It’s worth it.

 

 

I was nursing Samuel before his afternoon nap, closing my eyes and trying not to fall asleep/praying for patience for the rest of the day.

 

I heard Joseph sneaking up to me on his not-so-sneaky feet, and opened my eyes to look at him.

He said, “No!  Close them again!  I made a surprise to give you!”

I gladly complied.

 

I felt a light touch on my arm, and then his not-so-sneaky feet thundering back to the kitchen.

I opened my eyes again to find this stuck to me:

And my heart melted and broke and swelled up simultaneously.

 

This motherhood thing, you guys-

 

It’s worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS

A little bit later, he gave me two other notes that said this…

Yes, that says “Babbab” and “You’re Baba”

which is also…nice??…I suppose??

But perhaps not so “main post” worthy, if you know what I mean.

Morning Walk Take 2

 

(Well, take 3 technically.  Because I have THREE kids! Get it? I was afraid you wouldn’t!  Which is why I went with Take 2)

 

Morning walks have always been one of my favorite things to do with my children.

The cool morning air, the lack of traffic, the unhurried pace.

I originally blogged about my morning walks with Joseph (almost FIVE years ago!) here.

It’s a bit funny to me that I complained about Joseph needing to touch everything,

since my walks NOW include my THIRD boy needing to touch everything along with:

 

 

- Isaac yelling, “STOP!  Samuel wants to touch that!  WAIT!  He’s touching it too rough!  SAMUEL!!  Noooo!  Be EASY!  Mama!!  He’s not done touching it!  WAAAAAAITTTT! He’s not DOOOONE….”

 

While Joseph simultaneously talks to me about a planet waaaaay out on the edge of the galaxy that scientists are “guessing” has similar weather and might have life on it.

(I’m not joking.  Get ready public Kindergarten- here comes JOSEPH!)

 

 

 

 

- Joseph asking me how to spell “birdbath” so he can write it down as one of the things he saw in his “field journal” that he brought along for that purpose.

While Isaac simultaneously tries to argue with me on what the appropriate “booty scratching in public” protocol should be.

(Outside the pants. ONLY outside the pants)

 

 

- Isaac literally pretending to SWIM in a pile of gravel in somebody’s driveway

While Samuel simultaneously consumes some dandelions that he has acquired.  (they are edible right?  whatever, I took most of them away)

While Joseph asks how to spell “interesting plant.”

 

And yet,  I still enjoy it!  It was…I’m thinking about it… yep!  My favorite part of the day.

 

 

Also, in case you are wondering, here are Joseph’s field journal entries:

(ignore other scribbles and letters, this “field journal” has also been his “grocery list” and “school book” previously)

“Saw poop”  “Saw seeds”

 

 

“Saw tall tree”

 

 

 

“Saw cat”

 

 

 

“Saw birdbath”  “Saw pretty flowers”

 

 

 

“Beware of Dog”

Rock Star (for a mother)

 

 

My big boys had VBS last week at our church, and on Thursday, we got a newsletter saying that Friday was “dress up like a rockstar day” if anyone was interested in participating.

I was thinking about just skipping it, but unfortunately/fortunately my little Joseph can read, and he was so excited! for rock star day!!!   It was going to be so FUN! and where can he find a costume?! and what was I going to make him to wear?!…

Which meant that Thursday night I was up until 11:30 not only cleaning up, folding laundry, and wiping the toilets (3 boys you know), but also thinking up a rock star costume.  And designing the shirt Joseph was going to wear to his perfectionistic specifications.

(“One more lightening bolt over here!  No, a little bigger!  Okay, more towards the middle!  I didn’t know it was going to look like THAT…”)

I also learned that I cannot draw a lightening bolt.

 

But, I couldn’t help but smile as I was doing it (not the part with him giving orders- the rest of the designing part that took place after they were in bed).

“Here I am!”, I thought, “Up late!  Three kids sleeping!  Designing a LAST MINUTE COSTUME!  This is happening!  I’m an adult! “

 

 

It was really the most I have felt like a real live MOM in a while!

(Well, maybe tied with the other day when I was wiping up baby food/puffs/rice/chicken/whatintheworldisthis?? off the floor while all 3 boys were banished to the backyard for extreme whininess and I was yelling at Joseph “Check what’s in Samuels mouth” and he was yelling back, “I think it is some sort of SPIKEY BALL!” and I was sweating and shrieking “GET IT OUT! QUICK!”  That also felt very “Momish.”)

(Brian has been out of town a lot lately)

Are you ready to see what I pulled together??

 

 

 

 

thaaaaats right folks….

NAILED IT.

Joseph loved being a rockstar so much that he cried when I took off his eye makeup that night.

And he cried even harder when I told him that he couldn’t wear eyeliner again until Halloween!  Because he is a boy.  And FIVE.  Mean Mama!

 

Isaac was just happy to go along with what Joseph was excited about.

And I think we can all agree that he has the creepy-dark-rockstar-vibe thing down

This was one of my favorite moments of parenting- watching my boys peacefully listening to Queen before their big day at VBS.

So, in conclusion, the last minute costumes were pulled together successfully, the boys enjoyed them thoroughly, and I think we can ALLLLL say who the REAL rock star was in the end.

Me.

It was me, guys.

Isaac at the Fair

 

Today my lovely inlaws came over at 2:00 to watch Samuel and Joseph while I took my darling little middle child, Isaac, to the opening day of our County Fair.

(I told him to give the camera a thumbs-up as we were about to embark on our date.  He said, “No, I do a thumbs down!” and giggled, giggled, giggled.)

 

 

 

While at the fair, Isaac ate:

- a caramel apple

 

- 1.5 bags of cotton candy

 

 

- a corn dog

 

- a lemonade

- a cherry snow cone

 

and, strangely, went to bed tonight complaining of a stomach ache.

(he’s laughing because he just yelled, “Poo-poo head!!” to the people watching the ride…)

He also rode on 25-tickets worth of rides, and $20 worth of games to win two (rather lame…to me) prizes.  One of which was peed on later today. (don’t ask)

Basically, what I’m saying BRIAN, is that I hope you like Top Ramen!  Because I spent our weekly grocery budget already!

Also, it was as hot as an inferno.  I felt like my eyeballs might have melted right out of my skull, and I lost maybe 10 lbs of sweat.

(he got embarrassed because the attendant told him to not undo the bungee cord again.  Don’t worry, I called his name and gave that sweetie a thumbs up!)

But, you know what??

It was SO WORTH IT.

Because look at this face:

He LOOOOOVED it!

And he told me tonight at tuck-in time, “Thank you, Mama to taking me to the rides!”

Which I’m pretty sure is his way of giving me a “thumbs up” after all…