Some lessons I've learned

Having children is a wonderful thing. There are so many opportunities for learning and growth that wouldn't come any other way. I have learned a few things this week that I'd love to share!

I learned I DO NOT like it when my 14 month old baby, who has been a great sleeper for so long, decides he wants to wake up at random times in the middle of the night to hang out. Like last night how we hung out at 2 a.m. until 3:45 because the sleep thing wasn't working out for him. Or like the night before how he wanted to play from 4:30 - 5:30 a.m. Not cool buddy.

I was also reminded that when things are quiet, it's not because my children are being angelic sweethearts. They are usually not cleaning their rooms and writing letters of love and appreciation to me. They are most likely reaching up to the bowl of bananas I left on the table, tipping it over and smearing it everywhere.




And somewhere in my experience as a mom, I forgot that you should clean up the baby first before you tackle the banana mess. Otherwise while you are at the sink rinsing out your washcloth, that messy baby will grab onto your pants and pull himself up. And of course those cute little hands and face will totally get your pants dirty with banana and snot.

I also learned that addictions to sugar are really annoying. This week my favorite daughter became my least favorite daughter. Here we have the bowl of syrup she poured herself.



I wasn't in the right frame of mind to take pictures of two other incidents. The first was the 25 lb. bag of sugar she cut open and dumped in our storage room. Not the whole bag at least. And the other involved a 5 lb. bag of sugar, a cup of water, walnuts, and a super-spread-out-all-over-the-livingroom-and-behind-the-couch mess. I am close to banning sugar in our house.


I learned that I am not too big into science projects. I learned that it makes me quite happy that Matt doesn't mind them at all. Here Donovan and Matt are growing rock candy.



And last night as I got to take all the kids to the Blue and Gold banquet by myself, I was reminded of how awesome Donovan and Howie are. They are rocking their scout requirements. They have also stepped up their level of helpfulness and I learned I like that a lot!




And finally, I learned that Cameron knows the proper use of the word "agile". He told me he was an agile guy and would probably be a good jedi. I continue to like this boy.

The Birthday Festivities

Nina decided that fishing with Matt was what she wanted to do most on her birthday. Luckily for her, she and Matt both had that day off from school! They invited her best friend Kate and her dad to go fishing with them. Matt said she fished for just a few minutes, then spent the rest of the day playing with Kate. The dads caught several fish and brought them home to eat. The girls collected shells and brought them home to wash and admire.




Later that day we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's.



After that we sent Nina on a treasure hunt to find her presents.




After a slumber party and a trip to the pool, we were almost done with the birthday festivities. We talked Nina into waiting until after church on Sunday to have cake and ice cream.

When did this happen?

Has it really been 6 years since we went to the hospital in the middle of a freezing cold (-17 degrees) night to welcome this baby girl into our family?



Nina is no ordinary girl. She is full of love, creativity, curiosity and determination. She loves to dress up in elaborate outfits only to go outside and play in the mud. This girl has willpower. In abundance. She makes me so crazy and frustrated and she makes me laugh and smile and feel so happy. Matt and I can't imagine our lives without Nina. Happy birthday sweet/sassy lady!

Rockin' with Rocky

Matt has been earning a little extra money by manning the clock at his school's basketball games this winter. He takes Donovan and Howie along with him and they have a blast running around, exploring and watching a minute or two of the game. This game, Donovan and Howie were at their school's Skate City night and I was planning on putting the other 3 to bed and enjoying some quiet time. However, Matt texted me just as I dropped off the boys and told me that the Nuggets mascot Rocky was at the game and that I should bring the kids there to see him. Nina and Cameron LOVED watching Rocky. He did all kinds of funny things. Nina loved it when he stole a cheerleaders pom pom and stuffed it in his mouth. Cameron loved it when he made a shot backwards from half court. They loved it all........until he got close. Then they scrambled to hide behind me.



And Rex didn't mind it when Rocky sprayed some silly string on his head. He seemed curious.




And Rex is at that fun phase where he searches my purse for treasures whenever it is within reach. And his siblings are very obliging to facilitate his endeavors.

Love Valentine's Day!

I have really been feeling the love this February! Jill and Lindsey gave me the idea to get each of the kids mailboxes and put little treats and notes in them each day in February until Valentine's Day. Matt and I took turns writing those notes, telling the kids things we love about them. Our kids LOVED checking their mailboxes each morning.



I didn't feel like doing any baking in December, but I was excited to try out a few recipes this week. On Sunday the 4 big kids all helped me bake and frost cookies. Then Monday Cameron and I made chocolate-filled candy cane hearts and a delightful treat with pretzels, kisses and M&Ms.



Heart shaped french toast for breakfast



And this was so fun for us! We got a heart attack from some mysterious family. I have my suspicions, but we don't really know for sure! It was so great to read the nice notes on each heart. What a sweet idea!



Matt also got me a gift card to See's candy! I can't wait to cash in that one and then lock myself in my room. Happy Valentine's Day all!

Helpful Donovan

On several occasions lately I've caught Donovan helping out with Rex. He picks Rex up and rocks him when he is sad. Donovan also gets Rex out of his crib when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap. He plays with Rex and is constantly pulling objects out of his mouth. He also keeps Rex away from the stairs. It has been really sweet to watch, not to mention extremely helpful. I appreciate this cute Donovan!

Donovan's music and art night

Have I mentioned how much I love the new way our kids' school does their music performance? Our first year there, all the grades performed on the same night and had the book fair going on at the same time. It was TORTURE! So many people in such a tight space made me go out of body and I never enjoyed our own kids' songs. Now they combine two grades for a cute little musical. Then they have all the art the kids have been working on hanging up throughout the school for parents to enjoy before and after the performance.

The 4th and 5th graders did a show about the pied piper. The 4th graders were all adorable rats. It was a nice show. I was by myself with all the kids that night and all 4 of them were mesmerized for the entire show. It was great!




While I was feeding Rex a bottle, I had Howie go out and take pictures of Donovan in front of his art. Good work Donovan!

Howie's Art

Howie had an art piece selected for display at the library along with students from every other elementary school in our school district. I'm not artistic so I can't comment too much on his creation, but I was proud of him.

Sledding

Matt took the older 4 kids over to the park to enjoy the massive amount of snow that fell. I reluctantly agreed to stay home with Rex while he napped and sit in a quiet house. I bet if I would have gone though, I could have gotten some fun pictures of Matt sledding along with the kids. He always has a great time sledding. But Matt dutifully inflated the tubes and manned the camera for me. It appeared to be a very fun time for everyone.

Nina's favorite part was "going on the bumps"





Donovan's favorite part was seeing his friends and the awesome jumps they made. He especially loved a part that had two jumps, first a small one, then a bigger one.





Howie's favorite part was going on the huge jumps and seeing his friend.





Cameron's favorite part was "bumping Howie down". A claim that Howie disputes.

Snow Day!

We were so happy to have a snow day! Last night before we went to bed Matt and I were talking about what a relaxing day it was. Well, that's what I said. Then Matt reminded me that he had to shovel 3 times. But he had some good help so I don't know what he's complaining about:





We took our yardstick out to measure how much snow we got and so far it's a little over 20 inches! And it's still snowing! One of our neighbors is awesome. He plowed our street with his ATV and then plowed a path from our driveway to the street. I'm so glad he did! Now I can go to Costco and try out all their pre-Super Bowl samples. And I want a churro.



Matt and the kids made a cool snow fort and they plan to go sledding later today. I'm not as much of a snow fan so I will take some pictures and clean up all the mess that they make as they trek in and out of the house.