time

5:00 AM
Internal Clocks are great and Terrible.
Rhia agrees with me.

Trying to go back to sleep,
KT and Rhia

too tired to write

Friday night at 9:35 pm
finished my first week back to work in 9 years.
Finished the first week back to school.
Finished the school party.
Finished the home party.
Getting ready for the all school BBQ party tomorrow.
I'm too tired to write anything more.
will post pics of Rhia's birthday party later.
Going to sleep and hope NO ONE wakes me up at 5:00.

Rhia's school party

Rhia's first grade class celebrated with her this afternoon. In this picture her class is singing happy birthday.

My baby girl is a big first grader!!
The hidden treasure cupcakes were so good that she ate it right up!

Working at the school has its perks as Mommy was able to join the party today. We posed for a picture in front of the math center beside the date, august 29.
Rhiannon and Mrs. McGraw talk about how special a birthday is.

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,

KT

Birthday and Important rule of law

Before I get to the meat of my blog let me just say that in our house there is one rule that cannot be broken. That rule is this: IF MOM IS AWAKE AT LEAST ONE CHILD MUST ALSO BE AWAKE. Seriously, I've been getting up at 5:30 this week to have some quiet time and get ready for school. At least 1 child follows me downstairs every morning. This morning I get up at 5:00 to make cupcakes and 2 children follow me downstairs. What is up with that? Will someone please tell my kids that it is ok for them to sleep while I am awake???


HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY RHIANNON!!! HAPPY 87th BIRTHDAY GRANDMOM!!!
7 years ago today I was awake and driving to the hospital with a very large belly. My not quite 2 year old was spending the night with some friends and my husband, my mom, my dad, and my sisters were all coming to the hospital with me to have a party! And party we did. All dressed and showered with nice hair and make-up, manicured toes and nails I entered the hospital with a smile on my face as I signed in for my induction.

With pitocin dripping and an epidural blocking the pain, I sat in bed and beat the pants off EVERYONE that challenged me to a game of cards. We played until I hit transition and my dad had seen enough! :-) Rhiannon Elizabeth Martin was born at a great time in the afternoon and was indeed the easiest birth I experienced. When her sweet body appeared, my husband looked at me with a great big smile and shouted, "IT'S A RHIA!!" Never imagining I would have the gift of a baby girl I cried with delight and thankfulness. Petite and small she was hairless and pretty quiet and easy.

Fast forward 7 years, Rhia is still petite and small, definately NOT hairless, but continues to be pretty quiet and easy. She is such a blessing in our family as she takes on the role of the peacemaker always trying to help and encourage others. Every day she demonstrates her love for others and God's love for me in gifting me such a treasure. I love my little girl more than words can say and I am so amazed that God choose me to be her mom.

So as I write, I am smelling the cupcakes baking in the oven delighted to be up before the sun making a treat for my daughter's classroom birthday party. I never quite understood why my mom always seemed to enjoy my birthday just as much as I did! I understand now. :-) Since my mom was present during the birth of all of my children I imagine she feels almost as much delight on this day as I do. If I'm honest she probably feels more delight as she remembers her baby girl having her baby girl. What a beautiful expression of God's love and plan for his people.

As an extra special treat, God allowed Rhiannon to be born on my Grandma's 80th birthday. So today I wish my Grandma an extra special happy 87th! Love you Grandma!!!

I remember one year I sent my Mom flowers on my birthday and she cried. I get it now Mom. I don't even need flowers, I'm already crying.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL. I LOVE YOU!!

So Blessed to be mom of Rhia,
KT

Listen to your Kids

Since 6:30 this morning Iain has been trying to tell me something. Although we talked on the way to school, during the day at school, and on the way home from school, it wasn't until we pulled into the driveway that Iain finally had an audience and made his announcement.

Pointing to his waist, Iain said, "Mom, here is the problem". Seeing nothing upsetting, I waiting for more information. "I don't have on any underwear!" "WHAT?????" I say looking at his uniform shorts and thinking how uncomfortable that must have been. "Why not Iain?" "I forgot to put them on this morning. I tried to tell you!"

oops...listen to your kids...sometimes it is vitally important information. :-)

Blessed to be Momofkrit,
KT

MIss Katie rocks

So this evening Miss Katie called to come by and tuck the kids into bed. (She babysat/nannied for us for several years while I was very busy procreating) She is now working 6 days a week at a local store and works long hours. Tomorrow is her day off.
She misses the kids a lot and they miss her as well. So she says to me, Can I borrow Teagan tomorrow morning? I thought hard and responded, borrow her tomorrow morning? You can take her now! :-) It was 9:30 pm.

So Teags is off to "party hard" tonight and then have a tea party in the morning and I get to go to work tomorrow without my junior assistant to the assistant to the director of development as she is lovingly being called.

Miss Katie rocks! She is happy to see Teags, Teags is delighted to see her, and I'm delighted that they are both delighted and together. Bonus...

Blessed to know Miss katie!!
KT

Back to School

The first day of school has come and gone as well as the second. My very big kindergartner is learning so much already! He can almost button and zip his pants as well as buckle his belt all by himself! His teacher sent a note home the first day asking all the dads to help their boys with this task. I guess the first day was a bit rough when it came time for the kindergarten bathroom break! Seriously though he is doing great and loving school. He looks so big and yet so small.

Rhiannon is loving first grade and was thrilled today when she came home with homework. Yesterday was a disappointment as there was no homework. Apparently she requested to stay longer and learn more, but her teacher said she needed to go home and take a nap. :-)

Kyle did well in 3rd grade and although he'll probably tell you he hates it, he looks very happy and is doing well while he is in school. Today marked the beginning of a significant moment in gradeschool: the first recorder class. He came home and practiced 5 mintues worth of playing letter c. (sorry Mom, didn't realize all those years ago...) He also began Latin and has developed his own creative theory on the disappearance of the Minoan civilization. Remember studying that? I don't.

Teagan is enjoying playing at school with her brother in the afternoons while I work although she is VERY tired at the end of the day. This morning she kept following me around as though looking for a playmate. We'll have to adjust to being alone with just the 2 of us!

I enjoyed my first 2 days at work although it will take some time to adjust to leaving the house every day wearing real clothes and make-up. You may laugh, but it has been 9 years since that has been a daily habit. So I'm sure you'll hear stories of failed crock pot dinners and cereal galore, but it will be a great ride.

Pics will follow shortly.
Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
KT

Ponderings

"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."

As a young child I memorized that verse from the book of Luke as part of the Christmas story which we recited every year. I didn't know what pondered meant, but something inside me knew this was a special verse. Obviously only Mary has the experience of pondering the birth of Jesus in her heart, but I believe Mary's example can be applied to all mothers.

Tonight I am nervous, excited, sad, anxious, scared, and well excited. Tomorrow morning my 3rd child will walk through the doors and off to kindergarten. You might think this is no big deal. After all it is the 3rd kid and there is still another one at home. But it is a big deal, a really big deal. I think I could have 15 kids and it wouldn't matter because a mother ponders all these things in her heart. I don't recall the exact time Iain was born, and it is true that I have given the wrong birth date to doctors, but never for a moment have I forgotten the look of his face or the joy in my heart when that sweet boy entered the world and was My Little Boy.

Somehow going through big changes with subsequent kids is actually harder that the first. Why? Because I know now what happens. Fear of the unknown can be really terrible. Sometime fear of the known is worse. My sweet little boy will, I trust, remain my sweet little boy. However, kindergarten has a way of maturing kids. It is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But my little boy is and will be growing up and tonight this mom is pondering all these things.

So what of the other kids? Are they just back to the same old same old? No, I'm pondering them as well. The first week in June is always a scramble to figure out how to live together every day all day. But the night before school starts in August my mind and my heart are always in a scramble to figure out how to let them go again. Each year they develop more independence. Each year they learn new things, sometimes more than you are ready for them to know! And a mom ponders all these things in her heart.

I never knew my heart was so big. I never knew I could love this much. I never knew that loving this much sometimes hurts and I never understood till I became a Mom the importance of Pondering all these things in my heart.

Weepy Mom,
KT

PICNIC

This evening we attended a picnic at the home of the principal of our school. All teachers and staff were invited and we had a great time visiting with old friends, making new friends, watching kids play, eating great food, and being outside on this gorgeous night. We arrived right on time at 6:00 and stayed until 9:00. Arriving home my kids all had showers and were tucked into bed with bedtime stories and prayers. What a great night.

NOT Ok, so that was the plan. If you have ever read my blog you know that my life doesn't go according to plan and something as simple as attending a staff picnic could not be simple for me.
Here's what really happened.

3:00 pm - My husband calls and is feeling really sick and headed home to take a nap.

4:00 pm- My youngest daughter falls asleep.

6:00 pm (The start time of the picnic) My hubby and daughter wake up. Hubby still sick so we'll have to go it alone.

6:45 pm - I FINALLY get everyone into the car with socks and shoes They are hungry. Mapquest says it will take 27 minutes. No problem. I forget my dessert.

7:15 pm - GPS saying it will be another 30 minutes. We are on back roads I've never seen.

7:20 pm - We get on a "main" back road and the kids comment that there are other cars on the road! We're not lost. They are even hungrier. (Of course my emergency car food bag was left in the house.)

7:45 pm - My GPS lady says 1 more minute to go. "Turn left Woods Road. Destination on the left." On the left is a corn field. A BIG corn field.

8:15 pm - After 30 minutes of attempting to find 5 Woods Road, we abort mission. I use GPS to help me find a nearby restaurant to feed the kids. I have $17.00.

8:35 pm - We pull into a McDonald's that is part of a complex called the Big ELK Shopping center. I'm hoping the meat is still cow.

8:50 pm - After a LONG wait in line we are seated with nuggets, burgers, fries, ketchup, mustard and waters.

9:00 pm - One by one they all have to use the restroom. Why do kids seem drawn to public restrooms. Yuck. Since this McD was not very clean at all, I prayed over the kids safety and off we went. I prayed more and even let them play in the play place.

9:15 pm - With just enough left for ice cream cones we headed to the car with dripping cones.

9:25 pm - I tell the kids to try to stay awake as they need showers.

9:26 pm - Rhia tells me she needs a snooze first and she was gone.

10:05 pm - Arriving at home the only child awake was the late napper. So much for showers.

10:15 pm - Everyone is placed into bed. They are dirty. They are disappointed. They are tired. They are really dirty. There are no stories and only silent prayers whispered by me as I leave their rooms.

Lessons learned:
* Map Quest and my GPS are not friends.
* ALWAYS make sure you have the snack bag IN the car.
* Take the phone number with you even if you have GPS.
* Taking 4 kids into a McD in the Big Elk shopping center at 9:00 at night can be a daunting task.


Tomorrow morning the kids AND the sheets are both getting showers!
Maybe next year we'll find 5 Woods Road then again maybe next year we'll just go to the local McD!

Wishing I had been at the picnic, but trusting there was a good reason,
momofkrit and woj,
KT

Clarifications

momofkrit and woj

mother to Kyle, Rhiannon, Iain, and Teagan, and Wife of Jamie

I've had some questions as to those meanings. I did explain way back when I first started blogging, but here it is again! :-)

updates

It has been awhile since I wrote. My creative juices were not flowing over the past week during the funeral for my uncle. Thanks for all your kind words and support.

So updates:
1. I am working part-time now at Tall Oaks Classical School where my children attend school. I will be the administrative assistant to the Director of Development. Fancy title, I know. Originally I was titled Development Support and that made me think only of Diapers, Pantyhose and Depends. I was thrilled they officially named me AA!! :-)
Tonight I completed my first official duty filling in for the director and giving the development spiel for the Parents Back to School Night. I was all prepared and got to school early and tried not to freak out when the headmaster told me he had changed my power point presentation. Thankfully they were minor changes and thankfully my boss comes back on Saturday.

2. School starts for us on Monday. Here is the current thought process of each child:
Iain - He is so excited to start school that he has been impossible to handle. He is demonstrating no self control and keeps acting out in a manner which is unlike even him. When questioned, he responds, "Mommy, I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just so excited to start school!"

Rhia - Last night at 4:00 am she crawled into my bed and told me she is nervous about starting first grade. Being the sensitive mother that I am, I hugged her and told her we would talk about it in the morning.

Teagan - She is still wondering when her class is having their summer social party. When I explained that she isn't really in school yet, she argues with me and insists that she is. Classic 4th child syndrome.

Kyle - My sweet oldest boy told me tonight that he is glad I met and talked to his teacher, but he won't be able to attend school this year. He informed me that he and his best friend, Trevor are planning to be homeschooled. After a short pause I asked him who the home teacher was going to be since both Trevor's mom and I will be working at the school to pay tuition. Monday morning could be a tough one for him.

3. My sweet husband will enjoy tomorrow morning as his last morning of freedom. Next week begins the long daily drive to school at 7:00 am. At least there is Starbucks, Panera, and Dunkin Donuts all on the way back to work. He should be ok! :-)

Blessed to be momofkrit and woj,
KT

I had a dream

So I had a dream last night.

I went school shopping yesterday to get the kids their uniforms and school supplies such as pencils and crayons and binders. With Starbucks in hand and my detailed list I was ready to get this job finished.

First stop: uniform store. As I walked into the store I noticed 2 women and 6 kids walking into the store. Yikes, I thought, I'm so glad my kids are at home. I watched as these poor women split the kids by sex and began the painstaking process of trying on clothes while attempting to maintain control of these rowdy children. Every now and then the youngest of the group would escape and run around the store and the boys, proving that boys are boys, could not keep their hands off each other. It is a good thing this store had a restroom too because those kids kept taking turns using it! As I finished making my selections and headed toward the checkout I noticed half of the kids climbing up a store ladder!! Wow...the moms looked slightly frazzled and anxious to abandon this store. :-) I felt their pain, I've been there before.

Second stop: Staples. Looking for deals I wasn't paying attention to the customers around me until I saw a familiar child go running fast and these loud boys come desperately searching for mechanical pencils. Yup, sure enough, these moms and 6 kids were following me! "I want pink, can I have blue, Mom I NEED this lead, I'll be over here, Mom." Oh my, these ladies were brave bringing 6 kids into this store. They seemed to explore each aisle with great intent and frequently went dashing to show their maternal units a great new find. Spinning chairs, computers, executive desks, these kids tried them all. Those poor moms, I thought, hope this is their last stop!!

Third stop: ToysRus. Rhiannon's birthday is 2 weeks away so I stopped in here to look for deals and also because I was sure this store would have a restroom. Hearing commotion behind me I turned to see these same 6 kids following me!! Well sort of. They were actually headed in 6 different directions. Seeing the moms pointing toward the restroom sign, I guessed they had the same idea. Staples doesn't have a public restroom and if those kids are anything like my kids, at least one child would need to go in every store. But ToysRus? Couldn't you find a better store with a restroom? With sighs of despair and requests for birthday and Christmas these kids begrudgingly walked behind their mothers and out of the store empty-handed.

Fourth Stop: Target. Ok, a few more school supplies and then I'm stopping for lunch! Oh no, it can't be, yup, here they come. What were these moms thinking? DS, Pokemon, Craft supplies, clothes, the kids were gleefully looking at everything as the moms kept corralling the kids forward and toward the school supplies. The 2 older boys in the group seemed very close and I observed that they never stopped talking. I wonder what they talk about? A few more items in the cart and then off to girls clothing where I came across the 2 older girls completely engaged in shopping for matching dresses, purses and wallets. They talked of being stars and being famous and choosing pretty dresses. Hmm, I thought, sounds like my little girl and her best friend.

Last stop: TGIFridays. Quiet lunch and then back to home to relieve the babysitter. Raspberry Iced Tea please, I was just finished saying when I noticed this group entering the restaurant. How funny! Each child choose their drink and selected their menu option and the waitress patiently listened as each child shared their selections. There they go for 1 bathroom trip. I smiled as I watched them go through familiar games such as tic tac toe, hangman, which picture is different, and many others. I felt a twinge of guilt as I watch the moms eat their salads and I scarfed down a burger. I bet they wanted a burger and fries, I thought to myself. Another bathroom run. Requests for forks, passing of napkins, reminders by mom to sit while we eat and close our mouths, and PLEASE don't lick your fingers. Another bathroom trip. Poor moms.
Refill requests, no wonder they need the bathroom. Check please, check please, check please, check please...what is going on?

I open my eyes, it is morning. OH MY WORD, I had a dream that was actually reality! I was one of those moms and 4 of those kids were mine. My good friend and her 2 kids made of the rest of that "crazy group". Did I really think that going uniform and school shopping and out to lunch with 6 kids would be a fun event?

YES!!! And it WAS. We had fun, made some noise, visited lots of bathrooms, got some supplies and best of all spent time with our friends. Good thing dreams are often embellished! :-)
Too bad this one wasn't. Ladders and bathrooms and licking fingers and searching for lead all of it true.

Just another fun day for this momofkrit,
KT

A Piece of Joy

So this evening while I was checking e-mail and talking to my little 3 year old about her day she placed her head on my lap and fell asleep STANDING UP!!

How cute. I put her to bed and I think she is done for the night. I've heard of tired, but falling asleep standing up is a new one for me.

KT

sadness

So I am normally very upbeat and full of fun stories on my blog, but today I found out my dear Uncle Jim has died. He lived alone in Seattle Washington and was in his 60's. We saw him in June at a family wedding and I didn't know it would be the last time I would see him.

Death is so strange. Sometimes it comes suddenly, sometimes slowly, sometimes expected, sometimes not, sometimes it is tragic, sometimes it is a blessing. One thing remains the same: death causes grief and its effects are widespread.

Today was my first day at my new job and I had to leave suddenly upon hearing this news. I was surprised by my own reaction to this news. My grief lies in my thoughts about my Mom and how she just lost a father figure and best friend. My heart breaks for her and the huge loss she is experiencing.

Anyway, hopefully in the next few days I'll be back to sharing stories of my life with 4 kids!
KT

Overheard this morning

Sleepy Iain, "Mom can I have some breakfast with butter."
Translation: bagels with butter.

Rhia at lunch at IHOP: "Mom, is that person a boy or a girl and what did she say anyway?"
Translation: our waitress looked rather, well, just human and had a heavy accent.

Teagan at IHOP: "EWWWWW, Kyle I am NEVER touching you ever again."
Translation: Kyle's face was covered in strawberry sauce!"

Aubrie at IHOP: "Mom, these chocolate chips taste different than they did last time."
Translation: I know mom said I HAD to eat this or we were taking it home for dinner so what kind of excuse can I make to get out of it! :-)

Kyle at IHOP: "Mom, this ketchup is addicted to me!"
Translation: I think he means 'I am addicted to ketchup'.

Kaden at IHOP: "SQUEEEL!!!!!"
Translation: It sure was fun to knock that entire plate of cut up pancakes on the floor! Hmm what else can I grab......

Katie and Erin: "CHECK PLEASE"
Translation: What were we thinking bringing 6 kids to Ihop for lunch. Let's get out of here as quietly and quickly as we can!!!

Never a dull moment for this momofkrit, aunt to KA, and sister to Emme,
KT

Kaden eats a smore!

As a mom of 4 children I have been there. You have a baby and you are leaving for a date with your hubby. Although you know the person is qualified to watch your precious baby you still remind your sitter of the basics.

This evening my sister, Erin, left her baby boy Kaden with me while she went out with Steven. Kaden is 9 months old and loves life and loves to eat. I made waffles for the older kids and after obtaining permission I served very small pieces of waffle to Kaden. NO SYRUP! I had to laugh at this because as an aunt this seems funny. However, I remember when my babies were young and I didn't give them sweets either.

Because my sister was so careful to leave me instructions on what he could and couldn't eat I decided to have a little fun with her. The above picture shows Kaden eating a smore. Don't tell my sister, but I staged the picture and he never actually took a bite! I did however, make this delightful picture a screensaver on her computer. :-) I am an evil sister!!

Mean sister of Erin,

KT

How do you eat your smore?

Smores: graham crackers surrounding melted chocolate and a toasted marshmallow. Often thought of as a campfire dessert, this sweet treat is often used by moms all year round. Using the microwave to melt the chocolate and the marshmallow you can create a smore that is almost but not quite as good as the original.

This evening I took care of 6 children while my sister and her hubby went on a date. After making and cutting waffles for 6 children I proceeded to make smores using the microwave method. Although designed to be enjoyed as one smooth bite of all 3 ingredients children often enjoy their food in a variety of ways. Here were the results:


Aubrie immediately took off the graham crackers and smeared her chocolate and marshmallow together and then licked her fingers over and over until everything but the graham cracker was eaten.



Iain took 2 bites of his smore and immediately began to complain about sticky hands. So much for that dessert.

Kyle being almost 9 ate his smore like an adult, until he declared it was too sweet and made him sick and then left to go and take a shower. Hmm...

Teags was a disaster! Let me say again, DISASTER...she tried her smore in every way possible. Together, apart, mixed, licked, until is was all gone. I love her zest for eating.

Rhia who is not fond of messiness chose not to have a smore at all, but rather some ice cream. :-)

So when you have a smore, how to you eat it?

Momofkrit,
KT

The ice cream truck

Do you all remember the day when you were playing outside and to your great delight the ICE CREAM TRUCK would round the corner? Do you remember the best day of your life when mom said you could actually GET ice cream? Can you still remember which delicious ice cream bar you chose for your treat?

Part of our yearly summer tradition is traveling to Aunt Emme's house and getting ice cream from the ice cream truck. We picked a day and waited outside. We waited and waited and waited. And then it rained. And then we waited and waited and waited. And it never came. What hearbreak.

The next day we heard the truck and frantically ran outside to flag it down. After much debate all 5 kids had picked their treat for the summer and Mommy paid $8.75. Remember when it used to be $.25? We thanked the ice cream lady but not before Rhia politely asked her where she had been the day before! We need to continue to work on our tact. :-)
3 swirly pops, 1 sponge bob, 1 massive snow cone, and 5 Happy kids.

Blessed to have memories of the ice cream truck and to give my kids the same,
KT

Summertime at the pool

So we went to my sisters pool on Saturday and had a blast. Both Kyle and Rhia passed the swim test allowing them to use the slide and diving board. YEAH!! Rhia was very nervous and it took many trips up and down the steps of the slide, lots of encouragement from Mommy and an eventual bribe of ice cream from Aunt Emme to convice her to go. GOOD JOB RHIA!
Teags had a great time sporting a new-old bathing suit of Aubrie's and borrowing some sun glasses. Future movie star perhaps?

Emme and Aubrie swimming in the pool!


Uncle T takes Teags for a swim!

Kyle on his first qualifying for the olympic diving team! :-)

Rhia on her first qualifying for the olympic diving team!


Rhia so excited she did the diving board and the slide!

Kyle thought the slide was to slow!

Iain was a crazy swimmer and was ready for a nap on the warm sidewalk!

Does anything sum up summertime more than a fun day at the pool?

My little monkey

There is one in every family. The child who loves to climb and it pretty good at it too. Thankfully in our home my children are limited to climbing up the outside of the steps as we don't have these great columns. However, whenever we visit Aunt Emme, the first thing Rhiannon does is climb up the pole.

We think it is funny. Aunt Emme and Uncle T just shake their heads and remind us again that we need to come down and help them paint their walls! :-)

MomofRhia,

KT

4th baby

So This is a classic little story that has been circulating the internet for years. Typically it only contains the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd baby comments. I chose to update it to suit my family. All these comments are true and I have experienced in my home with the exception of the money. However, If that had happened in my house I guarantee my response would be as stated below. I'd give the proper credit to whomever wrote this, but I don't know. I only take credit for adding the 4th baby.

Enjoy...

BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
4th baby: You need new maternity clothes as yours are totally worn out.
_____________________________________________________

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing. 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
4th baby: You look forward to the birth as a nice 2 day break. ______________________________________________________

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
4th baby: The baby's clothes are reduced to onsies and socks since you don't have time to redress then every day. ______________________________________________________

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
4th baby: You forget your baby is even in the swing. ______________________________________________________

Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
4th baby: You tell your 3 year old to lick it off first and then give it back. ______________________________________________________

Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
4th baby: Potty trains very early by necessity since hours can pass since you left them undiapered to "air out". _______________________________________________________

Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, Baby Zoo, Baby Movies and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.
4th baby: You baby becomes a cheerleader at sporting events, a cook for birthday parties, a classroom mom for preschool, and diligent student of independent play in the car. ______________________________________________________

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times. 2

nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
4th baby: You tell the sitter to call her own mother if she needs anything. ______________________________________________________

At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children
4th baby: You try to remember that she is there and not leave her for hours in the highchair asleep. ______________________________________________________

Swallowing Coins (a favorite):

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays 2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!
4th child: "Where did you find money???"

The FROG

So we are at Aunt Emme and Uncle T's house and when we are here we do crazy things. Uncle T found a frog outside the garage and of course he brought it into the house and allowed the frog to join the dessert table and listen to Horton Hears a Who which was the bedtime story for tonight.

Apparently the frog thought it was going to be in danger of Horton and it left a present on the table for us! Lovely.
Teags isn't so sure she wants to kiss the frog. She was busy eating a popsicle w/o her brand new white shirt!! :-)
Iain loved the frog and wanted to put it, of course.
Kyle was willing to touch it.
Aunt Emme was hoping to find Prince Charming. Oh wait, she already found him. This frog must be Uncle T's cousin or something.

Notice Rhia and Aubrie are missing from the frog pictures! They were not interested in touching, seeing, feeling or having anything to do with the frog.

Having a good time here! Might be here awhile. My car wouldn't start again this morning. Here's to a better car day tomorrow!

Sleep well frog!!

KT

Trip to Aunt Emme's

I've done this trip dozens of times.
Dozens.
I know the best routes, the best times, the best rest stops, and the best radio stations along the way.
Why should today be any different?

It started ok. Kids to a play date, do laundry, pack the suitcase, pick up kids, Kyle to karate, Iain to T-Ball, run home to get Fiona, back to the ball field, load up the kids, head to the McD on the way, hit the restrooms, distribute the nuggets, fries, and mustard or ketchup and off we go.

20 minutes down the road, "Mom, I have to go". Good, it is one of the boys. Opened sliding door, peed out the door carefully aiming at the ground, shut door, fastened seatbelt and off we go.

95 clear, 895 clear, 97 clear...I tell the kids we are doing great and should be there in about 1 Hannah Montana and a couple of Jonas Brothers commercials. (approx 45 minutes). It is 9:10 pm.

9:15 pm - The sign above the road is flashing..oh no...MAJOR ACCIDENT ALL LANES CLOSED AHEAD.

9:16 pm - Car stopped.

9:45 pm - Took Fiona for a walk. Met a nice lady with a sheltie puppy!

9:55 pm - Talked to some girls who were headed to Annapolis.

10:00 pm - Some young guys come and play with Fiona.

10:10 pm - People are turning on their cars.

10:30 pm - Traffic starts to move again.

10:45 pm - We've moved approx 2 miles! :-)

11:30 pm - We arrive at Aunt Emme's house. Our 2 hour trip turned into 4 and 1/2 hours.

At least we met some nice people and I got several rows of knitting done along the way too.

Life is always an adventure for this momofkrit and woj,
KT

Bathtub or Washing Machine?

So..there must be a story here, right? Yeah, of course there is a story.

A long time ago in a land far away lived a man and his wife and their 4 children. The man went to work every day to provide for his family and his wife took care of the precious children. They lived a normal life with 3 balanced meals, and quiet play every day.

One day a new family moved into town, they called themselves the AKKRIT team. The man went to work every day and the wife took care of the precious children but their life was anything but normal, balanced meals were rare and quiet play was a commodity. The wife would attempt to clean while the children dirtied another room. The wife would attempt to cook while the children stole snacks from the pantry instead. The wife would set up an area for quiet play, but the children were children and children are loud.

One day the wife tried to give away unused toys to the local mission but her car wouldn't start. The nice mechanic drove to her house, identified the problem and got it to start one more time. She took it to the shop and allowed them to do $500.00 worth of work to make it run again. Not wanting to let this ruin her day the wife continued with her job of cleaning up the house.

As the story goes the wife took advantage of the after-dinner hour to organize her girls bedroom and go through clothes that were too small. Seeing her children were so dirty she decided to multi-task and also give her precious children individual baths. All went well until the 4th child got tired of waiting. Unable to get her dress of by her self and not wanting to disturb her mother who was still working while child number 3 soaked, this girl just decided to join the "soak" dress and all.

Hearing new loud noise from the bathroom the mother ran (ok, walked) to check on her 3rd child. Discovering her daughter 'washing' her clothes the mother quickly removed the dress, bathed the kids and got them out of the tub. But not before snagging a picture for posterity.

And the AKKRIT Team Family lived happily ever after or at least until the next blogworthy event happened! :-)

AKKRIT Team Crew Chief,
KT

visit with family

On Sunday afternoon, my sister Amy, her husband Dave and their handsome son Jonah came to stay for a few days. Iain played T-Ball, Kyle practiced flips, Rhia fell in love with Jonah, and Teagan, well, she just loves everyday so she was very happy too.

They were awesome and joined my "clean up the house" adventure during August and helped me with the toy room, the basement, the garage and even some major weeding.

We had a great time and I'm so thankful for my family. Thanks Aunt Amy, Uncle G, and Jonah!!

KT

breakfast

So this morning I told Kyle to make his own breakfast. The other kids had already done this for themselves, but Kyle wanted my help. I told him to go and make a bagel. Once we established where we keep the bagels, which Teagan knows, he got them from the freezer. From the kitchen I hear, "HEY MOM, WHERE DO YOU KEEP THAT HUMONGOUSLY LARGE KNIFE?".

WAIT.....Kyle the bagels are precut honey.

Maybe I should still make his breakfast....

Momofkyle,
KT

Dinner with the Nannee

We went to the outlets tonight and met Nannee for dinner at Cracker Barrel. What fun we had. (Nannee is my Mom in case you didn't know.) Rhia was tired and took a nap in between the quilts!

Teagan enjoyed every aspect of her dinner including the remaining honey from the container! She wore a dress-up dress on loan from Mrs. Baines and carried her My Little Pony Purse. A beautiful princess!!

It took a LONG time to get our food. What had a terrible waitress and Iain and Rhia decided to take advantage of the checkers set in an attempt to keep themselves entertained!

Teagan tried to sit on nannee's lap the whole time and Rhia was always close by. Kyle was very busy talking from his seat next to Rhia and Iain who has a cold was sitting on Mommy's lap the whole night. Mommy and Daddy just sat by and watched with great delight the joy the kids brought to nannee and the joy nannee brought to the kids.

Now there is a HAPPY girl and a HAPPY lady. God is good.

Blessed to be the mom of these beautiful kids and woj, and daughter to Nannee,

KT

My day of Freedom

Began with a sudden start when I was awakened by the fire alarm going off in my kitchen. Soon after I was served delicious hot coffee with eggs and bacon and bread with jam. Breakfast in bed! What a treat!! My husband Rocks!!

I spent the day trying to clean up the mess we created last night with the contents of the closet in our house. I have not succeeded. As my son said when he returned this evening, "Mom, you put the word mess in messy." Funny thing is it looks SOO much better than it did just a few hours ago.

Anyway, I highly recommend this great new hotel for kids that I found. You drop your kids off at bedtime one night and then go pick them up in time for bed the next night. 3 meals, tons of snacks, wardrobe changes covered in the charges. Great place...If you'd like the name of the couple that run it you can ask me. I must tell you though, don't ask them for a few weeks, I'm pretty sure they are worn out from their recent guests. :-)

I'd send a picture of my finished closet, but...well stay tuned..

KT

GUEST AUTHOR....

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BRING YOU A GUEST AUTHOR...
THIS SPECIAL AUTHOR IS THE WONDERFUL FRIEND WHO TOOK MY KIDS AND GAVE ME A DAY OF FREEDOM...HERE WAS HER E-MAIL TO ME...ENJOY....

I will never again say to you I am tired with two kids...................I am now in awe of you and any other Mother with more than 2! In all seriousness, we are really doing fine. They have not been a problem at all. Just the following:

Teags was attached to my hip ALL last night : )
We had to prepare the table and guest for our tea party
The boys decide that they are dirty and want to take a shower.
Iain fell asleep by 10pm on the couch
I put the girls down by 10:30pm and Teagan was still awake and talking up a storm - We read 2 stories and turned out the lights but of course "talk, talk , talk"
Meanwhile the boys were in the basement - just chillin
Stan carries Iain upstairs
I finally get the boys upstairs - but not happy about the sleeping arrangements. I was not going to put Iain in the top bunk. So, Trevor volunteered to sleep with Iain in the bottom while Kyle slept in the top.
Ok, all quiet at 11:30pm
6:15am - I am still in the bed, but guess what I hear - Rhia in the bathroom, then Taylor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Girls, it is too early!! : )
Of course, by the time I say don't wake Teagan, they are all coming downstairs. The boys follow. Stan starts laughing.
Cinnonmon rolls made and Rhia eats fruity pebbles
After, they say we are still hungry. - I told them I will fix breakfast later in the morning.
Buster grabs Rhia's little purple animal - I get it from him, but Rhia doesn't want it back - because it is wet.
They all go off their sep. ways, until I hear "Mrs. Baines, Teagan peed on the steps. Oh, yes, a nice dripping down the steps. It was my fault - I forgot about first thing in the morning to make her go to the bathroom. I remembered last night, but not this morning.
So, Teagan has had her bath and dressed.
Rhia, Iain and Taylor have been up in her room playing, while the boys were downstairs.
Rhia just comes to me and asks "Is breakfast ready"
Oh, I just realized that I haven't had my detox drink yet............ I hope you are smiling and not saying "oh no", because I am excited about today and all of our little children...............gotta go, Teagan wants her tea party, but breakfast has to be first - and it is only 8:30am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Love ya!

My loving response to her was
"so your point is.... sounds like an average day to me!!" :-)

If my guest author had any energy left after I picked up my kids at 9:30 this evening she would tell you that she had a great time today, the tea party was delightful, and that she accomplished nothing today except feeding 6 children and delighting the heart of a 3 year old with lots of special attention.

TO MY GUEST AUTHOR I SAY....THANK YOU!!!!