Sighting

 The kids enjoyed quite a treat tonight after dinner.  I heard a noise too loud to be an airplane, and sure enough, the Goodyear Blimp was approaching and flew RIGHT over our house!  Pretty exciting stuff!

Having a ball...

 I can't believe how quickly the summer months fly by.  It's as if you blink your eyes and these hazy, hot days are here and gone before you have time to realize it.  I LOVE summer...it is my absolute favorite time of the year.  I love that I'm sitting here at 10 pm with all the windows open, listening to the crickets chirping in the cool night.  I love being outside all day long, love the flowers, the garden, the wildlife in the backyard (well, not the raccoon that we've seen twice now!) 

And the kids love it too.  It's so fun to see them enjoying many of the activities I remember loving so much when I was a kid.  My childhood memories of summer seem almost surreal now.  I just remember it being such a happy and fun-filled time.  I remember going going going all day long and crashing exhausted into bed every night...so tired, but so happy and already looking forward to the day ahead.  I hope my kids feel that way about summer...hope they'll someday look back and remember with fondness all these times we are sharing.

 I broke out the ball pit for Sienna the other day.  She seemed to enjoy it.  Of course, she had to test the boundaries and climb out right away, but still, she seemed to have a good time.  She has warmed my heart with her adorable smiles over this past year and I've already started to look at her and realize...oh my gosh, she's nearing a year old.  How fast the time does fly.  And then I stopped to pull up some pictures of the other kids in the very same ball pit...and it makes a tear come to my eye when I realize again...how the years do fly.

They are exhausting, but at the end of the day, it's all worth it.  As I was walking with both girls around the neighborhood tonight, chocolate popsicle smeared all over the front of my shirt from Sienna earlier in the day, I was just reminiscing, and feeling so very blessed to be given this role of "Mother".  It is never a glamorous role, very few times are we appreciated, or thanked...never compensated...but the rewards far exceed what I ever could have imagined.

Carter in the ball pit - 9 months old

Reese in the ball pit - 7 months old

Yes, I can hear the screaming baby.....(and it's mine!)

Some days go more smoothly than others...fact of life.  Get used to it and move on, right?  It's been another rough week around here...dunno where the time goes or why it's harder than usual.  Sleep is still not good, Sienna has been a little extra crabby, Reese is in a not-listening, ornery phase and Carter never wants to do anything...ever.

I took the girls out to run a couple of errands last night.  It was a bad time of the night to be trying this, since Sienna was getting tired.  And there I found myself, a little after 7 pm in a changing room in Kohl's, trying on some clothes because I had $20 in Kohl's cash that was expiring...and she broke down...it was UGLY!  She was all out screaming her lungs out, beet red and miserable.  When I went to check out, the lady commented, "Oh is this the baby who was screaming?"  The sad thing was, she was at the front of the store and we were all the way in the back.  Yep, that's my kid and I'm proud of it. 

Days like this make me want to go up to stangers and yell, DON'T EVER HAVE KIDS, IT IS INSANE!!!  Just kidding...I would obviously never do a thing like that and obviously have three of my own so it can't be that bad...right??  Ah, but they do test us...

By the dawn's early light...

 I love sunrises and all, don't get me wrong...but I've been seeing waaayyy too many of them this summer.  I mean, when you don't get to bed until midnight, you are awake from 3-3:45, and awakened again before 6 am, it's a little hard to feel refreshed and ready to go for the rest of the day.  Ah, but such is the life of any mom...

So, when you are feeling tired, the best distraction is to keep busy.  That's just what we do around here.  Derrick took the afternoon off to accompany us to the zoo and it was the perfect day for it.  We got to compare our height to that of a rhino, we did a zoo scavanger hunt I found on Pinterest that was a hit...or at least I think it was.  haha

We heard the lion roaring, saw the elephants eating...there's always something new to see.

 At dinner tonight, we were asking the kids what they were thankful for for the day.  Carter asked, very sincerely, "Did we go anywhere or do anything special today?"  Um...yea, it's always good to know your efforts are so appreciated.

Then I must have wanted to rub some salt in the wound...I asked him what his favorite food was.  "Gum."  No hesitation...just gum.  Wow, it's good to know my cooking is that good.  I said, "Well, gum isn't really food, isn't there something else?"  His next answer, "Chocolate."  OK, I give up!

What kids want

I wish...just for one day...I could be a mind reader and get into my kids' heads to see what they really are thinking.  I mean, this obviously would be super helpful with the baby who can't even talk yet.  But also with the older ones.  I wonder quite often..."what are they thinking right now"..."what thoughts are running through their minds?"

What would Sienna be thinking when she wakes up at 5 or 5:30 AM  every morning?

What would she be thinking when she licks the bottom of Reese's crocs or eats lint off the carpet???

Or what were Carter and Reese thinking the other day when they thought it would be a good idea to take a package of un-inflated balloons upstairs and try to make their own "water balloons."  What possibly could have been running through their minds...

Why did Carter and Reese both decide over the weekend that it would be cool to dress up like firefighters, complete with the hats and boots and run around the yard for hours putting out imaginary fires?

Or today when Carter told me in a very exasperated voice, "I've been waiting and WAITING for a baby brother!"  Where did that come from???  What must have been running through his mind?

I wonder too, what parts of the day they like best...the things they'll remember as they are drifting off to sleep at night.  The things they'll reflect back on and remember as adults.  Their minds certainly are different than ours.  They are funny, they are creative, they are imaginative, and they are always working.

When I see how quickly they learn, how tender their hearts are, how much they really do remember...it's absolutely astounding.  And it weighs on me too, to think of the impact I can have on them each and every day.  What a priviledge and duty, to raise up a child!

Reflection

Today, sitting down to a dinner of leftover leftovers, I gazed lovingly at my husband and said, "Happy Anniversary."  And I thought to myself, "Oh, how the years change a person!"  The kids were screaming for this and that, the baby was fussing and smearing baked beans and avocado literally over every inch of her body.  A truly romantic dinner together....

Other highlights of the day included a trip to Target, just me and the three kiddos, to buy pool noodles (need them to make light sabers...I know...I know).  This was followed by a stop to pump gas in the van, during which all three kids were screaming at the maximum volume conceivable to man, whilst having a battle with the "light sabers".  I am pretty sure more than one gas-pumping patron got a chuckle out of that.

At dinner Derrick asked the kids, "Did you know that today Momma and I have been married for 9 years?"  Carter replied, "Is this some kind of trick question?"

This was followed by some good times of the whole family enjoying our new double-wide, extra-long slip n slide in the backyard.  And haircuts on the deck, during which Carter screamed so loud I'm pretty sure everyone in the neighborhood could hear him.

Ahhhh, yes...just another typical day in the Berad household.  And a reminder that it isn't the "ceremony" that's important...it's the small things.  The little hugs from the kids, the joy of seeing them learn something new, the beauty of a sunset, that makes me stop and think, how is it that I can see a sunset night after night after night and still just stop what I am doing in amazement at the beauty of God's Creation?  So it was a good day...nothing extra-ordinary, no easier than any other day, but a good day to reflect on how 9 years of marriage has changed me and grown me, made me (hopefully) a better person and a better wife.

So you know how they have silver anniversaries and wood anniversaries and glass anniversaries...well I don't know what 9 years is, but I made it the goofy t-shirt anniversary.  I just can't help myself.  I saw this t-shirt the other day and thought...that is the PERFECT shirt for Derrick!!!!  However the $33 price tag seemed a bit steep.  So the kids helped me tweak our own version today from a $7 white t-shirt we bought at Target.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

On the South Side

 We decided to spend another hot day down at the South Side Works after church so the kids could play in the fountain there.  When we got there it wasn't running yet, so we had a nice brunch at Cheesecake Factory, complete with a birthday serenade for Reese.  Just as we were finishing the fountains came on and the kids spent almost an hour running through them...they had an absolute blast!  There was some kind of festival going on also and a magician did a magic show after that which they really enjoyed.

Sienna tasted her first French fry today...verdict: LOVED it!

Peppa Party

 Reese and her little buddies had a fun time today at her 4th Birthday Peppa Pig Party.  We watched the Peppa Pig Pancakes episode, followed by a lunch complete with Peppa Pig shaped pancakes.  We played pin the tail on Peppa, a Peppa bean bag toss, and a Peppa pinata.  Then we had Peppa cake and cookies. (Thanks Aunt Jess of The Whistling Baker for the awesome cookies!!!)

Peppa pancake!

Awesome Peppa Pig cookies

More bday fun...

 Happy happy birthday, my dear little Reese.  I never imagined 4 years ago what a vivacious and fun-loving person you would turn out to be.

Loving her first taste of cake!

My attempt at pink and purple cake!

4 Years Old

 How the years fly by.  It is almost too hard to believe that 4 years ago today, my baby girl entered the world.  Happy Birthday, sweet Reese!