Had another sweet conversation with Gavin today. He has become the mood barometer for our home. If Kenneth and I have a "heated discussion" he will get right in there with a "Mommy...be NICE!" "Daddy, you happy?" It is pretty amusing and also a good way to keep two red personalities on the right side of civil. Well today I was really emotional(common occurance these days...drat hormones) and Gavin came to the rescue...
G: "Mommy, you sad?"Me: *sniff* "A little...but I'll okay."G: "Mommy, be HAPPY!"Me: *double sniff* "Ok baby, I'll try."G: getting a sly grin on his face "Mommy...don't you smile! No smiling Mommy!"(we have been using this bit of reverse psychology with him to great effect to take any semi decent pictures the past few months...)Well, it worked! I couldn't help the big cheesy grin that took over my face for a while after that. It almost made up for how heathenish he was being just before that =).
Today Gavin in a voice of awe told me, "Mommy, you wook go-jus!" You might ask what would inspire such a compliment(other than that I am in fact gorgeous..stunning...etc.) from one so young. Well obviously he has seen some good behavior modeling from his daddy...AND he really liked the necklace I put on(a cheap stretchy affair that he found and asked me to wear). He made my day!
Atticus discovered yesterday(much to his dismay) that he is not the baby anymore...kind of took him a while if you ask me, but suddenly he is very much in need of mommy time. And you know what...he is a pretty snuggly soul so I don't mind all that much. Seriously, when your 3 year old thinks you are gorgeous and your 1 year old thinks that all of the ills in the world are solved by snuggling into your lap life is pretty good. He was my late climber(compared to Jane) but has made up for it with learning how to climb up on my bed. This really creates a problem since in our confined space my bed gives him access to my desk=my computer and all other electronics...It also means that I have no sure safe place to leave the baby...Drat these little monkeys!
Jane is my little spitfire. Her cousin Michael got home from an extended evacuation/vacation to Utah, and she seems bent on letting him know that she is in charge. If there is a fight over a toy she will win...and then walk around the playroom with the toy clutched to her chest, with a Miss America grin on her face and giggling all the while. Laurie and I sit in the side lines encouraging Michael to fight back, but so far Jane triumphs every time. She also figured out how to wriggle out of the 5 point harness on the high chair(with the straps all set as tightly as possible) so she has been eating her meals standing up with an air of extreme self satisfaction.
Anne is a gift. I am suprised by how much I love holding her and kissing her. She is my reason to slow down. She is so sweet and easy right now. The other night she slept from 9pm to 6am...crazy! She only did that once, but she is consistent for 6 hours each night and every once in a while she suprises me with more.
We are finally getting our life put together after the hurricane. We had so much fun visiting with our New Jersey family and getting to know them better. One thing about being evacuated and staying in someone elses house. You get a chance to know those people a lot better. We had a wonderful bonding experience with Rita, and then again this time. Family really is the most important thing. It is nice to get an opportunity to remember how much you love someone that you don't see very often.Other big news...The week after we got back from New Jersey Kenneth lost his job. Dag blasted economy! So we have decided that this is a sign to get down to business with school. Hopefully this time next year we will be getting ready for graduation and preparing for law school. It has also given Kenneth more time to focus on getting the machining business. He is really turning out some beautiful work.Me, I am tired and crazy. To quote a friend, my life is, "wiping butts and wiping noses..." At least once each day all of my children decided to cry at the same time...But also a lot of the time if I am down on the floor giving one of them some loving, I will end up at the bottom of a dog pile of hugs, kisses, and smiles...so I guess it evens out.
Alrighty then, apparently having 4 kids means no posting for a while...I'll get on it!
