Put It On a High Shelf

     Those words are said in our house, sometimes audibly, sometimes not, for a variety of reasons. As I gaze around at all of the "high shelves" in our home, I see a myriad of things: medication that we don't want the children to have access to; cleaning products that could be dangerous; scissors and Sharpies, both of which could do untold damage.  We say those words to the "big kids" to keep prized drawings and Lego creations safe from destruction, to place small objects out of reach from the "baby girls," and to protect favorite toys from puppy drool.
     I thought about this today as I looked around at the bookcases containing a random assortment of the aforementioned items. Does that belong there? Is that the best place for that? What is THAT doing THERE?!? As I pondered this and attempted to prevent my anal retentive tendencies from kicking into overdrive, I thought about the metaphorical appropriateness of the "high shelf." 
     Our children are growing, day by day, little by little, being exposed to harmful and potentially damaging tantalizing "things." We are trying to shelter Sophia from exclusive "friends" she encounters at school; we are encouraging Asher to be obedient even when it is difficult; we protect Frankie and Eva from influences that they are too young to comprehend. Oh to have a "higher shelf." Life is becoming more complicated than keeping scissors out of our youngsters hands and toxic chemicals beyond their reach, more complex than dealing with the heartache that follows the demolition of a perfect Lego spacecraft or creative drawing of our family.
     Today, and everyday, I am thankful for a supportive family that helps us raise our children "in the way that they should go." (Proverbs 22:6) I am thankful for positive friends that find the honesty,purity, and beauty in life and encourage our children to "think on these things." (Phillippians 4:8)  What a challenge it is, and will become even more, to shield our kids from the hardships, trials and struggles this life will bring, and to equip them with the appropriate skills when they must tackle them head on.I am thankful today, for my Savior, that, through His grace, has redeemed us from it all and promises that He "will not give us more than we can bear." (1 Corinithians  10:13) Thankful today for the "high shelves" in my life and the perseverance to be faithful to the "The Highest Shelf."

BFF?!

"Mom!  Asher hit me in the face with his rubber alligator!"

"Yeah, but she crossed me off the list to the pretend tea party."

Once all appropriate time-out allotments had been served, and "Alligatory" had been confiscated, we sat down, yet again, to discuss how we should and should not treat one another and how to express ourselves appropriately.

Winter 2009

This is just a recent example, and yes, unfortunately, it is real, of the many (ridiculous) disagreements that Sophia and Asher participate in with one another on a daily (read hourly) basis.  They are 14 months apart, Soph now 5 and Asher 4.  They fight on a (very) consistent basis, but they absolutely LOVE each other.  However, they fall in and out of love multiple times on any given day. ;)  But, at the end of the day, they are best buds.  I love it!  I can't stand the bickering, the whining, and the subsequent consequences, but it does make for good blog-fodder.  Some days I can't believe that I am a Master's degree-holding referee explaining the importance of not pushing someone while they are attempting to use the toilet, or devising an impartial and equitable way to determine who should be allowed to eat the last Dino the Dinosaur Flintstone Gummie vitamin this time.  Although, one thing that they can agree on is that they are pals.   They have a secret handshake (that also includes a "belly-bump" and a "butt-boom"- don't ask me!), code words (I can't wait to see what they'll call me in a few years), and games like "Noodle and Carrot" that, trust me, only they understand.  Most of the time they play and share well together.  They regularly think of the other when one gets a special treat and will ask if they can take one home for the other.  They teach, entertain, and encourage one another and truly enjoy spending time together.

Winter 2012

I know that a certain amount of sibling rivalry and disagreements are nothing but normal, and will probably get worse in the years to come before it gets better.  But, in those moments, when I am tempted to just let them "go at it" and see who wins because I am so sick and tired of keeping the peace and seizing teachable moments for social and behavioral skills, I remind myself to continue "fighting the good fight."  It does pay off.  It's annoying, stressful, and irksome sometimes, but in the end, I want my kiddos to love and respect one another.  And, after a day full of disagreements, "hands and feet to yourself" lectures, timeouts, and loss of privileges, it's nice to know that they will still beg to have a "sleepover" together and fall asleep telling each other bedtime stories.  Sometimes we even agree to it. ;)


Sophia and Asher through the years: Can't wait for the many more Kodak moments to come!

Asher's first day home from the hospital

Thanksgiving 2007

Cinco de Mayo 2008

Christmas 2008

Hamming it up! Fall 2009

PIN! 2009

Valentine's Day 2010

Winter 2010

Pilots! Fall 2010

Playing school. Summer 2011

Pirate Party! Summer 2011

First day of school 2011

The tooth hurts!

Teeth are causing many problems lately in our home.  Who knew that teeth of all things would be such a focal point?!  Eva is working on getting her first tooth.  This has caused low grade fevers, inconsistent sleeping at night, and gallons of drool which equals loads of laundry for me.  Francesca is also working on a couple of pearly whites.  She gets an uncontrollable diaper rash with every tooth which bring its own problems.  She also has the low fevers, restless slumber, but rather than drool on everything, she opts to bite everything.  So, her crib, once a dark espresso finish, now looks like untreated pine.  Great.  Last but not least, we have Miss Sophia who is losing her first tooth!  Can you believe it?!  How did my baby get to be this big?  The permanent tooth is emerging behind said loose tooth.  I don't want the "baby tooth" to negatively influence or impede the growth of the permanent tooth and my mom, who worked as a dental assistant at a pediatric dentist office for 30+ years, says I need to get it out of there.  I have been trying to work on it each day to get it a bit more loose, but I have to tell you, it kind of grosses me out.  I start out wiggling gently and then try to end with a more firm tug at which point I usually begin to gag, Soph begins to panic, and collectively we decide to end the madness.  I have offered her apples and corn on the cob, but that little sucker is still hanging on. We have dental appointments tomorrow (our normal, six month check ups) and I have a feeling the dentist might do us both a favor and yank that baby out.  If not, Grandma arrives tomorrow evening, so I will pass the figurative torch, which really looks more like a tissue, and let her finish the job I think.  Wonder if she will also step in as the tooth fairy?  It seems only fitting, right?! You break it; you buy it.  Isn't that how the saying goes? :)

UPDATE:
The dentist wiggled out the tooth before Grandma could arrive and get her hands on it.  Poppy and Grandma did, however, help the tooth fairy out. ;)

Deep Thoughts by Sophia & Asher

I love how literal kids are. I love how curious and genuine they are!  It makes for good comedy, but also some very endearing moments.  Sometimes theses comedic and tender moments are bundled into the same, sweet, little package.  With that said, here are a couple of snippets from the last week that I had to take the time to write down.  I always think I won't ever forget something precious or funny that my kids say, but I almost always do, so this is my attempt to avoid that.  Read.  Laugh.  Enjoy.

The other evening Asher wanted to drink some chocolate milk while wearing his Taekwondo uniform.  I told him he could drink the milk, but had to change clothes first.  Being the obedient child he is, he completely ignored my directions and did exactly what he wanted to while I went to feed Eva.  Of course, he spilled the milk all over his uniform.  In an effort to hide or clean up his mess, he proceeded to unravel an entire roll of paper towel.  He was in the middle of "Operation Clean Up" when I returned to the kitchen.  I took one look at him and explained that was exactly why I wanted him to change clothes before drinking the chocolate milk.  I then informed him that he better to pray to God that it comes out of his uniform because I don't want to have to buy a new one.  He looked up at me with his big, brown eyes and said, "Yes mom.  I understand.  I'm sorry."  Some minutes later it was time to head upstairs for baths and then bedtime.  As I turned to call Asher to come upstairs with me, I saw him on his knees under the breakfast counter in the kitchen, talking softly to himself.  I said, "Asher? What are you doing?"  He replied, "I'm praying to God this milk comes out of my uniform just like you told me to."

Sophia.  What can I say about Sophia?!  She is very social, always wanting to make friends, and seemingly intimidated by no one and nothing.  When I picked her up from school the other day she told me a story that just about melted me.  I asked about her day while we waited to pick Asher up.  She told me that while she was out for recess she saw a little girl sitting all alone.  She said, "Mommy, I walked over to her, put my arm around her and said, 'Hey!  Why the sad face?'  She told me she felt lonely.  But, Mommy, I told her that she wasn't alone.  I was with her and would be her new friend.  And, you know what else?  I told her God is always with her so she never has to feel lonely.  I told her, 'God is wild about you!'" (This was the theme from their vacation Bible school.)  Soph then said that the little girl told her that she knew God loved her and she went to VBS too.  They spent the rest of recess walking around the soccer field, singing their VBS songs.

Zach had recently returned from a trip to Connecticut and Massachusetts where he had learned a lot about the Revolutionary War.  He shared much of what he had learned with the kids when he gave Asher some miniature Minute Men as a souvenir from his trip.  They had many questions about who they were and what they did.  They listened to every word of it even though it didn't seem like it at the time.  Then, yesterday, when I asked Asher what they did at school, he said that they had talked about Veterans Day.  I asked him if he knew any veterans.  He said, "I think so, Daddy and Great Papa?"  I told him he was right.  Then he asked what kind of planes Great Papa flew.  I explained that Papa wasn't a pilot like Daddy; he was in the infantry in the Army.  Asher then said, "What's infantry?"  I said, "Well, he walked and carried a gun" as I wished Zach was there to provide a better answer.  Then Asher lit up, making a connection in his bright little mind, and said, "Oh!  So Papa was a Minute Man?!"

I am reminded of their tenderness in times when I may be too firm or sarcastic with them.  I am encouraged by their genuine love for others, and can learn from their faith and insatiable curiosity.  I am blessed beyond words by these amazing little creatures, and I hope to never take that for granted!

Friday "Blues"

For those of you that know Sophia, you know that she is a very bright and curious little girl.  I love these qualities about her although, sometimes, they create some "challenging" moments.  These moments are usually quite comical, however, not always at first.  I cannot make up comedy better than my children provide for me, and for that reason, I am simply going to tell you the story of yesterday morning:

It was a typical morning.  Francesca was down for her morning nap, I was nursing Eva in the rocking chair in my bedroom, and Sophia and Asher were watching cartoons from inside their newly-constructed tent of couch cushions and blankets, or so I thought...

Asher came into my room to announce, "MOM! You have to see Soph's tongue! Seriously!"  I assumed that Asher was exaggerating, as usual, so I calmly called to Sophia and asked her to come upstairs to see me.

She arrived in my room with a very nervous look on her face.  As I surveyed her mouth, I noticed some blue around her lips.  Then I asked to see her tongue.  She opened her mouth, and it was entirely blue! Royal blue!  Even her teeth.  I asked her what happened and she replied that she didn't know.  I explained that it was important to tell me the truth because if she put something dangerous in her mouth I need to take her to the doctor so I needed to know EXACTLY what happened.  She was reluctant, but then out came "the ugly truth."

The Culprit

"Mommy, my hand picked up that blue marker, you know, the one that smells like blueberries, and I wanted to see if it tasted like blueberries too.  My brain stopped my hand for a second, and asked, 'Should I do this?' (We have been working with Sophia on this concept trying to teach her about self-control.  Obviously, we have been only partially successful.)  My brain answered, 'No!' but my hand didn't listen.  And my hand colored my tongue and my teeth blue.  Mommy, it doesn't taste like blueberries, and now I can't get it off."

Holding back laughter, I asked what she had tried to do to remove it.  She showed me her shirt streaked with blue marker remnants and said she had also tried the soap in the bathroom and the kitchen.  I suggested that she try to brush her teeth too.  She did, and after a couple hours of a combination of scrubbing, brushing, rinsing, and scraping her tongue on her teeth, her mouth had returned to normal.

Unfortunately, I couldn't go and get my camera because I was feeding the baby, and my dinosaur 3G iPhone camera wouldn't work to take a picture, but oh that would have been a priceless photo!  So, hopefully lesson learned.  "What lesson is that?', you may ask.  Well, when I asked Soph what she learned she said, "Don't put things in my mouth that shouldn't go there, and make sure that my hands listen to my brain next time."  Then she asked me if she was going to get punished and, if so, could just her hands be punished because, "My brain didn't really disobey." Hmmm.  I had to think about that one. So, I punished her hands by making them help me clean the toilets, wipe counter tops, and perform other various cleaning tasks.  After about 30 minutes of work, she told me that her brain sort of felt like it was being punished too.  I encouraged her to just tell her hands to tell her brain that it was actually having fun! :)

My "Princess" becomes "Cinderella"

It is frustrating enough when I ruin something nice, but it REALLY drives me crazy when my kids wreck my stuff!  It is almost always "an accident," but unnerving nonetheless!  My darling Soph is the worst culprit when it comes to destroying things, most of which happen to be quite expensive to repair or replace:

Last week she pulled the toilet paper holder off the wall and then proceeded to mess with the drywall anchors thereby tearing them out and putting a huge hole in the wall.

She has been working on and off over the course of months at destroying the leather chair in our living room by picking the leather upholstery off little piece by little piece.  (I figure I may as well wait for her to complete her "project" before I get it reupholstered.)  

On Friday she stuck stickers all over her window to "make it look beautiful."  (I still haven't gotten around to scraping them off with a razor blade.) 

On Saturday, she hit our neighbor's little two-seater sports car (which happens to be the source of much joy for him) with her bike.  Fortunately, there was no damage to the paint and the marks were able to be rubbed out with a buffer.  

And most recently, last night, after we enjoyed dinner outside at a restaurant down by Puget Sound, she dropped my car key through the spaces between the boards on the pier.  It fell amongst the rocks below, and after searching for it for over an hour, I chalked it up to being gone for good.  We then had to walk home, my mom pushing Frankie in the stroller that I had thankfully set her in during our outdoor dinner and me carrying Eva in the infant carrier.  Soph and Asher had to walk the 3/4 mile carrying their coloring books and crayons that they had taken to the restaurant.  When we arrived home, I found Zach's keys and bummed a ride back to the restaurant parking lot from my neighbor leaving my mom at home with the four children.  I got to the parking lot just before they locked up the gates for the evening and drove my truck (which we have owned for a mere six weeks) safely home.  Thankfully, the key to my Suburban was on its own key chain otherwise I would have lost my set of keys to the house and Zach's truck as well.  However, my key fob has a remote starter and a tailgate lifter button, so suffice it say that it will be quite costly to replace.  

UG!  I love my Soph, but man alive! She can wreck some stuff! Of course, Zach is out of town and was, therefore, unable to enjoy the insanity of last night's occurrence or help me decide how to handle all of this.  I have determined that, in hopes of teaching Sophia to be more careful, I must give her some punishment for this seemingly unending string of "accidents."  SO, today and tomorrow, when she returns from VBS, she is grounded from all things "fun" and will be required to do housework.  All day.  I have a list of chores for her to complete.  Her tasks require her to clean and organize various things in her room and around the house, water the flowers, and take out the garbage.  

After bursting into tears when I informed her what her punishment would be, she proclaimed, "But I don't know how to do housework!" My response?  "No time like the present!"  So, cheers to Soph who will learn to do housework today!  Keep her in your prayers; if she isn't careful she just may need them! :)

Soph is Five and I Survived!

I can't believe that my darling Sophia is 5 years old!  The time has truly flown by and now I look at this beautiful, intelligent little girl and am overcome!  Sometimes by frustration with her, but mostly awe and gratification as I see the precious young lady she is becoming.

Since Francesca's birthday was last week, I decided to give the girls a joint birthday party on the Saturday in between their big days.  We rented The Little Gym and invited a dozen or so friends to come play, eat, and celebrate with us.  The kids all had a great time and the party was a "success" overall.  Of course, there were various stressful moments that came as I tried to get three kids party-ready, the food ordered, the gift bags organized and all of us to the venue on time.  Thankfully my mother-in-law was here to share in the special time and also help since Daddy is still deployed.  I couldn't have done it without her!  What was really great was that, once there, the employees took over and handled everything, including set up and clean up!  It was so nice to actually have time to relax, chat with the other parents, and watch the kids enjoy playing!  If any of you are deciding on a place to have your preschooler's next birthday, I highly recommend looking into it!

After such an action-packed day, Soph's actual birthday (yesterday) probably seemed a bit anti-climactic to her, but I enjoyed our meager breakfast celebration (complete with candles, song and donuts) and our "quiet" day at home.  The only thing missing was Zach.  I hate that Soph has to experience these milestones without him, and I hate that he can't be here to watch her play and laugh out loud with her little friends or to get a hug like I did yesterday when she said, "Thanks Mom for such a great birthday and making all of my wishes come true!"  I mean, could you get any sweeter?!  Thankfully, we are on the home-stretch of the deployment and will soon be reunited.  Until then, I have some pretty amazing kids to keep me company (and very busy!) and for that I am inexplicably grateful!