Monsoon

Out back at Mom Mom and Pop Pops with Uncle Pete and Samantha.

The kiddos help Pop Pop celebrate his 60th the day after our adults only fancy schmancy celebration downtown.

Leaving for school this morning. Julia insisted on bringing two purses (I will leave them in the car, Mama) and fat boi totally unaware of the shots that lurked in his near future.

My girlfriend.

It is a wet and wild Thursday afternoon here in PA. Nate has been away much of the week as it is year end for the Government, which means year end for him. We are getting crazy torrential rain and wind, which only makes me happier about our decision to go with a school that offered drop off/pick up! I honestly think that if I was lugging Jake and Jules and Luke in and out of the car on mornings like this I might be a parent of two pre school dropouts. The kids are just loving school and I am loving the adorable creations they bring home. This months project is to get shadowbox frames so that I can preserve these childhood masterpieces :).

Jake had his 4 month appointment this morning. Moose Mangan weighed in at 21.1 and 27.5 inches long with an 18 inch head. So, he is, you know, big boned. Solid. Thick. Huge. The chart didn't really apply, so we just went with "large" as his official assessment from the Dr. All is well developmentally, I had no questions (this really does become old hat after 3 kids, especially when all three of your kids are such similar babies). The good news was that Jake is officially our first kid to not have had an ear infection by 4 months of age! After the nightmare that we went through with Julia's ears (she had had 2 by now) this thrilled me.

I had a meltdown this week. I have some exciting decisions on my plate and am considering some changes come January. I think that I am going to go to school (very, very part time and at night). All is still in the works, but I'm really looking forward to it. I think that now that I feel like my family is complete, like I know all of the faces that I hope to see around my table for the rest of my life, I have some other work to accomplish. Not actual outside the home work, but some unfinished business to take care of academically. I'm so thankful for the constant support (okay, prodding :))of my husband, who always encourages me to be better than I think that I am.

Bit by bit I feel each day getting easier. Nate's travel is a no brainer for us now. We are very used to the routine, and are making it work pretty well for everyone. I went on a shopping spree for the kids today. I confess to totally completely being the-mom-who-does-not-buy-toys. I just don't. I just forget about them. I admit to being annoyed by toys, too. Blinking or singing or beeping things make me want to pour acid in my ears. Puzzles just get lost. Things break, or constantly need batteries. We read a lot of books (books are so wonderfully silent).....but I just don't think to buy many toys. We have lots of balls and bats and footballs and outside ridey things, but not many toys. Suddenly it is fall, and the kids are going to be 4 and 3, and they need some toys. We need things to do together on these dark and cold afternoons. So, to the store I went. Armed with Go Fish and Uno and Candyland and Chutes and Ladders and Memory and Dominos and individual craft containers full of markers and construction paper and all that jazz I armed myself for the cold dark that is to come. Bring it, old man winter.

4 Months old and some catch up.

So Jake the Snake is 4 months old today! He celebrated by wanting to nurse all night long. Rather than be in my usual yoga class right now, I am lounging in the cafe at the gym on my laptop. Mama needs a break. It was a hectic weekend ~ late night Friday night at Brendan's party, a busy Saturday of errands and a ton of cooking and house work and the like, and Sunday early Golf followed by football all day with Rich and Bec and Tommy over. I's tired.

Jake, at 4 months you are a little fat bundle of joy. You love to babble, you love to gnaw on your hands, and smile and laugh, and your favorite thing in the world is to stand up. You are already getting up in a hands and knees position, and I fear that you are going to be another early crawler. I may velcro you to the floor to prevent that. ;) You are in a night waking phase right now, which is not thrilling me. You nurse and go right back to sleep, but after last month's sleeping through the night, I was getting a bit spoiled by my long stretches of uninterrupted sleep. I know this is a phase, I've been through this with Luke and with Julia, I just pray that it ends sooner rather than later. You adore your big sibs and love to have them sing to you and poke you in the face and the belly and whatnot. Okay, maybe you don't adore that part, but you surely do tolerate it well.

It is rainy and grey and much more fall like after last weeks 90 degree days. I approve.

I did some back to school shopping for the kids last week, some fall decorating around the house, hosted book club on Thursday night, went to playgroup Wed, the gym every day, and we are generally just starting to get a glimpse of this new life ~ 2 in preschool, Jake getting a more predictable nap routine, etc etc.

I miss my friends a bit. I got spoiled by all of those long days at the pool with girlfriends, or play dates at the park as no one was in school over the summer. I confess that it is frequently easier to go to the gym in the mornings rather than to schedule play dates. Add to that the fact that all of our kids are on different school schedules, and it has made getting together a lot more difficult. I feel like sometimes I have to choose between doing what is best for me physically and emotionally (exercise and some time away from my kids) and what is best for my relationships. I miss my friends but love my mornings. Everything in this Motherhood gig is a whole lot of give and take. Things are always in flux. Luckily I have a girls weekend coming up and am thoroughly looking forward to some time away from the olders and some time with my much loved friends (and the three nursling's who are joining us for the weekend :)).

Jake parties till he pukes

Sexy, eh?

It's been a busy week as we adjust to the whole new fall schedule. The kids love school, there are 4 lbs of meatballs and gravy on the stove, and tomorrow brings golf followed by football. I need to catch this blog up, and soon, just not today :)

Be still my heart.

I love, LOVE this age.

It was a magical weekend of family. More on that later.

Water Baby

School

School was a big fat success. I'm thrilled.

The kids got right out of the car to their teachers, give me a wave and a blown kiss, and trotted into school. And then I cried. It was exactly a year ago that Luke had his first day of school. I dropped him off and went to the grocery store with Julia. I ran into a very casual acquaintance there and she asked me how I was......and I burst into tears as I said that I had just dropped my eldest off at preschool. The very next day I found out that I was pregnant with Jake, so I have always blamed my crying outburst a la grocery store on pregnancy. This year, I have no such excuse ~ It is just an emotional thing! Seeing my little people standing there in line so cute and tiny and innocent just wrenches my heart. It is equal parts pride and fear ~ the world is just such a big place and those sweet kids such little things! I just do my best to pray and trust that the world is kind to my little people, that their teachers are loving, that they continue to help Nate and I shape Luke and Jules into their best versions of themselves.

At pick up their teachers raved about how easy they were as they loaded them into my car. To celebrate, we headed straight to the playground, and from there met Nate for a celebratory back to school lunch. They napped long and hard after their big day. I feel so proud. Way to go, biggie and medium! I hope that this school year brings lots of fun and growth for all of us.

Back to School

"Does this Bumbo make me look fat?"

They insisted that Jake be in the picture with them.

So. Bad blogger lately.

Busy. Nate traveling. Kids back to school day. In DC this weekend.

Back to school day went...pretty well? Thank God for my Mom's help as Nate was out of town and the kids had back to back visits. Julia was as Julia is ~ she had a great time playing with the kids but had to do it in her Julia-ish way.....meaning that she had no interest in being forced to say hello to her teachers. My Jules. She will go into kids zone at the gym with a kiss and a wave, she loves her babysitters, she has confidence abounding...... but simply hates to be told what to do ~ so the whole "Say hello to Mrs. C" thing was met with a cold shoulder. Luke was easy.......but I admit to being tempted to throttle a bratty kid in the brief one hour introduction to school. How do these pre-school teachers do it? I have endless admiration for their patience and kindness ~ I would be worlds worst pre-school teacher. In just one hour of time I totally wanted to take one kid out. His parents, too. Naughty me. Tuesday is their first official day of drop off/car line business.......we will see how that all shakes out.

It was a busy weekend ~ we went to Uncle Rich's high school football game friday night. The kids were up late. (GV won, woot Uncle Rich!). Saturday we woke, Nate took the olders to the gym as I franticly packed and food shopped and pedicured with Jake, and then we took off for DC at nap time. The kids slept in the car (which meant two hours instead of their usual three) and then we went to Ed's birthday party, which was awesome. They were up late, however, and we did our first hotel stay with three kids gig. It went well, we had a suite, L&J slept in one bed, Jake in the pack and play in the hallway in between, and us in the adjoining room. One casualty as Julia somehow cut her lip in the middle of the night on the bed, but all told it was great. We ate at the hotel and headed home, but in the three hour trip L&J fell asleep and I had to climb into the back and nurse Jake a la mobile nurse in the car seat deal. The olders nap in the car ruined their regularily scheduled nap time. Today was a high holiday in our family (First Football Sunday Day).......and it was rough. I forget how predictable and unwavering our schedule is....until it wavers, and man what a price has to be paid! Tired kids = difficult kids and a tired, frazzled Mother.

I made chili. Rich and Bec and Jenna came over. We had three games going (thanks to the NFL ticket, the regular TV, a roaming TV, and a laptop live streaming it). Yet. Yet thanks to the weekend of excess, it was a rough afternoon. I confess to calling Jen in tears this evening, worrying that I am breaking my children, that I am meant to be a baby nurse not a mother of pre-schoolers, and that I was having a near panic attack.

Kids are really hard. Babies are so easy to me ~ Kids are hard. L&J, if you ever read this someday, I hope that you do so as parents, because I hope that you know that as much as I adore you, you make me wish I could stab myself in my brain stem sometimes. I love you little people so much, but I am finding three (the age, not the number of children) difficult. And then I wonder, is it three, or is it me?

Labor day brings new friends.

My dirty faced girl playing dress up with Aunt Marty

Luke checked out the fire truck

Abbey and Bobo are greeted with (too much) enthusiasm.

Jake loved swinging. Loved it so much he fell sound asleep.

Uncle Rich doubles as human jungle gym on the back deck as the girls cook.

It was a great Labor Day weekend. Friday we had some friends come to the pool with us, and the kids swam all morning. We spent the beautiful late afternoon walking around the borough as a family, had some dinner at Iron Hill, and walked for frozen yogurt. Saturday we were up and out early to drive up to Stroudsburg. We were thrilled to spend a beautiful Saturday taking in Stroud Fest, and visiting with Aunt Marti, who was in from California. The kids loved spending the day with Grandma and Grandpa, we got to catch up with some friends, and Grandma fed us a delicious dinner before we headed back home. It was so wonderful to see Aunt Marti and to introduce her to Jake. Julia and Luke talked about Aunt Marti the entire next day. We got in late that night, and were off to spend a picture perfect early September day on the golf course (Glen Mills) as Brooke took care of the kids. Bec and Rich came over to grill out that night, and we cooked up an impromptu feast. Monday we had a breakfast picnic at East Goshen park, and then Mom Mom and Pop Pop met us there......with friends. They had brought home hermit crabs from the beach. After reading the hermit crab book by Eric Carle, they busted out the crabs. Pandemonium. To say that Luke and Jules were excited would be an understatement. As predicted, when asked what they would like to name the crabs, Luke went with his standby, and Jules hers. And now Abbey (Luke's crab) and Bobo (Julia's crab) have joined clan Mangan. I fear for their life. They both fascinate me and repel me, and I find myself strangely obsessed with them when I see them climbing around their cage. I hope they live long lives, and admit that I have fears about their ability to survive the "love" of a 2 and 3 year old and a relatively harried Mama.

We had decided to have a special family dinner on Monday night to bid adieu to summer. We had picked up steaks and some king crab legs. When Jules woke up from her nap she asked me what was for dinner. I told her that we were having meat and crabs. Without skipping a beat my girl looked up at me and said "Okay Mama. But I want to eat Abbey".

I about died laughing. I love my adventurous eater Julia ~ instantly game for eating hermit crabs if I deemed them dinner worthy...........but sagely choosing to eat Luke's pet, rather than her own.

Outside

Oh September!

Back to school night.

I did the requisite put-on-a-clean-outfit-wash-my-face-carry-a-purse-act-together-comingle-with-other-clean-faced-parents charade tonight. Why? Because it is BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT.

Two thirds of my children will be in preschool as of next Wednesday.

Unlike the rest of the main line/philly burbs, I'm taking things slowly. Luke is only going two mornings a week, as is Jules (Tuesdays and Thursdays). They are going to the same school. It is at a church. It is cute. They do crafts and learn difficult and important social concepts like standing in line and singing songs with hand motions. Very different from the Goddard school where they bragged shamelessly about their yoga program and their chinese and their computer classes.......for 2 year olds. Gag. Co-op was awesome in theory, not workable in reality with three kids in three years and kids only a year apart (Luke would have had to go M-W-F and Jules T-Th.......no thanks). In addition, we are not doing art/science/gymboree/little gym/interpretive dance/tumble time/chinese sign language/algebra/genius generator classes this fall. We are just being kids. I am totally amazed at the pressure to schedule every blessed moment of your children's life (to ensure that they are more advanced than other children, of course) starting at age 3. Yowzers. It just isn't for us. Do I sound defensive? I'm not defensive. I'm happy.