Little Shopaholic

Dear Mackenzie,

A lot of times when I pick you up from school, you ask me, "Did you bring your credit card? Are we going shopping?" And if we do go shopping, you love wandering up and down the aisles and looking at everything. When I took you to Bath & Body Works today, you actually kept plopping bottles of lotion and shower gel into my basket. And much to the delight of the B&BW employee, you shouted, "Let's buy more!" Oh man. I smell trouble along with the strawberry-scented body creams!

Love,

Mom

The Marrying Kind

Dear Mackenzie,

This afternoon, you reached up, put your arms around my neck, kissed me and said, "When I grow up, I want to marry you." So sweet!

Love,

Mom

Breathing Better

Dear Mackenzie,

This morning, I was doing the very glamorous job of clearing the boogers out of your nose. You blew your nose several times but there was a stubborn piece of snot that just would not come out so I had to use a Q-tip to scrape it out. It took a couple minutes but when I finally got it, you took a deep breath and said, "I can breathe better now. You're the best mama ever." Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for saying that, sweetie! Being appreciated makes all the icky parts of motherhood so worth it.

Love,

Mom

Faulty Matters

Dear Mackenzie,

You are so mature for your age and sometimes you say things that are so grown-up. Example: Your older siblings were playing Monopoly and wouldn't let you play. You came into the kitchen upset over being excluded. I hugged you and said, "I'm sorry they are being mean." You replied, "You don't have to say sorry. It's not your fault. It's their fault." So perceptive!

Love,

Mom

Embracing Chaos

Dear Mackenzie,

Today, I heard the best summary of life with lots of kids:

"But here's my takeaway. Having three kids [or four!] is chaos, but chaos doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Chaos is our older son trying to teach his little brother how to walk. Chaos is my daughter reading the baby a book even though she doesn't know to to read. It is a fridge full of sloppy finger paintings and a pile of tiny shoes by the door that are remnants of an adventure had. Chaos is chasing them around the house, getting them to scream at the top of their lungs, just so that they'll fall asleep. Only to then the next day wake up with them all in your bed because they just want to be close to you. These next few years are going to be hard, but they're also going to be worth it. As parents, we're going to guide our kids through life. But as siblings, our kids will get to experience life together. Even after Heidi and I are long gone, our kids will always have each other."

Yes to all of these things!! I never thought I'd have four kids. I never even imagined having so many. When we already had GuhGaw, JieJie and Second GuhGaw, it seemed crazy to want another kid. But I wanted to give my kids a strong support network and that's why Daddy and I went for baby #4--and I am so beyond happy and grateful that we did. A life with four kids is definitely a life full of chaos but it is also a life so full of love and unbreakable bonds.

Love,

Mom