A Year In Review

I think 2020 is over... which would make a year-in-review appropriate, although I'm not 100% sure we're not just stuck in the vestibule of Hell from the Inferno.

 

At any rate, here is a summary of what we did last year (assuming it was actually a year ago).  Surprisingly I have remarkably few pictures.  I guess we weren't very busy for some weird reason.

January

The year began as usual, with the disembowling of the gingerbread monstrosity house.

this would be Day 2.

The Trials of the Artist

subtitled: Why Miriam is Going to Get to Heaven Before the Rest of Us

For the curious: Miriam is wearing gloves b/c her hands were freezing cold.  [Turns out her perpetually icy hands and feet are actually due to Primary Reynaud's Disease!  (which is basically Scary Medical Speak for "colder hands and feet than most other people")]

Audition Season... again

When you're practicing 16 bars of music for an audition, your siblings get to know those 16 bars reeeeeeally well.

Keep in mind that Miriam is not singing at her best -- she actually sounds better than this.  I can't imagine what could have been distracting her....

So even though she's currently in the middle of rehearsals for Elf Jr., to be held in December, auditions are going on for The Music Man, to be held in June -- thankfully rehearsals won't start until the New Year!  She actually got a call back to try for Marian the Librarian -- which surprised us all! (although it probably shouldn't have!)  Keep your fingers crossed!

Summer Photodump

Because I'm too disorganized to post pictures as they happen, you get a whole bunch at once!

Well, I suppose technically I DID tell them to put the couch cushions back... just didn't specify which couches!

little miss instigator, right there.

Saturday's Child

So... details!  And pictures!

As you all know, this was a *planned* homebirth. 

the Birth Team (rah! rah!) -- two midwives, the birth assistant, and wonderful labor coach (Mr. Pickles)

Random Fall 2014 photodump

*creeeeeeeeak*  [peeking in door] 
Wow, it's really dusty in here.  *cough cough*

Hello everybodeeeee!!  I know you've all been waiting with baited breath for our next exciting installment of the Ongoing Adventures of the Pickles, and since I had nothing better to do this afternoon I thought I might oblige our adoring public.  Mwah!

Here are some random bits of Pickleness from the fall.

Irish Silliness from St. Patrick's Day

Commercial's screenplay, set, props, and costumes by the girls (mostly Katie).
Camera work by Dad.

(please note: no irreverence to the Blessed Trinity is intended or implied, so you can put away your heretic-burning bonfire now)

(...should I feel guilty for laughing as hysterically at this as I did?)

{Random}

Because I am all about string of consciousness in summer.

This is one batch of blueberry jam.  ONE. 

  I've made two batches so far.  I think that makes about half of our year's jam supply right there.  We have to move soon -- I'm running out of space in the pantry!

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Katie invented a new game: Fishing For Baby!

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Andy is SOOO helpful folding the laundry

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my two hard-working men

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This next one is from my birthday a couple weeks ago.  I only include it to prove that my husband is a first-class goober, since he put the WRONG AGE on my cake.

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

 Aside from the failed attempt to make me feel old (since Mr. Pickles is SO much older than I am and always will be and I am so young and carefree compared to his advanced age), I had a lovely birthday!  I got to do just what I wanted to do, the girls made me handmade presents, and Mr. Pickles cooked some fabulous meals.  Just what one wants for a 30-something (NOT -8) birthday.

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So we've had a hard time getting Andy to accept big people food.  I think at first it was a texture issue -- he couldn't handle anything that had to be mouthed.  He loved the mesh feeder, though, and had fun with that, when I had the energy to find things to put in it.  Finally after the home hurricane passed and I was able to spare brain cells on other activities, I introduced Andy to O's.  That was the gateway to a whole new delightful world of flavors and textures.

the girls love feeding him -- he is a very satisfying baby bird

yay!  food is fun!

 He seems so skinny to me that for a while I felt like a failure as his mother, that I wasn't able to provide him with the calories he needed to grow and thrive.  But then he started sleeping until 5am and I relaxed.  I figured if he's comfortable enough to sleep that long without needing to wake up to eat, then he's getting enough.  He's just so dang mobile, I think he burns the calories off faster than he can consume them.  He's due for his 9-month checkup, so I'll get a status report then.  And hey, ya know what?  SOMEbody has to fill that 5th percentile.

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I have nothing to add to this, except yes, he is dead asleep, and he was very confused when he woke up.

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This shot is amusing because...

how pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

...mere seconds later it devolved into a Lord of the Flies scenario and the boys had to be forcibly separated before they killed each other.

Never a dull moment, I tell you.

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To close, I want to share a surreal exchange I had in the Trader Joe's parking lot today:
Jojo, chewing on a lollipop stick: "I'm a smart kid!"
Me: "Oh? What makes you smart?"
Jojo: "I have a cigarette!"
Me: "...Cigarettes make you smart?  Where did you hear THAT?"
Jojo: "From a book!"
Me: O_o

Modern world, your anti-smoking propaganda has utterly failed.

(Lest you think I let it go at that, I impressed upon him that cigarettes actually make you stupid because they kill brain cells, and that the smart kids are the ones who read.  I'm still wondering what book he was talking about, though...)

My baby boys

Daniel's first time holding Andrew

baby brothers are okay, but flying firetrucks are more fun

oh, wait, he's looking at me!  that's pretty cool

*smooch*

MY hold baby!

I have to share a story about the last shot -- I so wish I had caught it on video!  Katie kept offering to take the baby from Daniel, and he kept saying, "No!  Hode beebee!" until finally to make his point he pointed his finger at her and made a shooting noise!  We all fell over laughing.  Ahh, siblings!

Photo dump!

Lots of random little moments from our life, each of which deserved a post of its own, but, well, here we are.

First entry: a new Pickle pet!

heebiejeebieheebiejeebieheebiejeebie

These monstrosities in our basement in the summer and regularly threaten small children (and squeamish adults) foolish enough to use the downstairs bathroom.

Okay, now that you're awake, here is some relaxo-vision provided by the littlest gherkin.... quite literally:

I'm curious to know how he got himself into this position... while sleeping...

I forgot to mention that for Mother's Day, Miriam gave me a set of wind chimes, which is awesome in itself. BUT! The gorgeous glass globe on top LIGHTS UP IN THE DARK, which kicks the awesome up a notch:

AND it changes colors!

low lighting and small children do not a sharp photo make

 Katie's really gotten into her music lately.  She asks to practice every day, and is really progressing.  She is so ready for lessons -- we're hoping to start her off this summer!

ahh, Theory, my old nemesis, we meet again

Okay so one of the reasons we need to move into a bigger house is so we have more room for the books.

Barbara Cooney is one of my favorite illustrators.  Herge is fast becoming a new household favourite :)

homeboy REALLY loves Tintin

I'm so glad we have reading children.  I keep hearing complaints from parents about these mythical children who don't like to read.  Who wouldn't love to read?  My idea of the perfect day is a bright window, a steady supply of iced tea, and a stack of books.  (If there happens to be an ocean outside the window, all the better!)


So Daniel has this habit of eating part of his dinner, then searching for an available lap to finish the rest.  At first we thought it was because his booster chair was getting uncomfortable.  But now I think it's just because he's such a snuggle bug.  The other evening he rejected both Mommy's and Daddy's laps in favor of big sis's:

she very willingly obliged.  she was so tickled he chose her!  (note my new, honkin', thirsty-pregnant-momma water bottle -- I go through about 3 of these a day, not counting drinks at meals!)

Finally, the pool is open!! The pool is open!!  We went for the first time on Sunday.  (Saturday we were busy shopping for a new fridge -- huzzah)  And of course, with the first pool trip of the summer comes...

the first pool toes of the summer!

Poor little Daniel's tootsies were raw and bleeding.  I can't find Joseph's water shoes from last year (which ought to fit Daniel now) -- our basement/dungeon where we store the swim stuff is quite the disaster.  But hopefully we can dig them out before our next pool trip.  I guess I should have let them run around barefoot on concrete for a few weeks beforehand to condition their sensitive skin!

At least we postponed the first sunburns of the summer, although I'm sure that's coming....

whack! whack! whack!  I love my brother!

Random Summer

Several more posts in the queue, and a ton to upload from the camera, but meanwhile here are some random shots from late summer.

Aren't they cute? (and photogenic!)


portrait of Smokey


Daniel showcasing his talents -- grabbing stuff, and sleeping in the swing


The reason it will be a miracle Daniel survives to his first birthday.

I took Joseph to a real barber for his first haircut. I had been putting it off for months, dreading what an ordeal it might be. (he is two, after all) But the last haircut I gave him was so less than satisfactory that I decided it was time to hire a professional -- someone who knew what he was doing and could do it quick.

The Shag

Hey, he got his ears lowered!

He did great -- he balked at sitting in the chair at first, but eventually complied, albeit sullenly. The lady took a lot longer than I hoped -- but Joseph sat very patiently at the promise of a lollipop afterwards. Never underestimate the power of a good bribe.

Now Joseph really looks like a little boy. He's been acting like one for a while -- he's the reason we hear ourselves saying things like: No, don't lie down on the baby; or Hey, get your feet out of the baby's face; or Stop, the baby doesn't want to play swords right now. Joseph and Daniel are going to have great fun in about 2 years, or whenever Daniel is big enough to punch back.

My Bookends

Hello, interwebz! No, we're not dead yet. Nor have we melted after the record heat this summer. (although we came close) Life just slows to a crawl after you have a baby, especially when your other 3 babies (and tremendously supportive and long-suffering husband) still need things like food and clean clothing. So blogging tends to be low on the priorities list.

But... this post is a well-deserved tribute to my eldest. Miriam is such a good helper. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her. I DO know that my job would be a lot harder than it already is.

For one thing, she is an expert at getting him to fall asleep.

Exhibit A:

(just look at that tub! It's as if he had been poured into his diaper and had forgotten to say when.)

Exhibit B:

just plain awwwww

and Exhibit C:

There's nothing more soporific than holding a sleeping baby. :)

Once again we're reminded that the greatest gift you can give your children is another sibling.

We aim to please.

At the request of an adoring public, we are happy to provide more pictures of sweet gherkin #4, accompanied by #1-3.

oh, the cheeks!

The Big Sister. She is turning out to be a serious baby stealer -- I hardly got to hold Daniel the day after we got home!

tender little mommy

"Jojo turn!"

the proud big brother!

awww, kisses

He loves baby Danyo.

He can be SO tender and loving.

(isn't Aunt Katie gorgeous?)



They'll always be my babies.

Math Under Fire

alternative title: Homeschooling With a Toddler Boy in the House

File under "A" for "Awwwww"

Miriam has been struggling with Math lately. She gets the material, she just tends to get lazy, or doesn't pay close enough attention, or something, but she was making lots of little errors -- like forgetting to carry the one, or not reading the whole word problem. Word problems in particular seem to be her bane. I already know that her reading comprehension is like mine -- not the best.

But on her last test (subtracting multiple numbers, like 987 - 123, plus review questions) she got every single one right, all the addition, all the word problems, everything!! She was SOOO pleased with herself, and I really heaped on the praise. Katie was sitting nearby to witness all this. After a minute she asked me how to spell "juh" -- say what? "Like in 'congraJUHlations.'" I told her, and then had to leave the room momentarily, but I'm guessing she asked Miriam a couple questions too. Shortly after I came back, Katie presented Miriam with a paper on which was written:

kNGRATULAShinS MIRIAM FOR 100 PeRCeNT
(with smiley faces, numbered 1-4, and a drawing of a "PinK PRinSUS")

I love the phonetic spelling. This is definitely going in the Keepers file.

About the Boy

A girl once heard Mr. Pickles and me talking about Joseph and asked, "Why do you call him 'The Boy'?" (This particular girl has 3 younger brothers.) We looked at each other, until that moment not realizing how much we really did use that moniker, and said, "Because he IS 'THE' boy!" After raising two girls this far, there are just some things about Joseph that stand out.

Like the fact that he likes to play with Polly Pockets too... by running over them with his giant truck.

Or that he already knows how to make gun-shooting noises ("b'chew, b'chew," with lots of spit of course), and turn any handy household object, like a turkey baster, into a weapon.

Or that he mastered the concept of a bow and arrow very quickly, and will use anything stretchy like a slingshot.

Or his fascination with wheels, and things that make loud noises.

Or that he will take any stick or other long object, hit another smaller, rounder object with it, and proclaim, "Hockeyyyyyy!"

You know, it's the little things that add up. He's just... different. He's louder, he's more willful, he likes throwing things, he can't sit still or be quiet at church. And yet he's not obnoxious or a spaz; he can quietly watch the gerbils moving around, or sit still to focus completely on a book (usually about cars), or spend a long time figuring out how something works. But it's amazing to see how differently he's wired -- it's been so refreshing having him. :)

Something that surprised me, although considering personalities I suppose it shouldn't have, was how well he and Katie play together! She has an amazing imagination and is always coming up with play ideas, plus her energy level is matched by Joseph's, so they are always hanging out together. Of course it often degenerates into wrestling matches over some coveted toy -- but most of the time they're off playing together (or getting into mischief together). Their latest favorite pastime is turning on the clock radio in our room, climbing onto the bed using my footstool, and dancing around until they fall over in a giggling heap. Not so good for our down comforter, but good for fostering brotherly love. :) I'm glad they have each other -- it's a good partnership for them (and for me) during the week when I'm concentrating on Miriam's schooling. It's so true that the greatest gift you can give to your children is a sibling.

There are a few things that Joseph does have to put up with, being the first son after two girls.

Like finding himself dressed in their clothes.


Or having to accessorize with pink and purple.


But thankfully (for Daddy's sake) he always returns to more masculine pursuits.

Like playing with his "fwains."


I'm soaking up the moments with him now, when he's still willing to cuddle in my lap, and a kiss will fix any owie. It's only just begun to hit me that he won't be my little boy for long -- sooner than I care to admit he will be a man and I will have to stand by and watch as he launches into the great, wide world to slay dragons and rescue fair damsels.

But for now, he's mine. And he's the sweetest thing on God's green earth.