Crazy Little Thing Called . . . Us

You know, one day about 10 years ago I was sitting on my sister's front porch.  We were having cocktails with a good friend of my sister's and were talking the typical girl talk.  Her friend looked at me and said something I will never forget.  It was something to the effect of "You've done it.  Awhile back we were all sitting here wondering when we would meet "that" guy.  And now here you are, engaged and so happy."

I had that same thought sitting at the breakfast table with my sweeties this morning.  I looked at all their sweet faces (literally, due to the syrupy waffles) and thought "I've done it".  There was a time when I thought I would never have all this and now here I am, years later and I have it.

Now I must temper all this happiness with reality.  I still get mad, frustrated and overwhelmed.  But that is part of life too.  And the "good times" wouldn't be as good without the "hard times".  The hard times are what mold and shape us into who we are today.  And they make life just that much sweeter.

Thanks for all the good times & hard times, honey!!!  I love you as much today as I did 9 years ago today.  Thank you for all the blessings you have given me.  We are rich in love & blessings!!!

Odd Man Out

So there is this phenomenon that I have noticed, along with many of my other mommy friends.  I have dubbed it the odd-man-out syndrome.  This is the inevitable chaos that ensues when you have an odd number of children.

You see I have 3 children and they are constantly fighting in a sort of tug-of-war fashion.  No matter what the game or activity, with 3 kids, one always feels left out.  I used to think this was just me, but I have other mommy friends that have noticed this with their own kids and during playdates.  I have even had 6 kids together, but it was 3 boys & 3 girls.  And guess what, 2 of the boys hung together and the 3rd was odd-man-out.

Now I am sure that this phenomenon is also facilitated by the individual children's personalities.  My oldest doesn't usually suffer in the left out role, but she is very good at entertaining herself so she will just go do her own thing.

This week my oldest is off with her grandmother for a few days and my other 2 children having been getting along better than ever.  They have even been almost sweet to each other & my house has been just a little quieter.

*WHEW*  It's been a nice break.

Guess I should have pointed this issue out to my hubby when trying to convince him we needed one more baby?!?!  I'm still not sure that would have worked though.

Anyone else out there noticed this???

Sweet Lala

Today we are celebrating Laura's 4th birthday.  She is such a funny little girl.  She's a mix of shy & bold, tomboy & princess, sassy & sweet.  

Back in May her teacher told me, she's never known anyone to talk as much as Laura (apparently, she hasn't spent much time around me or my husband :-0).  She noted though that while many 3-yr-olds tell the same stories over and over, Laura's stories are different every time.  

The other day she actually fell out of my suburban and bloodied both of her knees.  By the time I got to her, within seconds, she was brushing me off and telling me she was fine while running off to play. 

She's my full-of-life, full-of-energy, full-of-smiles, full-of-laughter girl.  She brings light to all of our lives for her cup always runs over with joy. 

   

My prayer for her is that she always remains the way she is now and that she continues to enjoy her life to the fullest.  And that in every challenge she may face, she is able to jump up (bloody knees and all) and run back into life with a smile.  

Happy Birthday my sweet Lala!!!

A few days old.

Decked out in her new princess bling yesterday.

Camp Fear

I rarely post these days, but today is a day worthy of some of my thoughts.  As I type, Scott and I are taking our oldest daughter to summer camp.  What makes this such a momentous occasion is that this will be her first time to go to stay-away camp, for a whole week.  She is very excited, but also very apprehensive.  She asked me the other day what she would do if she misses me.  I explained that she probably would miss us, but that is just part of the camp experience.  I told her that when I missed my parents I always found that writing them a letter helped.  So, she is all ready with her special stationary and stamped, addressed envvelopes.

I, however, am not going to hold my breath waiting for a letter.  I know that she is going to be so busy she probably won't have time to write.  And that's okay too.

My husband and I both attended this same camp when we were kids so there is a lot of nostalgia here.  

So after her bed is made up and all her labeled things are in order in her cabin, and pictures are taken here's to hoping this Mommy isn't the one crying when it's time to leave her there.

Motivation

A wise person once said "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!"  We have all laughed at this statement, it's been cross-stitched on a few pillows, hung on a few walls and probably even been used as a threat by "momma" herself.  However, on the serious side of it, at it's heart it speaks the truth.  It's a Mom's role in the family to run the house, whether she works at home or outside of the home.  A home is made by Momma.  

As an extension of that Momma also sets the tone for the whole family.  Recently, I heard this in a bible study and have indeed found it to be true in my own life.  Last week I posted some pictures on Facebook of my children's beds & rooms after they were off to school.  It was a proud Momma moment to find their beds made and their rooms picked up before they left for school.  And again this morning, the same clean rooms and made beds.  They are not perfect and there are a few odds and ends lying around.  But I stopped and said to myself, they are being conscious of their surroundings and trying to take pride in them.  That's really all I want.  And it occurs to me that last week I finally pulled myself out of a 2-3 month long slump.  I am back to watching my diet, exercising, and working to keep the house clean.  

"Hmmmm," my brain says.  Could there be a correlation between my new attitude and my children's????  I think yes.  

It's a tough role, this being a parent.  Having someone watch you 24/7 and do exactly what you do is a lot of responsibility.  I can harp at my kids all day long about keeping their rooms clean and their beds made, but until they see me doing it, it's not going to sink in.  Now I know this is not some earth-shattering discovery I have made.  It's just the sinking realization of knowing something deep down vs. seeing it first-hand.  And it's also a self-perpetuating thing.  I see my kids nice clean rooms and it makes me want to work harder.  

So, hang in there all you parents and remember that growing kids is not a 1-2-3 all done job.  It's a long, hard road that takes persistence and a never-give-up attitude, with sweet moments along the way and such a beautiful reward in the end.  And right now this Momma is happy.  

Here's wishing you all a Happy Monday and a blessed week!!

My Julia Jo

Saturday we celebrated our firstborn turning . . . wait for it, let me sit down . . . 7!!!  I can't believe it has been 7 years since Scott and I got on this roller coaster also known as parenting.  My little baby is becoming a young lady and daily I have to remind myself not to mourn the baby I am losing, but to celebrate the beautiful, insightful young lady she is becoming.

Each year brings a new milestone.  This year she decided to get her ears pierced. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. Once again I was so proud of the fact that she made a decision to overcome her fears and go after what she wanted.  Way to go Julia!!  Daddy and I love you bunches!!!

Birthday Breakfast

Then piercing

Next ice skating, which she loved!

What better way to end the day than with cake!!

My Little Man . . . and his kindred soul

Over the past weekend we had a nice, long, drawn out weekend celebrating my little man turning 5.

He's getting to be such a big boy and told me last night before he went to bed, that he really felt older.  Our final celebration was yesterday, on his actual birthday, at my parent's house.  It was a small family party with a bit of bittersweet.  

You see Sean was born on March 10th which already held a special place in our hearts, because it was my grandmother's birthday.  In fact, he was born on her 80th birthday.  I remember telling her that I was sorry we couldn't make it to her big party, but I had the best present for her.  She loved sharing her birthday with Sean.  You know it's funny Sean seemed to always have a bit of a special bond with Gram Gram.  His favorite thing was to spend the day with her, by himself.  I would ask her what they did that was so exciting.  She told me, nothing.  They would just sit and play, eat & watch TV.  He just loved being at her house with her.  

2 weeks ago, today, Grammy ended a week-long fight after having a bad fall.  She was the strongest person I knew and lived a long, fruitful, beautiful life, leaving a legacy of children, grandchildren & great grandchildren who all treasured her.  Although we miss her tremendously we know that she is in a better place, dancing with Papa.  

Happy Birthday Grammy!  We love and miss you!!