Day one of football conditioning. It was a hit. Of course, we are only 2 out of 10 hours this week into it. So fortunate that Jackson, Kaleb, Dylan and Dante get to be on the same team. Kaleb could not stop smiling. I asked Jack on the ride home what was his favorite part. "when we got to tackle".
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#childhood unplugged
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." – Fred Rogers We experienced a breakthrough with Bella this past weekend while in Hatteras with the family. Let me start with a little background. Bella HATES the beach. Most water, for that matter. She's very iffy about the pool, even. She prefers to move at her own pace and doesn't like for anyone to hold her, touch her, or even come near her. She'll sit on the steps of the pool with her feet in the water, and that's about as far as it goes. It's been nice (for me) at the beach because she won't even go near the water's edge. She plays in the sand just fine by herself and doesn't tend to wander. She will sit back and watch her brothers play in the water from a safe distance. I couldn't even get her to put her feet in the water (or if I even approached it holding her, she would flip out in hysterics). She was literally petrified. We spent this past weekend at the beach in Hatteras (after she spent nearly the entire week there). On Saturday, as we were wrapping up, I watched her standing back evaluating Jackson intently as he ran up and down the water's edge, trying to dodge the water. Ever so slowly, she would creep closer and closer until finally...she stuck her foot in the water. Just as quickly, she pulled it out and ran back to safety. Then, she'd do it again, each time spending a little bit longer lingering in the water. We all clapped and cheered her on, which really excited her. "Look, guys! I'm in the water!!" And within just a few minutes, she was all but diving headfirst into waves. It was the craziest thing ever! She was laying on her belly with the waves crashing toward her and laughing out loud. She wouldn't let me take her out any farther; of course she still wanted to be in complete control of the situation and had to tell you how far she would go. The next day, we went back and we wondered if it would take her some time to warm back up. But nope. She asked as soon as our feet hit the sand, "Can I go in the water?" We told she had to wait while we sat everything up, and she did. As soon as we were finished, she asked again, "Now can I go?" She even let Pop Pop pull her around on the boogey board. Truly cannot believe it is almost August and our summer is almost over. It goes by so fast. I got a Target catalog in the mail last night advertising for back-to-school supplies. And then I started thinking that I will have a fifth- and a second-grader, and that makes me a little nauseated.
This has been a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants kinda summer. Lots of dining out or on the go. A messy house for sure. Out of control laundry. Neglected yard and flower beds. A lot of the projects we had planned for this season are weighing heavy on my mind, and there's always a sense of panic that we are running out of time. The front porch needs to be redone. The deck needs to be painted. The irrigation system Josh wanted to put in has been put off (again) until next year. I need to clean the windows. And then there's the mom guilt. That we haven't done enough as a family together. Because I can't make a homemade dinner every night. My kids aren't reading enough books. We don't take enough bike rides together. Or make enough crafts. And yet, we are together every moment that we aren't at work. June and July was crammed full of baseball, Father's Day, birthday celebrations, and we only got to take one beach trip. I expect August will be even busier with Bella's birthday, the start of football season, and our family vacation (which takes weeks to prepare and is more like a mini-move than a vacation since we are going to another beach house for a week and basically have to pack up the entire house to take with us). It's not that I'm complaining because I love summer. This is my favorite time of year. I'm just sad that it doesn't last long enough, and that there is always too much to do and so little time. Dear Bella-wella:
This past weekend was a strange one. You and your brothers spent several days in Hatteras with Honey and Pop Pop, without Mommy & Daddy. This is by far the longest stretch of time I have ever been without my kids. And I decided I don't like. A day or two I can handle. But I went 5 days without seeing you. And Cameron and Jackson are still in Hatteras and it will be a whole 8 days before I see them. I got to talk to you on the phone every day. You were in absolute heaven at "the beach house" and when I asked if you wanted to come home to Mommy, you would always respond, "No, I wanna stay at the beach house!" I knew you were going to be upset about coming home, and I didn't blame you. I would love to live at the beach house everyday, too. But, I was so excited for you to come home. Your daddy went down to Hatteras to pick you up and bring you home. That night, I waited impatiently, checking out the window every few minutes for Daddy's truck to pull into the driveway. I have to admit, I was very disappointed with our reunion. It didn't go quite as I had imagined it. To say you weren't happy to see me might be a little bit of an understatement. Not only would you not let Daddy put you down, you wouldn't let me hold you at all. You cried if I even tried to take you out of Daddy's arms. After a little while, I persuaded you out of his lap by offering to paint your fingernails. But as soon as he made a move to leave the room, you flipped out and ran after him crying, "I want my Daddy!" Totally out of character for you, especially in my presence. When I asked you if you wanted to sleep with Mommy in "Mommy's bed" that night, you vehemently responded, "No! I sleep with Daddy in Daddy's bed!" None of my kids have ever referred to our bed as "daddy's bed". Daddy, of course, was quite amused by all of this and totally eating up the attention from you. Eventually, I won you over playing kitchen and by the end of the night, things had returned to normal. You even followed me to the bathroom a few times, and I wasn't at all annoyed by the lack of privacy (for now). When it was time to go to bed, you asked (as is your routine), "you lay down with me? in mommy's bed?" But of course! Yesterday, we had our carpets cleaned, so when we came home, we spent the first half of the night putting all the furniture back. We didn't make it to your room, and your bed was covered in toys, your toy box and LOTS of babies. So, last night, when it was time to go to bed, I told you you had to sleep in mommy's bed. "Will you lay down wish me?" You asked. "Not right now. Mommy and Daddy are going to watch t.v." I put you in my bed, left the door open at your request. One thing we've noticed is that you have become very comfortable in your own bed. Unlike your big brothers, you actually prefer it over my bed. The only time you'll stay in my bed is if I'm in it with you. But at that time, I didn't feel like cleaning off your bed, so I put you in mine, hoping you'd stay. A few minutes after I had returned downstairs, we heard some noises upstairs, and then a lot of banging. Your daddy looked at me, and I knew exactly what was going on. You were cleaning off your bed so you could sleep in it. He went upstairs to help get the rest of the stuff off of it, and you told him, "I don't wanna sleep in mommy's bed." In your bed you went, and that was the end of it. Back to our old routine. #childhood unplugged When you're the only girl in a sea of boys. You basically get to do whatever you want. And they let you. I love everything about this kid.
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November 2018
AuthorMy name is Kaci. I am a working mom of 3. Wife to Josh. Mom to Jackson, Cameron & Isabella. My life is dinner, homework, baseball, basketball, grocery lists, laundry, middle school, wine, video games, and schedules. I started this blog because I love taking pictures, and I needed a place to document our life. I wanted a place to write it all down, to remember little details so easily forgotten in the mad rush that is the life of a family of 5. Through my photos and words, I endeavor to capture our story. Categories
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