Half a Year and Counting!

At Home
   
       I love the day to day.  Kids are surprising and wonderful and frustrating all at the same time. So they are human, my humans.  I love getting kisses and rubbing noses with them (it's a family thing, makes them giggle and I love a good belly laugh). It's all about balance and enjoying all the little moments and realizing that none of us are perfect.  I like my lists, so what I do is write a list and understand that it's not necessarily the most important thing to finish everything that I wanted to.  I do the best I can and take time to savor snuggling and reading books together or laying in the sun together and looking at clouds (being a cat).  I love chasing the kids around and hearing the happy sounds they make as they run away, arms flailing as they go.  Making an easier dinner (together, Riley is my little sous chef) and going for a walk instead. I get really hung up on finishing a lot, but I have come to realize that what the kids crave the most is time with us. On the weekends, Riley likes to choose a special breakfast to make; this past weekend was waffles, yum! We like to do a weekly movie night; the kids get their chairs and I make popcorn.

     My windows are seldom clean, but I have surrendered to that one; the floors are another matter.  Some days are stressful and challenging, but filled with lots of tender moments with the kids amidst the chaos.  Riley and August are both very willful but are also very thoughtful and loving little people.  I feel I have grown a lot, too, at being a better example, more composed when they are crumpled to the floor and crying ugly about not getting their way. Riley is such a thoughtful and sensitive person and that will be one of her greatest strengths as a person but also a vulnerability. She absorbs a lot and takes criticism very hard.  She is tough to parent, I have to be firm on the rules but understanding in the way I talk to her. I am constantly working on myself because they are worth it. I can overreact and it makes everything worse in the end.  Instead of overreacting, I can put my efforts into staying calm and teaching them how to fix their mistake instead of making them feel worse about just being human and spilling/breaking things.
 

Riley leaving notes for Daddy

Storybooks at the Library

The Ames Public Library had an interactive storybook event that was farm themed that I took the kids to.  They had the street outside blocked off and there were tractors, baby goats, a baby pig, a baby cow, chickens and chicks and even kittens.  The kids liked petting the animals and Riley climbed up in the tractors. There was a section with a man singing and playing a banjo. There were instruments laid out on a blanket for the kids to participate.  Inside there were a number of rooms that had different themes, almost too much to get through. There were donated books that each kid could pick out one.  Beekeepers talking about how to take care of bees.  Northwood had a room for the kids to learn about pollination, each kid got a flower on their wrist and a cotton ball bee would go from flower to flower taking a little paint from each flower with it and onto the flower on their wrist as an example.  I didn't take any pictures while I was there because it was just me with Nora in the Ergo and a kid on each hand but I took some pictures when we got back.  The Pig mask is one Riley decorated while in the "Three Little Pigs" room.  August is holding a free cow he got that moos.  The kids did really well and had a great time!  I love going to events like that with them.  These kids are growing so fast, I just love them so much!

Dress Like Future Career Day

Northwood Preschool had a week of fun activities for the kids to participate in.   Wear your favorite hat day: I-Cubs baseball cap; Pajama day: heart pajamas; an all school concert: singing along with a musical group "The String Beans" at an all school meeting; and dress like your future career day: Riley decided to be a chef princess mommy.  Moms today have a lot of demands!

 Dyeing Easter Eggs

Riley and I had fun coloring on and dyeing Easter eggs together.  She could do it all herself. It's fun to see what she comes up with.  Her hands were very messy afterwards!  I wore gloves. August didn't want to do eggs, he was busy playing with cars but wanted his picture taken, too.

Just look at those hands

Easter Egg Hunt

     Jon came to stay the weekend with us and help Keenan build my new vegetable garden. They worked so hard, it looks beautiful. It rained off and on then stormed Saturday evening but Sunday was sunny and beautiful.  The kids enjoyed an Easter egg hunt in the front yard together. Riley was very gracious in making sure August got some, too!
     I love the magic of watching the spring flowers erupt from the ground. Every day there is something a little more out there. The back garden is really prettiest in the spring. Many of those flowers come up and put on a beautiful show but are foliage the rest of the season.

Digging through and eating their loot!

Men working hard building a garden on a slanted surface

Nora is 6 Months Old

This little girl is half a year old today!  She has grown so much, her appointment is on Monday so I can post an update later with height and weight.

 Eat: Nora likes to participate in as much as she can. She likes to sit at the table, eat with us, and see what's going on.  She really likes eating and took to it very quickly. She is our screechy baby and will let us know if I am not feeding her fast enough. Nora likes sweet potatoes the best!
     Nora is still nursing really well which I am thankful for, although she is a lot more distracted by everything. She is constantly chewing on toys, her hand, and my hand. I don't feel any teeth yet. 

Play: She enjoys playing with her siblings.  She could roll really well but I haven't seen her do it for a while.  She is getting better at sitting but still just flops over for the most part.  Nora likes to stand in her exersaucer and play which is helpful while I am cooking dinner.

Sleep: Sometimes when she wakes up in the morning I hear her chattering to herself instead of screaming, which is a change. Nora can soothe herself back to sleep in the night because I have heard her do it and is sleeping through the night most nights. She can still be a challenge, though, and I see many regressions in our future. She likes our routine and doesn't do well with deviations from it. Sigh.

I feel so lucky to be getting to take care of this sweet little growing girl! It's amazing how fast they change.

They love each other

The more kids I have the harder to get a picture so I posted many!

Riley is going to be 5 soon and is really looking forward to her party and having everyone over! She has requested a tea party, playing with her cousins and strawberry shortcake!