Your Brain on...Pregnancy.

I may be just old...but I'm sure at least some of us remember those "Your Brain on Drugs" commercials. I'm kinda feeling like that applies to pregnancy, too. I'm feeling a lot like that egg in the commercial. Fried. Done. Over-cooked. (I'm not even due yet, but it sure feels like I was due weeks ago. I think with each baby the "done" happens sooner.) I will be full-term this week though...so I'm hoping Amaryllis decides anytime now is a good time to give mommy that hospital vacation I've been looking forward to.

All that just to say...I sat down to blog about how we blew up the kids pool this weekend, and how much fun it was to play with them and the GoPro, but I really couldn't form much coherent thought, and I've already been interrupted five times in just this paragraph. So let's just forget it. I'll just post some pictures of all the splashing that happened and you can fill in the blanks. K? Here goes:

Jericho did a lot of that...face planting into the water. I think the thought he was "jumping" into the pool. In reality, he was really just tripping and ending up in the water. But at least he's not afraid of the water.

 It was so much fun to be able to take pictures of them in "action" without worrying about getting the camera wet. The GoPro is sooo much fun and definitely worth the money. I have to admit though, the first time I stuck it in the water I was terrified. (Same with my phone in the lifeproof case.) I kept thinking...what if it leaks?! Thankfully there was no leaking...I mean people get chased by sharks with these things, so I'd hope it can stand up to a kiddie pool and 3 hooligans.

Although when it comes down to it, I'm not sure which is more scary. Shark encounters, or these guys. ;)

Innovation

Typically our mornings look something like this: Merrick and Tirzah wake up first, and thankfully let me and Jericho sleep a little bit later (although not late, so don't get any ideas), and they usually watch a little bit of a movie or fight like cats and dogs or something. Occasionally me and Jericho will get up and find something like this:

I'm so grateful that they do think to sometimes do things like empty the dishwasher, and fix breakfast. I'm not exactly thrilled with the way Tirzah is emptying the dishwasher, but I'll take what I can get. ;)(She was sitting on the counter, using her toes to get the plates out, and then walking across the counter to put them away. Saving herself the trouble of climbing up repeatedly I suppose?) I'm going to chalk this up to admiring her creative problem solving skills, right after I disinfect the counter.

Good Help

You always hear the saying, "you can't find good help these days". Well, I can't get away from my "good help". Jericho LOVES to help me around the house, and it's the cutest thing. He loves to start the dryer and help me put away clothes and clean. The only problem is he's actually unfolding the laundry and making a bigger mess as he cleans.

 I do my best to just embrace the "help"...it's hard for me, as picky as I am about the house and everything. (I'm sure it's God's way of helping me chill out.) He's always so happy while he's helping, so it's fun to spend some time with him where he's not biting a sibling or trying to escape out of the house.

This week the two of us will have plenty of time together, since the older two have two different VBS's they are attending, but he's still too young. I don't think I've spent any significant alone time with this guy since last year when they were at VBS. It's sad to admit...but unless you're the oldest sibling the attention definitely gets split up a lot of different ways. I think having this time with him has made me realize how important it is to make time to spend with each of the kids. 

At least he doesn't have expensive taste...we can clean, do laundry, and ride tractors at Home Depot all day long and he's perfectly content.

Growing Pains

This guy...he's growing way too fast. I'm never more aware of that as I am when I am sneaking peaks at him when he doesn't know it. He's going to be seven this year...SEVEN. I was looking at his feet the other day. They are huge, and they look like a teenager's feet. I'm not ready for him not to be a little boy. He lost a second tooth late last week. Have mercy already! He made himself breakfast yesterday morning...and ate every crumb of the 3 waffles he toasted.

While he is growing up so fast, too fast if you ask me, he still has the sweetest, most innocent heart. He does know how to pick on a sibling or two, and can throw a mean pout, but will be the first to say "mom, I'll do that for you", or "mom, do you want me to get you anything?". Every night before he goes to bed he spends a few minutes talking to his baby sister (Amaryllis)...telling her he loves her and can't wait to see her cute face. He's already great big brother to her. I can't wait till he actually gets to see her. I'm sure that'll be here before I blink...so I'm trying to enjoy all the time I can with these "babies" before the next one gets here.

Now It's Summer...

It seems like it's always "officially" Summer when you can go swimming. We are members of the Y, and for some ridiculous reason they seem to like keeping all their pools indoors. (I know I know, you can use it year-round...but we wanna swim outside in the sun!) There is one outdoor YMCA pool we can use, but it's 30 minutes away near my parents' house. By the time I lotion up 3 kids and get out there it's already been a long day. So since we knew we would be out that way yesterday, we planned to swim at their neighbors' pool.

Neither one of the 3 amigos know how to swim...a problem I am hoping to remedy this Summer. (I mean, cuz having a 4th baby isn't enough to do in one Summer, right?) But they still love to go to the pool. I would feel a lot better if they knew how to stay afloat, though. (If anyone has any pointers on what you did to teach your kiddos to swim, besides hundreds of dollars in swim lessons, feel free to pass it on! Right now, my kids are experts at the floatie-death-grip...but that's about the only swim stroke they've mastered.) They may not be Michael Phelps quite yet, but I am looking forward to lots more fun in the sun with these wild animals this Summer.