Dear Family and Friends,
I hope that you all understand why these updates are fewer and fewer. It is certainly not for a lack of funny material to report. I simply play catch up every single day of my life. As I sit here and type, Mitch is finishing the last haircut, Brooke is crying in the swing, and I am trying to think of what cleaner I will be using to get the marker off of the wall in the boys’ bedroom.
You see the boys must think it is a game to dirty up the house as soon as I clean it. Today, literally minutes after I scrubbed the bathtub, Cooper dotted the entire surface with mascara and poured liquid make up all over the side of the tub. You see I really was not that mad about the make-up because it is one that I have had since high school or perhaps college, but I never wear it. I am not even sure why I had not thrown it away before. But the mascara, which is the only make-up I do wear, is literally obliterated. Does anyone know a store that has mascara on sale this week?
Tonight, I was having the boys draw pictures for the missionaries. Jace decided to bring his marker into the bedroom and color on the wall and mirror. Ironically it was just today that my friend Teresa asked me if it was my three year old who was into making the messes. I said, oh no, Jace is well beyond the Naughty Gnome stage. Cooper is now well into it. What was I thinking? I was setting myself up for failure. I think, though, it did not make me all that mad because I just handed Jace the Clorox wipes (I wish I was the one who invented these.) and told him to clean it up. He did quite well.
Cooper, on the other hand, does the messes for a little cause and effect fun, and also to make me react I think. I am not sure about the latter, but here in my household, I do think they perhaps do naughty things for attention. Yesterday alone Coops dumped the plastic knife box, and then just about 30 minutes later, dumped the box of forks. (Who was the idiot mother who did not move the plastic utensils?) He earlier, while getting ready for church, opened his milk cup and poured it on the dirty laundry. Well at least it was already dirty. He also dumped my bag of Epsom salts that ironically I received from the boys for Mother’s Day last week to offer me some relaxation and rest- ya, that backfired! And he dumped the bag of goldfish crackers all over the kitchen floor. That was before I mopped the floor so his timing was good that day.
Brooke is two months old now. My how time flies. She is already in the 3 to 6 month clothing- no surprise I know. I am not sure how much she weighs as that would mean I go to the doctor on the routine well checks. Do not get me wrong, I do the well checks, but I merely do them late. She is into her routine for the most part. I still have to interrupt her naps regularly to transport children etc., but she is settling into our family quite nicely. The boys adore her- I think Jace most of all. He gives her hundreds of kisses each day. I think she grows tired of them, but she does not complain too much. She simply stares at him with fearful, deer in headlights stares as he comes in to lay one on her. She can sleep through anything, and noise does not even spook her much anymore. She is sassy, but all in all, she is a pretty good baby.
We had her blessing a few weeks ago. Grandpa John and Grandma Kathleen came down from Reno, along with my nephew Grif. It was great to have them support Brooke on her special day. My mom and all the local siblings of Mitch along with their families came as well. Mitch’s aunt and uncle came too. It was nice to have them as Mitch’s parents were unable to attend because they were still traveling home from a week in Orlando. Our good friends Andy and Leah also came. We had a great brunch at the house afterwards, and it was really a pleasant day. She looked adorable and I really am feeling good about this little one being the last installment of the Bishop clan.
I know I need to cuddle little Brooke more and just waste time holding her. I wish I did it more. I know I will regret not holding her more, but there is so much to do. I guess the balancing act of a mother is her constant struggle. I just wish I could make time stand still.
Cooper is still not really talking. He is smart and I know there is nothing to worry about because his receptive language is incredible. He says all of the words found in a Dora episode and he talks to her on a regular basis. He also points to every Dora item in Target as we wheel past it. Too funny. I never noticed all the Dora merchandise until I had a son obsessed with the character. Mitch LOVES Dora cartoons. He really loves the hour-long episode about friendship bracelets.
Aiden is doing well and loves scouts. He can not wait for his Thursdays. He is also loving school and has second grade humor tales to tell me each day. I laugh not with him, but at him. I hope he never catches on to this. I would hate to make him feel bad.
Grey is loving school and is excited to report that he reads Magic Tree House books independently. He is also enjoying the pool, but is a little fearful of the pop up breathing. I think he will be swimming here in a few days, but yikes, he is fearful of it. He would rather hold his breath the full length of the pool rather than stop his momentum.
Gage, on the other hand, loves the pool and has no fear at all. He can swim the length of the pool, can jump in, turn around and get out. I know he will be swimming like Aiden in no time. Amazing.
Oh and Jace loves the water too. He will be swimming too by month’s end. He just loves it and begs to go in every day!
Well I have two stories that I must report indicating what a stellar mother I am. The other day, we had an awards assembly to attend. I took all the carpool kids as well as my four stay at home kids. I let the kids get out and told the older five to go on to school. I told Gage, Jace and Cooper to play on the playground. I then got Brooke out of the car. I was counting the kids as I was visiting with another K mom. As I got closer to the kids, I looked at the little boy in the gray T-shirt who I thought was Jace to discover that, in fact, it was not Jace. With all the gusto I could muster, I calmly but forcefully told the boys to come immediately with me to go find Jace. I began scanning the schoolyard, to see my little three year old run around the chain link fence looking earnestly for his misplaced mother. Gratefully another friend helped me retrieve him and what could have turned out dreadful, turned out just fine.
Another mom of the year award goes to me again just a few days later. I was making food for the blessing. Coops was in the kitchen with me while the boys were playing. Grandma and Mitch were off getting a garage sale find in his truck. I needed help with the garbage so I called Aiden to take out the garbage. Aiden did and apparently Cooper followed him silently and stealth like. Meanwhile, Mitch and grandma came home so I helped unload the goodies. When Mitch and I came back into the house, we both asked one another, where is Cooper? We both ran around the house calling him repeatedly. We looked outside, inside, at mom’s, in closets, etc. Now I am freaking. I yell to all the kids to help me search. Aiden, moments later, finds him asleep at the threshold of the garage door covered in black soot probably from the tires. I scoop him up and immediately begin to cry. He wakes up to the sounds of my sobs and begins to cry as well. Mitch takes over the soothing role as now, I am in no position to soothe. I immediately think of our Father in Heaven and how he must feel when he loses us. I was so grateful it was May and not August too.
Well Brooke is in tears again so I need to attend to her. I love you all and hope this finds you well.
Kim and her zoo
