Oh, they're fine!

In order to finally post another entry (I know it's been a while), I'm letting Jonah and James run around the house, through the forbidden living room, and allowing Jack and Jed to cry in their baby chairs. Negligence? I think not. Necessary? Yes. That's how I remain sane from day to day. As long as no one's going to get hurt (OK, no guarantee of that with the two older ones dodging doors and each other), I just have to let some things go to have a moment to gather my thoughts or eat or breathe or, in this instance, give an update. Jack and Jed just turned 7 months old - PTL! They love rice cereal, applesauce, peas and carrots (all in pureed form, of course), and they are sleeping through the night! God is so good - His blessings are abundant with four healthy sons and a loving husband, too! Now, if He can only get Rolfe, our 100 lb. German shepherd, to stop eating the fertilizer in the backyard, then life would be REALLY swell. OK, moment over.

Time Out

Last Sunday Justin and I gave ourselves a "time out" - actually, it was made possible by my brother and sister-in-law, who offered to babysit all 4 boys so we could get a much-needed break. The last time the two of us went out together was 3 1/2 months ago, so we were SO looking forward to it! After a nice relaxing lunch at Islands, where we watched half of the Chargers v. Raiders game, we went and saw The Kingdom. I must admit that I really wasn't interested in seeing it, and I had alternative plans of taking a nap in the theater if I didn't like it. Well, it turned out to be much better than I thought. The underlying story of family beneath the main plot of good v. evil was what appealed to me. Though the acting is good, I had to get past the violent scenes and language. It made me appreciate our life here in the U.S. and I actually looked forward to coming back and picking up our sons.

So now it's been 3 days since Justin and I had our time off - I was ready for another break 2 days ago.

I Spy

Remember that game "I Spy" you played when you were little? Well, Jonah and James have reached the age where they "play" it in the car:

James: I spy something that is ...blue!
Jonah: The sky! The sky is blue!
James (mumbling to himself): Something that is blue... Yes! The sky is blue!

Then just today:

James: I spy something that is--
Jonah: --white! Something that is white!
James: Yes, white!
Jonah: The car! The car is white!
James: Yes, the car is white! You got it, Jonah!

I just love to sit back and listen.

Have You Ever Wondered?

Have you ever come home after a long day at work and wondered why food is covering the floor, dinner isn't ready or your wife has that "Thank God you are home!" look on her face?

Today, Josephine took Jonah and James out, did some errands and then got a hour away from home by herself. I spent lots of quality time with the twins. It was a good day but a busy one.

Days like this help me appreciate my wife and moms everywhere.

1/2 year old!

We made it - with lots of prayer and by the grace of God Jedidiah and Jack are six months old today! Let's see - smiling and laughing: check. Holding heads up: sorta. Rolling over: check. Grasping objects: check. Mouthing objects: check. Sleeping through the night: nope. So far, so good, I suppose. I think our favorite new sound is Jedidiah's impersonation of a Sleestak from Land of the Lost (think heavy saliva-filled breathing). Jed can also frequently be heard entertaining himself in his playpen by practicing his vowel sounds. Jack is more content staring at his hands, which are often clenched into fists. Hopefully the coming weeks will find them sleeping until dawn and entering into the world of solid foods. Rice cereal, here we come!

Messin' Around

I realize it's been a few weeks since my last entry - Jack and Jedidiah still aren't sleeping through the night :-( and they're more active during the day! Since they tend to wake each other up, we've had them sleeping in separate rooms for the past few months. Jedidiah sleeps in a playpen in the office and Jack sleeps in a crib in their room. A friend said we're defining their preferences, that Jed will be the one who prefers camping and that Jack would rather stay at the Ritz. Maybe that's true, but at least when they're awake they get along well - for the most part. Sometimes I put them in the same crib or on the floor for "together time", and they're fine until one starts touching the other one too much. It's not always the same baby who does the bugging, but eventually one gets tired of the other and starts complaining. I think that's what happened in the womb. There must have been a lot of "He touched me!" or "He's on my side!" complaints in utero that went unresolved, so they just said "We've had enough-let's just get out of here!" That's my theory, anyway.

C'mon get happy!

Sometimes God gives me glimpses into the future. Having four boys is certainly challenging, but since Jack and Jedidiah have started to smile and laugh, the good Lord is starting to make things more fun. Now Jonah and James can talk to the babies and entertain them more, and before I know it they'll all be jumping on the bed, screaming and pouncing on each other and having a great time. Hopefully by that time they'll also be taking out the trash and cleaning the bathrooms (at least the older ones). That'll be the day when you see us at church or at Costco or at the mall - mommy and daddy and all the little ones following behind - hence "The Partridge Family" reference (BTW, I'm first in line and Justin is #2. No, we aren't expecting a 5th child - are you MAD?!). That's pretty much the only thing we have in common with the Partridges - we don't have plans for a musical tour or a multicolored bus, but I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get my hands on one of those sweet burgundy velvet suits.