Start of Summer

We have survived the first 2 weeks of summer vacation! I was worried if I would be able to survive nearly three full months with all four kids at home with me each and every day, but we are figuring out a rhythm and doing all right.

We spend a lot of time outside riding bikes and scooters. I can't get over how quick these two picked up riding a bicycle. Ellie's bike needs to take another trip to the bike shop as the flat tire we just had replaced seems to have flattened again.
All six of us went to the zoo last weekend. With 5 people requiring admission, one more visit for the year and our pass will have earned its cost. Since I'm sure we'll be there more than that, it was a no-brainer to renew our membership.

Next time we plan a trip for the zoo, we will check the weather report first. As much as I love being constantly sprinkled or rained on, having my hair start to wave and frizz from the wetness and humidity, and trying to keep my children out of all the big puddles, I think the zoo would be a more enjoyable experience with the sun shining.

Hannah had it figured out in her stroller. With the car seat snapped on it, I was able to pull the car seat shade over most of her, pull the stroller shade over that, and she was cocooned in a warm little nest. When we'd get somewhere covered, I'd peek at her to find her warm, dry, and sound asleep. She knows how to do the zoo the right way!

One plus of the rain was that all the animals were close to the glass part of the enclosures so the kids were able to get right up there to see them.

We also took in the dolphin show which Carter thought was absolutely awesome! After every trick, he had to ask me what went on to rehash it. As you can see from the picture, it would have been easier to ask his daddy but he was so excited that he didn't care that he had to lean over Ellie to talk to me.

An early afternoon of sprinkling while we quick looked at the animals was alright, but when we decided to leave, the sprinkles became a bonafide shower. We have one umbrella that covers one person. Take one glance at this picture and you'll be able to figure out who got the umbrella. The older trio didn't mind as they danced and played in the rain and puddles the entire way to the car. Hannah was snug in her nest. I commented to Jake how wrong it was that he was covered while I took the brunt of the rain. His response was that I was already soaked, what good would the umbrella do me now?! We all needed dry clothes when we got home!

This weekend we went swimming at Lifetime. Hannah's too little to actually go in the water but she can still look stylish in her swimsuit while she stands at the edge of the pool with me and occasionally dips her toes in the water.

I love the drool dripping from her mouth in the picture on the right! She's constantly a slobbery mess.

Carter was so tuckered out from swimming that he fell asleep on the couch almost as soon as we got home.

Hannah's also started trying out cereal. She thought it was ok at first.

Then Jake let her suck on a piece of watermelon. Ever since, she makes an awful face and spits out her cereal. Not sure how to move forward on this since veggies are supposed to come before fruits. Having had a small taste of the sweetness of fruits, I don't think this little one will settle for bland green beans or squash. We shall see. I'm holding off on starting actual food until she's 5 months. I did buy her oatmeal so we'll see if she likes that better than rice. Crossing my fingers that we don't have another opinionated Ava on our hands!

That's what we've been up to the first couple weeks of summer. While there are days I want to pull my hair out, there are also good days. Once we settle into a rhythm, I think we will survive. The only hard part is trying to run errands. While I did errands with 3 in the spring, I'd take two carts and stick everybody into a cart so I knew where they were. With Ellie along, the twins want to walk. Ellie is a great shepherd but there are times when the sheep stop listening and all chaos break loose. So we don't get all the errands I'd like done as I don't like dealing with tantrums in public. If only it wasn't against the law and unsafe to lock them all in the car so I could quick run in everywhere I need to go!

The Storm

I awoke to thundering booms, flashes of light, and a downpour around 3:30 this morning. The storm was here. Thankfully Jake had woken up when the rain started and shut the few windows we had left open. I sleep like a rock and not much wakes me when I'm out cold.

This morning, all that was left of the storm was an overcast sky, puddles on the street, and soggy cardboard boxes next to the neighbor's recycling. We had a 9 am infant appointment in the child center for Hannah at the gym and a few errands to run afterwards. Keith, my go-to weatherman, was predicting rain to start up again in the afternoon so the race was on to get everything accomplished and home before we got wet.

Alas, Keith let me down. The afternoon storms never arrived and the rain that was supposed to carry on into the night today seems highly unlikely as I see the sun in the sky. However, we decided to create our own storm today.

The kidlets and I arrived at the gym at 9:10. I had the stroller out, the car seat snapped on to it, the olders unbuckled and standing near the van. I reached into the van to pull out my gym bag with my change of clothes. I then reached for the diaper bag. Except that there was no diaper bag. I had left it at home in the garage next to the spot where my gym bag had been as I had to load my clothing into that bag.

Crap. While the diaper has yet to be needed while at the gym, the bottle was also in the bag. Could the baby survive 2 hours without a bottle? Not likely. Back into the van went everything: kids, gym bag, stroller. 15 minutes later we unloaded again a few rows further from the door. I got the kids dropped off and went upstairs to exercise.

Seventeen minutes into my interval training on the treadmill, I heard the page system fire up. "Would Alissa Wendorff please return to the child center?" Great, I thought, someone needs something. It was Carter, who needed a wiping in the bathroom. I returned upstairs and finished my running. A quick shower later and I was there with 5 minutes to spare on the time I needed to pick Hannah up.

We took our storm cloud of chaos to Target, where the kidlets proceeded to ask if they could have everything in the dollar section. Three jump ropes and three ring toss games and we were able to make our way on to the first item on the list. One meltdown over who got to carry the graham cracker dog biscuits and we were finally able to get home.

We hunkered down for a shower this afternoon but the only storm clouds that hovered near our house were the ones from the girls who didn't want to nap. Ellie's was due to not wanting to lay down with Ava so Ava would go to sleep. Ava's was after Ellie actually fell asleep but decided she didn't want to sleep herself. Finally all little people were asleep in the house and I was able to get some things done.

Now we are heading outside to enjoy a few more minutes of evening light before bedtime. I won't count on there being rain tomorrow and plan lots of activities. Since I was prepared to be stuck inside today and had no rain, if I plan as much as possible for tomorrow, there will probably be rain. I just can't win. I'm also going to find a new weatherman.

The Calm Before the Storm

There's something so satisfying and pleasant in the lead up to a thunderstorm.

Knowing a thunderstorm is in the forecast for the next day or two, there is this hurried frenzy of outdoor activities that everyone needs or wants to get completed. The sound of lawn mowers running, kids playing, and people out enjoying a delightful evening or picking up around the yard abound. The smell of food cooking on the grill permeates the air as many try to get one more grilled dinner in before the oven becomes the only option.

One of the littles suggested steak for dinner and we obliged her with steak kabobs and a hobo packet of potatoes and carrots. While the food cooked, we all played outside kicking around a soccer ball and practiced learning to share and take turns. The littlest dozed on the couch in anticipation of watching us eat the delicious dinner that she helped prep.

Following dinner, the fam headed to the park to run out excess energy that will build up again while cooped up for the next few days. In case she got hungry, the steak requester packed herself a snack: one granola bar, one carrot stick, and two cheetos. A filling snack indeed.....

Not alone in our idea of getting the most out of a decent day in a crappy MN spring and early summer, the park (better known as the nearest school playground) was full of kids. There are three baseball fields at the school and the overflow of bored siblings during ball games had the equipment hopping. The oldest little even found two friends from school to play with. The littlest little stared at all the excitement around her and started planning what items she will terrify us on next year.

I wish I had the words to describe the feeling in the air. I hear from family that I'm a good writer but I often feel that the thoughts in my head don't make it to paper or computer as eloquently as they sound in my head. There was just this feeling of tranquility and peacefulness that surrounded me. Maybe it was being out of the house and somewhere different. Maybe it was seeing the littles play and have fun. Maybe it was not having my attentions constantly requested to take care of this or that.

Whatever the cause, I just know that I felt relaxed and at peace while walking around watching the older trio play and carrying the babe. Perhaps that's where the term "the calm before the storm" comes from. That feeling in the air of the impending electrical activity and those last few moments spent sucking what enjoyment you can get out the weather before you find yourself confined to a dry space.

Carter has found his dry space.

In a humorous side note, Ava is obviously not wearing shorts in this picture. The girl will only wear dresses. This shirt, from the Wendorff Olympics, is long enough to pass as a dress in her eyes. As she climbed around, slid down slides, and hung from bars, her underwear was visible. Here follows a conversation I heard with another little girl:

Girl: Are you wearing shorts?

Ava: No

Girl: Why not?

Unfortunately I didn't hear Ava's response but knowing her, it was likely something along the lines of "just because!" Whatever she said, she decided the conversation was over at that point and proceeded to take another trip down the slide where she again showed everyone her underwear.

Perhaps it plays into my obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but there is something I love about cleaning up and putting everything away at night knowing that while I sleep, the rain will start. One of my secret pleasures is sleeping during rain. All the kids' toys are stowed away in the garage, the patio has been cleaned from our dinner prep and we even went as far as to stack the chairs, cover the grill, and put everything right up by the house in case the storm is as severe as the weatherman claims. I will sleep well knowing that my little domain is safe and secure.

The littles are all snug in their beds, exhausted from an afternoon and evening of playing in fresh, crisp pre-rain air. Everyone has been through the tub, scrubbing the dirt from the playground and the grease and water used to style their hair off. But hey, we just wanted to see if we could make it a mohawk and it was already somewhat greasy from the Aquaphor we are using to keep her eczema under control. Let's just hope this isn't a look she willing tries to replicate when she gets older!

Since I find the calm before the supposed storm so satisfying, I do hope the storm actually comes. After a busy day outside playing, playing, playing, there is a nice counter in a rainy, cool day spent inside snuggling on the couch and watching movies. I've battened down the hatches, let the storm begin!

Chunky Monkey

Hannah had her 4 month check up on Thursday, the 16th. It's safe to say that she's a healthy little baby.
She clocked in at a whopping 15 lbs 11 oz. That puts her weight in the 90%ile!

Her height was 26 inches, placing her in the 97%ile in that area. She's growing well!

Hannah is getting better at lifting her head up but still despises tummy time. It only lasts 5-10 minutes and then she has a meltdown.

She also loves this baby doll.

Everything heads to the mouth where she tries so hard to attack and bite it all. Luckily Hannah has no teeth yet so all the toys, fingers, or hair that she manages to get to her mouth just get gummed pretty good.

Hannah's such a little sweetheart and such a trooper. I had the whole crew with for her appointment and she was the best behaved of all four. She had one oral vaccine and two shots and while she cried, it lasted only a few minutes. We used to carry the twins out while they were still crying because ten minutes would lapse and they still wouldn't settle down. If this is any indication of her personality, she is going to be a very easy-going child! Thank goodness because that's one area we don't have filled yet in this house! We've got high-maintenance (E), precocious and spirited (A), and sweet/violent/sensitive (C) filled already!

Wendorff Weekend

This past weekend was a Wendorff Extravaganza. Holly, Joel, and Olivia came back for the inaugural Wendorff Olympics, which was held Saturday at Jake's uncle's house by Rochester. 51 people were in attendance! It was Pure Bloods versus In Laws. Everyone even had shirts; blue for Pure Bloods and red for In Laws. There was a 3-point contest, 5-on-5 basketball game, whiffleball, 4 person relay race, and tug of war. There were also yard games but I'm not sure if they counted towards the final score. Pure Bloods claim to have won but unless tug of war counted for some serious points, this "fact" is questioned by all In Laws. Unfortunately, scoring was kept by a Pure Blood so all accuracy was lost!

I had the camera but the only pictures taken on it were by Ava during the basketball game. She photographed the lawn chairs and the players' legs. I decided that they weren't keep worthy so at this point in time, I have no pictures from Saturday.

Friday night we grilled out at Jake's parents and we went back on Sunday for an Italian lunch. We all had a good time and it makes us all wish that Holly and Joel would make a permanent move to Minnesota.

Here is Jake, Olivia, Hannah, and me. Tony is also in the picture in the back!

Saturday was cloudy and not very warm so being the great mom that I am, I didn't sunscreen anyone. We all got burned. So Sunday, Hannah had to hang out in the shade under the deck by herself.

Hannah had a long talk with this baby!

The 2011 Wendorff Cousins. From L-R, Hannah: February 5; Baby Kunkel bump (and Amanda): due November 6; Baby Zimmermann bump (and Holly): due November 22. I love this photo for several reasons. We have dubbed Hannah "the Floating Baby" and I love how her hair is so prominent! That tuft is not going anywhere soon!

We had a great weekend and can't wait until the entire Wendorff clan is together again. Next time, we'll be bringing sunscreen though!

We have a busy summer ahead of us as Holly and Joel may be back in July, Holly will be back in August for a baby shower for Amanda, and my family will be back for a mini-Ramaker reunion and the large Majeski reunion. We can't wait to get to spend more time with everyone!

The Little Bit of Me

Sadly, I don't think one of my children looks like me. Ava is probably the closest with her brown eyes but when I see her next to Jake, she has the same face shape as he does. I don't see much of myself in Ellie. Carter is obviously a mini-Jake and I keep hearing how Hannah looks like Carter, which will likely make her a mini-Jake as well.

Someone told me that while none of them may look specifically like me, we all look like we belong together. Small consolation for the fact that not one in four resembles me.

However, I find little pieces of myself in each one and when I do, I shout it from the rooftops. I'll take what I can get, but gosh darn it, you will hear about it many times so that you know they take after me as well.

Hannah has been lucky enough to be blessed with my elf ears. We both have the fortune of having our ears stick out a bit on the top. While she'll probably despise this trait as she gets old since your ears generally stick out from underneath your hair (they are great for tucking hair behind ears though!), I will be happy until that day that we have something in common.


After studying this picture thoroughly to see if there is anything else she has, she might have my nose. Maybe?

4 Months Old!

It's hard to believe this little lady is 4 months old now! She is the happiest baby. She smiles nonstop. In fact, when I tried to take pictures of her yesterday, she was so happy that her smiles are so big that they don't even look like smiles!

I propped her on the couch for her pictures and she leaned forward and tried to sit up on her own!

So excited that she had to hide her face!

A very healthy baby, as evidenced by her thighs!

Pic taken this morning to prove that this baby is always all smiles!

Hannah loves the exersaucer and jumperoo. They allow her to be up and able to see what is happening but give her a shield so that her brother and sisters can't love on her too intensely. She also spins in circles on the floor when on her back. Hannah does not like tummy time so we have to get inventive with how she practices lifting her head. She does get herself from her back to one side though. I wouldn't be surprised if she rolls back to front before she rolls tummy to back. She's too busy being mad when on her tummy to figure out that she can change the position if she practices hard enough!

There's something about Hannah that seems familiar to me. I'm going to have to dig out photos of Ellie and Carter to see if she looks like one of them. Maybe she's just familiar to my heart (aww, how's that for poetic!). Regardless, she is such a joy and everyone here loves her!

I'll Get It Together. Someday.......

Someday I really will catch up with everything I'm behind on. I have half-finished projects everywhere, well-meaning intentions to do this, this, and that, and four children that I bore and a fifth that I adopted (oops, I mean married) that need daily care. I want to wrap everything up but there always seems to be something that prevents that from happening. Although all the children do get fed, bathed, and clean clothes so I guess that should count for something. Anyway, as I am still working on all my projects (at least 5, closer to 7 things I'd like to get done right now), here is what has actually been accomplished around here:


Park:
We play at the park like it is our job. I love this age because Jake and I can sit there watching the kids run around and we don't have to be worried that someone is going to catapult through an opening and face plant ten feet below onto sharp wood chips. Next year, it will be back to running around with my heart in my throat as a toddler explores and tests limits that should never be tested but this year I can sit back and enjoy the time at the park.

We are on the verge of giving up the afternoon naps so on days with no naps and afternoons of parks and bikes and lots of energy, the twinks get out of the tub and don't always make it into their beds before they collapse.

Great-Grandparent Visit:

We took a trip down to visit the final set of great-grandparents that hadn't met Hannah yet. Here she is with Grandma Dolly and Grandpa Bob. We had a great visit, although I have the feeling that when we leave, a huge sigh of relief and exhaustion is experienced by all! The mobile children get amped up when we are somewhere different and were full of energy!

Chillaxin':

We spend a lot of time in the garage and driveway riding bikes and scooters, hanging from the tree out front like monkeys, grilling, and entertaining all the neighborhood kids. (Where are all their parents anyway? Are we the only adults who actually play outside with their children?!)

Not a huge fan of the sun in her eyes, I found these shades for the Banana to wear while out.

She rocks 'em.

Anyway, that's what does get accomplished around here. This weekend I intend to crack down and wrap up all the projects I have going on. Ellie finishes school the 9th and I'd like to have a clean slate to start summer with. Time to get crackin'!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Children always have the most interesting things to say. Whether it is due to their take on life or the lack of filter, it is funny regardless. Here are some of the things heard in our house lately:

Ava- "Girls don't drink wine or beer. They can drink iced tea" This was in response to my having a glass of wine one night and a beer another. Both solicited tears in her, which is when she told me this. "Wine and beer will make you sick" is another I've heard!

Carter- I asked him if he had to go potty one day. "Boys don't potty," he told me. "They pee. Girls go potty." Not sure where he came up with this difference in terminology but I get corrected everytime I ask him about pottying. Carter only pees now.

Hannah- I'm not sure what she's saying here but the baby is a chatterbox. She's always been a noisy baby but is really coming into her voice now. Her favorite time to practice using it is when she and I are laying with Carter and Ava to get them to take a nap. It's so quiet that she can't resist making a little noise!