A Nice Weekend.

I'm happy to say, after starting September on a very lousy blogging note, by the end of September I'm back on track writing.  I have realized that I enjoy writing here immensely and it's something I never feel like I have to do.  I want to write.  In a life that can feel over-crowded by being a wife, caring for four children, keeping house and a mile-long list of should-be's, an enjoyable hobby is very welcome. 

We had some adventures at church yesterday.  Getting there right before Mass started, of course the only pew available big enough for us was the front row.  "Okay," I thought, "This could be good.  How much trouble can they cause with the Monseigneur just a few feet away?"
Uh-huh.  Silly Mommy. 
I need to preface this by saying that we are blessed with good kids and we do work very hard to get them to behave well.  Most of the time, are not trying to cause trouble.  They are learning.  They are very inquisitive and excited about life.  It's really pretty awesome to watch.  Though, this can lead to very amusing and exasperating situations and sometimes I just have to do this. 
Yesterday was one of those times.  
I can't decide if the best part of Mass last night was when Nate opened up the hymnal and shouted "Donut!!!" every time he saw a whole note OR if it was when Caroline pulled up her tights by lifting her dress above her waist mooning the congregation OR if it was when Nate discovered he could genuflect and got so excited about he did a somersault in the aisle. 
Oy vey. 

Matt and Michelle braved our household and joined us at the Orioles game today. 
We had a lot of fun.  Sam and Nate have total crushes on Michelle.  Totally cute to watch. 
We appreciated the extra manpower with the kids at the Park, too.  =-)
The Red Sox lost and their season will be mercifully coming to an end this week.  The Orioles will most likely continue to play.  Talk about weird.  But also neat to see Camden Yards packed with fans. 
It was JJ Hardy bobblehead doll day and because the dolls were only given to adults, we didn't have enough for all the kids (I would never, ever think of asking Matt to give up his doll - heehee).  We were sitting, taking a family picture when a lady in a Sox shirt came up to me and commented on my Nomar jersey.  We got to talking (imagine that) and she was down with her girlfriends from Johnstown, RI.  I admit I was getting more than a little homesick for Worcester just listening to their accents.  We went on our way and a few minutes later, they were back and gave their bobbleheads to our kids.  Caroline was ecstatic.  The lady actually had tears in her eyes when Caroline was hugging her saying JJ was her favorite Oriole.  All three ladies got big hugs and kisses from CJ, Sammy and Nate.  I think everyone's day was made. 

Picture time behind the bullpens!

 In our seats before the game...

 Sam was less than thrilled with the location of our seats.  Waaaaay too high for his liking.  It took him a few innings to get used to it.  He never was able to leave the section without having a death-grip on the railing, though. 

 Maybe he's grinning at the score?  He is our only baby born in Maryland.  Betcha he'll be an Orioles fan...

 Showing off his bobblehead doll. 

And time to prepare for the upcoming week.
Zzzzzz. 

Saturday Morning

We just finished singing our "Stinky Butt" song to Benjamin. 
He liked it. 
We saw a little smile!  Not great photographic evidence, but it will have to suffice for now. 
Big doings this weekend.  More on this later...cannot disclose lest my children not sleep tonight.  Imagine that. 

Sam's first night of t-ball was yesterday.  He said he liked it, "Except for that grumpy man that was always telling me what to do..."
The grumpy man was the coach.  Hopefully he gets over that (Sam, not the coach) because he wasn't grumpy.  Sam just doesn't like taking direction. 
Again - imagine that.   

Quote of the Day from yesterday:
"Caroline, did you just kick your brother in the head?" says Mama incredulously (though, by now I'm wondering why I should be incredulous at anything that goes on here). 
"Just a little.  He's fine now," comes a reply in a rather nonchalant voice. 
Sigh. 

Happy Birthday!

In honor of my favorite Aunt in Florida (hey - if your family was as big as mine, you would have to cover your bases, too!))...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I just put Ben down and hes' not too happy...but I can't tell if he's pissed because he's not being held or he's pooping.  The cries are the same.  =-)  And since Nate is asleep, it's time to pour the coffee and saddle up to get some work done because the house looks like a small hydrogen bomb just went off in it.  Ugh. 
We had play group at church this morning and it was a lot of fun.  I played freeze tag with the kids.  Nothing like having 4 four year olds confirm how out-of-shape you are by running circles around you when you're sucking wind after a 10 minute game.  So for a rest, I laid down on the gym floor and they all jumped on me.  At least I didn't have to move for that. 
I'm thinking I'm not going to get to Wegmans, get Nate's shoes sewn, the house picked up, the laundry done and put away, floors vacuumed, dinner made, correspondence completed and some exercise in before I have to get Caroline.   So I'll put a National Geographic show on netflix and listen to it while I'm doing my work...I'll learn a little something while I toil. 
Oh - and it was a poop.  All is quiet now.  There is just one more thing to clean up. 

Yesterday

Yesterday was one of those days. 
Nothing got done. 
Nate was "helping" me unload groceries and then I noticed he was nowhere to be found.  He had unloaded a box of macaroni and taken it out of the kitchen.  He then proceeded to empty said box and fling the contents everywhere.  Of course, elbow macaroni can't be vacuumed (he's already broken my vacuum once this year - and YES, I STILL vacuum up peanuts from that friggin' beanbag) - so I ended up sweeping the carpet with a broom. 
I had boycotted laundry over the weekend (why, oh why do I do this when it comes back to bite me every single time?!?!) and had clothes coming out my ears to be folded and put away. 
The boys were at eachother's throats for much of the day.
Benjamin wanted nothing but to be held.  I would put him down carefully after he would fall asleep in my arms only to have him wake up screaming two minutes later.  This is fine, but once it's repeated about 8 times, it gets old.
It was a day that things on my To Do List simply did not get crossed off.
Days like that irk me.  A LOT.
So I crafted this note to my children:

Nathanael and Benjamin -
You NEED to take long naps today. Between the breakfast dishes in the sink, the four loads of laundry to be folded and put away and the ENTIRE box of uncooked pasta that you decided to rip open and fling about the toy room - Mama is living on the raggedy edge.
She also understands why some species eat their young.
TREAD LIGHTLY boys. Tread lightly.
Love,
Mama


Today has been decidedly better. 
Thank goodness.

Caroline had her first day of gymnastics.  She enjoyed herself.  It is very low-key and non competitive, but I was concerned because she is so hard on herself when she isn't the best at something (and athleticism isn't one of her strongest points).  I did end up giggling to myself when the coach asked her to do a cartwheel and she did a perfect somersault.  Guess I haven't been real good about teaching her stuff like that.  I'll put that on the To Do List, too.  =-)

Sunday Night.

It's 8:30.
Kids are in bed.  Lunches packed.  Clothes out.  Bookbags ready to go.
Even Benjamin is in his bed - we'll see how long that lasts.  He has been a hungry little monkey recently at night - feedings at 12:30, 2:30, 4:30 have been his MO.  Fun stuff.
But I won't blog very long - just got a notice that my book is due back in the library in four days.  I've been enjoying it (so WHAT if it's a young adult novel) and I like getting my Bat-Girl fix - so I would really like to finish it. 
Ben still isn't smiling consistently with me (he IS at his Grandfather, but that's a different story - I'm jealous!).  With all the other stuff going on with him, my Mama Nerves are just about shot.  If this kids doesn't start smiling consistently soon, I'm going to get really worried.  He DID roll over twice yesterday from stomach to back, so he's doing okay there...I just wish I could see him interact more with his environment.
This motherhood thing - it's all about worrying, isn't it?  And I thought it would get easier with more kids.  What WAS I thinking? 
Sheesh!
We went to the Tire Park today at Cunningham Falls State Park.  Fun stuff.  We'll be going back.

And, not to be left out, HERE is how I found Ben when I had left him on his blanket on the floor and went to get a change of clothes for him.  Caroline thought it was necessary to make him "more comfortable".  I think she thought it was more necessary to have him use the pillow she made to match his blanket.  Poor kid!  Can't wait until she starts dressing him up!

Siesta

1pm.
The Yankees game is on the radio.
Two very cute little boys are sleeping. 
The house is quiet.
The house is also a disaster area.  We made the Super Duper Double Secret Dickens Raspberry Frosting this morning (THANK YOU for the SOS email, Aunt Donna!!).
We over estimated the amount of frosting we needed, so we had to make extra angel food cakes because frosting such as this must not be wasted.  I underestimated the amount of extra pan space needed when baking angel food cake, so there is cake all over the bottom of the oven and cake crumbs all over the kitchen.  I also underestimated how much Nate would like the frosting - there is evidence of that everywhere, too.

 So I'm giving myself 10 minutes to blog and then will run around like a mad(er) woman for 30 minutes and clean the house before the afternoon round up of children, homework and dinner happen. 

Here are the boys after our walk the other day.  It was a very beautiful and very quiet afternoon.  

 Watching the angel food cake bake.  I know NOW I could use some bigger pans. 

 Sam liked to beat the frosting.  The recipe includes five ingredients followed by the words "beat the crap out of them".  How can it be bad?

 Nate really, really liked the frosting. 

 I had to watch him constantly because he was taking handfuls of frosting and stuffing it into his mouth

 In real life, he's right-side-up (or are we upside down?) but this is what Benjamin did while we were baking.  He looks comfortable...

Blog?

What blog?
I'm embarrassed that September is halfway over without a single post. 
School, gymnastics, t-ball, catechism, Children's Liturgy, car pools, doctor's appointments and life in general have come on full blast in the last couple of weeks.  Benjamin has been assimilated into the family like he never wasn't here.  It helps that he's non mobile and non verbal.  =-)  It's the ones that can walk and talk that have been giving us a run for our money recently.  Especially the one that is 2.  He is just SO Destructi-Nate. 

The kids have been very into dinosaurs lately.  The plastic dinos accommodate them most places and it seems like the kids are pretending they are dinos all the time.  Watching National Geographic specials on dinosaurs are an extra special treat (yes, we breed geeks).  The incidence of biting, unfortunately, has increased dramatically.  In spite of my better efforts, it just seems like they can't pretend to be herbivore dinosaurs.  Carnivores are so much more exciting.  Ugh. 
The weather has been beautiful and 'm trying to get the kids outside to play before it's too cold.  Autumn is on a different schedule than I'm used to, though.  I have to say, I have never been a place with such  nice Fall weather.  I don't mind holding of the leaf raking until November. 

We had to take Ben to the cardiologist this week for a murmur.  He has a hole in his heart and some pulmonary artery stenosis.  It's scary to be told there is something wrong with your child.  After beating myself up (he has this because I didn't take enough folic acid / vitamin D / had an occasional sip of wine / wore the color yellow when I was two months pregnant), we realized that when the heart is being formed we didn't even know we were expecting - so there was nothing we could have done to prevent this.  As much as I would not like to hold my baby down when he's having an ECG/echocardiogram, we are grateful this is being found now and not later.  We couldn't be in a better place than National Children's.  The situation could resolve itself, or we could need to have some surgical intervention.  So we'll wait and see what happens.
God is determined to teach me patience.   Sometimes I think I'm learning.  Sometimes I don't.