Happy Thanksgiving

When I asked Lily if she knew what Thanksgiving was all about, her response involved something along the lines of being thankful for family.  Realizing that she was about to receive a full blown explanation involving tales of Pilgrims and Indians, she quickly informed me she was not interested in hearing the story.  Further realizing her statement had not deterred me from further explanation she asks, "I don't really have a choice, do I?"  NOPE.

We have so much to be thankful for this year, it is hard to know where to begin.  Makes sense to go with Lily's theme and start with family.  Despite all the chaos and craziness, the sleepless nights, the sprouting gray hair, the constant interruptions and messes around the house, life would be unimaginable without the monsters.  I'm thankful for Lily and the beautiful intelligent young lady she is turning into.  Her humor and wit makes me laugh daily, and her curiosity reminds us how much fun it is to learn and experience new things.

I'm thankful for Abigail and the way she reminds us to live life to the fullest, and there is nothing wrong with wearing your emotions on your sleeve.  Not a day goes by that she does not experiences utter joy and laughter, nor has a day gone by that she has not been so hurt or saddened that she cries uncontrollably.

I'm thankful for Chloe who teaches us that life does not always have to be so serious.  She has a way of taking a serious moment, a bad situation, or just a tough day and giving you this look with a smirk on her face that will make anybody smile and forgot what was so important.

I'm thankful for Lawson Boy who gives me a buddy to hang out with every day and reminds me what it is like to think like a child.  Dreaming about the future and the possibilities for him coupled with his charm and humor provide hope because all we really want is for our children to be better and have it better than we do.

I'm thankful for Kasey for cooking my Thanksgiving dinner.  In fact she does most of the cooking after she has made sure the kids are taken care of, their extracurricular activities are managed, and she has put in a full days work for her job.  Really not sure how she does it everyday while putting up with me, but I'm truly grateful for all she does.

I'm thankful for our parents who pitch in and help at just the right moment to help with the kids before we lose our sanity.  We have been blessed with loving families that provided a good foundation and support on which to build our family.

I'm thankful we have good jobs to provide for the monsters.  Even though we work way too many hours and would rather be home with the kids, they are learning the importance of hard work.......hopefully.

I'm thankful for our friends who share their lives with us.  Knowing we have others to share our stories and trials with, and listen to theirs in return is comforting.

I'm thankful for our country and the men and women who put their lives on the line.  Thank you nephew Stephen Hale for your service, it was great to speak with you today.

I'm thankful to God for providing all the gifts he has given us.

Someday when the kids are grown and we are sitting around the Thanksgiving table with their husbands, boyfriends, wife or girlfriend, I envision them breaking out whatever form of technology we will read from and reading some of these blogs and laughing about all their shenanigans.  I'm thankful for what the future holds for us and our amazing children.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abigail, Chloe, and Lawson Boy

Flower Girlzilla

The weekend as Flower Girl for Ashley Teague's wedding was everything Lily hoped it was going to be and more.  This was her third time honored with the responsibility of scattering flowers down the aisle for the bride, and she handled it like a pro.  It has been quite some time since Kasey, Lily and I were on a road trip just the three of us, and it made me realize how easy it was to only take care of one kid compared to the chaos we typically endure with the four of them.  Mama was nice enough to take on the task of making sure Abby, Chloe and Lawson did not tear down the house in our absence.  Thank you mama.

The last time it was just the 3 of us would have been about 4 years ago, and back then we would have still been dealing with 2 year old issues like changing pull ups or tantrums.  Now we are dealing with a smart little 6 year old who thinks she knows more than us, and entertained us with her humor, singing and dancing all weekend.  We stayed at a wonderful lake resort and upon arrival, Lily was admiring the water park on site.  It was explained that due to the fact that we are in November, the water park would be closed.  The wheels started turning in Lily's head and she had an idea, "we should sneak in the water park tonight Daddy."  That got us to laughing and Kasey responded, "Lily, you think just like your Daddy."  Without hesitation Lily exclaims, "we should sneak in naked."  Hmmmmmmmmmm.  That comment was funny and disturbing all at the same time.  Funny, because that really convinced Kasey that she thinks like her Daddy.  Disturbing, because it is not quite clear why she would say something like that.  There is usually a rationale explanation to Lily's thought process, and after some digging it became clear.  She was aware of the fact that we did not bring our bathing suits, and she was also aware that we should not get our clothes wet.  The only plausible way to sneak into a water park without a suit and not get your clothes wet is to go naked. 

Lily's special day was full of pampering and drama.  Lily had  her hair done at the hotel salon, and chatted with the stylist the whole time.  Her hair was to be curled for the wedding and Lily got a kick out of watching her hair transform.  Her hair was only half way complete when she told the stylist, "it looks so ugly".  It had to be explained to her that this was a process and the curls would loosen up to the way it was supposed to look.  Clearly my explanation was not enough to convince her.  Lily can be self conscious at times and she worried people would laugh at her.  An argument ensued between her and her mother that I can only imagine will be the first of many to come throughout the years as it relates to what she is wearing and how she looks.  All turned out well and Lily looked absolutely gorgeous as you can see in her picture above.

Lily took her role as part of the wedding party quite serious.  In her mind she was not to be separated from the rest of the bridesmaids the whole wedding.  When she realized she would not be sitting at the head table, and had to sit next to us, well that just did not sit well with her.  "Daddy, I feel like a baby having to sit next to you."  After more explanation and some hot chocolate, we got passed that hurdle.  The rest of the evening consisted of speeches, cotton candy and finally some dancing.  Lily had been looking forward to dancing the whole evening.  Daddy was looking forward to dancing with the beautiful flower girl, and then she went and ripped my heart out.  She was a flower girl and she wanted to dance with the bridesmaids.  She did not want to have  anything to do with her Daddy because all of the sudden, I am now embarrassing.  And so it begins. 

It has to be mentioned that the bridesmaids were so sweet to Lily including her, letting her hang out with them, and making her feel very special.  Thank you Ms. Lauren, Brandie, Mycall, Kathryn, Kelly, and Jessica who gets special mention for raving about the blog.

In the end, all the excitement and dancing got the better of Lily and she started to fall asleep at the table.  Even though she would dance with her old man, I took the opportunity to scoop her up and cuddle her while she fell asleep in my arms.  She will always be my baby girl.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Abby and Chloe completed their last soccer game.  The other team didn't show giving them their one and only victory of the season.  They scrimmaged each other and because they were short a player, Lawson Boy got to play with them.  Apparently he is pretty good dribbling the ball up and down the field, he just cannot grasp the concept of direction yet.  The girls recieved their trophies for the soccer season, and Lawson recieved one for attending every game.  He was so excited to tell us when we arrived home, "I gotta twophy".

Now the weekend is over, the chaos, bickering and constant noice is back...........and we couldn't be happier.

Ashey, you looked beautiful!

Jeff, Kasey, Flower Girlzilla, Abby, Chloe, and Lawson Boy

Terrible "Deuces"

No, terrible 2 is not a reference aimed at disparaging the twins, though it it would be an understandable mistake to make that assumption.  While Abby and Chloe certainly still have their moments and will remain a handful for years to come, they have turned the page on some very irritating behaviors.  Potty mishaps are infrequent, severe tantrums have diminished considerably, and they are learning to play together as well as with others without constant intervention.  Case in point, we had dinner with all of Kasey's family last night with all the kids sitting at one end of the table together, and not once did we have to get up and deal with a behavioural problem.  The funny thing about kids is just when you think you are about to move upon a stage and life is going to get easier, the next stage presents a new challenge.  Right now, our biggest challenge is the extreme decibel level of noise that never seems to desist.  While Abby, Chloe and Lily are learning to play together nicely, they have yet to learn how to do so quietly.  Lawson  Boy only knows two levels of speaking, loud and louder.  Along with passing into new stages and noise levels comes the wonderful technique that every child has mastered, the art of talking back.  As we celebrate not listening to crying babies, no more poopie diapers, no more expensive formula and packing everything including the kitchen sink just to leave the house; nothing will make you want to drop kick your child more than a 3 year old talking back to you in a tone that implies they think they are not only smarter than you, but you may be the dumbest daddy or mommy alive.  It has been verified that this is the root cause of gray hair.

So if terrible 2 does not refer to the twins, that just leaves our son who is currently 2 years old and when asked how hold he is, will now respond with 2 fingers in the air, "deuces".  Admittedly, there was some coaching involved, and it provides me great pride and humor when he does it.  The Boy makes us laugh constantly, but when he goes into Terrible Lawson mode, it is terrible.  He has always been so easy to put down at night and when tired will even ask to go to bed.  That all changed less than a week ago, when he just decided he no longer wants to go to bed at night.  Similar to Pavlov's dog, when we announce "bedtime" in the evening, Lawson immediately jumps up, point his finger, and in half mad half cry voice, "no Daddy, I not tired, I no go to bed".  When he is not getting through to us, he will change tactics on you, "Daddy, I cuddle you pease".  Along with the face that accompanies his remarks, how can you not give in? 

He too has mastered the art of talking back, though we are not always certain what he is yelling at us about, and frankly it is probably best we don't know based on the evil look in his eyes.  All the children are stubborn in there own way, but when Lawson Boy decides upon something, there is no convincing otherwise.  Luckily he is a boy and his male attribute of compartmentalization and the ability to forget when something else peaks his interest can be easy to take advantage of.  The girls may be playing with something and the Boy decides they are having too much fun so he interrupts and steals a toy.  Just try to convince him to give that toy back.  In his mind, that is now his toy and you are not getting it come hell or high water.  Face is scrunched, snot is running, mouth is screaming, and you decide bribing is the only way to diffuse him.  "Lawson, you want some ice cream?"  His first response is always, "NO!", and then it computes what you just asked him.  Tears dry up instantly, frown turns into a face of surprise, and he politely responds, "oh yes pease, I wike ice cweam".

Earlier it was mentioned that potty mishaps have become infrequent, and our most recent occurrence still baffles me somewhat.  The 3 younger kids were down for nap, so Lily generally will watch some TV or play games on the computer while they rest.  Sounds like an opportune time to watch some football and doze off.  While in a semi-comatose state, a bright white streak appeared alerting me to something odd.  The realization hit me that Lily was streaking through the house, so naturally the question begged, "Lily, why are you naked"?  And she responded ever so matter of fact, "Dad, I had to go potty really bad, when I sat down the lid was closed, and I wizzed everywhere." 

It happens to the best of us. 

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Deuces