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!