Now My Butt is Even Bigger

If you have a moment, you should go back and watch a video that I posted here on September 1, 2010. And then watch this one and marvel at how much my kids have grown up.

Yellow

We have these little tabs that change your bath water different colors. Yesterday, I made the boys' bathwater yellow, and they splashed happily for a time. After awhile I thought I would tease Sebastian about the color of the water, so I said, "Sebastian! Did you pee in the bathtub?!" 

Without even looking up he said, "Yup." 

Well. 

I guess that was a silly question to ask a four-year-old boy, potty trained or not.

This is what it looks like

This is what it looks like when your dad has an awesome lawnmower (which he has already had to fix three time).

 This is what it looks like before a mud run.

 And this is what your team looks like after the mud run is over.

 This is what it looks like when too many kids try to ride the tricycle at the same time. 

 This is what it looks like when the tornado sirens go off on the way to soccer practice. (Please note the NOAA radio, the iPad tuned into a local weather station, and the scattered boxes of raisins that were intended as a team snack. Missing in this picture is the Gatorade stain that was the obvious result of allowing Sebastian to drink something red on the carpet.)

And finally, this is what it looks like when you have the world's cutest baby.

Sandbox

Ever since we moved in, we've had a hard time keeping our children from digging in the backyard. Isaac and I are not completely opposed to the kids playing in the dirt, but Sebastian liked to pick random places in the middle of the yard. A friend of mine loaned us this ladybug sandbox, which the kids loved, but as you can see, it's kind of a one-kid thing. I'm not exaggerating when I say that all four of the older kids tried to fit into it at once.

 So I found some plans online, and we got a pile of wood.

 We also had to buy a couple of power tools, which is awesome. I've been dreaming up new projects to use them on ever since. I did a lot of sanding, and I painted on the seal, but Isaac pretty much did everything else. 

 It fits our family much better. 

Almost every day after school Sebastian runs outside and sits in the sandbox. Sometimes he builds sandcastles, sometimes he tunnels, and sometimes he just sits, letting the sand run through his fingers. One time I stepped outside to check on him, and I didn't see him, so I called his name. His little voice answered from inside the sandbox's closed lid. He was just lying there relaxing. Anyway, he doesn't dig up the yard anymore. Much.

Easter 2016

All five of them managed to hold still for half a second, so I was pleased.  I think they clean up pretty well. 

 

Of course, this picture is a little closer to reality.

The oldest and the youngest. Seriously, I should have had an eight-year-old daughter with all my babies. She is such a great big sister, and a huge help to me. 

Lizzy adores the Easter dress my mom made for her this year. She said it makes her feel like a ballerina. 

It is my favorite times a hundred when they can all play happily together. 

Lizzy decorated this year's bunny cake all by herself. She was very proud of it. 

So. It's been awhile. Since the last time I wrote, we had a baby, bought a house and collectively ate 12 birthday cakes. Well, a couple of those may have been pie instead of cake, but let's not quibble. Anyway, the most recent pictures have not been uploaded from my camera, but since the baby is going to wake up any second, and Sebastian will only be distracted by the sandbox for so long, this is what I've got.

Ivan

 We love him. He is happy unless he is hungry or sleepy. He learned to crawl way before I was ready for it. His favorite thing to do is eat things off the kitchen floor.

 Henry

No longer the baby, and don't you dare call him anything but a big boy (to his face), but still wants to be carried around the house and have his every whim immediately satisfied. Tells very good, detailed stories. Copies absolutely everything he sees his older siblings do. Loves yogurt, and books, and playing with toys.

 Sebastian

Funny. We had to build a sandbox just so he would stop digging up the yard. It mostly worked. Loves ramen and jumping around. Knows all the words to his school and primary songs and sings with gusto. Wants to know about everything.

 Barak

Loves to run, play soccer and read. He is anxious to learn multiplication and division. Socially adept, messy, fun. Ivan thinks he's hilarious.

 Lizzy

Dreams big. Reads better than I do. Loves to bake and share. She is getting so responsible and has been a huge help with the youngest two. Fun to talk to.

And now the baby's awake. So that's all.

Teeth

With the loss of her two front teeth, a strange thing happened. My little girl somehow became a lot older. Or maybe I am just finally able to accept that she is not a toddler or even a pre-schooler. It is amazing how quickly she went from this:

to this:

She is spunky and thoughtful and has such interesting things to say. She is also full of drama. Oh, the drama! The other day she started singing a song that went something like, "Oh, I wish my mom would understand meeee, I wish she understood! But I guess I should just give uuuuuuuuuuup. Because she doesn't. But I wish she would listen to meeeeeeee." It went on for awhile, but that was basically it. I guess I'm a mean mom who doesn't understand her, because I make her do chores. She has to vacuum under the table after dinner every night, and one day I asked her to do it again, because she had missed half of the mess. She raised her eyes skyward and said, "You're never satisfied by what I do for you!" Isaac overheard her and just about died laughing.
Anyway, back to the subject of teeth (because that's what I was talking about, right?), Henry, at nine months finally cut his first tooth. I'm proud of him for waiting so long. I was worried that it would mean he would suddenly cut six at once, but it's been about a month (since he turns ten months tomorrow!) and he still just has the one.You can't actually see the tooth in this picture, but you can see his little wrinkle- nosed smile, which is one of the cutest things ever. I can't not smile back at him.

He is a complete darling, without any apparent fear of strangers, and possessing a happy, relaxed attitude. I'm pretty guaranteed a smile if I tickle under his chin, and if someone in the room laughs, he'll probably laugh, too. You know, watching Lizzy learning and growing, eating new foods, beginning to sit up, crawl, take first steps ... those were some of the most exciting and rewarding moments of my life. I didn't know that it would be like that for each child. Henry, my fourth child, has been crawling for a few weeks now, and his first little shuffles were every bit as exhilarating as Lizzy's were. I feel like my world just keeps expanding. I would not trade being a mother to these four loves for anything.