Random Plethora of Prattling

Tonight Tim and I had wide grins on our faces as we ate our dinner. Gabe was looking out the window and talking about our 60+ year old neighbor driving around on his lawn tractor with a sleeveless shirt as "the man with the muscles". Laugh out loud. :) :) :) He did have big arms, but it likely had more to do with the spare tire that circled his middle.

Last night I stopped at the end of the driveway to get our mail, and was paging happily through it (I love mail) when the last two envelopes sort of stuck together. I peeled them apart - TO FIND A BIG FUZZY SPIDER building a cozy little nest. YEEEECCCCHHHHH!!!!!!!

Yesterday Israel dumped half a bottle of baby wash on my bathroom floor and new rug, poured out an entire container of mixed nuts into his bowl/kitchen floor, and then dumped the nuts on my freshly vacuumed carpet. Sigh. And the snot that kid has coming out of his nose!!!!!!!!!! He has been teething for, like, 27 years. And the endless fusses for juice, milk, juice, milk, juice, milk, and tootsie rolls!!!! I find myself heaving a sigh of relief these days when I finally tuck him into bed for the night. I sure do love him, though.

My body seems to believe that I'm eating for at least four, instead of merely two. I seem to be rather snarfy lately, bemusedly watching myself easily down about twice as much as I normally eat. The baby, it seems, weighs a mere 6 oz. Hmmm. I'm sure he's getting it all, anyways. :) Maybe. Somehow.

Gabe seems to shed clothes like skin cells. He loves dearly to be buck naked and streaking around the yard. And there seems to be no better place to pee.

SPEAKING OF WHICH - GABRIEL IS POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You, JESUS!!!! Actually he has been basically potty trained since the weekend of Tim's installation. I don't know if it was all the positive affirmation from all the different people, or what, but something clicked. We had eaten lunch that Saturday, and he started talking about riding the 50 cent horse at Walmart, and I told him that when he poops in the potty I would give him quarters and when he had enough, he could go ride the horse. His eyes lit up and he pulled off his pants and zipped into the bathroom. Then he and Granddaddy zoomed off to Walmart and came back with a new plastic wheelbarrow as the horse had relocated....and he has been happily using the potty ever since. I still put a diaper on him at night, because he doesn't make it all night, but.....so wonderful.

Last week, (? I think?) in all his teethingness, Israel woke bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6 AM, 5:20 AM, and 6:30 AM three days in a row. Sick. Now there was a bleary eyed Mommy.

Sad

While I was talking to Mom on the phone this evening, their 6 year old chocolate Lab, Emmy, had a seizure out of the blue on the porch and died. :(

Mom and Dad had to put Smokey down about two weeks ago, so Emmy was their last dog.

It was sad all the way out here in Delaware. :( She was a good ol' dog.

Emmy, we'll miss you. You were a good girl.

It's A.......................

'NOTHER BOY!!! (Wide, sort of shocked mommy eyes here) Wow. I thought to have more than two boys you had to be some sort of tomboy mommy or something and wear one of those black sports watches and always put your hair back in a ponytail and wear white socks and athletic shoes wherever you go and always be sort of peppy and go get 'em-ish.

Guess not.

Three boys. Wow. Three of them. Huh.

He measured about 17 weeks and 1 day, which puts my due date at Oct. 2. It was so sweet to see him kicking around contentedly, opening and closing his mouth, waving his arms around. It's just so amazing how formed they are so young - he's all there and still so little that it feels like I'm barely showing.

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and had been so relieved to hear the heartbeat. This was my first appointment since I was 6 weeks along, so I hadn't been able to hear it yet, and that fact was anxiety-producing. My eyebrows did go up when she said it was 139 - all the boys have went right along with the supposed "old wives tale" of lower heart rates.

And sure enough.

I did feel him giving me a good couple of kicks yesterday and today - finally. I had been waiting and waiting. I could see my stomach blip up where he kicked.

Well, lil' mommy, you just prepare yourself for an energetic household, it would seem...

Vrooming to VA

Last weekend I decided to zip on home to VA with the kiddos to go to a birthday party that Mom and Dad were having for Roger Finan, who we knew from church. The trip went surprisingly well, although Israel didn't follow my hopeful suggestion for naps on the way there. I went back on Wednesday. I was glad to find that it is a do-able route. Both times I made it in just under four hours.

I, personally, had a great time while I was there. I got to go SHOPPING without the boys!!!! Bliss!!!! I had some great second-hand finds. Here the boys are playing with $2 golf clubs I found for them. I also found a big bag of giant Legos for $6.
Emmy and Smokey in the sun.
Dad and Gabe having their beloved "Cereal with Granddaddy at night" ritual. Dad is the weirdest person ever. He usually has a cup of regular coffee and a bowl of cereal right before bed, and then goes right to sleep. How bizarre.
Israel happily puttering around on the porch.
Gabe zonked out after a trip to town with Dad. Heh heh. I love the sunglasses.
Israel was thrilled to have a turn with the Granddaddy after Brother was asleep.
Spring in VA.

So Gabe wanted me to push him on the swingset, but I apparently wasn't doing it right, because he had to go find Grandma. I soon discovered that I definitely WASN'T doing it right, because I kept almost having a heart attack watching them swing. :) They had worked out quite the successful swinging methods that I had not been a part of, and Gabe swung high and held on tight while his mama cringed and peeked out of one eye.
Ending the day.
Oh, the wonders of the goodbye goody bag. Gabe was not at all excited about the idea of leaving, but was somewhat mollified when Grandma reminded him that she had a goody-bag for him and Israel when they left. Can't beat goodies.

Thankfulness

Things I have been thankful for recently:

*Someone who gave us tickets to a dinner theater play at Greenwood Mennonite School (I still can't quite get over the scrumptious-deliciousness of the food around here....salivate..) and then also BABYSAT for us for the almost five hours we were gone. Talk about love in action!!!

*Two MORE free babysitters that happily watched our munchkins for us this weekend as Tim and I headed off to Salisbury for some much needed "us" time and some tasty Indian food. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

*Pansies and books for the boys from someone at church today.

*A warm two days or so where the sun shone brightly and energizingly and where we could have a Taco Bell picnic on the porch (preggo craving) in the warm breeze. I love warm breezes.

*ENERGY!!!! I was happily busy and energetic all day on Friday. FINALLY!!!

*Um, and OH, YES. We have a huge yard here, which is both good and bad. Good in that the boys have a place to run, and bad in that someone has to mow it and the only mower we had here was a push mower without a guard on it that sprayed grass and dirt all over Tim as he circled the backyard. I scoured the classifieds on Thursday, with no luck. Friday, a truck pulled into our driveway pulling a trailer with a BRAND. SPANKING. NEW. shiny red riding mower. The delivery guy told us he was supposed to tell us "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year". Needless to say, there were tears of disbelief and joy in my eyes.
Oh. My. Goodness.

Thank you so much, you know who you are.

We have all had a great time with our new mower. I gleefully zipped and lurched around the yard (I'm still on the "clutch learning curve") with nobody saying "Mama! Mama! Mama!" or squawking to be lifted up. Just me and the mower and blessed silence. (Well, relatively speaking.) Until Tim got mildly grouchy at the "mower takeover", whereupon I relinquished the shiny new toy and he drove the wide-eyed boys around, to their sheer delight.
We have been so blessed.

Tiredness, Inc.

So mostly what I am these days is SO. TIRED. Today I had one of those days where I spent the majority of it draped over various furniture, eyes closed, as the boys played around me, longing in the deepest innermost parts of my being for SLEEP. Heavy limbs, heavy eyelids, shuffling walk, yawning mouth - Me.

I see-saw between thinking that something is wrong with me, that I'm bearing four children in utero (all very very tiny, I suppose), that my thyroid medication needs to be adjusted...and then thinking - well, I often wake up at least once with at least one child, or to pee, and often I have trouble going back to sleep...and then Mr. Rumpled Hair Cheery Chirp rises and shines at 7:30 AM and I stumble out of bed to greet the world with him...and all I want is another two hours of sleep. I go to bed way earlier than I ever did before, and get probably 7+ hours of sleep if I'm not interrupted...but I must need more.

It's just disheartening. I was so excited about staying home with the boys, and still am, but have such little energy to do much with them right now. I was planning to have it all together - the sparkling house, the happily busy children, the project busy mommy...and instead I feel like I'm struggling to make it through the days. I'm not saying this for pity, I'm just saying it a little sadly, and just so I can remember it....um, eighteen years or so down the road when I have lots of energy and have it ALL together. Mark your calendars.

I just miss energy. A lot.

The Inauguaration

Tim's Grandpa was wondering aloud about details of "Tim's inauguration" this past weekend. :) :) Actually, it was just an "installation", where Tim was officially installed as the senior pastor of Cannon Mennonite church. He had a great supportive bunch of people out to see him get inaugurated, though... :) :) :)

Mom, Dad, Carol, Norm, and Tim's Aunt Ann and her husband Frank all arrived for lunch on Friday. Rusty and Lynette drove in on Saturday, Quentin came Saturday night, and then Tim's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Wil and their grandson Brennan and Tim's cousin Melissa and her husband Maury and their son Isaiah drove in from PA on Sunday. I had such a great time. I LOVED everyone being there. Happy sigh. And there were so many helpful hands to help with all the stuff to do. Thanks, ya'll.

So here's the weekend in pictures....

Go long, Gwandma!!!
Mom plays a little football with the littlest ones as we wait for the rest of the crew to pull in on Friday. It was a gorgeous day...sigh. These warm days make the cold ones that much harder to bear.
The little football player churns down the field.
The wagon finally arrives. The boys received this wagon for Christmas, but we decided to keep it in VA until after we moved. They were so excited to see it again.
Mine lunch helpers.
Book time with Grandma.

On Friday evening, we drove to Rehoboth Beach and ate at Jake's Seafood, and then had to take a quick look at the beach. It was freezing cold and windy, and this is how close I got. :) You can see the braver family members, which included Gabe, up at the water's edge.
When we got back home, Grandpa Norm helped Israel out with one of Israel's favorite activities - toothbrushing!!
Basically, the kid likes to suck the fruity baby toothpaste off the toothbrush.

Saturday held a much needed haircut for the mop-headed Israel, per the talented snippings of Ann.
And then Aunt Lynette and Uncle Rusty pulled in.

(photo by Lynette Polinder)

Saturday lunch:
I love lunches like this where you have all kinds of options to choose from - Cheetos included. Happy sigh. (This is also one of the few pictures I have of Dad.)
Lingering over the table.
Nana Anna and Nana Carol. (Lynette took this picture. I must attribute artistic skill where it appears.)
Norm. (And this one.)
Unc' Wusty. (And this one.)

(photo by Lynette Polinder)

Lynette was a very long suffering aunt to play outside with her little nephew in the cold. She got some great pictures, though - this is one of them.

(photo by Lynette Polinder)

And another one.
Reading with Nana Anna. Gabriel was so funny with Frank and Ann. He informed me on Friday night that he remembered "Fwank", but he didn't remember "That otha lady - what's her name?", and he was quite taken with them. For good reason. He had a great time with Ann.
And then...
Getting a foot treatment from his Nana Carol. Life could hardly get much better for this boyo. He loves stuff like that.
Chortles from the other little one. It was so nice to have all these people around to help with the boysies.

Oh, look!
It's me in all my maternity-al-ish-ness. I'm 15 weeks, I think.

(photo by Lynette Polinder)

For some reason I cannot help, I adore this picture.

(photo by Lynette Polinder)

Books with Nana.
Unc' Kinten pulled in late Saturday night in all his be-mane-d glory. :)

Tim had his installation and licensing service on Sunday morning. It was very well planned, and I really enjoyed it, despite having to be up front twice with Tim. Gulp. A fellowship meal followed the service.
Conversing with Wil, Kathy, Maury, and Norm.
Melissa, Lynette, Rusty.
Israel conked out mid-fellowship meal.
The fam.

Everybody came back to the house before going their separate ways. Gabe hurriedly crammed in some play time with Isaiah and Brennan. He was so sad to see them leave. Mom and Dad also left on Sunday afternoon.
Mommy resting her eyes while "reading" to her son.

Norm, Carol, Frank, and Ann left on Monday after lunch. We all had such a great time. Thanks so much to everyone for coming - come back soon!!! We love you!!!