The Wild and Crazy Month of May

Crazy May! It really is too!  We have been busy and I am ready for summer vacation.  I've been feeling like I can barely keep my head on straight lately and am looking forward to possibly getting some sleep!

 We kicked off May with the Mothers Day Tea in Tanners Kindergarten class.  It was precious.  We were greeted with corsages, the kids sang to us and then served us bagels and lemonade on little place mats they had made.  Mrs. Buxton and the kids really out did themselves!.  I loved every minute of it!

 Tanner and Mrs. Buxton.

 Carter did a Mothers Day project at Preschool which was darling! Preschool is the best!

 We had the biannual "replace a toilet at the neighbors" party.  Hopefully this isn't really going to be a biannual event, however Tyler and Jock have now replaced the same toilet in their house twice in the last 6 months.  It turned into a party full of food and fun that went well into the night! The brothers are here with some of their favorite girls!

 Tyler ran in the Great Potato race and came in third in his age group!  Not too shabby! 

Katie and Troy also ran and it was a blast seeing them!

 Things have been busy and sometimes you just fall asleep in your seat while at the car wash. 

 We have had some very warm days and so afternoons at the pool have been a blessing.  It is so nice to be close to the pool. 

 Last weekend we headed up to Cascade for Memorial Day Weekend.  It was a little chilly and rainy but it didn't stop us from having any fun!  We had a ton of fun! Tanner and Hadley in the boat.

 Carter and Grandma in the boat!

 The kids trying to fish.  I think the rain scared the fish away as we didn't catch anything!

 We went on an adventure up by Gold Fork and shot the bb gun and explored.

 Threw rocks in the river because there truly is nothing more fun than that!

 Field day at Prospect Elementary! Tanners class is in the background, these are a few of the younger siblings! 

 My sweet Prospect Mom friends, Andrea & Tracy.  Love these girls and their kiddos! These two were definitely my island of calm among some crazy other moms!

 Mrs. Buxton and the class.  So adorable!

 Tanner with his little graduation treat! Tomorrow is the big Kindergarten Graduation ceremony.  I cannot wait to see what that all entails! 

 Off to Friendship Celebration for Carters end of the year preschool BBQ.  Pastor Brett and Pastor Tom talking to the kids.

 Adorable!  Pastor Tom going over "Pastor Toms Beads" Even Tanner remembered what they stand for!  Black: EVERYBODY Sins. Red: Jesus loves me. White: Jesus washes away our sins. Blue:  helper is the Holy Spirit. Green: Jesus wants me to grow. Yellow: Jesus will take me to heaven. Orange: Jesus makes me a new person.  Take this along with the rules of Kindergarten and that pretty much sums it up! I love this preschool and I am so happy I have three more years here! It'll be hard to leave this place!

 With all the fun and games and prizes, Carter took the liberty of stamping his face! Gotta love preschool!

 Carter and Pastor Tom! See ya next year!

 Very true.  Kindergarten really is all butterflies and watermelon and superheroes but you really do learn the most important life skills! I struggle with school.  Its hard for me to let go.  I wanted so badly to send my kids to a private Christian school, until I priced it out. Yikes. But I feel so confident in the education they are getting and the experience they are having.  It is exciting to let them spread their wings and fly and experience life. I think Tanner was truly a light this year and will continue to be, I'm hoping the other two will follow and be little lights also.

Can't wait for graduation tomorrow!

We are all Gods Dudes

A friend of mine way back from Junior High (Thank you Facebook) married a Pastor and he wrote a book.  How cool is that?  It gets even cooler, she sent me 3 autographed copies so that I can somehow formulate a devotional off this book and then give them away at MOPs.  Even cooler, right?  This is a great book.  It seems to come along side of everything else I have been learning about recently in church, couples Bible study and our MOPs Bible study.  It just fits perfectly.  Over this past weekend the thing that has resinated with me the  most has been "pressing on".  Crap happens.  Lots of really crappy things happen to everyone.  Leave them in the past.  Move on.  Press on.  Learn from them and leave them the heck alone.  Seriously.  If they linger, they will give us fear for the future. Do not let the horrible. awful, no good things from the past get in the way of what God wants for you. God is your biggest fan, He wants far better things for us than we can even imagine.  Crazy thought, right?  So, seriously, get over it, life is hard, it's going to keep being hard, but through trials come tribulation.  Good always comes from bad.  I can list countless really bad things that have happened in my life that have resulted in really amazing gifts.  Have faith and trust that God will take care of you and do not get in the way of Him helping you.

A while back I saved this devotion because I thought it was so great and so fitting for my family. 

Overcome Fear with This Devotion

By Julia Attaway, March 13, 2013

My son Stephen and I have been reading our way through The Golden Children’s Bible, and the other day we arrived at the shores of the Red Sea.

It’s curious how things jump out at you unexpectedly, even in stories you’ve known for decades. This time it was the words of Moses to the panicky Israelites: “The Lord will fight for you if you will be calm.”

Huh. If you will be calm. I scurried off to my own Bible and looked up Exodus 14:14. The NIV translation was a bit different: “The Lord will fight for you. Just be still,” but the meaning was the same: Anxiety isn’t going to win you any battles. It might even get in the way of what God has planned.

Most of us have occasions when we are trapped by circumstances, when we feel helpless or afraid. Even when the danger isn’t as intense as having chariots thundering down on us, fear can be truly paralyzing. It makes me stop to wonder: How different is a fear-paralyzed heart from a hardened one? The will of God can’t penetrate either.

I turned back to Exodus 14:14 and thought about it some more. This time I meditated on the first part: “The Lord will fight for you.” If the Lord will fight for us, why are we afraid?

A problem that has been giving me anxiety lately came to mind. I imagined it as Pharaoh’s army. Then I prayed:

Lord, move the cloud of your protection between me and my fear, and let me walk ahead confident that you have chosen this path... even if I don’t see how things can possibly work out. Amen

Since Friday, so not very long, I have been trying to remember to thank God for everything.  Every little thing.  I feel grateful. I feel good.  There are so many wonderful things amidst all the crazy to be thankful for. After all, I'm on Gods fridge! It's been helpful and has given me a sunnier perspective. Cheers to sunny days! So, my devotion on this book is still a work in progress, but it'll come!

This is what's up

I start a boot camp today.  I'm scared.  After Tanner and Carter were born I was able to lose weight quickly and without much exercise (read: I do not handle postpartum well.) Along with the weight loss, I lost what felt like half my hair, was also totally overwhelmed, and a wee bit envious of the other moms who bounced back so well after having a baby.  Since Hadley was most certainly our last child I thought nothing else but that would happen after she was born.  Except this time, I didn't lose as much weight with her, I was happier, and not totally as overwhelmed as I had been unless I was in a situation that made me anxious or uneasy. Then I was a total mess, but thankfully those seemed to be few. So here we are almost 3 years after her birth and I am unhappy with my body and starting boot camp.  I am going to get this body back in to shape the fun way, without the postpartum mess! I took measurements and pictures last night and cannot wait to see my transformation in 8 weeks!  I think doing this along with my lemon and peppermint oil will really get me looking good for the summer! 

 Our MOPs group had a Luau at church a few weekends ago and it was a major blast!  Tyler smoked a pig at the packing house which was a huge success! I'm super excited he knows how to do this, expect many more pigs at the parties we host!

 The kids have been enjoying the sun and helping me keep my car clean.

 I took Carter to Big Al's for a little one on one time with Mommy.  We had a fabulous time.  Good lunch, good conversation and lots of game time! I actually am thinking of taking him to Las Vegas.  Seriously, the kid has a lucky streak and a midas touch! He won so many tickets (1732) we felt like we bought the store when we were done.  It was kind of a childhood dream come true! 

 Carter had his spring sing for preschool Thursday night.  Adorable.  These little recitals warm my heart so much.  

 Tanner is doing so well with T-Ball and having such a fun time.  It is so cute to watch the kids play! The kids and parents on his team are wonderful! 

 We had the Sterlings over for dinner Saturday night.  We always enjoy them so much! Hadley is just in love with Kayla too! 

Saying that the brothers are into Legos right now is an understatement.  They can't get enough and I think it is so great that the two of them sit down and figure out the instructions together!

The Potty Trainer

Potty Training.  The words make me cringe.  I am not a fan at all.  However, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel as Hadley is the last little person I am going to potty train.  Tanner was easy.  Actually what I think was easy was the lack of judgement I had when he went through this.  No one ever made little comments that hurt me or made me feel smaller than them. Carter was probably an easy potty trainer too however I felt so inefficient and small by others during this period.  It was an odd feeling for me.  My confidence in the whole thing was gone.  I will never forget sitting with another mother whose child was a few months younger than Carter. I mentioned that I was going to start potty training Carter and she got this looks like I was behind the times and said (in what I felt like was a very uppity and snide way) that their child was "almost totally potty trained" while I was still struggling with it. It's silly that I even allowed myself and my emotions to be controlled by others. But I did.  I sat there with a pit in my stomach feeling totally down, disliked, and not a very good mom at all. Where was the encouragement?  Where was the support? Aren't we all moms here just trying to do the best we can? It was all I could do not to just get up and walk out.  

I promised myself that with Hadley I would not allow myself to feel inadequate or judged from anyone. So, I tried for 3 days to potty train this little precious cutie of ours.  No luck.  No luck whatsoever.  I wasted 3 days and was mad the whole time.  Well, not really.  I did get the bathroom painted a very pretty color while I was trying to get her to be potty trained. It would have been some awesome multitasking if I had completed both the paint and the potty training, but alas, just the paint was complete.   At least no one was there to tell me their younger child was already almost totally potty trained, right?  So I stopped. I'm not doing it if she isn't ready.  She wasn't ready and I was totally done painting.  A few weeks later, she was ready.  She did it all by herself too.  She took off her diaper.  She climbed up on the potty by herself and she went.  And she continued to do this. Of course we still have an accident now and then but things are great.  I even went out this morning with her for 2 1/2 hours and she did wonderful!  She used the potty in Hobby Lobby too! Yay!  I am so proud of her and I am especially proud of me for not getting "down" during the whole process.  

This is what happens when you spend a considerable amount of time in the bathroom! You go a little crazy and wear swim caps! How could I ever allow myself to feel anything but a great mom when I look at this adorable face? She now yells as she is running to the potty "Potty Trainer in the house!" And she raises the roof with her hands as she says that.  Hilarious. 

 Everyone is proud of Hadley!  Because we can't seem to ever be apart.  Ever. if she is in the bathroom going potty, we all are.  Privacy has no meaning in this house. Of course the cutest thing is that Hadley wants to tell the brothers every time she goes potty in the potty and they are just as elated for her if not more about the whole thing.  I just love the encouragement we've got going on right now, it warms my heart and is just what we all need. I love seeing what my kids come up with when I give them the time and space to fill with whatever comes to their sweet souls. 

 In the midst of all this Tanner is playing T-ball.  He has yet to have a game but he has had a few practices and team pictures.  Its going to be great! 

Hadley and Carter at Team Pictures!

 Everyone in this picture has on undies! Hooray!! 

Spring is here!

I'm happy to report that I'm figuring this Apple thing out.  It's getting easier and better for me!  Hooray!  I found my pictures, they all go into the cloud automatically.  I love it!  Easy no work back up for me! We've had a fun few weeks.  The weather is nice, Grandpa came to visit, and T-Ball started up. 

 The crew! I started a little thing where I make the kids dress up for school.  I know it might sound a little bit silly and I'm not sure how long I will be able to enforce this rule but the results have been incredibly positive.  No we are at the point where the boys do it themselves and are excited about looking handsome! They even put on Tyler's deodorant and aftershave too.  So cute! Melts my heart!

 4 kiddos in the bath! The conversation went like this; Tanner: "Mom, are cousins the same as brothers?" Me: "Aside from a few blaring differences, yes, cousins are the same as brothers." Tanner breathes a sigh of reliefs and says "Thank goodness because I want Chandler to be our brother." 

 Things get crazy, things get hectic, I get annoyed as much as I try hard not to. I've reinstated mandatory quiet time from 1-3 each afternoon and it has made a world of difference in my life. Thank God for Disney movies! We are watching them all! I have really been enjoying how NOT politically correct the oldies are, good for the soul and so refreshing! 

 Carter!

 Hadley

 We play a new game at night called Sardines in a can.  The kids have to lay on the rug and not move because they are all locked up in their sardine can.  They can only get up if we crack open the can (yes complete with hand motions and sound effects) It's been working like a champ too!  For some reason my calming lavender baths leave them crazy and ready to go running around like wild hyenas right before bedtime.  Sardines in a Can to rescue!  

 T-Ball is in full effect.  We have had one team practice so far, gotten all our gear and are ready to go!  First game will be April 22! tanner is excited beyond belief! The day of the first practice we had a little hiccup but it turned out to be such a great reminder for me.  Practice was at 6 Pm at Paramount which is across the street.  Easy. 6 p.m. is cutting it a little close but Tyler was going to be home by then so he would take Tanner.  Around 4:45 Tyler calls and is sitting on the side of the road by the fairgrounds because his truck just up and quit on him.  Now mind you it had just been in the shop for like a month with a repair bill the size of a mortgage.  I tried to stay cool and calm, but really it ticked me off.  There was no way he would be home in time to take Tanner.  I was doing it, and I was doing it with the two little guys in tow.  Easy. I get there and Hadley and Carter are being as good as two little kids can be at an elementary school playground and I am supposed to be helping Tanner warm up by playing catch with him.  I am trying to play catch with my 6 year old with a mitt in my hand.  I am not good at this at all.  I need Tyler.  I need Tyler and Tanner needs Tyler.  Boys need their dads.  For all intents and purposes girls need their dads too, but in this situation it really drove home to me how important Tyler's role is in the kids lives.  I am their mom and with them all day long so I feel like I'm super important.  I am important but I cannot even tell you how much I felt the importance of Tyler's role in the kids lives that night.  Thank God he showed up, not only because I am horrible at playing catch with a glove (not really any better without a glove) but because a fathers role is vital.  

 Lunch date with my boys at On the Border! This was right before we headed out to the airport to pick up Grandpa!

 Grandpa was here over the weekend and we played and ate and hung out.  We had a great time! 

 Tanner showed off his T-ball skills and Grandpa helped Tanner with his baseball!

....because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.