Welcome, Rain.

Today is very gray and rainy. And that makes me happy. For the first time in a LONG time, I don't have anywhere to go. Josh took the kids to school and has gone to work at the "FitWit Factory" and I've been stuck in the house all morning...thank goodness. Gone are the days when I could put on a movie, take a nap or read a book, though. I'm
"enjoying" this rainy day by planning the FitWit Banquet (and hoping it rakes in the cash for the Foundation), doing mass loads of laundry (and hoping it gets folded), cleaning the house (when aren't I?) and hanging out with my bear. A few little nuggets of thankfulness:

* This morning, Tyler's morning rooster routine woke Zay up about an hour early (this is not the part I'm thankful for), and he came into my room for a snuggle. Because of the rain and because the boy has been under the weather...and because he's growing up too fast, I caved and let him in. Even though it was only 10 minutes of quality snuggle time, I loved it.
* Camilla spent about 90 minutes of last night coughing and while I was trying to soothe her (which she just won't have unless it's her idea), she made me giggle a lot. Her pathetic, raspy-voiced and half-delusional 1 am self requested all kinds of things from a cuddle with her bath towel to me changing her diaper to ice in her water. While there are some other things I can think I'd rather be doing at 1am (sleep, for example), I know the days when she is small and sweet and hold-able are numbered. She declares that camels and yaks in the animal book are alligators and nearly everything is the color green. I love this girl.
* My little bear is crawling and laughing quite a lot these days. While his recent sleep switcharoo has me turned around a bit, the smile he gives me when I appear in his doorway is one that I hope is burned in my brain forever. He has the biggest smile I've ever seen and it's priceless to see that my simple appearance gives him such joy. While I don't get too much in the way of house work, etc. accomplished these days, that smile somehow makes it okay.

Off to fold mountains of laundry and await the return of my babies from school.

Thankful

Tonight, while I put my sweet bear to bed, I am overwhelmingly thankful. I have been very anxious about a number of things for the past few days, but I'm beginning to feel a calm come over me. I'm thankful for a sweet 3yo boy that wants, more than anything, to snuggle with his mama and papa. I'm thankful for a feisty little girl that keeps me on my toes. I'm thankful for my husband who will go to the ends of the earth to make sure we are all happy and taken care of. I love my little family. While the drama spins outside our walls, I find comfort in our chaos.

Changing Seasons

When I first began this blog, my intention was to create something that would update the friends and family that we don't get to talk to very often. However, I'm recently finding that I want it to be something different. Rather than a quick run-down of what the kids are up to, I'm wanting to jot down things that I would love to have burned in my memory. Since I don't think anyone actually reads the blog, I think I will take it in the direction of almost a diary or journal - somewhere I can quickly capture the random things that happen in a day - the things that make this crazy journey of parenthood so amazing.

There are times (and often, full days) when I feel like a complete parenting failure that could for sure be on the next episode of Super Nanny, but fortunately, there are times when I couldn't be having any more fun. I think most parents would agree that the amazing parts of raising children can't be summed up in a generic paragraph because it's the little things they do and say that make it so wondrous. I know not everyone out there wants to read about every time Tyler cracks a smile or that Zay peed all over the floor and wall yesterday, but these are the things I want to remember. I'm pretty confident that Josh and I do a pretty good job of recognizing the "small things" on a daily basis. We talk about them and laugh and cry about them, knowing that all too soon they'll be gone. Sometimes one day with three children ages 3, 21 months and 6 months can seem like an eternity, but I cannot seem to comprehend how quickly three years have gone by. My very first baby spelled his named (well, he spelled "Zay," not "Isaiah") last night. He is fascinated with the change of seasons and super excited that the trees will soon be naked! My baby girl busted out her "abcs" and "happy birthday" all by herself a few days ago. My brand new baby boy is sitting up all by himself. I very vividly remember the days these kids were born and I cannot believe where we are now.

So, I think I'll be posting more often, but the posts will probably be mundane and maybe meaningless to anyone but Josh, but they'll capture my life more accurately. Ultimately, I have to capture these memories somehow and this is the best way I can think of for now. :) If you actually read this blog, consider yourself warned!

Delicious!

It finally feels like we're settling in, and activities are in full swing. Two weeks ago, Isaiah began his soccer journey; although, I'm not quite sure just how long the journey will be. Zay seemed to be more interested in telling the coach that someone else had the ball than he was in actually trying to get the ball himself. He made a few field-length runs with the herd of other three-year-olds, but I'm not entirely sure he knew why he was running. He had a lot of fun, and so did we. His Gran came to see his last practice/game, and that made for a very happy boy. :)

Last week, Zay began the Baby Steps dance class at Moving In the Spirit, which is an AWESOME dance company that teaches children about self confidence, expression, leadership and movement. The parents were able to stay for the first class, and it was incredible. The teachers (Ms. Sharon and Ms. Lily) are awesome, and the program is exactly what Zay needs at the exact right time. We've recently found it difficult to get Zay to follow physical instructions because he just doesn't seem to know what to do with his body. He also LOVES to dance so this is the perfect outlet. As you can see from the video, the boy can't stop moving. He immediately asked when he could come back to dance class so it's a success. This program lasts throughout the entire school year, and the whole company performs a big show at the Rialto, which is sure to be fantastic.



Camilla has been talking up a storm lately, and killing us with her simultaneous cuteness and craziness. She has a shrill scream that can be terrifying, but she's super cute when she starts putting words together. She participated in her first 5K last Saturday when Josh ran with the stroller at the East Atlanta Strut 5K. Josh said she didn't crack a smile the entire time, but she told me she had fun going fast. Her newest word is "delicious," and it's pretty cute.



Tyler is doing really well, too. He's almost sitting up by himself, and I think he would be by now if we would practice with him a bit more. Poor third child. He's eating solids and trying out sippy cups. He's mostly an easy baby, but he's been teething for the past week so he's been a bit grumpier than usual. Fortunately, he's sleeping almost all the way through the night. :)



I think that catches us up a little bit! Oh - and Zay's music picks for the week are: Drake's "Forever" and Enrique Iglesias' "Baby, I like it."

Cheers!

Ridin' Solo...plus 3

Yeah, so I've finally figured out that I don't have to stop going to Target just because I have three small children. I just have to stop expecting to be "quick" in any capacity. Putting shoes on two small people takes 10 minutes on it's own, let alone getting everyone dressed, faces washed, teeth brushed, snacks, sippy cups, etc. Even at Target, getting Cam and Tyler into the double stroller takes a long time with all the snaps and straps. Fortunately, they all patiently wait for me to get them strapped in. I think all the talking to myself about how crazy this is keeps them mesmerized.

Once inside the store, things are much smoother except that I should seriously consider getting a "makes wide turns" sign for that ridiculously huge stroller. Also, Target clearly does not want people with strollers (or even carts, for that matter) going up and down the "aisles" of clothing. There is no room. Period. Don't try it. Plus, Cam is rockin' the front seat and I have NO idea what she's doing up there, but she's quiet and still, which is rare. It turns out she has an armload of newborn sweat pants that she is now carelessly tossing aside, much like she's throwing candy in a parade. As long as I didn't toil too long (which is nearly impossible), the kids did pretty well. So there. I celebrated my outing with an iced coffee, which was really more of a necessity given the 1.5 hours of sleep I got last night. I think I can probably manage this whole "mom" thing if I just tweak my expectations.

In other news, Zay has some sort of virus that has caused little, painful blisters all over his tongue. It must be unbelievably painful, and I feel terrible for him because he is having trouble eating. It's trying for ALL of us as we try to comfort him through endless and very dramatic crying, moaning, sobbing, etc. He calls the blisters "boosters" and asks if they're going to be there forever. Oh, geez. I hope he acts this way because he is small and doesn't know any better, but if this is a glimpse into the "inability to tolerate a head cold because I'm a man" thing, I'm in for it. To his credit, Zay DID have a pretty big weekend, which probably lead to his exhaustion: his first-ever Tot Trot as part of the Grant Park Summer Shade 5k, open house at his new dance class and the Summer Shade festival complete with hot dogs and ice cream. Soccer starts in a few weeks, too. And so begins our lives as parents running from practice to practice. Just wait until Cam starts swimming and gymnastics!



The house is living really well. The floor plan is awesome and easy. I can see pretty much everything from my control station (the kitchen, where I wish I were whipping up amazing gourmet dishes, but really I'm just unloading and loading the dishwasher ALL day), and we're finally hitting our stride, I think. All I want in life is routine, which is super difficult with so many small children; however, I think if we can just get over the hump of developing it, we'll run like a well-oiled machine. At least, that is what I'm telling myself. :)

Bacon in Paradise

So, we've been in the house for a little over a month now, and I've been so busy getting moved in that I haven't posted in way too long. Just had to get these two things out there before I forget, though.

1. I was getting the kids ready for school this morning, and this is what happened:

Erin: "What do you want to wear to school today, Zay?"

Zay: "I want to wear my silly shirt."

Erin: "Your silly shirt? I don't know what that is. You'll have to show me."

I open closet door and Zay immediately points to a tropical paradise shirt that Grandma brought back from St. Thomas a few years ago. It's been too big until now, but it's been hanging in the closet, and apparently Zay has had his eye on it. So, despite my "you want to wear THAT?!" I start getting him dressed in his silly shirt and some khaki shorts. As he's getting dressed, I see him looking into the closet again.

Zay: "Mama? Are those shorts the shorts that match my silly shirt?" Oh, snap.

Erin: "Um, yes. Those shorts do go with that shirt."

Zay: "Mama! I want to wear bof of them!"

Erin: "Are you sure?"

Zay: "Yes."

Erin: "Are you SURE?!"

Zay: "Yes."

And there you have it. The boy picks out his very first outfit. You can only imagine the looks we got walking into school. When I picked him up, his teacher said that at one point, she looked over and all of his buttons were undone. Oh, Zay Zay. :)



2. Cam woke up from her nap on Monday and began speaking in full sentences, which is really cute. However, yesterday, she demanded bacon (baco) for lunch and screamed and cried "BACO! BACO! BACO!" for about a half hour. Last night, we were reading a book about two bears and she frantically turned back to the page where the bears are eating at a table together. "Baco! Baco!" Yes, Cam. They are eating bacon. Finally, when I was about to put her to bed, I asked "Does Cam love mama?" and the response I got was "Cam love baco." Alrighty, then. This morning, I made her bacon for breakfast and the poor girl's gums are hurting so badly from incoming molars that she couldn't even eat the baco. My poor little carnivore.

Feeling Blessed

Three years ago today, God blessed us with an incredible gift and we named him Isaiah James. I'm simultaneously thinking "where did THREE years go?" and "wow, it's only been three years...feels more like ten!" I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today as I think back on the moments just before Zay was born. I was really excited to meet the little person that was about to change my life, and I had no idea what was in store for me - that I could love someone so incredibly much (and that the same person would be able to make me laugh, cry, scream and want to pull my hair out all within one hour's time in his toddler years!).

Isaiah is sweet and gentle (unless it involves Camilla). He is a smart little boy with a pretty extensive vocabulary. He loves cars and can name most of the car makes we see about town. His current "favorite" care is a Toyota Prius. He loves music and listening to the radio. He really loves anything by Lady Gaga, but also enjoys some Matt Nathanson, Dave Matthews, Ben Harper and Bob Marley. He HAS to dance if hears anything remotely close to a beat. He has always been a terrible sleeper. He is passionate. He loves having guests over to visit. He pronounces "sp" as "f" so today is his "fecial day" and he'll eat his ice cream with a "foon." He'll do just about anything to go to the park or the pool. He is inquisitive. He never stops talking (unless he's eating). He has to have something to snuggle with when he drinks milk: "mama, who I can snuggle wif?"

I could go on and on and on. I love this little boy and am so grateful for such a blessing. Happy Birthday, Zay Zay!