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.