"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day 13--What Colin thinks about Mommy

Today was one of those days that Colin didn't want to rest.

We don't call it nap time at my house--we call it rest time. Colin actually naps about every second or third day--he's sort of outgrowing that phase, but still does need one frequently. On the days when he doesn't sleep, he plays quietly with cars/dinos/books/whatever for about an hour and a half or so, and then I get him up. That's my opportunity to read, pay bills, fold laundry, read blogs, or whatever. It's a system that works well for us.

I knew I was in for it today, when, right after our reading time, he asked me, "Can I not rest today Mommy? I'm not tired."

To which, I replied: "No, Colin. You know that you need to rest for a little while....the races are tonight, and you need to make sure you are ready! I'll be back in a little while to get you, okay?"

I don't know what it was, but I knew. Something just told me that he was not going to rest today.

I thought about it.

I came back to the boys' room about seven minutes later. Ethan and Cameron were out, and Colin was wide awake and fidgety. I decided that I would get him up, and that we could have a bit of quality time.

I'm glad I did. We really had fun together.

I've seen this before on other blogs, and I thought that, since I had some time with just Colin by himself, today would be a good opportunity to give him this little quiz. It was a good opportunity to laugh with my little guy. These are word for word, straight out of his mouth--his answers are in red. Enjoy.

1. What is something mommy always says to you? "I love you."

2. What makes mommy happy? "Giving you a flower I pick from outside."

3. What makes mommy sad? "Ummm...hurting your toe, like you did yesterday." (HA! I had to laugh out loud at this one...in case you are not on Facebook and don't know, Ethan threw a large truck down yesterday, and it landed right on my toe. Though I am fine now, I could have sworn it was broken for several hours after the incident....)

4. How does your mommy make you laugh? "Tickles me!"

5. What was your mommy like as a child? (shrugs) "Like the little Mermaid, I guess." (Huh?)

6. How old is your mommy? "50."

7. How tall is your mommy? "6' 1" or 6' 2"." Apparently I look much taller from his vantage point.

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? "Shop!" (Nice! That is pretty high up on my list!)

9. What does your mommy do when you're not around? "Mom, I just don't know that question. I'm always around."

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? "What is famous?" When I explained, he said, "Typing really fast."

11. What is your mommy really good at? "Reading to us at rest time."

12. What is your mommy not very good at? "I don't know. You always do a good job at things. I don't know this question either." (I've sure got him fooled! *giggle*)

13. What does your mommy do for a job? "Clean up the house."

14.What is your mommy's favorite food? "Salad" (Wha?) followed shortly by "The nut place" (that is what our boys call Texas Roadhouse--and that's more like it.)

15.What makes your mommy proud of you? "Helping Ethan go potty."

16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Jasmine."

17. What do you and your mommy do together? "This stuff. Like, right now when we are together like this in the office. On this bed."

18. How are you and your mommy the same? "We both have teeth."

19. How are you and your mommy different? "You have earrings and I don't."

20. How do you know your mommy loves you? "You giving me kisses and hugs."

21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy? "Kisses!"

22. Where is your mommy's favorite place to go? "The place in the picture...the grape juice place." This one I must explain. Just this morning, Colin was asking me about a painting that hangs in our dining room. It is a picture of an Italian villa, and there is a large vineyard in the corner of the picture. Colin wanted to know if it was somewhere I had been; I told him no, I hadn't been there, but I would like to go there someday. Colin thought the grapes were soldiers--it is a bit hard to tell what they are--but I explained to him that they were grape vines. He asked why there were so many vines, and I said that that particular part of the world was famous for their, um.....grape juice. I thought it a bit too early in the day to begin a discussion on "What is wine, Mommy?"

So, no time to myself today, but it worked out great. I found out some really interesting things about myself that I never even knew! Oh, yeah--and I found out that I need to do a little bit better of a job teaching Colin about age and height. *grin*

Winner!!

For the sixth week in a row.....

.....this little guy was as fast as lightning.....

.....and placed 1st in his division at the races!!

(There was a bit of confusion, we found out, the week we thought that Colin came in second. Shane and I both noticed that the boy who placed first that night looked awfully 'large' and much older than Colin and the other kids....turns out that he was running in the wrong race! So, Colin ended up being the winner that night after all--yay!)

Great job, little man--we are so proud of you!!

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Days Ten, Eleven and Twelve

I have one word for you.


Sand.


I hate it. Unless, of course, I'm at the beach. And, who doesn't love the sand at the beach? And the salty sea air, and the waves of the cool ocean, and the boardwalks, the fresh seafood....


I digress.

We own this little guy. Do you know him? We call him Mr. Turtle. I filled him up one summer....

....and I regretted doing so almost the entire summer. Colin was just shy of two years old, and he could not go near that little turtle without somehow, someway covering himself in sand from head to toe.

The turtle moved to the new house with us....but has remained empty for the last three summers. I just couldn't bring myself to fill it.

Friday morning, I had a change of heart. You know....in the name of "yes" and all.

The boys and I loaded up and we all headed to a local store. They knew nothing of what was going on, and were certainly very curious. I went to the aisle that I knew contained the sand toys.


I was immediately flooded with questions.

"What are we doing, Mommy?"
"Are we getting some new toys?"
"Can we get some goggles?" (Swim gear is in the same aisle as sand gear.)
"Are we going to buy some stuff?"
"Mommy, what are we doing here?"
"TRACTOR!!" (That was Ethan.)

The questions continued while I priced some buckets of sand toys. I finally chose one, and I also found some mini dinosaurs that they could bury in the sand and then hunt for. We headed up to the front, and, as much as I was trying to carry out this mission all stealth-like, little Colin just wasn't having it.

"We're getting sand toys, Cameron! Sand toys!"

It was officially all over when they heard me order three bags of play sand. Their screeches could be heard throughout most of Big R, I'm fairly certain.

So, we went home, and I grabbed Mr. Turtle, gave him a good cleaning--he needed it, after being so neglected for three consecutive summers--and filled it with the sand and toys we had just purchased. The boys cheered loudly, and started playing as if they had never seen sand before in their lives. They were gloriously happy.

I won't lie. I wasn't so happy.

They were covered in sand in no time. Within 10 minutes, we had already had two, ahem, sand dumping episodes, wherein my two smallest littles had each taken turns covering the other one from head to toe in the icky stuff. *shudder*

And, of course, it was 85 degrees out, and they were all sweating profusely--so the sand was stuck everywhere. No dry-wiping this stuff off. Water, and most likely soap, was definitely going to have to be involved.

*Sigh.*

I found myself questioning whether or not I should have gone through with the whole sand idea. I wasn't cheering myself on for being a great "yes" mom....I was kicking myself for creating a monster. A major, messy, daily-and-possibly-twice-daily-shower-inducing monster.

Do I really need this? I just added even more work onto my day. Now they're going to be asking every 17 minutes to go outside and to play in the sand....and they're gonna get messy and drag sand all throughout my house. There's no way to stop that, after all. I'm never going to be able to get it all off before we go inside. Oh, why on earth did I do this? I've taken this challenge way to far. I've totally gone off the deep end. What is wrong with me?

Do you hear that?

Me.....me......me.....

As much as I try to be conscious of it, that selfishness just has a way of creeping back in. It is, seriously, a daily if not hourly battle.

I thought it over. And I remembered that this challenge isn't about saying "yes" all the time. It's about being conscious of your reasons for not saying "yes".

There are times that are not going to be so good, for various reasons, for the boys to play in the sand. I am not committed to saying "yes" any time I am asked to do anything, and therefore, I am not committed to letting the boys play in the sand any time they may want to. I want to go to the pool everyday and lay on a float for hours, remember? But we don't always get what we want, for many reasons. There are and need to be limits and boundaries on every good thing, because too much of a good thing can be, well, not so good.

I believe I came to good compromise for both me and the boys. We'll make one or two days a week 'sand days'. These will be special days where we open the sand box and the boys can have free reign. This way, hopefully, the sand will not get 'old' to the boys, and I can pick days that are hot and sunny--so we can do the slip-and-slide or the sprinkler afterwards, and ward off most of that pesky sand before it ever enters the house.

And, we all win. Me, the boys....and Mr. Turtle.

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day Nine

Because he asked to dress himself:

His Grape Creek Softball shirt (purple)

Shiny basketball shorts (navy)

Soccer socks, complete with built-in shin guards (black)

Tennis shoes (white)

All this, and to let him go out in public? How can I possibly say "yes" to this?

He insisted.

As Shane said,

"You are officially ready for any sport you want to play, buddy."

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Days Seven and Eight

I fell behind.

I didn't blog about our days.....

It wasn't because I had nothing to say "yes" to.

It could be that it was because I was so busy cleaning up during my down time that I just didn't have time or energy to blog. Yep. Could be that.

You know.....

.....cleaning up spilled grape juice--the worst ever of the spills-- off of the carpet, because someone got so tickled at one of his brothers during an indoor game that it just came spilling right out of his mouth.....

.....cleaning up and vacuuming food/other miscellaneous items off of the other carpet (a different time) after a requested "Indoor picnic for lunch, Mommy! Indoor picnic for lunch!!"

.....cleaning up a couple of accidental potty messes....

.....cleaning up after several different board games and card games, because "I just want to play one or two games with you, Mommy".....

It was a great couple of days, but they are just going to have to be forever recorded in my mind alone.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Wordless Wednesday

Races

The boys have been participating in the Kennekuk Road Runners' Races since last summer, and they love it! It is a great chance for them to get out and expend some energy....and, one of the best parts (for Mommy and Daddy) is that it is a totally free program!

They all did really well last year, (I blogged about the boys winning their races here and here, and about their prized "ka-trophies" here), and this year they are on the same track. They all had a great first week, with Cameron and Colin both winning their races, and Ethan finishing among the earliest children!

The next week, however, we got in a bit of a rut. For some reason, Ethan teared up just as soon as the whistle blew, and, by the time he crossed the finish line, he was crying pretty heavily.

Then, sweet Cameron started his race well enough, but about halfway in, he got tripped up by one of the zillion other children who were also trying to get to the finish line and fell. That event sparked some major negativity, and he has cried almost every week since, saying he "*sniff* doesn't want to *sniff* race that far *sniff* this time."

Poor Cameron. He is tough as nails most times, but when he breaks, he really breaks! He has however, to his credit, finished his race each week--even through the tears. I'm fairly certain that the popsicle at the end of the race is his motivation. *grin*

Ethan has also run every week, but not without poochy lips, moist eyes, and at least one hand that was clinging to Daddy. The important thing is that they are both finishing.

Last week, though, I am happy to report that Cameron turned a corner--and was actually excited about racing again! He took off like a cannon when the whistle blew, got a big jump on the other boys, started to procure a lead....

....then promptly tripped, fell flat on his belly/face, and started crying.

*sigh*

He says, however, that next week, he is going to win.

Winning is something that Colin knows quite a bit about this season! Seems little Colin is a pretty fast dude--he placed first in his division (the 1/4 mile run) the first four weeks, and second the 5th week! We are just so proud of him. It is very exciting to see your child excel in something!

Here are a few pics from week four--the only week so far that my brain has remembered to bring my camera!

Daddy helping E "stretch"--or something like that--before the race

Cameron, doing the "Kung Fu" stretch.

Not quite sure what this is stretching, but he looks cute doing it.

Col stretching out the hammy

Here is E's typical reaction at the start of the race....

....and here he is mid-race, crying and clinging to Daddy.
At least he makes it to the end!

Here is some video of Cameron's race. You should see him about 1/2 way through....crying. He's in a green shirt and Shane is right behind him.

Like I said: the popsicle makes it all worthwhile.

E and Grandma MJ, waiting for the start of Colin's race

This is a quick clip of Colin's name being announced as last week's winner. Colin loves hearing his name announced, and always says, "So....no one else was faster than me?"

The start of Colin's race:



And Colin turning the final corner, finishing up the race:

Getting some congrats from Grandma MJ on a job well done!

There he is! This is the posting from last week's winners. His name was spelled wrong, but Colin sure didn't care!

Mommy, Grandma MJ, and the boys after the race
Cameron's attempt at a taking a picture by himself.....

....he almost got it.

All in all, the races have been a wonderful experience so far and the boys have done really well. We have two more weeks to go....and then it will be time to collect the 'ka-trophies' again!

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day Seven

Rather than give an example of a "yes" from today--and there were a few!--I thought I would share a bit about the thoughts that have been rolling around in my head during the past several days.

Share my thoughts? Boring, I know. Stick with me.

The biggest thing that I believe I am being impacted with on this whole challenge is actually giving thought to my answers before I let them escape from my mouth. Conquering the selfishness is a pretty big one, too, don't get me wrong--but I believe that this area is just as hard, if not harder, for me than that one--simply because I am a focused, task-oriented person.

Proverbs has a lot to say on this topic:

Proverbs 15:28a: The heart of the righteous weighs its answers (emphasis added).

Proverbs 18: 13: He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame.

This is something that I coming to discover that I am severely guilty of.

A couple of days ago, Cameron came to me in the kitchen. I was focused--cleaning up after breakfast--and he asked me something small. So small, in fact, that I can not for the life of me remember what it even was that he asked me. All I remember was that, without even thinking about it, I immediately replied, "No."

A couple seconds later, it hit me. I stopped cleaning. I realized what I had just done.

I thought about what he just asked me (I truly think it was something as small as 'could I play with my cars on the counter?' I think that was it, anyway) and looked at him and said,

"Oh, buddy, I'm sorry. Mommy wasn't really listening to what you asked me. Yes, you can do that."

This wasn't a case of there being no good reason for him not to do whatever he was asking--I shut him down immediately because I didn't even give the question any real thought.

I am so guilty on this front as a mother.

I get so busy doing whatever it is that I am doing at that moment--cleaning up, folding laundry, running the vacuum, getting a meal together, writing up a grocery list....I could go on, and on, and on--that I just move into this mode where I am simply functioning.

I am able to function at all of the multi-tasking areas that I have going on--and do them all decently well--but it is a mode where, many times, I am just doing and not thinking.

Take Cameron in the kitchen for example. I was cleaning--focused on what I was doing.

Okay, I have to get this dishwasher unloaded so that I can get all the dirty dishes from breakfast off of the table and back in the dishwasher to be cleaned; I need to clean off the counters and the table so the kids can do their craft time; which reminds me, I need to write 'glue sticks' on the grocery list, because we are almost out of those; Oh, and we are low on milk and cheese...those need to go on there too; Got to take out that meat for dinner tonight, and shred the zucchini today so I can make bread tomorrow. "No, Cameron, not right now, buddy." I have to throw in the towels too, or else we won't have any for showers tonight.

Wait, did someone just ask me something?

It's this kind of thing that I'm talking about. My mind was so wrapped around the seven other things I was doing that poor Cameron got shoved to last place--and my children have no business being placed behind grocery lists and clean counters.

I answered before listening, and that was my shame.

I am learning that I need to make more of a conscious effort to listen, think, weigh my decision, and then respond.

For all the wonderful comments on 'how great' you may think I'm doing--thank you so very much. I appreciate your encouragement, I really, really do! But, well, here is a bit more of the reality of how far I still have to go.

But, I will sure be continuing to work really hard--for the rest of this challenge, and beyond.

A tooth lost, but not necessarily missed

One year ago yesterday, my sweet second born looked like this.

One year ago today, this happened.

And I was traumatized.

Little did I know that he would end up being cuter than ever!

I love you Cameron--and your sweet broken smile!

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day Six

"The walking stick"


At church tonight, Pastor gave Colin a new 'toy'. A large, very sturdy tube.


Boys can do 937 things with a tube of this sort. If you have boys, you know these things. Colin was very excited.


After church was over, we headed over to the fireworks in Champaign. We go there every year--it is by far the best display around, and well worth the 35 minute drive.


On the way over, my Mom and I had been talking about this "yes" challenge that I'm doing. She thinks it's great, and has been very encouraging so far.


"Mom," I said, "you just can't imagine how often my brain just automatically goes to "no" before I even think about what the kids are asking me! It's like I am programmed to be negative or something. It's ridiculous. I'm ashamed of myself at some points, when I really stop and think about what I am doing and why."


To which, she laughed and said:


"I know, Honey. Sometimes you just have to really make a conscious effort about these kinds of things."


Later, once we arrived at the fireworks and were getting out of the car, Colin piped up:


"Mom, can I take my walking stick with me?"


To which, Grandma MJ almost immediately said, "No, buddy. Not right now."


She looked up, and I was looking at her. I had to laugh. Make a conscious effort about these things....


"Why?" I said, very deliberately. "Why can't he take that crazy thing with him? What on earth is it going to hurt?"


She grinned, and I grinned....and then, giggling, she replied:


"I guess there really is no good reason why he can't take it." We got a great laugh over that one.

So, Colin went on....a boy and his walking stick....as happy as could be.

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day Five

Our weather today left, at the very least, a lot to be desired.


The Fourth of July is supposed to be sunny! Hot! Wonderful weather for swimming and for picnics!

For the first time in as long as I can remember, it poured on the 4th. All. Day. Long.

So, our plans were adjusted. Instead of swimming, grilling out, and fireworks, we took the boys to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.


This is where my first "yes" of the day comes in. I wanted to go see Up. So did Shane. But the boys love, love, love dinosaurs....and for some reason, they love those dumb characters from the Ice Age movies.


So, it was Ice Age we saw. (And, for the record, this one was actually good--by far the best of the three, in my opinion!) It was pretty funny, and we ended up being glad we had let the boys choose that particular show.


After a late lunch/early dinner, it was back home for the rest of the evening. We pulled into the driveway, and for some reason, I just knew what was coming.

"Mom, can we play in the rain again?"


Great. Now I've done it. I said "yes" to this once, and now they are going to ask me every single time it's raining if they can play in it.


Enter Shane's sarcasm/mockery here:


"Well, what are you going to say, "yes" Momma?" he said to me with a smirk.


"I'm gonna say "yes." I truthfully could not think of any reason why they shouldn't do it. We had no plans for the rest of the day....why couldn't they play for a little while?


Now, this rain was quite different than the rain from the other day. If I called that a light sprinkle, I would call this a good pour. It was coming down pretty hard and very steadily.


It was the kind of rain where, I knew, they would be drenched in minutes. Plus, at this point, it had been raining for hours and hours....and Lake Merritt was back, along with many other large puddles in the driveway.


You know. The kind of puddles that just begged to be jumped in by little boys.

Or to have bikes ridden through. I could see the question on E's face.

"Should I do this? Is this actually okay?"

"I'm going for it!"
"Mom, I love this!"
The older boys liked riding their bikes through Lake Merritt,

but had the most run running and jumping and splashing....
Like I said before.....drenched in minutes.
And loving every bit of it.


Colin's actual words were, "Dad! Do you see how wet I am?"



In the end, I had three children who required showers....
they were dirty anyway
....and whose clothes had to be immediately washed....
I had loads waiting to go in--what's a few more pieces?


....but their gratitude and smiling faces were my reward.

For sure.

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day Four

My "yes" moment today was a gross one. I'm warning you ahead of time.

Now, Colin's a big kid. When he goes in the bathroom to, ahem, do his business, he can accomplish everything from start to finish all by himself.

There is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a need for me to be present.

So, when Colin decided yesterday to come in my bathroom and announce his need to go, I promptly put my makeup brush down and began to walk out.

Why on earth do you need to come in this bathroom? Do you not know that we have two bathrooms in this house? I mean, I know that you know we do. You use the other one all the time. Do you not see me in here? Doing something? I am using this bathroom. My bathroom. It is mine. It is attached to my actual bedroom, after all. But....it's alright. I'll leave. I'll come back after you've stunk up the joint. That will be nice. *sigh*

And then I heard:

"Mom, will you stay in here with me?"

Oh, great. Yes....yes....this sounds like fun. I think my very sensitive nose will really, really enjoy this. Why on earth, Col? I don't need to be in here with you. You need your privacy, after all, don't you?

"Ummm.....yeah, I guess I can stay if you want me to. Are you sure you want me to? You don't want to have some privacy?" Please tell me you've changed your mind and you want some privacy.

"No! I want you to stay. Here (motioning to the little stool that Ethan uses to go potty, and pulling it over to sit about 4 and a 1/2 inches from the toilet) Mommy. You can sit right here."

Wow. That is definitely too close for any kind of comfort.

So, I sat. Against all my better judgment, I sat.

And, Col did....what people do when they are on the potty.

And, he talked. I mean, we talked. We actually had a very nice conversation, which, at the end of (and while he was still on the potty), he leaned all the way over to me, wrapped his arms around my neck and said:

"I like it when you stay in here with me Mom. I know it's stinky. But you did good."

That kid has a way of making everything I do for him worth every bit of stench effort.

"Yes" Mom Challenge: Day three

Remember, these posts are going to be brutally honest. I'm asking you in advance to not judge me based on my immediate thoughts. *grin*

Today was a good day.

I found myself actually getting to mid-morning still looking for my boys to ask me to do something out of the ordinary--and being a bit disappointed that they hadn't.

Am I even going to have anything to say "Yes" to today? What on earth am I even going to blog about? I thought.

I shouldn't have worried too much. After all....there are three little men in my house. It didn't take them too long to come around.

There was the normal stuff:

Colin: "Mom, can we please go outside?"

It was a pretty nice day here today, and I agreed that when I had gotten a few quick things done around the house, outside we would go. The boys played, and I did a quick sweep of the house, getting it in enough order to satisfy my, ahem, tendencies.

We were off, and I immediately made a beeline for my comfy little chair under my comfy little tree decided that I was going to sit for a while and do some reading. I've been doing an online book discussion, and I also wanted to do my Bible reading for the day.

Well, this shouldn't take me too long.

I was immediately--and I mean, before-I-even-read-an-entire-verse-immediately--interrupted with cries of:

"Mom!! Watch this!"

I hesitated; finished my verse; and looked up.

All three boys were waiting on me to look at them. Waiting for me to witness the latest "trick" they had mastered on their bikes.

I watched, as each one sped down the driveway....and then I returned to my reading.

Not one-half of a verse later:

"Mom! Mom! Watch this!"

*Insert scenario above again here.*

They were so excited to show me what they were doing, and it was at that moment that I purposed in my heart that, right then, I was going to be equally as excited about what they were doing. I didn't care how long it took me to read my four Bible chapters, or if I didn't get to my chapter book that day at all.

I wanted them to know that I cared about what they cared about. That I cared about what they were doing right then at that moment.

It took a long time to get through those chapters, let me tell you.

But, I did it....and I don't regret the time invested watching my boys do "trick" after "trick".

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

Then, after lunch, we did our normal hour or so of 'reading time'. I read to them every single day before they take naps, and have done so since Colin was old enough to even sit on my lap. Today we read about seven books, and, I will admit--reading aloud really has a tendency to wear me out. I was tired, and was ready for them to sleep. For a couple of hours, if possible.

But, Colin was having none of that.

He was in there, lying in his bed, wide awake. So, after a while, I went in there and told him he could get up. I figured I would turn on a Veggie or something, and we could cuddle*.

*Cuddle is code for "Mommy can snooze for a bit."

Colin had other plans.

"Mom, can we read another Gaskitts book?" (These are books that Colin really enjoys, but we don't read at reading time very often, because they are about 80 pages apiece.)

Oh, you have got to be kidding me...I just read to you for almost an hour! You want me to read some more? I'm sooooo tired, Colin. All I want to do is veg--maybe get a bit of sleep--in front of the TV for a while. I just don't have it in me to read 80 pages right now. I don't think I could even stay awake long enough to get through it!

"Please, Mommy?"

Well.....this is what you get for going looking for an opportunity this morning. Here is one, being handed to you on a silver platter.

"Sure, Col. Go grab it quietly and we'll sit in here and read it."

We certainly got our cuddle time in. Not in the way I had hoped for, but in a much more meaningful way to sweet Colin.

And, I made it all the way through the book. Somehow, I got a much-needed second wind.

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

After everyone was up from resting, the boys all wanted to go outside again.

Bleh. I did this once already today. I'm tired....I need to get dinner started. I think I just heard my stomach actually ask me, in an audible voice, for food. It's that hungry.

"Alright, we can go out for a little while."

Colin: "Mom, will you play baseball with me?"

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaa-haaaaaa-haaaaah...

"Sure, buddy. Go get the bases and your balls and bats."

You know what I discovered?

Cameron is actually, I think, a left-handed batter. He was having such difficulty hitting the ball....but I noticed that, when he was swinging the bat, he was swinging much better going the other direction. I turned him around the other way, and BAM! He hit three in a row!

We had a great time, with lots of giggling and cheering. Despite myself, I actually enjoyed myself and our time playing baseball. We also gave a caterpillar and a spider a new home in one of my glass Mason jars.

Talk about something that I wanted to say "no" to. Bugs are just not up my alley. But Cameron was all about this activity. He went and collected 'special grass' and three small sticks for the jar.

"I picked them just for him, Mommy!" he said.

And, that activity led me to having this conversation with Cameron:

Me, after awhile: "Should we let him go now? I kind of feel sorry for him." (The poor caterpillar was just circling that jar like there was no tomorrow, desperately trying to escape....)

Cameron: "But why, Mommy? I made a nice home for him."

It hit me right then: this had been something that was really important to Cameron. Really special to him. He had taken great care in collecting that grass and those sticks! I turned to him and said: "Yes, you did Cameron. You made a very nice home for him!"

And, then, a smile lit up his face from ear to ear. "It's a great home, isn't it Mommy?"

"Yeah, buddy. A really, really great home."

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

And, now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to read just a bit more to the boys...even though we normally don't read at night time.

They did, after all, say please.

Today was a good day.

A "Yes" Mommy

There are so many times that I find myself saying "No" to my boys.


Then, I think about it.....and I wonder exactly why it is that I just said no.


Sometimes, I turn right around and say, "Oh, never mind guys--it's okay. Go ahead and do fill-in-the-blank."


But, not all the time.


Mostly, I find myself saying no to my boys because of my own selfish reasons.


When Colin comes to me and says, "Mom? Can we built a fort in the living room?"


"I don't think so, buddy." I really don't feel like having to re-fold the 47 blankets you are sure to drag out to build your fort.


"Can we go swimming at Aunt Karen's, Mom?"


"Not today, guys." It's too much work for me to have to watch all three of you while you're swimming...and besides, I would really much rather grab a raft and float around on it for a few short hours. Plus, I have so much work to do around this house....


"Mommy, can we please stop at Old McDonald's for lunch and play? Pleeeeease?"


"No, boys, we have to get home now." I'm so tired....and don't you know by now how much I hate that place? That germ-ridden, overrun-with-disobedient-and-loud-children, nothing-good-for-you-on-the-menu place? Ugh!

The scenarios could go on and on.

It's my own laziness. Selfishness.


I want to stay in my own content little area and keep as much peace and normalcy as possible. What you are doing is asking me to come out of my little circle, and I just don't feel like it right now!


Even though I am working on it, my normally-perfectionist-mindset still takes the reigns--with full force--some days.


That is why, when I read Jill Savage's post yesterday, I was so excited: she was giving me just the thing to say "yes". A challenge!


When her boys asked her to "see if it was hot enough to actually FRY an egg on the sidewalk!!" the other day, she confessed that her initial feeling was "No!" But, as she thought about her reasoning behind saying no, she realized that it was her own reservations, stemming from selfishness--not wanting to waste an egg or clean it up off the sidewalk, etc.--that was making that decision for her.


What she thought instead was, "What would this hurt?" And, she let them give it a go--with their promise of cleaning up the egg when they were done.


I saw a very accurate reflection of myself in what she was saying, and I confess--I don't want to be that kind of mother.


We've always said that we make it a point around our house to say "yes" as often as we can to the boys--because there is so much in this world that we are going to have to say "no" to because of safety or boundary reasons. At least, we say that we've made it a point to do that. In reality, I find myself saying "no" a lot more than I am saying "yes" lately.


And, this month, I'm working to change that.


This is the first of what I hope will be a post each day of July on how I said "yes" to my children that day, when I really would have rather said "no"--and the 'something great' that came out of it.


{Also, for clarification: these are things that do not involve safety issues or parental boundaries. I am not advocating to tell a four-year-old that they can go to the park by themselves just because they asked, and just so that a Mom can say "yes". What I am talking about are those things like I mentioned above in my post, or things like what Jill mentioned.}


I started off the challenge yesterday: with a trip to Old McDonald's. My stomach did not thank me later, but the smiles on the kids' faces when we pulled in the parking lot was, quite possibly, the highlight of my day. A chorus of "Yes!! Yay!! Thanks Mommy! YAAAAAY!!" filled the van.


It was great.


Today, despite the fact that it is 62 degrees (on July 1st? Wha??) and raining, we went outside to play. I can't remember the last time when I've let them play in the rain.....but they loved it. "Mom! Mom!! It's like we're in the shower--but outside!! And with all our clothes on!!"


I sat in the garage and froze....but it really was worth it.


(Side note: apparently, playing in the rain really wears children out. I'm going to have to remember that one....)


Anyone that wants to get in on this challenge is certainly free to head on over to Jill's blog and check out all the details. I apologize in advance if you get tired of hearing all the things I said "yes" to! But, I am so very excited to see what this challenge brings--and where it brings ME!!

Wordless Wednesday

Yay!!!

Blogger is finally working for me again!

Lots going on here...posts coming soon!

A little helper with a giant heart

We've had so many storms here lately, and most of them have been happening either at night time or, worse, in the middle of the night.


When you have little ones, storms that come in the middle of the night generally translate into toddlers who end up in your bed in the middle of the night. At least, that has been our experience during our Illinois thunderstorm seasons, anyway.


As previously stated on Facebook earlier in the week, you can be certain that our queen bed will fit five people--however, it will not do so comfortably. So, Shane and I have sort of been playing musical beds lately. When we are wrenched out of our deep, wonderful, peaceful sleep awakened at night by one or more boys creeping into our bedroom, we get up and 'make the switch'. One of us will sleep with two of the kids in our bed, and the other will go into the boys' bedroom and sleep in Colin's bed (the most comfortable and roomy of all of their beds) with the remaining child.


And, of course.....they return to sleep, and have a wonderful night of peaceful dreams.


We wake up (if we ever slept at all) with backaches from being in contorted positions and bruises from where they've kicked or smacked us sometime in the night.


*sigh*


A couple of nights ago, while putting Ethan to bed, he began to cry. Colin, ever the helper and wonderful big brother, grabbed his blanket and "Neena", his stuffed animal, hopped out of his bed and said, "I'll lay with E, Momma!"


And, he did.


And, Ethan loved it.

And, more importantly, he fell right asleep, and stayed asleep all night long.

This has been the habit now for a couple of nights in a row.....Shane puts Colin back in his bed once they are both asleep, and none is the wiser. I'm not sure how long it will continue, but I just love that little protective instinct that Colin is showing. He has such a heart for his brothers!

{Mighty} Wordless Wednesday

Guess who--oo?!

*hee hee*

The beauty after the storm(s)

Funder, Whitening and Toe-madoes--Take Two!

We had some crazy storms roll through here last night--major enough to apparently make some news on the National Weather Channel! Here are a few pictures that we snapped while we were supposed to be "taking shelter in an interior room on the lowest level of the house" out of our back door during the storm, and shortly after.

Clouds circulating....they were so low and moving so fast!

This is right over our back yard--you can see the swingset in the lower corner

Lake Merritt has returned! To the boys' dismay, however, it was gone by this morning.



Shane checking out our neighbor's tree across the street--it split the whole tree in half

Another tree split right around the corner. Literally, there was damage on every side of us, but we had NONE in our own yard! We were praising God for that!

Welcome to Catlin! Don't mind our mess, please.

Here is the link to a local article (and better picture, actually) of a train that was derailed by either vicious winds or a tornado that touched down. This is one mile east of our house....tornadoes were touching down all around us, apparently, but thankfully there was no major damage.

You can see part of the train is half-sitting on the tracks....

....and those are the cars that were all tipped over on their sides.

They said it overturned 40 cars total, out of about 75.

Mangled cars


And, from the opposite angle....

(By the way--yes, we were totally checking out damage as soon as the storm was over! Shane would definitely be 'that guy' you see in all the Weather Channel videos that is like, 10 feet from the F-5 tornadoes with a wriggling video camera, saying things like "Oh man.....it's tearing the whole building apart! Oh, man!! Oh, man!!!)

Ahem.

While it was more than devastating for Cameron to watch his precious swingset being torn into pieces and blown into the field behind our house, we were more than thankful that that was all the damage that was done!

{Hilarious} Wordless Wednesday: What grown men do with G.I. Joes

Cameron's wedding

Two years ago, Colin got to be a ring bearer for the first time. Our Pastor's oldest daughter, Sarah, got married. But, the big day was, in our household, affectionately referred to as "Colin's Wedding."

This year, it was Cameron's turn.

Actually, our Pastor's other daughter, Becca, got married and asked both Cameron and Colin to be ring bearers--so Colin got to play a part in the day, too. The boys both gladly accepted....and even though both got to share in the shining moment of walking down the aisle, to be fair, we all referred to this big day as "Cameron's wedding."

He liked that. He thought he was pretty special.

He is pretty special.

Here are some shots from the big day!

Daddy helping the boys with their tuxes
The boys outside before the wedding with Brooklyn, the flower girl.

{Ethan was enamoured by that tie, let me tell you.}

It seems as though the thrill of picture taking wears off extremely

quickly when you're three (or five) years old.....

I think the look on their faces here is just priceless. Especially Colin's.

The flared nostrils just scream, "Mom....I can't do this anymore. Can we be done?"
One of my favorite shots of the day

One of my other favorite shots of the day.

This kid just steals my heart every time....

E and Daddy

The boys with Grandma MJ in the nursery before the service

Me and my mom
Shane and I

Mommy and E, right before the boys came down the aisle!

Okie dokie! Grab your Kleenexes.....here they come!

Becca and Ryan. Awwwww!!

I love weddings!

The kids on the way back down the aisle--they did great!


On to the reception. The food was great, and the boys really got their groove on!

Col and Cam with Daddy--another fave picture
Becca dancing with Cameron....
....and Ethan!

Someone made the mistake of 'modeling' some breakdancing....as you can see, both Colin and Ethan (in the background) gave it a whirl as well!

I still crack up looking at these pics of Colin boogieing down....


I think this may have been Col doing the electric slide.

Yes....I'm quite serious.
E got tired pretty fast, and decided to curl up with another party pooper. *giggle*

(That's the father of the bride--our Pastor. One of E's favorite people!)

It was such a fun night, and we were thrilled the boys got to be a part of it.

Congratulations Ryan and Becca!

Missing "Mexico" again

(There is something about the name of this country that he just can't seem to get right.....)

This morning, the boys were pretending to go places. They'd been to the park, the church, the merry-go-round, and lots of other favorites.

But, they hadn't yet gone to any foreign countries.

Until, Colin said:

"Cameron, you pack your stuff and head up to Canada.

Ethan, you go down, to Anorexico."

(By the way....I don't think the word anorexia has ever been said in my house. Ever. Not eating is, ahem, definitely a unknown concept around here.)

Where our focus lies

The services for Lilliana Grace were hard. But, they glorified God in a way that I'm not sure I've ever seen before, and for that, I was truly thankful.

My ability to trust in God to provide the absolute best in my life grew this weekend, because of that sweet baby, and because of her parents. Even though we went to Chicago because of unbelievably difficult circumstances, I can truly say that, all in all, it was a very good weekend.

Aimee blogged a bit about that day, and about how life is to look from here on out. She has been a rock. A pillar of strength. An amazing example to me. To everyone.

Don't get me wrong. She is sad. She is hurting. She misses her daughter, and misses the moments that she will never have with her this side of heaven. But, that is not where her focus lies, and that is obvious to everyone around her.

As for me, I'm choosing to do the same thing she is: to focus on the blessings that are right here in front of me, rather than what I do not have. My family, my husband, my children--there are absolutely too many blessings in my life to name them all!

Thank you Lord, for each and every blessing you have ever given me. Even for the ones you have taken away when I thought it was too soon for them to go. You know far better than I. Your ways are not my ways. You are infinitely more wise and loving than I will ever understand. Thank you for always doing what is best for me, even when it seems like it is more difficult than I can bear. Help me to always have my faith and trust in You, no matter what the circumstances of my life look like.

Thank you again, to each one of you who emailed, texted, called, sent cards, and prayed for our family through this terribly difficult time. It is appreciated more than you may ever know.

The seven best things about our trip to Chicago

ColinReeseLukeCameronCallenOliviaEthan
:-)

Does Jesus Care?

I've sat down to the computer more than a few times....and then I get up again, having written nothing. I simply can't think of what to say. Or how to say it.

I was all prepared to come home yesterday from our Chicago trip and share all the fun that we had there--pictures of the zoo, and of the boys fishing with Grandpa--but that whole plan changed when life itself changed in a major way yesterday morning.

If you haven't already seen on Facebook, my sister- and brother-in-law lost their sweet newborn baby girl yesterday morning. Aimee went into labor in the middle of the night; they went to the hospital pretty quickly, because her water had broken; everything was seemingly going along just fine; and then: BAM. Life changed. Something went south....and Aimee was rushed into an emergency C-section to deliver the baby. But, as God had planned it (and in Aimee's own words), by that time, she was already in His arms.

I feel so fortunate that we, by God's design, were up in Chicago visiting this week, and got a chance to see Aimee, Roger, and the baby yesterday before heading back home. It was an unbelievably difficult day; but I know that I will forever be thankful that I got to hold that sweet baby girl. Even if it was only for a few moments.

Aimee and Roger are doing incredibly well. Their faith and testimony has been so encouraging. They know that this, as hard as it is, was God's perfect design for their family.

Still....there is incredible sadness. I, for one, have been able to think of little else since we got that call yesterday morning. My heart is so, so heavy. So are the hearts of many others: our entire family, Aimee's family, and so many friends that are close with Aimee and Roger. I will grieve this loss for days and days. For months.

I can not physically imagine being in their shoes at this moment.

Yet, I can tell you one very certain thing: if I were ever in this situation, I hope and pray that God would give me the grace and strength that He is providing Roger and Aimee right now. They are just being such a light for Christ in this dark world.

God says that He will never, ever give us more than we can handle. To me, that just proves their deep strength in Christ--He knew that, as difficult that this situation would be for the two of them, that they would be able to handle it. Because their faith, their trust, their hope is in Him.

The God of all comfort.

Please, if you haven't already, be in prayer for our family. Especially for Aimee and Roger--that their hearts would heal and that Christ will draw so near to them and would comfort them. And, thank you to the ones who have already been praying. Your comments, emails, and messages mean more than you know.

This morning in church for the offering, I played the song "Does Jesus Care?" with tears streaming down my face. I don't really know, quite honestly, how I even got through it--I could barely see the notes through the blurriness of my own tears. But the chorus of this song just encourages me so much that I wanted to share it. No matter what you may be going through in your own life right now, Jesus sees. He knows. And, he cares about what is going on.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained

too deeply for mirth and song?

As the burdens press, and the cares distress

and the way grows weary and long?

Oh yes, He cares--

I know He cares!

His heart is touched with my grief.

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Savior cares.

Hiatus

Hey there!

Remember me?

No? Hmmmm.

My name is Devin. I regularly post here.

Except that, of course, I haven't actually done that lately.

Not because I haven't wanted to....

....but because I haven't been able to!

I'm not home right now. I'm actually about two and a half hours North of my home. In the Chi-town area, ifyoumustknow.

And, lovin' it!

If you follow me on Twitter, you'd know that we (the littles, Shane, and I) came up for an impromptu getaway with Grandma 'Nette and Grandpa. So far, we've nearly destroyed explored a children's museum, visited the Brookfield zoo, and devoured some Chicago-style beef sandwiches and some world-famous Giordano's pizza. Oh.....it's been good, let me tell you.

We'll be home in a couple of days, and I'll be back to more regular visits with you all. (And, of course, those promised wedding pictures!!)

Blast from the Past Friday will be postponed until next week.....

See you all soon, and have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Memorial Day!

Take time today and pause for just a moment to

give thanks for those who fought so hard for us.

Thank you veterans, for the freedoms you provided for me and my family.

A wonderful day

Did I laugh?

Yes.

Did I have more than one moment of frustration/exasperation?

Uh huh.

Did I dance?

Yep.

Did I cry?

Youbetcha.

All in all, it was a wonderful, wonderful day.

I thought I would briefly share a funny moment that keeps coming back to my mind:

We were at the reception, and it was getting on to the later part of the evening. The dancing had started, and Ethan and Colin were really starting to get their groove on. All of a sudden, the DJ started the smoke machine. Ethan quickly spied the smoke, turned to me with a semi-panicked look on his face and said:

"Uh oh.....uh oh! Hot! Hot!"

It was hilarious.

I will post lots and lots of pictures very soon--and of course, some great video of my two oldest littles making that trek down the aisle as the most handsome ring bearers ever--but for now, I'm off to ice and elevate my feet go relax on the couch with my hubby, and reminisce about our wonderful day 8 1/2 years ago.

'Cause, you know.....I've not been doing that today at all.

Sneak peek: Becca's wedding, alternately titled: "Cameron's wedding"

From the rehearsal last night:

The wedding's today, and Colin and Cameron are the ring bearers! It promises to be a day full of great pictures....post to follow soon!

Blast from the past Friday: Colin's early baths at Grandma 'Nette's

Hi everyone, and welcome! You have arrived at my Friday blog carnival called "Blast from the past Fridays"--which gives me (and you!) a chance to remember what on earth life looked like before the blogosphere. Hope you've come over to join the fun!

Please remember the rules: just add your comment at the bottom to let us know you are joining in (I'm still trying to figure out Mr. Linky, so please bear with me on that), post your Blast from the Past story (click for guidelines if you're new), pictures, or video on your own blog, and then link your blog back here so others can join in the fun as well. This has been so much fun so far--I can't wait to read all of your posts today!

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

This week, as I've been looking over some of my old pictures and crying about where my babies have gone enjoying all the memories, I kept coming back to these pictures of Colin and Shane's mom, "Grandma 'Nette".



When Colin was really little, Grandma 'Nette used to give him baths in the sink at her house.



Now, I realize this is not something that is out of the ordinary--many people start out giving their babies baths in the sink. Then, when they get to be a few months old and they are too big to fit in the sink anymore, you move them to the big bathtub.



Not Colin.



For the longest time, he insisted that, whenever we went to Grandma 'Nette's house, he would get a bath in her sink.



Even though he was more than two years old. Even though he had been taking 'big boy showers' since he was just a few months old at our house. Even though Grandma 'Nette had a shower and a bathtub of her own that he could easily use. Even though he was much, much too big and could barely squeeze in that crazy sink.

When Colin makes up his mind about something, he is pretty insistent about it.

He would bathe in about four inches of water, and then stand up to get washed and rinsed.

He would also be half frozen by the time he was done with his bath, but he didn't really seem to mind that little tidbit too much. The kid had the time of his life in that little sink.

The blue fingers and lips were, apparently, very worth it.

Lynette did better than I ever could. She covered the kitchen TV and the counters with towels, and she kept most of the water inside the sink--but it still somehow always made quite the mess, which she would dutifully clean up afterwards.

I can't imagine the reason why she continued to go to all that effort, can you?

Ok.

Well, maybe I can imagine why.

It'd be hard to turn that face down as a Grandma, huh?

In case you wondered how Colin shimmied up the roof....

....he was simply 'helping Daddy' clean out the gutters!

Very quickly, Daddy had more volunteers....

I have a feeling Shane has all the help he will ever, ever need--
right inside his very own household.
*grin*

The Word-FULL part of my Wednesday: The Wal Marts

Our Wal-Mart is new. It's been beautifully remodeled, with new floors, paint...you know--the works.

It is very, very nice.

Going there is not.

Now, I love shopping as much as the next woman, but there is just something about this place that makes me want to either set my hair on fire or rip it all out within five minutes of walking in the door.

I've been facebooking about dreading my trip there today. I certainly survived--thanks in a major part to my friend Jen, who so lovingly entertained all three of my littles while I went--but I was definitely sucked of at least part of my ability to function for the remainder of the day.

It's always something--always a different adventure. I've talked about it before. I feel fairly confident that it will come up again.

I thought I'd give all concerned parties an inside look at today's happenings:

**Within two minutes of walking in the door, I had already been nearly run over by a large woman in an electric push cart who obviously did not know how to work the thing. Good thing I had my cart to shove in the gap, or I seriously may have been a goner. The 'clink' was not pretty....but all parties walked away with no major damage.

**I limped walked over to the front of the building, and began waiting in a line behind six people at the customer service desk with a return. One cashier. Moving about as fast as I do after I've consumed a gigantic meal. Not at all friendly. And not at all smiling, like the ones you see on the posters plastered all around the customer service desk.

**Then, I spotted a Coinstar machine that read: "Turn your coins into CASH!"

Umm.....Since when are coins not cash? Did I miss something here? They do still accept those little metal circle things as form of payment, do they not? And, furthermore, why on earth would anyone pay this machine a percentage of their money, when every single bank and credit union in our area will perform this service for free?

Hmmmph.

**Then it was off to the jewelry counter to buy watch batteries. I own several watches, and three of them decided to quit working on me this week. The lady behind the jewelry counter took my watches and began switching out the batteries. All of a sudden, she turned around and politely informed me that she had "accidentally pressed too hard!" while putting one of my batteries in, and she broke the face of my watch. My most favorite one that I own. The one that I had specially designed at one of those in-home jewelry parties. The one that was not at all cheap.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

While I know she didn't mean to, I was waiting around for the part where she said that they would fix it for me for no cost and have it back to me in a jiffy.

What I heard instead was, "We can send it off to a man in another state and it should be back in four to six weeks. That's if he doesn't have to get the crystal for the watch face overseas."

Overseas? What?!?

Do you mean to tell me that watch faces are made nowhere in America?

Heaven sakes.

So, I politely gave her my information and made sure to tuck my copy of the receipt into a secure location in my wallet....'cause I just have this gut feeling that, four to six weeks from now, this sweet little lady isn't going to know a thing about my watch or where, literally, in the world, it is.

**It also never helps that I need everything from stuff in the garden center to batteries to shampoo to band-aids to Brita filters to BBQ sauce to yogurt to potatoes when I go there. I am, truly, in every corner of the store. It's exhausting.

**Then, I get to the pop section. It's towards the end, so I was encouraged.

*Almost done, almost done, almost done.*

While I don't drink much pop anymore, I do enjoy an occasional can of Diet Coke made with Splenda. The whole pop section had just been filled. Filled with every single kind of pop that they sell at The Wal Marts. A whole aisle, down both sides, devoted exclusively to SODA. Can you imagine? They have every kind known to mankind. Except the kind I wanted. *sigh*

**I was also subjected to hearing Billy Ray's Achy-Breaky Heart streaming over the airwaves. Not once, but twice, actually. That's how long I was in this forsaken place.

**To top it all off, the girl at the checkout counter--also not one of those smiley-cheery-poster-people but rather a grimacing, eye-rolling version of one--informed me that I was--no kidding--a "pain in the neck" and "her most work of the day" because I had price-matched a few items, had some coupons, and had actually brought my own bags to the store. God forbid I try to save some money or be somewhat earth conscious and not let her use 138 plastic bags to pack up my groceries. I'll be sure to remember that next time so as not to inconvenience anyone.

I love love love the money I save at Wal-Mart. I do. I'm grateful that I have a store decently close that has such a variety of items at really good prices. It's what keeps me going back.

But now you see why I can't go very often. I simply don't have enough hair on my head.

Wordless Wednesday: Yep, that's Colin...

I'm never cleaning my mirror again....

.....because I woke up and this was on my side of it!

A little 'frame' for me (made from soap, I found out later) with all kinds of complimentary words written around it--and then a sweet message from Shane:

"Love you Baby!!"

I love you too babe. Thanks for making my day.

And my mirror.