Just some pictures

Just pictures this time...:)

Some happy days!

One might think, from the mood in my posts, that my not posting in the past few days is a bad thing...au contrair mon frair(sp??) ! lol We've had some really good days! First we had a field trip to the beach with the homeschool organization and then Lindsay had a horseback riding lesson (a birthday present from us) yesterday.
The kids and I really needed some days like that!
The man who does the teaching part of the National Seashore (beach) trip is great! We've been before (in te fall) and he is just so great and patient with the kids. He actually is teaching them science, but I don't think they realize it! He tells it in such a way that they get it and they're interested and he knows when to stop. Then there's the added bonus of playing in the water! ;)
The beach was great, but the best was yesterday at the horse ranch where Linds had her lesson. We got there around 9:20 am and were only supposed to be there for an hour (that's what we paid for) but the lady who owns it was just great and gave Linds some extra time. After that she and I were visiting (she homeschools her 11 year old son-so the kids were playing with him) and just had a wonderful day! The kids had a blast, as there are cats, dogs, horses, a trampoline, wild blackberries to pick...you get the picture?? Anyways, they ran free (as kids sometimes need to do!) and I had adult conversation!!! :) :) :) Anyways, today we were ready to really settle down and have some great learning/formal school time and the kids did wonderfully! The weather is gorgeous right now and we are enjoying it. We try to go for a walk-and the kids ride their bikes-every day. Haley loves the walks and frequently laughs, smiles and talks during them! And this also qualifies as PE time! :) (You know from my earlier posts that I'm all about multi-tasking)
She is getting so big! I can't believe she's already 2 1/2 mos!! It's such a bittersweet thing as she's our last and babies are so sweet...but I'm ready to be past the sleep deprivation and crankiness. Ok, enough of my babbling...I'll post the pictures y'all actually came to my blog to see! ;)
The pictures here are of Lindsay at the beach (if you're wondering why there are more of Linds it's because Jared is too hard to catch when we're at a place where there are interesting things to see and do!) and there's one of Linds during her riding lesson (luckily this is not the horse she fell off of as she's pretty big!!!) and then one of Jared holding Haley.

Being a Mom

Being a mom is the best and hardest job of any. I think all moms just have this vision of what it will be like with their babies (smiles and snuggles and playing games) and if you're like me you end up never having time to do any of the things you dreamed of. Instead it's correcting, tripping over the games you thought you'd play with your children and cleaning up their messes and **gasp** sometimes yelling. Sometimes I see a woman who is pregnant with what is obviously her first baby and I just smile at her in the way of "you poor, poor woman. You have no idea!" LOL My husband and I now understand the old Cosby as Himself stand-up routine like we never did before kids. (If you haven't seen it you must check it out for at least the parenting part of it) We used to laugh at it, now we just look at each other-because we "get it"!!
Sometimes I know that this is a season of life and things will get better and other times I feel as if life will always be this hard! As I chat with my February due date friends (online) I feel so comforted to not be "alone" that things are hard right now. I guess it's true that misery loves company, huh?
I've tried to remember the little poem about how cleaning can wait

Cleaning and Scrubbing can wait til tomorrow,
for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow.
So, quiet down cobwebs,
dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby,
and babies don't keep.

But can your baby crawl around in that dust and cobwebs???
I should have pics to post tomorrow of our Field trip to the National Seashore!!

Me? A stressful personality?

Tonight I was checking my email and there was something from a pregnancy/baby website that gives helpful information (breastfeeding, nutrition, etc) and I saw one that was talking about dealing with chronic stress-ha! Me? So, I clicked on it. I am the list!!! Harold and I checked it off together... so, I guess half of the problem is identifying it, right? LOL
One of the personality traits was about "multi-tasking" which is a longstanding joke in our house. I am constantly trying to do at least 2 things at one time-and end up doing neither one well. **blushing**
Another was guilt over doing anything just for you. I only sit down at the computer when I am feeding the baby, or paying bills or folding laundry. I actually read my emails and try to respond to them while doing these things...
And the other one that stands out in my mind is getting frustrated over not meeting expectations (even if they are your own). I have this ideal of what life should be like (and it's prob'ly not even a little realistic) such as perfect birthday parties for the kids (lol-maybe God was speaking to me with the cold, rainy weather?! Teaching me that I cannot control everything??) with "perfect" cakes made by yours truly...school work planned and executed perfectly...clean house...and if all these things are not exactly like what I had in my mind-WATCH OUT!!! So, maybe now is the time to get over it!? Yeah right! The definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome", sigh...I guess I just need to accept that I'm as insane as I am imperfect! ;) Let's see if I can post some pics of the kids to go with my ramblings :)
These pictures are birthday ones. One is Jared hugging his new Ninja Turtles boom box and the other is Lindsay wearing some of her birthday presents-Diva Lindsay :)

Happy Haley

See? during the daytime hours Haley is wonderfully tolerant-even good natured--no matter what we do to her ;)
I am truly blessed! Yes my kids fight and although I don't like it, it means I have "normal", happy kids! My house is a mess, but I remember there were years when I longed to have toys strewn about. So what if my husband leaves his stuff out? He's home every night and wants to be here! And yes,I am sleep deprived...but I have my Haley-girl in my arms! :)I know of many women who would give anything to hear a baby cry in the night!! So, this post is to remind me of all that I have and that the glass is half full! Forgive my sappiness! ;) More pics (of the older kids coming soon...)

Glorious Sleep!!!

As anyone that I regularly talk to knows, sleep has become the Holy Grail in our home. During the day our little Haley is the most precious angel baby ever! She does all the things a baby is supposed to do (you know, eats, poops, naps, coos, smiles, poops) But at night Haley goes away and sends her evil twin "Hiley" (named by Nana) in as her replacement...Hiley is not a nice girl! Rather than go to sleep, she flails and hits and scratches and does anything possible to stay awake (and keep mama awake with her). I've tried everything I can think of (and everything anyone else can think of) and nothing works! But, last night (and this after 5 shots and an oral vaccine!!) Haley stayed the whole night!! Yaaayy!! She went to sleep at 11 pm and woke at 4:45 to eat then back to sleep until 7:45! I am one happy mama with that scenario!Funny thing is so is she! She woke up in the best mood this morning ("talking" and smiling the whole time) then ate and went back to sleep!
As for the other kids...here's what they think of all this. Lindsay told my friend Leah (who is 8 mos pregnant and told Linds that when the baby was born she wouldn't be so tired) "I'm sorry to tell you that when your baby is born you will not be less tired...my mom is tired all the time" Out of the mouths of babes, huh? :) And Jared? He's just Jared...in his own world and happy most of the time!