Five and counting

Trevor proposed to me here, seven years ago. Look what has happened since then.

Adding a third child is an interesting thing. You can't delegate - you take that one, I'll take this one. Someone is alway outnumbered. During the day, when Trevor is working, that someone is me. On an outing to the park, Katelin and Seth are allowed a lot of freedom while I hold Lina and occasionally call out, "No, not over there," or "Katelin, can you hold Seth's hand while he climbs down those stairs." I rely on Katelin a lot, because, well because she's all I've got. She usually rises to the challenge.

A simple trip to the store has to be planned and thought out well in advance. Today we went to Target. Seth sat in the seat in the front of the cart. Lina and her carseat sat in the back portion. Katelin jumped on the side of the cart and rode along, part of the time, jumping down to shop and point out everything she wants. This system works for us (though you can't buy much when your cart is already full).

I've noticed in our shopping endeavors there are basically two types of people. Members of the first group are usually at least 10 -15 years older than me, and often they are mothers or grandmothers. These people smile at me. They peek in at Lina. They grin, even when Seth turns away or puts on a pouty face. They often say, "Oh bless your heart," followed by words of encouragement and comments on how beautiful my children are. I love this group of people.

The other type of people have all sorts of reactions, but in essence their faces and their words and their actions say what they are thinking, "Why in the world do you have three kids this close in age?" These are the people who toss dirty looks at you when your baby is crying. In airports they glare when your toddler repeatedly kicks the seat in front of him. They say things like, "Are these all yours?" or "Wow. What is it like to have three?" Or "I don't think I could do it."

I'm not too bothered by this subset, but in my life I'm always trying to say to them - "This life - motherhood, parenthood - it is awesome. Even with three kids. Even with all of the chaos. Even when you stay at home all day and all you've done is clean toothpaste off of the walls. I love it. And I am happy to have all three of these kids..."

Since when was a family of five considered a large family anyway?

Note: Day three of project patio = another success. It was cold enough to warrant a blanket out there this morning. I love fall!