Growing..... or Not

I think it's fascinating to see where my kids are compared to others on growth charts and such. I know very well that all kids grow at their own rates, and learn new things and such at their own speeds. But it's so interesting to me to see where my kids lie on the "Growth Chart". So I was weighing and measuring (not 100% accurate, but close, I'm sure) to see where they fit. I wasn't too surprised by the results.

Kaitlyn, who is currently only 1 foot (12 inches!) shorter than me at 7, not quite 8 years old falls into the 91% for her height. But, she has her Daddy's fantastic metabolism, so she is just the 51% for her weight.

Nathan started life tiny (barely on, and even below the charts for his first 2 years), but now he's catching up. He falls into the 44% for his weight but just the 28% for his height.

Justin is my little guy yet. He is in just the 14% for his weight (no wonder that he can still wear some 24 mo/2T stuff at 3 1/2 years old!) and the 21% for his height.

Julianne... well, I love having my petite little gal. At 14 months and 19 lbs, she is right about the 6-7% for weight, and about the 8% for her height. Maybe her hair growth and physical growth are tied... once she starts to grow hair the rest of her will grow as well?

So I don't know where Kaitlyn came from! All my other three kids are well below average when it comes to height, and she's at the top. No wonder that kid is out-eating me daily!

Hanging Out at the Ranch

This past Saturday, we were able to spend the day at a ranch belonging to a family in our church in Arlington. We had a fun, relaxing time. We started off with a tour of the old buildings (barn, house, granary/storage building), met the horses and then had a picnic lunch. Then it was down to the river for hours of playing on the shore and tubing down the river.

The original log barn,(which has been restored) built probably in the 1880's, with NO nails... just notched logs put together.

The ranch house, which was built probably later in the 1800's. Restored now and oh, so cool!

Throwing rocks into the river is great fun!


Damming up the river

Floating down the river

So tired out after hours of play

Feeding carrots to Azucar

Being Thankful for the Little Things....

Definitely something I need to work on. It's so easy to get caught up in the "what I don't have" mentality. I see it in my kids daily: instead of being thankful for a cookie, they complain because they didn't get two. Or rather than enjoy the beautiful sunny day outside, they whine because their friends aren't around to play with.
I think (or at least, I hope) that I am a bit more mature and don't just whine and complain because I don't have more, or better. But I do see that it's an area that I do need to be aware of, and continue to work on. This morning is the perfect example.
After juggling 40 minutes of aerobics between helping K and N with their school, I was good and ready for a shower. But, by the time I got out, I was feeling rather self-pitying as my shower had consisted of: attempting to keep the baby from diving into the tub (water goes on, and she wants IN!), breaking up fights between the boys, helping Kaitlyn spell words as she wrote her journal entry and explaining grammar to Nathan. So much for a simple 5 minute, peaceful shower. =( Can't I just have a few uninterrupted moments to myself??? Why can't the kids leave me alone for just a very short time??? These, and more thoughts were running around in my head. I was quickly heading down the complaining path that so annoys me in my kids.
So I decided I need to focus on what I can be thankful for: I'm clean. The water was hot. Julianne didn't unroll the roll of TP while I was wet and couldn't do anything about it. She managed to not completely throw herself into the tub (though she was rather soggy by the end of my shower).
The kid's verse that is now taped to our dining room wall (Phil 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing) is there just as much for me as for them.

Swim Lessons

Today the kids had their first ever swim lesson. Funny how it went exactly how I expected it to go. Kaitlyn got to her class and jumped right in and worked hard. She hasn't really been swimming since we were in Australia for Julianne's birth, but I was so proud of her swimming back and forth across the pool with her class.


Nathan and Justin were in the beginners class, as they are both not very comfortable in the water. Justin was his typical self: grunted and growled when the instructor tried to get him in the water. He spent the entire class sitting on the side. I think his toes did manage to get wet. Nathan at least got all the way in, but he refused to try anything that the class was doing (holding on to a kickboard and kicking, floating on their backs (with the instructor's help), etc.)

But we'll be going twice a week now, so hopefully the boys will start to get more comfortable in the water, and not be so scared of it!

The Things They Don't Teach You in Parenting 101

Today has been a day full of reminders that often, I have NO idea of what I am doing as a parent! Somehow I missed the part in the Parenting 101 Class, or the instruction manual that came with my first child (Ya'll got one of those with your first kid, right?) the correct way to be prepared for certain things that will come my way!

Some of the lessons that have been especially obvious today include:

1. No one told me how hard it would be to get a decent picture of my kids. Today, no matter how hard I tried, this was the best I could get:

2. That after 4 kids, 10 consecutive minutes of silence would feel like HEAVEN! (and also, that those same minutes are EXTREMELY rare and hard to get.)

3. How sad I would feel once my last baby started walking all over the place.

4. That it is possible for the piece of skin on the top (outside) of the ear to swell at least twice it's normal size and turn purple! Thanks Justin for demonstrating this today. (I always thought it would just bend and go with anything.... I guess not)

5. That the best way to find humility as a parent is to take 4 unruly, disruptive, fighting kids grocery shopping with you and endure all the other shoppers stares.

I think I've learned enough lessons for the week. I have a bad feeling though, that I'll get a whole new set of lessons tomorrow!

I'm going.....

To the ladies' retreat with our church! I debated long and hard, and finally decided that I didn't want to miss it. We're going to stay at a Hilton (!-- considering the 'fanciest' hotel I've ever stayed at was a Best Western).

Now only time will tell if this was a wise choice or not. I definitely feel the need for rest and refreshment and a break from the kiddos, but whether going on a retreat with a 14 month old will work out, well, only time will tell.

Day In and Day Out

Wow! It's been a super long time since I last posted anything. I guess the main reason is that most days it doesn't feel like anything worth mentioning has happened. Just more of the same old, day in and day out sort of living. Like the endless piles of laundry I fold daily (has anyone else discovered that laundry doesn't follow a 1 to 1 ratio with each child you add? it's more like it increases exponentially!). Or the constant battles with Kaitlyn to stop wasting her time and mine by refusing to work hard during school time. Or trying to teach the kids to be kind and unselfish. And things like cooking, and dishes, and cleaning up messes, and occasional snuggle moments, and reading stories with the kids, or pushing them on the swing just fill up the rest of the hours.

But if I really stop to consider, there were exciting moments in the last month: Julianne taking her first steps. Going to the circus with the family (the kids had a blast and still play "Circus"). Nathan mastering reading and the excitement that has brought.

I guess I just need to stop focusing on the mundane, and make an effort each day to enjoy the new stages, or accomplishments, and just being with my kids, and being able to serve and love Matt and them.

I'm currently in a new stage of life with Julianne now. The "I can't ever leave her" and the "forget about getting to sit through one single church service anymore" stage. Sigh. A switch has turned, and even the sight of the nursery door sends her into hysterics. So much for enjoying my time home with childcare at church so that I can get something out of the Pastor's sermons. =( I am contemplating attending our church's Ladies retreat at the end of the month. I haven't been to one of those since well before kids. So a good 8-9 years. I could use the break and the refreshment! But I'd have to take Julianne with me, as she would be a terror if I left her for the weekend. But taking her means that she would just be a noisy, active, energetic baby distracting the ladies at the retreat. So I haven't made my final decision quite yet, but I need to soon.