tricky with three

adjusting to three children brings joy, frustration, contentment and sweat. now, the children outnumber the parents. though only by one, it can seem like it is by 1,000 when they all have different wants and needs and expect them to be met immediately. brad and i are a stellar team (mostly), and i depend upon his fathering skills to be the best at mothering as i can. therefore, when brad is absent, oh do i feel that absence.

recently, he has ventured on a golf trip and is currently in the throes of harvest season. truly, we are fine and totally surviving. things are just a little different without brad around. there is a learning curve involved and the main lesson for me is to pick my battles. i cannot possibley be privy to all the boys are doing while i am tending to ayla. this realization is something the boys have certainly picked up on and are doing all they can to take advantage. i am so thankful that ayla is such a determined and persistent nurser, for frequently battles are raged while i am attempting to feed her. here are some of the fights i have had with the boys today while nursing:

getting popsicles out of the freezer and consuming them at 8:52 in the morning while completely ignoring their breakfasts. this one i let go- at least they will be well hydrated and sugared

"rocking" the pack n play to the point where it tips over and bear cries oh no broken! as ayla was not in the portable crib at the time, i let this fly as well. do not fear, she is never out of sight as this sort of "gentle" attention is the only kind the boys possess. even when i take a shower i lock her in the bathroom with me

checking on the kitty. outside. alone. fight, i won by dragging each boy in and keeping them in time out, all while nursing. the girl can suck.

throwing clothes down the stairs. clean and folded and put away clothes. battle. i have enough to do without doing it twice boys.

ps- it is only one o'clock. about time for a nap i would say!!

meow

good friends are blessings in so many ways.

like when they give you a cat. the nyhofs thoughtfully bestowed upon us this fine specimen of feline:

as you can see, the boys cannot stand the thing. just kidding, they adore little inky. every morning they awake thinking of her and really do not tire of playing with her at every opportunity they get.we save our leftovers and bring them out for the "kiki" as bear calls her. this cat is so very tolerant. boys do not play gently with kittens apparently. maxer and bear often throw the kitty, grab it by its tail, and force its little face into a dish of milk or water or whatever food i happen upon to donate to inky's cause.

after several attempts to allow inky freedom, she just keeps coming back.

trust me, meiste boys can be extremely charming!

complete chaos aka ayla's baptism

baptism is a sacred affair, one we took very seriously. ayla is god's first and we are committed to raising her to know and love him. before launching into the story of ayla's special evening, i wanted to make sure to clarify that we do take baptism seriously...

it is just our boys who do not.

perhaps that is a bit unfair. maybe they just do not know how to appropriately express their excitement at being honored as brothers of sweet baby ayla, the one we are so lovingly bringing before the lord and our friends and fams to announce the desire of our hearts: to give her all the opportunity to establish her own faith.

yes, the latter is definitely what adorable maxer and bear were struggling with that night.

it is no secret that brad was not exactly looking forward to standing in front of the community of believers making up the audience on baptism night, but i do believe he scarcely had time to think of that fact. all children were behaving moderately well while waiting for ayla's turn. by the time we got on stage, brad held weston in his arms and maxer's hand while i was cradling ayla. all was peaceful until maxer began crawling under the curtain on the stage, much to the baptism coordinator's dismay. she conveyed with her eyes to brad that something had to be done immediately to stop max from peeking under that curtain. brad gently set weston down to drag max back to his spot between parents when weston bolted. he ran full tilt down the ramp from the stage to the green room.

bopa (my dad) hurtled onto the stage and began racing after him leaving the public to wonder just what danger weston was headed toward. about this time, ayla began her screech cry, piercing the reverent silence with a high pitched squeel. pastor jim miraculously continued to bless us with beautiful words of inspiration and dedication thru it all.

upon his amen, we turned to leave the stage and make room for the next fam when

bam

maxer tripped over his own feet and smacked down hard on the stage. before even the steps. i smiled at the crowd while brad gracefully hefted max into his arms and proceeded down the steps to our table.

i escorted max and ayla out to the lobby so ayla could nurse and max could run wild with his buddies. twenty minutes of loud screams of delight, games of chase, sweat from the mothers' brows while trying to contain said children and the night ended with cookies and coffee.

we ran for the van, and further broke the door making it impossible to load ayla's carseat in place.

by the time we got home, our darling daughter was baptized, our boys traumatized, our van in disrepair, and brad and i were exhausted.

happy birthday weston bear

my baby boy, my second son

being your mommy is so much fun!



as we celebrate you turning two

we recognize what makes you you!



your climbing ability rivals a monkey's skill

of playing outside, you never get your fill



you got your handsome looks from dad

that makes daddy proud and the girls all glad

you mimic your big brother's words and deeds

max is your best bud who happily leads

happiest when covered in dirt and grime and mud

you are such an active boy, no day is a dud

now that you are ayla's big bro

there's even more about you we are getting to know

for example, you are protective and sweet

not so gentle, but your kisses cannot be beat

you are a perfect fit in our family of five

such a joy to celebrate your being alive

adventures in cadillac

we took to the road on saturday and headed up to cadillac, joining brad's family for some celebrations. it was quite a momentous weekend what with baby bear is turning 2 this week, auntie debbie turning 40 next week, grandpa lampen's 70th birthday, and Carlos' Gotcha Day. Needless to say, spirits were high as we departed saturday afternoon. much to my delight, ayla slept the entire two hours, bear took a mini nap, and maxer remained quite entertained with jimmy neutron the movie, asking if we were there yet only every couple of minutes.

when we did finally get there, we unloaded the entire back of our van into our camper which is conveniently parked at the wenke's cabin. our stay was just one evening, but the amount of stuff i packed would provide comfort aplenty for a family of 17 for an entire month. whoa. after the rest of the clan returned from an outing, the boys promptly began shooting at clay pigeons.

my sons were thrilled with this activity, bear dressed the part of a navy seal in training:

while maxer dutifully yelled for everyone to cover their ears when the clay pigeons were released.

that evening, we feasted on pulled pork bbq's and sue's cake (the meiste family recipe that no celebration is complete without).

everyone slept great in the camper despite the frigid temperatures in the am, rendering us ready for the day ahead. while most daddy's golfed in the morning, we played hard outside and in. ayla slept hard in the arms of people who adored her. ps- how presh is the headband from auntie amber?!

what a fun weekend spent bonding with our incredible family and counting our blessings for all the reasons we had to celebrate this weekend.