....and then there were four

I have always wanted to have four kids. After growing up in a plus-size family, I thought that four would be a very manageable number to aim for. I like things to match which is great because I now have two boys to go along with my two girls. I like having a pair of planters on my front doorstep, a lamp on either side of my bed, and pretty much all my home decorating is done in twos as well. Don't I just sound organized and neat? I'm not. But, I do put a lot of thought and planning into the things that are important to me.....there just seems to be a bit of a disconnect when it comes to how they actually turn out versus what I had previously envisioned. This may not be totally apparent to those who have only seen the end product of my attempts in window treatment design, hair bows, dress-making, flower arranging, and of course blogging. Just know that behind each final successful venture, there have been many many messy failures leading up to it. I am really trying to remember this as I go about fulfilling my dream of being a mother of four. Things are going to be messy for a while. Very messy. And it is probably going to get worse before it gets better. I just hope that my end products will turn out well......even if they aren't what I have envisioned inside my head. My master plan didn't include 2 hour shopping trips to Costco, my kids taking a potty break in the bushes outside the Post Office (all public buildings need restrooms!), me nursing in the car while simultaneously watching my daughter pee her pants and my son play baseball, or me turning into the crazy cleaning lady who talks to herself while picking up discarded items throughout our house. Nope, not in the plan. But I also couldn't have possibly imagined how great it would feel to see my kids curled up with a good book, make a great play on the baseball/soccer field, give me the best hugs, giggle uncontrollably at each other, or say something extremely intelligent. I have to admit that life is pretty good......even when things go south, which they do quite often.......life is still pretty good.

Here are a few attempts at getting a good picture of the kids after our big family photo op.......