Random Craziness According to my Iphone

 

I was preparing a blog post for next week with all the pictures of my baby bump, and I came across a ton of crazy photos I have taken over the past few weeks of the kids and I. We really do have a lot of laughs here at Shenanigans Inc.

Okay so this one is pretty scary!

Elliot showing off all the non-age appropriate games he played at Grammie's while Zoe and I were at the IWK . . .  grrrr!

Gosh, I love these monkies and I can't believe there are only five more sleeps until another monkey will join us in our shenanigans . . . eeeep!

My Other Baby

If you want to get Avery riled up, just call him "the baby". Ooooh! There is nothing he hates more, and there is no greater insult in his opinion. In fact, not only has he always disliked being coined "the baby" of our household, he has done everything in his power to make sure that he is on an equal playing field with both of his siblings. Through some miracle or what I sometimes wonder is sheer determination on Avery's part, he has managed to be almost the same size as Elliot, and whenever we are out and about together, people always ask if they are twins. He has also played on the same soccer team as Elliot for the past two years (the first year simply as a call-up), but from the sidelines, you would never guess that he is two or three years younger than the other players. In terms of school, he has worked his hardest this year to be able to read the first Harry Potter book on his own simply because it is a "big kids'" book.

So, it really should not come as any surprise when I say that Avery is ecstatic that we are having another baby. From the moment he found about Thing 4, he has emphatically stated that he is no longer the baby and never will be again! And for the past 19 weeks, I have been more than happy to allow him to pass on this title to Thing 4 so readily, but over the past couple of days this has really started to bother me. Don't get me wrong: I am thrilled to have another baby and I am so absolutely in love with Thing 4 that I could not be any more happier; however, I can't seem to shake feeling a pang of sadness over the end of Avery's babyhood. He has been my baby, even though he has not liked to admit it, for the past 9 1/2 years, and like the other two kids, the minute a new baby enters the household, he is going to seem so old to me. All you moms out there know what I am talking about. You are sitting in the hospital bed, holding you brand new baby, when suddenly your other children walk in the room and it is like they have aged instantly. All of a sudden you are looking at them through a new pair of lens and they seem to have grown a foot. I am really dreading this moment. When I look at Avery I see a little boy. I see my baby, and in twenty short weeks that is all going to change. He is going to walk into that hospital room and suddenly he is no longer going to seem so little. He is going to be my almost ten year old son. We are talking double digits! Eeeeeek! What is this mama going to do?

Well, I am going to do exactly what all the moms before me have done, and I am going to deny, deny, deny!

Nope, I do not see a nine year old boy before me:

^^Okay, so this photo makes it pretty easy to deny^^

Nope, no matter how old he gets or how tall he gets, I will only ever see my adorable little boy, and I will always remember him sleeping with a bed full of stuffies and calling websites "dot coms".

Sorry, Avery, it's just not that easy to shake off a decade of being our baby.

Siblings

I love watching my kids interact with one another because, at times, they can be so close, while at other times, they can't get far enough away from one another.  

It reminds me of my own siblings . . .

Can I have a big shout out to the Skov sibs? I love you guys!

Anyhoo, when we are on vacation, our kids get along amazingly well.  Mr. Level-Headed and I always comment on how well we all travel together.  But really, why would they fight?  Everyone is getting what they want, and there are no restrictions placed upon them.  You want to drink pop and eat pizza all week?  Go for it!   You want to stay up late watching movies in your bed?  Go for it!  Vacation is a blast!!

But, then you come home, and oh, reality can be so very harsh.  All of a sudden you are expected to go to bed on time, wake up early, do school work, do your chores, and eat colourful foods . . .

and I am not talking about this stuff . . . 

which was sadly disappointing when we finally got into it.  :(

No, I am talking about broccoli, carrots, peppers, mushrooms . . . mmm . . . real food!  So, it should be no surprise to me that the kids were a little surly this week.  What a shock to their little systems!  Especially the boys, and one boy in particular, who seems to need a vacation from his vacation.  Elliot has not slept all week.  He is up till 1:30 - 2:30 am and then wakes every hour or two afterwards.  Help me!!

Anyhoo, I digress.  So, where was I?  Right, surly kids.  So, the boys can not even be in the same room with one another without hitting, calling names, and, generally, just making life miserable for one another.  All I hear all day long is I hate you!  You are such a moron!  What an idiot!  Last night, Avery claimed he could not possibly sit down to eat supper because having Elliot sit across from him was making his stomach sick. 

Aaaaahhhhhh!

But, before I lost my cool or began weeping because my children are heading down the path of Cain and Abel, or Nephi and Laman and Lemuel (Book of Mormon characters and a very interesting portrayal of sibling rivalry . . . you should read it some time!), I remembered times with my own sisters and brother.  We were the best of friends and the worst of enemies.  This is what siblings do.  Siblings are"safe" people.  The people you can lash insults at or pummel with your fists when you are feeling at your wit's end, and then in the next breath, they are the ones you are hugging, laughing with and sharing some of the best times of your life with.  

Awww . . . 

And this is true for my own kids!  Even though I spent the entire week asking the boys to stop harassing one another or beating one another up, there were many moments like these, where they just couldn't get enough of each other:

 No worries . . . right?

You may be wondering where Zoe was in all this fighting and loving.  Well, Zoe was busy with her own life, and we didn't see much of her.  She came home and jumped right back into the world of studying for tests, volleyball games, soccer try-outs, and getting ready for her first church dance, which she is over-the-moon excited for because kids from all over Nova Scotia, PEI, Maine, and New Brunswick will be there.  They are going to have a blast!!

Here is the dress we bought for her, while we were down in Florida:

Gorgeous . . . right?

So, of course, we then had to go shoe shopping:

And since these shoes were on "Buy One Get One Half Off", and the mama liked the yellow ones and Zoe liked the red ones, we figured we might as well buy them both and share them!  I LOVE having a teenage daughter!!!

Ooh!  I really hope I did not ruin her grand entrance tonight?  Surely, your First Dance dress is not like your wedding dress?  I may be in trouble, folks . . . again.

Since Zoe was busy all week, she really didn't get into the fighting matches too much,  but she was at the brunt of some light-hearted brotherly teasing!  With the dance coming up, the boys are quite concerned that Zoe will find her one true love . . . tee hee!  Elliot has informed her all week that any boy that wants to marry her has to first go through daddy, then him, then Avery, and then her grandfathers.  And according to Elliot, it won't be pretty (as he punches his fist into his palm) . . . tee hee!  Poor Zoe!  This sends her into a fit of rage.

I am NOT going to meet the man I will marry at the dance.  I am only fourteen.

But, mommy met daddy at fifteen.

Stop right there!  Man, that comparison hit me like a ton of bricks.

Zoe is not going to meet the man she will marry at the dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am such a hypocrite . . . tee hee!

Anyhoo, that's how our week went down.  There was tears, there was fights, there was teasing, but there was also a whole lot of love.  

I am so happy to be home!

And our furry family member was glad to have us home too!

I  guess he prefers the People Park to the Puppy Park.  It must have been the company and all the fun toys.

Have a great weekend!!

The Clock is Ticking . . .

Yesterday afternoon, the kids' piano teacher called to give us our time for the new school year.

I nearly passed out!

What I thought was well off into the distance, was simply one page flick of the calendar away.

The new school year.

Ugh!

How did this happen?  It can't be August already.  We still have so much to do and see.  There's a camping trip to spring upon poor, unexpecting Mr. Level-Headed, a trip to the drive-in, and a visit with our two favourite saints: St. Andrews and St. Martin's.  Oh, and not to mention our summer favourites: beach days and bonfires. 

Unfortunately, this week is a write-off because the kids are in soccer camp and, although I thought this would be a wonderful midsummer break for me, all it has done is confirmed that I am not ready for our summer to end.  I hate not having the kids around!  They add colour to my days, and without them it is far too lonely and quiet. 

I want to keep them here with me forever.

I want to keep their quirky jokes, their silly antics, and their bright, smiley faces all to myself.

Wouldn't you?

I Made Their Day!

When exactly do we lose our interest in play?

When do we start saying, "Oh, I'm too old for that!"?

For me, I don't remember when it happened, but lately I find myself bowing out of the shenanigans more and more.  I blame it on my bad back, my overwhelming to-do list, or my responsibility as the family photographer, but really when it comes down to it, I think I have just become comfortable with being a spectator rather than a participant.  As parents, we become so intoxicated with watching our kids experience life that we forget to live ourselves.  Fun for us is watching their faces light up with wonder and awe as they experience something new or master a particular challenge, but what if we were actually a part of that moment?  What if we were the cause of their smiles?  Think about it.  They mean everything to us, and for a brief time, we mean everything to them so we need to make the most of it.  We need to play!

Let me set it up for you:  it was a very hot and humid morning.  The kids and I had just spent a grueling three hours preparing a patch for the strawberry plants my friend is giving me (and I am oh, so very excited about getting), and we were in desperate need of a cooling off. 

(Totally off-topic, but if you are wondering how on earth I ever managed to get my kids to help me with this chore, I'll let you in on the greatest parenting secret ever.  Shhh!  Don't tell this juicy tidbit to just anyone, but . . . kids can be bought!  Oh, yeah, it is amazing what they will do for "paper money".  Coins don't interest them because they get enough of those from the tooth fairy, but you wave a lovely $5 bill in their face and they are yours!  It's brilliant!)

Anyhoo, back to the cooling off.  Well, the kids are still pretty smitten with our makeshift slip-and-slide, so they grabbed their bathing suits and headed to the hill. 

"What?!!!"

"You're coming too, mom?"

"I sure am!"

Now, if you are in any way affiliated with Sport's Illustrated and let's say you happen to be working on their annual swimsuit edition, I'm surprisingly cheap!  Just inbox me, and I'll forward you to my agent, Mr. Level-Headed.  I'm sure we can work something out.

Ahhh!  Not the arms!  Anything but the arms!!

Not too bad for an ol' mama!

The kids couldn't stop laughing after they saw me ease myself onto the tarp.  This made no sense at all to them because "you go much faster when you have a running start!".  Yeah, I can see the grass burns now!   

Here's  how the pros do it:

I think the best part was seeing Mr. Level-Headed's expression when the kids greeted him after work with "mommy, went on the slip-and-slide!".

To which I replied: "yeah, I'm cool like that".

Tee hee!

Unplugged Kids

I hate television!

And I have struggled with my children's relationship with it forever!

If it was up to me, we wouldn't even own a television, but Mr. Level-Headed can not live without his football.  So, we're stuck with it.  Oh, and of course, we also have to keep it for our weekly movie nights so I guess it does serve a purpose.

One summer, when Derrick went away on a business trip for two weeks, I decided I was going to show him that life would be better without that intrusive, ugly black box sitting in our living room, and I decided to stash it away in our storage room.  I did not allow its immense size to deter me, and once I got it off the stand, I shimmied it all the way to the closet. This was the only time I was ever thankful for the carpet in our kitchen.  I know!  Who does that? Gross! 

I felt empowered!  Zoe and I would no longer be slave to the black box's alluring call.  We would spend our days reading books, doing puzzles, playing games, exploring the great outdoors, and enjoying one another's company.  The day was awesome, and Zoe quickly dozed off after such a fun-filled day with her mama.  But then our apartment became eerily quiet, and I realized I was all alone.  I could hear the buzz of my neighbour's television, and it suddenly struck me, tonight was the season opener of Survivor.   Oh no!  What have I done?!  How do I come up these crazy hare-brained schemes? I really should never be left alone.

Out came the television once again, but this time I couldn't get it back up on the stand so it had to sit on the floor.  Oh, how I cringed every time someone visited me and asked why my television was just sitting there with the tv stand behind it.  "Well, you see . . . ."

Ugh!  For some, it is easy to stick to a one hour rule for their kids, but for me it has always been a struggle.  Well, that is until this summer.  Again, look at me!  Is there anything I can't do: a garden, my blog, and now master over the television?  I think we should declare this the Summer of Skov!

Anyhoo, my kids have been limited to one hour of screen time each day, and I have stuck to it!  I have gotten wise to my weak-mindedness, where in the past I would give them their hour as soon as they got up, but no, that does not work. You see, mornings around here are very busy and having their highly-rambunctious selves "zoned" into the tv is just too heavenly and gradually the time would extend and extend and extend until they became mummified little zombies lying listlessly on the couch.  It was very sad!  So, this summer, they have an hour before supper time because then there is a built-in shut off time.  Problem solved!

In all honesty, though, it was rough-going for the first three weeks.  There was whining, looks of desperation and the dreaded last resort cry: "you are the worst mother in the world!", but, I held firm and stuck to it even when Elliot would plead "but, tv is what I was made for!".  Then suddenly, I noticed the complaining had disappeared, and they slowly got back into the routine of being home all day.  They began to amuse themselves, and it was bliss! 

I knew no one would believe me so I snuck around the other day taking pictures of them to prove it can be done.  Twenty-first Century kids can be happy without being plugged in at all times of the day.  Who knew?

Check it out!

Avery explored potential occupational interests like massage therapy.

His technique may be unconventional, but . . .

his customers leave happy, and that's all that really matters, right?

Feeling limber from her recent massage, Zoe decided to entertain everyone with her amazing dance skills.

The boys went next, but I was called away by my laundry.  Ugh!  Housework always spoils the fun.

After lunch, the kids headed down to the cool basement to play with their Lego City.  This has been amusing them for weeks now.  I love Lego!

After a brief squabble over whose Lego man has the best Super-hero qualities, Avery came up for a little "quiet time". 

He loves the Biebs! 

Then, one of my wonderful "unplugged" kids came up with the idea to wash my car!  Do they realize I may just may never let them watch television again? 

See, life is better without television, and they will thank me . . . someday!

Confession: After our very tiresome, but wonderful day at New River Beach on Wednesday, we kind of had a tv day yesterday. I know.  But, I can't be strong all the time . . . tee hee! 

Here's hoping you have a shenanigan-filled weekend! Four Websters and a Skov will be heading to see the final Harry Potter movie.  We are so excited!!