Snickeling

At first glance, my title probably appears to be a typo. It's not...it's just another layer of the weird that is our every day life. Snickeling, by definition, is a combination of tickling, wrestling, and snuggling. It's usually done before bedtime, and never involves mommy. Mommy does not snickel. Daddy is the designated snickeler.

Occasionally, some people would rather play with light switches than snickel, however. This guy snuck off to his own little corner of the house and turned the kitchen lights on and off 792 times.

Some people are very ferocious when they snickel, as you can see from the above shot. Tirzah is the snickeling world champ, and has often brought her daddy and brother alike nearly to tears, but don't tell them I told.

Baby got snatched.

Here they are going in for the "sneak attack". They're SO-O-O sneaky. Ahem.

Meanwhile...he came wandering out of the bedroom like this. I think he was stuck, but then realized we were laughing so it was all good.

One great thing about snickeling, is it gives me about 3 minutes of peace (notice I didn't say quiet), and wears everyone out for bed. Including their daddy, who typically falls asleep on the couch afterwards. ;)

The Promised Beach Trip Photo Dump

I warned you it was coming. That post where I got back from the beach, tired and covered with sand, kids, and kids that are covered in sand, and just decided to post a bunch of pictures from our beach trip. It was a lot of fun...after the initial sand-phobia (Jericho), and the shark week memoirs (Merrick), and the usual screeching drama-fits (Tirzah) we settled in nicely and the kiddos had a great time.

Jericho got used to the sand, and if I didn't have a hand on him he would be found running straight into the surf with his shovel, chasing seagulls, or just simply wandering off down the beach without a care in the world as to whether or not I was following him. He likes to live on the edge.

Merrick watched his older "cousins" (actually my cousins) surfing and riding boogie boards, and tried a little of it himself. He jumped in the surf and ran wild with his (second) cousin Caden. He also made sure to fuss at me when he saw an Instagram of me touching a shark some guy caught on the pier. (He did not approve of his mother's post-kiddo's-bedtime behavior, and chastised me appropriately, telling me that shark could have bit me!!! He's so sweet.

Tirzah was the least afraid of the water, and spent a lot of her time playing in the surf. This was a nice distraction from her usual favorite activities of screaming bloody murder at her brothers and pretending to be injured. She also found a lot of shells, and she and Merrick grew way too fond of "hunting" for their shell collections (read: clanking their seashells together) in their beds at 7 am every morning.

Speaking of 7 am...when do I get back to the part where you actually get to rest on vacation? I took my kindle, and I think I maybe read 2 chapters of my book. I did manage to lay out some, but that was often with a sand-encrusted child exfoliating my legs with his sandy diapered behind. I got less sleep that I do when not on vacation, I think.

BUT, as much as I sound like I'm whining, and I am a little...duh, it was SO much fun to just enjoy my kiddos. I was probably way more relaxed and laid back with my kids this week than I have been in, well, ever, and the sigh of relief that all 4 of us seemed to breath was noticeable. Billy, who was only there Sunday and came back to spend the day/pick us up on Thursday, noticed how much fun we were having together before I even told him I had been "lazy" mom this week. (By "lazy" I just mean I didn't freak out when they were covered in sand, or eating chips for lunch, or being too loud, or fighting, or spending 3,573 hours in the hot tub, etc.) I focused more on having fun with them, teaching them kindly instead of sharply out of my usual exhaustion, enjoying them and in turn just enjoying being with them.

If I take away one memory from the family beach vacay of 2013, it will be the joy of just spending time with my kids. Letting them run and play and be themselves. It may lead to a little bit (or a lot) of sleep deprivation and no time to read, but I can handle that for 18 more years. Right? ;)

Beached.

So, this week (or at least part of it) me and the hooligans will be chillin' at the beach. Billy has to work (ALL THE TIME) so he was able to hang out for the weekend. But he's headed home this morning, and I'm doing the beach thing solo with three kids. I thought the Dr's office alone with three kids was bad. Try the Outer Banks alone with three kids. ;) Here's a few pictures from our weekend:

I'm going to focus on keeping everyone from drowning, and calming their shark-week induced phobias, and NOT losing my mind completely, so if you don't hear from us anymore this week, be prepared for the huge photo dump post that will surely show up at the beginning of next week. :)

Chillin

I am telling ya. This has been the WEIRDEST summer weather I've ever seen. I don't think I've broken a sweat yet (ok. kidding about that.) and my yard is a huge mud puddle/mosquito breeding ground. It's so damp out there. I don't think damp and summer are typically synonymous, but what do I know?

I have enjoyed playing outside with the kiddos the last day or so, however. Not because I'm enjoying the chill, but because I'm enjoying that they aren't complaining about the heat. They are hot weather wimps, those babies of mine. My mom sent us outside and didn't care if we fried like eggs on the driveway...we weren't getting back in the house. That'll make a man out of you. (Or at least a future mom who has little patience for hooligans who don't like to sweat a little.)

I'm maybe exaggerating a TINY bit about mom, (sorry, Mom!) but my kids do not like to be too hot. 15 minutes outside and they are dying of thirst (despite the 5 trips they've already had to get a drink from the fridge) and dragging themselves to the shade where they fight like rabid animals over their territory. It's kind of hilarious, and kind of ridiculous. All that to say, I think Fall will be good for my sanity. (I never thought I'd say those words. Motherhood makes you do crazy things.)

Just don't go TOO far with the chill, August-with-the-identity-crisis, cuz when I start having to make them wear jackets they're a whole different kind of rabid animal.

Trampoline Surfing

Or as Merrick keeps incorrectly calling it: "Sorefing". Whatever. It keeps them entertained, so call it what you will. (Possibly call it another one of my activities that should have a 'don't try this at home' label? We love those around here. But promise, this one wasn't my idea.)

They only came away with a little "rug burn". Not sure what you call it when it's not inflicted by an actual rug. Either way, they do have a good time. I am so grateful for their ability to make a ridiculous (ok, and often dangerous) game out of anything and everything. And also the aunties that will stand guard by the trampoline so I can wander around with my iPhone taking pictures of my sister's sunflowers. These things are huge...way taller than me, and that's saying something.

Weirdo Baby

We always call Jericho a "weirdo baby". Just one of those terms of endearment that probably sound mean if you aren't us. Another example...we used to call Merrick "Merrick the Terrible", and we totally meant it as a compliment. And don't even get us started on "Tizzy". If the shoe fits...;)

Anyway, Jericho IS a little weirdo. He's a goofball who keeps us all laughing with his silliness. He loves to do things just on the edge of "you're in big trouble" to make his siblings laugh. Like throwing food, or spitting everywhere, or running away from me as fast as his little stumpy legs will carry him. He's a real comedian to hear Merrick and Tirzah tell it.

The weirdo baby likes to pretend he's big and tough, throwing food and running from his Ma, but he doesn't go anywhere without his blankie. We call it "dawgezz", or "dogdog". Kinda like weirdo baby...all things need a nickname.

He tries to pretend he knows no limits...living life on the wild side running from the law, or his Ma...but he's pretty good about listening when I tell him to do something. (Here he is after I told him to go lay down so I could change his diaper.) He may be on the wrong side, but don't tell the kids. They'll just laugh and it'll take me 3 days to get everyone calmed down and flipped over and in a clean diaper.

iDontCare

So much of our life gets documented with my iPhone. So a lot of it gets left off the blog. I always used to hate doing a blog post with pictures from my phone, all grainy and not all the same shape...you know, not up to my extremely picky photog's standard. (I'm not sure if the quality is increasing or I just decided I really didn't care that much anymore. If a blog was going to get done, it might need a grainy, mismatched set of pictures.) So that's just what we have here.

This was when the kiddos came back from Nanny and Pop's last week. I missed them, but NOT the sticky crummy mess. I don't care what the blogs say. I don't miss messes.

Here is Sir Jericho Hawk on his noble steed. He is the yummiest chunk of baby.

Here is Jericho in his own personal wind tunnel, that he set up himself. I know I know, don't let your kid play with plugs. He is really good at not electrocuting himself though. ;)

The kiddos sending Billy off on a run...clothing is always optional around here.

Three sun-baked babies playing in the porch pool. Too bad this summer has been the rainiest summer possibly since Noah walked the earth and we all are a little sun-starved.

IronBaby. He's a force to be reckoned with.

I JUST WANT TO BRUSH MY TEETH, PLEASE.

Hi, Mommy! How was your run? Did you find us anything? That's why I run, of course, so that I can find random scraps of junk from all parts of the city for my hoarder children. ;)

I'm not sure if turtles climb trees, but apparently Ninja Turtles do.

Yes, he's nearly 6 years old. And yes, I will still carry him whenever he asks...cuz one day he won't. But lets not think about that right now.

So there you have it. A little bit of our life the past week or so, the messy mismatched parts included. :)