3 years later

Oh my, I cannot believe it's been 3 YEARS since my last post, which is a statement to how quick it's gone, how busy it's been, and how fast time flies. Well, I'm happy to report we have successfully (well, sort of) survived the two. The boys were potty-trained at 3. Let's just say boys are filthy! How do they miss a target that big? The sword fight, stream fight during potty time, and have even put their heads in the stream! What!?! I'm fascinated by the fact you simply don't have to teach boys about the sleep button, how to work together towards destruction, nor how to strategize together to defeat their sisters.

I swear, every week, or day for that matter, we have some fun, crazy story to tell. Last week, they discovered the thrill of shoving anything and anything down the toilet. The result, $11k damage in a flooded basement. This week, I looked away for a moment and they threaded the mop through the spindles of our railings and used the stick as a tight rope to walk over. Oh my lord, thanks goodness I caught them before they made the big attempt.

Another real fun experience was what I call the curtain rod disaster. They always party after we put them to bed, but that night was different. I heard a real strange sound, which merited yet another trip upstairs to ensure their safety. I'm so thankful I did. I walked into the room and Jack (naturally) had ripped the curtains down, and was hold the iron curain rod. He had used it as a bat and was standing in pool of broken glass. What a party it had been. He broke all the glass around the light bulbs, the light bulbs were broke and shattered EVERYWHERE. After I made sure they were safe, mom went nuts. After changing all three bed sheets, picking up pieces of glass, and vacuuming the room, I passed out. Yup, we all survived...barely.

As the boys grow, explore and experiment with anything around them, the girls are growing up. Alli, our sweet oldest, continues to amaze us with her singing, violin playing, flute playing, gymnastics, science fair, and academics. In one day she was a finalist for Cheyenne science fair, became math master, and performed in all-city choir, symphony and band. She's simply an amazing girl.

Madeline is our little genius book worm. She reads a book a day, literally, and is a top performer in school. I love to see her competitive nature come out, and no goal is too big or hard for her...she'll reach it. We call her the pet whisperer as she has a way with any, and all pets. They simply love her. I'm convinced some day she'll be a veterinarian or a lawyer.

Then there's Olivia, my little cuddle bug and Gracy Bear. She's our little performer. I knew from the beginning she'd be in front on stage. She recently sang "What a Wonderful World" in a talent show and brought tears to many eyes. Her voice is beautiful and strong, and she shines when she's performing. I think we've only seen the beginning of this little girl. She love life, new experiences, and has this confidence about her that is magnetic. She's quite the dancer too. We have a hip hop dance off regularly in the kitchen. I love it!!

Well, I'll update more, at least more regularly than every three years!

Crawling, teeth and chaos

Well, it's official. Luke decided it was time to crawl. March 22nd he took his first few crawls and now, just 3 days later, he's a pro. I realize I have 3 older girls and should be use to crawling babies, but it's been nearly 5 years since I've had a crawler. How could I forget EVERYTHING they get into. Thankfully, it looks like we'll ease into 3 crawlers as the others are allowing us to adjust to Luke's new found freedom before they're taking off. Luke also has officialy made the transition to the crib, yeah!!! 2 down, 1 to go!

Ben had his milestone as well. At 9 months, he got 2 little teeth. His ear to ear grin is even cuter. He remains the smiliest baby ever and continues to be such a great sleeper.

As for Jack, he has decided to enjoy sitting for now. He's quite a pro at it and just loves playing with his toys. Although, my guess is he'll be the next to crawl. Because Ben's motto is why crawl when you can roll (over everything, including your brothers), I'm thinking Jack's next. He rocks on all fours, but has yet to make any forward momentum. As for eating, he's decided to go on a bottle strike to keep us on our toes. He continues to love his swing at night, but has recently decided he also likes sleeping with me from 3-6 am...every night. I don't mind, actually I kind of like it, but soon we'll be making the transition to his crib. I'm convinced we don't give him enough credit because the swing weight limit is 20 lbs. Well, he's approaching it so the bottle strike works well for him to prolong the transition out of the swing! :) Smart little guy.

We also had a recet scare, which I'm sure is one of many to come. All 3 were in the stroller and Jack, who was in the middle seat, began kicking like he loves to do. He got going so much that he managed to get his foot under the release latch on Ben's seat, who was sitting in front. Before I knew it, Ben's seat came undone and his entire carseat flew forward off the stroller onto the concrete. It was so scary. It's one of those times when you don't know what you'll find...scratches, blood, who knows. I flipped it over and sweet little Ben was, of course, smiling from ear to ear ready for another round.

So, while Ben is either blowing away in the stroller (see Steve's blog) or falling out of it, he's always happy. Jack, well, I'm now convinced he's smarter than anyone gives him credit for. With this kicking episode, he has now secured his spot in the front of the stroller. So, between the swing and the stroller, the bottle strike and kicking seems to have served him well. Oh, I can only imagine the fun we're in for. It's only the beginning!

Touched by an Angel

I'm still in awe. There are truly angels among us and that Saturday at Sams club further validated it.

We had taken the entire crew out to Sams for our weekly shopping trip...you can imagine what it looks like - a cart full of diapers and formula for starters. When we have the boys, especially all 6, it's quite an attraction. We literally get stopped several times to answer questions and hear all about other people's aunt's sister's cousin who had twins, etc. There's simply no such thing as a quick trip any more. Don't get me wrong, I love to talk about our kids, it just is complicated at times.

That day was no exception. We had made our way in the door and found ourself in front of these amazingly beautiful Easter dresses before we were stopped again. This time is was a friendly elderly lady, 75, who had mentioned our girls reminded her of her sisters, who were also close in age. She has many grandchildren and had just celebrated her 59th anniversay. Yes, 59 years! She was sweet. We mentioned how both of us were blessed and we then made our way to the next stop.

It wasn't 10 minutes later she approached me again and asked if she could do something. I figured being a grandma and all, she may want to hug the kids or something. Sure, I didn't mind at all. Instead, she asked if she could buy our girls an Easter dress. She estimated it would cost around $100 and gave me a check for $100. I couldn't believe it. Somehow, our kids had touched her in a way she had touched us. Steve and I were speechless and teary-eyed. It was amazing, she didn't even know me or my family. She gave the girls a hug and kiss. Her husband was pulling his oxygen tank and so proud of his wife for who she was and the kind heart she had.

I said, "You are amazing people," and he responded by saying, "That's why I married her." I still can't believe what an incredibly generous gift that was. Little does Kathyrn and Isaac know that they've given our family so much more than 3 beautiful dress. That night we talked about how we, as a family, should do something like that for others.

We still talk about them often and are forever grateful for their random act of kindness. Over the past year, I continue to be amazed by the generosity and support of others. Our kids have given me a lense to see the world so differently. I thank God for that perspective they have given me. As many people often remind me, we are truly blessed.

It's been 8 months, 3 days and 2 hours since I became a mother of 6 (but who's counting)! While I'm settling into our daily routine, the new level of noise and pace of activities, it still seems surreal when I look at all these kids in our house. 12 years ago when we got married, I would have never imagined this huge Brady Bunch sized family, but I couldn't envision it any other way now.

My husband is the talented writer, so it was appropriate that he start a blog (http://www.bahmerbunch.blogspot.com/) to document this incredible journey. He has a way with words and provides such an amazing perspective. As you might imagine, my lense is a little different so I thought it would be fun to provide a mom's view into our crazy life. So, here it goes. It's a little like starting backwards given our boys are 8 months old and our girls are 8, 5 and 4, but as I'm discovering with everything in life, it's never to late to start, right?!?