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!

Whew! What a month!

Ok, so I've been on hiatus for awhile. Our laptop finally died and our desktop wouldn't recongize our camera, so it took me awhile to figure out how to get my photos up. Here are a few of the goings on we've been up to:

James turns 4

James asked for an Alien bug cake--so this is what I came up with. I made a "mother ship" cake and then all the kids decorated "aliens" for the ship.

Camp Camp 2010! We had a blast playing at the cabin for a week with cousins. Our theme was Greek Mythology. I chose King Midas. I made the kids crowns and wrist bands of gold fabric, and then they had to go on a hunt to collect the decorations for the crown.

Here are some pictures from the lake.
Thanks to Christy and Tawnya for playing with my kids and looking after them so well!

Trip to Texas

Wow, I'm really behind on posts! It's pretty late, and rather than grumble about how TERRIBLE my kids were today, I'll just share a few of my favorite photos from our trip to Texas last week for my sister-in-law's graduation from h.s. We had a great time playing in the pool, boating, and celebrating birthdays. The twins turned 2 and James turns 4 in a few days. Sob, sob, I'll no longer be a mother of 4 under 4! We've been back for a week, but I think it'll take another month to catch up! BTW--any one know how to cure a 4 year old boy from acting like a boy?

You lookin' at me?

Justin and his family

Storytime with Grandma & Grandpa

One of my bathing beauties

Andrew gets in the pool for the first time!

Andrew's Blessing

Today we had Andrew's baby blessing. He's a beautiful, happy little boy-- and a very big one at that! At 3 months he weighs in at 13 lbs. --more than double his birth weight of 6 lbs. Justin gave Andrew a beautiful blessing--full of promises and instructions for his whole life. We are so blessed to have this little boy. He is a ran of light to his siblings, parents, and grandparents and we are grateful to be his parents.

Better than finding a $5 in your pocket . . .

My girls don't usually work together this well . . . What could they be up to?

Hum, that looks suspiciously like mom's mother's day candy . . . Yep, it is! Two girls after my own heart. What could be better than finding a treasure trove of chocolate!?

Kate found her own little piece of heaven one day . . . before meanie mommy took it away. She must have learned drinking straight from the bottle from daddy!

The Cabin in May!

The kids and I had a great time at the cabin with my sister Kate, her kids, and my mom. It was perfect weather! The kids' babysitter, Tawyna came along, which made all the difference for me! We had a great time digging in the sand, taking VERY short hikes (notice my double load) and playing around the cabin. What a perfect day!

Birthday Party!

The kids were sooooo excited to help me throw a birthday party for their babysitter Tawnya. It was too much fun. I made turquise and hot pink cupcakes the night before and we (I) sang happy birthday to her. It was a lot of fun for the kids, who are just beginning to understand the idea of birthdays.

It's not all bad . . .

I realized my posts have taken a slightly negative/cynical tone lately. Just for the record, as bad as my last post seemed, I actually consider that day a huge success because I handled it amazingly well. I just thought I'd take a moment to remind myself that there are good days and not matter what--I love and adore my family.

Yesterday was a good day. James played quietly making bead / pipe cleaner caterpillars all morning long. Even Kate and Clara tried their hand at beading. It was so sweet to see their tenacity as they tried and tried and tried to get those beads on!

When Justin had to go back to work after lunch James was so sweet. He said, "Don't go back to work daddy. Stay home. I like you. " This morning Kate and Clara gave so much love to Andrew. They greeted him with a serenade of bonks on the head with their balloons. And bless his soul, he slept right through it. It'll only be a few more years that my kids think, as my sister Jeny once said, "that I'm the Sun, the Moon, & the Stars." This year may be very trying, but I know we'll have lots of wonderful moments to fill in the gaps. I am a very blessed woman.

Calgon take me away . . .

6:28 am I awake 2 minutes before my alarm b/c I hear my husband changing Kate's diaper.
6:41 am I hear all 3 older kids awake--I say good bye for good to my plans to get up before my kids and work out/shower.
7:08 Clara in melt down mode b/c she's tired and hungry. (yesterday she had a temp of 102)
7:45 I shower blissfully ignorant and happy. Clara crying somewhere.
8:08 I realize James has totally filled his underwear with diarrhea. Clara crying somewhere.
8:50 Poop cleaned up. Heading to the dentist. Clara happy. Drugs must be working.
10:20 Leaving the dentist--small filling ends up being 2 huge fillings. Dentist warns I might have some sensitivity when the Novocain wears off.
10:30 Arrive home. Clara in bed. Grandma is pretty sure my 19 year old niece who babysat will never have kids after watching mine.

11:30 James off to school

12:00 Clara up & crying. Kate still sleeping in HER crib.

3:00 Clara still crying. I check on Kate who is now in her sister's crib? (there's 2 feet separating them) and has covered it in diarrhea. I let her sleep.

3:30 I try to put Clara down for a nap

4:00 start cleaning up Kate and poop. Clara awake.

4:15 Kate in shower. Clara splits her lip open somehow. Perfect boy Andrew starting to fuss, but not frantic yet.

4:40 Kate out of shower and in Andrew's crib. Clara in Andrew's crib crying because Kate's in it as well. James in Andrew's crib making Kate cry. James crying because Kate won't give him the laundry basket (the contents of which are now dumped all over the floor). I am frantically trying to finish cleaning the poop infested bathroom. Perfect boy Andrew getting frantic.

5:00 Roast over cooked. Potatoes not even started. Kids are getting mac n' cheese.

5:10 mac n' cheese now all over floor. James in time out. Kate is missing her diaper.

5:20 James asks to play on porch. I say ok.

5:30 I realize James as taken saplings soaking in muddy water and painted the front porch, door and windows with mud. James in time out. Kate is missing her diaper again.

5:35 Front porch washed off. James has taken his juice and poured it out on the window sill. James in time out.

5:45 Clara still crying. Kate missing her diaper again. James may never leave time out again. Novocain has worn off and Tooth is Killing me!

6:03 I go to check on James. He has fallen asleep on his bed in the laundry bag:

6:10 I let Clara & Kate play in the bathroom sink. Hey, at least they're not crying. Except Clara keeps trying to push Kate off the chair.

6:20 Clara alone in bathroom, crying. I take her (while holding Andrew) to the bench at the kitchen table and tell her I'll get her ice cream. I turn my back. She fall flat on her face. I lay Andrew on the floor (now crying) and pick up Clara (now hysterical).

6:30 I notice a suspicious yellow puddle under the chair where naked Kate had been standing.

6:40 Clara to bed.

6:48 Kate and I call Daddy to find out Where in the Heck is he?!?

6:53 Dad home. I survived.

On the positive note today: I spent ample time staring lovingly into Perfect Boy Andrew's eyes. I remembered tummy time for Andrew. I made pretty good Pad Thai from scratch for lunch. I got the Kitchen and a bathroom clean. I didn't cause bodily harm to any one of my children.

A few things I've learned . . .

So, lately I've been doing a lot of learning about being a mom. I thought I would record them for myself, so that someday when I'm sending #4 off to college I can laugh at how I was as a new mom.

Me and #4

1--It's ok to refer to my son as #4. It won't put him in therapy. I'm #4 and I refer to myself that way often. Ditto for letting #4 take naps in a swing, sleep through the night without a diaper change, and not spending every waking moment gazing lovingly into his eyes. (this is from the lady who once cut a onesie off #1 because of a blowout.) The point is, I've learned to stop stressing that every other thing I do with have long lasting negative consequences. Kids are pretty resilient.

#1, #2, & #3 hiding in the closet

2--No matter how hard I try to organize my day, my kids will unorganize it for me. The day I think I'm going to get them to bed a little bit early to get some things done in the evening is the night they'll all start throwing up soon after I put them down. Going with the flow and seizing the moment are going to have to become my mottos. Since I can't predict when I might actually be able to do something, I have to take any chance I can. Like how I should be sleeping right now, not blogging.

#1, #2, & #3 with the queen of "seize the moment" --Grandma Sarah.

How's the bird seed taste kids?

3--I'd probably be a lot happier if I quit trying to get stuff done--you know, like showering, eating, and brushing my teeth. Not exaggerating. If, when all four of my kids are awake, I attempted nothing but sitting on the floor and playing with them, my life would be much less stressful. I might by stinky and hungry, and my house a wreck, but at least I wouldn't be having breakdowns over spilled milk. I don't mean that in the cliche phrase way--I really mean spilled milk.

So, there are the lessons for this week. Don't worry--I'll forget them by Monday and have to relearn it all again. ;) Take care!

Andrew turns 2 months old!

Our sweet little Andrew turns 2 months old today! He's a very "good" baby. He plays for long periods of time in his play gym--when his siblings let him have it that is! He goes to sleep around midnight and sometimes sleeps straight till 6 am. He's started giving me lots of adorable smiles and giggles. All his siblings LOVE to snuggle with him--which involves a lot of defensive manuvers on my part to make sure he isn't over loved.

A hint of a smile:

Why we really need a 3rd bedroom.

How the bedroom should be. How I found it.

Yes, I did stop to take pictures before I fished her out. What kind of mom am I? Poor kids.

Kate and her new-found toys. Complement of James.

So the last few nights James has taken to throwing things in his sister Kate's crib. He has been in various kinds of trouble for this, and none of it seems to be working. The other night (after having gone in about 4 times already) I went into settle the kids down only to find Kate's crib filled with every moveable thing in the room--complements of her brother James. We really need to get his boy his OWN room!

james gives a play-by-play on the egg hunt

Easter 2010

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful day remembering the Resurrection and life of our Savior. I'm still trying to figure out how to help 1 & 3 year olds understand the real reason for Easter . . . Maybe next year. ;)
Here we are on the Easter egg hunt. We missed a huge hail and rain storm by minutes. It was a ton of fun, even if they took awhile to get it!

Why clean the cabinets?

Many of you have responded to my last post wondering why I was cleaning kitchen cabinets at all. Well, it comes down to 2 things: 1) I don't want to be known as the daughter that moved in and trashed her mothers' house, and 2) after waking up from my pregnancy induced stupor I realized my children had "claimed their territory" in my mothers' house by gooifying the walls from about 2 feet on down. And doors. And cabinets. And windows. You get the idea.

How are things going? . . .

So, many people ask me how things are going. And things are going much as expected . . .that is sometimes things are going smoother than I would ever dream, and then sometimes I'm pretty sure there's an asylum with a room waiting for me. ;) So today I was reminded why my expectations for myself should remain VERY low for some time:

3:15 I get out a bowl with the goal of cleaning the kitchen cabinets while the girls and Andrew are still napping.
3:16 James sees the bubbles and wants his own bubbles. I oblige.
3:17 I start cleaning, James wants a scrubber to. I get him one.
3:19 I start cleaning, James gets bubbles on his "flower". I get him a rinse bowl to get the bubbles off.
3:21 I start cleaning again.
3:23 Andrew starts fussing. I shush him and quiet him back down.
3:26 I start cleaning.
3:29 James freaks out about something. I try to figure it out and calm him down.
3:30 I start cleaning.
3:31 Andrew fusses again. I change diaper. Nurse and burp.
3:45 I start cleaning.
3:46 I realize that in my absence James has dumped both large bowls of water out on himself and the floor.
3:48 I get out the floor cleaner. Someone left water in it and it stinks.
3:49 Floor cleaner is picking up water, but also leaking much back out. I empty it and fix leak.
3:52 I finally get water off floor.
3:53 I strip James of his water and dish soap soaked clothing and rinse him off in the kitchen sink so as to not risk waking up girls downstairs.
3:58 I dress James. Girls wake up. Andrew crying.
4:00 I give up on cleaning kitchen cabinets.

Sum: 45 minutes . . .1 kitchen cabinet cleaned.

Yes, I think for my sanity I will have to keep my expectations for myself VERY low for awhile. ;)

This week . . .

Here are a few of my favorite photos from this past week. It's been pretty crazy as a mom of 4 under 4, but we're adjusting mostly, pretty well. ;) Baby Andrew is a gem. He's definitely the easiest kid of the bunch. It's hard to be bad when you sleep 20 out of 24 hours! He weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 oz at his 2 week check up today--up 11 oz. from his birth weight. He definitely got his mom's appetite! Kate and James have taken to little brother very well. They both love to hold and kiss baby brother. Kate especially. She runs to the couch to hold him whenever I come into the room with him. Clara on the other hand . . . well we're working through the jealousy issues. We finally got a photo of her holding him. Before she would whack him in the head or try to throw him off her lap. But she's finally coming around. Here's some pictures!

The bonus of having to buy lots of shoes because you can't pass down shoes between twins:

Lots of boxes to stack up! I found a great deal and got 12 pairs of shoes for $70. Dress shoes and boots for the next year or two.

Daddy took the kids to the cabin for the day to give mom some time off. Here they are in the trail of two forests in an old tree trunk.

The first photo we got of Clara finally holding baby Andrew!

Daddy and kiddos at the cabin

Baby Andrew

Here's our newest arrival! Andrew Lawrence was born at 11:50 am on 02/20/2010. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 2 oz and 20" long. He was a little sleepy and pale at first and spent about 1/2 hour under observation from the NICU team, but then he came right back to mom and dad. He's a great eater, sleeper, & pooper! He was named Slow Poke Jochim for awhile because this delivery was the longest yet! We finally picked a name for him Sunday night. Andrew because we liked & agreed on it, and Lawrence is a maiden name from my Washington pioneer ancestors.
James came to see baby brother in the hospital. He really enjoyed holding & kissing brother and riding in mom's hospital bed. The girls have pretty bad colds, so they stayed at home. Now they love to see baby brother and have their own baby dolls that they love to hold. We're all doing well and adjusting to life as a family of 6!