2010 year in review- OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

The first weekend in OCTOBER, we met the Glenn family...by Sunday afternoon Kevin was hired as the new senior pastor at Memorial. This filled in some of the question marks we had about Chris' job.
We visited Shryock's Corn Maze where we found 8- yes! all 8 checkpoints! Even with me being 8 months pregnant.

 For Jayden's 6th birthday, he wanted a pumpkin cake...so we came up with something. It was challenging to put together but his enthusiasm was a sweet reward.

 
 of course, at the end of the month we played dress up to first visit Hy-Vee then church's Trunk or Treat event- what a zoo!









All of NOVEMBER was spent waiting for AJ's birth.

 We enjoyed the fall colors, Chris processed 2 deer, and we did a LOT of miscellaneous "nesting". Then FINALLY! the blessed event occurred:

DECEMBER has been a lot of couch time and everyone getting used to AJ...he hasn't been squished yet and I haven't died of sleep deprivation yet. All's well!

2010 year in review - JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

 JULY 3rd we traveled to Sedalia for an Independence Day celebration. There was watermelon and water, games for the kids, a Barlowgirl concert, and awesome fireworks despite the light sprinkle from the sky.

 AUGUST- family vacation back to Knoxville visiting family. We were able to enjoy the city (and the lake!) more than in February- sightseeing, boating and swimming.

At the end of the month, we officially began homeschool kindergarten. I've been wavering back and forth to send or not to send Jayden to school- private or public- especially since the baby's arrival would mess with the end of the year's schedule. Eventually I realized that the best family time we get is always weekday mornings when Chris has his days off. We didn't want him to miss out on the family connection time, so that pretty much decided the issue and I've enjoyed the time being "teacher".

In SEPTEMBER, I turned 30 and Chris’ threw a surprise party for the occasion. I thought that attending the piano recital at church was a fun treat (definitely out of character for Chris though) but it doubled as a rouse to get the kids to the babysitter and me to church. I was caught off guard by the crowd in the fellowship hall and very much enjoyed the entire afternoon!

Also in September, we took the kids to Grants Farm in STL where we met up with long-time friends the Goodwins. We had a beautiful day. Zeke got to participate in the elephant show- a balloon blowing race, and both boys drove a staff golf cart at the end of the day...a special perk from I guess just being in the right place at the right time!

2010 year in review- APRIL MAY JUNE

Easter was at the beginning of APRIL this year. You can see that I still can't get everyone to look at the camera at the same time- Oh well! The rest of the month was spent recovering from the surprise due to arrive in November.

We visited the doctor in MAY and saw an ultrasound that showed a healthy sisk baby on the way.

Later, the kids and I took an overnight trip to Potosi without Chris. We visited the Ainley and Costephens (our friends from college) clans and what a zoo! There was mom-time, sunshine, animals, as well as more dirt than any boy could ever hope for. We had a great time.Back on the home front, I very much enjoyed watching the spring bulbs show off.

JUNE 12th was Violet’s second birthday. I'm not sure she knows that "2" is different than "5" or "4".  I'm pretty sure she thinks that she's as big as her older brothers. She talks in complete paragraphs and runs around the yard (and sometimes neighborhood) like she owns it.

year in review- JAN FEB MARCH

This year was full of excitement, but JANUARY started quietly. Chris had his 31^st birthday in the middle of the month.  Too bad January didn't end quietly! Chris took an elbow to the forehead and I got a call on his way to the ER. Ten stitches later I got to take him home.

FEBRUARY got kicked off with a family trip to Knoxville, TN for Stacey’s brother’s wedding where we all had a part to play. Chris and Stacey were attendants, Jayden rang a bell, Zeke was the ring bearer, and Violet…walked along with brothers in a pretty outfit.

Later that month, we had to say “see you later” to Chris’ Grandma Violet. Chris shared the eulogy at the service and did a stellar job of honoring Grandma both with what he said and his ability to get through the speech.

MARCH opened with Zeke’s 4^th bday. When we had a dog, she really mellowed after about the fourth year...not true for Zeke. He's still as puppy-ish as ever.

In the spring, I also began a garden experiment that yielded a few tomatoes, about 24 green beans, too many yellow squash and and more weeds than you could count.

Adam-syndrome

Today I was blessed with yet more help around the house. Mama was here last week, Mom was here the last two days, and Nanny was here today. One of the things I overheard as Nanny ran interference with the older kids while I was with the baby:
Nanny: Is that your book?
Jayden: No
Nanny: Then you don't need to be drawing in that.
Jayden: Violet did it first!

He didn't argue that it was really alright to have drawn in Daddy's planner, but apparently thought that because Violet had drawn first, it made his actions excusable. Maybe he thought he was off the hook because she had given him the idea and he was only the follower. He recognized that what she did was wrong, but didn't make the connection that when he did the same thing, it was wrong too.

How often do I easily point out something wrong with someone else, but fail to recognize the SAME EXACT THING in my own character?

Then it occurred to me that what happened was rather like the incident in the Garden...where Adam said "but she gave it to me!" It hit me as ironic that my little boy's knee-jerk reaction was to point out the girl next to him just like Adam did. Apparently, some things don't change even over so much time!

Anecdotes

In an effort to keep myself resting rather than tending to the THOUSAND things i need to not care about right now, I am using the computer much like a paper weight...er, person-weight. Which gives me a perfect opportunity to share some the cute things that our kids have said and done in the last several days...beginning with the most recent:

Saturday, December 4
     (Violet is doing something silly and laughed at herself)
Me: You're so goofy!
Violet: I'm not Goofy, I'm Minnie
    (she's a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse junkie)

Friday, Dec 3
    (at the breakfast table, Chris repeated a question to give her practice saying "yes, please" something he had also done at supper the night before. this time her patience wore too thin)
Violet: "no talking at the table, Daddy!"
    (apparently she didn't get the memo that she's not the boss)

Thursday, Dec 2
    (we were in the living room where Chris and the kids are unpacking Christmas decor. Violet keeps pressing start on a talking bear that recites "The Night Before Christmas", so we've already heard it several times)
Jayden: "The sugar plums in my head are asleep"
    (Wha-??  so much for poetic language in a kindergarten brain)

Wednesday, Dec 1
    (on the way home from the hospital AJ is letting us know he doesn't appreciate...something...strapped in the carseat?...the cold?...being moved?)
Jayden: (singing)"me and my teddy getting all ready, getting all ready to play"
Chris: (enthusiastically) "that was great! did you make that up?"
Jayden: "no, its from Barney"
    (blessed purple dinosaur. because it quieted AJ, Jayden keeps singing it as his contribution to caring for our baby brother...and now its stuck in momma's head. great. we are greatful though that our oldest little man seems to be doing well so far with the transition. he didn't warm up very quickly to AJ at their first meeting)


Tuesday, Nov 30
    At "trunk or treat"- our church's contribution to over-sugar-fying the neighborhood children on Oct 31- Zeke received a cute little teddy bear. He named it "Tiny Teddy" and it joined the ranks of his sleeping buddies. When he came to visit baby brother in the hospital on the second day, he brought it with him.  Zeke wanted to share it with AJ since he didn't have any sleeping buddies yet, so it stayed in the bassinet through the rest of our hospital stay.

Monday, Nov 29
    (after AJ's birth our other blessings came to meet him.)
Jayden was very quiet, but eager to hold him...he even tolerated having his picture taken which is a BIG change from his usual m.o. of dodging picture taking equipment.
Zeke: "I've never had a baby before!"
Violet: "Mine new baby"

Bebo Norman - Here Goes (Slideshow With Lyrics)

Sometime in the last two weeks this song caught my attention.  I have felt overwhelmed at the thought of caring for a larger family...however, the inevitable has arrived and we face discharge from the hospital within the next hour. This chorus has been running through my mind constantly over the last couple days. First during the induction, now as we prepare to go home. Its invigorating though, to have had so much support expressed and on top of that, to look at this as a God-given adventure. So, "here goes nothing!"

introducing: Abryhn Joseph "AJ" Sisk!

proud parents with the newest boy

nurse chrissy helped us through labor and delivery

siblings eagerly wait their turn

"i've never had a baby before"

"mine new baby"

the aunts came to see the new nephew

mee-maw-again

friends jeff and marilyn copeland came bearing food for mom and dad

Pray Specifically

Apparently, God has a sense of humor...and enjoys messing with our family.  This morning, Chris woke me up with "the alarm didn't go off!" So, in the end we still get to make a mad dash to the hospital even though we're scheduled for an induction.

I'm reminded of the incident a few years ago when Chris was going deer hunting. The boys and I prayed that "daddy would get a deer."  Not that I'm that thrilled with venison, but I knew Chris would really enjoy the conquest.  He came home from hunting trip, not having fired a shot, but with a deer in his possession.  Someone else had killed it, but gave him the meat to process.  Technically, daddy did "get a deer", just not like we had meant it.  So, the next season, the boys and I prayed more specifically...that "daddy would shoot a deer"! The lesson should have carried over.

In the same way, I mentioned to God that I would enjoy getting to "mad dash" to the hospital.  I should have qualified it by continuing to say "...because I'm in labor on my own".  Because, He provided the exciting mad dash to the hospital...due to oversleeping! We didn't miss our appointment though, so He's just kinda messing with us! Good thing the contractions aren't too bad yet...I might not have a sense of humor later =D

this too shall pass...

 Over the last few weeks we've been preparing for AJ (boy or girl initials), and among other thoughts, I've been wondering..."how shall we break the blog-silence?" Maybe we should wait for a birth announcement- afterall, the new baby IS the main reason for the lack of posts.

Then today happened.

As I was dealing with the situation, my thoughts hovered around....I need sympathy, I need sympathy, I need sympathy. Not wanting to steal any one person's time by ranting over the phone, I thought "I'll appeal to the online social community! SURELY someone will read my sufferings and think, 'poor Stacey'."

Then I thought about the well-meaning phrase I hear most often from empty-nest-moms and probably would hear again today..."This too shall pass". Of course they're referring to how quickly time flies and all of a sudden the babies are grown and gone. In this afternoon's case however, the phrase sounds rather ironically unencouraging. Here goes my sob story:

Each afternoon, I shut Violet in her room to either take a nap or play- she won't always sleep anymore. Then the boys get to watch a couple hours of PBS while I recover from the morning and psych myself up for the evening by taking my own "time out".  It sounded like today was going to be another no-nap day for Violet, so I tuned out her playing noises and read a "babytalk" magazine to refresh myself about newborns...less than 4 weeks til D-day!

As I finished skimming the magazine, I heard a distress cry from Violet..."Momma! Momma! Momma!" All it took was opening the door for me to SMELL what was wrong with her. yeah. Problem was, she didn't call me right away. She had already removed the offensive diaper, freed contents onto the carpeted floor, done some sort of smooshing activity , climbed on one brothers bed, sat on his headboard, climbed the ladder (with a quick squish against the wall) to the other brothers bed, sat on both the sheet and comforter, and was on her way back down again when she called me. I'm sure she had a great time.

She was relatively easy to clean, but the floor...wow. Really, I didn't need to review what dinner had been last night! I had put her back on her bed so she didn't get to play with toys or watch TV with her brothers. She kept saying "I watch you mommy?" As if I was the afternoon's entertainment. I had flash backs to the stage where baby throws something just to watch it fall, parent picks it up, baby throws it again (just to see if gravity still works), parent picks it up again, baby throws it again (because now its a fun game with Mommy/Daddy...rather like playing fetch with a dog). Then she sang me her "poop song". I only know what it was because when she was finished she told me that's what she was singing. Then she wanted to sing "Deep and Wide". nice transition. I didn't see the connection, but didn't need to...by then I was stripping the boys' beds on my way out of the room. It smelled as nice as Resolve stain remover could make it, and my containment mission was complete: stop the mess before it spread further.

It might have been more worth while for me to not have taken my time out, rather than to expend the energy to clean up such a mess. I'm not sure I netted any energy-gain. Although, I'm tempted to dwell on the lack of glamour involved with being a caregiver of young children, something rings in my ears..."This too shall pass!"

i do feed her, honest!

baby girl got in the refrigerator and gnawed on the bologna until it was unrecognizable...please no comments about bologna's origin!! amazingly enough, the package was still intact when i found it. the hot dogs sustained less damage and were suitable for dinner. i just couldn't believe how extensively this didn't look like lunch meat anymore! i mean, she's done this before, but this time she got more than teeth marks around the edges.

any suggestions on baby proofing the refrigerator? (other than a chain and padlock?!?)

poor baby

is it too early to tell if she'll need orthodontic help?

poor baby.

well, some people think a "perfect 10" refers to a super model or a gymnastics score. Chris took it to mean 2 deep and 8 surface stitches on an otherwise quiet Sunday afternoon.

poor baby

This morning's scripture reading included Romans 8:28..."And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

On Christmas day, we had "a day" and I started writing this in my head with that verse in mind. So since the theme resurfaced today, I thought I'd take the time to actually type my mental article.

Christmas morning we woke up and of course, like any family who has lovingly prepared gifts for each other, we enjoyed ripping wrapping paper and opening boxes. The hang-up happened on the baby girl's gift. (And anyone who's ever had to open a gift like this will empathize.)

It was a fisher price plastic talking vacuum cleaner, but you would have thought it was made of pure gold the way it was secured in the package. You should have seen the wires holding the toy onto the packaging material! What an ordeal. We made it through and end result was that she enjoyed pushing her toy around and listening to its comments.

After breakfast, we began loading the van for our trip to see family. Once the stuff and kids were loaded (sans weeping and gnashing of teeth), we pulled out of the driveway. At the bottom of our street Mr. Five-Year-old needs help buckling his seatbelt so we stop while I climb to the back seat and help him. Mind you, we are facing snowy traveling conditions and our neighborhood is definitely not plowed...we're just hoping the highway is. We pull out of the subdivision and hear a strange thumping sound...coming from our rear passenger tire. By the time we turn around in a parking lot and make it home the tire is barely on the wheel anymore!

Instead of trying to find someone who'll sell us a tire on Christmas day, we pile in the pickup truck. Well, again, its snowing. We're doing good to just fit the five of us in the cab let alone all the trappings we have to carry with us.

So here's where all things work together for good: we began stuffing all our stuff into big garbage bags and piling them in the snowy bed of the pickup. (in the freezing cold, I might add) But the bags didn't come with twisty ties, so now what?!? (super-hero theme song plays in the back ground) The twisty ties from the overzealous packing inclinations of the fisher-price people come to the rescue! They are long enough and strong enough to give me confidence that our gifts and clothing and bedding will arrive at our destination DRY!

Thank you for the twisty-ties that fought me for control of my daughter's Christmas present.