Happy Birthday to my best freind!

Happy Birthday! 6-10-09

Watching the rice sizzle

Chopsticks were a big hit

Owen ate 3 noodles for dinner--that was it!

Today is Matt's 34th birthday. It always comes around so quick each year, which means mine is soon to follow!! I cannot even begin to put into words what a wonderful husband and what an amazing father he is to me and our four children. I am blessed to have married a man who loves the Lord with all his heart, loves me more than anything on earth, and adores his children with everything he has. There is a great country song on the radio right now called I Thought I loved you Then. It is about how you think you love someone so much at the moment you were: married, engaged, etc.. that you can't even imagine how you could love somebody more than at that moment....but it happens. Your love grows each year, each day, each hour, each child (i had to put that in there!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uzAVTGOl-8

Here is a link to that song! So good.

The Things you see at Wal-mart

Tonight I got home from the grocery store and Matt came in the kitchen to help me bring all the groceries in. Well, he looked at my face and started dying laughing and says "You have stuff all over your face". Well, I look in the mirror and I had black stuff all over my lips and my chin! I had walked around Wal-mart, just as happy as can be with ink all over my face. In the car on the way to the store, I pulled a pen out of my purse that had leaked and it must have gotten on my hands, then face, etc... I think it is hilarious that the check out kid , and the man I talked to in front of me, and the lady that asked where the cranberry juice was, and the guy who helped me get the dog food in my cart, didn't say anything. So, the next time you see me out and I have new beauty marks on my face, please let me know!

More Beautiful You

I have heard this song many times recently on the radio and love it. Take a listen!
The words are so powerful. Now that I have a daughter of my own, I am more aware than ever, of how deceiving this world can be. Beauty is not measured by our outward apperance, but our inner heart. I will fight to make sure my kids know truth and purpose through Christ Jesus and not the lies of this world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjE0PHi30Qs&feature=related

Prima Ballerina

Kate and her Ballet teachers!

Here are a few ballet terms that I need to get familiar with:
Pirouette. A complete turn on one foot, with the swing of an arm providing the force.

Plie. A full bending of the knees in any of the five positions. In all positions but second and fourth ouverte the heels will come off the ground;

Prima Ballerina. The star dancer.

Tutu. The very short skirt that was first worn by ballerinas in Romantic ballets of the 19th century.

Kate did a ballet camp this week and she loved it! It was so fun for me to see her get really excited about something new. There were only 5 little girls in the camp, so it was perfect for her. I never was a dancer and I know I am going to enjoy having Kate try it out.

While Kate was at camp, me and the boys went to the North Shelby Library for a special program with a FLOW circus juggler/clown/magician. He was great. Right up my preschoolers alley. On the way home, I asked my kids what their favorite part was and they both agreed it was when he shook his bottom. Gotta love 4 & 5 year old boy's humor.

We wrapped our day up by getting out the good ole play-dough! Note to self...(and I seem to forget this every time)...play-dough IS NOT an independent activity for my children. I thought I was going to have some time to start dinner, but ended up making about 100 snakes. The best part of play-dough is that it keeps on giving the rest of the week (sarcasm here). I will find bits of play-dough all over the kitchen for the next few days.

Spare the Rod....

My Spirited Owen

Oh how I loathe disciplining, potty training is up there, but discipling a child is just painful, for both parties. I am continuing to work on my children "obeying the first time". I am so tired of delayed obedience from my kids that I am really going to crack the whip (no pun intended) to get this under control. I know that the Lord commands us to raise up our children in the way they should go...to make them aware of what is right and wrong and so on and so on.....yes! I get it, I truly believe it, but does a child's will have to be so strong?!

Sometimes I wonder, "Does he just not get it?" Does he realize He is making the CHOICE to disobey? Am I too hard on him? Am I not hard enough? Is he going to hate me one day?

It all comes back to trusting God. Do I trust him with every area of my life? Yes.

Do I trust Him with my children's lives? YES!

This is a paragraph taken from a great book Shepherding a Child's heart.

As a parent, you must exercise authority. You must require obedience of your child because they are called by God to obey and honor you. You must exercise authority, not as a cruel taskmaster, but as one who truly loves them. Children generally do not resist authority that is truly kind and selfless. I must shepherd his thoughts, helping him to learn discernment and wisdom. Parenting is shepherding the hearts of my children in the ways of God's wisdom.

Wonderful World of Boys

This is what happens when I try to get a family picture!

My Boys

G has discovered the Soccer Ball

Future Soccer Star!

Gray has discovered the wonderful world of Balls. Have I really not yet introduced him to balls yet? Poor 4th child. He is so happy when he has this ball in his hands and will throw it and chase it around the house. I actually brought it with us in the car today when we were going somewhere because he is so fussy in the car. It worked! He was so content sitting in his car seat holding a ball as big as him.

All the Single Ladies...

Here is a shout out to all those single moms out there! I can only imagine doing what I do when Matt is out of town, all the time. It is tough work. I have gotten spoiled because with the slow economy, Matt's traveling has slowed too. I forgot how much work and how tiring it is to be a single parent.
For my friend who have wondered what my days are like, here it goes: This would be a typical day for us or a "good day"
6:30 -kids are waking up- roll/crawl out of bed to go get G, nurse him in his room b/c he gets so distracted these days that I have to hole up in his room.
7:30--kids are STARVING. pancakes, cereal, waffles, whatever is easiest
8:00--cleaning up the kitchen, keeping G out of the cabinets, get everyone dressed, kids play, I try to brush my teeth while G plays in the bathtub with no water! It is like a playpen...why have I never thought of this. Pack lunches and snacks for the day
9:00-try to get out the door to the gym...this starts at 9 and we are out the door by 9:30
10:15--heading somewhere fun , usually meeting some friends...zoo, pool, park, library, etc
12:00--Eat our packed lunches
1:00--return home b/c I still have 2 nappers...G and Kate. Nurse G and convince Kate to sleep too. she is starting to fight me on this.
W & O will usually rest for 30 minutes in the basement bedroom and then watch some T.V. for an hour. This gives me an hour to unpack our stuff and shower, start preparing dinner, etc
3:00--Everyone is up, ready for a snack--oh....back in the kitchen!
3:30-5:30--we are usually at home just playing outside or in the playroom. I might do a load of laundry in there and try to pick up some things. Mostly we are riding big wheels, playing with our neighbors, jumping on the trampoline, playing animals, etc...
5:30--starting to cook dinner
6:00--bath time (on a good day)
6:30 dinner
7:00 Video for the W, O, & K (I take G upstairs to feed him and put him down)
7:30 head up to bed, brush teeth, read 3 books, prayers,
8:00 BED
8:30--clean up the kitchen, go back up to tell the kids to go to sleep
fold laundry, pick up, check emails, & do all the things I need to get done
10:00 I am in bed and very soon after my head hits the pillow, I am up again to do it all over

The Invisible Mom

I often take it for granted that I have the privilege to be a stay at home mom full time to my children. There are those crazy, hectic mornings that I say good bye to Matt and part of me wishes I could walk out the door and go to work too. This longing usually doesn't last very long, because before I can further think about it, I have 4 precious children who all need me at the same time. I received an email recently about the invisible mom and it really touched me. There was so much truth to the poem. I wonder if anyone realizes how the laundry magically gets done, the dishes put away, the meals cooked, the house cleaned....I could go on, but you get the picture! The other day before church, I was upstairs picking up some toys and getting things together before I needed to go get dressed myself and Wills, my oldest said, "Mommy will you come play with me?" Before I blurted out "No, I was too busy", I thought my child WANTS to play with me. He longs to spend time with me. How much longer will I get this chance? Well, I sat down and played with him for only 20 minutes, but you should have seen how happy he was to be playing with ME! I must admit, I can play some pirates, bad guys, knights, etc...I actually have quite the imagination when it comes to this stuff and they love it. Soon to join in was Owen and Kate and we had a blast. I didn't get a shower before church. I didn't have time to put on make up much less do anything with my hair, but I don't think my kids will remember that. What I know they will remember is....Mommy played with us. She spent time with us. I may not get to do it as often as they would like--because that would be all day, but I can make more of an effort to sit down on a daily basis and be a kid too!

And the child grew and became strong in spirit. Luke 1:80

Link to The Invisible Mom http://strollerstrides.com/blog/?p=444

Funalicious!

Yesterday I was at the bookstore and I saw it....The newest book by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann.....

Goldilicious

I am a sucker when it comes to Children's books. I just can't resist. It stems back to my days as a first grade teacher, I guess. We frequent the library weekly, but some books I just have to own. All the books in this series are books I just have to have. I surprised Kate with our newest book this morning and it is just as cute, if not cuter than the others. If you are looking for an adorable book for your little girl, check these out. They are worth it.

p.s. my boys won't admit it, but they like them too!

Rounding out May

my red rockers. Now we have more seating for the kids on the porch

Air Hockey Table ($20) I have lost to both Owen and Wills, but will continue to faithfully work on my air hockey skills now that we own a table that resides in our basement.

goofing off at home this weekend. We are soaking wet, in our clothes, and yes, that is a sand and water table!

This weekend was so nice and relaxing and a fun time spending together as a family. The last weekend of May...wow is time flying by or what?!

On Friday night we meet some great friends and their 3 kids at a restaurant called Pablos at Lee Branch. If you ever are in need of a kid friendly place to go...go here! We sat outside under the biggest Oak tree I have ever seen (really) and the kids spent the majority of the time dancing to the music played by a Neil Diamond impersonator (ha) and running around on the adjacent EMPTY patio lot, conveniently enclosed and just close enough to keep one eye on them. It was a fun night catching up with close friends.

On Saturday, I went for my Saturday morning run while Matt mowed the grass and I happened upon a garage sale along my running route. Of course, I cannot pass up a sale, so I let my heart rate take a rest and went to take a peak at some "merchandise". Well, I am thankful I took that break because I found lots of "treasures" at this sale. I put a few things on hold (lol) and headed home to get the car and my cash. Above are a few items I found. I also picked up an Imaginex castle and pirate ship, complete with knights and pirates ($5), a wicker toy chest ($5) that I am painting black and putting in the playroom, a bike for Wills ($3) , 2 cute antique red rocking chairs ($8 for both), a outdoor wicker chair with cushion ($5) and my favorite....an air hockey table for $20!

Later that day, we went to the pool for the first time as a family and had a blast. This is our first year to go to this neighborhood pool and the kids are warming up to it. Owen jumped off the diving board for the first time on Saturday. That child just hopped up there, walked to the end and jumped on in, not one bit of hesitation. G loves the water and is determined to crawl to the deep-end side of the pool. Not sure what is up with that?! Kate is scared to death of the water, but I was able to get her in with me while I held her. Her legs and arms were wrapped so tightly around my waist and neck that I could barely breathe. Wills is Wills--cautious as ever and making new friends each time we go. The best part about the pool is the Snack Bar. We have been to the pool 4 times this year and have bought a ring pop each time. It works out in my favor though, because it takes them about 20 minutes to finish it.

On Saturday night Matt and I went out on a date while his parents watched the kids. We enjoyed a nice long dinner, actually tasted our food, drove around a little, went up to the Summit and got caught up with everything going on with each other. It was a much needed night out and I am so thankful for Matt's parents who will watch all four kids. Sunday morning we headed to church for an amazing service and some awesome praise and worship time, which I so needed. Matt took the boys to Lake Gunnarsville to ride the boat this afternoon and I am left home with 2 babies asleep and a quiet house all to myself.....

yes, life is good!!

***The above entry omitted all accounts of fighting, hitting, teasing, numerous tantrums, scratching, crying etc... on purpose! Do not be deceived. The above actions did occur, various times throughout the week-end*****)

Surviving Summer

i just had to include G--even though he sleeps during craft time!

Owen's masterpiece

I have put a lot of thought into how I will survive this summer, having 4 kids 5 and under at home with me will surely try my patience! I decided to make a summer schedule of fun which includes at least one outing, usually to the pool, park, zoo, mcwane center, etc...!
I also decided that, since my kids love arts and crafts, I would put together an ART BOX for the summer!
I went to Micheals and Wal-mart (which actually has a decent craft department) and filled a big plastic tub with random arts supplies. Here is a list of some items I threw in the bag.
Helpful Hint #1 Go to the store without your kids.


String/rope for bracelets
beads
feathers
glue
stapler
construction paper
finger paint
google eyes
craft sticks
foam stickers (they now have peel off tape on the back--these were a big hit)
stencils
NEW markers and crayons
confetti (large)
pipe cleaners
washable finger paint


This is a short list. If it was cheap, I bought it. I spent about $40 on craft supplies, but it has already been worth it. The kids spent an hour quietly making masterpieces from all the "stuff"
I bought. I found some extra beach pails and separated items in each and let them at it. Warning: It is messy, but this was an HOUR of working quietly people!!! No fighting, teasing, wrestling....you get the picture!
Today, we sat out in the front yard and made necklaces and bracelets. It was so cute to see them work so hard stringing beads and then proudly wearing their necklaces. We even made G one, although I think that is a choking hazard!
Wills woke up this morning and said "Mommy can we do crafts today?" Forget the pool my friends, we will be busy crafting all day! Ha!

Hiking the Appalachian.....with Kids!

While at the Lake this past weekend, Matt and I drove with the kids to hike a part of the Appalachian trail. We loaded up the kids, made sure their crocs were on real snug and headed out for at least 40 minutes of trail trekking! G enjoyed his backpack ride and the kids loved exploring the trail looking for anything that moved. It was difficult to really let them explore off the trail because it was lined with all sorts of ivy, mostly poison ivy!! We did find millipedes, a grub, a very small grasshopper (who was sadly put out of his misery by 5 year old hands) and a really cool red salamander that hiked the entire time in the hands of O.

As we made our way back down the trail, we had to break the news that Mr. Newt would have to stay in his natural habitat! I suggested we find pet rocks instead and to my surprise, this worked. We all left the Appalachian with fond memories of Mr. Newt and precious stones in our pockets.

Fun in the Sun (and the Rain)

This past weekend was Memorial Day and I headed up on Thursday to my parent's lake house in Hiawasee, Georgia with the kids. My parent's recently renovated the house and it looks amazing. It was so fun to see how different it looked and to get to spend a few days with my sister and all my nieces and nephews. All the cousins were there....12 of them! Grant, Tanner, Hannah, Hudson, Wills, Caroline, Brody, Owen, Kate, Elliot, Emerson, and Gray! They had a blast. Lots of fishing, riding the jet skis, riding the boat, tubing (in the freezing water) and just being silly and having fun.

Wills is my child who wears his emotions all over his body. He literally cannot control how excited he is! He has done this since he was a baby and it is so sweet. He loved being around his older cousins. He kept saying how much fun he was having and you could tell he was in heaven!

We are looking forward to spending some time with all the cousins again in July~

Note to Self...

Here is a tip for any of you out there who frequent the Zoo a good bit as our family does.

Bring a kids camera for your kids to take pictures.

We went to the Zoo today, all of us, plus a friend, and each child took their own camera. All 3 have fisher price digital cameras. The picture quality is pretty poor, but the clicking is lots of fun. It was the best zoo experience I have had yet and we have been a lot. It REALLY helped out O, who tends to be the most challenging of my children. It gave him something to do with his hands and he was on a mission to snap pictures of everything. He even took pictures of the zoo signs. I cannot believe I had never thought to do this before, but note to self.....pack the cameras when going to the zoo!

happy Birthday KK

This weekend was very busy. We had two preschool graduations and luncheons and on Saturday KK turned 3~ It was a great weekend with lots of family in town and lots of chaos.

We celebrated K's birthday with a party at the park on Saturday morning. We ended the party a little early because the thunder and lightning got pretty bad. K had a blast. She received so much girlie girl pink "stuff" to add to her collection! Her favorite are all the many accessories (bracelets, necklaces, rings, purses, sunglasses) lip sticks and gloss and body glitter (yes...body glitter) she got. This girl is accessorized! It is hard to believe my baby girl is 3.

Good Night

G was not too happy when I put him in the cold pool today, but he did slowly warm up to it.

K, O, and G decided they would all play in the very small plastic pool, even though I just spent hours blowing up the huge inflatable pool.

W had a blast! Between his bff next door and a friend over from school, they played their little hearts out.

Mommy is beyond exhausted after today...gym this a.m., made cupcakes for K's school, running errands with K and G, shortened naps due to the power going out, a few tantrums, some fighting, playing outside for hours, pizza for dinner, baths because they were filthy, books, kisses, prayers, bed! The day is over and I must say, so am I.

blowing bubbles

We sat outside late afternoon and blew bubbles, used sidewalk chalk, filled up the blow up pool and put it in the front yard and just played and swam and played some more. I love this time of year. The days are longer, the mosquitos are NOT out yet, it is not too hot, ice-pops are in stock, and th e kids are outside more! What a great day!

Haircut Day

I took all four kids to great clips to get haircuts...G just needed his hair cut from growing over his ears, so I did that at home, but the other 3 needed "summer cuts". They were SO excited to go because they knew a lollipop awaited them after it was over. This is so funny to me because they get lollipops all the time, so it isn't this new treat. They must have a special extra yummy place they order their lollipops from. Come to think of it, the bank must shop there too!

The boys got their curls cut and some bulk (okay, a lot of bulk) taken off. We just all have big hair!!! I have decided to try to grow K's bangs out, so I wanted a cut to her shoulders. I told the girl many many times, that I still had to be able to do pig-tails! Well, K's hair is short and her pig-tails will be even shorter, but I love it. She looks so cute and I might add that it is fun to be able to do whatever I want to do with her hair because I know this will be short lived.

Sweet baby G

Yesterday, Mother's Day, I drove to see my sweet mom and pick up my babies. I had not seen them in a week. We took the boys on a wonderful vacation and left the younger 2 with Meme and Pop. I missed them so much. It felt so good to get them back and after hearing that G didn't do very great, I was ready to hold him and love on him. He didn't take a bottle the entire time I was gone and was a little confused as to where his mommy had gone. My mom is a trooper. I guess not much fazes you once you have raised 5 kids! She is amazing! I totally would have called me home early. One of my sisters said that he got better as the week went on because he figured, "well, I guess this is my new mommy and family." How sad! I felt pretty guilty about leaving him after I heard that, but it made it all the better when I got to snuggle with him, feed him and rock him last night.

He is glad to be home and I am glad to have everyone back together again.

Big Boy Trip

We are at the beach and having a great time! In the past, Matt and I have taken a trip every May to Destin all by ourselves. It is always a much needed break from the kids and time for matt and I to hang out. Usually I am pregnant each trip, but happy to say...not this year!
We decided to take the big boys. Big meaning 4 and 5. Big meaning, they go potty on their own, dress themselves, brush their own teeth, and can feed themselves!
My mom (who is a saint) is keeping the younger 2.
We are having a blast. We told the boys that mommy and daddy like to sleep past 6 on vacation, so do not wake us up and it actually has worked. They woke up this morning, turned on some PBS, ate some breakfast and played with the new prize I left out on the kitchen table (pirate figures). I rolled out of bed around 8:30!!!! So nice.
We spent the day on the beach reading, resting, swimming, looking for shells. We all slept this afternoon. W slept for 3 HOURS. O, not so much, but that is O for ya! My energizer bunny!
We ate out, drove race cars, spent 2 hours at Wal-mart buying fishing poles for tomorrow. Got the boys to bed around 9:30 and now enjoying the quiet. I am loving spending time with just the boys. Having 4 kids so close means that my mind is usually pre-occupied, trying to meet everyone's needs. It has been so fun to really focus on the boys and play with them without them having to share mom and dad with the little ones.