Catching up

School is out and summer is beginning, well sort of. Here it is just windy or raining or both. I have been trying to plant the garden these days and have been busy doing that with this small opening of sunshine we are having. It has been difficult to do with Will as he just stands in one place and cries. He doesn't really seem to like the grass and our lawn isn't really level so it makes things harder for him, therefore I have been trying to plant when he is napping, but that often is not enough time to get rid of the weeds that are currently booming where my garden is suppose to be. I have wondered this year why I am even bothering with a garden, but the thrill I get of growing food from a tiny seed has overcome my laziness again. Here are some pics of things that we have been up to.

William enjoying his first birthday cake. He was timid at first but soon dug right in!

Ethan at preschool graduation. What a cutie!

The boys riding the kiddie rollercoaster at Bear World on Mother's Day weekend. They had such a great time. Kudos to me who was snapping lots and lots of pictures without a memory card in the camera! Serious blond moment. Dad saved the day by snapping some photos with his phone.

These photos are from later that evening. The short version of this story is a trailer gate fell on Caden when the boys were messing around on it. We took him to the emergency room where he got over 20 stitches. It was scary. It had been such a lovely day and things changed so quickly. On Memorial Day we were back for another ER visit when Caden got hit in the head (by his brother, an accident of course) with a golf club. He got two staples that time. In Cade's own words, "I'm having a bad time", and he certainly has been. I am crazy protective of him and seriously considering wrapping him in bubble wrap. I just try to breathe when I see something as a potential accident waiting to occur which is mostly everything. What I am now realizing is that we might want to be prepared on Father's day. :0  Although we now have a hefty hospital bill coming our way, I am so grateful that my boys are healthy with a few more scars that is true, but that they are safe and just as normal and active as they were before.

Guess Who Turned One!

Willliam!

Our littlest boy just turned one and I think our family was all excited over the matter. I have tried to cherish all the baby moments and get in all the cuddles I possibly could with William, but it still went by too fast. Will is now tenderly walking with quite a few falls, but has been fearless in the whole learning process. He always keeps on going. He is saying Mama, Dada, kitty, and last night, bottle, and a bunch of other sounds we haven't figured out yet. He has two bottom teeth and the two top ones are now just cutting through (fun times). He has learned much from his brothers already and thinks wrestling around on the floor is the greatest thing ever. Also, he is now sleeping through the night. YEAH!!! I think he had a good birthday and I just love the 1st cake thing. I will have to post pictures later because I left the camera on from the said event and now the batteries are dead, but it was so fun to watch. 

 

                      

Apparently, I need to get a job!

Last night during dinner my husband informed me that I needed to get a job. "Oh yeah, why is that," I said. "So we can afford to feed this boy," he said. I just smiled.

Over the past few months, Sam and I have been amazed by the increase in our oldest son's appetite. Let me give you an example. Almost every morning Caden wants eggs, either scrambled with cheese or fried which he has with 2 slices of toast and occasionally he will ask for french toast. Then he is off to school with his snack tucked away in his backpack and lunch is served there later on. When he returns home, he heads straight for the pantry for a snack. I can recall doing just that as a kid. Everything pretty normal, I guess. Then dinner last night. He ate 4 rolls with butter and jam, 3 small baked potatoes with butter, two slices of cheese, and a couple helpings of cottage cheese, and that is just what I can remember. The boy is seven! I can't imagine what he will be like as a teenager. And....I have 3 boys!

When I was a kid, my family spent a lot of time with another family who, well, they are just like my brothers and sister, and another set of parents, I guess. Hard to explain, but they were very close to us and I love them. Well, there was a total of 7 kids between our families and we went on many, many camping trips. I can't imagine trying to feed 7 hungry kids, but 'our' parents did it. When it was time to eat, I just remember it being like a big stampede for the food. You had to get there quick or nothing would be left. I still have this innate desire when I'm in a big group of people waiting for food, to get there quick! Well, the oldest of us kids seemed to have a bottomless pit of a stomach. I can recall everyone talking about his appetite. I don't think I have ever seen anyone to this day that could eat like he could. Even my brother, a waif of a kid growing up, could eat so much as a teenager.

So when I see my seven year old eating like he did last night, my thoughts go back to these moments. I wonder what his appetite will be like as a teen and if  I will ever be able to keep our pantry stocked with 3 teenage boys and their friends. Sam is right, I will need to get a job!