When I uploaded my last video to you tube, I got side tracked with a little trip down memory lane as I then watched other videos the circus fam has posted to you tube in the past.
And I came across this gem.
A few things I noticed while re watching the video.
1. My oldest son used to have that cute 4 year old voice you swear you’ll never forget but inevitably do. Oh.my.goodness—listen to that sweet lil voice!
2. It must have been spaghetti night at the circus for I can think of no other reason for all of my children to be walking around shirtless.
3. A tripod can keep a toddler busy for a great amount of time… must pull out that tripod again next time I need an extra hand fixing dinner.
4. On days when I think a tornado must have blown through my house, all I have to do is look back at the video, b/c I don’t think I have ever seen my house more messy than in this video clip. Hello there is a an empty milk jug in baby doll stroller!!
As I watched this clip part of me can’t believe that I published this on you tube and my blog? Really, shirt less kids, trash on the floor…. wow… can’t get more REAL than that. Why couldn’t this egg nog talk have taken place when the house was clean and my kids were in cute coordinating outfits?
But, you know those golden moments usually don’t happen then. They happen in the middle of real life. Messy/dirty/every day life… And we gotta seize them while we can… we gotta stop and have those conversations or run and grab that video camera, right now… in the moment… b/c before you know it that moment is gone.
Our oldest daughter had a little fun getting into her character for Halloween. When posing for pictures in their costumes, she decided to fully act out the part of Snow White.
I think my favorite part of the reenactment was when she asked us to take her picture sleeping with the apple. "Skip the ol posing by the door with the trick or treat basket, we’ll go for playing dead on the floor with an apple.”
Then she was awakened with a kiss from her prince.
“Thanks Dad for being my prince,” she exclaimed.
Oh sweet girl, there’s nothing he’d like more than to be your prince forever.
Excuse me while I go blubber in the corner as I think about this picture one day popping up on the screen during a video montage at her rehearsal dinner… can’t you just stay our little girl forever?
My lil man reached a major milestone today as he played in the sand.
We’ve been going to the beach, splashing in the water and playing in the sand all summer long. And all summer long he has wanted to put fist full upon fist full of sand into his mouth. You’d think eventually cause and effect would come in to play, but he never seemed to mind the mouth full of grit. Even when all I had to wash it out with was a mouth full of salty bay water. It was the single most frustrating aspect of our afternoons at the bay. I can’t just hold him the entire time and yet if I set him down he’s eating dirt.
Well, today I held him till he grew wiggly and set him down. Fully expecting him to begin his typical sandy snack. But, he didn’t…
He sat and dug and picked up sand and dug and then splashed water in his bucket for a good 45 minutes… he crawled around in the hot sand, happily playing, and not ONCE putting any sand in his mouth! I couldn’t believe it. I kept gushing and then had to take pictures. This is a huge milestone! This makes beach time truly fun FOR ALL in the circus clan! Oh happy day!
After almost an hour of fun in the sun, I suggested we not push our luck any further, so we went up to the shade for some lunch.
Now doesn’t he look waaaay too grown up sitting at the table eating his own peanut butter sandwich?
Clearly, he is the baby of the family, because I could not stop gushing at the site of him sitting at the table and eating his own sandwich…
Can you blame me though?
I just love the mouth full of peanut butter..
As the big kids went back to the beach, I was really starting to melt after all that gushing over my baby growing up so much.
And so, just to make his momma’s heart swell a lil more, he took his pacifier, laid his head down on my chest and fell into a deep hard sleep in my arms while I watched his sisters and brother play with their friends. Proving that while he may be growing up, he’s still my baby!
My youngest daughter turns 4 this week. I often joke that she was born trying to keep up with her sister and brother. It’s true though. She is always ahead of where she should be b/c she has never wanted to be left behind. As such, whenever her birthday rolls around I don’t have that typical, “How can it have been 4 yrs already?” feeling, more often we’re like, “Really, your just now 4… seems like you’ve been 4 for awhile now.”
One thing is true… she’s growing up too fast for my liking. I have one more year left before she goes to school… and since we homeschool, going to school is thankfully only 2 days a week at the tutorial, but even still it marks a new stage of life.
I want to be intentional with this last year… with our 2 mornings a week of time together when she is the big kid setting the pace for the household. I learned so much about my older daughter when her brother went off to school. I got to see new traits come out and her relationship with her sister truly blossomed. I am eager to see the changes that develop when the dynamics change again this year.
And I want to savor her sweet voice… I think that is what I will miss most when she grows up… the sweet sing songy voice and the cute way she mispronounces things…
I am excited to celebrate my sweet 4 year old this weekend….tomorrow we’re having a few of her close friends over to pamper them like princesses and next week Scott and I are taking her on a birthday date for dinner and a visit to Build a Bear. I can’t wait to spend that special time with just us and her!
While looking through pictures recently, I stumbled across a few which truly captured life at the circus in its essence.
Exhibit A: taken in December of 2010
Here they are working on the pine wood derby car for Cub Scouts. Notice how everyone, even the baby, is in on the action? Noticed the leotard? My girls wear leotards every.single.day…. even though gymnastics is only twice a week, I can guarantee you those leotards are on more often than that. Also, noticed my baby ripping his sisters glasses off? He still loves to go for those glasses. I love how he isn’t even looking at her, just out of the corner of his eye, he spots them and goes in for the grab…
Exhibit B: Taken in September of 2010
Here we are keeping the baby occupied. My oldest son was reading to his little brother and then his sister had to follow suit. It’s September and yet my daughter is wearing her bathing suit (even though I can pretty much guarantee you we didn’t go swimming that day) and my oldest son is wearing an astronaut suit that is WAAAAY too small for him. I believe his 3 yr old sister could fit into that more appropriately.
Exhibit C: Also taken in September of 2010
I call this one tolerating tummy time. And it really shows a lot about my son’s personality. He was not a big fan of tummy time. And even though his sisters are doing their best to entertain him… love how my 5 yr old is going to town on the baby piano for him, he really is not at all thrilled with this whole tummy time thing. But he doesn’t cry… doesn’t complain… just lays there on his belly with a look that says, “How long Mom?” “How long do I have to endure this?”
Something tells me that these pictures, not the posed group shots of them all smiling sweetly, these little glimpses of everyday life at the circus, are the ones I will treasure 20 years from now. I’ll look at them and remember this crazy stage of life when the days were loooong and the years flew by way to fast. Oh, how I love the chaos and costumes that makes up the circus life.
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Meet the MC
My roles as wife, homemaker and mother of 4 feel much like a circus with 3 rings constantly vying for my attention. Life is often chaotic but I'm loving every minute and wouldn't want it any other way. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I won't let you miss a thing.
