So Here I Am...

...Sitting at my part time job, wishing that I wasn't sitting at my part time job. It's not a bad part time job, it's just that I wish I was somewhere else. 

Like at home. 

With Megan, with Jonah, with Josh, with Eli and with Isaac. 

But for now, I will just sit here at my part time job, wishing I was home. 

See you soon, Megan, Jonah, Josh, Eli and Issac. 

I love you!

Jonah's First Post...

I love the pool!  I am heading out the door with my family to go swimming!  I'll post details here later!  See you then!

This is a test. Did it work?

More pictures of the newest Hans boy!

Sleeping is what Isaac does best right now...but we managed to catch him with his eyes open a couple of times!  Big brothers Jonah, Josh, and Eli are totally in love with Isaac and spend a lot of time looking at him, talking to him, and "helping" to take care of him...though they all run other direction when it's diaper changing time.  

It's Been A While...

...Since I last posted anything here. So, without further delay, here is a fresh, new post complete with pictures of our fresh, new son Isaac Eytan, born on February 5th, 2013!

This Is A Test...

Did this work?

Baffling

I have been a mom for more than 7 years now.

Even before that, I have worked with children directly and in child care classrooms for a bunch of years, affording me lots of opportunities to observe and interact with children. I even went and got a degree in Child Development and one in Psychology. So, I generally like to believe that I understand at least a tiny bit about kids and how they think, grow, develop, move through life.

And, of course, I love my children very much, quirks and all. But seriously, there are just some things about them that baffle me.  Things I've tried to make sense of over the years.

And look what I've done!  I've listed them below for your reading pleasure. I know, you're welcome.

• My children feel that someone coming to our door means that its time for them to run laps around the downstairs of our house while screaming, yelling the person's name, and karate kicking the air (thankfully, not the guests). Yes, we've explained and demonstrated how you are supposed to answer the door. Yes, we have talked to them about being polite vs. being, well, LOUD. No dice. They still (at 7, 5, and 3) greet every new arrival much as a puppy would who has just been let out of the crate after a long day alone. I think the saving point here is that most of the people who come to our door know our children well and expect this reaction.

• For some reason, all three of my kids think that I should be able to answer any question starting 3 seconds before they finish asking it. And if I don't, then they feel that the obvious solution is to keep repeating the question over and over without pausing until I answer. I have attempted to explain that I am actually not able to answer a question while they are continuing to talk and that sometimes I actually need to think about the answer, but, well, you can imagine how effective that has been.

• I am not allowed to move through the house without at least one, but more likely all three, of the boys following me. And not just following me, but actually orbiting me within an inch or two of my body as I walk. Needless to say this results in a lot of bumping, stepping-on, and general movement difficulty which you would think would be a natural deterrent for this behavior...but you'd be wrong. This one truly baffles me because, well, our house isn't that big. There are only so many places I could go and frankly, none of them are that exciting. Also, I have never (not even once) just run from the house without warning, so I personally feel that I have earned more trust than this.

• And, finally, each of them feels the need to announce to me or Jon where in the house they will be going next, including trips to the bathroom. Now, I guess it's nice that they want to include us in their day, but I pretty much figured I'd potty train them so that I wouldn't have to be involved in that particular part anymore. Just sayin'. Also, as I mentioned before, our house is just not that big and no matter where you go, pretty much everyone in the house knows where you are anyway.  An announcement of your next move just feels unnecessary.

So there it is.  Four things that, as a parent, I have been unable to understand, come to peace with, or change. The thing is, I'm very sure there are more things about my children that I find confusing, but I'm having a hard time thinking of them right now because someone just arrived at the door and there's a lot of running and yelling going on...