My Top Ten List:

As Adam's one year birthday rounds the bend, I've been reflecting on this year. Much of it has been a blur. It went way too fast, just as it always does. I can't believe my baby will be one this week. For that matter, I can't believe Noah is almost three and that Amanda is almost driving. Kids, in general, just grow up too quickly! I know that within a blink of an eye, Noah will be starting kindergarten, Amanda will be going off to college and I will have a shrinking household. In fact, a few weeks ago, I figured out that the year Noah graduates from kindergarten, Hannah will graduate from elementary school, Sarah from middle school and Amanda from High School AND... I will still have one more at home full time!! Yes, that will be a busy year!

Speaking of busy years, this has been. In many ways, having a six year gap between Hannah and Noah makes things easier. Yes, I usually have a babysitter to watch the boys long enough to go get a gallon of milk. And yes, my house thins out each morning by 8:30, leaving me an opportunity to play with the boys a bit.

But this year has had its price and its stresses. Unlike their sisters, the boys have spent their entire young lives being dragged to dance recitals, soccer practices and basketball games. They spend A LOT of time in the car after school, supporting their sisters. It's hard being the only one wrestling a toddler at a meeting for your high schooler. I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I know how fleeting it is, but choosing to have a large family does come with its fair amount of juggling and I'm not sure that it's always been fair to the boys. That being said, they don't know any different and seem to be happy and well adjusted. I'm sure they'll live through it and have a deep appreciation for the future women in their lives.

This year has brought about a heavy travel schedule for Jeremy. He keeps telling me it's going to taper off. So far, it really hasn't. But we're also incredibly happy that he has a stable, well paying job that supports our family and that he enjoys, so we make it work. We've also had a fair amount of extended family health issues to cause concern, and a wedding and a funeral to attend. I've learned that totting a baby, a preschooler, a double stroller, a car seat and three carry ons from one end of the airport to the other is not easy and should never be underestimated, even if there is a very helpful 13 year old in attendence. I've also learned that it's not much easier with only one baby and a helpful 11 year old. Flying with babies is just hard. Driving with them is worse though!

So while this year has not been the easiest, we've enjoyed it immensely and hate to see it go. We're already seeing things that prove this is getting easier. So here's my top ten reasons that this next year will be easier:

1. Adam is now sleeping through the night. Noah is not (sigh...), but Adam is. So instead of waking up 5-7 times a night like we did in the beginning, we're down to one. Better sleep makes lots of things better.

2. Noah is about to potty train. He could do it at anytime, really. I just have to be home long enough to get the job done. Hard to do when I spend so much time in the car. But I see an end to having two in diapers.

3. Adam is off of formula and is onto milk and table foods. Pretty soon, he will be off a bottle and using a cup. Cups are a thousand times easier to deal with than bottles.

4. Going anywhere with a one year old and an almost three year old is a ton easier than a baby and a 21 month old.

5. The boys LoVe to play outside together! Adam is obviously a bit limited still, but wants to be outside as much as Noah does. I see them becoming great buddies and playing well together in the coming year, lifting rocks and finding bugs, exploring in the backyard. Even at this young age, Noah is very kind to Adam and likes to make him smile.

6. Now that the weather is warmer, Noah is playing with the girls outside on the trampoline, or playing basketball out front along with Hannah, Sarah and the neighbor kids. They all love Noah and are happy to include him and he literally sits on the front porch waiting for them to come home. Sometimes they walk him to the park and play with him. Sometimes they take him to the store with them. Or they put both boys in the double stroller and take them for a walk around the block.

7. By the end of the year, Sarah will be able to start babysitting for other families. She's already babysitting a bit for us, here and there. She's currently "in training" and does a great job with the boys. She will love to have a somewhat steady source of income and will appreciate the responsibility.

8. As previously discussed, Amanda now has a car, will be getting her permit this week and will be driving in four months. Having another driver and another vehicle will be immensely helpful. She will be able to drive herself to seminary next year (along with Taylor). Seminary is a class before school that is sort of like a bible study. High School kids in our church go there each morning throughout the school year. It starts at 6:30 am. We've been driving every morning and carpooling her from the church down to her high school. This is the main reason that Amanda got a car... so she can get herself and her sister to seminary.

9. This year, we've had four kids at three different schools... need I say more?? Next year, we'll have them at two schools. That means less conflicting activities, less meetings, fewer things to keep track of. Of course, the following year we'll be back to three schools, but we can enjoy the one year it lasts, right?

10. I think we'll have less activities next year. With the exception of Sarah, the kids all seem to be zeroing in on what they are best at and most interested in. Hannah is talking about dropping clogging and concentrating more on soccer and school sports. Taylor will be on the high school dance team, which leaves little time for anything else. Especially since she'll be taking three honors classes and doing seminary. Amanda is talking about possibly dropping piano and just keeping it going here, which she really could do at this point, and dropping school soccer and just doing club soccer. Sarah is my only hold back. She wants to do everything and has the energy for it. She will most likely stick with basketball, maybe clogging, definitely piano and violin and more than likely, ASB at school. She's my busiest kid, but since about half of it is done through the school, and because she does fine with her busy schedule, we let her be.

Wow! This turned into quite a blog! My next one will be much shorter. It'll be the announcement on Taylor's dance team next year, whether she made it and if she's on varsity or junior varsity. We find out later today and she promised to text me as soon as she knows! Keep your fingers crossed for Taylor!!