7.08.2023

aviyah galore

If you are not a fan of a billion pictures of someone's child in a slightly different position with a slightly different expression on her face, this post is not for you. You have been warned.

Hello, Aviyah Brielle.


She is the sweetest little baby.


She is 10.5 weeks old. How has it been such a short amount of time and yet it feels like I've known her forever.


She weighs a little over 16 pounds. This puts her in the 99th percentile which is exactly on par with her brothers at this age.


She is 24 inches long, now officially tall enough to be marked on the kids' height chart.


She has an untameable puffy head of hair.


She is my most finicky baby to nurse so far, though clearly her mid-arm rolls and chunky cheeks are not suffering.


She might love me the most if her love is measured by who she smiles for the most. Her smiles take her from pretty adorable to absolutely irresistible.


She is by far our most chill baby. Full disclosure: I sometimes place her somewhere and... momentarily forget she's there. She will just chill quietly by herself. She is a very different type of baby from what I've become accustomed to the past 9 years.


She's not super into tummy time and working out her neck muscles. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't mind being placed on her belly. She just does not yet see the point of using that time to be productive.


I love her so much.

4.18.2023

birth contemplations

We have reached the two-week countdown! This is literally my favorite time of pregnancy. Yes, I feel like a whale. Yes, I waddle like a whale-ish penguin. Yes, I grunt and huff and ugh my way through getting out of bed and squatting to pick up toys and straining to reach the faucet when I'm doing the dishes. BUT. It is still my favorite time of being pregnant.

Two weeks feels like nothing, especially when I consider the "one week left" time period to be "this is THE week" time period [regardless of its accuracy (I have a 50% accuracy rate currently)]. All of the icky parts of pregnancy are theoretically done [no more pesky symptoms, no more needles, no more "am I going to fail this test" anxiety fests, etc]. All I have left is the last bit of waiting and then it's Hello, Sweet Baby time. Gah, it's the best. Come on, labor, let's do this thing!

For the past couple of months, one of my wind-down for sleep activities [besides going over our very ignored to-do list] is mentally walking through all of my past labors and deliveries. It is simultaneously exciting and calming. Each of the boys has slid into this world in a very different and yet also similar way/time frame and I am hopeful that this will remain the pattern for the fifth round. If I had to choose an ideal replica birth, I'd say I would pick... a Finley delivery. He came fast, didn't allow me a lot of angry mutter time during labor, and was a born-in-the-tub baby. Five stars, would do again. 

The one thing I would not prefer about a Finley delivery is the fact that he was a day late. I know in the grand scheme of things, one day late is still crazily punctual [the mere fact that you can possibly predict within a few days when something will happen 280-ish days before it happens is just miraculous in itself], but it still seems a bit rude. Lucas was a due date baby, Finley was one day late, Sebastian was two days early, and Eli was two days late. So, all we need now is a one day early baby to complete the pattern. Do you hear me, Boo? IT WOULD BE SO SATISFYING. Please and thank you. We shall see. 

Another baby related tidbit that entertains me is thinking about how long I have been either pregnant or breastfeeding or both. It is mind boggling.

  • 2013 - pregnant [only for an extremely tiny portion of the year, to be fair, but still counts]
  • 2014 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2015 - breastfeeding
  • 2016 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2017 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2018 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2019 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2020 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2021 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2022 - pregnant/breastfeeding
  • 2023 - pregnant/soon-will-be-breastfeeding
I am somehow approaching almost four years of actively growing a baby inside of me and almost seven full years of nursing said babies. That is such a huge chunk of my life, but hands down it has been such an excellent use of my time. It has been ever so busy and exhausting but also ever so fulfilling and grand. Even though it also seems like downright craziness. I might need a new hobby soon.

Apparently 37-to-38-ish weeks is when everyone in our neighborhood all agreed that it was finally safe to assume I am indeed pregnant. The possibility that the size of my stomach was just the result of indulging in too many tacos was no longer reasonable, though one neighbor did actually ask, "Do you know if it's a boy taco or a girl taco?" So... maybe I'm somehow still leaving them in doubt. The sudden influx of questions from the neighbors is most likely also due to the fact that the warm weather has allowed me to break out all the summer clothes, which makes this belly o'mine undeniably obvious when we go on walks. 

Speaking of walks, I suppose it's time for another resolution progress report.
  • Kitchen sinks/counters completely empty of dishes every night: ✔️ There was one incident of the instant pot being left to soak for two nights... but it was eventually remedied. Jason has been coming to my rescue on this one a lot recently at dinner any time I just do not want to stand hunched/stretched over the sink one more time. I need longer arms when I'm pregnant... 
  • Read through the Bible this year: ✔️ I somehow fell behind four entire days over the Easter weekend 😬🀦🏻‍♀️😬🀦🏻‍♀️ I KNOW HOW TERRIBLE THAT SOUNDS. But it's all good now. I am well into 1 Samuel now and back on track. 
  • Walk 200 miles [in the same socks (don't ask)] before the baby arrives: ✔️ I am pretty stoked about this one as I am so close to finishing. I have a mere 14 miles to go which, like the last two weeks of pregnancy, is nothing compared to the 186 miles already accomplished. πŸŽ‰
  • Don't reach an all-time-high weight by the end of this pregnancy: πŸ€” It's going to be close, guys. Real close. BUT that's not actually a bad thing! I did not think this was actually an attainable goal [due to starting weight] and honestly I'm just pleased that, at the very least, I'm going to land oh so close to my Eli pregnancy max weight [instead of continuing my five-pounds-heavier-than-the-last-pregnancy trend]. I usually weigh myself at 39 weeks and then just call it done, since I say anything goes food and exercise wise the final week πŸ˜„πŸ€·πŸ»‍♀️
  • Read 75 books: ✔️ I'm at 17 books for the year so far. Definitely still a doable goal, though I may need to do some shorter, more reasonable reads through the summer to prep for the end of the year. I only have one more 1200+ page book on the docket, so that should help immensely. 
  • Blog more: ✔️ I think this one deserves a checkmark for sure. The real test will obviously be the second half of the year, but still. ✔️✔️✔️
Will this be the last blog post before Boo arrives? πŸ˜¬πŸ€žπŸΌπŸŽ‰ 

[don't judge the September 2019 calendar that I'm using to track my miles in April 2023- THERE'S A REASON]

4.12.2023

fourteen days of celebration

If you know Jason at all, you know how much he loves to party. You know how much he loves to plan and execute festive occasions. You know how much he loves to dream up party decor, shop for gifts, bake celebratory desserts, and organize fun activities.

If you know Jason at all, you know how the entire above paragraph is written tongue-in-cheek at best and is more accurately just a downright lie.

Jason is seriously excellent at executing tasks. He is truly top notch when it comes to organizing and project prep. Plus, underneath his chill, un-hyped exterior, he is a pretty entertaining and fun fellow. But applying those characteristics to festivities is a big no go for him. I think it ranks up there in his top five list of Things I Never Want to Be Responsible For.

And yet, here we are, a mere two-ish weeks away from his grand moment of the year: The Fourteen Days of Celebration. And this year, it's even bigger than ever [woo πŸŽ‰]. 

Here's the agenda:

  • Actual birth day of Boo, baby numero cinco
  • Fourth birthday for Sebastian
  • Second birthday for Eli
  • Fifteenth wedding anniversary
  • Mother's Day
All squeezed into a two-ish week period. Oof.

For Boo's birth, obviously there is not much that Jason needs to do to prepare, unless you count all of the random tasks and projects I come up with at the last moment. But it is still a pretty big life event, and there is some emotional prep work and some mental "get ready for the sleep deprivation" prep for him. But no festivities to organize. So I think it will be a nice soft opening for his Fourteen Days of Celebration.

Normally I handle the boys' birthday prep, but with this being a New Baby year and our hopes being that I will be snuggling a squishy babe/chilling in postpartum euphoria by the time May 1st/2nd [the two birthdays] rolls around... I have mentally relinquished the birthday-ing execution to Jason. He knows this, but I'm not sure he truly knows this, if you know what I mean. Sebastian is old enough this year to actually look forward to his birthday and he is oh so excited for its arrival and I want it to be everything he's imagining. Birthday theme: All Things Fish. [If Boo decides to be inconveniently and rudely late and wants to crash a brother's birthday, this will obviously change all the plans πŸ˜„] 

Fifteen years of marriage is LEGIT. That's a decade and a half of living life with my best friend. The best years of my life, I tell you. We generally do not do much for anniversaries, so there honestly isn't a lot of pressure on Jason, but anniversary fifteen seems like we should do something out of the ordinary, really party it up low-key style. But there will be a newborn. And four other children. So... gotta keep things realistic. [Back when we were young and naive, we declared a just-the-two-of-us cruise for our fifteenth... alas.]

And lastly, there is Mother's Day. It will be my ninth Mother's Day and my first one as a mama of five ❤️ Again, there are usually very low expectations for any celebration of this holiday, but undoubtedly Jason will feel compelled to do something outside of normal day things. Once I remind him of the date, that is πŸ˜‰

All in all, with how we do celebrations/holidays/anniversaries, it is not that much to pile on Jason's plate πŸ˜„ But it will feel like a lot to one who finds festivity planning stressful and overwhelming. By the time he wraps up Mother's Day, he will either be a pro at throwing celebrations or he will be checking out of all celebrations for the rest of the year. I'll keep you updated.

[And just for the record, regardless of how much or little pomp and circumstance there is, I'm greatly looking forward to this particular Fourteen Days of Celebration. It will be the best of times with the best family of seven.]

i love him immensely.


3.09.2023

the march is upon us

The most exciting part about March being here is that it means next month is Bebe Month. This kiddo is almost 33 weeks along now and active at all the times that are inconvenient. But as long as the hour-long squirm fests at 11 pm every.night do not affect the current head-down position we've got going on, I'm okay with it. We have yet to settle on a name still. Is Boo sounding more and more like a legit name to anyone else? My pre-baby to-do list continues to have the most random things added to it, BUT Jason took the initiative to start knocking some things off of there last weekend. So, whew. 

With each new baby, I feel less and less desire/need to even make a pseudo baby registry, and I think baby #5 is where I give up the practice entirely. There. It's official. The problem is that I still feel the urge to buy something for the squishy. But I do not need anything. Maybe another hooded animal towel? I'm dreaming big over here. What I have unofficially decided is that I will choose one large item, a splurge purchase, and call it a day [current considerations: a wagon stroller or an oversized glider chair]. This will scratch all of my itches: I will not be afflicted by the ridiculous feeling that I am neglecting my child. I will get to obsessively research something and get lost down all the rabbit holes of the child-gear-related review sites on the internet. And, most likely, I will end up not purchasing anything except a new set of onesies or maybe a cute pair of jammies. It will be a win-win for everyone.

Welp, I guess it's time for an update on my unofficial list of resolutions really quick:

  • Kitchen sinks/counters completely empty of dishes every night: ✔️ I've definitely needed help from Jason a few times a week in order to keep this going, but the streak lives on!
  • Read through the Bible this year: ✔️ I can't remember what happened, but last month I got about 3 days behind in my reading plan. And then I was faced with 9 chapters of Leviticus and about 4000 bull sacrifices to catch up on. I do not recommend this. But everything is back on course and I'll be heading into Deuteronomy shortly...
  • Walk 200 miles [in the same socks (don't ask)] before the baby arrives: ✔️ The motivation meter definitely dipped in February, but technically I am still on pace to get it done. Over 100 miles down, but less than 2 months left 😬 Weather, I could really use your cooperation!
  • Don't reach an all-time-high weight by the end of this pregnancy: February was a decent month. I feel like I entered the month looking 32 weeks pregnant and left the month looking 32 weeks pregnant, so I'll take it.  
  • Read 75 books: ✔️ 11 books read so far this year, and I haven't yet hit a rut. I always enjoy being in a reading phase where each new book is one that I enjoy reading. Why is it not always that way, you may ask? Because I have a ridiculous rule that I must finish any book I start. Even if it is terrible in every way. I try to screen each book before I commit to it, but my method is not infallible. And then I get stuck. And then I don't want to read it. And then I stop reading. 
  • Blog more: Jury is still out on this one.
In other news, homeschooling continues to flow along and I couldn't be more pleased or satisfied. I am 4 years [5?] into this and this school year has been the most "put together" feeling. Am I the fun, exciting teacher yet? Nope. But I'm still holding out hope. I think maybe a few more years of broken expectations of what "should" be will help. I'll keep you posted.



2.08.2023

beginning-ish of the year

Let's ignore the fact that I have not written here since last July. Excellent. Thanks.

Instead, let's check up on my New Year's resolutions, shall we?

  • Kitchen sinks/counters completely empty of dishes every night: ✔️ truly a habit/streak never before accomplished in my nearly 14 years of home management
  • Read through the Bible this year: ✔️ on pace
  • Walk 200 miles [in the same socks (don't ask)] before the baby arrives: ✔️ slightly ahead of schedule
  • Don't reach an all-time-high weight by the end of this pregnancy: ✖️ not looking good
  • Read 75 books: ✔️ 7 books down [can I count the Bible as one of my books at the end of the year? πŸ€”]
  • Blog more: ✖️🀦🏻‍♀️
So... all in all, one month in and a net positive so far? I'll take it. Perhaps I can achieve the last resolution by having monthly progress updates about the rest of my resolutions. That wouldn't be boring at all.

Other quick life updates:
  • There is another baby growing inside of me. So much happiness. Reaching third trimester always feels so good.
  • Jason is winning more board games than normal and it weirdly may be related to my very noticeable pregnancy brain this time around. He does not seem to mind.
  • Lucas has finally reached a point where I sometimes need to actually teach him through a math concept. It makes me feel teacher-y and makes him very frustrated. Welcome to seventh grade math, son.
  • Finley continues to say his favorite animal is a tarantula. Why. Also, in case you didn't know, he's self-proclaimed "the best" at pretty much any activity. 
  • Sebastian is obsessed with making "Mario tracks/levels" out of anything at his disposal - Legos, marble runs, train tracks, rubber blocks, etc. His levels are filled with dozens of lava hurling "bosses" and "moons/stars/coins" to collect. I love seeing his creations but often run out of time to hear him describe each one in neverending detail.
  • Eli was our earliest by far walking baby and now he's making sure he's extra memorable by holding off on speaking as long as possible. But, in the past week or so, he's finally started showing some interest in sharing his thoughts. Finally.
  • Baby #5 continues to be addressed as Boo as we apparently are unable to come to a name agreement. It's not bothering me AT ALL 😐 But Boo seems unphased and is living life all squirmily and kickily. Grow, baby, grow.
So there you have it. Here's to more blog posts in the hopefully not-so-distant future! 🀞🏼








7.18.2022

hand in hand

Rare is the walk where I don't eventually feel a little hand comfortably slip into mine. 

Sometimes it's sweaty.
Sometimes sticky.
Sometimes clammy.
But it gives me a secret little thrill every time. 

Because my boy is not holding my hand because of a "hold my hand while we cross the street" command or a "if you can't stop touching things in the store, you will just have to hold my hand" discipline or even a "do you want to hold hands and walk together?" invitation.

He's holding my hand merely because he wants to hold my hand. As a mama, I LIVE for these unprompted moments of trust, affection, and simplicity. 

I know one day that little sweaty/sticky/clammy hand will slip into mine for the last time. And I won't even know it's the last time. So I let myself revel in each moment. Feel the emotions. Take the pictures. Create the memories.

This life is everything I imagined it would be.


5.10.2022

fourteen is a long time

Right before we got married, I was asked if there were any flaws that I saw in Jason. I think it was a "don't go into marriage expecting to change your spouse" conversation opener. After a few awkward moments of thought, I believe I said, "I guess maybe he sleeps too much and spends too much time playing video games?" [Could it be more obvious we were just two young college students?] I'm pretty sure that was not the kind of answer I was supposed to come up with, but I do not do well with being put on the spot [and I would appreciate everyone taking note of this for future interactions with me πŸ˜„].

Fast forward 14 years, Jason now lives in a perpetual state of sleep deprivation and only squeezes in a video game session on the random evening free of other responsibilities or entertainment. So I guess it just goes to show that you CAN change your spouse. [And that Jason is apparently now flawless? πŸ˜‚] BUT, in all of the important "this is why I love you" ways, Jason has remained utterly steadfast and unchanging. He was and continues to be the most logical, selfless, considerate, funny, patient man I have ever known, and I would choose him to be my forever friend time and time again.

While not much has changed in the last 14 years - aside from the four degrees, four homes, and four children - it has still been the most satisfying, most exciting, most normal, most "this just makes sense" 14 years of my life. ♥️

Happy 14th anniversary, love! You make the day in and day out better in every way. I'm so glad you were able to look past all the weird and odd and just see me all those years ago. lessthanthree



5.02.2022

how it happened a year ago

Did you guys know we had a fourth baby? Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Usually in the few weeks after we have a baby I write up my version of the events in here. It's a bad excuse (especially since Sharayah managed over a dozen blog posts during the year), but between the baby and the other kids and work, I never got to it. So, here it is, mixed into his 1-year birthday post.

April 2021
We were hoping for an April baby so that every kid would have different birthday month. The due date was April 30, so we thought we definitely had a chance, although it would be close. My spring teaching semester would also be ending in the last week of April, so I made preparations in case Eli early came and I had to miss some final exams. I prepared all my exams over a week early and had them printed and sitting in labeled folders on my desk at work. The department chair had worked out various people who cold step in and proctor any given exam if I needed to miss any. I also got permission to skip graduation since I had to leave in the middle when we thought Sebi was coming (though he turned out not to be born until the following day, as you can read about in his "how it happened" post).

My parents came to be on call to watch the kids when labor started, we did some of the walking, spicy foods, etc. to get labor going, but he did not want to be an April baby.

Saturday, May 1
Sebi's 2nd birthday. We switched from wanting Eli to hurry up to wanting him to wait a little bit so they could have separate birthdays. We celebrated Sebi and things were still uneventful baby-wise.

That night, contractions started early enough that Sharayah didn't go to sleep. I went to sleep at some point but didn't sleep much.

Sunday, May 2
Around 3 she could tell she wouldn't be making it to morning without heading to the birth center. Around 4 she called the birth center and woke me up to call my parents and have them head over from the hotel to sleep on the couch so they could be with the kids in the morning. Contractions were progressing pretty steadily, so it seemed like we wouldn't be having another slow boy.

We arrived at the birth center around 5am. Contractions were already under 3 minutes apart. We got straight into the tub for possibly a water birth. Contractions slightly lessened in intensity once she was in the water, but they were still going pretty consistently most of the time. They definitely seemed to take a lot out of Sharayah. It seemed to me (because I only woke up at 4) that things were moving pretty quickly, but Sharayah seemed kind of discouraged that things weren't moving along as quick as she hoped they would, and she was getting really sleepy and tired. It turned out, actually things were still moving along. She spent most of the time up until the birth thinking that she might still be really far off from the pushing phase. For some reason, she just wasn't feeling those "the baby is really just about to come out" kinds of feelings. I think she was probably worried about it taking a long time like last time (when she labored for about four hours at the birth center) and she was also getting really beaten up by the contractions. I filled my usual role of speaking comforting words, putting pressure on her lower back because apparently that's useful (?), and just being there with her.

Around 7am, suddenly, he was definitely coming. For some reason (dealing with intense contractions?) Sharayah was standing when his head came out, so he was out of the water. They asked me if I wanted to catch him, so I went for it. It's kind of blurry, but it seems like he just kind of plopped into my hands. It was hard to see what I was doing, and such a crazy moment. Birth is always surreal and amazing, but catching the baby is a whole other layer. My brain says he did a sort of half-flip as he landed in my arms, but I'm sure that's just a weird brain thing.

Sharayah switched from exhausted and uncertain and ready to be annoyed if she had to wait a long time for the pushing phase again to over-the-moon happy in an instant. She always gets those post birth super content feelings, but I've never seen her glow quite like this before. She later very accurately described it as euphoria.

After approximately 8 hours of contractions, and less than two hours at the birth center, we got our fourth fella.

We stuck around for all the required checking him (and Sharayah) out to make sure everyone was ok. We stared at another miracle. Then we came home and I somehow waited a year to write this post.

In the past year, Eli has been our tiny, euphoria-inducing lump, another one-pound-per-week superchunk, and now a giant, walking and running tiny little man. He had the biggest chins we've seen yet and radiated the most pure, unadulterated joy. He loves his big brothers so much and couldn't wait to keep up with them. His motor skills developed way faster than any of his brothers, and he was walking freely at 9 months. Now he practically runs everywhere and giggle-chirps excitedly every time he has free reign to wander. He tackles the cat with gusto every chance he gets and tries to eat everything any brother has every held. He kept his gummy grin longer than anyone so far. He is somehow super clingy and needy but also able to play independently for pretty long periods of time (as long as we watch for him eating everything). He has the fluffiest little head ever and gives awesome tiny hugs. I didn't know I wanted a fourth baby, but he showed me I needed one.

The older kids have accepted him into the club with open arms. They constantly talk to him and show him things. As usual, Finley is the biggest baby lover. He now says Eli is his best friend and the one he loves the most. Everyone always wants to hug Eli, try to pick up Eli, or sit Eli in their laps (which is getting harder, since he's about 24 pounds). He just wants to be one of the big boys, and he's getting closer all the time.

Dear Eli,

You have successfully added to our chaos. I know you a little better than I usually know the new baby when I write this post. You are joy encapsulated and a determined, unstoppable force when you want to get somewhere. You (like your brothers before you) make me so out-of-my-mind tired, but I can't imagine our family without you. I'm sorry I took so long to write your birth story, but in fairness you made us wait until May when we clearly explained we wanted you to come in April. I love being your dad and watching you learn and grow and chase after your brothers. Happy birthday (for last year and this year)!
Love,
Dad

5.01.2022

a naturally occurring haiku

After a full day of festivities celebrating Sebastian in all the ways a newly turned 3-year-old would love, it was finally bedtime. 

Every boy jammied.
Every tooth brushed.
Every book read. 

Jason was with the big three singing the songs, giving the animal kisses, doling out the extra hugs. I was with Eli, nursing him, trying not to doze off with him, rocking him before putting him in bed. 

And then it hit me like a sledge hammer to the gut [I know that sounds dramatic, but sometimes emotions are a tad dramatic and who am I to fight it]: This would be the last time I would go through this bedtime routine with my baby before he turns one the next day. In the midst of all the things Sebastian today, I hadn't given Eli's birthday even a passing thought until this moment. And did it ever hit hard.

He will be the same baby tomorrow. I will put him in his bed tomorrow night just one day older, no tangible difference in development or disposition, no quantifiable change in any way.

And yet. And yet, it will be completely different.

The first year getting to know someone can be life changing. Every time God gives you a new baby, there is this utterly satisfying realization of "Life will never be the same," and I can't help but revel in it. The Little Things, day in and day out, somehow become the Big Things I Never Want to Change. The newborn days turn to infant weeks, turn to baby months; rolling becomes sitting, becomes crawling, becomes toddling; coos transition into giggles, transition into babbling, transition into "Is that a word??" 

And then, suddenly, it is about to be one entire year since you first met, face to face, this bundle of goodness and wholeness in the squishiest of packages. Just one last bedtime routine. One last time of placing your drowsy baby into his crib before he celebrates his first trip around the sun. 

It hit me hard as I realized this, while literally in the middle of placing him into his bed. Did I lift him out again to walk with him a bit longer, snuggle him one last time? Did I awkwardly manage to pick up my phone off the floor with my toes and maneuver it into my non-dominant-baby-bearing hand so I could take one last picture of my drowsy mere-hours-away-from-being-one baby? Did I nudge him awake so I could whisper how much I love him and kiss every part of his soft face?

Spoiler alert: I did.

Eli,
You are joy. You are determination. You are contentment. I hope life continues to amaze you with its wondrous discoveries. I hope you always know in your heart and feel in your soul the love we have for you. I hope you know I will forever chuck you under your chins [until you get embarrassed and ask me to stop]. Never stop chasing after good [and Puma]. You are indescribably loved and wanted and treasured.
Love,
mama

it is the last night
putting my baby to bed
before he turns one

1.25.2022

a day in the life

Just a normal Friday

6:45 am: Ignore first alarm.

6:50 am: Ignore second alarm.

7 am: Kick Jason. "We have to wake up now." Nurse Eli. Say hello to all the boys as they trickle into our room. Throw on some clothes. Put in contacts. Brush hair. Look in the mirror. Eh, good enough. Head downstairs with Sebi in tow. Realize the dishwasher was never turned on the night before. Start the dishwasher. Start making oatmeal. Sebi observes. Throw in blueberries. Sebi tastes. Chop up bananas. Sebi comments on the piece I dropped on the floor. Plop in a glob of peanut butter. Sebi requests to choose his own spoon so he can dip it in the jar. "Breakfast is ready, boys!"

8 am: Lucas eats his oatmeal right to left. Finley eats all the fruit first. Sebastian eats all but the last layer of oatmeal at the bottom of the bowl. Eli eats a flower rattle, a finger puppet dog, and a crinkle monkey. Discuss the huge flock of birds carousing behind the house. Hand wash the breakfast dishes and miscellaneous Tupperware left in the sink. Get Lucas started on his journal. Make a sandwich for Jason's lunch. Get Finley started on his writing and spelling. Jason heads to work. Rescue Eli from under a chair. Reset the Perplexus for Sebastian. Wipe a bottom. Reset the Perplexus for Sebastian nine more times. Watch his ball fall off the track nine more times. "It's not even 9 and you already want a snack?" Affirmative. Snack given. Refocus Lucas on his assignment. Quiz Finley on his spelling words. 25/25. "Nailed it, buddy." Rescue Eli from under the train table.

9 am: Review antonyms and degrees of words with Lucas. Listen to Finley finish his read-aloud. Start him on a subtraction game. Sebi watches. Open a bin of [large] buttons for Eli. Eli dumps out the buttons. Refill the button bin. Eli dumps out the buttons. Sebastian attempts the Perplexus yet again. Refill the button bin. Journal with Finley. Count buttons with Sebi. "Fifteen comes before sixteen." Eli needs a new bib. Wipe a bottom. Eli demands all the attention. Eli gets put in the carrier. Happy baby. Give Lucas permission to make up funny antonyms for his assignment. Initiate the Here's a Task game with Finley and Sebastian. Supervise fourteen stair races - the stairs are now clear of "one day we'll bring this upstairs" items. Open the Bible trivia cards for Sebi so he can arrange them in a row. Check the results of Lucas's three anatomy quizzes. Snack time. Ask Finley to find the scotch tape. Notice that he brings back a car to zoom instead. Make the scotch tape request again.

10 am: Supervise Finley and Sebi's clean up project in the front door area. Spray down bathroom sink to wash in five minutes. Start Lucas on an ounce conversion activity. Ask Sebi to play peekaboo with Eli during Eli's diaper change - Eli about bursts with excitement. Hear Lucas wailing about a mistake that he made in his math. Turn on a Bedbugs Bible Gang episode for Finley and Sebi. Go upstairs to nurse Eli and put him down for a nap. Come back down to find Lucas has finished his math and squeezed in between his brothers to also watch. Snack time during read-aloud. "I wonder what will happen to the one-eared bear." Show awe and interest in Finley's declaration that he is going to make a "ladder stand-er." Sebastian watches intently. Turn on some music styled to Ancient Roman times for Lucas.

11 am: Spray down the bathroom sink again due to forgetting it an hour ago. Review perimeters and areas with Lucas. "Remember, calculating your half perimeter will be useful for checking if your area layout is correct." Help Finley get some Lego heads off of Lego torsos. Wipe down the bathroom sink. Play cars with Sebastian. Discuss Ancient Roman entertainment with Lucas ["gladiators sure do fight a lot"]. Watch Sebi water paint and notice how carefully he's staying inside the lines. Listen to Finley's very detailed explanation about his Lego "hunting truck with equipment for catching bad guys." More Perplexus ball resetting for Sebastian. Start bread toasting, peanut butter spreading, crust cutting, apple peeling, cheese stick stringing. Explain to Finley the complicated situation of a good guy Lego man thinking another good guy Lego man is a bad guy and fighting the good guy instead of an actual bad guy. Supervise Lego room cleaning so Finley can make his 500+ piece set. Bible study with the boys while eating lunch. Wonder again why Isaac couldn't just give Esau another blessing. Rescue Sebastian's accidentally dumped out lunch bowl from the paws of the cat. Watch How It's Made while finishing up lunch. "You haven't seen every kind of rice there is, Lucas." Pick hairs off of Sebi's apple slices. Rub peanut butter out of the carpet.

12 pm: Clean up Eli's post-nap poop. Get some water for Finley. "You didn't spill that much, but if you want to change your shirt, you can." Take the TV remote out of Eli's mouth. Field questions from Lucas about how garage door openers know which garage door to open. Help Finley open his new Lego set. Announce to everyone that Finley is going to be building his new car set so that everyone goes to watch him. Enjoy five minutes of me time, interrupted only by taking You Can't Eat That items out of Eli's mouth. Endure Eli's climbing-on-mama skills. Tickle baby thighs. Put the Perplexus ball on the start spot for Sebi. Print out Lucas's reading comprehension worksheet. Clean up the front room. Request Eli not drool so much. Watch as Eli ignores request. 

1 pm: Vacuum front room. Shake Eli off my leg. Continue to vacuum with Eli hanging on like a sloth. Warn Finley and Sebastian that they're playing a dangerous game. Set up Lucas's Chinese lesson. Run to see who is screaming. "Where are your clothes and who is hurt?" Give the okay for a balloon battle. Follow Eli upstairs. Turn on some music for a dance session. Collect random articles of boy clothing strewn about the living room. Snack time. Debate whether a duck can fly or not and if a panda named Duck can fly or not. Put Sebi down for his nap. Nurse Eli. Wipe milky baby sneeze off my face. Ooh and aah Finley's lego police car. Trail behind Eli all over the house.

2 pm: Play cars while Eli eats cars. Build duplos while Eli eats duplos. Take apart some Lego bricks. Find a brick remover in the middle of the floor. Pre-quiet-time bickering. ("No, you don't need a bookmark for that. Just remember the page number. No, you aren't on page 25, you're on step 25. Because I remember. Because I saw you do that step. You should still try to go pee. Because I don't want you careening out of your room in five minutes when you're upstairs and your brother is napping. No, you didn't just go, you went two hours ago. I know you don't like to wash your hands. Why are you still sitting there? That's not your bowl. Where are your animals? I don't know where Deer is. Please stop whining about this."). Bask in the quiet for three seconds before remembering there's a baby somewhere. Find him in the kitchen eating foam magnets. Head upstairs. Catch the last ten minutes of Let's Make a Deal. "Just pick door three!"

3 pm: Nurse Eli and put him down for his nap. Wake Sebi up from his nap. Eat all the plastic foods that Sebi feeds me. Read books with Sebi. "I like that digger, too." Tell the big boys they can come out of quiet time. 

4 pm: Cheer when Jason gets home from work. Take a dinner poll. Beans and rice win again. Hear Sebi whisper, "I'm big." Note Lucas and Finley working together on a big Lego build. Put together a farm puzzle with Sebastian. And an underwater puzzle. And a space puzzle. Retrieve Eli from his nap. Shuffle Uno cards for Lucas and Finley. Start burrito rolling and applesauce pouring. 

5 pm: Eat dinner. Take post-dinner activity poll. Clean basement stairs. Enjoy the squeals and giggles from the boys on the trampoline. Nurse Eli. Remind Finley he wanted to do a math game. Explain to Lucas why there is not time for him to also do a math game. 

6 pm: Clean up the kitchen. Clean up the living room. Wonder how the front room is a mess again. Look at the clock. "Ten minutes til bedtime, boys!" Herd everyone upstairs. Give eight reminders to put on jammies. Cozy up in bed and wait for the boys to bring books to read with me. 

7 pm: Read four books. Give six hugs. Nurse Eli. Kiss that sweet baby head. Breathe a sigh of completion when that bedroom door closes. Collapse into bed. Listen to the boys tell stories through the monitor. Finish the day's Bible reading.

8 pm - bedtime: Contemplate all the things I could do to be productive. Do none of them. Hang out with my best guy.