Feast for the Eyes

Well, opportunities like this don't present themselves very often.

In case you're curious about what Rick and BFF Jake look like sportin' speedos, check this out: http://estesencounters.blogspot.com/2008/06/cruisin.html

One of them is all mine, ladies.

With that out there, it was only a matter of time before this little gem surfaced:

We call it: Sid with Man Love and Matador

I Never Want to Forget

How Logan clutches onto my shoulder like a baby monkey when I get him out of bed in the morning. Or how he softly bonks my face with his forehead when he's trying to get my attention.

How Fisher says no when he means yes and when I remind him to say yes, he says "yesh." So dramatically. Or how he looks me straight in the eyes with so much affection and inquisition that it's almost too much.

How Connor throws himself into his imagination and lives in a world that is full of color and music and adventure. How he likes to be cool and swells up when we notice something that is specific to him.

How Maddie is so intuitive and perceptive of the world around her. How she can be girly and squealy one minute, and laid back and amused with life the next. How we totally marvel at her potential.

How Brayden is discovering his individualism...wondering what his less obvious talents are, thinking about his future, deciding what kind of kid he wants to be, enjoying his place among his friends. How he likes who he is.

That these kids are mine to mold and shape. That I have moments of clarity when everything trivial actually feels trivial and nothing is more pressing than my incredible responsibility to each of them. That somehow, I feel inadequate and totally adequate all at the same time. That they deserve my best.

His Little Girl

Here's a shot of Rick & Maddie after she danced in the city arts festival this month. Aren't they cute? I love it. The two of them have a sweet & silly relationship that's separate from all the boys. It's just theirs' and I hope it continues as she grows up.

The Law of Gravity

Fisher likes to throw things in the air above his head, so it was only a matter of time before he learned this painful lesson:

THIS

(fisher's nose)

plus THIS

(a rock)

equals a FAR more traumatized version of this...

(fisher crying)

...and a whole lotta blood.

Poor guy was a mess. Not to mention he felt totally betrayed by his 'toy.' Here he is the next day, wanting NOTHING to do with that rock.

Connor Logic

5-year old Connor is our early bird and is still often tired enough for an afternoon nap. On the days he's not sleepy, I expect him to have a quiet rest or reading time, as much for me as for him. He usually tries to get out of it. His most recent logic:

"Mom? I was thinking. I have a really good idea about naps. I could take only ONE nap in ONE month. So, like, if it is February, I would take one nap and then no more naps until another month. What do you think?"

I think he must be tired from all that thinking.

(Don't you love the Rick & Fisher bonus in the background?)

I Am Growing

Hello, it's me, Logan. Today I turned 8 months old! Since my last report I've been working on growing. I think it's working because ever since I started wearing short sleeves, I've been getting a lot of attention from people. I don't know what the big deal is, but you can see for yourself:

Mom says I am the chunkiest baby of the family.

I say I'm a non-comformist.

You may ask, what does 8-month old ME want most in the world?

To crawl.

I think crawling would be amazing, but it is harder than I expected.

I get a little mixed up, but someday I will figure it out.

Here are some other things you should know about 8-month old me:

1. Wearing hats makes me go cross-eyed.

2. Drool is my life. I like to get my toys nice and drooly, then shake them around so everyone nearby can enjoy my drool too.

3. I LOVE my blankie.

4. I'm good at clapping and smiling and flapping and being noisy.

AND

5. I still have my dimples.

Mom says she can't get enough of me. With all the things I can do, I can understand why.

Little Tragedy

Yesterday Brayden began his weekly cage cleaning for his pet hamster, Oliver, only to make the sad discovery that Oliver wasn't alive anymore. We found ourselves tracing the last time we saw him running in the wheel or heard him gnawing on his cage and figure it happened something the evening before. Despite the sadness, Brayden was determined to take care of cleaning out the cage and making an appropriate shoe box coffin. Later on, he & Rick dug a hole under one of the climbing trees in the backyard and we had a tiny funeral. Everyone got to share a memory about Oliver and get some closure. Connor keeps suggesting that we get another hamster so Brayden won't be sad anymore, but Brayden isn't quite ready for that idea. It's been surprisingly sad. We like to imagine Oliver joining the ranks of extended family hamsters past (Herbie, Zippy, Oreo, Piaso) in a giant hamster mansion with nibble toys galore. Thanks Oliver, for 4 good months.

The Games We Play

Game #1 How Many Boys?
Mom carries Logan & Fisher around together, usually from upstairs to downstairs. Fisher counts and points to each boy and feels important.

Game #2 How Many Boys?
Mom piles Logan and Fisher on lap together. They laugh and hug and squeal with delight until Logan plants a slobbery kiss on Fisher's face, Fisher gets grossed out, demands "Down. Go go," and pushes Logan out of the way to escape.

Game #3 How Many Boys?
Mom holds Logan & Fisher in front of mirror together. Logan says "Hah hah hah" (hi) repeatedly to himself and Fisher singsongs "Hi baby, hi baby, hi baby," until Fisher squishes Logan's face, Logan grabs Fisher's mouth, and mom tries to insert her head between the two for damage control.

Game #4 Some People Never Learn
Mom tries to teach Logan how to make the 'pbpbpbpb' lip version of blowing rasberries as a drier alternative to the 'thpthpthpthp' spitting version. Fisher thinks this looks fun and tries too. The end result is mom with baby spit all over her face. Every time.

Game #5 Jealousy
Not as fun as the others. Self-explanatory.

Game #6 Ignorance Isn't Bliss
Mom writes about little boys while they "share" toys, whining ensues, Logan rolls himself under the computer chair, and Fisher wedges himself between mom and the keyboard. Stubborn mom moves Fisher aside, picks up Logan, and tries to finish typing with one hand. Fisher and Logan cry. Mom frowns. Game over.

Game #7 Love is in the Air
Mom gets Logan a bottle and Fisher a drink, and all is well with the world again.

State of Mind

So.. last night we had a family dinner at my parents' house and an old family friend dropped by. In the updating that followed, she mentioned that so & so just had her 5th baby, to which I reacted with a surprised 'wow'.

3 seconds later, I remembered that I have 5 kids too.

Seriously. One of these days I will get a grip on that notion.