A Pretty Picture

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You could imagine yourself standing along the ocean’s edge, soaking in the brilliant rays of sunshine, enjoying the soft sounds of waves lapping along the shore, and feeling the cool water as it rushes to meet your feet. And that would be a nice picture, wouldn’t it? But living with young children isn’t like that.

Of course, you have momentary glimpses of this picture when you gaze into a smiling child’s face, or listen to the soft cooing of a baby, or hear the words “I love you” spoken from the mouth of a little person. But this image of a peaceful shoreline is not representative of most days. Instead, living with four young children is like standing on the ocean’s shore, during a hurricane.

Will The Real Day Please Stand Up?

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The waves build up as they draw back into the ocean and pause, gathering their strength. Suddenly, they let loose and hit at once with raging force.

The baby that was laughing and cooing has puked all over himself, the floor, the toys, and nearby wandering animals. The once smiling child has ripped his sibling’s papers and is now screaming as a retaliation of flying fists and feet come upon her. The words “I love you” have changed to grunts and yells as another child pounds the table upsetting and destroying a nearby art project. Then the phone rings, and the receptionist from the doctor’s office reminds you that you missed the appointment for your five-year old, and you will have to pay a fine.

The waves have crashed upon the ocean shore as you stand in their path.

What Is One To Do?

Responding to this is always a challenge. Do you choose rage or reason? Anger or affection? Just as raving at the sea will bring no change, an irate response will not stop the waves from hitting. But as Christ calmed the sea with but a word, firm and loving words can bring tranquility in the midst of a daily storm.

Yet, this is not easy to do. It takes practice to face the crashing waves and let them wash over without pulling you under. When you live with young children these waves will come, it is inevitable. And they come, whether you’re ready or not.

I recently got used to typing 2011 instead of 2010. Now my keyboard muscle memory will need to change to 2012 instead of 2011, which for me, without a side keypad, means changing from left ring finger, right ring finger, left pinky finger double bump to left ring finger, right ring finger, left pinky finger, left ring finger – certain to be botched.

But besides the annoyance of mistyped dates, the fact that we are moving into another new year is perplexing to me. What happened to 2011? I realize that as you get older time decides to move faster (a very underhanded trick that time plays on us), but did 2011 even happen? Where was I?

Maybe it’s my memory. It is fading. That could be from the chaotic nature of raising four kids aged six and under. Loud sounds are certain to kill brain cells (along with nerves), maybe they are particular to killing the ones that hold our memories. If so, I should be lucky that I even remember it’s going to be 2012.

So what happened in 2011 then anyways? Wasn’t the world supposed to end? Twice? Maybe it did and I forgot. Didn’t some rich dignitaries get married while the whole world fussed about it? I think a corrupt Illinois governor got sent to jail… but that could have been any year now that I think about it. For us I think someone new came into the world, but that also could be just about any year in our recent past.

This year flew by, without pausing to take a breath (or to let me take one) and now we’re on to another one. While I remain perplexed about this fact, it is something I cannot change. This year will end and a new one will begin. Maybe, if we all ask nicely, time will pause, just long enough, for all of us to remember 2011 and look forward to 2012.

Here’s to another great one…

Image Credit – http://www.psdgraphics.com/

Let me explain. Let’s say that you want to get your coat on to go to the store. As a child you go to the coat hanger, put your coat on, and get in the car (well ideal children do that; mine run around in circles, make silly faces, sit and stare off into nowhere, jump up and down – only after much prodding do they finally put on their coats). A parent, however, tries to go to the coat hanger, but something happens along the way…

First, it’s just a dirty pair of socks found lying on the floor. The parent must pick it up, or at least toss it out of the way. Instead of socks, it might also be another randomly shed article of clothing, large food particles from a recent snack, sticks used for swords, lego castle and space creations, pots and pans that were used as drums (or super hero shields), sofa cushions, step ladders, chairs, tables, stones, tree branches, dead rodents, ducks, or small sheep – depends on the day.

Next, the baby that is sitting on the floor (with or without clothes) is wiping the snot draining from his nose all over his face. So, the parent searches for tissues (which are never to be found when one wants them) and upon discovering one begins to fight with the baby to clean his face (which is no easy task – an 11 month old is a master escape artist). During this task, the parent notices a certain smell emanating from a certain part of this baby, and is constrained to eliminate it.

On the return from the diaper changing station, a stray matchbox car finds its way underneath the parent’s foot and must be put away (or thrown away – as in into the trash can). Again, it might be other various items – random toys, old food, assorted livestock and landscaping materials – a parent never can tell what they are going to find on the floor.

Meanwhile, a fight breaks out between the two oldest siblings when, apparently, Sibling A has taken something from Sibling B – two times. Furthermore Sibling A is always taking things two times and Sibling B doesn’t like that. But Sibling A never had one of those things before, needs it right now, and never, ever, ever gets it. So the parent stops the fight (generally with some bright statement like “Stop” or “It doesn’t matter” or “Give it to me!” or “Nobody in this house will ever have anything again!!!”) and then informs both siblings that they need to put on their coats.

The parent, worn out, finally makes it to the coat hanger, but as hand touches pleather, a piercing shriek comes from the other room. The two year old has tripped and fallen while running to get her coat. With tears pouring down her cheeks while rubbing her knees and arms, she asks the parent to kiss it, which the parent promptly does. And then the parent succumbs to the demanding cry, “Want Up!” by picking up the teary-eyed child.

Carrying the injured two year old, the parent arrives at the coat hanger and is allowed to put on the coat. (Only after begging the two-year old to let her be put down.) But this parent hasn’t made it to the car yet… Oy Vey.

Parents are slow at doing just one thing, because they can never do just one thing. One thing inevitably turns into at least a dozen. I didn’t grasp that as a child, and my kids certainly do not grasp it now. To them, I’m just slow. And I guess I’m okay with that.

We were able to get out to the neighbors house for a few hours which was a nice change in scenery and the boys LOVED playing with their best friend, Bryce! And I loved the girl time for a bit.

I know everyone is done with the snow, but I truly love it. If it’s going to be winter (which it is) and it’s going to be cold, which is inevitable in February, then I’m glad there’s white stuff on the ground. Although I think I’m the only one who feels this way in our house. Lucas is not a winter child… he asks me every day to wear shorts and despite all his very “cool” long sleeve shirts in his drawer he always opts for the short sleeve. And every day he asks me when it’s going to be summer. I won’t be surprised if someday he moves down south.

So even though it’s been cold outside and we’ve pretty much been stuck in the house for the past 4 weeks, we’ve all found things to do…

Ethan was enjoying the snowfall this weekend…

And Alayna wanted to have her toes painted like Mommy

It’s fun to cuddle on the couch on cold days and listen to Daddy read to you

Or cuddle with your little brother

Or just love on the new bundle in the house

Hope you’re finding some things to do this winter, even if you have to stay home.

Now don’t be shy… leave a comment (I want to know who’s actually reading and how many of you have given up on us since we don’t post very often).

Baby A:

Baby B:

Baby C:

Baby D:

UPDATE:
Thanks for playing my little game… “Name that Vile Baby.” I’m proud that family members got this right… even Dad, although I was a little worried for a moment that he wouldn’t.

A. Samuel
B. Lucas
C. Ethan
D. Alayna

January & February 2010

January is a boring month.  You have to admit you agree.  The end of the Holiday season brings boredom (birthday highlights aside), so not much happened.  And after all the fuss that occurs between Black Friday and New Years Day, not having much happen was a welcomed relief.

Ethan’s birthday falls in February, and this year he turned five.  He was very excited to make the half-decade mark, and we were left trying to find out where the past 60 months had gone.  In five years Ethan has grown into a full-blown little boy. He is a great big brother to both Lucas (fights not withstanding) and Alayna (he’s already honing his big brother protection skills).  He’s either skipping through the house, absorbed in a puzzle (he prefers the 500 piece kind, and is determined to conquer a 1000 piece soon), building something, or decorating his room with … well, with stuff.  He tried Karate this year and enjoyed it, but we’re not sure he’ll do it again.  He likes getting his picture taken as well as seeing other people have their picture taken; so much so that he feels compelled to join them in their picture.  We are very thankful that God has brought him into our lives.

March 2010

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, well ours was reversed.  The beginning of the month was uneventful, but the end had back-to-back birthday and anniversary.  Erin turned… well she had another birthday this year.  She is doing well, continuing her effort to transform the homemade bag industry one bag at a time… with a lot of time in between each one.  Raising three kids leaves little time for anything else, but she ceaselessly and tirelessly fills her orders for bags, right up to the last minute.  She enjoys being able to stay home with the children and wouldn’t trade that for anything.

We celebrated our seventh anniversary by having a nice quiet dinner at a local establishment (Easy Street Café – home of the best onion rings; Outback’s Bloomin’ Onion is awful by comparison).  Seven years isn’t all that long, but when a lot happens in such a timeframe, it can seem like quite awhile.  But its been a wonderful adventure.

April  & May 2010

Shortly after Easter, we made our first foray into the world of homeschooling by attending a homeschooling convention.  We had discussed homeschooling for a while, and so we felt it was important to investigate.  Taking Alayna along with us, we drove south to spend two nights and three days at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. It didn’t take long to quickly surmise that “home education” is quite a subculture.  However, we also discovered that it is much more mainstream than we thought (which was evidenced by the lack of blue jean jumpers, although they still reared their ugly head here and there – no offense to those who love them).  Not knowing what we didn’t know, it was hard to determine where to start with everything.  But start we did and by the end of the weekend we learned quite a lot and selected a curriculum to use for Kindergarten.

May saw the grass get greener, the air become warmer, and the flowers start blooming.  The dark and depressing days of winter were fully passed, and we tried to spend as much time as possible out of doors to recover.  Our landscaping was beautified, the bowling alleys visited, the house projects commenced, and the little white stick had two pink stripes on it.  Yes, two stripes, not one.  You know, those little sticks that tell you another life will be visiting you in nine months by showing two pink lines.  The ones that say, “Ready or not, here someone comes!”  Yeah, we had one of those in May.   This wasn’t intentional, but one’s intentions and God’s plans don’t always coincide.  After the shock (which lasted well into July) we accepted and embraced the idea fully.  We are thankful to have another little boy join the family.  Estimated Arrival:  January 2011.  Actual Arrival: TBA.

June & July 2010

Summer was here and Ethan finished preschool!  After two years of attendance, he graduated with full honors (he was fully honored by all the doting family members).  He loved Rainbow preschool, but was also ready to begin the new adventure of homeschooling in the fall.

We try to get at least one camping trip in each year and July was our month.  We met up with some friends in the lovely city of Ada, Ohio.  It was great to spend time with friends, especially those whom we don’t often get to see.

Summer also brought the call: “Go west young family.”  Okay, so that’s not how it goes, but the Vile family heard and answered it.  Literally.  We left the house and two days later, with 24 hours of car time logged, we arrived in Loveland Colorado – the home of Erin’s brother and his wife and family.  We greatly enjoyed our time with geographically-challenged family (I think that’s the PC way to put it).  The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins, riding on Uncle Ryan’s boat, visiting the Rodeo, climbing a mountain, and generally raising a ruckus.  It went by quickly, but was fun while it lasted.  Erin’s mom joined us for the long ride home.  I’m pretty sure next time she’ll fly.

August 2010

Alayna turned one in August.  We’ve had fun watching her grow, explore, and learn so much over the past year.  She went mobile by her birthday, starting to crawl; then switched from four limbs to two and started walking by Thanksgiving!  We like to see her make her way around the house (if you see the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, watch how Johnny Depp walks – that’s what she looks like).  Her personality is becoming clearer, and she’s already learned the art of getting what she wants with just a look…  yes folks, she’s a girl.

The boys love her, sometimes too much, which usually is occasion for one of her signature ear piercing shrieks (Dad calls it a banshee cry, but Mom refuses to entertain that term).  She’s a complete Daddy’s girl, and uses her Ninja Death-Grip to prevent anyone from stealing her away from him.   We love our little girl.

September 2010

This month marked the beginning of a new and immense adventure; a walk down an uncertain path.  The Vile Home Education School opened its doors and admitted a single student.  Erin started homeschooling Ethan.  The first few weeks were admittedly bumpy, as everyone was trying to adjust to this new way of life.  But once Ethan knew what to expect, and Erin adjusted to the routine, it was smooth sailing (well not without a few storms).  Ethan is learning a ton, already starting to read a few simple books!  He loves numbers and math is a breeze.  We’ve still got a lot to figure out in this area, but it’s going as well as can be expected!  We’re excited to see where this path leads.

October & November 2010

Fall was in full swing.  Leaves were changing colors and dropping off their branches – and the boys had fun helping Dad rake them up.  But colder and shorter days meant more time inside for the boys.  And considering that the two of them are still in the single digits and full of energy our house is… well, you’ve seen pictures of a mushroom cloud, right?  Lots of energy plus cramped small space equals large explosion; pretty much every night.  It’s fun, but a challenge to make it till 8:00pm.

Kevin had a birthday in October.  Each year goes by so quickly that it’s hard to keep track of the number, so we’ll just say it was another one.  He’s been working from home since May of 2008 and enjoying it.  The family is glad to have him around and will occasionally drop into his office (the back room – quietest place there is in a loud house).  And typically if one comes, the whole gang follows.  He does get work done though… somehow.

We had a chance to get away down to Hocking Hills, Ohio without the kids for a couple days.  It was a welcomed break – the calm before the storm – and we enjoyed some rest and relaxation.  The weather was nice and the landscape was beautiful, giving us opportunity to hike some beautiful trails.  Erin made it the first few miles or so, but then the reality of pregnancy set in and Kevin was forced to trek the last couple alone to retrieve the car and pick up the tired lady.  It was a fun time.

December 2010

Lucas turned four in December, and he certainly has grown up!  It was less than 12 months ago that he finished potty training, and just a few months ago he started preschool, what a whirlwind!  He loves going to Rainbow Preschool and does great.  He enjoys all kinds of sports, likes to mow the lawn with Dad (the whole thing), snuggling with his multitude of stuffed animals, and long walks by the beach – wait, was that Lucas?

Our little boy is a full of passion, the kind that manifests itself in large bursts of sound.  But we’re glad to see that he’s fully committed to things – either he completely likes them or hates them!  He likes his little sister and tries to be a helpful brother, although she’s not too sure about the nature of their relationship informing us all with her signature shriek.  He is a wonderful and irreplaceable addition to our family.  Thank God for little boys.

Well, that was our year in less than 1700 words, hopefully you made it the whole way, but we’ll forgive you if you skipped some!  We want to thank all our friends and family for all you mean to us; its great to have you all come along on the ride with us one day at a time!

May your Christmas be filled with love and joy as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and may the New Year bring many blessings. Would you let Christ be the center of this next year and allow Him to guide you in every step, for He wants our hearts and our lives!

With Love,
The Vile’s
- Kevin, Erin, Ethan, Lucas, Alayna and BABY!

Ethan (offering only a red piece of construction paper): “What color paper do you want for your drawing?”

Squirrel (looking puzzled): “Do I have a choice?”

Ethan: “Yes.”

Squirrel (still rather puzzled): “What colors are my choices?”

Ethan: “Red.”

Squirrel: “….”

Ethan then ran to the table and began drawing on the red piece of construction paper. He was quickly followed by Lucas carrying a green piece of construction paper (although no choice was offered).

I think when Ethan grows up he’s going to be a politician… or maybe a lawyer… or possibly work in advertising… any of those seem to fit his newfound skill in… we’ll call it “persuasiveness.”

The Smith side girl cousins… so cute

Took a trip to Kalahari when Ryan and fam were in town. Lots of fun!!

We hit the beach at Maumee Bay… the kids LOVED it!!!

Back yard campfire with jumbo marshmallows

Ethan went to Safety Town this summer for 2 weeks. He had a great time!

Ethan got to do safety town with his good friend and neighbor, Bryce. And they both loved Officer Robin.

Alayna spent her first 4th of July sleeping on Papa

Our family on the 4th of July 2010

If you can guess this riddle, then you will know why we are so excited!

Enjoying a little picnic lunch

My sweet little bees

Ice Cream on the way home