It's good to be 5

My first born is 5 years old. It's still sinking in...if you couldn't tell. If I think of it in terms of having been a parents for 5 years, or that it's been 5 whole years since he was a tiny newborn...I just can't wrap my mind around it. They tell you it goes by fast, and I know adding baby sister to our family will only speed the clock up, but wow has it flown past us!

Malakai counted down to his birthday for at least 2 weeks leading up to it. He was just so excited to be 5 and once the day came he was mostly looking forward to our traditional breakfast at the Original Pancake House... I can't blame him! When we asked how it felt to be 5 or what he thought about it, his reply was always "good".

I love watching my kids grow into the people God has created them to be. I love watching them learn and I love learning about them. They are always so interesting to me.

Ben + I are discovering that Malakai is mildly introverted. It's not so intense that he has trouble in social situations, but he does get overloaded by them. He does some times get overwhelmed, especially when he doesn't know what to expect. He went to his first vacation Bible school earlier this summer. It was tough at first, but on the last day he asked if he could come back next week. He's also really looking forward to day camp next month and is already in love with Camp Harlow. Something that his daddy is very happy about (Ben has a long history with Harlow).

{directing the camera or acting a little camera shy}

Over the last 5 months since we took Malakai to Kindergarten orientation he has gone from being extremely hesitant to super excited about starting school this fall. I know that my chore seeking, craft loving, project obsessed little boy is going to adore school. It is my prayer that he excels but is not bored and that he blooms socially. I'm so thankful that we've had him in so many social programs, the most of which has been being at church 3 times a week for the past year. I know they have helped prepare him for going off to school since we did all his pre schooling at home. I'm also thrilled that he will be heading to public school with Christ in his heart, something he will surely need to cling to when things get hard. As his mama I want to protect him from anything that might hurt him, but I know that he will learn and thrive in doing for himself and leaning not on his own understanding but that of the Lord, who is always with him. I'm comforted and strengthened knowing he has that foundation to build on.

As I mentioned, Malakai is always asking for projects. Every day he asks if I "have something for us to do together." Most of the time he'd prefer a craft or a constructive type toy (legos, and other building toys are right up his ally at the moment), but sometimes he'll settle for something simple like helping clean up or coloring. He also loves work books, dot to dots and mazes are a new favorite. He's learning to play board games like Connect Four and he always wants to help daddy build things. He has been helping his Grandpa Ron build a cabin in their back yard and loving it. He's also learning to cast on his very own fishing pole with G'Pa Jim. He wants to do it all!

Over the last few weeks Kai has really come into his big brother role. He seems to have grown up overnight to want to protect and lead his brother and nurture his little sister. He is so curious about babies and loves to ask questions about his brand new cousin Luke. He can't wait for his sister to get here. Kai does not like surprises, so when we tell him that her name will be a birth day surprise he has gotten upset to the point of tears. This boy just wants to know everything there is to know.

This morning he had his well check and he was amazing. I'm honestly impressed by his bravery. We talked about shots a few days ago and again today, he wasn't happy about it. This would be the first time he's had shots in his arm. I don't think he's had any immunization or other needs for shots since he was 3! When the time came he winced and said it hurt but no tears, no fits, and he's totally fine. Even I tend to whine for a few hours afterwards!

He's taking after me so far in all of his 41 inches (9th percentile) but is a sturdy kid for looking so skinny at 44lbs (73rd percentile). He's developing right on track, the whole appointment was a breeze.

I'm so blessed by my sweet family and today I'm especially thankful for my new 5 year old Malakai Benson and the privilege it is to be his mama.

but wait...there's more!

If I believed in "jinxes" I would say that I jinxed myself/my family by posting about our recent ailments. Perhaps it could really be attributed to my claiming God's power over our circumstances and the enemy not liking it...well, I still feel God's hand over us despite more injury.

Yesterday I woke feeling better, but still sluggish. I knew I didn't have the energy (especially since I hadn't eaten all day prior) or will power to get the boys dressed and out the door for my Bible study. I was worried that when we got there I'd end up getting sick again and nobody wants that to happen in public! Anyway, we did end up driving down the block (boys in their pi's) to my neighborhood friend Amy's house. It was a really nice break actually, the boys played so nice together for quite a while. 

Anyway, at one point Des was in my lap and I was touching his hair and felt a weird hard spot. I looked at it and he had a lot of dried blood caked in his hair! He wouldn't let me clean it and was acting fine (and rather energetic) as usual so I decided to wait til we got home. Later I was able to clean it better and when I got the hair off the cut I could see how bad it was, and it wasn't pretty. 

The night before Desmond and Malakai had been wrestling and Kai was on top of Des at one point on our laminate floors. Des fell back and his his head from less than a foot off the ground. From where I was it looked like he just hit the floor. Looking back he was way too upset for what I thought had happened. He was in front of our entertainment center, so he must have caught his head on the corner. Somehow between then and the hour before putting him to bed we didn't notice it. His hair must have hid it or it healed over and then reopened in his sleep and his hair stuck to it. Either way, Ben + I felt like terrible parents for not realizing he was hurt! 

I called the doctor and they couldn't figure out just over the phone if he would need stitches. Since it bled again after I got the hair off of it, they thought he should be seen. I got in on a cancellation that afternoon and headed over, but by then it had dried up again and stopped bleeding. Thankfully he didn't need any stitches and they barely touched it (I was prepared for the worst- having to restrain him for stitches). I did however have to also explain the giant gash in his tongue and how it was from a separate incident on the same day. Kiddo had a rough one, mama too. It was embarrassing, but I'm assuring myself injuries like this are normal from rowdy boys of this age and I need to not beat myself up over it. 

He's so resilient, all we need to do is not get it wet so it will heal and let him be. He  is acting completely normal, just as rambunctious as ever. 

I've got new meds that aren't as strong, but will hopefully rid me of this sinus infection for good so I can move on and we can hopefully all be healthy for a while. Now- to break up the boys from hitting each other before someone gets hurt...again. 

Celebrating Fall

We've done a lot of things over the last couple months to celebrate the season.

In September we went out to Johnson Brothers Greenhouses nearby for a harvest event. They had cider and cookies and a free flower potting station for kids. 

When we arrived we realized we didn't have Desmond's shoes. We both assumed that they were in the car because he typically takes them off as we are going somewhere we've given up on putting them on until we arrive to our destination. So we just doubled up on the socks and carried him half the time, he didn't seem to even notice.

The boys loved digging in the dirt, picking out flowers and planting them. They especially loved watering them with the piggie watering can. The gal that helped them through it was great with kids. We browsed a bit and headed on our way to warm up. The boys were very proud to display their creations out front.

We get a LOT of leaves at our house, from the very beginning of fall and into the winter. The orange and yellow leaves are thanks to our giant maple tree out front. It dumped two times what you see covering our yard and driveway in the pics below. The boys really enjoyed playing in them, and thankfully Ben was able to get the majority off the yard before the rain made them soggy.

We have a lot of leaves in our backyard too from several small trees. Kai loves to help rake them up with Ben. There is another gigantic tree just waiting until we get all these leaves up to make it's contribution. 

There have been a handful of sunny afternoons, warm enough to head to the park. I love watching these two play together, such little buds. 

More recently we made a visit to one of the farms down the street from us to pick up pumpkins. Unfortunately the whole experience of riding the wagon out to the pumpkin patch and picking a pumpkin is too expensive for us. Thankfully our kids don't yet know what they are missing. They are totally thrilled walking up to the pumpkins on display at the store front and we are just as pleased to use free pumpkin vouchers we received from our mortgage advisor's office.

After getting pumpkins we stopped at a park on the way home and enjoyed a few more moments of sun. Then the boys colored them (we don't carve yet!) and set them out front for display. 

Last Wednesday we stopped at the other farm down the street for their last day before closing until spring. They have a play ground and goats, so the boys thoroughly enjoyed playing there. Thankfully it was nice and sunny, and not too cold.

For Halloween we didn't really have much planned for costumes, I couldn't get the boys to commit to anything so I didn't make or buy costumes. At the last minute I convinced Desmond to wear Kai's old Batman PJ's with the cape for his costume, and Malakai wore this awesome spider shirt that Grandma Debbie had made him. It was NOT a costume though, he was NOT spider man. Just Kai, in a spider shirt. He was very serious about that.

Ben and I didn't do costumes, but he did wear a Batman T-shirt to match Des, which rendered him the nickname, "Batdad" at the Harvest party that night. Our church puts together a HUGE harvest festival for the community out at Camp Harlow (which is a ministry that they run). There were tons of games to earn candy in several different buildings, plus a petting zoo with a lemur, bunnies, a wallaby, tortoise and snakes. Des feels the same as mama when it came to the snakes.

We are planning as long as we can to take our kids to the Harvest party and avoid the door-to-door trick or treating trend.

I'm so thankful we made the extra effort to get out and enjoy the fall weather before it turned into the rainy cold mess that it is here in the winter, which is surely just around the corner!

and now to compare...

I love comparing my boys, mostly in looks. I try not to compare them to each other developmentally, but I can't help but look back at photos of Kai when he was Desmond's age.

Here are some comparison photos of them on their 2nd birthdays, wearing the same shirt thanks to daddy :)

<<< Malakai + Desmond >>>

People are always saying they look like twins, or those who knew Kai at a younger age are marveling at how Desmond looks like he did. While I think they have similarities, I mostly see their differences. I can definitely see more of Ben in Malakai and more of me in Desmond. While my husband's genes are strong and also pretty prevalent in Desmond, Des has my nose and dimples and strongly resembles the men on my side of the family when they were boys. Kai just has my chin dimple, much cuter on him than me!

Watching these boys grow is such a joy!

brothers and playmates

Over the past couple weeks Desmond has made leaps and bounds developmentally. It's like he morphed into a toddler overnight. Not only does he act bigger, but he looks bigger. Walking around with confidence, doing big boy stuff. It is killing Ben + I that he's not a baby anymore (and no, that doesn't mean it's time for another one!).

Desmond has now mastered climbing on the couch and in the same day he walked across the couch and straight onto the end table. YIKES!

One of the best parts of watching Desmond grow up is his ability to play with Malakai. Until very recently they could play near each other, but rarely with each other. When Kai did try to play with Des, it didn't usually turn out so well for the little guy.

On Sundays after church services we feed the boys lunch in the nursery so that when they fall asleep on the drive home we don't have to wake them to feed them. We've done this since Kai was a baby. This past weekend it was just the boys and I as Ben had a meeting. Once they finished eating they played
while I cleaned up.

Kai climbed onto a rocking horse and then said he had to find one for Desmond. He grabbed the other from an adjoining room and pulled it next to his. For the next 10 minutes they were singing "ride, ride, ride, riiiiiiide!" while giggling and rocking on the horses side-by-side:

 {killer smiles}

Later that evening Kai asked to play with his spider-man car. When I brought it in I expected to have to put it away within a few minutes because he tends to get too rowdy with big toys. Instead, while he was sitting on it Desmond came up behind him and started pushing. They were both laughing so hard and spent quite some time going back and forth in the living room.

I love watching them create a bond as playmates. Malakai has finally grasped the concept of taking care of (rather than destroying) his little brother. On Monday when Des was fussing in his crib (because I was moving laundry and he's obsessed with following me into the garage), Kai sat next to him and said "It's okay, I'm here." Melt.My.Heart.

today at the park...

...this cuteness happened-

and there was a LOT of giggling.

comparing my boys...

I never got around to posting the comparison photos I did of Des + Kai at 6 months and suddenly Desmond is 7 months...so here are both 6 and 7 month comparisons.

Whenever I look at photos of Kai as a baby, it truly makes me wonder what people are talking about when they see Des and say "he looks just like his brother!"

bath boys

Last night the boys took their first bath together, twice. Within the first 10 seconds Desmond decided to pee in the water. So we drained it and started all over. Malakai loved the entire thing and wanted to help wash his brother.

Desmond seemed to enjoy it too.

the past 2 weeks

October has been an interesting month for us. We've had some challenges as well as some wonderful things happen. First my stay in the hospital for monitoring, then Desmond's birth, next my recovery. Last week I came down with a stomach bug which luckily only lasted a day.

Then this past weekend I came down with a nasty fever. Ben took me to the after hours clinic and I was diagnosed with mastitis. I felt like I had been in a car accident, the aches and pains were almost unbearable. However,  I was so thankful to not have something contagious. Poor Ben had to take care of the whole family all by himself- he did an amazing job. Sadly we spent the last days of his paternity leave stuck in the house feeling pretty miserable.

Our plan to transition from having Ben home full time for 2 weeks was during the last week to have me take on more time with Malakai as I could based on Desmond's feeding demands. Unfortunately, that was interrupted by my being so sick I could barely get off the couch.

Thankfully the antibiotics kicked in quickly and after two days of a miserable fever, it broke last night and I felt like a human being again today. Just in time for Ben to go to work! My mom came over this morning to help which we had planned before my fever cleared. It was nice to have her help this morning to ease the transition. She stayed til nap and because I felt so much better I let her know that I'd be fine for the afternoon and she went home. I also had several friends offer to come over and help or pick up anything I needed which makes me feel really loved, thank you ladies! It was really nice to not need them and I'm hoping that this will be my only fight against mastitis as I've had a couple people tell me they've had it several times! I can't even imagine.

_____ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ _____ _ _ _ 

Our boys are doing really well. Kai is still establishing some physical boundaries with Desmond. He hasn't quite grasped the difference between jumping on daddy and jumping on baby. He loves his little brother though and every morning asks "where's baby? find him? see him?" which I absolutely love.

Desmond it two weeks old today! He loves to eat which helps out with having mastitis. I think I actually came down with it though in part due to his sleeping well at night. He can sleep 2-4 hours at a time, which Kai didn't do so early. He is getting so chubby already and is increasing his wakeful hours during the day.

We still have people bringing meals, which is super nice with my being sick and transitioning to being home with the boys without help during the day. Kai gets a bit mischievous and seems to know that I'm less mobile while feeding Desmond. He'll open the fridge (the lock broke just before Des was born), mess with the tv buttons, or jump off the couch because he knows I can't stop him right away. I'll have to figure out just how to get him to be preoccupied during the frequent feedings as tv, toys, and snacks only go so far.

Thanks for all the inquiries and congrats! I appreciate all of you. Be back soon (with photos!).

Thankful...

It is beyond evident what I'm thankful for this week...

851. the birth of our 2nd son, Desmond Lee. the days are FLYING by already.

852. Malakai's love + tenderness toward his new brother.

{the first meeting}

853. Ben's paternity leave to be home as we transition to a household of 4.

854. our health and wellbeing- Desmond weighed more at our 3 day follow up than he did when born!

855. generous friends + family bringing us meals to relieve me from cooking as I recover.

856. the ebb + flow of visitors. I love having visitors, it keeps us from getting cabin fever, but it's also nice when the day consists only of the 4 of us sleeping, eating, and bonding. 

857. gifts and flowers to welcome Desmond to the world.

{gorgeous flowers from church + Ben's work}

858. being able to run on adrenaline and love when sleep is hard to come by.

859. snuggling my sweet tiny newborn, taking in every little moment.

860. God's blessings- my cup runneth over. 

P.S. we'll be sure to type up our labor + delivery experience soon and share it with all of you.