Teeth and tinkling toddlers...

 We bid Nani and Pop Pop farewell this morning.  I think they may have been fleeing for their lives after being in this crazy house for a couple of days.  I'm sure the ride home seemed incredibly peaceful and serene.  I offered multiple times to send Sienna home with them but they graciously declined...for some odd reason.





Reese was thrilled to lose her first tooth two days ago.  She left the Tooth Fairy a note that said, "Haw do yuo no wen to kum"  They keep coming up with more and more questions for the Tooth Fairy.  I don't know about you but when I was a kid we didn't question the Tooth Fairy...we didn't pester her with questions, we just accepted that she would come and leave money and that was that.  Everything is so much more complicated these days.

Sienna was up to her usual mischief today, pulling quite the stunt in the middle of a rather chaotic lunch.  She was refusing to let us put her diaper back on and wanting to sit on the potty, and in the middle of the dog having a accident, everyone trying to eat, Lawson crying and needing a diaper...she snuck away...Derrick was searching all over the house for her to try to get a diaper back on her.  FINALLY we found her in the garage, of all places. She'd gone out there and peed her pants...in the car....which conveniently had a door left open.  Seriously!?  She is the most strong-willed little girl EVER.  Just when I think she's pulled every stunt in the book...

While I was at the Library this afternoon taking Carter and Reese to a fun puppet show, Derrick ventured out for a walk with the two little ones.  He gets a gold medal for accomplishing this feat...both asleep at the same time!  The kids really enjoyed the puppets too.

Let them eat cake...

 It was a fun couple of days...well, I guess that is if your idea of fun includes brawling kids, a rambunctious 2 year old, and an un-housetrained puppy who needs to be taken outside every 30 minutes in the bitter cold.  Yep, all par for the course in this household, right?

We enjoyed a visit from Nani and Pop Pop and celebrated Pop Pop's 70th Birthday a couple days early.  Wow the big 7-0...We are lucky to have Pop Pop in our lives and to celebrate this major milestone with him!  Love you, Dad!!!

 The kids are adjusting pretty well to Hershey and I think she is adjusting to life in our home.  She's actually making herself quite at home now that she's figured out how to jump up on the furniture.  She's trying to sneak up on the chairs and couch whenever she gets a chance...UGH....need to nip that in the bud.  She especially likes the kids little Pottery Barn Kids chair that we've had forever.  Derrick put it upside down on top of the other chair, and she still managed to climb up on that chair and sneak underneath it to catch a nap.  Just what I need, another conniving critter in this house...doesn't Sienna already more than fill that role!?

Special Sister Day

 Today was dubbed "Special Sister Day" in honor of Sienna being able to go to gymnastics with Reese for her last class of the session.  Sienna did not stop smiling from the minute I told her this morning, she was SO thrilled to be going.  And she kept on smiling right through the entire class.  The teachers all asked when I was signing her up.  She did all of the stations they had set up, even though some of them were pretty darn tricky for a two year old.  I was so proud of her and it was fun to see the girls enjoying being together.

They gave out ribbons and little papers for the guests at the end and had them stand up on a little podium to receive them.  You would have thought they were on the US Olympic team and had just won a gold medal...they were so excited.

After class we all went to the library, and we topped off the morning with a special lunch from McDonald's.  If only ever day could be so fun!

Puppy Purgatory

 We celebrated Grammie's birthday today.  Everyone enjoyed seeing each other, meeting the puppy and having some yummy cake thanks to Aunt Jess!  The kids had fun with all the extra playmates around and enjoyed making people play horsey and read to them.

If anyone would like to know the honest truth about how having 4 kids ( 7 and under) and a puppy is going...it's a little like training for the Olympics would be I imagine.  It's so super intensely exhausting and stressful, I feel a bit like a kicked-in-the face, beat-down, thoroughly exhausted, old-aged version of myself.  Sounds like fun, eh??  Do I recommend undertaking such a thing to other people.  NO WAY IN HECK!  People keep saying "Oh my gosh, You're AMAZING!"  Yea, amazingly stupid!!!

Getting ready for church this morning was like a 6 ring circus but somehow we made it on time.  Of course 5 minutes after we got back home the dog had already had three accidents and it just went downhill from there.  Derrick left to take Carter to soccer and I was here with a very unhappy baby and the girls and puppy.

At one point I was upstairs changing a diaper and heard Reese yell, "Mama, the puppy is out of her cage!"  Sienna had figured out how to open it (even though her 7 year old brother still can't seem to figure it out.)  Loose puppy with no supervision is a very VERY bad thing right now.  She poops and pees like crazy and chews ANYTHING.  So I raced downstairs, put Lawson in the Pack 'n Play and asked Reese to watch him, grabbed the dog and went outside before she could make another mess.  I was outside for maybe 5 minutes at the most and came back in to find a pile of dog treats on the rug by the door (thank you Sienna), a screaming baby, and when I went into the kitchen, the table had orange peel all the way around the perimeter....  Sienna had gotten herself a clementine and walked around the table while peeling it, leaving bits of peel all the way around.

I have hence rigged up several barricades throughout the first floor of my house to try and contain the destructive puppy (and maybe Sienna too) and minimize some of the insanity.

Why was my bathroom door locked from the inside today when I tried to open it, really needing to use the restroom?  Oh, that's just because Sienna was sneaking up there into the bathroom all throughout the day today, stealing bandaids out of the closet.  She must have used up 3/4 of a box before we finally resorted to locking the door so she wouldn't tear our whole bathroom apart looking for them.  I'm telling you, she's gunning for the "Best Kid of the Year Award" right now...

Puppy kisses

Seriously Sienna and the puppy are in contention for the worst-behaved member of the family...it's a tight race.  Who will win???  We will just have to wait and see.  (I know...the suspense is just killing me...)

Four Kids and a Puppy

Sometimes, I'll catch myself saying something to one of the kids and think to myself, "I can't even believe I'm saying this!  I should really write this down."  Not sure what I'm talking about...here are just a few examples from today...

Keep your shirt on or you don't get a treat (to Sienna)

Please don't peel your orange in the dishwasher (to Sienna who was sitting on the door and leaving a pile of the peel in the dishwasher)

No you can't have Goldfish for breakfast (to Sienna)

Please don't use Lawson's diapers on your baby dolls (to Sienna)

Please stop eating you boo boo buddy (to Sienna)

Don't eat your shirt (to Sienna)

Don't eat my slippers (to Hershey)

Day Three of the "Four Kids and a Puppy Experiment" went pretty well.  I had no voice left by the time dinner was over and felt like I had been run over by a truck...but I'm still alive...hahaha  She only woke us up about 5 times last night, which was a little rough, and of course it was the first night Lawson slept all the way through the night...well timed, Lawson, well timed.  It also could not possibly be a worse week to try to potty train a puppy.  The poor little thing is shaking like a leaf after a minute outside it is SO cold this week.  Well, I guess all you can say is, it can only get better....right???

5 Month Milestone

 Well, we celebrated Lawson turning 5 months today and surviving the hardest months of the newborn haze by....getting a puppy!  Sure, why not!?!?  Uh, yea what were we thinking.  We must just be suckers for cute little faces.

Welcome to the crazy Berad Family, Hershey the Puppy.  She is 11 pounds and a total mutt.  Looks like a mini Lab but her mom looked more like a beagle, so we'll see how big she turns out to be.  Our first day with her went pretty well, so we'll see how this new "adventure" goes.


Driving home with her in the car, we told the kids we'd need to feed her when we got back.  Sienna chimed in, "I'll go upstairs and get my baby bottle!"


She even braved the ridiculously cold temps and snow to got out numerous times today and seems to be doing pretty well with the outdoor potty training.  I can only hope that continues...there is enough peeing and pooping in my house already!

New Addition to the family...

 Oh my goodness I must have totally lost my mind...insanity has taken over because yes, we are getting a new puppy...it TWO DAYS!

We took the kids on a shopping spree to PetSmart tonight and they just went berserk, so excited to pick out toys and a collar for their new little furry friend.  It was a super relaxing trip too, since Lawson had a leaky poopy diaper in the pet store and both he AND Sienna were screaming at the top of their lungs by the time we got to the checkout.  I'm sure just about everyone in the store was looking at us thinking, "These people aren't even qualified to own a pet!"

So off we go again, on another adventure.  I have a pretty good feeling I might be off my rocker by the weekend...

What is Love...baby don't hurt me...don't hurt me...no more

It was truly about as romantic a Valentine's Day as a woman could ever expect.  I mean seriously, who doesn't just swoon at the opportunity to be awoken by a screaming toddler on Saturday morning.  To be jolted from a dead sleep to the screams of "Mama, mama, mama..."  your husband rolling out of bed to grab her before she wakes up the other three kids...the sounds of him rushing to change her and running downstairs with her...still screaming all the way...oh so relaxing.  He even took the three older kids out this morning, super early, in the cold and snow, to run a couple errands while I made pancakes for everyone.  And the trip and fresh air must have worked wonders on Miss Crankypants because the minute she walked back in the door....she was screaming again.  UGH!!

Is it any wonder that when I asked Carter and Reese to get working on their writing projects for school (I had asked them each to start working on writing a short story for a writing contest we saw at the library), they both chose to write about Sienna.  Carter's book is called "Sienna the Bad".  Some excerpts from his book are below...there is more that I didn't include...I was laughing my head off when I saw it...

Trouble and disaster seem to follow this child around like a lonely puppy.  She is a magnet for mayhem, a tornado on cute toddler legs.  She is so intense, so demanding, so LOUD...I just don't know some days how I make it through the whole day without completely losing it.  I was keeping her and Lawson away while Derrick tried to plant some of his first seeds today for the garden.  I lost focus and she wondered in after about an hour...and within 30 seconds of being at the table, she dumped out an entire packet of seeds.  I tried again, desperately, to distract her by reading her some books.  Lawson was fussing and I was trying to feed him while reading to her.  I took a minute to get him settled during which she was thrusting the book in my face screaming, "READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS!!!!"

Tonight after we completely gave in to fatigue and turned on the TV, we were watching one of the kids favorite shows, The Middle, and every time a commercial would come on, Sienna would scream, "THE MIDDLE.  Not this, I don't want THIS!!!"  Who screams at commercials!?!?  I mean I know they are annoying and all but really?

Even putting her to bed when she is dead tired is exhausting.  She wants a certain pair of pajamas, wants to brush her teeth by herself, wants to use Carter's toothpaste (which she can't because she swallows it still), wants a certain diaper, wants to read 5 stories, wants to sleep with about 20 stuffed animals (and knows if one is missing!) and be covered with 5 different blankets, in a certain order.  Got all that??  Good, you can come babysit her tomorrow!

We were talking about favorite foods tonight at dinner and Carter said, "I already know what I would want to have for my next birthday dinner."  "Oh really," I asked, "What?"  "Cow tongue!" he replied.  We had gotten one with our 1/2 cow and my in-laws made it at Christmas...guess he really liked it.  I know...it's so gross, and no I did NOT try it.  But all my kids did like it...  We asked Reese what she would want for her birthday, "Hot dogs!"

Part of the early morning errand running involved a stop at Home Depot where Carter got to pick out paint for his bedroom makeover.  I was so thrilled that he wanted to paint the room his favorite color, which right now just happens to be bright orange.  Oh, I can't wait....

My favorite page...he didn't illustrate it yet...

I Love My Kids...

I Love my kids, I Love my kids, I Love my kids, I Love my kids....I'm like the Little Engine that could, trying to survive another gruelingly long and patience-trying day with the Four Amigos.  Keeping them up late last night did not result in an easier morning as Sienna was up at 6:30, shortly followed by Lawson, then Reese.  I'm a morning person and all, I don't mind being up early, but when it involves the rapid-fire demands of Sienna that change every 30 seconds, well it can be a little overwhelming.  I want a banana, I want water, ICE in it, I want a pancake, I want strawberries, I want an eggy, I want to watch Peppa Pig, she says as she's throwing the remote at my head.  Yes, literally!

In theory, making a huge tub full of kinetic sand today sounded like a great idea.  The kids love it, the stuff costs a boatload to buy in the store.  Why not try recreating it for pennies to the dollar.  I even went so far as to order the play sand online this morning so it would be ready when we got to Home Depot.  I dragged all four kids out, making multiple stops to get the sand and then the cornstarch for this project.  But my confidence in this project began to wane after we returned home.  Even after reading the simple instructions and seeing this other mom's sweet child playing nicely "for 2 whole hours" with the sand...I began to have doubts.  The only thing my kids can all do "nicely" together for 2 whole hours is sleep.  And there is a huge problem with this whole plan, namely, sand should not EVER be IN your house.  I did end up making it while Reese was at a friends' house and Sienna and Lawson were both sleeping so it was just Carter playing with it.  The 30 minutes he helped me mix it and played with it did not make up for the 40 minutes it took me to clean sand off the floor afterwards.  I'm such a sucker for fun-sounding Pinterest projects.  I, now a veteran mom, should know better than to bring sand into my home!

The whole outing to go and buy the sand was interesting too.  I did manage to get the kids rounded up and in the car in record time, which I was proud of.  I left at a time when Lawson was really sleepy....well he was actually sleeping until Sienna screamed in his face just as I was taking them out to the car.  But I figured he'd go back to sleep...  yeah, not so much.  Either he, or Sienna, or both of them screamed and carried on for about 90% of the time we were out.  Sienna performed her now standard shoe and sock removal ceremony in the car, which is oh-so-convenient when you have another screaming baby and are in a hurry and trying to get your errands run as fast as possible.  Every time you stop to get out, now you have to put her socks and shoes back on.  And the whole time you are driving she is crying that she can't put her shoes back on.  Her other constant request in the car, which is really more of an angry demand, is that she be handed a constant supply of varying snacks (usually ones I don't have) AND that she have new water and ICE placed in her cup.  I have tried and tried and tried to explain to her that as much as I'd like to have an ice dispenser in the car, we do not have one.  I have no ice in the car....but she still asks every time we go out.

Fresh air...fresh perspective

 With some rain and warmer temps forecast again for tomorrow, we tried to get out and enjoy the snow for one last day today.  There was a big section of the yard that completely froze over with the rain we had a few days back, so the kids were actually able to ice skate in our yard.  They had fun testing out their new skills!

Lawson even made it out to enjoy the nice morning air.  Everyone will be sad when the snow is gone tomorrow!!

Today was one of those "break-out-a-bottle-of-wine-after-dinner" kind of days for me.  And yes I did have a glass...it was just a really trying day with the kids' attitudes, Sienna not napping and being super difficult again, and just feeling like things are piling up on my to-do list more than ever before.  I do have to keep reminding myself that things will ease up eventually...that this is all just a phase we have to work through...but boy is it tough sometimes.

Sometimes I have to just stop what I'm doing, take a deep breath, and remove myself from all the mayhem going on around me.  Sometimes I do need a dose of fresh perspective to remind myself that everything is going to turn out alright.

I am NOT some supermom...I DO get frustrated (a lot) by my kids.  And I am just so thankful for all the other great moms I know who are a support and encouragement to me, who remind me constantly that we are all going through the same struggles together...we have the same frustrations, the same fears, and at the end of the day, that we love our babies like crazy and wouldn't have it any other way!