SRS Post #5 - Goodbye Summer

So, Tyler was off for Labor Day and I could feel the summer creeping to an end (who knew we'd have 75 degree days in November?!). Summer goals were still hanging in the balance. But moral was high and there was one last hope for the bike riding. So our day went something like this:

Step 1: Set up the Spidey Slip-N-Slide to entertain the two year old.

(yeah, he's got the web-spinning down)

Begin in the backyard on the advice of our friends. Fewer injuries that way. But it was still a lot of hard work and not without some tears.

Trey takes off with a push from Dad!

Tess takes in bike-riding lessons from the Baby Bjorn.

We finally practiced on the road, and had to strap this one in. Doesn't he look innocent?

"When my mom is distracted taking pictures and my dad is instructing, I like to drink pop!"

The gear looked really good, and the attitudes started off that way.

My theory: Jack would much rather read a book on the subject.

Well, my faithful readers :), the series must end, much to my sadness. Fall is here for sure, and seriously, we've rewound our summer long enough, don't you think? Seasons come and go, and we might as well embrace the one we're in, I say (literally and figuratively speaking). Don't fight it, people, because just like the presidential election, you're not going to change it.

Every good parent has to have goals for their kids, I've decided. And speaking of seasons, these goals must change with age and maturity. So to keep things within our limited reach this summer, I came up with a few goals to work on with the boys. They had to be kid friendly for sure. Small kid friendly. And because I like success more than failure, they had to be somewhat achievable as well! So my list went something like this:

Potty train Chase.

Teach Jack and Trey how to tie their shoes.

Practice reading with Trey.

Progress Jack and Trey to strong swimmers by summer's end.

Teach Jack and Trey how to ride a bike.

Oh, and have a baby.

Easy enough, right? Well, first of all, poor Trey. Trey is 16 months younger than Jack, and to say that he gets lumped into Jack-sized expectations is an understatement. It happens often, though, and usually he is up for the challenge. So, with some work Trey can now read his Dick and Jane book and they both got bumped up two levels in swimming before the second day of lessons was over. Check and check. Chase miraculously potty trained himself in what I thought was a pretty poor choice of timing on his part... right after Tess was born. But, what a champ! This kid holds the record so far for the fastest potty training ever in our house! Within a week of beginning training, we were done with Pull-Ups completely and he's been dry ever since. No accidents, and he even wears underwear overnight. Triple check. And that baby? Uh, Check. :)

That leaves us with shoes and bike riding. Oh dear. Well, all I have to say for the shoe tying is one word: Crocs. They never left their feet all summer. They can put them on themselves. I had a newborn. I'm a slacker. Move shoe tying to my winter goal please.

In case you've forgotten, Jack is seven and Trey is almost 6. Yes, I know. Lots of kids have been riding bikes for years at these ages. Hmm. There are definitely great reasons why they've not learned to ride a bike before now, but it's still a bit embarrassing, I'll admit. Our driveway is crazy steep. No way any bike riding is happening there, although it makes for some great snow sledding with adult supervision. You can ride circles in the garage, but seriously, who is ever going to learn that way? Our subdivision has no sidewalks, and our house is right on the curve where it's difficult to see traffic coming. Does it count that I'm always holding a small child?

Well, we're half-way there on the bike riding, and you might be surprised who got it and who still has some work to do. Good thing there's always next summer. How much longer?

SRS Post #4 - The Fair Tradition

We can't rewind our summer without including one of the boys' favorite gigs - the local 4-H Fair! This certainly has become a family tradition of ours - one that gets better every year. Where else can you sweat like crazy, eat really greasy foot long corn dogs, get super sticky on a bag full of cotton candy, smear your shoes with a lot of who-knows-what in the barns (wait, I think I know what), ride rides that you think you don't want to but end up having a blast on, and run into lots of your friends - all in a matter of a couple of hours?! Oh yeah, definitely worth the belly aches and round of baths when all is said and done!

I love this picture from the 2005 fair... Trey's face is so precious and sweaty! I look at this and am reminded that those sweet summers while they're little are going by way too fast.

Onto this year's fair, with our good friend Bjorn. Bjorn is our Small Group babysitter on Monday nights (although our family is currently on break to allow Tess to get into a more set schedule in the evenings). While we study downstairs in our home, Bjorn by some miracle of God quietly entertains the boys upstairs for two whole hours in one room! He helps our family in so many ways, and we are blessed by the wonderful role model he is to our boys. I love remembering the time we were eating supper before bible study and Bjorn told Trey to stop slurping his spaghetti and to eat "respectfully." So full of impact coming from a 13 year old cool guy instead of his mom (again). So when we need an extra hand, often Bjorn tags along... on the Avalanche, and beyond!

I can't believe Chase rode this roller coaster! He does things the older two never did at two years old, all in an effort to keep up with the big boys.

Tess was two weeks old at this year's fair, and it was nice to get out of the house as a family. In an incredible act of timing (which had to have been of God!), the hospital passed a paternity benefit just days before Tess's due date. The benefit was supposed to take effect on July 1, but Human Resources called Tyler personally to let him know that he would be included in the benefit even though I was due mid-June. How amazing is that? The best part of the whole thing was finding out that Tyler was eligible for four weeks of time off! He would receive half-pay with the benefit, and could use vacation time for the other half. You'd better believe that we took it!

These last two pictures are my favorites. Jack and Trey are often on the lookout for Chase, and are usually quick to lend him a hand. Just this past week I was feeding Tess when Chase woke up for the day, and Trey managed to figure out how to get Chase out of his crib all by himself! At first Chase was a bit hesitant and wanted me to get him, but Trey put it to him and told him that he "had a choice" (hmm...I think I know where he got that phrase!). Trey would turn the lights out and close the door so Chase could go back to sleep, or Chase could let Trey pull him out right then ("Mama is busy Chase, so you have to let me help you," said Trey in his best parental voice! I'm hearing all of this through the monitor while I'm "stuck" downstairs). It's probably a good thing that I didn't witness the process. All I know is that it involved a step stool and a lot of pulling. The two giggled all the way down the stairs and ran to tell me all about it.

Too bad the fair only comes once a year, but maybe that's how it stays interesting enough to keep holding our attention! And seriously, a person shouldn't eat one of those corn dogs more often than that anyway. And what do you know, the weather still feels like summer around here! So we'll keep rewinding for just a little bit longer...

SRS Post #3 - Boy oh Boy, It's a Girl!

I know it's officially Fall, but we're still Rewinding Our Summer around here (you thought I forgot, didn't you?)! There were two weeks of swimming lessons and a week of VBS to make June go by a bit faster while we waited for my June 20th due date. I entertained Chase on the sidelines (and tried to explain that he would be old enough next year to "go with the boys, please Mama" ) while Jack and Trey moved up the ranks into full-fledged swimmers this year! I never did get a picture at the pool. I was lucky enough to keep track of an insistent Chase and Trey's ear plugs.

If you're a guy reading this, what came next is a baby girl. Her name is Tess and she burps like her daddy.

If you're a girl and you enjoy a good labor story like the rest of us, read on!

It's VBS week and I'm feeling a little guilty for not helping since the baby hasn't come yet and I'm still feeling so good. Each morning that I show up at church with the boys, half a dozen people come up to me and say, "What are you still doing here?!" I'm starting to wonder the same thing, since it's Wednesday and now five days past my due date. I mention something to one of the girls like, "I think I might have had a couple of contractions this morning, but I'm sure it's nothing." Because God is good, they offer to take Chase for the morning to give me a break (who doesn't technically qualify for VBS until he's 3), and I finally agree.

Tyler leaves work and meets me at my doctor appointment that morning, where we find out that I've really not progressed at all from the week before. Are you kidding me? Five days past my due date and going nowhere. Now that's depressing. And I'm thinking that Tyler is way more depressed than me. The truth is that Tyler wants this baby out NOW. A week ago actually. He's a planner, you know, especially when it comes to babies.

We get three options from the doctor: induce, wait it out, or have a non-stress test in two days to make sure the baby is still looking good. Tyler votes to induce, I vote to wait, and so we both walk out frustrated with a non-stress-test-compromise scheduled for Friday. Now to be fair, Tyler's desire to induce stemmed out of genuine concern for a lot of things: childcare for the boys, health for the baby, predictability for all involved (especially for me and the epidural I missed last time!), and the certainty that he wouldn't deliver our fourth baby in our driveway (Chase came 30 minutes after we arrived at the hospital). Oh, and nevermind that his mind officially checked out of work five days prior. He should have been on vacation by now, you know.

Now we're standing in the OB parking lot getting ready to go our separate ways: Tyler back to work, and me to the church to pick up the boys. Tyler really can't understand why I wouldn't want to induce, and I say something about God's timing and my body doing it's thing. It's rare that Tyler and I don't agree on something, so this is really starting to get to me. After a way too emotional discussion (argument is such a strong word, isn't it?!), I say that I'll call the office that afternoon to schedule an induction. I might have even said "...if it will make you happy," but don't quote me on that. :)

I pick up the boys at noon, and have to stop mid-sentence while I'm saying goodbye to a friend. I tell her that I think I might have just had a contraction. Sure enough, what seem to be decent contractions come closer and closer together the whole drive home (which ends up taking 45 minutes instead of the normal 15 since I65 is closed due to an accident and I have to backtrack through town!). Trey gave the play-by-play the whole way home ("She's havin' a cramp guys.... oh, man, she's havin' another one..."), and if I wouldn't have been driving and in labor, I would have wrung his sweet little neck.

We finally make it home by 1pm and I whip up some mac and cheese for the boys for lunch. They're starving don't you know, and I'm in major denial. I begin to write down the times on the contractions since they seem pretty frequent (and since I had to stop twice to breathe while scooping out the pasta). Everyone gets their food and I see that I have a new message on voicemail. I push play to hear Tyler's sweet voice, saying he's sorry for our conversation earlier, and please don't schedule the induction. Today will be his last day of work, and we can wait for the baby together. I laugh out loud, realizing that the last two contractions were only four minutes apart. Yeah, I'd better return his call.

Tyler heads home, calling the babysitter on his way. Her ETA is 30 minutes, but remember that little detail about Tyler not wanting to deliver our baby at home? He's not one to mess around. Before I know it, our sweet neighbor friend is in my kitchen with her two kids, ready to fill in until the babysitter can get there. I'm trying to get Chase to eat his last few bites of lunch, and Tyler tells me that - really - Nikki can finish the job. He won't eat for her, though, I think to myself, and then he'll be hungry. Tyler insists that we need to go NOW, so I reluctantly put down the fork, kiss my boys and head out the door.

Somewhere between our house and the hospital contractions get to be two minutes apart, and I remember praying to God for them to slow down. I also remember praying specifically for my attitude since I was sure I wouldn't get there in time for the epidural. I was not myself the last time that happened. Maybe if I could just prepare myself mentally this time around, then Tyler wouldn't have to hyperventilate from all the chaos.

You sure are a trooper if you've read to this point. This is really the end of the story guys...er, I mean ladies.

After 15 minutes in a room by ourselves, Tyler speaks his mind at the nurse's station to let them know that this baby is coming fast. No one is available but the OB Director of Nursing, so she helps to deliver Tess in her dress clothes about 30 minutes later (2:53pm... and the boys got out of VBS at noon!). And wonder of all wonders, my doctor arrived in time, and so did my epidural. Is the Lord good or what?

Her name is Tess Elena (Elena after Tyler's Meemaw Elene), and what a surprise it was when the doctor said she was a girl! In three short months she's already softened up every single one of these boys. How about that for a way to spend your summer? I'll take her over Disney World any day...

SRS Post #2 - Because they're boys

Ok, since you all have been waiting, we're back to Rewinding our Summer! It's intense, I know. Who knows what you were expecting next, but trust me, if you could have been here, you would know that this turtle deserves a post all his own. I told you to keep your expectations low, remember? You get what you pay for. Anyway... In lieu of a trip to Disney World this summer (we weren't going anyway, but it sounds good with the story) due to my 9 month pregnant status, we saved this little guy's life in the middle of our street one day instead. You might argue with me, but the entertainment he provided these three might have competed with at least Epcot. Well, maybe. I'm just saying. We were on our way home from the last day of preschool. It was also the first day of my-house-is-going-to-be-trashed-the-rest-of-the-summer-because-all-they-want-to-do-is-play-outside. Try getting the 2 year old to stay in and help fold laundry with you while his brothers are on the other side of the window. It's pointless. And they're right, really. Winter inside just lasts way too long. Good thing there is less laundry in the summer (shorts, Crocs, and no shirts for these guys and you're good to go). We're maybe six houses down from ours on our drive home, and I skid to a complete stop as our turtle friend tries to cross the road ever so quickly. Why swerve around him, when you can take him back to your place? So with one hand on the wheel and one on the turtle, I drive the rest of the way home. I wondered if turtles were like frogs and always pee in your hand, but I think turtles must have larger bladders. That, or this turtle has never had a baby. Trey introduced himself and had many conversations with his new friend throughout the day. No, Trey doesn't know a stranger. Even a turtle stranger. He would have slept with him that night if I would have let him. I'd like to say that the boys shared him evenly, but let's just say that I was glad that he was still alive at the end of the day. They did make him a little home in a box full of grass and sticks, where he "slept" while the boys took their naps. That was because I wouldn't let him sleep in Trey's bed.

What else can he do? Well, not much really. But if you had these six hands on you for an afternoon, you'd stay in your shell too.

SRS Post #1 - What's summer without a little baseball!

Rewinding back to May, our first event of the summer was T-ball for Jack and Trey. So why is there not a "T" in this picture, you ask? Because in Battle Ground, folks, we don't mess around. It appears that the T-ball we grew up with is a thing of the past. To train our lads (and the one lassie on our team) to be "one-step ahead" competitive players of the future, the "T" is only used after four misses from the too-fast-for-my-comfort pitching machine. A little intimidating for a 5 year old, if you ask me. Jack was now a seasoned player coming back for his 2nd year, and this was Trey's first go at it. We were lucky enough to be placed on our neighbor's team with their two boys and their dad as the coach. Wait a minute, I guess lucky isn't the word when we sort of arranged it in the front yard one day (small town T-ball politics can get you far, I tell you). The grandparents requested a game schedule, so I sent out this email... I thought it summarized the upcoming season well: "Hi guys! Here is the T-ball schedule as promised. Thanking the Lord that he chose to bring Trey along when he did… makes for much easier scheduling when they share a team! Games are every Saturday from May 10 to June 28 from 9:00am until about 10:30am. Come ready to yell “Go White Sox!” with Chase. Hoping I don’t miss either of the last two games. I have it planned out that if I have the baby any day Sunday through Wednesday, I’m good. Having the boys on the same team made me a little nervous at first, but they’re having a blast together. This is after the lecture about “building each other up” and not “tearing down” if they’re partners and one of them doesn’t make a good throw/catch. Patience for imperfection seems to be missing a little more with brothers! So to overcompensate, Trey has been trying very hard to encourage Jack ALL practice long. He is constantly cheering for him and saying things like, 'That’s ok buddy, you’ll get it next time.' We get to hear Trey talk the ENTIRE practice nonstop (I get a lot of 'Hi Mom!' and thumbs-up from him too. As you can imagine, Jack is a bit more focused.). Hmmm…. I guess that’s better than the other, but now I’m not too sure that everyone else can handle listening to him! He’s really going to get into saying 'Hey batter batter' one of these days... And oh yeah, Chase cries the entire practice because 'I play, please Mama, I play with boys'. Can’t wait for games when the concession stand opens so I can feed him taffy to distract him."

In any event, we had a great season, mostly because it gave us an organized outdoor activity twice a week. One of the perks for me was that we got to visit with many of the families on our street at the fields on game day. We learned that Jack's strength is throwing and Trey's strength is hitting. We also learned that we're still not really sure if Trey, the lefty, throws better right or left-handed. Neither one is all that great - yet. We learned that if we had one more letter in our last name, that it wouldn't fit on the back of their shirts. The boys learned that you don't fight over the ball in the outfield, especially with one of your teammates. They also learned that you only get to pick one thing from the concession stand, and only on game day and only if you've shown sportsmanlike behavior. And everyone learned that Chase really, really likes taffy.

Introducing...

The Summer Rewind Series (SRS for short!)

Just to keep things interesting around here (we always follow through on our promises!), we thought we would recap a bit of our summer for you in a new and on-the-edge-of your-seat kind of series... featured right here on this very blog! Heh. I know, I know, you can hardly stand the suspense. Now people, if you're looking for crazy exciting happenings like a trip to Disney World or say skydiving, you're going to have to visit some other blog. Don't forget, after all, that we did have a baby this summer! But, we did do some pretty fun things around here that are becoming traditions in our family. So come along with us as we Rewind our Summer. Keep your expectations low, your imaginations high, and you'll fit right in! Remember that it doesn't take too terribly much (except for a lot of attention) to entertain a 6, 5, and 2 year old and a sleeping newborn. SRS Post #1 coming soon to a blog near you...