Cousin Lovin'

My sister, Kate, and her sweet 6-month-old baby, Beau, flew all the way from Texas to visit us this week.  We were excited to do nothing but let the cousins play (and sneak in some sister chats and chocolate).

This post will contain few words and many pics (since it's really for grandma and the other sibs).

Baby Beau loves his Auntie Lauren.  He is a very active 6-month-old and taught the twins how to climb everything.

 

Three little mobile monkeys was a little too much.  So we loaded the van and headed for the playground.

 

That made everyone happy.

 

 

 

 

what do you do when there aren't enough swings?

share, of course.

Time to go home.

and take a bath.

the boys, having a heart-to-heart 

 Ryan offered to wash their hair.

Glorious

It was a glorious weekend!  Beautiful, sunny weather.  Dinner with sweet friends on Friday evening.  Kids playing nicely in the yard with new neighbor buddies.  The twins turned 10 months.  My entire house got cleaned (by me).  Date night with the hubby.  Sunday afternoon spent with Veggie Tales.  And Sunday evening spent in the ER.

Glorious!

Let's rewind.

The twinkies turned 10 months on Saturday, and they continue to be pure sweetness.  Miss Ryan is still my little squeally pink pig.  She sleeps like a champ.  Mr. Jack is loud and likes to get up very early with me to ensure I have my devotions.  (He is very spiritual.)

playing patty cake

These 2 are perfect.

Then there are these 2.

 

They are best buds (at times), and we make conscious efforts to give them some special time with (no babies) just mom and dad.  We got tickets to Veggie Tales Live for Sunday afternoon and anticipated a great time together.

I packed my purse with lollipops and granola bars.  It would be a fabulous afternoon.

The tomato and cucumber were a hit.

For the first half.

Then Eveley began whining for juice.  Darn.  I forgot the juice.

Caleb didn't make a peep.

Because he was sound asleep in my arms.

But I had fun.

Bob said I got an "A" for effort.

After the show, the kids just wanted to play outside.  We came home and I began playing hide-and-seek with the big kids.  Eveley was crouched down behind some bushes at the bottom of a hill, and Caleb was at the top of the hill holding a giant rock.

A few seconds later, I heard a loud bonk.  I instantly knew what had happened.  Caleb has an "issue" with throwing rocks.  He has a pretty good arm and pretty bad aim (or good, depending how you look at it).

When I got to Eveley, she had blood pouring down her back.  After an ice pack and a few Google searches, Eveley and I headed to the ER.

She was pretty mad at Caleb.  But very brave with the docs.  She kept asking where the treats were.

After some numbing medicine and 2 staples, we were on our way home.

Poor Caleb was pretty traumatized by the whole event.  I'm hoping he will never throw rocks again....but I'm not holding my breath.

Sheer Joy

It is March -- when did that happen?  And my kids were sure sad that Ole Man Winter had not come to visit them this year.  Well, he did make an appearance several weeks ago, but we were in Tennessee visiting family and missed out on the whole thing.  So that doesn't count.

We had our fingers crossed when the weather report indicated we would have some flurries Monday morning.  That morning, Bob and I were sitting in the family room around 5 a.m. drinking coffee.  We could see the green grass from the porch light and assumed it would be a typical day. 

It began snowing at 6 and, in just a few hours, this was my view from the dining room table.

Our cousin Mathers, who is still living with us, is from Alabama and has never seen (a respectable amount of) snow.  So as soon as I gave the okay, they all headed outside to play.  

Supposedly, we now own the neighborhood's prime sledding spot.

Sheer Joy!

The twins missed out but helped me make hot chocolate and blueberry muffins for the troops.

Better late than never.

This Season's Priorities

Yes, it has been quite some time since my last blog post, which is becoming quite normal around here...one of the few things that I would classify as "normal" around here.

At the beginning of this year, I took some time to evaluate my priorities.

I love a new year. I buy a new calendar, new "to do" notepads, fill up my home organizer with cute templates, get really psyched about all the new things I want to do this year, and begin to fill up my daily schedules with these ultra-important tasks.

The closets need to be organized.

The bookshelves need new, bright bins with handmade, adorable labels on them.

I need to have a cleaning routine....oh, and I need to use "green" cleaning products...that I make myself.

I need to blog about all of my fun ideas or interesting days.

I need to exercise.

And I lead a few Bible studies, so I need to have some "quiet" time somewhere in my day to talk to and hear from God.

My kids need to have really cute lunches waiting for them after school.

But I can't sit down and eat with them because I need to organize my meals for the week on my awesome meal board I made myself. 

Here lies the dilemma. 

  

I have tons of creative energy bubbling around inside of me. Pinterest makes me weep with joy. My hands literally shake while I walk around our new house and dream of all the possibilities. I love organization. I love cute.

This is what I want to do. 

But my 4 precious children don't like organization as much. And they can do without cute.

They just want me. 

They want my eye contact. They want my undivided attention and uninterrupted time. They want me to take on the persona of a 2-year-old baby, cashier, or a steam engine.  But I must be able to rapidly return to MOM to get them their juice for the ever loving fifth time this hour.

A few weeks ago, I candidly told my MOPS group that I really didn't enjoy playing with my kids. I don't like playing dollhouse, crawling around on the floor pushing trucks, digging in the dirt, or making hotdogs out of playdoh.

But I do love my kids.

And I love the sparkle in their eye when they know I am completely tuned in to them.

And they know. 

I love the squeals they make as I chase them around the playroom pretending to be a giant or when I serve them up a giant plate of playdoh spaghetti.

Am I saying that you cannot do organization or cute with young kids? Of course not.

I'm just saying that your kids must be great nappers. :)  Mine are not.

My oldest 2 have taken their afternoon naps, wrapped them up real pretty, and thrown them in my face. No more naps for them. (at least not on a regular basis). And the twins think it's hilarious to tag team all day. Put one down to bed, the other wakes up...all day long.

In case you didn't know, mothering requires selflessness.  We are called to put someone else's needs and desires above our own.  These children are God's.  He has given them to us for a season.

Does that mean our needs and desires are never addressed?  Absolutely not.   If I never addressed my true, personal needs, I would end up being tired, short-tempered, depressed and overwhelmed.  (which is why I  have a date tonight with my husband, and a lunch and massage scheduled this week with a sweet friend!)

But I think the point is addressing my true needs, as opposed to my desires and wants.  I really want to spend all day long browsing the internet and coming up with fab ideas for my house and implementing them right now!  Trust me.  It would be fab.  But that's not a true need for me right now.

So, for now, and for me, I am taking some of my personal desires and putting them on the shelf.   For a season.

And that has caused me to condense my priority list for this new year. Here it goes.

1. God 
2. My husband 
3. My children 
4. Home responsibilities: Feeding and clothing my husband and children 
5. Outside responsibilities: MOPS and Bible studies
6. Friendships 

There you go.

Now, I must run.  I am working at Walmart this morning and have a sweet 4-year-old customer with a full cart. Oh, and my hubby just announced:  "Clean up on aisle 4."


 

One of Those

Last week was one of those weeks.

And today was one of those days.

 Mr. Stomach Bug rudely invaded our house last week. He started with Eveley, got Caleb really good, beat up on the poor little twins, whacked dad, and then decided to circle back and begin again. 

He was ruthless.

 There was poo and puke everywhere. My hubby even coined a new verb, pook. I'll let you figure that one out.

I was begging for mercy and praying for the clock to tick by at rapid pace.

Finally, Monday came and the cloud lifted. Praise God! Hubby went back to work. All 4 kids were well and happy. And I steam cleaned every inch of my house. It was awesome.

Now the kids' energy has returned with a bit more attitude. My 4-year-old is -- how do I say it -- L I P P Y.

I am currently leading a study on Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. I highly recommend this study. Like no other parenting guide, this book really rocked my world...in a good way. It all comes back to grace, really. And that sounds wonderful in black and white. It makes sense, is supported by Scripture, and feels right in my soul. Yet, grace can be a bit tricky when push comes to shove.

And push came to shove.

This morning, we were taking Eveley to her first kindergarten tour at a local private school. Bob and I are simply perusing the options which, given our small town, are incredible. And incredibly overwhelming at times.

This school was top notch. Eveley would spend the day at their Junior Kindergarten while I was given the tour by the Admissions Director. I tried to prepare Eveley last night and make her feel at ease to spend the day at a new place. She loves her current preschool and was very sad to miss a day. So I treaded very lightly. We talked about manners, eye contact, playing well with others, listening, and obeying the teacher's instructions.

I guess I forgot to mention the part about her refraining from throwing a holy fit in the school's lobby.

I chalk most of it up to the fact that she ran down the stairs screaming with her brother this morning at 5:45. I had been awakened by little brother at 4:45 and was taking advantage of a little quiet time in the family room. But a mere hour later, I was joined by Eveley and her brother asking for some waffles. Seriously?

A strict morning wake policy is heretofore enacted...and has been communicated to the hubby along with demands for his assistance in the enforcement. I have purchased a children's clock that will glow at a specified time. The children are not allowed to leave their room until they see the glowing green clock. This better work.

Anyway, the visit went well. The school was very impressive, and Eveley enjoyed her time...well, until the teacher told them it was rest time. Eveley told her teacher that she did not like to take rests and wanted to leave. When they brought her to me in the lobby, I smiled and tried to calmly inquire about her day. The Admissions Director was right beside us.

Eveley said, "I'm going to the playground and went to walk out the door." I grabbed took her hand, said she couldn't run into the parking lot, and asked about her class. She then pulled a Veruca

and began to whine loudly. The admissions director extended her hand and said, "It was very nice to meet you, Eveley." Eveley looked at her and gave her five.

I said thanks and gently pulled Eveley to our car. All the while, she is yelling, "I'll be good if you give me a treat." WHAT??? Toddlers and Tiaras anyone?

So, my grace-based response was to bring her home, feed her lunch, and put her to bed. We can all be a little fussy when we're tired.

And as I am praying for these days to pass quickly, I am reminded how quickly they indeed pass. Too quickly. In spite of the craziness, hassle and headaches, I don't want to miss a thing. (cue Aerosmith).

Here's a little blast from the past, looking at February from the past 4 years.

February 2008

 

February 2009

February 2010

look at that party in the back

February 2011