7 Quick Takes!

---1---

My mother's day was so very nice and relaxing.  Well, it started off a little busy- I got called to work at 4:30 am!  My first birth back was on mother's day!  It went pretty fast and I was home by 10 am so we could run to 11 am mass and come home for brunch.  Ryan and the kids made me a feast, and I was treated to a back massage by Luke while Ryan was cooking!  Of course we had mimosas, but also my favorite- toast with fried ham and cheesy eggs!  And bacon.  Always bacon.

---2---

But mother's day didn't really start there.  The day before, on Saturday, we drove out to a local plant nursery that I just adore.  They were serving frozen bellinis and I got to cruise around while Ryan hoarded the kids around.  I bought a few plants to put in the pots on my porch!  Before the day was even over there was already a hummingbird drinking from the pink salvia!

 ---3---

I have to tell you how proud I am of my garden.  It's grown so beautifully and perfectly.  We have fresh mixed salad almost daily!  Soon we should have carrots and onions too! I randomly threw in some naturtium seeds in an attempt to keep aphids off of my other plants.  They add a beautiful pop of color in both of the beds.

 

 ---4---

 This week and last Caeli has really gotten into some serious finger sucking.  She's the only kid who hasn't needed a pacifier, so I guess to compensate she uses her fingers.  I know how hard it was for the other kids to wean from their nuks, so when Caeli didn't seem to need one I didn't bother to offer.  And now she sucks her fingers.  Well... All three big kids still always have something in their mouths- fingers, toys, hair... I know finger-sucking is a hard habit to break, but it's not like a pacifier kept the other ones from sticking stuff in their mouths!

---5---

Oh yes.  The other big thing we did last weekend. ;-)  I made an impulsive decision because Ryan wouldn't decide for me!  At the farmer's market a man was selling bunnies, $10 each.  I offered $15 for two, and he accepted!  Meet our two newest family members,

Blaze

and Star

They're not quite as little as I wish they were but they're sweet bunnies who fit in perfectly with our crowd!  Of course the kids love them and they're doing super-well with them.  I got a rabbit for my 9th birthday and had various pet rabbits up through early high school, so my love for them is deeply ingrained, and I knew I wanted to have rabbits as a part of our family eventually.  So while it was impulsive, it was a tiny bit planned!  

They're named after animals in two of our favorite books- Star was one of Almanzo's cows in Farmer Boy, and Blaze is named after the horse from the Billy and Blaze books.  (If you have a boy under five years old, you have to read Billy and Blaze.  My boys love them!)

I've ordered a cage for them and I think we will set them up in our school room.  So far Finley is terribly interested- I think it's going to take some time for him to be calm around them.  I don't anticipate them being friends anytime soon, if ever, but he at least needs to chill out around them.  I won't ever take any chances with Finley or the cats around them, but they should all be able to at least coexist nicely!

---6---

Summer is almost here for us!  Beth is finishing up rather quickly so I think we will cut down on our weeks and finish in about 3 more weeks.  Since our co-op and other activities have drawn to a close, we're trying out some new things!  There is an Irish dance studio down the road, and they have a class with a lot of our home school friends, so we decided to join for the summer months.  Beth and Luke love it, and Jack sneaks in when no one is watching him!  It looks like so much fun!

---7---

Okay, I'm going to go out on a ledge here with this last one.  This has been heavy on my heart for months now and I want to get it out.  I re-joined my gym when Caeli was six weeks old.  I lost three pounds pretty quickly but I've hit a plateau with these last five pounds- and I'm okay with that.  I'm still a good two sizes larger than what I was before.  But I'm okay with that too.  I know what my body used to be, I know what it did (hosted 6 little souls and birthed 4 of them!), and I know what it is now.  

What I really want to say to everyone who feels like they have a right to comment on my body is this: Please.  Don't.  Please don't think anything of me at all.  It hurts my feelings and makes me feel very self-conscious.  I am not doing this to "look good."  Please don't jokingly tell me you "hate me" or that you're "jealous" of me.  Be proud of your own body, for what it has done, and what it is capable of.  Don't compare yourself to me or anyone else.

Because what you don't see is the inside of me.  You don't see the clouds that gather in my mind when I don't make it to the gym for an adrenaline rush.  Yes, I want to be strong, healthy, and to set a good example of health to my children, but most of all I want to be mentally present to them. I've found that for me, the best way to accomplish that is through exercise.

So the next time you see a woman who has dropped a lot of weight quickly after having a baby, please don't judge her, or silently be jealous.  I read an example in Simcha Fisher's book The Sinner's Guide to NFP that really made me think about how I can be judgemental.  A woman was so fit and athletic, but complained about not looking good enough to her friends, and everyone thought she was crazy because she was clearly a beautiful woman.  At the end of the example, the reader discovered that this woman was in an abusive relationship with her husband who told her she was fat and ugly, so she thought she wasn't good enough.  Would you have even considered for a second that maybe there was more to her story?  There's usually is.  There's so much more to my story.  (Though I should probably clarify, not abuse, thank God!)

I'd like to encourage anyone who feels the need to clear their mind to just find 20 minutes to go walk around the block.  It doesn't have to be some huge production at the gym.  Mental health is so important and worth it.  For your kids, your spouse, and for you.

Okay I'm off my soapbox now and done with my second 7 quick takes! Have a great weekend!

St. Nicholas Day

At the beginning of December, Grandpa and Grandma took Beth to see The Nutcracker at the ballet, at a special time with our homeschool group.  She loved seeing the ballet she knows so well, this time up close and personal.  After the ballet was over she had a special treat and was able to meet one of the orchestra's violin players, a friend of Grandpa and Grandma's.

The next night was the eve of St. Nicholas' visit!  We placed our shoes out with tender care, only this night was a bit different since Ryan and I would be leaving early the next morning for our trip (more on that later), so Grandpa and Grandma's shoes were left out instead.  The next morning, the kids woke up to shoes filled with oranges, chocolate coins, and for the kids- new slippers and books!

The kids had fun over the next several days with Grandpa and Grandma, then with my Mom and two brothers, while Ryan and I left town for a little vacation!

Starting Up

 This week was our kick-off into fall activities, though we won't start school until next week (Aug 27th).  Beth started ballet on Monday, she's at the same studio again and I keep having to re-count to make sure this is accurate, but this is her 4th year.  Yes, that's right!  She started when she was 2, almost 3! 

 I hesitate to say this but I think the boys will be easier this year.  We always head outside to play while Beth is in class, because the waiting room is small and the boys are better off playing outside anyway. :-)

 I didn't have a chance to take many photos of Beth since I was outside with the boys, but I took this one through the window and liked it, she looks so grownup and serious to me.  I know she's growing up, but something about her this year just makes her seem so much older.

 

 And today Luke started gymnastics again!  He is in the same age group but in a different class, with mostly boys.  He loves his class and says his favorite part is the trampoline.  He always looks like he's having tons of fun!

(he chose to pose like this on his own)

And of course, little Jack is a trooper, playing with me while his older siblings are in their classes.  He's sort of a goober, staring at me, smiling, then running away to see if I'll chase him.  At ballet he runs for the parking lot, and in gymnastics he runs to try to ring the bell that hangs on the wall for the gymnasts. You know he's laughing the whole time.  I wonder what this little boy is going to want to do when he's a bit older...

Dear Beth,

Dear Beth,
Last night was your second-ever ballet production and I tried to document the entire experience so that, in the future, you will know how amazing you are.

This is the end of your second full year of ballet, and you're four years old.  It's difficult for me to remember that when you started ballet, you were two years old and Luke wasn't even walking yet!

Busy Busy

It's been a busy week (as you saw by yesterday's blog post) and I haven't been online much. Tomorrow is Ryan's 30th birthday so I've spent a lot of time prepping and just generally staying busy. Beth's first dance class of the year was this past Monday, but afterward I made the hard decision to switch dance studios. It took us 30 minutes to drive there from our (new) house, not to mention 30 minutes of prep time before we left. They also rearranged their classes, so Beth's class was going to be only 45 minutes, and we'd be driving home at 4:45 pm along the main highway. It was sort of a nightmare. I loved the dance studio but at this point in our lives, it's too much for me! So we're switching to another well-known studio that just happens to be across the street from my subdivision. :-)

This was before we left for class on Monday. Luke really wanted to be in the picture, despite the tears!

We pulled out a play mat for Jack, handed down to us. He actually liked it quite a bit, and so did I...until Luke tripped and nearly fell on him. So I'm not quite sure how much I'll actually use it!

Ballet production preview

Beth's first ballet production is coming up mid-June, and they've started their rehearsals. Since Beth is in the pre-beginners class, they'll be dancing with the "big girls" in the production. It's not a typical recital, where each class performs their own dance and then they're done. It's a full-fledged, real production! If anyone wants to come, email me and I'll give you the details!

before class, with her "bun."

I had to figure out how to get her fine, barely-there hair into a classical bun. After about half a can of hairspray, 6 clips and 3 bobby pins, I somewhat succeeded.

She even wore some eyeliner (which I apparently applied incorrectly for their purpose) and some blush. I am embarrassed to say that I own no lipstick- not a single tube- to put on her. They want red! We'll have to borrow some from MawMaw or Aunt Jenny!

Our Ballerina

A few pictures from Monday's class:



I don't always get to watch Beth dance because it's hard to peek through the little window while keeping track of Luke, but I always giggle when I watch her dance. She is so very focused on every move she makes. She points her toes perfectly and keeps up with the older girls in her class. I am looking forward to her production in June! Next Monday they're having the "big girls" come into their class to dance with them- I know Beth is going to flip out because she loves watching the big girls dance!

Bal-er-ay Class

We're still enrolled in ballet class every Monday. Beth's class is starting work on their choreography for the production in the Spring, and she's very excited about learning a "real" dance! She is still by far the smallest and youngest in the class, whenever someone asks me who my daughter is they always refer to her as the petite one, hehe. I guess I'd never thought of Beth as "petite!"

Luke plays with the other brothers in the waiting area, now that he's walking it's adding a new dimension to my having to keep a hawk-eye on him. A lot of the boys are older and bring small Lego pieces, which of course Luke is drawn to! He borrowed a toy car from a friend this past Monday, and starting making "brrrrrr" noises as he rolled it back and forth. It's amazing to me that car sounds are innate in little boys. I've heard gun sounds are innate too, unfortunately!

Dance Class

Beth has dance class two times this week, once to make up for our trip to DC. Here are photos from Monday's class, I feel like I have to be sneaky to get them so they're not incredibly focused. She continues to love both tap and ballet, and is always very attentive during the entire one hour class. It impresses me! The teachers do a great job of keeping the girls (and boy!) active and involved- I haven't counted but I'd guess there are at least 10-12 kids in the class- and they get stickers at the end of each class which makes Beth very happy!

Luke has a decent time too, playing with the other younger brothers. It's some good cuddle time for us since we have no other distractions.