showers

Before kids, I didn't put much thought into showers.  I took a shower every morning -- easy peasy, no big deal.  I could wake up slowly and start the day at my own pace.

But now I have kids.....

So I set my alarm early and HOPE that I can make it through an entire shower without interruption.  If it's a REALLY good day I make it through my shower AND get completely ready before any of the kids wake up.  But it doesn't always work out that way....

Here's a quick recap of three of my morning showers THIS WEEK:

Shower 1.  Timber came to our room while I was in the shower.  It was very early.  He was still very tired and grumpy.  He sat on the rug outside the shower and cried, "No shower, Mommy!  Get OUT of the shower!" during my entire shower.  It was awesome.

Shower 2.  I made it through my entire morning shower with no kids showing up!  Hooray!  But as soon as I turned the water off I heard Flora yelling for me from her room.  When I got in there she said, "Um, I feel wet."  Yep, she'd peed her bed and apparently the feel of pee on her skin renders Flora completely helpless.  It's been over a year since she's had a nighttime accident but of course it happens right AFTER I get clean.   

Shower 3.  Today I showered later since it's Sunday and we don't have to get up before sunrise to get ready for school.  So all three kids were wandering in and out of the bathroom the entire time.  Timber whined and grumbled about me being unavailable.  Flora asked a lot of obvious questions ("What are you doing?  Why are you taking a shower?  Do you have soap in there?").  And Scout had to poop.  He announced that he had to "go" right after I'd gotten into the shower so I just told him to go in my bathroom toilet which is conveniently located right outside the shower.  He "went" (with Flora, Timber, and me for company in the bathroom) and I wiped his little bum from inside the shower.  Seriously.    

On the bright side, only three bad showers means that I had four UNinterrupted showers this week! 

And in case you're wondering why I don't just lock the bathroom door --- our master bathroom is open to the master bedroom (whoever thought this was a good idea should be banned from designing homes forever -- I mean, c'mon, WHEN WOULD THIS EVER BE A GOOD SETUP???).  I could lock the bedroom door but that would just result in the first kid awake crying and banging on my bedroom door and waking up the other two. 

So, that's the way it is.  But it's temporary -- and actually quite amusing if I can keep a good attitude about it.  I mean, how many people get to start their days with such exciting and unpredictable showers??

today

TIMBER

Me:  Timber, how many days until your birthday???
Timber:  THREE!!!
Me:  Yes!  And how old will you be?
Timber:  THREE!!!  And then in ten days I will be TEN!!!

Hm....points for logic, but still totally wrong. 


SCOUT

When I picked up Scout from preschool today his teacher pulled me aside and told me a funny story.  Apparently their little CD sings an alphabet song and uses the word EXIT as the X word.  Scout informed his teacher that "EXIT doesn't start with an X -- it starts with an E."  She was impressed and amused.  He's kind of a know-it-all with anything that has to do with letters.


FLORA

Tonight I watched covertly as Flora danced around the room singing Taylor Swift's We Are Never Getting Back Together into a hand mirror.  I'm not even sure how to process this.....  All I know is that her teenage years are going to be interesting.

this and that -- funnies

Flora:  Mommy, our class got on the school bus too early and we had to wait on the bus for TWO HOURS!  Or maybe two minutes....I can't remember....

*****

Scout:  Mommy, when you paint all day I just think that you don't love me anymore.  (During the week that I was painting the exterior of the house)

*****

Timber has started calling himself  "Imber Wimber" and he calls Scout "Outy Outy"

*****

Timber:  My pepperonis are too spicy.
Me:  Flora, do you want to eat Timber's pepperonis?
Flora:  No way, pepperonis are TOO spicy.
Me:  But you ate yours already.  ??
Flora:  I know.  I just ate them because I didn't want them on my plate.  

*****

Scout lost a race and threw a fit.  I was trying to explain why that is not the appropriate way to act when you lose.  Flora chimed in and said, "Besides, Scout, the game is not special.  It's Jesus that's really important."  
Well played, Flora.  I bow to your wisdom on this matter.  :)

*****

"A Joke" by Flora
Flora:  Why did the water bottle get a water bottle?
Me:  I don't know.  Why?
Flora:  To get a water bottle.

scout starts preschool!!

Scout started preschool yesterday.  He was SOOOO excited until bedtime the night before school started.  Then he started asking questions like, "What if I miss you?" and " What if I get sad?"  So I wasn't sure how drop off would go -- and since I was going to have Flora, Timber, and Logan with me I knew I wouldn't be able to handle a meltdown very well.

But he did great!  He woke up excited and couldn't wait to go to school.  He walked right to his classroom and gave his teacher a hug.  I said goodbye and quickly left while he was searching for the backpack hook with his name on it.  Then I sat in the van watching in the window until I saw his little red head bopping around the classroom.

And we left.  And it was that easy!  Yea!!

Scout's favorite part of preschool:  "Naptime."  Hmm...
Scout's least favorite part of preschool:  "Nothing.  It was all good."  :)

Timber gave Scout a BIG hug when he got home from school and Scout told him all about his day.  Then we ate the special after-school cupcakes that Scout had picked out and gave Scout his first-day-of-school surprise (an Angry Bird toy).

A very good start to the school year.

The only problem?  Now Timber wants to go to school and he still has two years to wait until he starts preschool.  I might just let him pick out a lunchbox to feel included.  If I'm packing two lunches in the morning it probably wouldn't be too hard to go ahead and pack three.  ;)

So that's where I am now.  Packing school lunches.  Checking backpacks for homework.  A big change from the days when synchronizing three naptimes was my top priority! 

i love it when they talk about "grown-up" things

Flora:  I was the first one of us who was born.
Scout:  Yeah, and you're the only girl Mommy bought.
Flora:  Scooouuuut, you don't BUY babies.
Scout:  Yes, you do.  You buy them at the hospital.
Flora:  No, the hospital just finds a way to get the babies out of the Mommy's belly
Scout:  Oh.  I wonder how they do that....??
Flora:  Well, sometimes they have to cut you open but if you're a grown up it doesn't hurt.  Hospital people are just really good at things like that. 

babies and big kids

Baby James was born last week!  In fact, it was last Wednesday, so HAPPY ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY to Baby James!  It's shocking to see a newborn when you haven't seen one in months.  He was much smaller than I remembered newborns being -- exquisitely tiny.  Were my kids ever that small??  Really??  Well, I guess, technically, I never saw Timber that tiny but they were all much, much smaller than they are now. 

It's such a blur.  I remember each of them being born.  I remember celebrating birthdays and changing diaper after diaper . . . I remember silly moments and frustrating moments; watching them sleep and watching them play.  I just don't remember watching them grow up.  Even Timber, my "baby," is walking, talking, feeding himself, and holding his own in wrestling matches with Scout.  Definitely NOT a baby. 

But big kids are fun too.  A lot more fun than babies, actually.  It's good for other people to have babies so that I can touch super soft baby cheeks and snuggle with a perfectly content newborn but I don't need any more babies of my own.  I'm having fun with the big kids in my life now!  They're so silly and always so surprising! 

And they're starting to think like adults, which can be scary --
Last night Timber was upset because Scout found a toy guitar that he had been looking for.  Scout was playing with the guitar and refusing to share, Timber was crying because he wanted the guitar, and suddenly, Flora points to the kitchen and yells, "Hey, look!  Donuts!"  Scout and Timber ran into the kitchen only to be disappointed at the absence of donuts.  I asked Flora why she said that and she answered, "I was hoping that Scout would drop the guitar to see the donuts and then I could get it for Timber."  Haha, not the ideal solution to the situation but I definitely gave her props for originality! 

Baby picture after eating.  He's so peaceful.  It makes me sleepy just looking at him.

Big kid picture after eating.  Notice ALL of their mouths are open telling me something -- once they start talking it really doesn't stop.  Although I've heard that the talking drops off significantly once they hit the teenage years.

Baby picture after a bath.  His skin is practically glowing with softness.  All ready for a cuddle.

Big kid picture after bath.  Again, mouths open.  I think I told them to roar for this one though (because Scout's towel is a dinosaur).    

testing, testing...

Trying out the new Blogger app on my phone.
Here's a few Easter pics to make this post worth your time:

sleepovers

Hello blog.  I have no excuse for not blogging more often . . . well, maybe I have some excuses but none of them really excuse how badly I've neglected the blog.  Oh well....

So, sleepovers. 

The kids LOVE having sleepovers.  They would all sleep in the same room every night if I would let them but since they always stay up SUPER late together I only allow sleepovers on Friday and Saturday nights.  Here are a couple really sweet sleeping pics I've snapped over the past few months:

pieces of 2012

Goodbye, red van.  Preschool.  Olympics!  Snip, snip -- no more Borkert babies.  Gotye.  Alphabet.  Hot, hot summer.  Colorado vacation.  Arkansas lake vacation.  Goodbye Hope, hello trust.  Tebow Time.  Change.  First Wednesdays.  Sara's pregnant!!!  iPhones.  Forwa, Out, and Imber.  South Dakota (sunsets, sickness, boat rides, crazy thunderstorms, Shipwreck Bar & Grill, "Lim and Jynn," Star Trek, Keurig, bunk bed, birds, rest).  Astro.  Fantasy Football Super Bowl.  It's a BOY!  Cedar Ridge Christian Church.  My Little Pony.  Newsletters.  PEYTON FREAKING MANNING!  Chronological Bible reading plan.  Pandora.  5-yrs-old, 4-yrs-old, 2-yrs-old.  Bathroom remodel.  Baby Logan.  E-books.  Flora's girly room.  Block party.  Birthday in the hospital.  Soccer.  Fridays.  Girls Weekend!  Johnson County friends.  Coffee.  Pinterest.  Neighbor fire pits.
Call me, maybe.