Saturday, February 27, 2010

4 out of 6.
Kids, that is. The two tiny ones were getting ready for a nap.
We're going to attempt a photo with all six tonight.
Wish us luck. :)

By the way, we're having a great time. Playing outside, relaxing inside...fun times. :)

Gamers.
Believe it or not, there are moments of quiet in our house,
all thanks to Nintendo and Apple.
This has been a harsh winter (by Texas' standards, at least) so I'm thankful for something to keep them entertained on days when they can't go outside and play.
However, we are so ready for Spring, warmer temps, and lots of outside play. I'm not a big fan of lots of sitting around, so it will be great when things warm up.
But for now.....game on.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

stream of consciousness

One of my favorite blogs is written by this girl known as MckMama (for some reason the link-y thing is not working~ go to www.mycharmingkids.net if you're interested)....I got sucked in about a year ago when her son Stellan was sick, and now I check in daily. She's fun to read, and I have learned a lot about healthy cooking, tips on raising kids (she's currently expecting her fifth~ brave woman), and even gotten a few lessons on Photoshop. I tell you all of this to explain that I am shamelessly copying her in this post....every once in awhile she'll do a "stream of consciousness" post, just kind of rambling about things that are going on, and I think it's kind of fun. So here I go....

We are starting our second week of staying at my parents' house, before we join Brian next month in our new home. Things are going great here~ it's been fun getting to spend this extra time with Mimi and Papa, the boys are loving all the extra love and I am too. Last week we got the joy of having Brian home with us for the entire week. Although the week itself was kind of tough~ going through a house that has only been lived in for 4 years was a job, it was still great having him here. (I can't imagine what people go through when they live in the same house for years and years) I was thankful that we didn't have to actually pack everything ourselves, the packers did a great job. The control-freak in me had a hard time being there, so I kept myself busy with errands and such as the hubs stayed behind and dealt with all of that. And while I don't feel a major attachment to the house itself (probably b/c I moved so much as a kid, I was used to new houses and kind of liked it that way) it was still hard to leave it. Lots of memories there, lots of happiness...just glad that part is done and we're looking ahead now.

Oddly enough, it's been way easier getting our house sold here than it is finding a house there. Isn't house-shopping supposed to be fun? Apparently, no. :) After a rollercoaster of events that caused more stress than I would like to re-live, it looks like we have finally found our new home. I will post pics when it is official. I'm excited about the house and am starting to decorate it in my head....love the front porch, the fact that it's on a cul-de-sac within a cul-de-sac (love that the boys will have more freedom to play and ride their bikes). Most of all, I'm anxious to have us all under one roof permanently again, so much so that I'm not really that worried about the house itself. Although, trust me when I say I'm thankful for this house~ it's beautiful, roomy....a place I had envisioned for our family.

The boys and I are taking a little weekend trip to visit one of my best friends and her family. I love going up there, and how Amanda and I are always able to pick right up where we left off (not that hard really, considering we have been friends since middle school and still talk on the phone nearly every day) but what's even greater is watching our kids do the same thing. :) And because it's impossible for me to blog without posting at least one photo, here's one of the 6 kiddos together. It's not the best pic, and kind of old, but you get the idea. They're all really cute, and we (not-so) secretly hope they pair up and get married someday. Because how great would it be for Amanda and I to get to be grandparents together? And how cute would those grandbabies be? I'm just sayin'....we can dream, right? :)

I'm learning to take one day at a time. I've never really been very good at that before~ I'm a planner, a worrier, I like to know what is ahead before it happens. I know God is teaching me a lot right now...some days I'm more open to it, other days not so much, but He's forcing me (in His own special way) to trust His plan. I look at these past 3 months and how hard they've been, but I also see lots of fun, lots of great memories made, and most importantly, God's hand in each step we've taken. Would I have chosen this path He has us on right now? Honestly, no. I like things being comfortable. I like the familiar. I like my people here. I really don't want to find new people there. I know God is pushing us out of our comfort zone, and that's exactly where we need to be. He never promised us things would always be rainbows and butterflies (or puppies, if you ask the boys) but He did promise us He would be faithful. That He would be here. And I know that He is. And as long as that is the deal, we will be fine. We will be better than fine. We will be happy, bonded together as a family of five, trusting God's plan, and believing that if He has called us to it, He will see us through it. And I know that to be true....I've seen it over and over again.

And now? I'm sleepy. And starting to think that Hunter will never sleep alone in his bed again. He has ended up in bed with me nearly every night these past few months. I don't really love sleeping alone, so I haven't minded the company too much, but now I know we have created a little monster (albeit, a cute one) who is in for a rude awakening in just a few weeks. ;) We'll see how it goes.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy.

I think that's one word that would sum this guy up.
As the middle of three brothers, I worry that he gets lost in the shuffle,
and work hard to make sure he gets my undivided attention every day.

He's the definition of "middle child" in so many ways:
~peacemaker
~laid back
~quiet(er) ;)
~patient
He's an easy, go-with-the-flow, flyin'-under-the-radar kind of kid.

Truth be told, he's the easiest of the three right now.
Not that the other two are necessarily hard, just more high-maintenance. Strong personalities demand more attention~
some have said they take more after their mother.

Not sure if I agree with that. ;)

My middle man is sweet, affectionate, smart, funny, compassionate, but can definitely hold his own if he needs to.
There's a reason he's nicknamed, "The Linebacker."
I've warned his older brother more than once that he needs to be careful with how much he bosses Hud~ that one day he'll decide he's had enough.
That Harrison had better watch out. :)

But I'm really not sure if that's true or not. He adores his big brother and would follow him to the ends of the earth.

I'm so proud of this kid. I know God is going to do something extra-special with that giant heart of his....and even though I can't wait to see it, I'm in no hurry to rush it. Just going to enjoy the love for today.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

It's snowing. In Texas. Do you have any idea how weird that is?
What's even weirder is that it's not the first time it's done this so far this season.
The good news is that the boys got out of school early today and are out again tomorrow.
The bad news is that Brian is stuck without a flight home (he was supposed to be here in the morning, and we're all bummed) but will hopefully be here Saturday afternoon.


H3 had way too much fun making and throwing snowballs. Mostly at me. :)

H2 loved eating the snow. I was the paranoid mom who was constantly making sure it was clean snow, free of footprints, dirt, and other things I don't want to think about. ;)

H1 went in to get a scarf for our little snow friend...
I think it added the perfect finishing touch. :)

Do you know how hard it is to get three boys who are super excited about the snow to stop at the same time and smile for the camera? Impossible, at least for me. ;)

After about an hour of playing outside, we were completely numb, so we headed inside for hot baths, grilled cheese sandwiches, and then snow ice cream.
This was our first time to make this, and it was yummy, and super easy:
1) Collect snow in a large bowl (I set ours out in the morning so it would fill up throughout the day)
2) Add one cup of sugar and 1 TBS of vanilla and stir
3) Add up to 2 cups of milk until you get the desired consistency you want.
4) We added chocolate syrup and sprinkles to ours, and it was yummy!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Lego Maniacs.

These two love Legos. And I have to admit....I do too. :)
Harrison bought this house set with some of his birthday money...it really is one of the coolest sets I have ever seen.
This Lego Buzz Lightyear was a gift for Hud to build for getting some AWESOME reading grades~ something he has been working hard on, and a much deserved reward.

And really, how cool is it that there are Buzz Legos? Super cool.

Monday, February 8, 2010

We're still here.

You know, in case you were wondering.Things have been a little crazy around here.
We're on our third month of living with Daddy there and us here.
We're staying really busy spending lots of time with our family and friends here, soakingu p every bit of time that we can before we join Daddy next month.
We are excited about the changes ahead, but scared and sad too.
Yet still, thanks to the love of our Heavenly Father, we are able to face the move ahead with confidence and peace, even in the midst of this unfamiliar territory.
We are thankful that we can trust that He doesn't ever ask us to do more than we can handle, and we know that He will go there before us.

How awesome is that? :)