Can you keep up?

Our family is a crazy, busy, wild crew.  Here was our March schedule...

As you know, Q was in the hospital with a respiratory infection in mid March.
Pop, Grammy & Lou Lou went on a special trip to Washington DC March 15th - 19th.
The Superheroes moved from one city to another on Saturday, March 20th.
Pretty Princess underwent her 3rd and hopefully final surgery to repair her leg/ankle on Monday, March 22nd.
The Unconventionals moved from once city to another on Saturday, March 27th.

We can never to do the big things one at a time. 

Did I mention that Pretty Princess and Romeo are still planning a wedding! 

Life is always changing at Four Sisters Farm.

I love to do it

The following is a real conversation I just had with a child.  Said child shall remain nameless as this story will embarrass him later in life.

Me: "Please stop picking your nose"
Child: "But I love to do it!"

Gross.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

That smile on Q is more than I can take.  Isn't he just a doll baby?  I was so pumped this morning when it looked like everyone would be happily participating in my photo session.  With three little boys 4 and under it's practically a miracle when you can get them to all look at the camera let alone smile. 

I think Bubba & Q planned putting their fists up.  I guess Wubba didn't get the memo.

These are the little feet I run after all day long!  "Pitter Patter" isn't really a good explanation of this group.  It's more like a herd of elephants running to and fro in the house.  They are busy and they are loud!  Now I understand why Grammy always liked quiet moments when we were growing up.  I imagine with 4 girls the quiet moments were rare.

Bubba: The biggest brother

Wubba: the big brother

Q: the baby brother

He's MINE.

Sweet Baby Q got sick with RSV last week.  RSV is a cold that is dangerous for little ones.  We tried to treat him at home with breathing treatments and a humidifier.  Our efforts just weren't cutting it.  My mommy insticts said that he needed to go back to the Dr. on Friday.  I was tired of seeing my baby struggle for each breath.  My insticts were right and Q was quickly admitted to the hospital.  He was suctioned (babies don't know how to blow their nose) and given breathing treatments every four hours.  He was also put on oxygen and had an oxygen saturation monitor on his foot the whole time we were there.  The staff was fantastic and we were grateful for their care of Q.  It is scary when your baby is sick and we felt that they did a good job of answering our questions.  They were compassionate with our little man.  In fact, I heard him called, "pooh" and "peanut" and "sweet baby" pretty often.  I think he won over their hearts.  He can't help himself.  He is so darn precious!

Praise God our stay was short.  We were able to come home after 24 hours.  The Dr. felt we could manage his condition from home.  There truly is "no place like home."

 

This experience with Q was interesting to say the least.  I was asked, "How are you related to this little guy?" more than once when we were going through the intake process.  This question took me by surprise.  I am well aware that Q and I do not share the same color of skin or hair or eyes but HE IS MINE.  He is just as much mine as his two big brothers who grew in my tummy or the little one I only got to grow for 8 weeks but will some day meet in heaven.  God does something amazing when he pairs together a momma who needs a baby and a baby who needs a momma.  He grows something special in both their hearts.  I can't explain it.  You would have to experience it. 

So "How am I related to this little one?"  I am his mommy.  I am the one who was sick with worry over every cough.  I am the one who never left his side at the hospital.  I am the one who held him down so he could be suctioned even though it made me want to cry as loud as he was.  I am the one who moved machines around so I could stretch his cords and tubes all the way to my bed in order to hold him in my arms all night.  I am the one who whispered prayers in his ears and told him it was all going to be alright.  I am the one who was chosen...by God and by his birth mother to be his mommy.

Yes, I am Q's mommy.  His passionately-protective, sleep-deprived, crazy-haired and insanly happy Mommy.  I love you Q and I am so proud to be your mom. 

Buzz Lightyear Pancakes

It all started when the cowboys were in our (Pop's and Grammy's) care while Farm Chick and EJ went to "get" the littlest cowboy in mid-January...

One morning, Bubba requested that I make Buzz Lightyear pancakes for breakfast and being the inventive grammy that I am, I told him I would try. Bubba and I have had a lot of practice drawing Buzz pictures so pancakes didn't seem like much of a stretch. As you can see, my mission was accomplished and Bubba was estatic...so estatic that he would really like to have Buzz Lightyear pancakes every day!

There are perimeters that must be maintained in Bubba's mind about these pancakes. They must be cooked in Pop and Grammy's kitchen and it's best if his parents are still in bed...so to accomplish this, even after Farm Chick and EJ were home and settled in with Cowboy Q, he was able to clandestinely bypass his sleeping parents at times to make his way downstairs to make his plea. Of course, as grandparents, we are delighted and realize that these days will only last so long so we want to make the most of them.

But...Bubba has parents who take their responsibilities of child-rearing very seriously. We admire that and try our best (most of the time) to support them as they shape and discipline their little guys...so...as you can guess, they lowered the hammer on Bubba and his usual partner in crime, Wubba and told them they HAVE to ask permission to go downstairs to make a Buzz Lightyear Pancake Request.

So we had to devise a plan to work for everyone...What we came up with is a sign for Grammy to post on the door of Bubba's and Wubba's house...it's a sign with a picture of a Buzz Lightyear pancake with the words, "BUZZ LIGHTYEAR PANCAKES TODAY!!"

So now, when the cowboys wake up they can check to see if it's a pancake day or not and head out the door and down the stairs to Pop and Grammy's to make their request.

Part of the fun is watching. You can see the sign clutched in Bubba's hand...he helped make it and will be watching for it to be posted often!

Wubba enjoys his pancakes but prefers to call them "Woody Pancakes" as we're all Toy Story crazy here!

After a great pancake breakfast just the other day, the cowboys got really inventive with a couple of laundry baskets and made their own space ship...pretty clever, huh? "To infinity and beyond!" Bring on the pancakes!

Stanky Skunk

Last night, as I headed out the door to go to the gym a stinky skunk smell hit me like a ton of bricks.  P...U...  Wow was it strong!

As I drove to the gym I kept the windows down and froze myself out in the hopes that the skunk smell now residing on my person, would blow out the window.  But, alas, it did not. 

When I got to the gym, I tried my best to keep my stink to myself.  I used the machine farthest from the majority of the people and tried not to walk around too much as to not waft the smell through the building.

I wanted to announce to the whole place that I was sorry about the stink but my need to exercise was going to have to trump their need for fresh air.  Now that I write it down, it sounds pretty selfish.

I am happy to report that no one passed out and I reached my calorie burn goal for the day.  No harm, no foul.  Well, I guess you would have to ask my fellow gym members.  They might feel differently.   

He loves his cheeseburger, his tasty cheeseburger

Little Wubba has been slow to form clear words.  Sometimes I totally know what he is saying and other times I am at a complete loss.

Today we were driving to pick up a friend.  When we passed the local McDonald's my little man said clear as a bell, "Hi Cheeseburger!"

Hmmm...does that mean we eat at McDonald's too much or that my little man is just selective in what words are worth his effort?

The benefit of the doubt

Me: "Oh no!  A bird pooped on our sun roof.  How gross!"
Bubba: "Mommy, what did the bird say?"
Me: "I don't think he said anything.  I think he just pooped."
Bubba: "Maybe he said, "That looks like a potty."

Play Date

a man with a plan

Bubba keeps talking about going to Aunt DW's house to stay the night with Bub.  As you know Bub is his older cousin by about 14 months.  I just smile and say, "That's nice, honey.  Someday we will have a sleep over at Aunt DW's house."  Then I move on with my day. 

Apparently, my barely four year old has not only mentioned this plan but has also begun to put it in action.  One morning I noticed three items placed strategically under his bed: a back pack, buzz light year and a sleeping bag.  When I asked him about it he told me, "Leave it there, Mommy!  It's my sleep over stuff for Bub's house."

Hmmmm...when Bubba got busy playing in the other room I had to check it out.  I thought for sure his back pack would include favorite toys and maybe a tasty snack.  When I opened it up I was shocked.  Not only did my little man pack himself some PJs, he also packed socks, underwear, a story and his buzz light year costume.  Everything a man needs for a cousin sleep over!  After I took these pictures I carefully put each item back in his bag and put everything back in it's place. 

While I am impressed by his ability to pack his own overnight bag; I am also painfully aware that my first born is growing up!  Sniff Sniff.