So what’s up with those crazy kids of ours lately?
Well they are busy being adorable, of course!
I’m really loving being a #momof3boys these days, but I am also having those moments where I’m like, “Since when am I old enough to be at a school basketball game with my kids?” It’s surreal, but they are growing up before our eyes into such interesting and intelligent young men, even though I want them to be my babies forever.
For instance, while driving to visit family friends in Culpeper, VA we passed this adorable “barn” that searved real ice cream from real dairy farmers. Well, I can’t say we “passed” it… we stopped and had some ice cream, because it was a beautiful day and we are not paleo perfectionists. We think things like this are good for our kids (and for us) because even though we know the ice cream might not be “healthy,” its not going to make or break us, and our kids need to have some of these normal kid experience once in a while. So we stopped for yummy ice cream, talked about how the dairy was from real, local farmers (their pictures were hanging up), and that it was a super special not every day food.
So we let the kids pick out a treat, and guess what? Cole decided on his own, after recent trouble with a dairy, that sorbet would be a better choice. Yes, sugar is sugar and never healthy. But I love that our lifestyle has taught him to listen to his body and intentionally choose on his own to avoid things that bother it. Meanwhile Wes who has zero reactions to foods (from a healthy gut from the day he was born) got brightly colored gummy bears. Matt got a shake and Finn & I split a sundae – both topped with REAL whipped cream!
As I anticipated, the kids succumbed to a sugar coma soon after. That means they’re insulin sensitive (a good thing)!
I have to say that even though we have sugar from time to time, we do a great job of keeping them away from gluten as much as humanly possible. Since Stacy is Celiac it is possible that all or any of them. We’d emphasize the importance of being gluten-free, above all other food choices. Our kids’ life-long health is important to us, so that’s why we don’t allow gluten. That’s our #1 big rule. Hence, the Phase 1 of 3 Phase Paleo.
We also encourage them to do as much physical activity as possible. Whether they are running around the backyard, or having fun flipping tires as their Kids CrossFit class on Saturdays, they really can tell that they feel better when they get some physical activity in their day. All parents know that multiple snow or rainy days in a row are the kill joy of a family… there’s only so much you can coup active, healthy children up in a closed building before they become crazed lunatics! Recently we’ve taken away video games from the boys because they were relying far too much on them for creative play. We love to see their imagination at work, and they’re much less likely to do so if they can zombie out in front of Minecraft.
So, what are the boys doing if they’re not playing video games?
Hopefully, reading! Both Cole and Finian are full fledged readers, so often they read to themselves or when are feeling generous to their little brother, too. Here Matt is reading one of our new favorites, Sweet Tooth, with the Mixed Up Chameleon on deck.
Wesley, 3 years 360 days old (almost 4)
Wesley is our baby. I mean, he is seriously babied. And spoiled. Mostly because he’s adorable. Everyone says so… not that we show any favoritism or anything. Wesley really likes Legos. And superheroes. And especially superhero Legos.
He knows more about all of the super heroes, their secret identities, powers, original back stories, love interest, and villains than I know about paleo. He is almost never without a “guy” in his possession (action figure, stuffed animal, they’re all “guys”). His favorite foods are everything. No really, this kid just loves all the foods. For breakfast the other day he was bopping up and down with excitement about a leftover veggie hash Matt had made with asparagus, mushrooms, carrots and onions cooked in bacon fat. Of course, Batman approved.
Wesley is our paleo baby (only getting paleo breastmilk from birth) and has had an incredibly healthful life. He super rarely gets sick and doesn’t have any of the food sensitives or digestive issues the older boys have.
Wesley turns 4 in a few days but Matt and I are in total denial. We’re SUPER excited that Wesley is now potty trained, so we’ve requested he not turn 4 and stay our baby forever. He actually agreed to staying 3 forever, grabbing my face in his palms and giving me a juicy-with-teeth kiss.
Finian, 6 years old
Finian just turned 6! He is our middle child, and has much the personality traits identified for middle children. He craves attention, especially one-on-one with mom. He is always the first one to volunteer to run errands with me and is willing to stay hours at the gym doing nothing but petting people’s dogs, moving weight plates and cheering us on. He is incredibly enthusiastic but also extremely emotional when he’s not feeling his best. Although originally Finian had the most health issues associated with food sensitives, he is doing much, much better and can now have (moderate amounts of high quality) dairy without ill affect. He does eat a modified autoimmune paleo diet, mostly limiting nightshades. As a result his favorite condiment is mayonnaise, which he calls a pre-dinner snack. It’s definitely a testament to the healing powers of a paleo lifestyle to see his huge health recoveries!
As our middle child he’s always been precocious, from rolling over at days old to walking at 7 months. Par for the course, upon entering Kindergarten this year Finn wanted to do all the big boy things like learning to read, which he has mastered. He is also close to getting the training wheels off his bike and LOVES to perform feats of strength (like his mama), such as picking up and carrying around Wesley who is half his body weight.
Finian likes his family to call him Fini, his friends to call him Finn and strangers to call him Finian. His favorite color is green and he loves wild cats (hence his tiger stripe Toms with a green outfit). He also wants to grow up to be a rock star, zoo keeper and scientist. All of them. He loves books more than anyone in our house, and he’s just thrilled to share that experience with anyone who will snuggle up with him. Also, he rarely wears clothes, most of the photos posted of Finian on social media and the blog are of him in his undies because that’s just how he likes to roll.
Finian, interestingly, does have emotional attachment to food that the other boys don’t have. He has asked us to hide treats that “tempt him”, like bags of chocolate chips and LaraBars. Over the years he has learned this about himself and we’ve worked with him to develop a healthy relationship with healthy foods, but even for a little boy self control is hard. Fini is my mini-me, from the emotional food issues down to the green eyes and facial expressions – he also LOVES to be strong!
Finian carrying his brother, half his body weight
Cole, 8 1/2 years old
Cole is the leader of the brother pack. His is (usually) a kind, patient and understanding brother who likes to help the younger ones. He teaches them as much as Matt and I. He is usually a very quiet almost 9-year-old who often likes to brood. You can catch a rare smile if you offer him a game of Munchkins or new graphic novel, like Axe Cop. His appreciation of potty humor is unlike anyone I’ve ever met, often times the only way we can communicate efficiently is if I find ways to fling the words “butt” and “fart” into the conversation frequently. He really enjoys playing outside with the neighbor friends who have an elaborate world devised that involves Star Wars. He also likes Pokemon, Minecraft, and Legos. The potty humor jokes in The Lego Movie were perfect for him. He also really likes working out StrongMan with me. It’s not often he can do all the movements, but he loves sled drag and sitting in tires for car deadlift.
Cole’s favorite colors are decisively black and red. He became obsessed with them after riding in his grandfather’s speed boat 2 summers ago. He is the oldest grandson and has been spoiled as the most mature young buck in the family. He even got to go to the shooting range with grandpa, who is an avid marksman and usually brings the family back half a dozen deer a year (a huge financial savings for pastured meat that is in desperate need of population control).
Cole has blogged several reviews on the site and recently I told him I’d give him $5 for each post he wrote on here. Let’s hope that’s motivation for him to share some of his stories with you all! For example, his ground-breaking review of Caveman Cookies where he declared them his favorite shelf stable in classroom treat.
Lately he seems to have undergone a growth spurt and his face has changed, more mature. I can see him becoming a young man and try to remind myself how proud I am of the independent, healthy, handsome person he is… rather than being sad about the little boy he no longer is.
I just can’t get enough of all my boys!
♥ Tell us, what are you enjoying most about these true “real life” blog posts. What aspect of our daily lives interests you most? What do you want us to talk about next week? We love sharing with you, so that’s what we are gonna keep doing. Hope you have a wonderful weekend! ♥
