A Day in the Life of Bou Bear

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking. This is actually a pretty typical day for her - I just happened to be in a good enough mood to laugh it off and grab the camera!

12:30 PM - We've been trying to drill into her lately the importance of wiping herself after doing her business . . . at least she's trying!

3:30 PM - I was downstairs doing laundry and trying to find some Christmas music for guitar when, unknown to me, Kari Bou woke up from her nap and decided to help herself to my large bar of Hershey's dark chocolate. She ate all but 2 small sections before I discovered her.

3:40 - Malachi woke up and needed to eat before I had a chance to get her another shirt. After feeding him, I went downstairs to find her strumming my guitar. Upon seeing me, she immediately shoved nearly all of my pics down the soundhole, grabbed a pair of scissors and tried to cut the strings.

4:30 - I was throwing together some dinner when I overheard her telling her teddy bear, "No, no - that's disgusting." Apparently, he had pooped a cotton ball on the living room carpet and she was giving him a scolding.

The thought of her someday scolding her own children for stunts similar to these strikes me as pretty funny . . .

Have Yourself a Merry Little Shopping Trip

Have you ever watched one of those nature shows where starving wolves tear into some helpless animal they've cornered and worn down? Eyes glitter with a frienzied thirst for blood; saliva drips from bared teeth; every muscle strains as greedy jaws tear into the feast at hand.

I witnessed, and in fact participated in, the human equivalent to such a scene just this weekend. I am not describing Thanksgiving dinner with either Danny's or my family - although both were delicious and well worth tearing into! No, the harrowing experience I speak of, from which I narrowly escaped with my life and sanity, is a trip to Wal-Mart. What made this one different from all the others? Timing.

For the past several years, I have made the trip to a large mall about an hour away. This year I decided - no more. This year, I'm keeping it simple. I combed the Wal-Mart and K-Mart ads, looking for Christmas gifts and clothing for the kids, and meticulously listing each item I wished to purchase, along with the sale price and day it went on sale. Wednesday and Thursday I purchased a couple of items, but of course, they sale day to beat all sale days was Friday. I thought this year would be easy - just a few local stores and no long trips and angry crowds to deal with.

And then the clock struck 5.

I congratulated myself for pulling into the parking lot a full 10 minutes before the hour, and then spent about 8 minutes driving around searching for a place to park. I finally found one, at the remotest corner on the lot, and squeezed into it. I hiked up to the store and the frenzy began.

As soon as I set foot inside, I had to literally jump to the side as people grabbed for carts. It was some kind of Christmas miracle that I actually found myself pushing one toward the toy aisles a couple of minutes later. Meanwhile the magic hour had arrived. Bleary-eyed employees ripped plastic from boxes and crates in the aisle, revealing glittering mountains of toys in all their splendor.

Literally within 3 minutes, I saw shopping carts piled high with dozens of items, from MegaBlocks to Magnadoodles. The aisle was a mass of arms and hands and crazy eyes as half the city piled in for the kill.

I discovered something as I frantically tried to avoid being sucked into the toy-grabbing vortex: this kind of frenzy is contagious. I found myself - in spite of my carefully compiled list - mindlessly throwing item after item into my cart, until it was as ridiculously full as every other cart around. The blood rushed to my head and sweat soaked my shirt as I rushed through the store (as fast as you can rush through hundreds of shoppers and carts). Was this due to the power of suggestion? Or because the sales were just too hard to pass up? Or because of the greed that lurks in my own heart, just as much as in anyone else's? Most likely all of the above.

As if we hadn't had enough, we all rushed to K-Mart at 6, where we repeated the scene.

But maybe the saddest thing of all is that I know with absolute certainty that I will go through it all again next year. After the above account, you may well ask why. And I'll tell you: it's the female hunter/gatherer instinct. An ad for a huge sale, to me, is like the smell of blood to a wolf. I can't stay away. And when I return home after the kill, it's a high like no other. To be able to boast that I found all of the items on my list (and then some), for less than half the normal price - not to mention that I actually grabbed the LAST ONE of several different toys - well, it's addictive (and kind of stupid).

So call me a ravenous wolf. This predator can't wait to see the looks on her kids' faces on Christmas day when her hunting finally pays off. Oh yeah . . . and we'll probably read the story of the REAL meaning of Christmas then, too.

Fall Fun

For the past couple of weeks, we've been trying to settle into more of a routine (whatever that is). The kiddos still have their moments - and days - but lately I've actually been able to run errands with all four of them without too much trouble. (The free cookies handed out by the Wal-Mart bakery have provided great incentive; I've found I'm not above bribery in certain situations.)

Rachel, Zeke and Karis all love their little bro. Each one tries to help in his or her own way, as in the example to the left. Zeke discovered some old earmuffs and decided to help keep Malachi warm while we went out. Malachi was thrilled, as usual. I love this picture because if you can imagine away the infant seat, and pretend the earmuffs are actually headphones, it looks like he's in the recording studio, singing his little heart out.

It's been a full, and fun, couple of weeks. Saturday we watched the OSU/Michigan game with some friends, then headed out later in the evening for a horse & carriage parade. The kids were riveted, watching the horses with their festive decorations and brightly lit carriages. One particular carriage held a family who was obvisouly nuts - they had four kids and the oldest couldn't have been older than 5. I'm just glad the game was in the afternoon; last year the kids and I went to the parade without Danny!

Thanks to the warmer weather as of late, we've spent a lot of time outdoors, mostly raking (me) and doing our best to then scatter the newly-raked piles back over the lawn (the kiddos). I did manage to get a few cute shots of them together. I also got ambitious the other day and decided to try to take some pictures of Malachi in the leaves since he seemed to be in an OK mood.
Oh well - there's always next year! Believe it or not, he has started smiling and cooing much more lately. I tell you what - when he looks up and me and his little face lights up in a huge smile, I turn to mush. There just isn't anything I wouldn't do for the little guy. One of these days, I will capture him smiling on film . . .

We also decided to join our local YMCA this week. The best feature is the free childcare - I can actually go and work out in the mornings for a while. I'm embarrassed to say how long it's been since I've exercised. Yesterday, I dropped the kiddos off and got in a full 20 minutes before I was called back to the childcare area because they didn't know what to do with Malachi, who was "fidgety and fussy." So I strapped him into a front carrier and was ready to take him for a walk up on the track, when Karis started crying due to pee-soaked jeans, socks and shoes. She's been doing this about every third day for the past several weeks - usually when we're not home. Well, I guess 20 minutes on the elliptical is better than nothing!

And now, here I am typing away at 5:30 on Thanksgiving morning. When Malachi wakes up to eat at 5:00, there's really no point in going back to bed, and I get all giddy thinking about how much I can accomplish before the others wake up at 6:30 or 7. And then I just decide to waste the whole time typing and posting pictures . . .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

'Tis the Season to be Thankful

I was hauling boxes and dishes out to the car yesterday to give back to people at church, and I started thinking about how fortunate I am . . .

. . . for 6 friends and 2 sisters who loaned me maternity clothes - since I ended up needing just about every season in every conceivable size!

. . . for weeks of meals people took the time to make or spent the money to buy and bring over; and for sweet, thoughtful gifts and cards for Malachi, and for Danny & me and the other kiddos as well

. . . for friends who have watched the kiddos so we could have a date night

. . . for a mother and a mother-in-law who spent days helping me and taking care of the 3 munchkins while we were in the hospital and for several weeks afterward

. . . for a husband who helps with the dishes, changes dirty diapers, and loves to spend time with the kids and with me; and who sets a good example of thankfulness



And it hit me once again at our communion service last night, how grateful I am for the word BUT:

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins . . . we were by nature objects of wrath . . .

BUT!!!

. . . because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ . . . it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:1-5

How thankful I am for that one "little" word!

Compromise

OK, I've been "meme" tagged. I'm supposed to list 5 interesting things about myself and then tag 3 others to do the same. I'm usually the party pooper who breaks the chain; and I'm sorry to say I'm going to be that person again this time, except that I decided to partially play along and list 5 interesting things about myself. The munchkins usually take center stage in my posts these days, and I decided it's high time to showcase myself. (I'm sure there's a verse about that in the Bible somewhere.) To make up for not tagging anyone, I am listing 10 things, in no particular order:

1. Two of my toes grew together in high school. (long, painful and very gross story - I'll spare you the details)

2. When I was growing up, the worst punishment my parents could give me was to ground me from reading.

3. I do not have a sweet tooth (except when it comes to dark chocolate). In fact, I would rather have a bowl of corn for a snack, than cake or candy. Also, I love to save leftover cobs of corn and eat them cold.

4. I took a Russian language class in college on a dare, and loved it so much I ended up minoring in it, which involved 2 years of Russian classes, and one semester actually spent going to college in Russia.

5. My favorite outdoor activity is downhill skiing. I've only gone twice.

6. I have always wanted to sing the part of the Narrater in the musical Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.

7. I was a Bible quizzer for 5 years, and then coached our church team for 2 years and our district team for one. (which is why Danny sometimes likes to call me "Quiz Nerd")

8. I've lived in Nebraska (9 years), Virginia (2 years), Indiana (5 years) and Ohio (all the other years). One year, we filed taxes for 3 different states. The next year, we hired a professional.

9. I once had a hair about 3 inches long on my stomach.

10. About twice a week, I sing "Candle on the Water" to my kids before they go to sleep (their request!)

Woo Hoo!

Some REALLY COOL things have been happening around the Wright household . . .

Rachel is learning to read! She's been working on sight words for the past month or so: we, see, me, my, the, a, look, here, at, is. She's also done a lot with short and long vowel sounds. Yesterday, her teacher sent her home with 4 little "keep books" (ironically, she had to return them to the teacher today), which used many of her sight words, as well as other simple words she was able to sound out. While Malachi ate, we went through the books together, and she was able to read most of them on her own! The best part was seeing the elation on her face when she realized she was actually reading. She's been sounding out words when we go places, too, like S-T-O-P, and M-E-N (on a restroom door), etc. Her teacher is very big on parental involvement in the learning process, which was annoying at first, with everything we've had going on the past 6 weeks. But it's forced me to make the time to work with her, and I LOVE it.

She's also stopped asking me every night if she's going to burn to death in a fire after she goes to sleep. And it's been several days since we've had a discussion about her school bus or our van catching fire. Hey, it's progress . . .

Zekers has become a memorizing machine. Now that Rach is in Sparks (AWANA), she learns 2-3 verses per week, and has been somewhat resistant at times. A couple of weeks ago, when she kicked up a fuss and refused to learn the reference to one of her verses, I was about to throw up my hands in frustration, when I heard Zekers pipe up from the other end of the table: "Romans 1:16". I couldn't believe it - he seemed to be paying no attention while we worked on the verses, but could not only say some of the references, he quoted James 2:10 to me: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point, is guilty of breaking all of it." And now, all I have to do when trying to work with Rach, is look at Zekers and mention nonchalantly, "Well, your brother probably knows it", and bam! she makes sure she says her verse before he has a chance to show her up! It's hilarious. And he actually asks me to work on his Cubbies verse with him every week.

His vocabulary cracks me up. Today before I spanked him for kicking Rachel in the face, he bleated out, "But she provoked me!" (which, I have no doubt, was true)

Kari Bou memorized her very first verse this week. I was experiencing pangs of guilt because I hadn't taken time to work with her on her Sunday School verse for the month. Frankly, I didn't expect her to be able to learn verses yet. But with the other 2 working on theirs, she actually wanted to learn one of her own! Now when they say their verses, she loves to interject "This is My Son . . .Listen to Him."

Kari Bou and Zekers have also been playing together really well this week. Some days are still better than others, but it's so sweet to watch them run around together outside, and start to share with each other a little more. I've decided that maybe we need to just spank all three of them as soon as they get up, just to start the day off right! (just kidding . . .sort of) It seems like after they've had a spanking or 2, things get much better from there.

And finally . . . Kai smiled at me for the first time today! He opened his mouth wide in a huge grin and even made noises that sounded a little like laughter when I would make silly faces at him. Of course, later on, I made the same faces and he cried. But that one smile was pretty great. He's also seemed much more content the past few days. He still has long crying spells, but he's gradually spending more time just looking around - being awake and not crying. I think it's helping that he can see a little better now; he's keenly interested in what's around him.

As for me: I found out a couple of days ago that I'm going to be facilitating our small group discussion for the Daniel study next Tuesday when Linda, our regular facilitator, is out of town. (It was by default - no one else in our group wanted to do it!)Man oh man - knowing I'm going to be doing that is causing me to study this week's material in a whole new way, and it has been incredible. Funny how I get more out of the study when I actually take the time to absorb it rather than rushing through it as fast as possible just to get it done. I want to go on and on, and I plan to in a later post! But for now, I simply feel very, very convicted/challenged/blessed and I'm just 2 days into the week's work.

It's pretty amazing the way that God works. This has been a long week, and last night was the worst one we've had in several weeks, so I started off the day tired and grumpy. But God has given me so many reasons to smile today, and reminded me continuously of all that I have to be thankful for.

And now, just for the fun of it . . .




Do you notice a common thread here?

Visitors

I wanted to post some super-cute pix from last weekend, when both of my sisters and their families came to visit. Hannah, Kenneth, Esther and Luke came in the morning, on their way to the pumpkin patch where we went last month, and Sarah, Anthony and Addie came later in the morning and stayed most of the day. It was fun getting to see them and hang out for a while. I may be a little biased, but I think my nieces and nephew are some of the cutest kids I've ever seen!



What really blew me away was the magnetic draw of the baby toys we brought down from the attic for Addie. Who knew that a bunch of rattles & cloth blocks could so mesmerize a kindergartener, a preschooler and a toddler?? My munchkins played with the baby toys way more than Addie that day - and for a full week afterward. That settles it: I'm putting most of their toys in the attic for several months and giving them to the kiddos as birthday gifts! Hey, it would save some money, and some shopping time . . .



We accomplished the nearly-impossible, and managed to get a halfway-decent picture of all 7 cousins. My parents have gone from 4 grandkids to 7 in just 8 months. Christmas certainly won't be boring this year!








And I just had to put up this last picture - Malachi's one-month "portrait," taken in a rare moment when he wasn't either eating, sleeping, or crying! He weighs a little over 10 lbs and is 22.25 inches long - he's in the whopping 50th percentile for weight. I am doing cartwheels because I've never had a child this age make it past the 5th percentile. The kiddos love holding him, talking to him, and trying to shove a binky into his mouth; Rachel has actually been a huge help, and even Kari Bou will throw an occasional dirty diaper into the trash. And amazingly, no one has suggested sending him back. So far so good. Happy one-month anniversary, Kai!

Just Another Manic Monday (& Tuesday)

Enough craziness transpired yesterday morning alone to fill 3 or 4 posts. And then came the afternoon . . . and then the evening . . . and today . . .

Pretty much every game and toy involving numerous small parts has ended up scattered around the house in the last 24 hours.

Kari Bou decided her stuffed bear needed to take a bath . . . in the toilet.

While I was feeding Kai, Kari Bou discovered a way to get into the candy bags our neighbors brought over for the kids, and helped herself to half a dozen Milky Way bars, which she drooled all over her shirt, jeans, and the newly-cleaned carpet.

Still feeding Kai, I took off her shirt to stain treat it, at which time she proceeded to run outside half naked. Zekers ran after her, dragged her back to the porch and tried to give her a spanking for disobeying him when he told her to come back.

Another time while I fed Kai: see above picture.

I came upstairs, after tending to several loads of laundry (which, by the way, has been absolutely kicking my hiney), to find Zekers and Kari Bou in Kai's room, where I had left him peacefully sleeping. This is NEVER a good thing. They had actually buried him under a mountain of stuffed animals from the toy chest - in an effort to "help him sleep better." (the second time this has happened)

While cleaning up Karis after lunch (You've never seen a disaster like her face, hands, and the entire area surrounding her chair after a meal) I heard Kai crying in the living room, and then what sounded like muffled screams. I ran to him, in time to see Zekers pinching his lips together to keep him from crying.

Rachel would periodically holler ever-so-helpful things throughout the moring: "Mom, Kai is puking his guts up!" or "Mom! Karis looks like she has 2 slugs coming out her nose!" (we've been having snot issues for the last few days)

Speaking of snot issues, Karis alternated between sneezing directly into Kai's face, and sucking on his binky and then giving it back to him. (I can't figure out why he now has a cold)

Everyone who calls my cell phone hears at least 5 seconds of background bedlam before I have a chance to say anything.

The munchkins have finally found a system that works for them: Karis and Zekers fight, scream, and maul each other, and Rachel gives me a play-by-play of what's going on, as well as an op-ed on what their punishment should be.

Kai wailed pretty much all morning, most of the afternoon, and all evening.

Kai also decided it would be fun, while in his little bathtub, to pee in a perfect arc into his bathwater and then onto my leg. It was so much fun that he repeated himself this morning - but this time, it was all over Kari Bou and myself, forcing us both to change clothes as we got ready to leave for our Tuesday morning Bible study.

Karis decided to mash red play doh into her hair (and her mouth)

And after all this, my sweet little Rachel informed me that I'm "like the wicked stepmother" and she's like Cinderella, because she has to do everything for me. (This, after I had the audacity to ask her to pick up several dozen crayons she'd spilled on the dining room floor)

I discovered 3 gray hairs this afternoon, and I can't figure out where they came from!

Why I Haven't Written Much Lately

This pretty much sums it up! I'm hoping that soon little Kai (what I like to call him) will learn to eat in less than an hour. I'm all for breastfeeding, but with three other munchkins tugging at me, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. At nighttime feedings, he eats for an hour and then hiccups for about half an hour. So sad . . .

I know it's not a good idea to use the TV as a babysitter, but today, I had about enough steam to flip on Barney before I crashed on the sofa for a 15-minute nap after lunch. I was awakened by Karis chucking legos at my head.











This weekend Danny married a young couple from our church - the last wedding of 6 he's done this year. It was a really beautiful outdoor ceremony at a park 45 minutes from here. Rachel and Kai went with us, and Zekers and Kari Bou went to a scarecrow convention at a different park with Grandma Miller. I don't know whether I should be concerned that my son was more excited about the mermaid scarecrow than about any of the others!

Sunday, we had a semi-surprise visit from my grandma and aunt who live over 3 hours away, and whom I haven't seen in 1 1/2 years. Grandma called Thursday to say they'd be here Sunday afternoon, and sure enough, when I got home from church, they were here waiting for us - with more homemade applesauce than I've ever seen in my life. They filled both our freezers with it, and stayed for most of the afternoon. The kiddos were particularly excited about the M&Ms and cheese puffs they brought with them.

And it's time for another feeding. . .

Pumpkins and Apples

Saturday, we took our annual family trip to a local pumpkin patch with the kids. The price seems to go up every year - this year it was $6 per person (over 4). But there's so much for kids to do! There's a zip-line swing, a huge tunnel slide that runs down the side of a steep hill, a small forest full of storybook characters (Peter Pan on a gigantic pirate ship, the castle from Beauty and the Beast, the cottage of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves), a corn maze, hay wagons, farm animals, a pumpkin patch, a "caterpillar wagon" ride, a corn crib and bales of hay to play in, and a play area with horses made out of tires and a "hay maze", among other things. Danny and I also love the little bakery where you can get fresh-baked cookies, fruit turnovers and apple fritters. Mmmmmm.

So here's some snapshots of our day:


The 3 Musketeers on top of a giant straw turkey


A highlight of Rachel's day was having her picture taken with one of her heroes.


Kari Bou, on the other hand, wasn't so sure about the giant cut-out character thing


The zip-line swing was a big hit!


"Monster Mountain" (which Zekers insists on calling "Monster Valley")


Most dreaded words to hear in the middle of a corn maze: "I have to go potty, Mommy!"


How Baby Malachi spent most of the day


The kiddos could have spent several hours just playing with dry corn. Turns out, we took many souveniers home with us, in their clothes, shoes and underwear.


The caterpillar ride

The most interesting segment of the afternoon was taking all three kiddos into the port-a-john with me! We'd taken a hayride from the corn maze to the front of the farm, and Danny came separately with Malachi. So, there was no help for it. It was a bit crowded, and the kids were a little freaked out ("It's not a real toilet, Mom!"). Kari Bou flatly refused to use it, but the others eventually worked up the courage.

Afterward, we came home, immediately bathed the kids, ate dinner and finished out the evening by watching Finding Nemo. Not a bad way to spend the day. Unfortunately, I realized I didn't get any "pumpkin pictures" with the kids. Oh well - maybe next year (if the price doesn't go up again!)

Family Week

I was convinced that after giving birth for the fourth time, I'd want nothing more than to jump back into my life as quickly as possible. I enjoy being active and there aren't too many days we just hang out at home.

Well . . . let me just say, I've never enjoyed spending a week doing absolutely nothing this much! Danny was able to take a week off from work, and we pretty much devoted the week to spending time with the kids and each other, and making sure Malachi got on a good eating/sleeping schedule. We're still working on that one, but we're off to a good start!

For the last 3 evenings before it got colder, we took a walk as a family, and twice went to a park near our house. I have the best memories from these times - watching Zekers tear up the pavement with his big wheel; laughing at the kids' hair as they came down the spiral slide; sitting with Malachi while Danny played basketball with the other 3 (it's easy to slam dunk when the hoop is about 3 feet high); staying up late with Danny, just talking (OK, and watching The Office). It has also been so cool to just spend time bonding with little Malachi, since he spends about 1/3 of each day just eating. Hopefully he'll get a little faster before too long.

It's not like everything's been perfect or completely stress-free. The kids have been a lot more emotional and quarrelsome with each other. Malachi refuses to sleep on his back. Rachel's been giving us the attitude of a 13-yr-old for the past few days. Karis has gotten more defiant (is that even possible?). And yes, we're all a little sleep-deprived.

But overall, it's been a good week. How could it not be, when we've had the most amazing meals and I didn't even have to cook them?? I also had to laugh when I realized that every single picture I have from the last week is of someone on the couch! More than anything, I've discovered all over again how much I love the family God has given me - how fortunate we are to have each other - and how happy I am to be able to stay home and care for them.

I'm a little nervous about how everything's going to be when I make that first trip to Wal-Mart with all 4 kids, or get all of them ready for church without Danny (he has to be there much earlier than we do!). I don't know how it's all going to work, but I'm sure it will provide plenty of material for future posts, at any rate!

My Malachi

It's official . . . I'm in love with three men.

Malachi Joel Wright made his big entrance at 11:42 pm on Wednesday, October 3rd. He weighed 8-12 and was 21.25 inches long.

I was just convinced that since Kari's birth was so fast, the doctor probably wouldn't even have time to get there for his. Haha! It barely took any pitocin before the contractions began, but 7 hours later, we were all wondering whether his birthday would be on the 3rd after all! And then he decided he was done fooling around, and came out with 1 1/2 pushes.


I didn't even notice until after he was born what an audience he had. It was a teaching hospital, so in addition to the nurses, there were several students/residents present, as well as my doctor and Danny, and my mom.

The student thing was OK, but it made me a little nervous to know that the nursing student who gave me my IV had never helped with a delivery before. Apparently, she'd never put in an IV before, either. It's a little unnerving to hear the attending nurse tell someone who's about to stick a big thick needle into your arm, "No-don't put it there!" and then proceed to give step-by-step instruction as the nursing student breaks into a sweat. She got it in after 2 tries, so I guess it could have been worse.


I realized that, no matter how many children you already have, each one brings just as much joy as the last, and is just as precious, and every bit as much of a miracle as the others. I am blown away, once again, by how much I love someone I just met. My Malachi.

OK, I'm also blown away by how good it feels to lose 2/3 of my stomach (and by how depressing it is to still look 6 months pregnant!) I freak out every time, but it always manages to go away . . . eventually.

The one thing I didn't understand was that the nurses kept telling me how much I needed rest, but for about 5 hours after Malachi's birth, a continual parade of hospital staff streamed into and out of my room, givng instructions, explaining the menu, etc. In spite of all my best efforts, I fell asleep as one of the last ones was talking. The really great thing was being able to feed him, and send him to the nursery so we could at least enjoy one last night of semi-sleep.


So here we are - just the 6 of us. Rachel, of course, is thrilled with her little bro. Zeke enjoys holding him, but gets very freaked out as soon as the little guys makes a noise. Kari Bou . . . well, she likes holding him, too, but doesn't quite understand why she can't just dump him on the floor when she's done!

I have to hand it to Danny's mom - she did an amazing job with the kids for the 2 days we were away, and it can't have been easy. She called while I was in the hospital and for the first time I heard what everyone else hears when they call our house - the total chaos in the background! But it sounded like the had a good time, and they even had a big welcome sign waiting when we came back.

One last thing. If you want to see additional pictures of our little man, by an actual photographer, you can find them here.

Neither Danny nor I nor Malachi got much sleep last night, but at least Malachi is getting caught up today! He had a good little personality so far, and I can't wait until more of it surfaces as he gets older. It's just so cool getting to hold him in my arms and let him sleep on my chest.

I love you, little Malachi!

Hurry up and Wait

I know I've slacked off on blogging; I've found it difficult to focus as of late. But the good news is, the garage is cleaned and organized, the van is set up for ALL 4 kids; every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen, as well as the fridge, has been cleaned and re-organized; the basement is actually clean; the entire house has been disinfected and baby-proofed; and the mouse enjoying free run of the house has just been caught (I mean, JUST - like, as I typed in the last sentence, I heard it! Ew!) My bag is packed, the camera, phone and camcorder fully charged and all the bills & paperwork are sent and filed away. And the most significant accomplishment of all . . . (drumroll, please) . . . I'm completely caught up on scrapbooking!! (for a few days, anyway)

OK, just writing all that out made me tired. But in my opinion, it's infinitely better to stay busy than to sit around waiting while time crawls by.



Here's what Danny's been doing while waiting for the arrival of #4! Actually, he has been wonderful - acquiescing to all my crazy whims and pretty much trying to stay out of my way - haha! About 10 days ago, around 1:30 in the morning, I woke up and realized our bedroom still needed to be painted. A couple of months ago, he had scraped and painted it, and we both realized we hated the color. NEVER pick out paint colors when you're pregnant. I had a sample of the new color I'd decided on (sand dune) and sent him to Lowe's to get it. Our room was painted 2 days later - he definitely gets Good Husband points for that one!

I had to laugh, because now that I've been sleeping in the living room for the past few weeks, Danny has let the kiddos take turns sleeping with him. As a resuly, he's gotten less sleep than I have! Zekers steals covers and thrashes around, Rachel kicks like the dickens, and Karis talks all night long - and makes about 4 trips to the potty. He actually ended up returning her to her bed around 2am, after her 37th attempt to start a conversation about her doll.

It may be a while before I have a chance to post again. We're leaving for the hospital around 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. I'm not necessarily looking forward to that, but I am looking forward to Thursday!! I know I have issues, but sometimes it creeps me out to know that a full-size baby is hanging, squished and upside-down, inside my body; not to mention, every time he moves, I feel it from my swollen chest down to my squishy thighs.

It's crazy how kids can sense that their lives are about to change forever. Both Zekers and Kari Bou have been pretending to be babies for the past several days. The best part is when Zekers is the baby, pretending that Kari Bou is his mom. She feeds him his bottle, and sings him songs. My favorite is when she sings "Jesus, Lamb of God, where is Your Name?" (instead of "worthy is Your Name"). Zekers has been really acting up lately - like, holding Kari's head under water in the bathtub, and winding a rope around Rachel's neck and then yanking on it, etc. He's gotten an average of 5 spankings per day for the past week. Maybe they're getting out all their aggression now, and they'll take it easy on Mommy when the baby comes. (I can dream, can't i?)

Hopefully the next time you hear from me, i'll have newborn pix to share!

Just for the Fun of it

Something wierd is going on . . . I've only taken about 10 digital pix in the last 2 weeks! But, just for your viewing enjoyment, are a few snapshots of life around the Wright household.

Karis has discovered the ultimate trump card. Whenever she wants to get down from the table without finishing a meal; whenever she wants to get out of anything, for that matter, she's found that the words "I have to go potty" work wonders. Because the thing is, about 70% of the time, she really has to go! We've tried calling her bluff, with disastrous results. So for now . . . score one for the toddler. Just wait till you're my age, Kari Bou, and I'm much older; then I'll be able to play the same trump card!


Karis has decided to go Goth. I couldn't be prouder.


I just realized her mouth is open in almost every picture I have. Come to think of it, her mouth is always open, period. I wonder where she gets it??


Playing with pumpkins while waiting for the school bus


Zekers wanted me to take a pic of him at the park, when he successfully climbed the "rock mountain." It was an epic moment for him.

On Having a Watermelon for a Stomach

In spite of hopes to the contrary, it looks like baby #4 is going to be forced out of hiding, like both of his sisters before him. I really didn't want to be induced this time, but when I found out that the only OB in our town will be on vacation for several weeks, and that they have no idea who will be filing in for her - well, that was the last straw. I'm going to deliver at a hospital about an hour from here, with my own doctor. It's actually a huge relief to know he'll be there, and that the end is in sight (only 10 more nights "sleeping" on the couch!). His big debut is scheduled for October 3 - one week before his due date. If he decides to make an entrance before then, I'm really not sure what we'll do! I guess we'll be stashing a tarp in the van just in case . . .

The truth is, I'm ready. Being obnoxiously huge in front has definitely made life interesting - for all of us. In the past few weeks, I've become a little tired of . . .

. . . smacking into the kids with my ballooning belly and sending them flying across the room.

. . . forgetting about the extra 35 lbs. hanging off the front, and nearly slamming my stomach in the van door.

. . . regularly getting stuck between the van and the freezer in our garage.

. . . having to roll off the sofa in the morning and thrash around like a fish out of water, just to be able to achieve an upright position.

. . . feeling like I'm playing a steel guitar instead of an acoustic.

. . . lumbering to the bathroom about every hour during the night.

. . . having strangers take one look at me and say, "Twins, is it?"

. . . trying to clean the bathtub and almost falling in.

. . . having the general appearance of a large tent.

. . . forcing the kids to balance on my knees whenever they ask to sit in my lap.

. . . finding clothes that actually fit, only to outgrow them a week later.

. . . catching sight of a wierd, disproportionate caricature in the store window, and realizing it's me.

. . . having my own daughter look at me in awe and say, "Wow, Mom, you're the biggest person I know!"


OK, my venting session is over (for the moment!) It's just that I've never been much good at being pregnant, and would much rather be holding my sweet baby in my arms than carrying him around in my belly. I can't wait to meet the little guy, and I thank God almost every day for keeping him healthy and safe (and huge) so far! It is awfully sweet, though, when the kiddos say "Good morning, Baby!" into my stomach every day, and give him hugs and kisses.

On that note, my mom sent me an email the other day, linking to a website that offered the following:

Studies show that drinking caffeinated beverages can affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant . . . in one study, 3 cups of coffee per day reduced women’s chances of getting pregnant by 26%!

So all I have to do is drink 12 cups of coffee per day, and I'm set!

Partners in Crime

Zekers and Kari Bou have been living it up since Rachel started Kindergarten. I thought maybe they'd be sad she's gone for part of the day, but although they're always thrilled to see her coming off the bus at 4, in the meantime they've found plenty to occupy themselves with.

The other day they discovered a place in our driveway where the blacktop has disintegrated into something like charcoal, and spent some time covering their bodies with the powder. And their clothes. Kari Bou even managed to get it all over her lips.

On another day, I came down to the basement to tell them how proud I was of them for playing so well together. I was greeted by the overwhelming scent of a bottle of aerosal cologne that's been sitting on the bookshelf for over a year. The air was so thick with it, I could barely see the 2 clowns gleefully spraying each other with the last of the bottle's contents. And they hadn't just gotten each other. It was all over the computer keyboard and motior, the floor, several chairs and the bed. Just being down there for a few minutes gave me a headache for the rest of the day! (But it sure smells good down here now)

Yesterday, I let Zekers nap in Rachel's bed, and Karis went down in her own Dora bed (same room). I checked on them several times, threatened them with spankings when they had trouble settling down; but after a while, it got quiet and I assumed they were peacefully sleeping. HA! An hour later I heard their distinct voices coming from the room, so I went in to see what was going on. They were happily playing up in Rach's bed, where they had torn every one of her Tinkerbell decals off the 2 walls by the bed. The decals were crinkled up and lying on the floor next to the bottom bunk. Also, Karis had destroyed nearly all of her Dora decals. I got them back up eventually, but believe me, it isn't easy, with my current physique, to squeeze between the bed and the wall, collect decals, and crawl up into the top bunk to put them up!

As I write this, they are busy tearing into a package of wet wipes they found in the beach bag from this summer. Since the wipes are mostly dried out by now anyway, I figured I'd let them have their fun and buy myself a few minutes of peace and quiet. They've also taken all 6 cushions off the living room sofas and lined them with towels from the kitchen and bathroom, so that pretty much the entire living room floor is covered. And we have Life Group here tonight!

Oh well, at least they're having the time of their lives . . . .

Powerful and Effective

I didn't sleep much last night. I guess some of it could be pregnancy-related, but it was mostly because of a friend that's been on my heart lately - a friend who's fighting for her life against colon cancer. She's completed four weeks of daily chemo and radiation, and when I saw her yesterday, she looked - and felt - well. . . . like someone who's been undergoing treatments for 4 weeks. She's actually going off the chemo one week early, because her body has simply had enough. She's only five years older than me.

It would be difficult enough to go through all of this, but she's also raising 2 school-age girls; the youngest is in Rachel's kindergarten class and they're good friends. She's having surgery to remove the tumor in November and will be out of commission for quite a while.

Stacy is such a strong and beautiful person - so active and capable. It's hard to see her like this, and I can't imagine what it must be like for her husband and her parents. My heart has been so heavy for all of them, and for her precious girls.

Also, this morning, we found out a girl whose family has attended our church since we've lived here died in a car accident last night. She used to play drums in our youth worship band and is now in her second year of college. I cannot even fathom what it must be like to lose your own child - what her mother must be going through right now.

Isn't it just so much our nature, to want to be able to DO something to make it all better? But in each of these cases, and many others, there's nothing I can do - except pray. And that is what God convicted me about last night. Prayer is the most powerful tool at my disposal, and I treat it like it's some kind of second-class way to help. I've resolved to spend a lot more time crying out to God for people I love and for help for those going through the valley of the shadow of death. I believe God will reveal ways that I can provide help and encouragement; and there have been tangible ways I've been able lend support; but what could be more effective than first calling upon the One who "gives all men life and breath and everything else"?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Would you take a minute to pray for Stacy and her family, and also for Lindsay's family? James 5 says that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective . . ."

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

My little Kari Bou . . . isn't so little anymore!

I took this first photo of her when she was about 5 months old. I remember so well her little pink cardigan, and the toothless grin she used to flash me, with drool covering the bottom half of her face.

Today we went to the doctor for her 2-year checkup. I don't have a picture from the occasion, as I ended up taking all three kiddos and it was barely-controlled chaos for most of the visit.

It turns out, she's in the 35th percentile for weight, and the 95th for height. I have no idea where she gets the height - certainly not from me! It's also funny how younger children seem to hit milestones much sooner, probably because they want more than anything to be just like their older siblings and never seem to grasp the idea that they're actually much younger. I think Karis really believes she is at least as old as Zekers!

The only sad thing was the doctor discovered she has strep. I had no idea this was possible, but it's not in her throat - it's way down south. Who knew?? She's been irritated there lately, but I never would have thought it could be related to strep. I didn't know it was possible to get it anywhere other than in your throat! So . . . I left feeling both stupid AND guilty. Aaagggghhh!

The good news is, she's healthy otherwise, and getting to be more fun every day. In fact, I find myself not wanting her to grow any older, because she's just so sweet and snuggly and vivacious all at the same time. Some of the things I love best about her are . . .

. . . her mischievous grin and sense of humor
. . . the way her hair flips out on both sides of her head
. . . the way she climbs up in my lap and says "Hold me, Mommy" and buries her head in my chest
. . . that she loves to pull my shirt up so she can kiss the baby (she also says, "I love you, Ma-chai")
. . . the "Bapple" song (she repeats the word "Bapple" in a sing-song way about 20 times)
. . . She loves to sit on Danny's chest and yell "Bellywasher!" at the top of her lungs. She's got Rach & Zekers doing it, too.
. . . her bouncy, stumbly little run
. . . her inquisitive nature (or: the way she gets into EVERYTHING)
. . . her bear hugs and her sweet kisses
. . . her "intense" face that always makes the other 2 laugh
. . . the way she speaks her mind and asserts herself - even at 2!
. . . the way she sleeps at night - just like I do - on her stomach, with her head in the crook of her arm

I love you, Bou Bear!

Back for More

We had so much fun at our July family reunion, we decided we just had to go to another one! So Saturday morning we packed up the kids and about 47 other things and drove 2 hours spend the day with my mom's side of the family.

We ate, hung out and caught up on the past year or 2, then in the evening all the cousins (many of us are married and some have kids) headed to a little place called Butch's Italian Cafe for dinner, while our wonderful parents and aunts and uncles watched our darling little angels back at the house, and wondered how in the world they got volunteered for the job! The whole day was actually pretty crazy - there were about 10 kids, all under 6, running around and I think by mid-afternoon the great-grandparents were ready to run for their lives.

All I can say is, I am beyond thankful that we remembered to bring the portable potty. Karis had to "go" not once, but 2 times - both on the way there and on the way back - and we weren't near any kind of restroom. So portable potties are currently at the top of my "thankful" list!

We drove through a torrential downpour on the way home, but made it back by 10. I discovered I'm also VERY thankful for a van with a DVD player.



I also realized just how much I love our church! Today was the kick-off for all of our fall children's programs, and Danny used the Sunday School hour to lay out the plan for everyone. He's actually written the curriculum for our Children's Church classes, and provided material for families to reinforce what their kids have learned in church, throughout the week, so we can help to disciple our own kids instead of relying on other people to do it all. It's just really cool, first of all, to see all the new families that have been coming, and secondly, to see the excitement on so many faces and hear it in their voices. There's an energy and an expectancy unlike any I've encountered before, and it's contagious! It's such a privilege to hear teaching straight out of the Bible, and to be able to worship joyfully together, and to celebrate what God's doing among us and around the world.

Anyway, it's been a full weekend, but a really, really good one. I don't feel tired - I feel energized and ready to take on the coming week (I'd almost forgotten what that feels like!). This is either a result of the weekend's events, or of the cup of high-test coffee I drank today. In any case, I'll take it!