Getting big!

Jaed had a birthday this last week. He turned six years old. I know everyone says this but, I can't believe how fast it went by. Right before he went to bed and hugged him and told him how happy I was the God sent him to me. I told him that his dad and I wanted a baby but for some reason God didn't send us one for a long time so when we found out we were going to have a baby we were SO HAPPY!! I told him that the day he was born was one of the happiest days of our lives. Of course, I cried while telling him and he just patted my back while I blubbered on. At the end, He said "Thanks for telling me that, Mom.". He seemed so grown up at that moment.
I know that I am harder on Jaed than I am on my girls and I make it a point to make sure I tell him that I love him several times a day to try and make up for it. He really is a good boy who tries very hard to please me. He is a big help with his sisters and loves to learn about religious things. I seriously couldn't ask for a better son!

So for his birthday, we let him go to the store and pick out several presents that he wanted. He was in heaven. Every time he picked something up and asked if he could have it, our response was "Yes, if that's what you want!" (He didn't know that Thayne won a gift certificate to the store, which we used to buy his gifts ). The next day took him to the grocery store and let him pick out his ice cream cake (one of our family traditions is to have an ice cream cake on birthdays). He picked out a very yummy chocolate cookie football cake. He also wanted pizza for his birthday dinner so we went and got pizza and celebrated it all at home. We didn't have a friend party for him this year and he seemed to be okay with it.

A couple of days before his birthday I told him that he wouldn't have to do any chores on his birthday and he was so excited he did a little happy dance. He then asked if he could pick someone to do his chores for him but I told him that Thayne already volunteered to do them. I am sure that he would have picked one of his sisters.

Jaed and his cake! We were all so excited to get a piece that we forgot to take a picture of it before it was cut.















Jaed and his "best buddy". It's amazing how much they are alike!












The girls sang "Happy Birthday" all day and Jaed loved every minute of it!












Me and my baby boy!

Funny words!

I really try to make a quick note on a piece of paper when the kids say something quite humorous. Well, my post-it note is full so I thought I'd share them with you so I can throw it away.

Jaed:

We were driving in the car, the other day, and I was telling Thayne that I can't make these YUMMY granola bars and leave them around because I"ll eat them all. Well, Jaed decided to add his two cents and said, "Mom, that's when you need to put something over your mouth so you can't eat them!". Thayne was quick to tell Jaed that this was not a conversation that he needed to add anything to.

Jaed asked me to make him a lunch to take to school yesterday so I did. When we picked him up from school I asked him how he liked his lunch and he said, "I loved the pizza, Mom!". Hmmm.....I didn't pack any pizza for him. So I questioned him some more and found out that after he eats the lunch I pack him he goes and gets the school lunch and yesterday it was pizza day. I swear that kid is going to be as big as a house by the time he's done with Kindergarten. I informed him that I would not be packing him any more lunches from now on.

Josie:

We were taking Josie to school and Indi and her were arguing non-stop. Finally, Josie yelled "Indi, stop acting like Mom!". I'm not sure if I should take that as I yell too much or that I argue too much. I'll have to think about that one some more.

We were driving home today, from the store, and we saw a policeman who had just pulled someone over. Jaed asked what I thought the policeman was doing so I explained that the guy probably was driving to fast and the policeman had pulled him over to tell him to slow down. Josie asked if that guy was naughty and I said that he was a little naughty for driving to fast so she said, "Mom tell that guy that Jesus is sad because he is being naughty!".

Indi:

The kids watched Scooby-Doo the other day and on the show the bad guy was turning people in to stone. Well, this morning, Indi saw a picture of a statue of Jesus and said. "Oh no, who turned Jesus into stone!". After a quick chuckle and seeing that she was serious, Thayne explained to her that it was a statue and Jesus wasn't really in it.

Kaia is into throwing her toys off her high chair now and I'm always calling Indi in to pick them up and give them to Kai (because I'm usually in the middle of cooking or cleaning the kitchen) and I guess Indi had had enough. She gave the toy to Kai and said, "Naughty babies don't get there toys back!" and she stormed off.

Is she a doll?

The one sentence I say about a hundred times a day is "Kaia is NOT a doll so put her down!". Each one of my other kids can help but pick her up when they see her and then the drag her off like some rag doll. She thinks it's fun until the trip and fall with her, or drop her. Then she's screaming and needs to be rescued.

Here is the typical scene at our house:

She seems less irritated when Jaed picks her up and carries her places:




















I think Kaia's face tells it ALL! Even when she's screaming Josie doesn't let go.



















Kaia might look happy now but with in seconds she'll be screaming. Indi is so proud of herself that she can lift Kaia and carry her a few steps, usually until she falls. (Yes, Kaia is very tall for her age and Indi is quite short for her age.)

Visit from family

Several weeks ago, Thayne's brother came to visit with his wife and son. Thayne's brother becomes one of the kids when he's around. He gets down on the floor with them, plays hide-n-seek (over and over) with them, reads to them, plays games with them, and anything else you can think of. His wife is right beside him doing it all as well. I'm sure my kids wear him out but you would never be able to tell. Here's some pictures of their visit:

Josie, Auntie, Benji (cousin), Indi, Uncle, Kaia and Jaed













Here's all the grandkids on the Thayne's side of the family:











The only two grandsons!















Here's the babies of the group!

Wounds of a victim

Our little Indi has been through a lot these last couple of days. She was the true victim in each of the events this week which is almost never the case. Most of time, she's the instigator but not this time.

A couple of days ago, Jaed through a car at her and it left a gash on her nose. She cried and cried and kept saying, "Jaed hurt me, mommy. He really really hurt me!". I guess Jaed was throwing the cars in the air and one came down right on her nose.

Then this morning, Josie and Indi were playing around and Josie gave Indi a huge shove. Indi went flying towards the TV stand and split her lip open. It was scary for her and for us. We had to take her to the emergency room and they glued it back together. When we were waiting for the Dr she said, "It really really hurts, mommy!" and then she would cry again. She is quite a Daddy's girl because she wanted "Daddy" with her so she could sit on his lap. When Thayne finally came I saw Indi smile which she wasn't doing at all before he got there. Then once Thayne took her she hugged him and started to cry saying, "Daddy, the Dr. hurt me!".

Here's a picture of Indi's wounds. The marks under her lower lip are from eating a cookie that Thayne gave her after we left the hospital!

My race

I went to the doctors this week and I saw a sign, in the waiting room, advertising a cancer race. I had been telling Thayne that I was interested in participating in a 5K run/walk race but thought I might have to wait until spring. Well, when I got home I looked for the cancer race info on the internet, I found out that the race was to take place in 4 days and they were still accepting registration. I didn't know if I was really ready for it but I didn't want to pass it up. So, I got registered and planned for the big day. I was nervous about doing it but felt like it would be a great opportunity for me since I"m starting to get back into exercising.
Last night, Thayne helped the kids makes signs for the race, which I wasn't allowed to see. They were so excited when we told them that I was going to be in a race. The morning of the race, Indi kept saying, "I know you gonna win, mommy!". I knew I wouldn't even come close to winning but it was so cute to see her so excited.
There were over 5000 people registered to race, which was so overwhelming. When I got to the starting line with all those people I almost stepped out but then I saw Thayne and the kids watching me. The horn was blown and we were off like a herd. I waved goodbye to Thayne and the kids and focused ahead. The first part of the trail was hilly so by the time I saw Thayne and the kids again I was pretty tired and red. BUT, there they were, on the side of the road with their signs waving me on. My heart was touched and I even felt a little emotional. I have the best fan club and cheerleaders! They are always there for me, cheering me on, whenever I need a little motivation. I just love them so much.
The rest of th race was not as bad as the first part. I felt rejuvenated, thanks to my family, and ready to finish. When I was almost at the finish line, I looked over and there was my little family again. When I slowed down to greet them, the kids patted me and gave me quick hugs. They walked with me through the finish line! I finished the race with 5 minutes to spare from my goal. I can't begin to tell you how refreshing and good I felt to know that I accomplished something like this. To others it might not seem like a big deal, but this was a triumph for me. With my fan club behind me, I feel like I can accomplish any goal I want. I feel so blessed to have a great husband who is very supportive and loving, and four beautiful children who think I could do no wrong. Thayne told me that Jaed was a bit upset when they were waiting for me at the end. He asked Thayne, "How come these people don't let Mommy go first?". Thayne said he had to remind Jaed that being the first person doesn't mean you're the only one that wins. If you finish the race, you're a winner.


This is exactly what I saw when I saw them on the side of the road!



















Here we are after crossing the finish line.

Why is it.....

Why is it that when you ask your kids to bring you some toilet paper (cuz you're on the throne) that they bring you 3 squares of TP and seriously think that it's sufficient BUT when they do number 2, and wipe themselves, they use the WHOLE roll of TP? I'd like to believe that they think by bum is smaller than there's, and 3 squares would be plenty, but we ALL know their thought process doesn't work like that. I even asked Jaed if he thought I might need some more and he said, "No, Mom, we can't waste it!". He is the MR. WASTE KING of toilet paper, so he should know. He has clogged the toilet more times then I can count!

Why is it that kids think they know how to solve you're problems? As I was trying to usher all the kids to the car, the other morning, I said (to myself) "I really need to find sometime to clean today.". Well, Jaed heard me and said, "Mom, after you drop me and Josie off at school you only have two kids to watch so it should be easy to get your JOB done!". My first thought was to say, "Who in the heck asked you!", but instead I bit my tongue and completely ignored him. What a stinker!

Why is it that my girls have 30-35 pairs of underwear between the two of them (they wear the same size) but after 4 or 5 days there are no underwear in their drawer? I seriously think they change underwear every time they change clothes, which is SEVERAL times a day. How do I stop this insanity? I have learned to pick up any underwear I see, laying on the ground, and put it back in their drawer. Indi is the only one who has said, "Mommy, I put those ones on yesterday!". My response was, "You didn't wear them long enough to make them dirty" and she said "Oh" and put them on without another word.

Dang Cute!

Thayne got home safely, yesterday, and we were ALL so excited to have him home. He brought skittles for the kids and dry apricots for me :). He knows I"m on this health food kick so he chose accordingly and did well. He also brought back some gifts from my mom which were matching dresses for the girls and a great pair of pajamas (that light up) for Jaed. They were all thrilled and wanted to try them on right away. Jaed wore the pajamas to bed that night and the girls wore the dresses to church the next day. I think I have the dang cutest kids!!

Kaia was so excited to be sitting between her sisters. She sat up so tall and just looked at me the whole time. Her sisters kept looking at her and Indi said, "You so cute, Kai" several times.


































Jaed was constantly pushing the helicopter on his shirt so it would light up. Then he'd say "Look girls, it sparkles!". They'd look the first few times then they ignored him thereafter, but he didn't seem to care because he kept saying it. He probably pushed it in his sleep too! (Click on his picture below, Mom, so you can read his sign he made you!)

Standing already

Kaia is almost seven in a half months old now and she's been pulling herself up to things since before she was seven months old. I think the first time she did it was three days before she turned seven months old. That is waaayyyy early but when you have three siblings constantly pulling you up to a standing position you're bound to figure it out on your own shortly there after. I wouldn't be surprised if she was walking next week....hehehe.....just kidding. I'm sure she'll walk early, like two of her other siblings did.

This is Kaia's favorite place to pull herself up to. She cries and produces HUGE tears if we even think about putting her inside the saucer.

All alone!

Thayne leaves today to go to Utah for his brother's wedding. I wish we all could go. I'd love to see my mom, dad and my brother (and family). I don't usually get homesick but I've been feeling it a lot lately. I don't look forward to being the mom/dad for three days either. I really rely on Thayne in the evenings to give me a break and take care of all the responsibilities of the kids. The kids don't even know yet. I know we're all going to cry driving home. I think Jaed will be the most sad. He loves to play games with Thayne right when he walks in the door. Listen to me.....I'm talking like he's going to be gone for weeks. How pathetic! You would never have guessed that we were a part from each other for over 5 weeks this summer or that we've been married almost ten years. Well, I know we'll be fine because I'll pull up by boot straps and going into extreme survival mode!

At Jaed's school the kids can go to the cafeteria before school starts and grab something for breakfast. Well Jaed came home last week and was telling me that he had a great cereal bar at school and he hopes he can have it again tomorrow. I quizzed him a little about it and realized that he was making a trip to the cafeteria before school started for breakfast. First of all, I didn't even know that they offered breakfast at school until I got this story out of Jaed. Second of all, he eats breakfast every morning at home. I immediately called the school and asked more about this little trip Jaed was making to the cafeteria. When I told the office lady that Jaed east breakfast at school her response was, "Well he must still be hungry, mam!". I doubt it. On top of it all I found out that breakfast is $1.40 every morning and he had been doing this for three weeks, running up a tab for us. I asked Jaed how he found out about the breakfast thing and he said he followed some kids to the cafeteria one morning to see what they were doing and just got in line with them. I seriously didn't know if I should laugh and lecture. I finally decided to laugh and chalk it up as a learning experience, which is to be more informed about what goes on at school. luckily, we found out that the free lunch program Jaed is on also covers breakfast so that tab we thought we were going to have to pay is nonexistent.

I found out that Jaed was drinking milk at school so I had to call the food service department and have them put on their computer that Jaed is allergic to milk. Jaed told us the next day that he tried to take some chocolate milk and they wouldn't let him because he was allergic to it. Well this morning I got a call from his principal. He said that Jaed took a breakfast bar that morning and the cafeteria ladies didn't see him take it and caught him with it after he had already taken four bites (I'm surprised it wasn't gone by then!). He was extremely apologetic and asked if they should call the paramedics. I explained to the principal that Jaed was allergic to milk in large quantities such as ice cream. I also told him that he could not drink it at lunch because it was too much for him and he would break out in a horrible rash. The principal let out a huge sigh and said, "Oh, thank goodness!". What a little stinker, Jaed is. I know that he grabbed that breakfast bar when those ladies weren't looking.

Comments galore!

When we moved here from Utah I was shocked how much attention we attracted with three kids. But now that we have four the attention and comments come ten fold. I took the kids to the store the other day and decided to count how many times we were starred at (with a shocked look) and commented on. I lost count after 13 and that was just in one grocery store. Here are some of the comments we get when we're out and about:

"Are all those yours?"
"Look at all those redheads!"
"That's quite a group you got there."
"Wow, how old are they all?"
"Does their dad have red hair?"
"I"m sure you're glad school started!"
"You're a brave woman!"
"You've been busy, haven't you?"
"Looks like you might need another hand."
"Phew, I'm glad I'm done with that stage."
"Don't worry, it gets better."
"Are you having any more?" (and when I say yes, they are speechless. hehehe)
"You're brave to take them all out on your own!"
"That's smart to keep them in a cart."

I'm sure I could think of a lot more but these are the most recent ones that I jotted down. Sometimes if I'm not in the mood to hear the comment, I'll say what I think they're about to say before they will. Like, "Yep, they're all mine" or "I sure do have my hands full" or "I'm a brave woman!". Then they just shake their head in approval and smile. It certainly is an adventure every time we go to the store.
"

Quick Nap

When I have had a rough day or a rough night I look forward to a quick nap.....but...I have four kids to deal with at the same time. You may wonder what I do. WELL.....I wait for Kaia to show signs of fatigue, lay down on the couch with a blanket, and call the other three kids to come in an hop on. They each of an assigned spot behind my legs and are content with it. I turn on a PBS show (*wink wink*) and they don't move an inch until the show is over. Kaia is all snuggled next to me so she goes right to sleep and so do I. If the kids move at all I wake up immediately. It's amazing what you can train yourself to do as a mother. I think I have a pretty good strategy here and I hope it works for a LONG time. Here's a picture of how we look, in case you couldn't get a visual:









The kids know that I am taking a short nap and when the show is over they are ready to get up and play again. Today they started to sing, "Get up, mom....get up"!

Dresses on everyone!

Indi had a playdate at a friends house last week and they played "dress up". Even her little friend who was a boy put a dress on and twirled around with everyone else. He really felt like one of the gals. I'm actually surprised that Indi didn't say, "Dress up is for girls!" because she says that to her brother. Instead, they held hands and twirled a couple of times and went off like little princesses (and prince, of course!).


I think her (boy) friend looks dang cute in that dress!
















Indi's little friend (to the right of Indi) is dancin' away while Indi and her other friend are posing like pros!

No Learning!!

Josie has this idea that the word "learning" is linked to no fun at all. Every time we would take her to school, me or Thayne would say, "Learn lots, Josie" and she would yell back, "I DON'T LEARN!" and walk off in a huff. When she would get in the car after school we would ask her what she learned that day and we would get the same response as before, "I DON'T LEARN".
Last week, after I picked her up, I asked her what she learned and she yelled, "I DON'T LEARN, I JUST PLAY!!" and then she started to cry. I asked her what she was crying for and she said, "You make me cry, Mommy. I don't want to learn, I just want to have fun!". I tried to tell her that learning was fun but she wanted nothing to do with the word "learn". I comforted her a bit and then let it drop. When Thayne got home we laughed about it but decided we better help her understand that learning can be fun.
That evening I was snuggling her in bed and we talked about things she does at school and everytime she said she did things that were new I told her that she was learning new stuff. At first she resisted but then she decided that learning was okay. The next morning I told Thayne to ask her what she learns at school and when he did she started to smile and said, "I learn to write my name and paint!!" YIPPPEEEE, it worked. She is ready to learn now!

Lunch Maker

Jaed loves taking lunch to school. He tells me what he wants in it and then stands by me as I make it and put it in his bag that I have written his name on. Well, this weekend (Saturday) we headed downstairs for breakfast and there was a bulky lunch bag sitting on the table. I looked closer and I saw that Jaed had written his name on the bag and as I investigated the inside I found a triple bread sandwich, pudding, crackers, banana, fruit snack, juice, and cookies. I questioned Jaed about it and he said he got up early this morning to make his own lunch. He was so proud that he made a triple bread sandwich like his dad makes and that he filled his lunch bag with other great stuff. I explained to him that it was Saturday so he wouldn't be going to school and he had a huge frown on his face until I told him he could eat his own lunch at lunchtime. I did tell him that we needed to take a few things out because it was too much food, so he ended up with his sandwich, banana, crackers and cookies for his lunch and told his sisters a couple of different times that he made it all by himself.

Getting Ready to Move!!

Kaia is doing so many new things lately. I feel bad that I haven't talked about her much. She's interacting with her siblings more, she's eating food, getting quite a little attitude and she is very much a momma's girl. Kaia and I go everywhere together, pretty much and when I'm not with her I miss her so much. She truly is a delight in our family. She's the first one the kids ask for when they get up in the morning and she's the last one they hug and kiss at night. Here's some things she's doing already at 6 1/2 months old:

Kaia has been sitting up really well for almost a month now. She can't quite get in a sitting position on her own but she'll stay sitting up forever as long as there are toys in front of her.





















Kaia has been getting on her hands and knees for several weeks and does a lot of rocking while she's up there. One of these days she's going to lunge forward and see that she can get somewhere.















Kaia has learned to pull herself up on her knees when she's seating up in her bed. Several mornings now I've set her up and then tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep but I always hear her talking and it sounds like she is right in my face so I open my eyes and sure enough, her she's on her knees, leaning over trying to grab my face.

Bullies

Jaedon has finished his first real week of Kindergarten and seems to really love it. He has made lots of friends but talks about two particular boys in his class. Last night, we were talking about his school and we asked him if he plays with these two boys at recess. He told us that one of them tries to push him down and kick him. I was so sad and mad at the same time. Thayne asked him what he does when they do that and he said he doesn't do anything. Now this time last year, we would have been told that Jaed was hitting another child but something has changed in him. A part of me almost wants him to be that same Jaed that fights back, but I know that's not the appropriate response to teach him. We told him to tell the boy to not push or kick him but who knows if that will get him anywhere. I did decided that if it happens again I will be sending a note to his teacher explaining what Jaed has told us and let her know that we are concerned.
It's amazing to me that a child can survive school with any kind of self esteem at all. I want to shelter my children from this kind of hatefulness but I can't. They have to go through and survive on top of the hill but have to do it without being hateful themselves. I don't even know how to teach them that without making a wimp out of them. Man, sometimes parenthood is harder than I want it to be.
The sad thing about this is that it doesn't just stop when they're kids. Even as adults you run into bullies and cliques. As my son deals with a bully, I"m dealing with cliques. I never thought that at my age I would have to deal with the feelings of "not fitting in" or not being "picked" to join a group of friends going somewhere. It hurts my heart to think that these feelings and actions are not out grown, and that my kids will have to deal with them when they're grown as well. Fortunately for Jaed, I think the female gender is ten times worse when it comes to cliques. My poor daughters.....I see a lot of tears in my future (theirs and mine!).
I hope that as I continue to mature (it's a long process for me) that I can always remember how I felt when I was left out and not invited to things so that I don't do that to others. It's mean, uncalled for and ruthless. The saying "why can't we all get along" isn't so funny right now. Where is the Christ-like attitude we should all be striving for? I know I need to find it at times!

Who's feeding who?

We have a rule in our house that when you turn 4 you have to feed yourself. It's not like we feed them all the time but before they are four, if they ask for help, we're obliged to help them. Well, last night, Indi was saying, over and over, "I need help! I need help!". I was feeding Kaia and Thayne was getting drinks for the all the kids so no one was rushing to her side to help her.......except Josie. I don't know if it was because she was tired of Indi repeating herself or if she wanted to be the "big sister" and help out, but whatever it was, she came to Indi's rescue. Josie fed her until there was nothing on her plate and Indi gobbled it all down without a word. Maybe we should let her do it more often :).


I know you're all wondering if my kids ever wear clothes and I'll admit, when we're at home clothes come off (except panties and underwear). Once we are in the house and the door closes, the clothes come off. Usually it's Indi who has her clothes off first. At least. I never have to worry about them spilling anything on their clothes at dinner time :).















I have decided to make my own baby food this time and so far so good. Last night, Kaia had carrots and loved them. She takes after her sister, Indi, and seems to enjoy anything we put in front of her.

Matching

I think the bets part about having girls is being able to do their hair and dress them up. It's like having my own live dolls. I LOVE IT!! The last time my sister came to visit us she brought these matching dresses that the girls are wearing. I love them!

Could they get any cuter? Time will tell!!!




















Handsome Jaed stands in his snazzy suit (Thayne said it looks like his pajamas) in the middle of three beautiful princesses!

Cleaning.....hate it!!!

So Thayne has been home a week now and the house has gone down the drain. I love having him home but my routine gets thrown out the window. I would much rather play games, rest and have fun with him then clean and do laundry. Well, the house got so bad that we had to spend most of our Saturday cleaning the kids were not happy with it. We got tons of new complaints that we haven't heard from them before. I should say, Jaed and Josie did all the complaining. Indi was our little 'happy helper' the entire time. Sometimes she started to play with the stuff we were going to clean but we just had to reminder her what her job was and she got back on track.
Here are some complaints we heard threw out the day:

Jaed: (dragging himself around with his shoulders forward and head down most of the day. He was miserable.)

"This is going to take all day" (with arms thrown up in the air)
"We can't have fun if we clean" (about to cry)
"I think I"ll go stay in my room the whole day" (he was quickly told this was a family activity)
"Let's just do this room and then do the rest later" (I'm sure he heard that from his dad)
"Can't we just be done now!" (as he falls to the floor)
"The girls aren't helping so I'm not going to help!"

Josie:

"I'm just a little girl!" (after she was told she was a big girl and could help)
"This is so boring"
"Don't put those toys away, I"m playing with them!" (she was playing with them the day before)
"This is too much for me!"
"I need to rest"
"This doesn't make me happy!"

Indi: (she sang a lot while she helped.)

"I a good helper"
"I doing my job!"
"We almost done!"
"Put the toys in there right buckets, don't just throw them in there!" (she was telling Josie this while we were cleaning her room)
"I helping, I get a treat!" (no treat was ever mentioned)
"This is fun!"