September Catch Up

When life gets a little rocky, I make messes. We had so much fun throwing cleaning to the wind and making "habitats" for the plastic dinosaurs I found early in the day.
My boys became obsessed with "silly bands" which proved great motivation for kind words between brothers. We have a jar and fill it with pom poms for all the kind things we "catch" eachother saying. When the jar is full we get a new silly band.
From my birthday until October break are a bit of a blur. The boys have become good self-entertainers as we have been busy helping Henry get better from what turned into pnemonia and strep. My poor baby lost 2lbs, however he is all better and gained all the weight back! He loves being where his brothers are, as long as they don't jump!
The crazy bunch!
Jeff's project.
Lukey is loving his "Mommy-Lukey" days when H goes to sleep and he can help me cook, clean or run errands.
He loves the special treatment and special treats.
Henry loves the peace and quiet and gets some great naps.
Luke and his project, we made this one while the other boys were at school and then had to make one for everyone else when they got home.
We loved playing in the rain with cousins.
I've found a little time to sew again, and am loving it!
I had to post this. When I went to check everyone before I went to bed, I found these two pretzels under the sewing table in the guest room. They really have such a fun time together and I'm sure they were pretending to be dogs and turtles before they drifted off.
Ben and Noah, soaked!
Best buddies. Fun times.

Thinking Happy Thoughts

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."
-- Marc Brown

This is one of my favorite quotes. This morning at the breakfast table, Luke was telling us about how they asked him who is favorite hero was and he said The Hulk. Ben said he picked The Hulk also. Then Jeffey chimes in and says: "I picked Ben, I drew a picture of us wrestling."

I love these little boys and love watching them be good brothers. I love how Lukey will put his arm around Henry in the "cold room" at Costco so he stays warm. I love that someone told me in JoAnn today that my boys were good at sharing and how that means I'm a good mom. I love how sometimes you get little nudges reasurring you that you are making some progress as a mother and that what you are doing is so very important.

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time."
-- Clara Ortega

The Santa Socks

There are a few indicators in my house that we hit a little rough patch. One of those is a pair of Santa Claus dress socks showing up in the laundry. We don't really know where they came from, but they sit in the bottom of Brian's drawer and wait for a particularly long week, when sorting socks is last on my list and Brian is too busy helping me stay afloat to get to laundry either. (I love that he never says anything, just quietly puts them on, kisses me goodbye and goes off to work)

Today I found them on top of the dirty clothes basket in my closet. It definitely has been a "Santa Socks" week. We had a few bumps in the road that last few days which helped me realize some important things that I always want to remember. I had a very early stage miscarriage this week. I was only six weeks along and it really had minimal physical impact, other than leaving me really tired. It definitely wasn't a fun experience, but we are fine and learned a couple children ago that as much as you would like to plan your life, thankfully, Heavenly Father is control and knows exactly what we need to progress. It is hard to be too sad, when I have four beautiful babies that I can go squeeze whenever I need a hug. The experience was a gentle reminder of how grateful I am for the boys that I am blessed with and just what a miracle it is to have Jefferson.
I am also filled with gratitude for my friends and family that continue to show their support and love for our little family through all the ups and downs.

To add to the roller coaster, poor Henry is sick with strep and Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease, we watched my sisters kids this weekend and we lost Jeffey for 15 minutes this morning when he didn't know the rest of us WEREN'T playing hide and go seek!

However, we all made it through the week in one piece, and thanks to my sweet mom all the laundry baskets are empty and the sock drawers are full. I am ready to push the "reset" button and start a brand new week, and as much as I learn from these times, I hope it is a little while before the Santa Socks are in the laundry again.

Friends Weekend 2010

Probably 60-80% of the kids at the pool were ours. It's amazing to me how many little ones we all have now.

Fun time with some great girls. I'm always sad that we don't get the picture when everyone is still there. I love that we have such a fun weekend to look forward to every year. Great friends make life so much better!

My Life in Pictures

We took some great family pictures in Utah. Not only did my brother in law marry a great girl, she also has a very talented sister who has a fun family as well! We are not models by any means, but I love every picture of my family I can get. These are no exception. Thanks Kristal.
These leaves were incredible!

I think I say it every post, but how did my first born turn into a little man?
My all time favorite picture of my Jeffey. Love it!
This picture pretty much sums up Oaks. He told me today when he killed a cricket first try, "Total score for me". Who is this kid?!
My sweet baby. I love this chubby little angel who is chalked full of personality. He loves to scrunch up his nose and sniff at you, its hillarious.
Brian and I struggle to be photographed to say the least. But I love how much fun we have together and this picture captures that part of our marriage.
This picture captures my other favorite thing about Brian. He is always more than willing to grab all the boys and take them on some adventure and let me have a minute. They love their daddy.
This little crew completes my life right now. I can't imagine my days without all of them. They love eachother and they adore H right now. What a lucky little baby!

Big Changes!

How did I go from this....

to this?! My life has changed so much in the last few weeks. Going from having three babies to three independent little men has given me alot of time to myself that I didn't have for five years. Yes, I have another baby, but just one! He is such a sweet happy soul that gets my undivided atttention two days a week. I am so grateful that my boys came the way that they did, and as fast as they did. It has been a blessing to have them so close and such good friends. When we leave we take the party with us and my boys always have a friend wherever they go. Jeff has someone that has his back on the playground. Luke had two brothers that were in the school before him and a teacher that already knows our family. Ben always had a buddy. Those first few years were hard with little sleep, never enough energy and never time to get the house clean, be on time for anything or be a reliable friend, but they were worth it.

However, for the time being I am enjoying just how grown-up the boys are! I started running (if you can call jogging for almost two miles running, but I'll take it), and love being alone with music and my thoughts. My goal is to run a 5K soon and not have to walk.

I also figured out how people keep their homes clean. It is amazing what happens when you clean up and two of the four are at school and it can stay clean. I am getting better at staying on top of the housework and I love when the boys come home and I can have a snack ready, spend one on one time with each boy and still have energy left to take on some fun projects.

I love the joy and satisfaction that comes from being a mom. It is such a priveledge to watch these little boys grow up. Any sacrifice that motherhood requires has always paid me back ten fold. I can't wait to see what life brings next!

Perfect Day

I woke up this morning and played with H while the boys watched cartoons. Then Hen went to bed, I sewed an apron and then cuddled up with the older three on the bed and told them stories of when they were little. After Henry woke up, we packed up, met our friends and our Daddy at the pool and went swimming. Now H is back asleep, the boys are quietly playing and I'm going to have a sun-induced nap. I really don't think it gets any better! Just wanted to make sure I remember today.