I need to get a picture for this: last Family Night Isaac chose jumping on the trampoline for the activity. Ben got on with the older boys and they played a "jump-as-high-as-you-can" game.
You should have seen Ben, knees nearly up to his chin with each jump, sending children sky-high all over the tramp. Isaac was propelled to heights that to him felt like a dream come true! It was all pretty comical.
September 28, 2007
Ahh . . . A/C!!
Our A/C went out yesterday, and it got up to about 90 degrees in the house. When you add in the Austin humidity, the air felt heavy and even breathing took more effort. I was amazed at how much the heat distracted me. It was as though something pesky was always poking at the back of my mind, and I felt pretty lethargic and ineffective, not to mention almost wringably wet.
Today a neighbor mentioned that I probably had a second breaker box, which I searched for and found hiding outside behind a very large bush. With a flip of the breaker that had partially tripped, we are back in the cool!! (Well, we will be when it gets back down to a comfortable temp.) We won't have to through another night of children struggling to go to sleep because they were sweating. HURRAY FOR A/C!!!!
Today a neighbor mentioned that I probably had a second breaker box, which I searched for and found hiding outside behind a very large bush. With a flip of the breaker that had partially tripped, we are back in the cool!! (Well, we will be when it gets back down to a comfortable temp.) We won't have to through another night of children struggling to go to sleep because they were sweating. HURRAY FOR A/C!!!!
September 26, 2007
What a great word!
"Can you help me finish my 'cwackanoni'?"
(Daniel, age three, asking for some aid with his macaroni and cheese so he could have a treat.)
Holding the quints
A family in our ward just had quintuplets -- maybe six or eight weeks ago -- and there are shifts set up around the clock to help them. I signed up for the 7-10pm shift last night. Wow, what a joy!
There were four adults there (the parents, a grandma, and me), the quints, and also the two older children (ages 7 and 4). All four of us adults were BUSY the whole time! It was not uncommon for one of us to be holding two babies at once, something that will only be possible for a few more weeks before the babies get too big.
I was interested to see some of the organizational set ups to make things workable. The baby room is right as you enter the house and has five cribs lining the walls with a five foot open square space in the middle. Right now, only two cribs are in use. Across from the baby room is a formal dining room that has been converted into a sitting/caring/changing/feeding room for the babies. There are two changing tables and a large shelf with baskets in all of cubbyholes to hold bibs, burp cloths, 0-3 month sleepers for girls, 0-3 month sleepers for boys, 0-3 month onsies for girls, 0-3 month onsies for boys, all of the same categories in premies, blankets for boys, blankets for girls, etc.
In order to help all of the people who are assisting, and also probably the tired parents, each child has been given a color that he/she wears solely (as much as possible). That way you can keep track of who has been fed, who's diaper was changed, and who is who.
The quints are still pretty small (about the size most of my babies start as), but quite alert and seem to be growing well. Lots of miracles in that family! I can't help but wonder how the parents are coping and if they try to avoid too much forward thought and planning right now. There is SO much to occupy the whole family (and myriads of others!) with just the minute to minute needs of the household. Others have taken over the care organization for the quint shifts and the daily play dates for the four year old. Friends and businesses have donated a lot (a 12 seater van, dental work for the quints until they leave home, formula for a year, etc.). But wow, huh? You can read more at their website:
http://www.wilkinsonquints.org/
The media page has some great spots. A short but very good one is the Austin-American Statesman Slideshow.
I have signed up for another evening shift in a few weeks. It's hard to find a free shift -- amazing, huh? Even the eight hour overnight shifts that happen daily are full! The parents also attend all of the three hour Church block together with their two older children. This is a community effort, and I sure felt blessed to help for a little while. What an eye-opening experience.
There were four adults there (the parents, a grandma, and me), the quints, and also the two older children (ages 7 and 4). All four of us adults were BUSY the whole time! It was not uncommon for one of us to be holding two babies at once, something that will only be possible for a few more weeks before the babies get too big.
I was interested to see some of the organizational set ups to make things workable. The baby room is right as you enter the house and has five cribs lining the walls with a five foot open square space in the middle. Right now, only two cribs are in use. Across from the baby room is a formal dining room that has been converted into a sitting/caring/changing/feeding room for the babies. There are two changing tables and a large shelf with baskets in all of cubbyholes to hold bibs, burp cloths, 0-3 month sleepers for girls, 0-3 month sleepers for boys, 0-3 month onsies for girls, 0-3 month onsies for boys, all of the same categories in premies, blankets for boys, blankets for girls, etc.
In order to help all of the people who are assisting, and also probably the tired parents, each child has been given a color that he/she wears solely (as much as possible). That way you can keep track of who has been fed, who's diaper was changed, and who is who.
The quints are still pretty small (about the size most of my babies start as), but quite alert and seem to be growing well. Lots of miracles in that family! I can't help but wonder how the parents are coping and if they try to avoid too much forward thought and planning right now. There is SO much to occupy the whole family (and myriads of others!) with just the minute to minute needs of the household. Others have taken over the care organization for the quint shifts and the daily play dates for the four year old. Friends and businesses have donated a lot (a 12 seater van, dental work for the quints until they leave home, formula for a year, etc.). But wow, huh? You can read more at their website:
http://www.wilkinsonquints.org/
The media page has some great spots. A short but very good one is the Austin-American Statesman Slideshow.
I have signed up for another evening shift in a few weeks. It's hard to find a free shift -- amazing, huh? Even the eight hour overnight shifts that happen daily are full! The parents also attend all of the three hour Church block together with their two older children. This is a community effort, and I sure felt blessed to help for a little while. What an eye-opening experience.
September 22, 2007
Cutting day
Remember the first head of little boy hair you ever cut? Matthew was two and captivated by the water filling in the washing machine. So I seized the opportunity, grabbed some scissors, and finished the job by the time the water shut off. There were a few extra baby hairs in that batch, but no matter.
Today I cut four heads of hair, one after another, and Ben had to take the trash out after he finished sweeping up. Guess you can measure the growth of your family by the mound of hair on cutting day. If Daniel hadn't been napping, we might have hit a record -- a Mt Everest style pile!
They all sit pretty quietly now, too. No need for hairy suckers to "enjoy" while Mom cuts. Sometimes they'll even talk to me -- prime time, then.
When I told the lady who cut my hair this morning (yea, I got one too -- really short and cute!) that I was headed home to cut five heads of hair, she asked if I had a license. Nothing like having a lot of boys to give you license to do all kinds of things, huh?
Now, if I can just get all of the little hairs out of my fingernails and off the front of my clothes . . .
Today I cut four heads of hair, one after another, and Ben had to take the trash out after he finished sweeping up. Guess you can measure the growth of your family by the mound of hair on cutting day. If Daniel hadn't been napping, we might have hit a record -- a Mt Everest style pile!
They all sit pretty quietly now, too. No need for hairy suckers to "enjoy" while Mom cuts. Sometimes they'll even talk to me -- prime time, then.
When I told the lady who cut my hair this morning (yea, I got one too -- really short and cute!) that I was headed home to cut five heads of hair, she asked if I had a license. Nothing like having a lot of boys to give you license to do all kinds of things, huh?
Now, if I can just get all of the little hairs out of my fingernails and off the front of my clothes . . .
September 20, 2007
Parent perspective
This is a parent's hectic day set marvelously to Pachelbel's Canon. It's a keeper!
September 15, 2007
Ever eat a torpedo?
Daniel called out as were shopping, "I want those torpedoes!" Not seeing any torpedoes in the food isles at Target today, I asked him to point them out.
"Ahh, you mean 'Doritos'!" I felt the light coming on. However, when I touched the bag, he was definitely not satisfied.
Hmm . . . some more pointing and urgent insisting . . . not the Ultra Nacho Cheese Doritos or any of the other remarkably prolific varieties now available. Boy, what kind of mama can't find torpedoes for her son? I was failing! A few more blunders and then, "Ohhhh --- Cheetos!" They're similar to torpedoes, right?
Luck was with him -- it has to be for me to buy Cheetos. He hugged them all the way to the checkout, immediately removing them from the grocery sack the minute they were "ours" and fervently enjoying them as we exited the store.
By the time we got home, he had fallen asleep, the bag of torpedoes cradled in his arms and evidence of their impact everywhere.
Damage report? I carried him in carefully, so I avoided turning orange, at least for today.
"Ahh, you mean 'Doritos'!" I felt the light coming on. However, when I touched the bag, he was definitely not satisfied.
Hmm . . . some more pointing and urgent insisting . . . not the Ultra Nacho Cheese Doritos or any of the other remarkably prolific varieties now available. Boy, what kind of mama can't find torpedoes for her son? I was failing! A few more blunders and then, "Ohhhh --- Cheetos!" They're similar to torpedoes, right?
Luck was with him -- it has to be for me to buy Cheetos. He hugged them all the way to the checkout, immediately removing them from the grocery sack the minute they were "ours" and fervently enjoying them as we exited the store.
By the time we got home, he had fallen asleep, the bag of torpedoes cradled in his arms and evidence of their impact everywhere.
Damage report? I carried him in carefully, so I avoided turning orange, at least for today.
September 8, 2007
Motherhood and blog titles
Ever play with a whirligig – the kind that is just a large button on a string? It seems deceptively simple: holding the string at both ends, twirl the button until the string is tightly wound, then pull the two ends taunt; modify the tension so the button will continue to spin in a way that appears almost independent.
The winding and pulling, the challenge of tension balance, striving to encourage and yet also guide independence . . . interlacing the very souls of those entrusted me . . . this is motherhood. And yet, I find joy not just in the success of the proper touch but in all of the wonders of the whims and whirligigs along the way.
(Hmm . . . must be late. I'm waxing melodramatic.)
The winding and pulling, the challenge of tension balance, striving to encourage and yet also guide independence . . . interlacing the very souls of those entrusted me . . . this is motherhood. And yet, I find joy not just in the success of the proper touch but in all of the wonders of the whims and whirligigs along the way.
(Hmm . . . must be late. I'm waxing melodramatic.)
September 7, 2007
Return of the Jedi
We sure are glad we have defenses against these Texas scorpions.
What would we ever do without lego?
What would we ever do without lego?
Pity the parents . . .
We were reading this morning in Mark10:14 where Christ tells his disciples, "Suffer the little children to come unto me . . ." and Ben asked why Jesus loves little children so much.
Isaac, who just turned seven, offered this sage observation, "Probably because they aren't boring like parents."
When we chuckled, he qualified, "I mean 'cuz parents aren't active, and stuff . . ."
Add that to my to-do list: "Don't be so boring!"
Isaac, who just turned seven, offered this sage observation, "Probably because they aren't boring like parents."
When we chuckled, he qualified, "I mean 'cuz parents aren't active, and stuff . . ."
Add that to my to-do list: "Don't be so boring!"
and she begins . . .
If but to have a place
to explore a thought,
share a laugh,
or unburden a soul
-- to the world?
What an odd thought, a blog.
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