Ready For Spring!!!

I cannot wait for this cold wet nasty weather to be GONE!! I think we have been sick for 2 months, one thing after another. What started out as a cold passed from one to the other, turning into strep throat, then on to pink eye, now here we are with a minor stomach bug, and Dylan's new allergy to amoxicillin. Ugh, I just want it to end! It was such a tease to get a couple days in the 80's and here we sit in the 50's now that we're on spring break! I have a major bad case of cabin fever!!

The girls had a great birthday party at John Wade Karate and JUMP! Almost their whole class came along with many siblings! I even got another cake job out of the deal!! I'd love to do 3-4 cakes a month for a little extra cash!

Austin got the girls the greatest gift! Meet Cinderella and Beauty...our new red-eared sliders. Rock has become very accepting of his new tank mates. I took this picture today of them climbed up on Rocky's back, very cute. Lauren loved to baby talk to her turtle (Beauty) and they love to watch them interact with each other.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME....Lauren just woke up from a nap with hives on her cheek!! I need a drink, oh, yeah, it's right next to me! It's just a vicious circle....

The Answer!!!

Okay, so it's been a while since I blogged....a month. Yikes time sure does fly!!

Last night (Valentines Day) turned out to be not so bad after all. Larry was able to come home a little early allowing us to actually all sit down to dinner together. Even if it was at 7:45! I had a friend stop by to pick up some items for a family whose house burned down. Now, two, wait three good things came of this! One, the family is getting some things they need to restart, two, WE FOUND A BABYSITTER!!!!!! (doin' happy dance) and.....I found out how to get my kids dressed...FAST! All it took was to tell them that one of their teacher were coming over, that's it? That's all I had to do all this time was tell them someone was going to see them naked? I swear it was like 5 seconds and even Dylan put on some underwear! Anyone who knows D-man knows he lives to be naked!! He also has discovered the "hole" in the underwear and feels compelled to clue everyone else in about said hole! Luckily last night the undies were on backwards! Which happens frequently since for some reason most companies put the cool picture in the butt where the kids can't see them. "D" insists on wearing them backwards.

So even though we didn't get to celebrate V-day by normal means, it still turned out pretty good in my book!

My Many Blessings

So far this resolution has been a great eye opener for me! So it continues...

Jan 5th: I am blessed to have a husband that enjoys my passion for scrapbooking, as it does consume a significant amount of my time. But I love seeing the look on his face as he looks back on all the albums from when the kids were younger.

Jan 6th: I am soooo thankful that I was blessed with the ability to cook and bake! If my mom had not taken the time to teach me, I wouldn't have the love for cooking that I do. I can't wait to teach my girls! The very first thing I remember making on my own was brownies, just can't remember if it was 1st or 2nd grade!

Jan 7th: I am so blessed to have found such a good friend in Kathy. She's someone that from the day we met, I have been able to be myself, my kids could be kids and I didn't have to about being judged. She and are the same in a lot of ways but complete opposites in others. I only wish we could have met sooner. I miss her very much!

Jan 8th: I am very thankful for my blessing of good health. We have been so blessed to have avoided any major illnesses and injuries in our family. *pic is our our awesome pediatrician who moved away. = (

Jan 9th: Today I am thankful for new friends and that I have the opportunity to have some girl time and meet some new moms tonight!

This New Year, I felt so many urges for resolutions, so many areas in my life I wanted to improve. I knew, though, what I needed. I get myself so down by focusing all the time on the frustration in my life (ie: kids). I love my kids, being a SAHM, being "the one" for all their needs and I love my family as a whole. But honestly, it is the hardest, exhausting "job" I've ever had. There are days, such as today, that make me question my motivation to become a Mom. It may sound harsh, but I don't know of a single person that doesn't not at some point question the choices they have made in their life. So, with that said, my biggest resolution this year to change my perspective on my life with my kids. I need to realize that being these boisterous babies mom is not just a job, it is a privilege and a blessing that God has given me. My challenge for myself is to write down just one blessing in my life every day for the whole year. Sounds easy, but as the days roll on it gets a little harder but for me, I need to find the simple little blessings in the everyday life of a SAHM.

Jan 1st : With so many families dealing with everything that comes with having a sick or handicapped child, I am so very blessed to have 4 healthy and happy children.

Jan 2nd: As I was reflecting back on my childhood, I realized how truly blessed I am to have a husband that my kids scream for joy when he walks in the door. Not scattering like we did as kids.

Jan 3rd: I am blessed to have a wonderful husband that understands how important it is to have an equal role in the kids' care is just as important as bringing home the bacon.

Jan 4th: I am blessed that we are fortunate enough that I can stay home and raise our kids. Not that it is easy by any means, it is the most challenging task of my life so far, but it is so much more rewarding than any other job I've had.

Little Hands, Big Memories

So what started out as a bummer day, actually turned out some nice moments and pictures with the kids. Yes there was screaming, fighting, arguing and much whining, but in the midst of all of that came some quiet micro moments that I will treasure.

There is just something about hands. My kids are always facinated with my hands. I remember as a child doing the same thing with my mom, tracing her fingers with mine, spinning every ring. That memory is even more fresh in my mind now as my kids do the same to me. They too, as babies and still now, love for my to play with their fingers as they drift off to sleep. It totally puts them in a trance.

So this is what comes from a flat tire, and a great example of why everything happens for a reason.

I just love these pictures, and I'm so glad that I took the time to capture my little hands.

"Crap'n'Hook"

So I've decided that this would be a great way to archive all the glorious, and the not so glorious things that happen in our house; in the hopes that, some day, I too will be able to laugh at some of the outlandish events. So, to get started, a fantastic story that made me laugh and laugh.

The conversation went something like this:

(ME) "So you guys know Christmas is in {5} days right?"

(RACHEL) " No Mom, it's God's Son's Birthday day. One day God got on a big boat, and he took a nap, and then a crocodile ate Him!"

(ME) As I'm trying to keep from laughing, I tell her, "No honey, I don't think so. But Captin Hook from Peter Pan got eaten by a crocodile. "

(Lauren) Lauren in a fit, screams, "NO MOM! Crap'n'Hook's my best friend! A crocodile didn't eat my Crap'n' Hook!" Then she begins to do her dramatic fake cry!

I will no longer be able to call him Captin Hook, he will forever in my heart be Crap'n'Hook! As I rode home in the car, I smiled and couldn't help giggling. These are the moments that make all the stressful and downright hard moments "GOOD".