The Look-a-Likes

God is a Giver, even in the seemingly unimportant details of life. One of the fun things about having just one more baby is finding out what he or she will look like. Now just so you know, we have never found out the gender of our babies during pregnancy. Call us old-fashioned, call us disciplined, or call us too shallow because we might start forming expectations in our heads of what the baby will be like before it actually appears. The truth is, we've never regretted waiting (although Tess's seven ultrasounds tempted us big time)...what excitement every time!

At around 20 weeks into Tess's pregnancy I experienced some placenta issues that left us praying hard for a healthy baby. And in the mix of those prayers, I thought I would go ahead and throw in a few frivolous requests while I was at it, just for kicks. In a spontaneous and selfish moment, I prayed for a baby that would look like Trey. It sounds silly, I know. And extremely unimportant during an uncertain time in the pregnancy. But as a Mom, you're tuned in to these things. Jack and Chase are my blondies, similar in looks and in personality. They hear it from people all the time. Trey is the middle child, and often marches to the beat of his own drum. Trey is unique and special in so many ways, but I get the feeling that he feels left out sometimes. And being a middle child myself (though not warped by the status!), I sort of sympathize. So I make sure to tell God that I understand if it doesn't work out, but wouldn't it be neat if Trey could hear someone say, "Oh Trey, that baby looks just like you!".

After we found out we were expecting our fourth baby, we would constantly get the comment, "Oh, I bet you're hoping for a girl this time." It's funny what people assume. Never considering a girl a possibility (and being perfectly content with boys), we would laugh and say we didn't need a girl since Trey filled that role already with his sensitivity and drama. Now it's hard to tell what Tess's personality will be just quite yet, but I love it that she's a girl and that she looks just like Trey. I wonder what the Lord might have in store for their relationship. Trey is certainly not above tea parties, in a manly sort of way, that is. God cares about the little things we moms ponder, I'm convinced.

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...

"DONE!"

My brother Aaron got married this past weekend in Cincinnati - the final one of the five of us - bringing the number of stockings hanging from Dad and Kim's fireplace to a grand total of 23 this Christmas. Now that's just nuts. Large families are never dull, as Ashley is about to find out! Congratulations you guys! What a fun weekend... you should have seen my kids dancing with their dad at the reception (they certainly didn't get any of their moves from me, and boy am I glad!)! We are recovering today after three full days with no naps for the boys. The whining on the drive home told all.

I have no pictures to post until I steal some off of Cory and Steph, since we forgot our camera (it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because I didn't have a free hand to hold it). Hey, I remembered all of my kids and their toothbrushes too, so I consider the weekend a success. Well, except for that outburst from someone's two year old during the ceremony.

The officiant asks, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

The father of the bride replies, "Her mother and I."

Chase waits until it is completely silent and announces loudly to the entire room, "DONE!" He obviously has had enough sitting still for one day.

The crowd roars with laughter, and I want to crawl under my seat. But wait, I can't. I have too many kids on my lap. And the newborn is starting to cry.

Did I mention that I went the entire evening without getting spit-up on my outfit once? I told you it was a success.

A big thank you to Aunt Patty, Teresa, Stephanie and Natalie for saving my tail more than once over the weekend by taking one or more of my children. They'll sit still someday, I just know it. Until then, all that really matters is that Aaron and Ashley are married. At least I think they are. I kind of missed that part when I had to step out with the baby who forgot that her only job all weekend was to sleep for that 15 minutes. Oh well. Four kids later, I'm actually cool with that.

Miss Maddie

I am one thorough mom when it comes to homework. One of my favorite times of the day is when the boys get home from school and we get to review the completed papers shoved in their backpacks. So you know I had to ask Jack just who he was referring to when he wrote this little note on his paper. I was just sure he was thinking of his Mom when these sweet traits came to his mind. But after inquiring who he thought was "nice" and "preety," I realize now that I have some competition. Her name is Maddie, and she's smart too. And blond. I think I'm going to suggest to his teacher that he needs a little more work at his desk to keep him busy. Yeah, that's it. Let's keep him real busy.

Priorities according to boys

What do you do when you have to go to the bathroom right in the middle of reading a book to your brothers? You finish the book, by golly. On the potty. Hey, we're family here.

A visit from "The Royal Family"

So yesterday was my day off -- and I'm hard at work at home: I'm holding Tess on the couch, watching Trey bowl on the Wii, and trying to figure out how I can play while sitting down holding Tess, when the doorbell rings. Trey darts to the door, opens it up, then runs back into the living room -- he doesn't know the couple standing at our door. Whitney heads to the door to see who it is and I hear her scream out with exceeding joy and laughter. I'm thinking she and the Schwan man are tighter than I thought. Or perhaps the time spent sending all those hopeful mailers back to Ed McMahon in high school is finally paying off. I was wrong on both counts. In walks this fine English pair, and it takes me few seconds to wrap my brain around who just walked into my living room. The fog clears, my memory returns, and I fill with the same excitement that Whitney expressed moments prior. This is one of the dear families we met in college on our mission trips to Formby, England. They have a son in Chicago and decided to road trip and pay a few old friends a visit in Indiana. We couldn't have been more thrilled. What a great afternoon strolling down memory lane, catching up, and bringing our worlds together once again. Thank you, Paul and Janice, for taking the time to drop in. We love all of the Lister family, and wish them all continued blessings from God.

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.

I thought I already learned this once...

Since Tess has joined our family, I purposely haven't planned to accomplish much most days outside of the regular kid-routine. Tyler works hard at work so I can work hard at home, and that is that. Today, however, I felt an extra burst of motivation (and guilt!) to finish some long-overdue thank you notes I had let pile up. I got up early and showered before anyone was awake. I even was able to spend some sweet time in God's Word and in prayer, and felt energized for the day. I was ready to tackle something other than the daily essentials. Oh, it would feel good to get those thank you notes written and crossed off of my to-do list! I should have known.

Tess fussed throughout the morning, and wouldn't let me put her down for five minutes. One minute per thank you note... didn't she know that's all I needed? She finally napped, and I was able to get a couple of the notes done while Chase sat on my lap. Did he take the "needy cue" from her today? I gave up for a while, still determined to get those crazy notes in the mailbox before lunchtime (and before Trey came home from Kindergarten, surely adding another needy card to the mix!). It's like kids know when you're on a mission to accomplish something (like they know when you're on the phone, but that's another post for another day). No one ever got happy, so I decided to leave everyone to their needy status and just finish the only project I had set out to get done today. After what seemed like an eternity of stopping and starting, a stack of well thought-out, neatly written, detailed thank you notes finally made their way into the mailbox. And even before the mailman came. Yes. I crossed the job off of my list with satisfaction, finally.

By this time, Trey is home from school, and chaos ensues again. He's really frustrated over his paper airplane that just won't fly. We tape and support and refold until my patience is starting to wear thin, and it is obvious that he needs a breather. So I send him out to get the mail. He loves getting the mail, and I thought the quick walk outside would help him refocus. He would walk out crying, and walk in 30 seconds later a new boy, I was sure of it. Well, he did walk out crying - that was the part that I got right. But he walked back in crying even harder. Sobbing actually. Trey walked straight towards me, devastated, holding a pile of mail he had dropped in the puddles at the end of our driveway. Completely soaked, every bit of it. Only when I looked at the pile more closely, it wasn't today's mail that was dripping. The mailman hadn't come yet. You guessed it, it was all of my thank you notes, done for. Oh man, this was enough to put me over the edge. Without a word, I escaped to the bathroom to cool off and asked the Lord to give me His perspective on the whole deal before I lost complete control.

After a few deep breaths and some praying, God reminded me of my primary purpose in my life right now. So I headed out of the bathroom and off to find my kids, to tell them that I love them more than pieces of paper dropped in the rain. Most days lately I work really hard to see few tangible results at the end of the day. But I am working towards something greater than a clean house, timely thank you notes, or time to myself (though you have to remind me of this often). And if I forget this again, say tomorrow, tell me to read this post, would you?

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. ~Galatians 6:8-10

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...

Girly-Head

That's what Trey calls her! Our friend Tonya in Africa has been waiting patiently for a picture of Tess with her eyes open, so here it is! That is a task in itself, since she's usually sleeping, or we're holding her, or she's not very happy about the fact that one of the first two things isn't happening! Either she's one of our fussier babies, or we can't remember how fussy the other ones were (the Lord helps us forget, doesn't He, kind of like labor!). But somehow that doesn't even matter, because it's all new and pretty amazing, this girl thing. And by baby #4, you've learned how to chill out, big time (well, most of the time). The boys are the ones who can't stand to hear her cry. Before I can even get to her, she's surrounded by her posse, and they're ready to shush, pat and talk in really high voices until they're convinced that she must be ready to eat (even if I just got done feeding her). She doesn't seem to mind that none of us can stay out of her face for very long. Good thing, because we're not stopping anytime soon.

Disclaimer Entry!!!!!!!

No . . . I didn't give her the title below!!!!!!!!!! -Tyler

This is huge, folks...

Guess who started wearing big boy undies this week?!

Oh yeah babe (in Chase's words).

I wondered if maybe it was a bit early, and frankly thought I was busy enough (read landlocked) feeding a baby girl many times throughout the day. So when I ignored him, what did Chase do? He started asking Trey to take him potty. Yeah. Thanks, Trey, for being Chase's biggest cheerleader. Yes, you can have some M& M's too. I'm sure that's not your only motivation. Three down, one to go. Sweet.

Two months old!

If it wasn't for this sweet ride, I wouldn't get a shower most days. Thanks, Cory and Steph, for letting us borrow your baby swing! As you can tell, she thinks it's pretty cozy in there. Now if I could just get Chase to stop helping the swing swing, everyone would feel that peaceful. Tess had her two month Dr. appointment today and weighed 12 lbs. 12 ounces (97th percentile)! Who said this girl couldn't keep up with her brothers! She's wearing a 6 month sleeper today, so I'll be doing some girl-clothes shopping before long. Twist my arm. Good news on her ears. Tess initially failed her hearing test in the hospital. After more extensive testing at Purdue, we found that although her hearing is fully functional, it is significantly delayed. This is most likely due to fluid in her ears. We met with our ENT (who put tubes in Trey and Chase's ears) who confirmed that ear problems of this nature are in fact familial (not necessarily genetic, but proven to run in families), and that there is a pretty good chance that she'll have to have ear tubes as well. They'll do nothing now, but will recheck again in 3 months when she is big enough to go under anesthesia. She wouldn't be our kid if she didn't have surgery before age 4! All easy fixes, so we'll take it. God is good.

Jack is 7!

Jack at age 3

(with control issues, a huge vocabulary and a big heart!)

Jackie in our backyard this summer

(I swore I would never call him that!)

Jack turned seven years old yesterday, and for the first time I'm wishing that time would just stand still. So I'll admit it - all of you seasoned parents are right. The saying, "They grow up so fast" really is true after all. I'm feeling it. For the mom with four kids in six years, I had kind of been hoping for this day - the day of greater independence. And now that it's here, it's making me a little sad. He's too big. Too smart. Too impressionable. Too aware of the world around him. And darn it, Tyler and I can't spell words back and forth in secret anymore! Jack has come a long way, baby. I'm really enjoying this little person, the leader. I see God developing his gifts. He's grown in compassion and patience. He's learning that no one but Jesus is perfect. He knows that life isn't fair, but God gives more grace. He's figured out that the world doesn't revolve around him, but that it's hard to not want it to. There's still hope for me, though. My grown-up seven year old ran in from the bus this afternoon, jumped in my arms, squeezed me hard (for longer than any 7 year old cool guy would admit to his buds), and whispered in my ear, "Missed you today, Mom." I missed you too buddy. Happy Birthday, my sweet boy.

On Sleeping and Sacrifice

Today is Tyler's birthday and his day off work, so I had great plans all mapped out in my head on how I would create a nice, relaxing day for him. You see, Tyler doesn't need much in the way of things, but he sure enjoys sleeping in on a rare occasion, for example. Well, to make a long story short, Tess needed her Daddy to hold her while I got the boys ready for school early this morning, and Chase needed his Daddy to take him to the doctor for an ear infection later in the morning. Mommy also needed Daddy to pick up some groceries - and - oh, could he please pick up his own ice cream birthday cake from Dairy Queen while he was already out? It seemed more efficient that way. He also made his own coffee today before I could get to it! You get the idea. But, that's what Dads do, it seems, always rising to the occasion. And in my case, always without complaint. Happy Birthday babe. I promise that one day soon I'll pull off some sleeping-in-time for you! You make every day sweeter for us...

No, today isn't Father's Day, but speaking of Dads, I've been thinking about mine all day today. I just got a call that he made it out of surgery successfully. They cleaned his carotid artery out for the third time, this time because of more than an 80% blockage. Praise God that his doctor found another spot that ended up being nothing, but that resulted in a scan that found the blockage. The boys woke up and prayed for GrandDad first thing this morning, and Jack even promised that he would pray for him when he ate lunch at school, because that's when the surgery would start. My kids are crazy about their GrandDad for a thousand reasons. Maybe it's the way he's interested in each different personality. He seems to magically relate to them all in their own specific way. Maybe it's the Skittles. He even listened to me last week when I worried out loud to him about being "enough" of a mom to all of my kids. "Just be there, sweetheart" he said, and somehow the pressure didn't seem quite so overwhelming. If you're reading this today, would you pray a quick prayer for my dad? He'll spend tonight in the ICU with hopes of going home tomorrow (isn't that amazing with a scar going all the way down his neck?).

Only my siblings will appreciate this one...

When I was growing up, my brothers and sisters and I quoted this silly saying all the time. Maybe you've heard it, but then again, we might be the only ones who said it that often. It starts out with the famous phrase... "My name is Chubby..." If your family has this same proud tradition, you know that you have to squeeze your (already chubby, in our case) cheeks together with both hands while talking to get the full effect. I don't know which was funnier to us - how we looked or sounded - but we thought it was hilarious.

Chase often talks in his bed before falling asleep and the older boys and I get a kick out of listening to him in the monitor almost daily. So we gather round today, and this is what we hear (with his cheeks obviously squished together): "My name is Chubby. My Mama's chubby. My Daddy's chubby. Jesus is chubby. Why, even my dog is chubby!" The first thing I thought to say was, "Boys, listen to your Mom. Jesus is NOT chubby," as if it would hurt His feelings if He heard (and we all know that HE HEARD!). This game has never felt so politically incorrect until now. God created two year olds, so surely He understands.

The Bare Bundt

Many thanks to our friends who shared some nice meals with us for the first few weeks after Tess was born. These meals included some sweet treats as well -- like this yummy bundt cake! Whitney, Jack, Chase, and I enjoyed the cake very much. Trey enjoyed the icing! [One minute I looked he was "tasting" the icing . . . . the next minute . . . .]

My two school boys...

Jack Tyler has waited for 1st Grade his whole life it seems. Finally, lunch at Battle Ground Elementary, here we come! This kid can't get on to the next thing fast enough. He was talking about first grade half-way through his Kindergarten year, and now has thoughts of 2nd Grade swirling in his head! I'm having a really hard time letting Jack go to school all day. This is new for me. I've kissed his sweet pink cheeks so much in the last three days that he's getting a little tired of it. There's no question that this boy will succeed this year academically, but my prayer for him is that he would love people well this year. He already missed out on an M&M (and a trip with Mom to get his new shoes) for not waiting his turn in class. He was devastated. He knows a lot of facts in that crazy smart head of his, but I have a feeling that this year he'll learn even more about life.

Trey just started 1/2 day Kindergarten, which puts him on the bus at 7:45am, and at school until I pick him up at 11:30am. Trey is nonstop excited about life, so we'll see how well he sits still to learn (he admitted to me today that he got his first "warning" for talking too much. I knew this was coming.) It's actually a bit refreshing to watch his laid-back personality about the whole thing. I struggled as I watched him pack up his backpack by shoving, squishing and bending every supply on it's way in (For real, Trey, the Kleenex box is not going to fit!). Tyler reminded me what a nice change that was from our firstborn boy who has to have everything just-so, or it's the end of the world! Trey has learned something new in school already this week. He announced proudly at supper last night, "You know Mom, in the library you have to put all the books back on the shelf with the skulls facing out." I had to think for a minute and said, "Trey, don't you mean their spines?"

I'm missing these two lately. I'm the mom who wishes summer would never end. Especially a summer that went way too fast with a newborn in the house. And now that school has started, I can't get enough of these two rotten, smiling faces. As the bus pulled away that first morning, Jack pasted his face to the window and waved until the bus cleared the hill and I couldn't see him any more. Trey never looked up once... he was too busy giggling with his new friend next to him in the front seat. Typical.

First day of school -- 8/12/08

School's back in session today. Jack can't wait to try school lunch. Trey just wants to ride the bus!

Tess Elena

Had to share these great shots of the boys in the backyard. Thanks Emily!