He got "the Stitches"

Walking into church Sunday the teacher looked at Caleb's chin and inquired about his bandage. James and Levi looked at her seriously and declared, "He got the stitches."
"Oh my," replied the teacher, "I hope no one else gets the stitches"

Sweet Evie packed a little care kit for Caleb to take to the ER. She was  full of concern for him. 

This is the first case of many I'm afraid; with three boys who don't think twice about flipping off a table or diving into a shallow collection of decorative pillows, I'm certain there are more stitches to come. I'm always grateful we live down the street from the hospital when things like this happen.

We had eight kids at our house on Friday night, as our friend's kids were here having dinner with us and hanging out with our family. I felt a little awkward when my friends came to pick up their kids.  John was sitting to the side, holding a bloody towel up to Caleb's chin while I corralled the seven others so they wouldn't end up the same way.
Honestly the amount of kids had nothing to do with the accident. It was a simple slip of a socked foot on the wood floor and an unfortunate landing.
But still, the amount of bodies in the room when it happened created a bit more drama.

Our home is staring to get a bit sports obsessed.  James and Levi especially are turning into real aggressive dudes who LOVE sports and "rough and tumble" play.

James and Levi love the strategy, the skill, the competition.
They love the struggle and the sweat.
They hoot and holler at the TV when football is on.
They cheer on the basketball players at the gym.

I played soccer in the backyard with them the other day. We set up two boxes for goals and they couldn't be happier. I'm going to need shin guards though if I'm going to keep playing with them!

I signed them up for baseball in the Spring. James wakes up everyday asking when baseball is starting, confessing that "he just can't stop thinking about it!"
Levi wants to look at baseball mitts and bats and hats on line, dreaming of the day when he will actually get his own.
Selfishly, I want to cheer on the sidelines and proudly proclaim that I'm their Mama! I want to be the face they look for when they make a catch or need a boost of encouragement.
I know I'm only talking about Levi and James because those two seem to be the ones right now who really like sports. I signed Caleb up for baseball too and he seems to be excited. Caleb was just created totally different (they all were!) but he really is happy gathering sticks and climbing on the swing set. He's smaller and not as aggressive. It will be interesting to see how everything works out in life with them and their activities.

Caleb is such a gem of a person. He loves people, animals, music, stories.....And maybe sports will end up being his thing too, but it doesn't matter, and I so appreciate and love the person he was created to be.

At the beginning of this year John and I sat down and wrote out some goals for 2019. One of the things we wanted to focus on was spending intentional one on one time with each of the kids. Therefore, every Thursday morning we take turns taking one of the kids out for breakfast at Panera. We spend about an hour just eating with them and talking. They are so excited and so happy when it's their turn.

Speaking of one on one time, John and Evie went to the school's "Daddy Daughter Dance." This is such a special time for the two of them.

So life is a bit hectic and active. But things only continue to get better as the kids grow. I love who they are becoming.