Friday night we decided to have a little family night and go to a baseball game. We get lawn seats, spread a blanket, let the kids run around, watch a little (sometimes no) baseball, and eat cotton candy. It usually makes for a fun night and Mary Jo did great. She is 2 months old now and is a pretty easy-going baby. The next day Steven's aunt and uncle came to watch Sadie's soccer game and told us a funny story. The night before they had met some friend's downtown to go walking, and they walked past a mini-van. They looked inside and saw 4 carseats and remarked about how crazy that was, the friend spoke up and said "Yes, I saw them getting out earlier with all these little children!" It didn't take Steven's aunt long to figure out that it was our van and our little ones they were talking about. I took a picture a stoplight this morning on the way to church. You can't see Mary Jo's carseat too well but she's in there!
Since that conversation I've been thinking about the fact that I have 4 children in car seats. Granted, Sadie is almost 6, but she's just 38 pounds so we haven't moved her up to a booster yet. I know a lot of families that have as many or more children than we do so I don't really think it's crazy to have 4 kids 5 and under. It has been a bit overwhelming, though, to say the least (hence the lack of blog posts for the last couple of months). A lot of people told me during my pregnancy that "Oh, after the 3rd baby that 4th one doesn't rock the boat at all." Well, my 4th one about sank our boat. Not to speak badly about our sweet girl, she is a blessing and it's not her fault that her mama just can't quite get it together. As a wise friend said when I asked how she was managing her 4, "the house stays messy and we take less showers." We'll get there.
One feat I have managed is that as of the last couple of days we are down to 1 bottle a day - she is finally able to nurse well and I'm so thankful! We have one more weight check tomorrow and I'm hoping she'll be at least 8 pounds, last week she was 7-13.
This is one of Mary Jo's favorite place, it gives me my hands and usually puts her to sleep pretty well!
In other news....my sweet Eli turned 4! Steven's good friend made him this awesome cake for our
Toy Story party, he was a happy birthday boy. I remember my Mom saying at his birth that it was love at first sight, and he has definitely been a Mama's boy from the beginning. He is growing up though and I don't get quite as many snuggles or "I want you"s, but I do love his sweet spirit and kind heart and pray that we can continue to nurture those things.
Along with the mini-van full of car seats (I used to swear I would never drive a mini-van, I'm sure I've blogged about that before), in the last week and a half I have also become a "soccer Mom". I put it off as long as possible but this year both Sadie and Eli have started playing. Steven is coaching Eli's team. If you've never watched 4 year olds play soccer....you should, for entertainment purposes alone. There's a couple kids on Eli's team that are pretty good so the rest of the kids just run after them. Neither of my children have shown any great athleticism at this point but we're hoping for some improvement, at least they're having fun, which is truly the goal. Eli gets tired and wanders off the field towards the end of the game, and Sadie flashes a smile towards her audience any time she runs by. The run through the parent-made tunnel is pretty exciting but the highlight of the whole day is the post-game snack. It's funny, these things I never thought I would do, like taking strollers to Disney World, driving a mini-van, or becoming a soccer mom, have been some of my favorite times. I know I'm way past being cool but I think I'm also a lot happier in life.I almost forgot to post a picture of Mary Jo! I'll end with this...goodnight!
