My Ryan...

My first baby is 12 years old today. I had to take pictures of pictures to pay a little tribute to him, so pardon the bad photos.

I can't believe how not huge I look when I was almost fully done cooking him! What a difference compared to my last child....

Ryan came into this world after a bed-rest ending to my pregnancy. He was teeny-tiny (no joke). He was in the PICU at 6 weeks. He had horrible health the first couple of years. He has been my "difficult" child without a doubt.

I see a lot of myself in Ryan. He strong will, his inability to be loving with his parents (yes I was that way too), his love of getting a reaction out of his family (ask my parents, I was good at this), his deeply sensitive nature that he preferred no one saw, the way he gets fixated on something he really wants, the way he treats people when we aren't around (in a nice way), and heck, this is the ONE child who shares one genetic match of mine. We have the same eye color. Wow...four kids and that's what I get?? Lucky for them really.

I love this boy to pieces, and I tell him everyday. He never reciprocates those words. It's not his thing. BUT, he still comes into our room every.single.night to sleep on the floor (since August).

He will make me pull my hair out a million more times in my life, but at the same time I couldn't be prouder of his work ethic, his independence, the way he doesn't whine or complain, his self-sufficiency, and the way he treats his baby brother.

Happy Birthday Ryan...I love you so much. :)

PS: don't look at the cake closely. I had a little crisis or two making it .

An honest question from Ryan

Last night as Ryan was helping me put away some stuff I bought at Target (read: looking for the one item he requested I buy for him), he pulled out a box of tampons.

"Mom what are these?"

"They're tampons."

"Why did you buy them?"

"Because I'm getting my period next week, and I need them."

"How do you know you're getting your period next week?"

"Because I just know."

"Do you go to the doctor to get that?"

"Um......no Ryan....haven't you had health?"

I jinxed it

Brady was a wreck at gymnastics last night....unless I was in the room with him. He did well for the first five or so minutes. Then he bawled and begged for me.

I guess no child is 100% ever predictable or easy.

Thankful

Okay here I go...twice in a week. I haven't posted pics on here forever. Sorry you have to wait.

I am thankful today for Brady. The child is always happy...well mostly. Don't get me wrong, he does many things that drive me crazy like dumping out and wasting my vanilla, garlic powder, Lowrys, pulling up a chair and practically standing ontopofme while I make dinner, crawls into our bed almost every single night when we are out of it and don't realize it, splashes water all over the floor during bathtime, or sometimes misses the toilet when he goes potty....

But really? The kid is a gem. He gets himself dressed most mornings. He chooses bizarre outfits, normally insists on wearing an athletic jersey, and has his underwear or pants on backwards (like today), but hey, he does it.

As my mom says, he is so industrious. He just gets stuff done. He doesn't whine and ask for us to do stuff, he just makes it happen. Sometimes this leads to disasters, but oftentimes, it is so refreshing for us.

To quote my mom again, "And to think we were worried about you having a fourth child...."

I've fallen...

...of the blogging wagon. It's not that my family has nothing going on. It's quite the opposite in fact. We are simply too busy. So here's another lame update...
Ryan is in sixth grade. He says little about school. His grades are awesome, and he was chosen as student of the month by his science teacher, so I guess he's doing well!? His conferences were excellent as well. He just wrapped up football yesterday. He played his final game in the Fargodome. They had a great season, but unfortunately I missed most of his games due to soccer. More on that later. He still plays cello, and has begun try outs for Pee Wee hockey. He is never home. When he is home, he picks fights with all of us, but Brady. I love this boy more than I can say, and I pray one day he will say it back...and actually talk to me.

Kate is in fourth grade. She loves school and everything about it. She is also doing very well. I was surprised at her teacher's observation that she is a perfectionist. Who Kate? Our Kate? Thad and I couldn't stop shaking our heads at that one. She started soccer this fall. For someone who had never played and isn't very competitive she did quite well. She scored the game winning goal in her last game, and that was the only game they won! She is always with her girlfriends in the neighborhood. They are so lucky to have each other.

Olivia is in first grade. She also started playing soccer. The first practice all she did was cry. I was expecting the worst. By the second game she was quite the little player. She runs non stop and even got a little aggressive toward the end. She is learning to read, and we are working out counting by twos and fives. Bad mommy Bonnie hadn't focused on that...oops. She is still very shy at school, but she has some sweet little girls there who are her buddies. Tomorrow she starts gymnastics with her friend Grace.

Brady...oh my little Brady. Brady turned THREE on October 1. When all my other kids were three I was either expecting a baby or had just had one. Alas....that's all folks. Brady is obsessed with the kitchen and sports. He wears Ryan's pads, the girls' jerseys, and constantly dumps out spices in my cupboard. Yesterday we lost the vanilla and garlic powder. He is also potty trained!
He is my love and is happy 95% of the time.

Damn this sounds like a Christmas letter....eek. I'll try to write more often, but don't get your hopes up too high.

I'm Mean

After countless hours of listening to my children complain, I came up with a new response (off the top of my head mind you) at 7am this morning.

Kate: "Mom do you know why I'm always mad at you?"

Me: "I am not in right now. I only take complaints between the hours of 12am and 4am. Please leave your message at the tone, and I will never return your call. BEEP."

Kate: "Whatever Mom"

when it rains....

....it pours. Literally.
Today I went back to work. I could feel based on my lowering patience with my children that it was time. I am not ready to be a working mom again, but never once have I disliked my job or what I do. The adjustment period always takes a little getting used to.
And of course, like the old saying goes, "when it rains..."
1. I woke up around 5:30. Early. Too early.
2. Worked my tail off all day listening to meetings (more work to sit still actually), unpacking what is my fifth classroom, organizing, putting up posters, and figuring out what the first few days will be like.
3. I got Brady, coaxed him to watch a video so I could just chill for a bit, and...yeah that didn't go well. He talked non stop and asked me every 15 seconds if we could go outside and then told me he wouldn't get wet.
4. Thad came home mad. I guess Ryan's brand new bike has a mangled wheel. Oh did that set him off. Then I got crabby because Ryan didn't unload the dishwasher. This was his one job today, and it's his daily chore. I even reminded him at lunch. So he lost friends for the night.
5. Then Kate decided to break out the Easy Bake oven right before supper, make a huge mess, and then complain that she couldn't eat her dessert prior to dinner. Ahhh!
6. We ate, cleaned up, and got ready for Ryan's back to school night. I said the whole family is going. So there. Deal. Suck it up. What a great idea right? Uh....wrong.
Brady was fine for the first meeting. The second meeting, he wouldn't sit, mimicked football plays (including sliding across the floor in front of the teachers numerous times), yelling hut and touchdown, and even loudly passed gas (and announced it).
7. The the kids went to their lockers. Only that must of taken too long, because Brady found something else to occupy his time. The fire alarm. Yep, pulled it. I looked at Thad and said, "Fix it!" He said he couldn't. Hello you are a cop! Do your thing.
Let me just interject that while I love Thad, he tends to not do well under chaotic family pressure. So I had to go find the principal, explain it was my son, and no not my sixth grade son who I think she was ready to report to the police.
Of course I made no secret it was my kid. I mean, can you make this stuff up????
8. Got home, Thad left for the bar (thanks dear) for a going away party, bathed Brady, got the other kids to pick up, and then....the night got a little ugly.
9. Ryan and Kate started fighting. I sent them to bed. Brady drank water, ran to the corner of the girls' room, and spit it on the carpet. Again, he is mimicking football players. So then I scolded him. Olivia decided she wanted to be scolded too, so this old rag of a mom ended up sending all the kids to bed abruptly.
10. I need more patience.