Family Update #5

Today we were in the pediatrician's office and a beautiful mom with a tiny baby was checking out right behind us. We were trading compliments on our babies' hair color (hers = jet black, mine = snow white) when she realized the three kids at my waist were mine as well.

Wide-eyed she gasped, "Oh my gosh you have your hands full!" (which by the way I don't get annoyed at hearing when it comes from the mouth of a desperately sleep-deprived new mom)

I gave my now-standard "yeah, but it's a lot of fun" as she was walking away and then felt inspired to call out from across the room, "it gets so much easier!" 

She turned and gave me a questioning look. "Really?"

"Definitely. I cried everyday when my baby was that old. This...(motioning to my brood of kids scrambling over one another to get the best position in front of the lobby aquarium) is way easier than that age (pointing to her babe) was for me." 

"Oh wow. It does feel really hard right now. Thanks." She adjusted the diaper bag on her shoulder and opened the door with one hand, the other cradling her tiny baby against her chest. 

I thought to myself that even though it's louder and more expensive and I find myself requiring more alone time to recharge - it really does feel easier these days.

BJ and I have both said that we feel like we're on the precipice of a lot of fun with this crew. Like we're on a roller coaster ride and so far we've been on the slow journey up to the top of the big drop. We've heard the ride is fast and exhilarating but right now we're sitting back at a 45 degree angle moving incredibly slowly, terrified that at any moment the train will come unhitched from the tracks and we'll tumble backwards in a crumpled heap of metal and bone. When we focus on the good we see incredible views to the side and a gorgeous sky above - but we know there's more to this ride than we're experiencing. A few more years and I have a feeling we'll be screaming down the other side of the hill, hands in the air, smiles a mile wide. 

For the moment, we're trying to focus on the good - which there is so very much of. 

BJ & Katie

The Parents

We celebrate 11 years of marriage next month - dang! This guy is my best friend, my confidant, my foot-rubber, my help-mate, my eye-candy, my inspiration and my soul-lover. He's the one I always hope the text is from, the one I can't wait to see in the afternoon and the one who keeps me honest. Also, he's told me it's unattractive when I raise my eyebrows like this in pictures. Whatever.

Elijah 

The First Born

Likes: earning and counting money, reading the Magic Tree House series

Dislikes: raisins, writing, things that are "not fair" 

Frequently Spotted: creating spaceships and machines out of Legos

Special Skills: this kid can now mow the lawn all by himself. He charges $4 for doing so and would love to come mow your lawn provided his mom can give him a ride and you can start the mower up for him. 

Noteworthy Accomplishments: Yesterday he rode his bike out on the bike trails behind our house solo for the first time and did not get hurt or abducted - it was a big moment for this mama. 

Britain

The Only Girl

Likes: anything "high schoolers" do, talking, reading, make-believing

Dislikes: foods not primarily composed of dairy and/or wheat molecules, sleeping

Frequently Spotted: reading the Pinkalicious "Flower Girl" book & practicing for an upcoming starring role in her aunt's wedding

Special Skills: expressing emotion ("Daddy the grass feels delightful today!" "Mom, the boys make me crazy inside, don't you wish we could all just be girls?")

Noteworthy Accomplishments: even though karate is not her favorite ("I would rather be a singer girl than a karate girl, but I need a little more practice before I can sing on TV...") she did earn her Advanced Green belt last month alongside her big brother and is determined to make it to black belt. 

Ben

The Middle Child

Likes: back rubs, snuggling, one-on-one attention

Dislikes: tying his shoes, wearing "long shorts" (aka pants)

Frequently Spotted: carrying around his beloved and bedraggled night-night 

Special Skills: playing up or down. This kid can be Jude's buddy one minute and Elijah's the next. Yesterday he and his sister spent 2.5 hours outside in their tree house in a magical make-believe world.

Noteworthy Accomplishments: Last night he ate four servings of spaghetti at dinner, which was helpful as his siblings ate a combined zero.  

Jude

The Baby

Likes: singing in the morning, balls of any kind, wresting with siblings

Dislikes: sharing, apologizing

Frequently Spotted: wearing over-sized rain boots and pajamas at noon

Special Skills: climbing out of his crib, performing naked somersaults at a run

Noteworthy Accomplishments: this kid talks more and has done so earlier than any of our other kiddos. To the chagrin of the other kids, he's now perfectly capable of outing them for not treating him fairly. 

Dakota 

The Dog

Our laid-back chocolate labrador passed away in late September. She died peacefully at home while being petted by BJ, her very favorite human. Estimated to be somewhere in her late 80s, Dakota is missed every time we have to clean up food we've dropped on the floor (which is quite often as you might imagine). Her ears were the silkiest, her eyes the chocolatest. There will be no replacement puppies.