Remind me...

When exactly do chores stop being fun for little kids? :). Thomas begged me to let him vacuum on Monday, and I was more than happy to let him go at it!

Poor Thomas was sick yesterday with a 101 fever and rash (and was very quiet and just wanted to lay down, which is definitely unlike him!). Today he seems mostly better, although he still has a touch of the rash. I suppose it was just a virus, and so far everyone else seems OK, but we'll see!

Peter is cutting his second tooth and hasn't been sleeping too well :/.

He has been rocking on his hands and knees, so he is close to crawling. Sometimes he rocks himself forward so exuberantly that he ends up face-first on the carpet! Jack and Thomas think that's hilarious :). His hair is also getting ridiculously big again, but I don't particularly feel like wrestling with him to trim it --- maybe next weekend when David is home to help :).

Jack is doing well. I'm reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to him, and he loves it! We've tried chapter books before (many months ago), but he lost interest pretty quickly when there weren't pictures to look at, but he seems much more receptive to it now. I'm also thinking about reading the original Mary Poppins books by PL Travers. I've developed a new appreciation for the movie (and I love some of Mary Poppins witty comments, like "Well begun is half done" and "Enough is as good as a feast" -- they're succinct and true!).

In this photo, Jack is decorating his own Valentine's Day cake -- he and Thomas got to do their own heart-shaped cakes while I decorated David's and mine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Aaah! I'm sandwiched between Jack and Thomas! Whose idea was this? A little help here?!?"

"I see no one has volunteered to help me. No problem, I will take care of this myself, Jackie-Chan-style. *THWACK*. See that? I didn't even have to look!"

I must give credit where credit is due... the photo captions were David's idea :).

We're all finally recovered from the tummy bug that had one or more of us down for a couple of weeks. I've been trying to catch up on the laundry and cleaning house, but it's like a one step forward, two steps back kind of thing.

I haven't had as much time as I'd like to do daily chores since I've been dealing with an identity theft issue for about a week and a half. Someone somehow got a hold of my SSN, birthdate, address, full name, etc. and tried to open several credit card accounts with all that information.

The weird thing is that I discovered the ID theft because the new credit cards were mailed to my house! When I called to cancel them, there were $0 balances --- so I'm not sure what the identity theft has gained so far, other than causing me some stress and paperwork. Also, someone else's name appeared on one of the credit cards -- possibly the person who tried to open the account fraudulently? (possibly, the police have their name now). So far, it seems like they're not the brightest theft out there!

Thankfully, there is a lot of infrastructure in place to deal with ID theft -- I placed a 7-year fraud alert on my credit report so anytime someone requests a credit account or loan in my name, they have my home phone and cell phone number to contact me and make sure I approved it. I also filed a police report (the sheriff came out to my house -- and Jack was excited because "He had a gun!"), a Social Security Adminstration report, and a Federal Trade Commission report. I've got affidavits coming out my ears! And I placed a secret passcode on my bank account so no one can call the bank or show up in person to get any information about my account or make any changes unless they utter the secret word. I'll admit there was a little pressure on me to think of one word worthy of being a secret code!

So far, I think I'm on top of everything, but it's still pretty unnerving that someone was trying to use my name and credit fraudulently. How did they get my information in the first place? Did I mess up and somehow leave my information vulnerable for someone to take? Did someone steal it from a medical record, credit record, bank record? It feels personal, even though I know it's not.

Hopefully, now that I have all my accounts in lockdown mode, the threat is over for now. I am very grateful we seem to have caught it before any money was involved.

In other, happier, news, Peter's snaggletooth has broken through the gums. No more toothless smile! He's also working on the second bottom tooth -- any day now that will come through. He's starting to get an "older baby" look to me, and it's amazing that in just 4 months he'll celebrate his first birthday!! He's not crawling yet, but he manages to get around pretty well anyway. His favorite haunts are the woodstove, the curtains (which he likes to yank), and the new printer in the office (we've already had 1 printer casualty due to child terrorism).

Thomas has been quite the feisty little bear lately. He has not been sleeping well at night (we think he might be getting his molars in, even though he says his gums/mouth don't hurt). He gets up, runs to our door, and screams. Sound familiar? Yeah, Jack did the same exact thing at about the same exact age. Except Jack would go back to sleep after we gave him some teething medicine. Thomas *really* fights going back to sleep. And now we have 2 other children who wake up with Thomas's antics (one of whom thinks the gravy train just arrived if he wakes up and I'm in his room). Thomas's saving grace, though, is the fact that he's 2.75 (which is, coincidentally, also his challenge!). He is hilarious to listen to. He utters a constant stream of funny things all day long. He says "It's not serious, Mom" if I'm upset at him about something. Tonight he ate all the frosting off his slice of cake and said in shock "I forgot to decorate it Mom!! I need to put frosting on it!" as if that might buy him another round of frosting on top. He sings Gloria in Excelsis Deo all day. I'm trying to keep a good sense of humor about it, but it's harder when we're all sleep deprived :/. At least I know that his challenging antics won't last forever -- Jack has turned into a very pleasant 4-year-old!

Speaking of which, he has been a real joy to be around lately. He helps drag Peter away from dangerous areas (literally, by the feet), he likes to help cook, he loves Where's Waldo books, he loves learning to read, he loves T-ball, and he can't wait to start school in the fall. I especially love seeing him look out for his little brothers -- he is very loving. They are all so blessed to have each other. I pray that they will always be close and that their kids will be close.

How big is Peter?

(say it with me, now)....

Sooooo Big! :)

Quarantine

We've had a bad tummy sickness in the house since last Saturday night. I thought were were all in the clear until Jack threw up again several times yesterday afternoon and into the evening. Poor little guy -- he looked so sad!

So far, everyone else is fine (Peter and David never did get sick, thankfully!), but I feel like we need to quarantine ourselves so we don't spread whatever sick germs might be floating around! Now I'm not sure how many more days have to pass before I can rest easy and feel like we'll all free of this bug.

Fortunately, Jack is definitely feeling better today. He's been eating, drinking, sassing Thomas :), and generally acting more like himself as the day goes on.

Peter just woke up singing in his crib, but I'll post a few recent photos:

Jack practices hitting off the tee.

Thomas watches Jack from the bleachers.

Peter has been getting himself into all kinds of precarious places, like *under* the futon.

1 sick Mom + 2 sick kids = the largest Mount Washmore ever (washing is the easy part, but folding them is another story!)

For some reason, a large pile of clean clothes attracts my kids like a pile of raked leaves.

Present and Past

I'm trying to be better about keeping current with photos of the boys (admiring Kim's gorgeous photos of Michael spurs me on!), so here are some I took over the last couple of days:

Peter looks like he has a little pot-belly in this photo...

But somehow he looks a little less beefy with just a diaper on :).

You can just see two little teeth-bumps on his bottom gum in this photo.

It was cute watching Thomas and Peter play together. Thomas would build a little stack of blocks, and Peter would promptly knock them down.

And, for a blast from the past, these are photos of Jack and Thomas when they were about the same age as Peter is now (7 months):

"Are you kidding me?!?" Even at this young age, Jack was telling it like it is.

Looking back at photos made me realize how "on the go" Jack was, even early on -- he was crawling and pulling up by now! I've heard people say that the 2nd and later kids sometimes get moving earlier because they're trying to keep up with their older siblings, but neither Thomas or Peter has been nearly as eager to get moving as Jack was (and that's still true to his personality today!).

Thomas was such an adorable little beef-cake! Look at those cheeks!

This was his favorite pose for a long time --

he always looked like he was just lounging around by the pool.

It's hard for me to tell if Peter favors either Jack or Thomas's looks more strongly. To me, he just looks like Peter!

Happy Sunday!

David whisked Jack and Thomas away to the baseball fields to play baseball, Peter is taking a nap, and I have the house to myself for another 45 minutes until my gaggle of tired and hungry boys come home for lunch. It's a good opportunity to post a quick update and some photos.

Yesterday was David's first T-ball practice with his team, and Jack's first taste of team sports. It was so neat to see Jack in his baseball cap and little cleats run out the door to go play baseball. How is it possible that he's old enough for T-ball already?! It seems like I was just thinking that this day was soooo far off, and now it's here.

I stayed here with Thomas and Peter since practice fell right in the middle of naptime, and that went pretty well. Thomas was a little upset that he didn't get to go with Jack and David, but I think he realized that it's not too bad getting to be the big brother at home with me. It will be a good chance for me to spend some quality time with Thomas, since he rarely gets me all to himself!

David said Jack was a little shy at first, and didn't really want to participate, but he warmed up quickly and was practicing well with the other kids. David came home, got a snack, and promptly took a power nap --- herding 8 little kids through 1 1/2 hours of T-ball practice takes some serious patience, creativity, and mental energy! But he said it went well, the parents there said it went well, and the kids had a good time.

This morning, David told the boys he would play baseball with them after Mass, and Thomas would not let him forget it! On the way home from Mass, Thomas piped up from the back seat as clear as could be, "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! We're supposed to the baseball fields, Dad!". :).

Thomas and Jack have been saying lots of funny things lately --- they were talking about Jesus and how he is in heaven. Thomas said "He died and now he's in heaven". I said that yes, He did die, but He came back to life, and then He went to heaven to be with God. But he's not just in heaven -- we also see him every week at church.

I asked them "Where do we see Jesus at church?". Jack quickly answered, "The turnerbacker". I knew what he was getting at, so I asked, "Do you mean the tabernacle?". And he said "Yeah!". I asked what Jesus looks like in the tabernacle, and he said "Bread!". :). Not bad for a 4-year-old!

Then I told him that when we eat Jesus's body, which looks like bread, he becomes part of us and so he's also present inside everyone who eats his body. Jack, in his usual matter-of-fact style, made to sure remind me, "And his blood, Mom".

Lest you think that all my children talk about is Jesus and church and heaven :), I'll let you know that we're also struggling with our first taste of bathroom humor at the Campbell household. I get it, I get it --- words used to describe bathroom functions hold some sort of mysterious power to inspire giggles -- but I am tired of hearing songs about them, insults crafted using those words, etc. So I'm trying hard to remind the boys that those words aren't nice words, and they should really only be used in the bathroom or to tell someone that you have to go to the bathroom. My stance on these words has made them "forbidden fruits", however, so the boys keep coming back to them again and again and again.

I've tried ignoring the words (figuring that maybe the boys are feeding off the negative attention I give them), but really, I can take just about 15 minutes of singsong bathroom words before I lose my last shred of sanity. So now I've taken a very low tolerance approach -- one reminder not to use those words, and any utterance after that is a time-out or loss of some privilege. It seems to be helping, but let me tell you, the consistency required on my part is hard. It's hard on me. I don't feel like giving 10 time-outs a day. I don't like dealing with the temper tantrums and screaming that come with those 10 time-outs. (And don't tell anyone, but sometimes I pretend not to hear a bathroom word just so I don't have to enforce my own policy!). I think this past week or two that I've been dealing with this has helped me realize that consistency is probably the hardest part about parenting for me -- doing the hard things day in and day out, countless times a day, because they're right and because they'll help my kids grow up to be good, decent people. It's very much a delayed gratification kind of thing, or maybe an investment -- put in the hard work now and see them become good adults in ~20 years. Hoo boy!

Where to begin?

It's been more than a month since my last post! It feels like we've been crazy busy since Thanksgiving. Let me see if I can do a quick recap and post some pictures:

--We did it! We conquered the wilderness that was our backyard. I still feel like the Fire Prevention People are looking over my shoulder and ready to pounce if a stray shrub creeps too close to the house, but so far we're in the clear. We have a much neater, nicer looking backyard to show for it, and lots of time spent outdoors, keeping active. With our newly raked slope, I am seriously considering a huge Slip N Side-type contraption this summer!!

--Peter is so very close to crawling, but not quite there yet. He is getting two bottom teeth in, though! He's been enjoying lots of good food lately -- I think pears, squash, and chicken are some of his favorites. It was so cute to watch his excited expression when we picked up Jack and Thomas after a weekend at Grammy and Poppi's -- Peter definitely missed his brothers!

--Jack starts T-ball this month!! David is the manager (head coach) for Jack's team, and there are 11 other little boys playing also. Jack is the only 4-year old, and I fully expect that he'll be a "sand angel" as they call them (little kids out in outfield, scuffing up sand clouds and looking anywhere but where they're supposed to be). But he'll have so much fun playing with the other kids and with David. In 2 years, Jack and Thomas will be on the same team -- can you imagine them as 6 and 4 years old?!?

--Thomas continues to entertain us all with his antics. He sings his way through the day, making up songs from pieces of other songs, or nonsense words -- he's not too picky. He's doing excellent with potty training, and I am very pleased that we've somehow managed to graduated 2 children into potty-trained status. Woot! Thomas is a little bit impish, though, and finds his way into all sorts of mischief while covering it up with his very sweet and loving demeanor :).

-- David is doing well. He's very excited about managing Jack's baseball team, but has already had a small taste of crazy baseball parent politics (thankfully not aimed at him!). Somehow I'm not sure if managing a gaggle of 4-to-6 year olds *or* their parents will try his patience more! He will be such a good coach, though, and I can't wait to cheer him and his team on from the stands.

-- I am well, but am trying to figure out how to squeeze more time out of my day. There are a handful of things I really want to accomplish, and they just keep getting moved from this week's "To Do List" to the next without ever getting crossed off. Coffee does help :), but I probably need to organize my time more efficiently.

And Balance. That's one of my biggest goals (but very hard to achieve in reality). If the boys had their way, I'd be playing cars, trains, outside, etc. all day every day with them. I can't do that (and it wouldn't be good for the kids or me even if I could), but how much time should I devote just to playing with them? And how much time to chores? And how much time for spending with David? And "me" time? I can never quite find the right balance. Some days I feel like my entire day is one big To Do List, and everything (including playing with the kids) is a boiled down to a task that needs to be accomplished just so it can be crossed off my list. I really don't like feeling that way. But if I go all "laissez-faire" and don't really plan anything, I feel totally discombobulated and end up getting not much of anything done, and then I just make a bunch more work for myself the next day. It's a constant battle!

Well, Manic Monday arrives again tomorrow and we'll see how the battle goes this week. I'll be back to post sooner than later, hopefully. In the mean time, here are some photos:

Jack (on the move, as usual) was very excited about keeping tools in his jeans' pockets.

Thomas wouldn't hear of being left out of the fun, so he put on a Construction Hat (aka Nemo bucket) and managed to stuff some tools in his pockets, too.

Peter is good at pushing up and scooting backwards, which always puts him further away from toys that he wants. That really bothers him!

Peter has Popeye arms! For the record, he also has cankles. That's right -- the calf meets the foot directly, and there are no ankles. I have yet to encounter a baby sock that doesn't *POP* right off of his cankle within a few minutes. Of course, it doesn't help that he tugs on his socks with his hands and/or mouth :).