Bye-Bye April

It's the last day of April and I haven't gotten one single chore accomplished today except getting my bed sheets washed and making carrots for Mia.

It's 84 degrees today.

Sunny.

Slight breeze.

Beautiful.

There are dishes in the sink.

The living room is filled with toys - trucks, books, baby dolls, balls, rattles.

The clothes hamper is full.

The floors could be swept.  The garbage could be emptied.  The toilets could be scrubbed.

But...

it's 84 degrees today.

The sun is shining.
There is a slight breeze.

It is beautiful.

So, this morning, we grabbed our buckets, filled our cups with kool-aid, and headed outside.

I made a mud hole for the kids (daddy will love that eye sore in the yard) where they could dig for worms, make ponds, make mud pies, get dirty, and play 'til they could play no more...

I should have counted how many times I heard the words "poop" and "diarrhea"... 

My Mud Monsters!

When they were all done playing, they were sprayed off with the hose.  They loved getting clean in the hose as much as they loved getting dirty in the mud!

And...

Not only are we wrapping up the month of April in the mud, but also on stage.

Makayla's church choir had their end of the year performance last night -

"Creation Sensation - How the world really began...according to God".

Makayla is in the front row with the green dress on and her cousin Kyleigh is in the back row 3rd from the left with the blue top on.  The girls were really excited to sing together this year!

...my beautiful little girls!!...while my handsome little boy is off to the side being a boy, playing in the rocks and mulch!

Now...while the kiddos are napping, I'm going to continue enjoying this last day of April relaxing in the sun...with my eyes closed!
...the things you miss when you have kids - relaxing with your eyes closed in the warm sun.

What I Love About You

Mason -

There is so much to love about you...

And I can't tell you how many times a day I catch myself smiling, thanking God for you - for letting me be your mommy.

Taking a few minutes, I want to just write...

write what I love about you.

with no special order and organizational flow, i'm just going to randomly write what comes to mind

First of all, I love your smile and all the expressions that your little face can make.  Just a "look" from your face can send me overboard with giggles.  You have so much expression in your eyes and mouth that sometimes we don't even need words to communicate.  I love it and not knowing what's going to come from your face from one minute to the next makes me love it even more.

I love how you love to put money in your Spiderman piggy bank...dumping your change out and filling it back up over and over again.

I love how you love to play "daddy".  You love to bounce your babies to sleep and change their diapers.  Listening to you "shush" your babies and tuck them into their crib makes me happy.

When I tell you that I love you, I love it that you say "I love you the most".  

I love your new found obsession with daddy's deodorant.  I love how you roll daddy's deodorant on your elbows...how it makes you smell oh so good and puts a little strut in your walk. As you put the lid back on the deodorant with a smirk on your face, I sometimes get lost in la-la land imagining you, my baby boy, as a man.

My heart jerks a little bit every time you call me "mom".  Where's the name "mommy"?  You're still too little to call me "mom" and I feel like you're years ahead of your time when you call me "mom".

I love how you lay down in the bath tub submerging your entire body and head so just your eyes, nose, and mouth are above the water...how you can just lay there, relaxed, for as long as I'll let you.  No words, no splashes, no movements at all.  Just stillness under the water...and I wonder what goes through your mind.

 I love how you call Mia 'Mia Grace' every time you say her name.  Nobody else adds on Grace to her name so it's something special between you and your baby sister...plus, there's something so beautiful in hearing your sweet voice say "mia grace".  

 I love how you hold your head above Mia and let her explore your entire face with her tiny hands...and then when you've had enough you bend down and gently kiss her.

I love how you cry and cry for Papa when you're upset.  I love that your relationship with your grandpas is so strong that they are the first ones you cry for second to mommy and daddy.

I love watching and listening to you play your harmonica, shoot hoops, and act as conductor of your choo-choo train.

you are an amazing little boy, mason.  

it's a joy to watch you grow - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

you make me proud and give me butterflies in my tummy.

you are my whole world.

Love, 

Mommy

3 Little Chief's Fans

Daddy's three little Chief's fans!!

Makayla - 3 months

Mason - 2 months

 Mia - 5 months

Jar O' Marbles

We are trying something new in our house -
Positive reinforcement with a marble jar.

Makayla and Mason each got a jar that they decorated with paint, stickers, and jewels.

These jars are very special and every time the kids do something good or kind without being prompted, they get to put a marble in their jar. 

If they have good behavior or remember their manners, they get to put a marble in their jar.
If they do a chore without being reminded, they get a marble.

Some ways they have earned their marbles so far:

eating all of their food at meal time

sharing a special treat with someone

picking up their rooms

brushing their teeth

wearing a helmet while riding a bike

putting dirty dishes in the sink

putting their clean laundry away

folding laundry

Bigger marbles are earned by doing something "extra" special.

Once their jar is filled up (or filled to the line), they get a prize!

So far, this is working like a charm...especially for Makayla! 

Here are how marbles are earned according to the kids:

Mom:  What are some things you can do to earn marbles?

Makayla:  'Cause I been good.  If I do something good.

Mom:  Like what?
Makayla:  Like helping mommy do stuff.  Or when I eat all my dinner.  I get to put a  marble in my jar.

Mommy:  Mason, if you do something to make mommy very happy, you get to put a marble in your jar.  What are some things that make mommy very happy?

Mason:  'Cause.

Mommy:  Tell mommy what you can do to get a marble in your jar.

Mason:  Eat all my chicken.

Mommy:  What else can you do to get a marble in your jar?
Mason:  Eat all my fish.

Mason must like the white marbles...and by golly he must know how happy it makes me when he cleans his plate!

Mississippi And Fireworks

Last night, while daddy DJ'd, I took the kids for a surprise.

We took early baths and got our jammies on.  At dusk, we piled into the car.

I drove to the end of town and parked the car.  I got all three kids out of their car seats and we piled in the front seat of the car. 

(i learned that letting the kids sit in the front seat of a car is enough to make their entire night.  who needs a surprise when you get to sit in the front seat of the car with mommy?!) 

I asked this kids to guess what the surprise was...to guess what we were going to do.

And...this is why I love Makayla -

She guessed that maybe we were parked to look for airplanes.

And, when I said no, she guessed that we were parked out there to look at stars.

Ooooh, Makayla!  I didn't expect those two guesses to come out of her mouth, but they were really good guesses!...two things that I love to do.

Mason, on the other hand, was waaaay too busy looking at his teeth and tongue in the mirror to play in our guessing game.

Within a few minutes of getting situated, our surprise began -

... *FIREWORKS*...
!!

There's just something about fireworks that make you smile...

**************************

Yesterday also came with a funny story about my Mason...

All day long, Mason and I would practice spelling "Mississippi".

I'd spell it in different patterns and he would repeat me -

MISS - ISS - I - PP- I

M - I - S - S - I -S - S - I - P - P - I

MI - SS - IS - SI - PP - I

...every single time we got to the "PP", he would laugh uncontrollably and obnoxiously say "PP".

Oh, Mason.  Aren't you too young for that, buddy?

Zoo

We went to the St. Louis Zoo in the summer of 2009.

Then, we visited again in the spring of 2010.

(pregnant with Mason)

...and the next time we made it back was 3 years and two more kids later.

My, how things have changed!

It's amazing how much life can change in such a short period of time.

Things change, people grow, life goes on...

and if we're lucky, we have pictures to look back upon and remember moments and days gone by.
For that, I'm thankful...

Anyway,

This most recent visit we made to the zoo was last weekend and a few of our favorite people joined us -

Grandma and Grandpa Allen

and Aunt Nina.

 We had a wonderful day -

beautiful weather,

choo-choo train rides,

lions, tigers, & bears,

elephants, zebras, & giraffes,

monkeys and gross camels,

hot dogs and cotton candy,

...and quality time spent with the ones we love.

Mason says his most favorite part of the zoo was grandpa and seeing the giraffes.

Makayla says her most favorite part of the zoo was all of the animals.

After the zoo, we went to Aunt Nina's house -

Dinner on the grill, the kids running up and down the hill in Aunt Nina's yard, all three kids thrown in the tub to scrub off all of the days dirt, and Makayla getting her hair braided by Nina's friend...

It was a great way to end a great day.  

5 Month Mia

My 5 month old baby girl!

my giggly butt.

Five Month Fun Facts:

*Mia is really good at doing mini sit-ups.  When she lays down on her back, she wants to sit up soooo bad.  She tries and tries and tries to sit up from a laying position.  Her head, neck, and upper back come up off the floor. She'll hold that position for a few seconds while she looks at her kicking feet, then she'll lay herself back down flat on the ground.  She'll repeat this over and over again, trying so hard to get up and sit up.  

*Mia's friend, Ethan, shared some yummy cereal that his mommy made for him - barley, apple sauce, and bananas.  Mia loved it!
This morning, I made and froze some more food for Mia -

Apples, bananas, rice, and milk

&

Avocados, bananas, rice, and milk.

*Since the weather is finally warming up, we've spent many hours over the last week enjoying the outdoors.  We've gone on lots of walks, visited the zoo, played at the park...

Mia is a lover of the outdoors (but what baby isn't, really?).  She's so content and absorbs in all of the sights, smells, and sounds around her.

*Mia enjoys spending time in her exersaucer, rolling over from her stomach to her back as quickly as she can considering she can't stand to be on her belly, and shaking her rattle.  Sometimes she'll grip and shake her rattle for an entire 30 minute car ride.  Mia's most favorite past time, though, is watching and being entertained by her brother and sister.

*Every day, Mia is growing bigger and getting smarter.  And as much as she is blossoming into her own beautiful self, there are a few things that continue to remain constant - 

She LOVES bath time.

She LOVES being kissed on.

She LOVES smiling.

It's hard to believe that Mia is already 5 months old!
This is just the beginning, though, and I look soooo forward to what the future holds for her and our family!

Wieners and Cuties

Makayla was mad at Kevin and told him that he's not very nice. Kevin told her that she shouldn't say things like that and she responded with "Well, I don't like you because you have wieners and cuties (cooties)". Kevin gave her a look that must have made her think she was going to get in trouble because she then said "I love God. I think God has wieners and cuties, but I love him". 

Sisters

Sisters...

Compassion

For Adam

By Glennon Melton

Dear Chase,

Hey, baby.

Tomorrow is a big day. Third Grade – wow.

Chase – When I was in third grade, there was a little boy in my class named Adam.

Adam looked a little different and he wore funny clothes and sometimes he even smelled a little bit. Adam didn’t smile. He hung his head low and he never looked at anyone at all. Adam never did his homework. I don’t think his parents reminded him like yours do. The other kids teased Adam a lot. Whenever they did, his head hung lower and lower and lower. I never teased him, but I never told the other kids to stop, either.

And I never talked to Adam, not once. I never invited him to sit next to me at lunch, or to play with me at recess. Instead, he sat and played by himself. He must have been very lonely.

I still think about Adam every day. I wonder if Adam remembers me? Probably not. I bet if I’d asked him to play, just once, he’d still remember me.

I think that God puts people in our lives as gifts to us. The children in your class this year, they are some of God’s gifts to you.
So please treat each one like a gift from God. Every single one.

Baby, if you see a child being left out, or hurt, or teased, a part of your heart will hurt a little. Your daddy and I want you to trust that heart-ache. Your whole life, we want you to notice and trust your heart-ache. That heart ache is called compassion, and it is God’s signal to you to do something. It is God saying, Chase! Wake up! One of my babies is hurting! Do something to help! Whenever you feel compassion – be thrilled! It means God is speaking to you, and that is magic. It means He trusts you and needs you.

Sometimes the magic of compassion will make you step into the middle of a bad situation right away.

Compassion might lead you to tell a teaser to stop it and then ask the teased kid to play. You might invite a left-out kid to sit next to you at lunch. You might choose a kid for your team first who usually gets chosen last. These things will be hard to do, but you can do hard things.

Sometimes you will feel compassion but you won’t step in right away. That’s okay, too. You might choose instead to tell your teacher and then tell us. We are on your team – we are on your whole class’s team. Asking for help for someone who is hurting is not tattling, it is doing the right thing. If someone in your class needs help, please tell me, baby. We will make a plan to help together.

When God speaks to you by making your heart hurt for another, by giving you compassion, just do something. Please do not ignore God whispering to you. I so wish I had not ignored God when He spoke to me about Adam. I remember Him trying, I remember feeling compassion, but I chose fear over compassion. I wish I hadn’t. Adam could have used a friend and I could have, too.

Chase – We do not care if you are the smartest or fastest or coolest or funniest. There will be lots of contests at school, and we don’t care if you win a single one of them. We don’t care if you get straight As. We don’t care if the girls think you’re cute or whether you’re picked first or last for kickball at recess. We don’t care if you are your teacher’s favorite or not. We don’t care if you have the best clothes or most Pokemon cards or coolest gadgets. We just don’t care.

We don’t send you to school to become the best at anything at all. We already love you as much as we possibly could. You do not have to earn our love or pride and you can’t lose it. That’s done.

We send you to school to practice being brave and kind.

Kind people are brave people. Brave is not a feeling that you should wait for. It is a decision. It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear, than fitting in, than following the crowd.

Trust me, baby, it is. It is more important.

Don’t try to be the best this year, honey.

Just be grateful and kind and brave. That’s all you ever need to be.

Take care of those classmates of yours, and your teacher, too. You Belong to Each Other. You are one lucky boy . . . with all of these new gifts to unwrap this year.

I love you so much that my heart might explode.

Enjoy and cherish your gifts.

And thank you for being my favorite gift of all time.

Love,

Mama

*********

*sigh*

"It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear..."

What a great reminder and wonderful lesson.
With compassion being a value tha I want to instill in my children, these are words that I will be holding onto to help me...


To read more wonderful words from Glennon visit

Momastery

-where we practice living bigger, bolder, and truer on this Earth.  Where we remember what we already know:

We can do hard things.

Love wins.

We belong to each other.

Easter 2013

The secret to living the life of your dreams is to start living the life of your dreams today, in every little way you possibly can.  

Mike Dooley

I love Easter.

I love the smell of Easter.

I love the season of Easter.

I love the story of Easter.

I love the worship on Easter.

..and as I've gotten older, I've learned to fully appreciate all of the emotions of Easter -  of the death and resurrection.

It's true - the Easter Bunny and egg hunts are very important to my kids on Easter, but they do have a deeper understanding that there is more to Easter than candy, eggs, and bunnies.

This past week, Makayla has had her feet washed and attended the Last Supper - eating lamb and learning about Jesus' death and resurrection on her level.

Mason, who is two, knows that Jesus loves him and that Jesus is the Lamb of God. 

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.  

JB Priestly

Did you know the Easter Bunny has magic?

The kiddos planted Jelly Beans in pots before they went to bed on the eve of Easter and left the pots on their table in the living room.

...and sure enough, with the Easter Bunny's magical dust, their jelly beans sprouted into suckers over night, leaving two pots of suckers and three Easter basket goodies for Makayla, Mason, and Mia.

 My girls in their Easter dresses while Mason is off running around.  It's nearly impossible to get pictures of Mason right now!...that's why my children's Easter picture is in the woods on a concrete deer!  Mason LOVED sitting on the deer and that was the only way we could get him to hold still long enough for a picture!

After church on Sunday, we had lunch and egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Allen's house.  Sara and Jersey joined us and Makayla had a ball playing with Jersey!  It was a wonderful surprise! 

Mason is finally big enough to drive the four-wheeler by himself! Yeah!

We ended our Easter Sunday having dinner and another egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Curry's.  

It was a wonderful day spent with family and friends and I was reminded once again of how lucky we are, especially my kids, to be here - surrounded by the most important people of my kids' lives - !

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances.  

Robert Flatt