A beautiful day

Yesterday, my cousin got married and it was one of the sweetest and most beautiful weddings I've been to. In some way this was no surprise as she is equally sweet and beautiful.
The kids had a fantastic time getting to play with all their cousins, the family is so big that it's really a challenge to get everyone together for smaller holidays, so this was a real treat for us all. Watching them all play and dance together was such a blessing to my heart.
I snapped some pics, but of course when most of the fun was happening I was too busy joining in to take a picture... gah... morning after regrets! haha
Ah well, the memory is splendid regardless :)


Jade



Hunter presenting a flower he just picked



Dex looking serious



Cousins playing



Nonnie and Dex



Papa and the kiddos



Us

What?? A new post in less than a month?!

The other day, I was overwhelmed with what a gift my children are, and how tomorrow is never guaranteed. Intially I was overwhelmed with just how fragile everything is.... then I had this realization.
I strive for a clean house, everything in it's place, maximizing the use of the space we have and the need for cleanliness. Don't get me wrong, there is a value in each of these, but then I began to wonder if my need for these things and my striving to maintain these things was going to leave my children with the impression that I loved a clean house more than them.
This shocked me, never would I want my children to have the impression that they were secondary to anything other than God or their father.
Since this occured, I have had so much less stress, it's amazing. I'm concerned about the house, but I've been able to put it into perspective for myself better. I'm sure I've rambled on about all this before... but for some reason it's really cemented with me this time. I'm either too hard headed or I'm flighty for me to have to come to a full understanding of this.. now... but at least it FINALLY happened :)

So, rambling aside....
How bout those pictures? haha
Painting, painting out in the sun...







Making paper hats....









Hunter decided he needed one for his alligator...



A fantastic revalation lead to a fabulous day and a new desptop pic :)



I am sooo blessed!

So Determined

Hunter is determined...
which can be good, but it can also make for a frustrating day and an exhausted mom.


Determined to take everything



Determined not to walk.....even on the escalator!




Determined to clean



Determined not to smile



Determined not to leave




Determined not to sleep

Conehead

I mentioned pictures to back up that statement...
Oh the conehead.... if only we could get along...
*sigh*


I know... her eyes are closed...in my defense.. the flash IS bright :P






Last but not least... Phil's fav picture....

My little bean

It's like looking in a mirror from when I was 6.... oh so long ago!
These are little snippets from a 30 min video I have of Jade "cleaning her room"
there's more to come.. but this is all the time I had for today.
:)

What half a cup of coffee will do to a girl!

Wow, my last post here was Febuary?!
I'd be suprised if anyone was still following this.. if you've given up hope of a new post anytime before August... I completely understand. If it weren't for the coffee I had, it could have been longer... well the coffee and Tiff calling me on my lack of dedication to this.
So what's new...
In April, Phil got hit by a dump truck... yes you read that right, a dump truck... just as things were starting to resemble the normalcy I was craving, here poor Phil is with new injuries and fresh frustration. The good news is that he walked away from the accident.







My brother moved in with us a few days after Phil's accident, which made Hunter one of the happiest lil guys on the planet.. everything has to include "my Dasan" now.

This new rule also applied to our Unbirthday cake we had, we had to sing for Uncle Dasan also..


In May, Phil got a puppy, correction a King Shepard puppy... she's been named Shadow.. until I start to <3 her more.. she's "conehead" to me... you'll see pix to back that up. :)

Also in May, I had a run in with a spider or two.. that found me too delish to pass up....


Now for pix....



Hunter refusing to sleep... I can't complain tho.. I <3 the love for books these kids have.. it makes my heart sooo happy.



<3


"minimoy hunter"



My little bean is growing up sooo fast!

This chaos is my life ...

I had finally found some time... or so I thought.
I sat down and began to get all sentimental about being a mom, and how all the sacrifices can seem to overwhelm us. How we seemingly lose ourselves in the midst of self sacrifice and the ideaology that we have to maintain a perfect house. How the "Who am I ?" question can rock a mom to her knees and leave her doubting for weeks.
I was sitting here readying my soapbox for my latest revelation, of how I had reflected on that saying that " We teach what we know, yet reproduce what we are".. when I sat down and questioned how that was possible, when I felt that I was trying so hard to show my kids exactly how the sacrifices we make can help others.... and then I saw that I had put the priority of my own pride in wanting to look like I had my home in order... before my kids in a way. Sure, I want to teach them that having a clean home is nice and pass on to them the joy I find in that... yet, it made me wonder, was I unknowingly putting my greatest accomplishments on the back burner, so that I could stand proudly and say, " Yes, I did the dishes today!"

So, as I readied myself for this great verbal outpouring that would more than likely equate into random ramblings that I bequeath on to those I love the most (poor you!), did I hear the all too familiar sound of arguing. This was supposed to be "quiet time" and there was no quiet. As I got up to go correct the situation, I heard more clearly... the kids were fighting over whose poop was in the toliet.... seriously... who argues over excrement?!

I got closer, to find Hunter not on his bed as he should be, but standing in the bathroom with half a bottle of lotion emptied all over the counter, the mirror, and his hair. Clearly, he thought we had a all in one bottle of magic cleaner, cleanser and hair gel. Here was my little guy, on the brink of being three. Wanting to do everything on his own, trying his hardest to be just like daddy and have some kind of style or goop in his hair, wanting to show how big he is by cleaning the bathroom for me, all the while telling Jade that what was in the toliet was his and not hers.

I sighed, I had a bigger mess to clean up, that sentimental rambling sensation passed as I prepped Hunter for a shower, and I pondered when I would get a moment of quiet to myself, trying to determine the answer I reversed the question... how in the world will I ever live a day without this chaos when my children are grown?

Yes, the sentiment was back and I was left to the temporary mess of what my home has become and the deafening realization that as this will pass, I'll never have the chance to get these days back. So, bring on the noise, the mess, the arguing, the tears, the interruptions, and the "I'm not sleepy". It certainly is for a limited time and I intend to enjoy every minute of it .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the rains, we had a little mud in the yard....Hunter tripped and fell and came running, with that look of suprise still on his face.

We took the kids down to the carousel....

and got balloon animals too!


Jade all snuggly with Dex and he's clearly enjoying it.

Hunter loving on Dex

We went to check out the snow before our latest storm...

I LOVE this picture, Jade is entirely into eating the clean snow, Daddy found for her... while Hunter seems a little put off that she is eating it and not displaying it for the picture.

Dex all bundled up and not enjoying it as much as I was...

She looks SO grown up!

Last but not least... I was cleaning and turned around to find Hunter reading some of our old Magazines and I had to take a pic... sooo cute.

Busy, busy

Busy is a understatement. Three kids is work, true to what I've heard it's an easy adjustment from two, and not as mind boggling as the transition from one to two, but I struggle to think how mom's who have more than three ever manage to get a meal in. I'm constantly finding myself having to force myself to take the time to get a meal in, and if it weren't for the knowledge that Dex is relying on my eating for him to eat, I doubt I'd get a meal in at all. It would just fall into the "not that necessary" box.
Dexter is such a fun baby, not that Jade and Hunter weren't fun, but knowing this is your last one, makes everything seem so much more relaxed and carefree, that is with the exception of the feeling like I can't sit down for a minute, even now, I find myself multi tasking and thinking that perhaps this might be posted by 2. That said, Dex seems to know that being the third means there is alot of waiting and he seems to have a relaxed disposition to deal with it better than I had anticipated. So, I'm not pulling my hair out, but I'm certainly feeling worn out, then again... being old doesn't help either, haha.
Enough babbling, you didn't come here to read my ramblings, you came to see the kiddos. Here's a random assortment of pix from the last month, enjoy!



Hunter LOVES his brother, and is eager to share just about anything with him.

The kids with Dexter

The kids before our hike, so eager to go.

Hunter and Phil on the trail

Phil and the kiddos... when Jade thought we were lost...at least she could still pull off a pose in the midst of her worrying.

Hunter down by the water looking for more sticks to toss in the lake.

Jade looking across the lake to where Phil and I used to fish

Dexter is the only one ready for gametime...

Jade all ready for a Charger game

Guess who's eyes went brown already!!!


What do you mean there's no room in the inn?!
Ok, so I couldn't help but wonder how cute he'd look if he actually fit in the basket with his lil pillow.... sooo adorable.