Baby one day, Big boy the next

First haircut

BEFORE:



AFTER:




**sigh**

Super Sunday

We sure know how to pack it in.

The Hubs and Josh went with to my brother's work where they were having a large picnic to celebrate 50 years. It was big boy's toys to the max. They climbed on the big tractors, saw where they were built, and even marveled in the massive power of one powerful crane that smashed a few cars to bits. The boys enjoyed a great grilled lunch and polished it off with cotton candy.

I took Ellie and Owen to a local path with some friends for a lazy Sunday afternoon bike ride. Lazy?... My left toe. It was a stellar example of how I am so out of shape. Pitifully. My dear friends were quite understanding and even stayed back and rode the slow lane with me. Of course, I was using every excuse in the book (...I'm pulling about 50 pounds of children behind me...), but in the end, the truth stands and I barely made the 6 mile path. On a bike. In the low gears. "Granny gears." I am very appreciative of my friends who were encouraging despite my complaining (I tried not to, but those hills! Ant hills? No, but close). I found myself floundering at one point when a little voice behind me said, "You can do it, Mom." Ah, a second wind. Inflated by the eternal hope of that my daughter had in me to get her home, I pedaled. I focused. And I did make it. Barely. But I did. We did. (I wish I had pictures to show. There were cuties in bike trailers and it was a gorgeous day...next time.)

All in all, it was a very busy day, and super family fun ensued. Josh (and the Hubs) was quite impressed with the strength of machines, and I was just as affected by the power of my daughter's hope.

Left Field Laugh

My dear Ellie is having an issue with constip.ation.  Eventually all will work itself out, but for now, we are having a bit of trouble.  After another failed attempt that left some skid marks on another pair of und.ies, I gave a big sigh, and said something about trying again later.

Not missing a beat, my Ellie says, "But I'm lucky, mommy, I found a penny!"

Yes, dear, you are.  

Summer promises

I promise to spend less time on the computer.  

Seriously, when school got out one of the first things I thought was..."Now I can blog more."  I know, I need therapy, or maybe not. 

I'm almost two weeks in here, and I have definitely had more time to blog, but I'm finding I'd rather do other things.  Like one of my other summer promises...

Spend "quality" and "quantity" time with the kids.

This thought was inspired from the most amazing book.  So far, one way we've started this is enjoying a game outside on the patio, under our table's umbrella.  It's cool, it's fun and the kids love the time spent together.  As far as the book, it's taken me awhile to get through it, only because my little UPS man (Owen) delivered it to a very special hiding place under the couch for the last few months.  Not only am I learning more about being a better parent, but also a better person.  I love that I have the time to read it, and that I'm taking the time to read it, too. (not to be caught only doing one thing at once, this multi-tasker was also sunning herself while reading.)  This book as also reminded me about another important promise...

Remember, it's not all about me.

A couple of years ago I realized that I am one selfish person.  So, my hope is to find ways to serve my Hubs, my kids, my family and friends.  Along the way, I hope that I will do a lot of this next promise...

Laugh.  A lot.

I love to laugh.  Silly jokes, corny faces, arm far.ts (a Josh speciality), hilarious blog posts, and animal antics are some of the top faves that get this girl giggling.  Somewhere along the way of responsibilities and life's crazies, I forgot that things are so much better when you find the happy side of the frown.  I hope my kids learn this, too.  

So, there it is.  Another list. A good place to start.  

Now, I've got to go, Ellie is asking to read a book with me.  Got to keep those promises!

Wordless Wednesday~ Spider Kids

Tis' the Season

Strawberry Jelly.

Just the thought makes me drool. Every year my mom makes her own strawberry jelly. It's usually the hottest day of early summer and we would spend the day pulling stems, washing sinkfuls of berries, slicing, stirring over a very hot stove and pouring the chunky red liquid
into jars. Each year we would munch quite a few strawberries as we worked. Sampling was our only payment for the day's work. (except that we had the best strawberry jelly ever each and every day for the rest of the year!)

We made this year's supply of jelly yesterday. The workers have changed over the years, but the recipe hasn't and the time well spent stays the same. Our own kids have become pickers and samplers. Sisters-in-law have replaced brothers, and I get the opportunity to enjoy the company of some great women that have married into our family. It was noted that yesterday was probably the coolest day ever in the history of making jelly. The cool breezes kept the kitchen comfortable and the kids outside. Every year we miscount on sugar and someone needs to make a grocery run, and this year was no exception. (you don't even want to know how much sugar goes into this jelly...no wonder it's a family favorite!)

I recently heard a friend talk about her mother who is now passed away. She talks about these kind of days spent together, but also how she wishes she had something written in her mother's handwriting. This was the thought that was running through my head yesterday. So I'm on the lookout for something like this:
so we can have her write down the recipe, record our adventures for the day, and pull it out year after year to do all over again. As the berries get more expensive, it's hard to say that we are really saving money in the process, but sometimes, that's not the only reason to pick the strawberries in season, bring them home and make them a part of our family history.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

The kiddos are still adjusting to being together all the time and we've had some good ol' sibling spats. (ok, knock down, drag out, screaming and yelling...you get the idea).

I've tried several approaches to get them to get along, but it's like trying to talk to my dad or brothers when they are watching TV.

This morning: (after another textbook sib spat)
Josh: Ellie, should we try to be nice to each other today?
Ellie: Ok.

20 minutes later....

(insert screaming, yelling over some essential item they both needed immediately from one another)

Me: I thought you were going to be nice to each other today?
Josh: We were, but it takes a while to get used to it!

Apparently, some habits are hard to break.


Check out some more cute talk at Mary's.

Happy Father's Day, Hubs

I love this man. Not just because he loves me (thank heavens), but for the way he loves our kids. Each. One. He loves them in a way I could never duplicate. He teaches Josh how to grow up into a thoughtful, athletic, fun-loving boy. He shows Ellie what a girl should be by loving her girlishness, complimenting her pretty dresses and giving cuddles on the blue chair. He gathers Owen into tickling tackles that only end when the hiccups come or the other two join in the fray. This kids know their daddy loves them. They see it, hear it, feel it and know it. They miss him when we've had one too many nights in a row of meetings, tee ball games or just plain busyness. But they know he will be there for them in morning, making breakfast for them like he always does. They won't know how blessed they are to have a father like him until they are older, much older, but the memories will stay.

I'm so proud to say that that this man is my husband, my best friend and the father of my children.

I love you, Dear, and they do, too. Happy Father's Day.

How does your garden grow?

With peppers....


And Beans...


And More...


We planted a garden plot this year. We did it last year, but the location was not too conducive to anything but squash apparently. Tons of squash. So we moved the plot to the side of our garage and hope that it will spring eternal with tomatoes, beans, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and even a little squash again. So far all seem to be doing well, except the peppers. We're hoping they're late bloomers. Ellie and Josh helped with our little "flags" so we would remember what we planted as they began to grow. (My favorite is Ellie's "beanz".)

It was so fun to plant the garden with the kids. We first had to dig out the sod (whoa, tons of work!) and then get the soil ready. As we picked out rocks and added good topsoil, Josh and I talked about the Parable of the Sower. It was such an amazing time for us to talk and work and learn more about what it means to be ready for God's work in our own lives. As a teacher, those "teachable moments" are my bread and butter. I look for those times in my classroom where I can throw in another great lesson on using interesting words in our writing, or how we really do use math everyday.

And there, in the garden, I knew the Holy Spirit was working in this situation, because I'm pretty sure the words I said were not my own. Later, as I thought about our time digging and sowing, I felt so good about how the Lord gives us these daily situations to build that foundation for a life-long walk with God. Lord, I pray that my eyes may see these moments throughout their lives...

Left to their own devices...

We have a sprinkler. The one that goes back and forth. Back and forth. The neighbors have this great big inflatable water slide that puts our little sprinkler to shame. But, oddly, our kids don't seem like they're missing out. (We'll bring the pool out soon, when the Hubs decides which part of his beautiful lawn he's willing to sacrifice for the sake of fun in the sun.)

We've put the sprinkler on a few times now. I thought, ok, they'll be bored of it in about 2.2 minutes and then I'll have to come up with something. But they didn't. In fact, they invented their own ways to make the sprinkler more fun than back and forth. Back and forth.

Did you know that a sprinkler can be picked up? Oh yes, friends, this is was the key revelation that opened up numerous opportunities for running and screaming. When picked up, the sprinkler became the key player in a game of water tag. Get tagged by the water, and you're it. They made their own water slide using the one on our playset.

Ingenious little buggers, eh?

My favorite part that had me laughing out loud, was when we had changed the sprinkler to an even more "exciting" version...the super stationary sprinkler. This kind is meant to water a small area using a variety of shapes to spray the water in a certain direction. Ellie picked up the sprinkler which was on the half-moon option. She's holding it behind her, half-moon facing her, running away from the water. Screaming. Laughing. Running. I'm pretty sure the idea of this is lost without a picture. (I was up to my elbows in dirt potting flowers) But the one in my head will have me laughing all day. So, until the sequel plays out again in our backyard, here's some fun action photos from the inaugural sprinkle of the summer.