Archive for February, 2010

Life is a whirlwind right now! Last weekend the kids and I went to Memphis for my Grandaddy's 80th birthday party. (Jay had to do some work over the weekend, so he didn't get to come…we missed him!) Bridget and Benjamin rode with me, though, so I had some help and good company. :) Grandaddy's party had a bowling theme, and it was really neat! I had fun, despite having a bad headache, a fussy baby, two wild older kids, and no husband around! It was mostly family, so I had plenty of help. I was pretty tired afterward, though.

Brian continues to grow and change. He is 2 months old now! (Since he was born December 31st, I guess we have to use the last day of each month as his monthly birthday, since many months don't have a 31st. It's kind of odd, but it will do.) He weighs around 11 and a half pounds (or at least that's what the Wii Fit says), and he is getting a lot better at holding his head steady and using his hands. He is a smiley baby! I love to see his face light up when I talk to him. He is truly a blessing!

Unfortunately, Brian and Jay both caught the cold that's been passed around in my family for the last few weeks. Brian was very congested at the beginning of the week, but he now only has a little cough every now and then. It has been hard on me trying to take care of a sick baby, and get the older kids to school, and do all the housework…in fact, I am way behind! But things are looking better now, and I will survive. :)

James participated in a mini dance clinic held at his school Monday night, and then he got to perform his dance Saturday night with all the other kids as well as the dance teams from the Bryant High School and middle schools. He was one of two boys in a sea of girls, and he had a great time! It was really quite a performance, and he did pretty well for only having practiced it once. Here it is:

And last but not least, here are some recent pictures of Brian:

Everyone seems to be happier on a relatively warm, sunny day, and spending some time outside makes it even better! While enjoying the beautiful weather today, I was inspired to write this:

"Ode to a Playground"

Oh, how we love your lack of walls,
your abundance of acceptable climbing opportunities,
and your ability to turn destructive capabilities into unrestrained playfulness.
You have been missed.

Beautiful, isn't it? Thanks for letting me share my sad attempts at poetry. :)  

This is a rather random post…sorry!

I am having trouble finding time for my blogging, which makes me sad. Not that I really have much interesting to say, but I enjoy writing about what's going on in our life! We have pretty much gotten back into a routine after our crazy snow last week. Brian has changed so much in the last couple of weeks that I wouldn't recognize him if I didn't see him every day! He is a happy baby, smiling and cooing at just about everyone he sees. He still gets fussy with his tummy sometimes, but even that seems to be better. I am getting further behind on housework…there is laundry piling up on the couch, dishes stacking up in the sink, and we still have yet to put away our Christmas tree (I'm just being honest here; yes, it's a little embarrassing!) And now we have 9 large boxes taking up a chunk of the living room that contain the pieces to a very nice (read: expensive) storage wall system for James and Eliza's room. We are generally rather frugal people, but we really needed something better in their room to store their stuff. I will write more about it when we get it all set up, whenever that may be!

My mom reminded me yesterday of an excerpt from a poem she had heard once. We looked up the poem and it was so fitting that I want to share it here:

Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

We have quite a winter wonderland out there right now! It snowed several inches yesterday before turning to rain, and everything is still covered with white stuff on this sunny morning. Our power was out yesterday for about an hour and a half, which was scary, but other than that we are enjoying the unexpected break from work and school. (Well, it's not really a break for me; actually, it's more work! But I still enjoy having everyone home.) Jay had to run to the grocery store to pick up some essentials…we were totally unprepared! I think the snow took everyone by surprise (even the weathermen.) Jay got a few pictures of the house and the kids in the snow:

I can't believe it's already February. Brian is a month old as of yesterday, and what a month! He is changing so fast, as babies do. He is still pretty laid back, but he has been having some tummy issues that make him fussy sometimes. He spits up a lot more than my other two did (but that's not saying much since they almost never spit up!) He started smiling at me before he was 3 weeks old, and is smiling more frequently now, as well as making those cute little baby noises. He weighs over 9 pounds, and is still a great eater! He has forgotten how to sleep for more than 3 hours at night, but I think he is growing so fast he is just getting hungry. He continues to study the world with wide eyes, just like he did right after he was born! James and Eliza, who had been kind of uninterested in Brian for the first few weeks, are starting to pay more attention to him as he can interact with them more. Brian is just a part of the family! Here are a few pictures of him recently:

First trip to the park, 2 weeks old

Baby laundry

Visiting in Memphis

Brian's first bath, 3 weeks old

One month old!

And here is our newest family portrait:

We are so blessed!