Feeling Better

 Hunter was sick yesterday but I went to snap a picture of him because he looked so adorable, and he flashed me a big grin.  Must be feeling better!

Things to Blog About

 The topics that I keep intending to blog about lately:

Brady's four month growth update

Brady's birth story

The story of Brady's name

Sweet things that the big kids are up to these days

Insightful things about motherhood and loving life with littles

What I actually have the energy to blog about after getting the kids to bed after an 18-hour day:

A picture with no words and no explanation

Oh Yeah

 

Laundry

 We're keeping this in mind all week... and possibly longer.

It makes for A LOT of laundry.  LOL.

My Girls

 I guess yesterday was National Daughter's Day... so here are my wonderful girls!

Who Is Who?

 All our kiddos at 4 months of age... do you recognize who is who?

Not Incorrect

 

Sometimes

 Sometimes I don't even have words... but I'm lucky enough to snap a picture.

Pretty Much

 This is pretty much the case

1000 Words

 1000 Words

Cutie!

 What a cutie!

Your Dog

 I saw a post on facebook tonight that said, 

"There's too much negativity on social media right now.  Post the last photo you took of your dog."

I thought to myself, "I can do that, but its been a little while."

I then open up my photos and see this picture that I took earlier today and thought to myself, "Would this count?"

So Good.

 So Good.

Lunch

 Well, I guess my lunch is packed and ready to go...

Everything You Can Give

 The lyrics to "Climb Every Mountain" have been bouncing around my head now for about two weeks.

Specifically the part that says,

"A dream that will need all the love you can give

Every day of your life for as long as you live..."

That is what I have.

I absolutely love my six amazing children.  My hubby and they are my favorite in the entire world.  I LOVE my time with them.  I love my days with them, and I tell them that.

That said, it is not easy to take care of them, both physically and emotionally.  I struggle every day hoping and praying that I have given each of them what they need to feel safe and love and welcomed home.  When they spend 9 hours a day away from me at school, I don't like that I know so little about their day.  I try to chissel out the time ti make sure I'm connecting with them and listening to anything they want to tell me about their day and everything I missed.

I absolutely found my dream.  My wonderful Hubby helped me find my dream -- our family... and it does need all the love I can give.

My family takes everything I have to offer... and I absolutely love it.

This is everything I've every wanted -- to have these amazing little blessings and to be so challenged in loving them, and caring for them, and molding them into the amazing people they will become.  To be challenged to raise them to follow what God has planned for their lives.

They truly are a dream that needs everything I can give.

I am the most blessed mama in the world.

Help us!

 This little one is a full-blown toddler boy... and since Mama has to nurse his baby brother and keep up with his four older siblings... he gets into quite the antics these days.

Lord, help us!

Lots of Love

 We have a lot of love for this guy.

Happy Birthday Hubby!

 Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

You have made my dreams come true.

Every adventure is better with you.

1000 Words

 1000 Words

 Today is September 11th - a day that changed America.

For the first time leading up to September 11th, I tried to explain to my big kids what happened on September 11, 2001.  These have been the hardest conversations I have had with them.

My innocent, kind, sheltered, perfect (well, no... but still) children.  I had to look in their eyes and explain about the four planes that were taken over by bad men -- by terrorists.  I had to explain what the terrorists did to the first three planes, and how many people were killed and then trapped and then killed.  And then, through tears, I explained to them what happened to the fourth plane.

I told them how the passengers had learned what was happening, and how they rallied together and they said these men were not going to use this plane to kill more people.  I told how the passengers fought the terrorists...

...

 and the hope in my children's eyes as they wanted a happy ending...

"And they got away?" they asked...

"No," I had to say.  "The plane crashed in a field."

"And the people were okay?"

"No.  All the people died.  But, the plane didn't crash in to any other people.  No MORE people died besides the ones on the plane."

I don't know what I've ever told them a story before that didn't have a happy ending.  The story of these planes did not have a happy ending.

Last night, I reminded them about what happened on 9-11... my three big kids retold me the story perfectly.  All three of them remembered nearly every detail that I had told them a few weeks ago.

Then, we turned on youtube and watched some of the news footage from 20 years ago.  We watched the timeline of how the events transpired, and then we watched some patriotic tributes to September 11th and the people who died.

It was a heavy night.

They took it all in.

Tracey had a lot of questions.  She skillfully related everything I was telling her to her previous knowledge.

"It's a good thing they didn't drive the planes into the White House.  The White House is so old.  The construction was started by George Washington (the first president) and he is the only president who never got to live there.  Isn't that funny?"

She got emotional when she heard one of the last calls from a woman who told her husband to tell her children that she loved them.

Howard kept asking where the Marines were.  How many Marines were killed?  I told him that some Marines were killed at the Pentagon because that is where the Marines work who are really in charge -- like Marine Captains.  He watched and listened with solemn intensity and then he hugged me and his sisters when we started to cry.

Caroline cried.  She knew it was going to be sad but she said she wanted to learn about it.  She fetched her blanket from upstairs and some kleenex, and she stayed and learned everything that Tracey and Howard did, even though she knew it would be hard to hear.  She wanted to know if there were Mamas and babies in the buildings or on the planes.

They understood the gravity and the tragedy of September 11, 2001 as well as their childhood hearts and minds could possibly understand something so unfathomable.

Then, we turned off the TV and I set to making dinner.  And my three oldest children (who are still so very young) all sat down with crayons and paper and began making cards to give to policemen and fire fighters.

Just Enough

 We're pretty sure that Brady is going to keep his blue eyes -- time will tell, but he is three-and-a-half months old, and his eyes are as blue as can be.

His hair looks light, but it's kind of rubbing off, as many babies' hair does in infancy.  Howard was bald forever, but we KNEW he was going to be a red head.  Any and all fuzz he had was red.

A few people have suggested that Brady might also be a redhead, but I just don't know.  With Howard I KNEW without a doubt that he had red hair -- even when he appeared totally bald (which he was bald FOREVER).  I think Brady's hair will be light... but I don't have that assurance that it will be red.

Then, something happens and I see him in an outfit, like this one, and I see JUST ENOUGH of a little red that I think... well, maybe?

But I'm pretty sure its the red of the pajamas coming out, but he really looks like he might be a red head in these pictures:

Scrubbing

 Now that we're back to the school year, I have almost zero new pictures of my children during the week... and almost zero energy to post during the week.

I did manage to snap this picture when Howard and Hunter were having a blast together in the bath tub a few nights ago.

I believe this was after the children decided to paint their outdoor playhouse with nail polish while I was cleaning up the dinner dishes.

I had to send a text message to Hunter's teacher explaining that Hunter's legs were so colorful because he and his sisters got into some nail polish, and we and tried to scrub it off, but it would probably take a few more baths before we'd be able to get it off completely.

Three and Three

 I was shocked with Brady was a boy.  We had three girls in three pregnancies in a row (with Howard thrown in there as a twin)... then we got Hunter, who was a much prayed-for little brother for Howard... but I would have bet good money that our last child - baby number 6 was going to be a girl.  I really though we would end with four girls and two boys.

Our children repeatedly said they wanted a baby brother so we could have "3 and 3" to make everything even.  I never told them my very strong "mother's intuition" that we were having a daughter.  What do I know?

Now that we have 3 and 3, it has really changed the way I think about our children, plan outings, and even do laundry.  Up until Brady was born, I always laid out the kids clothing in birth order (Tracey, Howard, Caroline, Lee Lee, and Hunter).  It never occurred to me to do anything else.

But from the moment Brady's laundry entered the picture... suddenly it was 3 and 3.

Three girls - oldest, middle, youngest.

Three boys - oldest, middle, youngest.

Planning for vacations, laying out shoes, grabbing swim suits, packing lunches, and more.  Three boys, and three girls - a set of oldests, a set of middles, and a set of youngests.

Our perfect Brady Bunch.

Well... Yes

 I never thought about this, and its really pretty true.

I can handle this for myself... as a mother, it terrifies me.

Dancing

 Last night, in an effort to calm the kiddos down as they were getting ready for bed, I asked Alexa to play "The Prayer" by Josh Groban because this is one of the songs Hubby and I had friends perform at our wedding.  I started dancing with Hunter, and the next thing I knew, Howard and Caroline were dancing (together) to the music as well.

I don't knjow that it calmed everyone down before bed, but it was a great way to end the day!

Movie Night

 Movie night for the kiddos...

How Fancy!

Well... this was done using her makeup (a present from my brother and his girlfriend)... so since she didn't make a mess in the house, there's not much I can say besides, "Oh my!  How Fancy!"

She also made sure that Hunter was fancy too... lol.