First Field Trip

Well, I am happy to say that the day did get better on Friday. We went on our first field trip for the year to the Tybee Island Marine Center; we just finished a short unit on the ocean. When I say we, I mean the little preschool group that meets at my house on Mondays and Wednesdays each week (I also teach Brooke on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday).

Here are a few pictures I took of our open house we had before school started.

And here are a few pictures from our first field trip.

Favorite People

While reviewing what the children learned at church today, Braden explained that his teacher asked them each who their favorite person in their family was (you would think it would be his always sacrificing mama, but no), and he said his was Emma. When I asked him why he selected Emma as his favorite, he explained it was because she is always fun; he also said he likes when she copies whomever is praying.

After asking Braden, I got curious; I wonder what Brooke would say, so I posed the question to my little Priss. I thought, maybe she will remember all I do, all I sacrifice; I wait with baited breath, hoping to hear the angels sing as she speaks Mama. Alas, the name Colton falls off of her tongue, and my hopes are dashed. Again I investigate, asking why she chose her youngest brother. Why did I once again get passed up?! Upon further research, I learn Colton was chosen due to his sweetness, his cuteness, and for his infectious laughter and smile. Yeah, he was definitely a worthy opponent!

Not completely defeated, I turn to my sweet Emma, and again pose the same question. Realizing quickly, that Emma doesn't understand the word favorite, I rephrase the question, "Who do you like the best?"

Emma looks at me, with those big blue eyes (no wonder Braden picked her), and sweetly says,

"Jesus!"

This time no investigating was necessary.

Right?!!!

So far this morning, I have had one child pee in their bed, one child get poop all over their clothes, and one child clog the toilet with toilet paper, and I haven't even had a shower yet! Today has to get better, right?

Right?!!!!

A Matter of Perspective

Ever have one of those,

Aargh I'm going to kill my husband moments?!!!

Yesterday morning I had one of those, or so I thought. As I began to pull shirt after shirt out of the washing machine, discovering with every retrieval, that my husband had not in fact shouted any of the children's clothes, which if you can only imagine, is a necessity not an option, at least if you want to salvage their clothing, I began to get more aggravated with every visible stain. Not wanting to have to buy new wardrobes for my children, I begrudgingly took all of the wet shirts over to the sink along with my trusty bottle of Shout and got to work, thinking critical thoughts as I worked.

'Why didn't he just Shout these? How did he not see ALL of these stains?!!!'

As these not so loving thoughts were going through my mind, and being muttered under my breath, something changed.

I began to think,

'If Rich wouldn't have washed clothes this weekend, I wouldn't have had a blue uniform shirt for Braden to wear this morning; he really saved my butt! It sure was sweet of Rich to even try to help me do the clothes. Rich helps me a lot. He even had the children help clean up the house Saturday, which allowed me to go to Heather's baby shower, completely kid free! Rich is really a great father to our children; he takes special one on one time with them, and he truly cares about them. He takes time to read to them, play with them, talk with them, read scriptures with them, pray with them, and help discipline them; I don't think they could have a better father! Rich is also a great husband! He loves me dearly, plans sweet surprises for me, twirls me around the kitchen, worries and prays for me on hard days, truly is my best friend, makes me laugh, makes me feel cherished and treasured, and still inspires me to want to be a better person! Rich not only serves his family but so many others. He serves with great dedication and love to all those at church, as he counsels and teaches; being a Bishop can't be an easy job! Rich also works hard at his day to day job, insuring we are well taken care of and our needs are met. Now he is even going to be Brooke's soccer coach, so she doesn't have to miss out on playing! I am very lucky and blessed to have such a prize for a husband!'

I guess when all the facts are laid out, a few ruined shirts are pretty insignifcant in the grand scheme of things; I suppose sometimes it is just a matter of perspective!

A Camping We Will Go

Where is my adorable Braden tonight? Braden is on a Boy Scout camp out with his daddy and the other scouts; basically, he is in heaven! He is eating roasted hot dogs, roasted marshmallows, getting to sleep in a tent, and getting his daddy all to himself; what could be better?!!!! I'm sure if you posed that question to Braden, he would answer,
"Nothing!"

(getting ready to head out)

Pure Joy

While others may look at this picture and think, SCARY!!! Is he going to hit the ceiling? Will Rich catch him?

I look at this picture and only see the absolute pure joy on Colton's face. I hear the little giggles he made as his daddy tossed him up and down in the air, I see the trusting love between a father and his son, and I see the exquisite delight on his face, through his bright, beautiful smile; that is why the only fitting title to give to this picture is

Pure Joy!

For those that were worried, Rich did catch him.

Fan Club

I guess I am not the only one who thinks this little squirt is absolutely adorable!

Here are some members of Colton's fan club now.

(pretend you don't see the Princess bib)

Today I overheard this particular little fan professing her unconditional love and adoration to her sweet brother.

Today as I peeked around the corner into the den (to make sure all was well), I saw Brooke looking lovingly into Colton's eyes and then heard her exclaim,

"You are so adorable! I love you so much! I love you when you are crazy! I love you when you are crying! I love you when you are whining! I love you when you are stinky! I love you when you are chewing on your hand! I love you all the time, no matter what!"

What a sweet example of not only sibling love but unconditional love!

I sure am proud of that sassy girl of mine!

This handsome devil...

...is now officially six months old! (He turned six months old this past Thursday.)

He drools, he laughs, he smiles, he babbles, he rolls, he tries to crawl, he explores (using the roll to get where you want to go method), he chews, he eats, sometimes he cries (if he is sleepy, hungry, or needs a diaper change), and he definitely has the looking cute thing down to an exact science! Colton has captured our hearts and has each of us wrapped around his little adorable fingers!

We love him so much, we even think he looks cute when he does this.Yeah, I think we will keep him,

every single square inch of cuteness!

I want to see....

this movie!!!!!!

(turn the music off at the bottom before watching)

Priceless

The look on Colton's face is priceless, and hilarious,

priceless and hilarious! "Be afraid, very afraid!"

Look what I found!

Today I walked into Brooke and Emma's bedroom, and I was greeted with my little teenager in training; when did they start training at 2?!!!! Emma was kicked back using my CD player remote as a cell phone, chatting away quite animatedly with her friend, or perhaps she was pretending to talk to her Aunt Elizabeth (she wants to call her constantly these days).

Oh, how I love my sweet and crazy Emma!

Have you ever noticed...

...that sometimes when you teach your children something, you often need to hear it just as much or more than they do. Lately, I have really been struggling trying to burn my candle at both ends, trying desperately to make everyone happy, often feeling like I end up making no one happy. At the end of the day sometimes I feel like I have been inundated with more complaints and criticisms than appreciation and thanks. Why is it so easy to complain and criticize rather than praise? Or simply keep your negative thoughts or opinions to yourself? Every single day in the life of a mother is hard, not always overwhelmingly hard, but hard nonetheless. As a mother of four young children, I have a lot on my plate. Though I am not perfect, I feel like I put my all into everything I do, especially when it comes to my family. I am constantly trying to find new ways to be better and to do better, so when someone insults me, or attacks who I am, it hurts (especially when I am already tired and having an overwhelming day); it often leaves me feeling bewildered and confused when someone who doesn't see what I do day in and day out: the sacrifices I make, the sleep I lose, or the heart and soul I put into everything I do, feels they can pass judgement calls on who I am or on how I am performing. I don't know how I could possibly run faster than I already do (figuratively speaking of course). I honestly don't see how I could humanly do anymore than I already am doing, which leaves me asking, Why? Why would you say something to someone knowing it will hurt them? Why would you pass a judgement call on someone without knowing all of the facts? Why would someone even begin to think they know what someone else is experiencing or dealing with when they have never walked a mile in their shoes? Why would anyone intentionally hurt another person? As I began to ask myself Why, I also wondered if the specific recent criticism was true, and I began to let it fester inside, causing me to doubt myself and my ability, until today (or ever again)! Today as I sat down to teach my sweet, beautiful daughters about how special they are to me and to Heavenly Father, I too learned a very powerful lesson.

As I read and turned the pages of each of these books, every word I spoke awakened my mind to the knowledge that I am special, that there is no one like me, and I should not and will not worry about what others think! What matters most is that I know and Heavenly Father knows I am doing the best I can, and I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father loves me!

"Inside, outside, upside down, from to head to toe and all around, I like it all! It all is me! And me is all I want to be. And I don't care in any way what someone else may think or say. I may be called a silly nut or crazy cuckoo bird-so what? I'm having too much fun, you see, for anything to bother me!" (excerpt from I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont)

"I'm gonna like me when I jump up so high. I'll twist and I'll stretch straight up to the sky. I'm gonna like me when I fall and get hurt and mess up my elbows in pebbles and dirt. ...I'm gonna like me 'cause I'm loved and I know it, and liking myself is the best way to show it. I'm gonna like me, I already do! But enough about me-

How about YOU?"

(excerpt from I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell)

My Big First Grader

Where does the time go, and why does it have to go so fast?!!!

Last Wednesday this little baby started first grade, which left me wondering, how did my sweet baby boy go from thisto this right before my eyes? While I try fruitlessly to get time to slow down, here are some more pictures from his big day for you to enjoy.

Yearly Trip Home~the Wonderful, the Beautiful, the Exquisite Myrtle Beach

Like every year, we went to spend a week with my sister at the beach; well, not on the beach, wouldn't that be heaven?!!! Rich didn't have time off, so I loaded all of our things, my four hoodlums, tons of snacks, a little potty, just in case (ended up being a life saver), and we headed on our way. It was an eventful trip complete with a potty stop at a rest area, a certain child with a small (very small) bladder sitting on the potty in heavy traffic (nowhere to pull over), a hungry, crying baby (had to pull off the road to stuff his mouth full of baby food), a cute six year old who showed his hiney to all that passed as he indiscreetly went potty on the side of the road, and a two year old screaming (we're talking devil cry screaming) for about 45 minutes of the trip. Needless to say, I was VERY happy to finally arrive at my sister's house! Once we arrived at Elizabeth, our week of fun could begin!

Our Week in Review:

Monday:
*made the trip
*Mama and Grandmama drove to Elizabeth's for the day to see the cuties and I
*went to get supper at Central Park (have to do that every trip, high school memories that must be relived)
*kids played with the dress up clothes Elizabeth had
*relaxed and spent time together

Tuesday:
*lazy morning-recovered from trip
*went shopping for clothing essentials for cuties (dresses for girls, uniforms for Braden)
*spent the day being entertained by my crazy children

Wednesday:
*went to spend the day with my daddy a.k.a. Granddaddy
*was overwhelmed by all the snacks and treats my dad bought for the kids (he has the candy spoiling thing down)
*ate sandwiches for lunch and got ready for beach
*realized that the weather was bad, and couldn't convince Elizabeth and Daddy to rush to the beach with me at the first sign of a break in the clouds
*Daddy sent us to Sam's to buy some movies for the kids
*made the executive decision to rush to the pool with the three oldest hoodlums as soon as the sun came out
*had a great time playing shark, watching the kids jump in the pool, and tried in earnest to soak in every laugh, every smile, and every moment, to later be played over and over in my memory
*went back to Daddy's, bathed the kids, got ready, and then Elizabeth, the hoodlums, and I sat down to a DELICIOUS (did I mention delicious) dinner of Spaghetti a la Daddy (NO ONE makes spaghetti sauce like Daddy)
*watched movies and spent time together (since that nasty, vile, loathsome rain ruined my dreams of frolicking in the sea and surf)

Thursday:
*went to see Space Chimps at the theater (gotta love the free summer movies)
*Elizabeth spoiled her nieces and nephews buying them the kids snack boxes filled with candy, popcorn, and drinks
*went to grab lunch at Pizza Inn (another trip down memory lane)
*swung by Allyson's firework store to load up on fireworks, walked out with a hermit crab as well (can you say, feel like a tourist!-kids love it )
*stopped by Children's Place Outlet to get a few more clothes for Brooke
*gave the sun the evil eye, due to the fact that it was shining brightly on the day we hadn't planned to go to the beach, hate that Murphy's Law (maybe I can hunt down that Murphy and give him a piece of my mind)
*headed back to Lib's for the evening

Friday:
*Mama arrives at Elizabeth's house
*went to the beach, went to the beach, went to the beach, went to the beach, Did I mention, I went to the beach?!!!!!!
*a determined spirit and a lot of prayer finally pay off
*on the beach we are pelted by sheets of rain, accosted by stinging sand, and blown around by the wind, grab the essential items (hoodlums being on the top of that list) and run for the van
*undeterred, we patiently wait in the van for the sun to again appear and for the vile rain to hide in fear of this Carolina Girl (who had it up to here with the rain!)
*once the sun appeared, we again returned to the beach for some sun in the fun
*Mama dropped my diaper bag camera into the ocean in an effort to save Emma, though it was a sad loss, I would much rather have my sweet Emma
*headed back to Elizabeth's house to get ready and wait for my stud to arrive (Rich came up for the weekend)
*All of us went out to eat and then went back to Elizabeth's

Saturday:
*got ready for the beach, the glorious beach
*headed to the beach, took a slight detour to go check out my mama's soon to be new beach house (HELLO, can't wait!)
*spent two fantastic hours at the beach as a family (I snapped feverishly with my old sad, pitiful camera; I had to capture every precious moment, multi-tasking all the way baby, nurse and snap, nurse and snap!)
*went back to Elizabeth's to bathe the cuties and get ready for my date (there was a hot stud who wanted to take me out to celebrate my birthday)
*Rich and I went out to eat at El Cerro Grande (more memory lane walking)
*went to see Harry Potter (had to see it again)

Sunday:
*went to church (LOVED getting to see old friends)
*went back to Elizabeth's for a birthday celebration courtesy of Elizabeth (enchiladas, Spanish rice, refried beans, tortilla chips, salsa, cake, and ice cream, DELICIOUS)
*began the arduous process of packing and loading up the van
*headed home
*returned home, unloaded the van, glanced at the luggage, and collapsed onto bed

"I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

(or the day after that, or the day after that...)

Now for your viewing pleasure, are some of the many pictures taken during our illustrious week in South Carolina.