The NATE Chronicles-Day 4

Exhaustion has set in.

We had a really good day!
Not so much whining or crying from the cheap seats...
Nothing difficult or stressful happened...
Actually, the day was the easiest day I had all week thus far!

My sweet friend, Sarah, came over and picked Tate and Naomi up to go rock climbing in her garage. She also took the kids on a tour of their motor home (and an imaginary trip to Paris)!
(Sarah, will you take me to Paris next time, too?!)

The Cable Guy came in the early afternoon, and Darby and Nate were all up in his grill (which made for an interesting 30 minutes for ME). I'm sure he was HAPPY to finish his job and get back on the road!

Also, Darby has become "Mama's Little Helper" today.


I had the chance to vacuum, mop and dust the main floor, so I took it. I also had some relaxation time in the afternoon while Tate and Naomi played outside and Darby and Nate napped.

I have absolutely nothing to complain about!

I was just TIRED!

So, I ran out and got a pedicure when Dallas got home from work, and Dallas suggested I go to bed at 8:30, which I was happy to oblige! (I'm pretty sure I haven't gone to bed that early since I was about 10 or slept that long since college)

This morning, I'm awake and refreshed and ready to welcome two MORE kids!
I know, I know, it's a little bit crazy, but everyone will leave tomorrow, so I'm not too concerned!

We're embarking on the last episode of:

THE NATE CHRONICLES!

I have mixed feelings about this...it could go either way. !)

The NATE Chronicles-Day 3

Yesterday was DAY THREE, "humpday," if you will-and we made it! :)

I cannot take credit for how well the day went. My sweet friend, Kristin, came to help! This was a definite reprieve! Now I had TWO happy babies because they could BOTH be held ALL DAY-just like they like!

Darby is still getting used to the "sharing" idea. As you can see, she has begun hoarding...

I'm not sure Nate knows how to fend for himself just yet. Instead of going up to Darby and taking his bottle back like the assertive little 10 month old I know is in there somewhere, he came up to me.

I love the look on his face! I KNOW what's going through his mind, too:
"Do you SEE what's HAPPENING, Ms. Kelly?! She's TAKING MY MILK! DO SOMETHING!!!"

Now she's drinking from a bottle again. Great.

Kristin and I went for a walk. It's the first time I've left the house since Monday. I'm totally in hobbit mode right now. Kristin is so sweet! She came and spent two weeks straight helping me with EVERYTHING last summer when I broke my foot and my ankle, and here she is AGAIN bailing me out!!! I love that girl! She has such a servant's heart, and she's going to be a fantastic wife to some lucky guy one day!

And, NO, we did NOT leave Nate at home alone! He's in the backpack! Dallas and I figured out yesterday, that he LOVES it!

And, in case you are expecting and are wondering, "What would be the most important baby item needed?" It's a hiking backpack. For real! This is, absolutely, the most important, most used baby item we own, and we have used the stuffing outta this same backpack for all three kids (and Nate), and it's still in GREAT condition! Oh, and you might need some bottles, too.

Bring on Day 4, Nate! I'm ready, and the backpack is waiting! :)

The NATE Chronicles-Day 2

SO FAR, SO GOOD!

I

sorta

feel

like

superwoman.

I know, it's only four kids, right? But, we had my oldest friend in the world and his family (wife, who I'm growing to love! And three of his fun-loving girls) Eric, Sara, Dallas and I were out on the deck with a fire until 11:30 last night while our littles destroyed the house, I mean, while they played. :) I knew there was a potential for this to be a painful day because of my 6 & 1/2 hours of sleep, but I was willing to endure that to spend more time with our friends.

I'm seriously bad at taking self portraits, but I looked horrible in the picture Sara took of us, so this will have to do!

Geneva, Darby, Naomi, Danette, Tate and Brianne

Tate didn't seem phased at all that he was sorely outnumbered by "Little Women!"

Unfortunately, it was a short visit with our friends because they were on their way to Chicago! I hope we see them again very soon!

THANKFULLY-NATE SLEPT UNTIL 7 THIS MORNING!

One thing I haven't been able to figure out how to remedy is mealtime. I mean, we're sorta chained to finger foods if I feed them at the same time, OR a rolling mealtime, and I don't exactly have time to feed kids for an HOUR!

Nate and Darby even played in the kitchen together today!

Bathtime went well, too! I gave Nate a "hawk," but I don't think he liked it.

So I held Nate for a good 2 hours today...one thing I'm learning is that he's a perfectly happy kid...as long as he's being held! :)

We made it another day!

VICTORY!!!

The NATE Chronicles-Day 1

Our friends asked us to watch their 8 month old while they're away at Young Life camp for the week, which we were HAPPY to say "YES" to! We have three kids-well, four for the week. !)

TODAY-DAY 1 of the NATE Chronicles

So far, Darby seems to LOVE Nate:


Naomi even loves Nate. She tried to carry him, but dropped him on his face and gave him a fat lip. (Despite our MANY attempts to get Naomi to stop picking people up, we still cannot seem to suceed) Nate cried, but took it like a man. Darby, being the empathetic one she is, cried, too.


One can only be so empathetic, though. At some point, he needs to just get over it, right? And, off she crawled. (It should be noted that Darby has not crawled in a good 8 months-until Nate's arrival)

It's been 8 hours since Nate arrived. He's a really good baby! But Darby, being the "misplaced" baby now, isn't taking it so well. Hopefully things get better when our out-of-town guests arrive tonight with their three kids!

Stay tuned for...

...THE NATE CHRONICLES!