"Boys are found everywhere—on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair
and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket."
Author: Alan Beck


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Hello...?

Is anyone there?  I totally forgive you if you've moved on to bigger and better blogs.

I've spent the last week geeking out....chicken style.  You name it, I've read it (including Raising Chickens For Dummies).  You see, I only have 40 days to prepare before my 4 little girls (in the form of baby chicks) arrive.  There's SO much to do!  Prepare the yard, buy a coop, load up on supplies, etc., etc.  I'm so excited, that I'm seriously having a hard time containing myself.  While waiting for the checker at the grocery to bag my things last weekend, I had this overwhelming (tourette-like) urge to grab him by the shoulders and tell him, "I'm going to raise chickens in my backyard!  Do you hear me? 
 CHICKENS IN MY BACKYARD!"  In my mind, I pictured myself gently letting him go and telling him I'd be back with fresh eggs to share.

We ordered 4 different breeds.  All cold-hardy, and supposedly leaning more towards the friendlier side....we shall see.  This morning we visited the farm to check out their chickens.  Just to take a closer look and follow through with our ongoing research.  I had to pry the boys away from the coop.  Not joking.  They did not want to leave.  Logan and Jack have named two of the chickens at the farm (Snowy & Princy) and the 4 of them have developed quite the bond.  I'm still not joking.  These hens, and their flockish friends, come running whenever my boys talk 'chicken' with them.  It's a good feeling to know I'm not the only one displaying obsessive chicken behavior in this family.
Aside from chickens, I've been doing my best to keep the kids as busy as possible.  On Monday, we made kites and hung them from our kitchen ceiling.  It was a project that took 3 hours to complete, but was VERY worth every second.  It makes the house look fun and springy, and I hear the song 'Lets's Go Fly A Kite' every time I come around the corner.  Dorky?  I don't think so.  It's the little things that excite me.
Aside from kite-making, we've been busy coloring, doing play-doh, and spending every sunny second we can outside.  On Tuesday, I gave the boys washable markers and let them decorate their canvas tent.  They each had their own panel and drew (what they tell me were) Indian (oops...Native American) designs.  Wes's side was the only one with no color on it.
Aside from himself, Wes managed to find a sharpie in my Sunday school bag and color on my great-grandmother's ottoman later that day.  I really did think I had done a good job of hiding the sharpies.  Apparently not.
There you have it.  My brain is swirling with thoughts of springtime and chickens.  I long for the day when I look outside and see my coop and my chickens catching rays of sunshine in the backyard.  I long for the day a neighbor knocks on the door and asks to borrow an egg.  And I long to send one of my boys to the backyard to collect it.

Suburbia-your suffocating grasp on me is weakening by the minute.

Did I tell you I'm getting chickens?

Monday, February 14, 2011

One Decade Ago...

Ten years ago I was blessed with a Valentine gift that will never be topped.

A boy.

A boy who weighed 6.2 pounds, and measured in at 20 inches long.

A boy who defied all odds while fighting tooth and nail for his first 3 days of life.

A boy who is nothing but a wonderful son, brother, and friend.

A boy who wants to do nothing but learn, give, and share.

A boy who wonders....then does

A boy who dislikes....and makes it better.

A boy who's on his way to becoming something BIG....I can feel it.

A boy whom I love more than life itself.


To that boy, I say -
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I love you to the moon and stars and back again.

Love,
Mom

PS-As part of your birthday gifts, I hereby promise never again to cut your hair as pictured in the second image below.


Friday, February 4, 2011

What...?

In case you've been wondering what makes my mornings a little easier, the answer is:


These nifty lunchboxes from easylunchboxes.com.  Most mornings I am packing 3 lunches, which used to mean 15+ plastic bags each and every day.  Once my cousin, Sarah, sent me this link I was SOLD!  I throw the food into the divided container (who wants their pickle touching their sandwich?  NOT my kids!), toss it into the cooler bag with a drink, a cold pack, and a note from moi, and voila....lunch is served!  (If you have school-age kids and you haven't tried these, what are you waiting for?  It's a huge time-saver, they're much better for the environment, and best of all, they're affordable!) 
No, this is NOT a paid advertisement.  Unfortunately.

And if you're wondering what makes me sad, it's this:

The library books mistakenly left behind (on library day) by a certain first-grader of mine.  Everyone who's anyone knows that if you neglect to return your books on library day, you are cast as ineligible for a new book.  Lucky for me, my tears of sorrow and mommy guilt turned to tears of joy as Dee came to the rescue.  She whipped on over here, picked up the books, and quick as a flash, delivered them to Duke.  Ineligible?  Not this kid!  Thanks, Dee.

If you're wondering what makes me wonder, it's this:
When my husband dresses our 5 year old in size 3T pants for school.  Did he not notice how they looked, or did he just think no one else would notice?  I'm still wondering.....

Maybe you're wondering what makes me happy?  It's the little things.  Like this:
One of my 3 glass jars that hang down from my pot rack.  The kids and I keep them stocked with candy that corresponds with whatever holiday is coming up next.  Holiday to holiday....that's how we roll.

And this:

Random paint on the wall.  Nothing makes me smile more.  Seriously.

And these:
New slippers made just for me by one of my amazing neighbor friends.  I'm back in the game, people.

Hope these pictures make you feel as though you've been right beside me over the last week. 

Oh how I wish you were. 

Topics for next week could be quite exciting, and may include:

-What it feels like when your baby turns 10
-How my children drive me to eat abnormal amounts of dark chocolate
-The standoff I had with my 3 year old at the grocery store this morning
-How incredibly awesome my brother is
(That was a paid advertisement)