Moments as a Mom: September 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Whose ready for Octobrr?

We are! (Or at least John and Benji are..Katie is afraid...Carolyn's not real sure!)

Fall is my favorite season. I love the sunny, windy, cool days. Just perfect for sweatshirts. Sitting around the campfire. Halloween. Pumpkins. Apples. The 1st smell of the wood stove. Walking thru the woods full of colorful leaves. Thanksgiving.

But when I married my husband I quickly learned that fall is also known as HUNTING SEASON. There's bow season. t-Zone. more bow. the ever famous 9 day gun hunt. muzzle loader season. a late t-zone hunt. more bow hunting. (Don't quote me on that order, but it's got to be pretty close to that.) I should be thankful my husband doesn't hunt EVERY single, available day in the WI hunting season. And I am thankful he brings home LOTS of fresh venison to keep our family feed.

But that 9-day gun hunt... don't get me started. Life as we know it all but stops during that time. At least for the hunters around here. (meaning EVERYONE but me and my SIL!) We've learned NOT to expect them home for supper at a decent time. We've learned we likely will only see them when they wake us up crawling into bed late at night. Or when that alarm rings all too early in the morning hours. (OR when they bring home that trophy buck for us to admire.)

We've learned to throw our own 'hunting party'. Besides the fact we have too many kids in tow. So during that 9-day hunt.. you'll find us holed up at one of our houses. You'll likely hear the kids laughing, playing, running outta control... you'll probably hear us exchanging deer-hunter-widow tales. We'll have plenty of snacks, junk food, sugar and fun. So while we may not be hunters... we celebrate hunting.. deer hunter widow style!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

14 of 52

********************52 Weeks*******************
52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. We are always the ones behind the camera, this is YOUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. We are glad you are joining this challenge. More importantly your family will really enjoy having you in the picture. Thanks for playing along! Oh, you can just jump in now with 1 of 52, you're not getting off that easy! Now go take a picture!
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Mommy and her girls...matching in pink! :)

I'm suppose to be enjoying our special days right now. But I have one sick boy, therefore, I'm sitting at home. I'm not sure which bothers him more: His belly or not being where he/we all want to be.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

A Brother's Love

Between our 1st and last child is just under 4 years. To some that's just insanely close. For us those 4 years seems like 40. If baby #4 was a girl, she'd have Katie (17 mos apart). If baby #4 was a boy, he'd have Benji (almost 4 yrs old). We thought what a HUGE age gap.. how different it would be for BOTH of them. (I do realize that some people have at least 2-3 years in between EACH child, so this 4 years in between child #1 and child #4 should be nothing!) Well, baby #4 was John. A boy. Little did we realize what would become of Big brother and Little brother.

Benji loved him as his own from the very beginning. His eyes lit up when he saw his little brother. He looked out for him. Took care of the little things he could. Entertained him. Comforted him. Just sat at watched him. Rub his head (and ears). Had an unbelievable amount of patience's with him, especially as John became mobile and got into his things. Read to him. Taught him new things. Taught him 'boy' things. Snuggled with him. Included him in EVERYTHING he did. Brought him EVERYWHERE he could.

We felt so foolish and silly to think that we ever worried about the age difference. We were so busy looking at that age difference, we were so caught up with that number. We forgot that teeny, tiny thing that makes all the difference. A Brother's Love. It doesn't care about age. At all. In some ways maybe the age difference has allowed this amazing, close bond between our 2 boys. In some ways, it has nothing to do with this bond.

As Benji loves John; John loves Benji. When you see one, you'll see the other. They eat side by side, sometimes even sharing the same chair. They sleep together. They are always together. When ones gone, the other is lost. Often when they play, they do their own separate thing. But every so often Benji will go over by John, rub his head and say, "Hey, Tubby!", then go back to what he was playing. OR John will go over by Benji.

We've had no say in the order of our 4 children. But I'm grateful for a big brother on top to watch over and love the others. Our 4 kids are normal. They fight, argue, bicker and do whatever else brother and sisters do. But we've noticed that because they are all so close in age (all with-in 4 years) there is something special there between them (besides the brother/sister bonds). By no means has it been a piece of cake having kids close together. But we've found out the benefits FAR outweigh the disadvantages.

Please remember this post is about our 2 boys and their bond. It is not meant to take away from the bond our 2 girls have. Or the bond they have with their 2 brothers.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

13 of 52

Katie's yawning and Carolyn's got that 'fake-I'm-forcing-a-smile' grin going on. But outta the many that Benji took of us, this is my favorite.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Some things to think about..

This was part of an email I got from my SIL.. I wanted to share it with all of you!

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
A sharp tongue can cut your own throat.
If you want your dreams to come true, you mustn't oversleep.
Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.
The best vitamin for making friends..... B1.
The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.
The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge.
One thing you can give and still keep...is your word.
You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself
If you lack the courage to start, you have already finished.
One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.
Ideas won't work unless ' You' do.
Your mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.
The 10 commandments are not a multiple choice.
The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!
It is never too late to become what you might have been.
Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right..
Forget about the one's who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.
Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back.
Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away.
Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong.
Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late.

Monday, September 14, 2009

John's Story

Dear Tubby (aka John Henry):

Today you are turning 2! Because you take after Daddy's side, (you're big and tall), you've looked and even acted like a 2 yr old for quite some time. But today, reality sets in. Because now you REALLY are 2! Although you'll forever be MY baby, today I must accept the fact that you are no longer A baby.

Out of all 4 pregnancies, we managed to COMPLETELY surprise everyone with yours. I even fooled Aunt Tanya who took me to my 1st ultrasound appt. to confirm the pregnancy (okay,I lied to Aunt Tanya... ). Gma Linda screamed and jumped around when the ultrasound picture fell out of her bday card. Gpa Ray was hoping you'd be his b-day present, Sept 12. Your due date was Sept 11.

Like all of my pregnancies, yours was uneventful and pleasant. I escaped the dreaded morning sickness with ALL 4 pregnancies. I LOVED being pregnant. LOVED it! Of course your due date came and went. Mommy became impatient, since big sister Katie was induced after 1 week overdue. I saw the Doctor, Thurs (Sept 13). He did some more 'tricks'.. AGAIN, trying to get things going (I was already 3 cm).

At 10:00pm that night I felt a contraction. 5 minutes later another, 5 minutes later another, 5 minutes later another.... We dropped the 3 kids off at Boppa & Gma's. Stopped to get gas (I thought about getting gas on my way back from my appt, but didn't!) We got to the hospital about 12:00 am. I was 7 cm upon arrival. Within 30 minutes I was re-thinking my all-natural plan (but Daddy and the nurses helped me stick with it). We were asked if it was okay for a 'student' doctor to assist/observe the delivery. A 'real' doctor' would be there at all times. ahem! Your head and shoulders were out when the REAL Dr walked in. At 2:22 am, Friday Sept 14, 2007 you were born. Just a little bit of hair on your BIG head, crying for all it was worth. The nurses thought you looked bigger than you were, but the scale doesn't lie. You were 8# 13oz, 21" long. There is no way for me to put into words what I (and Daddy) felt seeing you, and holding you for the first time. Even though you were the last, the feelings were just as strong as with our first. You were perfect in every way.

As always, coming up with names is a chore for Mommy and Daddy. We both have names we each liked, but not too many that we BOTH liked. John was the ONLY boy name we could agree on. Then came the middle name. Daddy liked the name Henry (He wanted it for a 1st name.. only so he could nickname you Hank. Mommy didn't like that idea), we thought about Benjamin - (for the obvious reason that it's Daddy's AND big brother's name) and actually at the hospital that's what we put down on all the papers: John Benjamin. But once we started filling out the birth certificate, it just seemed right: John Henry. (We later realized that your (6th) great gpa was John Henry.) But we realized just how perfect your name was when we moved to IA and met someone with the same name. Someone who became so dear and precious to our family during our time there.

It didn't take long for you to grow. We soon realized you would take after Daddy- big and tall. We also realized that the 'almost' 4 years between you and your big brother was nothing. Benji fell in love with you the moment he saw you. He protected you as if you were his own. Always has, and we hope he always will. The girls were Mommy's helpers. Eager to help do any motherly thing they could. And thankfully you tolerated all their 'TLC' quite well.

Because you are the last, it's so hard to watch you grow. I want so badly to stop time, to savor these days. Yet as much as I you to stay little, you so badly want to grow up. And while it's hard to watch the baby days get further and further away, I know the days that lie ahead are going to be just as fun, rewarding and memorable.

You keep me on my toes. There's no denying you are 100% boy (and your Daddy's son). Fear is not in your vocabulary. You love adventure and never give up. Some days when I've had all I think I can handle you do ONE more thing. But one look into those baby blue eyes... and that little smile of yours and that hearty laugh you have... and I forget all the trouble you just caused.

Happy 2nd Birthday Tubby!

I Love You!

Mommy

Friday, September 11, 2009

One week under our belt

~ First day of school 2009 ~

We had our 'official' start to home school this week. We've done some 'school' through out the summer months. But to the kids it was the '1st day of school'. Excited doesn't begin to describe how they felt about starting school. (I'm sure that will all change as time goes on...unless I get lucky!)

I've had it all figured out in my head. Home schooling that is. I knew what I would do. I knew what I wouldn't do. I knew how much time it was going to take. I knew how much my life would change. I knew the effort I would have to put into it. That was all before we started this week!

With each day/week that passes, we'll learn what works for us and what doesn't. I realize (and I had a strong feeling this would happen) that my idea of SCHOOL, is still like traditional school. I need to 'un-school' myself, as they call it. We had hoped to have a room set aside just specifically for school. But as always, things never go as planned, so we're improvising this year. It works though.
This week actually went good. The kids were always SO excited to start school after lunch. I learned VERY fast, that not too much would get done with Tubby awake-running around. Day #3, Mr. Busy did more in one hour than most kids do in a whole day. Although Friday we did 2 straight hours of school work in the morning, and Mr. Busy sat on my lap almost the whole time. Well. okay. he'd get on my lap, off my lap, on my lap, off my lap. But he didn't wander too far from the table!

Each night I managed to have a decent supper on the table (no frozen pizza). The laundry was contained. The house is still standing. I've learned quickly how to spend my time (more) wisely. Which basically is translated to: less time on the computer! Just as the kids are learning new things, so am I.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

12 of 52

We had John's 2nd birthday on Sunday (a week early). I handed my camera off to my sis-in-law, who captured many memories for us.

I'm not sure what was happening in this picture with Katie bug, but I LOVE it.

This was the 1st present John opened. It also was his last present. The other kids gladly tore open his remaining presents. He would not let go of this tractor. At all. He kept a close eye on it when I was taking it out of the package. (And don't get me started about the way they ~~package~~ lock-down kid toys)

Friday, September 4, 2009

Then and Now

I've been digging thru 'old' pictures for a post I'm working on for John's upcoming birthday. And came across this one. This was taken 2 years ago this month. 5 days before John was born. It happens to be one of my favorite pictures of the 3 kids.

*Benji was 2 mos shy of turning 4, Carolyn was 2-3/4 yrs, Katie was 17 mos.*

NOW

*Benji is 2 mos shy of turning 6, Carolyn is 4-3/4 yrs, Katie is nearly 3-1/2 and John is just about 2 yrs old*

Time is flying and our kids have grown. All too fast for my liking. But time can't be stopped or even paused for a second. So I'll enjoy each moment while it lasts.