These are the days...

With "Toothless Ruthless," as I call Nellie! She lost her first top tooth in some kind of wrestling match with DJ, and the second one while drinking milk on vacation! I told her she's the only person I know who lost a tooth just drinking.

Filled with activity. All three of the older kids can go from one thing to the next in a blink of an eye, leaving toys, crumbs, craft supplies, and clothes in their wake. I realized the other day that in a family of six, we go through at least 42 sets of clothing a week. Forty-two pairs of underwear, sets of socks, shirts, shorts, dresses, and the occasional bathing suit, sweatshirt, and dress-up costume to sort, wash, dry, fold, and put away. Per week. Sorry, but I'm feeling a little discouraged right now by the fact that I will never be able to stay on top of everything around here. Standards lowering...now. Forty-two pairs of underwear. [Shaking head.]

When DJ is talking more and better every day. He has this really cute, kind of German, way of talking. He says things like, "Where mine-a milk cup?" and "I need-a mine-a mom!" That last one we hear a lot, because he's also gotten generally nervous. After one bad dream, he's convinced there's a "guy" in his room who jumps from one foot to the other and he doesn't want to go in there.

Of musical beds--related to that last one. I think being out of routine, plus having a newborn, is throwing off everyone's sleep. It's anyone's guess where each person will wake up in the morning, even when we go to bed in our own respective places. Nellie has big plans to make one giant "bed-room" where the whole room is a bed and we all sleep in it. It's tempting.

With a sweet baby boy. Edmund is smiling--and Nellie swears he was laughing at her the other night, which wouldn't surprise me!--sleeping fairly well, and is generally a remarkably content baby. We joked that our kids go high-maintenance, low-maintenance, high-maintenance, and we were due for an easy one. And so far, he's pretty easy! (Just kidding, Nellie and DJ. But really.)

Filled with birthday parties and berry picking, beaches and bunnies.

Playing in the "cornbox" at Alli's farm birthday party 

Annie eating ice cream at Otto's first birthday party

Wild raspberries

Berry picking was hot, sweaty business

Our bunny friend who hangs out in our yard

Two corndogs for the road

Cowboy Eddie

Otto and the kids hanging out in the trampoline

At Lake Michigan for our annual trip with Lisa

With a nursing infant and a potty training toddler. I had no intention of potty training DJ until he was older--I've been in this phase before. But so far, it's been fairly uneventful, other than a really gross incident involving a dog that I won't get into. We just have a toilet in our living room. Also, DJ is the only kid I know who still really wants to wear a "bee diaper" (Kroger brand) instead of underwear even though we have every one of his favorite characters and he's never had an accident. The guy doesn't like change.

To transition from "Let it Go" to "Everything is Awesome." Everything is so, so, awesome.

To Figure Things Out. Now that the end of grad school is in sight (less than a year away!), we have lots of questions. Where should we live? What should we do with the rest of our lives? You know, things like that. I remember in my senior year of high school I'd get so stressed out by the question, "What do you want to do after you graduate?" because I didn't have an answer. Here I am, 15 years later, and I'm in the exact same place. The more things change, the more they stay the same, amiright?

Of contradictions. On one hand, in my sleep-deprived and stuck-at-home state, I'm counting the things I miss that you can't really do with a newborn. Sleep. Date night. Girls' night. Camping. Bike rides. Vacations. Quality time with the older kids. Drinking too much coffee. Thinking straight. And I find myself watching friends with all school-age kids somewhat wistfully. On the other hand, these are also the days of knowing better. Knowing better than to believe there will always be tiny diapers and feedings every two hours. Knowing better than to believe it will always be this hard. Knowing better than to be sure that this will be our last baby--because that's what I thought the last three times I had a one-month-old.

Nellie, age 7

How are you feeling about being seven?  

Exhausted. It's tiring being seven. I mean--what's that word when you're feeling relaxed but like you want to jump and yell "hooray" at the same time? [Exhilarated?] Yeah!

What kinds of things do seven-year-olds do?
They can say words that their parents didn't let them say before. Like [whispering in my ear] butt.   

What are you most excited about for the next year?
Going to Michigan Adventure. And...everything.

Who is your best friend?    

DJ, Annie, Mommy, Daddy, Papa John, and everyone! DJ especially because he's so cute.

Who are your favorite people to play with?
Everyone! DJ and Robynne and Leah. And Annie.

What do you love about all those people?
I don't know...maybe...because they always play with me and make me feel better when I feel sad.

What kinds of things are you good at?
Art and music, and playing swings. Watching TV! Saving money? Reading. Mostly everything. But I'm not good at climbing trees. I don't know how to. 

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A superhero and a mommy. And a gardener. A hunter.

Why do you want to be all those things?
Because it will be fun, and it looks like it's fun to be pregnant because you don't have to do chores all around the house. [Oh. My. Gosh.] Because I want to save people. A hunter because it's fun to shoot and get out into nature and call things until your throat hurts and you can't speak. That happened to me once.

What’s your favorite song?   
[Singing] Everything is Awesome!

Favorite movie?   
The Lego Movie and Frozen and--what's the word--Brave! And I also really really really really like My Little Ponies and Powerpuff Girls! Those are shows, not movies.

Favorite book?   
The Boxcar Children "series." [Finger quotes in the air.]

Favorite color?   

Blue, pink, and yellow, and that, you know, like darky pinky purply color mixed together? Wait, I'll show you. This color. [Fuchsia.]

What’s your favorite thing to play?   
Powerpuff Girls, cowgirls, light sabers with Xander, and mostly everything. Except pretending I'm dead.

Is there anything else you want us to know about you?   
I like milk and I like taking pictures. I really like my new brother Edmund, and my new birthday presents. I got pretty much everything I wanted except a baby doggy. Well, any baby animal will do.

Annie, age 5

How do you feel about being five?  

Good? I'm a little bit happy and a little bit scared to go to kindergarten.

What kinds of things do five-year-olds do?   
Do cool things like play with Play Doh...I think...and go to kindergarten for the whole day. They get to play in a little playhouse.

What are you most excited about in the next year?
I don't know.

Who is your best friend?    
Ariel. [She has a new Ariel doll.] Steph. She's old enough to play hide-and-seek!

Who are your favorite people to play with?
DJ, Mommy, Daddy, Papa John, Robynne and Leah and Allison and Alexa, and Xander and everyone in my big family and my little family. [Nellie was fishing for an invitation to this one.] What, you're in my little family!

What kinds of things are you good at?

Curling Ariel's hair. Gymnastics. Being cool!

What do you want to be when you grow up?
I don't know yet. A princess or a doctor, that's all. I don't know what I should choose.

Why do you want to be a princess or a doctor?
Well, it's just kind of fun.

What’s your favorite song?   
Twinkle Twinkle and Away in a Manger.

Favorite movie?   
The Little Mermaid and the Lego Movie. 

Favorite book?   

Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Favorite color?   

Purple and yellow.

What are some things you like to play?   
Gymnastics, cowgirl, doctor, Uno, hide-and-seek, tag.

Is there anything else you want us to know about you?   
I like to play with my Ariel and Flounder!

Is that your favorite birthday present?
Yeah.

Thoughts while packing for Aunt Pam's

For a three-day trip, we needed over 40 diapers in four kinds--newborn, size 5, "swimmy", and overnight.

I always, always pack food. Which drives Kevin crazy, because, you know, there are grocery stores in Richland, and the van is already so full. Because, you know, all I want to do is go on vacation and spend the first morning grocery shopping. As I pack a basket and cooler with food, I can already envision the steam coming out of Kevin's ears when he goes to put it in the van.

I've been spending several weekends a year at Pam's house on Gull Lake for...13 years? We've been there for every Fourth of July (but one) for as many of those years as I can remember. We've brought little babies there--both Annie and Eddie made the trip to Aunt Pam's before they were two weeks old. And yet, this time around, I could not figure out what we needed to bring. I think that's largely because I never know exactly what kind of trip it's going to be. Do the kids need one set of clothes because they'll just go back and forth between their bathing suits and pajamas the whole time? Or twice as many clothes as there will be days, because they'll be down at the lake and decide to swimming RIGHT NOW and go in their clothes? Do we need pillows? Sleeping bags? A bouncy seat? Kids' Motrin?

As it turned out, we had what we needed. But it was still pretty much A ZOO! It's going to take some figuring out how to be at the lake with four kids, including a newborn. (And, as an extended family, how to fit 13 people--13 people!--in three bedrooms.) More than once, we caught DJ wandering around outside by himself. Oh well, we packed in all the fun we could find.

All of us after the parade

Cherry hands! 

Nellie loves tubing...

...Nellie does NOT love skiing (yet).

So tired when we left

Edmund David Wernet

He's here, and he's loved!

Early moments - we thought he looked so small, until they weighed him 

Love this picture--Nellie in joyful awe, Annie cooing with reserve, DJ looking like, "what the heck is going on?"

Edmund David Wernet arrived five days late like his big brother--but swiftly, once he decided to come--after a three-hour labor. He was 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and 21.5 inches long. That makes him our biggest baby by 5 ounces and an inch. The not-so-little brother!

He's a sweet and "easy" baby so far. Eddie sleeps okay, eats great, and rarely cries. He's been smiling since early on, though it's fleeting. That's about all you can ask for!

I think I have similar pictures for the last three kids. DJ didn't really want to leave my side at the hospital!

Coming home! In my pajamas.

We practice "dangerously cute" sleep around here. Supervised, of course.

Listening to the Tigers game with Daddy and Chief

Lots of spring pictures

I got behind on pictures this year, so before we move into new baby mode, let's remember the last few months! We finally warmed up and spent time outside before hunkering down to get ready for Eddie's arrival. Here are lots of pictures of Annie's preschool graduation, Memorial Day at Gull Lake, Nellie's piano recital, outside play and hiking, Easter, soccer, the Michigan mile and some other miscellaneous events.

One warrants some explanation. Since she was three, Nellie has been, well, difficult to dress at times. You might have noticed, she likes to pick her own clothes. We keep her drawer stocked with things she'll wear, and that works well for us. But some days can be complicated. One day this spring, Nellie wanted to wear her tie-dye shirt from last summer's vacation. Alas, there were no clean and acceptable leggings. So she picked tights, and we had to tell her you can't just wear a t-shirt and tights. So she picked out the one skirt she had. The results are below...I actually took a picture because it was so colorful. Then Kevin took the girls to school and found out it was spring picture day. So Nellie brought home some colorful professional photos!

First soccer game! It was freezing. As in, 32 degrees.

(Most of) the cousins on the boat for the year's first ride. Nellie found an exciting spider!

Princess Annie helping Kevin in the garden

Hiking in the mud with Kevin

Annie's graduation

Annie's graduation; putting watermelon on the Very Hungry Caterpillar

Watching a bunny before school

Waiting for the egg hunt

Nellie and the Easter pinata

Annie and the Easter pinata

Giant backyard mud puddle

Nellie about to cross the finish line at the Michigan Mile

The family after the race...so pregnant

Matching tattoos at the Michigan Mile race

Postrace pancakes at Flap Jack

Nellie learned to tie her shoes!

We visited some baby lambs at Nellie's friends house over spring break.

Nellie's toad 

Girls at the piano recital, where Nellie played the song "P-I-N-K"

Nellie and Caron Dvorak 

The piano students

Practicing at home :)

The baby shower!

Nellie's outfit on spring picture day...before I knew it was spring picture day

The spring photo!

DJ trying to dip his feet, right before he fell in

After DJ fell in the lake

For Kevin

Happy Father's Day to Kevin, who in the last week has: coached me through our fourth natural childbirth, welcomed a new baby to the world, helped three kids navigate the emotional and logistical waters of a newborn in the house, repaired and maintained everyone's bikes, taught a four-year-old to ride a two-wheeler, cooked meals, watched My Little Ponies, driven to softball practice, attended a piano recital, bunked with a lonely toddler, and performed countless other dad duties.

In the words of Annie, "Daddy does all the cool stuff!"

And I'm thankful for that!