Little Ramblings

"I like this little gravy boat thing, where did we get it", asked Erin at dinner. "It was a wedding gift", I replied. "Oh, I can see that you really needed it since this is the first time I've seen it". So true.

"I've decided that this will be the last summer of my childhood," announced Erin this afternoon after swinging at the park per her request. Our planner has decided that she'll be too old to hang out on the swing set next year because she'll be in drivers ed. As she made her declaration she had tears in her eyes.


Ty man has been under the weather since Saturday night. We had a rough weekend but we are seeing him improve daily. He mustered up enough energy to kick a ball with Kate and I this afternoon and hang out in the back of the van playing with his toys while the girls were swinging at the park. He cried so much this weekend he's hoarse. Nothing we did helped him settle in and sleep Saturday night. I had him on the swing out front for an hour at one point to prevent waking the entire house as he cried. I was quietly singing to him as we "rocked" on the swing. When he finally quit crying, he put his hand over my mouth! Even at 11 months he knows I have no talent! At this point, he's dealing with a runny nose and periods of fussiness but he's eating and consolable. Bedtime tonight required a bath and a walk in the sling. Let me tell you that his 22 or so pounds felt more like 42 by the time we finished that walk and he was asleep!

Whew!

We had a full week! Ty's cold sore is back....round three in 5 months. His sweet baby kisses shared it with me. Not fun but so far it doesn't appear to be infected for either of us. Kate got to go to Holiday World with Shelby and had a blast! Lauren spent 4 days with Kelsey. Erin's worked, attended a bonfire party, swimming party and gone bowling. Brad was at our house for a day and she spent a few hours at his house this week as well. I started a new bible study where there are a few other moms of teens (yeah!). We tried story hour at the library. It was rather chaotic but Kate enjoyed herself. Makenna's been to Hannah's for a sleepover, swimming and spent a day at O'Bannon Park. She got a stomach bug too.....weird illness type stuff for this time of year? Today, Erin and I tackled Sam's Club to stock up for the month. It was good to have her help! I've tried to upload video coverage of Ty walking all over the house, but can't seem to get it to work. He rarely crawls. We've been able to remove the baby gates as he's finally outgrown interest in the stairs. I'd love for him to ignore the dog food and water too. Baby steps. Kate is going to be a flower girl in a wedding October 1. Margaret, the bride, bought her this tee shirt to wear when she practices. She hopes to get high heels too!  My grandma was hospitalized with a bowel obstruction but is doing really well just three days later. She hopes to be released from the hospital this weekend. She is one tough lady. So is my mom who's balanced work and the hospital all week! Oh, and did I mention I took a day off the lounge in a pool???

The weekend holds plans for more sleepovers, movies and church activities.....oh how I love summer but prefer hanging out at home. I need to charge these girls gas money for all the running they have me doing.

R&R Reflections

I had the amazing opportunity to relax today.....it worked! I did it! I lounged in or by a pool for 4 hours without anyone asking for anything, getting into anything, crying, splashing me or whining! My friend Jennifer made the suggestion a month ago and I firmly put the date on the calendar and by the grace of God, nothing interfered with it! I still can't believe it myself. Greg held down the fort with Erin's help and the place was still standing and everyone was fed and happy when I returned. Whew! Coming home in a quiet mood with a few hours relaxation under my belt (or tankini as the case may be) made me appreciate all my family just a little bit more. Ty threw himself into my arms with the biggest grin on his face. Kate was curled up asleep on the big comfy chair but woke within minutes. Her hair was damp from sweat and was still curly from the rollers she talked Erin into last night. She suddenly looked like a big girl to me. I couldn't take my eyes off her. When Greg and I note how one of the kids has suddenly grown or changed, we say "and then we blinked". It really feels that way sometimes. In the blink of an eye, it changes. Reflection is good....so is relaxation. I think I need to try that again someday!

Fathers Day Surprise

Greg figured out how much the replacement parts for his rusted out grill were going to cost a few months ago....just over $100 in parts...yikes. So, I started watching sales and clearance deals online and in local stores. A little over a month ago I found a deal that included free shipping. I ordered it and arranged to hide it in our neighbor's garage. Clint is a good sport. His garage code didn't work for me the day it arrived, so the girls and I left it sitting in front of his garage. Greg woke up just as we finished lugging that large and rather heavy box. He mowed the yard and commented that the black clouds rolling in were not going to do that box any favors. He suggested that if it started raining, we'd get it and keep it in our garage for Clint. At this point, he also thought that he'd offer Clint some money for his old grill because it has to be in better shape than ours! Clint got home before the storm and I warned him that Greg was going to offer to buy the old one. Clint smiled as though he just got the deal of the century! A few weeks ago I told Kristin what we'd done for Father's Day and she laughed because Greg told her husband about the old grill on our neighbor's deck that he was hoping to buy! Anyway, Clint had to work today so when we got home from church last night, Clint called and asked Greg to help him move something in his garage. Greg hopped up to help and we followed just a few seconds behind. Clint told him to move the grill to our garage. Greg was just staring at him, unsure what was being said until I laughed and told him the grill has been his all along. He was genuinely surprised. (We didn't tell Kate) He assembled it this morning and we are planning burgers on it for dinner. It was so much fun to surprise him. He makes 2-3 meals a week out there for us and does a great job....the gift really is for all of us! Happy Fathers Day best friend! I love you. 

Dressed Up for Daddy

Makenna and Kate wanted to dress up for "Daddy's Weekend". So sweet.

On a not so much fun note.....AHHHHH! Ty's cold sore is BACK AGAIN! I am so upset. He woke up from his morning nap and Greg looked closely at the "abrasion" he had after yesterday's incident with the chair and noted the blisters growing inside the one by his mouth. I called Kristin literally sick to my stomach. Avry and Ty shared all the toys and both boys were chewing on them. I pray Avry doesn't also end up with it. This makes our third round in 5 months. Lauren always got it around her eye which was much more serious but she was three when it started. I just hate that he misses church for a few weeks every time this attacks and that his sweet little face is covered in ugly sores.

Awesome Friends/Awesome Visit

Kristin brought the boys down for a visit.....just about 20 hours of visit that still wound up much too quickly! The babies were fun to watch together. When one of them is playing with a toy, the other stops and takes note just before making a trade with the toy he's been playing with. These exchanges took place rather often and at no point was anyone upset about the "sharing" method. We assume that will change by our next visit. Until then, it was just relaxing to watch them study each other.

Just before they arrived, Ty fell into the wooden leg of our computer chair. He has several small abrasions and looks like he lost quite a scuffle. Greg says "you should see the other guy"! The chair won this round.

Kate got to attend her final day of VBS and was excited to be back. She did enjoy the days she was able to go. Her fever hung on for two solid days and she was pretty run down for three. I had to take Makenna into the doctor on Wednesday for swimmer's ear so I took Kate along for a brief, unofficial check too. The nurse practitioner, Melissa said it appeared to be one of the many viruses working their way through the community right now. We probably picked it up at VBS! On the swimmer's ear front, the prescriptions were initially over $200 but two phone calls and a few hours later, we had different ear drops for just under $30....honestly?

Also, on Wednesday, Greg was in Dayton for a follow up appointment with his surgeon, Dr. Binski. His ankle is perfectly fused and looks great. He doesn't have to go back for a year!!! Given Greg's work schedule and the hours that go into getting him to one of those appointments, we are thrilled with that news. He had a good time visiting with his parents while there. At dinner on Tuesday, Brad, Jessica and Miss Lizzie were able to join them. He just smiled as he described Lizzie's energy level and chattiness. She is fun to watch as she is always in motion! 

Crazy Weather!

We had three small storms roll through here very quickly tonight with 60 mph winds, thunder and lightening. In the end, we had this view. Stunning.

On a different note, Kate was sent home from VBS today with a tummy ache and fever of 102.3. She spent the day on the couch, sleeping and barely eating. We hope she is better tomorrow so she can go back on Thursday. She was having so much fun, this little bug is a disappointment.

Ty is walking all over the house. He is wearing himself out practicing his new skill. Furniture is still being used to get him into a standing position, but he's cruising all over the house once he's upright.

Our Little Man is 11 Months Old Today!!!

Where has the time gone? We are looking at the quickly approaching date of his first birthday and can't believe it's possible! He is such a little man! He says "Dad" and "Mom" with this tone that demands attention. What happened to Momma and Daddy? Erin at 15 still calls us by those names! His vocabulary is growing as he parrots quite a bit. He says all of our names including Brutus. "Uh-oh" is said quite a bit. "Ball" was added yesterday and that is his favorite toy. Any ball he can toss around and follow is a great source of entertainment especially if he can get someone to pass it back and forth with him. Trucks are quickly becoming favorites as well. He likes the ones he can push as he crawls.  On the mobility front, Ty is walking around the house. He's rather wobbly but making progress. He does a better job if he's holding a small toy or one of his little burp clothes that serve as his security blanket. I suppose all those weeks of practicing while holding onto the hem of my shorts made him think he needs to hold something for balance. He is still a very happy boy. He's smiling most of the time and only fussy if he's sleepy or hungry. He sleeps from 8:30pm to 8:30am and naps twice a day for about an hour and a half each. He eats EVERYTHING! The other night we had steak for dinner. I put him in the high chair while I worked on dinner and allowed him some fruit pieces while he waited. As soon as the steak hit his tray, the fruit pieces were immediately tossed to the floor! He had no use for that with steak as an option! He still refuses his sippy cups. I honestly don't know what to do about it. I've tried several versions and allowing him to play with them. I've tried different drinks and even a smoothie at one point. He is not interested. I had all the girls off the bottle by this point but can't eliminate it until he's drinking something else. He doesn't seem to want bottles either but will accept them eventually.....just feed him solid food and life is good.

Water Works

"Where's my teeth?"

I always think he looks like an old man looking for his dentures when he makes this face, which he makes all the time!

Ty's latest tricks

Ty is still trying to get the hang of sippy cups. I've tried multiple versions and we are still not having any luck. At one point, I drove all the way to Babies R Us to get the Avent style the girls started with in hopes it was the answer to getting him off the bottle. It is a half hour away and the only store around that carries that brand. When we got there, they only had pink! The girls were horrified when I bought it anyway. Lauren literally begged me to walk away from it because Ty will end up being gay if I give him a pink cup! I cracked up and said that any little boy growing up with four sisters is lucky if the only pink in his life is a sippy cup! That being said, Grandma Pattie rescued Ty and gave him a blue and a green cup this weekend! He's still playing with them all and not drinking anything out of them!

He's working on his walking skills all the time. He made it a fair distance today and came to a stop rather than falling. He has also added the word, "uh-oh" to his vocabulary although he's a bit confused as to it's meaning. He says it BEFORE he throws something to the floor, which is typically his sippy cup!

"I wish I were a real princess so I could do whatever I want"

Princess Kate loves her new Cinderella dress and insisted upon wearing it on a bike ride this afternoon. I kept encouraging her to at least wear real shoes, but she's wearing the plastic dress up shoes everywhere too. So, half way up the hill, we tossed the shoes into Ty's stroller and by the time we were back down the hill, Princess Kate decided she wanted to go home because her feet hurt! No kidding? She wiped out and I had to call Erin for backup to get us all home! She then informed me she wishes she were a real princess so she didn't have to listen to me and do whatever she wants!

Most fun Monday

Theresa brought her family to spend the day at the zoo with us and then came to the house for homemade pizzas, cupcakes and one final birthday gift (Cinderella dress) for Kate since they were unable to attend the birthday party. Erin's boyfriend, Brad went with us since he's not been to the zoo since he was seven. Theresa brought her brother in law, Mikey because it has been about that long since he went to a zoo. It was probably the most entertaining to watch the big boys react to the animals! They were genuinely excited to be there. Brad was amused by Kate's singing skills in the van and she loved "Uncle Mikey". He is a college student who still knows how to play and have a good time with family. Theresa was able to give Ty a bottle and watch him play. We all gathered outside for the evening to further enjoy the gorgeous day. They were here later than planned but it was still such a fast paced day that we're making plans to meet again soon.

Happy 1st Birthday Avry!!!

We drove to Ohio yesterday to celebrate Avry's 1st birthday. We missed his birth by an hour and a half last year when we were there for Greg's second surgery on his ankle fusion and didn't get to meet this special little guy until Ty's health was stable enough for a trip in September.I just couldn't miss this milestone. Kristin's family was entertaining and we all enjoyed the day. It just feels like home when we get back. As much as Kristin and I want a photo of the boys together, they have yet to cooperate with any attempts.

Score One for Ty

I am tired of picking dishes off the floor, so Ty now has a toy drawer in the kitchen.......he'll probably ignore it now!

Momma said there'd be days like this

Actually what Momma said was "someday I hope you grow up and have six kids just like you". She wasn't happy when she said it either. Well, Momma, we're at 5 and praise God, some of them are like Greg!We've had some parenting trials the last two days. It has not been fun. We love the child, not her choices. It's tough. The stakes are getting higher as she gets older. We've trained and lead and prayed. It is time to step back just a bit and see how she carries herself. Most of the time, we gently correct and discuss situations and see her apply what she's learned but then there are days like this.......


As I've prayed for her and about my role as her mother, I've been reminded of the way God tries to teach me to follow the right path and just "do what I've been told"! Grace, mercy and discipline. Praise God for my Father's leading. And when I am short on patience (another one of those life lessons that has the Lord shaking his head) I can always threaten "someday I hope you have six kids just like you"!

On a much more fun note, Kate told me that I am lucky today because I got to grow up in Grandma Pattie and Grandpa Rick's house. I chuckled and realized that someday I will be the fun grandma and discipline will fall to my children. I pray we are handling things well enough that my future grand kids will be the lucky ones. When I called my sister to tell her what Kate said, she laughed and said I should mention that they didn't buy donuts when we lived there!