Last Wednesday, September 21, Aunt Jen invited us to come back to her house after preschool. We said sure. She made grilled ham & cheese with pepperoni (which was awesome!) and I took along drinks, apple slices, pretzels and our left over mini-vanilla wafer cookies for dessert. They have a great backyard which is shaded and has the play set, etc. The boys enjoy playing with their cousins and I enjoy talking to my sister. :)
I've been trying to remind myself that it won't be nice out forever, so on days that it's not raining, I'm trying to make sure we get outside while it's daylight. That's difficult some days with preschool in the mornings then lunch and naps and Ryan's eating schedule, but I've been doing my best to make sure that we have some outdoors time each day that we can. The boys LOVE to ride their bikes and will ride up and down our sidewalks. They will also push their dump truck and play in their cars, etc. Caleb told me that he loves to play in the garage. Yesterday, he wrote his own name in sidewalk chalk extremely legibly (Shawn was surprised that he didn't have any assistance with it) and then he wrote Joshua's name just as legibly. I cracked up. Little brother syndrome! ;-)
I remember when we got the bigger bikes, wondering if Joshua would be big enough for them and if he'd be able to ride and somewhat worrying (there's no better word for it) if he'd be okay on his bike. Now he does it with ease and really enjoys it. I'm amazed at how our children grow! My mom always told me it was short years of long days, and it's so true. Five years have flown by, but we do have some days that feel long to me. Other days feel like they fly just as quickly!
Mamaw & I went shopping for shoes again the other day. I wanted to get a second pair of shoes for the boys, in case they got really wet (which happened on Friday) or they got sick on them or in the mud. I don't need a ton of pairs for each kiddo (they outgrow them far too quickly!) but one extra pair while we wash one would be nice. The shoe store that had been closed just re-opened, and we got there at a good time. When the woman measured Caleb's 11.5 wide foot, she guessed that he was four. He smiled and told her that he was three, and I said he just turned three. She told me that he has a four-year-old foot, and that Joshua's size 12 foot was normal for his age. I think my little Caleb Luke might grow up to be a big boy to grow into his big feet. We shall see! They had used sneakers for $3 (and these are outrageously expensive sneakers that are really great for the kiddos). Even their typical close-out prices are much better than typical retail, but for $3 when they are completely washable and looked brand new - we couldn't beat it. Joshua got a new pair of new orange sneakers that are really cool since they didn't have used ones in his size (thanks, Mamaw!) and Caleb got a pair of used ones that are brown & blue that literally looked as if they hadn't been worn before.
Ryan is interacting more with his brothers these days and a little more with toys. He's still not eating well, but Shawn weighed him the other night on our scale and he came to 17 lbs even. So, I'm trying not to worry about him. He did well the first two weeks of study & share, but did not make it this last week. The woman was a little rude to me, too, when I picked him up. I had never seen her before in the nursery, and she didn't seem to like any fussiness at all. I don't want Ryan to cry it out either, but after he burped for me, he seemed okay. I took him into the meeting, but he's at the stage where he coos and gabs a lot. I didn't want him to be a distraction, so I just left. Another gal from my table told me when she saw me picking up Joshua later that his happy noises weren't distracting since we're all parents, but I don't want to take away from anyone else's experience. Such is life! I was sad to have missed the video, but my kiddos are most important to me.
Joshua & Caleb both will smile at Ryan and try to make him laugh. I LOVE their interaction as brothers. :) I am so thrilled to be raising three little men. For the longest time, I wanted a girl. But, after hearing a sermon the other week, I realized that my whole desire for a girl came from wanting my children not to leave as they got older. I've heard the old expression "A son is a son until he marries his wife, but a daughter's a daughter for the rest of your life." I wanted a shopping buddy and someone who would call me as they continued to get older with cooking questions or whatever was on their mind. I realized that I don't need a girl for that. If we cultivate good relationships with our boys, we will continue to have healthy relationships with them as they grow. I know several families - like my friend Karisten's - where the entire extended family gets together at Grandma's house every Sunday for a meal. She said all her cousins go with their kids, etc. My friend's cousins do the same thing, both boys with their wives and kids and girls with their husbands and kids. So, the more I thought about our situation, the more thankful I am for my boys for so many reasons. For one, I have no desire to do girls' hair or struggle with putting tights on another person. I am not frilly in the slightest and enjoy more boy interaction. I won't have to worry about moodiness as much during the teenage years. I like how the boys and their daddy interact and that he can easily teach them sports (not that he couldn't teach girls, too, but there's just a special father-son bond with him and our kids). I like that we are training and equipping men, who will be leaders in their worlds. In reading about the twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob had at least one daughter too (Dinah) but she wasn't counted in the 12 that are talked about inheriting God's promises, etc. Part of that is customs at the time, but part of it is that men are the heads of the households, etc. I am honored that God would entrust me with three of HIS men. Also, as we take family vacations, I'm glad that our boys will be interested in the same types of things. I told Shawn that I never cared so much about dinosaurs, cars and trains as I do right now. He smiled. We won't have to hit doll exhibits or things of that nature in trying to please different groups. My boys only need two pairs of shoes at all times (maybe three when they get older to have dress shoes). Boys don't care about having a million things in their wardrobe. They don't need the latest styles of hair, make-up and accessories. In general, it doesn't take us long to get them out the door. I also don't have to worry about some of the most grotesque bathroom scenes I've seen because they don't need to touch anything - they can stand! There are so many other things I love about my boys, but I realize that God knew what He was doing in giving us our three sons. I'm thrilled to have each one of them and wouldn't change a thing about them.
I'm trying also to let things come as they come and not get worked up over some of the details. This is hard for me as I am a detailed and organized person, but I admire how relaxed and easygoing Shawn is. It's easier to appreciate the everyday moments when you're not stressing about things. So, I've been enjoying more of our little times together. The boys love to play games; in fact, Joshua said they are his current favorite activity when asked in preschool (between playing with trucks, cars, coloring, etc). We've been playing a lot. I've been trying to work in craft time as well. We've left the TV off, and I've been limiting Joshua's time on the Wii (all things in moderation). We read together. We color together. We play outside together. And there are many times as I'm feeding the baby that the older boys play cars together or with their bags or puzzles or various other activities. As I was going for a jog the other day, I realized that when they grow up, I'll miss these "everyday moments" that I'm so cherishing right now. They may not be "picture worthy" times, but they are precious times. Simple things like eating breakfast and lunch together, talking about silly songs or making rhymes, purposefully mixing things up (saying that tags go on the belly verses the back for clothing), or other things we do on a regular basis are moments that I absolutely love. I am so thankful to be here with my boys in their lives. I love them!
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