August 18, 2013

August 5, 2013

July 14, 2013

  • hi girls ….. if there are any of you left here : )
    tomorrow being the 15th & not knowing the life that’s left in xanga – i thought i’d just let you all know that eventually ….  (hopefully sooner than later …. like before next st patricks day sooner!!!)

    …. eventually i will be at h0ldfast.com.

    i’m not linking it here yet as it’d just bring you back to xanga – but!! soon : )

    if you knew how many tabs were opened on my screen & what my bed times have been – you’d expect me to be a blogging expert extraordinaire, ha!! wordpress?blogger?wordpress?blogger? ????

    so enjoyed all of you & with all my un-techy-ness am trying to find and follow you all again!!

    - – -

    see you soon!!!

June 17, 2013

  • i have 19% battery life left to post.

    i’m slapping mosquitoes left & right …. like it’s summer & our screens don’t work.

    rex & i over slept this morning. and then we had this impromptu fathers day celebration. that went like this ….


    first benny gave him a pot holder he made.


    then roo-pop gave him a recycled fairy princess birthday card.


    next dolly drew him a picture ….


    it was sailor’s turn next ….. the gifts & cards were all her ideas …. she helped the kids with all of theirs.


    he held a library book & got kissed.


    jacky surprisingly slept late too & missed the early morning card making …. instead of giving love & he got some.

    - – -

June 7, 2013

  • i told rex today that i was enjoying summer. later he said it probably had something to do with having a whole week of nothing planned in the evening.

    he’s probably right. this was the first week in …. forever …. that our nights were free. gloriously free.

    our days have been free enough, though too.

    free enough to take morning baths & paint little finger nails purple. free enough to stop frozen yogurt by a friends & stay longer than we planned. free enough to lay around the living room reading 20,000 leagues under the sea. free enough to give the baby a well deserved uninterrupted nap. free enough for a library trip with no late fees : ) free enough to let everyone play outside & welcome home a hard working husband. free enough to leave the kitchen a mess & just go to bed. free enough to call a babysitter last minute & go on a date.

    - – -


    he’s officially learned how to play peek-a-boo : )

    - – -


    violin practice ….. yes …. in the bathroom : ) it’s where the finger nails were being painted & we needed to hear the song.


    we’ve reworded ‘you run on school mornings’ to ‘you just run’


    nightgowns & flip flops are your call.


    hello grandma …. thanks for helping us out on days we need to be 2 … [or 7] … places at once.


    i really like that she plays piano ….


    molly & benny swimming backstroke.


    some morning snuggle & love.


    you’re just so independent when you can buckle your own sandals.


    helping brother to the pool …. the contrast in their skin color amazes me.


    the water was just a bit too cold for his liking …. no worries, the next 3 days forecast 104, 109 & 97 respectfully ….
    by monday the pool should be good to go : )

    - – -


    we will be in & at the pool all weekend!

    happy weekend ~

June 4, 2013

  • ‘so i see you’ve given up blogging for instagram.’

    that is a true quote. it’s just not really a true statement : )

    hello here i am, back in time to hear news that good ol’ xanga is dying for reals.

    one of my truest of friends mother asked me last night if i was at least writing even though i wasn’t posting …. ahhh

    guilty. not even writing.

    molly fell asleep at 6:13 tonight.
    she’s still in her swim suit …. we didn’t even change her.

    i picked chad up from his bed & just held him sleeping.
    just because i could.

    just long enough for him to breathe a few deep breaths and then wiggle a bit & i laid him back down.

    jack told me tonight he ‘saw a guy with water proof flip flops on … like they could get wet. i didn’t see his face, but yeah he was walking away’

    and i was thinking …. aren’t all flip flops water proof???

    : )

    i could.not even try to make up the stuff he says.

    the other day in the car ….. ‘hey mom, i believe in haunted houses.’

    really dude, i don’t.

    quiet. then ……

    ‘does believing in haunted houses take God’s name in vain?’

    no

    ‘ok good. then i do’

    we  did go on to discuss all sorts of things after that.

    these posts don’t have to be miles long. they don’t have to fill in every detail. we’re pretty much past that : ) it’s been too long in between.

    i think i’m in a sentimental mood tonight …. when i write wanting to remember just how sweet this time of life is.

    regan & chad tonight ran in & out of the water from the hose i was using to spray smashed cherries off the drive way. like he honestly watched her & figured out how to run off laughing and then come back for more. once he got a little too wet & went half crying over to her for some love.

    mental click.

    it was beautiful. i remember sailor & jack doing that ….


    it’s hard when you’re 3 & a half and 16 months and your 4 other brothers & sisters are on the swim team & their meets start at 8am & they have to be checked in by 7 & the high school is out of town & you get taken to the car when the clock still has a 5 as the first number. it just wears you out.


    my mom had a birthday last month – we partied.


    our 1st year of baseball ended with this hit – he’s my favorite left handed bulldog, ever.


    no joke – rex had that many kids in the game of life. the rest of us won lotteries, had in law problems, bought yachts & dealt with stunk farms …. he just kept adding kids & was a millionaire by the end on a journalists salary. 


    my mother in law made the end of school extra special. she had confetti down the center of the table & assigned seating & patience to equal the sugar & this amazing ability to pour her heart out into each of them.


    i love his lips & his dress belt & that he played all season with the boy next to him.


    amie thinks i never dress him in pants & he’ll have a complex … no idea why …..


    these pictures go together – the first was dinner the second was breakfast ….. we strive for balance.


    rex managed all of them looking at the same time …. i could just keep staring at them, their expressions & personalities.


    it was not suppose to turn out so blurry … but i was driving & they were walking & we were all happy.


    the middle row.


    my kids don’t get their thrill seeking adventure from me. but they do have it.


    oh look …. we’re in the same picture. that’s nice.

    - – -

    here’s my heart Lord
    speak what is true

    i am found
    i am yours

    i am loved
    i’m made pure

    i have life
    i can breathe

    i am healed
    i am free

    You are strong
    You are sure

    You are life
    You endure

    You are good
    always true

    You are light
    breaking through

    You are more than enough
    You are here

    You are hope
    You are grace

    You’re all i have
    You’re everything

    here’s my life, Lord
    speak what is true ….

    ….. up late listening to this song

May 13, 2013

  • i didn’t realize mothers day was even coming up till last tuesday. caught me completely off guard. nearly 10 years into mothering & i still have this funky feeling like i’m being included in some group i don’t really belong in.

    mothers day is for mom, it was for grandma & my friends moms and the great ladies at church.

    not me …..

    i don’t keep my house as nice as moms – the other day i walked in & she was ironing her pillowcase …. i can’t think of the last time i ironed pillowcases. and i like ironed pillowcase : )
    i don’t cook like my mother in law – the other day i walked in & she was fixing dinner and said it was for us. really! yes : )

    maybe because i’m still incredibly selfish …. and while mothering has a way of beating that out of you …. there’s still a lot left. mom is not selfish.

    as proof …. my kids take more after me than their grandmothers – jack said today he wished there was a ‘kids day’ lol. and more specifically a ‘boy day’.

    ahh, yes. there you go : )

    sailor made me a card & re-gifted a barnes & noble gift card she’d received and gave it to me. she’s well on her way to not being selfish. she inspires me to be more creative. she misspelled mother by leaving out the h on her card. so it read ‘happy moters day’

    after seeing sailor’s generosity, the other kids throughout the day brought things.

    jacks was a ripped piece of binder paper that read –
          ‘happe mother day – from jack to mom my’

    he folded it up more than once, handed it to me, then left.
    he came back a few minutes later & asked if he’d spelled all the words right.

    benny brought me home sunday school papers.

    molly put 3 tiny jewels in a ziploc bag, wrapped it in gold tissue, handed it to me & said she’d used lots of tape.

    regan brought in a gift from grammy & shouted ‘happy birthday!!!!’

    chad benefited from a little age in my mothering & was held a lot today.

    i owe a giant part of ……


    what a world …. i’m humbled to be a part of them.

    - – -


    sailor set chad up & let him play. she also took these pictures. i loved them when i saw them on the camera later.


    the boys had their 1st ever recital last week. at this age & stage recitals are long & honestly at times boring. the few minutes that your kid plays compared to the whole rest of the time you spend trying to keep your other kids quiet so the other moms & dads can listen to their kids play their few minutes … is pretty much exhausting : )  but do you see that smile jack is trying to hide as he walked off? that was a pretty big deposit into the ‘it’s worth it’ account.

    benny got a little lost in the middle of his …. you can see him looking around …. but he just kept playing & eventually finished, bowed & walked off, completely unphased.


    there’s that 1/2 smile again ….

    - – -

    we ran saturday. the last time i ran in this race was 4 years ago …. i was 5 months pregnant with regan. that was crazy! the next time i run it, i plan on beating my dad.

    - – -

    we went to our first swim meet of the season.

    no one was disqualified, we didn’t sunburn chad & we didn’t spend a small mint in shaved ice. we did work on our tans, cheer loudly & buy team shirts.

    - – -


    mothers day pictures with m ~

    - – -

    we’re quite a bit behind in the instagram postings …. although amie joined [gasp!] so she’s in the know now : ) i think we’ll leave this like one big picture book & leave off the words/comments&explanations.












    i remembered the end of that unfinished sentence toward the beginning …..
    i owe a giant part of what mothers day is to their dad. he plays a significant role in making mothering work around here.
     

    - – -

     


    and with that i think we’ll call it a night : )

    happy new week ….. spend grace generously ~

May 4, 2013

  • what’s on your dresser?
    hot dog tongs, a phone cord, a little girls bracelet.

    do you have make up on?
    no.

    what are your little girls doing?
    giving presentations to themselves about their baby books.

    have you had lunch?
    no & it’s 2:20pm.

    are you wondering why the back of the suburban is opened?
    why, yes i am.

    there’s a little interview with me & my brain.

    speaking of random …. i was tagged in some 5 random things about me post ….

    i asked rex & he got on a roll : )

    - – -

    part of me thinks every other night about posting again. part of me doesn’t. wanna know a secret? i’m almost addicted to playing ticket to ride on rex’s phone at night. so it’s late & i’m tired & i’ve got things done (or i don’t!) and instead of posting i crawl in bed & try to beat his top score : )

    its not on my phone, which is how i can get away with saying i’m not addicted – lol.

    so there you go – my nights to post have been replaced with a ridiculous game!

    here we are, it’s may!

    may will be full of swimming, baseball games, recitals, runs, graduations, birthday parties, school ending, vacation, seeing auntie amie.

    the kids are swimming almost every day now which has totally changed the look of our weeks, our afternoons, our evenings.

    no really?

    yeah, really : )


    a recent picture of the kids – since it’s been so long. it was the first one i came across – it’s a classic already.


    he scored in finding a leftover paper plate that had some brownie crumbs – add dirt & otter pop juice and you have a winner in the messiest kid contest.

    but wait! he hasn’t even had proper press time for his latest skill.

    he walks. it was exciting news around here. they were all on site reporters ‘chad’s walking!’


    i fall down –


    it wears a guy out –


    but someone is always picking me back up!


    it’s thoughtful of them, at least ….. 

    good bye, baby. hello boy.

    - – -

    last night i was freaking out mentioning to rex how busy this weekend will be & he said it might be good to remember that exact moment when i think about adding something else to do & i was all but what about …….

    he really thought he was the only one in the conversation since there was no way i was even hearing myself talk : )

    the giants on are tv tonight …. rex says i have the biggest bleeding heart ’cause i called the boys out of bed so they could watch.

    right now they are asking 5 million questions a batter. they’re daddy, who’s been up since 4 am is doing a decent job of keeping up with them : )

    molly took a good 40 plus pictures of us the other day while we played catch.

    - – -

    true story –
    once upon a time – last week – rex & i were talking in our room …. we do that most days after he gets home from work. jack was hanging around outside our window trying to listen in. rex told him to quit his not so subtle attempt at eavesdropping.

    for whatever reason jack took it pretty personally & told us he was going to leave. leave as in run away leave.

    we, from inside, smiled and told him to have a nice trip & be back before we left for baseball.

    a few minutes later ben showed up & asked if jacky really left, rex answered with ‘he said he was ….’

    well a good 20 minutes past & ben came out with jack’s monkey asking again if jack was coming back.
    based on ben’s concern rex said they could go look for him. by the time rex found shoes jack had come walking back, but benny …..
    benny was emotionally done over that possible fact that his brother had really run away & might not come back. 

    their reunion was beautiful. benny just cried tears of relief & jack found the heart to put his arms around him.

    - – -


    and then there’s the girls, who thought it was hot enough for a slip ‘n slide.

     

    chad & i watched from the porch 

      

    - – -


    ‘i is a cowboy!’ she declared. ‘i need a horse …. and a strawberry!’

    - – -


    she wanted a picture because they were both orange hats. he ripped his off .3 seconds after this shot.

    - – -


    and just in case you had any doubt that chad lives shirtless on the front porch ….. here’s more proof : )

    - – -

    well this post has taken all day & then some! i am excited to come back & read about all of you : )
    happy weekend ~

    - – - -

April 13, 2013

  • hey there!

    we went on a date this week. he bought me a ring …. he’s been offering diamonds, but i went with a bit of american eagle jewelry.

    i’m seriously wishing there was chocolate in the house tonight. i’m up (obviously) late. rex is gone. the kids are in bed.

    and i want chocolate : )
    have you ever had a double dark chocolate magnum bar?
    you should.


    chad wore the old green striped onesie today – jacky wore it too …. at a much younger age : )
    i did look for a picture of benny wearing it.

    - – -

    last week she called, we talked, she made some passing comment about how she thought going to the beach sounded fun.

    of course the beach sounds fun.
    and like work.
    and like sand.
    and like more work.
    and like more sand.
    and like fun : )

    wagons, chairs, buckets, shovels & food later we took our ten kids to the beach …. sands their daddys.

     - – -

    - – -

    - – -


    she is at the top of a pretty short list – her & her beautiful children … and my arm :) sailor took the picture.

    - – -


    man, we love the beach & our friends.

    - – -

    we get to wake up together tomorrow – yay!!
    we like his dad & i – not him.
    : )

    oh one more  …..

    happy weekend ~

    - – - –

April 8, 2013

  • this ……


    this …. is my littlest son.

    this …. is a short paragraph stating several things like we’ve been busy & rex does not tell funny jokes, unless he does & then they’re very funny & we enjoyed sidewalk chalk during spring break.

    spring break sounds like the kids are in college …. easter vacation sounds more elementary, doesn’t it?


    this …. was a saturday morning breakfast.

    we ate pancakes outside in pajamas. we woke up at seven thirty & the house was still quiet – everyone was still sleeping & we had no place to be ….. miracles do still happen.

    so the breakfast was worth remembering – i love living with these people.


    this …. was one sister friend talking her little sister friend into taking a picture for mom.


    this …. well, the pep talk didn’t go so well : )


    this …. is my oldest daughter.


    this …. is the brotherhood.

    a few more outtakes of ‘hey guys can i have an easter picture?’

     
    - – -

    this ….. is instagram.


    she tells her own made up jokes in the car.


    she takes the whole placement of the in ‘n out stickers very seriously.


    get up, put your running shoes on, go.


    it’s a good thing he was weighed before he got sick …. he wasn’t even on the charts then, i didn’t even want to find out what the scale said after not eating for a week & a half.


    they’re enjoying the library books … that we paid $63!!! for ….. that we returned late.


    they were serious trouble that morning, yes sir, those two. but then they walked out in self picked striped sweaters & black boots and i just couldn’t get over their darling-ness.


    a good chunk of our busy right now is that swim season has started …. regs & chady sit through practices on the bleachers armed with raisin snacks, a growing tan & cuteness.


    i sent this to amie after another ohio snow storm : )


    we left the dishes one night & took off on a bike ride – just the 3 of us.


    her stroller turns a simple get from point A to point B an event : )


    sunrise service – we host it in our back field … partly so we can set the dress code : ) He is risen – it’s worth celebrate, yes?

    yes.

    - – -


    this …. is chad calvin.


     

     

    - – -


    this …. was what i saw looking out the window on friday.

    well i confess to cropping out as much of the trash can as i could. we’ve been go, go, go lately but friday was not. friday they played for hours like that …. it was beautiful.

    this ….. isn’t the greatest of updates – but. i’m falling asleep.

    and tomorrow starts with go, go, go. so this …. is the end.

    - – -