Summer List

Cade, Colin, and I sat down and made our Summer List today!

I kept giving Cade tons of suggestions and he kept telling me "No"!
Our list has 13 items on it - Cade wanted to stop at ten, but then he thought of a three more things!
So here is what we came up with:

Wonder: Five Minute Friday

1. Write for five minutes flat - no editing!

2. Link back up with the gypsymama.

3. Comment to the person who linked up before you and tell them what you thought!

Ready, Set, WONDER:
Everyday I wake up and wonder what the new day will hold. I wonder if my children will know how much I love them. I wonder if I am doing the right things as mother, if I am making all the right decisions.
Everyday, I wonder if my boys will remember all the good times we have had. I wonder if they remember all the times I hug, kiss, and tell them I love them throughout the day.
I wonder if Marissa will ever really understand how much I love her - even though I didn't carry her in my body for nine months. I wonder if she knows how much those words affected me the other night when she said them to me. I wonder if I have done everything to show her that she means more to me than just some tossed aside "step-child".
I wonder about my marriage...
I wonder about finishing my Masters
I wonder about my new class of first graders in the fall.

I wonder if God knows how very thankful I am for all that He has blessed me with. I wonder if He knows that I wouldn't trade anything in the world for my family.
So many, many, many things to wonder - all of them wonderful things.
STOP

Wordless Wednesday

I recently posted that it was so very smokey out and has been for the past two weeks.

This morning I went out to get some blood drawn and it was beautiful, but by the time I got home (I was gone about 20 minutes) it was already super smokey. It has become worse throughout the day. I took some pictures of what it looked liked earlier today (about 12pm). Right now it is much worse - I can hardly see my neighbors house across the street.
Please pray that our area receives some much needed rain.
Please pray for the firefighters out there fighting these awful fires.

Zoo Day

The wild fires in our surrounding areas have been AWFUL! We have been stuck in the house for at least two weeks because of all the smoke and we are all going stir crazy!

Yesterday, we got together with a group of friends and neighbors. We decided to leave early and head down to the zoo to escape the smoke. However, not one of us watched the news yesterday morning because we were so busy getting our little people ready. The smoke was WORSE at the zoo than it was at our house yesterday. AGH!

Whole Group Picture
Colin riding in the wagon
Cade sitting on the elephant's trunk
Marissa and Cade on the way to Penguins
Cade sitting on the alligator's head
I have a ton more pictures that I took! However these really highlight the day. We did have a great time although it was pretty smokey. When we got home it was NOT smokey so we decided to get in our pool for the afternoon.
I have already been out this morning and it doesn't look as smokey today. If it stays this way we will try to go to the pool this afternoon after naps.

Please pray that we get some much needed rain here. Please pray for the firefighters who are working hard to control these fires as well.

Sweet Taste of Summer

When it's too hot to eat "real" food. We enjoy the sweet, sweet taste of summer!

First, Marissa attempts to cut our yummy watermelon.
She succeeds in cutting the watermelon - how yummy does it look!
Finally, we eat this super, sweet, yummy watermelon.
This the sweet taste of summer that we enjoy so very much!

Happy Father's Day!

Larry enjoyed a wonderful Father's Day yesterday. He was able to do his favorite things - hang out with us (his little family) and watch golf!

Now what could be better than that?
Our children are truly blessed to have you as father!
I love you!

It's that time again - FRIDAY!!
So just in case you don't remember here are the rules:
1. Write for five minutes flat
2. Link back up with www.thegypsymama.com
3. Encourage the five minuter who posted before you!

This week the topic is HOME!

Ready, Get Set, and GO:

Home - lots of things came to mind when I read this as the topic. I thought about all the homes I lived in. How it felt to come home each day, and the list goes on. Then I immediately thought about how overwhelmed I felt this week with my own home. I thought about how it was too small for us now and we needed something bigger. I thought about how I can't wait for the cleaning lady to come today, I thought about getting it ready to sell, and finally I thought about the new bigger home I wanted and how great it would look. Yes, that is what my mind immediately thought of - how silly- I know!

As soon as I got those silly thoughts out of my head - I realized home is the two little boys that call me "Mama", home is my family who loves me unconditionally, home is my husband. That is what home really is. It isn't the size of the house (although bigger would be nicer) or what I have in the house - it the love that surrounds the home in which I am in.

STOP

It's all gone!

Everyone I know has been on me for months and months. Constantly telling me that I should be getting ready to cut off all that beautiful blonde hair and the curls. Oh, the curls! I couldn't do it. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. After he was called a girl a few times this week, I figured it was time to bite the bullet so to speak.

Colin no longer looks like this!
No, he sure does not...because my sweet boy got his first haircut on Sunday, June 12, 2011.
He was so very good! He sat right his daddy's lap and let Ms. Amy cut his hair. He even talked to her a little bit. Of course I took pictures throughout the whole experience to keep myself from crying!

Getting in the chair with daddy!
Getting ready...
No turning back now...
Cutting those curls :-(
All done - who is this big boy?
Just for fun, from yesterday!

Finally, a day to rest up!

Oh my! It was a super busy weekend around our house. I celebrated my 30th birthday, Cade's best friend celebrated her 5th birthday, my grandparents came to visit, we went to the beach, and the list goes on!

I have decided that June 11th was a great day to be born! Two of my friends have daughters born that day and of course it is my birthday as well. I turned 30 this year and I was feeling very overwhelmed about the whole thing. I cried for two days straight about it because I was scared. Why was I scared? I don't really know. I think just the fact that I wasn't going to be in my twenties anymore or maybe the fact that I am in college working on my Master's. I am not sure, but I was scared and overwhelmed. When the big day got here, I was perfectly fine and I thoroughly enjoyed the day with my family.

We tried our hardest to get a family picture - however you can see just how well that turned out!
Then, I tried taking a picture with my mother and grandmother. Of course the one little boy that won't sit still for pictures couldn't be left out!
At the restaurant, I wanted a picture of just Larry and I on my birthday! Bahaha! This is what I got! No, really he is such a good sport, but he always leans his head on me and I told him not too this time, as he was doing it, of course. Well, Marissa got this picture of us! Too Funny!
Then I decided we should just have a picture of me with all the kids. Again, not the best - but we take what we can get around here.
Finally, Cade was tired of all the pictures so he said, "Mommy, can we do a silly face?" And who am I to say NO! So, this is what we got! :-)

Five Minute Friday: Backwards

I missed Five Minute Friday last week so I am pretty excited that this morning I am up to a quiet house, both boys are still sleeping, and I get to participate! I should probably hurry and start before someone wakes up and I don't have the time.


It's that time again - FRIDAY!!
So just in case you don't remember here are the rules:
1. Write for five minutes flat
2. Link back up with www.thegypsymama.com
3. Encourage the five minuter who posted before you!

Ready, Set, START:

Backwards - well it brings lots of things to mind. Like this week, my son who has been putting his shorts on backwards every single day! It makes me giggle but it always reminds me that maybe I have been a little backwards as a mom. I have enjoyed doing everything for him, that he is almost 5 1/2 and can't really get dressed on his own. Yes, that is backwards. BUT we have plans, BIG BIG plans to work on that this summer while we are home together until August 6! YAY!

Backwards also makes me think of how I grew up - no I didn't grow up backwards - but instead of listening to everyone and instead of doing it how someone might have told me - I did it MY way and well sometimes, okay, alright, most of the time my way was a little backwards. Did I get to the end result - YES - could it have been easier if I wouldn't have gone "backwards" so to speak, YES!

I have decided that most of life is about twists and turns and you know what sometimes those twists and turns take us backwards! That isn't a bad thing at all - actually it might be pretty good for all of us. Especially those of feeling a little overwhelmed - it brings to light things we might have forgotten about. Just yesterday I was going backwards to when I turned 21... oh my I was so excited - tomorrow I turn 30, I can't say I am that excited. However going backwards, remembering 21, reminded me there will be something good in 30 and I won't be always feel this overwhelmed with it!

STOP

GUESS WHAT! No one woke up while I was typing. Now on to enjoy my coffee on my porch!

Thankful Thursday

Today, I feel so very thankful for these sweet, sweet boys. I love mornings like this when they are snuggling each other in the chair.

So, even though the last few nights,sleep has been few and far between because of a little boy who thinks he must still be an infant - mornings like this remind that he won't always be this little and he won't always want to do this with his big brother.
Thank you Lord once again for blessing me with these two boys. I am so very thankful! They make everything PERFECT!

Time Flies...

When you're having fun!

I can't believe that I haven't blogged in a whole week. We have been having so much fun around here with Summer Break that I just haven't had time. The boys and I have been going to lunch together, going to the pool, and hanging out with friends. Oh yea, and I have been working on homework for my Master's class.

Here a few random pictures from the week!

Colin in all his cuteness - love this face so very much!
We organized the fridge!
I dressed the boys in matching outfits.
Cade took a picture of Colin and I.
Another of the sweet boys before going out to the grocery store.
And the boys wore coordinating Boden shirts!
It has been a great second week of Summer Break!