Parenting Fail

So I've already mentioned that I've gone back to work. 

And going back to work has meant figuring out childcare and getting everybody where they need to be and getting myself to work on time. And let's not even mention the state of my home as we try to figure all this out?!

Seriously. Working Moms - I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO THIS!!!!

Please please please please give me tips!

Anywho........One day we were trying to get out the door. And Owen was upstairs screaming about (what else?) his shoes of course. And the other two were chasing each other in circles around me downstairs.

Me: Get in the car.

Me two minutes later: Get. In. The. Car.

Me five minutes later after getting Owen's shoes on: GET IN THE CAR!

Me seven minutes later after watching Owen join the other two in chasing one another and laughing hysterically:

I SAID TO GO GET IN THE FREAKING CAR RIGHT NOW!!!!!

Kids: Dead silence. Heads down. Walking towards the car. Whispering, "Mom just said "freaking." I thought we weren't supposed to say that."

Me walking towards the car whispering to myself......"I am not even apologizing. They're lucky I didn't say the real thing......"

Just one example of my many parenting fails. 

And reading this made me laugh hysterically this morning, especially since I watched Breaking Bad this summer and I do love me some Jesse.

Enjoy.

http://momastery.com/blog/2014/08/25/see-no-jesse/

Bye Bye Baby.

I'm supposed to be studying right now but my heart and brain are still up the street at the elementary school. So why not blog instead?

I sit in a quiet house and drink coffee. 

By myself.

And I would enjoy it except I wish I was sitting about two miles away observing my youngest as he takes in kindergarten.

Mainstream Kindergarten.

He is a tough but good mix of excitement and anxiety.

I am just the anxiety.

It's hard to let your babies go out into the world without you. Obviously it is necessary, but it's hard.

And this one?

I want to put a protective bubble around him.

I want to say to each person he comes into contact with, "be gentle with this one." Please oh please be gentle. He has a heart that easily breaks and a spirit that is easily crushed. At five years old, he already verbalizes that he wishes he was someone else......someone without rashes, allergies, and a g-tube. He wishes he was someone who isn't afraid of the world. 

Oh baby boy who is not really a baby anymore - I love you just the way God made you!

Lest I make him seem weak; he's not. Believe me. Tag along to one of his gazillion doctor appointments and you'll see. Or just try to change his routine or ask him to wear a different pair of shoes than he was planning to wear and you'll see just how not weak he is....

But he sees his differences and he doesn't like them. 

And that's a lot for a five year old to take in and try to grasp.

So please, World. Just be gentle.

As for these two third and fourth graders who are almost the same height now?!

I pray the same thing I pray every year.

I pray for good friends, for them to be positive leaders, for them to rely on their God when they're having a tough day, and for them to learn and learn and learn so they can help pay their own way to college one day. ;)

Here we go, 2014/2015! 

Let's do this.

Beachin' It

We had two awesome family beach trips this summer. Both involved cousins, grandparents, sunshine, water and alcohol......

I forgot my camera on the July 4th trip so I'm going to have to bug my sister-in-law to share pics to post from that one. Hint hint hint, Allisen, hint hint hint hint.........

But here was the rare opportunity of all three Roberts kids and families in the same house for an extended amount of time. I did not forget my camera so here are eight billion pics of eight cute cousins, age ten and under, running amok:

These boys are seriously outnumbered. Beach trips when the girls are teenagers are going to be interesting. Maybe they can rent their own separate house to avoid the Festival De Estrogen?

Emma Grace was our in-house babysitter which means basically, every five minutes somebody would yell her name and she would go fetch Ellie Kate and try to prevent her from drowning. She did a good job and never charged us one penny.
;)

This one was the first one up and out of the house every morning with whichever kids were ready to go. He had sunscreening down to an exact science. The rest of us adults sat around in the quiet - drinking coffee and chatting and thanking the Lord that Todd likes the water (and the kids) so much.

And these two made the trip possible.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great week of relaxation and family time and laughs. And if we go again, I really hope Chucky's Bride is still there: armless, naked, and doing her stretches on the roller. ;)

I miss that creepy doll already.

School starts tomorrow for me and next Monday for the kids.
All three kids.
In elementary school.
Gulp.
I'll save that (elated/gut wrenching/when did we all get so old?!) post for another day.

So long Summer 2014.
I hate to see you go.

True Story, Robin.

"You realize there are a lot of amazing people out there to be grateful for. 

And a loving God......

That's what life is about."

-Robin Williams