something to behold

this weekend didn't let us down...it was an over achiever.

we celebrated two birthdays.  one was my mother's.  we went to a fancy shmancy restaurant with white table cloths and formal waiters and multiple glasses and lots of "oh wows"  on the menu. you know the kind when the waiter tells you the specials and you have never heard of any of the food he's talking about?  he could have been talking about weaponry for all i knew. annslee got to drink out of her very first fancy glass.  and it even matched her fancy dress.  i've never seen sister friend drink so much water before.  who knew that a fancy glass could make one so thirsty.  at one point...the water re-filler (and yes...there was a separate person for that job) said, "i think you've had enough."  i wanted to say, "hey mister.  this is her first fancy glass.  fill her up as many times as humanly possible.  the first fancy glass deserves another toast."

it's not like it was wine.  good golly.

chad left on a jet plane for ukraine on sunday morning.  we made the best of it with a dance party in aiden's room.

chase made a johnny cash lego...which let's just go ahead and face it...was pretty damn cool.

saturday night, the night before chad left...we got to attend a friend's birthday party.  and i forgot to take my camera...which means that our killer dance central moves could not be captured on film.  it's just as well, really.  no one needs to see mature adults making fools of themselves anyways.  and as luck would have it...we got included on the birthday outing to galveston for the next day.

it was cold...so we had to dress appropriately, which meant that i had a perfectly good reason to wear my new hat that i got from a friend for christmas.

i love the beach in the winter.

it's like it's whispering.  it's not all "hey look at me all sunshiny and warm and beautiful"...

no.

it's more sure of itself than that.

it's sure of it's natural beauty.

and it doesn't really care if you see the beauty or not.

it's just glad you've come to pay it a visit.

chase should have been playing poker too, because he got super lucky with the choice for birthday lunch.  last year, he actually told me that when he got married...he was going to take his wife to the rain forest cafe for their honeymoon."

lucky lady.

this is a kid who decided that his favorite animal was a red eyed tree frog when most kids his age were just discovering that there were animals other than dogs and cats.

as i said last time...always marching to the beat of a different tuba.

(you guessed it...

the tuba...

his favorite instrument.)

that's the birthday boy.  he said he was turning 21 and they believed him.  let's see...that put him having his first child at 10.

impressive.

as is this.

there is something about twirling girls that make me so content.

it's as if they don't have a care in the world and the twirling gives them the power to transfer that feeling to the rest of the world.

and so they twirl.

they twirl with all their might.  because goodness knows...we could all use more of that.

i found this particular 15 minutes of our weekend my favorite.  it was a simple stroll down the strand to the malt shoppe.  that's where there was twirling.  and horses.

late last week, i told chad that if i got my way...we would have 2 more kids.  and horses.

and right there...

as a result of the twirling...i'm sure...

were...

"and horses."

i like to think it was God whispering...

"you stick with me girl.

i'll see your horses...

and i'll raise you plans and dreams that you can't even imagine."

once they tore me away from the horse...we made it to the old fashioned malt shoppe.

we shared salt water taffy and malts for dinner, which is a perfectly acceptable way of finishing the weekend, i think.

i think i would have better fit in the late 50's, early 60's.

dates were at the drive in and soda fountains.  boys were respectful.  girls wore full skirts with petticoats and sweater sets and don't even get me started on the party dresses.  the music was amazing and things like fireflies were still amusing.  i would have said "yes ma'am" and "no sir" and "please" and "thank you."  i would have had dinner with my parents before my date rang the door bell to pick me up and my dad would have answered the door ahead of me and shook the boy's hand.

sometimes i feel like i am out of my element.  not that i question God's timing or anything.  but maybe...i'm supposed to bring a little of that back.

maybe.

so...

last night.

i did.

today, i had 2 sickies at home with me.  annslee had a rough go of it.  she was especially whiny and needy and it was all i could do to get her in her pj's tonight.  she insisted on picking them out herself.  typically, i don't do the mismatched thing.  i need the top to go with the bottoms.  i don't know why?

but tonight...she insisted on last year's easter pj top and this year's christmas bottoms.

whatever floats your fussy boat, darlin.

while i was fixing dinner...i got a wild hair to pull chase's loose tooth.

i had to work at it for a little bit.  it wasn't totally ready...

but he had been asking for like 2 weeks.

and whatever thing 1, 2, or 3 does...

thing 4 has to do too.

he wrote a note to the tooth fairy...explaining why he is sleeping in mommy's bed.

whenever daddy goes out of town, they get to take turns sleeping with me.

currently, annslee is in there with him watching sprout.  she tantrumed her way in there.

and then tantrumed the tv on.

chase was fine with it.

and i'm just too tired to fight it.

at some point...i know i will have to fight her back into her own bed.  she won't go to sleep when she is anywhere but her bed.  she just wallers all over the place.  up...down...over...under...on top of you...beside you...face to face...back to back...poking your eye...squeezing your nose.

it really is something to behold.

she's a firecracker, that one.

during her nap today, i actually cracked the door, peaked in, and listened to her talk to her pappy (pacifier) for about 5 minutes.  it was a full conversation between them.  there was nodding, laughing, and whispered sweet nothings.

again.

something to behold.

thursday brain dump.

many of you may not know that i have a fear of balloons.  this fear stems back to childhood when i was at a birthday party where we played an unfortunate game where we tied balloons around our ankles and then tried to stomp on everyone else's balloons.  the last one standing with an unpopped balloon was the winner.  all i know is that i was terrified then...and the idea terrifies me now. 

so...you can imagine my terror when my woman's bible study group waltzed into pappasito's last night for our "celebrate the end of the beth moore study with half price fajitas and margaritas" night and there were balloons on every table.

i asked "collin"...our waiter..."what's up with the balloons?"

he said that he would remove them for me...but let's not get all crazy, having people "remove" harmless balloons."

i'll deal.

and furthermore...

since when are waiters named "collin?"  that's what i wanted to name colton.  obviously he lied on his application and was not old enough to be a waiter.

damn kids.

needless to say...

i needed the margarita to offset the fear that the balloons set into effect.

at least, that's what my facebook status says.

today...i re-arranged aiden's room.

let's just call it like it is.

a room needed to be arranged,  and aiden's was the best choice.

this activity lead to lip gloss.

and lots of it.

what can i say?

they take after their momma.

the last two days have been a "target clearance heaven" of sorts.

flip flops for $2????

need i really say more?

i will say more...but only because it involves $12 shabby chic curtains for aiden's room.

and "cabiny" animal fur pillows for $12.48.

****

so...all that aside,

i've been meaning to tell you that we have been seriously contemplating homeschooling all of our kids through the jr. high years.

one of the many benefits to this would include them being able to travel with chad on missions trips during those formidable years.  i am a firm believer that they, or you for that matter, will never fully comprehend what people in other cultures are dealing with unless they/you actually "GO."  and i'm not talking about italy or greece.  i'm talking about poverty.  i'm talking about unclean drinking water.  i'm talking about children that are happy playing with my gum wrappers all day because they are shiny.  i'm talking about kids who's joy for a happy meal toy matches the joys of our children on christmas morning upon finding an xbox under the tree.

here's the thing.

for colt...

that's next year.

whoa.  whoa.   whoa.

when did he become a jr. higher????

so, i have been praying and praying and thinking and thinking and wondering and wondering and feeling intimidated, ill prepared, skeptacle, scared, nervous, and crazy for even considering it.

colton is smart.

every year he is invited to participate in the enrichment program for the kids that perform above and beyond the norm and is commended on every state test he takes.  just the other day, we received a letter stating that he has qualified to participate in a program that is sponsored by duke university that is aimed at students who possess high academic ability.

ummmm...

ok...

so...

how am i supposed to adequately "teach" him????

i never got no letter from duke!

anyhow...i've been feeling "lead" to take this on.  and i've been praying for guidance.

and then, out of nowhere...this morning...i got a text from someone who homeschools, and is starting a co-op and has information about a new university model school that is starting next year.

we are getting together saturday morning to talk.

thank you, sweet Jesus.

that is just what i need.

it looks like slim shady is one step closer to being schooled by his mother.

i like the way that translates.  :)

****

just for practice...

i did a little "school" with my 2nd born tonight.

he checked out a book about jim henson from the library and, boy, was this exciting.

this is my kid that marches to the beat of a different tuba.

he loves harry houdini, frogs, actors, and jim henson.

fine by me.

it takes people like him to make the world go round...

...and muppets talk on sesame street...

and things of that nature.

****

enjoy your thursday evening, friends.

you will never get it back.

celebrating balance

once again, pinterest made itself useful.  this time...with a simple hair idea.

the thing that i love about pinterest is that usually i can just look at the picture and figure it out.  i'm not one to do a lot of research.  i'm more of a "show me the picture and i'll figure it out myself" kind of girl.

i love having her long hair to play with.

yesterday was a good parenting day.  there are random times that i feel like i am wasting my days away...the precious moments with my children...the time that i could have spent cleaning the bathrooms or clearing out the closet while the babe was napping...or the minutes that i could have spent folding the laundry instead of lounging on the couch, watching ellen.  (ok.  well...ellen is never a waste of time because she makes me laugh...but you get the idea.)

there are some days that end up being mediocre, at best, because i just didn't fully take advantage of them.

instead...i stay in my pj's instead of taking a few extra minutes to get ready, or i let my mind wander to unimportant things or i waste minutes that i could be playing dolls with annslee or reading with aiden or talking to colt or examining frogs with chase by spending time on something that doesn't matter at all...like seeing how other people are spending their moments on the facebook homepage.  and often times, seeing how they are spending their moments make me feel bad about the way i am NOT  spending mine.

i've also learned that if i don't get ready...i don't accomplish near as much.

not that i'm suggesting that every day has to be jam packed and that i can't ever lay down and take a nap if i'm tired...but it shouldn't become the norm.  balance is always a good thing.  and i can get in a lazy rut like nobody's business.  like "who really cares if i don't sweep up the crumbs in the kitchen or if we are all stepping on litter in the bathroom today.  I'M TIRED OF THE SWEEPING AND I'M NOT DOING IT."  or..."i don't feel like playing with trout in the backyard after i put annslee down for a nap.  I WANT TO SLEEP."

ok.  i'm rambling.

the point is...the ebb flowed yesterday and i didn't just love my job...but i loved that i did a good job at it.  i didn't run out of steam, or drive, or passion.  and that felt good.

after all...no one can do their best work ALL the time.  but when we do...

it's freaking amazing, baby.

"A +"

"terrific work"

"here's a bonus with your paycheck"

i played football with the boys.

i made up chants...like

"orange and blue...

kick em with your shoe...

don't mind if i do...

score a touchdown or a few..."

and kept them laughing until it hurt.

i played spider monkey on the swing with her...

and lifted annslee to the slide more times than i can count.

and by the time it was math homework time...

i had hit my stride.

not every day is like this one.

but when these "home run," "A+," "YOU DESERVE A PROMOTION" days roll around...

it puts wind behind your parenting sails to last a couple of days.

****

and even though i won't get raises or bonus' for jobs well done...

i did receive payment of sorts.

last night...a friend knocked on the door and said, "i read your blog and i love it and i was at the store and these reminded me of you and i wanted you to have them."

and then she gave me these lovelies.

i'm thinking chocolate malts are in our near future.

it was the cherry on the sunday.

****

and last night...you can imagine, when i walked into my room at the end of the evening...knowing that my head was going to hit my pillow feeling good about my day as a mom...and i saw this sight...

all i could do was smile.

yep.

the days aren't all going to be great.  there will be days that i stay in my sweats and get nothing accomplished.  there will be the days that there are way more tantrums than bouts of belly laughs but there is comfort in knowing that the sun will rise again tomorrow, and our ebb will start to flow again...and balance is inevitably restored.

and that, sunshine...is worth celebrating.