Around Here: Week 19

Shuffling... through the week, a bit tired (Carly's teething four molars at once & she's been CRAAAANKY!) but thankful for another routine week after all the sickness.  The twins are testing, so we've been strict about bedtime and making sure they get loads of play time in the morning before school so they are happy.  I think the stress is getting to them, and I'll be glad for them to get a break this weekend.

Working... on a bird puzzle that is making me very happy.  It's a long rectangle, so my normal puzzle table is too small & squarish for it. Instead I have commandeered the kitchen table.  Sorry kids!

Luckily we're eating... on-the-go because every night this week we have had either practice or a game for the twins or Wyatt's baseball teams.  For the most part, dinner is the only stressful thing.  Getting everyone fed and out the door on time is challenging.  But yesterday Wyatt had a game in the wind and rain, and let me tell you, it was not fun!  Thank goodness Josh was there to keep Carly happy!

Loving... how helpful the twins are at this age.  Every weekend they help me grocery shop, bag the groceries, load them in the van, unload them when we get home, and finally unpack them at the house.  They also alternate cleaning bathrooms & vacuuming the house every Sunday, which lightens my load tremendously, plus gives them a boost of confidence and some ownership in keeping the house clean.
I am also loving how into rocks Wyatt is right now.  We checked out some earth books, and he checked out a rock book from his school library, so he is very interested in what kind of rocks we have around the house and how they were formed.  I always say if I hadn't been a mother, in another life I would have been a geologist, and his inquisitive mind makes it so much fun to read and learn and explore rocks again.

Laughing... at how our cat Ramona sleeps with her face down in the blankets. It cracks me up!

Trying... to catch the bunny in our yard.  The twins (as well as Wyatt) have come up with some pretty elaborate traps & plans to try and catch the sweet, wild bunny that lives under our shed in the backyard, and hangs out in the shrubs out front... but so far nothing has worked.  That little bunny is smart and quick, so I think catching him is just a pipe dream!

Preparing... for Mother's Day with some handmade cards & pictures for the moms and grandma's in our lives.  As for our family, we don't have any plans, which is fine with me.  Hopefully it'll be a sunny day spent outside working in the yard!
As we spent a day this week making cards for Grandma's, I thought of my friend Brittany's Etsy shop & the cute cards she has there.  If I had been on top of my game, I would have ordered some cards ahead of time to send all the moms we love!

Reading... The Inheritance after finishing The Memory of Water.  I also finished I Survived: The Eruption of Mt. St. Helens.  Up next is Into The Water by Paula Hawkins (who wrote The Girl on the Train).  The twins and I started The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl and they did not want me to stop at bedtime yesterday. I think it will be a quick read, then we are moving on to Tales of  a Fourth Grade Nothing.  I also have The Stars are Fire (thank you Linda!) on my shelf to read, but I think I'm going to wait for a little warmer weather so I can sit outside in the sunshine and read it.  I love having that to look forward to.
I am also reading through the giant stack of children's library books we got at the library last week.  Wyatt loves when I read to him and I'm trying to do it more than just every night at bedtime.  We read a couple books when he got special time with me last weekend while Josh was out of town.  We found two new Tacky The Penguin books we have never read before (Tacky Goes To Camp & Tacky and The Haunted Igloo) that have been a huge hit this week. We also read a book about a sloth trying to escape the zoo and he uses all kinds of simple machines to try and get out.  This prompted days of Wyatt carrying around a Jenga piece and a ruler so he could make a lever and launch whatever he wanted into the sky.  Heads up! if you're in the Cunningham household!

Listening... to Anne of Green Gables and And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman.  Up next is Anne of Avonlea, followed by The Here and Now.  I absolutely love listening to audiobooks on Overdrive.  I listen while I do dishes, fold laundry and walk to and from getting the boys at school.  It brings me such joy!

Watching... Gilmore Girls (starting with Season 1) on Netflix during the day as I go about my chores; and Rogue One (finally!) with the twins while Josh was out of town last weekend.  We all loved it and the boys enjoyed their special time with me while Wyatt & Carly slept.  We also saw Monster Trucks last weekend, which was super cute & unexpected.

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Split Three Ways

 {I started this post a few months ago...}

I've been watching This is Us-- I'm about six episodes in (I know, I know. I'm behind the times!) and today's episode (I watch one while I eat lunch each day) was about meeting each of the triplet's needs, even if it meant things weren't fair for the other two siblings.
Gah.
This spoke my heart.
Having had three boys in three years, a lot of my life revolves around buying, serving and doing three of something so that life is fair.

The fact is, though, that life's not fair.
And nothing I can do will make it so.  Nor would I want to make it fair all the time. Because that's not preparing them for life in this world of ours.

In addition to fighting unfairness like it's typhoid fever, I am always feeling like there are too many of them and too few of me.  It's hard to feel so split.  It took three months, for instance, to figure out a bedtime routine that made me feel less like a pizza whose slices are being yanked out of the box and more like a candy dispenser whose contents are slowly being depleted. Hah!

This year I have found myself (in no particular order) worrying about Logan's health, Jack's attitude (as well as putting too much responsibility on him) and Wyatt's adjustment to school after being at home and by my side his entire life.  At different times, I have definitely felt that one kid has taken up more of my time and emotional energy than the others.  Luckily, with hindsight, I can see that it usually evens out.  And even if it doesn't, my other kids (the ones being neglected in favor of whomever is in need) know I love them even if I'm not constantly available to them. (Speaking of which, serious shout out to single parents  as well as working parents-- I don't know how you do what you do!!!  I have all the time in the world as a stay-at-home mom & still don't get it all done.)

People always say that having older kids doesn't really get easier, it just gets different.  The things you worry about and the time you invest is... just... different. As the mom of three school-age kids, and one baby, I can attest to this.  Sure, taking care of Carly is, hands down, the most physically exhausting. But honestly, most days, I would take sleepless nights and up-the-back poopy diapers over birthday-party non-invites and kindergarten recess issues any day.  The emotional toll of my older kids' issues weighs far heavier than figuring out how to get the poopy onesie off without smearing it on the back of her head. (hint: pull it towards the feet; the neck is meant to stretch so you don't have to pull it over their heads. #yourewelcome)

Parenting them doesn't just require more thought and emotional investment, it also requires that I be the same person all the time. It requires I be the example of all the things I am constantly nagging them about.
"Get off the screens!"
"Don't say shut up!"
"Be nice!"
"No swearing!"
"No taking God's name in vain!" 
"Do a good job! Don't be lazy!"
It's all so much easier said than done!  But I have to keep trying to be the example they need because they are watching!  It requires constant vigilance.  It's exhausting!

Something about the dynamics of three, too, just makes it so hard. When Josh takes one with him to run errands, it changes things so drastically, I can't even put it into words.  But all three trying to play together, automatically ends up with one feeling left out.  And usually a fight.  And sometimes a broken pair of glasses.  Sigh.

Our three rules are:
1) Ignore
2) Use your words to tell your brother what you need/want
3) Tell your parents

In addition to these three rules, we have a rule that we consequence whoever retaliates.  For instance, if Wyatt name calls, and Logan hits him for name calling, Logan gets in trouble.  We can't stop the sibling that starts it, but we can encourage the offended party to tell on them so they get in trouble.  It's not perfect, and sometimes I wonder if it's fair (there's that word again!?!) but it definitely keeps the fights from escalating.

My hope, everyday that I am blessed to parent these three boys (and of course our darling girl as well) is that I would be enough.  That God would fill the gaps where I'm lacking and help me meet the needs of these beautiful souls I get to keep for a short period of time.

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Sunday Dinners

A little flashback post to last summer, before we moved,

and we had dinner at my parents house with my sister & her family 

every Sunday.

{Husbands on baby duty... my favorite! Swoon!}

I Want My Baby Back

This is baby Wyatt.

Who will turn 6 next month.

I want my baby back.

That is all.

Around Here: Week 18

 Going... Screen Free (mostly) for the week.  (I hopped on here today to stay on track with my "Around Here" posts, and Josh watched a show or two in the evenings, but I worked hard to be either doing chores or reading my book instead of watching.)  I deleted Facebook & Instagram off my phone and only went online to check my email and pay the bills Monday.  It felt good to be screen free, and I got SO much more done than I do when I'm partaking in the screens. It was a good reminder that I'm in charge of how I spend my time.  I'll be visiting this subject again, in more detail, in a post that is coming soon.

Celebrating... Logan's trip to the neurologist. Basically his Chiari Malformation is minor (in size) and he is currently asymptomatic, so it's as if nothing were wrong at all.  Of course we will always keep an eye on any symptoms that crop up, but many people live with Chiari without ever showing symptoms, so that is our hope for Logan.  As for Jack, concordance rates for twins are not available, so unless he starts showing symptoms, we will not be testing for it as it's not medically necessary.

Grateful... that we are (all) finally well.  After 11+ days of sickness (vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain) passing from one to the other to the other and finally to me, and then to Josh, it is over. Hallelujah.  I have bleached and Clorox wiped this house from top to bottom in hopes that we'll be well from here forward. I knew starting the kids in school that they'd bring home new germs, but that one takes the cake. It was a beast!

Thankful... for Josh's sister for keeping Wyatt & Carly so I could drive just the twins to Logan's neurology appointment at the children's hospital. It's over an hour each way, and it was so nice to only have the big boys to worry about.  Also thankful for Josh's cousin who came over that day and decided to sweep & mop my floors for me. Whenever she's at our house, she does some act of service (painting my walls, bringing a meal, delivering wipes) and she's such a shining example of what being selfless truly is. Thank you Januari!

Enjoying... a crazy thunderstorm last night.  It was like a strobe light, so many strikes and so much loud thunder. It woke me up a few times and was just really fun to watch.

I am also currently enjoying having a daughter. Putting her in dresses and cute shoes everyday never ceases to bring me joy!!!  I also enjoy how she walks with her hands behind her back, which the boys call "walking like a gentleman".  I was so excited I finally captured it with my camera!

Attending... the twins' game Thursday.  I hadn't been to a game yet, so it was really exciting to load all the kids up & go root for those talented big brothers of ours. Carly would clap every time we cheered, and Wyatt ran into a friend on the playground which kept him entertained.

When we found out that it was twin boys at my 20 week ultrasound, one of the first things Josh said was they could play on a baseball team together. Watching that dream finally come true nearly a decade later has been so beautiful.  Josh loves coaching them, and the boys are really finding their way.  They're hitting consistently and getting better at catching & outs as well.  I am one proud mama!

Meeting... with each of the boys' teachers to discuss progress towards spring and what, if anything, we will need to work on over the summer.  All three teachers said our boys are like sponges, absorbing all the information they can.  Their grades are fantastic and they all love reading.  We will work on continued reading, writing & math over summer in hopes they don't lose any of the progress they've made this year.  It sure feels good to see how well public school has gone this year, and it feels even better to hear the teachers say what good, hard working boys we have.

Freaking out... about being a homeowner.  Wednesday night I got home from the twins' practice followed by Wyatt's practice to find Josh upside down in a giant hole he dug in the yard, attempting to fix a leak we had in the water line that split from the street.  One direction split off for our house and one direction for the sprinkler system.  The valve busted.  And we were without water.
After our week and a half of family stomach flu, plus my trip to the children's hospital, I was desperately behind on the laundry as it was. I didn't have time to get further behind.  Not to mention I had a sink full of dishes, four dirty kids plus myself and Josh who would need showers in the morning.  We took a deep breath, called a plumber and sent up a prayer that it wouldn't break the bank.  One hour and $400 later, we had a fixed valve and running water.  Praise the Lord!

Watching... Patriots Day with Mark Wahlberg for date night last week, and sobbing the entire time.  The whole thing was so unbelievable and the resilience of people inspiring.  We also saw Moana last weekend for the first time, which meant I spent the whole weekend singing "You're welcome."

Next week I have a blog post penciled in to post everyday in an effort to clear my dashboard before summer, as well as lots of baseball and plenty of sunshine in the forecast. It's gonna be a great week!

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