stepping up

I feel like I am constantly stepping on or vacuuming up the boys toys! Each time I ask myself, "Why, oh why do they make Lego's so small. and Why, oh why can they not pick up after themselves." Then the practical side kicks in and I begin to list all the wonderful things about Lego's, like: they are pretty cool! The boys can spend quite blocks of time being totally engrossed in playing with them. And the reason their toys are all over the ground is probably because I called them to dinner or to do a chore.

Today I stepped on a rubber lizard.

First of all let me say that I like lizards. I will even catch them for the boys. But when you are in the midst of preparing dinner and you step on something that may or may not be a live reptile... it can really freak you out!

on this day, 7 years ago...

Jonah was born! I have been thinking today about the circumstances surrounding his birth. He was a week late and measuring around 8 lb's so my OBGYN decided it was time for me to be induced. I went in early on a Tuesday morning, and that evening at 8:15 a 9lb baby boy was born. I feel in love for the third time when I saw Jonah.

When Caleb was born I was advised to let the nurses take him for the night so I could sleep, but with Jonah it was different. I kept him curled up with me in the bed the whole night. I watched Gladiator and we feel asleep peacefully.

Jonah is such a sweet and caring boy. He is always looking out for his brothers. He is very thoughtful and is always willing to compromise. He tells me all the time that he loves me and desperately needs me to give him a giant hug every night before bedtime. I'm so grateful for my precious 2nd son.

sick and tired of being sick and tired

We have been sick around here for over a week. Between fevers, running noses,aches and pains we have spent a pretty penny at Rite Aid!

I love this photo! Medicine cups lined up like soldiers, various medicines mixed in with a couple snow globes and coffee... lots of coffee.

the most wonderful time of the year

3 things I love about this time of year:

1. Christmas... music, trees, wreaths, presents, outfits, eves!

2. The way the wind blows so cold it makes you want to bundle up, cuddle up, or cozy up to a roaring fire.

3. Cooking and baking scrumptious creations that warm your heart and fill your tummy!

rock and roll

The boys will occasionally grab something on our way out the door to bring in the car, but this is a first for us...

I'm not sure how fun a broken brick will be....

heating things up

I love the feeling of warm clothes coming out of the dryer as much as the next person, but this might just be taking it too far...

what we found in the pool today

Can you see it? Look closely...

I've heard that after a big rain it could happen, but I've never seen it before today.

Enjoy this video of our new little friend!

why our sink wouldn't drain properly

Gideon has a tendancy of putting small things into small places. We didn't realize that this affinity carried into the bathroom arena.

When the plumber came I told him the sink was incredible slow to drain. A few minutes later I heard him laughing. When I went to investigate he was holding the bullet casing and marble in one hand, and a piece of pipe with this bouncy ball wedged in it in the other.

only with boys

would you ever here this phrase, spoken in extreme earnest:

"Aidan won't die. It's just not fair!"

a lot going on

What to post? There are so many, many things going on right now it's hard to pick just one. We are having a beautiful deck built on the back of house and it has turned the backyard into a circus practice facility. The boys are constantly trying to tight-rope-walk the uncovered beams. Hopefully that will be finished in the next couple of days!

Also, baseball season has begun and both Caleb and Jonah are playing on two different teams. We have had only one practice and I am already having regrets about signing them up. It might be too much for us to handle. We are a family that prioritizes having dinner together every night, and I fear that baseball season will have a very negative affect on our dinner plans.

And finally- I have entered the wonderful world of couponing! It is a rather significant investment of time and energy, but we are seeing HUGE savings on our grocery bill.

I feel so blessed with our life right now. God has given us so very much. Everywhere I turn and everything I think about feels like a gift. What a great place to be!

a Godly perspective?

me to boy: You need to take a rest... you are sick.

boy to me: How long do I have to lay down for?

me to boy: 1 hour

boy to me: Thats as long as church!!!!

the battle

We have a pool. And its great. I really love it... in the summertime. But during the colder months when the pool is not in use and we cover it up- I hate the pool! The cover is good because it keeps unwanted leaves and debris out of the pool. However, when it rains the cover is the bane of my existence. I feel like the pool cover and I have been in an epic battle. Me, the diligent homeowner who is trying to maintain a clean & neat outdoor space. Against the pool cover that is constantly filling up with dirty, standing water.

So today- I ended the war. I pumped all of the water out of the cover and took off the pool cover! The feeling I have now that the cover is off and put away is amazing. I feel like a gigantic weight has been lifted off of my shoulders- and the pool looks awesome.

The boys were so excited when I brought them home from school and the pool was uncovered. They really wanted to jump in, but not quite yet!

wise guy

I recently took Jonah in for his 6 year old checkup. Before the nurse gave him his hearing test she was explaining to him that the device she put in his ear would beep. She told him to say beep or... something whenever he heard anything. She began the test. And Jonah, witty boy that he is, once he heard the first beep, with a sly smile on his face said, "something."

Not expecting this out of Jonah, we all laughed and he, glad to find us an easy audience, continued to say "something" for each beep thereafter.

You know its a good St. Patty's Day when...

your 3 year old falls asleep sprawled out, face down on the carpet and you can hear him snoring a room away!

popcorn & paper airplanes

Last week, Caleb came home from school with the brilliant idea for us to make paper airplanes. So, the boys changed out of their uniforms and I made us some popcorn and got the paper ready. The first couple of airplanes we made didn't fly very far and the big boys were getting frustrated. They once saw me make an amazing airplane that flew really far, but I have NO idea how I did it! So we finally decided to resort to the wisdom of The Dangerous Book for Boys. Jonah went and got the book and was very leary about me reading out of it. He kept holding it very tightly, saying, "I don't know Mom. I'm pretty sure girls aren't allowed to look in here." Finally he gave in and and we followed their instructions on how to make an airplane that would fly more than a couple of inches.

They spent the rest of the afternoon perfecting the airplanes and shoving popcorn in their mouths. On a side note: the only way my boys know how to eat popcorn is by taking giant handfuls and shoving it into their mouths. Is this normal boy behavior?

G.W.

Is it just me, or is this the cutest little boy?

He opted for the rain boots, because he can put them on all by himself. He, like his brothers before him, is what we call a "selfer." I love him!

a good day

Today was one of those rare and wonderful days where I was able to get so much accomplished. Not only did I straighten and clean the whole house, including bathrooms and dusting, but I also did 5 loads of laundry, gave a talk to a group of 5th grade girls, and went shopping for the boys swimming things.

It was one of those days where if somebody asked me what I did today, I would have something to say to them rather than the usual, "Oh nothing much." And now, looking back on my day and realizing how much I achieved I feel quite pleased with myself.

I think I will celebrate with pedicure tomorrow!

it went swimmingly

We are headed to an indoor water park this weekend to get together with some good friend of ours that we haven't seen in a while. And of course this means that everyone needs a bathing suit. While the boys would be fine wearing their speedos (why they love them so much, I'll never know!), I was in desperate need of a new suit.

I wasn't looking for too much: something modest, something that fit, something that made me look thin, something that wasn't too expensive, something that was athletic enough to handle playing with the boys but pretty enough to be stylish, something that Mike would like. That's not too much to ask- is it?

Mike got home early from work this evening so I was able to go and look. I wanted to start at TJMaxx, because I have had success there before. When I got to the store I looked for a couple of minutes before asking someone if they had any swimsuits yet. The sales girl told me she didn't think they had put anything out yet, but to check over in active wear. I headed over that way thinking I was going to have to probably hit the mall, ugh! But luckily they had about 20 or so suits. I decided what the heck, I'll try a couple on. I grabbed 3 suits and headed to the fitting room.

Believe it or not, the very first suit I tried on was PERFECT. It met every single one of my criteria! I was shocked...but I really shouldn't have been.

On the way to the store I had prayed. I always pray before I go looking for any kind of clothing. It was a lesson my mother taught all her daughters, and even though you might think it is a small thing or that God doesn't really care about it- you'd be wrong. Because he has ALWAYS answered my prayers to find the clothing I need.

God is so good. He took a situation that could have been long and excruciating and turned it into something quick and painless... and dare I say, even pleasant.

Joy

I have just finished re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia and once again I am in awe of the genius of C.S. Lewis. He writes with such insight into the human heart and our relationship with Christ. I was struck time and time again by the parallels of the series with our own salvation.

It sometimes makes my cry. It makes me cry out of pity for our nation and how cruel and misled we can be. It makes me cry because we have our very own Aslan who brings so much good out in us. It makes me cry because it is so beautifully and completely written.

I think my most favorite parts are at the end of The Magicians Nephew and the end of The Last Battle. Even though both books tell the story of a deep evil, there is that overwhelming message of hope. "What I give you now will bring joy."

Oh, if only we could be open always to the adventure that Christ has in store for us if we would follow his will. Think of all the joy!

my little engineer

Gideon has always had a love of figuring things out. When he was very young, I remember him finding a toy in the living room that was missing a very small part. The next thing I knew he was scooting down the stairs with the missing piece and then fixing the toy. It seems like he has a particular knack for engineering.

Recently though, he has taken this ability to a whole other level.

I went to warm something up and found pennies in the microwave. I went to use the bathroom and found Legos in the toilet. And yesterday morning while I was washing my hands, the water was draining so slowly that I took the plunger to the sink, only to discover that a strand of Mardi Gras beads had been funneled down the drain.

Of course I had to correct him for each of these incidents, but it makes me wonder: "Is this tendency something that he will have forever? What might he grow up to be?"