Paul: works long hard hours at the law firm. But still manages to find time to read Harry Potter out loud to the girls, serve as the first counselor in the Young Men's, coach the ym in basketball on Saturdays, listen to audio books about history, and remain handsome in the process. I really cannot believe my good fortune in marrying him. If I loved him less, I might be able to talk about him more! Just know that I feel blessed to have him as my rock and partner in crime. He's my perfect sounding board almost daily which if you're still reading this, you know how long-winded I can be. He should get paid for listening!
Me: I think I realized how busy motherhood really was after I had Julia, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it until after I had Claire. It's been a much tougher adjustment than I think I anticipated hence my post opener. Letting go has never been my strong suit; so I'm learning that a messy basement for a few days is not going to kill me or anyone else. Sandwiches for dinner are good enough some nights. And when was the last time ________ was washed (fill in any number of household duties)? Having a baby and big kids has been a lot tougher than I anticipated too. But I really really really could not feel more blessed that despite my shortcomings things turn out as well as they do at the end if each day. I really am never alone in my daily efforts. Motherhood has taught me a lot about utilizing the atonement daily so I keep on keepin on! And there are A LOT of fun times too.
Sabrina: gorgeous. She continues to make us look good as parents. She's a great practicer of the piano and has really come around and loves ballet (so I guess spending 3 1/2 hours at the studio per week is worth it!) She's also a great helper to me with Claire (who love love loves her!). She hardly ever complains about helping either. She started taking violin at school, but is more excited about the recorder?!!! She's an avid reader and is constantly reminding me that she's read all her books twice, it's time for a new series! She also has enjoyed activity days at our church. Just barely tonight, we had a convo about she and Lucy switching bunks .. Lucy's been on the bottom for a year now...it's been a source of contention. I told them that after spring break it was time for Lucy to have a chance to sleep in the top bunk. Everyone agreed it was time. About 30 minutes later, Lucy came down and told me that she no longer wanted to sleep up there because Sabrina told her that the top bunk gives you bad dreams!! So I guess Subby's not perfect! She's clever though! She's also extremely happy that she won her class spelling bee this week. Still tiny. Forever tiny, I'm afraid. I love when she'll still give me hugs (even at this age!).
Lucy: gorgeous. It absolutely blows my mind that Lucy is as old as she is. She's in kindergarten. She's recently lost two teeth, she'll start piano lessons in the fall. It all kills me! She is so lovable. Lucy knows when I'm needing a hug. She's famous for saying "just one more thing, Mom" and then coming in for a hug before she leaves on the bus in the morning. (She does it random times too throughout the day). Her favorite joke is to tell me she had a "yellow day" at school meaning that she had misbehaved only to have me open her folder to see it was a "green day" meaning that she was perfect. She laughs every time. It was just about the cutest darned thing ever to watch her give a talk by herself in Primary last Sunday. She sat in the designated seat and watched Paul and me in the back and would periodically wave and give us thumbs up. And I'm happy to report that she nailed it! Lucy has a very tangible capacity to love and nurture. If I could pick a career based on her 6 year old self, I'd say she should be a nurse. But then again, she has a very strong gag reflex, so maybe not!!!
Julia: gorgeous. Julia is the type of kid that everything is easy for her. She loves primary and just started Sunbeams, she loves preschool which she also just started in January (coop with some other moms). She talks to anyone. I really have never seen a 3 year old who is such a people person. It's amazing; she talks about kids in Sabrina's class (whom she's never met) and will tell me stories about them days after she's heard Sabrina talk about them. She tells me all the ins and outs of the preschool social scene...who was absent and why, who was nice to who, who was mean to who, who wasn't sharing, who said or did something goofy. I hear it all from her! She takes ballet lessons and is starting swimming lessons on Friday and I'm excited to watch her in her little swimming suit. I'm 99.9 percent sure she'll love it. She is almost always smiling except when she wants me to play with her in the middle of the school day. She has no concept of playing alone (the downside to being a people person); she also has no concept of "mom has to do laundry"! Oh and she still thinks she's big.
Claire: gorgeous. Oh Clairey Bird. My next blogging goal is to record her birth story and I'm only 9 months late!! She has big blue eyes and an easy smile that she'll share with just about anyone. She is an observer and is pretty content just sitting. She rocks back and forth on her knees and sometimes plants her toes and goes into a full plank, but pretty much stays put which is just fine by me. She says "dadada" when she's happy and "mamama" when she's sad (isn't that always the way it goes!), and when she's feeling goofy she'll give you a raspberry, and she expects that you'll reciprocate. I love when she cuddles with me. She likes songs and games and attention. Since we pretty much missed her entire first year of life, a bit about her nickname: when discussing names throughout my pregnancy I mentioned to Paul that I liked Claire to which he said, "but what nickname goes with Claire?"...(we give nicknames practically upon arrival...weirdos) I replied with "Claire Bear". He loved it! And after that no other name would do for him. But then she was born. I've heard people say that they needed to see a child before knowing if a name was right, but for us, we still liked Claire, but the nickname was wrong. Her little nose was so pointy and prominent that I just thought she looked like a little bird. And Paul came up with Clairey Bird (a reference to Larry Bird I'd imagine). It stuck. She's definitely Clairey Bird. Or sometimes just Birdy.
Until next time...
Yay pictures! From top to bottom: 1. Shopping with Claire and JuJu 2. Claire at 9 months 3.One of 10 snow days this winter, Sabrina made masks and they were a huge hit 4. Found all the girls reading and singing to Claire one day when I went to wake her from her nap 5. The girls in their all pink and red Valentine get ups...it was way too easy to come up with those outfits...the product of having
4 girls!
