The boys are learning to knit?

A few months ago I took a knitting class. I don't know why I want to learn to knit. The knitting instructor explained some of the benefits of knitting - one of them being stress relief. Before I left for the class, Lake asked me if I would teach him what I learned.

Fast forward a few months...

I found an instructional knitting website with video clips demonstrating cast-on, knit stitch, purl stitch, increase, decrease, and bind-off. What more could I ask for?

So, I have finally mastered the cast-on. Yesterday I taught Lake how to cast-on. He's actually good at it. Today I taught Tate how to cast-on. Both boys write with their left hand. Lake is knitting with his right and Tate is knitting with his left. I'm having a little trouble teaching him but he is slowly catching on.

Rosie has a piece of yarn about two feet long. She is knitting a sweater. I don't think John Henry will let her out of the house wearing it!

Once we get something large enough I'll post pictures.

Rosie has daisies

About a year ago my mom made a deal with Rosie. When she gave up her pacifier (yes, she is now four and until a week ago still used her pacifier when she went to bed) she would take her to get her ears pierced. I talked to the dentist about the pacifier and he warned me that if I took it away she may very well start sucking her thumb. He recommended that we just leave her alone about the pacifier. Thankfully she finally decided that she is a big girl and wanted earrings. She wanted heart earrings but they didn't have hearts so she picked the daisies.

Can you see?

She shed a few tears right after the piercing but within a minute was dancing around the mall again.

Baseball Buddies

This little baseball team has turned out to be incredible. The team was sort of thrown together at the last minute - it was literally put together on a Friday. They have won every game. Last night the score was twenty-something to three. This has been a typical score this season. Both of my boys are doing really well. Lake hit a triple last night and Tate got on base every time he was at bat.

Roller skating

I took all four to the local skating rink this afternoon. The boys skated for about three hours - taking a few minutes off for a snack and drink. Lake is already complaining of sore legs.

Tate was determined to master roller skating. He did very well, only falling a few times. By the end of the afternoon he even built up some speed, too.

Thankfully this skating rink has a play area for children that aren't quite ready for that kind of skating yet. The girls were quite happy to play and dance to the music. On Wednesday mornings they have a preschool skate and play time. I told Rosie that we would go and I would teach her how to skate.

Everyone was so well behaved that I will probably take them again next week. Hopefully I won't forget the camera again!

New friend

Rosie made a new friend at the pool yesterday. Well, actually all four kids made friends with a little girl named Belle. Rosie had played beside her a few weeks ago at the pool, so when she arrived at the pool yesterday the two boys pointed to her and said, "Hey! That's the girl you played with!" Rosie and Belle seemed excited to see each other again and within a few minutes introductions were made. Belle has a ten-month-old sister with the same name as Daisy. If Belle had been a boy he would have the same name as Lake.

The boys played very well with Belle, too. This didn't really surprise me as they are used to playing with children of all ages. Lake took on the big brother role and was being protective of Belle around some older boys.

We ended up spending over four hours at the pool.

Last night the boys had a ball game and won 18-2. Lake hit two doubles and Tate hit two singles.

I started reading a book about birth order last night hoping that I might gain some insight on my kid's personalities and ways to help with some struggles they may have and so on. I'll let you know if I learn anything!

Disgusting

Our air conditioner has not been functioning properly for a few weeks. I thought it was just because of the extreme heat. John Henry and I had discussed it and were trying to decide what to do about it. I called to borrow a ladder from a friend and after more discussion, she decided that I needed her husband to investigate the attic.

Boy, am I glad she made that decision.

I thought we had a drainage problem due to the insulation getting into the drip pan.

Well, we had a drainage problem but not because of the insulation. We had something that resembled a snake or the remains of a snake in the drain pipe.

I'll spare you the photo.

You're welcome!

School starts in three weeks

Today we went to meet some family in Huntsville for lunch. On the way home we stopped to pick out lunch boxes. The boys start in three weeks from today. The girls don't start until after Labor Day.


Tate chose the 'Cars' lunch bag. I was hesitant without letting on to him that I thought he might like something different. I didn't persuade him either way. I feel like I push him to be like his brother. I want him to be Tate. He's happy with his choice.



Lake chose a very conservative lunch bag. He couldn't decide between a royal blue and this charcoal grey. I liked the blue better so of course he chose the grey.



Rosie chose pink. Enough said.


Daisy was the first to choose. She spotted the 'Hello Kitty' and it was all over for her. I can't believe my baby is going to preschool.
*sigh*

Different pool

Yesterday we went swimming in Hartselle which is about fifteen minutes away from our house. The reason we went to this pool is because it is half price day at our local water park. The Hartselle pool is much easier for me because everything is at ONE pool. There is a very shallow portion (2 feet) that is perfect for Daisy and Rosie. Directly across from this is a cool slide that both boys love. Then of course at the deep end are two diving boards and another slide where Lake spent most of his time. While we were there I noticed that you can purchase season passes. The only draw back to this pool is the hours. They are open from 1 to 6 in the afternoon and 7 to 9 in the evening. My favorite time to swim with the kids is before lunch.

Anyway, it is something to think about for next summer.

It's ripped

The other day I asked the children to get dressed because we had to run some errands. The boys were quick to get dressed as they were playing a game and wanted to finish before we left. Rosie picked out an outfit with no problem. Daisy brought a skort to ask me if it was OK to wear. I told her it was fine. I don't know if you've noticed how skorts have changed over the last year. The old style is sort of like a wrap skirt on the front and shorts in the back. The new style is a skirt all around with shorts underneath. The new style may even have a new name. Well, this skort that Daisy picked is the old style. She put it on, stood up and checked how she looked. When she noticed the skirt 'flap' on the front she took it off, handed it to me, and said, "I can't wear this. It's ripped."

Birthday Girl

It's official - Rosie is four years old! She chose a princess theme (big surprise!) The castle cake had all six of the princesses displayed in the windows. Years ago, Trixie sent her a t-shirt that said, "I didn't ask to be a princess, but if the tiara fits..." Well, she's lived up to that t-shirt!

Tate, Rosie, Lake and Daisy take time out for a family birthday picture. I try to do this on every birthday. Sometimes it happens and lots of times it doesn't happen. Today it happened!

Everyone except Daisy gathered before running off to cool down at the splash pad. Everyone had lots of fun on the playground and splashing around the splash pad until someone got hurt. Gigi's ten year old son was trying to impress the other kids and jumped off a monkey bar type thing. He broke his foot in three places and may be facing surgery.

What is it with my family and friends and broken bones?

Last day to be three

Yes, that's right. Rosie turns four tomorrow. Isn't she beautiful? Doesn't she look much older than four?? The outfit she's wearing is a present from Nano. The color is something my Grandmother would have worn and something she would have picked out for Rosie.

Are you curious about the party? We are expecting 28 children (my four are included in the 28) at the splash pad. The reason for so many children is simple. There are 12 children in the family. Most of Rosie's friends have two or three siblings.
She only invited five friends but with siblings the number jumped quickly. I like the moms so it all works out fine.

After the party the boys have a baseball game. Yesterday at practice Tate got three base hits and Lake hit three homeruns!

An update on John Henry: He had the old cast removed on Friday along with eleven staples. He has another cast on and it's not a walking cast so it's two more weeks of crutches.

Field trip to the botanical garden

Every summer I take the kids and meet Chris and her kids at the botanical garden in Huntsville. This year they've added a children's garden. While we were making the rounds we ran into two other sorority sisters. I don't know that all of our children have ever been in the same place at the same time until now. Between the four of us, there are 13 children - enough for a small class! We were able to get a group photo minus the two little ones that are still in strollers. All in all, there are 4 girls and 9 boys!



This is our group when we arrived before going inside the garden. Well, it's our group minus Daisy. She was hiding behind my leg. Notice Lake behind the stroller? He was a huge help with baby Tom! Below is Daisy. I don't know if you can tell that she is looking at a miniature train just inside the garden.






Of course, the main attraction for the gang was the water. It was 95 degrees so the water was quite sought after!


These water rocks were very smooth in texture, and thanks to the water, very cool! With all of the water I wondered if the kids were even aware of the beautiful flowers. Well, I didn't need to wonder very long. We had packed a picnic lunch and when Daisy was finished with hers, she proceeded to pick flowers for me. I tried to explain to her that they were to look at but that we couldn't pick them. She insisted that I needed the flowers because they were pretty.

Day out with the boys

Yesterday Grandma came to help out with the girls while I took the boys to get a haircut. I usually take all four children with me but since Grandma offered to take the girls to lunch and shopping, how could I refuse?

After the boys hair appointment we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch (their choice, of course!) and then we went looking for Rosie's birthday present. Yes, my very dramatic three year old daughter is turning four on Monday.

Yesterday morning I asked Rosie what she wanted for her birthday. She thought for a moment and then said she wanted a swimming pool.

Daisy said, "I want a purse."

I replied, "It's not your birthday yet."

Daisy shrugged her shoulders and said, "I just want a small purse."

The reasoning that goes on inside her two year old mind astounds me sometimes.

So, back to the day out with the boys. We went looking for a suitable swimming pool and found a very nice one. The only bad thing is that since it is inflatable we probably can't put it in the back yard because the dogs would destroy it. Annie loves to swim and Gracie still likes to chew on everything. These girls are eleven year old litter mates and still often act like pups. I'm sure we'll find the perfect spot by Monday.

Day of swimming

Lake kept 'falling' through his float on purpose. He thought he was so cool swimming to the surface.

The boys don't need their floats at this pool - they use them at the wave pool. For some reason today they decided to float around this pool.

Rosie was the camera queen today.

I was fortunate to get this one picture of Daisy. She doesn't like this 'baby' float but when she heard me say that I was going to give it to someone that could use it, well, it suddenly became her favorite float again. Go figure!

I couldn't resist this one!

Summer ball

The summer ball season started last night with their first practice. Tonight is the first game. The season only lasts four weeks and consists of ten games. It's not as competitive as the regular season - it is designed to help the (mostly) boys understand the rule changes from t-ball to minor b (or machine pitch.) It also helps them not be afraid of the ball being pitched from the machine at 43 miles per hour. Most of the boys on this particular team have played machine pitch before so this will help fine tune their skills.

Three of the little boys are moving up from t-ball. Tate is one of those three. He was a little nervous but very excited. He started practice in the outfield. He then was moved up to second base. Then he was moved to 'pitcher'.

When it was his turn to bat I found myself holding my breath. He has a good form but couldn't make contact with the ball. He finally fouled one ball and all of the coaches and myself along with a few other parents jumped up and you could hear things being said like, "Way to go! You're all over the ball, now!" and "Straighten that one out and it will be a home run every time!"

While he was at bat Lake came to me (I'm not sure why he left the field) and I asked him if was having fun. He said, "Yeah. I'm having fun because I get to watch my little brother do a great job at his first practice. Did you see him hit that ball? Isn't he doing good?" These are his exact words - I know because I have played that short conversation over in my head many times. I didn't realize how much I needed him to say something kind about his brother without me forcing it out of him. They haven't had much patience with each other lately. I expect the little arguments - they are brothers, right? But I want them to grow up and love each other.

Last night was one of those moments that catch you off guard, grab your heart and give it a good squeeze. These moments happen often. I can't explain it other than a physical pain as if someone is literally squeezing my heart. I understand the phrase about loving someone so much that it hurts. The first time I heard that, I thought to myself, "If it hurts then get away." This is a good pain and I don't want to get away!

Different

Being the mother of four children, I am well aware of the fact that no two personalities are the same. Although I do see similarities, the four are very different from each other.

I was reminded of this yesterday.

If I ask the boys to clean their room, Lake usually jumps right in and starts putting things away. Within a few minutes he's complaining that Tate isn't helping. Then Tate starts complaining that he doesn't know what to do.

It finally hit me that he is overwhelmed with large, seemingly (to him) non-descript jobs.

The cure?

Give him a direct job such as sweeping the floor.

While Lake was cleaning the room, Tate was in the kitchen sweeping the floor. Both boys were happy AND they were contributing to the home.

Oh, you're wondering what the girls were doing while the boys were busy?

Rosie was cleaning the girls room and Daisy was following me around the house.

Food, food and more food

I have not had to cook since John Henry broke his leg.

Why?

Because several families from our church have been taking care of this for me.

The evening before his surgery Genius brought sandwiches for the family. Oh, and ice cream, too. Yeah for ice cream

Friday after he came home from the hospital a family brought chicken, baked beans, cole slaw and bread. Another family brought a card with 'pizza money.' We also had a gift card for barbecue in the mailbox.

On Tuesday a family brought a roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. They thought the kids may not like the menu so they included a pack of hotdogs, buns and chips. The kids loved the roast so we'll save the dogs for later.

Wednesday we had 'spikey' meatballs. They are actually porcupine meatballs but Lake renamed them 'spikey.' We also had mac and cheese, grilled veggies and rolls.

Tonight a family brought baked ziti, a wonderful salad (it contained cucumbers which are my favorite - that classifies it as wonderful!) garlic bread AND M&M pie.

I can't bring myself to step on the scales just yet....It's gonna be bad.

Artists at work

This morning Grandma came to stay with John Henry and Tate, Rosie and Daisy while I took Lake to the dentist for a check up. On the way home Lake and I stopped at Hobby Lobby and picked up some paints and paint brushes. It was a rainy day and painting was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Tate painted this flower just for me. I really noticed their differences in style while they painted today. In the beginning, Lake felt like his painting wasn't complete until all of the white paper was covered. Tate was lots more abstract. Daisy spent time putting paint to paper. Rosie worked on controlling the brush. Lake was very critical of the others because they were different than his. John Henry explained to him that was the beauty of art - anything goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, etc..
Basically, they all had a good time and created some beautiful pictures.

Ribbon shirt

This is my first attempt at creating a ribbon shirt. I think it turned out OK. I used a plain Hanes t-shirt with side seams. I ripped out a portion of the side seams. I used three ribbons that I tried to sew with my machine but since the material kept bunching I decided to hand sew. I tucked the extra ribbon into the opening of the side seams and then closed the opening.
Now I need to make one for Daisy....

I know this day will come

But I hope it's a long time away. Rosie had been asking me for weeks if she could see my wedding dress so back in December I finally gave in and pulled it out of the closet.

Is there any way to stop time before they are all grown?

A photo from tonight

Sisters fresh from the bath and just off the phone with Trixie.

Yes, she has grown!

This is Daisy helping John Henry wash his truck....eleven months ago. She looks so small. She was still a baby.
*sigh*

Christmas in July

Be patient....I'm trying to get all of the pictures that I have wanted to post loaded to my blog. Just a few more, I promise!



I don't think this qualifies as 'tree huggers.' I'm not even really sure why we had them pose like this other than the fact that I love to take pictures of them from behind. Oh, yes we did tell them to 'smile' before snapping the shot!




We spent the better half of a Saturday in November taking pictures for our Christmas card last year. These are just a few that I loved but for some reason they were not chosen as the 'one.' This one didn't show Daisy well enough.

The Gang

Here are all four waiting in line at the IMAX theatre in Chattanooga.

Oh, this picture posting is cool!

Six years old

This is Tate on his birthday at the splash pad. He's SIX!

Rosie's Recital Picture

She was just lovely at her dance recital. See, Sarabeth? It's the same dress?? However, we haven't made any alterations to ours, yet!!

Bathing Beauty

This is my Daisy at Tate's birthday party. Isn't she a beauty?

YIPPEEEEEE!! A Picture!!!

Here is the picture of Lake that I promised before Christmas. This is when he lost the first top tooth.

This is not the first picture I planned on posting - I honestly didn't think it would work.

WOOHOO!

So, how's the patient?

Well, he is doing better each day. He still has lots of pain, especially when he moves his leg. He's getting restless and tired of being on the couch. We've rented and watched two movies, "Yours, Mine and Ours", and "Dreamer." I dozed off during both of them. If I sit down for any length of time I tend to fall asleep.

Tate spent last night with Nano. Lake planned on staying, too. However, as soon as I pulled back into the driveway from dropping them off I got a call from my mom saying that Lake had changed his mind and wanted to come home. Which is what I think Tate wanted all along anyway - to have Nano all to himself! He called about an hour ago and wanted to know if he could stay with her again tonight.

Evidently our plans for this weekend are very limited. At some point I need to mow the lawn. I'll wait until another adult is here to help supervise the little ones.