Nothing Exciting Posted Here.

I don't have any super great excuses for my lack of posting for the last two months. But I'm going to give you my lame ones anyway. I've sat down several times recently, trying to catch everyone up, but as most of my bloggy friends know, the longer you go without posting, the more that you feel you need to write, which becomes overwhelming , so then you don't write anything. I was like that in high school. I didn't read for leisure because there was always some academia I should have been reading , but I sure didn't want to read that, so I just read none of it. Win, win!

In December, BOTH of our computers crashed. One of them crashed while my SD card was in there with all my Disney pictures and pictures of the day Vivi was born. Thank Goodness I had at least backed those up. So, we were without a computer for awhile, then, Cory was out of town for a lot of January, blah, blah, blah, same old story. Then, Vivi started the stomach virus heard round the world.
Vivi got it first, gave it to Clay, who gave it to me, who gave it to Carter who finally gave it to Cory. The heaps of laundry were enormous and the restless nights are still yet to be over. Clay ended up hospitalized last week for dehydration and is just now getting better. Hopefully he'll be well enough to go to school on Wednesday.
I think everyone is finally on the upswing and thank goodness my mom flew out to save the day.
That's what's been consuming our month, but I promise to be better soon!

National Lampoon's Disney Vacation

Our Christmas present from the in laws was a family trip to Disney. Cory's parents rented a house in Kissimee FL, and we spent 4 days at each of the Disney parks and one day at Universal Studios. It was pure insanity. With 6 kids ranging from 1 to 9 and 12 people total we visited the happiest place on Earth on the busiest week of the year. Really, it was a recipe for chaos from the get-go. There was lots of crying and whining. Lots of eating, lots of souvenirs, lots of standing around deciding what to do, lots of hours spent in the bathroom, lots of diaper changes, clothes changes and mind changes. Lots of sticky fingers, baby wipes and scraped knees. There was not a lot of: sleeping. I. am. still. tired.

The Tree of Life  at Animal Kingdom

Carter was fascinated by his cousin's iTouch

At the beginning of each day as the alarm went off, I could only hope that all the children had accidentally been eaten by sharks. Alas, we were not this lucky.  

Carter and Trey driving at Epcot

The whole crew. (Minus my BIL who is taking the picture)

We took the kids to Jurassic Park in hopes maybe a dinosaur would eat them...no such luck.

In other news, Vivian is still very bald.

In other, other news: Rice Krispy treats are dairy free.

Carter came home with three different hats.

The first day we were at Magic Kingdom, it was at capacity. That's like...eleventy billion people in case you were wondering.

We did a lot of this: Standing around trying to figure out what to do next.

The 'big kids' in line for Thunder Railroad.

Clay = Eeyore

Viv loved Kali

I'm hoping in 10 years we can come back and re create this picture. Perfect, huh?

**I had more pictures, but BOTH of our computers have had  awful viruses and they totally wiped my SD card. My camera can't even read it now. Uggh. Lucky for me these are my BIL's pictures that he let me steal. Thanks Chuck!

Fantastic 5

Carter,

It is amazing to me that you are 5. Although, if we were going by pure energy, you'd be 30 by now.
You are still full steam ahead, and I'm convinced that the reason I am so fatigued is that you literally suck the energy out of me and use it for yourself.

You go to school 3 days a week here in Crestview and love it. You are at the point where school is immediate gratification. You hear things and then, they're in your brain and you remember them and apply them! You are starting to read, tell time and do more and more things for yourself. We have discussed you making your own breakfast but that doesn't really solve our getting up early problem since you can't very well get Vivi out of her bed for us. Ha. You are incredibly smart Carter and I can't wait to see where school is going to take you.

You are taking on more responsibility including feeding the dog, taking out your bathroom trash and turning out lights and shutting the bedroom doors before we leave the house. You take things in from the car for me, help me carry things, corral your siblings and help me find things. Your school backpack is your responsibility and we let you brush your own teeth now and then too. You know how to lock doors, make your bed, let the dog in and out, get toilet paper, take things to the outside fridge and sort laundry.

You are so good and quick at everything you do, so it is easy for us to add on responsibility and expectations. Your daddy and I try very hard to be fair and not expect more from you than we should but I'll be honest, it is hard sometimes. When we see how capable you are, it is easy for us to pile more and more on your plate. But, remember if you want 'big kid' privileges you get 'big kid' responsibilities. I'm sure I will wear this saying out more and more as you near adolescence.

You were on your first soccer game this year and had a good time. You really liked the games but weren't too fond of regular practice. You spent a lot of time high-fiving instead of watching the ball. You aren't quite fast enough for offense but you're a pretty good defender and goalie!

You LOVE dinosaurs, especially the T-rex. But, you're pretty knowledgeable about all of them and correct anyone who might guess the wrong name. "No mom, that's not a dromaeosaurus! Good grief!"

You love Star Wars and got all 6 movies for your birthday. Speaking of movies, You LOVE them too. This can be a good thing, or bad thing. It's very good, because if I come down with a migraine, or the flu or a hangover  or it's rained all day and we ran out of glue and Popsicle sticks,  I can put a movie on for you and you're all set. The bad part is that you'll be so entranced I will forget that you've been watching a movie for eleventy hours and your brain has turned to mashed potatoes long before Luke knows who his father is.
Screen time is a constant battle (not too dramatic of one, but one we have to revisit often nonetheless).
Luckily, your brother and sister do not share your same love affair with the TV. 

You have such a knack for making friends. You are able to go to any playground or beach and make an instant friend. Sometimes they're little boys your age. Sometimes they're 2 year old girls. Sometimes it's a group of 8 or 9 year old boys, doesn't matter. You somehow convince them that they definitely want to play with you or they're missing out.

This year for your party, you invited your best friend, Ollie for a sleepover. Y'all made pizza, ate rice krispies, played pirates and spy jungle animals and watched Star Wars until you both passed out on the couch. I didn't even make you brush your teeth, I just carried both of y'all to bed! You and Ollie had a great time.

Carter, I love you more than words can say. You made me a mother 5 years ago, and YOU. ARE. AWESOME.

Vivi Hitches a Ride

Happy Birthday to my little Turkey (3rd Edition)

Dear Clay,

It's hard to believe you're finally 3! It feels like you were just born, all the while feeling like you've been here my whole life. You are such an incredible child; different than any other I could compare you to. You're calm, reserved, sometimes very serious. You have your moments just like any other toddler, but for the most part you are one of the easiest children that has ever been born. Why do you think Vivi was born so soon after? You were such a breeze, we'd thought we'd have 5 more of you. Good thing for my sanity, Vivi wasn't quite as easy as you were. You'd probably have a few more little siblings by now.

You are asserting your independence more now, and are talking in complete sentences all the time and have abstract ideas and are understanding more and more every day. You count to 10 really well, and are pretty good up to 20. You say the alphabet perfectly, (okay, okay there are two e's in your alphabet) and can jump, run, climb, and ride your tricycle.

You still nap once a day but ask often if you can just have 'quiet time'. When you're 4 buddy. You still need that nap. You have to have the box fan blowing directly on you, or you wake up drenched in sweat. Lately you've been having a very hard time sleeping through the night with stomach pains. We are working on figuring out what's wrong, sweet pea. I'm sorry.

'
You are learning to 'fight back' with Carter, and he doesn't like it when you don't do what he says. But, as the circle of life continues, you and Vivi have the same relationship. I'm sorry you're stuck in the middle. But think of it this way: You're closer to both Carter AND Vivi and have two best friends of your very own.

Your favorite food is peanut butter and jelly, with macaroni for a close second. (Unless you count sweets. Then, number one is anything chocolate followed by any sort of candy as number two). You are also starting to branch out with trying new foods finally. Your older brother Carter eats everything, and you're just starting to notice. You had crab legs for the first time last night and loved them.

You love, love, love to do housework. I think part of it is that you are a very serious child. The other part is that you've never been away from me for very long, and it's probably what you see most of every day. You fold laundry, LOVE to vacuum (You got a dust buster for your birthday this year!) and are great with a bottle of Windex and a paper towel.

You are an animal lover. Your favorite are cats. I'm not totally sure why you love them so much. We've never had one. But you've loved cats for awhile now. Sometimes, when it's raining and we're bored, I let you watch cat videos on YouTube. We laugh and laugh and laugh.

You ask WHY? all the time. This is new for me, since Carter was a born know-it-all. It is very refreshing and cute. But sometimes very hard to explain the answers. Your latest "why?" question was concern over the backspace button on the computer. I sometimes let you play 'letters' on a blank document and just recently showed you how to erase them by pushing the backspace button. You were very worried about where those letters go when they disappear. You asked me, "Do they go into the computer? Is there a little tiny hole?"

You have been potty trained now since July (32 months old). I was very worried that potty training was going to be difficult for you. But, I waited until you were a good communicator and I set a date and we did it! We started with 'naked below the waist' for a few days, went to underwear and never looked back. With two kids down and one to go, I still stand by my [no!] pull ups theory. We'll see if Vivi follows my same hypothesis. You are using the big potty all the time and haven't had an accident in months! Go YOU!

We found a church here in Florida and after about 10 minutes in 'kids church' you decided that wasn't for you. You now sit in big church with me and Daddy. Before you, I would have never thought a 2 year old could sit through a church service quietly. But, you proved us wrong. Our rule is that if you want to talk and play then you have to go to kids church. That must be motivation enough for you to be still.

You are starting half day preschool in January after the Holidays and I am not totally sure how that's going to go (based on your record at the CDC and Sunday school). You will get to be with Carter though, and you are familiar with the teachers. I am keeping my fingers crossed...

Clay, I love you.

 

You are wonderful and you are 3!

 



If anyone would like to reminisce with me, here is Clay's birth story and announcement and his first and second birthdays.

Stranger Danger

***This post was orinially found on of my favorite blogs: FreeRangeKids. You can find it here

I really love this article. It articulates exactly how I feel about 'stranger danger' and I want everyone to read it!

Hi Readers! This essay by Jennifer Carsen originally ran at her blog, Mommy Tries, which bills itself as “Bringing you good-enough parenting since 2010.” – L.

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Dear Free-Range Kids: I’ve been wondering, “WWLD” (What Would Lenore Do?)

My daughter Lorelei was on the swings at the playground today, loving it as usual, when a little girl and her dad ambled over to the swing next to us. It’s hard for me to accurately calculate the ages of other people’s children, as nearly all of them are smaller than Lorelei - including a few incoming UNH freshmen - but she must have been 3 or 4 or so.
“Hi!” I said brightly, as her daddy was getting her settled.
“Hi,” she replied – and then got a worried look on her face.
“Daddy, is that a stranger?” she asked, pointing an accusing finger at me.
He looked me over, menacing in my turtleneck and mom jeans, and said (with a slight smile at me over his daughter’s head), “Yes.”
“She talked to me,” the little girl said, her tiny voice dripping with equal parts horror and disgust.
“It’s okay, Sweetie,” he said, laughing. “I’m right here.”
I understand that teaching our children to be cautious is a good thing, but there’s got to be some better way to distinguish “stranger” (mommy at the next swing; merely a friend we have not yet met) from “STRANGER” (creepy guy who separates you from the rest of the herd with promises of puppies and van candy).

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Me (Lenore): Agreed! And the thing is, even the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children — the folks who put the missing kids’ photos on the milk cartons — now formally distances itself from the idea of “stranger danger” — because it’s useless.

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First of all, the vast majority of crimes against kids are committed by people they KNOW. So it’s like warning kids about the dangers of spoons, when — if we’re talking cutlery — the bigger danger is probably meat cleavers, right?

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Secondly, when we warn kids never to talk to strangers, we are taking away a safety net for them. If they are ever in trouble, it is GOOD to ask for help from anyone, fast! As the late, great Mary Duval once said, “I think we can trust random people not to suddenly become child molestors just because they happen to see a child.”

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And thirdly, if we tell kids that everyone unfamiliar to them is a potential child killer, we are effectively stunting any street smarts they might otherwise be cultivating. If you automatically distrust EVERYONE, how can you develop that tingling sixth sense of, “Something feels a little weird”? EVERYTHING feels a little weird — you’re surrounded by killers!

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So here’s “What “Lenore Would Do”: Teach kids you can TALK to strangers, you just cannot go OFF with strangers. That way, they get to see the world for what it is — basically good — with a dollop of caution, which is also basically good.

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And as for that dad, who is teaching his daughter she’s safe as long as SuperDaddy is around, but otherwise she’s a delectable hors d’oeuvre for the crowd of slavering wolves at the swingset, maybe it’s time to put HIM on a milk carton with the caption: “Have you seen this well-meaning but clueless dude?” — L

Carter's First Trophy

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I have been having trouble with Blogger lately, and I finally got around to figuring out the problem. Carter's Soccer Awards Ceremony was a few weeks ago. At this age, everyone gets a trophy and they were all too proud to show it off. Carter's team was named Mutiny and I think we lost all but one game the whole season... But in their defense, the only kid who had ever played before was the coach's son. Carter's legs just don't take him as fast as some of the other ones. So he played a lot of defense. He is a good goalie too!

Carter always looks so 'big' in the pictures of just him, or in pictures with his siblings. But this picture shows a more realistic representation.....

Team Picture

The only shot I got of Carter accepting his trophy. He's in the back there, in mid run.

At the end of every game, the parents make a tunnel for the kids to run through. The kids had a blast running through their last tunnel.

Way to Go Carter! Your first trophy!