An Outing With Becca

 Today I'm going to give you a small glimpse into my life.  Specifically what goes on anytime we seem to leave the house on one of our many adventures.  I truly feel like a freak show anytime we leave our neighborhood.  People are constantly staring, and at every place I go some very nice stranger always comes up to me and says "wow, you sure have your hands full."  What's even funnier about this is I hear this phrase when my children are being complete angels.  My kid's ages are 7,6,3, and 1.  But our older 2 kids are small for their age so really it looks like my kids are 5,4,3, and 1.  Which, if this were the case, I'd totally understand people's unfiltered comments.

So come along with me on one of our regular outings.  Here are some of the typical things you will see.

It's common for our older 2 children to fight about something when we are out; they are very competitive with each other.  So usually the fighting starts with whoever is going to get into the car first.  We have many assigned routines in our household to attempt to avoid some of this competition between them.  For example, they do have assigned seats and an assigned order as to who gets in the car first.  Despite our attempts to limit the competition, anywhere we go they manage to make something into a competition.  When we walk through the grocery store they argue about who stands on which side of the cart.  All things that I personally don't feel are important in life, but when you are 6 & 7 this is a life or death situation people.

My very sweet 7 year old daughter has a bit of sass and attitude to her.  Which some days makes me wonder if she's really 16 instead.  This sass is bound to come out at some point usually to me or her 6 year old brother.  Like flipping a light switch she can go from being super sweet to quickly hating you.  This usually includes nasty glares, her arms folded, and a downcast face.  I just continue to smile and go along with whatever we are doing and pray her heart softens quickly.  Because really, only she can flip the switch again (believe me we have tried).

Then there's my 6 year old boy who contains more energy than most people could handle.  He's all boy and could not sit still if his life depended on it.  So when we get together with another group of kids to work on a project, he is all over the place (LITERALLY).  He's mentally present (and very smart) but physically everywhere.  In public places he is constantly walking into people because he is just all over the place and so easily distracted.  So while he's looking up at the ceiling fans, he misses the fact that someone is right there in front of him.  You will also frequently see me yelling at Kade in the parking lot because he is not paying attention and starts to wander in the path of a moving car (yes, it's necessary that I yell for the safety of his life).

As for my youngest boy, he's a typical 3 year old who loves to make a scene in public.  More often than not he has some kind of melt down.  And this isn't just any meltdown my friends.  He screams like I have just beaten him, and his mission is accomplished because he draws a lot of attention to himself.  I'm sure you are wondering what causes these meltdowns.  Well, when I discovered he was playing with a scissors and asked for it because that's just a wise thing for him to play with (especially considering he has attempted to cut his sister's hair), he lost it.  When I told him he needed to keep his shoes on at a restaurant, he lost it.  When there were no car carts left at the grocery store for him to drive, he lost it.  These meltdowns are so common that I mentally prep myself for this each outing.

Our littlest peanut actually likes outings.  It's pretty typical that she moans/whines at some point because she usually wants something.  You will also at some point in our adventures see her shouting at one of her siblings because they are getting way too close (she likes her personal space).

Eating in public is truly another whole can of worms; so much so that many times I avoid it.  Let me caution this with the fact that even if your child is in a very nice orphanage for a short amount of time; food issues arise.  We've been dealing with different food issues for over 2 years now so it's completely normal to us, but when we are out in public people stare and think something is wrong with your child.  The thing is, these problems come and go.  You have good days and bad days.  You never know what the day will hold.  And once you conquer one issue, another arises.  Both our younger 2 kids can shovel food in there mouths so fast that it's just scary to watch (it's like they are starved).  Recently we've had to ban our youngest from even feeding herself the simplest things.  Neither of them always know they are full, they could eat until they puke (and have done this). The down side of this is there are many meltdowns after eating because they want more and think they need more.  But when you eat so fast you don't know you are full yet.  Each meal I talk my 3 year old through the process of slowly biting, chewing, and swallowing like it's some kind of therapy to get him to eat slower.  While my older 2 don't have these kinds of problems, they are known to eat an unusually large amount of food when they are growing.  We recently went to a BBQ and they both ate 4 plates full of food.  I'm pretty sure Luke's boss now thinks we don't feed them.

I'm not telling to this to make you feel bad for us because honestly I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It's just life.  And maybe a reminder that we aren't perfect and don't have it all together.  That's where Jesus comes in my friends, I'm truly reminded of my need for Him every day.  This is just a part of our life and we are used to it.  Outings can definitely be draining and there are days I wonder why I even bothered.  But with each outing there are also little blessing and things that truly make you laugh.  So I try to look for the joy in each day because if I focused on the things I've listed above I just might plead insanity.

I love each of these kids to bits and pieces.  The each bring great joy to our lives and there truly is never a dull moment with their different personalities.

I love how this little guy can channel all that energy into a sport.  Of course he is obsessed with baseball and makes me practice with him daily.  But he loves it and is determined to play Major League Baseball some day.

I love that this girlfriend is wise beyond her years.  She sets me straight on my facts and tells the truth without caution.  Her creativity and desire to give to others is truly inspiring.

And no one can resist this sweet face.  Her many cuddles and smiles melt me each day.  Most outings I have someone tell me that she makes them want another baby.

No one can resist this sweet face either.  He is so funny with his actions and words that often makes us all laugh.  The other day he told me bees had cheese burgers inside them and mustard too.