Oh So Helpful!

One of the things I love about my husband is that he makes me laugh. And he thinks he is funny which makes me laugh more. He has this great sense of humor and he catches me off guard so often. Here are two examples just from this weekend alone.

Example 1: Mark was heading in town to the store and asked if I needed anything else. I said if he found a good dose of sanity I could sure use some. His response was, "Well, I think you can buy that at the liquor store." Obviously, a glass of wine to sooth the nerves is not an option for me right now which made it even funnier for me somehow.

Example 2: We are getting ready for bed last night and I was doing the whole wash your face, put on eye cream (hoping they help the perpetual bags), moisturizing the face.....you get the picture. I made a passing comment like, "Just trying to preserve my skin which is kind of stupid because it really is a loosing battle." His response was, "I hear formaldehyde is a good preservative."

He is very, very good for me. He makes me slow down, focus on the what is important and lasting, puts no pressure on me to have a perfect home, loves me unconditionally and makes me laugh to the point of hysteria often which is exactly what I need to help keep my sanity. I am blessed and love my man!!

Our Week In Review

Our week started off by celebrating Shane's 6th birthday. He had been counting down the days for quite some time and was super excited when the day arrived that he was turning 6. His request for a cake was simple: chocolate cake with rainbow icing. It kind of surprised me that my little guy wanted something that didn't have monster trucks, football or dinosaurs but rainbow icing it was! His eyes sparkled from all the attention. We actually did his cake on Saturday since we had life group on Monday evening.

That is why he was still wearing his eagles jersey with pride although he has been wearing his McNabb jersey all week. He didn't care that they didn't show up until the second half of the game on Sunday. He is a loyal fan not swayed by their performance or lack thereof!

The boys spend a lot of time this week outside on a big snow bank that Mark made when plowing the driveway. He pushed extra snow from the front of our house to the back onto this huge pile. The boys got shovels and started making a fort which to their dismay has melted a lot in the past two days. They have holes, beginnings of tunnels and made a lot of memories this week.

We had two really nice and slightly warmer days in a row so one of those days I bundled the two little ones up and out we went. Judah and Shane had built big snowmen in the backyard so we went to investigate. Tristan wasn't liking how it felt trudging through the snow so we improvised by pulling them in the sled.

They liked it so much I ended up dragging them around the yard for probably 30 minutes. Every time I wanted to stop they would start giggling and I would have to make another lap. They haven't been outside in so long because of how cold it has been. Please just ignore the pink hat on Tristan's head. He insisted upon wearing a pink hat even though I had a nice boyish hat picked out for him. I have the sweetest close up shot of his beautiful blue eyes peeking out from underneath the hat but am afraid to post it due to his horror when he gets a few years older.

You have to admit, it takes a confident man to pull off pink and I think he is doing marvelous in his pink debut. I finally convinced the two younger ones to go back inside after being outside for an hour. It was a nice reminder for me of how nice it is to be able to go outside. Everyone feels better after getting fresh air and it made me anticipate spring!

I had to throw in a picture of Eden's new fun thing. She likes wearing this hat but likes it backwards so it doesn't fall into her eyes. You just have to excuse the bedhead hair that hadn't been tamed yet.

Falling Behind

I am very much aware that I am falling behind in my blogging. I have had a depletion in energy this week for some reason. Just wanted you to know that I am still here and all is well. I have some really sweet pictures from playing outside in the snow yesterday with the kids so I will make it a priority tomorrow to post those. We have had a good week - just went really quickly. So....until tomorrow......

Birthday Surprise

Shane is rapidly approaching his 6th birthday. It is on Monday and he has been counting down the days since, well, I think since Christmas was finished. The boys love their birthdays! It is a day that we try to really celebrate them and their lives.

Apparently Judah had plans to give Shane a surprise birthday present. I'll fill you in on the story. Both the boys have been spending quite a bit of time outside after they finish their school work sledding down a big pile of snow Mark made for them when he plowed the driveway. Interspersed amongst the play in the snow Judah has been hunting with his BB gun (single pump-really no power) and actually killed some poor innocent bird the other day. He was extremely excited and could hardly wait for his dad to get home to show him.

The next day rolls around. He was still flying high (no pun intended) from his kill on the previous day so decided to continue his quest for more birds. His main frustration and one that brought him to tears more than once was the fact that the birds fly away as he approaches them. He just couldn't figure out why they would want to try and escape their demise for one more day. Shane filled him in on the fact that they really didn't want to die and that was the only reason they would take flight. I guess it was supposed to make Judah feel better.

Now....the reason for all this back story. Judah was out once again on a his hunting excursion and came in pretty much sobbing. I was a little alarmed thinking something may actually have gone wrong, which in his mind it did, but I quickly realized in true Judah fashion there was a lot of drama involved. Turns out he hit another bird in one of our pine trees and it didn't fall from the tree. He claims it got stuck in the tree somewhere. (we still don't know if the account of the story is accurate) I assured him that the only thing that really mattered was that he shot another bird - good job, pats on the back- you know the drill. The real reason for the tears though and the sobs was soon divulged: "I am just so upset that it got stuck in the tree because I wanted to give it to Shane for a surprise on his birthday." Uhhhh.....I'm thinking to myself, "A dead bird??!! For a surprise birthday present??? Whose body did this child come from?"

Somehow in my quest to marry a non-hunter, which I did, although I think that this is his last non-hunting year, we have also produced a son who is convinced that being a hunter is one of the best things in the world. Both Judah and Shane would like some 'dead animals' on the wall in their room at the new house. Ewww. But their cousin Tyler (thanks Steve and Sharon) has some dead animals in his room.

So, when Monday rolls around I am pretty sure it is safe to say Shane will be receiving more "normal" presents although in a child's mind normal is apparently relative because to me dead birds seem very gross not to mention rotten!

Hmmmmm....??

This is what you get when you color your hands with a blue/green marker and then decide it is time to have a banana snack. Real appetizing!

Affirming Words?

This morning I had a little conversation with Tristan that went something like this:

Me: Tristan, please, please let me get that booger out of your nose. It is driving me crazy!!

Tristan: No.....you're crazy!!

What, huh?? It's pretty bad when your 2 1/2 year old already has picked up on the fact that his mother is crazed!!! Or it is affirming. Take your pick. Either way, Mark and I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

Staying Above Water

Today is one of those days. You know the kind I mean. The ones people don't like to talk about. The days where you feel like you are failing as a mom because if you stop and listen to yourself interact with your children it sure doesn't seem like they are priority. You hear a lot of, "Stop running....Don't talk to your brother with that tone in your voice........Quiet down while Eden sleeps.....Why are you continuing to complain about.....and on and on it goes. So much negative feedback instead of reassuring them of what they are doing right. But honestly, some days they aren't doing a whole lot right.

I have been working in the office this afternoon while Eden sleeps getting caught up on bills, purging files and getting everything ready for this new year. I am trying to get all this out of the way so I can get started on the billing from the crazy ice and snow storms we just had.

While working I am mulling over how I have been talking to my boys this morning and wondering how often God gets tired of hearing me. And thinking that even if I am doing a lot wrong (which I'm sure is more often than I would allow myself to believe) that God extends a lot more grace and love to me than I often extend to my children. Why do I expect so much out of them? Why can't I see that they receive so much joy just from running, romping and creating mayhem in the house? Why do I care so much about people's impressions of my children? As though other people matter more than the children God has entrusted and blessed us with.

I am finding lately that the older two boys seem to be withdrawing from me. It makes me feel half panicky. I am sure a lot of the separation is normal and healthy but I still wonder sometimes if they feel misplaced by the little ones. They prefer their fathers company over mine - of course. As Judah and Shane walked up the stairs last night to get ready for bed I said to Mark, "Where have our little boys gone?" Rarely do they need affirmation from their mom - it is almost always from their father. Rarely do they desire to snuggle with mom - they would rather wrestle and get run burns with their dad.

This is coming out very jumbly. Maybe it is a lot of pregnancy hormones. Maybe it is the natural tendency of being a mother to boys coupled with the quiet voice of my Father telling me to slow down and not waste so much time and energy on things that have no lasting importance. To instead see His heart within each of my children and call it out!