So This is Our Christmas

Christmas at the Patterson household...

Christmas Eve with the Noble side has come and gone - this year we tried something new and got together in the afternoon so the kids could play outside.  The annual feasting, Christmas Eve service, stockings and present exchange went well. 

Back at home, the little ones slept in on Christmas morning.  Our traditional Christmas runs like this:

When the kids (and parents) wake up, they discover their stockings at the foot of their beds!  They can open them as soon as they're awake.  The kids usually end up with a good dose of candy before breakfast (although we went easy on the goodies this year - only a handful of special treats).

We have a special breakfast.  This year was chocolate crepes, stuffed with berries and bananas, served with chocolate flavoured whipped cream.

Daddy said grace, and we all ate together, taking our time.

Next, Daddy read the Christmas story from Luke.

At this point, the kids are getting a bit impatient...Mommy, too :)

Then, we open presents! 

 Here's Graedy, with his Black & Decker tool kit.  He's been "drilling" anything and everything in the house.

Maddie got a pogo stick.  She needs to gain a few pounds to make it work right, but she's been trying hard to get it to bounce.

Eva with her very big doll.  She named it Lucy-Anna.

Baby Gen was my best present this year!

Later, we congregate at Grammy & Grampy Patterson's for the traditional Christmas turkey dinner. 

Merry Christmas from all of us!

5 Little Monkeys

My little niece, K, turned one a few weeks ago.  I'd been knitting her little finger puppets and I'm so glad she's received them because now I can share them with you!

I went with a 5 Little Monkeys theme.  I printed and laminated the poem, and made 5 monkey puppets.  They're all a little bit different from each other. 

Here's a close-up of one of the little fellas.  I hope she likes them and has fun playing with them!

Cat Talk

Maddie is best friends with Tigger, our cat. I'm not sure how he feels about it, but Maddie always has Tigger's best interests at heart (except when they conflict with her best interests). She came to me tonight and asked me not to let Tigger outside after dark anymore.

Now, please understand that going outside is Tigger's only escape from the kids' clutches. If he doesn't go outside, he will be forced to endure endless hugs and kisses, used as a blankie, pinned to the couch and made to cuddle and carried around the house for hours on end. You can understand why I wouldn't want to keep him inside, the poor cat. So, I tried to hem and haw my way out of keeping Tigger from going out.

Mad: "But, Mom, I don't want Tigger to go outside because of the coyotes. They're meat eaters!"

Me: "Coyotes mostly just like rabbits. They won't bother Tigger."

Mad; "Well, what about black bears? There's a bear in our woods, you know!"

Me: "I know, but Tigger just stays near the house. He doesn't go to the woods. And, anyway, why don't you just explain to him to be careful when he goes outside?"

Mad: "Mom! How will he understand what I'm saying?!?! He's a CAT! He says "meow meow", I say "la la"!!


And that's when I lost the argument and Tigger stayed in.

And Life Goes On...

With hardly time to shower, I haven't been keeping this blog very well...A quick update is in order, I think.

Maddie and Eva are well into their fall activities. Homeschooling is going very well. They are both reading at a good level, and math seems to come quite easily to them. Their favourite school subject is read-aloud time. They have tried out Totally Girlz (a local church group) and LOVE it. They take swimming lessons, and are learning new skills there, too. They get together with their friends and homeschool group weekly at least.

Graedon is finally starting to potty train. He talks and talks and talks. He is all boy, and we love him...messes and all!

Geneviève is almost 2 months old! I can hardly believe it. At her last doc's appointment (at 7 weeks old) she weighed 11 lbs 11 oz. She has developed conjunctivitus in her eyes, and is now on antibiotic eye drops. Hopefully that will clear up in the next few days. It doesn't seem to bother her too much, but I think it bothers me more.

After a month of no camera (the last one was left in the rain), we now have a new digital! Expect more pics soon!

War, Peace, Mice

Last night, I sat on the couch with Gen in my arms, nursing her. I admired her smooth skin, her delicate ears, the little fingers that flexed open, shut, open, shut. She met my eye and we understood each other for that moment. The older kids were upstairs, playing quietly (War - they have discovered World War 2, and have built a bomb shelter in the house. Their game consists of staying in the shelter and writing secret messages and avoiding bombs. Graedon doesn't quite understand the game, but he likes to warn me about the bombs.)

I held my baby tighter and as I did that, a movement caught my eye. A teeny little mouse crawled out of the register and wiggled his nose at me. A mouse. In my house! It was all cute and gray and furry. It had little pink ears and a tiny tail. It was adorable!

Today, I set the trap.

Vacation!

Rich had some work to do in Saint Andrews last week, so we took advantage and went on vacation! Saint Andrews is a cute little town if you like boutique shopping. Kids do not. Thankfully there were other things to do. We visited with some new friends and picked apples from their orchard. The kids loved petting their horses (one of which is a teeny miniature).

Then, we went to the market. The kids picked up some knit toys.


We went to the public school after hours. They have an awesome play structure. What is in this picture is only about a fifth of what is actually there. It's full of nooks and crannies and medieval inspired fun.


Maddie, trying out the tire hole. That's not the official name for it.


We stayed in a little condo-cabin on the beach. That's it in the background.


Graedon, enjoying the low tide.


It's nice to get away once in a while.

Summer Fair

It was "Old Home Week" in our town. When I first moved here, it took me a couple years to figure out just what "Old Home Week" was...no one called it "the fair" or "the expo" like the carnivals where I come from. No, it was just referred to as Old Home Week - which didn't strike me as an interesting place in the least. Now that I've figured it out, though, it has proven to be entertaining enough, and the kids like it. Personally, I like Loonie Night - where the rides are $1.

We bought $15 worth of tickets and popped the kids on some rides. Here is Graedon taking Maddie for a ride. He's very serious about the job. He was pretty upset that the ride operator made him get off the ride at the end.



Eva, driving herself.



The girls went on the fastest roller coaster ever!



We visited the petting zoo, which consisted of a turkey, a pony, some fowl, a rabbit and possibly a dog. Graedon was terrified of the turkey.



A $5 bag of cotton candy later, and our evening was complete. Not bad for an evening of family fun!

Baby Update

Well, I'm all packed...baby's things, my things and the birth supplies are all ready to go for when this baby finally decides to show up. I had my 37 week prenatal yesterday, and we got to hear a good strong heartbeat (about 135 bpm), the baby has wiggled back into an ROA position (on my right side, head down, facing in - yay!), and all systems go from here. The baby is way, way, way down low, which is a bit unusual for a 4th pregnancy. Babies don't normally drop before labour, but normal isn't really my forté. Obviously, this one must feel a need to get ready ahead of time. I'm hoping it means a shorter labour and less pushing for this time.

So now we wait.

Swimming Pictures

Here are some photos of the kids swimming!

Maddie - The Fish


Eva - The Duckling, Graedon - The Frog, & Grammy P. - The Enforcer (keeps 'em in line and safe LOL)


Graedon with his very nifty and extremely helpful swimbelt.



I have a video, too, but I'm still working out some bugs with uploading it. Enjoy the last few days of this heat wave!

Fishing

This summer the Patterson family has rediscovered the joy of fishing. Every few days Richard will go tramping through the brush on his quest to discover the best fishing hole in NB...
My bro and his family enjoy the sport, too. We brought the kids on a little fishing expedition the other day.

Graedon mostly just enjoyed playing with sticks and wading in the muck.

Maddie, hard at work, catching supper (we went hungry on this particular day).

I think Richard really enjoys the quiet and solitude fishing provides. I guess you don't get much of that in a house full of kids.

What to do when the 2 year old wets his pants beyond repair and you realize there aren't any extras in the van? You mickey-mouse a new pair of pants using his shirt as a substitute! As an added bonus, the neck hole provides good airflow in the crotch.

I am not included on the family fishing license (just Richard and kids), but I do like to tag along. It's a fun project in which everyone can participate. Some of us fish, some of us play on the shoreline, some throw rocks, and some of us "stream-walk" (wading up stream and getting wet). All of us get to eat! It's a good time!

Looking Closer

I got this plant (it's fake - I can't kill it) at a yard sale. It hangs out at my front door and welcomes people. Look closely...can you see it?



Closer. Closer still.



There!



Proof that my house has indeed been turned into a zoo.

Bullet Backpack

School's just about out for summer. Is this on your list for next year's school supplies?

According to the website, the instructions are as follows: "Instructions: Hold pack between yourself and the shooter using the shoulder straps as handles. Use as a shield to provide cover for upper torso and head whenever possible. While taking shelter use pack to protect yourself in the direction of the threat. While running away, hold pack high on your back or in the direction of the threat to protect your head and upper torso (vital organs)."

It seems like it would be a joke, but unfortunately not. This is real-live product for real-live people to cover a real-live need. What do you think? Is this something you'd consider buying for your children? Is it too much, or too little?

Back to Family Day

We've had a rough couple weeks here at the Pattersons'. Everyone's tempers were running high, and we were all headed for nervous breakdowns (especially the pregnant one of the bunch). So Sunday, after realizing that we were all dressed up for church and already 20 minutes late before leaving the house, we decided that what we really needed was family time. There are days when you just have to put aside all the important stuff you *must* do, if only for the sake of the family unit.

We went mini-golfing.


We played at the park (and is it just me, or is the playground equipment at the campground missing key safety components?).


We found a petting zoo, where they were giving away free kittens - which stayed right there, thank you.


If the hairy black pig had been free, though, Richard would have snuck it home in the back of the van.


The kids jumped on a blowup jumping castle.


And then we BBQ'd, napped and finished up the day at Grammy's. It was a good day. It was a needed day. Sadly, tempers were still running high for the rest of the week, but it was a good break.

Portrait of Me

Eva drew this picture of me. Turn your head to the side to see it correctly...




There I am, swimming. I am a mermaid. See the tail and flippers? She also made me with lots and lots of freckles.

I love it.

And So This Is It...

How is it that even after 3 other pregnancies, I forgot about the third trimester? My body, my mind and my emotions are in full rebel mode. I am going through that normal pregnancy phase where I am getting ready to finally let this baby out. I am bonding with this child, spending more time sitting and "listening" to it. My body is stretching, gaining bulk, and being uncooperative with those every day movements I must do - bending, reaching, sleeping and crouching to play with the kids are becoming things of the past. I'm easily bothered, annoyed and disappointed with everything. Everyone. I have no patience, it seems. I just don't want to do anything, yet I want to do everything. I had come to a point in my life where I had made peace with myself and my life situation. Not anymore.

I feel like a lioness - on the prowl, pacing, batting at her cubs because they want to chase her tail, ready to chase down some poor little antelope and snap it's neck. Hey, you've gotta eat, right? But, maybe I'll just lie here in the sun until it passes.

And, it will. In a couple months this baby will be born. I will be at times ecstatic, at times weepy and sad, sometimes angry. Often I won't know what I am. Give me a year and I'll be myself - or a new version of myself. For now, I'll just take it one breath at a time and be thankful that waking days are only 16 hours long. I can take it for that long.

Baby Horsey

We went to Grammy and Grampy's to see a brand spankin' new colt this evening! He was still wet from birth, and trying to wobble around on his shakey little legs. From what I could tell (and it was kind of hard to see from the angle I was at) it's a little boy, and cute to boot.

Funny enough, I spent the entire visit pointing things out to the kids, like - "Oooh, look, the mama's passing the bag of waters! That's called an amniotic sac." "Hmmm, she doesn't seem to have delivered the placenta yet. I wonder if they'll have to get the vet to do a manual extraction." "Well, she's not bleeding anymore. That's a good sign!" "Yup, her belly is still fat, but that's normal. Mommy will be fat for a while, too." "Aw, look, the baby colt is breastfeeding! That's a good healthy snack for a baby horse."

I'm such a doula.

PS - I'm such a mom, too. As we were leaving the barn, my comment was, "Graedon! Watch where you're walking and don't step in poop!"

Big Boy Bed

I found this toddler bed at a yard sale a couple weeks ago. It was marked $10, but the minute I showed any interest in it, the sales lady blurted out, "You can have that for $5!". She must have been desperate not to pack it up again. I crammed it into the vehicle (yay for vans!)and introduced it to it's new home.

Graedon loves it. The first day, he took 3 naps just so that he could try it out. I love it, too, if only for that reason. So far, so good. He stays in it most of the night and for naps, and will only escape if he's having a really naughty day.

Here's a picture of our big boy in his big boy bed. It's not a great picture. I had to sneak in when the room was pitch black, point in the general direction of the bed and hope to capture something good. It'll give you an idea, though.

Yawn!!

I'm almost 26 weeks - next week I enter The Third Trimester. I capitalized that because it's such a huge step! It won't be long that my prenatals will jump from every 4 weeks to every 3, then every 2, then weekly...gack! I feel like I'm running out of time.

The first trimester was such a drag for me. I gagged and barfed constantly. Everything set me off - smells, food, car rides, hugs. I even gagged when taking too big a breath! I could hardly keep my eyes open from pregnancy exhaustion. Then, the second trimester came and I finally got some relief. Daily naps were a thing of the past. I could eat! I could sleep! Yay!

Now, I'm starting to get the late pregnancy aches and pains, I start nodding off after lunch, and the support pillows are overtaking our bed. Ah well. Such is life before baby.

On the bright side, this new baby is becoming more real to us. We've decided on names (secret!), we're making concrete plans for how to manage 4 kiddos, I am able to feel knees and bum and head in my belly, and my bump is much more active. I am getting mentally and emotionally ready to birth, and physically preparing as well.

We're so blessed to have such good support from our birth team with this pregnancy. Our prenatal care is second to none, and we're really seeing the difference in my overall health - which translates to healthier baby and birth. My stress level is so much lower than with the other three. Richard commented a couple weeks ago that I was "much happier" than with the others. I feel like God has really worked in our lives to lead us to these incredible women who nurture, teach, guide and watch over us.

Here's hoping that the next 14 weeks go smoothly!

Baby Update

Wow, I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by. I'm now 24 weeks pregnant, which means that in 3 weeks I'll be in my third trimester! How did that happen?

I had a prenatal this morning. The kids came with me, and played the whole time. Graedon had to stay close to me, which he doesn't think is fair, but he can't be trusted around anything of the "no-touching" nature. Luckily, plastic animals and match box cars kept him busy for most of the time!

I'd been measuring a couple weeks behind for my due date, but it looks like baby might be catching up. I'm now measuring just 1 week behind. I have a feeling this baby won't be ready until late August, but only time will tell. Everything else looks healthy, and the only complaints I have are normal pregnancy aches and pains. I was advised to cut back on starches, eat more whole grains, veggies, vitamins C & E (until the last month) and get some mild exercise.

Baby is a feisty little thing. Every time the scope was placed on my belly to get heart tones, baby would kick it away! Rich says that's a sure sign the baby is another boy....we'll have to see about that! Either way, it looks like our child will be named plain old "Baby". We aren't anywhere near to finding a suitable name for this one. Any suggestions?

The Green Family

Here's an article on large families that made me smile this morning. Though we're not Catholic the article still applied since we do try to live "green" where we can - being a large family is a great way to do that.