Joey, my middle man

Sometimes I agonize for this little guy.  This picture of Joey and the babes says it all.  When the older kids are home, they monopolize activities like the Wii because they have more grown up skills.  When the older kids are away and Joey is home, the babies ruin his games by pounding on the balance board.  He gets so sad sometimes.

The babies trying to go outside with him.  Nelson is getting his head out the door before Joey can shut it.

And then other times, I think he's pretty spoiled.  The Brother Babies often sleep while Michael is at Kindergarten, and for a few short hours, Joey and me get some great one-on-one time.  We talk and work on projects together.  He shares the joys of ninja guys with me, and I teach him about hard-boiling eggs.  We enjoy spontaneous trips to the library and fun getaways to the gym when Mike is home and able to monitor our sleeping boys.  Now that the kids are in school, I feel like I am catching up with Joey.  It has been a bit of a whirlwind around here, and I'm happy to see he didn't get swept away.  He's right here with me, and I love it!