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The one where I can’t move my neck

June 9, 2011 by Kelli

I never fancied myself much of a worrier. In general I don’t get too worked up over things. I may have a brief moment or so, when worry starts to overtake me, but I don’t usually dwell on it and, therefore, haven’t had to suffer many side effects of worrying.

Until recently, when cicadas began falling from the sky in droves and we got a contract on our house.

This process of moving out of our house has proven to be more stressful than I thought. I didn’t realize I was stressing out about it until the last few days when my stomach tied itself in a knot and my head began to pound. Yesterday, my neck began tightening up. I believe it happened sometime during my conversation with a storage facility. We are beyond blessed to have been able to sell our house for almost what we asked for it. But…

We don’t have another house to go to as of now. So we’re storing our stuff and staying at my parents apartment until we figured some things out. Another huge blessing! So I don’t know why my body is shutting down on me. My brain is fried, my neck literally will not turn and despite being wickedly tired I cannot sleep as I think of all the things I need to do during this rather bumpy transition.

What do we do with the dog?

What do I do about the mail?

You mean we need a new furnace?

How much will it cost to move twice?

Where do we store the piano?

You mean we need a new roof?

On top of those questions, I am also beginning to mourn leaving this house. I am a sap – a sentimental, emotional sap. Those who know me well know that, while I love a good adventure, change has never been my strong suit. This house is our first house. It’s the place we brought all our babies home to. It’s where first steps, first words and a mountain of other firsts occurred.

It’s home.

This neighborhood is wonderful. There are kids galore, all of whom are my children’s ages. I think of the little girl next door who taps on our back door every day to play. Sometimes (or a lot of times) it annoyed me, but she and Tia are the exact same age and I’m sad that they will no longer have each other as instant playmates.

I’m just kind of sad. And stressed out.

I know that this too shall pass. This flux of not knowing what comes next will be short lived. I’m not worried about the future. I know we’ll find a new house to make memories in and a new neighborhood with friends to meet. But it’s the interim that has, apparently, seized the muscles in my neck and chosen not to let go.

So on we go, marching forward to June 30 when we will say goodbye to the place where we became a family of five. What does God have next? We simply don’t know. I hope, for my sake, His plan includes some muscle relaxers and a massage…

And now, random pictures that have nothing to do with this post, but I just got some great shots yesterday and want to post them.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: faith, Kids, moving, stress, worry

Childhood

June 1, 2011 by Kelli

I am going to post some pictures, but before I do, I feel compelled to offer this warning:

The photos you are about to view contain images of extreme cuteness. View with caution, particularly if you are sensitive to happiness, small children and unabashed joy. These images should not be viewed by the faint of heart or anyone with an aversion to the following items: babies, puppies, rainbows, sunshine or happiness as they will not be emotionally equipped to handle the cute. If you suffer from hard heartedness, view with caution and with full awareness that you may be forced to smile. Proceed carefully and it is advisable to let out a hearty “Aaaawww” while viewing to prevent your heart from exploding.

Phew. Now that I got that disclaimer out of the way, you’re free to look. Does anything scream childhood more than this? Tell me. Anything at all?

Aaaaaawwww…

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Landon, summer fun, Tia Tagged With: Kids, sprinklers, summer fun, things I love

We’re Back

May 25, 2011 by Kelli

On Friday I picked Sloan up from school early. I took all three kids outside the building and finally let them in on a secret I’d been keeping quiet for two weeks.

We were going to Florida.

I have never had more fun. We will definately be doing more surprise trips in the future because their expressions were priceless and it was so fun to tell them we were hopping in the car and heading to the airport. I kept it a secret from them out of necessity because we were going down there to surprise my Mom when she landed in Tampa after being in England for forever. My Dad and I planned the trip several weeks ago and I knew that if I told the kids the surprise would be ruined.

So fun.

Mom was surprised and had no idea we would be there. The kids thought it was the greatest thing ever to jump out and say surprise when she got off the plane. It was just fun.

We soaked up every minute of fun while we were in Florida. We swam, spent hours at the beach, rode on the kayak and the boat, snorkeled, found sand dollars, watched the sunset and ate lots of M&M’s and ice cream. It was a great quick trip.

This was my first time flying alone with all three kids so I was a little nervous, but they did great. Sloan sat in a row by himself and talked the ear off the woman next to him. The only hiccup came when all three kids had to go to the bathroom at the same time and were all positive that they were going to wet their pants. The bathroom closest to us was occupied for a solid 20 minutes by a man two rows back (yeesh) so we finally trekked to the front of the plane only to be informed by the flight attendant that we all had to squeeze into the bathroom together because we weren’t allowed to wait in the hallway.

So we all squeezed into the bathroom together.

Adventure.

The people in the first few rows of the plane got quite the entertainment as they heard my kids squealing and screeching.

“Don’t touch me while I pee!”

“I don’t have space!”

“My pee won’t come out. Stop looking at me!”

“I can’t reach the toilet paper to wipe!”

“You’re too close, this is weird!”

All the while I’m taking deep breaths and trying not to panic because we all know I have an irrational fear of airplane bathrooms. I tried to think of happy things like puppy’s and butterfly’s so I could keep my mind off the vision of the four of us plummeting 35,000 feet to our deaths inside a cramped airplane outhouse…

Finally everyone managed to do their business and we exited the bathroom to applause.

Awesome.

We’re home now and it’s time to finish school and prepare the house for the inspections that are happening this week. I have pictures and video to share, but not today. Today I have to scrub floors and organize so that my house can be picked apart and scrutinized.

This is the part where I tell you I wish I was back at the beach…

Filed Under: Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, summer fun Tagged With: beach, home inspections, Kids, Life, Random

Happy Birthday, Mom

May 17, 2011 by Kelli

So this video isn’t nearly as cool as I wanted it to be. But as we all learned yesterday, I’m not really that cool anyway, so this actually fits quite well.

Today is my awesome Mom’s birthday and she’s half way across the world. I so wanted to fly to England and surprise her for her birthday, but alas, it wasn’t to be. Instead I had the kids write down 60 reasons why they love their Byshka (short for Babyshka – Grandmother in Russian). And here they are, all 60 reasons.

Unfortunately you can’t understand a word Landon says due to his lisp and inability to say several letters but he’s painfully cute so it doesn’t matter.

(A small disclaimer: I promise I bathe my kids, although in this video they are visibly dirty. The bruise on Tia’s chin is the result of an unfortunate run in with a parked car as she sped down the hill on her bike. We’re still working on riding without training wheels. The mark on Landon’s nose is the result of me not clipping his nails soon enough. I have no idea what’s on Sloan’s face. Carry on…)

Mom, I love you and I hope you’re having a grand time in London today. We’re sending kisses from across the pond. I think we’ll even pick up a little birthday cake and eat it in your honor today. So thanks for having a birthday – it gives us an excuse to splurge on a cake. And cake is good.

Love you and see you in a few weeks!!!

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Landon, Motherhood, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: Kids, Mom, video

Once Upon a Time

May 17, 2011 by Kelli

Once Upon a Time, I was cool. Or I thought I was. I was informed yesterday by my oldest, and ever so wise, child that I’m “not really cool now, so much.”

“Really? What am I, then?”

*pause*

*long pause*

*awkward pause*

“Geesh. Don’t answer to quickly, ‘kay?”

“Well,” he says, clearly thinking hard, “It’s just that I’m not sure.”

“So I’m not even a little bit cool?”

*pause*

“When I make you pancakes for breakfast – is that cool?”

“No. That’s more awesome.”

“When I wash your clothes and drive you places – is that cool?”

“Not really. That’s more stuff you’re s’posed to do.”

Oh no he di’int.

“When I play games with you – is that cool?”

“No. That’s fun, though. Hey can we play Uno tonight?”

“So I’m really not cool, huh?”

“Nope,” he says with a shrug. “But you’re awesome and fun and you do things you’re s’posed to do. So that’s good right?”

Um…

I guess.

Excuse me while I go look for my cool pants. I know they’re in my closet somewhere. Probably right behind my fat pants and next to my sweatpants.

*sigh*

There’s a chance I was never cool to begin with…

Filed Under: Sloan, things I don't need to hear Tagged With: Kids, Mama Ain't Cool, Motherhood

The part where I really start to enjoy motherhood

May 16, 2011 by Kelli

I have a confession to make:

I haven’t always enjoyed motherhood.

The act of being a Mom came so naturally to me at first. When Sloan was born I was immediately comfortable with him. I wasn’t one of those neurotic moms who worried about every little cry. I didn’t care if people held him without washing their hands first and I didn’t freak out at every little cough or sneeze. I was laid back.

Except when it came to sleeping. I made that poor child take naps all the flipping time. Four naps a day for the first four months of his life, three naps a day for the next four and two naps a day until he was eighteen months old and he staged a morning nap coup resulting in me freaking out for a solid month before requiring he take a three hour nap every afternoon without possibility of negotiation until he turned four when he staged yet another coup and has refused to sleep since.

Okay I might have been a little neurotic.

I also required 12 hours of sleep per night and made sure bedtimes were rarely messed with. No wonder that child hates sleeping now.

Alright, alright – I was a lot neurotic.

But, neurosis aside, I was comfortable as a Mom. Babies are hard, but now that I’m on the other side of them I find myself snorting at how not hard babies really are. Am I confusing anyone yet?

The real work of motherhood starts when their reasoning ability kicks in. When you are no longer merely keeping them alive and sustaining them from day to day (or nap to nap in my case). Wait…you mean..I…have to…ya know…teach them? I have to raise them to be morally responsible, compassionate citizens of the world who contribute to society in a positive way?

*gulp*

I love being with my kids. I love doing the fun things with them. Going to the Zoo, playing at the park, going to the beach and the pool. I love to do the activity of life with my kids. But the day to day training that’s imperative to their development?

It hasn’t always been my favorite.

In fact, the day to day instruction has always been a bit daunting to me. The business of training them to be respectful and obedient. It’s hard! Give me a fussy newborn over an insolent toddler any day of the week. Can I get an Amen?

For those who know me well, you know I’m not what you might call a homebody. I don’t enjoy just being home. I like schedules and activity. I like to be on the go. I like to sprint through life. But guess what? It’s hard to sprint when there are three little ones whose legs aren’t as long as yours. My metaphor is getting a little rough, I know. Stay with me…

I’ve spent the better part of the last few months trying to slow down. I’ve cut out a few activities here and there and tried to pull back. I’ve tried to spend a little more time at home and when at home, I’ve tried to stop being so…busy all the time. I tend to equate down time with idleness. That’s not necessarily the case. Sometimes it’s good to sit and read a book to the kids in the middle of the day. It’s good for them and it’s good for me.

I’m finally beginning to enjoy the art of motherhood. The hard part. I’m even getting excited about it. I know, right? It’s about time. I’m looking forward to and excited about the process of training them. I look forward to praying for them and being with them. I’m so excited for this summer to just be.

I know it will be tiring and exhausting and hard. But I love the hard. I love the tiring. I’m learning to love the process. I’m learning to sit, to be still, to play Barbies, to have imaginary tea parties, to read books, to live every day life. I’m finally enjoying that part of motherhood a little more. Fewer schedules, more free time, more playtime. I’m slowing down my pace and finally giving my kids a chance to catch up.

This is a great place to be.

Filed Under: Life, Motherhood Tagged With: Kids, Life, Motherhood, slowing down

Meet George, George, George, George…

May 13, 2011 by Kelli

Sloan brought home “pets” yesterday. Tadpoles. Fifty of them…at minimum!

He fished them out of the neighbor’s algae-ridden pool. Naturally.

More than half of them did not survive the night. Much to my relief. The rest are, today, munching on lettuce and I’m headed out in a bit to buy distilled water so they can have a clean, healthy environment per Google’s recommendation.

“Have you named them?” Lee asked.

“Yeah. One of them is George,” Sloan replied.

“Which one?”

“Um…that one. No. That one. Wait! Um…that one. I don’t know, really…”

“Soon we’ll have a whole family of frogs! We can build them a pond in the back yard! Aaawwwesoooome.”

Has anyone ever tried frog legs? I hear they’re delicious…

Filed Under: Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Sloan Tagged With: frog legs, frogs, Kids, Motherhood, raising tadpoles

Third Born

May 12, 2011 by Kelli

What is it about third borns that make them so…third bornish?

A free spirit, good for a laugh, the clown.

What is it about third borns that make them so irresistable?

So yummy, so kissable and sweet?

Full of spunk and maybe just a smattering more cute than the ones who proceeded them?

I read once that a mother always cherishes her last baby just a little more.

I don’t know if this child is our last baby. If you ask Lee and I both, you’ll get different answers.

I didn’t intend for Landon to be the last and I not so secretly hope he’s not.

But I have cherished the moments with him as if they were the last.

It’s not that I love him more, because I don’t.

I just love him differently.

Because he might be my last.

I love this kid differently, too.

Because he’s my firstborn.

The one who first made me a Mom.

I love this one differently, too.

Because she’s my girl. The splash of pink in a world of blue.

The sugar and spice to their frogs and snails.

I love them all the same. But different.

But there is something about the third born…

The one who might be the last (but might not)…

It’s hard to put my finger on what it is that makes third borns so much fun.

Fun.

That’s what it is about third borns.

They’re just fun.

Filed Under: Kids, Landon Tagged With: birth order, Kids, Photos, third born

Dear Mom and Dad in England

April 24, 2011 by Kelli

Hi.

So while you were off galavanting (something I’ve found you seem to be quite good at) about the English countryside this weekend, I was left to handle Easter on my own. While you toured Shakespeare’s birthplace and hiked through the animal infested forests, I realized that not only did I need to create some kind of Easter feast for my family, but I also needed to fill up Easter baskets with goodies. I realized this on Saturday.

I would like you to know that I managed to squeak by without you but I almost ruined Easter for good. And Christmas too. And I blame it almost entirely on you.

I dashed out Saturday afternoon for a last minute grocery run, in the rain. Me and the entire senior citizen population of St. Louis County. I bought a pork roast. Not even a pre-packaged one from the refridgerated section, but an actual one from the meat guy. He’s not a butcher is he? Do I just call him the meat guy? Whatever. I bought it from him. He wrapped it in white paper. Fancy.

Score one for me.

I also purchased a round birthday cake with a picture of a bunny on it. And ice cream. I was rocking the Easter preparations.

I purchased 45 plastic eggs to put in their baskets. Why so many? Because I didn’t buy anything else. You know, dear mother, how you always filled up our baskets with fun little trinkets and goodies as a kid? Yeah…I didn’t do that. I kind of forgot. Thank God I had the DVD’s you purchsed for the kids before you left for England, right?

Minus one for me. Holding steady at 0. Plus six for you, though, for planning way in advance.

When I got home I tried to sneak by the kids with the plastic eggs. You know, because how was I going to explain that the Easter Bunny used eggs we already owned. I failed, though. Eagle Eyes Tia saw the eggs and screeched with delight.

“What are those for?” they all asked, pushing in on me like tiny little blonde vultures.

I thought quick on my feet, though. You would’ve been proud. “We’re going to put them in your Easter baskets and see if the Easter Bunny fills them up while you sleep.”

BOOM! Score three for Mommy.

They each got a movie, a chocolate bunny (of course) and 14 eggs, which the Easter Bunny did fill while they slept. Except the Easter Bunny is stingy and paranoid about their teeth rotting out so the eggs only had one chocolate or a couple of jelly beans in them. When it was all said and done they only had a snack bag amount of candy.

Three measly jelly beans...

“Is dis all dere is?!” Tia exclaimed after searching through her basket. There were no stickers, no toys, no coloring books. “Mom, where does the Easter Bunny come from exactly?” Sloan asked, a little disgruntled. “Is he real?”

I had to bite my lip from answering, “Look, the Easter Bunny moved to England, okay?!” Minus four for Mommy. I hereby stand at a negative 1.

“That’s what they say,” I answer, dodging the question. “Well, is Santa real or is he just a guy in a costume?” Six eyes stare at me intently.

“St. Nicholas was a real man who delivered gifts to boys and girls,” I answered, sweat beading on my hairline. “Hey look! Breakfast is ready – come eat quick!”

Plus 1 for dodging a bullet.

I did remember to put the pork roast in the crock pot (God’s gift to half brained moms) the night before so Easter dinner was partially prepared early. Which was good since I had to be at church at 7:30 and didn’t get home until 12:45, which means Lee was in charge of Easter lunch. They ate without me. Pork Roast, Stove Top stuffing from a box and sourdough bread. No vegetables or special sides to make the meal memorable because I wasn’t there to fix.

I get plus 2 for preparing the meat early, but minus 1 for not preparing anything else. I think this leaves me at a plus 1.

The rest of Easter Sunday was quite lovely, actually. While we desperately missed being with family, I must say it was nice to just be our little core unit of 5 for the day. I reminded me, Mom and Dad, of all those years when we were growing up and didn’t have family close by. My holiday memories are filled with leisurely afternoons with you all and Brett.

We went to Applebees for dinner, which felt kind of lame, but it made the kids happy so I’m giving myself 1 point. And when we came home, we cleaned up the house, put on our jammies, ate bunny cake and watched Yogi Bear as a family. I’m awarding myself another point for going with the flow.

So that means my final tally came in at plus 3. Not bad. Easter wasn’t a total wash after all.

But it still would have been better with you here.

Have fun for the remainder of your English adventure. Tell Will and Kate I said hi…

Love, Your Daughter in St. Louis.