Birthday Bash, Waterpark Installment

Sofie's birthday was nothing short of an extravaganza this year. There was so much partying that to blog about it all, I will have to do it in installments... :)

So, for our first installment, we start with a visit to a local inside waterpark that is attached to a hotel. Yes, in the frozen tundra inside waterparks are very popular, even in the summer. We were trying to make it a grand birthday weekend. So we stayed at the hotel overnight and had a "staycation".

Sofie had been looking forward to this part for months! She kept asking and needing to be reassured that it was truly going to happen.

We decided to bring John along so that she would have some company. I truly don't think I've ever seen two kids have that much fun.
We arrived at the hotel around 4pm and we didn't leave (except for a brief return to our hotel room because of a tornado warning...) until 9pm. The kids went up and down those waterslides SO MANY TIMES! That and the lazy river were the two most popular activities. I kept laughing at them on the lazy river because they were both too small to be able to sit in the hole of the rafts. I thought John was clever to lay across the whole. Sofie kept falling through as she kept slipping out of wedging her body into the hole. :)We had a splashing good time.

Eight is Great!

I thought that I would highlight my first born today since this IS her birthday. My girl is 8 years old today. She has grown from a precious tiny newborn to a sweet, child-hood loving, energetic and friendly 8 year old.


Being the mother of so many children. I do think of their milestones in relation to which baby has just been born. So I thought I would start that way. :)

When John was born, she was just a baby herself. But that sweet, every helpful personality started to shine even then.

With the birth of her sister, Sofie was over the moon. She has loved each new addition into our family and tells me quite often that she wishes we had as many kids as the Duggars. (Um... No.)
She was 6 when Caleb was born and she understood so much. Her goal in life was to be able to carry the baby... She was constantly begging to tote that baby around. Once he was a little older. We let her carry him from Mike on one couch, to me on the other.( About 4 or 5 steps total) She thought that was big stuff.

But Sofie isn't just defined by her siblings, though they are shaping her in profound ways. She is a child of the King who desires to please her Savior. I am blown away by her understanding of salvation and who Jesus really is.

She is a crafty girl always "inventing" new crafts. I've realized, the hard way, that she's not necessarily inspired by a pre-packaged craft. She's much more happy with some "raw materials" that she can shape and mold into what ever her mind comes up with.

I'm also always somewhat shocked at her willingness to try new things. Especially when it comes to sport or games. She's never really shy and is always up for about anything. Nothing like her Mama. :)

I'm so thankful for these 8 years with Sofie, and I'm so excited that I get to be with her as she embarks on the next phase of her life.

Living Life with Gusto!

Since it's been forever since I have blogged, I thought that I would let you know how each of the Wolfe Cubs are growing and becoming.

I'll start with Caleb since he seems to be the one who is doing this most growing and becoming here lately.

My almost 19 month old is quite the boy. He is hitting one of those speech stages where his vocabulary is just mushrooming. Yesterday and today his new ones have been ball and Lilia. It's funny that he has chosen Lilia as the 1st siblings name to conquer. And he does say it quite well! He gets his little tongue flipping and either gets out "Lala" or "Lili". Other words in his repetoire are (just to name a few): mine, more, MAMA, Daddy, bye-bye, no, OWIE!, hereyago, please, thanks,.... and the list goes on.

He's continuing to be my rough-and-tumble child. He's always up for a new slide or swing. I'm constantly pulling him out of dirt piles and mud holes. He loves to run, chase, and climb ANYTHING. His newest thing is swimming. He just watched Sofie and John go through a 2 week swim camp and he's just sure he's every bit as good as they are.

But he is still my baby, thankfully, for a little while longer anyway. He still prefers his Mama. When he wakes up from his afternoon nap he will grunt and cry if I don't bring a sippy cup of "milk" and let him snuggle up and drink every last drop. He still wants to be wherever I am and is, many times, perfectly content to play at my feet while I go through my day.

On any given day you'll find him covered with dirt and food. (No matter how many baths he gets or how careful I've tried to be) Munching on strawberries or bananas (his favorite foods). Talking gibberish at the top of his lungs. And just overall living his life with all the gusto and energy he can muster.

How I love my charming and snuggly baby boy.

Hello World

You were so sure that I was done with this blog, weren't you!

Nope, not even in the slightest.

I've been feeling a little under-the-weather as of late. And my ability to handle life has narrowed way down into a classic case of tunnel vision. Lord willing, though, I am starting to feel better and can maybe accomplish more than just the basics of keeping my babies alive and fed.

So what has been wrong with me?

I'll get to that in a second....

First I thought I would share some of the highlights of our late spring time!

Sofie and John were in their last performance with the Westwood kids choir. John was an elephant, Sofie was a "talker." We listened to all their songs on CD ad-nauseum for a couple of months. But they had those songs down pat for the performances. I even heard Sofie singing one the songs the other day. Unfortunately, they were quiet catchy. Like can't-get-them-out-of-my-head!!! catchy.

We went camping a couple times in May and we had a blast both times. The weather was unseasonably warm over Memorial Day. So I introduced an activity I did as a kid, to my own children. It's called, "Stand in a trout stream and walk down river" the kids had just as much fun as I remember having. I was really wishing for an inner-tube to float in... I didn't get any pictures of that water-fun. I was really in the throws of not feeling well at that point.

Also, my husband has been mildly obsessed with a Pilliated Wood Pecker that has been hammering at our trees that last couple of years. Supposedly you "never" see them.
So why have I been feeling so horrible? I'm sure that you have figured it out by now, but just in case you're stumped here's the entirely-too-long version of how I found myself where I am today...

This was my summer of races. I'm turning 36 this July and so I thought it would be fitting to do 6 races this summer. I had planned out which races I would run and had started training. The 2nd race that I ran was a 5k at the local Arboretum. I had ran a 5k just the weekend before and had felt great, so I was looking forward to this race.

I get into this race and I'm just getting winded so easily! I would walk for a bit, and then try to run again and just couldn't catch my breath. Well, I chalked it up to the massive hills, and starting out the race too fast. I thought for sure I would be feeling better by morning.

Well the next morning I go to workout and I have no stamina yet again. This niggling fear starts in the back of my head, what if?...

After a couple more anemic workouts that niggling fear starts to sound my like a booming gong. So after a workout one morning I go buy a, you guessed it, a home pregnancy test. I waited till Mike left and I had no little watchful prying eyes. I was thoroughly convinced it would be negative. Another baby was no where in MY future plans. I had had "close calls" like this before and it was always negative.

Well, that was not the way it went this time. Much to my utter shock and disbelief there was a second blue line that was so bold it could've been seen from space. WHAT ANOTHER BABY! I HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANOTHER C-SECTION AGAIN! (that's a little insight into the thoughts that were screaming around in my head)

I decided I would tell no one. No one! Not even Mike. I was so mad. I made breakfast, cleaned up the kids, did some chores... and dialed the phone. I didn't even say "hello" I just strangled out the words, "I'm pregnant" and sobbed.

I didn't tell another soul for a couple of weeks. I just couldn't accept enough in my own mind to be able to verbally announce it to someone else.

The 1st person I did tell was an old acquaintance that I saw randomly at the grocery store, I literally blurted out, "Tami! I'm pregnant!" I couldn't bring myself to tell my own mother, but somehow telling Tami was do-able? I decided it might be time to let in some of the outside world.

I did finally start to tell some people. If you spend any time around me you know that I'm constantly sick and in a bad mood from being sick. The "blowing up like a poisoned pup." has started in earnest and the aches and paines have started as well.

I am starting to handle the news better now. At 12 weeks, the news has had time to sink in. I'm coming to grips with the fact that all my negative emotions stem from selfishness. I wanted to run races this summer, I want to feel good and not get fat again. I don't want to do progesterone and morning sickness and c-sections again. I, I, I....

But when I look at my precious babies, who could not want another one of those God given blessings. I'm so thankful for the ability to carry another human life. I'm so thankful to hold those newborn babes in my arms.

I was thinking about heaven the other day and that there aren't going to be births and new born babies. So, truly, what a BLESSING God has given me to enjoy that gift here on earth.

So be ready for baby number 5 to, Lord willing, bless us in December! Another Christmas present from my Lord and Savior.

No Two are Alike

Tonight I am again reminded of the differences between the 1st born and the 4th born...

Mike built a big swing set/ play area in our yard last year. But when I sent Caleb out to play tonight with his siblings, never in a million years would I have expected him to be able to climb up into the club house area. I thought he would try, get frustrated, and move on with his life.

You see, Sofie and John were a completely different toddler. They were always careful and cautious. When we bought this gym for Sofie when she was 20 months, we had to get a little step stool so that she would climb onto the platform! And going down the slide was too scary and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to go down that slide. Caleb on the other hand worked and worked this evening until he was able to go up, all by himself. And down. And the only reason he had help going down was because we insisted on it! And he went round and round and round....

This Is What They'll Remember

My kids won't necessarily remember the thousands of meals that I've cooked for them or the hours of homeschooling that we put in. But they will remember the special moments.

Like when they're cousin comes and stays overnight.

After playing together all day today, Mike and I took everyone to the park and then for some ice-cream.

I was remarking to Mike that isn't it great the kids are still at a young enough age that an outing to the park is more than exciting.And physical exercise is a treat?

Homeschooling, The Early Years

In this family, we start homeschooling young!