Family Day Ramblings

It's Family Day today.  It's also the start to an entire week of the kids being off from school.  There are some welcome breaks that come with this (not having to make lunches, Aurora can sleep as late as she wants...), but I'll be the first to admit, these weeks are also dreaded at times. 

Don't get me wrong - I love my children more than anything in the world.  I have some truly enjoyable moments with them, both as individuals and as a group.  I also have some moments where I am ready to scream or run or simply implode.  The constant nattering, fighting, wrestling, and arguing grates every nerve by the end of the day.  It can be overwhelming, and anyone who can do this alone is my hero.  Thank God I have Reno - not only to share the workload, but also my frustrations and joys.

This morning was not a great start to the week.  For the past year, we've been dancing around discipline with Eloic.  He's a more trying child than any of our others.  He pushes buttons, limits, and people.  Being 4 years younger than Denali, our solution for a long time was just to have the older kids give him what he wants.  After all, he was young and didn't understand in the ways that Denali and Aurora did.  Gone are those days.  We've put our foot down, and we are following through on our repercussions for him.  While some expectations are different from the bigger kids, most certainly apply to him. 

This morning began with an hour long fiasco because he wanted juice in a cup with a lid so he could drink it in the living room.  My answer was no - he needed to drink it at the table just like everyone else.  In the end, we followed through on every single request/consequence.   There was a lot of crying, screaming, throwing things... but he got it.  He was happier for the rest of the day than I have seen him in a long time.  And listen - absolutely!

The remainder of the day was pretty spectacular actually.  We played games with the kids, did puzzles and made cookies.  The two youngest boys napped in the afternoon at the same time, so we got in some great card playing with Aurora and Denali. 

There are times when I look at them and wonder how they got to be such amazing and wonderful kids.  I think about all the people in their lives that made them who they are today.  I think of all the days when I was at work and Reno was home with them, holding true to the values we both share and moulding our children to fit them.  I also think of Henny and Theo - two of the most important people in Aurora and Denali's lives (and will be in Eloic and G's!) - who helped us raise them for two years while we both worked/went to college.  Without Tante Henny and Cha Cha, I'm am certain Aurora and Denali would not be who they are.  I look at Graysen and the little personality beginning to emerge.  I can't wait to see what he's like, who he takes after, and where he fits in our little (big) family.

Not such a bad start to the week after all... I think I'm going to look forward to the rest of it.  In the end, this house isn't just full of chaos and noise - it's also filled with some pretty awesome people if I might say so myself... Let's just hope I feel the same way tomorrow ;)

Happy Family Day!