handsful

The Red Sox played their 4th game today, and they’re 3-1 so far.  Ethan has been on a streak lately, getting hits, walks, scoring runs…He struggled last year, so to see him really begin to shine this year is just plain fun.  Way to go, EJ! 

Okay, enough about the youngest boy in the family.  How about the little one who turned 27 months old today? 

As you can see, she was getting a little impatient for her turn. 

She wanted to show how much she’s learning from her gymnastics-pro sister, Marley.  Looks like she has some work to do on her over/under?

Music is also Lainey’s thing…here she demonstrates how the babies on the bus say “wahh, wahh, wahh”

All that talent can wear a girl out…snuggle time with mama is in order!

 

…give thanks.  :) 

…going on.  Here’s what’s on my mind…

E’s first game, which I saw most of – had to leave to take Abbey to softball practice. 

My hat is off to all the single parents out there…whether you’re full-time, at home while your spouse is serving our country, etc.  Randy has been traveling a lot this last week and I’m SPENT.  It’s hard work, people, not to mention a little lonely.  Praying an extra prayer for those who hold down the fort on their own. 

I had the pleasure of calling the Poison Control hotline for the first time today.  Yep, I had a great track record going until child #5.  I had an empty nail polish remover bottle on the kitchen counter, ready to put in the recycle bin.  I should have considered that “Miss Grabby Hands” (as she’s affectionately known around here) would get to it.  I look over right as she tips it up into her mouth.  Ahh!  I knew there was only a drop or two in there, but smelling her breath told me she definitely got some.  Funny thing, she didn’t even make a face.  Yet another reason to believe that she does NOT have taste buds.  The gal at PC was very nice, listened to what happened, and told me she might have a tummy ache (nah), to offer her fluids (I did), and that she’d be fine (she is). 

Here she is, eating something she SHOULD eat.  A muffin that Marley helped make in her cooking class. 

Speaking of Lainey, she’s doing really well with her speech therapy.  We have a new therapist which we LOVE, and Lainey does great for.  In her words, the therapist is “stoked” at how much potential she shows already (only 3 sessions into it).  We both agreed that Lainey Q is just soaking everything up and readily copying, imitating, singing, signing, etc.  She’s just a bundle of learning, and it’s so fun to watch.  Her latest things are “counting” to 5 – we count with our fingers “one…two…three…” and she copies perfectly and tries to imitate the numbers (three is “eee”).  She LOVES itsy-bitsy spider and wheels on the bus, discovered her shadow for the first time this past weekend, and almost has drinking from a straw figured out!  It’s amazing to watch her experience these things. 

Ethan had his first baseball game this past Tuesday…they won, but EJ did well just to be there.  His asthma has really been kicking up this last week, and we weren’t sure all day if he’d be well enough to make it to the late afternoon game.  He had a couple of breathing treatments, cough medicine, and his inhaler in his baseball bag and we decided he felt well enough to try.  He made it through fine, never needing his inhaler (I was amazed).  He told me he had prayed about it several times, and we talked about how God had indeed allowed him to play. 

Payton and Lainey team up to clean! 

The title for this post is perfect for how I’ve felt lately…there is just too much to do, too many places to be, too many errands to run, too many items on my “to do” list.  Sometimes I dream of being Amish, with just a couple of outfits, a few books, candles, and everyone has their own ONE plate, cup, bowl, and fork.  Then, I come back to my senses.  But, for me, clutter of any kind really drives me nuts and the clutter I’m feeling in my brain isn’t any different than a full kitchen counter.  I know the answer is to purge, simplify, cut back and I honestly try.  I want to do the things that “matter”, the things that will be memories for my kids to look back on and smile when they’re my age.  I’m praying that God will guide me in this area specifically…feel free to join in ;) 

…little of that.  Here is a hodge-podge of stuff going on around here :)

Remember our trip to NC?  We were able to visit my mom’s workplace, a daycare called Building Blocks.  One of the gals there is Ami, and she is a devoted “fan” (ha) of our blog.  She was SO very excited to meet our Lainey, she’s followed our story for quite a while and has grown to love her just from the blog.  Amazing.  She even had a gift for Lainey, an adorable baby doll. 

It’s not exactly “high-tech”, but the pics above are from that day.  I had forgotten our camera, but my mom had hers (as always).  So, the plan was to take her memory card and get a CD made for us to take home.  Well, the machine at Target wasn’t working properly, so all they could do was make these small prints for us.  So, I made do.  Thank you, Ami!!!  (waving!)

Homeschool is in full-swing around here, and it’s going well.  This is from today, our science unit is on rocks right now.  Abbey has always loved rocks, so she was really excited. 

Abbey, all ready for softball practice.  Notice the super cute pink and black cleats (which match her pink and black glove and bat, of course).  This is her first time playing softball, and from what we’ve seen so far, she should do well.  I can’t wait to watch her in a game!

Remember the pic of the violets I posted a while back, with the one pot with only 1 leaf in it?  I started rooting that thing MONTHS ago, and look what we found when we got home from vacation?!?  BABY VIOLETS!!  I just love it. 

Who can resist a toddler in her Oakley shades?  No, they’re really daddy’s. 

More shades, the girl loves them.  And, her leopard that her cousin Anna Grace gave her :) 

With Fay FINALLY gone, we actually went outside to play this past weekend…the grass was only a wee bit damp, and it was great to enjoy the unusually cooler weather (which, has gone away and we’re back to crazy HOT as of today).  Here, big sis is sharing her snack with little sis.  It’s hard to tell, but Marley has poison ivy on her face and neck these days.  It finally got so bad, that she was put on prednisone a few days ago.  Thankfully, it’s beginning to go away. 

Someone in our household is signed up for softball for the first time, so she’s getting a few pointers on throwing from dad.  Gotta love a black and PINK glove. 

Looking good, girl. 

Payton’s looking good, too. 

Well, until Lainey takes away his ball…he doesn’t look like he minds too much. 

EJ is also practicing, with his baseball games coming up this fall, too.  I wonder how many of his games will overlap with her games?

Lainey is telling Marley to drip the water from her cup on her head.  Crazy child. 

Lots (and lots) of rain, some big gusts of wind, but nothing that would cause us damage, thankfully.  So far, it looks like Fay is sort of going around us, but we’ll see how it goes tonight.  We tied up our little palm tree (beside the swing) and so far it’s holding it’s own.  Fay is a little camera shy, this is the best windy picture I could get…everytime it got really crazy, I’d grab the camera and run outside.  Only to sit there and wait for another one that would never come…UNTIL I went back inside. 

So, what do you do on a day where it’s too rainy and yucky to go anywhere and school hasn’t started yet?  If you’re me, you ORGANIZE!  I’ve gone through a few closets and cabinets lately, and today was the pots and pans.  Looks like someone wants to help?!

No, I didn’t put her in, that was totally her idea…she did it quickly, when I had my back turned so, of course I ran for the camera ;) 

Basketball, his fav sport (just like his dad)

Payton is our “middle child”, in that he has two big sisters, a little brother and a little sister.  Never mind that one big sister and one little brother are only 1 minute apart from him :)  When I told Payton that I was going to write a post about him and his “Payton-isms”, he got very excited.  When I asked him if he knew what that meant, he said “nope”.  lol… That’s him.  He’s got the best sense of humor and always says these funny things out of the blue. 

• It’s almost school time around here, and I’ve been busy making up a new daily schedule, a new plan for handling chores, and a way to communicate little requests to the kids without having to “nag” (not that I EVER nag…).  I made up a clip-thingy to hold their chore slips and Payton found it the other day.  He looked at it with a confused look on his face, looked at me, and then smiled and said “you’re planning something aren’t you?”  Just the way he looked at me and said it, cracked me up. 
• I was walking down the hall the other day, and came upon Payton walking toward me with a pout on his face.  He said “I need a hug”.  Well, of course I hugged him for a minute and then he pulled back, sighed a big sigh, and said “ahhhhh…my mama meter is full”. 

Just a couple of examples of how Payton regularly makes us truly laugh out loud.  We think he’ll either be a comedian or pastor when he grows up (the boy can pray like nobody’s business)…maybe both?  I think I’ll go get a hug from him