Barnes Boys - Where They At!

Life has been particularly busy lately...I feel myself writing that/saying that a lot lately, but the holidays tend to have that effect, which is rather sad - since I feel like the advent season should be one of waiting, instead its doing...all the time...going...everywhere. The year I was pregnant with Bodie was one of the most special Christmas seasons to me. I had the most perfect excuse to not go anywhere...and not do anything. I really connected with the idea of waiting and expectation and what that means in the season of Advent. When he was born on Christmas Eve and I had such amazing people with me that did everything for me and I could just be in the moment and enjoy the season. So I am trying my hardest to find that same peace and present-ness in this season now...even with 3 kids...even with 3 boy kids!  We started doing the Jesse tree again and I am shocked at how much Bodie retained from last year. It has been fun to do something structured with them at night since often our bedtime routine can be a bit haphazard.

Don't let these guys fool you - they are like oil and water right now. Bodie is definitely exerting his authority over little bobby...but don't feel bad for bobby - he can hold his own and we have seen him take Bodie down to the ground even though Bodie has almost 20 pounds on him. bobby is a scrappy little dude! We are working on bodie not taking EVERYTHING from bobby and we are working on bobby not biting bodie. bodie is the only person he bites...but still...our feral child...ugh...

These two like each other a little more at the moment, which is nice. Yesterday after we picked up Bryson from school and put Bobby down for a nap, bodie and bryson played with legos for 2 hours!!! quietly and nicely...so much so, that i laid down on the couch and i think i fell asleep even! what? miracle, i tell you...i am thankful for them growing up in these moments. 2 hours of peace in my day feels like i am at the spa - no joke. 

Bodie in the Urgent Care - Trip #1 of 2 in the month of November. Bodie had to get some steroids to help with breathing. He had a viral infection that made him wheezy and my sister was worried about his oxygen levels so we took him in. It took 45 minutes to get him to drink the steroids...spitting it out and crying the whole time - if you are ever in this position - GET THE SHOT! holy crow...get the shot! no one tells you steroids taste like motor oil to kids...could you imagine trying to get your 3 year old to drink motor oil? it takes 45 minutes by the way...but - good news, he is much better and started feeling better even that evening, so we are grateful.

Bobby - Trip #2 of 2 to Urgent Care. On Thanksgiving his forehead broke his fall on the corner where two walls meet. it was a perfect hit - which i witnessed - thankfully bryan was there, grabbed him - i threw him a towel and ran and got some butterfly band-aids and a band-aid and we stopped the bleeding fairly soon. And luckily my niece was there and could watch the older boys so we could both take him. And luckily they let my husband hold him down so we didn't have to go to the ER to do it. Besides a somewhat traumatic stitching event (the student nurse helping with the stitches passed out) and beside having his first stitches, it went fairly smooth. The only casualty was my sweet potatoes, which i put in the oven before we left and they  were over-cooked by about 1 1/2 hours. oops. we still ate them. We had some friends over for Thanksgiving, since we were celebrating with family the next day and watched a horrible movie (on purpose) - it ended up being a great day when all was said and done. He is healing quite nicely and hopefully the scar will be as minimal as bryson's twin forehead scar. 

Speaking of Bryson - he is taking a break from golf right now and filling up the time with legos and drawing and painting rocks and sometimes playing the wii - (he was grounded until he was 7, and now enjoying his video game free time) - he seems to be a mini-teenager overnight after turning 7 - i can't handle it! he loves one direction (thank you hope!) and sings it constantly...he has perfected the eye roll...arguing with me is like the most fun thing to do apparently because he disagrees with 95% of what i say...developmentally i know this is all normal - he is searching for boundaries and expressing his voice, but man - do they have to do it so suddenly? its unnerving. he still believes in santa though, apparently - i thought the playground would have killed santa, but he wrote him a letter last night asking for " a D.S. and a soopyr moryo wii game and a babe kitin" his friend asher just got a baby kitten and bryson thinks its the cutest thing ever. 

So that is where we are at. Trying to remind myself every day to be where we are at - not try to be in the past or future. Be present, breathe, embrace.