Naptime Notes

Trust

2012-01-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

Good morning! The sun seems to be shining in our windows a bit brighter this morning...the wind is still howling...but I'm hopeful for a great day. The boys are happy and my heart is full.

If you recall...I wrote this a few weeks ago. Here is an excerpt from that post...

Ok...ready for another turn of thoughts.

This isn't regarding growing our family, but just in general.

I have had a stirring lately that after this next year there is going to be some big

changes in our life and I just want to be open to them. What does that mean...I'm not

sure. But I'm trying to be open and willing in all areas of my life to just see God move

and do His thing. My mind keeps going back and forth between the desires of this world

and the desires of God's heart.

Sometimes its hard to differentiate between the two.

I'm trying to listen.

And since that time God has revealed some pretty big changes and opportunities in our life. I'm not really ready to discuss them on here...but how exciting! The point I want to communicate...is that some of those answers and revelations from God working in our life aren't exactly what I expected. Actually not AT ALL what I expected! And He still seems so silent in all the ways I had been praying for Him to work in. And that is okay. I am seeking and listening and praying. And its a beautiful place to be!

I am discovering how much trust is needed in every part of life. And so many times the communion with God and trust in Him is the much more important part than the outcome.

This includes all areas of my life ---The really big things. But also the little things (that usually end up being the big things)...like trying to teach my boys to be kind and respectful. Or remembering to love and put my spouse above myself. I try so hard to teach my boys to think of and serve one another above themselves...but so often Matt gets home from a 10 or 11 hour day at work and all I want to do is tell him all about my day and have him help me. He always does...because he is great at putting me before himself. And I want to do that for him. And for my kids. And for my friends. But its hard! Or maybe its just me that struggles with this? :)

Eli told me this week ..."Mommy, I love laying in my bed for a little bit before I go to sleep so I can talk to God and listen to him and play with him too." Cute, right....but it kind of smacked me in the face too. Boy, do I need to make sure I have times to be quiet and still and listen and talk to my God too. I love how often God uses my son to speak to me.

I hope you read my husbands post earlier this week...I must say that I have had some big changes just this week in my prayer life too! I just find myself trying to commune more and pray about the things I believe represent God's heart and character more.

All this to say ---God is working in my life. It is comforting and exciting to feel near to Him. There have been so many dry seasons that I do not feel that ---where I feel so far away and lonely from the Heart of God. And I'm sure many of you feel far from him now...and thats okay to admit and say. And I will be sending you a virtual hug and a prayer that He would reveal Himself to you where you're at.

Where do you see and know him to be working in your life?

Psalms 13:5

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

^{⁴ Take delight in the LORD,}

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

^{⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,}

your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalms 37: 3-7

I Heart Faces : By the Book.

2012-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Eli. My little bookworm.

Grandma brought him some very old books from when Matt was a kid.

He's always up for exploring a new book.

From My Phone #1

2012-01-19T13:03:00.001-08:00

I have seen other bloggers post their pictures from their phone cameras...and really, what a great idea. When I'm enjoying life...I rarely go grab my big dslr (although I would love to...my boys would have moved on) ...no, I pull my beloved phone from my pocket and grab a quick snap.

So I'm going to start putting these one here every week...with the hopes of printing them all into a photobook at the end of the year. So here is week one...which is a few from the last few weeks.

Looking at photo albums : Making Star Wars crafts : A beautiful sunset from our street : Making Yoda-Sodas with Daddy : Making Snow Ice Cream with Mommy (the yoda soda was much better) : Lazy mornings watching Netflix while Mommy showers : Legos : Cuddling together : An awesome moon after my workout : An impromptu trip to the Dinosaur Museum on campus : Eli being such a brave big boy at the eye doctor.

You Capture : Mornings

2012-01-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't call myself a morning person. But once I'm up, I'm generally happy. And these two little guys are the happiest in the mornings. They love to play in their jammies. And I love seeing them running around and playing together. Am I the only mom out there that is sentimental about jammies? I mean...really, I might make a blanket out of all of them someday.

What I really wanted to take a picture of was my awesome new Keurig. I love it!! And I love using it in the morning Can I get an amen? :) Maybe next week...since the theme is cold, and coffee is good when you're cold. We'll see. :)

Owning it.

2012-01-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Some of the things I am laying the smack down on these days....

Exercise! I'm consistently doing it again. (at least every other day) I'm writing down what I do and owning up to the days that I make the choice not to exercise instead of just ignoring it. It is a NEED in my life. Choosing to go do it is just as important as food, water, showering....I must go do it if I want to take care of myself and my family. I must not feel guilty for leaving 5 minutes after the kids are in bed or on a Saturday morning when my family is all together. Matt continually tells me not to feel guilty for it, but I still do. But I'm learning not to. And I'm finding that doing so is rejuvenating not only to my waistline...but to my mind and soul. Funny how much I find God and myself during 45 minutes full of huffing and puffing and turning into a sweaty frizzy mess.

Shutting up the voices ---the voices that we hear that tell us we aren't good enough, thin enough, talented enough, smart enough...etc. I'm only listening to the voices that speak truth in my ears and into my heart....owning it!

Trusting ---Owning up to what I know to be true --and trusting only in the One who ultimately provides all things.

Letting Go ---Letting go of the ideas and expectations of what "I" think our life should be about and giving in to at least considering all the doors that ARE being opened to us.

JOY ---I'm trying hard to own the JOY that lives within me. ...and laying the smack down on bad attitudes, being overly-serious, allowing others to dictate my feelings and actions, and worrying about what people think of me.

Messiness ---I'm owning it! I'm allowing my house to look like a 2 and 4 year old live here. I will still maintain order and cleanliness...but I'm allowing messy-ness to be there if it gives me more time to be in the moment with my kids, to play, to laugh, to comfort friends, to dream big, and to let the kids be small.

What are you owning today? Really...leave a comment telling me and I'll love you forever! :)

I Heart Faces : Best face of 2011

2012-01-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

It was so hard to pick just one...but I really love Sim's face in this shot. It was taken on a hike earlier this year. Wonder what the little guy was looking at? Probably a bug or his brother or some other awesome thing that comes along with hiking in the mountains. Man, I really miss summer!

You Capture : Top 10 of 2011

2012-01-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

It was so hard to pick 10 of my favorite pictures from 2011.

I decided to not go with the pictures that were my best work...I didn't pick the ones that were perfectly in focus and had just the right composition.

I chose the ones from real life. The ones where I just grabbed my camera as fast as I could and then continued enjoying the moment with my family.

I LOVE these pictures because the help me remember. Every one evokes so many great memories of sharing my days with my great husband and my two sweet boys.

I also included my favorite "You Capture" shot from 2011. The theme was technology and I just realized this is my 58th You Capture Post. Crazy!

To read my most recent non-photo post, then click here.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

We stayed home and celebrated with the boys tonight. There was dancing, cookie-making, juice drinking from fancy glasses, party-blowers, hats, and balloon games. A good time was had by all. The boys each got to go pick out a new calendar for their room too. Boy boys in bed by 7:30. Haha!

Ah, good times! 2011 was great and I'm so excited for what 2012 will bring.

scroll down

or click here

to see photo highlights

from 2011.

Looking Back 2011 : So much to be thankful for.

2011-12-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

2011 was an awesome year. Can't wait to see what 2012 holds. Happy New Year!

Smorgasbord

2011-12-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

noun

a buffet meal of various hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, salads,casserole dishes, meats, cheeses, etc.

an extensive array or variety: The company has asmorgasbord of employee benefits.

---Yes, I totally just webster.com'd that word. I wasn't sure how to spell it and must admit that every time I use it, I just say it fast because I'm not sure if I'm saying it right. Turns out it ends with a "d"...not a "g." Such a funny little word. I'm going to see how many times I can fit it into conversation tomorrow.

So that is what this will be. A blog displaying all the variety of thoughts running through my head right now.

First of all. I must say that I am so in love with my husband. Today we were sitting in the Target snack bar with our two kids (yikes...yes sometimes its still weird to me that we have two kids) I noticed Matt's temples are getting speckled with little dots of gray. Holy cow! Yes, he is only 32 (i confirmed it today)...but it made me even more in love with him. This man...who I fell in love with when I was only 18 years old, now has a few gray hairs. I like to tease him...but really I love it and think he is more attractive than he has ever been.

Ok...conversational whiplash.

I have been such a lazy runner/exerciser lately. Totally been taking the easy way out...while at the same time sneaking WAY too much of my kids Christmas candy from their Grandmas. Tomorrow I'm going to really push myself and not just put in a half-ass job to say I got some exercise and make myself feel better. I'm going to really push my body to do what it needs to do. Its the only way I will get all this weight off that I have accumulated during 2011. Plus...I know when I work my body and try harder, my mind is clearer and I'm a happier/healthier person. For some reason putting it on this online journal motivates me to actually do it. Plus, I owe it to my awesome friend Tammy who endlessly encourages me even though I have been the laziest running partner ever lately! Sorry, Tammy.

Oh yeah...this is a biggie I have been wanting to discuss and process.

Growing our family! My heart wants to. It really does. But I just still don't feel any clarity on how or when we are supposed to do that. Eli keeps telling me how badly he wants a baby sister and how he prays for God to give us one. I'm starting to really feel like if we are going to do this then we need to go for it soon...so baby #3 is somewhat close in age to the boys. But when I'm honest with myself ---I'm just not sold on either of the two methods of growing our family. I WANT to be pregnant again. As much as my body reacts poorly to pregnancy...I loved it. I loved growing a baby and laying in bed praying for that baby as I felt it kick. But doubt creeps in. So many people in my life let out passive comments about how it wouldn't be a good idea and some flat out tell me that it wouldn't be a good idea. I know Matt is worried about me being pregnant again. I am not afraid of being pregnant again. NOT AT ALL. My only fear comes from other people being worried. My experience with pregnancy was not picture perfect...but was a time that grew me so much in my faith journey. I trust in God and also find comfort in knowing I will be under the care of a great doctor. Although the thought of there being that chance of being on bedrest sounds terrible...I guess it is a risk I'm willing to take.

But I also love the idea of adoption. REALLY...I REALLY, REALLY DO. But I'm honestly scared to death of it. It does makes so much more sense given my history with pregnancy, but I just don't know if I'm cut out for it. I feel terrible saying that. I'm scared that I couldn't do it. That I couldn't be the Mom that the child deserved. I honestly feel so bonded to Eli and Simeon through carrying them and nursing them and seeing myself and Matt when I look at them...I don't know if I could do it without that. It sounds so terrible and selfish. I look at dear friends who have adopted their babies and they are amazing parents and I know their love for their sons is so deep and true and unending. I'm just so full of fear regarding adoption. This is likely because it is unknown. Before I was a mom I worried that I wouldn't love my first-born as much as I loved my nephew Sam. I seriously thought that. I was so crazy about being an aunt that I really prayed that I would love my son as much as my nephew and thought that it might be an issue. Looking back...that is just ridiculous. And then when I was pregnant with Simeon I was worried that I was screwing up Eli's life because he would have to share my attention and I was sure I couldn't love another child as much as I loved Elijah. This is such faulty and ridiculous thinking as I look back. Which I'm sure is the case with all these thoughts regarding pregnancy or adoption.

All that to say... I'm eager to discuss pregnancy with my doctor at my annual exam next month. And really I just want to be open to whatever God's will for our family is. That's it! I don't want to worry about what people say or think ...I just want to be open and willing to trust him with whatever path he has for us.

Ok...ready for another turn of thoughts. This isn't regarding growing our family, but just in general. I have had a stirring lately that after this next year there is going to be some big changes in our life and I just want to be open to them. What does that mean...I'm not sure. But I'm trying to be open and willing in all areas of my life to just see God move and do His thing. My mind keeps going back and forth between the desires of this world and the desires of God's heart. Sometimes its hard to differentiate between the two. I'm trying to listen.

___________________________

Ok...back to some usual light-hearted banter.

PUZZLES...its a lost art-form. I bought Matt a puzzle that is now sprawled out over our kitchen table. Its so fun to work on when you have a few minutes. This also results in meals being ate picnic style on the living room floor...but the boys don't complain. Someday when we have a bigger home (equipped with a dog and a 3rd or 4th child) ...then I think we should have a puzzle table that all the members of the family can stop and work on when they have a few minutes. I think maybe I'm an old soul at heart. Said "puzzle table" should also have Boggle out at all times with a few notepads and pens readily available. :)

I suppose I should remark on Christmas. It was pretty much the best Christmas that I have ever had. :) A good balance of being at home and traveling. We were all spoiled by all the Grandmas and Grandpas. And the whole season was just so much fun with the boys. They are at such a fun age. I REALLY enjoyed teaching them and celebrating with them all throughout the month. Great memories were made.

All right. Well, I'm glad I checked in here. A refreshing stop that I need to make more often!

I'm off to get a few more pieces in the puzzle before Matt gets home from his teaching-team meeting.

What have you been up to? Leave me a smorgasbord from your life in the comments. Really, I want to know! :)

Christmas Eve.

2011-12-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast December has gone by. ...It's Christmas Eve.

I'm about to play a competitive game of Dominoes with Matt. So, no time for blogging.

But thought I would post some pictures and say Merry Christmas to everyone. Our day has been awesome. My heart is filled with love. Its filled with awe and mixed emotions about the true meaning of Christmas. My heart aches for so many friends and family that I know are hurting on this day. But my heart is full of joy at the same time.

All that to say...Here is my record that I'm still around. Life is good. Just too busy living it to blog about it lately. My intentions are still high and I hope to make this a higher priority in 2012.

What's been the best part of your December? Really...I want to know! :)

Peace out!

Wow...Its Dec 7th

2011-12-07T12:50:00.001-08:00

...and I haven't written on here since November 15th. Dang! That's a bummer because life has been fun these last few weeks.

We celebrated Thanksgiving. We went to my mom's house and she made us a FANTASTIC dinner. All I had to do was make a few pumpkin pies and my mom did everything else. Thanks, Mom! We all had a great time and definitely have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

Since then we have entered the magic of the Christmas season. I LOVE Christmas time. I really, really do! And its even more fun to celebrate this season with my kids. We've began the Christmas crafts and we decorated our tree. We hung lights and have been singing all our favorite Christmas carols at bedtime. The boys picked out new Christmas ornaments and we picked out a new Christmas book for each of them. We went to the Christmas parade downtown and get to go to Matt's work-party this afternoon. So much fun! We are those mean parents that tell our kids that Santa isn't real. But its been adorably cute to watch Eli get excited about people dressing up as Santa and pretending to be St. Nicholas. And how they are both really afraid of people dressed as Santa. The boys have picked out their WorldVision gifts...and I have had fun thinking of things to make or buy people for Christmas. We have driven around a few times to look at Christmas lights. My fridge is overflowing with Christmas coloring sheets from preschool. I finally addressed my Christmas cards and will drop them in the mail after the boys have sufficiently tagged them with lots of Christmas stickers in the morning.

Christmas is in the air and I'm enjoying every second of it.

We did break our 6 year long tradition of going to the mountains to cut down a tree. The roads were bad last Saturday and the windchill was in the negative range...so we settled for a tree from the local nursery. I was bummed to not head to the mountains with our saw and snowshoes...but I got over it quickly. And I must say I LOVE how full a "purchased" tree is and how many ornaments we are able to hang on it. The boys still had fun picking one out.

What else is new?

Oh yeah...We've seen some cool God-provisions lately for our family with finances. And now we are settled that we should be in Laramie for at least another year (quite possibly longer) while Matt finishes up his Masters degree ...and then who knows what will be in store? But for now...I feel settled and am excited about this journey that we are on. The day to day during this season of life is so sweet. And I'm becoming more and more okay with not knowing what is in store and how God will lay out and show us our dreams. Today...I lived my dream for today and enjoyed my moments to the fullest.

What else?

Sim and I were at the Student Union today. He was content to sit in my lap and people-watch with me for a few minutes. It was so relaxing and he was cracking me up with his little comments about all the people who walked by. Love the easy-going and take-it-slow moments with my boys.

It has been incredibly cold in Laramie. Negative numbers. Brrr!!

And I'm freezing right now and ready to go snuggle in my bed. Will try to be back with some more posts before the end of the year! Ha! ...Hopefully tomorrow! :)

Just Write.

2011-11-15T13:18:00.001-08:00

As I sit here with my Diet Pepsi. I know there are so many things I should be doing. But sitting still wins.

There is yelling all around me.

Toys strewn about. Abandoned socks. Random cardboard box, likely to be better known as a pirate ship or a puppy bed. The fridge needs cleaned off as it is overflowing with scattered scribbles, imaginary dinosaur drawings, and jelly finger tracks. A sink full of dishes from a yummy lunch that I didn't have to make (surprise blessing!). A tv screen full of tiny prints a month old. Pretty sure there is eyeliner under my eyes. Cell phone dinging with texts I need to return.

The yelling continues.

Ideas rolling in the back of my head ---My mental Christmas gift-giving list. A friend I need to call. A card I need to mail. What I should've said to that girl at work. My license renewals need filled out and paid for. I need a new system for bedtime routine motivation. I should shave my legs before going to bed tonight. Still haven't caught up on the boys' baby books. Will this wind ever stop?

But not today.

Today the yelling has stopped.

Today I am choosing to sit and not listen to it. Choosing to not get caught in the cycle of the inner-fight.

All I see. All I hear. All I think. It's all Thanksgiving.

Thankful for the sweet life that I have. For in-laws who endlessly love on our family. For boys who are smart and healthy. That there are little Legos under my feet and size 3T socks littering my floor. Thankful for an almost perfect job situation and the opportunities I have been given. Thankful for a husband who loves us and works hard every day to take care of us. Thankful for little hands that make messes. Thankful for a little boy who just called me in his room during naptime to tell me that if God ever gives us a baby sister that he can't decide between Violet or Sarah. Thankful for patience (not from myself) to smile at him and see his heart instead of acting out of frustration this time.

Thankful to have eyes to really see. Thankful to have ears to really hear.

All that yelling isn't saying "You're not good enough."

It's yelling a blessing. Its yelling a reminder to be thankful. To enjoy this moment.

To rest and let some things go. So I'm ready for the big important things that wake up this napping house around 3pm.

I'm really listening. So I'm sitting and resting my body, mind, and spirit.

Linking up to the Extraordinary Ordinary --Just Write.

You Capture : Fall

2011-11-10T14:03:00.001-08:00

Yes...not very fall looking. But all our beautiful fall moments are over in Wyoming. So here is a beautiful November-in-Wyoming picture. :)

Head over to You Capture for more "Fall" pics.

Click here to read my other post written today.

Processing...and because I want to always remember these.

2011-11-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am blogging right now to remember. Because I dont' want to forget this beautiful heart that my 4 year old son has. He blows my mind.

God speaks to me through him.

I know its my job to teach him about God...but HE teaches me so much.

First of all..this boy understands forgiveness like no other. Sim can kick him right in the face (accidentally) and he can have tears streaming down his face and say "Its ok. I forgive you." I can totally lose my patience with him. And he is so quick to forgive me when I apologize.

Oh, I wish I had that.

Next. The boy believes in the power of God! He tells me all the time how powerful God is and how Jesus wants to save the whole world and have everyone love. I'm not making this stuff up. He also told me (when talking about a boy at school who doesn't play very nice) ..."but all of our hearts get messy sometimes, Mom. But God can forgive us and clean them again." As I drive down Grand Avenue listening, my eyes are full of tears. "Yes, Son. You are exactly right."

Another one from a few days ago that I want to always remember. I was playing with the boys and rough-housing a bit. I was sitting on the floor, grabbed Sim and went to fall backwards on my back and fly him up over my head. I came down on the corner of a little wooden stool. It went right into my upper back really hard. It knocked the wind out of me and my eyes immediately filled with tears. I just kind of curled over and laid there for a second. Eli asked if I was okay and then ran back to his room. I figured he was going to play. I just laid there for a minute or two and then got up. I heard Eli scurrying down from his bed. He ran out and said "Mom, I went right to bed to pray for you. Did God heal you?" He asked with such expectant faith. (he's told me his bed is his favorite place to pray and listen to God)

Then yesterday. I asked the boys to go find a few of there toys that they want to put in their Operation Christmas Child boxes. We bought most of the items new...but I was about to buy some matchbox cars at WM and thought...we have about 100 of these things at home that we could stick in there. So I talked to the boys about the box again and asked them if they wanted to pick out a few of their toys to give since we have so much. They ran off to their room. Eli ran back holding his big Buzz Lightyear action figure "I could give them this because I bet maybe some boys don't have Buzz." My reply ---"Aw, buddy. That's so nice. But he's one of your favorites." Eli's reply ---"But I still have Woody so its ok." Ultimately he didn't fit in the shoebox so he didn't go. But just the fact that Eli was willing to give him was amazing. It taught me so much about sacrifice. He was willing to freely give one of his FAVORITE toys away. Really it kind of smacked me in the face. I need to sacrificially give like him. That is the heart of Jesus.

Now...don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to place my 4 year old on some pedestal. He is a typical 4 year old too. He throws fits sometimes. He gets cranky and has to go to time-out. He messes up. --But God talks to him. And Eli still has the ears to listen.

And I'm amazed at that.

Eli's words and actions prompted me to re-read a book we've had for years called Dangerous Wonder. I devoured it. I loved it. I want to have that child-like faith again.

God is stirring in me. I'm trying to listen. I'm trying not to be distracted by the things of this world. By doubt. By cynicism. By selfishness and the desire for security.

So thankful for my boy...who runs to his bed to be with his Father.

You Capture : Halloween

2011-11-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Super-Eli and his sidekick the Super-Monkey (Costume ideas that THEY came up with and fit each of them perfectly) had a great time trick or treating to all the neighbors. It was cold...but not windy, so I was thankful! Such fun childhood memories in the making.

And oh my...have they grown since last year!

Head over to YouCapture to see more Halloween pictures.

You Capture : Cute

2011-10-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Simeon loves holding his baby cousin, London. It's pretty cute!

Check out YouCapture for more pictures of cute.

Freaky Miniature Snowman & Matt's Birthday

2011-10-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today was cold. We played outside and had a lot of fun. There was no wind which didn't make it seem as cold as it really was. The snow was a bit too powdery to make a big snowman so we made a small one and had fun throwing snowballs at each other. Yes, its slightly scary...okay, really freaky. But it had my boys giggling. The hat and tongue are Mr. Potato-Head parts. :) We had fun.

And today was Matt's birthday. I am so thankful for the man I've been blessed with, to share life with. He is incredible and takes such great care of us.

And he is wanting something in particular for his birthday. But we need you to pitch in...Go here. Check out what Charity:Water is all about. Then give $5 or $50 or $500. Whatever you can give...do it! I guarantee it will go towards changing lives and saving lives. This is the way the boys and I honored Matt for his birthday this year. And you can too. Give in honor of him...or just give to those in need somehow because its the right thing to do. We'd love it if you joined in on Matt's fundraising effort...but really, we just want people to give to those who need help. We can all do a small bit to change the world.

Happy Birthday, Matt. I love you!

And here is that link to donate and help the people in Ethiopia...http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=20617

I Heart Faces : Let them be little.

2011-10-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Head over to iheartfaces to see more adorable shots for the theme "let them be little"

Then click here to join in on the birthday celebration for my hubby. Your small contribution will help provide clean water and save lives in Ethiopia. Give whatever you can...even if its just $5.

3 weeks.

2011-10-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

How have 3 weeks gone by without me posting to my blog? Oops!

I was sick this week. And the two weeks before that...well, I can't really remember why I didn't make this corner of my life a priority.

I was pretty dead to the world this week. Slowly recovering. My house is a mess ...but life is great! :)

Sim was sick this last week too. Matt & Eli took good care of us.

But he seems to be back to being his spunky little self.

The boys got bunkbeds a couple weeks ago. Today is the first time we have let them both nap in there. They both are sleeping peacefully. I'm pretty amazed!

Anyways...just wanted to stop in and tell my blog-land that I still love you. I promise to hang out more often! :)

A Sunday evening post.

2011-10-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

My mind has been flooded lately with thoughts of growing our family. Thoughts about being pregnant. Thoughts about adopting a baby. Thoughts about not having any more kids at all.

I was actually thinking about it on and off all day...and then out of the blue one of my closest girlfriends asked me about us having more kids tonight.

I have to remember that I'm not completely in control of these things.

But at the same time...I want to explore my options.

Parents out there...how do/did you know whether to pursue adoption or have biological children. I know for many people biological children may not be an option...but for some, adoption is their first choice as the method for growing their family.

My uncertainty about being pregnant again will keep us from throwing caution to the wind for now...but I must say I am catching the baby fever again. It doesn't help that Eli often asks why we don't have a sister in our family. Ha!

In other news...

We finally gave the little man his first haircut.

Its not the best "after" picture...but it was time to get the boys to bed so I just snapped a couple. Basically he doesn't have wings on the side of his head anymore and a small birds nest in back. He still looks like a little baby...just no longer like a hobo-baby.

The weather here has been awesome! We spent Friday afternoon playing in the sprinkler. Can't complain about that! Although it is weird for it to be warm enough to play in the sprinkler when all the grass is already dead because it was so cold a week ago. Haha!

The weather beckoned us to Colorado...where it was 84. So awesome!

The boys loved the zoo...which was so fun to see and experience with them.

Have a good night all!

PS....Please pray for my dear friend Sandra. She is recovering from a very intense surgery. The recovery is hard and being away from her kids is extremely heartbreaking for her too. Sandra and her family need lots of prayers. You can read the latest updates on her blog by clicking here. And if you are local and know them, sign up to bring her family dinner by clicking here.

Letting go & enjoying

2011-09-28T19:08:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I still second guess my decision for Eli to go to preschool two mornings a week. Sometimes I feel bad sending him off for three hours and wonder if I am forcing him to grow up too fast. I go rounds in my head with all the pros and cons. Eli has never protested going and I'm pretty sure he LOVES it to no end. But I still find myself often wondering if I'm adding all the factors up right and doing the right thing in the end. (thats what moms constantly do, right?)

Then there are mornings like this morning. He was so happy to be there. Hugged his teacher. Gave me a quick hug and ran in smiling with a quick wave over his shoulder. Simeon didn't cry and actually said "Mama, Date" as I was strapping him back in his carseat. This cracked me up. Eli always wants to go on dates with us...and Simeon is always listening! :)

Simeon and I had a great morning together. He seemed quite content to just be alone with me for a while. Here is some of the fun we had this morning.

It was kind of a reprieve for me too. One kid is certainly easier than 2 --even though Eli is a pretty easy kiddo. I know its good for all of us. Its good for Eli to get that time to socialize and learn how to do school to an extent. Its good for Simeon and me to have quality time together.

And he was back entertaining us both before we knew it!

And I am SO EXCITED to have them both home tomorrow morning! So I think this Wednesday morning routine will fit us quite nicely for this school year.

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Oh and just for fun. I snapped the photo on the right this morning. When I saw it tonight (and the red baseball hat) it instantly reminded me of this picture from when he was about 9 months old. Where does the time go?

Already...

2011-09-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

What I thought would be a long and uneventful weekend flew by. So is the story of my life.

We were on the go and had lots of fun!

And tonight I laid with this little one in my bed at bedtime. I held him close against me and sang him our made-up songs. I sang an extra one after I told him we were done singing, as he requested "A-may-may Gase, mama" (Amazing Grace) and I didn't have the heart to refuse his sweet plea. Then I snuggled with my big little man and listened to him recount all his favorite things that he did today ---telling me as if I wasn't there. It was cute!

And now its the start to another week.

I'm trying my darndest to slow time down and breath it all in. Time doesn't seem to listen.

I Heart Faces : Best of Summer 2011

2011-09-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

I got so many great shots that capture my memories from this summer. But I do believe this is still one of my favorite ones. Love how Sim is copying his big brother's every move. I love how I can see each of their personalities in this shot. I love that I will always remember that this was their birthday picture when they were turning 2 and 4. Love my boys.

The I Heart Faces theme this week is "Best photo from Summer 2011" Head over there and vote for your favorite ones. ;)

Click here for most recent post on NaptimeNotes.

What do you do while your kids take a bath?

2011-09-23T21:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I fully engage my kids in a great game of "sea creature school" or bathtub basketball.

Sometimes I clean the toilet and scrub the floor.

Sometimes I chat with my mom on the phone.

But a lot of times I just play with my camera (while ignorning the evil eye from the pirate-ducky).

What do you do while your kids take a bath?

What will our kids look back on and shake their heads at?

2011-09-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Matt and I were recently discussing what kind of issues, practices, & lifestyles our kids and grandkids will look back on and shake their heads about.

Kind of like I did when I was reading The Help. (No, I haven't seen the movie but really really want to) I just can't imagine a time, mindset, or lifestyle like that. It seems totally foreign and ridiculous to me.

Matt and I came up with the idea of homosexuality. In 50 or 100 years it will likely be much more accepted in society. They will likely not relate to a time period where it was not accepted. I will refrain from sharing my thoughts on homosexuality...because they are very grey and its not my favorite subject to discuss. Well...I definitely have thoughts to share...but not in the blog-setting.

Back to the point.

I thought of another lifestyle practice that I think my daughter-in-laws and grandchildren will probably shake their heads at. On a lighter note than the above subjects: DISPOSABLE DIAPERS!

can you tell who these kids are?

I must say that I feel sad and slightly embarrassed when I think about how much space in the landfill is taken up with disposable diapers just from our little household. I considered cloth diaper with Simeon, but never did it. I am just weeks (maybe a month or 2) away from taking the full plunge into attempting to totally potty train Simeon --so I will be done with this practice. Seriously...society won't be able to do this forever, will they? I'm sure scientists will come up with a better alternative soon. Some kind of space-agey diaper that you can put into a diaper genie type of contraption and it will just incinerate itself. :) Or maybe everyone will go back to cloth-diapering. Although, doesn't that use up a ton of water? Which is worse? I don't know what the answer is...but I'm betting that this trend of dumping a $20 box of Pampers into the landfill every two weeks will be a thing of the past very soon. I would venture to say I may look at cloth-diapering should we ever be blessed with another little ~~pooping machine~~ perfect baby.

What kind of practices/commodities do you think will soon be a thing of the past and will drive our kids crazy knowing their parents or grandparents used to use or do?

Cutting the curlys.

2011-09-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

There has been a joke going around our home for a few months now about wanting to cut Simeon's hair. It used to be that Matt, Eli, and Sim would all agree when Matt would say "Should we cut Sim's curlys off tonight?" However, I have won the two little men in the house over to my side in this little friendly banter.

However, I think the joke is starting to not turn into a joke with the man of the house. Several times Matt has said..."If you weren't here then I would cut them right now." This usually occurs when Sim has recently woke up or gone 48 hours without a bath and the back of his head is a bit matted and "mullet-ish." But they are so sweet and wispy and for some reason the thought of trimming Sim's wayward baby hairs makes me want to cry. I suddenly understand why my mom cut and taped a little piece of our hair in my baby-book even though I thought it was weird and sorta creepy for my whole life. Until now.

I feel the pressure building. And I may cave soon.

I'm here...

2011-09-20T13:57:00.002-07:00

I've just been in a season where the blog takes a back seat. The weather is getting cooler...which puts me in the mood to read under a blanket, crochet a hat, or rearrange my closet. I definitely tend to lean towards "fall cleaning" rather than spring cleaning. The cooler weather beckons me to purge the excess stuff in my house and prepare for the long season of being primarily inside.

But I haven't completely given in yet. We've been taking advantage of the fall weather and being outside as much as we can. Trips to the playground, morning coffee on the front porch, afternoon snack on the back porch, picnics on campus with Daddy, playing in the driveway, and family bike rides.

Our life has been good ---as in the four people that live in this house. But my heart has been aching for so many dear friends that seem to be dealing with so many HARD things right now. I struggle with how to serve them and love them during these times. Life seems so full right now. With Matt working full-time hours on campus...life just seems to be going by ten times faster. Finding balance is hard. Balance of family time, friend time, work time, teaching my kids time, exercise time, prayer time, keeping a house time, playing with my kids time, being a sister/daughter/wife/mom/friend/SLP/member of society. I feel like I let so many people down. I need to remember that nobody expects me to be WonderWoman. I need to remember that I can't do all that I desire to do. I just need to do what I can and be okay with it.

BALANCE! The word of the year for me! Finding balance is so hard and it seems just when you think you've got it...something changes. I don't think anyone ever feels completely balanced...its just an ebb & flow in life where sometimes you have the ability to do all the things you WANT to do and sometimes you just get by. And its okay during those times. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

But the fall is refreshing to me. The new routine and the daily joy that comes from being a mama to my boys and sharing my life with Matt. Even when life is crazy and I feel like I'm not doing enough or doing the things I want to be doing...I'm learning to stress less and enjoy the moments more. It is refreshing me.

What is refreshing you?

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PS --Woke up with this verse on my mind.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3: 22-24

2011-09-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Fall definitely showed up today. No more running to the mailbox barefoot.

We stayed inside most of the day. Did puzzles, read books, built Lego houses, played hide and seek, got out the PlayDoh, ate soup for dinner. There was definitely a fall-winter feel to the day.

Oh yeah...I let Eli use my good camera (with me shadowing closely). Just looked through his shots...there were about 15 shots of his special blanket, 2 of the light switch, 2 of Simeon's legs, and about 10 unidentifiable blurs. But he enjoys it...so I share. I can tell it makes him feel special as he tells me ..."Don't worry mommy. I won't touch the lens because I know its special to you because Daddy bought it for you." Then as he concentrates so hard then stands back to take a look and usually replies "oh, good one" or "a little blurry, change the settings."

This was his idea.

Yes...my cell phone took the crappy picture on the right. I need an iPhone.

Somehow the cooler weather gave me some motivation for this.

Big boy undies! In the very early stages. But he played along today so we'll how tomorrow goes.

Hope all is well with everyone on this cold night.

Matt's at teaching team. The boys are in bed. I'm going to make myself some hot tea and cuddle up with a blankey and a book.

Waiting...

2011-09-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm trying my hardest to stay awake long enough to watch Parenthood. Why the heck is it not on until 9pm? That is way too late and don't they know that anyone that is actually in the trenches of parenthood, you know ---the people who will actually want to watch the show, will have a hard time sitting still after 8pm without falling asleep. I could take advantage of the next 45 minutes and scrub my kitchen floor...but, eh. Ok. Ok. I promise to do that in 15 minutes after I post some of our recent happenings.

Did I mention I am really excited about Parenthood. It is my favorite show and pretty much the only show I watch besides The Biggest Loser. Matt was making fun of me this week because I cry at every episode of this show, but I didn't cry at Les Miserables. Oh yeah, we went and saw Les Mis on Friday night in Denver. It was fantastic. I really liked it. I loved the beautiful Buelle Theater. I loved being on a date with Matt. I had seen the movie before and loved the story but didn't know much about the music. Matt, on the other hand, has dreamed of seeing Les Mis for half of his life. He knew the story exactly and knew all of the songs. Being the musician that he is, and being in choir all through high school and part of college --well lets just say it pretty much blew his mind. He liked it more than the U2 concert, which blows my mind. But I was so happy he loved it so much since it was my anniversary gift to him. :) All that to say...I will likely be a blubbering mess come 9:15 tonight when I'm cuddled under my dorm blanket on the couch. Can't wait to hang out with the Bravermans. :)

Here's a crappy cell phone pic of us. We were having fun!

Other recent happenings.

Took the boys to the game Saturday. We got to pick up and take Eli's best buddy with us ---they certainly had fun!

Snapping the above pictures reminded me of these..

Simeon is on the left. Eli is on the right. They were each only a few months old when they went to their first UW football game. Good times. :)

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Yesterday we pulled up all of our carrots and ate almost all of them at lunch with some delicious hummus. They were so good and the boys thought it was so fun to pull them up.

We have started making fall colored crafts. Its been fun to see Simeon really get in on the action.

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I took Eli out on a date tonight. It was only for about 45 minutes, but it was so much fun! I love having one on one time with my kids. First of all...one kid is so easy. But it is so nice to be out ---away from home, away from others, away from my phone, and just to sit and truly engage and listen and laugh with my little man. We need to remember to do this more regularly!

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I got to meet my beautiful nephew London on Saturday. Isn't he beautifully perfect! Ah, LOVE! Can't wait to see him again!

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Ok...I'm off to scrub my kitchen floor. Matt, being so awesome, just agreed to start on one side while I start on the other. Yay!

Peace out!

Quitting my love/hate relationship with running

2011-09-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

So, I have decided to give up running until March of 2012. I don't know if its the right decision, but through prayer and talking with Matt, I have decided that is what I'm going to do. It bums me out. I love running. It is a time for me to decompress away from the kids and home.

To me, running represents my ability to do something I never thought I could do. I was that girl that insisted that I couldn't run and hated to do it. Then I proved myself wrong.

I currently have a half-marathon training program hanging on my fridge. I got teary looking at it earlier today. I want to do it so badly!

I recently found out how weak my right hip is from being overused...and how weak my left hip is from being locked for who knows how long. I found out that my knees are pretty weak too. And running is hard on all of these parts. I was dismissed from physical therapy last week and cleared to run as tolerated and do an at home strengthening program and taught how to keep that hip unlocked. Got 3 decent runs in last week. Was a little sore but wasn't having the pain I had the week before.

Then while camping this weekend I stumbled on some uneven ground in the dark. Just a little stumble...and BAM! ...something happened in my knee and all the pain came back. It ached all night and has hurt since. I was so upset because I really thought I was making some progress with the strengthening. Obviously not if i stumble and a little twist jacks it all up again. Ugh!

So, no half marathon for me in 2011. No runs with my awesome running partner, Tammy. I'm going to spend the next 6 months doing lower impact exercise and strengthening my knees. I will do the strengthening exercises at home on an almost daily basis (as I can...those suckers are hardcore). Then i will have to force myself to do other exercises. I do enjoy kicking the eliptical machine's @$$ now and then, so I can do that. I will attempt swimming. I hate swimming...but I used to hate running too. :) I will ride my bike when there isn't snow on the ground. I will spend a lot of time with Jillian Michaels in my living room. I will dream of running. I will dream of building strength and losing weight so that I can run again.

Then in March ---I will begin my training for the BolderBoulder. I LOVE that race. It will be hard...but I will be stronger and still in shape. It will be like starting over. But I think its the right thing for me to do. I'm sick of getting injured, healing, running for two weeks only to get injured again.

My pride is shot. This thing that I shocked myself with, running, is for now a thing of the past. I'm somewhat excited for the new routine...because it will be out of my comfort zone and hard to be disciplined with. But this new discipline and new challenges will require a new dependence and a new opportunity to listen and learn from my Jesus. But it stinks right now. I'm frustrated and disappointed with myself...but maybe this is why this is happening...maybe I'm depending a little too much on myself.

⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. --2 Corinthians, Chapter 12

And I just can't have a post without pictures.

So here are a few fun shots from our weekend camping.

We really did have a blast.

My random life...

2011-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Fall teased us yesterday, making us break out our long sleeves and socks.

The cool weather was the perfect excuse to take the boys to a donut shop for the first time in their life. They were excited. So we broke out some fall attire and headed to Daylight Donuts. I planned to let the boys eat their donuts there and then head somewhere to play...but the place was packed with about 25 men, all over the age of 60. So we ended up getting ours to go since I was feeling a little drown in testosterone. So we went to their new favorite place to hang out, the university campus. Cracks me up how much they love that place and Eli always picks it over a park to go to. Good times. :)

But summer returned today. Which as much as I love fall and was dreaming of pumpkin muffins and leaf-colored crafts...I was thrilled to have another warm day. Ripened up some more of my jelly bean tomatoes...which are doing awesome and still producing like crazy. :)

So...we gladly gave our summer clothes another hurrah at the park.

Today started with eating oatmeal with my littlest. Then cuddling on the couch with Eli. Heading to work for 3.5 hours. Playing legos and Handy Manny. Putting the boys down for a nap. Cleaning up a bit. Reading my Bible. Spending way too long on Pinterest (getting some winter craft ideas). Reading to the boys after nap. Taking the boys to the park. Outlining the boys in chalk and then turning them into chalk-pirates. Visiting and playing with lots of neighbors in the driveway. Pork-loin carnitas for supper out of the crock pot. Doing dishes and listening to Matt play with the boys ---oh, how I love the sound of the three of them laughing. Playing with the boys while they were in the bathtub. Talking to my dad on the phone. Avoiding watching continuing ed videos on the computer. Instead playing with my camera. And now I'm ready to cuddle and chat with Matt.

All that to say its been a good day.

What else has been going on?

Eli started his first day at his new preschool last Friday. Tonight he told me "Miss Aimee is a rockstar." Ha! I think he likes his teacher! :)

He will certainly be missed during those two mornings a week...but I know its good for him.

I think the littlest man will miss him the most. My goodness...can you tell he looks up to him and wants to do everything his big brother is doing.

Yes...he is a copycat. It's adorable. But he definitely is his own person too. He's getting quite the opinion these days and LOVES to make us laugh. It's pretty sweet. Oh, and he finally is starting to talk and make a little bit of sense. Being kind to his SLP mama. :)

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I currently have two close family members layed up in Cheyenne. Tonight is a night that I wish I lived closer so I could run over to see them, bring them chocolate, & do something helpful for them. Sorry Mom & Jen...wish I was there. Love you guys!

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So, kind of scattered ...but I just thought I'd say hey to this little blog of mine. If you're reading, comment & say hi back!

You Capture : Ordinary Moments

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Raising kids isn't easy. Not in the least.

It's exhausting. It always keeps you guessing. It is a constant state of change and figuring out what phase your kiddo is in just in time for them to move on to the next. It requires strength beyond ourselves. It breaks you.

But it is so much more.

It shows you love beyond yourself. It humbles you. It gives you happy times...but also teaches you what true joy is. It has allowed me to see what I was created to do. It has given me a chance to outlive my own life. To invest in these little guys. To have a deeper understanding of love. To laugh and love so hard it hurts.

And its in the day to day that I see how blessed I am. In the ordinary moments...that I am left in awe of this great life that I have. That these two beautiful boys call me "mama" and "Mommy."

We have been in a great rhythm this week. Life has been running smoothly. Discipline has been little and conversation has been big. Content independent play has balanced well with fun outings, reading books, playing Candyland, building Legos together, and creating. Brothers have been loving one another and family time has been good for my soul.

He will unload the whole thing himself.

Handing me one dish at a time.

It takes 3 times as long...but his face lights up

... so it's worth it.

Lije is growing out of his Duplo Legos and really enjoying the small ones.

Will probably move them to the Lego table soon.

Happy hour from Sonic and time together at Eli's favorite "peaceful pond."

Baby brother was all business taking in his first slushie.

Tried to slow him down, but his kung-fu grip said otherwise.

I love the ordinary days!

"Don't hold me, Mommy."

2011-08-24T20:08:00.001-07:00

We took the boys swimming tonight. We had a blast. The boys LOVE the pool. Eli is really getting brave and great at going under water. Simeon is a maniac...trying to do everything his brother is doing. He did the water slide about 10 times in a row.

We were cruising around the lazy river and I was holding Eli on his back, trying to teach him to back float. He was also holding on to one of the long swimming noodle thingys. He was really doing great and I let go of him and told him he was doing it on his own. (yes, the noodle was helping him, but he did have great form) :)

After that it was...

"Don't hold me, Mommy"

"I don't need you to hold me, Mommy."

"look, Mommy. I can do this all by myself."

"You don't even have to touch the noodle, Mommy. I got this."

I was very excited for him. We were all smiles and laughs.

But inside...deep inside.

The tears were brewing.

Wasn't it yesterday that he clung to my neck and cried if I tried to pry him off of me to enjoy the water. Wasn't it yesterday that only I could hold him if we wanted him to get in the pool.

And today...he is cruising the lazy river pretty much independently.

My goodness...time is flying by!

And its fantastic! And I LOVE TODAY and these moments that we are living. I want to drink it all in, forever.

But I still love holding him close in the pool. And if time could just slow down a bit, I'd be okay with that too!

I wish I got a picture of those two boys today having so much fun at the pool.

A picture of Matt laughing with them and taking such good care of them.

Hopefully I remember in my mind!

SO HAPPY it's Friday!

2011-08-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

This week I was humbled by serving others. This week I was a nervous wreck about my new job. This week I was reminded of how dependent on God I am. This week I was amazed and changed by the words of my 4 year old, who is wise in so many ways. This week...I'm not gonna lie...I got exhausted, annoyed, and was selfish. This week I met a homeless mom --my age. 2 kids. so much in common. Except I live in a world of privilege and comfort and plenty. And she lives in a hotel...not sure where she will sleep next week when the "rent" runs out. I have thought of her so much since. This week I got to take care of a sweet GIRL ---paint her little toes and fingers and braid her hair while she sat on the bathroom counter. :) This week I weeded my garden several times. This week watched my big-little man get even braver on his bike and my little man gain more and more words, independence, and attitude every day. This week I drank I a lot of caffeine, including 2 Starbucks, ah, LOVE! This week I gave and received grace and forgiveness. This week I was blessed to have good friends home from their LONG summer vacation. This week I prayed for Africa and the moms there who have real problems. This week I hurt and prayed for my close friends. This week I took the free moments to breathe in the Words of Life from my Bible and I read a LOT of Eli's Bible. This week I got very behind on housework and am so blessed that Matt helps me so much. This week I finally got thank-you notes done and (almost) all in the mail. This week I took lots of pictures. This week I worried & this week I tried not to worry.

Nothing about this week was normal. But we made it through with lots of great moments along the way. And I am so happy it's Friday. Matt is running to get us a movie and popcorn and its time to relax! Woohoo! So thankful we get the luxury of really relaxing together. I'm not taking that for granted.

Yay for Friday!

What are you up to this weekend?

I will be spending lots of quality time with these three loves.

Peace out.

You Capture : Happiness

2011-08-11T13:35:00.001-07:00

A little bit of happy from around the house.

Yes, the balloon banner is still up from Sim's party. I'm thinking today might be its last day. :)

Some happy in the backyard.

And of course these guys make me happy.

Rest

2011-08-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

The next two weeks are a bit crazy. I was feeling a bit frazzled tonight. I have a list of a mile long in my head of stuff that needs to be done. And the kitchen floor hasn't even made the mental list yet...and let me tell ya how bad it needs to be. Ha!

But then something triggered this in my mind.

Be still & know that I am God.

Psalms 46:10.

That's what my heart needs right now. Not spending two hours before bed cramming as much of my to-do list into it as possible.

So I layed with Eli while he was trying to get to sleep. Matt was kickin' @$$ on the P90X. Nothing HAD to be done at that second.

Then I sat on the front porch and watched this.

Needed to stretch my legs.

So I sat in the backyard and watched this.

I was quiet. I was still. I was listening.

And now I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep.

No writing thank-you notes. No researching some continuing ed options. No planning special things with the kids. No paying bills. No worrying. No cleaning my kitchen floor. No sorting pictures or digital scrapbooking. No calling friends. No laundry. No exercise.

Just rest.

And that's okay.

ps...Eli planted a sunflower seed in March.

Now its taller than him. So fun!

I Heart Faces : Friendship

2011-08-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

A Birthday Photo Dump.

2011-08-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

We had fun celebrating the little man.

My sweet Simeon is 2 years old.

2011-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is where we were two years ago...right now.

And this little man joined our family. We were all forever changed, for the better.

And now he is 2 years old. He is smart and funny and ridiculously sweet!

He LOVES his big brother and wants to do everything that he does. He enjoys being outside. He has an adventurous spirit and is quite brave for a 2 year old. He loves to sing and read. He loves Elmo, legos, stuff animals, and choo-choos. He insists on drinking out of a big boy cup. He likes to sit on his potty but doesn't go yet. He likes to pray and has done it by himself a few times. He really wants to sleep in his brothers room and probably will soon. He is very loving and loves to hold hands, hug, and still lets Mommy rock him to sleep.

He is our beautiful miracle. I look at him and see God's Grace and Mercy and Love for us. I see God's faithfulness. I understand God's love for us just a little more. I pray that he grows up to know this Love too.

We are having fun celebrating Simeon today. We are doing special family stuff today and then having a small friend/grandparent party in the morning. I love celebrating birthdays and so do these boys. Its funny how giddy a few decorations can make a 2 and 4 year old. :) So fun!

Happy Birthday, Simeon!

10 things on my mind:

2011-08-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

1. Pondering what the deal with Ikea is? I've never been and am anxious to go see what all the buzz is about. If you've been...why do you love it?

2. Excited to write in my new journal. It's beautiful and simple and currently empty. Can't wait to begin filling it up.

3. So nervous about my new job. Nervous and excited. SO MUCH to learn.

4. My heart is hurting for a few friends of mine. Praying for them.

5. Amazed at the beauty of the internet and the community and friendship it can build with people you don't know in real life or barely know in real life.

6. Thankful that my hip is healing and feeling stronger.

7. Thankful for a great day with my boys. Had so much fun and feel so much love for them right now.

8. Thankful for laughter with my hubby. He had me belly-laughing so hard tonight and I giggle just writing this when I think about it. Laughter really is the BEST medicine for life! Even if it is laughing about flossing your teeth on the toilet. :)

9. Excited to see an old family friend tomorrow night and hang with my mama.

10. Wishing I could go see U2 again! And thinking about changing the world.

Okay...enough thinking. Have to go get a quick six hours of sleep. Good night!

Okay...This is my blog so I got 10 sentences. Comment and give me the first ten words on your mind right now! Not a sentence...just 10 words that describe the ten things on your mind. Come on...it will be fun and will give me a little piece of your life. Go!

The power of the bucket

2011-08-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

One of the most used toys of the summer is definitely all of our buckets.

Give my boys a bucket and shovel and they will have a blast for a long time. We have toted these things to the parks, mountains, pools, and spray parks all summer. I make the boys carry their own, which they are generally more than happy to do.

At the pool it is great for filling in the fountains and dumping over your head. When at the park or on a hike, the boys love to fill their buckets for their "nature collections" ---Warning: You may end up with lots of pinecones, leaves, and flowers in a cardboard box in your garage. But they love it! :)

So if you haven't invested the 1-2 dollars to get your favorite kiddo a bucket...let me tell you that it is worth it.

I think this may be my new favorite vehicle for all gift giving for any child under six. :)

posted twice today...

so scroll down or click here for the other recent post.

Up and Down.

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a rollercoaster kind of day.

Things were perfect. Then things would get really crazy. Then they'd flow back to perfect.

Waking to an emotional 4 year old who is way too tired to have his eyes open.

Finding a diaper-less baby sleeping next to something that should be in that diaper that got flung across the room...yep, you guessed it.

Continuing to deal with the 4 year old emotions.

Trying not to get caught up in the four year old emotions.

Reminding myself over and over that this is the safe place for him to learn. That this is my honor to raise him and not to take things personal.

Pulling the car over to talk.

Then out of nowhere...giggles and laughter. Inquisitive wonder. All is right again.

For the moment.

For a moment. Imagination --on an airplane. Being served apple juice and peanuts on a hot playground.

Then its back in the car and we're slowly climbing that coaster again.

So thankful I have a partner for this crazy ride of raising these two boys.

Daddy came home. Rescued me. Perfect timing.

I rocked and sang my babes to naptime. Fell asleep with Eli.

All is right again.

Afternoon date with my eldest.

Tension runs high and then a great big zerbert starts the giggles again.

Apologies spoken. From both of us.

Easy dinner.

Family walk around the "peaceful & quiet" pond. Eli's favorite place.

Easy bedtime

I am hoping today brings a little more of the happy and a little less of the discipline aspect of being Mommy.

I get so frustrated when I feel like I say the same thing over and over and over and my kiddos don't get it and obey. I don't want to be frustrated. I desire to be patient and I know I need to have the self-control to be patient (the very things I'm trying to teach Eli & Sim).

"But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love." (Nehemiah 9:17)

And I pray that my God would teach me about this characteristic of Himself. That I would know and understand His love for me in an even deeper way. That my kids would understand the love I have for them. That they would see me as a forgiving Mommy, who is gracious and compassionate, that is not angry with them and loves them richly. That even in the moments of the needed discipline...they would see God through me. I pray that God does a work in me during those moments...that I handle them in a way that shows my boys the same Grace that I receive on a daily basis. Thinking about the way my God treats me, when I repeatedly disobey, really helps me to keep my cool in the trenches of motherhood.

Hey mama's out there ---How do you deal with the crazy days of repeated need for correction? What keeps you level-headed? What helps you deal with the situation and raise up your kids with Grace AND expectations.

Snapped this today during one of the many happy-moments.

Happy that I have this memory.

Playing Pirate Ship on a rock at the park.

Good times

Linking up to Pour Your Heart Out.

My thoughts this morning.

2011-08-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

My life is great. I know that. I am beyond blessed with privilege and provision. I have a beautiful family and amazing friends. I have food and shelter and opportunity.

I don't want this to come across as complaining.

But there are obstacles in my life that I feel need to be busted through. And I also feel I can't get through them. There are things, desires, dreams, needs....that I just cant do myself. Matt's hard-working man-nature (that I love) can't fix everything. There seems to be a few insurmountable tasks that we feel called to.

And then I read this.

Jesus said, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20-21)

And I know that God isn't through with us yet. I will not give up and I know that God has given us the love that we need to bind to Him and each other and chuck these mountains across the sky.

Read this first thing this morning while laying in bed. Such comfort.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge. (Psalms 61: 5-8)

In case you were wondering...yes, these pictures were taken yesterday.

We still have SNOW on our mountains.

So fun for little boys (& big kids too).

Hiking through snow in my Keen sandals...good times! :)

A random catch-up blog.

2011-07-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

Where has the summer gone? It's just zooming on by and I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of July. Seems like it should still be June. Summer is so great!

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. My guys gave me a lovely day. I was bombarded with cards, gifts, texts, and phone calls from so many people I love. Thanks, everyone! I can't believe this was my last birthday in my 20's. That feels weird. I'm not going to be one of those women that doesn't like her age...but I just don't really feel like I have been around long enough to be approaching 30 years old. Its strange! But I will embrace it when it comes just like I'm going to rock the big 2-9 this year. :) I love this season of life...even if I'm not a young college kid anymore.

Here are some shots from my day yesterday. I got lots of quality time with my boys. It was fun!

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Took the boys to Frontier Days. We are so spoiled and totally get the hook-up from my family at Frontier Park. We get free food, free parking, free admission, free air-conditioned breaks, golf cart rides...we are totally spoiled. (THANKS, MOM!) So this was the boys' first experience with carnival rides and they loved it! Sim couldn't go on much and was heartbroken about that...but he did enjoy a few rides.

Oh yeah, the parade and air show were both hits with them too!

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Elijah

--Yesterday he was holding his butterfly net up by the sprinkler. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was trying to fill it up with water. I told him that would probably be pretty tricky to do since the net has a bunch of little holes in it. He thought for a second and then went back to doing it and replied with a chuckle. "That's okay. Because I can do anything with God because he makes me strong. That's what YOU told me, mama." "well, that's true, son."

Boy, do I hope he never loses that truth and that belief extends in his life beyond playing in the sprinkler. Man, I love this boy!

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We will get more birthday cake this week.

Guess who is having a birthday?

Oh yes, Simeon will be two on Friday. I love celebrating birthdays --especially my kiddos. It's fun! And Sim has this birthday gig down. He is all about blowing out candles and sticking his little peace sign up to tell people how old he is. And he loves cake and is sure to let you know. I have a feeling he will be a good participant in the whole birthday party routine. So stay-tuned. I will be sure to blog all about how amazing my big two year old is. :)

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I'm so excited that I will soon be an aunt times two! And its another boy. And my sis-in-law is a beautiful pregnant mama with a beautiful belly that doesn't look like a zebra when prego...unlike someone I know! :) So I snapped a few shots after watching the air show. She's so cute!

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I had a great run tonight. I was in "the zone" mentally where I was not just thinking about how far I had to go still or when I could stop. I love having those runs. Where I can think and pray and be alone. It was fantastic. And running on the college campus in the summer is quite peaceful. Saw two guys doing some sort of surveying, a hippie-looking fellow smoking a pipe and walking his dog, a cyclist, and 3 fellas that I'm guessing by their height were on the b-ball team. Other than that it was just me and my iPod. Beautifully recharging!

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Matt & I have recently been once again playing with the idea of moving. This honestly scares the crap out of me. It scares me to think of leaving the town we've called home for almost 10 years. To leave our community of friends. To uproot our kids from their "village" of people that love them so. To leave the small-town feel that we love. To leave the privilege of usually seeing someone you know wherever you go. To not have our best friends on the other side of our kitchen wall. Leaving this makes me feel sick. But wanting to do what we want to do in life may require leaving to engage opportunities that don't exist here. OR maybe NOT? Maybe we will live here the rest of our life...and that would be a really great life too! I really don't know what God has for us. I'm just feeling unsettled right now. We need some redirection here or to be directed elsewhere. I'm trying not to think about it too hard and just watch and listen to see how things play out. Can anyone relate to these feelings? Anyone? :)

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Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday. Ours should be low-key...which will prove to be fantastic! Low key days with my family at home are such a gift! But who knows...we tend to just decide to up and do things and the day gets all crazy so easily. We shall see. Happy Weekend! What are you up to?

hey, look! A pic with all 4 of us.

Not the best thing...but all 4 of us are in it and the kids aren't crying so I count it a win.

This was taken on campus.

We were playing up there before church last week.

Thought I would snap some pictures of the kids since they were dressed

...and not in a tank top or swimming suit which has been the norm recently.

What could be better?

2011-07-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Than a leftover cupcake in the park at 10:30 in the morning?

Four

2011-07-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Can't believe my little man turned 4 years old today. How did that happen? He is one amazing little guy and I am so blessed to be his mommy. He did tell me today..."I'm still a kid when I'm four and I still want to be your baby. Your big-boy baby." I assured him that sounded like a great plan to me! Seems like yesterday I was rocking that little diapered babe to sleep...singing him our special Mommy-Eli song. And now look at him. He's big, tall, strong, smart, funny, wise...did I mention how big he is getting?!

But he still asks me to sing the song...the one I made up in the wee hours of the morning when he was just days old. So, he's still MY baby!

So this is my day to dote on him & how great he is. Here is what Eli is up to these days.

He LOVES to ride his bike. He tries to pretty much every time we go in the garage ---even when just coming & going in the van.
He has outgrown his sleep strike that started in his 3rd year of life. He is back to being a great sleeper/napper and loves this clock...and I LOVE it because it actually keeps him in bed till 7am. :)
He is still really sweet to his baby brother. The normal sibling scuffles have started a bit since Sim has learned to walk and can now get to big brother's toys easily & quickly...but Eli really adores Sim. He loves to teach him things and he actually understands Sim's speech better than the rest of us! :) I see their brotherly-bond getting stronger every day.
Eli loves to create things. He enjoys organized crafts...but really loves it when I just open the craft box and let him do and use what he wants to. It's fun.
He continues to love books and reading. He is reading many words and short sentences. He is naturally drawn to reading and loves playing games like Hangman and writing letters on his chalk/white board.
His favorite shows are Cars, The Cat in the Hat, SuperWhy, Sid the Science Kid, and Thomas.
He loves playing with his apps on our phones. It makes me laugh how well he can navigate a touch screen. :)
He is quite the helper in our garden. He knows what everything is and loves to head out to water it every morning after breakfast (usually in his jammies). This is one of my favorite times of day.
He has memorized many of his books, particularly the "mouse a cookie" series, and loves to "read" them to Simeon. I'm amazed at how well he can retell these or recite many of the key phrases. It's great!
He is sometimes reluctant to pray out loud...but when he does, it is so sincere and wise. His heart is so good! I recently hurt my hip running trails. He asked why I was taking medicine and I told him my hip was sore and he said, "well then I need to pray for you, mommy. Right now." He then said a very long heart felt prayer for God to heal my hip so I can be strong and healthy. He then proceeded to give thanks for all of his friends that he could think of and every toy, piece of furniture, and piece of house (doors, windows, carpet) that was in his line of vision. I love his innocence and his faith.
He really likes band-aids. He loves to wear them and pass them out to anyone who has anything that resembles an owie. He may be destined to be a doctor...or a band-aid dispensary salesman. Ha!
His favorite toys are Legos, cars, balls, his bike, stuffed animals, his wooden toy robot, puzzles, and cooking.
He likes going to garage sales with me.
He enjoys being in nature, hiking and "hunting for flowers."
He says he wants to run races with me and Daddy someday. He practices by running up and down the hall in the house. It's cute. I'm hoping next summer he can start doing the kids fun runs with me.
We have been teaching him about "serving" others. He is getting it and loves to find ways to serve us and gets happy when we serve him ---the most common one is when one of us does another's "job" around the house.
He is finally willing to go to church preschool on Sunday mornings. I'm proud of him for being brave and leaving his comfort zone.
He also went and visited his new preschool with me and acted remarkably mature and open to the idea of a new preschool.
He weighs 43 lbs (dressed) and is 43 inches tall (99.9%)

We had fun celebrating him today. I love making my boys birthdays special for them. He picked his breakfast(yogurt & cereal), and his lunch (PBJ). We played what he wanted to all morning. We had his party this afternoon. And he was tired and ready for bed around 7. :) As I sit here staring at the Cars banner draped over the window...I feel thankful. Thankful that my son is mine. Thankful that we have had such a great year. Thankful for this season of life and mommyhood. Overwhelmed with how much my heart has grown and allowed me to love these boys as much as I do and how our home is filled with so much love & forgiveness and joy and happiness.

Excuse the cheese. Isn't that what birthdays are for though. To celebrate and reminisce of all that is good!

Sneaking in to give my boys an extra kiss as they sleep.

Here are a couple shots from his party today.

We got him his first pedal bike.

He totally rocks the Strider and I'm

excited to see how the transition goes.

Tattoos, cars, bean bags, cake & ice cream cones, and a pinata.

4 year old birthdays are so fun! We had about 20 people over to celebrate our Lijah-Bear. ---And I forgot to take a group picture! Oh well. :) A good time was had by all!

And now a few more of my favorite shots from Eli's birthday photos. :)

Click on the number to see Eli's previous birthday posts: 3, 2, 1.

The Whirlwind of Summertime

2011-07-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

The days have been flying by. Good days. Fun summer days.

Yesterday Matt & I celebrated our 10th Anniversary. Here is a scanned picture that I have of us at my high school graduation. We had been dating for about 2 weeks. (but had known each other for about 4 years) Yes, we were so young. This was May 2000. We were married July 13, 2001. Boy...do I wish I had an electronic version of the pictures. We look like we are about 15. Well...I do, Matt looks about 12. It's funny to me that our photographer used film. I also remember Matt & I registered for an awesome Advantix camera. Anyone remember those. Wow...have times changed since then!! Luckily, so has my hair. I'm thankful the wedding pictures aren't scanned. Ha!

We had a great time celebrating this week. We had a getaway for a couple of days by ourselves. We went and explored the Black Hills in South Dakota and had a blast! It felt so great to be together, care-free, and on no timeline. I didn't even wear my watch (big for me). Thanks to my amazing in-laws for taking such great care of our boys for us! :)

Hiking with my man is so refreshing to me!

Hard to tell due to fog, but there is a lake peeking through those trees.

Matt is doing a little postmodern day hiking by stopping to capture a mushroom on his phone.

The mushrooms there looked like Easter eggs. :)

BTW ---I had no idea how beautiful South Dakota is. I went there as a kid...but I didn't appreciate it or really remember it. It was fantastic! Matt & I were silly, and lovey-dovey, and had a lot of fun. Sometimes it is so hard to leave the kids...I deal with guilt and sadness...but man, it is good for a marriage. Matt and I need these times away every so often. A time to refresh as a couple...and have a conversation without being interrupted every 20 seconds. Haha! We were certainly ready to see our boys today though!

We totally needed this break from reality! Look how tired we look. This may have had to do

with the dense, foggy, ever-misting cloud we were sitting in. :)

Or the fact that I only got 5 hours of sleep the night before. BAD! I need at least 8!

We also had our first experience at a Bed&Breakfast. I was TOTALLY freaked out at first. Not sure why...mainly because I have this fear when Matt & I are together...and both away from our kids. Its a little ridiculous and I need to get over it. Anyways, after I settled down and relaxed, I really enjoyed it. We met so many people and I made a personal connection with every set of travelers. Its funny when you start talking to strangers...you find so much in common. To find a common interest/experience/destination with each of the 10 other people at the B&B is pretty amazing. I wouldn't be too torn up if running a B&B is how Matt and I spend our retirement someday.

For the record...I am really in love with my hubby! 100 times more than I was 10 years ago. I never dreamed he would be this amazing! I never dreamed marriage would be this great. We have definitely had rough spots over the year. We've really had to "grow up" together. But those vows we made have held true and God has been with us and got us through the hard times. Matt's best man, Jon, prayed at our wedding that the floodgates would be open in our marriage and we would be overwhelmed with blessing. We have been. We continue to be. It's been the greatest adventure of my life. Happy 10 years, Matty! Here's to 60 more!

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The lack of blogging has been due to it being summer. Too busy living life to write about it. But I want to...so hopefully I can post a few more times this week. Hopefully...I am celebrating my big-little man turning 4 in a few days...and starting a new PT job this week. But I will try to squeeze in some more posts because this little online journal is important to me.

Here are some more of our recent summer via photos for You Capture. ;)

Look who was brave in the big-boy swing!

I went to gather our belongings to go & came back to these funny-guys "taking a break to rest"

Sim is such a little copy-cat. I love it!

Birthday season is in full-swing. Spent 20 minutes making a little

decoration that cost a total of $1.35. Yay for cheap

homemade decorations! Eli's bday is 7/16 and the theme is Cars.

Sim's is 8/5 and the theme is based on his favorite books

--the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" series.

I love living close enough to nature for quick evening hikes with my boys.

Eli was there too...he's just too quick to catch with my lens. :)

Playing the tourist card on our anniversary. I actually really enjoyed this place!

My new gardening hobby will likely be a regular summertime activity from here on out.

The boys and I are having lots of fun taking care of it everyday. Hoping I get a little something out of it this year.

Ok...I have about 10,000 more summertime pics to choose from this week but I better stop.

Happy summer to you!

Guess who showed up...

2011-07-05T21:36:00.001-07:00

Ok...so I had plans of writing tonight ...But it's not flowing and I have a running date at 5:30 am...so I will try to get my thoughts organized and be back tomorrow! But a few pictures from our day.

Spring decided to show up in July!

Cooler temps and rain were a welcome surprise. We needed a day at home to rest and play. The cooler temps allowed us to do this without feeling like we were missing out on some awesome summer weather. We stayed in our jammies late. Did some crafts. Played with lots of different toys. Walked around the block in the rain. Watched Little Bear. It was a great day with the boys...especially after the busyness of the holiday weekend.

For the record...I jumped in the puddles too. It is quite fun! :)

Looking back : Dear Photograph

2011-07-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Have I told you that Matt and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary in eight days? I'm just a little bit excited. :) Okay...okay. I'm beyond thrilled! I really like our anniversary. It is definitely one of my favorite holidays. To put another year down in the history books. A year of us growing and loving and sharing our life together. A year to celebrate all that God has done in our lives. I know we were too young to get married...but it was really the way it was supposed to be for us. And 10 years is an exciting milestone. Not as exciting as 11 years will be...and every year after that. But I'm pumped for this year. Plus...I got Matt the best, best, best anniversary gift ever! Every year I struggle with what to get him...but this year I know it will be something he LOVES! So excited! Oh yeah...he's planning our anniversary festivities this year and won't tell me anything. It's driving me crazy. He did tell me we are going overnight and that it is within a 9 hour driving distance. Hmmm? Where do you think it is? Come on...help me out! :)

On a completely different note. I came across this photo project called Dear Photograph. It's fun. My MIL dug out an old picture for me last night. It was taken 7 years ago, today (7/5/04). I was still in college, getting my bachelors degree. We were raising support for Matt to work at Emmaus. We were over celebrating Dad's birthday. We didn't have kids to entertain all of us...so we used to play basketball a lot. I'm sure this fad will return as the boys get older.

It is actually really hard to do this and it was fun to try. Obviously, its not perfect. But it was fun. I'm looking forward to trying to do it with some other old photos. I would love to go to some of my old houses and do this. You should try it...if you do, then come back and leave a comment so I can go check yours out.

Peace out! :)

ps...I posted twice in one day. So if you want to see some adorably delicious Simeon cuteness...then scroll down or click here.

Sharing one of my favorite things to ask my kiddos.

2011-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

This was taken last year. I can't believe how much he has grown.

Happy Birthday to my Dad-in-Law (pictured above) & my Sis-in-Law, Jen.

Hope you guys have spectacular days celebrating!

What are we up to? Well...dressing the boys in cute patriotic clothing like last year.

Craft up some American flags or some other Red/White/Blue creations.

Making this.

Going to the local "Freedom Has a Birthday" celebration. Which means free ice cream, games, inflatables, music, etc. Should be fun!

Coming home to let the boys pass out after their sugar high.

Driving to Cheyenne to celebrate Matt's Dad's Birthday.

Driving back home and keeping our kids up WAY past bedtime to see fireworks.

Should be exhausting...but fun!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

The theme this week is Red, White, & Blue.

Granola bars and an overnight bag.

2011-07-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Matt & I have always enjoyed camping. We've camped for as long as we've been together. It's always been fun and relaxing to us. Pre-kids we would go regularly and often on a whim. We'd grab granola bars, water, and of course stuff for Smores. Our tent, sleeping bags, and headlamps just lived in our trunk...because what else would you put in a trunk? Sometimes we'd go all out with food and sometimes we'd just take granola bars and our Nalgenes. Sometimes we'd pack air mattresses and camping chairs. Other times we would hike deep in the woods somewhere, sleep on the ground, and sit on rocks.

Boy is it a different story now. Gone are the days of throwing some granola bars and a small overnight bag in the trunk and heading out. Now our trunk is usually full of Strider bikes and sand toys.

Camping is much more work now.

Now I have a list a mile long when we go camping for one night. It includes things like Glow-Worm, Baby-Bear, and the Lightning McQueen fishing pole. It has Spider-man band-aids and apple-sauce on it. Menus are now balanced with a nice well rounded meat/carb/veggie/fruit/dairy menu instead of whatever happens to be in our pantry. It takes several hours to prepare.

It's not how it used to be.

But its 100 times better.

Now our campsite is filled with wonder at a passing bird, skipping rocks, or a beautiful sunflower. Now it has the sound of little running feet, impromptu nature scavenger hunts, and lots of giggles. Instead of a half a dozen headlamps and the guys having intellectual conversations over a tobacco pipe...there are glow bracelets floating around and kids asking for more smores.

And all the time and energy, the hauling of a billion extra blankets, the waking every ten minutes through the night to make sure my boys are covered and warm, the waking at 5am, the cleaning camp as fast as we can because its about to storm...its all worth it! Especially when your kiddo tells you later in the day "I really want to go camping again, Mommy. Maybe next time we can see the bunnies really close and feed them a chip or something." That apparently was one of his highlights! :)

This is a fun season of life.

The boys loved it up there. And happy boys equal a happy and relaxed mom & dad. So a good time was had by all.

You Capture : Water

2011-06-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived. It's been hot ---leading us to really seeking out water. Its led us to the pool, the spray park, the sprinkler, and the lake. I LOVE the warm weather! Here is where I captured water in the last few days.

Earlier this week, we were about to leave for a picnic. Got the kids all ready. Let them sit on the porch together while I quickly ran to water the garden out back and turn off the hoses. However, the hoses were still on. I was in the backyard and heard uncontrollable laughter from both of them. I came back to this. Eli was sitting on the porch giving Sim instructions. "Put water on your head. Put water in your ear. Put water on your belly." Sim was holding the hose and obediently following his big bro's commands without question and with loud belly giggles! It was pretty funny!

After a few minutes of laughter all around...we did eventually get Sim changed and make it to our picnic. We ended up grabbing Lije's buddy to go with us...and ended up at a park that has what we like to call "Stink Lake." It was extra stinky on this day, which resulted in even more laughter for these little guys!

Yesterday we headed to the lake for a picnic. Grandma came with us and gifted the boys with their first fishing poles. They loved them! The weather was perfect and we had a blast.

drinking ice water and staring at the water. So relaxing!

Enjoying their new fishing poles.

And a bonus water shot. Two forms of water...see em? :) Just wanted to add this one mostly because I love his pudgy little legs and feet. Nom.Nom.Nom! :)

Linking this last photo up to Small Style. I've enjoyed seeing how others match up their kids clothing in fun new ways and have discovered some fun new brands. (especially if I ever have a girl. Ha!) Sim has the perfect day at the park outfit going on here. Pirate shirt is from Target. Shorts are from Kohls (Sonoma). His Crocs are from Kohls (thank you Kohls cash) and are his absolute favorite shoes! His feet are so round and pudgy that these easily go on and are great for summer. Funny how Crocs are a hundred times cuter on a one year old! :)

Where I'm From...

2011-06-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am from American flags hung on the porch, from AquaNet and lots of cousins.

I am from the government issued housing, safe, surrounded, warm.

I am from the red baseball field dirt (and hiding under the bleachers), the stains of grass, and the sting of the hand-slap game.

I am from Christmas Eve with the Cuthberts, and an ET toe, from John and Cathy, and J.J.'s sister, and Grandma with the white hair.

I am from the sounds of unconditional love and the dissonance of broken hearts.

From "go to college" and "just say no."

I am from the typical American Christian family. Read the Bible and Jesus loves me.

I'm from Upper Heyford, hard work, and the Equality State.

From Pancake Breakfasts and Girl Scout Cookies.

From the scared cries of Uncle Craig's missing teeth, the repetitive singing of Amos Moses, driving through a hurricane to get the last Cabbage Patch doll at ToyR'Us, and the Daddy who bought corsages.

I am from faded orangy photos buried in the hutch, McDonalds color-the-weather contests, and unfamiliar history down south.

I am from grace beyond my understanding.

I'm from close knit and my roots spread far. From childhood dreams that were skewed and shallow in comparison to this great life.

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Inspired by Steph to write this.

Based on the original poem- Where I'm From by George Ella Lyons, found here and the template here if you want to make one, too.

I heart faces : a touch of whimsy

2011-06-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Summer is here.

2011-06-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't made time to blog. I've been busy doing life...and I think all the extra sun in the morning tempts me to "sleep while the babies sleep". Haha! Can I still claim that even though my kids are almost 2 and 4. But for real...I've been so exhausted...so our house has been a napping house for all (except Matt who is busy with writing and school) from 1-3 for 3 of the last 4 days. Summer is here. Its allowed for lots of time outside --bike rides, gardening, backyard camping, bug hunting, spring cleaning, painting, hiding & seeking, swimming pools, sprinklers...and the list goes on.

Its also brought rain. Its brought thunder at bedtime, which results in tears. Tonight both boys were crying. Matt had a meeting. It ended with all three of us cuddled in Eli's twin bed. It may have been my favorite part of the day. It was a moment where I could choose to be overwhelmed & frustrated...but instead I chose relax and to enjoy it. Enjoy Eli's kung-fu grip around my neck and his sweet voice saying "hold me close, mama." And enjoy Simeon's deep eyes staring into mine as we lay all sandwiched together. Enjoying the whispered "beep beep" as Simeon gently touches my nose.

I'm enjoying these days. No work and few commitments. Just time to focus on the boys. Balancing friends and playdates with family play time and staying in our jammies. Balancing outside time with story-times and baking inside. Balancing structure with free-time. Balancing saying good-night and leaving them in their room to go to sleep...and letting them be little and allowing cuddles and an extended bedtime. However, in the midst of trying to keep my kids lives balanced, I'm finding myself a bit unbalanced. I'm working on it. Our life currently has many unknowns. Many new things on the horizon. A few big things ending and new things being discovered. Life is good. But I need to remember to feed my soul and my body to keep me going. I need to remember to make time for me. I'm a work in progress.

Who are you & how is your summer going?

How cute is this?

2011-06-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

One of my hopes for this summer was to find a great red Radio Flyer wagon for the boys at a garage sale for $5. I have yet to see one ...but we did score this yesterday for $1 at a garage sale. It looked brand new...not a single scuff on the wheels. The boys have sure enjoyed giving all their their favorite toys rides. I thought it was just too cute to pass up. We also came home with a 25 cent Spiderman motorcycle and a 50 cent hardback Curious George book. And some overly friendly lady bought Simeon a cookie monster cup ---kind of strange, but he likes it. :)

I'm hoping to also find a small bookshelf for Sim's room, a beautiful full-body mirror with wooden frame, and a pedal bike for Eli. Maybe next week! :0)

Last week I found a box set of the original Lord of the Rings. Grabbed that for Matt. It's pretty sweet. ;)

Have you had any luck garage saling this year? What've you found? :)

ps...I was so bummed not to get a good picture of Matt with his boys today. I had the boys dressed so cute this morning but it just didn't happen. Matt was at church early for band practice, then it rained all afternoon canceling our Vedauwoo picnic, then we were busy playing Ladderball all evening and by the time I remembered ...the kids were a crying mess. Oh well ---that's life sometimes! :) Still grabbed these sweet shots today. :) Aren't they so handsome?! Yes...I know I'm biased.

Celebrating Matt

2011-06-19T02:21:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to celebrate my man today. I couldn't come up with enough words to even come close to describing the man, husband, & father that Matt is. I love you!

And Happy Father's Day to my Daddy! I love you and miss you very much. Have a great day.

Happy Dad's day to my Father-in-law too. Apparently we need more pictures of you, because its 3am and I can't currently find a recent one. But know that I love you and am so thankful to have such a great FIL and amazing grandpa for our boys!

Have fun celebrating the dads in your life today!

Relaxing & enjoying our weekend getaway.

2011-06-12T12:43:00.001-07:00

Enjoying a nice break from our normal day to day. Thankful for warm weather and family! Life is good!

You Capture ---Games

2011-06-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to be back for YouCapture this week! :) I've missed you! Can't wait to go look at all the different shots.

So...GAMES!

Well...

Now that summer has finally arrived. This game has been a daily activity. Bring Mommy lots of beautiful flowers. I love it! :)

Matt was off today...so we headed to Colorado for a little impromptu family day. We took the boys to a farm. They enjoyed the animals, but this game was by far their favorite part.

This game has quickly become a favorite for Elijah. BTW ---This art easel was an awesome gift for the boys. They both play with it constantly.

Then there is the watering the flowers game that is also a favorite at our house. I don't think I will have to worry about my flowers dying of thirst this summer. Drowning...well that may be another issue.

Then there are the playground games that I look forward to getting many more hours of this summer. Lije is great at encouraging Simeon and catching him at the bottom of the slide. Its fun to watch and listen to them playing with their imaginations. And then there is the age old game of mom lining the kids up to take a picture while Sandra does a little dance right behind me to make them laugh. And them humoring us for a minute when all they want to do is run away back to their land of being a care-free kid. Ahhh...good times! :)

And now, the running game that I have a love-hate relationship with. This week it leaned more toward the love side. We ran the BolderBoulder on Monday. It was awesome! It wasn't a great run...some unforeseen circumstances got the run off to a not so good start...and my time has been so much better in Laramie. But despite that, we had A BLAST! It was so much fun! Can't wait to do it again next year!

The picture of Matt & I was taken by Tammy...but I took the rest!

I actually ran all 6.2 miles with my point and shoot in hand.

It was fun & resulted in a whole bunch of blurry pictures of all kinds of crazy things along the way.

Yes, I turn bright read about 3 seconds after I start running. That's Tammy & Jason right behind me.

Yep...Even Elvis was there. Other entertainment on the run that made me chuckle included a palm reader, lots of bands, a girl who handed me a cupcake, people throwing marshmallows, sprinklers, people in all sorts of crazy costumes, drum lines, belly dancers, people on stilts, slip and slides, and lots of other random stuff. Good times! :)

Sometimes its impossible to stay mad...

2011-05-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days where everything in the world is just annoying to you? I mean REALLY, really devastatingly annoying.

And of course you take it out on the one person you love more than any other person in the world...your beloved husband! Come on...please tell me I'm not the only one who does this!

I hate it about myself.

And then he goes and does something so adorably cute and selfless like this.

He washes my MOM VAN!

He fully includes the boys and leaves me to tend to my gardening in peace.

He makes them giggle and lets them spray all the tires

...and totally reminds me that he is amazing and hot and...

and, well...

that I'm overreacting and need to put my big-girl panties on and get over my bad mood!

I seriously hate when I get in one of those funky moods where I totally ignore how amazing my family is and just get hung up on some minor inconvenience! Sheesh!

I'm writing this out in hopes of hopefully someday internalizing that I don't need to turn into a huge grouch-bucket just because my hormones get a bit out of whack . Come on, Shelly! You need to remember who you are...not just how you feel!

Sorry, sweety! I promise to be a lot more pleasant tomorrow afternoon! :)

Hope this finds you joyful & with your big girl undies un-wadded! :)

I've got so much...

2011-05-22T20:24:00.002-07:00

To be thankful for!

Having these two guys to keep me warm during our awesome May weather! ---This was taken while waiting for Matt to finish a local 5K race. It was so much fun even though we were freezing. The boys especially liked when we would see "dog runners" finish. Ha!
Getting a date with my hubby last night.
Having a 3 year old who told me he prayed last night that Daddy & I were safe and loved.
Slow moments of life. Moments where I can cuddle & listen to Eli. He teaches me so much.

That I have an almost two year old that still loves to melt against me at night in the rocking chair. That he almost immediately falls asleep when he lays against me. We have spent so much time there over the last 21 months. Such a blessing.

Five grandparents that love on us & our children endlessly.
A softened heart that continues to grow.
Neighbors that we can share our life with.
Praying for our friends. Mourning with our friends. Rejoicing with our friends.
Getting a bit of time outside today.
Rain & snow & hope of spring time.
Seeing God in unlikely places.
Not knowing what our future holds. Having to trust.
Only one week left of commuting to Rawlins.
Family.
Parents that love me.
A kitchen full of food to eat and water to drink.
Getting through a complete game of Candyland with most of the rules being followed.
Evenings where Matt is gone and my patience is multiplied with the boys. Where I make a plan and everything goes well and we are all happy all evening and not hurried or stressed. Anybody know what I'm talking about when I say this is such a treasure on solo-parenting nights?
Laughter with my husband.
Finding a pair of 75 cent shoes at a garage sale that I LOVE!
Kids artwork that is overtaking our door to the garage. Makes me smile! :)
Having a coffee date with my Matt, Dad, Sheri, & Nicole.
Taking my tire to get fixed while Matt was out of town and them not making me pay! What a surprise blessing!
Hearing news of and praying for babies being born or mamas finding out their pregnant! :) Makes my heart swell!
Finishing my 10K training plan.

I could keep going. But I must go to bed since I've been running on 4.5 hours of sleep all day. It's okay. Going to see U2 was so worth not getting home until after 2am. Was definitely the BEST concert I have ever been to. I was hopeful & inspired when I left. Oh...it was so great! :)

What are you thankful for today?

My guys today...

2011-05-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

I love them!

Blog, Shelly, Blog!

2011-05-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

Oh...its been a great week so far!

Sunday was Mother's Day. It was a perfect day! We went & saw our Moms on Saturday so we could spend Sunday just the four of us and not running around like crazy people. I was up at 5:45 and ran 5 miles. That was my Mother's Day gift to myself & it felt great to have my workout done for the day. I hate taking time away from family time or time with Matt in the evenings to go exercise. It felt great to have it over with just as they were waking up. I came home to two jammied boys that greeted me with hugs & kisses and presents. Matt made breakfast for all of us. We went to church. (Simeon actually stayed in nursery for the entire time so I was able to actually pay attention. THANKS STEPH!). We took our lunch to the park and ran into some of our best friends there. We ate and played and life was good. Got the boys home and down for nap. Then Matt went to work on my other gift ---building me a garden. I got the boys to sleep and joined him...but mostly assisted as he dug and leveled out two little spots for me. We got the boxes filled with dirt and I love them! I'm so excited to plant some stuff and experiment a bit with what I'm able to get to grow. Unfortunately the planting wont happen for another month since it is currently snowing! Ha! That's springtime in Wyoming for ya. Sunday was really just a perfect day though ---outside with my guys and neighbor friends all day made for one happy mama.

Monday proved to be a great day too!

My first semester of college was in Dallas, TX. I made two great friends there who actually were in my wedding the following summer. I hadn't seen Laura since my wedding which was almost 10 years ago. Her and her new hubby came to visit us on Monday! I felt beyond blessed when she told me they were going to be in the area and wanted to come visit. It was great to see her again after 10 years! She is really one of the sweetest people and it was great to reconnect and meet her Daniel. Matt & Daniel had more than a few things in common & it was a blast to hang out with them.

Tuesday was work. And today its been snowing all day! I don't mind. Its pretty and its been nice to be inside reading books and getting some things done.

I joined e-meals. I'm excited to be making some new dinners. I was in a cooking rut of cooking the same things all the time and just didn't want to make the time or give the effort to search blogs and online sources for recipes. I joined for 3 months. We'll see how it goes! ;) Anyone out there a fan of e-meals?

I am registering us for the BolderBoulder today! So exciting! I can't wait. I'm actually contemplating running with my point & shoot camera just so I can document all the funny entertainment along the way. Not sure if I will or not...maybe I will try holding my camera for a run this week to see if its too annoying. Hmmm? The above mentioned friend Laura is a new runner too. We started about the same time 1.5 years ago. Her & Daniel are totally inspiring (for many reasons). They have both done a half-marathon and talking to them actually has me eye-ing one towards the end of summer/fall.

Am I out of my mind crazy? Will keep ya posted!

Happy Wednesday!

The house is quiet.

2011-05-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's Friday. My favorite day of the week...(aside from the fact I always get that annoying Rebecca Black song stuck in my head) Its May 6th and we're still dressing like this!

Sheesh! Although last night did allow dinner in the park and playing in the backyard until bedtime. Perfect! Its cold again today. But we're hopeful of spring.

I accompanied Eli's class on their first field trip today. It was fun to watch him be a big kid with his class. He had a hard time getting back on the bus at the end to go back to preschool while I left in our vehicle, but he did it. I really just wanted to rescue him and take him with me, but I knew they had fun stuff planned back at school so I left him. Of course he didn't remember being upset when I went to pick him up and just went on & on about the highlights of his day. Ha! Guess he wasn't too broken up about me not taking him home. Things like this sometimes frustrate me. Part of me wondered if I just shouldn't have gone. I want to go & be involved but not if it makes it harder on him. A friend encouraged me that its okay if he has a hard time. He is growing & learning to be independent ...and he is only 3. One day he won't want to hold my hand and tell everyone I'm his mommy...so I should enjoy his attachment to me now. Its just such a struggle to find balance between pushing him to grow and allowing him to be little still.

And this little guy was so happy & easy for the whole thing. I was a bit worried about being able to help with him in tow...but turns out the linebacker is an excellent field trip participant. :) He just followed Eli around and moo'd at every animal he saw.

This weekend is supposed to have good weather...so I'm hopeful of being outside with my family! Hoping! Warm weather would give this mom an extra Happy Mother's Day! :)

Naptime is about over and the boys & I are going to make their three Grandmas some gifts. Should be fun!

Happy Friday to you!

Rally to Restore Unity

2011-05-05T20:23:00.001-07:00

If you haven't checked out some of the awesome blogs this week during the Rally to Restore Unity (including Matt's)...then go check it out on facebook and donate some money to Charity:Water.

You Capture ---Outside

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Outside ---It is where this boy loves to be.

Just this week he started independently doing his Strider bike. Its adorably cute. I'm sure he will be a pro by the end of the summer.

This is my 50th You Capture entry! :) You can see all my past entries by clicking here.

Waiting for my clothes to dry.

2011-05-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

On my work away from home days I have to lay my clothes out...because at 5:25 am I have absolutely no ability to think or pick out clothes. And it puts me in a bad mood if I have to go get them out of the dryer in the morning. So...therefore, I am staying up until my pants are dry. :) Only 8 more commutes to Rawlins. Woohoo! :) Then I will be in the "unemployed" category and I'm beyond excited about it (at least for a season).

So thought I'd take these few minutes just to give a quick plug.

Have you guys checked out the Rally To Restore Unity? It's pretty sweet! Matt's participating this week...so be sure to keep an eye on his blog. I may make some contributions later in the week if I have the energy and make the time. The ideas are rolling around in my head. Whether they will leave through my fingertips or my camera lense is still up in the air. :)

Peace Out.

Times to Remember.

2011-04-25T12:42:00.001-07:00

Sorry I left my little naked gardener up for so long. I've been itching to get on here and share some life that I want to remember...but life has been busy and just hasn't allowed it.

Last week was Eli's Easter preschool program. It was a typical 3 year old singing program & I was so proud of him. This was my favorite shot ---taken at the very end during a closing prayer.

Made these with the boys last week to take to Eli's friends. Unfortunately we forgot to go pass them out. The days flew by and now I feel weird taking them 5 day old treats. Bummer! They are super easy and it was easy for both boys to help a bit to make them! There are a gazillion recipes online for these. I just kind of winged it! :)

It was of course a lot of fun to celebrate Easter with the boys. Eli enjoyed the resurrection eggs that we made at an Easter party we went to on Saturday. I also realized how difficult it is to teach the resurrection story to a curious 3.5 year old whose favorite question is "why." I too wonder "why" the story of Jesus had to go the way it did...but I focused on the ending and that we can celebrate that he came back to life. His sugar-coated Easter books and my water-downed explanations of Jesus on the cross worked last year. But this year when we looked up every verse in my Bible that went with each object of the resurrection story...well, it wasn't so sugar-coated. Eli was interested and now knows the story well. But that also comes with hard questions. When he is holding a nail and asking me why they wanted to hurt Jesus and other such questions. But Eli was sure excited on the last egg...and hearing the angel say that "He has risen."

Moving on...Don't let me fool you! Our Easter was not only serious talks about why there was a whip in the Easter story eggs. We dyed and hunted hard-boiled eggs too! We ate lots of candy & got excited for spring to be coming soon! We dug through Easter baskets filled with new Camelbacks, Legos, sidewalk chalk, & the cheapo Cars cell phone that they always want at the checkout line that I always say no to. :) We visited family and ate LOTS of good food.

It was a great day. We were all pretty pooped by the time we got on the road to come home. Oh yeah...Eli is super pumped that he got moved to a booster seat! It's the little things in life...right? :)

Matt & I added another hold the camera out in front of ourselves shot. Ha!

Have I mentioned my brother & sis-in-law are having a baby. Aren't they cute?! Had to post this...because I'm sure my Dad & Sheri want to see her little tummy starting to pop out! So exciting!

More Random...

Snapped these of the boys this week while they were nicely playing dress-up together.

And I was reminded...

a)how much we've got our money's worth with certain toys that have been played with repeatedly for years.

b)These boys are growing! I had to look up these pictures & squeal a bit over how little they were (and how much smaller there heads were). Then I remind myself...they are still little and next year I will long for this time of them being small enough to cuddle & hold.

Then I remind myself...they are still little and next year I will long for this time of them being small enough to cuddle & hold a little easier. And reflecting back helps me to enjoy the now even more!

_____________________________________________________

Hold on...another topic shift.

Back to all the explicit teaching I was doing with Eli regarding the Easter story. I've been thinking about the explicit teaching of the gospel to my kids. This includes the importance of the Gospel Easter Story...but also the Gospel lived out in life. The gospel that requires no words...but allows the Love of God to pour out through us. I've been contemplating how I show that Gospel to my boys --how to live this out in my own life which will result in them knowing that part of the Gospel.

Just a glimpse of the internal monologue in my head during naptimes, commutes, and quiet baths when boys are snoozing in bed. Have you thought about this?

___________________________________

More Monday Ramblings...

A pulled muscle in my back last Wednesday kept me from running much last week. Getting back to it this week.

For the record...high amounts of sugar, traveling, & lack of sleep make for a really grumpy 3 year old the following morning. I'm trying hard to name thanks in the midst of the candy-hangover behavior.

We are still trying to figure out our anniversary trip. Searching for wisdom with saving vs spending even though our next year of income is a big fat unknown. ;) Playing with ideas ranging from Estes to New York City. Hmmm?? So excited to celebrate 10 years with my honey!

I survived my first swimming trip with two mobile children (last summer Sim just sat where I left him). It went surprisingly well & was really fun for all 3 of us. So glad I braved the waters without Matt. :)

So I've been craving some creativity. May start looking for an easy sewing project. Possibly aprons for the boys?. Any suggestions?

Oh yeah...Sim has had a stomach issue for the last 8 days, resulting in large amounts of Triple Paste. So...the Dr ordered no dairy or small-seeded fruit for a week. This may be tricky since Sim LOVES milk, yogurt, cheese, & fruit. Luckily, he can have lots of bananas still! His Grandpa introduced him to some alternatives. :) J/K

You Capture ---Spring

2011-04-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

It finally feels like spring. Although it was snowing today. Our future garden is currently planted in our bedroom and window sills.

And naked gardening is one of this little guys favorite hobbies. :)

Sunday Night Thoughts

2011-04-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Elijah really doesn't want to cut his hair. We usually play "barber shop" & I cut his hair & he gets a lollipop when its over (just like the real barber shop, only free!). Well...the promise of a lollipop and a show to watch on the computer usually convinces him. But this time there is no convincing. He keeps telling me he wants his hair to be long. I'm going with it for now...but there is going to come a point where I at least have to trim it. But not today. :) He looks older with this long hair look. Don't ya think? :)

So I know that Eli is young...but I already see so many of his gifts & talents coming out. This boy has a compassionate & giving heart! We took him swimming today. Tonight I was laying in bed and he asked me if I wanted to know what he was thinking about. OF COURSE I DO! :) He proceeded to tell me that there was a lot of water in the swimming pool at the rec center and that he thinks we should find a way to clean it to send to the kids far away that don't have clean water to drink. This is what my 3 year old was sitting in bed thinking about. I was amazed and inspired!

Life is so different with Simeon as a walker. Busier...but at times much easier. Its so fun to see him continue to explore & enjoy this new-found mobility. His arms are still always flexed up. It's cute.

Today started out a great day. Then it got rocky. I got impatient & felt inadequate. My desire is to be a loving mama & supportive wife to my family. But occasionally situations arise that I just don't know how to handle...& it shows! My kids are amazing! I'm beyond blessed with how "easy" they are. And I need to remember that. I need to remember to give them Grace. I need to remember how blessed I am to have the opportunity to be there mommy & train them. I need to remember that I'm thankful they are testing boundaries in the safety of my care. I need to remember in the "heat of the moment" ...that I can handle this. That I can be thankful & not let others actions influence my attitude, joy, or behavior.

I'm heading into this week with high hopes of it being a great week. Hopes of being patient with these boys. Loving to my husband. Intentional with my time. Committed to my goals. Thankful with my mind & words.

How can this be the last week in April? It flew by!

Calendar says I have a 4.5 mile run tomorrow...Hoping it goes well! :)

Looking forward to doing some Easter teaching & crafts with the boys this week.

Used Skype tonight with an old friend. It's fun! Anyone out there use it regularly?

Okay...have to hit the hay! Good night!

Later Gator!

WINDY!

2011-04-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

We took the boys down to the train station this morning. Wowsies...it was windy!

My hair did look cute when we left the house. Ha!

What do ya know...the iheartfaces challenge is "windy" ---Go check it out. There are a lot of really beautiful shots that are not as ridiculous as this! :) heehee! We still had fun! And the train came by, which made the boys quite happy.

It has started

2011-04-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

They were both giggling so hard.

I have a feeling this will be a regular occurrence...for the next 25 or so years.

I'm feelin' the brotherly love tonight!

(& enjoying the bit of spring that Matt brought me. Since it certainly isn't happening outside!)

Thankful

2011-04-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Although "springtime" in Wyoming ruined our family day that we planned in Colorado...it was a lovely day at home! Once I was over the annoyance of the interstate being too snowy to drive on...I enjoyed the beauty of the little snow storm we had today.

And I enjoyed watching this boy drift off twice today.

I'm so thankful that this almost two year old boy still loves to cuddle up and melt against me to drift off to sleep. He usually is fine just laying down to fall asleep too ---that's what we've trained him to do. But I LOVE rocking him to sleep and LOVE the days that I am able to. It's harder to do when I'm here by myself and trying to get both boys down for nap or bed, but I do take advantage of it as much as possible!

Isn't he so sweet when he's sleeping! Ahhh...LOVE!

About ten minutes before this picture was taken...he was fighting me so hard not to change his diaper. It was frustrating & humorous! I finally left the room without his diaper changed and his jammies only half on. I was slightly worried about him hurting himself because he was arching his back so far tryign to get away from me. After a few minutes, I came back in & he was much more compliant and then pointed to the chair saying "ock, ock" ...so of course I obliged!

I enjoyed reading and cuddling with Eli in bed tonight too. I'm training myself to really enjoy this time. Sometimes its easy to...but sometimes my mind is so ready to have a break from being momma by the end of the day that I rush the bedtime routine, instead of enjoying this sweet time with Eli. I'm training myself not to just sit in there thinking about the dishes that need done or the laundry that needs folded. I'm training myself to be present in that time! Because its pretty fantastic when I am.

I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for these boys and that I get to be their momma. It is still unreal to me sometimes.

It was a steady downpour of slush for most of the day...but it was pretty as it fell. We enjoyed having Daddy home, having the playroom to ourselves at the rec center, heading to Murdochs to see the baby ducks & chicks (again), taking the boys to one of our favorite restaurants (Mizu-Sushi) for their first time (they didn't appreciate it as much as we do), napping, reading, playing, & having dinner next door with the neighbors.

It was nice to have Matt home at naptime today. Instead of my normal naptime routine, I layed on the couch and chatted with him, read, and dozed in & out of sleep as he worked on his agent proposals for his book. It was just nice to both just sit & be. Naptimes on the weekends are usually a time when one of us heads to the gym or grocery store or something...rarely do we both just sit & enjoy the naptime hours together. Such a blessing!

It was a lovely day. It feels like a Saturday! Except Matt's gone at his teaching team meeting now. Tomorrow is preschool and a regular Friday.

Really, it was kind of an ordinary day as far as activities, nothing special like we planned...but it felt extraordinary and I feel thankful!

Laughing with my husband...

2011-04-13T22:52:00.001-07:00

Last night Matt & I watched this twice before bed.

We were laughing so hard that I couldn't breath and was close to crying.

If you know me...then you know the laugh I'm talking about. Right!? Anyone?

Well I thought I better share. You should share it with your spouse or friends and get some good laughs.

Its good for the soul!

Did you laugh? Now watch it when you're really tired & with a good friend and its even more funny! Or come watch it with Matt & I...and you can just laugh at us!

You Capture ---Smile

2011-04-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

The love of my life working on the edits of his book : Making paper caterpillars & yes, Simeon's is missing his head but I don't think he cares : The 3-year old excitement of watching his seeds grow : Little boys with smiling eyes and scruffy-stand-up hair

All of these things make me smile!

What made you smile today?

ps, If you didn't see the previous post...I apologize that most of my pictures on other parts of the blog aren't loading due to Photobucket being down. The problem should be resolved tonight so please come back if you were hoping to look around a bit. Sorry the rest of the blog is such a mess right now! Not sure what is going on with Photobucket but I'm trying not to be annoyed by it. :)

SORRY

2011-04-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why my Photobucket account is down. "They" say it should be back up by the end of the day! We shall see! ;) My header is through Photobucket so I quickly threw together a different header and uploaded it to Flickr...its kind of ghetto looking and showed me that I NEED more pictures of Matt & I that aren't the "hold the camera out and take it yourself kind." Almost all our pictures of the two of us are like that. Its ridiculous! I do own a tripod and camera remote so I have no excuses. Sheesh.

I see a big lovey-dovey photo shoot coming up of just Matt & I. Especially since we are celebrating 10 years of marriage in just 3 months from today.

Will be posting my YouCapture shots this afternoon via Flickr.

Happy Wednesday!

Mood lifter

2011-04-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Eli & I came up with this last week sometime. We hung it up so we can add things as we think of them. Its super cute to watch him "read" it to Simeon.

First up on the list..."Go to the park"

The one we will do the most this summer. And we got to initiate this ritual today.

I must say, being outside is such a mood lifter for me! A girl can only handle being cooped up playing HotWheels and Fireman for so many months of the year. It felt so great to be at the park with the boys. We stayed for an hour and a half until we were hungry & tired and ready for our supper waiting in the crockpot (so thankful for that ol' thing). We had a blast...just walking around, laying in the grass, collecting pinecones into a big pile, throwing them in the water, teaching Simeon how to slide, watching for birds and dogs and airplanes, letting Simeon explore the park from the vertical position for the first time, having a standing on one leg contest with Eli

....breathing fresh air

...it was just so refreshing for me!

And I've been able to exercise outside the last two days. SO MUCH BETTER! All this fresh air has energized me...and really lifted my mood on life and the day to day mundane.

Oh yeah...its spring break in the town I commute to, which means no work for me next week. Woohoo! I'm looking forward to having the extra time at home with the boys, and am more excited just for a mental break. Just to know I don't need to stay up doing paperwork or planning.

My nephew had his break this week so he and my mom came and spent Wednesday with us.

Grandma covered naptime duty while I took my nephew Sammy to Walmart and the skate park. Hanging out with a 10 year old kid is incredibly different than my little guys. Going to WM was so easy. No car seats or cart-belts to fiddle with. Then I just sat on the side of the skate park...giving the occasional thumbs up or "good job" and just watched him do his thing! A weird glimpse into my life in seven years. So...blogland, this is my nephew Sammy. He is pretty fantastic! And he's going to be a big brother in September! I'm beyond excited!

For those of you who suggested it ---I finally started One Thousand Gifts today. I blew off chores and spent naptime in the bathtub reading. It was fabulous!

Weekend plans ---Hanging out at home tomorrow. Working more on the yard and garden preparations. Grocery-trip at some point. Friends over Sunday. Reading. Cleaning. Crafting. ---well, whatever my heart desires really. The weekend is wide open for our enjoyment! I love weekends like that! Have fun!

Oh yeah...its supposed to rain. NOT SNOW! I'm so excited! I love rain...and playing in it is on Eli's list...so maybe it really is spring!

Release

2011-04-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hey friends...so for over a year I've had this (what I will leave unnamed) burden on my back. Its been weighing me down. Its been weighing our family down. Its been a burden full of heartbreak and growing bitterness.

Last weekend I went with some girlfriends to hear Priscilla Shirer speak. I can't explain enough how great it was to sit and hear some great teaching and be able to give my undivided attention to it. (sidenote: Simeon refuses to go to nursery. I mean the shaking/crying/ getting all splotchy kind of refusal. So we usually have him and sometimes Eli with us in church. We're working on it. Thats a whole other blog! ha!)

Back to Saturday...

God spoke to me!

And I'm suddenly free from this burden that I've carried around --weighing down myself, my family, and my relationship with Jesus.

It was one of those moments where the Word of God just jumps out and bites you and you know those words are meant for you to hear & understand at that moment. A light came on within me and the release of my burden was almost immediate.

Release. Relief. Renewal.

Its a good place to be. I'm not saying I'm at a "I have it all together" kind of place. Not even close! But I'm in a place where I'm listening to my Father's voice...not anyone disguised as that voice.

Ahhh.... :)

On a completely different note ...here is some random from my life. My babe is sick and its so sad ---it was a LONG night! I have hours of progress-report writing that I'm completely avoiding. Matt's book rocks & I'm on the last chapter ---I can't wait to see what happens with this. Finished week 3 of my 10K training...wooohoo! My tomato seedlings have come up. My house feels so messy and is in deep need of spring cleaning and re-organization. Blowing bubbles in the garage with a 3 year old before bed is quite therapeutic. I love hearing your random...so please share! :)

Linking up to Shell's blog &

Pour Your Heart Out.

You Capture ---Fun

2011-04-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Click here to go to the most recent post at Naptime Notes. ;)

Favorite Faces From March

2011-04-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

I love this shot! The look on each of their faces captures so much of their own personality.

It's "People's Choice" week for the IHeartFaces photo challenge. So click here to go see some awesome shots taken in March and vote for your ten favorites. I'm number 225...or somewhere around there.

What we're reading lately...

2011-03-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Not only did Simeon decide to start walking this week...he also discovered that books are for more than chewing on. With his new found mobility, he is constantly toddling over to the bookshelf to grab one of his books and brings it to me saying "boo, boo, boo" and signing please really fast. (Yes...I already see the final consonant deletion process being formed in his little brain and it drives me crazy and I'm trying to ignore it and not analyze him all the time. haha.) It's adorable and I love his new found interest and that he is now interacting and enjoying books...not just playing with them.

Eli is my little bookworm. This is our afternoon ritual. He often wakes up around 2:30 and brings his blankets out to the living room and cuddles in the sunshine under the window and looks at books until Simeon wakes up. I love it. Its so peaceful. Sometimes he lets me read to him at this time...but often I just cuddle on the other end of the couch and read my own book, leaving him to enjoy his on his own. His favorites include, any Curious George book, Most Dr. Suess books, the Snoopy Encyclopedia collection from Matt's childhood, Where's Waldo from when I was a kid, Duck Soup, I Love You Stinky Face, Little Critter, Silly Sally, and whatever library books we get for the week. Its funny to see what he picks out at the library. Excited for garage sale season...which is where I often find good kids books for them. (amongst the thousands of junky ones). :)

Linked up to You Capture ---Vibrance

Thought I'd share what I've read so far in 2011. I don't necessarily recommend these for all readers...but if something catches your eye then ask me in the comments and I will give you a quick review. I love to hear what others are reading so I thought I'd share too. For example --my friend Jen just told me about this book and after looking it up, I'm very excited to read it now! ;) I probably would have never heard of it...it pays to have a well-read friend. :) But before that one...I'm planning to read One Thousand Gifts and the first draft of my husbands book (not sure if I can share the title). SO EXCITED FOR THAT ONE! I'm so proud of him for taking on and completing such a huge project!

So...on to the list.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy
The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Room by Emma Donaghue
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Made to Crave by Lysa Teurkheurst
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
MockingJay by Suzanne Collins
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

What book have you read in 2011 that was fantastic? Please share. I love having a list of books that I want to read!

Taking away the pacifier

2011-03-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

In 2009, I blogged about how I was pushing Sim to take the paci and all he wanted was his thumb. Well...I won that battle and he is now absolutely attached to his beloved "bupee," instead of his thumb. Now I'm paying the price for all that pacifier benefit that I wanted. Simeon is almost 20 months and I know I need to take it away. With Eli, we just did it. We endured the crying and took it away cold turkey when he turned 18 months. Well, we tried that with Sim about a month ago. It lasted an afternoon. And I gave in at bedtime. He doesn't use it during the day (usually) and just needs it to go to sleep. Yes..I know. I'm such a sucker!

But... he really loves his paci! Can't you tell?

I know all the strategies. I just can't bite the bullet. Maybe because that will just be another sign that he's becoming less baby-like. And now the little man has decided in the last 24 hours to start walking on his own...without us ~~bribing~~ prompting him to with the beloved cell-phone. Its so exciting! Sandra pointed out that he is "toddling"...which means he must be a "toddler" instead of a baby. Haha! Such a big boy!

Every stage is so fun...and as much as I will miss him being held close so often...this next stage is going to be awesome. It will be so fun this summer to have them both running through the sprinkler and climbing the playground at the park. Watching these boys grow is such an amazing gift!

WWW fans...sorry!

2011-03-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, For those of you that have contacted me regarding my lack of Weight Watcher Wednesday posts...I'm sorry! I know I haven't posted forever. Part of that is that Wednesday is sandwiched between my 2 away-from-home workdays...meaning I have lots of paperwork and planning to do and want to spend all my extra time with my boys and Matt. The bigger part is that I have been frustrated and have not really wanted to blog about it.

But here goes.

Keepin' it real.

Winter was hard in the weight loss dept. I stopped nursing Simeon in the fall and almost instantly gained 10 lbs. I was working out and eating right and still gained the weight. So frustrating! Then the holidays got the best of me, despite all my effort. I hurt my hip which took me away from running for about 6 weeks. And then winter and weeks of rotating sickness entered our house...and well there is excuse after excuse. I gained another 12 lbs back. Thats 22 of my 60 lb loss ...back on my body. It makes me feel sick to think about. I swore I would never gain any of it back unless it involved a 3rd child. I feel like I let myself down.

Its not that I haven't been trying. I've had bursts of inspiration and some really good days/weeks. But it seems that over the last few months things just keep coming up. There is always an excuse not to work out. Sometimes legit reasons, and sometimes not. I don't want to live in this yo-yo stage of weight loss/gain. I just want to maintain at a healthy weight...but that is proving to be tricky.

So here I am again...needing to lose my 22 lbs that I've gained back, plus the ten that I still needed to lose on top of my 60. My body seems to be protesting. I've worked out 7 of the last 8 days. I've been eating reasonable portions. I haven't been counting my points for Weight Watchers. That is probably what I need to do and I wish I could say I'm doing it. I just am not there mentally. My game is not on with the point-counting. I think I am ready to go full force, but then I don't do it. So frustrating! Sometimes there is just so much more in my day that I want to think about...and counting points is just not where I want to put my energy. It is what it is and I'm convinced you have to be mentally with it to succeed with point-counting for WW. Now...I haven't just been eating whatever I want. Breakfast and lunch have continued to be my low-point staple meals. For dinners, I have been preparing healthy food and trying limit my intake to reasonable amounts. I know that this is often still over the points that I need.

Ugh...on to the good news.

This week Matt and I have started our 10K training program. We are on the second week now. I am so excited to be running races with Matt again this summer.

Friends, it feels SO GOOD to have a plan and to be checking it off day by day with my man. It feels great to see it hanging there on the fridge. A reminder that I'm strong. I can do this. A reminder that I need to drink more water and snack less ---so I have a better run. A reminder to honor my body and honor God by taking care of myself. Every time my body gets back in the exercise routine...I wonder why I ever quit or slacked off with it. It makes me feel so much better.

Mentally I'm feeling better from exercising. Hopefully my body will start shedding some pounds. So far it hasn't. I'm excited for summer. For hiking and camping and pulling my boys around town in the bike trailer. I'm excited to be running outside. To be eating lightly for energy to fuel life...not for comfort or out of boredom.

There is my update. Sorry I've been such a lamo with blogging about my journey with weight loss lately. Its been a season of frustration and self-reflection. But I really do want to keep it real about this stuff. I know its a struggle for others and talking with others about it can be so encouraging. We just, together, need to get over our failures, celebrate successes and the life we have, and make the necessary changes today!

So...lets talk.

linking up to PourYourHeartOut over at Shell's place. Go check it out.

You Capture ---Youth

2011-03-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

YOUTH

a: the time of life when one is young

b: the early period of existence, growth, or development

Good Morning...

2011-03-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday morning to you!

I'm sitting on my couch sipping coffee and watching SuperWhy with Eli. His two little blankey-covered feet are tapping my leg and his giggles keep making me smile. Simmy is sleeping. I feel so relaxed and peaceful.

It was a great weekend. Matt took Friday off and we went with friends to the Butterfly Pavillion to celebrate a birthday. Didn't take my camera but snapped this with my phone of Eli & his best buddy on his 4th birthday.

I got there & realized I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera. Was annoyed with myself but it did free me up to just fully enjoy every moment with my boys and not worry about keeping track of my lens cap. :) haha. Eli had a blast being there with 6 of his friends. I had a blast too. The butterflies were amazing and I had Matt & two of my best gal-pals there too. And the weather in Colorado was amazing!

Yesterday was the first day of spring. To honor it I wore a skirt and ballet flats...although I bared my white legs, I still layered with a long sleeve on top. But I am hopeful that spring temperatures will soon come to Wyoming. (I'm ignoring the forecast for snow tomorrow) And I'm keeping a positive attitude that these spring snows are good for the land and will keep the fire-bans away longer this summer when we want to camp. Right!? And I got to run outside this weekend...so that is an improvement over the last 7 months. I'm hopeful! Oh...I bought this in honor of my spring hopes too!

It will be a fun adventure this spring! I really don't know what I'm doing but excited to try and learn. I may be getting two of these to double them up and make a deeper above ground container.

The weekend was just so relaxed and carefree. We went to a puppy adoption show. We took the boys to Murdoch's this weekend to see the baby chicks and bunnies. Talking to the worker...I was actually considering having chickens someday. When we have a bigger backyard...I think it would be awesome and so fun for the boys. Matt laughed at me. Maybe someday! :) Again...didn't have my cameras which was a nice break...but I did snap this of Simeon.

Isn't he a cute little cowboy...I can imagine him crawling over to the chicken coop to get some fresh eggs for breakfast. haha!

---Back to the weekend recap --- Matt & I both got our workouts in. We ate simple meals at home. We made springtime crafts. We played in the dirt and planted some flower seeds with the boys. We rode bikes outside. We tried to coax Simeon into practicing walking. I got the baseboards vacuumed. (tip:I brought the shopvac in and it worked so much better than our vacuum cleaner attachment). Matt worked on our bathrooms. We upgraded to new light fixtures, new framed mirrors, and new paint in the boys bathroom. I love the changes and am thankful to have a handy hubby who tackles these projects. (all I really did was hold the flashlight). :) We had our closest friends over for dinner which is always good. I love the beautiful chaos of our families stuffed into our little house (10 kids total). We are blessed.

It was a great weekend. It should be a great week too. I'm pretending not to hear Eli's coughing this morning and praying that its nothing. ;)

Have a great week!

Mommy-Workout

2011-03-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite in our house. I push the boys around in the laundry basket acting like a train or a car or I just make sound effects and make them laugh. Everyone wins...I get a quick little extra dose of exercise and they get lots of giggles.

The above picture was last June...when it was manageable.

Here is today.

Besides the fact that they are overflowing out of the basket...I can only do a couple runs down our short hall before puttering out form pushing 65+ lbs of boy. They have grown so much and I think this game will soon be a game of the past...or at least a one-child at a time act. ;) But I'm glad they still kind-of fit. Its fun to see them all squished and giggly.

Have I mentioned how much Simeon loves this Cabbage Patch Doll? He really loves it. I know he's a boy and some people aren't down with that. But I think its adorable how he hugs and kisses it and pats his back. ;)

Speaking of working out. I've been doing it for real...not just train rides. It's felt good this week. I have my calendar on the fridge and its working. :) I'm super sore...which is a good thing. I know I haven't blogged about working out or eating right...but I'm still on that journey too. Just haven't made time to write about it lately. Sorry.

So...I know its silly. But I hate that I had to work on St Patricks Day. I have never in my life cared about this holiday one single bit. But now that I have kids...all I wanted to do was be at home making tissue-paper 4 leaf clovers and Shamrock smoothies. I did neither of these today and it killed me. Matt picked up my slack and cooked the boys an awesome green eggs & green pancakes breakfast, took them to the dinosaur museum and gave Eli Lucky Charms (which he never gets any sugar cereals so it was very special). He made the day special for them and celebrated the uniqueness of this random and weird Americanized holiday. He also taught Eli the history of St. Patrick and the 3 leaf clover. How awesome is that?!?! I love him for that. But it was just one of those days that I was wishing I didn't have a part-time job to take away from my full-time job of being mama. And I really love my SLP job and am so thankful for it...but sometimes I just miss my boys too much on my two days a week gone. I'm just venting...sorry about that!

What are you up to today? Come on...leave a comment and make my day!

Peace out!

My Seasoned Heart. & You Capture

2011-03-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

I was a loved kiddo. My mom & dad have given me unconditional love my entire life. They gave me a big heart.

When I fell in love with Matt, when I was 18 years old, I was madly in love and felt overflowing love from him. Totally smitten! Fast-forward...6 years of marriage later we were blessed with a perfect little baby boy. Elijah. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I couldn't believe how much love I felt. I still can't put words to it. I was in awe of this tiny miracle that Matt & I made. Almost exactly two years later, we are blessed with another perfect little baby boy. My sweet Simeon. Again...thought my heart and mind was going to explode. My love for Matt and the way he had loved and served me through the LONG pregnancy... and then these little miracles that call me mama.

My heart has grown much larger since having kids.

Every part of the world looks different to me with this bigger heart. I now have mommy-eyes that I look through.

This larger heart brings me so much joy. I understand the love my parents have felt for me. It brings me a clearer understanding of the love Jesus feels for all of us. It brings me many butterfly and rainbow feelings...

This larger heart also brings much more pain.

It loves greater. And it hurts more.

I think about September 11, 2007 ---two months after my heart doubled its size after the birth of Eli---this day affected me 10 times more than 9/11/2001. It doesn't make sense...but it did. My heart is different than it was in 01. It is larger, which makes it easier to touch and it hurts more. I more clearly understand. Every year its more intense, as I remember. As I think about the children that still don't have their parents because of that day, I hurt and pray for them.

Seriously folks...I cry so much more than I used to. I feel pain in my heart so much deeper.

My mirror neurons are firing like crazy and taking on the feelings of others with little restraint. I feel the unleashed joy of my sons full and rich belly-giggles. I also notice how much deeper I feel the pain of a friend or family-member mourning the loss of their babies they never got to meet. I read about the injustices for children in the world and am overwhelmed with the pain and hurt.

Last Friday morning I saw the images from Japan on my computer screen early in the morning and tears were streaming down my face within minutes. Today on the radio they spoke of a 4 month old baby found in the mud after several days and he was still alive...and was reunited with his Daddy. Once again tears (now of joy and celebration) were rolling down my cheeks. A minute later I was crying different tears for the mother that wasn't reunited with that sweet new baby.

The tears surprise me. How easily they flow these days. How deeply my bigger heart is tugged on.

Is this just part of growing up? A part I didn't know about?

I'm not complaining. I am just learning how to deal with this bigger heart. How could I complain?Look what I get in return...

Linking up to Pour Your Heart Out & You Capture

People's Choice

2011-03-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

I so love this picture that I shot a couple weeks ago. It makes me smile and I do believe if we ever have an office, it will be blown up and framed on the wall. Even when he is 12.

Oh...and if you missed it...this big guy took his first steps on Saturday, which was his 19-month birthday. I'm one excited mommy!

Its the People's Choice week over at Iheartfaces. So head over to see and vote on your favorites from February.

First Steps

2011-03-05T19:15:00.001-08:00

Happy 19 months old to Simeon today...and its Happy Learning to Walk Day!

Tonight Simeon took his first steps. Matt was home and the four of us were playing in Eli's room before bed. With the lure of the beloved cell phone, he took several steps back and forth between Matt & I. It was so exciting and a moment I'm sure I will never forget! Here is us trying to re-enact it in the living room for the camera. He was doing even better than this in the bedroom the first time.

So life is about to get even busier. Its so exciting.

I visited a neighbor today who is about to have a baby any day, her first. As I spent time chatting with her I was reminded of how it seems like that was us yesterday. As I talked to her and her husband, I remembered Matt & I saying literally the exact same things. I spent time with them and enjoyed how cute they are as they prepare to meet their baby boy. It was a sweet little reminder of how blessed we are and how our journey into parenthood has flown by and been such a gift that I take for granted way too often. And now...two kids later from us being that couple awaiting their first child, our baby took his first steps. Its so thrilling and this love I have for my boys continues to blow my mind at moments when I don't expect it. And even amidst the fussy teething baby and the boundary-testing 3 year old, I find myself completely smitten with love and anticipation of spending time with and watching these littles grow. And completely smitten with Matt who cares for and loves all 3 of us so deeply.

I know I sound sappy. But my sweet Simmy just took his first steps...isn't that a good reason for a momma to be sappy?

ps...its totally humorous to me that I finally let the worrying about his delay win and had the PT come take a quick look at him yesterday. haha

You Capture ---Technology

2011-03-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

My little men love technology. They love the instant gratification of seeing their pictures and videos on the little camera screen. They love their Android apps (Toddler Lock for Sim and Kids Connect for Eli are our faves). They love to look at pictures, type in Word, and watch YouTube videos on the computer. They love to press the buttons on my Kindle and hide it in all sorts of places for me to find. Oh...life is sure different from when I was a kid. I say my kids love technology but really they just love spending time with me. They see us use these things and are intrigued by them. So we include them and let them enjoy some of our world. Don't worry...really they spend hardly any time with grown up technology and still much prefer play-doh and footballs. :) But when we do share our toys...they have fun! :)

Visit You Capture to see other technology shots.

On parenting.

2011-02-26T22:16:00.001-08:00

I love watching other parents and learning from them. Matt & I have been blessed with so many great role models for how to be parents.

Tonight we were hanging out with some friends who have two boys. 21 and 17. So...they obviously have been where we are and know more about parenting.

I'm blown away by them. We hung out for three hours and they got several texts from both of their boys. They spoke of them both so highly (and honestly about the harder things). They love and support their boys, even when they don't agree with their decisions. They embrace who each of them are, are proud of them, recognize their strengths and spur them on. It is a beautiful picture.

But that's not always the case.

It got me thinking. I have an idea of what I want my boys to be when they grow up. Not what I want them to do...thats up to them. But WHO I want them to be. Men of character, integrity, wisdom, grace, passion & compassion. I want them to love Jesus and to find out what serving Him looks like in their life.

But those aren't things I can make happen. I can pray for those things. Matt & I can model those things for and to them. We can instruct them.

But in the end its going to be there choice.

THAT IS SO HARD FOR ME TO DEAL WITH.

At some point I'm going to lose control. And listen folks...I have a hard enough time losing control over every second of their days even with little things now...like letting them go to preschool or having babysitters. To know that I can't control what they will become kills me!

We know so many great people...great parents whose children have grown up and made choices and ended up in situations that are a million miles from where I'm sure their parents dreamed for them to be. These are parents that I'm sure did the BEST they could and it was probably a really good job of parenting. Then we know other families where every kid has turned out to be exploding in the above mentioned areas of character.

So what makes the difference?

I don't expect anyone to really have an answer for this. But if you do then please lay it on me!

This parenting gig is just not something I want to mess up. What I'm doing now shapes who I am and who they become.

So as I sit in my dark living room hacking up a lung and listening to Eli do the same in his bed...As I hear the lovely Jewel Lullabies coming from Sim's room...I pray that I'm doing all that I can. I once again release my kiddos to my Heavenly Father and pray protection over their lives. I pray for mercy over my failures in parenting them and God's grace to be real and overflowing in their lives as they grow.

It's late.

Peace out!

You Capture --- "L" Words

2011-02-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

If you've seen the movie...you can appreciate the little scene in the background that I found on Eli's window sill. Can you tell what's going on?

Head over to You Capture to see more L-word pictures.

Spring Fever

2011-02-21T05:35:00.000-08:00

I am so ready for spring. I can hardly stand it! We had a brief glimpse of no wind and played in the driveway for a few minutes. As much as I love hunkering down and being creative with indoor play...I'm over it. I'm ready for bike rides and sidewalk chalk. I say this as the wind is howling and the current windchill is 2. This is the hardest part of the year for me...where I swear I'm ready to move! Ha!But we are getting small signs of spring slowly getting closer.

This week's photo challenge was to use your cell phone.

You Capture ---Warmth

2011-02-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

My boys are very attached to their blankeys! I mean VERY attached. It's sweet.

So this was pretty much torture.

Ahhh...relief.

Mr. Cheeser-Happy Man.

Head over to You Capture to see more takes on warmth!

Naptime Notes

Trust

I Heart Faces : By the Book.

From My Phone #1

You Capture : Mornings

Owning it.

I Heart Faces : Best face of 2011

You Capture : Top 10 of 2011

Happy New Year!

Looking Back 2011 : So much to be thankful for.

Smorgasbord

smor·gas·bord

Christmas Eve.

Wow...Its Dec 7th

Just Write.

You Capture : Fall

Processing...and because I want to always remember these.

You Capture : Halloween

You Capture : Cute

Freaky Miniature Snowman & Matt's Birthday

I Heart Faces : Let them be little.

3 weeks.

A Sunday evening post.

Letting go & enjoying

Already...

I Heart Faces : Best of Summer 2011

What do you do while your kids take a bath?

What will our kids look back on and shake their heads at?

Cutting the curlys.

I'm here...

Waiting...

Quitting my love/hate relationship with running

My random life...

You Capture : Ordinary Moments

"Don't hold me, Mommy."

SO HAPPY it's Friday!

You Capture : Happiness

Rest

I Heart Faces : Friendship

A Birthday Photo Dump.

My sweet Simeon is 2 years old.

10 things on my mind:

The power of the bucket

Up and Down.

My thoughts this morning.

A random catch-up blog.

What could be better?

Four

The Whirlwind of Summertime

Guess who showed up...

Looking back : Dear Photograph

Sharing one of my favorite things to ask my kiddos.

Happy 4th of July

Granola bars and an overnight bag.

You Capture : Water

Where I'm From...

I heart faces : a touch of whimsy

Summer is here.

How cute is this?

Celebrating Matt

Relaxing & enjoying our weekend getaway.

You Capture ---Games

Sometimes its impossible to stay mad...

I've got so much...

My guys today...

Blog, Shelly, Blog!

The house is quiet.

Rally to Restore Unity

You Capture ---Outside

Waiting for my clothes to dry.

Times to Remember.

You Capture ---Spring

Sunday Night Thoughts

WINDY!

It has started

Thankful

Laughing with my husband...

You Capture ---Smile

SORRY

Mood lifter