The Six Pack

Zachary isn't our only baby who has been intrigued with our corner cupboard.  Many of you commented about messes similar to this that your little ones have made with pantry contents: And FYI... that wasn't flour scattered all over the floor, but cornstarch!  Have you ever tried to clean spilled cornstarch?  It's not an easy job.  But back to our story... Every child of mine has gotten into this corner cupboard.  What about baby locks? you ask.  Well, it has one.  But it doesn't catch well and the boys have always been able to pry it open, anyway.  And I usually let them.  The unorganized contents of this cupboard provide for some fairly safe and lengthy entertainment, and it usually doesn't take me long to shove everything back in once the baby gets bored.  But there are some exceptions, and one day when Sammy was just shy of a year old...  Did you know... that he got into the cooking wine?! Once again I must thank my talented mothe...

I'm getting our house ready today for David's First Communion party, so I don't have time for a long update, but here are a few pictures that I can't not share. They make my heart go pitter-pat! Sammy, with his "designer" shorts, and Zach, with his fuzz-head, are two peas in a pod: It's just that the "pod" happens to be my bed! And this photo just speaks for itself:

Stoop and recover.  That's, I guess, the official term to denote how a baby bends over to pick up something off the floor, and stands back up without falling on his head or his bum.  Stoop and recover.  That's the milestone Zachy hadn't conquered that officially classified his as "behind" in gross motor development.  Stoop and recover. That's the milestone Zachary finally reached!   (At almost 17 months, but who's counting?)  And not only does he "stoop and recover," but now Zachy can get himself standing up from the ground, which means he no longer needs to crawl anywhere and he is no longer wearing holes in the knees of his pants (well, not as bad as he was, at least!) And Zachy has picked up a few new words, too.  Lately he gets all excited and chants "Papa, Papa!" when we go to visit his grandparents, and hollers "nana" for "banana."  He has also adopted Sammy's love of tractors and recently exclaimed "...

It was a fun and exciting weekend!  Here's a post I started as we headed out of town Friday: I have long hoped to write about travel with children, not that I am an expert or even have much experience.  But it is definitely a circumstance we face several times a year, and there are always unique challenges that come with every trip.  So today, as we head out on another road trip, albeit (thank goodness,) just an hour and a half, I decided to keep myself busy with a post dedicated to travel. This weekend the occasion for our travel is my brother's wedding.  And though I am happy to be part of his big day, and to welcome his bride, a good and respectable young woman, to our family, I dream that we are not headed to Salina, Kansas, but rather to a Caribbean beach, a mountain adventure, or a trek through Europe.  But let's just take it one step at a time... after our last road trip to Texas and Oklahoma in November, I vowed never again to hit the road with my five ...

Did you know... That when Alex was just two years old he taught himself to use a breast pump?   Afterall, his Aunt Melissa got him a little confused...

Starting this week, I will post a little-known fact each Friday about one of our family members. Who knows? If you keep reading, you may discover a deep, dark secret about one of us, or find that you or your children have something quite in common with our family! Today on "Did You Know..." Did you know, do you have any idea , how much my David LOVES dinosaurs? Did you know that "dino" was one of his first words?  Even at a very young age, he built with them, loved on them, and slept with them! He was so enraptured with these prehistoric creatures, that one time he even "baptized" one!  Alas, we did not catch the event on film, but my mother's literacy skills relate the excitement better than any camera: HOLY BRONTOSAURUS! The Mass was close to starting And the church was getting crowded That David would be quiet Was a concept we all doubted. 'Cause Alex was in "Little Lambs" And couldn't entertain him And Grandma, Papa, Mom and Da...

The springtime in Wichita is beautiful.  So far this month, we haven't had too many April showers, and after school the boys spend most of their time playing outside.  I love leaving the windows open and hearing the sound of their sweet little voices playing so hard, getting the fresh air they waited all winter to breathe.  But along with the running around, bike riding, and the imaginative games they play, unfortunately, comes a bit of neighborhood rivalry.  Our next door neighbors and their three boys have been a constant blessing to us since they moved in several years ago.  But now that the boys have reached school age, they have developed opinions and personalities that don't always agree with the opinions and personalities of their peers.  So sometimes as we are cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, one of our sons will run in to recount what happened in the backyard, who got hurt, who threw dirt, or swung a big stick, or who stole the big stick that...

I just spent--and I kid you not--the past two and a half hours, and my only chance to shower, on my knees cleaning our kitchen floor. I swept up every crumb and scrubbed every spot by hand. Zachary offered to help: Then I started on dinner, and Zachy thought he would help with that, too: Remind me why I don't clean?

Ready or not (I'm NOT), here we go again. Zachary is scheduled for his third and hopefully final open-heart surgery on Wednesday, June 30. We need to be in Ann Arbor for his pre-op by Monday, the 28th. I dread this date, which will be here before we know it. But once he is recovered, we will all be able to breathe easier (especially Zach,) knowing the final stage of his repair is behind us. Please keep him and our family in your prayers.

It has been a while since my last post.  The last couple of weeks, it seems, our activities doubled as the weather grew warmer.  Not only are we playing harder, but we're (I'm) working harder, too.  I struggle every day to balance time for my children, my husband, my God, my house, and myself.  And when there is so much to do that it never gets done, well, it's hard to justify time spent on a hobby such as blogging.  But writing about the boys helps me to remember what incredible blessings they are to us, and it somehow helps me to forget, or at least to laugh about, their messes, their mischief, and their sometimes incessant demands.  One day the house will be quiet and clean and we will miss all the excitement and chaos.  So today I'm taking a break from the laundry to write down these memories, to freeze still in time their sweet little faces and their funny antics. One of our most recent projects is growing a garden--right in our kitchen!  Th...