if you don’t count last night i can’t think of the last time i went away, overnight, alone.

the cousins & aunts sent out group texts last month with invites for a girl weekend – conference, speaker, slumber party, red velvet … the whole 9 yards.

i talked mom into going – here she is trying to figure out where we were : )

this is really not a fair picture since it chopped out my lovely cousin on one side & aunt on the other.

here they are : )

rex sent me this picture of chady -

which i thought was just dreamy ’til i read his text that said ……

i got this picture this morning –

then this …..

4 of the kids, sick all night, throwing up, one after the other, all over him, all over everything. chad’s 1st true throw up sick … and i was gone.

i’m telling ya, he wore a cape. he was superman for a rough 24 hours.

us girls, meanwhile, had fabulous time.

- – -

it’s a good thing you don’t smell pictures …. my turn for the cape!

i’mnotgettingsick. i’mnotgettingsick. i’mnotgettingsick.
it’s been quite the weekend and it’s only saturday night.
: )

- – -

rex walked around target tonight with a green irish head thingy that said kiss me on his head. he wouldn’t take it off till i obeyed the instructions.

i had to kiss him in the crayon aisle.

true story.

- – -

i wish amie wasn’t in a time zone 2/3 of the country away. the song playing on pandora is reminding me of her & i’d probably call her up and talk if it wasn’t for the whole time zone difference.

- – -

regan was the first of our kids to have a walker …. so somehow babies in walkers are still a new ish sight to me.

it slays me every time. he flat out moves in that thing.
he’s darling & looks like such a dork at the same time – lol.
amie will understand how darling & dork can be used in the same sentence.

granted the hood isn’t helping his over all look : )

but as his little bit of hair shows, it was actually pretty windy that afternoon.

head down bud, you’ll make it!

i love him. to death, i love him.

- – -

i should ….
be in bed
or taking a shower
or finishing up school work for tomorrow
or as rex thoughtfully pointed out tonight … maybe its time to remove the chipped finger nail polish off the last few of my fingers

but i’m still up because life takes work.

doesn’t it!

more & more i marvel at that. he works all day. i work all day. he comes home, we say hello & kiss & then we work our tails some more ….

we just do it together then : )

and sometimes we say hello, kiss & then say good bye ’cause someone has to be somewhere.

he’s in bed … he was up at 2am this morning. and he still managed to take me out for burgers & milkshakes & a parent meeting about upcoming events. (on top of the bit of irish at target)

’cause [gasp] we’re parents! and our kids are doing more now than taking naps in the afternoons : )

he takes really good care of me.

- – -

1. she was put out with the pig tails i put in her hair ’cause & i quote ‘cowboys don’t wear pigtails’
2. she got over her bad cowboy hair & shared her ‘horse’ with benny
3. the 3 youngest in a new wagon … i don’t know why its posting blurry
4. chady adding his own accompaniment
5. lacy sock, shiny shoes, skinned knees. i heart 3 year old girls.
6. her first bike ride … again blurry ??
7. taming the mane – wowzers, it goes big quickly
8. the boys
9. cousins –
10. they were reading during school …. out loud, loudly : )
11. the beauty that is almond blossom
12. a family picture … sorta … not really … but kinda
13. poor benny on sunday morning – daylight savings was rough
14. this was before he found the kiss me ones!

- – -

i think we’ll be in the same bed for like an hour & a half tonight … time to get back to all those ‘i shoulds’
and then we’ll start a new day!

hello brown eyed ben -

- – -

jack likes saturdays.  it’s the day he wears his camo pants because & i quote ‘i can play all day’ apparently camo pants don’t work on school days.

he was crushed this morning when he realized rex was working. now he has to wait all the way till next saturday to work with dad.

he just came in & asked when dad was coming home. after all its 11:37am, its in the afternoon & its wAy past 4 o’clock!

: )

he & ben have been planning on buying a horse & turning the front grass into its pen. before that they were asking for old towels so they could be indians.

saturdays are an important day of the week to jack.

i like them too. i like to make muffins on saturdays. we read tons of library books this morning while they baked, just ’cause we could & didn’t have to get anyone to school.

getting to school on time is important to sailor and she works very hard to make sure it happens. they get an extra recess every 5th time they’re there on time.

she likes to be on time in general …. working around 7 other people makes that tricky sometimes – poor child!

molly had been wearing sailors clothes the last 2 days saying she is sailor. sailor’s shirts, sailor’s sweaters, sailor’s flip flops & her own princess skirt.

she looks like a little brown headed sack with legs sticking out since sailors clothes are obviously way too big on her.

i’m not sure how she managed a perfect ring of thin mint chocolate around her lips ….

i think it’s darling …. i have no idea what having an older sister is like. molly makes it seem really great.

there are spring flowers sitting on the table from my mother in law. i’ve given up on having a little bowl of candy sitting with them.

it’s obvious the kids get their self control from their mom dad – the bowl is always empty : )

the little girls are whispering under the covers in our bed. they have their babies. its the 3rd morning in a row for an unmade bed. i think they’re feeling pretty motherly.

- – -

didn’t i just say how i loved the sound of training wheels on the drive way? all last week she did circles around & around – it was little girlish & spring time & country & beautiful.

this week though, i saw her out on her own with an old bike of the boys & she came in all excited and said ‘i.did.it!!’

ben helped her take the training wheels off her strawberry bike & just like that sister went & taught herself how to ride a bike.

ahh ….

today her skill level has improved enough to carry a purse full of girl treasures.

- – -

a chad commercial –
he was tickled over the sounds he was making with his tongue … till he found his thumb.

- – -

we chose a walk over naps yesterday. it’s been completely gorgeous lately. we are surrounded by hundreds of acres of orchards & this time of year they blossom ….

when you’re not in an orchard, there’s acres & acres of open fields –

they were tigers sneaking up on the girls

- – -

the whole missing naps only lasted so long …. he was tired & slept all the way home : )

- – -

- – -

it’s actually really after 4 now, lotsa interruptions!
rex is just about home.

the few bites i had of chad’s broccoli lunch have completely worn off. i’m thinking a batch a cookies would bring smiles a few faces around here.

so i think that’s what we’ll do next.
~

 

chapter one is called ‘i write’

i don’t read other blogs. i don’t just surf facebook.

i just write. i have an entire package of thin mints that i’ll honestly probably eat till they’re gone.

i have music playing ’cause i like music playing when i write.

rex just asked if i needed anything …. i really was hoping the black socks would convince him to rub my feet : ) he likes my black socks.

so here’s the deal ….

oh, hold on, i can’t type ’cause he’s actually rubbing my feet & it feels too incredible.

…. where were we : )

i have a new blog …. i actually think i have several
my ridiculously.seriously ridiculously smart brother in law came to my rescue. i’d signed up to so many i didn’t remember passwords or user names or emails. i have my own .com place and didn’t know how to work it. he is just that good & helped me archive years of posts. i have no idea what he did. he set everything up & now i’m suppose to pick one & figure it out. and then he’ll do whatever he still needs to do & wa la, it will all be set.

and here’s the problem – in case you didn’t know there was a problem! i have this whole vision in my head of how this new blog should look, cause its new, it obviously needs a new look. so on top of just not having tons of extra time lately i’ve held off waiting for some spectacular inspiration to hit.

i will provide links, promise.
but the inspiration hasn’t hit : )

rex wants to know if i’m cramming – that was his word – cramming everything i’ve missed into this post.
i said yes.
so here we go.

i woke up the other morning to this. she was ready to run with the kids.

this is a blurry, unattractive picture but a happy moment : )

just because she was cute.

he ransacked my purse & found chocolate –

cowboys must have long sleeve button up shirts

if we’re adding the elk & deer the ranger saw, then we should draw them too. i drew the ranger.

those never made it to instagram : )

- – -

i’ve had real parent moments this week.

like 3 nine year old little girls in the back of the car – talking & giggling & being friends. i drove down the road speechless really over the fact that one of those 9 year olds was mine. it felt like i was playing house … surely i’m not old enough myself to be her parent. their conversation was hilarious – they were discussing how high the high heels were that some of the college girls at church wore. super funny.

next – i sat on a baseball field this week watching jack at practice. like on a real team. it was such a real parent sort of thing to do.

he plays for the bulldogs & he is super excited. i brought chocolate orange sticks & his younger brother & called out ‘way to go jacky!!’ as he hit the ball when he was up to bat.

real parent moments are also wiping snot off 3 year old little faces & changing diapers & driving kids to music lessons & pouring milk into bowls of cheerios & doing loads of laundry & taking kids to school. but i guess the others are just proof that life is not all babies anymore.

but lets talk about babies now : )

chapter 2 –

remember these …..

i can’t even say he turned one last month, it’s been that long! but 1.28.13 was his first birthday. it’s embarrassing in light of the party his sister had when she turned one to say he spent the morning in the nursery & the afternoon with grandma & that evening his mom & dad left him again for a tax appointment.

but when all that was done he had his first ever cupcake & we sang happy birthday.

he liked it.

years go fast don’t they?

i love this boy. i love how he’s only 13 months & i’m still his favorite person. i love how he crawls as fast as he can to keep up, his little hands slapping away on the hardwood floors. i love how he puts his lips together & breathes loud & fast out of his nose. i love how he talks. i love how he carries random things around with him, a ziploc bag, a dirty sock, a little toy, a spoon. i love how he smiles when i say good morning to him.

i love how just when i think he’ll probably never fall asleep in my arms at night, he does it again & i just sit & hold him ’cause the years go fast.

i love how he doesn’t walk yet, he hasn’t had a hair cut & he is still nursing.
you can’t keep having babies just because you love babies – but he’s a fabulous way to go out ; )

- – -

chapter 3.

3 things i’m in love with right now.

1. the sound of training wheels on the driveway. seriously i could close my eyes & just listen to it. it means so many beautiful things.
2. the smell of almond blossoms – the breeze is blowing in the smell right now. yes, it’s 12:27am & we have the window opened in our room. it’s california and it’s march.
3. this song - listen to it. especially these lines – ‘where sin runs deep, Your grace is more. where grace is found is where You are. where You are, i am free.’

do you know how deeply true that is! ahhh –
where sin is, grace is more. where grace is Jesus is. where Jesus is there is freedom.

give grace.
give it to your husband, give it to your kids. give it to others. give it to yourself.

chapter 4.
instagram.

- – -

chapter 5 – last saturday was the first run of the season.

mom & chady stayed warm together

- – -

chapter …. what number are we on? this one is called boys.

jack had a birthday ….. [cough] back in january. we don’t usually do big parties, but rex got this idea & he is very good at making idea’s happen. so jacky had a party this year : )

they survived : )

- – -

would you like 3 words to describe the boys right now? cowboys. baseball. camo.

see : )

 

- – -

chapter, next.
is called go outside. fresh air is good for you. for you children. for your health & theirs.
we have an incredibly small house & an incredibly large piece of land. 

- – -

we balanced the camera on the applesauce – memories are worth remembering.

the end : )