Hand-me-Downs

Whenever I send Aaron to Walmart with a grocery list of just the essentials, he manages to slip in a few goodies that were NOT on the shopping list. This time, Aaron found an end of the season coat on clearance that was too cheap to pass up. I guess poor Max has become accustomed to getting Hank's hand-me-downs because when I showed Max this new coat, he asked, "whose was this?" and couldn't believe it when I told him that we bought a NEW coat just for him! No previous owner or anything. Max has worn that coat in the past few weeks with such pride....worth every cent of that $7 Walmart clearance coat!

Aside from his take-home outfit that he wore home from the hospital, this little sleeper is the first new outfit Rocky has ever worn. It seems almost wasteful to buy clothes when they will only get used once! The only reason we broke down and bought this new jammie is because this little rascal soiled his pants so badly while we were in the middle of grocery shopping that we had to strip him down right then and there and bought the first thing we could find off the rack. Rocky doesn't seem to care that he is the final recipient of hand-me-downs four times over.

Family Retreat

We happened to have a voucher for a free night at the Marriott that Aaron and I had already secretly booked for a family over-nighter this weekend, but when Hank brought home a flawless report card, we brilliantly decided to "reward" him with a sleepover at the hotel. We had no sooner broken the news to the boys before Max got busy packing. No need for socks and underwear, he brought the essentials...you know, his blanky and pillow pet:

When we arrived at the hotel, the seven of us stuffed into a 100 square foot room, the boys cranky from hunger yet bouncing off the walls with energy, Aaron questioned the intelligence of our idea. Let's be honest, doing just about anything with five little boys is a lot of work, but taking them away from their environment, out of their routine, getting them all excited about swimming and playing, and then feeding them full of junk food and keeping them up late is basically a recipe for disaster.

We solved the hunger issue by ordering pizza and then Aaron took Hank, Max, and Joey for an evening swim while I hung back at the room with Rocky and Ben, who was adamant in his decision to play with his Legos and "go na-night" and wanted nothing to do with swimming.

After their swim session, we put on a movie and pigged out on junk food. With Hank and Max sharing a roll-away, Rocky tucked into his pack-and-play, Joey in a makeshift bed on the floor, and Ben plunking himself down in bed between Aaron and I, I was prepared for a rough night. Lo and behold, everyone slept great!

The next morning we feasted on donuts and then hit the pool early for another swimming session...and a magical moment ensued. Hank and Max splashed wildly for hours, cannon-balling off the side of the pool, blowing their pool noodles like spouts at each other, and doggie paddling in the perimeter of the pool. Joey clung to Aaron like a little...uh, Joey clings to a kangaroo, just happy to be along for the ride. Ben wasn't even slightly interested in the pool, but was pleased to find some disposable paper cups that he was able to count, sort, and stack. Rocky kept me company while I dipped my toes in the hot tub and soaked in the whole scene. For as encumbering as it can be to lug our family of seven around on our everyday comings and goings, what made that moment at the pool magical was that it felt...effortless. We shared an experience together, as a family, and it didn't feel like work. It didn't feel like a chore. It didn't feel like a job. It felt like fun! I needed that. I needed to be reminded that although taking care of these boys can often feel like a difficult task, my kids are really cool people. People that I really like to be with.

My Boyfriend

My favorite thing about Rocky right now is the way that he just stares at me like I am his entire world. He will lock his little blue eyes on mine and just study me with such interest and intensity until we both break out in giggles. I just love feeling his pure little spirit connecting through those bright little eyes.

Not the best photo, but this is how I find Rocky most often these days...one finger hooked in his mouth.

Rocky isn't quite sitting up yet, but he can balance for a few minutes before he topples over.

I get a little nervous sometimes when the boys unintentionally play a little too rough with Rocky, but he seems to like being one of the boys--he loves it when they get right in his face to coo to him, rub noses together, or give him big bounces in the bouncer.

Spring Time

Some people mark the change of season from winter to spring by the appearance of early bulbs poking through the soil, the grass beginning to turn green again, or the first buds of leaves growing on the trees...I know its spring time when the ground softens enough for the boys to start digging. It's digging time! The temperature is only clearing 50, but the boys pull on their boots, grab their shovels, and start digging. I'm not going to switch to flip-flops just yet, but I do love spring's early taste of playing outdoors.

Spotlight

This week at preschool Max got to be the star student, which entailed a show and tell, treats, a spotlight, and an assignment to create an "All About Me" poster. Max and I worked together to make what has become my signature poster:

I love Max's blurbs: "I want to be an Allstate insurance worker when I grow up." "My wish is to have a bb gun." "I have 4 brothers." "My favorite colors are blue and white." "My favorite thing to do is play catch with my Dad." and "I like to eat steak!"

Max and I do flashcards or workbooks together most mornings before school, but I think of his "homework" as more of an activity to keep him occupied than as active learning, so I was very surprised when Max brought home a few reader books...and he READ them! Seriously. He reads! What a smart little boy! Perhaps only second to watching a child take off riding a bike, watching a child actually grasp reading for the first time is a magical experience.

Dirty Mug

The other day I picked Hank up from school to find him chewing on a straw of some sort and, unbeknownst to him, covered in some kind of black ink all over his face. When I told him to look at his face in the mirror, he glanced at his reflection--black stained mouth and all--shrugged, and said, "what?" Can you imagine?! I would be completely mortified if I had just walked around all day with black marks on my face. I can't decide what to make of this: is it a good thing that Hank is so child-like, unaware, and has the self-esteem to be totally unphased by things like having a dirty face, forgetting to brush his teeth, or wearing a mismatched outfit? or is it a bad thing that he lacks any personal grooming standards? While I try my best maintain a certain level of hygiene in our home, I guess I feel like the day will come when I will find him obsessing in front of the mirror, styling his hair just so, and begging me for the latest brand name fashions, so, for now, I think I'm ok with this boy who is cute, black-stained mouth and all, who hasn't the least bit of concern for his own appearance.

Return and Report

As promised, here are the follow up posts to capture the daily dealings in the Grover household....and what could be more real than the diaper line-up? These three little stink-makers make me feel like a diaper-changing machine!