Ordinary or Not So...

It's 6:00 am and the new puppy starts whining to go out to the bathroom.  I roll over in bed see there is a pile of dog poo resting on my bathroom floor 2 feet away from the newspaper and pee pee pad I put on the floor the night before.  The smell takes over and I begrudgingly get out of bed, let the dogs out, put up the baby gate on the patio door (a concocted way to keep the pup from scratching the back door), clean up dog poop and climb back in bed only to be woken up 10 minutes later by Drew standing at the balcony yelling, "I'm awake."  I nudge Chad and he gets up, I pretend to go back to sleep until guilt takes over and I get up.  Drew and Chad are sitting on the couch watching the news.  I make coffee and try to squeeze in a shower before Reid wakes up. Everyone is now awake and I head out the door pushing 2 kids and pulling 2 dogs.  Drew starts the non-stop questions. "Why do the dog's need exercise."  "Why did Gunner poop on the sidewalk?"  "Do you think its going to rain?"  "Can I ride my bike?"  "Are the baseball fields dry?"  "Why does Lady chase Gunner?" etc., etc.  I need another cup of coffee.  We get home, I refill the coffee and we head outside to play.  Reid crawls straight for the rocks, Drew is asking to play in the baby pool.  Morning is spent outside, followed by lunch and everyone is down for a nap.  I squeeze in exercise, try to put myself together a little, call about Drew's swim lessons, check email, play with the dogs.  Everyone wakes up and we run errands.  My good friend Meghan and her sons Drew and Ty come over to have dinner and play since Chad is working late and Meghan's husband is traveling.  We laugh as both Drews decide to play baseball without clothes for the entire neighborhood to see.  Not worth the argument over getting dressed again.  I'm multitasking --- watching kids, chatting, keeping Lady from tackling the babies, cooking dinner-- all with cheer that I get to share my evening with a good girlfriend.  Friends depart, I once again load everyone up to walk the dogs, responding to comments by everyone we pass that "I have my hands full."  Get home, clean up the backyard, bath everyone, make a bottle, get Drew a snack, check the weather radar & give Gunner a vet prescribed valium for his thunderstorm anxiety.  Is this day ordinary?  I am thankful that in the midst of all my chaos I have friends --- good ones that always brighten my day.

Now for an update....

Summer is officially here and we started it a few weeks ago with a family trip to Galveston.  We had a relaxing trip and the kids loved the beach.  We also enjoyed a little putt putt golf, carnival rides and my favorite activity, feeding sting rays. This was truly amazing.   The Anderson's also blessed us with a visit and it was fantastic to catch up with them.   Drew is already asking when we are going back.  

 

At the beach

Drew, James and Jack

Reid passed the 10 month mark on the 13th.  She is chatting a lot and trying out walking. She likes to push things while walking and hold my hand and walk.  No signs yet of walking on her own.  Her favorite thing to do is play in the rocks under the swing set. She puts handfuls into the dump truck and dumps it out. She also loves the sand box and playing in the water.  Reid's favorite toy is the plastic scalpel that came in Drew's Dr. kit. Chad thinks she is going to be a surgeon.  She also loves to climb on Drew's bike and anything else she can try to ride.  Reid is definitely head strong and this morning told her brother, "mine, mine, mine."  She also tells the puppy, "no, no, no" and throws big fits during diaper changes.  Generally though she is a VERY cheerful baby and loves to smile and go with the flow.   Reid has 3 teeth and uses them to eat pretty much anything you put in front of her.  On occasion though, she decides she doesn't like something and dumps it all off her high chair onto the floor.  Reid also loves to dance and her current favorite song is "Boom, Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas.  It looks like she already has more rhythm than the rest of our family combined. 

Not much has changed with Drew over the last month.  Still obsessed with sports and making the family laugh.  He decided karate was not for him after a couple of weeks and is now taking and loving a weekly sports class.  He really wants to play on a team and reminds me every day that he is getting bigger and can play on one soon.  Drew seems more like a "big boy" every day. He loves playing with his friends now and asks every day to have someone over.  He even asked to go knock on a friends door to see if he could come out and play.  I am glad to see him gaining more confidence and learning to have fun with other kids. This is a big change for him since he was a pretty reserved baby.  Drew loves music and sings in the car, even if he doesn't know the words.  His favorite song to sing is "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.  I love listening to him sing while we are in the car. It's so darn cute.  Drew is all about Dad these days and does not leave his side on the weekends. The other day he told me, "when I get big, I can go to work with Dad and we can drive next to each other and sit by the lake, eat lunch together and talk."  He tells me Dad is his best friend and I believe it.  Drew is very inquisitive these days and asks questions all day long. It's a bit annoying at times, but I try to tell myself that it's good to be so curious.  At least I hope its curiosity and not just habit. 

The biggest change over the past month is the addition of our new lab, Lady who is sweet, but driving me nuts.  I am looking forward to her calming down over the next year or so. I hope...

 

Life is pretty ordinary this summer.  We are swimming, playing outside, grilling and enjoying dinner on the patio. I am still behind on laundry.

Here are a few recent videos that make me laugh...

Drew Entertaining

Reid Making Silly Sounds

Having Fun with Lady, until older brother wakes up grouchy

Kids having fun together