Fall photos

Here a couple fall photos of the boys.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, today is my special day.  I don’t like the number I am.   It’s odd and I just don’t like how it sounds.

But instead of dwelling on that, I will be thankful for all I have.  I feel so blessed as a wife, mother, daughter and friend.  God has blessed me beyond words.  I am thankful for everyone in my life. 

And no matter what the day holds, I will focus on those simple things.

Many blessings.

Update on “Bigger”

Thanks to all those who told Logan he looked bigger either on his birthday or after his birthday.  I thought he had been convinced that he was bigger.  Last night I found out this wasn’t true.  He hadn’t been convinced, but here’s why:

“Mom, you said I was bigger on my birthday, but I wasn’t.”

“Oh, you look  bigger to me, Logan.”

“But I wanted to be as big as the boys (meaning Isaac and Eli) and I’m not.  I’m still littler.”

Logan at four….

1.  He prefers granola for breakfast every morning.

2.  He sleeps on his doggie pillow every night.  This is a stuffed dog that he picked out on his 1st birthday.  It’s kind of like a blankie to him—he must have it to go to sleep.

3.  He’s determined that he’s going to be a farmer when he grows up.  He’s even started picking out which animals he’s going to have on his farm.  Cows are a given.  Last night he announced that he’d have a farm dog.

4.  He really wants a buzz cut.  In fact, that’s what he wanted to do on his 4th birthday.  I’m afraid to do this because he still loves to suck his thumb and twirl his hair.  I think he might miss his hair if it were cut off!

5.  He loves his daddy.  I know all kids do, but Logan is very attached to him right now.  The minute Dad comes home from work, Logan is right by his side.  It doesn’t matter what Dad is doing (baling hay, hauling wood, building a barn), Logan is right there by him.  He loves to help Dad.

6.  Don’t tell Logan he’s too small to do something!  He so wants to be bigger and do all the big boy stuff.  He’s crushed when he learns he’s not big enough to do something.

7.  His big brothers are a huge influence on him.

I love you, Logan.

Happy Grandparents Day!

 

GRANDPARENTS

Grandparents bestow upon their grandchildren
The strength and wisdom that time
And experience have given them.

Grandchildren bless their Grandparents
With a youthful vitality and innocence
That help them stay young at heart forever.

Together they create a chain of love
Linking the past with the future.
The chain may lengthen,
But it will never part...

~Author Unknown~

 

***Thank you Grandma & Grandpa A and Gramma & Grampa H for all you do for your grandkids!!!  You are so special to us!

4 years old

Happy Birthday to Logan!!!!

Isaac and Eli blew up balloons and made a balloon pyramid on top of the presents.  It was Logan’s job to knock it down.

This was one of Logan’s favorite  presents.  It also came with a tractor and trailer.  Must be his fave because he’s going to be a farmer!

His special present from Dad was a bow & arrow.  He asked for this just from Dad.  It was their little secret.

Logan’s birthday was spent at the zoo.  He loves the zoo!  We have gone to the zoo for his 2nd, 3rd and now 4th birthday.  He’s the type of kid who can sit and study one animal for a long time.  We also rode the zoo mobile.

Gramma H told him about feeding the goats at the zoo and he really wanted to do this!  Never mind that he can do this all the time at Grandma’s.  :)

Darn, it’s hard to get them all to look and smile at the same time!  Especially at the end of the day…

 

Riding the zoo mobile.

 

In the evening we went out for fish, which was what Logan decided on for his dinner.  He loves fish.  In fact, he had been sick all week and hadn’t eaten anything substantial in five days.  The fish was his first real meal in days.  All my boys, except Isaac, love fish so mostly everyone was happy with his meal choice.

We came back home for cake and ice cream with Grandpa and Grandma.  And he finally played with his new toys.

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Elk, please.

“Logan, what would you like for your birthday dinner?  You can pick anything you want to.”

“Ummm…….elk, please.”

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any elk.  What else would you like?”

“Mom,  I want elk.”

“We don’t have elk though.”
”If I can’t have elk, then I don’t want anything.”

This was my first request for elk on one of my children’s birthdays.  He was so disappointed we couldn’t have elk.  After much more thinking, he did finally settle on fish.

Back to (home) school

School started yesterday.

Today was much better than yesterday.

We are on a rigid yet flexible schedule this year.  With a 6th grader, 3rd grader, preschooler and toddler, I need a schedule to get it all done!  I also need to be flexible with my schedule.

We’re starting year one of American history this year.  I think I may be more excited than my kids.  We will be doing  two years in a row of American history. 

Our first day was a rough one on so many different levels.  I still have some sick ones, so that adds a bit of stress, on top of some issues of my own. 

Yet I'm THRILLED that I don't have to get my kids up at the crack of dawn, and rush them through chores, and rush them through breakfast, and rush them out the door. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GRATEFUL that I can be home, and hug my kids (as often as I want ), that they can have a hot breakfast (or not) and start their days not feeling hurried & rushed, that I can take the time that is needed for each to thrive, that we can build relationships versus agendas.

So today I choose to embrace the gift of time that God has bestowed me with, and I will enjoy this day as it unfolds and celebrate another year of growing, loving, learning and exploring all that He has planned for us.

Blessings.

County Fair

Well, I don’t have pictures because just the fact that we even made it to the fair this year is a miracle. 

I have had two boys sick with the flu and one on the edge.  As soon as I hear “my tummy hurts,” I run and grab the puke bucket.  But at this point, we have them sitting all over the house so I just have to grab the nearest one.  I have changed and washed way too much the last few days. 

We put off the fair until today, Labor Day.  Also the last day of the fair.  If we don’t make it today, we don’t go this year.  And that will result in some very disappointed boys.

Bid deal you say?  Ha!  Don’t be too quick to judge until you’re in my shoes.

I’m a huge advocate of “if you’re sick, stay home.”  But I broke my own rule a little today.

It wasn’t because they wanted to ride all the rides and eat a bunch of garbage either.  My boys just wanted to see the animals!  How cute is that?!?!?

So I explained the rules to them.  You will not eat anything at the fair.  You will not ride any rides.  You will only drink the drink I bring.  If anyone pukes, we leave.  And one certain boy had to agree to wearing a Pull-Up “just in case.”

Sounds nuts?  Maybe.  And trust me, I had my reservations.  I was quite unsure about it all, which is why we didn’t leave the house until 11 a.m.  But I was armed with a cooler full of bland foods and water bottles full of electrode hydrating fluids!  We were set.

How long did we last you ask?  Six hours!!!!  Woo hoo!  The boys had a blast.  We saw all the animals, explored the kids’ stuff and even did ONE ride.  The Funhouse.  Logan freaked a little on it, but that’s okay.  We had fun.  And I even had my first taste of deep fried snickers on a stick….YUM is all I can say!

Amazing the things us moms will do for our kids.

Oh, and I know you’re wondering so no, no one puked and I did not have to change any one’s Pull-Up.  Good day.

Bigger

Logan really wants to be bigger.  Really wants to be bigger.

“Mom, I know!  When I wake up on my birthday, I’ll be bigger!”

 

This from a little boy who wants to grow up so fast. 

I am a mom who does not want that little  boy to grow up so fast.

Tall ships

The tall ships came in and we decided to go see them.  My boys really enjoyed it.  “A real pirate ship,” Logan kept saying.

This was the first one, which was the smallest one of the three we saw.  There were six ships total, but only three were docked.  The other three were out sailing the whole time we were there.

Yes, there are two guys up there, one on each side.  Crazy.  There were polishing the ship.

This was the second ship we saw.  It is the S/V Denis Sullivan, which is from Milwaukee.  It’s a 137 foot three-masted schooner.  It docks here in the summertime and southern Florida in the wintertime. 

And then we walked out on the break water to see the “pirate ship.”  The biggest ship  yet!

The boys with the pirate ship behind them.

Yep, someone’s up there….crazy!

 

The Bounty.

 

There’s one of the ships out sailing.

 

A couple of my boys were more interested in the ducks.  :)

This is a walkway where you can walk out over the water—literally.   Isaac, Logan and Mom were the only brave ones to do it.

But then Logan freaked out – literally – and we had to turn around.

Camden was terribly impressed.  Can’t you tell?!?!?

After the ships, we went in to Discovery World.  We have a pass and I figured “why not?”  Plus, Camden really wanted to see some fish.

This is Isaac trying to control the weather.  Ha, ha, ha!

 

It was a fun day and I’m happy I took the boys down to see the ships. They really enjoyed it and we had a fun time together.

Diamonds in public!?!?

We were getting out of the car the other day at Target and as I went to lift Camden out of his car seat, he grabbed on to me and I felt my earring come out of my ear. I immediately put my hand to my ear and yep, my earring was gone. Uh-oh!

"Boys, you have to help me find my earring!"

Eli asks, "What does it look like, Mom?"

I show him the other earring still in my ear and he says, "Is that a diamond?"

"Yes, it is. Your dad bought them for me before we were even married. They're very special to me. Please help me find it."

Eli says,"Why would anyone wear DIAMONDS out in public?!?"

"I wear them every day. Just look for the earring."

Eli isn't happy. "Mom, every day? That's crazy! They're diamonds! You should keep them at home in hiding.



Thankfully, we found the earring. Eli found the diamond and Isaac found the back.



But all the way into the store Eli kept saying, "Why do you wear your diamond earrings out, Mom? You should really keep those at home. Do people really wear diamonds out in public? That's crazy."

Hmmm.....I wonder if Eli will buy his future wife a diamond. Something tells me he'll go for something cheap. :)