Three Kids 5 and Under...

Today is November 1st, 2011.  From time to time I will talk to those of you from afar (Memphis, India, etc.) and you comment about keeping up with our blog.  I always think to myself, "Well at least you don't have to try too hard as I rarely write any new blogs, especially these days!"  For those parents of one or two kids out there, wait until you have three, if you choose to have three.  I had no idea how much more full our life could be, and in more ways than one!  Did I say full?  Hmmm... perhaps I meant challenging?!

In the last two months the Basye family has...

• Fought two separate rounds of colds
• Currently Elijah and Ellie are on the mend, however, now I'm sick and Aida's has turned into her first ear infection... those are always fun
• Had a combined tally of 13 vomits from Elijah and Ellie 
• Did I mention that one of those times Ellie threw up in my eye?  No joke, it really happened
• Changed approximately 500 diapers
• Yeah, it is time to potty train Ellie... thanks for trying Grandma JuJu
• This is funny... Aida wears a size 3 (she is not even 6 months old); Ellie wears a size 4 (and she is 2 1/2!)
• Driven Elijah to or from school approximately 40 times
• Had perhaps only one week of out eight of uninterrupted sleep in the middle of the night
• The other night, while Shelly was out of town, I clocked 2, maybe 3, hours of sleep as each kid was up at least once in the middle of the night
• Swept the floor (to clean up crumbs below the island where we eat breakfast and lunch) over 100 times
• My wife and the Houlihan's might say this is because I am a bit OC... maybe they're right!

I could go on but you get the point.  As crazy as it is, Shelly and I try to keep these two things in mind: 1) it is a season (it is hard to believe that Aida is already 6 months in a few days and that Elijah is 5); and 2) children really are a blessing.  Life is crazy, full, demands the sacrifice of our desires and wants, but how worth it they are.  Would I rather be out fishing or hanging with my kids?  I'll choose the kids.  Besides, what can be more memorable and comical than your kid throwing up in your eye?

Quick briefing...

• Elijah is currently attending a half-day kindergarten program and loving it.  He is fascinated with anything along the lines of being a super hero - Batman, Spiderman, it doesn't really matter.
• Ellie is asking to go to kindergarten (while she carries her backpack full of toys on her back) but we have insisted that she can't go anywhere until she uses that potty!  As independent as she is, leaving behind the diaper is one things she is not eager to do.  Kudos to JuJu who was able to get her to go once on the potty while the kids were at her house.
• Aida is full of smiles and laughter, but she can also turn on a dime to the loudest screaming you have ever heard.  She is a spitting image of Elijah, or should I say Buddha?  She loves the chaos of the house and the other two do a great job of entertaining her.
• Shelly is back to work after spending a week in San Francisco for a conference (I was able to join her for three days!).  Those of you who know Shelly well will not be surprised by this - she is already planning our next trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in June.
• And me?  I'm currently trying to figure out how to squeeze in a couple of mornings to go shoot a deer... we do live in Montana after all!