These Are the Days

I flipped through my Instagram feed early this morning and my heart sank a little. These days are so quickly becoming years…and I haven't done as good a job documenting as I'd like.

The babies, especially, seem to be changing so quickly and in the frenzy, I don't see it…until I flip back through pictures.

And…we set the Engineer's grandmother up on Instagram so she could see the day to day, but it isn't the same as the good ol' blog. And she loves the blog!

It's a rainy morning here. My head is throbbing and my throat sore. I wonder if my baby girl hasn't shared whatever the bug is that's caused her fever these last four days.

She and Henry are sitting with me, pretending to type.

The last fifteen months have been a blur…survival in many ways. {insert laugh}

It's bizarre to think that a mere three years ago I was aching for a baby and now our quiver is spilling over. My how life has changed!
 

Little Bit turned six at the end of June!

She's every bit full of spunk and marches to the beat of her own drum. Her outfits kill me! (Today: a hot pink visor, navy ruffled tank, purple leggings, and pink cowboy boots…) She's such a sweet gift.

I think this one will be our spitfire. Her favorite word: "NO!"

And these two together…monkey see, monkey do. I cannot keep up with them. They tag team. From drinking out of the toilet (with cups!!!) to emptying book shelves, to dipping my makeup in the toilet, to flooding the kitchen, to rolling the vacuum down the steps, to sneaking all the icing off the cupcakes, to throwing a pot full of potting soil on each other's heads…one gets pink eye, the other gets pink eye. If one carries a purse, the other carries a purse. He stands to potty, she insists she too, will stand to potty. (Eventually she will catch on!) They brush each other's teeth, with their own toothbrushes! They wear each other's shoes - usually on the wrong feet! They rummage through the garbage. They love poor Scout…nearly to death. They color on the walls. They are a mischievous duo. I wouldn't trade 'em for anything! We are so totally in over our heads!!!

Sister turned eleven a few days before Little Bit turned 6…we celebrated both girls after the fact at our dear friends' pool. The girls and I made and decorated the cake. We were pretty pumped with the outcome. {smile}

Over the summer, Henry went from sheer hysteria at the mention of getting into the pool, to jumping off the side into the water. He's come such a long way!!

Baby girl is a DARE. DEVIL. in the water. All summer long she jumped off a 3' tall ledge into the water. No fear. The scary kind of no fear.

Henry has mastered the tricycle. He cracks me up in that helmet!!

And he has nailed his head more times…ugh. That stage of toddlerhood…er…defiant boyhood.

Spit. Fire.

The Engineer is back in class at work…and still making/repairing/building things on the home front.

Sister had lots of adventures over the summer and is maturing into such a precious young lady. She's a huge help and blessing to me.

We spent the Fourth at the lake with my grandfather and his precious new bride. I grew up going there as a child and it was so sweet to get to re-live and share some of those memories with our children. Sparklers on the dock, fresh watermelon, homemade peach ice-cream, etc.

We did a lot of swimming and jumping off the dock.

Little Man wanted to take the canoe out solo…The Engineer gave him a list of things he had to prove he could do before he'd be entrusted with such responsibility. He did every single thing on that list. Blew us away! And he took the canoe out again and again and again. Our last morning there, he got up before everyone else, got the entire den picked up, his things packed, and had the canoe in the water before 7am. This is the stuff boyhood adventures are made of.

We've played lots of tinker toys and legos over the summer...

Baby Girl has refused the high chair. She and Henry have taken to eating in "big" chairs, just like the "big" kids. We've added another leaf to the table and can now comfortably seat 8. Wow. We should have one more baby so we don't have an empty spot at the table. Bwahahaha. Kidding.

Love this boy! And I marvel at how far he has come.

He just got his second set of tubes…it's like he's a new kid. He'd been without tubes for two months and we hadn't realized how profoundly it was affecting him. Suddenly he's back to babbling lots and lots. He had his palate repaired in February, right after his second birthday, and has been in speech therapy for several months. He's got SIX words! We are proud of him…and have a long row to hoe! But hey, we'll eat that elephant one bite at a time.

Love me some Saturday mornings...

With my pajama babies...

Here's my wild child in action. She layered a skirt under her dress. Girl's got style.

This back door opens and closes a million times a day! Little faces smashed against the glass are a familiar scene.

Sister and Little Man have taken up cooking…mostly Sister. It's a new stage in life. She's so helpful! She's planned several meals and made most of what was served. She's creative with it - she's such a blessing and this is a game changer. She's become my sous chef…always ready…and oh the conversations!

Familiar scenes...

We've started back to school. 5 days down, 175 to go! We've got a fifth grader, a third grader, and a first grader!

The babies are going to Mother's Day Out twice a week. Hooray!!! I am so thankful for this!

OH that boy!

This picture doesn't do the moment justice. The sweetest giggles and hugs!

My precious girl!

Peace out.