March 28

Today started really poorly. I woke up with a pounding migraine, and could barely find the energy to tend to the children. Every noise they made pierced my brain, and I found myself contemplating drilling a hole in my skull and scooping my brains out.

I hadn't even been awake for two hours when I threw up.

Though I have never before had migraine-related nausea, I am 100% confident that was what happened today. In the end, I'm glad it happened because it gave me the motivation to call Chris. Without missing a beat, he told me he would wrap things up and come home, even though it was only 9:30 am. What a good man I have.

He arrived home to find Eli napping, the three big kids watching Sid the Science kid in our big bed, and me sound asleep next to them. I slept all morning, and didn't get out of bed until well past lunchtime. Chris handled everything, even taking Caleb out on training run #2 for our 5k. 

This was right after I got up, around 2pm. Yes, Eli is still in his jammies. Guess who cares? Not me.

Eli loves playing with these blocks! They're a combination of sturdy cardboard nesting boxes, and soft fabric blocks. Usually, his favorite game is knocking over towers of blocks. But today, he did something new.

He built his own tower! It was the first time I've ever seen Eli build a block tower on his own, without any prompting.

Bonus: knocking over the tower he just built. Can you tell how happy he is?

I laid on the couch for a while while Chris did some school with Caleb. Daisy decided today was the day she was going to stop taking naps, so she was up, too. She noticed that I wasn't feeling well, and when I told her that my head hurt, she ran to the freezer for an ice pack. She found a cloth napkin, wrapped the ice pack, and placed it on my head. She knew just what to do, and she was so happy and proud to be able to help me. That girl is a spitfire, but she is something special.

By 4:00 my head was feeling better. Chris took Caleb to baseball practice, while I stayed home and fed the little ones dinner. The boys ate when they got back, and then I brought out something we didn't get around to doing yesterday: their Easter baskets from us. 

I didn't even photograph them, because they weren't anything special. I was intentionally low-key about them this year, so they contained sidewalk chalk, bubbles, some pencils, and socks. Plus, the older three each got kites, and Eli got a ball. They were all very happy with their bounty, and immediately wanted to go outside to blow bubbles.

Eli loved the bubbles.

LOVED them.

(also, look at those teeth. Can you believe he is 14 months old today, and still only has two teeth? I think one or two are getting ready to come through up top, but nothing is imminent.)

I love that so-happy-it's-ugly face. Daisy made that face a lot when she was a baby.

Speaking of Daisy... 

Isn't she sweet?

She's really good at blowing bubbles now.

This guy is pretty good at bubble-blowing, too.

He enjoyed taking this photo. 

I didn't enjoy having my lens splattered with bubble juice.

Meanwhile, Daisy was doing this. 

She is seriously funny.

Seriously.

This photo cracks me up.

I bought Lily a spill-proof bubble jar, and she was happy to be able to participate.

Her wand didn't work quite as well as the big kids' wands. I wonder why.

My crazies. I love this.

(Yes, it is nearly bedtime, and Eli is still wearing his jammies from the night before. No, I still don't care. Yes, we did put clean jammies on him before bed.)

He found a piece of chalk and immediately began writing on the ground with it.

Hi, happy boy! I can't believe you are 14 months old!

Oh! No, no, Eli. We don't eat chalk!

What? (looking at Daddy)

I'm not eating chalk. I'm writing with it!

This kid is something else.

March 27

We had a happy, busy, joy-filled Easter.

Unfortunately, I took over 300 pictures and I'm too exhausted to sort through them right now. So for now, this:

My silly and sweet family, celebrating the resurrection of our Savior.

We have much to be thankful for!

March 26

We filled this Saturday to the brim!

I rolled out of bed at 7:15, threw on some clothes, and met my smaller-small-group ladies for coffee and Bible study. We finished up in time for me to rush home and put Eli down for his morning nap. 

Sweet sleeping baby. Sometimes the nap struggle makes me want to jump out a window. But when it works, it is glorious and worth the effort.

While he slept, Chris took the older three to ride their bikes at the neighborhood playground. Meanwhile, I got to work on Easter prep. They came home, and the kids and I filled eggs for an egg hunt tomorrow. Eli woke in time for lunch, and then I headed to the grocery store. I got home just in time to attempt to put Eli down for his afternoon nap, but he decided I was a fool. Then it was time to wake Daisy up from her nap so that she could get ready for a preschool friend's birthday party.

It was a gymnastics party.

Daisy was shy at first, but once she warmed up she had so much fun! 

Daisy told me she was nervous to do the high balance beam at first, but once she realized she could jump off, she wasn't scared anymore.

I don't know why this picture looks like this, but she had so much fun!

We got home just as Chris was finishing dinner prep, and we all enjoyed breakfast for dinner. Now that spring is here and the kids are playing outside more, they are eating so much more than normal. I love it! Now I just have to start making more food!

Caleb and I have decided to train together to run a 5k on April 30th. That's 3.1 miles, and the race is only 5 weeks from now, so we started our training today. I've been busting my tail at the gym nearly every day for the past two months, so I think I am ready to get back to running. Our first run went better than I had anticipated; I felt great, and Caleb was a champ. He definitely has the enthusiasm to run 3.1 miles. Now I just have to help him learn how to pace himself, regulate his breathing, and build his endurance. That's definitely attainable in 5 weeks. My guess is that we'll run a 30-minute 5k.

After our first run. Look at how happy my boy is!

(Side note: I tried my best to encourage him to wear more appropriate clothes for running, but he insisted on his red ensemble. I also promised him that once he completes 10 training runs, I will take him shopping for serious running shoes.)

I should also mention our support crew: Chris ran alongside/behind us, pushing the BOB with Eli and Lily buckled in and Daisy riding in the foot well. That's 80+ pounds of children in the stroller, and he still paced us. That man is made to run, and I'm glad he is supportive of Caleb and me as we embark on this goal!

Runners!

You can't see it, but Lily kept running through the frame while Chris was taking these pictures. Finally, we scooped her up for her favorite thing: a Lily sandwich.

Sweet girl

After the run, it was time for pjs and bed. Caleb took a quick shower, then asked to snuggle in my big bed. How could I say no? As we snuggled, he told me that he was really glad we were running together, because I'm a really good teacher.  It warmed my heart, but more than anything I was happy that his love tank was clearly overflowing at that moment. That will keep me going for a long while.

March 25

Yesterday was a quiet day; we stayed at home and did school. Today was another stay-at-home day, but we did some Easter prep, too. I finalized the menu for our Easter dinner, made a shopping list, and the kids made place cards for our meal. It will just be family, but even without Chris' out-of-town siblings, we will have sixteen people. Plus, I wanted the kids to feel involved. So I opened up Word, and Caleb chose a font and color and typed everyone's name. We printed the names on cardstock, I cut everything out, and the three older kids all decorated the place cards. Some are fabulous, some are sweet, and some were clearly decorated by Lily. So it goes.

We also made Resurrection Cookies this morning. There are a million sites with recipes and directions, and one popped up on my Facebook feed this morning, so we decided to try it. The kids were really engaged, and had a lot of fun!

Beating the pecans, just like the soldiers beat Jesus.

Caleb read the scriptures for each step. This was where we added vinegar, and each of the kids tasted a little bit of it while Caleb read about how the soldiers gave Jesus vinegar to drink.

Lily got a turn with the mixer. She clearly doesn't know what to think. I don't know what's up with that tongue.

How many children does it take to use the mixer? Apparently three. One to hold the mixer, one to stabilize the mixer holder's arm, and one to hold the cord.

Dolloping the cookies on the pan. Are you guys proud of me for letting them do this all by themselves? Don't be too proud. I already filled a pan with cookies myself, and this was extra batter. It's the only reason I let them do it - I'm much too controlling to let them do the whole thing themselves. 

And again with Lily's tongue.

I really tried to keep them from licking spoons and then dipping the spoons back in the bowl, but I don't know if I was 100% successful.

Lily definitely enjoyed herself!

Then we put the cookies in the oven and taped it shut. The kids were devastated that they didn't get to eat the cookies right away, but what a delicious surprise they'll be tomorrow!

After naps, it was sunny and beautiful out. Since the forecast for Easter is cool and rainy, I decided to attempt to take pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits today.

It did not go well. I don't think there's a single picture that is even worth really editing. This was one of the best: 

Daisy is crazed and enthusiastic, Eli needs to be forcibly held down, Caleb is so cooperative but that hat and that hair?, and Lily is just completely annoyed and uncooperative. I even bribed her with candy, but it was a no-go. Maybe I'll get something better on Easter. Hopefully.

March 23

Today was Swim and Fitness day, but since it is our school district's Spring Break, there was no speech club today. Hooray! That meant that today was much less stressful than normal.

Before we left, Facebook reminded me of a sweet picture of Lily that I took exactly two years ago today:

She was 8 months old. Isn't she the sweetest? And how funny that exactly two years ago, we went to the same pool we were going to today? I showed Lily the picture, and she agreed that we should take another today to match it.

She even wore a purple swimsuit. Isn't it funny how much a person can change in two years?

Once again, Eli started crying the moment I approached the door to child care. 

Once again, I had my Ergo with me, and we walked the track.

Once again, he fell asleep after about fifteen minutes. I listened to my audiobook and enjoyed my workout as I watched Caleb learn to play volleyball down below.

Walking. I would rather be outside, or on the elliptical, but this works for Wednesdays.

And he's out! The sleep hood on my Ergo is ridiculous, though, and I can't get it attached without help. So instead, I held Eli's head as I continued to walk. Hooray for making things work!

March 22

Since Chris and I got back from our trip, Caleb has been really resistant about doing school. It's hard, because I know he prefers home schooling to public schooling, but if he isn't a willing participant, then public school may be a better option for us in the fall. Even harder is that all of the ideas I have for adjusting our homeschool setup to make it more likely that he will cooperate are really challenging to implement because of the three other children wandering around the house, also needing my attention and assistance. I know it is possible, because I know several families with lots of children who homeschool. Our family just hasn't figured it out yet. 

Hopefully we will soon.

Right now, we like to have slow mornings. Eli goes down for his nap around 9 or 9:30, so before then I let the kids play, eat breakfast and second breakfast, whatever. This morning, it looked like this:

"I came up with a new Star Wars character, Mommy! She is a bounty hunter and she works for the good guys and the bad guys!" 

(This was the costume for Daisy's "character". She was really proud of herself.)

Making faces in the mirror.

(See Caleb's "Super Baby" drawing in the foreground? It's a superhero who is also a baby. He has a pacifier gun that shoots pacifiers at bad guys.)

Eli, chewing on a toy that is not for babies. Looking at this picture, I am cringing at the thought of all the chemicals it may contain. I think I will put that up.

Eli is totally into tickling right now. Here, he is "getting" his Bubby.

Giving Caleb kisses. Caleb loves this.

Eli is such a silly, mischievous little boy!

I love these brothers!

Really, I love all of these kids. I love that they prefer to be together, and that they are happiest playing with each other. I love that they are generally kind and helpful with each other. There is always fighting and bickering, but the happy sweet moments definitely outweigh the unkind ones.

I spent 45 minutes trying to put Eli down for his morning nap, which is much longer than I usually spend, and significantly longer than I want to spend. In the end, he decided not to sleep. So. 

Baby who doesn't want to nap + big kid who doesn't want to do school = Angry Mom.

Luckily, it was gorgeous outside, so we decided to walk up to the library and get some new books.

The kids stopped and explored along the way.

Then, we decided to explore an area in our neighborhood that we always drive past, but have never been through. It is a grassy green area that is labeled as a park, but just looks like a greenway. Once we got off the road, though, we discovered a bridge and a hidden alcove of a park. 

Or rather, an abandoned park. All that was left was a cannon and a vintage climbing structure so old that trees were growing through it. 

These kids felt like explorers who had found something magical. I don't blame them! How often do you find a cannon sitting in an abandoned cove?

We decided Grandma would love the climber because it kind of looked like saguaro cactuses. The kids were really pleased with it.

Finally, we moved on to the library, then home for a late lunch. Since my default for grouchy kids is to put them outside in the sun, I grilled them hot dogs and let them eat lunch outside.

Bright sunshine = happy kids.

Lily has just started telling jokes, and it is really funny. Usually they are ones she has heard Caleb tell, but she tells them all on her own, without any help. Usually she says, "Mommy, can I tell you joke?"

And then this happens:

Eli climbs the slide now.

Then this happened: 

Lily is totally into pretend play lately. She often tells me, "My baby is sleeping. Be quiet. Don't wake my baby up!" Today, her baby was swinging.

She is a good little mama.

Hi, Lily!

Eli fought afternoon nap, too, and even bedtime was a challenge. At the end of the day, I felt defeated. I was discouraged and sad and frustrated and worried that maybe I need to go back to see my doctor again, because I seem to not be handling these things well.

I still haven't decided what to do about that, but I sat down with a glass of wine to read my MOPS magazine that came in the mail today. On the very last page, I came across Zephaniah 3:17, and it spoke to my heart. "The Lord is with you wherever you go. He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you and will quiet you with His love. He rejoices over you with singing."

I immediately wrote is on our chalkboard wall. I needed to hear this verse as a parent, and as a child of God. My prayer is that I will allow God's love to quiet all of the noise in my head. I am also praying that I can follow the example of how a parent loves his children; that God will help me to take great delight in my children, and when things go awry, that I can quiet them with my love, instead of with my loud words. I'd love your prayers for this, too.

March 21

This kid was happy to have his Mommy back.

He woke up about 11:30 last night, and was too groggy to be excited. But he nursed all night long. Occasionally I would try to unlatch him so that I could roll over and go to sleep, but he would just sign "more" and mutter "Mo. Mo. Mo. Mo." until I let him keep nursing.

I spent a month building up a stash of frozen milk for him to drink while we were gone; I wanted to have about 150 ounces so that I would be sure he wouldn't run out.

He drank about 20 ounces total, over three days. 

No wonder he wanted to nurse all night.

Also, this is what the children did all morning. They are insane.