What have I gotten myself into?

Okay... we all want to do the best we can for our children... right? Well... Evan & Avery haven't really had any big birthday parties like all of their friends (due to brothers being born & me having liver surgeries) so when we came up with the idea for one big party for all three boys as their birthdays are all from March 9th to April 9th it sounded like a fantastic idea. Yes, we knew it meant there was way too much work to get done and knew we probably wouldn't quite make all of our goals... but we would have at least made progress. So we put together a list of boy's friends as well as a few of ours and came up with a huge list... think when all was said and done we had invited 70 children and their families. At this point in time we have 41 yes's for children (5 of which are babies) and 49 adults... I am sure the numbers will shift one way or another... but we will have roughly around 90 people attending - wow! That seems large even to me. I have been cleaning and cooking like a crazy woman - over 300 meatballs, a HUGE batch of marinara, 43 cupcakes consisting of brownies and ice cream, 4 packages of sausage browned for a dip, 80 sweet potato chocolate chip muffins (egg free, dairy free, nut free)... This week I am concentrating on clearing all surfaces - tops of dressers, tables, shelves... and floors in preparation for the cleaning people coming in on Friday at 12:30. I also have to figure out how to get to all of the stores I need to get to (Trader Joe's, Costco - possibly twice, costume shop, Harris Teeter...) and clean and cook all I need to do prior to Friday at 12:30 and watch the boys 100% of the time. This morning I left a message on our neighbors house asking if their children could come play with the kids at all to help out - Alex and possibly myself would be here - but just someone to play with them would help everyone. The boys haven't gotten enough play time lately. I do have to say they tried on their costumes yesterday and looked adorable and most important they LOVED them! They are very excited to have their friends come and play with them. I am eating a quick lunch of leftovers as I type this, I know I have much more to say on this front, but I suppose I need to get back to work. Oh - and since Saturday I have been having back pains, nausea, and headaches... hoping it is just stress and not something more serious - I have no time for more serious. So lots of positive thoughts & prayers for all of us to remain healthy and for beautiful weather on Saturday - another day like it is right now on Saturday would be PERFECT!!! So please God, could you do that for us? Thank you!

Love creativity!

Evan is standing in the doorway stopping anyone from going through it. He informed me that I needed a purple key (which he informed me was my favorite color) to open the door. Then I was told the lion had the purple key. I needed to make sure I did not wake the lion up or he would eat me. To insure I didn't wake the lion I would need to tiptoe past him - again... I wouldn't want to be eaten by the lion. Then to make it even more difficult, the lion lives on the moon. A space rocket is required to get to the moon and I have to make one. I told him I didn't think I had enough time to make a space rocket, so he said he would make me one, and so he did. So I got in the rocket, went to the moon, tiptoed past the lion, got the purple key, tiptoed back past the lion, got back in the space rocket, returned to Earth and was able to use the purple key to get through the doorway. Where do they come up with these things? I am not sure, but I can say that I love it! My parents both always encouraged me to be creative and to think outside of the box, I hope I do as well with our boys. Our lives get crazy and hectic - but we need to make sure we make time for things like this.

You know you are doing something right...

There are moments that keep you going. I just handed Avery a bottle and asked him to give it to Owen - he did. Evan then told Avery "Nice job Avery"... so sweet. Within the last month there have been a few such incidents - a couple that come to mind... Avery had just gotten up from a nap and was not happy, he was crying and wanting to be held, I asked if he would  like to play with Evan in the playroom... he shook his head yes. I put him down on the floor and he stood there crying and opened up his arms - Evan came from across the room and gave him a big hug and informed me that Avery needed a hug - awwwww - yes, these are the moments that keep a mommy going. Another example was one morning we were all getting ready to take Evan to school for speech and Evan informed me he needed to have pants with pockets... ok... wasn't sure why, but I helped him find a pair of pants he liked with pockets. We went to school, he went to speech then got back in the car. After speech we were on the way to their friends house to play, MMO (Mom's Morning Out), and he asked where Avery's pacifier was - I said it was at home, he replied that Avery NEEDED his pacifier, then proceeded to pull one out of his pocket and said that he had one for him - how thoughtful of him to think of his brother - again - gotta love these moments. These are the moments we need to remember when they have once again torn up their train table and are using the top as a slide or they have grabbed every single pair of shoes and removed them from their shelves in the closet for the third time in ONE day.

Avery has been a bit more clingy than normal lately, when trying to accomplish a lot it isn't  always very convenient - but I try to remember that these moments will go by so quickly. I try to just sit there and enjoy them. They do grow so quickly - I know we have all heard that, but it is soooooo very true. Same thing with my middle of the night sessions with Owen as he is teething. Soon I won't be able to hold any of them and they surely won't want to be bothered with something as silly or embarrassing as mommy holding them or making a fuss over them. There are always reasons for old sayings... "Remember to stop and smell the flowers" this will be my mantra during this next week of preparing for this crazy birthday party. It has been so much work getting everything ready - but I hope that we can all live more peaceful lives with the house in better order and that we create a memory for them, even though they are all so young still - lots of pictures ;o)

So why is it that juice (same water/juice mixture that is found in Avery's cup) tastes sooooo much better coming out of Owen's cups? Does Avery prefer the style (all three) of Owen's cups or is it just more fun to sneak away Owen's cup and try to drink it all before mommy finds him? I just found him hiding behind the drapes, knowing full well that he was not supposed to be drinking from Owen's cup, but his own.

Yesterday I created 43 brownie/ice cream cupcakes in preparation for the party. The first ones are not very pretty, I am sure they will taste great - but I failed on presentation. By the third batch though I was a pro. We will have some with cake at the bottom,  some with brownies at the bottom and four (4) or five (5) flavors of ice cream on top (Oreo cookies & cream, Heath bar, Snickers, Rocky Road and possibly, for adults mocha)- all will be specified by the sprinkles on top and a chart near them. So now I have meatballs (around 300) in the freezer, 80 dairy free, nut free, egg free sweet potato chocolate chip muffins (one of Evan's favorite things) in the freezer. So food preparation as well as getting house in order is proceeding along nicely - just not quite enough time - but then there never is - ha! Alex continues to cut out wooden shields and paint them with silver spray paint and is working on painting the boys castle - it will be a very busy work weekend!

Last night Kristen, Trace, Elle & Cason came over and we cooked out - the kids loved playing together. Family has always been so important to me and I love that the next generation is already treasuring time with family.  A few weeks ago we were going out to eat - just a quick dinner out as we were running errands and Evan informed us that he wanted his friends to come. I asked which friends and he replied Elle & Cason. I loved that not only does he know that they are his cousins, but that he considers them his friends.

We are truly blessed! (Now I just need to remember that when I am sleep deprived and they have brought out every single pair of shoes or every single block and strewn them across the house)

How long can one survive & be productive without a full nights sleep?

I for one do not do well without sleep. As the book I am currently reading for my MOMS group ("My Bathtub is Overflowing Why Do I Feel So Drained") states we need to constantly re-fill out tanks so we have lots of love and patience for our children... without sleep my tank goes to empty VERY quickly. I hate this, I am working on it - but clarity, patience are all just much harder to have when sleep has not been had - at least for me.Alex and I have both been working very hard to get our home in order. Having had 5 major abdominal surgeries in 36 months plus another 10 months or so of pregnancy prior to that and well, let's just say the house got a bit out of control.I am very excited with the progress we have made, but worry the boys have suffered a bit... but hoping that in the long run they will have a better example of how the house should be kept.

The boys just enjoyed some freeze-dried astronaut ice cream - strawberry/chocolate/vanilla - they LOVED it! They had fun last night playing with our neighbor Tyler while Alex and I went on a quick, 1 hour date, to a beer education class - it consisted of all NC beers - very nice! Doing our best to support the local economy ;o)

Owen has decided it is necessary to go upstairs on his own - like his brothers - climbing before he walks. He is very mobile, very vocal, very happy - most of the time. He does not do well with teething! Thus one of the reasons for my lack of sleep. We were up for over an hour together last night. He currently has eight (8) teeth and I think is working on getting his molars in.

Avery at this moment is cleaning - he has the dust pan and small broom that came with it and is sweeping. He decided  months ago to go potty - but now has regressed somewhat and is being stubborn - I know hard to believe from any of our boys. Yet another thing I need more time to do correctly. He has escaped twice this week alone - have have items on both doors to keep him in, but every once in a while they are not in place and he takes full advantage. In the last month or so he has tried to go around back of the house twice, go visit the neighbors to take a joy ride on their motorcyle, go visit another neighbor, and go swimming in our little blow up pool - SCARY! Yes, he may shorten my life. He is my Energizer Bunny and never stops. Last week he got into my MAC make-up and had it from head to toe - bright red, black, silver, green... then sat on the sofa - thankful for Oxyfresh I got most of it removed, just a couple of faint spots to work on again. Then to the bath where he discolored the brand new bath mat - yes it now has red spots. Thankful to Mr Clean Erasers to remove the lovely red ring around the tub - I felt like the Cat in the Hat had come to visit - at least we didn't clean it with one of MY dresses - ha!

Evan continues to go to speech and is improving. He still has much work to do - but has greatly improved, which is so exciting. He will start pre-school in the fall. Then we have to think about kindergarten - a whole new world for me. Where I grew up we had one school and there were no other options - here there is the local, charter, magnet... so much to figure out and decide what is best for each of the boys. Evan is very creative and loves to build - he could spend hours with his blocks - he creates amazing structures - it used to be everything had to be perfectly symmetrical - now he is into asymmetry and creating items like flying trucks. I don't think he ever quits thinking. From the moment we brought him home from the hospital he seemed to be thinking "how does that work".

They all keep my life challenging to put it mildly. But they also bring great joy. A smile from them or a giggle is priceless. As I have stated many times - the best and the very hardest job I have ever had. So today I pray for patience, compassion and tolerance to deal with anything they may throw my way.

Will this work?

Ok... with Evan I started off well with keeping a journal with him, but then two liver surgeries then being pregnant with Avery and I didn't do a great job. I then started one for Avery - think there was one entry because when he was only four months old I became pregnant with Owen - I don't even think I have written one thing in Owen's baby book - poor third child. They have such crazy adventures and I love the way their minds work (most of the time). I really need to be writing this down in a format that they can someday read. Is this the solution? I guess time will tell. Or maybe just writing some of the craziness down will help prevent me from totally losing it - ha! I have titled the blog the Crazy Lind Boy Adventures, but I will also use the more to talk about everything else going on in our lives. My attempt to keep us all as healthy as possible, recipes, gardening - what I learn for do's and don'ts as well as many other things I am sure. My husband Alex has MS and is pre-disposed to have a heart attack - but we know nothing is for sure and I believe both of these can be helped if not treated with the proper foods - but there is so much contradiction as to what is right - so my journey continues and is ever evolving. Currently we get organic fruits & vegetables delivered to our home, we buy only grass fed beef, bacon/lunch meats/hot dogs... with no nitrates, eggs that are free range with no horomones or antibiotics... We are also in the midst of trying to organize, de-clutter, clean our home that has gotten a bit out of control in the last 4 years of pregnancies, surgeries, raising three little ones three and under. We are having a large medieval festival to celebrate all three of their birthdays this year - so very exciting, overwhelming, crazy, fun, creative - hopefully we survive this challenge. Alex was sick this past weekend - I am sure a large part of that was due to exhaustion - he has been working until midnight every night for weeks. He has recently installed a sliding glass door out of our basement and is creating a castle bed for the boys for their big present from us. I know they will LOVE it! Thus the medieval themed party ;o) Time to finish my first post as I must get some quesadillas made for the boys for lunch - chicken and cheese - and may try to sneak in some avocado. So for now - farewell.