All about Elijah...tents, belly slidin, nose pickin, laundry washin, puddle splashin, mom chasin,

Elijah had a busy weekend of being the kind of silly boy he is. Tents, belly slidin, nose pickin, laundry washin, puddle splashin, and mom chasin. All in a few days work! I'll explain what each of those entails. Sometimes being a parent you just have to laugh and have sense of humor. Break out the camera and take the pictures so to never forget what your missing later. Reminds me of the time Caleb had his own little adventure, when he was only about 10 months old, after a little nap time decided to have some extra fun with his diaper. Mom learned a great lesson that day as to never leave a child of 10 months in just his diaper. I had a monitor in his room and heard him wake up and and start talking to himself. I thought sense he wasn't crying I would let him play in his crib a little bit while I finished up some things. I then started to hear him giggle and what seemed to be having just too much fun. So I decided I should go check on him. I walk in and found him diaperless and poop thrown everywhere! All over his hands, the crib, the walls. I was shocked. I couldn't move for a minute, trying to process what I was seeing, and remember this is Caleb, my first so these experiences just didn't register as possible yet. After I recovered, I decided I should have a little blackmail on Caleb and video taped him before I cleaned him and the room up. What fun being a parent can be sometimes.

Although Elijah was not as messy and gross as Caleb's little fun moment, he had a few pretty interesting moments this weekend. OK, so where do we start...

Tents

Elijah found a little tent and wanted to play in it, so I put it together and let him play in it all day. By the time it was his bedtime he insisted on sleeping in it and managed to get away with for a few days. Of course all his toys had to go to sleep with him too, which really is not much different than when he sleeps in his actual bed. I am always having to unpile the toys off of him before I go to bed so that he can move. He never really attached to any security item. He has a monkey he likes to bring to bed but usually its whatever toy he wants with him, airplanes, cars, books, etc. and lots.

Belly Slidin

Ben decided to wash his car and as always Elijah is right there to help. Soon after it was done he came inside soaking wet - of course. I told him to take all of his clothes off and go and get me a diaper. I have been going through stored clothes boxes lately and found some of Caleb's old Thomas underwear and so washed and had them for Elijah. He has been dying to where them so when he returned he came back not with a diaper but with his underwear. I decided ok that's fine, you can wear your underwear. He promptly ran out to show daddy how cute he was and within a minute attempted to belly slide down the driveway, on his belly on the concrete! (remember Ben just washed the car so the driveway was all wet) Poor baby, he just didn't understand that it was not a slippin slide. He didn't cry at all just rubbed his belly. Then I understood, he thought he was wearing a swimsuit not underwear. It wasn't long before he was finding something else to do like jumping in the puddle at the end of the driveway where all the car soap was trapped.

Nose pikin'

Ben was reading to the kids the other night and I thought what a cute picture, so decided to take a few but couldn't get any good ones because Elijah would not get his finger out of his nose. His favorite past time! Yum!!

Laundry washin

Elijah decided to help daddy do some laundry this weekend. He is always our good little helper!

Puddle Splashin

We had a big storm come through on Saturday. When I couldn't find Elijah in the house I looked outside and what do you know, there he is splashin and having a good time in the puddles. At least he put his rain boots on. It was one of those moments your mad a first, then you just have to laugh and go and get the camera. Him and Loryn went out later with permision to play but was instructed not to get wet, (daddy was also instructed to not let them get wet), well that didn't really take. In no time they were soaking wet, including Loryn, I guess she couldn't resist.

Mom chasin'

Ben and our neighbor got some guys together to play paint ball in our backyard which is all trees. While they were playing I was keeping the kids inside so they wouldn't accidentally get hit by one and get hurt. Elijah again escaped and this time when I couldn't find him in the house I went looking outside calling and calling him. He thought it was funny to hide from mommy. I was calling him and looking for him for more than 10 min before finally I looked out back again and saw him coming around the corner. When he saw me he laughed and started running. I am sure half of the fun was that mom is not so fast anymore with her big belly (or should I say huge belly). We had a few laps around the house when I finally went through the house to cut him off and managed to get close enough to sprint after him to catch him. Well just say he got in trouble and I was hurting. When am I supposed to enjoy this pregnancy? I have moments but mainly feel slowed down, tired, and in pain. Maybe its the fact that I am on my fourth... and I will add last. I am trying to enjoy every minute but if I can be honest I look forward to when she gets here more than anything.

So there is our exciting weekend of Elijah adventures. He is the cutest thing even though he makes things harder sometimes but most of the time he makes me laugh. Through the tough and the fun I am always grateful that I am a mom, only occasionally do I need to stop and remember.

Grandma's Sewing machine

Friday I had a friend come over to help me learn how to use a sewing machine. My mom gave me my grandmother's old sewing machine and I had hopes it still worked. Well, it didn't. The balancing wheel that moves the needle up and down gets stuck. Learning to sew was next on my list of what to learn how to do myself. She still showed me how to thread it and talked me through the basics so that when I got it working or bought a new one I would be familiar with it. Maybe someday... The kids had fun because my friend Bianca has 3 kids close the same ages as ours and they had fun playing. Soon after Ben got home our neighbor enlisted Ben to start their weekend project of cutting down the dead trees in our backyards. Now you probably think they are doing it to make our yards look nicer but there is this new hobby they have been into lately called paintball that I think is the real motivated for cutting the downed trees and putting them into nice piles that resemble fort walls to hide behind. Whatever gets them to clean it out I guess I will not complain.

Wednesday I get a call from the school only about 30 min after Caleb left for school that he was throwing up. He acted completely fine that morning and of course was completely fine the rest of the day. Don't know what made him sick.

Thursday I get another call from the school right before I am leaving for my Midwife appointment, and I am thinking "oh no not again". Turns out he fell in class and was crying saying he hurt his ankle where the cast is on. I think he was more afraid than anything. He turned out he was ok and he definitly didn't want to leave school because he had his easter party and egg hunt that day.

My appointment went well. Debi Church, our midwife, said that the baby looked great, she was getting big and things look healthy. I have an appointment in 3 weeks at her place again, and then 2 weeks after that she comes to our house to check things out and become familiar. I already feel huge and uncomfortable. Its hard to walk around (my back pain doesn't help much). Of course only want the baby to come when she is ready which she has to atleast wait 5 more weeks.

Congratulations Chris!

Chris achieved a pilot slot in the Air Force. He is currently going to school and ROTC. He has one year left and then will be joining the Air Force to be a pilot. Like father like son. We are so proud of you Chris! Keep up the good work!

Another Monday

And here we are another Monday. A day of running the kids to preschool, Chiropractic appointment, usually grocery shopping and cleaning house. Today I have my kids and our neighbors kids Emma and Emily. Emma is Loryn's friend and Emily is a year older than Caleb. I picked up the house but as I speak I hear it getting destroyed again. It is nearly impossible to keep things clean especially being so big and pregnant, it is hard for me to bend down continually and pick up toys. Not much more to my boring day. This is part of the reason I don't write very much. I am just not as active or have as many exciting things going on I feel are worthy to share. Anyway here are some pics of the kids today. Loryn and Emma are playing Barbie dolls and Elijah is just finding any way he can get into trouble.

I think I can, I think I can ...

Well a few weeks ago I decided I was going to learn how to install chair molding. It took a little bit of trial and error and a bit of getting over my fear of using a miter saw but I finally figured it out. We decided to paint the bottom half a brown color and one wall in the living room. We painted the entryway bottom half white. Anyway, it took a lot of work and I was exhausted trying to finish. We still have to put another coat of white on the entryway, and I also have picture box molding to put in the entryway I am waiting to cut and install. Overall I think the walls look better if at the very least cleaner. We had flat paint before and that was a mess!

My project was complete and Caleb's project to learn how to walk with crutches began. He is doing very well now. He moves fast on the crutches and can go up and down the stairs all by himself. He even slides down the hall fast if he doesn't have his crutches. Ben calls him lizard boy. Just 3 more weeks and the cast might be able to come off.

Elijah is talking a lot. We can't understand all of it but he is definitely saying words and he knows what he is saying. He is happy to have Caleb back in his room. He had trouble sleeping when Caleb was sleeping in our room. Now all is back to normal and no more fights to go to bed or constant waking up at night. Amazing what children get used to and what is comfortable to them.

Loryn is still same old Loryn, into dressing up, baby dolls, and pretending. She lives in her pajamas. She'll come home from school and before she is up the stairs her clothes her off and she is headed to her room to find some pajamas. I guess it is more comfortable. She has added a lot of whining and not listening lately. Going through another phase of testing mom. Here she is with swim glasses on. She came up to me and says "mommy I'm swimming, I'm swimming". Gotta love her!

The latest trial for me is keeping the kids out of the fridge. They go through gogurts (which are yogurts in a tube) so fast. I fixed the lock on the fridge but the only one that keeps out is Elijah. I learned that today as I went downstairs and found 6 empty gogurts on the floor. I am contemplating drilling in a lock with a key.

My Poor baby!

Well, it finally happened. One of my kids broke one of their bones in their bodies. I have been dreading and actually hoping that it would never happen. After all, I never had a broken bone and neither has Ben. Last night Caleb went to wrestling practice and in all but 2 minutes managed to break his leg. As was told to me: he twisted his leg and and the same time the other kid came in and "snap!". Ben rushed him to the emergency room and as soon as I begged my neighbors to take my kids I rushed there as well feeling an indescribable pain I think only a mother can feel. My baby is hurt and I just couldn't get their fast enough. The whole thing just tears me up! When I got there he seemed to being doing fine and only screamed when they had to move his leg and when they put the IV in (which we had to hold him down for them to do it). They gave him some demerol, took x-rays, put his foot in a splint and sent us home. I went to Walmart to get lots of goodies like ice cream and pop tarts and anything I could think of that he could eat in bed and spoil him rotten. The night went fine except for when we had to force him to go potty which again was a fight. I don't blame him, I am sure he is in a lot of pain. But at five (opps! almost 6!) understanding that you just have to do something even if you don't want to is hard to grasp. This morning we with to the ortho doctor and he got a cast put on, yellow, his choice, or I should say bright hurt yours eyes so bright yellow. Or maybe "hey everyone look at me I have a cast on yellow". As Caleb says "now I can play in the forest and be the lantern". Currently Caleb is watching a movie and resting. Loryn and Elijah are both upset to see their bubba hurt and are being so sweet to him. I hope he heals quickly! As the doctor says only like 6 weeks.

Merry Chirstmas!

I know it has been awhile but here are some pictures from the last month of activity. We have been busy. School parties, christmas shopping, family guests, and long driving trips. Last week we had Cheri and Dave, Ben's dad and step mom, over for a few days and had a lot of fun. We went to Rock City, Opryland in Nashville, and also just hung out and visited. After Dave and Cheri left we had to get ready for our road trip to Gulf Port MS to my Grandma Ladnier's house. My mom and her husband, Bob flew out from CA, and my Aunt Jennie and her husband flew out from Alaska. We had the weekend to visit and celebrate my grandma's 70th birthday and Christmas. We had a great time and only wish we could have stayed longer. We headed back Christmas Eve just in time to get home go to bed and wait for Santa to come. Here are some pictures of the last few weeks. I still need to get MS pics from my mom. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Years!