{natural instincts}

Tonight while I was washing the pots and pans after dinner {this in itself is shocking, I know},  Olivia pulled out several bowls and measuring cups from the lazy susan.  She placed them in a nice neat line on the edge of the counter.

She chose the smallest one, sat on the floor, wrapped it in a dishtowel, and then proceeded to rock it and sing it a sweet little song.  The tune and the words were made up entirely by her and unrecognizable to us.  This did nothing but make it ridiculously adorable.  

{b.i.f. seventeen}

I just finished helping Amelia get dressed to play outside in the snow.  I found her missing mitten, and this was the conversation:

A: You found it!!  You're a genius!
Me {smiling}: Thank you.
A: What does "genius" mean?
Me: It means you're really smart.  What did you think it meant?
A: I thought it meant "I love you".

I'll take it either way. :)  

{gingerbread houses 2012}

I'm just going to let these pictures speak for themselves.  I absolutely loved doing this with the girls today.  Such a sweet day.  Amelia and I worked on hers together. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

{b.i.f. sixteen}

I put Olivia in some old bib overalls today {complete with a hole in the knee}.  A couple of hours later, I noticed that she had leaked through her pants and needed a complete change of wardrobe.  I laid her down to take her bibs off, and she began to wail. 

And I mean wail.  

She grasped onto the front of those bibs and hung on for dear life.  She was yelling, "Noooo! Doooh! Daahhhp!"  {In English, that would be, "No! Don't! Stop!"}

I began to chuckle and said to the girls, "I think she doesn't want to take these off!"  They all agreed.  

I did my best to try to pull them off of her, but she continued to cling to her beloved bibs.  The girls and I couldn't contain ourselves; we were laughing hysterically.  At this point, her little face was beet red.  I think she was even sweating.

I finally pried those overalls out of her sticky little hands while she spewed baby obscenities in my general direction.

This entire scenario made my day.

{keepin' it real}

I've been thinking about this post for a long time.  And by a long time, I think it’s been at least a couple of years, if not more.

We have a lot of fun in this family.  We work hard, and we play hard.  Josh and I work hard to make memories for our children and each other.  

I say it on this blog, I say it on facebook, and I say it in real life over and over and over again.  We are so blessed…and we are blessed beyond measure!  God is good…all the time.

People often tell me how much they love to read my blog and my facebook status updates, and they also enjoy seeing the beautiful pictures of my girls that I post.  I love all of those things, too!  I wouldn't post them if I didn't like them. 

My continued fear, though, is that people will think that we live a perfect little life.  I sure hope that you know that we don't.  Hence, the reason for this post.

Let me start by sharing some self-imposed guidelines for my facebook page and my blog:

-You will never see me speaking poorly of my husband.  It is not becoming of any wife.  I will not do it.  {On a side note, Josh does have his faults.  However, I speak about them privately to him, my bff Deanna, or his family.  These are people who are discerning and will not take my side undeservedly.}

-I will put a positive spin on almost any situation...or at minimum find a little humor in it.  This is who I am, forever the optimist.  I might grumble about something today, but by next week, I'm sure I'll be doing my best to find a positive side to the story.  Whatever the case we'll be making the best of our current situation.  How else will we endure it?  

-I will encourage others and share what works for us.  This is one of my constant goals in life.  I realize that what works for us may not work for other families, but I crave knowing other people's routines and tricks because that's where I get all of my ideas.  I steal almost all of them.  Rare is the idea that was mine first.

-I will write about memories that I don't want to forget.  This is especially true for our blog.  You will see our highlights and bloopers because those are the memories that I treasure.  This is our highlight reel.  These are the parts that would make the scrapbook if I had one.

And here is some imperfect, kinda grimy, non-supermom reality for your reading pleasure:

-On days when we don't have to go anywhere, I often stay in my pajamas all day.

-If I don't dress Olivia during her first diaper change of the day, you can bet that she stays in her pajamas all day, too.  On a positive note, she has spent less time in her jammies than any of my other children.

-We use paper plates for lunch almost every day.  For $2 a month, my sanity is saved.  Well worth the money spent.

-Sometimes, I let my kids watch t.v. just so that I can get stuff done.  {You might not think this is a big deal at all, but I have issues with the t.v.  This one is a big one for me.}

-My pots and pans accumulate on the stove because I hate washing them.

-Sometimes I lose it and yell at my kids.

-As soon as I clean a room, someone messes it up again.

-My kids truly do enjoy being together, but they also know how to push each other's buttons. One or two of them are awfully good button pushers.

-My house looks clean and picked up when you come over because I knew you were coming.  Stop by on a Tuesday morning, unannounced, and you'll get the real deal.

The organizational side of me that you see has been born out of necessity.  I am not naturally an organized person.  I have good intentions, I know how to organize, and I can probably even tell you how to organize some parts of your own life.

Personally, I struggle with disciplining myself to use my systems.  They are in place, but my motivation and energy often seem to be in short supply.  Still, it is extremely beneficial to know where to start and how to go about it when I find time, motivation, and energy.  Again, I would lose my sanity if I didn't at least have a plan.

Now about our stuff.  {Another fear of mine is that people will think that we have a lot of money because we have nice stuff.}

I will be the first to say that we do indeed have a lot of nice stuff.  Josh works really hard to provide for our family so that we can have and do a lot of things.  He is also an extremely skilled do-it-yourselfer, and this man can find a bargain like no other.  We have saved thousands and thousands of dollars because of these skills.  {We have certainly not saved any time because of these skills...just money...lots and lots of money.}

Our finances are a huge priority to us.  We are awfully disciplined when it comes to our money.  I'll be the first to say it:  we are cheapskates!  We have a whiskey appetite and a beer budget.  Actually, I think our biggest problem is that we have a top shelf whiskey appetite and a cheap beer budget. :)

We aren't big spenders on a daily basis.  A lot of the nice things we have were birthday or Christmas gifts from our families or each other, or we've saved and saved to make a purchase.  We are not extravagant.  When we do shop, we often shop at resales/resale shops, garage sales, or get hand-me-downs from friends.  We are frugal, and it works for us.

My birthday dinner the other night?  That once-every-few-years extravagance cost us almost 2 months worth of our eating out/babysitter budget.  Trust me when I say that I enjoyed every single minute of it.  My commitment to cook dinner each and every night of the month has served me well this year.

Our priorities do not include "keeping up with the Jones'".  I certainly struggle with this from time to time.  I think we all do, but we need to remember that the Jones family is probably in debt up to their ears and miserable because of it.  We will not be that family.  We will not fall into that trap.  We will be thankful for all that we have, knowing that we've been given more than we need and certainly more than we deserve.

I will do my best not to play the comparison game.  It is my hope that I am real enough that you actually do see some of our struggles and challenges...we certainly have them.  I want you to be encouraged and to enjoy watching our family make memories and grow.

What you see is what you get.  This really is us...just remember that a lot of it is the best of us.  It's the favorite-edited-photo side, the we-cleaned-the-house-before-you-came side, and we-probably-baked-some-chocolate-chip-cookies-too, side.  This is our best foot forward.  Please remember that sometimes we trip and fall flat on our faces just like the rest of the world.

I pray that you see our family continually loving each other, continually forgiving each other, and continually falling at the feet of our Heavenly Father in thankfulness and humility for all we have be given.

Thank you for being faithful followers of us.  We love having you share in our memories.  

{34 was a keeper}

Yesterday was my birthday.  It was, by far, one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

The girls knew that my birthday was approaching, and last week one of them asked me, “Mom, when is your birthday?”  I said, “Next Tuesday…six days from now.”  They replied, “In SIX days?!!  Your birthday is in SIX days, and you haven’t even mentioned it?!!  Aren't you excited about it?!!” 

As you can tell, they were pretty shocked that I didn't have a big countdown going.  Last week, I remember even thinking that I should get a little more excited about my birthday.  But, honestly, I just figured that it would be just another Tuesday.   

We would do our school lessons, I would make breakfast and lunch, clean up the kitchen eight times, put laundry away, tell people to simmer down and quit quarreling, prep dinner, plead with children to quit playing and get back to their chores, wipe noses, change diapers, etc.  It would be just another day in our home-sweet-home, until 6:00 arrived and my mom showed up so that we could celebrate by grabbing a bite to eat and spending our Kohl’s cash.

I thought it sounded fun enough.  And I was certainly looking forward to an evening out of the house.  Josh and I rarely go out to dinner alone, and I was obviously looking forward to a little alone time with my hubby. 

Well, Monday evening brought a lot of laundry because we were gone all weekend, and my typical Saturday laundry day had long since passed without a load completed.  Josh worked on processing the two deer that he had gotten the week before, and I did a couple of rounds of dishes. 

We headed to bed around midnight with a load of clean dishes in the dishwasher, a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and a growing number of pots and pans awaiting their turn to be scrubbed.  I knew what I would be doing on my birthday.  Glamorous, huh?

Most mornings, Josh unloads the dishwasher, and throughout the day, I reload it.  It’s a nice process that seems to work very well in our house.  I was crossing my fingers that on this particular morning {my birthday morning!} that MAYBE Josh would actually reload all of those dirty dishes sitting on the counter so that I would only have to wash the pots and pans. 

I hadn't set my alarm clock on Monday night because I figured that on my birthday, I could certainly sleep in without feeling guilty.  I heard Josh get up and shower for work, and I stayed in bed…as usual. J  A bit later, I was certain that I heard dishes clanking around in the kitchen.  He was definitely reloading the dishwasher…total score!!  Bonus points for the hubby! 

Then, I heard something else.  Water running.  Pots and pans clanging.  Wait a minute.  Pots and pans, too?!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THIS GIRL!!! 

Yes, people, these kinds of things are exciting to me.  I am easily pleased. 

Then, I realized that the television was on.  We don’t do television in this house before 10:00 a.m.  I sat up and looked at the clock, and it said 8:00 a.m.  Now, all of the wheels start turning in my head.  What is going on?  Why did Josh not leave for work an hour ago like usual?  Why is Amelia watching t.v.?

I walk into the kitchen…excuse me…I walk into the crazy clean kitchen, and there is my lovely hubby, drying dishes {swoon}:

“Uhhh…why are you not at work?” 

“I might have taken the day off for your birthday.”

Ummmm…ok!  Love it!  And then he went and bought us all doughnuts…because I like doughnuts.  You’re welcome, children. 

And then he said, “You’d better get school finished early because you’re mom is coming at 1:00 so that we can go shopping.  And we have dinner reservations at 7:15.  And we’ll be coming back home to get ready because we need to dress up.”

And I think you might be the best husband ever. 

{And total cheers to my mom who stepped in at the last minute when plan A didn't work out because Olivia was sick.}

So, we had doughnuts and did school and ate lunch by 1:00 {it all goes way faster when there is someone else there to distract the little ones and make everyone’s lunch}. 

And then we went shopping.  I bought a dress, a purse, 2 pairs of awesome shoes, and a sweater that has nothing to do with my nice outfit.  I just liked it.  And it was on clearance.  And it was gray.  I know, perfect, right?! 

Oh, and some Christmas presents. 

Then, we came home, and Josh put on his new suit that he just happened to buy a few weeks ago without telling me {for some upcoming events} and decided that this would be a nice place to wear it for the first time.  Have I mentioned that I love a man in a suit?  Because I do.  {I will refrain from making inappropriate comments during this portion of my blog post.}

So we go out to this swanky restaurant and spend a gazillion dollars on dinner.  Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration…but just a bit.

It was an absolutely lovely dinner.  It was an absolutely lovely day.  Josh could have cleaned the kitchen and brought me doughnuts, and I would have been thrilled.  Everything else was just icing on the cake. 

I am an emotional being.  When I think of all I've been given, I can’t help but feel completely overwhelmed by all of my blessings.  And then I get all cryish and weepy because that’s just me.  I did that a few times yesterday, and I’m sitting here crying my eyes out right now…and wiping my snot on my sweater sleeve {don’t worry, it’s not the new gray one}.  Was that TMI?  Sorry.

So, for the record, let me just say this to my husband:  I love you.  I love surprises.  I love surprises planned by you.  They are always the best.  Thank you for knowing me so well and for creating a fabulous memory on a beautiful Tuesday in November that would have otherwise been a day just like any other.   Mwah!!

{thankful for this family}

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  Psalm 100

Lord, let me never cease to give thanks.  Amen.  

Happy Thanksgiving!!