Grandpa Mac

A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart. ~Author Unknown

These are the kind of pictures that I forget I took and then when I am going through them can not stop smiling! These were way too sweet not to post! We love living close to both sets of grandparents.  Nothing makes us happier. 

Playroom Makeover

Since Dax was two, Austin has loved taking the boys to Father's and Son's.  They pack up all their gear, munch on junk food, play in dirt, sit by the fire, sleep together in the tent, wake up the next morning and basically come home.  He's taken the boys for years.  I love that they go and have fun and build memories together.  I kiss and hug them, wave them good-bye, and yell to them that I will miss them...but not to hurry home.

I love being in my house when it is quiet.  I love being lost in my thoughts, cleaning, having things stay clean and getting project after project done without interruptions.  It may only be 15 to 20 hours that they are gone, but they are so so so glorious. 

For the past three years when they have been camping I've redecorated a room in the house to surprise them with  The first year I moved the boys into the same room and added bunk beds.  They thought I "built" the bunk beds while they were gone.  Actually, Austin put them together the night before but it felt nice to feel like a magic elf so I never told them that.  I spent the night and into the wee hours of the morning putting together shelves, sewing valances, arranging toys, making beds, hanging pictures.  They loved their new room.  The next year I decorated the baby's room.  The boys were just as surprised and excited to see how their new little sister's room would look when she made her debut.  I loved hanging all her little clothes in the closet, recovering stools, hanging pictures, all with my 7 month big belly.

This year, even though I had a little sweet side-kick to assist me (a.k.a Quinn), that didn't hold me back from doing the playroom makeover.  Ever since we have lived in this house I haven't known what to do with the den.  We had a nice couch and bookshelves, but basically it sat empty and unused.  You can see the before pictures, which really wasn't how it looked before, but more like what it looked like a few days before the makeover.  While the boys were gone I got busy again and transformed it into a really fun space that we have all loved having. 

 I made three small pillows with linen and a fabric marker and monogrammed each of the kids' initials on them.  They were so easy and turned out way cute and the boys thought it was so much fun!

 The reading corner: I picked up the stool at Ikea and the picture shelves and spent an afternoon beforehand at Goodwill picking up classic children's book to add to our library.  The boys LOVE to read so this was really fun and a great way to rotate the books.  I also sprayed a few old frames I had laying around and arranged them to display their work from school. 

I refinished this table which was our very first kitchen table as a married couple.  The chalk board is hung now but I write on it each night the schedule and activities for the next day.  The boys think it is so fun to get up and see what the days holds, and with summer coming, getting me on the ball to have little activities and crafts planned to help with boredom!

It was so much fun re-doing this room.  Now, what to do next year....

Baseball

Dax played coach-pitch baseball this season.  He's goofy.  And semi-coordinated. And light on his feet.  And does middle splits in the infield.  But had the best time. And that's what matters most!

Austin wasn't able to coach this year and I know both of them were sad becuase of that, but Dax played with both of his cousins, which was really fun for him.  Until next season...Go HOT RODS!!!

Braids

It's still a little crazy to me that my nine month old is capable of sporting a braided hair-do.  Her hair has changed so drastically from the dark, long mop she was born with, to the sun-streaked, highlighted look she has now.  People honestly stop us when we are out and about to ask me if I highlight her hair.  She may have had a few haircuts, but we have never dyed her hair.  There will be many, many years before that is allowed!
I love thinking of the possibilities and the fun we can have with her hair.  I'm wishing she could manage the messy bun on the top of her hair like her mama, but it's still has to grow a bit longer for that. 
To pull off these hair-do's is no easy feat.  It requires a towel in the bathroom sink covering the faucet and handles, a toothbrush and/or toothpaste in each hand, and me working very stealthy and swiftly to get her hair done.  There are no second try's or do overs.  I'm sure there will be many more posts about the hair-dos we come up with!

Red Dragons

Look at this motley crew!  Can you tell by their personalities shining bright in these pictures what a crack up it was to watch these boys play soccer?  They are all neighborhood friends and for the majority, it was their first year playing. They even played a division up and did awesome.  They all learned the game, improved, (got out some aggression and energy) and had so much fun!  Wyatt had such a blast and played hard every single game. He's been dying to play since watching Dax last fall. He scored his first goal in his second to last game and it all started coming together.  The last game he was on fire and scored 3 to end the season.  He was so pumped.  He'll definitely need to play again in the Fall because of how much he improved and how much fun he had.  Hopefully this little crew will stay together in seasons to come!  Go Red Dragons!

Three

I know!  I know!  More bath pictures.  But I can't help it.  It's become one of my favorite things about having three kidlets. 

How much longer do you think I'm allowed to keep this up?

Baby Monster

The boys call Quinn their Baby Monster.
I don't know where it came from or why they call her this.
I have no idea if I should think it is endearing or sad. For now when I hear it I chuckle and think it's cute.
Because really, they have no idea what's in store for them. She's on the move and I have an inkling they aren't going to like what's about to come.
Oh, and for journaling purposes, those bottom teeth came in first, the top outside ones next, and then the top middle ones most recently.
Cutest hillbilly Baby Monster I know....who happens to love her grandpa and his mustache...and her cousin Ally (too cute!).

Dinner Schminner

With Austin being gone for dinner five out of seven nights a week (all weeknights), we have to do things around here for dinner to spice it up. So, we have a few new weekly traditions that just sorta came to be on there own, but the boys look forward to them, so I can’t possibly stop.
Tuesday has become known as Switch-a-roo Tuesday. The ice cream truck conveniently makes it’s way around the neighborhood at 5:00pm. As a mom, quite annoying, but for the ice cream "lady"? She's brillant to come at that time. We don’t usually eat dinner until 5:30 or so. I would feel so bad telling the boys they could get an ice cream and then depriving them of eating it right then and there to only put it in the freezer and wait until after dinner. So, we switch-a-roo dinner and dessert on Tuesday and the boys can happily eat their ice cream sandwich before their peas and carrots. “Why not!” I say. I think they will have fonder memories of me letting them eat their dessert first.
Wednesday is wacky Wednesday We picnic on a blanket outside or on the floor for dinner. I figure as long as we’re eating together, why does it have to be at the dinner table? For some reason the boys tend to eat a better dinner this way too. Who knew??
We end the week with Freaky Friday. It’s breakfast for dinner…a family favorite. Can’t go wrong.
I realize this routine might not make me mom of the year, but they seem like happy kids, right? It makes that struggle at that time of the day without a husband around a little more bearable.
I’m always looking for new ideas. Anything fun you did when you were young or you do with your kids that could up my cool mom status and keep it fun and exciting on those long week day nights??
Side note: I have no idea what the picture has to do with any of this post, I just thought it was sweet. I never have pictures of me with my kiddos. I love them so much.

Holy Hail

Don’t mind our lazy Sunday attire. We weren’t really prepared for this.
It’s called hail. We Arizonans don’t see this. Ever. And it looked like Sonic ice falling from the sky. As Dax put it, best Sunday ever.

Black Eyes

Funny how just a few posts ago I was talking about how I wanted to freeze my kiddos because they are the perfect age. Well today, I want to fast forward time. And I mean, fast fast forward. And get out of this sibling rivalry phase as soon as possible.
The boys are animals. They think they are Power Rangers. Or kung fun ninja fighters. Or warriors. And they beat each other. Most the time it is playful, but a lot of the times it's serious and they are really mad at each other and legitimately trying to hurt each other. Without fail, every time, someone gets hurt. I have taken the "let them work it out" approach, but that just leads to more bruises, blood and broken things, so I can't just sit back and let them figure it out any more.
Wyatt has been sporting a black eye since Friday. We have family pictures on Saturday so it better heal fast.
Seriously, though, how do I get this sibling rivalry to stop?!? I want the boys to get along and be friends and protect each other...not leave bite marks On each others arms and black and blue bruises all over each others bodies. I know lots of boys and brothers act this way, but it makes me so sad to see them do this to each other. I'm desperate! Help!

Stop it

No.

Nuh-uh.

No way.

Make it stop.

This isn't happening.



You should NOT be standing your wirey self (as grandma describes her) up onto furniture.

Stop it Quinn. Stop it right now.

(And get someone to pull those bangs out of you're face while your at it! :) Sheesh!)

It's the simple things

Days are flying by. Way too fast. Sometimes I need to stop and enjoy all the little things. I hear that all the time, to slow down, but lately I have been really feeling it. My kids are the perfect age. They are so fun to be with. Yes, there is the occasional late afternoon when I want to tie a certain 4 year old to a tree and sell him to anyone who is crazy enough to take him. Or when your husband gets a phone call that your six year old was sent to the principles office. (Yes, this happened.) Those occasional things I can do without. But overall, they are perfect.

Last night at dinner it was just the four of us, Dax, Wyatt, Quinn and me. Somehow we got to telling “ghost stories” while we were eating. Wyatt kept telling the same story and kept getting to the same exact point in the story when he was laughing so hard he couldn’t go on. It went like this, “Once upon a time there was a ghost named Eyeball.” And then hysterical laughing. Laughing with tears and drool and gasping for breath laughing. Wyatt thought he was the funniest thing on the planet. Dax thought Wyatt was the funniest thing on the planet. Quinn, seeing her brothers laughing, thought that was the funniest thing on the planet. And I couldn’t stop laughing at how hard the rest of them were laughing. This lasted all throughout dinner. Genuine laughing. It felt good.

As I was putting the kids to bed I thought about our dinner. Nothing else was on my mind when we were laughing about the scary eyeball. I wasn’t thinking about how I needed to hurry them along to get in baths, or about the pile of dishes or the dirty floor that needed to be swept. I wasn’t thinking about the good book I was finally going to be able to pick up again once they were in bed. There were no interruptions by the phone or the television. Nothing else was going on at that moment that was more important than my kids. And I wanted time to freeze. I wanted to enjoy it longer and more. I need to enjoy it more.

So, I am interjecting a mid-February New Years Resolution. It’s to stop and enjoy the simple things. To not take them for granted. To cherish these moments with my children. To take mental pictures of their laughing, chubby faces. To remember that we laughed about eyeballs for 20 minutes. And to not wish time by.

Wyatt and I sat outside last week on a gorgeous 74 degree day (don’t be jealous…okay, never mind, you should totally be jealous!) and watched Quinn. She is my example. She was enjoying the simple things. She gasped when a breeze came though. She stopped and listened to the birds chirping. She enjoyed the warm sun. She laughed at her brother when he was being silly. She smiled and kicked her legs when Brewster went cruising by. She felt grass for the first time. She was enjoying the simple things. I want to be like her.

I tried to put a magic spell on my kids last night before bed. I willed them to wake up the same, not a day older or bigger, but the exact same. Because right now, they are perfect.

Funny Valentine

My funny Valentine wants to buy lunch on Friday. It costs two dollars and ten cents. I told him he needed to earn it. When I said he needed to earn it, I'm thinking good behavior, going the extra mile, doing service...those sorts of things. Dax had an entirely different plan. He wants to sell his "hugs and kisis" for 5 cents. Any takers??

If not, no worries, I would happily pay anything to hug and kiss this handsome boy.

Brewster Buddy

I am not a pet person. Never have been. Never will be. I think my kids will survive. It might be the meanest thing I do as a mom not to let them have a pet, but that’s just the way it goes. Well, at least, that was the plan. Somehow, someway, about 4 months ago, we adopted a turtle from a family friend. I had no say in the matter. The transaction was said and done by the time I got home. The boys were already in love. He even had a name.

Brewster.

You know that saying that animals are more scared of you then you are of them. That is totally false. I am way more afraid of them. I told Austin I was afraid of Brewster because I didn’t want him to jump out and scare me. Austin laughed his head off and had to sarcastically remind me that turtles don’t “jump”. Obviously I know that. My point was that I don’t like being startled by animals. I don’t want to be in the backyard not paying attention and then BAM! there’s Brewster. It scares me. Contrary to what you may think about turtles, they are fast. No, really. They are. Brewster would be cruising around, I’d turn my back for two seconds, and he’d be gone halfway across the yard. I didn't like that mystery in him.

The boys couldn’t get enough of him and it was really sweet to see them race home from school and head to the backyard to enjoy a game of scavenger hunt as they searched for Brewster. I’d just watch from the kitchen window. He was small and stealthy and just kinda freaked me out. I didn’t want to be pushing Wyatt on the swings and then catch him from the corner of my eye lurking in the grass. He gave me the creeps. The boys knew this and would love to creep up behind me with him in their hands and laugh their little guts out when I would scream.

But, this is how I was sold on our pet. He roams around the backyard wherever he wants. There is no cleaning him, or cleaning up after him. He eats whatever he wants and essentially can be our garbage disposal too. He even hibernates in the winter. He came out from hibernation a few weeks ago and he looks bigger. Lots bigger. I have to admit, overall he’s a really good pet. The boys have loved playing with him again. I, on the other hand, am trying to get used to the mini heart attacks again when I take out the trash and spot him spying on me from behind the red and yellow Cozy Coupe. Freak me out Brewster Buddy!

"One time I touched his nails."

"Fly Brewster! Vrooooooom!"

"Smile Brewster! Smile!"

"Ready! Set! Go Brewster! Go!

"Ahhhh! Haaahaa! Brewster Buddy!"

Baths 2.0

Just in case you didn't believe me that this girl has the craziest, longest, mane-ish hair ever...here is further proof. Out of control. I know Austin will love cleaning out drains twice as often as he does now! We obviously have no problem growing our hair out in this house. I don't think any of us will ever have to worry about losing our hair at a young age. But this little thing, do I keep hers long or short? Here are some pros and cons I thought of...do you have any more?

Long Hair
Pros:
You can do pretty much ANY and EVERY hairstyle out there with it
Its flowey (as in beautiful)
Cons:
It can get in the way
It can make you feel hot, especially in the summertime
It tangles easier than short hair
Baby food gets smeared in it easier

Short Hair
Pros:
Keeps you cool in the summer
Doesn't tangle a lot
It doesn't get in the way as much
Austin can do her hair
Cons:
Can't do as many hairstyles with it
It's not as flowey and pretty as long hair

What do you think? Any more ideas to help me make up my mind??