End of Summer - End of an Era

The end of summer is approaching fast and, with it, the end of an era.  My best friend here in Texas is moving to Pennsylvania.  Her husband quit his job here a few months ago and just accepted a new one.  The big part of me is happy that he found a job he is excited about, but the selfish and scared part of me wonders what I will do without her.

We met when our now-9-year-olds were 5. They were lucky enough to be assigned the same Kindergarten teacher and became fast friends.

Here are our kiddos the very first day of Kindergarten.  They even sat next to each other.  Back then it didn't matter that one was a boy and one was a girl.  There was no pressure, not teasing and playdates were easy.  That all changed when they hit the end of second grade.  Peer pressure won and their friendship faltered.

Luckily for me, AB's mom and I continued to be friends despite Princess and AB's parting of ways.  Princess has three little brothers, so we were still able to get the kids together by slyly calling our get-togethers playdates between AB and her brothers.

This is a picture of me and AB's mom the night my little Duke was born.  I honestly don't know how I could have made it through that week without her.  My little Duke ended up having an infection and he and I spent the first 8 days of his live in the NICU.

AB's mom was a nurse in her life before kids.  She knew just what to say to me to help keep me calm for my family.

We have shared countless books with each other.  We have seen lots of movies.  And it was AB's mom who invited me out for birthday dinners.

And now they are moving.

Life here in Texas has been very lonely.  It took a long time to find a good friend.  Sometimes it bothers me because when we left Des Moines, I had several really good, life-long friends who would do anything for me just as I would do anything for them.  Plus two months after we moved to Texas, my sister and her family moved back to Iowa.

Having kids invites involvement in the community.  I volunteer a lot at the school and am around a lot of adults during the school year.  There are just not a lot of opportunities to really get to know people.    My kids are getting old enough to go to playdates on their own - so there are fewer opportunites to get to know their friends' moms.  Maybe the Knight's starting Kindergarten this fall will present some friendship opportunities.

AB had a sleepover with the boys last night.  It was kind of a farewell playdate for them and it gave AB's mom some last minute packing time.

She picked him up about an hour ago and now they are on their way out east.

My heart is broken.  I feel very, very alone right now. 

Maybe that is why I returned to my blog.  It's been a while.

Sleep Deprivation, Isolation, and Depression - Oh My!

I took my kids outside to play on Tuesday afternoon.  It was a busy night - lots of homework - and Princess had girl scouts.  But it was also 65 degrees and sunny!  It is hard to live 1000 miles away from home, but on days like this, when Iowa is blizzarding and Texas is beautiful, it's a little easier.

We live on a pretty busy street, but the neighborhood directly behind us is on a cul-de-sac and, since we know so many friends on that street, we have no qualms whatsoever about heading over there to play.  We bring bikes, scooters, and band-aids because invariably someone gets a boo-boo.  The kids ride their bikes in the street, and the adults watch for cars.  If we see one, we all yell "CAR!" and the kids know to race over to the sidewalk until the car has passed.

My friend, AB's mom, my new neighbor friend, K, and I were all sitting in our strategically placed camping chairs so we could have a good view of our collective eight kids and chat at the same time.  We weren't there long when another mom came walking down the street to join us.

Seeing her brought back a lot of memories.  She was me 6 years ago.  She was walking her 2 1/2 year old daughter around and carrying a 6 month old, and she looked tired even though she was trying her best to not to.  She was smiling and chatting, but I could see it in her eyes.  So, I asked her how her baby was sleeping.

She laughed and said "Not so good."

Her first child had been a perfect sleeper - not unlike Princess.  Princess slept through the night - we are talking 7:00PM-7:30AM - at 2 months old.  The 6-years-younger me and this new mom had both thought that it was because we were doing something right.  BEEP!  Wrong answer!

Along came child #2.  And it really doesn't matter that her second child was a little girl and mine was a little boy.  What mattered is that they were NOT good sleepers at 6 months of age.

6 months may not seem like that long of a time, but if you are not sleeping, it seems like forever!

So we chatted about this and instantly bonded the way moms do.  Motherhood is a sisterhood in and of itself.  And it is my firm belief that if we can help each other through the tough days, we will all be better for it.

She had not been out and about for a few days.

Have you ever been, (not exactly) trapped (but you know what I mean) with a baby and a toddler?  For several days in a row?  I have.  And it isn't pretty. 

When I was that 6-years-younger mom, there were weeks that would go by and I would not get out of the house except when DadOf4 took me out to eat on Friday night.  Yea, dumb I know.  But I was tied to nap schedules and feeding schedules and it was really, really hard to get of out of the house on my own with two kids. Those schedules are really good for the kids, but they are tough on mommies.

I never experienced Baby Blues right after the kids were born.  Or maybe I did and it just didn't last too long.

I did however experience depression and all of the guilt that goes along with it.  How can a new mom possibly be depressed?  She has that precious little baby and I was lucky enough to have a precious little baby and a toddler too.

It is simple math here people. 

Sleep Deprivation + Isolation = Depression.

I am a slow learner, but by baby #4, I finally got it.  It is important to do stuff that is good for me too even if it gets us off schedule and a nap is missed here and there.  Bottles are a good thing.  Pumping is not a sin and neither is formula!

I hope I helped that new mommy.  Knowing that you are not alone and taking isolation out of the equation goes a long way to combat depression.  So does getting sleep but that is not always possible. 

And so, we pushed homework back on a beautiful 65 degree, sunny day here in Texas and Duke skipped his afternoon nap. 

And we are all better for it!

Monday Fun!

AB came over to play today! We had loads of fun! His mom had to drive 4 hours to get visas for their family's trip to China in a week and a day, so I offered to watch AB for the day! What an awesome experience for them! AB's dad was sent to China for work and they are meeting him over there.

Here is AB with Miney.

AB with Miney and Princess
AB, Princess, Prince, and the Knight playing outside. It was nice and cool so we spent lots of time running around outside!

More outside pictures!

Aren't they cute??

Their game was "raking the yard" and I didn't even come up with it! :)

All in all it was a super fun day!

Nice Weekend!

We went boating with some friends again this weekend. Princess got up on the skis again!
The Prince and the Knight loved the boat ride. The Prince and AB would not try skiing again. I think the Prince was following AB, and AB was a bit sad that Princess got up before he did.

Everyone had fun tubing though! Here are Princess, Prince, and AB getting ready to tube. They went a really long way before falling off for the first time.

The Prince, the Knight and Princess had fun playing in our backyard on Sunday. You can just see how hot it was in these pictures. We were over 100 degrees yet again.

Just look at the sun shine on the pool. Hot hot HOT day!

DadOf3 and I kept cool with our little tupperware foot soakers! The best $10 we ever spent! Having our feet in nice, cool water really makes a difference when we are sitting outside.

All in all, we had a very nice weekend! I hope you did too!

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If you are looking for my 5 Minutes for Mom Summer Photo entry, go here!

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Busy day with Friends!

Princess is all ready for her playdate in a dress from Aunt Icky!
The kids were a blur of dancing!

AB and Princess - dancing machines!

Time to play Mousetrap!

Princess and AB

AB's Mom and I worked out a great deal today! She watched Princess, Prince, and the Knight while I got groceries gloriously alone! Afterward, I picked up all four kids and they played over here for 4 hours so AB's mom could pack. They are flying out to see all of the grandparents tomorrow. The kids had a fun time playing Dance Party, Mousetrap, and Wii. They were pretty darn cute!

Boating fun!

Princess, Prince, and AB on the tube!
Princess popped up on her VERY first try!!

Princess was so happy and proud of herself!

My little prince got up too!

Here is Prince again!

My little Knight had a great time on the tube with AB's dad!

We had a great time boating with friends this afternoon! Such a fun day!

Princess and AB

Princess and AB have been friends since Kindergarten. They were in the same class and even started off the year sitting beside each other, not unlike this year. At the beginning of the school year, we told the kids that if they wanted to continue to sit next to each other, they would have to watch their chatting. They did a great job and still sit together.

Oh to be a little fly on the playground so I could watch these two play at recess! The stories that I have heard are so cute that I would like to see for myself. Apparently, Princess and AB run around the track holding hands, they always play in the playground together, and when the other is sick, they are each a little bit lost. AB's mom is a friend of mine, and she told me something on Tuesday that was pretty cute. She said that people come up to her and say, "Wow! It must be nice to know who your daughter-in-law is going to be already!

Yes, this is cute, but a part of me was upset by it.... I am ever so thankful that Princess has AB. They get along famously! They help each other in the classroom, according to their teacher. They love each other's company, that is evident. But for goodness sake - they are only 6 years old!

How sweet and romantic a story it would make if they did end up getting married in 20 or so years (after college has been completed). But I for one am not going to put that kind of pressure on my daughter. There will be plenty of time for crushes and dating (and all of the fun and heartache that it involves) down the line. I am in no rush to send my daughter into battle this young.

For now, I am just thankful that she has a best friend when she is away at school. It does not surprise me one bit that her best friend is a boy. She is surrounded by boys between her brothers and daddy. We are also very boy-centric in the neighborhood.

Anyway....

Princess Enters First Grade!

I don't think I could have planned a better morning for Princess!

She requested that DadOf3 wake her up this morning. Because he was going to take her to school for her first day, I didn't send him up until 6:30. She woke up happy and came downstairs and, after getting dressed, ate some eggs for breakfast.

I got her up early every day last week so she would be used to the new early schedule.

She and DadOf3 took off in the truck around 7:20. DadOf3 called me just a few minutes ago with the drop off story.

Since parking was very minimal, he had to drive around a bit to find a parking spot. After they found one and started walking in, Princess spotted AB, her good friend from Kindergarten. Princess and AB talked the entire way to the classroom. DadOf3 had to keep scooting them along and AB's mom and dad had to keep hollering at AB to keep up with them!

Princess told me last night that she and AB would be sitting together this year. Since their last names are not anywhere close to one another in the alphabet, I doubted this and told her so. As it turns out, Princess was right! She and AB are sitting together! I am not sure how long this will last because both Princess and AB like to chat.

What a great day though! She meets up with one of her best friends on the way into the school and then gets to sit by him! How sweet!

I will write more after I debrief Princess after school!

:)