Those Eyes

Don't those eyes just make your heart melt? I love the boys eyes- all my kids have beautiful eyes. These pics are of him wrestling Andrew to the ground, he does this, and then just lays on top of him while Andrew screams. The other is of the bite mark on Andrew's cheek from Zach. Andrew tried to get something off of Zach's tray and this was the result- food is no joking matter for Zach.

Things here have been good. Jeremy and I went away for 3 whole days without kids- that is the longest I have ever been away from my kids- the boys were even sick- and I left. Bad mom??? They survived- thanks so much to my mom for offering. We went to IL for his brothers wedding (Nauvoo temple is beautiful)! It was lots of driving- but sooo fun to be free. The kids are good- Jessie and Tyler are doing soccer. Jessie was told by her teammates that she was not any help (I told her that means she isn't being aggressive enough)- that was hard for her- which is hard for me. We'll have to see if we can work on that. Poor Tyler who needs desperately to release energy has had his practices cancelled due to weather. The little ones are... getting bigger- they are busy busy.

They are only 1 !?!

Our latest adventures with the boys include their love of making/creating disasters. They love to find a bookshelf and destroy. Pulling books off as high as their arms reach, throwing them, then standing on them to be able to reach a little higher, and then even rolling around in the mess. Great fun!!

They have also decided that sitting to eat is not their style. It doesn't matter how tight the belt is- they can wriggle out. Then stand, twist, turn, lunge- whatever. They love to sit in their food- or better yet they like to throw all their food on the floor. For a while hotdogs were the "go to food" the never fail- but even that is seeing it's fair share of floor time. Any ideas? Survival of the fittest- we'll see who wins!

Technical Difficulties

It has been a long time- I have thought of it several times, but... and now I am experiencing technical difficulties with cameras and picture cards, etc. So... I hate technology- I really think I was meant to be born back (who knows when).... I really don't have anything exciting to share- unfortunately. I am being overtaken by a couple of one year olds- they run me ragged, and are aging me way before my time. I have a 5 year old who is trying to master the art of major manipulation. That or we are in for a lifetime of meds (for them and me). And then I am also catching moments of the "girl drama" that when I am run ragged by 3 boys- wish we would experience more of- sometimes. So... thanks for checking in- believe me- I have been checking in on you- way more than I should. Blogging/facebook- leaves me with that feeling of - I'm getting nothing productive done- but it's entertaining- and sometimes that is what I need. So often when I find that I have a minute of quiet- and think of all that I should do- it is everyone else's lives that I am watching and finding out what they do. Not necessarily a healthy hobby for one like me. But... it can also be very inspiring.
Anyway- enough rambling- sorry there are no photos at the moment. Hopefully soon- yes Holly- they are.... I actually haven't quite found the word to describe this wonderful (?) experience yet.
Did any of this make sense? I'm not going to take the time to find out- sorry!

Fall Pics!!

Practically every year (except maybe last year- things were a bit crazy)- I have made an effort to get some type of Fall pictures of my kids. I love the colors- the leaves- yes I am one who goes out of my way to hear the crunch of the leaves. Anyway this year was no exception- the only problem is we went from 2 kids to try to get a good picture to 4- with two of them having no interest what so ever- well I can't say the others had an interest- but they are easier to bribe or threaten. I will also mention that the trees behind my house turned beautiful colors- it made me so happy each day to look out the windows and see them- I planned to get my kids out there to try for more pics- but.... again.... my plan never went further than a plan. Oh well- next year. So... I will enjoy these this time- I think I got some good ones!!!

Christmas is upon us.....

Our favorite time of year!!! (I often times have songs go through my head when I write titles- are any of you like this- or do you clue in to my songs???) I love this time of year- the holidays. Tyler was saying the other day that he wished it was Christmas- I told him that if it was then we would miss some of the best parts of Christmas- the lights, decor, tree, shopping, treats, etc. So now he is constantly asking me to get out the decor. So... I pose a few ???- how do I make more of Thanksgiving- make it more meaningful? And then... I love to hear what people are getting their kids- I'll be honest and say that one of my downfalls is in trying so hard to have/get everything perfect that I lose perspective of what really matters. But.... I still like to get ideas from others- so... what are you doing for your children/parents/etc?

I must end this by also stating that I do know the gifts are not the true meaning of Christmas and every year I want to try really hard to shift the focus to why we really celebrate Christmas (which I was so sad to hear that Tyler didn't know/or remember)- so... if you have/do things that help you with this- let me know.

I will get something done!!!!

Before

After

I am crazy!! I was getting so tired of thinking of all the things that I wanted/should get done, and not getting anything done.... so one day I decided I would paint the trim on my house. Trim shouldn't be that hard right??? So.. I started, and then I had to finish. I do like the finish product- I painted trim white and shutters/screen door black. And even Jeremy who was less than impressed to start with says it looks good now. It isn't a huge change- just something. Yes it took longer than I thought and it was dumb to start. The boys were so ornery by the time I was done- about 2-3 weeks later. OH well. What do you think?

Inspiring, Humbling,.....

I love to read, listen to, or talk to others about things that inspire me. Inspire me to be better, do better, feel better, or just recognize how truly blessed my life really is (let's be honest- it's not one of my natural abilities- unfortunately). I have a great friend who first told me this story- but I just got this article and it is... read for yourself. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/26/20081026sisters1026a1.html
warning- be prepared with tissues.
Along with that, I wanted to share the 2 blogs that go with the article- that I have heard of anyway... there may be more-
http://nieniedialogues.com/
http://blog.cjanerun.com/

When I have read these or some of the posts, I walk away feeling truly humbled for the beautiful life that I enjoy. Today after reading the article I just couldn't get enough of giving my sweet babies kisses on their chubby cheeks. I love being a mother. It brings me my greatest joy in life, and I am sad that so often I get caught up in how hard it is- instead of just enjoying and appreciating. These sites leave me wanting to take control of the happiness in my life, and embracing all that I have and enjoying it (even as I write this Zach- who has just fallen into a box, and Andrew are screaming at eachother fighting over an empty can- but... I love it.) I am grateful, inspired, and humbled.