Sunday musings

What you don't know about this Sunday photo...

 

 

...is that the kids were being so sweet with each other during this self-imposed Creative Time. I was baking bread and listening to Christmas music in the kitchen, and the children were humming along (Carson's got an angelic voice for singing Christmas tunes...when he wants to sing) and/or speaking so kindly to one another about their drawings.

 

"Carson, I love that ninja!"

"That looks soooo cute, Addie."

"I like your book, Layla."

 

I was thinking to myself as I took the photo, "Man, they're so sweet. This is a magical kid-family moment. I wish I could record photos with sound. That would be awesome."

 

Embarrassingly enough, it took me a good 10 seconds to realize, "Oh, wait. I kind of can. It's called video."

 

HEH.

 

On a similar yet unrelated note, Carson has never been one to show much interest in art. Which makes every moment that he gets engrossed in a project like this so much closer to my heartstrings. Lately, he's loved drawing different scenarios, most of which involve ninjas or warriors or zombies. To be honest, they're pretty rudimentary drawings (I often can't tell one stick figure from the next), but he explains them with such a light in his eyes and a vivid story behind his work that I can't help but love them.

 

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch...  

 

 

 ...someone was caught getting herself beautified for church. It's a good look, no?

 

Happy Sunday in December, everyone.



Violet, meet Nursery

Violet had her first day of nursery at church today. Sis. Norton, the nursery leader, was handing out baby dolls to the nursery girls when Paul opened the door to drop Violet off. Vi shot to the front of that line and didn't look back.

 

 

Which, coming from a girl who can't seem to let go of my leg while I'm cooking dinner sometimes, is a shock. An awesome, grin-inducing, dance-of-joy shock. She's happy, we're all happy.

 

I love this photo below. Runaways. At least they're sticking together.

 

Good Mom: 1. Bad Mom: 0.

 

The other day I was experiencing the bewitching hour of 4:00-5:00 when all things crazy and frustrating occur...amidst my trying to get dinner on the table and ensure homework and piano was completed and keep a certain 1-year-old from singlehandedly destroying the sphere we lovingly call home.

 

I was loading the dishwasher in a frenzy at just such a time when Addie came through the garage door into the kitchen, looking shamefaced and scared. Carson was close behind her.

 

me: What's wrong, Ads?

 

Addie: [no answer]

 

Carson: Addie accidentally ran through some flowers in the front yard and trampled them because she was trying to catch the Frisbee I threw. The flowers are destroyed, mom.

 

me: [internal battle rages. how to respond...how to respond...] Oh. Rats. Oh well. The flowers are getting ready for fall anyway. Thanks for telling me and being honest. Why don't you go keep playing outside, and just be careful of the other flowers, kay?

 

[kids head outside as I hear Carson say comfortingly to Addie] See? I told you she wouldn't get mad as long as we told her the truth!

 

 

I think I can safely say there has never, in the history of mankind, been a person more grateful to have squelched an angry knee-jerk reaction than I was at that moment.

 

Hooray for parenting moments gone painfully right.

My Summer Love

Dear Father Time,

 

Please slow down. Pretty please. I never want this one to grow up.

 

 

Love, Brittney

 

p.s. If you can't do that, may I alternately request Sunday church-time is sped up a bit? She's ridiculous during those three hours. Thanks a mil.



too fast for me

Violet is always on the go. Always, always. Leaves a path of destruction in her wake.

 

 

Quite frankly, it's exhausting. Exhausting and more than a little heart-wrenching, as we watch this love of all our lives grow up bit by bit, every single day.

 

Same with the older kids. Carson proclaimed something as "freaking awesome" the other day. Layla uses maturity in responding enthusiastically to Addie's coloring. Addie cracks us all up with her quick and genuine sense of humor.

 

Stop, Time. Please. Just for a second. Let me savor these precious, hilarious, and frustrating moments, each and every one.

The Lorax on Life

We got The Lorax dvd at Christmas. I don't know if you all have seen it or not, but it's one of our new favorite shows...evidenced by the fact that we actually own the dvd. Because we never buy dvds. But that's neither here nor there.

 

ANYway. There's a song on there that goes, "Every-body needs a thneed..." It's quite catchy.

 

The girls were singing it and rocking out a few days ago. Then they started changing the words and laughing hysterically at their new lyric-writing aptitudes. 

For example:

"Every-body needs some pjs."

"Every-body needs an apple."

"Every-body needs some candy."

etc.etc. You get the idea.

 

Then Layla busted out with: "Every-body needs a fam'ly."

 

Addie paused her dancing, caught off-guard in a moment of thought, and then exclaimed,

"Oh, yes yes yes! That is a 'PORtant one!!"

 

Love.

 

Speaking of 'portant: Who stole the last 9 months from me? HOW is my baby this big?!

 

 

 

(And also: How is my baby still this bald?! :) )

 

Scene that made me smile

Sometimes I stumble upon carefully laid out scenes around the house that make me smile.

 

Case-in-point, my decorative bird cage being prime penitentiary-focused real estate:

 

 

That's some pretty lax prison security, to give a prisoner access to a backhoe, don't you think?

 

 

Cute prisoner, though. She looks innocent. I hope she can escape, one way or the other. 

Rudolph the Ordinary

The other day, Addie was sweetly singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

source

 

Her version went something like this:

 

"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

Had a very shiny nose.

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer:

You'll go down in his-to-ry!"

 

Two seconds later, Carson looked over at her and said, matter-of-factly, "You left out some pretty important parts of the song, Adds."

 

Hahahahaaaa! Fine, maybe you had to be there, but I was dying laughing. Because...he's absolutely right. If the song were left at that, there would really be no reason at all for Rudolph to be historically significant.

 

I love kids.

Violet, Addie-style

Every morning, I let Addie pick out what Violet's going to wear that day. (Sometimes I modify things on Sundays, but I try not to.) The only requirements are that her clothes be weather-appropriate.

 

Addie takes this "chore" very seriously and has not disappointed in her choices. Sometimes she even has titles for the outfits. I started snapping photos each day, because I didn't want to forget these ensembles. Ever.

 

This one is called "Mrs. Cute." Obviously.

 

This one is called "Hunter-Girl." I had to ask how this outfit was huntery, and Addie patiently explained it's because of the hat. Looks like a pretty normal outfit, overall. Kind of disappointing.

Ahh, that's better. That's the Addie-style we know and love. No name for this one, but the tights speak for themselves.

p.s. Raise your hand if you're in love with those chub-legs (and chins!) like we are. So. Cute. 

 This one is called "Candy Cane."

 

May your day be merry and bright.



Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a magical time. We went to WA to my parents' house.

 

My brother Jared and his family and my sister Tyrelle and her family were there as well. Our kids were in cousin heaven. No, seriously. Heaven.

 

Speaking of heaven...there's nothing like a park on a crisp morning while you're waiting for the feasting hour.

 

My mom skipping with the three older kids. Yep. Skipping with gramma. Doesn't get better than that.

My dad hanging out with Violet while the others ran wild. She loves being outdoors and especially loves her Poppi!

 

We did shrinky-dinks, built stuff in my dad's workshop, crocheted (I just barely learned how from my talented sister), ate, played games, made jewelry, explored, and stayed up too late. Perfection.

 

The kids (including Violet) were awesome on the 9-hour drive to and from, which was quite amazing to Paul and myself.

 

Definitely a happy Thanksgiving.



Christmas Decor: Let it Be

I've decided that my kids' memories are more important this year than a photo-worthy holiday decor'd house. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it isn't the easiest thing for me to let their decor be.

 

It's often off-center:

 

 

Or stolen from somewhere else to festivize their own rooms:

 

 

It could be recycled garbage, like this tinfoil ball that Carson's so proud of:

 

 

Or maybe it's a vertical long linked ornament chain:

 

 

Apparently branch tips are prime ornament real estate, and there are loads of droopy branch ends on our tree to prove it:

 

 

And overpopulated sections:

 

 

And highly popular single branches (I think this one branch has 10+ ornaments on it):

 

 

This doubled-up hang job is especially creative:

 

 

Normally I try to correct and change these things so our house "looks" better. Not this year, though. I'm trying to focus on the important stuff. Like this:

 

 

We're crossing our fingers she doesn't learn to crawl until after Christmas. Paul's not betting on it, though.

 

 

 

This self-directed impromptu photo of the kids melts my heart. Carson was holding and playing with Violet when Layla jumped in and put her arm around him (and on Vi's head? You betcha), and Addie ran up and wrapped her little arms around the lot of them, squeezing as best she could.

 

 

Children are a joy. And nothing beats holiday smiles.

Past month...in all its uncensored glory

Surely I can't be the only one who consistently (chronically?) finds such gems as these (unaltered in any way)when I go to download the camera: 

Atta girl, Addie. Super artistic and...ah...feminine.

Girls getting ready for church. Why haven't I learned that they shouldn't get into their church dresses until about 5 minutes prior to go-time? We change about 58 times each Sunday morning, and our laundry hamper becomes a virtual schmorgasboard of clothes housing peanut butter, jam, milk, juice, soup, toothpaste, honey, markers, and ketchup. Eat your heart out, Chuck-O-Rama.

Layla's last day of ballet this semester. She gets her awesome white-blonde hair and baby face from her dad and her grace (bottom left) and flexibility (bottom right) from her mom. I'm such a good gene contributor. Yep.

We've been loving a lot on little Violet. Who, by the way, happens to be an Exhibit A case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Perfectly sweet and adorable when the stars (and her digestive rhythms) align, and a squirmy fuss-pot during the other times. But, honestly? We can't help but love her. And laugh at her funny faces.

The little lady already has a special place in her heart for her papa. And also...I have to check her finger frequently to make sure the string she's got around Paul's heart doesn't cut off her circulation...

See what I mean? She's full of smiles for the guy. One thing I love about Paul is that, when she is being fussy and we just can't quite figure out what would make things better, he takes it in stride and says stuff to her like, "Don't hold back, Violet. I always want to hear your opinions, so you just make sure you tell us everything about it," and so on and so forth. They have "conversations" this way, and it makes me relax and be able to laugh at her complaints.

(And laugh at this hat, let's be honest.)

Had to document her first trip "out." To the doctor's office for her 2-week checkup. My favorite part: her bird legs and the baggy socks. I laugh every time I see these photos.

 Gotta love the awkward (and endearing) newborn body proportions.

The girls like to play "Halloween" sometimes (sans candy aquisition. I'm a meanie, I know). Notice the bunny slippers on this bat-girl. It's in the details, people.

Carson is surprisingly gentle and calm(ish) around Violet. We're working on helping him not take it personally if she cries when he's holding her. But it's pretty sweet to watch him with her. Know what else is sweet? Her Addie-selected outfit in the below pic.

I couldn't resist putting these post-ballet performance photos in a photo-booth format (enlarge these if you can...priceless). Carson was dreading going, but he was super supportive of Layla during and after the performance. Addie was so excited to go that she dressed in her own ballet get-up and brought herself a fake flower.

I've said it before but it's worth repeating: every kid needs at least one friend during childhood. It's ridiculous how similar these two sillies are.

 

And now, a photo I like to call, "The Floating Head." Either that, or "Ichabod Crane: The REST of the Story."

Would you believe she was smiling 2 milliseconds before I snapped this shot? No? Fair enough. Because she looks crazy here. And bald. Which enhances the craziness.

What a tiny little bug. And yet, how much she's already grown. 5-1/2 weeks old! Already?! Good grief. Expect a graduation announcement, like, tomorrow.

Addie Anne

Addie is killing me lately. In a good way. I've made a concerted effort to spend quality time with her every morning while the older kids are at school and while Violet's asleep, which is so super fun. There are also times, however, when I can't be playing with her (e.g., doing dishes, laundry, random tasks of motherhood, etc.), and she finds ways to entertain herself.

Like this morning, she brought an enormous stack of books downstairs, had me "tuck her in" to the couch with her blankie, and she spent a good portion of time reading to herself and laughing at the funny parts. I'd glance over at her occasionally, and she had her ankles crossed in front of her, hair falling in her eyes, and total concentration.

And like yesterday, after I played chess with her (don't worry...apparently, House Rules are that her guys can move anywhere on the board AND jump my guy in the same move. Even the pawns. She won in about 12 moves.), she kept them out and played against herself, while making the pieces have meaningful conversations amongst themselves. They talked about going dancing after the game... my money's on the knight's horse having 3 left feet. 

Plus she oooohs and aaaahs over my simple dinners like pasta and veggies. And whenever she falls or trips, she'll get up and brush herself off and assure me, "I'm otay, mom. I'm otay." And she tells me that, since Violet's the baby, she herself doesn't need naps anymore... and then she'll curl up with me with her blanket and fall asleep. And she rubs my back and "does" my hair sometimes. And she coos adorably at Violet and plays so cute (usually) with her older brother and sister.

Paul and I tell her that she can't get older. She's practically perfect as she is.

a little of this and that

It's that time of year again at our elementary school...the time where we get to choose whether or not to order school photos. Hmmm... Pose A or Pose B? Both tempting options.

In unrelated news, my parents drove down from Washington and spent the majority of this past week with us. (And my mother-in-law spent several days last week.) I honestly don't know if I could've survived without their help.

Joyce played with the older kids, brought us food deliciousness, took me to/from instacare (and loaned me her iPad to play mindless games on while I waited), and was a constant support for several days during a fresh-home-from-the-hospital rough patch. I love you Joyce!

My parents played with and showered the older kids with much-needed attention and saw to details both major (e.g., breakfast, getting kids to/from school, homework, etc.) and minor (e.g., letting me nap, vacuuming, doing dishes, stocking the freezer with edibles, etc.). I love you Dad & Mom!

My dad spent the good part of one morning singing to Violet and Addie. His voice is awesome and soothing; I loved it as a kid, and I love that my daughters can hear it as well. This is the stuff of life, people. 

Mom was always ready and eager to hold or rock Violet when she needed attention but craziness was happening elsewhere. (And, let's be honest, any other time too.)

The kids all love reading to Violet. This was a hilariously academic setup I stumbled upon in the midst of one morning's rush of activity:

And, apparently, there was going to be a test on the subject matter, because Violet did some studying of her own a little later:

We can't get enough of this bald girl's face. Its expressions change constantly, much to our delight and entertainment (which, really, isn't that what it's all about? my own entertainment? I thought so):

But one expression made me a wee bit wary of what's cooking under that sweet facade:

I'm extremely humbled by how good life can be.