November 2022

     October flew by because we never stopped moving! Busy and active- with a hospital visit taken by ambulance thrown in the mix. Miles is doing better, we passed along a stomach bug of some sort and he didn't get that- thank goodness! He was admitted for a asthmatic episode that required oxygen and an overnight stay at Norton Children's (downtown- and we super do NOT recommend). It was a little PTSD inducing as he had also been to Norton when he was born and hung out in the NICU for a week. Those nose cannulas with oxygen tubes- hopefully he never remembers that stuff. He definitely loved the one on one time with momma and the rest of the crew will never let me catch up.

     The fun we had far outweighed the yuck- we lived it up and changed our costumes enough to keep it fresh! We visited all the Halloween festivities we could fit into our schedules! What my kids will remember from Octobers, is how much fun we packed into the month. The silliness, laughs, running around and being goofballs- there was plenty of that. 

   

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LUCY!!

      I really loved having a 5, two 3, and a 1 year old for a couple months- having that counting pattern was so neat. But I also really love having the kids birthdays every other month, it just sits well with me. Haha! Especially because we didn't "plan" any month to have kids and it worked out in a pattern. 

    So September is "Lucy Birthday Month" and we celebrate as long as we want, likewise for all birthdays around here! She's 6! Which is huge but really, she's been catching her age up to her personality since she was 2. 

    She's a kind soul with bossy tendencies and retells her experiences with way more pizazz than what actually happened in real life. She told me today, "well that's how I said it in my head!" I just hope all that attitude and expression stays in her head and doesn't come flying out of her mouth. 

    She's in to all things crafty, artsy, cute and colorful- which is so fun! She likes to set up stations of activities for the littles to do and is overjoyed when they play along. She leads with great ideas and most of the time, a great example. She is shy when it comes to kids her own age but loves to hang out with the big kids she's gotten to know at school. She's playing soccer and basketball and claims that basketball is her favorite. She follows the coach's directions well but we are still looking for the aggressive attitude that comes with fighting with Miles and Callie. She seriously is a great sister, always looking out for Rowan and she can calm Miles down back there in the back row of the car with just a few words. Callie is her shadow and Lucy lets her do everything with her. 

    Luckily, she hasn't outgrown coordinating outfits with the crew and still has ended up in my bed after a bad dream a time a or two- so she is still little. She loves playing games on her tablet that involve taking care of baby animals and has taught Callie how to play and it is so sweet. She's set a goal to ride a bike with no training wheels- she's not even close but her determination is admirable. Also, she loves school. Which we all knew she would, haha. She said, "It's not very worky- it's more playing and doing activities." So we know she's having good time. She's still painfully shy when it comes to adults at school, but she will wave or nod- with the exception of her teacher- she will talk her ear off. :) She came to the realization pretty quickly that I know everyone at school and everyone will gladly tell me what she's up to- not that I have to worry- but maybe she can fill Miles and Callie in. 

    Big thanks to everyone who loves her and is helping to mold her into a responsible kid that cares for others! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our THREE year olds!

 As active and busy as "two twos" were, I feel like we are already earning survival badges for three....

Miles and Callie are THREE and don't worry- they won't let you forget! They are still totally adorable, much more independent and so very talkative. 

Both kiddos can buckles their own car seats and that is just a very huge milestone over here. They can both put shoes or sandals on by their self and they can eat meals without me cutting anything up- it's big stuff in our house. 

Being three comes with a lot of new opportunities- like a summer "camp" at Lucy's old preschool- which you have to be potty trained to attend. So Callie and Lucy are about to have a super fun week! Miles- might have to hold off til next year. Callie is good to go, very spotty incidents on rare occasions and she's earned a million pieces of candy and plenty of popsicles too. Miles is just like, not in the mood. He promises he won't go in his underpants annnnnnnnyyyyyymore- if you ask him. He just isn't getting it and isn't all that upset when he makes a mess. So my summer to-do list of "potty train M and C" is still only halfway checked off. That's tough for me, but if having twins helped with anything- it's the acceptance that my plan doesn't always work and that's okay. 

Callie is very into "actually" information and ready to tell you that she can do it by herself- which she usually does and does well with. She's easily frustrated when she can't physically do something but she is such a problem solver- she usually finds a way around. When she doesn't though- cover your ears because her whine will make sick cats sound like singers. It's painful for everyone around and the other kids don't hesitate to tell her that. She's so smart, she knows things that we didn't teach her but she's heard Lucy talk about. She is very musical- always making up songs, singing songs from anything and rocking out along to the music we play. It's also hilarious to hear her change her voice to mimic cartoons and she knows she's being funny. She's hard on herself when she messes up- which will motivate her later. Also- terrible at cleaning up. Voluntarily went to bed one night to avoid having to clean up a mess that she made. Little stinker. She is coming around to being lovey with Rowan although he pulls her hair whenever he can catch her. She is brave too! I overheard Lucy telling her to pick up the crunchy bugs (cicada shells) because Lucy was afraid it might still be alive and Callie reached right down and scooped it up. She goes downstairs with Lucy when Lucy doesn't want to go alone. She is still a snacking pro- but she's also going through some sort of growth spurt because she'll clean her plate! (although sometimes in between she'll claim she doesn't like any of the food thats there.) 

Mister Miles is still a wildly expressive little guy. He knows how to crack you up and giggles at himself when he makes you laugh. He's passionate about every obsession- Toy Story to his Bear Bear blanket. He's a huge fan of eating and I can tell we're going to have to start stocking the fridge based on him and Rowan cleaning us out of food! He used to be very cooperative about bedtime.... not so much these days- but he is the last to get up in the morning and this summer vacation momma really appreciates that. He is working on the initial S sounds in words and will fix it when you call him out on it but it's so sweet to hear that toddler speech. He can dance like nobody's business and you don't have to ask him- he hears the music and he starts moving! He is Rowan's bodyguard but also the reason Rowan needs a bodyguard..... He knows exactly how to annoy his sisters but usually stops when they ask. Miles has built a stamina for the activities we keep him busy with and is pacified with snacks very easily. He prefers flavored water (sweet tea flavor) to regular water- so he looks very high maintenance. He plays that part well- he is the most likely to throw a fit but also most likely to velcro to my side. He loves his momma dearly and I have to love on him for that. He likes to run with the big boys at bounce time and it really doesn't matter to him if they notice him or not. He loves Johnny from SING and all the Elton John songs he performs. He sings along and it's just the sweetest. 

As twins, they love each other but I can't say they love each other more than their other siblings. It will be interesting to see how their relationship changes when Lucy is not with them every day when school starts. They are both very cute and sweet- I couldn't ask for better double rainbow babies! They are so fun!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROWAN!!

 Happy birthday to the surprise, spontaneous, extra, free baby!! 

He's the little guy that was always just the "baby" or maybe it was because he was born during Covid, he's the little guy that not as many people acknowledge. If you know him and hang out with him- he's the best! He is the sweetest, messiest, loudest, and bossiest (and that's saying something).He makes his own rules, which we should've realized from the start! He can charm a crowd and is also the best listener most days. 

He waves hello and bye bye, he walks and runs into things regularly. He can say mama, dada, car, dog, up, no, yes, snack, cracker, bath, cup, ball, duck, and has his own way of saying Lucy, Miles and Callie and you know exactly who he is talking about and telling on. Let's just say, we are not concerned about his verbal expression at all. He willingly showed off all his tricks at his one year check up- more proof that he listens better than the rest of them. 

We celebrated his Rookie Year with a few friends and family who loved on him and let him be wild. We were able to celebrate with lovely weather after good long naps from all the Bratcher kids. :) 

He had two smash cake sessions before the actual party, and was a little less interested after each and was not interested in his party cake at all. He would rather stick his feet in it! 

He is so very demanding about food right now, he must be going through a growth spurt! He loooooves his momma and is also pretty demanding when it comes to getting my attention. ;)

Eleven Months of Rowan!! And a Happy Mother's Day to All!

This wild guy is trying to walk. He's up to 6/7 steps at a time and he's hard to catch with a camera anymore! He was my only hope of someone sitting still and now...he's too wiggly. 

Eleven months came and went with the 20th of April, so we're a little late. I figured I should get an update in before we get to his first birthday party! 

We're doing a "Rookie Year" party with a baseball theme and it is adorable. 

This last kid gig is pretty sweet for him too- he's getting 3 smash cakes to destroy at various occasions. He is asking "whatzat" about a million miles a minute- so I'm slightly worried about the toddler "why" phase when he can form full sentences. He is also on his seek and destroy missions- if you need help finding the smallest piece of...well, anything- in your house, Rowan is your guy! 

This kid is the only kid to sleep in my bed with me....so we don't wake the others is what I tell myself. He is the koala-est baby hugger and hip rider that knows to go along with the big kids, he's going to have to hold on tight. Let me tell you though- the whole idea of "We have so many kids, what's one more??" is a whole big 'ol, stupid story. He is ONE more. He is a baby to care for, he is a toddler we keep alive, he has opinions and schedules all his own- he is so much more than "one more kid." 

Look, I even told myself when he was a tiny bebe that we can just throw him in the baby pack and cruise...and we did. Now a days, he has an opinion about the pack- sometimes he likes it, sometimes he throat punches me. He also knows what a snack is and will holler NACK! NACK! when he hears those big kids crunchin. So now, more than ever- he is a big deal. And when I see large families from now on, I will NEVER think-"What's one more?!?" I will remind myself that they had to sacrifice a bit of sanity to keep all those beautiful babies safe and growing! 

The rest of the gang is just as beautiful as ever. Lucy is counting down the days until she turns 6 and "gets to do everything 6 year olds get to do!" -Whatever that means. She thinks kindergarten in the fall is the BIGGEST life event ever and I just cannot hope enough that she loves it as much as she's loved Preschool and pre-k. I just need her "every day is the best day" attitude continues forever!! For Mother's Day, she organized and cleaned the outdoor toy box. She knew I would love it, haha. Then she kept going and made her bed and organized her stuffed animals and presented it to me. I love her heart so much!!

Callie was the first to yell HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to me as soon as she saw me this morning! She was also the only kid to sleep through the night last night- so there's the real gift, haha! She was also the creator of a Mother's Day song that she sang to me. She is just a little firecracker that knows how to get exactly what she wants with that sweet little grin. 

Mister Miles continues to be the hilarious kid that he is. He is still too rough with Rowan, but Rowan knows how to fight back by pulling his hair now. Miles is always into Toy Story in some capacity. He now has Toy Story shoes that complete the look. Obsessed is still an understatement. He would rather stay home than go to a playground but has the best time once we get there. An old soul. ;)

A fantastic Mother's Day included two playgrounds, Berry Twist for dinner and an ice cream cake to share! I also got my toes done and a couple new pairs of shoes to get me through the school year and excited about summer!