Six times around the sun(continued)....

 This was the best I could do trying to write Solomon backwards ;)

Solomon had a fun day involving doughnuts for breakfast, a trip to the Science Museum, birthday cake and a firework show. He is having a Birthday party at the Arcade with friends from school this weekend. This is the first year we didn't host a party at home for him. I am usually frantically crafting and cleaning the entire week after Christmas trying to get ready for it, it was so calm and relaxing this year! He even decorated his own cake which was quite the change (see his past cakes here, and here and here.)Since he was a holiday baby his parties began as a New Year's pot luck sort of gathering with our adult friends. This year most of his buddies were out of town for the day of his actual birthday so we switched it up a bit. He was okay with that, now that he gets two parties out of it! I am a little sad that maybe he has outgrown the house parties, but it is a lot less work his Mama, and it wont matter a bit how messy my house is the day of his party. Hurray for that!

Back to school time!

Well, let me start by saying I love all my children dearly, and I am forever grateful to have them all in my life but I have to say this summer was incredibly challenging for me with all three of them at home, together, all of the time. My two eldest children just do not get along at all for even a moment.....EVER, and I have heard enough shrieking and screaming to deafen a small country. Sollie started picking on his little sister too and she started taking on his insanely high pitched shriek of defense.

But.......something wonderful happened this week. 

School started!

This may sound harsh to some of you parents out there, but for me(doing the parenting alone in week long stretches)  trying to keep my kids happy all summer long was the most exhausting task I have ever had. I have put my own needs on the back burner for so long that I feel I am not even my own person anymore. Kids don't understand that their mother is a person too and I don't think that really sinks in for anyone until they have a child and can put themselves in their parents shoes for the first time.  As a Mama and a person in general you can really only put your needs completely aside for so long before you start to lose it. Without the backup of my husband  during the week I am unable to get the breaks I need to refresh and feel good, about anything.

With school starting again and my middle child starting full time Kindergarten this year, it has opened up a small window of sanity in my day. A small chunk of time where I can go for peaceful neighborhood walks with my youngest to look for kitties, or go to the park with her to watch the ducks. I can clean my house and do laundry while my little one plays quietly with her toys and listens to music. It is so quiet and peaceful, I can even hear my own thoughts again!!!

 

My sweet tired guy the morning of the first day of school.

I was a little sad about Solomon starting school full time. It is bittersweet. He was my buddy and my sweet little guy for so long. He still is of course, but I can tell he needs more than time at home with mom. He loves school and I am so proud of how he just walks so easily into new situations because that was not at all easy for my oldest child.

Sophie is in Middle School,7th Grade, which I am sure you can tell by the look on her face. Sophie has always done better with a daily schedule and routine, I think despite the freedom that comes along with summer break, not knowing what each day would bring stressed her out.
 Just for fun, here is a look back seven years ago to her first day of Kindergarten:

Awe...so little and sweet!

Here is to a new school year, new friends,new lessons, new challenges....... and just a little bit of quiet.

A day at Sollie's school

Once a month at Sollie's school parents sign up to bring the snack for the class and have the opportunity to spend the day at school with their child, today was our turn. I was a bit  worried how this was going to work out with Nalah along for the ride but it worked out great. She was in awe of the kids and didn't make a peep the whole time, I was impressed and relieved (during the tour we took this summer before we enrolled Solomon we actually had to leave early because she was screaming, glad this worked out better).

It was fun to see Solomon in action at school. I really enjoyed seeing how he interacted with the other kids and his teachers. We had a fun day and it was beautiful outside.

I keep thinking back to Sollie calling it "his school"  when he was a little babe when we would walk past and see other kids playing. It made me smile.

There is so much to explore....

We have been blessed with a very mild winter so far with warm days perfect for spending some time outside and ridding ourselves of that yucky trapped inside cabin fever feeling. We spent some time at a local garden, exploring and wandering and just enjoying the day. We let Solomon lead the way with his magnifying glass in hand. He ran the whole time. He was so happy having the freedom to just run where he wanted to, he had a great time. Living in a city I don't often feel comfortable to just let him explore freely very often. Although I did get a little worried when he got too far ahead since his outfit was perfect camouflage . In fact I just had a nightmare last night that we were at a park in the city and he was climbing huge ladders several stories high to go down very large slides, all the other parents at the park were calm watching their children climb but I was terrified. The after he made it safely down the huge slide we were caught in a police shoot out right there in the park. yikes! Maybe it is a hormonal thing I am going through right now.

My kids are my life and it is slightly terrifying to love them so incredibly much. I am looking forward to having our new babe safely earthside in a few weeks but also enjoying the peace of carry him or her inside, where they are safe. But I know as a mama letting go is part of it, letting our children explore and discover the world on their own is a beautiful natural thing. I am still learning to let them little by little, hoping that by the time they are college aged I will be able to deal with it just fine. Thank goodness I have several more years to practice.

Discovering new friends as well....




I love how chubby squirrels get in the winter, I just want to squeeze this little guy..


Sollie thought he was pretty cute too...


Are you coming, Mama?

Thankful....

I am thankful for feeling well enough to eat blueberries out in the sun.
I am thankful that I was well enough yesterday to sit by a river for a while.
I am thankful that I am the one who has been ill and not my children.
I am thankful that one night last week I felt well enough to eat an actual meal.
I am thankful that I got to "see" a healthy, dancing baby via ultrasound today.
I am thankful that my body grew a healthy baby despite my severe sickness this first trimester.
I am thankful there was only one baby in there .Don't get me wrong, twins are a wonderful blessing but more than we could provide for currently.
I am thankful that after weeks of feeling helpless, that things are finally improving and I am slowly getting better. That there is a tiny little person thriving and growing and knowing that makes everything I have been through during this difficult first trimester worth it.
After all, I would do anything for my kids, even one I haven't met yet:)

Autumn adventures

It has been almost a month since I posted anything here. Our family is going through some changes, some good, some a little hard to get used to. I am not the kind of person who deals well with change. I should learn to, since things will always be changing...that is one certain thing about life.
It has also put things into perspective for me and I am greatful for all we do have, each other over everything else.
Nature is my church and spending time outside ALWAYS makes me feel better about everything. Here are a few pictures from our Autumn adventures.