Outside again

It seems like forever since we have been able to just play outside. Sure, we were outside plenty during t-ball and soccer, but it wasn’t just hanging out and having fun. I think the boys really missed that. And now, I usually don’t get home until after 4. We have to have dinner no later than 5:15 or 5:30 so we can fit in baths and still have time for a snack before 7:15 when they need to be in bed. Makes for some very busy nights and very little time for fun play. So, we took advantage of an early afternoon at work and enjoyed the sunshine. I doubt we will have too many of these days left.

Mike might need to work with him a little on his throwing arm.

And his form.

He was running drills. The ball was a little loose for most coaches.

And Zander was preparing for a future in volleyball.

We’ve got our work cut out for us.

At the table

Ben is finally joining the rest of us at the table! He was getting very antsy sitting in his bouncy seat at my feet or in the swing while we had our dinner so we busted out the old highchair (man has that thing seen better days) and brought him up to our level. He loved it (even if these pictures don’t show it).

And of course the older boys couldn’t let me take a picture of Ben without hopping in too.

Promoted

Ben has finally been promoted to a forward-facing position …

in the Moby wrap! I think that means he’s growing up. And I for one don’t really like it.

Playtime

I was trying to get a picture of Ben looking into this little green mirror. It was one of the first toys we bought while I was still pregnant with Nick. I remember we actually got it at a Discovery Toys store in the Mall of America. I have a picture of each of the older two boys looking in the mirror, but everytime I get the camera out to try and capture Ben the boys have to join in the fun.

So I gave up and just let them play. Maybe next time.

Love him

This little guy. He’s a cuddly little bug right now and I just can’t get enough.

Apparently neither can he. He’s been picking Ben up on his own and it’s making me a bit nervous! He might be big enough to do it, but he is a clumsy little boy still and not always the most gentle.

And the word gently really isn’t in this little guy’s vocabulary yet. He loves his little brother dearly, but he also loves to pinch and squash his hand. Doesn’t make for a very happy Ben, or mom for that matter.

Family bed

The idea of a family bed is just not for me. I like my space when I sleep at night and sharing my bed with a husband and multiple children just wouldn’t allow for that. However, I’ve been known to sneak a baby or two into my bed on occasion. And I will admit, I kind of like it. Ben is a pretty good sleeper, but he has a tendency to wake up about 4 a.m. and not want to go back to sleep. So … in an effort to preserve my sanity (and enjoy this last baby as much as possible) I will usually bring him into bed with me until the alarm goes off at 5 a.m. Then, I pass him along to Mike while I shower and get dressed for the day. Sometimes he stays sleeping and sometimes he doesn’t. As long as he doesn’t cry Mike enjoys the cuddle time, too.

Until this one shows up. Zander is still a VERY early riser (though he is getting a little better). And, since the first thing he wants to do every morning is “touch Ben” of course he crawls into bed for his baby fix, too.

Ben doesn’t look too sure about all of this. I think he’s saying “Put down the camera and save me Mom.”

Does this make me a bad mom?

I mean, he is getting tummy time. I can’t help it if he wants to watch Imagination Movers (or football) while strengthening his core.

Another milestone

This was a milestone I could have lived without. The first Christensen boy got stitches today. Yep, I could definitely do without this part of raising boys. And I’m betting Nick could have, too.

I was putting Zander down for his nap when I heard the boom and thud come from the living room. I heard Mike telling Nick to get up, he was fine and figured it was just Nick being his usual klutzy self. He was crying, but that’s nothing new. Then I heard Mike yell “What the …” and the pounding of footsteps toward the bathroom. By this point Nick is crying even harder and when I got to the bathroom I discovered why. The blood running down the side of his head caused me to gasp, which in turn caused him to cry even more. My first thought was he had cut his ear or head on the metal grate in our living room, which would have been very, very bad. What actually happened was he was playing football, fell and hit the side of his head just right on the corner of the wall and cracked it open. Unfortunately, he was in dire need of a haircut and we couldn’t find the cut for anything. Nick’s crying, I was freaking and Mike was getting peeved because he couldn’t figure out where all the blood was coming from. When he finally saw it he decided it would be best to get it checked out.

By this time, Nick had settled down and we took of for the weekend clinic. They got us in right away and this is what the tech found:

It was about 2 centimeters long and was split quite nicely. He said stitches were definitely in order and got the doc in to take care of business.

Nick was a trooper throughout. Once we were in the car he didn’t cry again. He was great through the tech combing through his hair looking for the cut, cleaning it out and even the needle to officially numb it (that guaze he is holding on his head started the numbing process). I pretty much laid over the top of him and held his hands during the actual stitching process, but he so didn’t need it. The tech had warned we might have to wrap him in a big blanket if he started freaking out, but that so wasn’t the case. He was so brave and strong, it really surprised me. I guess I have to remember he is growing up. Too soon he won’t need me at all.

A fun preschool treat

Every couple of weeks, sometimes more, Zander gets to check out a “book bag” from his preschool classroom teacher. Each bag (a pillowcase with a drawstring sewn in) has a book and dolls that help illustrate the book. Zander brought his first one home this week. The book was called “This is the Star” and is the story of Joseph and Mary and the birth of baby Jesus. We aren’t a religious family, but since Zander is at a Catholic preschool I really can’t complain. I’m actually more thrown by the use of the word “ass” than I am of the religion part. It’s tough to read that word to a kid, even if I know it just means donkey.

I was told this particular bag is the biggest of them all (might be why Zander chose it). It includes a Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and his cradle, three wise men, two kings, an angel, two sheep and a donkey. And they were all hand-stuffed and crocheted. It’s actually not a bad little set. And it kept Zander busy for a little while so mission accomplished.

I don’t think Baby Jesus asleep on the couch was part of the story.

The trouble with sleep

Bedtime has become one big headache in our house. I knew putting the older boys in the same room was risky, but this is just getting ridiculous. It started out fine. They would talk for just a little bit and then go to sleep. Then I was on maternity leave and it didn’t matter so much when they actually went to bed. And even after I returned to work they were both just going to daycare so they didn’t have to do anything but get dressed and brush their teeth before heading out for the day.

But, now Nick is in school everyday and Zander is in half-day school three times a week. Nick is tired all the time. He regularly says he is going to bed without a book because he just wants to sleep. And lately, he’s taken to wanting to fall asleep with the lights off. Well, that doesn’t fly with Zander. He wants the room lit up like the fourth of July. So, we started putting him to bed in our room. That was fine for awhile, but then, about three weeks ago, he started falling apart at bedtime. He wants more books. He needs a drink. He needs his ‘raff (giraffe lovey). He didn’t give me a kiss. Or a hug. And the list goes on and on.

As if that wasn’t bad enough he started whining. BAD. His favorite lines: “I don’t know how to close my eyes” and “I don’t know how to go to sleep” both said in the whiniest 3-year-old voice imaginable and usually accompanied by flailing arms and legs. It’s awful. And it won’t end. We just have to wait until he gets so tired he falls asleep mid-whine. But, then, when he’s asleep, he just looks so darn peaceful and cute. It’s a good thing, too, because I don’t think I could take this new bedtime routine if he didn’t.

More brotherly love

Ben was wearing a cute little polo I’ve had since Nick was a baby today (I remember he was wearing this shirt with a cute pair of overalls the first time I ever shot a photo in manual with my DSLR) so I thought I would take a picture of Ben sitting on the couch just like Nick had all those years ago. But, like I mentioned before, Ben is never alone. As soon as I set Ben down on the couch Zander was right next to him, holding/pinching his hand and getting in his face. Oh, and my pictures.

Love this smile! On Ben, of course.

Doesn’t he kind of look like he’s asking when this big kid next to him is going to leave him alone?

A little too much love

Zander absolutely loves Ben to pieces, but sometimes that love can be overwhelming for the little Ben. If Ben is on the floor Zander has to be right next to him. If I am sitting on the couch with Ben, Zander has to sit next to us. If Ben is sitting on the couch alone Zander is the first to make sure he is “locked” in and safe.

Hey, mom, am I in the picture?

Yes, Zander, you’re always in the picture.

The next Beckham?

Probably not. But, he loves soccer just the same. I haven’t been able to see him much this year between work and starting Kindermusik on Thursdays there is just too much going on. When I don’t get to see him he makes sure to come home and tell me how many goals were scored and who won the game. I love when he says “I didn’t score a goal, Mom, but I played my best.” Melts my heart. I just wish he wpuld always that happy knowing that he tried his hardest.

School pictures … kind of

I had a big decision to make recently and it wasn’t one I took lightly. Nick came home with his school picture envelope. I already knew what he was going to wear. We’d decided on that a while ago. But now, I needed to decide if we were actually going to order any of these pictures. It seemed kind of silly given that my small side business is photography (though one may never guess it looking at the family snapshots on this blog). I really wanted a class picture and at first thought I had to buy a picture package to get one. Then I saw the fine print. I could buy one exorbitantly priced composite picture and nothing else. I still hemmed and hawed. I don’t know what kids do with school pictures these days. I didn’t want Nick to be left out if they exchanged them, or feel silly bringing in a non-school school picture to share with his friends. I’m always worried about him being *that* kid, whatever *that* might be. But, finally I decided that it was silly to spend that much money on pictures that were usually questionable at best and I would just take some myself. So, I did. And as always, I wasn’t a huge fan. Can you see how much he loves having his picture taken?

  

                 

I’m thinking about trying again, but with two senior shoots lined up in the next couple of weeks I’m not sure if it is going to happen. Not to mention, I think I just need to learn to embrace the fact that this is who he is right now.

That, and let the “pro” handle his pictures next year. Photographing my own kids is just too stressful.

Let’s go Panthers

We went to our first UNI Panther volleyball game as a family of five this weekend.

The older boys still love standing by the sidelines and getting high fives from the girls when they are announced. They love cheering on Bre (my old neighbor and Nick’s former t-ball coach). And, of course, they love staying up late and getting extra snacks that they may not have had if they were hanging out at home. Though these days Nick is usually too cool to let me get a good picture of him.

UNI students (and adult fans) do a fun/crazy dance called The Interlude during breaks in the game. It was dreamed up by a couple of UNI students last year and then exploded during games.It’s fun to watch, but you won’t catch me doing it!

And of course, the reason why we go – the volleyball. The girls played a good set. They took it to 5, but ended up losing.

Then, to top off the evening I fell off the curb in the parking lot while carrying Zander and the diaper bag, which had my camera in it. Thankfully the only thing injured was my knees, and boy did they take a beating. I’m pretty sure they won’t function normally again for quite some time.