Look What Summer Brings

This summer has been very different than others.  Mostly because I feel greatly outnumbered and overwhelmed as I attempt to keep up with laundry, dishes, feeding 5 kiddos, not to mention the mess that 5 kiddos make as they create, pretend and enjoy summer vacation.  A few weeks ago I sat on the couch nursing Jacob looking around at my house and wanted to cry.  Then I thought, Tracy just embrace the mess!

 

This is what my house looks like 90% of the time this summer (I think it drives Paul crazy). As I have come to "embrace the mess" I have realized that I am happier, I yell less, the kids fight less and we enjoy each other more.  Sometimes it gets cleaned up at night before bed other times it waits until the end of the week when it is time to vacuum and mop.  It is a little embarrassing when someone comes to the door to have them see the disaster in my living room, but then I just remind myself that we live in a home, not a museum.

One day not too long ago Jacob was starving, or so he thought, and needed to eat.  That meant the rest of the kiddos were going to have to wait for their lunch until after Jacob was done nursing.  Apparently Sarah didn't want to wait and took matters into her own hands . . .

When I was done nursing Jacob I walked into the kitchen to find Sarah making her very favorite lunch; a strawberry jam sandwich.  No one had taught her or told her to do this. Way to go Sarah! She has discovered that sandwich making is a very useful skill, as I have found her since then making her self a little snack with strawberry jam whenever she is hungry.  If we are out of bread she thinks tortillas work just as good.

Several years ago Rachel received a bike for her birthday.  We moved shortly after that and she has hardly ridden her bike since because she claims that our roads are too bumpy.  Thus she has never learned to ride a bike without training wheels.  For some time now we have been talking about going to the church parking lot where it is smooth to teach Rachel how to ride her bike without the training wheels.  It just hasn't happened, partly because we forget, partly because Rachel never asks to go.  Well the other day Paul was talking to her about taking the training wheels off and having her ride around the sidewalk in the backyard.

We made a deal with Rachel as an incentive to want to try.  So last Friday I had a few minutes I could devote to this.  I held on to the back of the bike seat once for the length of the patio and back, she did great.  I wanted to see how wobbly she would be without my help so I told her to just try it on her own.  To my utter amazement she rode off all by herself without a wobble or tip at all.  What?  She learned to ride in a matter of minutes.

In order to receive her reward (a Friends Lego set) she had to ride the length of a level street in the neighborhood (our street has a small slope).  She walked her bike up the little hill to the street and off she went.  Wow!  She even wanted to try riding home down the little hill.  I am baffled at how easy this was for her.  I am wondering if all the scooter riding she does in the backyard has taught her how to balance and has taken the fear of the bike away. Way to go Rachel!

Summer brings with it new discoveries and new adventures.  My girls are in Utah this week with Paul's sister having many great adventures with their cousins. (My house is unusually quiet without them). I am surrounded by boys for a change, and I believe John is realizing just how boring I am but hopefully before the week is over we will have a few adventures of our own. 

I wonder what the rest of the summer will bring?