I Took His Hand and Followed

So I have only 6 1/2 more days left with just Jacob and Noah before school is out for the summer.  Then, in the Fall, my sweet Jacob will join the older two in going to school everyday.  Am I excited?  Absolutely.  Am I anticipating only having one at home?  You bet.  Am I sad that my time with Jacob at home with me is almost over?  Incredibly!!!  Time goes by way too fast...doesn't it? 

I found this poem the other day and I LOVE it.  Wanted to share it with you. 

I Took His Hand and Followed

(Author Unknown)

My dishes went unwashed today,

I didn't make the bed,

I took his hand and followed

Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,

My little son and I,

Exploring all the great outdoors

Beneath the summer sky.

We waded in a crystal stream,

We wandered through a wood;

My kitchen wasn't swept today

But life was gay and good.

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade

And now my small son knows

How Mother Bunny hides her nest,

Where jack-in-the-pulpit grows.

We watched a robin feed her young,

We climbed a sunlit hill,

Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,

We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,

That I didn't brush the stairs,

In twenty years, no one on earth

Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy

To noble manhood grow,

In twenty years, the whole wide world

May look and see and know.

What a good reminder to me to soak up every minute with my kids. And if my house is deshevelled and something goes without being cleaned....who cares? (Well, besides me.) Because when all is said and done, when my kids are grown adults, is it more important for people to say, "my what a clean house she kept!"....or "what wonderful, caring, God-loving, Jesus-following children she raised!"? 

Can I have both?  Most of the time, yes!  But instead of getting so uptight that laundry has piled up (AGAIN!) or the dishes didn't get done or putting my kids off because I just can't stand the sticky floor, I hope I can be the kind of mother that takes time to go on adventures with her kids and enjoys every minute I have with them.

Ballet Debut

Well, we survived our first dance recital.  It was sooooo long!!!  But really alot of fun.  Madilyn's class was the third to dance...out of 45 dances.  Yes, you read that right....45 dances.  She was a beautiful ballerina.  Even though she had a little bit of stage fright and at times just stood there...she still did great!  At her age, you just hope they get on stage and make some sort of attempt.  Which she did.  So we were pleased!

For those of you who have never taken dance or have never had the pleasure of getting yourself or your daughter ready for a dance recital, let me just tell you it is quite an ordeal!  Their hair had to be back in a bun....and not just any, ole bun.  It had to be pulled back very tightly.  With lots of gel to keep "flyaways" smoothed down.  And you want to make sure the bun is flat to their head and not sticking out too much.  Fortunately, my good friend, Laura, is a pro at this and gave me some good tips.  So Madilyn had about 30 hair pins to hold her bun in and about 15 bobby pins to secure the hair net around the bun.  Yes!  I said hair net.  Like a lunch lady hair net.  It was also asked that the girls have hair nets around their bun (not their head, like lunch-ladies do) to help keep stray hairs down.  So after we got the bun secure with hair pins, I had to wrap the hair net around the bun several times and then secure it with bobby pins.  Needless to say....this all took some time!  Probably more time than it should have since I'm such a perfectionist.

Then there was the make-up.  She had to have blue eye shadow, pink blush, dark pink lipstick, and black eye liner.  Much more make-up than any 5 year old should wear.  But it was fun getting her all dolled up for her special event.  And she absolutely LOVED it.  All of the girls looked so cute!  And so grown up!

We had to go through this process twice!  For the dress rehearsal Friday evening and again for the recital Saturday afternoon.  And let me just say....I sure am glad I only have 1 girl to get ready for stuff like this.  When we found out I was pregnant with Noah, I cannot tell you how bad I wanted another girl.  You know...to even things out.  But, even though I still get a little nostalgic about all of the adorable little girl clothes that will never get used again by one of my kids, I am quite content only having one girl. 

So, here's pics of our adorable ballerina:

(She is third from the left in this last photo.)

What a fun experience this was for both of us!  She loved it so much, she wants to take ballet AND tap next year.  We'll see how much she likes it...but I'm looking forward to these next years and seeing how her interests and loves form and take shape. 

I am One Blessed Momma!

My Little Man

He's so lovable...and we're cherishing every fleeting baby moment.  Because they ARE fleeting.  A couple of weeks ago, we said "bye, bye" to the pacifier.  His smile is constantly changing more and more into a little boy smile, as opposed to the toothless baby grin, with every new tooth that comes in.  He's running around the house, chasing his older brothers and sister.  We're getting ready to make the transition from high chair to booster chair.  See, fleeting baby moments.  And I have a feeling that before too long, we will be kissing the morning nap goodbye. 

I love that he's started running up to us and hugging our legs.  He still loves to cuddle and rock before bed. 

While still not talking much, besides the occasional "dada", "mama", "bye, bye", and "hi", he can roar when you ask him what a dinosaur says (the in-house resident dinosaur expert, a.k.a. his oldest brother, is so proud!).  He loves to play pat-a-cake.  Always enjoys a never-ending game of peek-a-boo.  Can "shake it" on cue (and I must say that this is the cutest thing EVER).  Likes to nod his head yes and shake his head no.  His favorite toy is a Little Tykes laptop that Jacob got for Christmas a couple of years ago.  But his favorite thing to do is eat.  And while there's not much he doesn't like, fruit is definitely his favorite.

Out of the older three kids, he definitely favors Madilyn the most.  He has his sister's fine hair (hence the wild-man hair that he constantly sports).   So far he seems to be a little more laid back than the other two boys (which isn't saying a whole lot...he's still quite active)...like his sister was.  They have the same eyes.  The same face-shape.  Same nose and mouth.  He's just a boy-version of Madilyn all around.

We have very few "baby" months left.  And I am so glad that once school starts back in August, and all three of the older ones will be in school, that it will just be him and I at home.  How exciting...to only have one at home!  To get to have one-on-one time with my baby.  And I plan on cherishing every moment.  Because before I know it....HE will be going off to school, too. 

My (Almost) Irish Twins

Only 14 months apart.  Both are middle children.  Sandwiched between the Firstborn and the Baby.  They fight like cats and dogs...but they are inseparable.  Especially lately.  Jacob loves to play in Madilyn's room.  Madilyn loves to have Jacob playing in her room.  And for the past week, he has asked to sleep in Madilyn's room every night.  

He takes his role as little brother very seriously.  He annoys her...on purpose.  He knows how to push her buttons...and loves to push them.  He does not discriminate against her...for to him, she is just another "brother" to wrestle with. 

And, she takes her role as big sister very seriously.  She loves on him, as any caring big sister would do.  And she bosses him around, as any caring big sister would do.  But he takes it, as any good little brother would do.  And when he gets tired of it, he lets her know by telling her that "she is not his boss, God is the boss".  And with that, they start fighting.  Then, before you know it, they're laughing and playing together again.  It's a cycle that repeats itself several times a day. 

There's an interesting dynamic between these two.  An interesting relationship that we can see forming.  She's your typical big sister...and he's your typical little brother.  And together, they're quite a team.  It's fun to watch their "brother/sister" relationship form into a deep, life-long friendship.  And I can't wait to see how it develops as they get older.