not a normal person. He's good at surprising you when you least expect it.  So, there's always the hope that he's not really as uninterested in that nugget of information as he is acting.  He loves surprising people with great gifts.

As we lovingly welcomed him back to the Bluegrass, he announced he had surprises for everyone.  And indeed, everyone got something.  Chocolates and humorous foreign oddities.  And then hours after everyone had gotten their little souvenirs and most of us were winding down for the night, he said, "Have you ever had caviar?"  Man, I was getting excited.  "Yes, I have.  Why?"  I just knew he was going to do the ole switcheroo, "Well, Amsterdam is known for caviar but I brought you a DIAMOND!"

He walked in and handed me what looked like a sample size tube of toothpaste that had Caviar written on it with a drawing of a smiling blond-headed boy.
"What is this?"
"Caviar.  Look at it."
"Am I supposed to squeeze this on to my toothbrush?"
"If you want?"
"Do I squeeze it on to toast points?"
"If that is how you like it."
Heaving a deep sigh, "I tell you Amsterdam is known for diamonds and I get caviar in a toothpaste tube?"

"You know, I told the guys I work with, 'Every time I go to Amrsterdam, Nancy says it's known for diamonds.' They said that was quite a hint, and I told them I never realized it was a hint before."

A likely story.  Nice try Mr. Brown.  Nice try.