Lots-o-posts

Whew! 5 new posts below. Scroll down to the first one if you want them in order.

All the In Between

As I mentioned, August was full of visitors and fun. Here are a few pictures from all of the in between moments.

North Beach, Racine WI

One of the best things about having Josh off was that he was able to take the big boys to do fun things. They spent many afternoons at this beach. All of the sand in our vehicle will vouch for me.

We haven’t had much rain lately, but with the one big storm that did come through came the pleas to play in the puddles. Now, if I were the only one home with the kids those desperate cries would have fallen on deaf ears, but lucky for them, daddy was home and gave them just what their freshly bathed bodies hoped for. That’s right they had just got out of the bath, and daddy said yes. I would have said, “Absolutely not!” which is why it’s good we have dads; they help uptight moms remember that some things are more important than clean bodies, and extra laundry that may be produced by “fun”.

When Jenn was here she showed Will the app on her i-phone that shows you the constellations in the sky. Will thought it was so cool that he went out and decided to find his own constellations in the stars. It was so cute. He sat outside for 45 minutes or so looking up to the sky, and documented all of the things he found and then named them. Sometimes, he is such a cool kid.

Last but not least…

In between all the family and fun, there was always time to love on the baby.

The Grand Finale

 

My sweet little family on Jameson’s blessing day.

 

Our final round of visitors got into town last Wednesday.  Josh’s mom and step-dad came to meet baby J and be with us for his blessing.  To say that the boys had fun with them would be an understatement.  In the short few days they were here, they went to the Dell’s, to the beach, bowling, and to a real car race at race track.  They were so spoiled by their fun Nana and Grandpa Brian.  I was so spoiled too by all of the time Nana spent holding and caring for Jameson.  It was nice to have my hands for a few days to get some things done

On our own, Josh and I could never attract this kind of traffic, but add one of these and family flocks to you.

Jameson looked oh-so-handsome in his white mini tux.  It is the same outfit my other boys were blessed in.  So cute.

His blessing:  As I walked into the church with Tricia (Nana) I told her that so far none of my kids had cried during their blessings.  I knew as I said those words I had jinxed it.  He cried the whole time.  I was so impressed that it didn’t seem to shake Josh.  I would have been a rushed mess, but he was so collected and gave him a beautiful blessing. 

Life with four kids is hard, but sometimes the greatest blessings in our lives are the hardest.  Thank you to all of our family and friends that were incredibly supportive during the last 6 weeks.  It has been a wonderfully, strange time.  Josh had the whole time off, and just returned to work.  The boys, of course, were off for summer vacation, but go back to school this week, so even though I’m sad to see them go, I excitedly say, “Go! Get out!”  You all are cramping my style.  I’m a creature that craves structure and routine, and having all you rowdy boys around has made that impossible. 

Hooray for back to school!! (Love you boys!)

The Show Must Go On

Act IV

(Grandpa and Grandma Gardner make grand exit)

(Enter Jenn and Leroy stage left)

Hi Aunt Jenn!

Something happened this August that I never thought would happen. Aunt Jenn left her temperate California home to come visit the frozen tundra. We couldn’t have been more thrilled. Thank goodness Jameson was born during the yearly thaw, or I’m certain this wouldn’t have happened yet. She brought along her boyfriend Leroy (Uncle Leroy to my boys)

Will and Leroy watching a fascinating documentary on tv. Will was in Heaven! Will was glued to Leroy’s side nearly their entire visit, just as he is in this picture. Leroy is a body builder, so is Jenn for that matter, and I’m pretty sure that by trekking out here to see us they met their #1 fan in Will. Jenn and Leroy combined = a lot of muscle, and thus, much food is needed to fuel them. I thought it was exhausting to care for a newborn, but Jameson is a nothing compared to feeding two body builders, that was tiring! and I loved every minute of it. Come back soon, but on your way slaughter your own cow, so I’m better prepared for your protein needs. Love you guys. Baby Jameson misses your sweet snuggles Jenn.

Supporting Characters

Act III

It’s time to introduce some of the supporting characters.

My mom and dad came to stay for a week to meet Jameson, woo Josie, and spend time with the boys. This is a picture of my dad on one of the many walks that he went on with the boys. I could have sworn that after just one day of being with Will and Isaac, I overheard my dad say in his prayers…

“Dear Heavenly Father, please bless that Will and Isaac will get used to each other and not fight so much tomorrow…”

They fight a lot.

On one of the walks they went on, Isaac and Grandpa saw a dear with screwy antlers. They set out the next day to find it again, but instead ran into something much more interesting. Two screwy boys, with sticks on their heads. What are the odds?

While they were out communing with nature, the girls stayed indoors. Three generations of Schmidt/Gardner/Brown ladies. We really could have taken this on a day where I tried a little harder.

All that staying inside made us thirsty.

Thanks for coming Grandma and Grandpa Gardner. When we dropped you off at the airport the boys were so sad as we drove away. I asked Will how he felt, and he told me he was going to really miss you, because he really really likes you. We love you.

August…From the Top

Wow. August was a very full month. I’m tempted to leave it at that and start with a fresh blogging start for September, but there was just too much good stuff to not write about. So, I present, “August” a lengthy blogging production.

Act I

Will turned 7!

He is a real boy now, no longer a little kid. He loves sports of all kinds, but has taken a real liking to baseball, skiing, and golf. He is a great big brother, although, if you ask him he is better at it with some of his siblings than others. He is completely aware of his shortcomings and prays often for Heavenly Father’s help. It goes like this:

“Dear Heavenly Father, please bless that me and Isaac can get used to each other and not fight so much tomorrow…”

When I got pregnant with Isaac, I was a little nervous about how Will would adjust to a sibling since he would only be 20 months when the baby was born. I expected it to be rough for a while, but a nearly 7 year adjustment was more than I bargained for

You are a great kid, Will, and we wouldn’t trade you for anything.

Act II

Josh turned 31!

If you look carefully in the picture above you’ll notice his arm lighting the candles on Will's cake. Happy Birthday Josh! That is the only picture I have of Josh on his special day, which admittedly, the celebration of this momentous event, got so lame when our first born came only two days before it. It is fitting in so many ways that the only thing we have to represent it is a picture of his arm lighting SOMEONE ELSE’S cake! Sad.

Sweetie, you deserve a full page layout of your greatness, and I promise in 30 years or so, when all the kids are gone, we will go all out and get a full picture of you, face and all! Happy Birthday, my dear. You are the best thing in my life.

It must be time for an intermission, because Jameson is screaming.

Centerpiece Idea?

Sunday night, we were having pancakes for dinner. Josh and I were standing in the kitchen watching this very familiar scene unfold. This is how Josie prefers to take her meals. I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I thought we were transitioning with the addition of Jameson nicely, but reality set in when I watched Josie climb up on the table, then Will protested as Josie snatched his food right off his fork, and instead of being appalled that she was first, on the table, and second, stealing food, both Josh and I found ourselves saying, “Share with her!” Perhaps, we are functioning a bit in survival mode?

We have a lot of family coming to see us in August. Do you think they will be as understanding when our Josie-fly-trap perches herself at the edge of their plates and eats the food right out of their mouths?

Josie, doing what she does.

She couldn’t be more pleased.

But, as far as this one goes, we are doing great

1st Time at Church

 

Jameson, spiffed up, and ready to worship

Last Sunday I spent the morning getting us ready for our first time back at church since Jameson was born.  Getting there was pretty terrible.  Too many people for one person to get ready!  I will definitely need to tweak a few things before we do that again.  I was able to herd the kids to the couch for a quick picture before we flew out the door.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture where they were all posed nicely, looking at ME, AND smiling.  Whatever.  There they are.  All four of them.  I suppose that it is better I didn’t get them all holding still and smiling at once, since that has never happened, ever, in real life.  Someone is always moving, and someone is always grumpy.