Life as I know it

It makes me laugh sometimes.  The reaction that we get because we have three preschoolers.  The comments like, "Your house must be busy." or "How do you do it?" or when friends tell us that they were telling their extended family about us and they get asked, "Have they lost their minds?"  (That one in particular akes me want to introduce them to some of our "large family" friends).

Oh sure, there are moments in some of the days where I think that I have indeed lost my mind.  Those moments typically occur right before rest time ~ yes, all three currently still nap, thank you Jesus! ~ or during the "bewitching hour" as we wait for Ian to get home so we can have dinner.  And Ian and I are really getting our feet wet in the difficult part of parenting as search for ways to deal with the "need to be in control" issue that one of our kiddos is really struggling with right now.  (I may write more on that later, I may not.  Just want to keep it real and say that we're having a tough time figuring this one out.  It isn't sunshine and roses in our house 24/7 ~ but if it is in any home, anywhere I'd love to know about it).

But much, much more often than the losing my mind moments, there is joy.

What else could there be with two sets of virtual twins?  And just to make myself clear, no, there is not another child for our family currently in the works.  It's just that by definition, I have two sets of virtual twins.  Caleb happens to be the younger in one set and the older in the other.  And since he has enough personality, energy, and volume for two people, we'll just go with that...

A few things about my three preschoolers that I want to record before these days slip away and they become elementary kids:

Kylie ~ Has an amazing memory for detail.  Yesterday we spent a few hours at our local science museum. 
Anyway, she led the pack on excitement as she told Ian during dinner about our exploration.  She excitedly gushed on and on about seeing snakes "that were behind the glass so that we didn't have to worry about them touching us," petting a bunny during the "meet the animals show," and giving him her favorite fact of the day.  "Daddy, Daddy, did you know Daddy seahorses have babies in their bellies and not the mommies?"  The seahorse area was one of the first things we saw, guess that really made an impression in her mind.

I suppose that memory is one of the things that keeps her friendship with sweet Susannah alive.  Aside from her China sisters, Susannah was Kylie's first friend.  We moved away from Susannah's family almost two years ago now and while Kylie has many good friends here, she still refers to Susannah as her best friend.  It is such a delight to see them together when we are able to meet up.

Caleb ~ Growing like a little weed right now.  He's still the shortest of my bunch, standing in at 39 1/8 inches tall.  But he's grown over two inches since his check up in February.  And if the way he's currently packing away the food is an indicator, we're gonna see a lot more growth soon!

Just this morning I really noticed how much he's grown.  Those pajama pants (size 2T) fit him just fine in the early spring.  I'm now just hoping that the 3T stuff I bought him at our consignment sale will make it through the fall and winter!  Oh, and don't mind the peanut butter jar lids dangling from his ears.  Those are his "Larry Boy super suction ears."  I need to find some material for one of my aunts to sew him a super hero cape.

Darcy ~ So at one time we thought she was going to be a quiet, reserved child.  Yeah, right!  The more and more she feels comfortable with us, the more and more sass and spunk come out.  She has been dubbed "Sassafrass" in our home.

And we're learning a lot more about her as her English continues to blow us away.  For example, the other day I was saying that her bangs were getting long again, so we needed to trim them.  She looked at me and said, "Give me scissors, I cut!" while making snip snip motions all over her head.  As she did something clicked in my mind.  (Remember how choppy her hair was when we first met her?  I was so disappointed that it looked like the beautiful hair we had seen in recent pictures had been butchered.  I was irritated at the person who had done such a horrible job on her hair).  Without any emotion in my voice, I asked her if she had ever cut her hair before.  She impishly laughed and said, "Yes, when I live in China.  Foster Mommy say NO!"  All scissors in our house have since been hidden...

As a threesome, when they aren't irritating one another, they are so fun to watch.  Most days the biggest fights they get into is who gets to be in the middle when they do things.  Yesterday at the museum, Kylie won most of those struggles.  But she was taking her role as leader of the pack quite seriously. 

Oh to have had video capability (came out on the Canon Rebel just after I got mine) as Kylie said, "Now Darcy and Caleb.  This is a whale.  See right there where those bones make a big oval area inside?  That's where Jonah was stuck for three days.  Do you think that would have been comfortable?"  And of course to get Caleb's "Woah!" reaction.
And the dressing them in coordinating colors?  Yes, I'll admit it is darling, but it is more a safety precaution than anything else.  Always easier to spot them in crowded public locations when I'm looking for the same color!

Some can't imagine what being inside our family is like.   I'll simply say, "It's what I know.  It is busy.  It is often loud.  There are times it is a bit chaotic.  But there is abundant love and laughter.  And I rather like it."