Glimpses of hope...

This fourth one is a clingy one. And that's putting it mildly. Since I'm all for keeping it real, I'll even admit that I almost lost it at small group bible study last night just talking about it. And I don't lose it all that often, in case you didn't already know that. Duh.

You'd think I'd have some mature way of handling this, since numbers one and three were the same way, and we all survived somehow. And then there was Trey. Sweet, simple Trey. Who I forget half of his babyhood because he was just so darn content.

There's no need to bore you with the details. I'm not setting records here or announcing anything new that lots of moms haven't already experienced. But it is a real part of our daily lives. Complimentary at best, and exhausting at it's worst.

So when I spot her playing on her own like this, do I run around as fast as I can accomplishing everything I think about when she is hanging on my leg, crying to be held? Of course not. That would be the smart thing to do.

First, I run for my camera. Seriously, something this rare needs to be documented. I peek in - making sure that she can't spot me (or it's all over) - and marvel at how God gave her to us. I think about how cute she is, and how I love it that she loves books, and I record in my head all of the babbles that come out of her mouth that actually resemble words - just maybe.

I look at the bow in her hair and think about how fun it is to dress a girl and figure out girl hair. I even notice that her mullet isn't quite as noticeable as it was a couple of weeks ago. I smile because I think about my mom saying in the softest, sweetest voice, "Oh dear, her hair looks just like yours did when you were a baby."

I think about her brothers, and how proud they are to have her for a sister. Trey's prayers come to mind; the ones where he thanks God for all of his family members by name, but when he gets to Tess, skips her name and says instead, "my sweet baby sister". And my eyes get watery just thinking about it.

Water.

Toilet water.

Ugh. She loves toilet water.

Do I have time to clean the toilet before she realizes I'm not in the same room?

And then, just as my thirty-second daydream is coming to an end and I'm in toilet-cleaning mode, she looks up. She spots me and smiles, getting ready to crawl my way.

I look away, as if that will magically make me invisible. You know, just until I get my toilet cleaned.

Then I spot the Batman guy eloquently hanging upside down from my blind string.

And just like that, it's back to reality.

Halloween fun!

The night before Halloween, we decided we needed to carve our pumpkin before it was too late. The project really did start with every boy fully dressed...

But in no time, the shirts were off! When one boys strips, they all strip! If there's even a hint of a reason to take your shirt off in our house, the boys will do it. Just ask the Schwann man, or anyone in our old small group bible study. :)

Shirtless boys are standard for the summertime, but on brisk Fall evenings? These three are hardly bothered... although we did only stay out long enough to light Jack Jr.'s candle and take a quick pic!

The boys raided from the dress-up stash once again, and the only thing we had to buy for costumes this year was an extra black cape. And trust me, a ten dollar black cape will definitely get it's money's worth in this house.

Daddy had to work on Halloween night, so Hali and Cameron (our amazing friends/babysitters!) offered to hang out with us and take the boys Trick-or-treating. These two seriously are amazing, to Trick-or-treat in the pouring rain, and with Cameron's non-functioning gall bladder! We love you guys!

The troops getting ready to head out to houses in our subdivision... Our good buddy Bjorn joined us too! The boys thought his costume was hilarious, but Tess was a little scared by his crazy wig! We almost talked him into cutting some hair from his wig and taping it onto his chest, but he never did give in to that. :) Man, we are blessed with such godly, fun influences for our kids.

My favorite little cow hung out with me, taking candy out of the bowl and throwing it all over the entryway handing out candy as Trick-or treaters came to our house. The turnout was low due to the rain, so we quickly became famous for giving out handfuls of candy. I think we may have even seen a repeat customer or two. :)