Brecken and Joelle::5.5 years old

Brecken

-at 5 you weighed 40lbs 9ozs

-at 5 you were 43in tall

-you were 5T clothes/XS

-size 11 shoe

-still nap {nearly} every single day, with no signs of giving it up

-sleep 8-7:30

-you are our pickiest eater.  You remind me {in so many ways} of your Uncle Josh it drives me batty.  Marianne made a broccoli slaw while we were in NC.  I, per usual, said you had to try it.  Marianne said Josh had to try it.  You both had the same look on your face while your fork was in front of your mouth and you both, LITERALLY, made the exact same face when you tasted it and were disgusted.  We all laughed.  You CAN pack it in.  There are plenty of times when I am amazed at what you eat.  Then there are other times you will be served supper and declare you are not eating.  And you will be completely fine until morning.

-you are the most sensitive to smells.  Maybe that has something to do with being a picky eater?

-you are also the most sensitive to noises.  You will quickly plug your ears if something bothers you.  Like your sisters screaming.  

-you are also the kindest and most sensitive to other's feelings.  We are constantly asking ourselves what we did wrong with the girls.  You are the sweetest.  

-you win "Most Sensitive"  :)  It's not a bad thing.

-you are also the most whiny.  Oh.my.word.  I think we have tried every single punishment under the sun.  Positive AND Negative.  We finally have just gone with "Whiners go to their rooms."  That is really the only thing I've seen improvement with.

-you adore Legos.  You take them apart and put them together and take them apart and put them together.  And get this?!  You play with them.  {Adelyn doesn't really do this-she looks at them}

-you are a wild thing.  You love doing flips on the trampoline.  The girls are repeatedly amazed at you.  There are several times I look out the window and find you scaling the swing set.  I fear for your life.

-you love doing tricks on your bike and scooter

-you adore fishing and taught yourself to cast.  You are quite impressive.

-you can't wait to "move to the country and ride a dirtbike."  Someday, my child, someday.

-you are great at math and good at writing.  Reading and sounding things out?  You may be "our late learner" with those things.  As much as I want to pull my hair out, I will probably be really thankful we homeschool simply for this.

-you can't wait for Lincoln to be big so you can wrestle him and play hard with him.  He is currently sporting quite the shiner for wrestling with both you and Joelle.  Both of you are laying claim to his black eye.

Interview::

What's your name:: Brecken

How old are you:: 5

What's your favorite color:: green and blue

What is your favorite animal:: lions

What do you want to do when you grow up:: a cowboy and a fireman

What is your favorite movie:: Planes

What is your favorite book:: Spiderman

What makes you happy:: Bringing us special places and going fishing with Papa

What makes you sad:: If we don't go somewhere

What is your favorite food:: Cheesy Potatoes and Corn and Mac and Cheese

What food is gross:: Roasted Broccoli

What is your favorite song:: Funny songs

What games do you like to play:: Monopoly

What's your favorite subject in school:: Math and letter games (Get Ready for the Code)

Joelle
-at 5 weighed 45lbs 9ozs
-at 5 you were 46in tall
-wear a size 6 or a small
-size 13 shoe
-still nap {nearly} every single day
-sleep 8 to 7:30-9 every day.  You are the only one who likes to sleep in.
-you are the best garbage disposal.  You complain the least about food.
-we also {lovingly} refer to you as a squirrel.  There are crumbs everywhere and all over your face.
-you love, love, love animals.  LOVE.  All you want is a big stuffed sheep for your birthday.  That's it.  Last year, it was a bear.  I am completely convinced you will do something with animals someday.  And so are you ;)
-you are so smart.  It blows me away.  I was holding you back for reading.  In attempts at teaching both you and Brecken at the same time.  I need to just let y'all do things at your own pace.  Potty training was the same thing.  He was ready, you weren't.  Reading?  You are SO ready.  He is not.  We've been in school for 4 weeks now and you are just blowing through the books.
-now your writing?  It is actually really good.  But it's a process.  I was teaching little a's the other day and we had to keep practicing because they kept looking like balloons.
-you are the easiest child.  Eric and I say that and then just look at each other in amazement.  We never thought that we would see the day.  With that being said, when you want to be heard, you are HEARD.  Also, when you want something, holy dog with a bone.
-we moved Adelyn back downstairs.  As much as everyone loves it, it just doesn't work.  She wakes up to early and has no where to go.  So we promised her sleepovers and said back downstairs with you.  Once a week, she sleeps with you guys.  After that, you started having a hard time sleeping in your room.  I'm not sure why and I don't even think the two are related.  We decided to push your bed and Brecken's together and you were both so excited.  You promptly said "Now you won't have to check on me every night!"  Wahoo.  It did fix all our nighttime problems.
-you love giving and getting hugs and kisses
-you ADORE holding babies.  You think they are the best.
-you have the most stuffed animals of anyone I know.  You collect them.  And if I even mention donating some, bring on the tears.
-you are always moving and dancing and skipping somewhere
-you have the strangest love affair with public bathrooms.  Everywhere we go, you want to check them out.  So gross.  We make sure you pee before we go and really try to NOT let you go.
-you are so tall.  I think you are going to be taller than Adelyn.

Interview::

What's your name:: Joelle

How old are you:: 5 and a half

What's your favorite color:: purple and pink and green

What is your favorite animal:: sheep

What do you want to do when you grow up:: a zookeeper

What is your favorite movie:: Frozen

What is your favorite book:: About sheep and owls

What makes you happy:: When Mommy takes us somewhere and she gives us ice cream

What makes you sad:: When Mommy yells at me  (Fail Whale)

What is your favorite food:: Pizza and Macaroni and cheese

What food is gross:: Cooked Pineapple

What is your favorite song:: Happy Songs

What games do you like to play:: Candyland

What's your favorite subject in school:: Math

Strawberry Picking

Monday morning, you know, the morning after we drove 17 hours, I decided to go strawberry picking.  Because it was peak berry season.  And I can not miss it.  ;)

We tried Beard's this year.  The berries were 50 cents cheaper a pound.  So I felt like it was worth it.  But then the ladies were really rude.  Apparently this is not uncommon.  But the berries are beautiful.  So.  I don't know where I will go next year.  Haha.

I had these two beauties helping me.  They do actually help!  People don't believe me, but it's true.  We picked 87 pounds.  Hopefully they last us until next June.  We have never made it before but last year I "only" picked 50 pounds.  We may have better luck this year.

 

Fresh strawberry pie.  So good.

North Carolina Days 9 and 10

Since the previous 8 days have been swimming in poop, there is no reason why day 9 wouldn't start out the same way.  At 5:30, I hear Lincoln wake up.  I smell an awful smell.  I go get him.  I realize he is ooooooozing in poop.  Just oozing.  It got everywhere.  It was also all over the pack n play.  All over like it's never been all over our stuff before.  We are predictable.

We wanted to see Uncle Josh and Auntie Marianne's planes.  Pretty little ladies.

They DO love each other. ;)

Rides in the Tug.

Never leave without snacks for Lincoln.  Never.

We stopped someone to get a picture of all of us.

Climbing.  Always climbing.

After the planes, we did a lot of packing, some more swimming and we left for home around 6.  Lincoln didn't take a nap so we were planning on him zonking right away.  Well.  He did.  Then he woke up 45 minutes later and the screaming started.  And continued.  And didn't stop.  Rach and I just looked at each like oooohhhhh my word.  I think we thought we were going to die.  Thankfully he stopped around 11 and didn't really cry the rest of the way.  Around 11, we stopped at a gas station to get gas, nurse the wailer and take kids to the bathroom.  Shortly before then we heard "Mommy....I thought I had to fart.  And I pooped."  In the car.  Can I tell you the last time someone had an accident in the car?  3 years ago when we potty-trained B and J.  And nobody has ever crapped their pants in the car.  So said child got their undies thrown away in the bathroom trash, a diaper strapped on and the other child that had serious bathroom issues also got a diaper "just in case."  Because Momma can't handle crap in the car.

Thankfully, my sister got amazing sleep all week.  I drop from 6:30-11 and Rach drove from 11-6 the next morning.  We stopped for snacks and bathroom breaks.  This is what I got::

Michigan!!!!  Never have two people been more thankful for state lines.

2,229 miles and we are home again!!! I wanted one last picture and Adelyn said "Oh great. You just had to use your China stick again."

North Carolina Day 8

We wanted to go back to the river one last time before we went.  Josh and Marianne came with this time :)  Marianne hurt her hand at work and got some unexpected days off.

L-diddy rocking his swimming trucks out

You can bring the dogs to the river!

Pretty girls playing in a smelly puddle

He adored climbing all over the tree stumps

Unca Josh

We took a trip to Atlantic Beach at night.  It was a little chilly.  That didn't bother the kids.

Lincoln is in a let's blow raspberries on everyone's belly stage.

Free demonstrations::

Atlantic Beach at sunset?  Yes please.

Love walking with my brown little boy

Night time swim.

Josh had warned me that Lilo and Stitch loooooove stuffed animals.  We "tried" to keep the door closed to our bedroom and our stuffed animals in there.  In the chaos of leaving for Shackleford, yesterday, someone forgot to close it.  In the interest of full disclosure, it very well could have been me.  Marianne called on our way back and said "Ummm....one of the stuffed animals died."  So Josh is trying to tell me this without saying it and he says "Remember that thing I told you not to do?"  Inwardly I'm panicking thinking someone left water on and the house is flooded or we left the slider open and burglars ransacked the house.  Nope.  Someone forgot to close the bedroom door.  Oh goodie.  I tell Brecken that if I can't fix it, I will buy him a new one.  He took it surprisingly calmly.

When we got back from Atlantic Beach, and the kids were in bed, I sat down to fix the monkey.  He almost lost his eye and we weren't quite sure if he was going to make it.  Josh told me just to rip it off and sew him a patch.  Clearly Josh thinks I'm some kind of magician.

As you can see I had a guilty audience.  I kept saying "Lillllooooo what did you do?"  She feels very sorry for herself.

All fixed!  I'm quite impressed.  After I washed the dog slobber off, you can barely tell I had to sew it back on.  Brecken was pleased :)

Shackleford Island Day 7

We were planning on going to Shackleford today.  My children were having insane issues with diarrhea.  All four of them.  It's been really nasty.  Really, really nasty.  Lots and lots and lots of feces.  We have had blow outs, accidents in our undies, waking up in the middle of the night, crap all over the bathroom floor in the pool bathroom.  An all around grossness.  Shackleford doesn't have a bathroom on it.  I wasn't going to take them to the island, for 8 hours, without a bathroom.  I was super sad.  Nothing I was doing was helping.  One of my kids ate toast, crackers and bananas all day and it did not make a difference.  So, so bad.  And I was so, so sad we weren't going.  The night before it kind of tapered off.  The morning of, there was none.  We decided to go last minute.  Marianne didn't want to go (because of last year's experience) and she had school all day.  So off we went.

The boat ride over.

Uncle Josh and Brecken

Auntie and Papa

Don't ever leave the pack mules at home, when taking four children to Shackleford.  They are indispensable.  With that being said, all the adults also thought my wonder wheeler was indispensable.

 This is seriously my happy place.  We weren't sure how warm the ocean would be because we always go late in the season.  This year we were so early we thought it would be cold.  It certainly wasn't bath water.  But it wasn't to chilly either.

It wouldn't be normal if I didn't forget something.  Today it was the remaining pieces of Lincoln's swim suit.  At least I had the swim diaper...  We found them in the back of my truck.  So they were with us.  Just not with us.

These kiddos love the ocean

This stud muffin

is

so

cute.

He had so much fun playing in the little tide pools

These three had so much fun playing in the ocean.  The current was rather strong so I was watching them pretty closely.  We set up shop closer to the end and didn't walk into the island so much.  The ocean was meeting the fresh water, hence the current.

This is the awesome-est picture.

Walking around with Adelyn's bucket of shells

She loves building little sand castles and decorating them with sea shells and feathers

Sadly, you still get internet reception on Shackleford.

We forbade Joelle from burying herself in the sand this year.  One wicked case of sand fleas was enough for this Momma.

After we ate lunch, we headed off to find the horses.  It was a perfect time to completely cover L up and give that sweet baby skin a break from the sun.

Eric said I was obsessed with poop this vacation.  It's probably because that's all he heard me talking about.  But I had to take a picture of the silver mushrooms. 

 We found them!!!

Family Selfie

So pretty

They were behaving super oddly.  They were all circled around this one horse.  If we moved, the standing horses turned with us.  They were making sure we stayed away.  We were questioning if the horse was dying...

All of my people.  Minus Marianne, Seanie and Daddy.

Sweet sleeping boy holding his momma.

One never knows why this one is crying.  He always has a reason.  They are never very good.  Alas, we will give him a freebie.  Lots of sun, no rests, lots of walking does equal crabby people.

They sent in the chopper to rescue us.

We were walking back and the kids wanted to swim.

We said go for it.

We all had a good laugh over the irony of this....

Waiting for our ferry ride back.

We had a fire to relax at home.  I will have you know, no one had to poop, while we were on the island.  The rest of the vacation?  That is completely another matter.  I got a one day reprieve.  Out of about 8.