new normal

life this fall is completely different than ever before without maxer around during the days.  not only do we miss him awfully during school, we also all work together to accomodate his daily drop off and pick up from sandy view.  though this transportation could easily be done by a bus, but i treasure being the one to send him off to class with a whispered assurance that mommy loves him and jesus is in his heart.  plus, ayla jo and bear repeatedly ask when we can go pick up maxer, that trip is the highlight of their afternoon!

yesterday demonstrated that we are getting settled into this new normal.  I awaken first to frantically shower as quietly as i can before any of the adorables wake up needing me only to find me unavailable.  ayla jo always joins me next.  ussually we devotion together with dora, well i devotion and she watches dora.  bear bear either joins in now or i must wake him up by carrying him to the veen with a sweatshirt or something to put over his pj's so the sandy view staff sees there is no need for child protective services to be involved here.  around 7:30 i start waking up maxer gently by turning off his fan, opening his door, rubbing his back, etc until he comes downstairs on his own.  this morning it took me three tries until maxer finally said, okay mom, i just want to sleep for a little more.  sorry dude, not an option!

we breakfast and pray together and then start the long process of getting the adorables dressed, teeth brushed, and in the veen.  shoes are never where i put them the night before, and clothes seem to shrink overnight.  but we have thus far been on time every morning.

with maxer at school, we try to get some errands run with one less.  sometimes we have playdates that make me feel guilty at having fun without our biggest.  but i overcome the guilt with thankfulness maxer is doing so well and is able to attend school like a big boy.  the other day, ayla jo went down for a later nap and i had to wake her up to go get max.  she slept up until i was buckling her in.  baby blue groggily opened her eyes and said, "ready to roll". 

one day this week, i had a flashback to my childhood.  well, it must gave been more of my teen years.  my two little sisters would play "wolf child".  this game is entailed one of the girls being a wolf, and the other one being a child.  they would chase eachother around and around the kitchen table.  literally, hours of fun for those two.

 well i played balto with my littlest two.  for those of you who are not familiar with the movie balto, i think you should rent it.  its about a wolf dog who saves an entire village by getting medicine for all the sick kids.  true story. film is animated and amazing.  just ask bear bear.  we happened to find a balto II vhs while at this random antique tractor show last weekend, and bear clutched that movie the entire day.  we watch it every time we start the veen now.  the best 25 cents spent ever. 

okay, so i was balto and cupcake and wes were the dog sled drivers who told me to mush while i dragged them around the living room on a sheet.  i was sweating and they were laughing.  a morning well spent.

we play hard when we get home.  though i had been warned time and again that maxer would be weary when he got home, max has adjusted super well.  bear bear seems to struggle a bit more with tiredness.  i found him sleeping in my bed last wednesday while gathering the babes for soccer practice.  aww buddy.

 he works and plays hard that bear bear.  especially during our hopscotch extravaganza last week.

 cupcake was very efficient and held her stones in her shirt.  clever darling!

tiger joined in the hopping.  since this amazing time, tiger has been hit by a car.  sad story, i know.  but the good news is it was not our car!  and brad being the heroic daddy he is, quickly pitched tiger in the ditch before the adorables could see.  aw.  and ew.

just when things were getting a bit settled...
bear started school!!