For John

I love how you always finish your math before anything else because it's fun not work. I love how you get so lost in a book that you can't hear anything else going on. I love how you are fearless when doing anything athletic but still hold my hand when we walk. I love to read to you and have you read to me while we snuggle together in the chair and how your eyes light up whenever you tell me about your day. I love your wonderfully complicated stories of made-up animals and how they are so complete as to be almost real in your mind. I love you beautifully detailed pictures of fantastic scenarios that transport me to the world inside your head.
I love you.

For William

I love how you throw your arms around my neck and hug me and exclaim "Mommy!" like you cannot imagine anything finer. I love how you offer me big smoochie  kisses whenever you see me kissing your siblings or Daddy and insist on them being on the lips. I love your imagination that has invisible dragons in every room. I love your warm sweet snuggles and how you play with my hair while I hold you. I love your bright smile and quick wit and your sparkling eyes.

I love you 

For zoe

You're 4 almost 5 and I love how you run to greet me when I get home like I've been gone for days not hours. I love our Mommy- Zoe times when we go get tea or go swimming or just snuggle in a chair. I love when you sneak into bed late at night to get just a little more snuggling. I love your insanely creepy stories and your awesome imagination. I love your kind and loving heart and your brilliant mind.

I love you

William's eczema and Eco Nuts

I finally found a laundry detergent that doesn't exacerbate William's eczema - Eco Nuts. They are basically some kind of nut that dissolves slowly in the water and cleans your clothes. You put them in a little bag (which comes with the nuts) and just toss them into your washer. I've been using them for about 6 months now, and they work great! Plus, a lot less itching for Mr. William. As a bonus, they are WAY easier to take with you on a trip than regular detergent.  You'll still need a stain stick for tough stains and make sure you don't pack the washer full - other than that, it's pretty much a no-brainer.

Reviving this blog

It's been more than 2 years since I published to this blog - high time I started on it again!
The kids have gotten so big. William is 2, Zoe 4, and John 6.  John started 1st grade 3 weeks ago and I started doing lunchbox napkins for him  - I've been trying to improve my drawing skills, so the best way to do that is practice practice practice!  I've also started illustrating the kids' chore charts to get some practice there.

William continues to have terrible eczema on his arms and legs - it's clearly allergies as it comes and goes, but we can't seem to figure out what he's allergic to. He's talking all the time now and has a fantastic sense of humor. And Zoe is... simply amazing. Her imagination, intelligence, and emotional awareness are stunning for a child her age. I've tried to keep track of her (and the boys) stories as they tell them, but I know I'm only capturing a fraction of what they tell me.

It's hard to believe that only 7 years ago, I was struggling to get pregnant and praying for healthy children. Now we're blessed with three amazing, smart, beautiful kiddos that make my life so much better every day. Even when I'm screaming at them to pick up their toys. And by screaming, I really mean "bellowing" ;)

Fairy houses

I've been reading The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule and really enjoying it. So, when the labor day weekend came and it wasn't horrifically hot, the kids and I decided to make fairy houses:

After we set up the house, I found some old clay drip pans in the garage and we decided to paint them for the fairies to they could have some dinner ware.  JJ added two round stones for chairs and we gave them a bit of bread and honey so they'd get the idea that the plates were for them.

The next morning, sure enough the fairies had eaten up the bread and honey!  And apparently they'd used a honking big tongue because rather a lot of the paint was missing off the dishes (thank goodness it was non-toxic - note to self, shellac them next time...). And they were knocked around a bit. The kids were thrilled.  And the dog didn't look terribly guilty either :)

Well the no dairy thing worked! For the last week and a half William has slept 7-9 hours every night. It's insane. It's wonderful. It's terrifying. I keep worrying that there is something wrong with him but apparently thus is how Normal babies sleep. I mean my other two didn't do this so I thought they were normal. Yikes!
But I'm not going to argue with a full nights sleep at 3 months (as long as he keeps gaining weight)!

So here's the specifics - he's got an intolerance (not allergy) to dairy protein and soy. But as these things go its pretty mild - I can still have butter but that's about it. The more protein the worse the reaction - so yogurt and cheese are particularly bad. Small amounts of cooked dairy seem to be ok - I had some biscuits and gravy at my moms with no problem - but uncooked is an issue (like cream in my coffee). So bye bye pizza, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream coffee cake ... But hello sleep! His eczema cleared up within days of me eliminating these things - no more diaper rash, less spit up, less gas and overall happier baby!