babies!!!! (and all their cute stuff)

When Archie was one month old I suddenly decided that I really wanted to find the cute onesies that said how old they were on them because I'd seen some of my students' babies with them, but didn't know where to get such a thing.  I found a couple of websites where you could buy iron on decals, etc. but that seemed too complicated, and besides my husband thought it was one of the most ridiculous things he'd ever heard of.  I value his opinion, of course, but sometimes I need to realize that we are not the same and it's okay if we don't agree (speaking of that wonderful man, it's his birthday today!!!  He's getting old).  Unfortunately, that is not always the first conclusion I come to and instead just do what he suggests whilst stewing about what I really want.  I went to Hobby Lobby last week (to buy some things for my mantle to make it more interesting, but then after getting it all home decided it seemed too contrived), and found these cute month stickers -- how easy is that!!!  I know I missed the first two, but I squeezed in the third while he was still technically three months, and can use the rest.  Aaah, isn't he sweet?

One important thing my spouse is completely correct about is that I really need to rein in the spending because the cost of aiding and abetting six children through their college careers is looming large before us.  Funny how I didn't think about that at all when Ella was three months old...  I feel so disjointed as I quickly finish changing a diaper to run down and help Ella finish up some of her college applications.  So I am going to try and do better, BUT (that was a big but) I have such a hard time resisting diapers.  There is this one brand that my friend refers to as the cadillac of cloth diapers:

They are luscious minky on the outside and soft, absorbent bamboo on the inside.  I first bought some on the diabolical website Baby Steals -- the one where a new amazing deal pops up twice a day and all you have to do is hit one innocent little button flashing "steal me, steal me" coquettishly, and it comes to your house all wrapped up in a brown package!  I've only had two for a couple of months and I loved them right from the start.  On Sunday morning Matthew and I had a long heart to heart about being more frugal and I am completely on board, truly!  But while I was nursing the baby I decided to browse through facebook and someone posted, "Itti bitti tuttos on baby steals today."  Oh, I wasn't even going to go to the website that day because I don't believe in shopping on Sunday!  With wrenching heart and clenching stomach I just had to look, hoping there were still some left while also hoping they'd be gone so I wouldn't have to make the difficult choice.  I had gotten there soon enough and almost everything was still available (within 30 minutes I think most of them were gone).  I wasn't going to buy anything else, anything, but this was different and I just had to do it.  I bought three more diapers because they were such an amazing deal!  It didn't matter that I had recently sworn off consumerism and all of its evils.  It didn't matter that it was Sunday.   I even started thinking how sad it is that I won't be having more children to wear these breathtaking diapers, and how unfortunate it was that I would have to potty train Archie someday because I just want a reason to use these for years!  What am I thinking?  Complete irrationality has taken over.  THAT is how awesome these diapers are!!!  To make myself feel better I called my fellow diaper junkie to tempt her, be a bad influence, etc. etc. but she resisted.  I need just an ounce of that kind of courage and resolve.

thanksgiving!

I do love Thanksgiving and I was happy that we were able to host a boisterous crowd at our house -- reminds me of the good ole' days.  We had eight adults and sixteen children, so not quite up to the Farnsworth family numbers, but it will do to help me not feel so homesick.  Everyone helped bring lots of yummy food, the two younger girls helped set the tables and make place cards, Ella made some appetizers, and Charles made a green bean casserole with no help from anyone.  The two youngest did their part with Phin busily undoing most of the preparations as they happened and Archie perching on my back not sleeping the entire day.  I am so glad that we have a time to reflect on our blessings, although I do try to do a bit of that every day.  I have so much and the season reminds me to make a renewed effort to be a better steward of what I have been given.  Here's to resolve!

I never manage to find time to write in my blog anymore -- it's so sad!  And I really don't think about it during the day, but at night I have composed some wonderful posts.  You should all come join me then, because by morning they have vanished -- poof!


I went to the dentist this morning and had to take the baby with me.  I just didn't know six months ago when I made the appointment that Matthew would be teaching at that time on Tuesday mornings -- silly me!  So I dropped Phin off at a friend's and wondered how it would all work, but baby did great.  He determinedly concentrated on grabbing a toy, with his eyes crossed for good measure, throughout most of the scaling portion of the visit, but every once in a while he would gurgle adorably and the technician would gaze at him affectionately.  This is all very endearing to a mother, of course, except that she was madly digging at my teeth with some very sharp instruments, not missing a single beat, while she looked away.  I would will her eyes back to the task at hand, but soon they would veer back to the baby, all the while scraping, scraping, scraping and coming perilously close to my tender gums -- I may be a proponent of natural childbirth, but I definitely prefer kinder, gentler dentistry.  He didn't quite make it all the way through, sitting upright on my tummy during the cleaning and exam, smiling and talking to everyone who happened by.  And who wouldn't smile at the reaction he was getting -- you would think they had never seen a baby before!  "Look at those chubby cheeks!"  "He has so much hair!"  He is pretty cute, in my own humble opinion.

my constant companions

1000 words

I seldom like to buy school pictures because they never look very good, so this year, since I have a new camera, I thought I'd try my hand at taking some pictures of the kids myself -- because a good camera makes me a professional, right?  I loved that post on "Seriously So Blessed" -- training shmaining, I can take pictures, and I'm going to buy a scalpel and open up a surgery in the garage -- so funny!!!  Here are some of the pics that we took last week.

 I don't know.  I should probably get photo shop and learn how to use that, too.  I've also been looking at all of our photos from our trip to Europe and thinking of making books for the kids for Christmas.  We have so many bad pictures -- blurry, dark, etc.  Oh, well.  C'est la vie!  What companies have you liked for photo books?

halloween

There go the tornado sirens!  I am always so surprised when they go off, jumping a little and thinking, what on earth???  But then I remember that they are tested on the first Tuesday of every month at 10:00, yet another reminder that my life is ticking away at slow and regular intervals.  There have been three since the baby came, but he still feels so new and fresh -- it can't be!  


::Speaking of fresh, he was a crisp from the garden chili pepper for halloween

::Isn't he gorgeous?

::Phin was a rocket and when I would ask, "What do you say?" meaning "trick or treat" he would either make a rocket sound or say "you're welcome."  Then we would jettison off to the next house -- it was very amusing to go with him.  When Matthew went back home to pass out candy (we had left Charles in charge and he had simply turned out the light -- when we noticed, Matthew was embarrassed) he said that he really missed being with Phin, which I thought was very sweet.

 ::I didn't get very good pictures of the girls -- a queen, and a pixie -- which I guess is what you get when you're not the littlest anymore

 Phin just asked if he could see pictures of him getting candy, but I had to disappoint and tell him that we haven't chronicled every single moment of his life.  His sticky candy face has pieces of lint stuck to it right now because we started on the candy first thing this morning.  I had to pull a chocolate tootsie pop out of his mouth and insist that he eat a whole wheat english muffin and a glass of milk before the gorging began.  I let them eat what they want for a few days before I confiscate it, which is meaner than my mom who let us keep it in our rooms for months -- I was one of those who paced myself and ate a little bit each day. Ugh, I already feel sick.  Phin is being so sweet offering me reeses pieces and candy corn, but if I'm going to be eating sugar I need it to be yummier than that.  We had a trunk or treat last week so they've all already been eating candy every day, lazily scattering the wrappers pell mell around the house -- because you can't just be a glutton without the accompaniment of disorder and chaos, can you?