(Yes, it’s great up here, but here’s to “keeping it real”)
1) A four-year-old looks way skinnier after two days of throwing up.
2) When you’re staying at a house full of a bunch of kids, things like stomach bugs get passed around pretty quickly.
3) You can make your jaw feel really weird for days if you slap it on the water when falling from a great ski at 35 miles per hour. That same fall can knock your breath out pretty darn bad….and pull off your swim suit.
4) Kids cry for a LONG time when they get stung by a bee…especially when they’re over tired.
5) You don’t get a whole heck of a lot of sleep when you sleep with four of your kids in the same room.
6) Three of those four kids I’ve been sleeping with talk in their sleep…a lot.
7) Grace likes to sleep with her feet on her pillow…which translates to being on my face if she’s sleeping with me. Literally.
8) A baby can get pretty attached to you when she’s staying somewhere with a bunch of people she hasn’t seen for a while.
9) This makes for a really achy back when you have to carry around your clingy 35 pound baby all the time. It also makes for LOT of tantrums when you try to put her down…even for long enough to go to the bathroom.
10) Living with anywhere from 12 to 21 kids in a house (we’ve had visits from various friends with all their kids) can make for a disaster in five minutes pat. And it’s tough to have anyone take the blame for things like drawing on furniture or spilling a big cup of milk all over the place.
11) You appreciate and miss your husband more than ever when you haven’t seen him for two weeks.
12) Lucy is feisty.
13) Lucy is strong-willed.
14) Lucy is spoiled as can be.
15) Lucy’s giving me a run for my money.
16) Lucy’s learned a new word…it’s “no”…and she says it really mean.
17) Lucy’s started pinching me…hard…when she doesn’t get what she wants.
18) Do I need to mention that Lucy’s killing me right now?
19) Miraculously you can still love a baby who’s all of the above.
20) Lucy’s “room” (which is a closet) got flooded by the sump pump the other day…creating it’s own set of crazy stuff.
Yep, there are some pretty crazy things going on amidst the great stuff of being here. The best news is that I still haven’t broken out with my annual humongous cold sore I usually get here.
I better go knock on wood.
man it sounds like we have a similar life! one of my boys sleeps with us as well…i was beginning to think i was a horrible mom by not being able to break this bad habit!! and your little 35 pounder…i amen to all of it…i need a trip to the spa!!! but she is so stinking cute !How cold i not love her???
i woudn’t change any of it…okay maybe a lttle of teh weight situation!!! but i just think of it as “more to love”!!!
Loved your post. I need to write during some of these “not so great” times as they happen daily, don’t they? I need to remember the real times too. As for your cold sore – LYSINE+! It’s the best. I purchase the topical kind. I keep the tube and some Q-tips (so I can throw away after application) and just keep it with me on trips. It has saved me after struggling for years with cold sores. I know you can take the vitamins but I found this to work great. Hope it helps you. Hang in there!
Funny post, Shawni! It’s a good thing she is so cute!
I laughed out loud! Funny in a blog – probably not quite so funny in real life 🙂
I am laughing ONLY because I am in a similar situation being here in CA for 3 weeks now … two more to go!!! All of us are camping out in one room too since the entire extended fam is here as well. We’re loving it BUT in survival mode at the same time! I love reading your posts, they are so real! Hope to see you in August!
I been reading your blog for about a month now… This post cracks me up! Enjoy your “vacation”. You’ll be in my prayers…
Funny, I love how you keep it real. Because we all know that cousin trips are fun, but they come with their own set of difficulties, like everyone spreading the same sickness to each other and the sleepless nights. I hear you on all that, we just got back from a trip with my siblings and we shared one big house which turned out better then I thought, but it can still be crazy. Have fun!
sounds like a great summer 🙂 Are you finding time to read “The Count…”??? I’m having a hard time getting into it. Ugh. Maybe I’ll find more time when school starts.
I love the picture of Lucy. How can you NOT be in love with that little girl!!!!
Have a safe trip home!
I can picture it all. Miss you guys and am excited to have you back here in AZ soon!
It sounds like you guys are living it up with family just like we are. It is so much fun but the kids are tired at the same time. I love that little Lucy and all the cute stories. Have fun and see you in a few weeks!
Maybe we’re not having quite as much fun as we thought we were. JK! Loved this real world reminder!
mom