Wow. I haven't written a post in near six months! Guess I got a little side tracked...
Things have been busy. Life has been full. Most of the fullness has been good, joy-filled fullness. But there have definitely been some plain old "You've got your hands full" kind of moments as well. With my Lellybug and Sweet Pea just 13 months (and ten days, but who's counting?) apart, we seem to be hitting the twin toddler stage... and I think they are both hitting the terrible twos at the same time. Lellybug seems a little late, and Sweet Pea is just a little precocious and advanced, so they are both starting the fit throwing, defiant two year old stuff at the exact same time.
And they've been piggyback napping for what seems like an eternity, so I never seem able to sneak in a few minutes without one toddler or another (or both at the same time...) needing me.
And she's getting her eye teeth, and he's getting his two year molars.
And neither one is really able to listen and obey well just yet.
And both can talk to some extent, but both seem as though they'd rather resort straight to screaming.
And they feed off each other. A lot.
Much of the time it's just plain old funny. Some of the time it's just plain old loud. And occasionally it's just plain old hard to smile through. ;o)
So that is a big part of why I've been absent from here. And part of it is just that my life is full, in a good way. I really am spending most of my time with my family, and not on the computer - and enjoying my time so much more that way! And that is a really good thing, so I don't feel bad about it.
But I do enjoy posting things, and I'd love to get back to it on a regular basis at some point.
But as we just started our school year yesterday, with two toddlers, a preschooler, a kindergartner, a third grader and a fifth grader, I'm not so sure this is the season in which I'll be finding lots of free time to keep up here!
But life is good, God is good, and I'm already so much happier on the school schedule than I was on the "freedom" of our summer days. And the kids are too. I always know we will be, but it's still so hard to give up that free summer feeling. Maybe one of these years I'll be able to move into a more consistent year round routine, but for now this is the way we do it.
The kids are great. Punky is 10 now, and decided he wanted to be baptized this summer! It was amazing to watch as he took that step in his life. I am so proud of him, and so happy. He is his own person, and I am reminded of that more and more each day. When did I become the mother of a Young Man? Wasn't he just a baby? Isn't he still a little boy? And yet each day seems to bring new changes, physically and emotionally, to my sweet boy. He's on the cusp of so many things. He is still so much a boy, but the things of his younger days aren't quite as satisfying as they once were. He feels a pull to the adult world, but he's not really ready for that yet either. So we walk, and we talk, and we pray, and I teach him and encourage him to pray on his own and seek God's wisdom, guidance and strength. But it's hard. It's hard to let go when I want to hold on. And it's hard to hold him back when he wants to go forward. I am just so thankful God gave me that boy as my trial run. He's so loving, and so forgiving. I do love that crazy boy. And I am enjoying the ride, no matter how new and uncharted the territory may be.
Finny is 8 and thriving. I still see glimpses now and then of his Sensory Processing issues, but they are getting fewer and further between, and milder when they do pop up. For the most part he is a delightful, confident, healthy boy who adores his baby brother and sister and always brings a smile into the room with him. I truly enjoy time with him and I praise God that Finny seems to be feeling good in his own skin. He really seems to have come to a great place, and seems to be finding a strength and a quiet resolve that I often wondered if he'd ever find.
Goose is 6, and as happy and sweet as ever. He has some struggles, mostly with processing and some motor skills, but he is so bright, so imaginative, so engaging. We are starting down the path of evaluating and testing him, looking for answers, or a diagnosis, or whatever we can find, but I'm not as worried this time as I was when we first starting asking questions with Finny. Part of it is that my faith is stronger and I am more able to see God's hand in everything and to trust that He made Goose the way he is for a purpose and with a plan. And part of it is because of seeing Finny come through the other side so well. And part of it too is that he is happy, and it's not as hard on him as Finny's struggles were for him. There is something in common there, but it's all definitely different. So I'll see if I can keep up on that here as we walk down that road.
Girly Pie is 4, and sweet, happy, sunshiny and delightful. I've never done this whole girl thing before - so each day is so new and surprising with her. She really is such a sweet young lady, always concerned with those around her, loving on her younger siblings, mimicking my every motherly move with her baby dolls, and killing trees daily through her use of art paper for her constant coloring and drawing! She adores her big brother Goose and I love watching their relationship grow and blossom. She has such a sweet, tender heart. I just love that girl. She is a blessing to us all, and I enjoy being her mother more with each day that passes.
Lellybug is two and a half - and though two year old boys are normally my weak spot, this guy is all kinds of trouble. Really, I have always adored two year olds, and always kind of wondered what was the big deal with the whole "terrible twos" stereotype. But then Lellybug hit his current stage, and suddenly it all became clear. NOW I get it. ;o) I adore him to pieces, and I know his independent nature, his strong will, his intelligence and his self sufficiency will all be blessings to him, and us, when he is grown. But they are definitely challenging characteristics to work with in a toddler. But when he's not throwing all his heart and energy into asserting himself and defying us, he really is a delightful little boy. He's so imaginative and clever. He says the cutest things has a crazy sense of humor for such a little guy. He ADORES his sister Sweet Pea. He is never far from her and always thinks of her. If he sets a play table in the back yard, he always sets it for two, so she can join him. If he gets a snack, he makes sure she gets some too. When we eat dinner, he absolutely must sit right next to her so he can interact with her the entire time. Those two are completely inseparable. And he is quite the ringleader.
As for my darling baby Sweet Pea, she is still as darling as ever. When she wants to be. But with a nasty habit of starting her day at 4:45am, and grumpily at that, and not napping enough in the day, and working on her last four baby teeth (the eye teeth, and I don't know about you but for all of mine those have been the worst of all the teeth!) she is definitely becoming a bit of a challenge at times. She's got so much sweetness and charm under it all, I just know it. But since she can't speak as well as she would clearly like to, I think a lot of it just comes down to frustration. Couple that with the teething and the sleep issues, and she definitely has a lot of rough days where the smiles and happy moments are few and far between. Oh, but when she's happy, what a delight she is! So many sweet things to say. Such sweet hugs and caresses. Such a passionate love for her Lellybug and her Momma and Daddy. Curious, expressive, interested... it's all there. Poor girl just needs some real sleep, some relief from teething and a full conversational vocabulary. Then, she'll be golden! ;o)
So that is my crew in a nutshell.
The school days are good, with lots of time spent pouring into my little guys as well as time spent enjoying and learning fun new stuff with my bigger crew. I love when a day leaves you wanting for more. Yes, I do a lot in a day. But sometimes I just wish I had more time so I could do more of all of it and not miss a thing!
And SO much life has happened since I last wrote. Birthdays were had, spring was sprung, summer brought lots of sun and adventure and popsicles. We went on a family camping trip (and don't plan to again until the toddlers are not toddlers anymore... Daddy can just take the big kids again for the foreseeable future! LOL!) and a family vacation (that one was way more fun - running water, separate bedrooms, that's what happy vacations with toddlers are made of!) and so many other great moments in life were lived. But somehow I doubt I'll ever get around to recording them here.
And when I think about the reason for that being the fact that I'm too busy living those moments to the fullest, I guess it's really OK that I didn't get to write them all down. ;o)
