Big Brother Stuff

Being a big brother is hard work.  But I have to say, this little one is pretty good at it.  He loves his little sisters: he helps me when I have my hands full, he shares his toys, and he loves to give the twins hugs and kisses.  He giggles when they smile or reach our for him.  And he is the only one that can make them laugh so hard that their giggles turn into belly laughs.

"I'm Laying On Her!!!!!"

 In just a few days this little one is going to start preschool, and I am so excited for him!  He's going to start learning like "big kids," and have time to play with kids his own age.  This summer he has really grown up a lot, his vocabulary has exploded, and he's FUNNY! I love this age and playing with my little boy because he is SO much fun!

Looking Older Than He Is

One of my favorite things to do is walk down the street with him right before bedtime.  The sun is setting, the street is getting quiet, the scent of dinner cooked on the grill still fills the air, and the bugs are finding a home for the night.  It's just my little boy and me filling the silence of the street. 

Barrett likes to stop and look at the bugs.  He asks me what they're doing, or makes up stories about them.  He tells me that the letters on the stop sign are "T-S-R-O." He asks each time a dog barks, "Mommy?  Did you hear that doggy?' while looking up at me with those big blue eyes.  He runs ahead of me and turns around to ask, "Are you coming Mommy?" or "Mommy, what this is?"   And sometimes he rides his bike:

We sometimes make it to story time at the library.  He begs and pleads me to go, and then this face looks like this when we get there:

Sitting Back and Taking it All In

Being Silly with Caroline

We try to find lots of time to play outside:

Look Mommy!  There is a Football in My Shirt!

Walking to the Park

Blowing Bubbles

I just can't believe how old he is and how grown up he seems:

He's So Tall!

Looking Like a Big Boy!

And then we always find time to be silly:

Selfie Face

Mommy.  I'm going on a hunt today!!!!  

Oh you are?  What kind of hunt?

I'm hunting cars.    No!   I'm hunting RABBITS!

Taking. A. Break!

Having three tiny people by myself in the house all day is can be exhausting.  And when Matt comes home from work, I will find anything to do so I can have 5 minutes to take a deep breath and have a thought that doesn't have anything to do with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, baby food, feeding times, how to keep a toddler entertained, diaper changes, potty training, or nap times.  I could probably crawl in bed before dinner and sleep soundly until the next morning.
BUT I know that I have bedtime with Barrett every night.  After the craziness and crying and the toddler negotiations concerning bedtime, these very last moments of the day are perhaps the sweetest.  Barrett and I spend some time, just the two of us, in his room.  We talk about his favorite part of his day,  (which is usually "my daddy," and sometimes, "my daddy and my sisters,"), silly breakfasts, how we can help others, and what he will dream about.  And then we read a story, pray, and sing songs ... that part of the routine as been the same since he was a baby.  Even when he was a baby, I loved this time with him, and I'm going to hold on to it for as long as he will let me. Because ..

I End Each Day With This View

And everything just melts away:  My tiredness.  The nap time cries of the day.  My "mommy worries." The deep breaths I forgot to take.  The temper tantrums and time out episodes.  The accidents when somebody forgets to use the potty.  The three kids that like to use Mommy as a jungle gym. 

In this quiet moment in between stories and songs, we pray.  And with our eyes close and our heads bowed,  I thank God for each of my sweet children and for this little boy being such a great big brother to "Barrett's Bay-bies."