Shake well

The other day I noticed, a few times, that the kids were shaking the silverware drawer.  They would open it, shake it a few times, then grab a fork or spoon and be on their way.

I didn’t think much of it because, well, kids do things like that sometimes.  Only when Savannah asked about it did I realize what was going on.  As she was taking her turn to shake the silverware drawer she asked “Mom, why do you want us to shake this before we use it?”

Confused, I asked what she was talking about.  She pointed out the “instructions” stuck to the front of the drawer.

 

Someone had put this sticker on the front of the drawer.  Since I have been labeling everything lately, (light switches, closet shelves, bathroom cabinets, etc.) the kids just assumed it was put there by me.

With their usual unquestioning obedience, (HA!) they were faithfully following my instructions.  Shake well before each use.

When I explained that it wasn’t put there by me at all, we all had a good laugh.  For the rest of the day the kids had fun trying to sneak that sticker to each others’ behinds.

Too bad I didn’t get any pictures of that!  Or better yet, videos!

In the trenches (of motherhood)

Savannah took this picture of the glamorous life that I lead.  Ha!

And to re-post from last year:

Trying to get Caleb to do anything that was not his idea is at least as pointless as banging your head repeatedly against the kitchen cabinets.

I should know. I tried both today. I prefer the head banging.

I didn’t physically bang my head against the cabinets today, but it’s the same feeling.  I can’t talk him into eating breakfast OR packing a decent lunch these days.

On the bright side…

Elijah is learning to make cooing sounds.  It’s so cute to watch his whole body work so hard to get one little sound out.  And then he acts surprised and tries again.  He’s a smiley, good natured little guy!

Birthday boy

Happy 9th Birthday to Josh!  We had a nice family celebration at home.  He requested a barbeque for his special dinner, and Aunt Theresa helped make a cake.

We got a video of him blowing out his candles, but no pictures.  The only actual photo we have is this one of him holding his new birthday quilt that is mostly finished in this picture:

 

Some things that I love about that boy:

The way his eyes and his WHOLE FACE lights up when he’s really excited.

He is super thoughtful, and tells me often how much he appreciates me.

He is a good big brother.  He does a great job when I need him to babysit Simon and Jonah so I can nap or get things done.

He’s very creative, and has a great imagination.  Right now he loves to make origami and duck tape creations.

He loves basketball, and really likes to be coached.  I love to see him willing to work so hard at something.

I love that he loves to read, maybe as much as I do!

He is generous.  When I take him to the dollar store, he always wants to spend a couple of dollars on things to share.

I have such a clear memory of the day he was born.  The moment I saw him, I knew that this was Joshua.  (We had been a little uncertain of his name up to that point.) It was like I had known this boy forever, and he had been a  part of our family forever.

Happy Birthday Josh!  I’m so glad you’re a part of our family!

Moments and Filters

I wish there was a way to really capture moments and hang on to them.  I want to keep more than pictures and words.  I want to remember all of the details and feelings of this moment.

I’m up late at night with a sweet newborn baby nuzzling my neck.  He has just finished nursing, and is drowsy and content.  His hair is so soft that I can barely feel it as I stroke his little head.  His legs and arms are curled up under him so that he makes a compact little bundle up against my chest.  He smells sweet and makes little grunting sounds as he tries to get comfortable.

The lights are dim, and the house is clean and quiet.  I am feeling blessed to have such a beautiful life.  I’m looking at the pictures of my other kids on the walls, thinking how fast the time has gone.  I’m so grateful that I have gotten to experience these sweet moments so many times. 

There is something about having a new baby in the house that makes the atmosphere more peaceful.  Even sacred.  It’s like we have a soft filter over our home.  The kids can feel it, I know, because they have been happier and kinder to each other.  Not perfect, of course, but really sweet.

I can see Caleb, in particular, watching, absorbing the way his dad takes care of me and the baby and storing that information away for future use.  I hope that one day he will be as sweet and gentle and caring as his dad is with me.

Of course there are plenty of details that I don’t care to keep forever, but these sweet ones are what make life beautiful.  I am grateful for moments.

Welcome Baby Elijah!

You know the old saying of “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all?”  Well that’s why my blog has really been sparse.   I was having a hard time there towards the end of the pregnancy.

I’m happy to announce that little Elijah Jeffrey Davis, also known as Eli, has finally arrived!  He was a healthy 10 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 1/2 in. long.

He was born Thursday, September 22nd.  I went in at 9:00 am to be induced (he was already 2 days late) and he was born at 7:30 pm.

Before:

After: (We were both pretty happy he was out of there!)

It took several hours of Pitocen to get my labor going, but once the Dr broke my water, things really took off.  He came in to check me about an hour and a half later, and it was already time to push.  About 3 minutes later we had a baby!

Grandma and Grandpa Alston had taken the kids out to Organ Stop Pizza for dinner, and came by the hospital on the way home.  They were just in time to meet Eli when he was nice and alert.  We had our first family prayer together, and everyone got to hold him.

I sure love my sweet family.

Mystery talking

This morning on the way to school, Jonah (a first grader) said “I really don’t like all that mystery talking in the morning.”

Having no idea what he was talking about, I asked “What is mystery talking?”

“You know, the one that always ends with ‘Have a great day!”

Caleb caught on a little faster than I did.  He asked “Jonah, does this mystery talking come from a little box up high on the wall in your classroom?”

“Yes.”

“Does everyone in your class think it’s a mystery?”

“Yes.”

“That box is called a speaker, and the mystery talking is called the morning announcements.”

Random goings-on

To be totally honest, this has not been the most joyful summer of my life.  I’m hugely pregnant, hot, and extremely irritable.  Just ask my kids.  Nevertheless, I feel the need to document a few summer happenings.

Caleb and Josh have spent HOURS making things out of duck tape.  That was not a typo, by the way. Duck tape is the much more interesting cousin of duct tape.  It comes in lots of colors and patterns, and can be used to make everything from wallets to roses to bookbags.  It has been a double dream come true for me.  It has kept the boys entertained quietly indoors, which is not at all easy to do, and it has kept them asking for more chores all summer.  “Please, Mom?  Can I have another job to do for another roll of duck tape?”

Jonah has lost his first tooth, and already has two more wiggly ones.

(I plan on adding a few pictures later, but for now I just better get this posted!)

We’ve had lots of mama hens sitting on their eggs with some success.  We’ve had a total of 6 baby chicks.  Two of them have died, but four of them are still following their mama all around the yard, while she teaches them important things, like how to scratch in the dirt.  So cute!

 

Jeff has been working like a madman on our back yard.  He has pulled up lots of unwanted trees and bushes, pulled down what was left of the old shed, hauled something like 16 loads to the dump, and re-arranged tons (literally) of dirt.

When it was all ready, we flooded the dirt lot and let the kids all invite friends for a “mud bowl” party.  I think it was a success.

Simon has discovered a love of puzzles. He wants to do them over and over again, which works pretty well for me. It’s something we can do together that allows me to sit on the couch.

Speaking of couches, we got a big, new sectional for the family room. It was really long past time to replace the old ones. I also re-finished the kitchen island, re-painted the coffee table, and re-did the kids computer area. We also got a cabinet to contain the kids’ toys. I was trying to squeeze in as many projects as I could (a kind of “nesting”?) before I got too big to function.

That time has arrived, by the way. I spend most of my days sitting on the couch whining that my back hurts, which it really, really does. The other day I asked one of the kids to get something for Simon so I wouldn’t have to get up. The response I got was “Boy… I can’t wait until you’re not pregnant anymore, so you can actually do some things around here!” All I can say to that is… me too, guys. Me too.