Life snapshot #3

It's hard to believe it has been over a year since my last snapshot. It's definitely time for a new one.

The good

• It's so easy to go places as a family now: no diapers, no strollers, no nap schedules. We went to the fair a couple of weeks ago, and everyone walked, fed him/herself, and went to the bathroom him/herself (Levi is almost there)--it was so pleasant! 
• We now officially have three great-sleeping kids (knock wood). Levi was a pretty good sleeper previously but would come to our bed most nights. Everyone still slept, but it obviously wasn't as restful. 
• Jon and I celebrated 10 years of marriage in June (and it was his birthday on Friday!), and I feel we're closer and stronger than ever.
• Homeschooling was a success this last year when I consider the goals I set for myself: spend time with Nate; do some fun learning things; read and work on math but generally take it easy on academics. I also came to the realization that this year of homeschooling was a "make-up year" for Nate: he didn't get to be home with me when he was 3 and 4 years old, like he should have been. He was in school 5 days a week at that time. So this year was the year he should have had at home with me when he was 3. 
• I am so pleased with how Nate is eating. That sounds silly, but I've found it so essential to the bigger picture for him--his attitude, behavior, etc. 
• Summer is nice!--care-free, fewer commitments, swimming--just fun.
• There are moments and days when the children play really nicely together. However....

The difficult

• Much of the time it feels like the kids are fighting, arguing, yelling, rough-housing, etc. In turn, I start each day with my patience already run out (there just isn't enough time overnight for it to refill). Things that wouldn't have bothered me 5 years ago are now impossibly frustrating.  
• Because of some outside forces (some beyond our control, some not), finances are stressful right now. We've had to make some tough decisions recently, which I'll detail as we head into the fall. 

How nice that the good far outweighs the difficult!

Life snapshot #2

It has been 8 months since I did my first "life snapshot," so it feels like time for another one.

The good

• Summer is awesome. This is really our first "real" summer, since Nate has been in school or therapy year-round since before he was 2. Everyone loved swim lessons. Pool days are perfect; everyone is at a good age/stage for them (Nate can swim now; Lucy is basically water safe; Levi is afraid of the water, which is perfect since he just stays on the steps).
• I'm so excited about homeschooling. OK, well, to be honest, I alternate between being super excited and being overwhelmed/anxious. Of course, that's only natural. I love the idea of doing the work and being organized. It's just a matter of making sure we do the work and stay organized! :) I also don't want to over-commit to activities and groups and whatnot.
  
• Levi is irresistible. I don't remember either of the other two children ever spontaneously saying, "I love you, Mama," but this boy does. (That isn't a slight of the other two; they always respond appropriately with "I love you, too" and give hugs and cuddles.) I remember back to 6 or 7 months ago, when I was spoon-feeding Levi his soft-boiled egg one morning (too messy otherwise), he looked up and said, "Mama, you're so sweet." Those were the only words he knew to express what he wanted to say. I melted. I just love his sweet kisses and words.
• I continue to be blessed by being married to Jon. He has been working HARD lately and under lots of stress, so I especially appreciate that he comes home and is still a terrific dad and husband.

The difficult

• Fighting children. It feels like much less fighting occurs when just two children are present, but when you add in the third (doesn't matter who it is), things blow up. Nate has been pestering Lucy and Levi a lot (feels like constantly).
  
• In fact, in general it feels like I'm struggling with Nate. (The Lucy struggles are still there, but those are "normal" at this point. The Nate stuff isn't.) He acts hyper and gets all up in Lucy's and Levi's space, pestering them and stirring up fighting. He has been speaking disrespectfully and in general just kind of "hard to handle." At this point, I shouldn't have to watch him like a hawk when we're on a play date, but I feel I have to to make sure he isn't mean to the other kid(s). Part of the issue here is that I know I avoid disciplining him at times because he reacts so strongly to the discipline and I don't want to deal with the 30-minute-long fallout. So, hello, this is all starting with me!

The good and the not-so-good

In thinking about the purposes of my blog (keeping family in the know, recording our family events in lieu of scrapbooking, journaling my thoughts), I decided I'd like to do a "life snapshot" post every once in a while, describing the great things and the difficult things I'm dealing with. That way, I can look back months or years from now and see how God has worked in our family.

The good

• Jon and I are consistently on the same wavelength, communicate well, and enjoy being around each other. I love my husband.
• Sleep. Our kids go to bed easily/on time and sleep well, with night wakings rare. Nate and Lucy are quiet in the mornings, and generally, I am woken up by my alarm clock, not them.
• I actually love not having TV. (Jon might disagree.) I like that we mostly watch pre-approved movies (Pollyanna, Swiss Family Robinson, and Pete's Dragon are in the current rotation).
• Nate is behaving well at and liking school, and I really like his teacher. This might seem trivial, but when there have been some behavior issues in the past, good behavior is big.
• Our church. We love it and we love our friends there.
• AWANA, a kids ministry I help with, is so much easier for me personally this year. Nate loves Sparks, Lucy loves Cubbies, and Levi does well in the nursery, so I don't spend the whole evening worrying about the children.
• My one-day-per-week job. I enjoy it, and it brings in a little extra money.
  

The difficult

• Consistently, the most difficult times in our day are 7:30-8:00 a.m. (trying to get out of the house in time to get Nate to school), 12:00-1:00 p.m. (getting home from school when tired/hungry), and 5:30-6:30 p.m. (trying to cook dinner and keep hungry kids from fighting). Looking at this list, I know that I can eliminate almost all of the stress of these times if I would prepare better. Get up a bit earlier in the morning and/or prepare the children's clothes the night before. Prepare fun/interesting games for the post-school car ride (I already bring snacks, so the hunger really shouldn't have such an impact). Do dinner prep during nap/rest time in the afternoon.
• Nate and Lucy bicker a lot, and Levi is now putting himself into the mix. I feel like I am constantly instructing, constantly redirecting, constantly saying, "That was not a kind way to speak; try saying it this way instead." I suspect this is one of those seasons where I won't see the fruit from this particular training for a long time.
• I worry about our finances with property taxes due and Christmas coming.
• With busy schedules, I feel I rarely get to see my good friends outside of shared ministries. Again, I know this is probably just a season.

Maybe I should start with the difficult and end with the good; that way the post won't end on a depressing note!