I love my kids...

Another funny thing happened that I just had to share. Jamie was on the way home, and I'd told the girls that I'd like for them to clean their room before their dad got here. Lily got started right away cleaning the bathroom, and then when she was done she moved to her room to work on it. With exception to Lily, the girls drag out the chore of cleaning their room on every occasion. It's always a struggle to get them to do it. One day I got so fed up with the mess that I emptied their room. I removed everything but their beds. But that's a post for another day. One of the ways I motivate them to clean is to give them a quarter for each chore. They all have a piggy bank, and love to get to put money into it. So, eventually all the girls made their way to the room today, and started to clean it up for their quarter. I happened to be walking past, and they had a mess of their shoes in the hallway. So, I tell Rosalie to tackle the shoes. It should have only taken her 5 minutes, so I walked away expecting her to do it. I never went back to double check. They ended up getting the room cleaned (so they told me), we ate dinner, and then I told Lily to get me my change jar so they could get their quarters. Rosalie came with her hand out, and I asked, "You got the shoes put up like I asked you to, right?" Her response is the reason I'm writing this post. Rosalie said, "Well, my heart...my heart told me to play." Jamie and I looked at each other, and I ask, "What?" She says again, "My heart told me to play to me. But I didn't want to. But my heart told me to play." To make sure that I fully understood her, I ask, "So, you didn't pick up the shoes? You played while your sisters cleaned?" With her eyes wide open, she says, "I'll do it right now." And off she went to go pick up the shoes. She returned within minutes. She'd said she had cleaned up the shoes, and I ask, "What about your bed? If you didn't help with the room, did you make your bed like I'd asked?" She said, "I will! Right now...right NOW!" And she ran off to do that too.

Oh, that child makes me laugh so much. She expresses her feelings a lot by how her heart "feels." If you hurt her feelings, the response you can expect is "You made my heart melt" or "My heart is breaking." We do a lot of talking with our kids, so when something is on their mind they don't really have a problem explaining to us what's bugging them. I like having that relationship with them, and also like the way they are able to express themselves.

Our most recent happenings...

I've been taking it easy this week. I had to have my wisdom teeth out. I've been avoiding it as long as I can, but it caught up with me. I'm recovering just fine. I'm ready to get off the pain medication. I don't take medicine, so if I am on it you can bet I'm hurting. I'm getting off of it just as soon as I can tolerate the pain.

We took the kids to the Sciport in Shreveport last Sunday. We got to see everything that the museum had to offer, plus the kids got to go to the IMAX for the first time. They really had a lot of fun. I'm not a big fan of science museums for my own reasons, but they do offer an opportunity for the kids to enjoy the hands-on displays. I just wanted to share a few pictures from our day.

This is Lily at the "Head on a platter" exhibit. You can tell she really got into it.

Rosalie and Iris enjoying the view from a tree house.

The girls playing the big piano together.

Okay...these next two pictures are so funny. Jamie brought a fan into the travel trailer to get the air moving. The girls were walking past it, and letting the breeze from the fan catch their dresses or shirts, and then they started sticking their face in the fan. They were cracking up in laughter. It doesn't take much to entertain us. I (of course) couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures of the girls getting blown away.

And finally, it's official...we're not just crawling anymore, but now have added climbing and cruising. Levi figured out that he can walk without holding onto something. He's been taking steps for a while, but just one or two at a time, and then drop to the floor to crawl. I'd left the kids a few times at my parents house when I'd had my dentist appointments recently. My dad has been devoted to getting Levi to walk, and because of my folks, he's finally doing it all on his own. It's so sweet. He'll walk across the room to whoever and ready for a big hug for his accomplishment. I used to sit him on the couch to keep him contained, but that's no longer an option for me because he's now realized that he can climb too.

Just a funny moment from my day...

We're potty training Iris. It's taking longer than it should because of all the traveling we've been doing this year. She's grasped the concept, just hasn't mastered the technique. I told her that I'm not going to buy her any more pull-ups, which she's fine with that...she prefers panties. So, today, I got her to put some on after church. She was hanging out with me in the living room, and disappeared for a minute. She shows back up and says, "Mom, I peed in your room." So, I send her to the bathroom to clean herself up, and also tell her that since she made a mess in my room that she was going to have to clean it. I grabbed the carpet cleaner and a rag. Iris meets back up with me, and tells me that she needs a wet wipe to clean her mess. I told her that she'd use the rag. I tell her to show me where she went so she can clean it. She led the way almost kind of proud of herself. "Okay, mom...it's over here." She's walking along and says again, "It's this way. Over here. Here it is!" Our carpet in the bedroom is dark, and I couldn't see a spot. I said, "Are you sure? Where did you go?" She excitedly answers, "Right here...on your shoe!" And she sure did. She peed right on my black leather boots. Then I understand why she said she needed a wet wipe. I still made her clean it up (and then I went back and cleaned it myself to make sure it was done right). Just another day in the adventure of potty training. I'm just glad she told me. No telling when I would have found that little present if she would have hid it from me.

Splish! Splash!

I have a bunch of pictures of the girls in the tub when they were smaller. But I don't have any of Levi. So this morning when I gave him his bath, I snapped a few. He loves taking a bath. He squeals with excitement as I run the bath water. He bounces next to tub as he watches it fill up. And from the time his feet hit the water until I get him out, those hands are moving non-stop slapping the water and splashing it everywhere. He doesn't care at all if it gets in his face. Every now and then, he pauses to wipes his eyes, and then gets back to throwing water all over the place. So, here's my pictures that I took. Just a few...I had to put my camera away to keep it from getting wet.

All Dolled Up

Very rarely do I get to put on my make up without an audience. Even if I have my door closed, one of the girls manage to make the discovery that "mom is putting on her make up." This morning was like any other. Before I even got the zipper open on my make up bag, Jasmine was behind me saying, "Mom, can I have lipstick?" To her surprise, I said yes. Her face lit up, and she grinned ear to ear. "Can I have the purple one?" This is her favorite lipstick in my bag. I give it to her, and Rosalie and Iris came wanting a shade for themselves as well. "Can I have lips too?" Iris asked. I love listening to Iris and her cute way of communicating. So, the three of them got to put on lipstick. I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures of my girls.

I remember being little and watching my mom get ready. I never got to play in her make up, though. I certainly don't let them do this every day, but let them do it enough to keep them from getting into my make up when I'm not around. My mom passed away when I was 11. One of my memories of her is simple and plain, just being there watching her put on her make up. I want my girls to remember the simple day to day things. I was watching them putting on the lipstick, being so steady and careful not to make a mess. I'm going to miss that when they get bigger. Just writing this makes me tear up. One of my greatest joys in life is, without a doubt, being a mom to my kids. Nothing will ever replace that. God has blessed me so richly, and for that I am thankful.

So, parents out there that work so hard to keep your kids out of your make up, that cabinet of pots and pans, or from pulling every book out of the book shelf, surprise them one day and let them do it. You won't regret the memory that each of you are making.

Eeeee!

I gave Levi another hair cut today. He didn't like it though, which surprised me. This makes his third hair cut. His first two went very well. He just sat there and let me cut his hair. He didn't move at all unless I moved him. Today was another story. I stripped him down to his diaper, and stood him up in the bath tub. He seemed to like that until I turned the clippers on. He started moving away from me as I approached him. I did the first pass over his head, and he started saying, "Hey!...Hey!" It was so funny, but also frustrating because I knew this hair cut would be a chore. He'd move his head back and forth, again yelling, "Hey!" But I got it done and then he got to play in the bath, which he loves to do.

I wanted to get some pictures for this blog post. He was being so silly. I pointed the camera at him, and with squinted eyes and a big grin he said, "Eeeee!" I'm guessing that's his was of saying "cheese." I could not snap a picture without him doing that. But each one still turned out very cute. Here's the pictures of his latest hair cut and his "eeeee" face.

Her First Ride

Yesterday, when Jamie got home from work, we had a couple of errands to tend to. I drove the suburban with all the kids, and Jamie, taking any opportunity he can get, led the way on his bike. We stopped by the dealership where he'd purchased the bike, and ended up getting a helmet for the kids to share. They were all so excited because this meant they'd finally get to ride with their dad.

It was dark by the time we finished our errands, but Lily wanted a ride so bad. I explained to her that she would need to "hold on like she didn't want to fall off." Jamie was up to it, but I told her that it would be a short, slow ride for now. She got the helmet on and I helped her on the bike. She held onto him so well, that he said, "She's crushing me." I said, "Good." And off they went. When they made their way back around, Lily thought she'd try to get of and ended up feeling the heat of the bike on her ankle. She said she got burned, but I didn't even find a spot on her.

Then Jasmine wanted a turn. She got the helmet on, and Jamie put her up on the bike. As soon as he got the kick stand up, Jasmine changed her mind. She wanted off. I got her off and Rosalie decided she'd take a go at it. After getting the helmet on her, and putting her on the bike, I was the one that was uncomfortable. With the helmet between her and Jamie, her tiny little arms barely reached half-way around her dad. Her legs were too short to reach the foot pegs, too. She had an uncertain look on her face, and I said, "I don't think so. She's too little." I got her off, and Jamie parked the bike.

When we got in the house, Iris wanted to try on the helmet, and then all the girls wanted turns holding it. I think the younger girls were more excited about the new helmet than actually getting to use it.

Sweet times, and good memories. That's one of my favorite memories with my dad. He would take either I or one of my siblings for a ride on his bike. I loved to go with him, and would volunteer any chance I got. The last time I rode with my dad was before I got married. I look forward to getting a chance to ride with Jamie now...which I still haven't. I'll have to get a babysitter to do that.

Jasmine's Birthday

Well yesterday Jasmine turned 6. She's been talking about her birthday for months. This year for birthdays I took the kids to the store to pick out their own gifts. So, ever since Lily and Rosalie had their trip to the store back in March, Jasmine has been waiting for her turn. She's been saying for the past months, "When I go, I'm going to get a kitty just like Lily's, but mine's going to be black." I ran across the black cat a couple of weeks ago, and went ahead and grabbed it up.

Yesterday morning, Jasmine crawled up into my bed and said, "Good morning, Mom. Today is my birthday and I'm six today." She was so excited that her day had finally come. She then proceeded to tell me that she now was much bigger because she's 6. "Mom, I'm getting soooo big. I need new shoes. My feet are so big now 'cuz I'm 6. You have to take me to buy new shoes." Anyone that's been around her knows about her thing for shoes. Last year she'd put on her purple-glitter shoes, and dance and sing, "Purple sparkly shoes! Purple sparkly shoes!" I'd bought her some new shoes less than a month ago...not because she needed them, but because they were on sale for a great price and she begged to have them. I told her that she didn't need new shoes and just because she was a year older didn't make her bigger, that it takes time. She said, "No, I'm am bigger and I do need new shoes. You can buy me some when we go get my toy." Ha! That girl is too smart, but I'm not that easy. I just simply told her that if she wanted shoes that bad that she could get them instead of her toy. Needless to say, she realized that her other shoes still fit her just fine.

I loaded up the kids in the suburban and headed to the store. This wasn't Jasmine's trip yet, but I needed to get groceries for her birthday meal and get a cake. Jasmine decided she wanted shrimp. I'm not a seafood person, but Jamie, and now Jasmine, really like it, so on special occasions, I'll cook it. I made her shrimp and tortellini in a white wine sauce (fancy for a 6 year old, huh?). And I made a separate batch of the same with chicken for us anti-seafood people.

We found the perfect cake. It had a big pink flower on the top of it. It looked like it was specially made for Miss Jasmine.

When Jamie got home, we ate dinner. We gave Jasmine the cat that I'd found for her, and also gave her a Bible with her name on it. She was so excited about the cat. But when Jamie gave her the Bible, she burst into tears. I thought for a moment that they were joyful tears, but quickly realized that she was upset. I asked her what was wrong, and she wept, "I wanted the cat. I don't want to pick one. I asked for the cat."

She thought she had to choose between the two gifts, and when I explained they were both hers, she cheered up very fast. We then went to the store. It didn't take Jasmine long. She picked out a Tinker Bell music box that has a key to lock it up. I told her she could look more, but she said, "No, this is what I want."

Then, we came back home to have cake. I told her that I was going to put the candles on the cake and then get a picture before we sang. She said, "Don't forget to take a picture of me blowing." I told her I would. I got the candles lit and told her to smile. As I took the picture she started blowing. I said, "No, wait. We have to sing then you get to blow out the candles." She said we could do it again. We sang, and this time Iris started blowing out the candles. So, Jasmine got some help, and Iris' head ended up getting in the way of my shot. But at least I got Jasmine's first attempt to blow out her candles.

Here's a few shots of the kids...

I'm glad to have another birthday in the books. I'm also glad Jasmine can only have one birthday a year. All day I had to listen to her bossing her sisters around and saying, "You have to...it's my birthday." She even tried that on me a couple of times, but had no success. I told her, "It may be your birthday, but I'm the mom, and you do as I say."

My sweet Rosalie

Any of you that have been around Rosalie knows just how sweet she is, right? Her little voice, so shy when she talks to you. How she likes to spin and twirl in her dress like any girl does. Her smiles and giggles light up the room. But there's a side of her that only I get to see. Her mood can change at the drop of a hat. Her face shows exactly what she's thinking, and if you're no so lucky, some times she'll go even further to tell you.

Well, this morning she decided to tell me what she thought. Yesterday morning, while I caught myself a shower, Rosalie and Iris got a big bag of Cheetos off the counter and polished them off. This was before I'd fed them breakfast. And of course, once I'd put breakfast on the table, I couldn't get them to eat. So, this morning, Rosalie asked quite a few times to have some Cheetos (we eat a lot of Cheetos at my house, so we by 2 bags at a time). I told her "no" each time she asked. Then she grabbed a stool and attempted to get them herself. I got on to her, and then moved the bag way out of her reach. Oh, you should have seen the look she gave me. I was in the middle of telling her, "I'm cooking breakfast right now, and you're not going to fill up on Cheetos..." She started whining, "But Mom, I'm really, really, really hungry! My tummy is empty. I need to eat. I want to eat Cheetos, PLEASE!!!" I told her "no" again, and her pleading turned to anger, "You're a mean mama. You are so mean!" Normally, I wouldn't let her get away with that, but this morning I thought I'd test her. So, I told her, "You're right, I am mean. That's why this breakfast isn't for you. It's for your sisters. And so are those Cheetos."

I got the breakfast set on the table, and called the kids to come eat. Rosalie followed them, and I didn't serve her. She said she was hungry, and I answered with reminding her that I was a mean mama. Her attitude quickly changed, as I'd expected. "No, mama, you're not mean anymore. I'm really hungry." I gave her her plate, and told her that I expected her to finish every bite. I'm careful to serve all the kids the same amount of food, and try not to give them too much. Well, everyone finished all of their breakfast, with exception of Rosalie. She told me that her tummy was soooo full, "See, it's too big to finish my food." I told her that she had to finish like her sisters did, and I regained my title of being a mean mama.

She makes me laugh. If you upset her, her most common response is "You made my heart melt." She expresses herself very well for her age. I just have to watch out for what mood she's in at the moment. Right now as I type this post, she's telling Iris, "I'm not your friend anymore Iris!" I guess I have to go be a mean mama, and put that girl in her place.

Webcam

Nothing new to report. I just wanted to post some pics. We got a laptop to make things easier on us, and it has a webcam. The girls (and I) have been having fun with it. Jasmine asks me all the time, "Mom, can we take a picture on the computer?" So, here's a few pictures of me and my beautiful girls...

Jamie's New Girl...Dyna

If you look back at one of my earliest blogs, I mentioned Jamie buggin' me about getting a bike. He's wanted one for years...even before we got married. We'll his birthday came again, and just like every other year, his itch for a bike flared up. I simply told him this time around that the decision was his. He knew my feelings about a big purchase, but it was up to him. This wasn't an attempt of reverse psychology on my part. Jamie works very, very hard to provide for us. He does a good job of it, too. He's a wonderful husband and father, and if anyone deserves it, it's him. And I told him that. I want him to have what he wants, after all, it's his sweat that earns that paycheck every week. So, here she is. He got a 2007 HD Dyna Wide Glide. The girls are already talking about who gets to ride it first. I guess our next purchase will be helmets...

My baby is 1!

Levi turned a year old on July 1st. This birthday was difficult for me. He's our last, so I want him to be the baby as long as possible. But that obviously can't happen. I've either been pregnant or tending to a baby as long as Jamie and I have been married. I look forward to the next chapter in our family story...kids a bit older, bigger, more independent...but frown with the knowledge that it will inevitably happen. I'm going to really miss having a baby in the house.

My children, from their pregnancy to where they are now, are highlights of my life. I wanted to share pictures of Levi from the past year, but also his birth story. This is an edited letter written by my midwife, close friend, and second mom, Betsy. Hope you enjoy...

Dear Levi,

Your mom and dad have had your name picked out since before their first baby was born, and that was over six years ago. It's a blessing to have you arrive so that you can appropriate your name. Your name Levi means "attached," or "joined." The first boy who was named Levi in the Bible was named that because his mom Leah thought that because she had him, her husband Jacob would now become attached to her. The family of this man Levi became a tribe in Israel. The tribe of Levi was very important to the Lord...

A few weeks before you were born, one of my friends was praying for you...she was thanking God that you would be like the thumb is to the fingers on the hand of a man. It is very hard to grasp anything without a thumb, so the thumb is very important, but it is different from the fingers. They work together beautifully. Because you have four sisters, they are like the fingers, and you are like the thumb. You need each other, yet you are very different. And you wouldn't be as useful or good without each other. In the same way, you and your sisters will work together even though you are all different. You won't tear each other down or work against each other, but you will learn each other's strengths and be stronger together.

One morning before you were born I was still lying in bed when the Lord spoke a word to me about you...It was the word "Yours." I believe with all my heart that God was telling me...you are His. Then the day after you were born, I was reading Psalm 4, and the 3rd verse spoke to me of you. It says, "But know that the LORD has set apart him that is godly for Himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto Him." You, Levi, have been set apart by God for Himself. You were dedicated to the LORD before you were born. You will be a godly man...

Your birth was much anticipated. Your mom and dad and I thought you would be born 21 days before you decided it was time. We had two dates that were estimates for your arrival, June 10 and June 23. And you went past both of them. On the evening of June 30, your mom lay down about 11pm to sleep. She was tired and ready to rest, but you were finally ready to come, and as she lay down, your labor pains started, and wouldn't let her sleep!

Your sisters all slept through your birth...In about a couple of hours, after you had been weighed and checked and you had your first meal, your sisters all woke up and came in to see you. They surrounded you on the bed, and they were full of wonder and amazement at you. You mom and dad love you very much, and so do your sisters...

I don't know if you will be your parents' last child. It looks like you might be, but even if you aren't, Levi, I want you to know that there will never be anyone else just like you. You are special to me because I've been at four of the five births of you and your sisters, and you are like a little grandson to me.

God bless you richly, Levi. Love Him deeply and above all else.

Betsy