Port Ludlow

For our family vacation this year we trip to the beach up in Port Ludlow, WA--thanks to Stan and Catherine for letting us use their family beach cabin. It was awesome to wake up everyday and walk right out onto the beach. Justin had fun pursuing different forms of sea life. He even caught a few--3 rock fish, 20+ clams, 5 crabs, & 6 Starfish! We kept the clams and crabs. And actually, James & Clara caught one fish each! We visited Port Townsend & Fort Worden with the kids. It took 2 tries to go to the Marine science center in Fort Worden--the first day we drove up and looked back at the kids in the back seat--they were all asleep! So we went home and came back the next day.
It was so fun to finally have kids old enough to to stuff and get excited about the animals. James renamed crabs as "we eat that" in the grocery store! Each day he wanted to eat crab. Hahaha! Each night we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. It was such a wonderful get-away.

That was then . . .

As I was bathing little Andrew tonight it was so fun watching how delighted he was to splash in the water all by himself. I suddenly felt so bad, because honestly, it's probably the 3rd time he's had such a luxury. Most of the time his bath's consist of quickly dipping him in the water, rubbing him down with soap, rinsing him off, and then making a quick exit before his siblings accidentally drown him/poke out his eyes. It got me thinking about how I've changed as a mother from the first to the fourth child. So, in honor of this post, I've not only included some recent photos, but I also dug some up from memory lane.

What I've toned WAY DOWN as a mom of four:
1) Dressing--I've learned what battles to fight when it comes to clothing. Optional: any clothing at all when we're at home. Not Optional: diapers, pull-up's or underwear of SOME kind. Also, I've given up on onesies. They're nice, but honestly, it's just more laundry to wash and snaps to do, and not really necessary.

2) Any sort of personal care for myself. I remember the days when as a mom of one I wouldn't leave the house with out some sort of makeup on. Now I shoot for either makeup or hair done, but honestly quite a few days it's neither. And that's ok with me! I've also decided to go European and only wash my hair twice a week. Hey--that's an extra 10 minutes a day!

What do I put more effort into as a mom of four?
1) Feeding my infant. I remember wondering how people got their babies to eat rice cereal--James wouldn't touch it. Well, now I know--you don't give it to them with water. Now I freeze extra breast milk in ice cube trays to use for cereal later on. I learned this with the twins--they were much more likely to accept a new food if it tasted some what familiar. I also always add fruit or veggies to the cereal. I make much of my own baby food now.

2) Schedules. I remember with James I could just sleep in till 2 if he would let me. Now there's no such thing. James wakes up at 7 am. James wakes up Kate. James wakes up Clara. James wakes up Andrew. James wakes up Mom. We're all up now and very grumpy. No sleeping in here! To James's defense--that was just today--usually it's Kate who's my early bird. But, we follow a general schedule everyday that keep us, well if not sane, at least alive.

The Dinosaur walk at the Zoo

James was too scared of the dinos to get out of the stroller!

Here is a pic of my little Buzz Lightyear

Clara and her quintuplets.
She didn't quite get that when I was saying 1 dolly I meant put the other down, not pick one more up.

A flower from Grandma's garden.

I had to get a picture to show how the flower was bigger than Clara's face.

Andrew started solids last week.

He's not officially 6 months until Friday, but he was beyond ready.

He LOVES his real food. And sleeps better too.

Here's a picture from the past.

James' mischievous look is all too perfect!

Ahhh! Back in the days when the girls could and WOULD share a swing (or anything at all for that matter) at the park.

Love my little baldies!

James and Clara snuggling

things to remember

so as i type one handed with my left hand after having carpal tunnel surgery yesterday, i hope i can capture a few of the random moments from this month i want to recall.

first, I've been thinking lately about recording some of the things my girls do that are "twinish". They are really starting to play together. They'll just look at each other and giggle. One will throw her hands in the air and the other will copy her with a giggle. Clara is my little mommy and every so often she'll put Kate to bed with a blankie and dolly or push Kate in the stroller. They are both obessessed with doing buckles on anything--stroller, high chairs, car seats, back packs. They are both in "I do it" mode. It makes getting dressed and buckling car seats a VERY SLOW process. But I'm glad they are learning to do things for themselves. Yesterday morning all 3 of my kids changed their own pull-ups/diapers/underwear! They are both obessessed with shoes and spend all day changing shoes out. so, yes, we often go out with miss matched/backward shoes on every one--but hey, shoes are VERY LOW on the "battles to fight" list for me. They have both started asking after people. Yesterday during my surgery, Kate asked my mother "Where momma go?" waving her hands in the air. It melted my heart. They will dance together, play kitchen together. Chase James around--which he loves. He spends quite a bit of time trying to get them to follow him.
But mostly I don't think of my kids as a singleton and twins. They really act as a triplet set right now. For example, all are still using diapers or pull-ups at times (all though Kate is making fast progress to being potty trained, and James is pretty much there except for nights), if I get a sippy for one, I better have 2 more ready. Forget having a sweet big brother/sister moment with Andrew by letting them feed him a bottle. The one time I tried, I had 3 kids fighting to grab the bottle from him. I ended up having to get 3 bottles for the big kids, and breast feeding Andrew.
If I tell one child to stop doing something they shouldn't, I suddenly have 3 kids doing it. e.g. Kate put your diaper back on--suddenly 3 kids giggling with their pants on the ground. Clara put your shirt back on--3 kids naked suddenly. James come back inside--3 kids out the door. Same goes for if I try to do something fun/special with one child. Clara, let mommy read you a book--3 kids now elbowing each other for space on my lap. Piggy back ride for one kid--3 trying to climb on me. Potty training? "Kate, let's go sit on the potty and get a treat!" 3 kids now fighting over who gets the blue froggy potty. It literally takes 3 potty's to train one child.

It is quite overwhelming at times. James is going through a huge defiance mode right now refusing to do things and throwing things when he gets mad. Clara is immune to any sort of taste bud punishment for biting. Hot sauce mixed with cayenne peppers & chili powder? Not a flinch. Vanilla flavoring, vinegar? Asked for more. I'm not sure what to do to stop her biting. Kate has slowed down b/c luckily hot sauce was a threat for her.
It's definitely a wild ride. I try not to be too hard on us for not doing everything perfect--sometimes it's a "didn't get my teeth brushed till 4 pm" type of day and I guess that's just ok. But hey, it's not all bad--we had no cavities at the kids dentist appointment Tuesday!

AHHH! My little princess Clara and my little go-getter Kate

Bath time for 2 wild and crazy girls!

I love that my 5 month old only weighs 6 pounds less than my 2 year old Clara. Here's a picture of Kate giving Andrew a ride in the stroller.

R.I.P. Mr. Croako.

FYI don't put frogs in a plastic aquarium out on the back porch on an 90 degree day while you clean the kitchen.

My "triplets"

I know this time will pass in a second--especially since I had all my kids in 3 1/2 years! Doing my best to enjoy every moment and not lose my marbles in the process. On the other hand--my little guy Andrew is amazing. He's working on sitting up, can roll all around the room, grabs anything he wants. His teeth on the bottom are right there ready to come through. He is just a little flirt who loves attention from anyone. He smiles and coos adorable. When I come into the room he just about leaps out of my mom's lap to get to me. He is just the best baby in the world. Luckily he loves being in the backpack, because he spends a lot of time there!