Hear

I love to hear:

My oldest son pray. He prays deep and meaningful prayers. Prayers that I'm certain please the Lord! He's such a special boy.

My youngest son belly laughing. He's really come into his own and has developed quite the sense of humor!

My children talk to each other. We have overheard many interesting conversations between the boys!

My boys encouraging each other. Despite their tempers, tantrums and tattling, there are moments of encouragement and love between the boys. I cherish these moments!

My husband pray with our boys. He prays with them each night before bed and they WILL NOT let him forget. I love what he is teaching our children.

My husband teaching. He makes me so proud. He loves doing so and the Lord has given him a great gift.

The sound of rain...as long as I'm inside.

Crunching snow...such a cool sound!

Where Babies Come From....just in case you wondered

M and I had a chance to talk the other day. Somehow, in a rare moments, just the two of us were riding in the van together. We got on the topic of getting married and having babies. I decided to ask M some questions...seeing as he's only SIX, I wasn't sure of the answers that I would get. I was shocked at how certain he was of each answer! He's such a smart boy! Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you want to get married when you grow up?
M: YEAH! I want to have a wife...this is the part where I told him he had to have a job before he could get married...just thought I'd start drilling that in him now.
Me: Do you want to have kids when you grow up too?
M: Yes! I want to be a daddy when I get bigger!
Me: How many kids do you want to have?
M: I think 3, just like we have at our house.
Me: Do you want boy babies or girl babies?
M: I think I'd like some of each.
We are silent for a minute. Somehow, we go off topic and talk about mistletoe for a minute....
M: Mom, where do babies come from...
Me...uh...well...ummmm...When a mommy and a daddy get married, Jesus puts them in her belly. This answer worked for the older one...hopefully, it will work now (fingers crossed tightly)!
M: No, I mean HOW does Jesus get them there?
Me: I stammer all over myself, mentally debating on whether or not I should have this "talk" right now. I decide no...and answer like this: When a mommy and daddy are married and love each other, they do stuff alone together..
M: What kind of stuff?
Me: Sheeshh....Just stuff, by themselves.
M: I KNOW!!! Like when you and daddy go shopping together and stuff like that!
Me: YES!!!
**I do realize that M may never step foot in a store with his girlfriend for fear of pregnancy...but that's ok!
We now go on to have a brief conversation about a car that looks like the Transformer Bumblebee.
M: How do the babies get food in the mommy's belly?
Me: Through their belly button
M: Are you serious mom?
Me: Yes, it's called an umbilical cord.
M: That's just RIDICULOUS!!
Me: Do you want to grow a baby in your belly M?
M: NO WAY!! I'm glad it's just the mommy's who do that!!
Smart boy huh!!

Target

A few days ago, while shopping at...Target (as if you were surprised), I was in the check out line and getting ready to pay. I made sure I put everything on the belt, gave the cashier all the toys that O had thrown into the cart while I wasn't looking, and even handed her the one that I had let him play with to stop a tantrum...yes, I'm that mother. It happened to be my favorite cashier, so she smiled, took the stuff and quickly hid it while O wasn't looking.
She scanned my coupons, bagged my order, and chatted for a brief minute. I did a split tender. I often do that...part cash, part debit. I've been using photo money to pay for Christmas gifts this year and didn't want to use Christmas money on laundry soap..after all, who is laundry soap a gift for?!?!
I finished paying and she handed me back my change. I stuck it in my wallet, found my mom, bundled O and walked to the car. We got in the car and I stopped. I told my mom that I thought the cashier gave me back too much change. We looked, counted, checked the recent, recounted my money and it was decided that she did indeed give me back too much change...$20.00 in fact! I handed her $60 in cash and she rang in $80. She gave me back a $1.80 in change, when in fact, I owed her almost that much!
I went into the service desk and explained to the man what happened. He thanked me profusely for being honest and took the opportunity to tell him, despite the difficult time our family is having financially right now, the Lord has been faithful and provided for us. He looked at me like I was crazy, smiled and made a phone call to his manager.
He hung up the phone and told me that his manager said not to worry about it....WHAT?!?! They told me not to worry about it and have a nice day! What a blessing!! I guess honesty is the best policy...I had a clear conscience, had the opportunity to tell someone about God's faithfulness AND got a free Christmas gift!

One of my first Christmas ornaments. My mom gave this to me a few years ago to hang on my tree. It's 30 years old and I love it!

Sweet baby hands "decorating" the tree. I use the term loosely...it was more like setting ornaments on the branch and then letting them fall to the ground while you ran to grab more.

Gracie...my sweet niece. She and her mommy made me this little paper angel when she was just two years old. She's 9 now and has been such a blessing to me! She was so excited to hang it on my tree for me and thrilled that I saved it all these years.

Daddy's job...putting the tree topper on! When I bought it we only had two little boys...I had to add a third snowman to make it right!!

The finished product!!

Bigger and Bigger and Bigger

I made each of our boys an ornament their first Christmas. I cut their handprints out of fabric and glued them to an ornament of some kind. We made one for each of the grandparents and great grandparents. My mom has one she made with my on MY first Christmas..30 years ago!!
I love having the boys hold their ornaments each year and see how much bigger...or BIGGUH as O says it...that they get each year!

Not Me

Therapy time.....

I did not buckle O into his "big boy" car seat this week to see how he did. I know he's not quite there on the weight yet, so I'd never try to use the booster seat.

Since I didn't use the booster feature on the seat, I did not, while driving down a BUSY road, feel a tap on my shoulder. I didn't look in the mirror to see my 3 year old dancing around the back of the van. My children NEVER unbuckle their seat belts while driving.

I am not still wearing the same shirt that I slept in two nights ago. I did not, decide on Sunday morning that it looked and smelled clean still and wore it to church. I always wear clean fresh clothes.

I did not justify wearing the afore mentioned shirt because I was "teaching the preschool class" and would just get dirty anyway...

I certainly did not tell S to, "just go get the pants you wore to church yesterday", because I was too lazy to go and get the clean jeans out of the dryer. I always have everyone's school clothes set out and ready to go each morning.

I definitely did not yell "shut up" to my 6 year old this weekend. I am always composed, kind and loving.

O did not have to go and get his head glued shut this week. While having his head glued shut, I did not place two large paper clips in his hair like make shift barettes. The docotr didn't glue the rubber glove to his head either. At one point, I did not have a son, with two giant paper clips, a bloody head, and a rubber glove hanging from his forehead....

We did not traumatize S, after he caused the bloody head either. WE certainly didn't make him look closely at his baby brothers bloody head and tell him that he would now have to get NEEDLES in his head....we did not overhear S in the bathroom praying for his baby brother a few minutes later...that moment did not make my heart happy.

I did not beam with pride when M's para told me that during a lock down drill at school this week, he told the other kids not to be afraid because: "JESUS IS ALWAYS WITH US"...I am a modest mother who is never ultra proud of her babies!

Who Isn't?!?

I took O to the doctors to get his head fixed and was greeted by a HUGE sign that read like this:

***If you have ANY of the following symptoms, please see the staff at the front desk and a mask will be provided for you, free of charge:
**Coughing
**Body Aches
**Fever
**Chills
**Fatigue
**Vomiting
**Diarrhea
**Severe Congestion

GREAT...I need like four masks just for my ailments and I'm quite sure I don't have influenza of any kind...piggy or regular!
It's fall in Michigan. The high temperatures have ranged from 40 degrees to 71 degrees - all in the last WEEK!! If you have even a touch of seasonal allergies they have been thrown into the funk to end all funks!!
Cough - check, Congestion - check, Stomach upset - check (I ate McDonalds today)...Fatigue - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK - not that I'm a mommy of three boys would be a contributor to the fatigue thing...
The nurse and I were joking when O went back into the room. I told her who doesn't have at least ONE of those problems right now! You'd think they'd have to raise their rates just to provide masks to all the people who would need them!!

Gotta Get Me Some

I have gotta get me some of that awesome glue they use at the doctors office. You know that stuff that glues open flesh back together....that's some good glue!

Here is how our Monday evening unfolded:
Dinner was finishing on the stove and in the oven.
I was vacuuming the rung
Daddy was changing out of his work clothes.
The boys were playing in their room.
Mommy hears a scream and cry...over the hum of the vacuum cleaner...that's NEVER good.
I tell daddy to please go check on the boys.
I hear daddy yelling: "WHAT HAPPENED?!?!"
I turn off the vacuum.
I go to boys room to hear the story that goes something like this:
**O was playing with my big dolphin
**I told him to give it back and stop
I'm sure you can finish the story here.
I grabbed O from daddy when I saw the blood on his head...and not just a little blood. It was by no means as bloody as I would have thought though. For this I am grateful.
I took O to the kitchen counter and attempted to wash off the cut. I pushed his sweet little boy curls off to the side and saw that stitches were DEFINITELY in his future.
We've had two other moments where they were debatable and we chose to "tape" them shut...this one was not "tapeable"...is tape able a word?!?
We took O to show S his head and explained to him that O would now have to go and get a needle in his head to fix the damage. S was significantly traumatized and started crying.
I also heard S in the bathroom a few minutes later praying for O, then he took O his Jesus Fish necklace to wear. It was a sweet moment. S apologized and all was well. M kept bringing him all the toys he thought he'd like to play with and kept looking at him with the horribly concerned look in his eye.
We loaded the van when the bleeding was all done and went to...McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds. O requested a cheeseburger for dinner (remember, I was in the middle of making dinner). We ran through the drive thru and headed to the doctors.
I was thankful our doctor's office was still open so I didn't have to mess with the ER or Urgent Care.
We were greeted at the door of the doctors office with a GIANT saying you to get a mask if you think you have the flu...that's another blog in an of itself!
We go in and asses the situation. After a conversation with the doctor about how I don't care if she has to cut the front of his hair...she is relieved that I don't care...and we decided to glue instead of stitch. It would have needed at least 4 stitches...I thought two...guess I was wrong!
The nurse comes in and rubs some numbing cream on the outside for us. I place two LARGE paper clips in O's hair to keep his hair from falling in the bloody and creamy mess. He looks hysterical running around the office with two giant clips in his hair!
The doctor comes in and tells me about how I have to be super careful to NOT touch the glue while she is working. She says I'll be stuck for a week! I agree and we go on our merry way. She did awesome, even sitting on the floor next to me and O while I read O a Thomas book.
Round 1 of glue didn't work. Dr. Kramar went to stand up to get more glue and realized her glove was indeed stuck to Mr. O's forehead.
He was quite a site...two giant paper clips, a bloody head and a rubber glove glued to his forehead! I wish I would have had a camera at that moment!
Round two of glue proved a success and no gloves were glued on that time!
O was a champ! He didn't fuss or fight...well he did when the glove was glued to his head. I guess he didn't like that. Before we were even home, O had the bandaid and half the steri strips off the cut...let's hope that awesome glue keeps holding!!

Thousand Words...or Less

If a picture paints a thousand words, than these two photos speak volumes! These two pics may be my favorite photos of the boys! It couldn't have captured their personalities any better! S, isn't paying a lick of attention, which is par for the course. M, is smiling...probably because I promised him doughnuts if he'd smile. O, well, O, is being himself. My ham of a child. Always silly and just bored with the whole thing!

Not Me Novel

I did not do the following things this week nor did I have enough of these moments to fill several weeks of posts!

*Pull over in a parking lot to allow my three year old to pee in an old Chuck E Cheese cup. I always make my children use the bathroom in designated facilities.

*Realize, while driving home from a photo shoot, that I had forgotten to pick up my youngest from the babysitter. I NEVER forget about my children.

*Eat an entire bag of dark chocolate Chex Mix...in one sitting. That stuff is NOT delicious and I am not a piglet!

*Have to rewash two loads of laundry because I forgot to switch them to the dryer...I'm always on top of housework.

*Let my oldest boys go to school two days without having their hair brushed. My children are always perfectly "coiffed" before leaving the house.

*I CERTAINLY did not, TWICE in one day, misplace my car keys, AFTER unlocking the doors and putting O in his car seat. I am not that absent minded and can remember where I put things...especially 5 minutes after I put them there!

*During a yard sale this week, I did not look up to see O, standing, "nakey butt" in the door way with a roll of toilet paper. He did not declare, loudly, "I pooped, come wipe my butt". I also did not have a yard full of people at the time! My kids have perfect manners.

*My son did not come home sick from school on Friday with a fever. Once he was home for a bit and I rechecked his temperature, he did not come back with no fever. The school is always on top of those types of things.

*Upon arrival at my husbands work party this Friday, we did not sit in the van and watch people enter the party. We also did not scope out the dress of the people who were entering. I also did not take off as much of my costume as possible when I saw how few people had dressed up...I am confident enough in myself to rock a Halloween costume regardless of everyone else.

*I did not make my 7 year old stuff his foot into a sock sized for a 3 year old because there were no others clean. We always have clean clothes and plenty of appropriate footwear.

*My poor husband did not get accused of saying a "swear word" during a presentation he did at church on Sunday...his saying "Jack asked me to"...Did not get interpreted Jacka**....poor guy. He did not think it was really funny either. We always have full decorum and are professional.

Just a few of my moments...there are many, many more!

Silly Sayings

My kids make me laugh...they also make me want to cry, yell, pull my hair out, etc. O has this adoreable little way of saying things, mostly things that are sassy, and it makes Matt and I laugh. At least for now. We are certain that in a few short years, it won't be funny any more. Like when we tell O, please don't walk across the top of the couch - that is pushed up against the windows - because it isn't safe. O's reply: "I cannot fall". Or the conversations that go like this, O, please put your glasses back on...where are you glasses...and his response is: "I did not hide them mommy"....funny and cute now, but I can see into our future and almost hear our sixteen year old son...and somehow it isn't so funny.

What was funny was S today. He was getting dressed for school and I was helping him. He told me he wanted to wear a belt to school. He found a belt, tucked his shirt into his jeans and came to show me his new look. I had to hold back a chuckle at his look...he had tucked his bulky shirt into his slim jeans and looked..well...silly. I of course assured him that he looked handsome. The response I got was unexpected, but horribly funny. He told me: "I know I look handsome, I just looked in the mirror and ALMOST WHISTLED AT MYSELF"!!

S HATES when people laugh at things he says, unless, he is telling a joke, and it took everything Matt and I had to not laugh hysterically!!

And M....M can't stop acting like a Transformer long enough to say much...everything has to do with Transformers. Even getting dressed involves sound effects and songs!

My boys do make me laugh!

Not Me

This week was an interesting week...but today alone had enough NOT ME moments to fill a book - or at least a blog!

Today, I did not, in an attempt to log onto our online banking acount, cause the bank to freeze our account. I know all our passwords and enter them correctly the first time.

Upon realizing that the account was frozen I did not have to hurry and dress to take my kds to school and drop my husband at work so that I could get to the bank as soon as it opened.

I definitely did not raid M's piggy bank to get enough cash to put in the gas tank so I didn't run out of gas before I got to the bank...I always have enough money for essentials.

I certainly did not rush to the bank to find out that my error alone froze the account. I did not laugh and breathe a huge sigh of relief!

I didn't realize that in my haste to get out the door this morning, that I had given S, NIGHT TIME cold medicine before he went to school. I am always prepared and aware of what I'm doing.

I did not call the school right away to tell them that if I HAD given S, that medicine, he could call home if he just seemed too sleepy....the secratary did not laugh at me and assure me that this isn't the first time it's happened!

O, DEFINTELY get bit by my mom and dad's dog.

After, calming O, from the dog bite, he didn't get, I didn't hear M screaming. I went downstairs to find that S, certainly hadn't thrown a rock and hit him in the chin with it. My kids know that we NEVER throw stones.

After cleaning my house up and while making dinner, M and O, didn't come in the house, covered in a wet sandy mess. They did not keep their dirty shoes, socks, pants and shirts on and trapse through my house stomping (or so it seemed) with every step. My sons know the proper way to come into the home and what to do when they are dirty.

Just a few of my not me moments for this week!

Simple Life

After 6 years with more than one child, I now am back to a full day with only one little one - except for the days that I babysit.
I had little time with S alone. 13.5 months to be exact. I spent nine of those months bent over a toliet puking, but that's another story...
I had little recollection of life with only one child. My days have been spent with at least two little ones for as long as I can remember.
Now, it's just me and O...and I'm shocked at how suprisingly easy and smooth our days are. He's my little easy going buddy. He rolls with it and goes with the flow. We've been able to take naps together, watch cartoons, clean a bit, go to the store, and even had our first lunch date the other day, granted it was Taco Bell, but O enjoyed his "cheese taco, cimanin twists and black pop", which is translated to a cheese roll up, cinamom twist and a pepsi - yes, Pepsi.
O is horribly spoiled. His older brothers hadn't even tasted a soda at his age...he asks for it daily.
Since it has been just me and O, I now know why only children can be so easily spoiled. It's so simple to only buy one treat, one book, one of everything! It's a lot cheaper than buying things in threes. I'll have to keep this in check before my sweet, easy going boy, becomes a big monster.
I love listening to his sweet little voice chattering away while he plays trains and pretends to be a conductor. Today, we had a conversation while eating lunch. I asked him why he wasn't eating his spaghettios...he infromed me that: "his mouf was broke", he told me: "it wasn't broked to talk or eat his butter bread". It was just broke to eat his other food!
He's such a sweet little boy, we miss our brothers horribly during the day...in fact, after a few hours O starts asking for them. It is nice to have the two of us alone all day though!

On Saturday, we took a trip to tour the Henry Ford Estate...it's beyond gorgeous! My mind tends to wander and can only imagine what life must have been like in this mansion and on the beautiful sprawling acres. The man was a genius - pure and simple. He had a channel made that led to a boat dock under his house. He powered his house using the water from the Rouge River...not to mention that whole car thing he came up with....

Before we toured the estates and grounds (which by the way is free), we walked the nature trails at the U of M. The boys love doing this, especially since their daddy used to do it when he was a kid. They had fun spotting deer, chipmunks and other wildlife. I had fun, NOT freaking out when a snake slithered in front of me...I am not at all a girly girl and can be seen catching bugs FOR my boys, but something about snakes....EEEKKK! I loved this shot in the clearing.

We had a wonderful picnic lunch and I made another attempt at capturing some pics of the boys. I am still in awe of the fact that, I, Beth, get paid good money to take pictures of other peoples children. People are happy with the pictures I take....children smile, look sweet and are generally cooperative for these shoots. My children on the other hand...are not. I did get a few good shots - considering I took 550 pictures that day, a few were warranted.

It was a wonderful and relaxing time with the kids...except for the time that I actually stompped my foot in frustration - much like a 4 year old - because the kids wouldn't smile or look at me at the same time!
The curiosity that my boys show about the outdoors is so refreshing. S, loved looking at the uprooted trees, fallen limbs and rock bridges. M, loved looking for acorns to collect and had fun spotting chipmunks. O, just ran, tripped, and ran some more. He would not stop, despite our protests, touching each and ever leaf along the trail! Poison Ivy and Oak are no strangers in this "neck of the woods" and O didn't seem to care about it's possibly presence!
I am so blessed to be mommy to these boys and to share their lives with my husband!

Bumps and Bruises

What do you get when you take three hyper boys to dinner and let them all have chocolate milk....then you:
Buckle them in the van and drive to help move furniture for a few minutes - all while making boys sit in car seats...then you:
Allow them out, with several warnings and requests to calm down, for a brief moment while you take care of some things for your inlaws who are out of town....
You get:
Loud thud
Screaming
Blood
Brusies
Hiding child
Tattleing child
Crying child
Thankfully, the crying child was pacified with a spider man ice pack. He called his eye his: "spider eye", all night, while holding his ice pack on.
The tattleing child was calmed when he saw his little brother was ok, but was all too excited to tattle.
The hiding child was found, apologized, scolded and rescolded for: Throwing his youngest brother onto the chair. This act in and of itself is unacceptable, and he knows better, but he's a boy and boys rough house. The problem was O didn't stay on the chair, he bounced off, hit his other brother on the way down and landed face first into the carpet. To add insult to injury, he was wearing his glasses.

His eye was looking much better, until this morning. Less than 13 hours after his injury, the same place on his eye/head was injured again. This time, by his momma! I was babysitting (surprise), and went to help put him on the bench seat. I tripped over the high chair leg and bumped into O. This had a domino effect.

E spilled her food and O fell into what I thought was the bench. Unfortunately, I was wrong. He bumped that poor section of his head on the corner of the window ledge. He looked at me, with a bloody head/eye, and I immediately apologized and scooped him up.

We cleaned the wound and assesed and reassesed the situation. Does it need stitches, yes it needs stitches, it's such a small wound though... We called for reinforcement and had grandma, the stitch expert, come and take a look at it. Her assesment was: "Oh, that little thing. It's just a small puncture wound. It could use a stitch or two, but why put him through the trauma of stitches for such a small cut". I agreed and figured either way he'd scar...besides he's a boy and scars are cool right!?!? He could tell all his friends it's from the time he got in a fight with his big momma or something fun like that.

All about O

"I can't see mine eyes mommy"...this was said to me while we were walking down a dark hallway.

He has also taken to naming his bowel movements and announcing the size of each one. Today, in fact, it was in the full mall bathroom.

O was so sad leaving his big brothers at school the other day! He cried and asked to stay with them. When I told him he couldn't stay, he begged for me to get them and bring them home.

His newest word: Nervous. Yes, nervous. My three year old has decided to start using the word, nervous. He also uses it in the right context!

His new favorite colors are black and blue. He only wants "black" things. Black doughnuts(chocolate), black Kool Aid (grape) or black suckers (root beer).

He has an obsession with: Diet Coke/Dr. Pepper and chocolate. He LOVES chocolate.

He is a fantastic puzzle builder.

He loves to "read" books too.

He has learned his name now. He sounds completely adoreable saying his full name! He also knows his brothers names!

When you ask him: "Whose boy are you?", his answer is ALWAYS, "Thomas" - as in the train. Not mommy or daddy, not even grandma or grandpa's boy. Thomas...sheesh.

He wants "twoof" of everything - which is two. We also drive a "lan" or van. I'll drive a "lan" if it gets better gas mileage!

Six

This photo, almost perfectly captures the personality of this sweet, little six year old. It's not the best picture of him...it doesn't show how adoreable he really is, with his deep dimples, long eyelashes and sweet smile, but it does show how animated and silly he can be.

Six short years ago, our lives changed for a second time when Mister M was born. He tried to sneak into the world 4 weeks early, but our doctors put a stop to that...mommy was secretly glad. It would have made him and his brother just one year apart and I needed that extra month!
M's birth was uneventful - just the way I liked it. I woke up early on that cool September morning, showered, did my hair, got dressed and finished packing my bag. I kissed my sweet, newly 1 year old son, and was off with my husband. It's always such a surreal moment, leaving for the hospital with only two in the car, and coming home with three. It didn't change with M either. It's shocking to realize they let you leave the hospital with a HUMAN! Anyhow...
I went in for my scheduled c section. I was so excited for the nausea to end. The puking never stopped with this child. The nausea was relentless. Thankfully, they found some great medications to at least make it bearable. I was convinced, M was going to be born with two heads from all the meds I had taken!
He came out screaming and just as sweet as can be. He had the smallest little face and the sweetest features. His dimples were almost as adoreable as the little cleft in his chin! Despite my poor diet and weight loss, he weighed in at 8lbs with a 14.5 inch head. He was ten days earlier than his big brother, but gave him a run for his money with his size!
He smiled early, sat up late and walked even later! He chattered and babbled away long before his older brother did, but had no interest in doing any physical activity other than eating.
He was a horribly fussy baby. We would often get him to stop crying and then be afraid to move, for fear that we'd wake him! He slept like a champ at night though! He was our last to sleep through the night, but did so before 10 weeks.
He found his voice early and used it often. He was an easy toddler. He played quietly and well on his own. He has survived many attempts on his life by his older brother - including the great Fruit Loop caper - his "big" brother gave him a mouth full of Fruit Loops when mommy wasn't looking. No biggie...unless the baby is 3 months old, with no teeth.
M taught himself to read at 4. He knew all his letters and sounds by 2.5, as well as his colors and shapes. He is a brilliant child. He is reading at a level 17 at the start of this kindergarten year. The requirement for passing is 3 or 4. He's completely self taught too. He blows my mind! He in forever learning something knew and loves to do it.
He's often off in his own world though. Playing well on his own - or with others. He is kind and gentle, but loves to instigate.
He's as clueless as can be about common sense issues though. He has been known to wear his pants, unbuttoned and unzipped - that is if they aren't on backwards, for a full day. He can been seen, daily, with his shoes on the wrong feet, even flip flops, which I'm not sure how those work on the wrong feet.
He's a sweet boy with a kind heart. He had money from his birthday the other day and asked if he could buy his brother S a Happy Meal. The next day he wanted to buy his baby brother a milk shake.
We are blessed to have this child in our lives and continue to pray for Gods healing touch on his boday. He's broken our hearts with his prayers for God's healing and has made us laugh, asking for the date that God's gonna make him better!
He's a silly, Transformer loving child and he adds such immense joy to our lives. We thank God for him!

Boys

These five rascals are just a smidgen of the men in my life...or so it seems.

I am surrounded by males, thankfully, my sweet niece Sadie, has helped to even out the numbers a bit more, but, by no means, are they even.
In all, I have 11 nieces/nephews. Six of them are boys...add my three and that's NINE little boys at all of our family gatherings. My boys birthday parties MUST be held outdoors! Thankfully, their birthdays, with the exception of O's, who could possibly go either way depending on the weather, since it's early spring.
All those boys can sure wreak havoc. Thankfully, we have a large yard, with lots of dirt to play in.
Don't get me wrong, the girls in this family can hold their own. I have FIVE, sweet nieces. They love dolls, finger nail polish and hair bows, but they can run, jump and throw dirt just as well as the boys!
Our life is full. We are blessed. Not only with our own children, but with wonderful, nieces and nephews to boot!

Introducing

My sweet niece Sadie Rose, arrived today at 8lbs 4oz, 21 inches long. She made me an auntie for the ELEVENTH time so far! My sister Mary was a champ. She did a fantastic job!

Shut Up and Drive....

Well, until you get a flat tire.

Matt and I decided to leave for vacation right after church on Sunday. He had to teach in the morning, so we loaded up most of the car on Saturday night, made the final adjustments in the morning and headed out after church.

The lake house in only 3 or so hours north and we love this trip. It's my favorite yearly vacation spot...and not just because the lodging is free (Matt's uncle owns the house). It's on a private lake, it's quiet, clean and perfect for our family. My in laws go with us each year and it's a perfect trip....except for the year that O got pneumonia when we were there.

Anyhow, we decided to get in the car and drive for a bit before we stopped for lunch. The kids were whining and complaining that they were starving. After we reminded them that they were NOT in fact starving - just hungry - we decided to start looking for a place to stop. We were looking for signs on the freeway (you know the ones that tell you what gas stations/restaurants are on off the exit), and mile after mile there was nothing. We only 50 miles or so from home so you would think Matt or I would know of somewhere to stop...well, we didn't!

We went mile after mile and found nothing. Matt finally decided to pick an exit and just get off...he choose wrong. There was nothing for MILES! We ended up back tracking two exits, got back on the freeway and finally found something - no thanks to road signage. The children did not, in fact, starve to death, but they did gobble up every bit of their lunch!

We hopped back in the car, drove a mile or so down the road and the tire pressure light came on...hmmmm. It's done that before and the tires just needed air. We looked out the windows and sure enough our back passenger tire was almost flat! We pulled off at the exit and headed to the nearest gas station...which apparently was the only gas station in the Detroit area that didn't sell Fix a Flat.

We filled the tire up with as much air as we could and sped down the street to another station...Matt bought the Fix a Flat...that didn't work and tried to fill up the tire as we figured out a place to go....only this station didn't have a working air hose!! We jumped in the car and sped BACK to the gas station with the air/no fix a flat.

The two attendants at the station didn't have a definite idea of a tire place, but told us they thought one was an exit back...we went an exit back...no tire shop. Not to mention it's a Sunday afternoon....everything is closed.

We pull off at the exit, pull into a gas station and start using the Blackberry to find a Walmart service station....apparently, no one in this area knows where anything is. This proved to be difficult and frustrating.

The decision was made to put the spare tire on...poor Matt, it was at least 1oo degrees with the humidity and it kept raining off and on...it was an odd weather day. After a few minor glitches we had the tire changed.

During the time Matt was changing the tire, I was taking the boys to the bathroom, buying Matt a GIANT water, calling tire places and yelling for the boys to stay out of the massive dirt pile in the parking lot - this last part didn't go well!

I called several places and found a Walmart open that had a service center. One problem...they didn't have the right size tire that we needed. The next Walmart was close to an hour away and the service center would have been closed by the time we got there. The tire they had was only a tad smaller and they said it wouldn't be a problem...thankfully, they were right!

The good news about the smaller tire was that it was a fraction of the prize of the size tire we needed. $150 dollars cheaper in fact! We were finally on the road, crabby kids and all!

Thankfully, the rest of the drive went smoothly and we made it to the house in record time...SEVEN HOURS LATER! The boys actually did quite well and didn't add any stress to an already stressful situation!

We thank to Lord for our safety and for only a flat tire and not a blown tire! He once again had His hand of protection on our family!

25 things...about Matt!

I've already done 25 things about me - it's time for one about my sweet husband!


*He is a phenomenal father. He's a better father to our children then I could have ever hoped/prayed for.

*He HATES nailpolish and lip stick. He thinks both are pointless - which is good for me!

*He helps do dishes, put away laundry and wakes up with the kids in the am...sometimes begrudgingly, but he does it!

*He wouldnt' be caught dead in sandals or flip flops. I once made him buy a pair of sandals - he wore them approximately twice.

*He has an uncanny ability to remember large amounts of "useless info.". He is a trivia contestants dream!

*He loves to sing, an hum, and listen to music. He's often told to "plese stop that", by his mean wife.

*He has horrendous handwriting. I expect our oldest son to surpass his ability in the next year or so.

*He put his nose to the grindstone and finished his college degree. He stayed up late, worked hard and studied on saturdays while the kids napped. We were all so proud to watch him walk across the stage and recieve his diploma.

*He crys at movies...he'd deny it and say he had something in his eye....it's adoreable!

*He doesn't seem to notice that I have gained 100 or so pounds since we got married! I tell him all the time that I "falsely advertised", but he doesn't seem to mind.

*He is getting more gray hair and I LOVE it! I think gray hair is horribly attractive on a man!

*His feet grew and he grew an inch after we got married. I guess that means we married young!

*He adores all things GOOGLE.

*He once tried to teach me to drive a stick. I don't know how to drive one.

*He showed me how to change a tire - we now have AAA.

*He will only eat apples, bananas and grapes. No other fruit will pass his lips.

*He doesn't like cake - unless it's chocolate and even then it isn't his favorite.

*He is an avid reader. He has helped to instill this in our children too!

*He once agreed to paint our living room with me over our anniversary!

*When we were newly married, I often had problems falling asleep at night and would have excess "anxiety"....Matt would often stay awake until I fell asleep..he never complained.

*My dear sweet husband can't cook. He reads the directions to make Mac N Cheese and actually uses measuring cups when he cooks it...he even uses the timer!

*He HATES playing games...board games, card games...he isn't a game player. He enjoys playing Chess and a good Trivia game here and there, but that's it. He's even been known to throw an entire pile of cards off the table when he's loosing.

*He plays with our kids in the few hours he's home from work more than I do in a full day.

*His drive to provide for his family has overidden his desire for a new job.

*He loves chick o sticks. Enough said about that one.

Life

I had to ask a complete stranger if the Transformer lunch box I was holding had the Auto bots or the Deceptecon's (no, I don't know how to spell it)emblem on the front of it...rest assured, I picked the good guys!

I have taught O to point to his "crazy eye". He points to it and says "My crazy eye no sees good"...he then shows me his good eye and tells me that it "sees great". Yes, I'm a terrible mother that has her son calling his eye crazy. I'm certain his therapy bills will be extensive when he's older.

I was CONVINCED the other day that O had taken up cursing. I was close to grounding grandma from seeing the boy! He was telling me: "I itch it"....it sounded JUST like "I SH**"! I kept making him say it over and over until I figured it out!

M told S the other day: "You scared the DAYLIGHTS and the NIGHTLIGHTS" out of me! I loved it!

S was mistaken for a 10 year old the other day! Someone driving by (that we knew), thought that we had a friend over playing. He's getting so big!

I am shocked and dismayed at how quickly the summer has gone by. I have caved and bought a few school supplies with each pay. I was sickened to see them out the first week of July and swore I wouldn't buy ANY until mid or late August - but the deals have been to good to pass up - Transformers backpack & lunch box - $14!! Crayons - Crayola even for $0.19, notebooks for a nickel...can't beat those prices!

S would not stop whining about his undies not fitting. After tossing him countless pairs and NONE of them fitting right, he put back on his other pair. I went to the dryer to find him a new pair - yes, I had to go to the dryer to find a clean pair. I threw him a pair and he gave me the pair to check...sure enough, they would have been to big - they were a pair of his daddy's undies! How that happened, I'll never know!

I actually picked up and WORE clothes off of my bedroom floor today. Yes, I wore clothes off of my floor. I can't remember the last time I did that - college maybe?!?!

Things My Children DID NOT DO:

This week, my children DID NOT do the following:

Stay up past 10 for a week straight - even though it was VBS week and we were at the church late each night. We always go to bed early.

O certainly did NOT strip down to his BARE BOTTOM in the church during a dinner. My children are always fully clothed and on their best behavior.

O also did not bite our friends son this weekend! Our children are perfectly behaved and non violent.

S certainly didn't pick a CD player instead of a $50 gift card when his name was chosen in a drawing...after all, he already has an MP3 player and knows that $50 would be a great thing!

Just a few fun tidbits from our week!

Sweet Boy

We had VBS at church this week. It's always a fun time, but it's a crazy busy week! The kids are up late each night and up and going early the next morning. Clothes go unwashed, toys remain on the floor and dinner may or may not consist of cereal or fast food!

This year, our sweet S, decided that he wanted to ask Christ into his heart. Matt and I have been very cautious in this area with our children. Our desire is for them to make a genuine and well thought out decision to follow Christ. We want nothing more for our sons than to have them love and serve the Lord with their whole being. I pray daily that they will grow to become great men of God.

We've been cautious in our approach and have carefully worded our conversations with him. We don't want our children to make the decision based on fear or guilt like many of us and people we know and have encountered have. We want the decision to be theirs, true and heart felt. One that results from their desire to become like Christ and serve Him, because of what He has done for us.

That being said...one night, S went forward during his lesson and stated that he would like to accept Christ as his savior. A friend of our led him through and she later told Matt and I that he seemed to understand everything that was said and answered all the questions. We didn't press the issue and S didn't say anything about it.

The next night, S went forward again and said that he wanted to be saved. Another dear friend of ours led him and fielded questions from other children who also had come forward to get saved. Our "worry wart" was ultra concerned about "going to hell where there is fire and it's really bad". Matt assured him that he would not go there if he was one of God's children and quickly asked him what made him go forward again to be saved.

His answer, in typical S fashion, did not surprise me. The poor boy is such a worrier. He over analyzes everything - just like his mamma. He told Matt that he knew that Jesus said "yes", the first time he went forward and asked him into his heart. He said he went forward to ask again, because he was worried Jesus might say "no" if he asked again. He just wanted to be sure. Daddy talked with him about it a bit and that was the end of the conversation.

Today, during the service, they were talking about the children that accepted Christ during the week. S, leaned over to his grandma and said: "I was one of those kids who got saved this week". I was THRILLED to hear that he shared that with someone. I hope and pray that S continues in his walk with the Lord and grows to be a man of God!

We then did a drawing for several prizes - one of which was a $50 gift card to Toys R Us. One girls name was drawn and she chose the FM radio - why we were giving away a radio is beyond me....anyway... Sam's name was drawn next. I was CERTAIN he'd pick the gift card....WRONG!!! He not only didn't choose the gift card, he choose the CD player - despite the fact that he received an MP3 player last week for his birthday! Although I was shocked, I wasn't totally dismayed. The fact of $50 more dollars worth the toys in our house made me quite unhappy. I was also certain that I would NEVER get away with using the money for backpacks and school supplies.

Once he had realized what he had chosen, he wanted to trade. I assured him that noone would trade and that his prize was a good one. We told him to be grateful for what he won or that we'd give it to a child who would be grateful. The entire evening he played CDS and listened to music!

Similar

The man behind the magazine is my husband. He was tired of me snapping photos of him like I was the paparazzi, and he was Brad Pitt...or George Clooney, or perhaps....

Matt and I have many similarites. The most obvious being how much we look alike. We could quite easily, be mistaken for brother and sister - more so than my own brother and I. We both have dark curly hair and big eyes. We both have a cleft in our chin - mine has since disappeared under the double and triple chin I now have! Our baby and toddler pictures often look similar - and NO we are not related, we are certain of that - although both of us have a native american background. Thankfully, we are from different tribes, in fact, I think our family tribes didn't get along!

Our parents both have the same anniversary. No lie. We tried to get married on that day, but would have had to wait several MORE years to get married and we were certainly NOT doing that! His parents have been married longer than mine - almost 37 years and my parents almost 31! It's a good act to follow!

What also strikes me as odd, is our parents addresses. I know it sounds dumb, but my parents address is 22111...his parents is 11177. Oddly similar and easy to memorize!

My sister in law and I both have moms named Nancy and the same family last name...her maiden name was my grandmother's maiden name. Again, no relation, just a SUPER common last name!

Just a few interesting, yet odd facts!

I have a SEVEN year old!

Today, I have a seven year old. How did I get a seven year old....when did seven years go by? Where was I at?? Was I here? Did I get abducted by aliens when I wasn't paying attention?!?!

I swear - well, I don't swear, but I promise, it feels like only yesterday that I was writhing in pain, begging for someone to just "cut this thing out of me". It seems like only a moment ago, I was holding my sweet newborn in my arms and mumbling sweet nothings and some sort of drug induced nonsense. Those 42 hours of "labor and delivery" were quickly forgotten...well, maybe not forgotten, but overshadowed, when I held my 8lb 15ounce - 15 inch head and chested, moose. He looked rough - but not worse than I!

He rolled over in the hospital - the doctors and nurses assured me this was a new born reflex action...I wasn't convinced - which was a good thing. He continued to roll over from birth. Within our first week home, he was pushing up on his arms and lifting his head high to look around. He was nosey then and he's nosey now! Grandma chose to refer to it as inquisitive!

The boy fought sleep like no other - he still can fight sleep, but when he's out, he's out! He was a champ of a sleeper at night. He slept through the night before he was 10 days old! He kept up that trend, sleeping 12 hours at a time before he was 3 weeks old. He slept with his hands "folded" in prayer all the time. He loved to keep one are straight up in the air too..he used to make us laugh!

He didn't smile until late and babbled even later. He sat up by 3.5 months, crawled by 6 and walked at a year. He excelled in anything that involved motor skills. He was slow to speak, but when he did, he spoke in sentences. He did the same thing when he learned to walk. He wouldn't let you help him at all...no walking with fingers, no push toys - he literally stood and walked across the room one day and never looked back.

He made a great "monster face" that would crack up a room full of adults!

He is still our "inquisitive" boy. I can't tell you how many times he's reminded to "mind your business". He now tells me, "I know...mind my business". He's a bright boy whose inquisitive nature has paid off in many ways.

We now see that he struggles with anxiety like his momma and has a touch of what the "professionals" feel is OCD - like mother like son. We also know that this age is a prime age for lots of anxiety and worry so we help him work through it and keep an eye on him!

He finished first grade at the top of his class and continues to excel. He often surprises me with the things he knows...and the things he comes up with! He has an extensive vocabulary, but can still be overheard saying things like: "floorhead" instead of forehead...and I just don't have the heart to correct him!

He struggles with anger, but will protect his brothers. He loves his cat George and his cousins. He is a great friend and has many of them! He loves football, soccer, racing...anything "manly". The boy can pray like nobodies business! His prayers are so heartfelt and genuine. He makes me proud and often makes me want to applaud at the end of his prayers - but I know that isn't quite an appropriate response, so I muster a hearty amen and smile at my boy.

He LOVES music. Any type of music. His latest craze is Toby Mac. We are particular about what we allow him to watch and listen to, and Mr. Mac, seems to be right up his "rocker/rapper", alley - I like it too!

There isn't much in the form of music that he doesn't like and you can often see him, in the rear view mirror, jamming on his air guitar and singing his little heart out. He feels the music and has since he was a little boy. He's had rhythm like you wouldn't believe since he was a toddler! In fact, as I type this blog, he is sitting on the couch across from me, belting out some Chris Tomlin - thank you Aunt Sissy for the new MP3 player!!

He was my much prayed for baby. We begged God for a child, a son in fact. He heard and answered our prayers - which is why his name is Samuel - meaning "God has heard". I look at him and often have a difficult time fathoming just where the time went. I feel like I blinked and he was potty trained, I blinked again and he started school, I'm afraid to blink again for fear that he'll be leaving for college and getting married and then...oh my, bringing over grandchildren for me to babysit!! Thankfully, I'm getting a bit a head of myself, but in reality that time will be here before I know it!

He is my baby, my first born. Matt and I had so many fears and concerns. We weren't sure what we were doing. It was an odd feeling - leaving for the hospital with just the two of us and coming home, FIVE days later, with another life. A human being. They let us leave the hospital with a HUMAN!! It seemed so odd and foreign.

Matt walked him around the house that day, showing him all the rooms and telling him about our house. He was/is such a hands on daddy. He fed and changed our sweet boy and encouraged me on days when I felt like a horrid mommy. He still does all these things!

Sweet S...oh that boy. He makes me proud and frustrates me, often in the same two minute time period. He is passionate and kind. He loves to have company and play with friends. He's my first born son. I asked God for him and He answered me...far beyond what I could have asked...or even dreamt of!

Not Me Monday

This week, I did not -

*Drive with the window open, with my head sticking out, in order to let my hair dry some on the way to church. I am not a dog, and I certainly am always ready in plenty of time to leave for service.

*Allow our child to swim in the kiddie pool that we thought he only "peed" in, to discover several "floating objects", that looked quite a bit like what we had for dinner the night before. I am always sanitary and vigilent with my children.

*Not do laudry for three days. I stay on top of things around here. We always have clean clothes waiting for us in our drawers.

*Get halfway to a photo shoot on Friday, only to have the mother have to cancle due to a car breakdown...when this didn't happen, I did not stop briefly, to attempt to come up with something else to do while my inlaws had the kiddies. I always want to rush right home to see my little ones!

*Have the police department show up at my house when a friend set off a "firework", that sounded like a crater should have resulted by the blast! We would never allow anyone to do that at my house! We are responsile and law abiding citizens.

*Sit for ten minutes trying to "transform" a Transformer, only to give up and say: "Your going to have to ask your Uncle Joe later today to figure this one out...he's good at playing with toys". I never give up and pass these type of responsibilities to innocent relatives...even if they really do like to play with toys!

Not Me...Tuesday!

I certainly did not have to stop at a rest stop - again - to let my little ones go potty this last week. It has never happened before...we always use the potty BEFORE we leave the house, and even if we DO use the potty before we leave the house, we NEVER have to go again, less than 15 minutes later.

I also did not, experience, yet another reason to long for a second toliet. I did not have a poor child have to throw up in our bathroom sink while his daddy used the toliet. We always have excellent control over each and every situation in our home.

I definitely did not have a group of adults laugh, with me I hope, when I did not say that I had to go potty. I always use grown up talk when I am with a group of grown ups!

I did not have my brand new, over priced, external flash, overheat on me while shooting a wedding this weekend. I NEVER have things like that happen and am always prepared for the unexpected.

I also did not, while shopping at the DOLLAR STORE, have to leave my entire purchase at the counter when I couldn't remember my pin. I have an excellent handle on all my accounts and numbers.

I certainly did not, laugh with the children, who were taunting me while I was photographing them. I did not laugh and then quickly cover my hind end, while the kids chanted: "We can see your underpants"! My panties are always covered!

I also did not have a week full of unpleasant "Not Me" moments!

Missed It

I missed my post...the one I wanted to do about our wedding anniversary. Perhaps it was the doctors appointments, photo shoots, laundry or trip packing that caused me to forget, but never the less, I forgot!

On June, 16th, my dear husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. It seems like yesterday that we met, yet, I can barely remember a time in my life that he wasn't a part of it.

Our love story is unique...it has the Lord's hand print all over it. I had just ended a long and insanely serious relationship and was heartbroken at best. I packed up and got ready to move 630 miles south, to the gorgeous state of Virginia. A state I would move to in a heartbeat to this day...but I digress.

My second day on campus, I ran into a young man that I had met once before....

On my senior trip, to Florida, I bumped into a group of people that I knew - at the water park, Wet n Wild, none the less. We were climbing the stairs to the Black Hole, water slide. This group asked me if I was Beth...and I confirmed that I was. We were two groups from small, rival, Christian High Schools from Michigan. We chatted briefly as we waited for the ride and that was the end of that.

Several weeks later, my grandma cut out a picture in the paper. This picture was of a young man, that she thought was dashingly handsome. She handed me the newspaper clipping and said: "Look Bethanne, this handsome guy is going to Liberty too, maybe you'll meet him". I assured her that with 3,500 freshman, I'd most likely NEVER run into him there. I also informed her that I HAD in fact met this young man and he was a DORK!

Well, second day on campus, I hear someone call my name. I turn and see...you guessed it, the same group I ran into in Florida a few months before. The five of us, became fast friends and did everything together. I, oddly enough, didn't seem to think Matt was nearly as dorky as I recalled him being, in fact, I was quite drawn to him.

His personality and sense of humor enthralled me. His love for the Lord was contagious...one problem, he had no desire to go to college in the south and bring home a girl that lived 7 miles from his house and went to his rival high school. That just wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to go to school, meet himself a southern bell and woo her. Instead, he met a Northerner, who was anything but a southern bell!

Our first date was 12 years ago this August...and it was anything but conventional. Matt asked me to do his laundry - in exchange for dinner. I counter offered with dinner and a movie and he accepted.

Our relationship can be summed up in an interesting story that went something like this...when Matt was hemming and hawing about dating a northern, I told him I was done with the drama. I told him something bold and outrageous...something I never dreamt I would say. I told Matt that he wanted me, but he just didn't know it yet. I told him to loose my number until he realized that he wanted to be with me...two days later, my phone rang and a romantic "will you go out with me" moment was born...the same moment that was recreated for our engagement. Matt always tells everyone that I chased him until he caught me...which is quite appropriate for our courtship.

The love story has ups and downs from there. It has hiccups, drama, laughter and tears, but it ended with a fairy tale wedding and the story continues with three wonderful sons and an incredibly blessed life.

From Michigan, Florida to Virginia, the man I'd fall desperately in love with, lived less than 7 miles from me my entire life....it would take the Lord 18 years and many states to prepare my heart for this Godly young man, and I thank Him for His timing!

In our 9 years of marriage, we have faced some incredibly difficult times - thankfully, not in our marriage, but with our families and friends, job situations, financial and health issues.... We have also experienced numerous times of bliss and joy!

There is no one else I can imagine wading through these waters with, in fact, I can't think of anyone who would have waded them with me!! He is my best friend and my biggest cheerleader. He is a better father to our children than I could have ever imagined or even wished for. He's everything on my "list" and a few things I didn't even know I wanted!!

Life with boys

S asked me another one of those questions today..the ones I just don't have a good answer for. I feel like I should be able to answer these questions, but often find myself at a loss!

He asked me the following question: Mom, after we die, when we open our eyes, will we be in heaven? I answered, yes, I thought that would be what will happen.

I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't have a question deeper than that one...I was not so lucky. The next question was: What does heaven look like?
I told him that noone really knows, but that it's beautiful and bright and shiny. He seemed ok with that answer.

Then he asked me where heave was...before I could answer he told me that it would be cool if it was in outer space.

He quickly changed gears and told me to plug my nose because we were getting ready to drive past the "compost dump"!

M has proven to be as interesting as ever. He's always coming up with something odd and or random.

We were at a graduation party this weekend. I looked over and saw M with his arms spread wide. He wasn't saying anything, just sitting there. I asked him what he was doing, he answered and then I tried not to laugh hysterically. He said, rather matter or factly, that he was "being a T". Ahhh...alrighty then.

That same night, Matt had gone in to discipline him. Matt was telling him how he needed to behave and listen, etc. In the middle of the conversation, M looked up at Matt and said: "Dad, are these sheep on my blankie?" Matt tried not to laugh and quickly finished the discipline and came into the living room.

O has continued to talk up a storm. He is constantly repeating things his older brothers say...which isn't always a good thing! Today in fact, he informed me of the following: Mommy, your butt stinks. Yep, that's me sweet baby boy!

Love Affair

I love the last day of school - I always have, and now enjoy it for my children.
I love syrup faced kisses from little boys.
I love being able to have my windows open.
I love the small of rain on the pavement.
I love listening to my boys laugh.
I love to get a great deal.
I love to hear my children say please and thank you.
I love to hear "I love you" from my little ones.
I love when my husband does the dishes without complaining.
I love spending time with my family.
I love an icy cold Diet Coke.
I love color...all things bright and pastel.
I love my boys sweet curly hair.

Just a few things I enjoy...

Boys

S was so concerned about the weather on Monday. It was field day and he didn't want it to rain - as was fore casted. He asked Matt if he asked God to make it not rain would God do it. Matt told him that God could make it not rain, and that it was ok for him to ask, but it still might rain if God says no.

We heard S in the living room, praying his sweet heart out. His prayers are deep and heart felt. He usually starts with "dearest our heavenly father" and proceeds to thank God for his blessings and then politely asks God for his request. He was saying: "please, please, PLEASE God, don't let it rain. Take the rain to, to, uh, to, anywhere that isn't Michigan". It was sweet.

It did rain that day, off and on. The school thankfully, still did field day indoors. The sun came out bright and shiny later on that day. We were driving to a birthday party and S said: "See mom, I guess God did answer my prayer, just a little bit later in the day". He makes me so proud.

I was cleaning the windows outside yesterday - God bless the makers of Windex Outdoor. I love that product. It makes cleaning the 13 or so windows outside much easier. The boys were outside with me for the majority of the cleaning. O decided that he wanted to go inside and wait for me to be done doing windows. O was standing inside of the screen door (which currently has the storm window in it) and watching me clean the door. He started cracking up...I looked to see what he was doing and he was standing up against the class with his mouth wide open. He was moving around with the water and trying to catch the water in his mouth...he looked a bit confused when none came through the glass. It was cute. His older brothers, saw me laughing, and of course decided they would go inside and do the same thing...somehow it wasn't as adorable.

I love that M & S, still refer to each other as Bud or Buddy. They hardly ever call each other by name and simply call each other "Bud" when they are playing, talking or even fighting. O isn't included on the "buddy" name tag though...poor guy. Hope he doesn't feel too left out. I was worried as the boys got older that they would stop calling each other that, but it has been several years and they are still doing it.

O has become our little chatterbox now. The boy who we thought would never talk, hardly ever stops. He even talks in his sleep now. Last night, he kept crying and yelling out. I went in to check on him and found him sitting up, crossed legged, staring at the wall. I asked him if everything was ok and he kind of looked right through me and said yes. I asked him if something hurt and he said yes. I asked him if his belly hurt - yes, his throat - yes, his head - yes, his hair - yes...you can see where that conversation was going. I layed him back down, covered him up and sat with him for a moment to see if he'd calmed down enough. After a moment, he started yelling - with his eyes closed - and shouting: "Give it back me"....he must have been fighting with his brother in his sleep.

I love that O is at the stage where he gets his words mixed up...for example:
"I catch you up" - I caught up with you.
"Give one me mom" - Give me one mom...of course this is preceeded and followed with a please and thank you.

He loves to tell me that he loves me and that I his favorite. It makes my heart boom when he walks up to me, grabs my face and says "I wuved you mommy"...he's such a lover.

Yesterday, he told Matt, "I bigga and bigga and bigga" (I'm bigger and bigger and bigger).

M has become our little hinter. Instead of coming right out and asking for something, we will often have a conversation like the one that occurred yesterday when M found a pack of Smarties:
M - Look what I found mommy
Me - Wow, that's great, Smarties
M - Whose are these
Me - I think they are one of your brothers
M - they sure look yummy
Me - yep
M - What do you think you are going to do with them
Me - nothing, put them away.
M - do you want to eat them?
Me - no, M, you can eat them....
M - so I can have them?

These conversations occur frequently. He'll say something like, "Man that cake looks good"...instead of just coming out and asking.

S, is almost done with first grade. He makes me so proud. He is at the top of his class still and as bright as can be. I am dumbfounded at how quickly the time is passing. I can remember his birth as if it were yesterday, yet I feel like I blinked and he's almost 7....

I love my boys...they make my life so full!

A New Career

The children's choir at our church preformed their spring musical last week. The two older boys were supposed to be in it. S decided halfway through that he would have nothing to do with going on stage. He chose a new job: to help Nichole, direct, lead and do motions for the kids. We begged, pleaded and yes, even bribed, the try to get him to do it. He loves to sing and has such a wonderful little voice. He feels the music and sings his little heart out.


Unfortunately, his nerves got the better of him and he didn't do it. He did however, sit in the front row and sing his fool heart out. He also did the motions and helped Nichole!


M, on the other hand, agreed to the bribe - a dollar and a pack of plastic snakes - and went up to preform. I have decided that he may make it as some form of entertainer...a rock star, a singer, a dancer, or most likely a "jester" of some kind. The child would jam during times when they were supposed to stand still. He played air guitar, spun in circles and even decided to lay down at one point.
I do believe he sang a few words and even did a SLIGHT motion or two. He stole the show though. We must have had a dozen or so people come up to us afterwards and talk about how fun he was to watch and what a cool kid he was...we just smiled, said thank you and then shook our heads. We'd honestly expect nothing less from M. He is our unique child. He marches to the beat of his own drum...and he has his own drummer...that plays a different song than everyone else.

*At one point, he spun so much we thought he was going to tip over. He stopped, made a face and swayed a bit...thankfully, no such accident was had.
Below are a few photos of M doing anything BUT what he was supp. to do.

Not Me

It's time for another instalment of Not Me Monday. Head over to MckMamma's blog to read MANY more of these moments!

I did not, forget to post a NMM last week. I did not think think that Monday was really Sunday, because my husband was home all day. I am not that easily confused.

I definitely did not decide the moving around THREE rooms in our small, but perfect, three bedroom home, sounded like a good idea. That would just be insane.

My mom and I, did not proceede to move the above mentioned three rooms around. We would certainly be certifiable if we did that.

I most certainly did not break my bed last week. I am not so fat now that flopping on my butt, when the ceiling fan startled me (I was standing on the bed to do something and didn't realize it was on), and hear a horrible cracking noise and fall to the floor, along with the box spring and matress.

I also did not allow my children to play in the hose on numerous occassions this week, just so they would stop asking. I NEVER give in to their pleading and whining. I always stand my ground and would never allow them to play in the hose in 72 degree weather.

I did not catch O, swimming in the dogs pool, at my mom's house this week. I would never let the boy play in the doggie pool.

I certainly did not arrive for a photo shoot 30 minutes early. I did not proceede to drive around the gorgeous neighborhood to kill time. I did not decide that I probably looked like a criminal casing the area and finally park and sit in the car for a few moments....until I had to go potty so bad that I just couldn't take it any more.

I did not have to leave the room, so as not to laugh at my oldest son today. He most certainly did not tell me: "If any of the kids are ABSTINET, today, I will have extra treats left over". I always immediately correct errors like that one!

Jesus Wants the Rose

Matt found this wonderfu clip a few weeks back and I just now thought to post it. Please take minute to watch this: Matt Chandler Clip.
It is well worth the three and a half minutes it takes.

Pudding, Phrases, Persistance and Plights

While at my nieces Kindergarten graduation this week (why do K5's have a graduation ceremony anyway? It's kindergarten. You learn letters, eat snacks and make crafts), O had to go potty. I quickly snatched him up out of the pew and jogged with him to the potty. He informed me that he didn't want help and that he could "do it myself". I left him to it and decided to take advantage of the potty break myself. I walked back over to his stall and found him perched, rather precariously, on the toilet. As I reached to help him, he fell in. I started laughing, he did not. I grabbed him and placed him on the floor. I noticed his poor shirt was soaked in the back...he didn't seem to mind. It then took me a moment to figure out where the lovely "floral" smell was coming from. It was O. There was a hanging toilet bowl thing in the bowl and he must have landed on it. It was fun to take him back into the ceremony soaking wet and reeking of toilet bowl freshener.

S, is still having a difficult time adjusting to...well, life really. Everything seems to be a huge ordeal. Life has seemingly dealt him a bad hand and he's quite verbal about it. If this is six, what will sixteen be like?!? Please, if you know, don't tell me!!
The other day, his cousins were over visiting and I heard yelling and screaming. This is not an unusual event for this batch of cousins. We spend a ton of time together and they tend to behave more like brothers and sisters, than cousins. S comes storming up the stairs and says to my husband:
S: "Dad, wheres your phone. I need it now"
M: "What do you need my phone for?"
S: "I'm calling the adoption place to come and get me"

My first response was: "Let me look up the number for you", but I refrained.

Today, O was eating chocolate pudding (yes, I'm sure it was chocolate pudding). I gave him a spoon and let him have at it. I looked over after a minute or so to see him covered in pudding. I had given him a spoon and reminded him to use it. O's response was: "No poon, eat with hands", and he went back to it. None of this would have been a huge deal had I not JUST gotten him dressed for the day.

M, bless his sweet, unique little heart, is still stuck in the Transformers costume phase. He is persistent too. I've gotten him out clothes daily, encouraged him to wear them, even offered to help him change. He insists that he's fine in his Optimus Prime suit and will just wear that. He has even made a small hole in the suit so his insulin pump can fit through. That way he doesn't have to take it all they way off to get dosed. He has it all worked out. Today, he spilled on it. He told me that was ok, because tonight at bedtime he would just take it off so i could wash it. I thought that meant we could wear something else tomorrow... He corrected my thinking and said...that way it will be all clean for me to wear tomorrow. Maybe, it won't be clean in time. This suit, is the second one. Grandma, bought him a new one this week at a yard sale...thanks grandma. Thankfully, he's been leaving the mask at home - although he told me he was going to wear it on our trip to Kroger for milk later.

Just a few moments in our life!

MUST SEE

If you have children, know children, or were once a child you must watch this:

CLICK HERE

It is hysterical and quite close to the truth...I think I've had similar conversations with my own children!

Picture This

The doors in our home have great woodwork. It's an older home and when my brother in law started redoing the house, he tried to keep with the integrity of the home. This woodwork is gorgeous, but it can be a pain, as it has tiny pieces and corners that are not child friendly and have broken more than once.

Our most recent breakage was a piece of wood trim from the boys door. It has come off due to the relentless door slamming it has received in the last few months. Our oldest and then middle son have taken to slamming doors in protest. This action caused the piece of trim to first come loose and then finally come off.

I have placed the trim in the living room corner, as a constant reminder to my dear husband to fix it. I can do many things and have been known to fix multiple things in this house...woodwork is not my specialty though. Give me a clogged drain or furniture to move and I'm on it. Hammers and I don't get along all that well though.

Today I was getting ready for the day. I am drying my hair and brushing my teeth in the bathroom. I look out to see a piece of wood trim, perched rather haphazardly across my living room table (a hope chest my mom gave me).

I lean out the bathroom door and ask M to please put that back and to be careful with it. He stops for a minute and says "why"? I answer him with the obvious answer - I don't want it broken and their are sharp nails sticking out of it.

M stops briefly and then responds back: "Oh, don't worry about those nails mom, I turned the wood over so they are facing down toward the table and not up"....NICE!

I told him to immediately put it back...thankfully, he obliged and my table suffered no harm. It made perfect sense to him though. It's safe to put the nails facing down ON the table....sheesh.

The other day, S, was unhappy with a decision that we made for him. He told us: "Whoa...HOLD THE PHONE". I'm often afraid of what his teen years have in store for us!

O has become our little chatter box. I knew that day would come. He was slow to talk, but now if chatting up a storm. His recent fascination is with my earrings. He calls them "rings". The other day, he told me to take his ears off and put his ears with rings on. We then had a conversation about how "rings" are for mommy's ears, not for little boys ears. He seemed ok with that explanation...at least for now. I'm sure that won't be the first conversation I have with my boys regarding earrings - at least for now, it's a fight I can win!

Matt was praying with the boys the other night before bed. M stopped him and said: "Who do we pray to again dad?"...Matt said, we have failed miserably!!

O also told me to take his ears off because they hurt.

While at a yard sale this week, M, found a great treasure. A full bag of plastic Sponge Bob toys that came in Burger King Happy Meals. He begged daily to go to Burger King during that shameless promotion that they did. We only obliged twice. Today, he hit the jackpot. He found a bag of roughly 6 of them for a dollar. My mom tried to convince him to pick something else and she would give him the extra money. He said "no thanks" and happily bought his toys. He said he couldn't wait to call his daddy and tell him about his buy. He proclaimed quite loudly, "This is such a great deal" and skipped down the sidewalk.

Stolen

I stole this video from my husbands blog. He asked me for three days to watch it and I just kept forgetting. I watched it tonight and am so glad I did!

I love it - especially the part about church dress code! Take a minute to watch!!

Not Me Monday

This weeks installment of Not Me Monday is here..

You can read lots of other not me moments at MckMamma's blog. I love reading some of them and finding other people who NEVER do awkward things...just like me!

I definitely did not read an article to my husband and my mom this week about a resurgence of bed bugs in the US. My husband did not start itching and I didn't start laughing at him and the power of suggestion.

I most certainly did not use an adult incontinence product in place of a feminine hygiene product this week...and I most certainly am not blogging about it.

I did not take 930 pictures in an hour. I know that editing that many photos would take forever.

I also didn't let my three year old pee in a McDonald's cup in the grocery store parking lot. I would never allow my young child to do that because I know that doing so would cause said child to ask to pee in a cup any chance they got.

I was not told to look out the window this week, by our pastor and his wife, who also happen to be dear friends of ours. I did not look out the window to see my son, standing as naked as a jay bird, peeing in a puddle, in the church parking lot no less. My child knows better....

I certainly did not look, moments later, and see my son "swimming" in the puddle he just peed in. I also did not listen as my friends roared with laughter. I definitely didn't see my two older sons watching the whole event while saying nothing....

Just a few of my not me moments...feel free to share your own!

Tat2's for Grandma

We really didn't have a ton of money to spend for Mother's Day this year, so I thought of something cheap to do for the grandma's. I am thrilled with how the pictures turned out and the grandma's LOVED the pictures.

I posted the best of the bunch...hope you enjoy it too!

Mother's Day Menu

My youngest sister Mary, also got to celebrate Mother's Day today. We kept telling her that she is absolutely a mother now and to enjoy the celebration with us! I am so excited to meet baby Leah or Rory

This is my momma and all her kiddies. My brother hasn't been home in a while. It was nice to snap a pic with all of us together with mom.

The boys made me breakfast in bed this morning. I was awoken by three sweet little voices, yelling quite loudly, "Happy Mother's Day"!! It made me smile. They all made me sweet cards and Matt wrote me an incredibly sweet note.

S gave me a piece of construction paper that he had drawn lines on and told me to place my order. He handed me a poster marker and I glanced at the clock and at Matt to see what I should order. I placed a simpler order:

Raisin toast with butter
Diet Dr. Pepper AND
My SSNRI..can't forget the anti depressant on Mother's Day!

The boys delivered my breakfast with a smile on their face - all except the medication....my sweet husband brought that with a smile.

We had a full day, complete with food, family and friends - and even a little gardening in between.

I am so thankful for my children and for my husband - both of whom make it possible for me to celebrate this Holiday! I praise the Lord for making my dreams of motherhood come true. There was a time, when I thought that celebrating Mother's Day, as a mother, wouldn't happen. Thankfully, the Lord saw fit to bless us with three wonderful sons.

Just Ask

If you wanted more attention for Mother's Day, all you had to do is ask...is what I said to my mom as they wheeled her out of the ambulance at 12:45 this morning. She laughed, in between bouts of dry heaving.

I hate when my mom is sick. She's as tough as nails and isn't one to complain when she doesn't feel good. She rarely gets sick, so when my sister called and said mom wanted me to come right over, she didn't feel right, I immediately got dressed and ran out the door to her house...I literally ran. Thankfully, she lives across the street, because I am far too fat and way to out of shape to run any farther. My run was further encouraged by the ambulance that pulled in before me.

I was quite concerned by this point and ran in to see my mom heaving in a trash can and as white as a sheet. I beat the EMS in by a few minutes and asked my mom what was going on. She told me how she was feeling and I quickly had her diagnosed with vertigo and a panic attack.

She's had bouts of vertigo before and I suffer from it myself at times, but nothing as severe as my mom experiences. Unfortunately, her father died of a heart attack at 40 years of age and that causes extra concern for all of us. Anytime, something out of the ordinary comes up, we want to get her checked out.

My dad has been gone on a week long preaching trip and my mom was watching one of my nieces over night. Thankfully, one of my sisters was staying the night and the other had just gotten home from a rehearsal dinner.

We rode to the ER...which was an interesting ride. My sons were horribly jealous that I got to ride in an ambulance. I assured them it wasn't as much fun as they thought.... My poor mom got sick when ever they made her move. She stood up and got sick, rolled her over, she got sick...it was so sad.

They pumped her full of fluids - another thing I am always on her for. She doesn't drink enough. Gave her some Antivert and the wonder drug Zofran (I must admit I was jealous that she got it IV push, I would have killed for Zofran through an IV when I was pregnant with M. I'd will myself not to throw those things up before they dissolved). She was feeling much better within the hour and was laughing and joking. She still looked horrendous and was in no shape to run a marathon, but the room was no longer moving and she hadn't thrown up in a while.

We were glad to hear that all of her test results came back good and that it was indeed a vertigo flare up. She is feeling much better today and rested all day.

I thank the Lord for a mom that is healthy and loving. She is not just my momma, she's my dearest friend. She was merely a child herself when I was born, but together she and my dad overcame insurmountable odds and raised 5 children.

I am going to have to remind her though that tomorrow is all about me, because she got all the attention this weekend!

Words of "Wisdom"

Profound truths:
Sometimes all you can do is the next right thing.
It is what it is.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.
Life is what happens while we are making other plans.

Silly, but true:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Six of one, half dozen of the other (my husband HATES this one).
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

My Mamaw's words of wisdom:
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas.
Everything after but, is bulls***...you can fill in the rest! I don't use this quote often, but find it contains quite a bit of truth!


Just a few words of "wisdom" - none of which are original to me.