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Keeping Up While We Slow Down

Life is starting to slow down!!!  I never thought I would be saying that.  Now that dance is done until the summer camp in August and Ben's t-ball practices have decreased to once a week, we have a lot more free time.  Unfortunately though, the kids are feeling it too, and don't know what to do with their new found time and freedom, which means lots of acting out and fighting. Between the internet and my mommy/wife books, I'm working on some new discipline ideas.


I've even learned, thanks to Jo Frost, Supernanny, that it's ok to put my 2 year old, who is determined to run away, on a leash.  I don't know that I will, but seriously, I always judged people with their kids on leashes until dealing with little miss runaway.  Rylie drives me absolutely bonkers when we are in public.  She runs away every opportunity she gets, everywhere we go.  She climbs out of the harness on the stroller, and I'm not talking just the lap belt, she wriggles free from you holding her hand, she tricks you into thinking she's going to be better and bails when you start to trust her, and she screams, bites, and kicks if you try holding her down.  It's completely obnoxious and I fear for her life every time we leave the walls of our home.  No amount of explaining or punishment does this situation any good.  I'm doing my best to hang in there though.  Other than that, she really is a good kid.  Part of her problem is she that she is too smart.  She gets bored so easy, and she plots!  What 2 year old thinks so far in advance to wait for her opportunity to run off to do what she wants?

Ben and Sydney have soccer camp every Saturday morning at 8 and 9.  They are soccer addicts. Soccer camp is more like practice for them.  There aren't any games but they do a bunch of drills that will help them for the next season.

Scotland sleeps through most of our activities, and I have even mastered the art of finding placing to park the car to nurse her before we get on the road when we are driving from place to place.




Ben inherited my clumsy-ness so the first time they did this drill, Shawn and I looked at each other with terrified expressions.  I just saw Ben falling on his face.  He did alright, but the second day they did this drill, he did amazing!  I was so proud of him.


Sydney might be our little soccer star.  She has a real passion for it, and she's really good. Honestly though, Sydney doesn't half do anything.  She gets so passionate about everything she does and she seems to be really good at everything.  If she doesn't do as well as other people, she doesn't seem to let it bother her, but when she does really well, she loves to tell anybody that will listen.


Ben is getting better and better at soccer, but t-ball, that comes more naturally to him.  We've had to work a lot with him because he cries and beats himself up if he isn't the best.  We've explained to him that there will always be somebody better, faster, stronger, etc. and that all he can do is practice and practice and work and work, to be the best that he can be.  That's the advice we give all of our kids.  It's seemed to work for Ben because he's gotten really into practicing and he's crying less.


While we're at Ben's practices and games, Sydney keeps herself happy by finding other things to do. This includes climbing the fence, which makes her father so nervous.  I just think it's funny.


Swimming... we do a lot of swimming lately.  As a matter of fact, we may be heading that way in just a little bit.



I put the girls in life jackets for now so they can swim safer since there is one of me and 4 of my kids.  This way if I'm feeding Scotland, and Rylie falls in the pool, I don't have to worry about her drowning before I can get to her.  Ben is a well enough swimmer that with us right there, I don't worry as much and he doesn't have to wear one.  I'd like to get at least Ben and Sydney in swimming lessons this summer, but I'm not sure about time or what to do with Rylie in the mean time.  Either way, swimming is a good way to wear my kiddos out.


Between taking Shawn to and from the airport and driving back and forth from Shawn's parent's house, we spend a lot of time on the road, especially the highway.  There are some really amazing views that we often drive right by without even giving them a second glance.  It's really quite difficult to capture them in pictures when you are driving, but here's a gorgeous farm right outside of Lawrence.  I just love it.



We've been spending a lot of time outside either at kids sporting events, cooking out, swimming, or doing yard work.  I bought some beautiful succulents at the grocery store for 40% off.  I always love a great deal, and these were amazing.  I couldn't resist.  I had to replant them but wanted to make sure I planted them in good pots for bringing inside when the weather cools down.  I'm being optimistic that they'll live that long, but I love them.



Aren't they amazing?  As a matter of fact, as soon as I finish this post, I'll be going out to water them.

I've been working so hard on finishing my mood blanket, but it's so monotonous that I'm bored to death with it.



I needed something else to get my mind off of that blanket for a bit, and Sandra, over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, has been doing corner to corner blankets and they go so fast. I started one, and I'm loving how it looks.


Shawn's been out of town this week, so I've been enjoying a little me time after the kids go to sleep. I've either been watching Heartland on Netflix or crocheting by candlelight.  While I enjoy my time to myself, I miss my husband so badly.


I've been awfully busy still with normal house stuff.  Things like dishes, laundry, meal planning, and errands (grocery store, milk store, etc) keep us all busy, but those things never go away and that's the life I chose.






We will be moving in the next 2 weeks or so, so there is a lot that needs to be done here.  Blinds that need replacing, deep cleaning, and some packing.


We've spent our fair share of time playing too though.  Life isn't all work work work.






Scotland gives me her version of the stink eye quite often, which is funny to me.



They get the sass so early, don't they?  She turned 2 months old on the 16th.  Time flies so fast.


Also, on the 15th was Sydney's dance recital.  She did so well.  I have a ton of pictures on my camera, but until I get a back up hard drive, I'm not going to be able to get them off of my camera chip since my computer hard drive is full of pictures.  My phone pictures are as good as it gets for now.




The next photos were taken by my sister-in-law Morgan.




Alright, I need to get going.  I have diapers to change, plants to water, and kids to load up maybe for some swimming before picking up Shawn from the airport tonight.

Comments

MindyG said…
Sounds like a great couple of weeks Liz! I was done with work on the 19th - took my dad to get his gallbladder out with my mom, he ended up staying at the hospital until the 21st. I've had graduation parties to go to, college orientation for my son, and general babysitting for my grandson, having a new sliding glass door installed one day and the cable guys out the next. Then we had Relay for Life this weekend. I am home now waiting on another graduation party and thinking about what I need to get done on Sunday with my husband, it will be one of our only days together in about a week! Life doesn't seem to get less busy, I think we just get more organized or accustomed to being on the go. Good luck with the move in the next couple of weeks, it is definitely one thing that I do not enjoy!
Talk to you soon!
Mindy

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