RECAP…

I busted out the crafty in me and made up some Thanksgiving shirts for my foursome.  The kids loved them and they looked cute for the Holiday. 

And a picture of Max, sporting the oh, so typical “Max Face”

Oh, wait, this one is even better:

We feasted divinely in St. Clair with my parents, Uncle Alex, Great Grandpa, and the Shaune family.  The elongated table was set elegantly, even with little wine glasses for the children!

We laughed, talked, lounged, indulged, watched football, were merry, and thankful.  All the necessities of Thanksgiving! 

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At home we decorated.  We splashed Christmas to every corner available, crafted, and baked and immersed ourselves in continuing days of Roehrig Togetherness.

Our Christmas Village was brought out to be turned into a parking lot for matchbox cars.  In the evening I could pick them up, but they add a certain quality to the set up.  It’s a we-have-a-little-boy-in-our-midst quality and I like it that way.

Friday evening the warm weather was beckoning and we decided to head to the zoo and see the lights on display.  The crowd was overwhelming, but the beauty of millions of lights made for an enjoyable time.

Violette was successfully potty trained and Zane became a full time walker.

The girls skillfully applied makeup and Zeus showed us once again that he is a very understanding dog.

It was good, all five days of it.  When Sunday evening came there was a sadness upon the house.  No one wanted Noelle to head back to school or Daddy back to work.  We count down, with great anticipation, to Christmas Break and we are back together again.

Guest Blogger

I was asked to be a guest blogger on our local Great Start blog. Here is the post I wrote: Special Moments

Notable Week

A lot of weeks continue on just as the week before.  Nothing too notable occurs.  Yes, we laugh, play and enjoy our time together, but those jump-up-and-shout moments are few and far between.  Last week was a pretty good week.

On Tuesday a dense fog surrounded our area and created a two hour fog delay for school.  Noelle loved it, snuggling me for long periods.  I rocked her and she snuggled in my arms.  Her almost six year old body still fighting just right on my lap.  The sun came out and the fog dissipated.  Noelle went off to school and I went on with our daily tasks until it was time to pick Noelle up.

Tuesdays are horseback riding lessons.  We all love them.  I tour the barns, petting and talking with the horses.  Max loves it.  Violette shies from the horses saying, “I’m so little and they are SO big!”.  Zane giggles in his stroller, reaching for outstretched muzzles to feel.  It’s always a good time for us all.

On this Tuesday, it was a big one.  We had our three year old neighbor buddy, Luke, tagging along.  Noelle started her lesson and we went to the barns.  As we walked to the end of one barn, butting up to the indoor arena I noticed something.  My girl was riding without the lead (big leash from horse to teacher)!  I stopped and stared in awe at the sight before me.  She was in complete control of the horse, leading him around with no help.  Again, I was in amazement. 

She saw me.  Our eyes locked and a pride filled smile spread across her face.  I tried not to shriek with delight.  I played it cool, raised my eyebrows and smiled at her while blowing a kiss.  My eyes could not leave the sight before me and I was so proud of her.  She was confident and beautiful up there.  Max was proud too, bragging to his buddy that his big sister was riding by herself, for the first time.  Violette was impressed too, commenting that “my Well is riding on her own!”. 

We continued on to the other barns, not wanting to interrupt her lesson.  I was sneaky as I could be with four kids in tow, lingering at the spots with the best vantage point.  The lesson ended and Noelle ran to me saying, “That was my dream come true!”.  She was in seventh heaven and has stayed that way for the week.

That was big for us all, but Max had a big week too.  He successfully learned to write his name!  Yes, Noelle was younger, but I have learned each child is different.  Max is a boy, wanting to play, and play hard instead of working his letters.  We haven’t pushed him, only tried to encourage him when he showed interest.  This week he showed interest, lots of it and without much direction he wrote a pretty darn great “M” followed by “A” and “X”.  Now it was his turn to beam with pride.  Oh, he was proud and called Daddy immediately to tell him.  When Noelle came home he showed her saying, “Can you believe it?  I can actually write my name!”. 

Zane had an noteworthy accomplishment as well.  My little boy learned to say, “dog”.  He seems to be the most smitten with our dog, Zeus.  Crawling on the large 125 lb. body, he rides Zeus like nobody’s business, doing it all the time.  When tiredness sets in, Zeus is his go-to pillow.  Zane snuggles up, lounging against Zeus, savoring the warmth and softness underneath him.  He has taken more of a liking to “dog” than the other children and we all enjoy watching his precious interaction.

It’s November and we experienced our first snowfall too.  The sky opened up and the white, fluffy goodness fell.  The jubilation of the children was contagious and we all ran from window to window watching the large flakes dance towards the ground.  Oh, it was definitely noteworthy.  It didn’t stick, but it did wet our appetite for the winter and anticipation for Thanksgiving and Christmas has been heightened.

Rowdy Roehrig Zoo

The idea came to me as I was in our storage room and spied our tiger costume.  Noelle, Max, and Violette wore it, so naturally Zane would be wearing it this year too.  Why not have all the kids be zoo animals and Tom and I zoo keepers.  I feel like a zoo keeper on a daily basis, herding, feeding, and doing my best to train four rambunctious, stubborn animals.  Don’t forget the cleaning up of excrement! 

I ran the idea by the children and they couldn’t wait for Halloween to arrive.  Tom smirked and agreed it was a good idea.  I jumped into the Zoo theme, created our household name, The Rowdy Roehrig Zoo, and got very excited about it.  Noelle decided to be a zebra, Max an elephant (thanks for a costume from a friend), Violette a giraffe (yet again, another borrowed costume), and Zane wore the lovely tiger costume. 

We dressed up and frankly, I think we looked very cute! 

And a shot of the entire family:

The kids were troopers, exceeding all my expectations of length outside.  Max pulled our wagon, with either Violette or Noelle in it, almost the entire time.  They wanted to hit every house possible.  As their bags filled with candy their excitement grew even more.  Zane sat in the stroller and enjoyed being a bystander to all the people walking around. 

I loved having a family costume.  I did not realize Tom wasn’t as on board with it as I originally thought.  He put it on without complaint.  Sported the hat with the “Rowdy Roehrig Zoo” prominently displayed, and never said a word.  Later in the evening he pointed out that he felt a little deflated in the “man department” but wanted to make me happy.  Much love goes out to him for going along with my cheesy idea! 

One

The stage of infancy has slipped through our parenting fingers.  Tiny little critters, freshly birthed will no longer have their first tour of home, first night, first smile, etc., the list goes on of firsts we will no longer be privy to. 

This brings sadness to my soul.  Sadness that is deep rooted and will take time to heal.  The sadness brings out sobs, and makes my face streaked with salty tears for days.  I cry and morn the loss of a growing baby and the newly born infant.  I think of that first smile I will no longer witness, and the first coo softly whimpered in my arms. 

All these things are gone but surely not forgotten.  The tears need to be dried and the future brightly looked toward.  Zane has turned one.  Violette is two.  Max is three. Noelle is five.  These ages demand my utmost attention and love.  They need me to put the sadness away and nurture their growing minds. 

One.  Such a small number.  A number meaning first.  Zane has experienced his first year of life.  The first of many more.  Growth in the first year is always amazing.  A newborn of only natural reflexes, to feed and sleep has turned into a little boy determined to grab everything off of any surface within sight.  Many smiles are given to all who smile at him.  He loves big these days, especially his siblings.  He loves toy cars and pushes them around like a champion, creating a brotherly squabble over them, daily.  Zane communicates with minimal baby sign, by pointing, grunting, and he has a few words stock piled in his vocabulary. 

This next year a forming personality will be molded even farther.  His vocabulary will grossly be expanded and we will see him mature.  The baby in him will fade even farther as chunky, unsteady legs will transform into lean, strong runners.  His round perfect cheeks will elongated into a handsome little man.  He will develop deeper and strong bonds will his siblings.  I will strive to learn how to be a better mom to four children who are becoming more independent and nurturing their own strong personalities.  The tears will diminish over my last baby.  The future is my focus.

I told a stories before bed this evening.  A turtle who was helped by a tricycle riding two year old and a young girl who received a horse for her sixth birthday (there will be no birthday gifted horse, but a girl can imagine and fall asleep with trotting hooves in her ears) were on the menu, again.  After I nursed Zane to sleep.  This ritual is one he and I are no where ready to give up.  He’s one, but still a baby.  After I held him close, gently set my lips on his soft forehead and stroked his fine blond hair.  My lips pursed and I kissed him over and over.  His hand slowly lifted to my cheek.  He’s still a baby, my baby.  I’ll keep him this way for awhile longer.  I’m not really ready for it to be over, but will try to make my focus be our family of six and not dwell on wanting a family of eight. 

Fall Festivities

We’re experiencing an Indian Summer.  Warmth, leaves flooded with color, crisp cool nights, pumpkins, walks, it has been almost two full weeks of weather perfection.  All six of us are soaking it up and enjoying it.  Actually, that’s an understatement.  This fabulous weather and the fall season is our drug.  We are addicts, this weather and season is all we think about and want to experience. 

Over the last few years, pregnancy, little babies, naps and schedules, and exhaustion have ruled our lives.  Zane is almost a year, we are a complete family, and now going out is much less work and easier to do on a whim. 

My whim hit on Sunday.  Six years I have lived in the area.  Six years I have driven by this paved trail that seemed to be all around.  It crossed this road, and that road, and there it was again.  It looked appealing, while driving, then someone would cry and I would forget about it.  Violette isn’t napping anymore (this one is hard for me, my breaks have been seriously nonexistent) Zane has learned to go with the flow.  I spelled out my plan (we must spell quickly, Noelle usually catches most of it, short of talking to each other in a secret language, nighttime is the only time to plan without making them aware of it) Tom agreed and we loaded up to hit the trail.  We found an entrance onto this seemingly, glorious, paved path and unloaded the bulky double stroller. 

This trail/path is awesome.  The colors were vivid and spectacular.  The trees on both sides, bent to form a secret tunnel for us.  The others on the trail were few and zoomed quickly by on bikes, leaving us again to our own little paradise.  The kids carried Treasure bags, picking up leaves, caterpillars, berries, and whatever else they wanted to savor. 

I thought the children wouldn’t last very long.  Just the opposite occurred and they seemed completely enthralled with our adventure and didn’t want to head back.  We walked on and on, sometimes busting out in a full on run, racing each other, then little legs would tire and be hoisted onto Daddy’s or my shoulders.  Tom and I held hands, and watched our brood, admiring them and the surroundings.  It was just right.  A few hours of complete family bliss in a gorgeous place.

Continuing on with fall festivities on Monday, our playgroup met at a local pumpkin farm.  Max dominated the children’s maze, busting through the hay exit like he owned the place.  Violette was smitten with a decorative “teeny weeny tiny” pumpkin, and Zane couldn’t get enough of the pigs.  Another notch on our fall belt, success!

Minimal Words Needed

I’ve started writing a post every day this week.  I would write, reread and promptly delete it.  Words were failing me.  I couldn’t get my point across.  I couldn’t convey properly my feelings.  On Friday, I realized I didn’t have to write a long post.  I just had put down a moment I had with Max.

Max sat with me, snuggled in, enjoying down time while the house was quite.  Randomly he looked to the painting directly above us and said, “Great Grandma made that.  I miss her.”  This really happened, no joke, no embellishments.  He does not know that she passed away a year ago, Friday.  I cried and he gently put his large hands on my cheeks and affectionately petted me while resting his forehead on mine.  “Please don’t cry Mommy.”  Children are amazing.

We all dearly miss you, Grandma!