Almost a Compliment

I've been meaning to post this for a while.

Not too long ago, Merry Grace said to me, "Mommy, I want to be just like you when I grow up.  I want to learn about all the things you can do...so I can be old-fashioned like you are."

Not the toothbrushes again

What is it with toothbrushes around here?

The other day, I was taking a shower.  Paige had come in the bathroom for something and I thought I'd have her hand me my toothbrush and I'd just take care of that while I was getting clean.  She was more than happy to help and began chattering away about how she was big enough to climb up on the sink and reach my toothbrush.  In just a few minutes she handed me my toothbrush and when I glanced down I noticed there was barely any toothpaste on it.  About that time she mentioned how some of the toothpaste had fallen off and she hoped that was ok.  I assured her it was fine, I'd make do and began brushing.  Immediately, I thought something tasted weird.  Like when you drink orange juice after brushing your teeth.  I tried to remember if I'd eaten anything before I got in the shower.  I was deciding whether to just spit it all out and start over, when the odd taste subsided. 

Once I got out, teeth and body clean, I glanced down at the sink and noticed two things.  First, I could see where the toothpaste had fallen off on the counter by the sink and it looked smeared, like someone had tried to salvage it by putting it back on the toothbrush, but that it didn't quite work.  At about the same time, I noticed the toilet bowl cleaner was right there on the sink where the kids had been doing chores earlier and some had spilled out. The toothpaste was streaked and smeared right through it.  Instantly, I knew exactly what that "odd" taste I'd noticed was.  Oh dear.  Apparently in addition to "fighting tartar and whitening teeth", I'd also killed 99.9% of viruses and bacteria and powered through any hard water stains that might have been causing me problems.  

Lesson learned.  Always fix your own toothbrush.

Ketchup Month

I remember in elementary school having a "catch up" day once in a while in my AG class, which we jokingly referred to as "ketchup day" which I thought was hilarious.  Since I'm so far behind, here's a "ketchup month" for June.

Our swimming is mostly limited to friends' pools or beach trips.  So this is how we do "swimming" in the country.  It always makes me laugh to see my kids playing in these buckets, but they have a blast.  It's surprisingly entertaining.  And I love their creativity.

We love our porch so much.  And I love seeing these two sweet brothers on it.  (Side note--Sometime after this picture was taken, the rocking chair Jay is in "got broken" and was burned in a grand bonfire in the backyard.)

Our neighbors had a company come out and cut down a tall tree in their yard.  We called it free entertainment.

How often can I say how much we love our porch?  

It's even better with these cuties.

Cory and Merry Grace had a fun night at the Daddy Daughter Diva Derby.  It was basically a pinewood derby race for girls, without all the rules and regulations that come along with the cub scout one.  It was super fun and these two won the whole dang thing.  The Merry Mobile won "Most Expensive" due in large part to the added weight they added--a roll of quarters covered in hot pink duck tape.

We spent a fun dinner and game night at Ethan's house.  Here's a picture of me and my girl from the night.

Paige likes to help me when I bake biscuits.  I guess you can see how that turns out.

One weekend when Cory and Ian were on the Father/Son Campout, the girls, Jay and I went up to visit my parents.  It was a lot of fun and we made a stop at Pilot Mountain to enjoy the view.

Since I took all the pictures, I made sure I got in at least one.

One of the highlights was this redneck, yet ingenious wagon that my dad put together for Jay.  He'd gotten bored and restless and Papa made him a wagon with little more than a cardboard box and some duck tape. Jay loved it.

My cute Grandma J, the inspiration for Baby Jay's name.

We had dinner at Adam & Sydney's house one night and got lots of snuggles from Baby Sterling.  The kids also played "3-2-1 Cockroach" with Uncle Adam.  Yes, he may be in his mid-twenties, but he's still just a kid at heart.

In preparation for Father's Day, we made our own wrapping paper out of newsprint and some art supplies.  Although this was just an accident, as we couldn't find the wrapping paper we had bought, it turned out to be one of the coolest parts of our Father's Day gifts.  The kids' decorations were so adorable and really showed their love for their dad.

We made Cory a yummy breakfast for Father's Day and the kids took it too him in bed.

One of our gifts to him was a shirt honoring him and being a Dad to five.  He loved this.

We took lots of pictures before church, but here's just one to represent them all.  Cory with his sweet children.  What a great dad he is!!!

Later in June, we went for an overnight trip to the coast.  We love going to the aquarium and the butterfly room was a new addition.  This beautiful butterfly landed on me and just sat there for the longest time.

The aquarium was so fun.  We never get tired of exploring there.

The hotel is part of the fun.  The kids loved drinking hot cocoa and watching a movie at bedtime.

We spent time at the beach, which is one of our favorite summer activities.  Jay was fascinated by everything and loved being free to roam and explore.

We also made a trip to the battleship which was super cool and fun.  Jay had fallen asleep in the backpack carrier and so I carried him around throughout the trip.  It was super hot and there was a LOT of climbing involved, which was tough with the added weight and heat of the baby on my back.  I would enjoy it more next time under a few different conditions.

After our trip, Elise had a sleepover with her cousins.  These girls have been friends since they were born and I adore them all so much.  The sleepover was a blast.

Sleeping with this sweetie?  My absolute favorite.  

What's Up?

Some people are getting antsy about my lack of posts around here.  (Mainly my dad. ;))  It's nice to be missed.

So what are we up to these days.  Maybe the better question is what are we NOT up to?

Here's some of what our life has looked like since May.

 We picked strawberries a few times.  Every time we go, each kid gets a bucket and we struggle to get as much as we want.  Usually someone will get tired or it gets too hot and so we just pick as long as we can and then pay for what we pick.  The first time we went, my kids turned into berry picking ninjas and we ended up with about five buckets.  Of course you pay for what you pick, so we ended up with over $30 worth of berries, despite going there because the berries were cheaper.  Joke's on me!

Ian finished up his baseball season.  We loved watching him play.  Nights at the ballpark are my favorite.

We said a sad and tearful good-bye to Uncle Logan before he headed off to Brazil.

 

 I have a ridiculous number of cute pictures of this kid on slides this spring.  He obviously loved them.  And that squishy face?!  I could DIE!!!!

We had our annual celebration for Cory's dad around Memorial Day and his birthday.  It's always tender to be at his gravesite, but also comforting to feel the love we all have for him.

Jay was OBSESSED with the water hose (still is, actually).  He loved playing with it, but his favorite was spraying some unsuspecting (or suspecting) sibling.  Ian was a great sport.  He didn't mind getting wet and he loved watching Jay giggle.

Another favorite from Spring was naps in the shade.  Sometimes the big kids didn't nap, but would just read a book on a blanket in the shade.  And this kid?  What is it about a baby that is just irresistible?

One thing we love is pizza night.  Our favorite is when I let the kids make their own crust and top the pizza any way they want.  It's super messy, but so fun for everyone.  And so delicious!!! One night, I was just making large pizzas rather than individual ones, but Paige was helping me, so I let her make her own pizza.  She decided not to put mushrooms or spinach on hers, like I was putting on the family pizza (can you imagine?). The kids were super impressed with her pizza and VERY interested in which toppings she had on hers.  Paige, ever the entrepreneur, saw an opportunity and charged her siblings $0.25 a slice for her pizza.


After realizing the length of this post, I've decided I'll just have to do a summary on each month to highlight our fun.

In the meantime, you can read an article I wrote for my friends' blog recently about pregnancy loss and what it's like when your family plan doesn't go according to plan.  It's the first of three articles I wrote, the next two will be posted each of the following Mondays.  Read it HERE.

Motherhood

Mother.  What a beautiful word that is.

Everyone has a Mother.  It's how we came to be.  Her sacrifice to carry us in her body for nine months, her gift of life as she gave birth.  Her sleepless nights.  Her love that put our needs ahead of her own.  We learned about life and love.  She watched us grow, helped us spread our wings, even as her heart ached a little to know that our independence meant a little less dependence.

Only not everyone had that kind of mother.

Some have mothers with whom time has also brought distance. Sometimes physical, sometimes emotional. 

There are others who had that kind of mother, but who has already passed on and left behind a gaping hole where her presence used to be.  

And then there is our own Motherhood.  Precious children who call us Mom. Mommy. Mama. Mother.  We adore and love them with our whole hearts.  We love their kisses, their giggles, their hugs.  They bring a joy that encompasses our soul.  

Only sometimes we are tired.  And exhausted.  Sometimes we yearn for personal space.  Or personal time.  Or less fighting and whining.  And sometimes we lose our patience.  And sometimes we doubt our ability to be the mother we want to be.

And then there are those who don't yet have children and may never have them.  Or women who have children, but yearn for more.  Or who have children they have lost.  Or babies who didn't even make it to birth.  

So this beautiful word--Mother--gets complicated.  And sometimes, this day we set aside to honor this divine calling, brings with it some heartache, in whatever form that might be.  Maybe it's that life didn't turn out the way we thought it would.  Maybe someone is missing who ought to be here.  Maybe cards didn't get made, or gifts bought or thank yous said.

Just as life isn't perfect, neither is Motherhood.  

We have a chalkboard in our kitchen.  I love chalk art and for birthdays and holidays I love to find a quote or saying to honor that occasion.  This morning, I wrote this message on the board, "You are the best mom anyone could ever ask for.  Happy Mother's Day."  And then my kids and a couple of my nephews who were visiting decided they wanted to write on the chalkboard.  

And then it looked like this.  

Oh how this made me laugh!  This is how a LOT of Motherhood is like for me.  It's imperfect, messy and complicated, but somehow still beautiful.  

I hope that tomorrow, despite how complicated Motherhood gets sometimes, that we can see past the heartache and see what being a Mother is all about.  LOVE.  One of my heroes, Marjorie Hinckley, said this, "The trouble with the world and the trouble with you and me is that we don't love each other enough. And if we do, we don't bother to show it, or we don't bother to say it. If the world is to know love, it has to be in your heart and in mine."

So if you have a Mother who you adore, tell her you love her.  If there is a Mother you admire, tell her so.  If there is someone who isn't a Mother in the traditional sense but has Mothered you in some way, tell her thank you.  If there is a Mother who you know is sorrowful, remember her.

I am forever indebted to countless women who have helped me become the woman I am today.  My own dear mother, first and foremost.  My grandmothers, aunts, and cousins.  Church leaders.  Friends.  As I treasure my precious children tomorrow, I honor all those amazing women who have shaped me in some way.  To you I say, "Thank You."

Happy Mother's Day! 

Time, and How There isn't Enough of it

The title pretty well sums it up.  I keep saying life is so BUSY.  But I've decided to change my tune.  Life is so FULL.  Busy seems like such a negative way to describe what my days look like.  Am I busy?  Without a doubt.  But it's so much more than that.  And busy doesn't even begin to cover it.

Between an active, cuddly (almost) 1-year old, homeschooling 3 and 1/2 kids (Paige gets about half the schooling and makes about double the mess of everyone but Jay), church responsibilities with the youth, sports activities for the older kiddos, their church activities, date nights with my cute, dear husband, keeping up with the house, feeding a herd of hungry kids, and trying to manage laundry well enough that we don't go naked makes for a very FULL life.

And when I do have those rare, precious moments that aren't FILLED with something, I'm not usually blogging.  So, dear readers, you have been neglected.

But here is an update.

What are some of the picture-worthy moments of late?  (If you're on Facebook or Instagram, some of these may be familiar to you.)

In no particular order (since this computer can't read my mind and it will take too much time to arrange it.)

Merry Grace was baptized!!!  What a happy, joyous occasion that always is.  Merry Grace looked beautiful and was thrilled with this day she had been looking forward to for months.  We couldn't be prouder parents of this precious little girl.

We are honored to be her parents.

This picture just speaks to my heart.  THIS is what most of the day was like.  (This is what most days are like for us.)  A little hectic, a little chaotic.  Not perfect.  But still wonderful.  I love the symbolism of what this means in relation to baptism.  Baptism is a reminder that we are imperfect and that we need to follow the only One who IS perfect because He is the only one who can turn our not-so-perfect lives into something MORE.  Every time I see this picture I want to laugh and cry at the same time because I am overwhelmed at how wonderful it is.

Once in a while, I have errands and I let the older kids work on school work in peace and quiet while I take the littles out.  It's nice for the older kids and nice to have some time with this cool cat and her little brother.

 Our life pretty much revolves around this kid.  He's adorable and precious and is oh-so-loved by every single member of the family that we just can't stand it.  I mean--just look at him!  Couldn't you just eat him with a spoon?

Also, he loves strawberries. :)

 Bedtime always consists of tucking all the kids in.  Usually Jay is still awake (still working on that sleep schedule thing with him) and so he gets good night kisses from all the kids and they love snuggling with him for a few minutes before they go to sleep.

 Another bedtime routine is a cup of hot chocolate for Cory and I after (most of) the kids have gone to bed.  We've fallen in love with a butter pecan creamer that we add to it.  It's fun to sit and talk and have a cup of cocoa, especially during this long, cold winter.  Since Jay is often still up, he has found he loves hot chocolate as well.  He won't let you have a cup without sharing.

 Despite some reports to the contrary, he does occasionally get upset, although with so many of his favorites at his constant beck and call, this doesn't happen too often.  But he's even cute when he's angry.  He even does this cute little trill, where it sounds like he's rolling one long "r" sound and it makes us giggle.  We all love his angry trill.

There have been a few GORGEOUS days tucked into this long, cold winter and we have soaked up every ounce of sun we could when they came.  They were basically perfection and we can't WAIT for spring.  Well, technically it's already Spring.  So Spring weather then.  That's what we want.

Sometimes this little guy still just snuggles and I love it.  I will never, EVER get tired of that.

 One night at dinner, Jay was fussing to get at our food.  On a whim I handed him the dill pickle from my plate.  He had no reaction at all, other than to gobble it down.  So he also likes dill pickles.  (So do I!)

 This was a day Jay was pretending to read a book, but that quickly turned into a game of Peek-a-boo with the older kids.  (Have I mentioned how darling we all think he is?)

 Ian has become our expert chocolate chip cookie maker.  He is really, really good at making them, so he gets requests to make them often, especially on Sunday afternoons.

He also participated in the Pinewood Derby recently.  He came in a SUPER close second to his cousin Charles-Allen.  They were adorable because they both wanted to win, but neither one wanted to beat the other one.  Charles-Allen won by one-one hundredth of a second.  So close and so fun.  Ian was a great sport and we were so proud to cheer him on in his last (sniff, sniff) one.

 Sometimes all you need in life to make you happy is a cardboard box and a friend.  I love these little ones to pieces.

Jay loves to snuggle.  Sometimes if I have things to do, I'll strap him into the carrier and tote him around while I work.  When he gets tired, he'll take my hand and cover his eyes.  I think it's so adorable and precious.  It's one of those things I wish he'd do forever.

I mean, really.  What do you want me to say.  Cutest baby around.

 I had Ian practice his cursive by writing a letter.  He got a lot of imaginary gold stars for this one.  ("Dear Mommy, You are the best mom ever.  I can not live with out you.  I love you so much.  Thank you for every thing you do.  Love, Ian")

 My parents got to come see one of Elise's volleyball games.  This sight just about made my heart burst.

We have LOVED cheering Elise on throughout this volleyball season.  She is such a great girl and works so hard and plays so hard.  We think she is amazing.

So there are a few highlights from our life.  Our FULL, wonderful, beautifully imperfect, crazy, chaotic life.