I never want to forget, and oh, how I wish that were possible. Tonight, the boys and I planned a surprise for Michael’s birthday. They made signs and put a “Yuck! Don’t Look” sign on our obvious secret cake. I wish I could capture their excitement and return it to them in another decade. I wish their zeal for life would always remain. And the time ticks. Before I know it, making your own confetti and hiding under mom’s desk at work won’t be as cool as it was tonight. So, for a few minutes, I’m just savoring life and the family I’m blessed to have.
The twins turn 6 months tomorrow and I have officially survived the most difficult 6 months of my life. There were moments I doubted it would ever be here, as I struggled every nursing session of every colicky night to keep going. I was confident that there was no light and the proverbial tunnel’s edge was only bleak. It was that hard. And every day was a victory–every single day.
Yet, somehow, deep in my mind I also knew that in the midst of these moments I needed also to relish them. As difficult as it’s been, each day has been a victory–and a true blessing. And so tonight, here’s to some randomness of late-More to keep a record because up is down and down, up these days.
Pierson, now 5 1/2 is in half day kindergarten and really loving it. He is learning a lot and taking more pride in his work–He is doing better all the time at his writing, though it isn’t a favorite. You can tell he’s making progress from the beginning of the year until now. He is my inventor and his wheels are always turning. Just yesterday, he rigged a ‘pulley’ in the basement and was hoisting himself up to the ceiling with it. I have to be careful not discourage him with his crazy ideas, because boy are they! Below, he made a computer with MagnaTiles and plugged in a mouse he’d found laying around the house (Side note: favorite Christmas gift EVER–played with EVERY DAY).
Thatcher is in preschool 2 days a week and truly loves being a student. He sits at the table and colors intently, cautious of the lines. We are working on reading, though it bothers Pierson that they are learning together. They are both doing great. Thatcher is a detail-oriented kid and loves to help Michael. He is driven and when he gets his mind on something, world, you’d better watch out! Just recently, he nailed a board to our deck with more nails than I bothered to count. You can still see the evidence in our deck as he spent an entire day driving nail upon nail into the board. He loves to tease, yet is also intuitive about the needs of his siblings. Though, like his momma, he knows how to antagonize his oldest brother and is an expert, as was I, at button pushing.
Sterling has been potty trained for many months now and doing great. She’s definitely confident and independent, but has a soft spot for her Daddy and cries significantly if he forgets to honk at her on his way out the door each morning. She knows what she wants and will not hesitate using her lungs to let us know, though her language is definitely harder to understand than the other kids’ language at the same age. She loves to swing and if you’d push her, she’d stay for hours. She possesses quiet strength, but I’m not surprised. She is my observer. She watches what her brothers do, and will join right in on the fun. Today, she informed me I was wearing my dad’s (BearBear’s) shirt which I was (It was one that my father game me many months ago and I haven’t worn it in forever). Yesterday she wanted to do my hair, and when I watched her, she placed the rubber band in her mouth in the exact manner I do every time I fix her hair. She does not miss a beat! In this video below, she SCREAMED because I would only let her go on the ‘swing’ once. (If you have a difficult time watching the video, you can try the link here.
Merritt was doing the tripod stance up until last week. I walked into the room and the kid had helped himself up to a sitting position. Crazy kid. You’re too young for this. For the last couple of months, he’s been working to crawl and this past week was the a-ha moment. He’s just about figured it out. He’s not fast yet, but I know it will be here soon. He is always hungry and is all about eating his brother’s leftovers.
Anders is the most smiley kid of the bunch and I feel has been smiling since he exited the womb. Always a smile from that kid. And not just a little one–A let’s-see-how-much-real-estate-I-can-take-up-on-my-face type. It melts my heart every single time. He’s loving the johnny jump up and stays happy just bouncing around for quite a long time, or he loves to be held. And if he’s not doing the johnny jump up and you’re not holding him, he lets you know of his disappointment. He also can’t be convinced to eat more. When he’s done, he’s done. And don’t try to convince him otherwise; he’ll bite.
Tonight, I’m grateful–Grateful to be a wife to a man I adore (Happy Birthday!) and blessed, beyond measure, to be called Momma to 5 kiddos. And THRILLED to have made it 6 crazy months with twins, something I thought many times would send me over the edge.
