My Boone

He's very cuddly. He sleeps best when I'm holding him up. I think his tummy hurts him sometimes, so he prefers to be on his belly or up. He smiles in his sleep. He smiles so often that I wonder what he may be dreaming. He will take a binky, but he'll find his thumb occasionally. He's very tolerant of his sibling's affections, and also their noise. It is so noisy here. His eyes are blue and getting bluer, and he is slowly putting on that baby fat that fills out his cheeks and makes rolls on his thighs. 

I wonder if he remembers heaven. If he remembers being excited to come here, to our family. I hope he knows how happy we are to have him here, here with us. 

We love you Boone. 

Apathy

So... I'm thinking that maybe it's hormonal. Maybe my desire to do nothing is my body's way of telling me that I need to just do nothing. Sit and rest. I am tired. I look at recipe books and I see yummy meals that I'd love to eat - if someone would just cook them for me, and while this Mysterious Person is at it, would you clean, too? Do you happen to do laundry? And what about toilets? The kid bathroom has reached that point again that I'm afraid to enter it. If I have to pee while I'm up in (what we are now calling) the Kids' Loft, I come back down stairs and use mine instead. And bedtime, Mysterious Person, can you read to the kids, and then do the whole fighting that ensues afterward to get them to actually lay still in bed? I'll come up and sing to them - that's a tradition that I'll still hold up, but everything else... I'm tired. So tired.

Back to cloth

Cloth diapers come with all sorts of interesting adventures. I enjoy the ones that include admiring cute covers, or finding some great deal on Nikki's Diapers. I also enjoy the feeling of knowing that I've saved another $40 this month since I didn't have to buy yet another pack of the cheapest brand I can find. But, Cloth diapering in South Dakota is a totally different experience than in Texas. It's cold up here. Really, really cold. And that makes the water coming through my pipes - though not frozen - really, really cold. My fingers are like ice. The toilet bowl has become a torture device for one self-inflicting mother. I finally decided to run the bathroom sink with luke warm water so that I could thaw my digits in between rinsing off the diaper and the cover. I'm somewhat concerned with the wasted water that is just flowing down the drain, but I'm grateful that I'm avoiding the near frostbite that has painfully consumed my fingers yesterday. It has given me another reason to look forward (with great anticipation) to Spring.

Quiet on the Homefront

Jeff's asleep. All four kids are asleep. I had an hour and a half nap this afternoon... I guess I get to blog! So... It's been a while since I've posted anything. Important updates from the past few weeks: My due date has been changed to July 4th - sadly the first ultrasound that I got was way off, and I have to be pregnant for three more weeks. My mom's recovery from her second hip replacement seems to be going well. After a tough fight, Jeff's dad is cancer free. The lights in our hall are working again, and the fridge now spouts water and ice thanks to a handy husband. ... I suppose that's the important stuff. :)

I was really worried about coming back to South Dakota after my trip back East for the holiday. (To my Maryland/Virginia friends, sorry I didn't make it down to visit - sick kids, sick mom, exhausted holiday... that's my excuse) Life in a quiet neighborhood is just so lonely compared to all the excitement and random visits of Texas Family Housing. But, coming back has been pretty nice. I'm actually catching myself appreciating the scenery, and the life that we are starting to fall into. I had a distinct impression when we first moved here that our years here will be some of the happiest years of our life... and for the first time, I'm starting to believe it. 

The kids are having a pretty good time here, too. Though they miss their friends like crazy. ( I think it's hilarious how Daven still asks why all of his friends up here are white. He keeps asking me why there are no kids the same color as Mazin - one of his good friends from Sudan. I think he misses the diversity) Paul and Daven are in wrestling right now, but we are having a tough time getting Daven to understand that he's actually allowed to knock the other guy to the ground, he just wants to give 'em hugs. Paul actually has some talent there, he just needs a bit more practice. Ruthie is in gymnastics twice a week at a great gym downtown. They actually work on skills with the little kids - not just playtime. It's right up her alley and she now has a reason to do all the crazy stunts that she loves to do. Lillie is trying so hard to be just like her big siblings. She climbs onto everything, jabbers on and on, and is trying to potty train herself. Which really just means we have another girl that likes to run around naked all the time. It's all pretty amusing and our house and car are still the mess that it always was. I guess that's just how we do it. :) But there's a lot of laughter and a lot of hugs and I guess that's all I can ask for. I'm so grateful for the quiet times like this that I can recognize that after such a long and crazy time of my life in Texas, the Lord is letting me have a Season of Peace. lol as peaceful as life gets with four rambunctious kids. 

Finally some fun

After a week of Mom being down and out. We got down to some serious business... Painting pumpkins for Halloween. Daven decided he wanted to carve his, and I think we'll be doing that tonight. Ruthie and Paul wanted to paint theirs, and Lillie just wanted to be painted. And yes, that is snow that you can through the back window. We got 3 inches last week, and it hasn't completely melted yet. It will be quite a different Halloween this year, instead of the sweating hot Texas version.

Ruthie got a kick out of painting her sister instead.













Lillie thought that it was hilarious.

Humility

Last week I got some kind of stomach bug and had a miserable Thursday night. It was the first time that I had passed out because of being ill, and I got some fantastic bruises from it. Friday I decided to call a friend to see if she could help me with the kids so that I could get some rest as I had not slept all night. She obliged and came to my rescue. So... then last night I hurt my back - worse than I ever have before, and so I was back of the phone again asking for help. She has been fantastic today, as well. She came and helped with the kids this morning, took me to the doctor, watched the kids while I was there and then came to pick me up. She brought me home, watched the kids until Jeff came home from work, and now as Jeff has to go teach a class tonight in Rapid City, she has the kids again for me until bedtime. At which point she will come and help me get them to bed. I had to ask for help so often in Texas I was hoping that I could not be that person constantly in need of something. But, here I am again, being so grateful to a brand new friend whom I hardly know. I am forever in the debt of those around me who help me at a moments notice. So to all those who have ever been there for me in a pinch - Thank you again and again! I will do my best to pay it forward, and be there for anyone who might need ... anything... I think the cyclobenzaprine is starting to kick in... I'm getting sleepy. Thank you Melissa for letting me get some rest.

All of us

I look at these pictures and I'm so glad that we have another year before we have to do it again! :)