Sunday, December 25, 2011

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas



Merry Christmas from the Clendenen family!
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Monday, December 5, 2011

Tom


Four Things That Have Been Keeping Me Up At Night

1.  Thomas Howard Clendenen.  He is a very good baby but has been fussy the last couple weeks.  He is only two months old after all.

2.  Miss Zella.  She wakes up at the crack of dawn every day.  It seems to work out that Thomas will wake up to eat at 3:30 a.m.  When I finally fall back asleep after feeding and burping him Zella wakes up for the day.  At least she is in a great mood!

3.  Violet fell into a swimming pool at a hotel we were staying at.  I had to jump in with all my clothes on (and shoes) to get her.  Seeing the fear in her eyes and face while she was under the water struggling has kept me up many nights since.  We are very thankful she is okay.

4.  Some crazy road rage guy threatened to kill me at a stop light in Mason City.  (He motioned for me to go ahead of him but when I did he freaked out for some reason.)  He was screaming and yelling every nasty and derogatory thing you can say to women at me.  Violet and Thomas were in the van with me and I was scared and angry.    He started to get out of his truck at the stoplight to "teach me a lesson" but I threatened to call the cops.  Thankfully the light turned green.  I keep looking over my shoulder even though I know I probably won't ever see him again.  Jerk.

I much prefer reasons one and two for keeping me up at night. :)

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Time

Time is sand through my fingers, trickling down before I can stop it.  Part of me would love to stop time and savor the ages and stages of my kids.  Yet I am excited to see them grow and find their own paths in life. 

I woke up one day and suddenly:

*Madeline can read.  (REALLY read as she would say.)  I feel proud and excited that she loves books as much as Travis and I do.  I hope she always does.

*Zella is almost five. (FIVE!!!)  Her excitement for everything around her is contagious.  She is hands down the most fun kid to give a gift to. 

*Violet is walking the line of being a little girl/big girl.  Sometimes she'd like to be both.  She is talking so well and is quite a dancer.

*Thomas is almost three months old (this may be the most unbelievable).  He is smiling, cooing and he rolled over two weeks ago.  Seriously.  HE ROLLED OVER. 

*Somehow having a fourth child has made Travis and I more mellow and relaxed (mostly).  I'm not sure how this is possible but it is.  We have slowed down and enjoyed this stage of our life more than we have before.


I told my sister Karen that I "came up for air" and ten weeks had gone by.  I am getting the hang of four kids six and under slowly but surely.  I'm figuring out what works and what doesn't.  (The hard way, of course).  I am going to keep figuring it out because I don't just want to get through motherhood or be okay at it.  I want to be a great mom who makes meaningful memories with my kids. Travis and I have so many dreams for our family and every day we wake up we get a chance to make it happen.

Yet another online pep talk.  And once again I am a mushball who over shares.

But I am who I am so once again I will hit "publish post" instead of save. 

Yours sincerely,
Lori