Why hello

I can't believe it's been almost 6 months since my last post.  So much has happened in this time!! 

First, here's a picture of Little Bit - she joined us in late April and has been nothing but a joy.

 

 This was taken while we were still in the hospital.  She arrived safely and perfectly and we even got to go home early because we were doing so well - yay!!

The first two weeks at home are kind of a blur.  My mom and husband were AMAZING during this time.  My mom took the two weeks off to help out with the older kids - getting them fed (at least three times a day), doing a little bit of school work, and making sure they were having a good time.  They did a LOT of yard work, played outside, and helped to keep things running (ie - laundry, dishes, keeping things clean).  What a blessing.

I've chronicled her first months of life on my Facebook page, but want to document them here for the future.

2 weeks old
Likes: milk, Mama, the boys, "Goodnight Moon"
Dislikes: diaper changes, baths, waiting more than 5 seconds to be fed

One month old
 Likes: mama, papa, brothers and sisters, lamps, black and white pictures
 Dislikes: dirty diapers, having to wait more than 30 seconds to eat

Six weeks old
Likes: her mama and papa, brothers, sisters, eating, good night moon,
Dislikes: cold baths, waiting more than 30 seconds to be fed, the dark

Eight weeks old
Likes: playing, kisses, watching people
Dislikes: the dark, dirty diapers, sleeping through the night
Milestones: turned on to her left and right sides, had her first bottle, staying awake longer and longer

Ten weeks old
Likes: her siblings, lamps, ceiling fans, mama, papa, her thumb
Dislikes: mama going back to work

Three months old
Likes: milk, monkeys, hair, family
Dislikes: caffeine, gas
Milestones:Got to swing for the first time (and enjoyed it)




Four months old
Likes: smiling, grabbing toys (especially rattles), watching people, lights and fans
Dislikes: shots and poopy diapers
Milestones: Rolling from front to back and back to front, found her feet


Five months old
Likes: putting things in her mouth, rolling over, the cats and dog, her siblings, mama and papa, reading books, flashing lights, bath time
Dislikes: things in her face, being alone (or thinking she is alone actually), being tired
Milestones:  Sits up with support, first solids (loves oatmeal, rice is OK, tried bananas, pears, and applesauce), saying "Mamama" and "Aba" (with no association to Mama and Papa yet), sits by herself for a few seconds, loves finding her feet and hands









I made a photobook of the kids during Little Bit's first 6 weeks.  It's a treasure of wonderful photos (like the one below), memories, and "favorites" of each kid.  Funny thing is, if you asked the kids what their favorite food was a week after we made the book, their answers had already changed. :)  Gotta love it.

 Little Bit at 6 weeks.  The rose on her tummy is from our front yard. love.

The kids finished up 5th, 4th, 2nd, and Preschool before I finished maternity leave.  They all did SO well last school year!  It was nice enjoying a few weeks of summer with no real schedule before I headed back to work.   

 

Here's a photo of all of my babies from June.  Love them!

Little Man, Buddy Boy, Doodle Bug, Little Bit, Lulu

Counting Down

With less than a week left until #5 makes her debut, we are definitely in the countdown mode.  I made a weekly countdown calendar (out of post it notes, I'm so resourceful) for Buddy Boy to take down each Monday evening.  I think it's become his favorite day of the week.  Each time he takes down a post it note and sees the number getting smaller, he gets SO excited!

A few days ago, I made another countdown (also from post it notes - thank you 3M), this one counts down the last 10 days.  So every night, Buddy Boy gets to take down a post it and right now we're at 5 days and counting.  SO exciting!!

In preparation for almost a week in the hospital, then another week trying to adjust to the sleepless newborn nights and active days with four other precious children, I've put together some worksheets and assignment sheets for the kids to complete over the next two weeks.  With a combination of my mom and hubby overseeing them for this time, it should make it easier for the kids to stay on top of their math and writing and for the adults to verify what they've finished.  I have a few extra (blank) copies ready, just in case by week 3 I'm still an incoherent zombie and can't remember what I have lined up for the kids to complete. 

It's definitely going to be interesting, trying, exhausting, etc.  But I CANNOT wait to introduce this little one to the family.  There are going to be lots of changes for all of us, especially for my baby boy, but each time we've welcomed a little one into our family, we've all changed for the better. :)

Ryan's blog (http://boardgamegeek.com/blog/3281/the-inquisitive-meeple) is doing amazingly well.  He has posted 30 interviews to date, and has at least another 10 in process - if not more.  He's interviewed some big time board gamers and is making great connections with various publishers and designers. He's really enjoying this project and is doing a great job of balancing the kids homeschool, family life, and the blog (he works on it after school and then in the evenings when I'm going to bed).  It's great to see him using his creative juices to keep things rolling.  Great to see him passionate about something and to have an 'outlet.' 

Probably won't update this again until #5 is here.  So praying you are all doing well.

Godspeed.

It's almost spring - right?

We're busy gearing up for #5's appearance (in less than 7 weeks - eeeeh!) and I'm having to relearn patience.  I'm ready for her to get here, but I know that she needs to bake for a little bit longer, so I'm trying to be patient and enjoy life with only four kiddos - it'll never be like this again.

The kids are coming right along with their school work.  We only have four full months left (we go through the end of June) and while it seems like a long time to go, I know that with #5 making her debut and then having about 8 weeks of school left will make for an interesting end of year push.  Thankfully, they're all doing pretty well in all of their subjects and are thoroughly enjoying the units that Ryan puts together for them.

One really cool thing he did a few weeks back was having a week all about the "Importance of Play."  Book work and worksheets were not allowed for the week, only playing.  So for math, the kids played store (and had to create real receipts with the proper amounts), played board games, and played math bingo.  They spent a lot of time outdoors playing in the yard and some afternoons with some friends.  It was a LOT of fun!!  At the end of the week, they talked about why playing is so important and also why doing some worksheets or book work is important.  I think they all learned some valuable lessons and that learning is indeed fun!

I'm trying to come up with some fun things for us to do for these last six weekends before #5 arrives.  I would LOVE to take them to the Zoo, but not sure that's a great idea for an 8 month pregnant lady who was on modified restrictions for four months.  Whatever we do, I want to make some great memories with just the four of them.  Especially since Doodle Bug and Lulu are now 11 (and a half) and 10 - they're growing up quickly and their days of wanting to spend time with us are limited.

In preparation for my maternity leave, I'm starting to shift my duties to my co-workers (who are AWESOME!!) and it's keeping me quite busy. 

Ryan's been staying busy as well (on top of being a homeschooling dad and devoted husband).  He's started his own blog where he interviews various board game designers, publishers, and artists.  His interviews are very in depth (they're not just surface questions) and he's been putting in a lot of late nights to get them posted online.  He's posted a lot of really good interviews already and is preparing for probably a dozen or so more to post between now and the summer.  It's been a great project for him and he's been receiving a lot of good responses for 'board game geeks.'

Seems like that's a recurring theme in our family "busy, busy, busy."  But I know that one day we will not be so busy, and we will not have all five children in the home.  While it's very stressful and trying at times, I'm trying to enjoy it. Watching my oldest two girls growing up makes me realize how time really does fly by.  In 7 years, our oldest could be out on her own, with Lulu right behind her. Makes me want to tear up!  But, as I'm reminded by a very wise and dear friend, this is what we prepare them for their whole lives - to be separate and functional human beings, who are hopefully adding love into the world and following the Lord with their whole hearts.  That is my prayer, that they do follow Him with all of their hearts, minds, and souls.  Can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

Memories

I want to capture this past Christmas break for a few reasons: 1 - I have a pretty bad memory at times and may forget what we did by next week; 2 - it was an awesome break and I want to relive it through here; 3 - it was the last Christmas with four children, next Christmas we'll hopefully have our newest member of the family with us. :)

So here goes.  I had the blessed pleasure to be off from Christmas Eve through yesterday.  It was fantastic!!  Nine days (excluding Sunday) of sleeping in - no alarm clock needed.  Nine days to spend with my children, husband, and family.  Nine days of no work - school or office wise.  Wish it could always be like that! 

During the first part of the break my mom and the girls did a bit of baking - praline crackers, sausage balls, cheese crackers, etc.  Lulu made a mint chocolate chip birthday cake for Jesus - it was DELICIOUS!!!!  The kids cut out and decorated sugar cookies to give to our siblings as presents - we had some leftover to enjoy, too and they were wonderful.  We were sufficiently sugar over loaded for a few days.

Our family really enjoys playing board and card games, so over the break we learned to play new games such as Swat, My Happy Farm, Barnyard Buddies, and more (I've already forgotten the names of most of them). 

We only played Swat as a whole family, the other games were broken up between 3 and 5 of us.  Even the youngest, Buddy Boy, could play most of the games (or help out by drawing cards or being the 'banker').  It's so much fun to watch the kids strategies and see them plot out their turns and get so excited when they can make a big move.  I love it!


We also watched quite a bit of TV shows and movies: America's Funniest Videos, Up, Looney Tunes, Tweety Movie, and the list goes on.

The kids spent many late morning and early afternoons playing outside, which allowed me time to read or watch a girly movie that they would not care to see.  It was very relaxing.

My mom took the girls and I to see Frozen at the theaters (first time I've been to the theaters in a year or more) and it was SUCH a good movie!!  My in-laws gave Lulu the Anna and Elsa Barbie's for Christmas, so of course they came to see the movie with us. 

We also played many games on the Wii: the new Super Mario (WiiU), Wii Motion, Wii Play, rhythm Heaven, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort.

I tried to have lots of time with the kids as well as allowing them to just play together (and for me to get some quiet time). 

I think I took a nap every day except for two days and am really going to miss that - they really helped me to feel more energized in the afternoons.

The next time I'm off for more than a few days will be for maternity leave in April - cannot wait!!