All in a Saturday

Oh what a day! We started Saturday by going to the Y's Healthy Kids day. They had free bike helmets for the kids and all sorts of events! Walker got the autographs and picture with the UNO basketball team! Max got to see a real fire truck! He loves fire trucks and they let him and all the kids go inside and through the truck! All the mascots from all the area teams were there. Max was petrified of the Lancer hockey bird. Brady ran right up to him and got a hug and a twirl from it! After that, the kids and I went with Anne and Patrick to a Creighton baseball game. The kids LOVED it! Walker caught a T-Shirt! We ate popcorn and cotton candy. It was great weather and great seats right behind home plate! Then, to round out the day, Lauren had her dance recital at the YMCA. She did great! It was a very cute show with very cute girls! She was proud of herself! I can't believe we were able to squeeze all that in one day! The kids kept saying how it was the best day of their lives! This was a four day weekend for the kids, which I have to admit, I usually fear and dread. When I am home alone (without a car) all day with all four kids there is no telling what could happen. Add to that if I worked the night before, and it is usually a recipe for disaster. I tried to prepare as best I could this time around. Friday was baseball day. We did some baseball themed worksheets (hey, you can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can't take the classroom out of the teacher!) which they always love the challenge. Then we played some baseball themed games and played catch in the backyard. We had corndogs for lunch and I made bases out of apple slices. They watched a baseball movie ONDemand during rest time. We were doing awesome until about 3 pm. That is when fatigue set in for all of us. We each took turns having a meltdown, regrouped and got on with out night. Everyone went to sleep a happy camper. Monday was another stay home day for all involved, but I didn't have to work the night before and I had the car! We went to the Y so I could work out and then tried to go to the library for a movie. Without getting too crass, it did not work out and I may have lost my marbles a bit there. I may have also called the library and complained. They apologized, I was all better. We went to the mall to play. The kids made some instant friends and burned some energy (wahoo!). We got home, played outside and the backyard became a splash zone. They came up with the idea and I just went with it. They were all wearing clean clothes they had just folded from the laundry and my towels were all nice and clean too. The Type A part of me was freaking out a bit, but the other part of me told me to just chill and let them be kids. It has taken me eight years to listen to that part of me, but hey I'm finally learning, right? We went to dinner with Doug before he had class and all were snug and asleep by 9 pm. I would say in their own beds, but no one sleeps in their own bed around here except for Doug and I. So, we are back to our regularly scheduled routine and ready for summer to kick in!

Mr. First Communion and Easter

It has been an eventful spring to say the least so far! Easter came out of nowhere! It was a fun day and the kids enjoyed numerous egg hunts around town leading up to the big day! Right after Easter, Walker Stephen Roddy Goebel made his first communion! He was very excited about this and took it very seriously! It was a nice mass. Grandma Goebel came with us and stayed for dinner. Walker picked dinner. The menu was (ahem): Corndogs, corn, and apple juice. Really. That is what we ate. I made a chocolate cake based on Aunt Wendy's butterscotch cake recipe and it was delish!! They totally grow up so quickly! I can't believe he has already made this milestone! Other than that, we are getting ready to wrap up the school year. Doug is going to hit his Master's classes hard this summer so that he can graduate in May of 2013 instead of December. Walker and Brady are all ready to go for baseball this summer. Lauren has a dance recital Saturday night. Busy, but good. Then there is little man Max. He is just doing whatever he can to keep up with the other kids. He is Mr. Independent, unless there is a bunny nearby, than he wants to be held. He is talking away, mostly repeating everything he hears. That about sums up our recent events!

Max and Me

Partners in crime. That describes Max and I as we go through our day to day routines. Max and I walk Brady to school every day and pick him up from school every day. This is after the big yellow bus picks up Walker and Lauren and we race home to get them off the bus in the afternoon. Every day is a mystery as to what Max will want to bring on our walks. He likes to pack a back pack like his older siblings and tote it around (in this picture he is wearing Lauren's Bratz backpack). Sometimes he free hands toys (these usually end up in my pockets). Lately, he has been packing his "bed" i.e. a pillow and blanket in a tote bag. I'm sure those that pass us think I am taking him to his next placement or that he has over stayed his welcome and is being shipped off. Max is a pro at pointing out ambulances and fire trucks. He can even identify their sirens (that's what living in the Benson neighborhood will do, we have plenty of sirens and even police helicopters frequenting our streets and air space). Motorcycles are tops on his list too. In other words, he truly does make every outing some kind of adventure. We have met our fair share of big barking dogs that scare the bejesus out of him. We have even seen a snake! When we get home I usually do my chores while he plays and watches his PBS shows. In between we cuddle and read and snack. I really do enjoy our days together. But he is growing so quickly, I know these days are numbered!
Some Maxisms:
"in a wittle bit" (when asked to take a nap or go potty)
"where that fire truck go?"
"We get Brady Bear now?"
"Aww, Tanks." (His version of thanks)
"Good job mom." This is when I cross the street safely or go potty. Hey, who doesn't need a little positive encouragement, even if I mastered these skills 32 years ago?
To say I love that kid would be an understatement!

Spring Goebels =)

We have been busy Goebels!
First, Brady Bear, as Maxwell calls him (so cute!)has taken and passed with flying colors his swimming lessons! We have been a little lax with him and getting him in and keeping him consistently in swim lessons. It seems to have clicked with him! All the kids love the water, but I feel it is very important that they go through all the swim lessons so they know exactly what to do in the water.
Then there is Lobster Boy. We went to Red Lobster for lunch as a VERY special treat over the kid's spring break and Walker was dying to try Lobster. That's my boy with expensive tastes! He loved it! Doug has been really adamant about the kids trying new foods and tastes while they are young. Check this one off the list! Walker has been doing really well. He makes his first Communion at church this weekend! He is very excited for this milestone!
Letter Girl is next. She is the queen of writing copious notes and leaving them around the house for her Dad and I. This time, the tooth fairy was the recipient. The funny part is that this one is her rough draft! How effective her teacher must be in teaching writing that she had a rough draft before making her final copy! Unfortunately, she has had too many opportunities to write me apology notes lately. She is INCREDIBLY whiney at home and is having issues at school letting friends interfere in her learning. She apparently is not listening that she needs to tone down the socializing. That and the trading of little things with her friends. I now have to search her back pack when she leaves for school to make sure she is not smuggling any contraband. This too shall pass, I hope. Sigh.
Little monster Maxwell. Growing like a weed. Really can't call him my baby anymore. Boo. He is beyond potty trained. I don't even lug the diaper bag "just in case" any more (which has probably now jinxed me). He is the apple of all of his siblings' eyes until he grabs their toys! Still, they can't stand to hear him cry or see him upset. That makes it difficult to discipline him, but if anyone is one for the challenge, it is me!!
Looking forward for summer, Walker's first Communion, and whatever fun may come our way!

Look Who Got Bunk Beds! and Guess Who Is Big Boy?

The boys got to pick bunk beds around Christmas time and we got them put together. That was a huge feat for Doug and I as neither one of us is handy. One of us does like to read and follow directions. One of us flies by the seat of his pants and we ended up having to take everything apart and starting all over due to not READING THE DIRECTIONS!! But the important part is that there are fairly sturdy and well put together bunk beds in the boy's room and Doug and I are still married. This means Max moved to the toddler bed. No more crib for him, not that he couldn't get in and out of it over the past year anyway. We are pleased with the amount of space it freed up in their room (space that is now taken up with laundry, books, toys, legos, wrestlers, you get the picture).

On another note, my Maxwell has taken off on the potty train! I had started with him a few months back, but his interest level was low. Last week I brought the idea back up with the help of suckers and popsicles (there is a dentist out there who is going to make a mint off the cavities he probably now has) and he took to it right away! We still put a diaper on him at night, but last night he even took off his diaper to poop in the potty. I remember with Brady that pooping in the potty was the biggest obstacle, but not Max! This morning his diaper was dry and he peed a gallon in his potty! I am very excited to be a diaper free family, but it does make me sad that I no longer have a sweet cuddly baby anymore. Poor Doug and kids have had to walk on egg shells around my many swinging moods these past two weeks. I blame the hormones that are taking their time exiting my body. Just when I feel like I am back to normal, something knocks me back down and I am swimming in anger and sadness. I feel bad that this has such an effect on my family and wish I had dealt with it better. Hopefully it will get easier as the weeks go on. Live and Learn!!

Life Decisions

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. -John Lennon

We certainly had our share of lemons this past week. Doug's sister was hospitalized and was in a lot of pain for the majority of the week. Thankfully, she is on the mend and has been able to get up and around. We will all breathe a huge sigh of relief when she is able to come home.
On March 6, Doug and I went to the Dr. for a routine 12 weekish checkup. We found out that our little Sweet September had stopped growing. We had no inkling at all that anything had happened. On March 7, I went in and had a D and C. I have to say my favorite of all the discharge instructions they gave me was the one saying that I was not to "make any life decisions." I kinda carried that through the weekend. It was nice having a hiatus from "life decisions." To make a long story short, I know that I am not the only woman by a long shot to have gone through this. I have family members and friends who have walked this path. Somehow, that does not make it better or easier. We are VERY thankful for the blessings of our four children. We have talked about how difficult this would have been if it were our first and not our fifth. We know how lucky we are in the grand scheme of things. I do not understand, nor probably ever will what God wanted with my Sweet September before we could even get a chance to meet, but I suppose I have to learn to take it on faith. This has also been a huge learning experience in our marriage. Doug and I handle things VERY differently. It has caused some tense moments, but I also think it is a good thing that we our opposites emotionally because we bring each other to a middle ground and have learned from each other. We have been very well supported by friends and family as well.
It is a new week and I think I can tackle some life decisions again. I do not know if we will go down this path again. That remains an open-ended question between us and the Man Upstairs. As my friends Rascal Flatts would say, "I'm Moving On."

Lauren is 7!!

Well, she did it! She made it to 7! Lauren's birthday was a fun filled weekend. I think she really enjoyed it. She agreed to no big party if we got her a Leapster Explorer as a gift. I agreed she could have a slumber party with her BFF Kym and her sister Paige in lieu of a party. This was the first time Lauren got to have actual friends over and spend the night. I was very worried that it would be a night full of running and screaming girls. To my surprise, the girls played well with the exception of them waking up at 3 am and thinking it was morning and okay to run around and play on Kym's walkie talkies. The boys did well taking a back seat to her "girl" party. Of course they are boys and brothers, so there was some teasing and aggravation caused, but for the most part, it went smoothly. She is loving her Leapster. She is the only one in our family with any kind of video game device, so she holds the power. If the boys cross her, she will put the kabash on them playing on her Leapster. Besides the fact that it eats batteries like crazy, I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. Guess what Walker and Brady want for their birthdays now?
Lauren was spoiled by her out of town relatives who sent her some very nice presents as well. I think the steady stream of packages and cards have come to an end, much to her shagrin.
Seven seems to be suiting her. Her attitude has really improved since her birthday. Unfortunately, she was hit pretty hard with a stomach bug that keeps coming back to her shortly after her birthday. Don't worry, as any good sister does, she shared it with her brothers! We had quite the house of vomit and diarrhea for a while! With the help of bleach and Lysol, I think I have eliminated said stomach bug. I hope.
In other news, basketball has wrapped up for the season. Both Walker and Brady really enjoyed it. Walker's coach went out of his way to tell me that he thinks Walker has serious potential if he pursues basketball. I was very proud to hear that, but I didn't want it to go to Walker's (or my) head. Walker isn't necesaarily the high scorer on the team, nor is he the tallest or the fastest. Walker just genuinely enjoys sports and really wants to learn to play it to his best ablility, therefore, he really listens and is blessed with the coordination to apply whatever coaches tell him to his performance (not a trait he got from mommy dearest). Since Walker has struggled with some behavior issues, I think this is good for his self esteem. He really wanted to play flag football in the spring, but as luck would have it, we got the dreaded letter from the YMCA that his team has no coach. This happens more frequently than I would prefer. The selfish part me is enjoying the free Saturdays and one day a week we were shlepping him to practice. Oh well.
Wait to you see what the boys got installed in their room! Mom and Dad put it together, and we managed to stay married in the process! Next post will feature that little adventure!