And so it begins . . .

The task of saving him from himself.

FIRST CAMPING TRIP

Here they are being sent off.

(If you look closely, you can see T behind his dad, trying to be in the picture)

And Bobo wanting a part of the send off too.

In the past, this has been a father/son activity, and my little girl has been wanting to go camping for a LONG time, so this was GREAT!!!  Everyone came home happy.

Not Exactly a Green Thumb

Last spring I planted a garden.  However, I planted it very late in the season, and unfortunately the plants never got bigger than what you see below.  So, this fall I thought I'd try again.  They came up pretty good, and I was excited.  Then we had the never ending summer, and about half of them withered and died in the heat.  I replanted those and kept watering and hoping the others would make it through.

The heat spell broke, and all seemed well . . . until this afternoon.  We got a rainstorm, then the wind started picking up, then the hail came.  When all was said and done, not much was left of my little garden.

Actually, we got off pretty lucky.  I lost most of my plants in my garden, and the mesquite in my backyard is bowed over, but many got it worse.

On the way to pick kids up from school, there were a ton of trees, even big ones, that were uprooted, and had branches broken off.  I had to wait a few minutes for a bulldozer (At least that's what I think it was.  I haven't been watching Bob the Builder lately.) to clear some big limbs from a fallen tree off of the road.  Some of my neighbors have broken windows from the hail, fallen and shattered roof tiles, leaky roofs.  

So, I feel pretty lucky all in all.  But, I still hope I can get some produce from my garden this season!

FLAG FOOTBALL

What a hard worker, and sure fun to watch!

. . . and just a little bit more soccer

We've had some long, hot Saturdays, but it is so fun to watch these guys!

MOTHERHOOD

fatigue

endless exhaustion

whining, screaming, fighting

diapers, spit-up, drool, mysterious messes

nighttime sickness, worry, medicine, doctors

making dinner, scrubbing, fingerprints, potty training

kissing boo boos, wiping tears, mending hearts and feelings

first smiles, first giggles, first steps, first day of school

hugs, slobbery kisses, snugging with a story

tickle monsters, laughter,  games, fun

magic, belief, trust, wonder

forever relationships

eternal love

joy

SOCCER . . .

Ready or not, here she comes!

Now if we can get her to focus on the game instead of hugging her friend . . . {unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries during that part}

Preschool Photo Shoot

My little girl started preschool the other day. 

We tried . . .

. . . and tried to get a picture of her with her eyes open.   We tried taking a little break.

She even tried to hold them open.

Finally, with a turn and a "flash" surprise . . .

WE GOT IT!!!  Have a great day at preschool you cute, little girl!

A different child . . . 

A different love.

A NEW LOVE

Isn't it great to live near a mom and sisters who can help you do this?

Random thoughts

First:

I think teething might just be the end of me. Bo Bo's 4 molars have all broken through this week, and he let me know all about it. Yes my little boy, I know they hurt, and I'm sorry. Now Mommy's head hurts too.

Second:

As I was tending to Little Bo this afternoon, I was listening to T and H. They were playing "lava" together. I loved listening to them play the same game I used to play when I was little.

Birthday, School, and Everything In Between

Our sweet little girl has been waiting all summer for this day. She turned 3 . . . again! At least that's what I kept telling her. She really wanted to be 4 though, so I conceded---this year.

I took some birthday pictures of her right after church. I don't know what they do in her class, but when I send her in, she looks absolutely adorable and put together. When she comes out, although still absolutely adorable, she is also a bit disheveled. I guess that's what happens when you fill a room with 3-4 year olds :).

That evening we enjoyed cupcakes picked out by the birthday girl herself. Little Bo really got into the birthday spirit. I don't know if he was the one who enjoyed it the most (although he was happy about it), but he certainly got the messiest. I had a blue tub that night.

Not to be upstaged, T had his first day of school! With two years already under his belt, he was not nervous in the least. I love the confidence that school gives him!

And here's just a random shot of T and a lincoln log house he was proud of. He made it once with my help, then built it again all by himself.

They won't be little forever

I'm just starting to understand what people mean when they say to enjoy your little ones because they won't be little forever. Because, I mean, sometimes it sure seems never ending. But lately I have been amazed at how big my kids have gotten. It really does seem like just yesterday that little J was born, that H had NO hair, and that T was just starting school. So, although often the days seem looooong and repetitive, and looooong and repetitive, I am trying to enjoy the present, because when its gone I know I'll miss it.

You Know You're a Parent When . . .

You open your eyes in the morning to a face inches away from your own. I still wake up with a start some mornings.

You lay on the ground and you instantly become a human jungle gym.

You get random hugs and kisses throughout the day "just because."

Summer means more work instead of a break.

You find yourself returning from a date at 8:30 instead of leaving for one.

The word "Mom" becomes both your favorite word and your least favorite word.

You've ever unplugged the phone during nap time.

HAPPY EASTER 2010

{a little late is better than never}

{ODDS AND ENDS}

T had a baseball game yesterday, so in honor of Easter, he decided to lay an egg. {Ha ha}

Bad joke, I know. But it's fun to watch him as he gets older learn new things, be challenged, and rise to the occasion. As he has little victories: throwing the runner out in baseball, running into home, or even scoring well on a test, I can see his confidence grow. And hopefully that will help him have the courage to conquer bigger things.

Or maybe he just likes baseball.

And I like having matching aprons with my little girl. Cheesy? Absolutely, but it makes cooking with her just that much more fun.

And J is such a sweetie. Seriously, try to not be happy looking at that face. I dare you.

Big brother couldn't resist either . . .

Perfect Brownies

I made my "perfect" brownies, and they were everything I expected and more.

As Seen on TV

I made my very first "As Seen on TV" purchase today. I was at the grocery store and found "the perfect brownie pan."

Call me gullible, but I just couldn't pass it up. I have seen it on TV several times, each time thinking, "That would be great!"

Tim is a "corner lover" and will always take those pieces first, so having every piece be a corner piece sounds ideal. And me, I really like seeing all those pieces perfectly squared and all exactly the same size. (Can you see some OCD tendencies here?)

Right now it's sitting in the box on my counter, and every time I walk by I get a little smile on my face. I know what we'll be having for desert tonight.

I can't wait to try it!!

Keeping Busy

So, I finally decided to replace the queen-sized bed in Hannah's room for a twin bed to give her some more space to play in her room. Tim and I were looking online for beds we liked and found this one at Pottery Barn Kids:

I love the furniture and decorations at Pottery Barn, but they are nearly always overpriced. The bed at Pottery Barn is about $550 plus tax and shipping. I wasn't willing to pay that much, but I thought it would be fun to try to make one.

I spent just under $100, and here is the result:

Although it's not quite as cute as the original, I like the result!

Crash!

So, I'm more than a little upset right now. A week and a half ago our computer crashed. On Friday I received a call letting me know that the hard drive was irreparably damaged and would have to be replaced. The last time I backed up my computer was almost exactly a year ago, so pretty much anything since then is lost. I only have a handful of pictures of Jake now, and seeing the pictures of Hannah from a year ago that I just downloaded brought some tears to my eyes, because she is so much bigger now! The ironic thing is that Tim and I had just been talking about registering with an online back-up service. If anybody has any pictures of my kids within the last year, will you please email them to me?

And learn from my mistake and back up your computer.

It's raining

It's pouring

The old man is snoring

He went to bed

With a bump on his head

And didn't get up in the morning. . .

. . . so he couldn't get ready for school!

Or so sings Tommy and his friends.

This is our backyard at the moment. This is the most water I've seen in it during the nearly 5 years we've lived here. And we're supposed to get more rain tonight! Skimboarding at the Pughs?