Six Months

Nicholas, it's hard to believe, but you are six months old today!

Your Dad and I knew that this time was going to fly by--both the highs and the lows.  And, it has.  Gone, for the most part, are the times when you curl up on my chest, nuzzle deep under my chin, and go to sleep.  You did that for the first time minutes after you were born.  You burrowed up into my neck so deeply that the doc's kept trying to pull you down so that you would have an airway, but you just kept burrowing in deeper.
Now, you're happy to go to sleep in your bed...or on our bed...in your carseat...or just chilling out on our lap.  I need to thank you for being the best sleeper under the age of 8 in our house.

One thing you definitely have going for you is the benefit of two older brothers who have broken in/down your parents.  When we learned that you were coming, there really wasn't time (after the initial shock) to worry about all the things we worried about with Christian, and to some degree, Connor.  Heck, we didn't actually put your crib together until about a week and a half ago!

You are a good baby.  So good.  When people ask me about you, I typically say that you are living proof that God has mercy.  And he does.  God knew that our family needed you.  He also knew that if you came to us as colicky and challenging as your brothers, I might have to be committed.

Quick to smile (though your Oma disagrees), you have the most tolerant, pleasant, easy-going personality.  Truth be told, that must be a prerequisite for a third child.  You've already spent, and will be spending, a great deal of time following your brothers to sports events, school events, and such.  Go Chargers!

Speaking of your brothers....When you were just days old, I told them that you would look at them like they were superheroes.  "No way!" they cried, laughing.  But, that's exactly how you look at them.  You watch them with such wide-eyed intensity, studying their every move.  You are often literally leaning forward, on the edge of your seat (safely secured by Mommy), watching them.

They love you too.  When you and I go to pick the boys up after school, Connor is most excited to see you. Congratulations, you've managed to trump Mommy! They love to hold you, to talk to you, perhaps to get a little too much in your face, to take a bath with you, and entertain you.

You're a solid little guy.  Some of the students at the Seminary have nick-named (ha!) you "Nick the Brick."  We gave you solid foods starting at 4 months because I couldn't keep up with you.  You love to eat.  There hasn't been a single food--yet--that you haven't devoured.  We've gone through oatmeal, apples, bananas, pears, mangoes, peaches, plums, carrots, peas, green beans, spinach, lentils, avocados, sweet potatoes, squash, and on and on.  You love dinner time.


Two bottom teeth have come in, and you've been working on the next tooth for weeks now.  I hope it pops through soon.  When you aren't chewing on your fingers, you are chewing on your toes.

You haven't figured out crawling just yet, but the speed with which you can roll across a room is amazing.  You are starting to see where you want to be and going for it.

You are such a blessing, Nicholas.  You made our little family complete.  It's a privilege to watch you grow and delight in everything you encounter.

Whew

We had a good rain today...

Football is back...

Kids are at the neighbors...

Baby is sleeping...

Calm...

Wine...

Happy mom!

Saturday Snapshots

It's been a hot, sticky, busy day on the fields.

We started out at the Seminary for Field Day.  Nicholas thought the highlight of the morning was getting to "drive" the golf cart.  Look out folks!

Then we launched into the challenge of having two soccer games scheduled at the same time.  Christian caught a ride with a teammate, while Nick and I took Connor to his first game as a CCLS Charger.

Before leaving the house the paparazzi made the boys sit for a picture.

At the Kindergarten game, the coaches talked to the boys in the shade for a minute prior to the game about what good sportsmanship means, and gave some instructions before moving down to the field.

Nicholas didn't know what to think about it all.

But he settled in, cheering Connor on at the half.

Let's go Chargers!

                                     

I thought the final score was 3-3, but Connor tells me it was a 3-2 Charger win, so that's my story and I'll stick to it.

After the game, it's naturally snack time.

It was fun to watch this team. For their first game, they did great.  There are several boys who are already competent ball handlers on the field, and there was a lot of determination and energy. 

Until next Saturday, way to go boys!

Early Morning Civics Lessons

A couple mornings ago in the crazy rush to get out the door, Christian came in to see me. "Mom, can I get my globe and show you the country that they are talking about alot on the news?"  Sure.

So off he ran, and came back with his globe.  After spinning it around for a few minutes, he landed on Syria.

"Is this right?"

It sure is.  By this time Connor had joined us.

"Where is the red line Pres. Obama was talking about?"

Ah ha, they've been listening to the news.  Good boys.

They had a hard time understanding that the red line wasn't a physical line drawn on the globe somewhere.  So finally I explained that a year or so ago, Pres. Obama said that if Pres. Assad of Syria started to move or use chemical weapons, then there would be serious consequences.  Kind of like when I tell them that if they insist on playing soccer in the house and break a lamp, that there will be consequences (they did this recently).  

So, I told them, that because chemical weapons were used in Syria, it was time for consequences.  They started to understand.

While I didn't especially enjoy explaining the horrible things that happen with the use of chemical weapons, I did appreciate that my kids are paying attention to the news and wanting to understand what's going on in the world.  They need to be aware of how our government works so that they can be informed and make smart choices--and understand when elected officials (at any level) are either overstepping or not living up to their responsibilities.

So, they'll be learning a lot about civics in this house.  One cool place that I'm using to help them is a website developed by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics.

Justice O'Connor recently said "We have to ensure that our citizens are well informed and prepared to face tough challenges," she said. "If there is a single child not learning about civics or not being exposed to what they must do as citizens, then all our lives are poorer for that."

She's right.  So, we'll keep studying civics and current events in our house.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/06/201376/retired-justice-sandra-day-oconnor.html#storylink=cpy

What's Your News IQ

Pew released it's News IQ quiz today.

What do you know about the news?  Take the quiz here:

Fall sports are in full swing

School started and with it came a flurry of after school activity. We're on a learning curve this fall, now having two boys in both soccer and cross country.

Thursdays seem to be the crazy night of the week. Tonight the boys had their first cross country meet, followed by a scrimmage soccer game for Christian. 

First up, cross country. Christian and Connor have a lot of relatives who thrive on running (not me-I want to like to run, but I just haven't been able to), so this is in their blood. 

The field of K-2 boys gets ready. This is only about 2/3 of the field. 

Here we go!

Whew!

Here comes Christian.

I think he came in 7th overall. If we get times, I'll update.

Where's Connor?

Connor ran with such determination. Near the end, I watched him elbow out a kid who was trying to bump past him. No way was Connor going to let that happen. 

Waiting in the chute. 

Ribbons and suckers for everyone. 

After a mad dash from Lutheran High St. Charles to the Seminary to pick up Nicholas we landed at the soccer field for a scrimmage game for Christian's team. 

A whirlwind of an evening, but so, so fun to watch the boys and their teams. 

Smiles

I dare you not to smile at this face:

Guidance

From my reading today:

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Romans 12:12

A New School Year

School started for the two big kids last week.  Hooray!

We have a second grader:

And a Kindergartener:

Look out, it's going to be quite the year. 

End of Summer Playdate

School starts for the two older boys on Thursday.

 [Cue the angel choirs singing Hallelujah!]

So today, I took a couple of hours to go play with the boys.  The weather was perfect and the boys moods fantastic so it made for a great afternoon.

Our first stop was Citygarden.  What a great place this is, right in the heart of downtown St. Louis.

Right off the bat, the boys had to climb some bunnies.

 Then it was right off to the sculptures titled 2 Arcx x 4 and 230.5 Arcx.  The boys spent forever climbing on these.

There are so many little nooks with interesting art that you are encouraged to climb on...be free!  I was impressed when the boys first asked "Can we climb on this?" or passed up sculptures because they didn't think it would be right to climb on them.

 When we first arrived, Connor was very insistent that he did not want to get wet, so he wouldn't be playing in the water, thankyouverymuch.

Right.

He looked.

 Pretty soon he was jumping rock to rock.

 And then.

Each of the two pool areas has an attendant working to keep an eye on things. I was impressed with one attendant who questioned a group of young kids apparently there without an adult.  They ranged from about four to 10, with the ten year old seemingly in charge.  The attendant asked where they went to school, as many schools in town have started this week.  They muttered some answer that I couldn't understand, but he kept an eye on them, wanting to make sure that there were ok.

In the meantime, the boys spent lots of time playing in the water.

 Pinocchio is here.  The title of this piece is "Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels."

 On to run through the Spray Plaza.

 After we left Citygarden, I decided to take the boys to the Sugar Shack in Kirkwood.  As true candy connoisseurs, I figured they would appreciate this.

As soon as the door opened and the smell of the gourmet cotton candy hit their noses, they both let out an awed "ohhhh."

Candy of all kinds fills glass jars on every side of the room.

 Old fashioned fountain drinks can be found here too.

The boys really surprised me when they each selected one small piece of candy--no arguments of any kind. What a treat!

All in all, it was a great afternoon.

Now to get ready for the first day of school!

5 Months Old

I've been absent from this space for far too long.  With a new school year about to begin, I'm hopeful that I can reclaim some small amount of time to get this back and active again.

While I've been away, we've watched this little gem grow so fast.  Yesterday he was five months old!

Shark Week

In 1492...

It's Columbus Day today.  Some of you might still be among the lucky few who still have schools or workplaces that recognize the observed holiday with a day off.  No such luck in our house!

We have been looking forward to Columbus Day for a week or two now though.  That's because Christian's first grade class learned that they would be putting on a little Columbus Day play for the parents.  To top it off, Christian was assigned the role of Christopher Columbus.

This afternoon, a gaggle of parents headed to the first grade room for the show.  Say hello to Christopher C!

At the end of the play, the kids sang a song about Columbus.  After the first time through, they asked everyone else to join in singing. I'm trying to upload a video of the song, but for some reason the video won't load.  Stay tuned!