Things I enjoy doing with all my kids in tow

I will now proceed to make a list of all the things I love doing with all 3 of my kids:

- Going to the post office.  I swear the post office always has the longest, slowest lines on the planet.  And of course there is NOTHING for the kids to do or look at that they will not destroy.  It's also very quiet, compared to a grocery store.  So anything the kids say, or I say, is heard by everyone in line.

- Going to sacrament meeting.  I love getting dressed up in a dress every week so that I can go to sacrament meeting and have my kids climb all over me, spit up on me, etc.  I am up out of my seat at LEAST 3 times every meeting, between taking Madison potty, taking Jaxon potty, taking Colton to change his diaper (obviously bowl movements take up a lot of our time), discipling Jaxon (sometimes this happens multiple times), discipling Madison (this is rare, but it happens), or standing up to rock Colton to sleep.  I guess it's a good thing I DO dress up for church as the ENTIRE congregation sees me getting up and down every time.

- Answering questions.  Madison takes question asking to a new level.  Seriously.  Yesterday I told her she had to stop because my brain hurt.  The thing that makes it even more difficult is that she usually starts peppering me with questions while we are in the car.  She sits in the back.  The boys sit in the middle.  So we are usually driving down the road yelling questions and answers to each other while Colton and Jaxon are making noise in between us.  My favorite questions, by far, are the questions about things that aren't real.  For example: Madi: "Yesterday I saw Santa driving a truck.  Why was he driving a truck? Me: "Well it's not Christmas time.  Maybe he likes to drive trucks."  Madi: "Well why wasn't he driving his truck at the North Pole?" Me: "Well maybe he was visiting a friend in Dallas."  Madi: "You mean Frisco, TX?  Well why can't he come and visit me?"  AHHHHH!

- Having adult conversations.  I really, really enjoy having adult conversations while my children are conscious.  Even if the kids have been playing happily in the back yard for 20 minutes, the second I get on the phone they are IN MY FACE about some perceived emergency.  It drives me insane.  If I try to lock myself in the bathroom the kids are at the door trying to get to me. I do not make social calls between the hours or 7 a.m and 7 p.m.  I used to be really good at remembering information that people told me.  Not so much anymore.  It's hard to give someone your full attention while trying to break up a fight and feed the baby at the same time.  I try to e-mail as much as I possibly can.

- Eating.  Meal time is a wrestling match at our house.  Colton is eating real food now, so I'm usually trying to feed myself and Colton.  Jaxon prefers to mix eating and playtime, so he's usually making a gigantic mess while he is eating. Sometimes I end up spoon feeding Jaxon, too, just so he will stop painting the table with yogurt or ketchup and actually eat.  Madison, who has always been difficult to feed, is usually making bargains and trying to figure out how little she can eat and still get dessert.  Ha, and they say family meals are one of the most important times you can spend with your family.

- Going to the doctor.  My kids don't hate going to the doctor, which is good.  But taking all of them with me to the doctor is quite an adventure.  There's nothing better to elevate the blood pressure than being stuck in a tiny room with 3 small kids while waiting for the doctor.  They always want to climb all over the examining table or chair.  They beg me for "suckers and stickers" the whole entire time, because they know that all doctors have them.  They want drinks of water from the tiny cups. Then they spill their drinks.  They want to know what is in all the drawers.  And then when the doctor finally comes in, there's no escaping them in order to have an adult conversation.  Oh and Madison is terrified of shots.  She won't even be in the room when I get shots.  So the whole time we are at the doctor she keeps asking, "Is it time for the shot???"


For the record I really do enjoy spending time with my kids, as long as we are in a kid-friendly, kid-proof environment!  Here are some pics. of us having fun in the backyard last week.  I gave the kids a huge cardboard box to play with.  It's kept them entertained for days!

Jaxon crunching numbers on the financial calculator.  Every little boy dreams of growing up to be an accountant, right?!

Hiding in the rocket.  Notice that Madi and Jax look like they are about the same size.  Madi is actually a few inches taller, but at the last visit to the doctor there was only 1.8 lbs. weight difference between them.

We have a swing attached to our arbor.  I LOVE it.  Sometimes I just leave Colton strapped in while I run inside to check dinner or something.  The kids love taking turns pushing him!