The Little One Said, "Roll Over"

As a kid, I remember my mom being one of those people who remembered everything about everything. As I got older, this became fun when I realized she was a walking encyclopedia of funny, random camp songs. She even knew how to make RAIN. I was rather impressed and often snickered when I was able to make her sing a camp-fire song, complete with silly hand motions, in it's entirety. The best was making her sing one of the really long ones like "10 in the Bed."

Yesterday, the whole family was going on a long walk. Todd was dealing with Cooper and a shoe situation while I was reapplying sunscreen to Em. I'd placed Harper on the floor as a 'holding place' since I knew the other two couldn't get to her. Todd called to me because she was on her side, but alas, the kid with this many noisy siblings has been able to half-turn to see what's going on for a while. The next thing I know, Todd and I are looking at this...

She hit a road-block in the shape of her daddy's dirty camping gear, but there really wasn't much to debate: baba is mobile.

I'm excited for her, but rather sad to see this milestone accomplished. I know what it means. I know my carefree days of plopping her on the middle of the bed to stay safe from her siblings are over. I know the days of having a preschooler, a toddler, and an infant are over... my baby is now a "big baby" and it's a rather nostalgic reminder of how quickly these kids grow. The funny thing, as all these thoughts of how old my baby is and how fast the time is going, all I can hear in my head is my mom's trying-to-get-you-to-laugh voice singing, "There were 10 in the bed and the little one said, 'Roll over! Roll over!' So they all rolled over and one fell out. When he hit the floor he gave a shout, 'OWW! Please remember to tie a knot in your pajamas and remember, there's only room in a single bed for...' "

Every Now and Again

When Todd and I were still in Bourbonnais, we heard a sermon from one of the pastors at College Church. I don't remember the pastors name. I don't remember the scripture reference and I can't even tell you which sanctuary we were in for this particular message. I don't remember the point of the message. But I do remember the pastor, over and over again, repeating that a group of people "wanted to go to Asia, tried to go to get into such-and-such, but got stuck in wherever." Funny how I can't even remember with enough clarity to publish on the web the cities or any other point in the sermon except the wanting Option #1, trying to get to Option #2, and getting stuck with Option #3.

We had a diaper malfunction the other night. It wasn't the diaper's fault. It was somehow put on wrong (sleep deprivation?) and thus, didn't realize its full potential. As such, I needed to change Cooper's sheets. I meant to do it first thing in the morning (option #1), but there was a yogurt crisis. I tried to deal with it a few hours later (option #2) but was thwarted by my youngest. And thus, I was stuck with two sleepy kids at naptime and one bed to put them in... alas, poor, unfortunate option #3. So down went Cooper in Em's bed (he'd fallen asleep in my arms on the way up the stairs). Then I had Em to sort out and in the process, Harper started fussing and needing attention. That was the point at which I decided that if life dictated Option #3, I was going to give Option #3 its biggest and best showing ever. A blanket was laid on the floor, pillow for Em was thrown down, and Baby Einstein was promptly put into the DVD player and *poof*!!! I magically had two happy girls who ended up vegging themselves to sleep.

Anyone who has been a mom for two seconds knows the guilt that inevitably comes with the title. Am I doing the best for my baby even if I don't make her food? Will my child suffer attachment issues for life if I shower and she wakes up while I'm in there? Is my little one being held enough? Am I spoiling my child by holding him too much? What if I turn him off to that for life? I had that voice in my head, taunting me with thoughts of my girls' brains turning to over-cooked spaghetti noodles as I stood there. But then, I grabbed the camera, and watched, through my lens, how sweet Em was when she pat Harper's back and told her little sister, "That's called a fish Harper. That one is a birdie. A birdie sounds like 'cheep, cheep' " and so on. By the end of the pictures, I had one and a half kids asleep, they hadn't watched more than 7 minutes of television anyways, and I decided that ever now and again, the good-enough option #3 will work out just fine.

Bath Time III

The older two kids went hiking with Todd today. They stayed out as long as possible because I've been fighting a bug and so they wanted to give me some rest. They played in the dirt, they climbed rocks. They run up and down hills, and then up and down them again. So, when it came time for baths, they were sunburned (not sure they make a sunscreen durable enough to stand up to hours of my kids' abuse!), a bit chapped from the wind, and wanting to play. I was bathing them when Todd walked in and said what I'd been thinking: "We should get Harper in the tub with the other two". Within minutes, Cooper is "sharing" all his toys by piling them on top of Harp's tummy. Em is trying to show her how to float and both are battling for her undivided attention... a position my youngest is quite familiar with and indeed, loves to her core. Then Cooper generously gave Harper his foam #1 and I got the brilliant idea to take a picture of this momentous occasion. Not sure we'll think it so momentous in a few years, but it made Todd and I laugh out loud... especially as we were trying to count all the chins our offspring sport!

First Haircut

Some of you may remember the trauma that was Em's first haircut. For those of you who don't, let's just say Mommy was neither ready or willing for Em's locks to be chopped, but it happened anyways. As a result of that event, I've been reluctant to even consider cutting Cooper's hair. It's really pale blonde, so it hasn't been a big issue. Besides, you couldn't see the feathers, even when they did start to grow! Lately, however, they've been more than a bit noticeable. While I'm perfectly fine with curls on boys, I'm not fine with curls on boys that make them look like girls. It's just my opinion, and Coop's have gotten him mistaken for a girl (not sure how). So Sunday was a sunny afternoon and Todd didn't have any pressing business and we did it. A stool was taken to the backyard and the deed was done! I'm still trying to get used to the feel of little prickles on my neck when he snuggles. Cooper loves to just sit for long stretches of time and enjoy the tactile experience of his head now.

Look on the left and you'll see the telltale curls I'm talking about. I know many of you think I'm nuts, but in person, there were MUCH more of them to be seen!

Daddy doing the honors.

Proof, again, that he had hair... and it was long... and needed to be trimmed down a bit.

We left a bit at the top, mostly because he was getting too squirmy to safely attempt the whole military-buzz, but he likes the difference between the two lengths, and I think he's cute no matter what!

OshKosh B-Gosh!

Nearly two years ago, Em received a package from her Auntie Em in the States. There were all kinds of goodies any little girl would love: red sparkly dress shoes, fun shinny chartreuse ballet flats, dresses and one fabulous pink with white stripes overall skirt from OshKosh. It was too big for her at the time, but I stashed it away. I was reminded of that skirt when a friend, who was moving, gave me a whole slew of her daughter's baby clothes. In the massive bag of clothing was a pink with white stripes OshKosh overall skirt!

So I brought the new clothes home. Took out Em's outfit and sure enough, they're the same! I have always loved the idea of dressing sisters alike. Maybe it's because I was always the younger sister and wanted to be EXACTLY like Hilary. Who knows. But on Sunday, I pulled out both skirts and had the girls sit for a few pictures. I love the result!

Harper Laughs

I realize that I've been slacking. There's something insane about being outnumbered by small kids, but I'm loving every minute... well, okay, not EVERY minute. But, every mom has her moments! For the record, this IS indeed a laugh, not a cry. Harp just has her own sense of style, and I wouldn't have expected anything less.

Durban: Part 1

Renovations/repairs to our flat, three kids and life left Todd and I in desperate need of some down time. A friend suggested we use his vacation flat down in Durban. Now for most of you, a vacation in July at a beach house seems ideal but here, it's the middle of winter. I was exceedingly happy to learn that the weather down at the coast was much nicer than in Joburg. Cool, not freezing (or below!) and mild. The worst weather we had, actually, was one windy day. The flat was amazing. Very kid-friendly and right on the beach. We didn't do any swimming, but the kids loved playing in the sand and our daily walks by the water. The best part? For the first time in 6 years, Todd and I remembered our anniversary! I felt so proud of us :)

Each morning, Todd got up with the sun and would take pictures. I chose to stay in bed as long as possible, but when I did emerge, he'd show me the sunrise. It made me feel like I didn't miss anything.

Todd and Em loved running through the shallow waters. Cooper had an incident the second wave he walked through (he's short and it wasn't- oops) so he wasn't as inclined. But, he did love participating in the action safely from Daddy's back.

You will rarely see pictures of me on here because 1)I'm usually the one taking the pictures and 2)I generally don't like the pictures of me that are taken. This, however, is the exception. Harper was enthralled by something moving below her (my feet) but that's okay. Gives me a chance to show off her pinchable cheeks!

Todd waiting for Em to come running to him.

The kids loved writing in the sand. The ride to the coast was about 8 hours, so they'd watched more than their fair share of "Word World" and the likes. At least they put all that screen time to good use and practiced their letters in the sand!