Summer

Oh man, more than one post in a year!! Boy am I getting back to it. It is summer...my sister's birthday in fact (atleast for a couple more minutes). Eden is 6 months old. She is precious and fat and happy...mostly. She has been a tricky baby. She is finally sleeping through the night. It was crazy. She went from up and wanting ti nurse multiple times a night to sleeping from 7 or 8pm to 6 or 7am. Granted, it took several very long nights to get there, but get there we did and I feel like a different person. I don't do well with sleep deprivation for extended periods of time. Not that many people do. So, Isaiah is officially in his terrible 2s. He can be super sweet, but he is also fully capable of clocking his sisters in the head with a wooden toy. Everyone being home together this summer has proven to be an interesting time, so far. He bites Naomi. But Naomi is the only person that he bites. It seems to be payback to Naomi, who went through a faze of only biting Jadie Ruth. Payback or not, it's still not nice. Although Isaiah has a hard time learning the lessons that go along with his consequences. And consistency becomes more and more difficult with more children. I do make a valliant effort, though. Jadie Ruth is having Spanish reading tutoring with Sra Atkins , which has been fun. She has a new incentive chart to keep her interested and we have all enjoyed ice cream as a result of her reading her Spanish books and doing her homework. I am proud of her. She and Naomi are becoming quite the little swimmers and their teacher told me that Jadie Ruth will probably be ready for swim team next year......following in her Daddy's foot steps. Makes me a proud mama. Anyway, I am hallucinating it is so late...not really, but I am timed and it is late, so away I go. See you in a few months, maybe.

Fast forward a year and a half....took a year to sell the house, Isaiah is 2, we had another baby (her name is Eden June aka Eede Juuu according to Isaiah) and we moved into a KILLER house that we love and is taking us forever to get decorated, but I don't care because I love it anyway. Jadie Ruth is about to finish her kindergarten year- WHAT!!! and the girl speaks Spanish. Naomi is feisty and sweet, a bit like Jeckel and Hyde- you never know what you are going to get (usually either a resounding Yes, Ma'am or NO!, but there is always room for some other crazy response). Isaiah wants to "hold you" or me or whoever....he says "hold you" meaning" hold me"...it gets confusing. The boys gets excited about the trash truck- like unusually excited about the trash truck. And Naomi has now dubbed my minivan a trash truck because I pick so much stuff off the side of the road to fix, restore, reuse, whatever. That's it in a nutshell. I might, just might, be back on this blog thing- but don't hold me to it.

Boy Wonder

Sweet Isaiah. The kid amazes me daily. He started crawling on his hands and knees, officially, on Dec 22, just before he turned 8 months. He had been doing the army crawl for a month or so before. So, now it is Jan 14 and the kid has already mastered crawling and is pulling up and cruising a bit. He is only 8 months old!!!! Now, for those who have had early movers, this is probably not a big deal, but my girls didn't walk until just after they turned 1 year. I will not be surprised if Isaiah figures it out by next week. YIKES!!! I am not sure what to do. I guess nothing. You can't stop him. He is growing up so quickly and turning into a big boy. It is so cute to see all 3 of the kids playing together now. The girls will get down and crawl with him and he laughs and tries to keep up. Naomi's newest "game" with him is a kind of "fetch". The boy loves balls and she will get one and throw it and tell him to go get it. He is either too slow for her or she just wants to get it herself so she runs and snatches it up, before he can get anywhere close, and throws it again. Luckily, at this point, he still thinks it's funny and just laughs. Soon enough, I am sure he will figure out that he is not able to play with his ball and will get upset, but for now it is purely fun entertainment- enjoyed by all. So, that's the latest on sweet Isaiah. Snuggly, precious little boy that he is. Oh, and he is about to get his 3rd tooth. His top left. The tooth is pushing so hard that the gum is white and has been for several days. We are all anxious to see when it will come. I find myself checking several times a day. Patience, mama, patience.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!!

Oh, the Christmas spirit!! We have been trying to be filled with it. John and I went to see an amazing local play called "A Beautiful Star". We have had loads of snow and some sledding. The girls sing endless carols and we have had some family visiting recently. We all went to see "The Nutcracker" with Gamma and Great Grandma June ( a very special treat!!). I also took Isaiah up to Boone to meet our newest family member, Mary Elizabeth Lynch (my niece). What a special Christmas present for everyone!! She is beautiful and sweet and a very special blessing. Naomi says "Mewwy Kissmas" to everyone and Jadie Ruth is starting to truly understand the meaning of Christmas and her overwhelming need for Jesus. Isaiah is crawling (army/inch worm style) and is such a charmer. He loves to play with/ pull people's hair- especially mine, is starting to eat "real" food, and really showing his sweet and excited personality. He is definitely a mover and I think once he really starts going, we are going to be in for it. So, that's the latest on us. Below is our version of Christmas caroling. Hope it blesses you as much as it has us!! Merry Christmas!

No, it's in the attic.

So, our house is on the market now. It has only been on for a little over 2 months and I feel like it has been eternity. It is NOT fun to have 3 babies and a house on the market in addition to holidays and preschool and meetings and this and that and everything else. But, the thing that I dislike the most is that so many times a day my kids ask "Mommy, can I pay pay-do (play playdough)?", "Mommy, can I pay wif my go-sey (grocery) cart?' , "Mommy, where is my baby stollew (stroller)?". And the answer is always "No, it's in attic." I feel terrible for my little ones that most of their toys and fun things have been put up there, but the terror that someone mught call and want to see my house in as little as 15 minutes (and that has happened more times that I can remember) is overwhelming. And, so we play with blank paper and very few toys. I have kept their dress up down and that has saved us on many a day. Those girls are some very imaginative little ones and it is hilarious to see what they come up with. I console myself with the idea that I am encouraging their imaginations by denying their toys. Hopefully we will sell our house soon and be able to have every toy ever given to them out......for a day. It hink I would go crazy after having such a clean house for 2 and 1/2 months. Although I can also see myself wallowing in dirt and unfolded laundry and dishes and toys for a few days to make up for excessive tidiness that has been my life recently. I am ready to have a home again with colorings on the fridge and pictures of my kids and our style. I can't wait, in fact.
So, kid updates. Isaiah is crwaling and eating solid- like a champ. Naomi is potty trained. Totally on a whim I asked if she wanted to wear underwear, she said yes and there you go. She did have a few accidents the first few days, but that's it. I am still in shock at how easy she was. I tried, fought, convinced, attempted to train Jadie Ruth for 2 and 1/2 years before she was considered potty trained. I k=never knew it could be so easy. Another reason I feel bad for the first born. Back to updates. Jadie Ruth is growing like a weed and turning into quite the lady. She doesn't have even the slightest hint of baby in her voice, she sings and dances and tells stories and LOVES to be the center of attention. One of her latest favorite thngs to say is "Hey guys, I have something to tell you" and the then she doesn' know what to say. It's funny. Oh, my babes are growing and changing and it is wonderful. I love to be a mama.

oh yeah, I forgot.

So, in the past few months, I seem to have forgotten all about this poor little blog. I started out with such good intentions. So, here are a few little updated. First of all, I am officially giving myself permission to post even just a phrase if I need to. I was so under the impression that I had to write big stories, but now I will not be intimidated....I can just write a phrase if I want. Secondly, we have recently- maybe a month ago- put our house on the market. I am a lunactic as a result, but my house has never looked better. And finally, here's the latest. Isaiah is SIX MONTHS OLD!!! Are you kidding me? It feels like he was just born. Stats are as follows: 18lb15oz, 28and1/4 inches long and talking up a storm. He most recent sounds are an extremely high pitched squeel- not at all my favorite....I actually used to really hate being around other people's kids who were shriekers and I would thank my stars that I never had one. Well, I now have one. Funny, it takes my having a boy to have a baby that screams like a girl. Oi! I am ready for this stage to be over. The other thing he is currently entertaining himself- and us- with is "da". It really is starting to sound a lot like "da-da" and it just warms my heart to hear him say that, even though he clearly is not meaning what he is saying, it is sweet that he says it anyway. And the boy is trying with the locomotion, too! He is pushing his little heiny up in the air and then pushing up on his hands- currently loving to look at the ceiling while on his belly- sort of like a seal. He actually got up on both hands and knees for a second yesterday. Ooooo, the boy is going to be off in no time. It is crazy how much earlier he is doing things than the girls. I always heard boys were slower, but apparently my boy is not so much. Ok- I'm going to bed. I promise not to wait months again. I WILL have memories of my kids childhood!! Oh yeah, and he now has 2 teeth....WHAT!!!

French fry soup

I have been demoted to "Kari". Jadie Ruth says "you're not my mom, Kari. Naomi is my mom and she takes good care of me. She feeds me french fry soup". Naomi really does "take good care" of her. She, when she's not taking things or hitting her, she dotes over her just like her own child. She is the helper and Jadie Ruth is the needy one. Granted, this is not always the case, but it seems to be today. Jadie Ruth is so dramatic and while Naomi can definitely have her moments, she seems to be a bit more even keeled. She is a giver and will do most things for her sister- climb up onto the couch to turn on the light that Jadie Ruth can easily reach. If she picks up something that Jadie Ruth has played with in the last hour and Jadie Ruth has a total melt down because it is MINE, I ask Jadie Ruth if she asked Naomi to give it back and, of course, the answer is "no". When Jadie Ruth calms down enough to ask nicely, most of the time Naomi simply hands it back- no problems, no drama. It's pretty funny, considering she's 2. Earlier, they were sitting on the self made choo-choo train (yes, it's a common occurrance around here). Naomi was taking blocks out of the box one by one and placing them around Jadie Ruth saying with each placement "fee-oo bedda...fee-oo bedda (feel better)".
They also like to play "have a baby". Since we had Isaiah at home, my girls were sufficiently schooled in home labor and delivery. They watched many a home birth video (yes, including the baby coming out). Anyway, Jadie Ruth is always the one having the baby and she always tells me that Naomi is her midwife. It is amazing to watch Naomi "coach" Jadie Ruth and do all the midwife things. She adjusts pillows, strokes her head, talks softly to her saying "iss OK, sis-sa". All the while, Jadie Ruth has a stuffed animal crammed under her shirt and is "oooooo" ing. Then they both jump up and yell "it's a boy, it's a boy!!!"....just like their mama. It's amazing, really and truly sweet. Naomi has a true servant spirit. When we named Naomi, I wanted to speak that closeness into their relationship just as Ruth and Naomi in the bible. It's amazing to really see it come to pass, even in their childhood.

Ok- I need to go, but I have more to say on this and will edit it later.