Keeping My Kiddo(s) Busy!

When it gets dark at 4pm (so thankful the days will be getting longer from here on out!) and it's cold and rainy (although today was actually beautiful and therefore we spent 2+ hours at the park!  Yay!), conversations with other moms of toddlers often revolve around the same question:  how do you keep your kids busy in meaningful ways?  I've picked up a few great tips along the way.  Most of them revolve around keeping toys put away and then pulling them back out so they're new.  Almost all of the kids toys are in bins in their closet or in the basement and every morning I pull one out (legos or dolls/doll clothes or puzzles, etc) and they're happy to play with them for a good long while because they haven't seen them recently.  This tactic might also keep their slightly OCD (who me?) mother from  tripping over toys constantly :)  They're old enough now to get interested in art projects so we'll often spend a chunk of time in the afternoons painting, playing with play doh, etc.  I get a lot of good ideas from my creative sister (it helps that she was a kindergarden teacher too!)  She has just started a blog with great montessori ideas -- you can check it out here.   (She's also started an Etsy shop where a lot of the ideas from the blog are for sale -- it can be found here).  Really great ideas for ways to keep toddlers entertained in educational and meaningful ways!

Christmas!

My heart tonight is full ...

Lukey and Eden Rose!

Birthday cake for Jesus

This sweater?!  Too much cuteness!

New books!  Already read about 50 times today :)

Can't believe my baby girl is almost THREE!

His love language

Yay!

So thankful that we got to play with the Honeycutt kids last week :)  What joy to watch them all together!

Dancing!

Poor Luke had just been in tears, otherwise I love this picture!

Who doesn't love graham cracker gingerbread houses?!

Helps to have an 8 year old around who can do story time!

Presence

I had a beautiful moment with Amelia yesterday.  Actually it was a lot of beautiful moments which added up to a beautiful hour (during Luke's nap) spent on the couch snuggling and reading books.  Both of the kids have become fascinated with letters and words and the sounds that they make and I love watching their minds fit the pieces together.  Amelia had been "reading" to me (telling me the letters she sees) and then I read them back to her.  She reached out and lovingly stroked my hair and my face and said, "Mama -- I'm just so proud of you.  That is beautiful reading.  I love you."  Followed by a kiss.  If you know my active, ever-moving, dancing Amelia Jane ... you understand how special these moments are.  And I hoped that what she was saying to me are the words she's heard us say again and again.  You are doing a good job.  We are proud of you.  You are loved.  The world can be painful and I know I can not shelter her from all that will come in her life.  But I hope that her almost-three-year old mind feels at peace when she is snuggled up next to her mama on the couch.  Knowing that she is safe and forever loved.  I've made it a goal to try to have beautiful moments with both of the kids every day.  Three years of motherhood has taught me that it's not realistic to wish for whole days that are amazing -- kids (and people) are unpredictable and often sick and grumpy because they were up in the night and throwing tantrums just because.   But beautiful moments?  We can do that.  In the midst of the chaos, to-do lists, preschool planning, dinner making ... we can make sure there are plenty of moments that make us pause and be thankful.  The more I talk to other mamas the more I realize that we all struggle with this:  the doing and the being.  There are just so.many.things.to.do when you're a parent and 24/7 caregiver.  Balancing careers and family and household and friendships and church ... But I never ever want to get so caught up in my busyness that I forget to just be.  Just be present with the little people I love.  One friend recommended setting a timer for 20 minutes and just playing with your kids -- not answering the phone or doing any of the million "mom" things that are spinning in your head ... just being.  Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic tonight because my babies are getting ready to turn THREE.  Or maybe 3 years of parenting has taught me a bit about what matters and what can wait.  Or maybe God is constantly growing and stretching and teaching us through the relationships in our lives ... and parenting is one relationship that will lead to a hell of a lot of refining.  My soul has grown in the hard and painful places over these last three years -- because it hurts to love someone as deeply as we love our children -- but as our hearts stretch -- their ability to appreciate joy also increases.  And I've never known deeper joy than these last three years.  It is such a privilege to be called mama by two wild, hilarious, amazing little people.

A few pictures

It was a bit of a crazy week with Caroline breaking her thumb (in two places!) -- maybe taking three toddlers bowling wasn't our best idea?!  Poor girl.  Amelia then took down most of the family with a bad stomach bug.  Ugh.  Those kids have definitely given our immune systems a run for their money!  Here are a few recent pictures ...

Playing with Aven and Henri -- how many kids can fit on a stroller?!

Holiday Express!!!

Just lounging ... with cocoa :)

They loved the leaves this year!!

Post-bath snuggles and books.  Love those two little ones.

Amelia Jane -- She will only wear her "red jacket" and "tap shoes" (black dress
shoes) out of the house.  Love it!

Had to share ...

This video has been circulating around the internet and I had to share it because it's so beautifully done!  As a nurse and a mama of NICU babies (although ours were much older than this little guy) - this is just so touching.

Squishy for dinner?!

Anyone want some squishy (Luke's way of saying "sushi") for dinner?  This kid has been absolutely cracking us up lately with his stories and word choices!  At co-op this morning Luke was really emotional -- in tears so.many.times -- (my best guess -- since he's usually an even tempered kid -- is that he's going through a crazy growth spurt.  He's been napping for 2-3 hours in the afternoons and ASKING to go to bed at 630pm.) anyway -- at lunch time at co-op a mom went to comfort Luke (in tears for who know what reason?) and she picked him up and told him to hold his arms out and fly like a bird (yay for distraction techniques) -- Luke just kept crying and said, "But Liz!  I'm just such a very sad bird!"  Here is is at dinner tonight ...

Thankful.

I'm amazed at how much Luke and Amelia comprehend these days.  They tell stories.  They act out together different roles and scenes from their favorite books and shows.  They remember things we said days (or weeks!) ago.  They ask very specific questions.  And then ask "why" ... Today I ran some things to Goodwill.  Luke asked, "Where are we going?" to which I said, "Just on a quick trip to drop off a few things."  A few weeks ago that answer would have been good enough.  But today Luke wanted more, "But where?"  Me: "Well, when we're done using things we take them somewhere to share them with other people who may use them more than we do.  Today I'm bringing some of your clothes that don't fit you now so that other kids can use them."  Luke, "The kids are going to take my clothes?!  But mom, I don't want to be naked!"  He didn't understand why I laughed so hard I was crying!  

Many of my friends make lists of the things they're thankful for in the month of November.  Either as status updates on Facebook or Instagram or in their journals.  I was curious to see if the kids would understand the concept so we've each been saying one thing we're thankful for while we eat dinner every night.  Tonight Amelia was thankful for "the park" (I too was thankful for a break in the rain today to get them out to the park to burn off some energy!) and Luke was "thankful for Sissy" which made my heart glad (especially after a week where it seemed like one of my children was in timeout constantly for hitting/biting/hair pulling/you-name-it-and-it-happens-at-our-house-these-days).  Here are a few Instagram pictures of things that I'm thankful for in the last few weeks ... The reality of parenting is that it is just plain hard.  It is beautiful.  It is purposeful.  It is amazing.  It is a privilege.  But it can be pure chaos (just ask anyone who was around last week to witness the beautiful disaster that is reality when you have 4 kids under 3 together for the week!)  I think that's why I love the pictures I get of beautiful moments with my children.  They remind me of the amazing things that occur every day while I'm caught up in the "Oh crap!" moments (like tonight when one of my children is peeing everywhere and one of them has "helped" me dump out the entire silverware drawer.  Meanwhile the phone is ringing, the dog needs to go out out I have no idea what's for dinner.  It's official: I sound like a country song).  I'm thankful for these moments ...

Thankful for beautiful moments in the midst of chaos.

Thankful for new life and the joy all over Luke's face

Thankful for these three monkeys.

Thankful that the babies that started at 3 and 4 pounds are now the "big kids"

Thankful for snuggle time!

Just look at those faces.  Enough said.

Thankful for hide-and-go-seek and other childhood games.

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween from the three little pigs, little red riding hood and the big bad wolf!!  What a fun day with these four littles!

Fall Fun!

To have these three little monkeys together this week has been FUN!  They're old enough to start doing imaginative play (mostly Luke!) but they just have so much fun racing around and playing together -- hide-and-seek and tag are the current favorites!  We had a great morning (crisp, sunny, cool, perfect fall!) at the pumpkin patch and then let them try on their costumes :)  Yes, some day Luke may be mad that I dressed him up as a pink pig for halloween but when you have a chance to do the three little pigs -- you kind of have to, right?! :)  He's got a sister and three girl cousins -- being the only boy in the family is something he'll have to get used to :)  Addy was around all day too, of course, but she is such an easy baby -- she slept in the pack the whole time!  I didn't complain since it meant that I got some snuggle time in.  What a little love bug she is!

Gretchen and Gordon!

Last weekend we got to celebrate Gretchen and Gordon!  What an amazing day it was -- spent with amazing people, celebrating an amazing couple!

Fun in the fall leaves!

This video was sent to me at work by my (amazing) babysitter!  So fun to see the kids enjoying fall :)

Pumpkins and mud puddles and the joys of toddlers ...

Writing and words have always been my way of processing life -- whether that means long conversations with friends, journaling, praying, writing, blogging ... sitting in the quiet moments (if you notice, all my blog posts are posted at or after midnight!  When the house is actually quiet :))  I'm not sure exactly what words to use to describe this phase.  It is definitely one of change -- Scott started a new job today.  He'll still be working as a nurse at the same hospital but in a very different area.  Those kinds of transitions always bring with them so much new information to learn, new people, new ideas and new policies.  It's also a bit strange for me since he has been an ICU nurse since we met (in a cardiac ICU in Arizona as two nursing students), almost nine years ago.  It's a positive change for him and for our family (added bonus:  he won't have to be getting up at 4am anymore!  An especially brutal schedule when you have young kids and are chronically tired).  Scott also had his second ablation (cardiac procedure to try to cure his atrial fibrillation) last week.  We are hopeful that it might have done just that!  Which would be amazing.  Certainly, a fib is something that you can live with (several people in his family do) but it would be amazing to not have to always be thinking about where the closest ER is (he has to be shocked back into a normal heart rhythm if he is in a fib) or what medications to try next.  We are hopeful that he can get back to many of the things that he loves doing.  But we learned a valuable lesson with our pregnancy that has carried over into so many situations:  life must be lived one day at a time.  Every night in the hospital we would tear off one more link on the paper chain (that friends made for us!) and praise God for sustaining all four of us through one more day.  In my heart I couldn't think beyond that.  One day and one step and one foot in front of the other is how we must walk in faith.  And so that is what we will continue to do with Scott's health too.  Choose to be thankful that this recent ablation went well and keep walking forward in trust and in hope.  I also feel as determined as ever to find joy in the simple routines, pleasures and traditions that come along with children.  I love that a gigantic mud puddle in an alley by our house has been named "the lake" by Luke and the kids have hours of fun wading in in their rain boots and throwing rocks.  They've been very interested this year in pumpkins and costumes and decorations.  It's fun to see them developing into who they will be (and in many ways already are).  

Amelia:  Wow, that girl is amazing.  She is very much in a mommy phase right now (which I love, of course) so she'll follow me arounds cleaning the house and asking, "Mama, what should we do now?"  She loves to dance!  Anytime she hears music playing she'll pick up either her bear or elephant and start moving!  She is meticulous and loves patterns.  She could entertain herself for hours with sorting and organizing just about anything.  It's pretty impressive.  She is very independent but at bedtime she always wants me to snuggle her and sing to her.  I usually go for a few extra songs :)  I know she won't always want me to snuggle her into bed at night. 

Luke:  What a kind-hearted kiddo.  This kid loves books.  He gets very agitated if I answer the phone or get distracted when we're reading.  I'm pretty sure he'd let me read him books for hours on end.  My theory is that Luke was smooshed down in the womb with literally NO apace (thanks to his sister) and I always wonder if that snug womb environment lead to him loving close contact.  All of the preschool moms have noticed that Luke loves to carry a book over and find a lap to sit on and get read to.  Since I love books and I love Luke -- I find this so endearing!  He also loves anything that moves.  Trucks, planes, trains, cranes ... I find that I'm always pointing out road work teams while I'm driving.  Even if I'm driving alone.  Oops.  He tells hilarious stories -- about both things that have happened in recent days or about things he's imagined.  He keeps us laughing.  

Oh these two ...

The Lake!  Yeah, no boats or beers -- just rocks and mud :)

Glorious.

Oh I love these two.  Even on the hard days (ahem!) they light up my world

Painting the pumpkin family.  Amelia insisted that we pick out a pumpkin for Molly too!

Family shot!  Toddler style: one child distracted, one child protesting.  Perfect.