The Look and Feel

A few weeks ago, I handed Addallee to my friend who watches her on the days I go to work, and I took a second to just look at her in my friend's arms and I realized how adorable she is and how big she is getting.  I didn't want to go to work because I just wanted to look at my baby girl.

As I thought about my feelings as I was working that day, I realized that while I hold Lee Lee throughout the day, and cuddle her and nurse her and burp her... I don't always take the time to just look at her.  I glance at her to make sure her siblings are not doing something they shouldn't be doing, I look at her to make sure she's still sleeping peacefully... but I don't take the time to just look at her the way I did with Tracey when she was my only baby.

That day, I realized that I need to make a point to really look at my precious baby girl and make a point each day to take pictures of her, make funny faces with her, laugh with her, and to really cherish every aspect of this baby girl's life.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that while I wasn't looking at Addallee the way I want to... I wasn't treasuring the feel of my older kids the way I want to.

While I hold Addallee all day, I hold each of the twins on and off throughout the day... and I hold Tracey significantly less.  As time passes, I will hold, carry, and hug my children less and less and I want to cherish these days when they want to be hugged and held so much.

Since this day a few weeks ago, I have made a point to really look at my Lee Lee every day... and really treasure how it feels to hug and hold each of my older kids.

Caroline really likes to be held still, and gives the best hugs by squeezing me around the neck.  She is such a big girl, but she is also such a little girl, and I want to remember how much she loved to be held.

Howard likes to be held, but really likes to squirm and wrestle.  He wants to be held when he's crying, but then is very quick to want down to run off for his next adventure.  He loves to be held when it involves tickling or flipping him upside down or his hanging over my shoulder.

Tracey still loves to be held and carried, but as our oldest and a 4-year-old, it happens less during the day.  That being said, I really am trying to cherish these days with her and when she asks to be held or carried, to really try to make it happen.  These days will be gone before I know it and she will be too big and too tall for me to hold her the way I can now.

These days are crazy, there is no doubt.  But, I am also realize how precious these days are, and when I look back and tell my life story, there is a very real chance that these will be recounted as the best, most joyful days of my life.  I desperately want to remember the look and feel of my children as much as I possibly can.  I want to put time in a bottle, and ten and twenty and fifty years from now, open the bottle and look at my smiling baby Addallee, and hug my twin toddlers and sweet four-year-old.  But I can't do that.  I can just make sure that I'm treasuring the look and feel of my kids every single day.

Daddy-Daughter Mother-Son

Last Saturday an elementary school in our area hosted a Daddy-Daughter Princess Ball.  Hubby asked Tracey and Caroline to be his dates weeks ago, and so Tracey has been talking about it for a very long time.  When Saturday rolled around, Hubby had a sports tournament all day so I had the kids at home, and we had fun painting nails and curling hair and getting them ready for their date with daddy.

Daddy and the girls went to dinner, and then to the dance.  Hubby said it was very well done complete with high school girls dressed as princesses, stations to make crowns, dancing, and a professional photographer.  Caroline was a little overwhelmed by the excitement, but all in all, Hubby said it was really well done and a great time.

Not to leave Howard and Addallee out of the fun, we planned a Mother-Son (and youngest daughter) adventure.  The three of us went to Grand Junction and met a friend and her two little boys at Chuck-E-Cheese's.  What a fun time.

 

Hugs and Cuddles

Yesterday Caroline seemed to be in need of extra hugs and cuddles.  She was crying and just wanted to be held constantly, but eventually Hubby and I insisted that she sit and have breakfast and couldn't just be held nonstop.

Tracey offered for Caroline to sit in her lap for hugs while they were eating... which was very sweet, and was the perfect compromise for Caroline eating breakfast while getting hugs and cuddles.

 

Reading Time

Caroline directing some morning reading time for Lee Lee (or as Caroline calls her, "Yaya").

 

Preventing Disease

Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was admired for sweetness and kindness to all.

One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room. She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea.

As he sat facing her old pump organ, the young minister noticed a cut-glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water. In the water
floated, of all things, a condom!

When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat. The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist. "Miss Beatrice", he said, "I wonder if you would tell me about this?" pointing to the bowl.

"Oh, yes" she replied, "isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease. Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter!"

The pastor fainted.

School Clothes

I love dressing my kiddos for school.  They have school clothes and house clothes, and I don't think they're ever too young to learn that you should dress nicely to go to work and school.

Caroline's dress was mine when I was little.  :-D

 

Family Valentine's Day

 

We're still finding our Valentine's Day traditions, and I'm sure things will change in years to come... but yesterday was a very fun Valentine's Day.  To compare our kids from past years (just because its fun...)

This was Tracey 3 years ago:

The twins last year:

Addallee this year:

The kids and I painted some Valentines a few days ago, so the day at home went pretty normal.  But, all the kids wore red or pink and were excited to wear their "Valentine's outfits".  Also, all day, I told them when Daddy came home, we would be taking a Valentine's Adventure, and they were very excited with anticipation about that all day.

I was very excited to get three of the four of them smiling (and sitting still) for this picture!

Both my mom and my mother-in-law sent each of the kids Valentine cards (such wonderful grandmothers), and so we opened those after naps.  These grandmas are such a perfect match for each other because Hubby's mother sent the kids little candies in their cards, and my mom sent the kids stickers in their cards.  What perfect Valentine gifts -- they don't need double candy or double stickers... but candy and stickers were perfect.

The kids were so excited for the Valentine's adventure that they got dressed in their shoes and coats and watched for Daddy to arrive home.

 

When Hubby got home, the kids were SO excited to give him their Valentine cards, and I had a present for him that they were excited to watch him open.  Then he gave me a little gift, and we had cards for the kids and a new book for them.

Then, we all drove to Glenwood Springs to have a family date dinner at Qdoba, which was having a deal where you buy one entree get one free if you kiss the person you're there with.  So, Hubby got dinner, and he kissed me so mine was free.  And we paid for two kids meals, and our kiddos kissed on the cheek, so we got one kid's meal free.  The restaurant had some traffic come and go while we were eating, but it was overall pretty empty, which allowed us to have a relaxed dinner with our kids.

So... just a funny memory I want to record.  There is a little boy in Tracey's class at school and she and the little boy are good friends.  According to both Tracey and the little boy, the two of them will be getting married some day.  Well, Tracey asked me several times throughout the day if this little boy would be at our Valentine's dinner.  I told her over and over that I didn't think so because it was a family dinner.  At one point, Tracey whispered in my ear asking if he would be there... then Howard leaned down and whispered the boy's name in Tracey's ear -- it was so funny because he knew what his sister was saying, and I'm pretty sure it was the first (of many times) he has officially teased his sister about a boy.  All of that to say, we were standing in line to order our dinner... and who walks into the restaurant but this boy and his family.  They were just taking dinner home, but it was fun to see them, and we knew Tracey would be excited that he was there.  Or at least, we thought she would be excited to see him.  After talking about this boy all day... she never actually said a word to him when we saw him at the restaurant.  Oh, four-year-olds.

I"m learning that I am getting better at fitting our family in selfies... but I blink when I take the picture.  Bummer. 

 Here we are eating, with Hubby in the background finishing up our order.

 

All in all, I really liked the way we celebrated our Family Valentine's Day, and had a Family Date.  It was fun to have something fun and different without the pressure of arranging baby-sitters for Hubby and me to try to make reservations for a romantic dinner.  We had a very romantic dinner... with each other, and our four junior valentines.

What a tiring day.

My forever Valentine!