The Return to "Normalcy"

I mean, normal for us.

It has been a quieter week. Sarah finished up school and took her CAT. "We" are nesting, getting ready for GM's annual shutdown. The children are eager to have their Dad exclusively to themselves for a bit...maybe that is why they aren't sleeping?

Not a lot of major events happening, so I haven't been taking many pictures.

But last night, I realized that I was missing out when I didn't take pictures of the little moments that happen throughout our day. I wasn't being as grateful. I was letting that time pass me by. And Boy! What a time this is!

So right before bed, but after Thomas donned his baseball cap, I grabbed the camera. This is our down-time in the front room before the children get tucked in. Sometimes we watch a video. Sometimes we wrestle. Sometimes we attempt to pray as a family. Some nights Matt gets brave enough to open a book and read over the din.

Last night Sarah and Thomas started off down-time with ballet lessons.

He grew about 7 inches this week.

Sarah was trying to teach Tom some official moves.
Tom wanted to be an airplane.

Nothing makes me laugh quite as hard as Thomas does these days.

"No Tom! Like this!"

Nearly there...

Giving up.

This is his "Uncle Rob" look. The boys surprised me the other day by flipping their hats backwards and fighting over who looked more like my brother, Rob. When we pull in the Wegmans or Target parking lots, they say to one another, "Hey! Let's go in like Uncle Rob!" They turn their hats around and giggle all the way into the store.
Did you hear that Rob? They are WATCHING you!

Little House in the Big Woods was the story that we read last night. Matt got through an entire chapter, and I was just as enthralled hearing it last night as I was when I was a child.

The boys liked all the parts about the wild animals.
Sarah was in dream mode. I will tell you what she was thinking.
"Laura, Mary and Baby Carrie. There were three girls! Three daughters? No sons? Is that possible?"

Ummmmm....YES! He held still. Smiled. Looked at the camera. I had no time to focus or zoom.

Grainy Perfection!

Fresh Faces

Joseph received a PIRATE coloring book from his teacher, Miss Roberta. Now, his newest aspiration is to become a pirate when he grows up. Thanks Roberta!

Thomas has been practicing his ring bearer face for my brother's upcoming wedding. We are still in stage one of trying to convince Thomas that this isn't actually a smile. We are in stage two of trying to convince my brother that it is not too late to back out from having Tom in the wedding.

This is what travel by automobile will look like for us for just a couple more months. This is a Suburban, folks! Tell me where in the world I am supposed to put that 5th car seat! NYS car seat laws are slightly out of control. Since all my children have to be in boosters until they are 12 now, our next vehicle will be a bus.
I am not kidding.

Conversation Heart Tom.
The heart says it all: "Wild Child".
Still, NOT a wedding smile.

The boys are learning how to flex the muscles they inherited from their Dad.

Practicing flower girl stance for aforementioned wedding.

Matt mentioned to me before bed the other night that his phone was no longer working properly.
My response: "Really?!?"

Yesterday got hot and humid enough for Nay Nay to overcome his convenient (read: only at bathtime) fear of water.

The Good Deeds Jar

Our dear friend Emily and her absolutely sugary Mom came over one day, months ago, to save me from myself. Emily's Mother, a veritable Yoda for mothers of toddlers, sat down with me for upwards of an hour. I talked and she listened patiently. Then I asked questions and she answered patiently. Then I cried and she comforted me patiently. Are you getting the drift? This woman is patient.

I told her that I was outside with the children one day, sitting in a chair, and was yelling across the yard at all of them. Yelling, yelling, yelling. I told her I couldn't believe that the voice was mine. I had kind of an out-of-body experience. I was watching myself turn into that mother that couldn't walk across the yard and take care of the situation in an adult manner. Inside the house, it was the same thing. Walking up the stairs to solve the mystery of the screaming one-year-old was too painful. I would just yell up the stairs and ask why the baby was crying, who did it and did they want to be grounded for the rest of their lives? I was running on "E".

Emily's Mom, she smiled. She sympathized. She understood that I really DID want to try. I was just so tired and fresh out of ideas.

She handed me three books that changed my life.

There was one book, in particular, that touched my heart. All three spoke of positive reinforcement, but this one offered suggestions, diagrams and printables for people like me! (read: not at all energetic enough to do anything more than say, "Wow! What a great idea!)

Best Idea Ever:

"Caught 'Ya Being Good!"

I recognize when my children misbehave, but struggle to encourage them when they have done something good. After reading these books, I started paying closer attention. The first couple of times I told Sarah that I liked the way she did her school without complaining...it felt completely unnatural. I was in a bad place. I needed to try harder. I saw Joseph playing trains with Nathan, sharing his very favorite engine and speaking so kindly. I recognized it, went over to him, and told him how proud I was of the decision he was making. It was getting easier. Thomas went to the bathroom that day without pumping the soap out of the dispenser onto all of our toothbrushes. I shared with him how this helped the family tremendously! So much easier. The compliments were coming out of my mouth! I was focusing on good things and my children were responding by finding more helpful things to do.

When we catch the children being good, they get a popcorn kernel to put in a jar that sits on our dining room table. When the jar is full of good decisions and good deeds, we have a popcorn party/movie/sleepover night.

Well, they did it! Last week, Joseph put the last kernel in the jar. That night we rented a movie and had a sleepover in the living room. But nothing was more exciting than watching Daddy empty their jar full of all the good things they had done into the hot air popper and having it turn into a treat!

It is not always easy. I don't always get it right. Sometimes I fall back into my old state of shouting commands from another room and being downright miserable. But this new habit of recognizing the good things has been such an amazing tool for all of us. Matt is quick to hand out kernels and the children are eager to fill up their second jar. In the midst of all this chaos, there is so much joy and kindness. I am so grateful for the people who have helped me recognize it and appreciate it.

Projects

Birthday/Party Season is coming to a close...for two months. This season is always a little tricky for me because I am not very good at planning ahead, staying organized, completing anything I begin or finishing a thought process. We have showers, graduation parties, Mother's Day, Father's Day, First Communions and end of the school year celebrations...Notice I didn't even count the 8 birthdays that we have celebrated in the past four weeks.

So nesting came at an amazing time this year.

There were two gifts, in particular, that I was truly excited about...not because they turned out well, but because I finished them!

Ok, so Matt and Sarah (the slave-laborers) were the main reasons I finished them, but whatever.

I stalked Matt's mom on Pinterest. I checked through her ideas for decorating and found a great idea for a gift. It turns out that the completed gift looks nothing like the original idea on her Pinterest board, but if anyone even half-mentions that to me...

Sarah was so eager to help paint!

I had to keep the project in the laundry room, away from tiny fingers. Also, this was a very good reason for why I "absolutely couldn't" complete any laundry for like 3 weeks.

The decal I ordered off Etsy. I couldn't have been happier!

The clothespins, all colored. Buttons applied. The hard part was figuring our how many to make. One for each grandchild and guess-timate for the future Pernot grandchildren, all around. Eight was the magic number. (Note to Matt's Mom: I can always make more. Clothespins, that is.)

Bringing it together.

The finished gift! It looks WAY better in person. Matt installed the eye hooks and wire...perfectly, as always.
Happy Birthday, Nonna!

Project Number Two:
Father's Day gift for my Dad
Sunday mornings are full of tradition at my parent's home. When we are able to make it over there, Matt helps my Dad make breakfast for the family. Egg-a-muffins are the name. Kicking all uncertified cooks out of the kitchen is the game.
ONE TIME I burnt the muffins. ONE TIME! And now the men-folk form a barricade to keep me out of the kitchen.



Apron and Iron-On paper from Michael's.

Master Chef and The Girl he would eat liver and onions for.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Catching Up

Matt and Sarah's birthdays are within 3 days of one another. Since Matt is still Sarah's Knight in Shining Armor, they celebrate each year together.

Sarah had a wish list of birthday activites that was 4 miles long.

Number One was to go the the beach in Hawaii with her best friends.

We went to Lake Ontario instead.

Tom Boo, marching.

Nate did not like the sand. At all.

It's not the ocean, but she is adjusting.

Thomas kept burying his Crocs in the sand. We are lucky to have left with two of them.

Good family pictures are totally over-rated.

Peaceful Buzz

 After the beach, we came home and had a quiet evening. Pizza and cookie cake. And fixing bikes?

"Helping" Daddy

Joseph's back tire. He likes to skid and call himself Lightning McQueen.
"McQueen's blown a tire!!!"

Is that number for real?

Matt totally picked out this cake at Wegmans

Happy Birthday to YOU!

This makes me laugh so hard. Sarah is being the perfect model, smiling for the camera, while the boys swoop in and blow out ALL the candles.

The Aftermath

"My Dad can fix anything!"

And another try

 Presents in Pajamas!

Favorite gift was Rose, the baby doll she has been asking for since birth.

Close second was Cinderella and her horse

Sarah and Rose Karen. Matt and I picked out this particular doll because it looked so much like all of our babies. Weird. Must have been the Michelin Man arms. 

Matt got a "drill that didn't shoot fire", which sincerely disappointed Joseph. And he got a compound saw...which receieved an "ok" from Joseph.

Nay Nay, feeding Rose Karen.

Nay Nay, feeding Nay Nay.

Baby Rose Karen needed some accessorizing. The boys bought all the extras and couldn't wait to try them out for themselves. Yes, that is a potty seat. Oh Tom!

Tom, checking out the specs on the baby tub.

Nate, who won't sit on a real potty chair, helping himself to Rose's new seat.

 Uncle Mike came over early on Sarah's actual birthday and delivered our favorite breakfast: pancakes and hash browns!
Hash browns are the reason I have already gained 650lbs this pregnancy.
Thank you, Michael.

And a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Bean.

Happy Birthday Sarah and Matt!