Will Crawl for Legos

Or scoot, or shuffle, or drag himself along.  Whatever it is, he sure is proud!

Summer in Iowa

We have squeezed a lot of fun into our few weeks of summer since we've been back.  I've intentionally given us lots of boring days at home where we do a whole lot of nothing.  

We need to have a chance to get bored enough to get excited about school starting up again in just a few weeks.  So, while we try to get out and have adventures often, we're all just as happy to sit at home and enjoy the lazy days of summer.  

Just a few days after we got back from Utah we headed to a beach on a river.  It was a pretty fun park and as close to a beach as we can get here in Iowa!  And it was great to meet up with friends again after a month away.

One day we headed to the u-pick farm to see if there were any strawberries left.  We had about 20 minutes of good picking before the storm clouds drove us back into the car and the rains came tumbling down.  I honestly think that the weather here in Iowa ruins everything fun that I ever try to do. 

Despite the occasionally rotten weather, we try to be outside as much as we can.  We finally got a bike trailer.  We have loved taking trips as a family- to the park, to the library, to the ice cream shop.  It is so much fun, and great workout, too!

One day we visited the "Golden Building"- the state capitol in Des Moines.  It is a very beautiful building.  

 On a lazy day at home we did a milk and food color science experiment.  

We had an informal water party one hot day- it was a total hit!  The kids got soaked while the parents visited in the shade.  It always makes me happy to have a house (or yard) full of friends.

And we hosted our (hopefully) annual block party.  We get a great view of the Ankeny Summerfest fireworks in our front yard and thought it would be a perfect chance to get to know all of our new neighbors.  We've lived in our house for nearly a year and we are officially one of the oldest residents on the street.

And quite possibly the most exciting summer moment of all- the kids finally caught the ice cream truck!  That was just as magical as catching a unicorn to them- they've been dreaming about it for years, which is saying a lot when you only have a few years of life under your belt.

We haven't crossed all of our summer to-do's off the list yet, so we're all glad for a few more weeks of summer fun ahead!

Nine Months

Can sleep through the night, but clearly too cool to do so.  

Wants to be crawling, and is thisclose to taking off.  Can do some impressive push-ups.

Eats.  Happily.  Always.  

Had another ear infection, with three days of super high fevers to prove it.  

The fangs are starting to make an appearance. 

Loves to do airplanes with Mommy. 

Exploring everything is essential.  

 Sleep is optional.  

But he usually gives up eventually.

  My sweet little fellow.

Adam is Five

At the end of Adam's birthday, I climbed up into his bunk bed to snuggle with him.  

"I love you forever", I told him.

"I love you for infinity google!" he told me.

Silence, then "Mom, you know that numbers never end?"

'"Just like my love for you," I said.  

It was a good day to turn five.  We had a big birthday party that took a day of shopping to prepare for, a day of fun, and then a day of recovering from.  We had a handful of Adam's friends over for a Wild Kratts birthday party, complete with Creature Power Challenges- cheetah tag, spider web spinning, bat power pinata, alligator power egg race, and a Wild Kratts version of "Marco Polo".  We had the party outside and the boys must have been subdued by the heat- they were all quite polite and calm for the entire party.  At one point Adam even told me, "Mom, sometimes when I'm really excited I just get very quiet".  He was definitely in observation mode, but everyone still managed to have a lot of fun!

I planned the party to be held during Noah's naptime and, of course, he didn't go to sleep.  When he finally couldn't take the birthday excitement anymore, I turned the party over to my sweet friend and sat in Noah's room, nursing him and wondering why I was trying so hard to make Adam's birthday so special.

The answer came easily- because Adam is so special to me, and so special to our family.  I occasionally wonder what life would be like if each of my children was my only child.  I love them each so completely, and I wish I could give each of them 100 percent of my attention and energy and patience.  Instead they are forced to share.  I just pray that someday they will be glad that while none of them got all of us, their mom and dad gave them all we could, and we gave them each other.  

In the last few months, Adam learned how to read.  And write well.  And ride a two-wheel bike.  He loves his preschool, his Legos, and his baby brother, who he is always quick to sing this song to- 

Noah's eating solid foods, doo-dah, doo-dah
Noah's eating solid foods, oh the doo-dah day
He is a big boy!
He is a big boy!

Noah's eating solid foods, oh the doo-dah day- Hey!

Emma loves to pick on Adam, and all too often he rises to the occasion.  We're working on that.  He loves black olives, Wild Kratts, solving math problems, and Legos!  He loves to run and jump and climb and figure out on his own whether I was telling him the truth or not when I tell him something is dangerous and that he could get hurt.  He's always sure to let me know when he didn't get hurt... and when he did. 

Adam has a strong testimony and a pure love for his Savior.  He is thoughtful and kind in his prayers and loves the temple.  

He is patient, and loves the concept of delayed gratification.  Back in November when my family was visiting, we were talking about "the marshmallow test", wherein four-year-old children were given one marshmallow and told that if they could wait 15 minutes they would be given two marshmallows.  Adam thought that sounded like a great idea, and sat patiently for the full 15 minutes, waiting for his second marshmallow.

He looks so little!

He seems to have plenty of time and patience and has no problem saying, 'that's okay, I'll just wait until next time.'  This works great for some choices (like which books to chose at the library) but not so great for other choices (like which flavor of ice cream to pick out at a restaurant).  But he likes to analyze ALL of of his choices and make sure that he is make the absolute very best one possible.  At meals I often here, "Which one tastes the best?  Which one is the healthiest for you?  Which one have I not had in the longest time?"  He needs to know that he is making the best choice.  He also hates to get rid of anything.  His personal treasure box is stuffed with birthday party favors, penny candy, seashells, cool tags from new clothes and beach towels, and an empty tube of toothpaste, all because "they're special to me!"  Some of the kids in our family could care less about pretty much anything, so this swing in the other direction is one that I find equally endearing and infuriating.  

Adam's "upside down red only rainbow" scar is special to him, and he occasionally runs to me, asking frantically whether his scar is still there.

He's decided that his stuffed stegosaurus should now be referred to as "Kid T-Rex" instead of the original "Baby T-Rex" that he was named when Adam was two.

Adam has a hard time watching me walk out the door, but we've figured out a way to combat separation anxiety- we take a picture together before I go to be texted to the adult left in charge.  We've created quite a collection of mother-son selfies in the last few months.

 And when Adam is giving his best smile of all, you can't even see his face!

He's our energetic, imaginative, sweet five-year-old boy, and we couldn't imagine our family without him.  Happy Birthday, Mr. Man!

SAHM Summer

I wrote this a few weeks ago.  My sentiments haven't changed as our lazy days of summer continue to fly by. 

My family is at the park and I am home with a feverish Noah.  He was up all night and restless all day and now another night is beginning.  He is tired.  I am tired.    The other kids are surely tired of my being tired.  We are recovering from our trip and returning to 'normal' much more slowly than I would like, but it's the best I can do with a sick baby and the lazy days of summer all around us.  I feel sad because, while our neighborhood is filled with young kids, most of them spend their summer days in daycare.  We cherish the few daytime friends that we do have on our street and we are always out late playing with everyone else once they get home from daycare.  It's not what I recall my childhood summers being like, but people have to work to pay the bills.  I am reminded that, culturally, it is less and less common for women to stay home.  I wonder if more women would like to stay home, because I know it's all I've ever really wanted to do, more than the lure of any career.   I'm also reminded how blessed we are to have one good income that supports our family and allows me to stay where I want to be most of all.

And summer is being so good to us- the weather is pleasant, although there are days with too much rain or too much humidity.  Some days we have adventures, other days we are lazy and stay in our pajamas until lunch time and make forts out of couch cushions and paint on the deck and have picnics in the front yard and watch the cement mixers rumble down the street.

Last week I took the kids to the Des Moines Arts Festival.  I don't venture out to unfamiliar venues with all of the kids by myself too often, for multiple reasons- mainly my two year old and my baby.  It's always naptime for someone.  But I wanted to check out the festival, and the kids were super excited about it, too.  So we packed up our lunch and stroller and lots of water and made our way downtown.  In the parking garage we shared an elevator with a mom and dad and their one child. 

'Four kids and mom's alone?  You sure are brave!' was her greeting to me.  She gestured meaningfully at her husband and three-year-old daughter, who was lounging on a bed of pillows in a classic Radio Flyer.  

Fully aware of my kids ability to hear my response, I grinned and said, "Yep!  We like to have fun together."  And we did!  After the initial rainstorm passed we had a fantastic time exploring the craft booths and art displays.  We selected treats and danced and splashed in the water.  It was just fun- a perfect summer day.  And it made me so grateful, so, so grateful, that I get the chance to be a stay-at-home mom who gets to enjoy this stay-at-home summer with the funnest little people on the planet.

Our Summer Vacation, Part 3

After our family vacation we headed to Colorado to visit Grandma Morales and Auntie Emily for a few days.  We also got to see (Great!) Grandma Miller.

Grandma took us to the science museum, where the kids happily spent an entire afternoon playing, crafting, and discovering.

 Noah enjoyed one of his first rides in a swing.

 And Emma found her new best doggie ever- Riley Bear.

We read books and cooked out and played at the park.  Jason and I (and Noah) went on two dates!  We slept and visited and, again, only found it easy to say good-bye because we know there is another visit coming just around the corner.  We were not really thrilled about getting back into the car to head home to Iowa, but after a long day and a lot of silly games, we made it!

Home and ready to enjoy the rest of the summer!