Samuel is 7 and Joseph is 9!

The summer is speeding along and I realized I didn't post for samuels birthday so I will do a joint post. :-)

On June 22nd samuel turned 7! He will be starting the 1st grade and I just can't believe how fast he is growing up. He is so kind hearted and sensitive, loves to rough house with his dad and brothers and absolutely adores his little sister. His personality always has us smiling. He has my sensitivity, love of being silly to make others laugh, and mikes rambuctioness, energy and love of sports. He blesses our life every day. He loves to be outside and wants to try every sport available to him. He is the one more likely to try something scary or challenging. We had an outdoor party for him and he loved it. We were blessed with great weather and had an awesome time.

On July 26th Joseph turned 9! He will be starting 3rd grade. He is the most like me when it comes to behavior. He loves to be inside when its hot, hates to run, loves the challenge of a good video game, and is sensitive. He is like mike in his love for comic book stories, superheros and zelda :-). He is such a blessing and its hard for me to see my first baby growing up so much. He loves science and learning about animals, stars and nature.  We had an outdoor party for him as well and once again we were blessed with awesome weather and just a great night!

 

 

 

It's still hard for me to see these 2 guys getting so big. I still remember when they were my little guys.

 

 

But that's the life of a mother! I am so blessed! :-)

 

Father's Day recap

Another Father's day has come and gone. We had a great weekend. We took mike out to dinner on Saturday night and then on Sunday after church the boys gave him their gifts and I always love seeing how excited they are to give him something they have picked out and also a card that they have made for him.

 

 

 

 

I'm so blessed to be married to a man who strives to be a man of integrity and character. A man who wants to live for God and teach his children to do the same. The smiles on my children's faces when he walks through the door says it all! :-)

 

 



Another post I did a few years ago on Father's Day talks about the passing of my dad when I was a child and all the men that helped fill that Father role in my life. If you'd like to read it click HERE

I hope everyone out there had a blessed Father's day!!

 

 

 

 



Another school year is ending.....

Another school year has come to a close. After school ends on Monday I will have a 3rd grader, a 1st grader and Jonathan will be doing 5 days a week at pre-school next year (just for 2 hours a day)

Here is a walkthrough of my boys from pre-school through current grade.... crazy how fast they grow!



Top line: Joseph Pre-school, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade
Bottom line: Samuel 4 yr preschool, 5 yr pre-school and the last 2 are kindergarten



Jonathan: 2 yr preschool, last day of 2 yr and then the last one is the last day of preschool this year :-)
 

Yesterday was Samuel's Kindergarten Celebration. It's such a cute program.. They all sang songs and then the teacher (same teacher as joseph) had a DVD set to really emotional songs showing pictures of our kids throughout the year. It was a great day. Samuel even received an award for working so hard and always having his work so neat. Here is a collage from that day.

 

And because I didn't find all of these cool collage ideas until this year I went ahead and did a collage of Joseph's Kindergarten Graduation. She did things a bit different that year but still just as cute. :-) Makes me so sappy to look at pictures from 2 years ago... how small my little jojo was!

My babies are growing up.... Sad but exciting at the same time. Looking forward to next school year to see once again how much they have changed and grown!

Have a great Summer!!!!!

A reminder not just for today but every day......

I came across this the other day on facebook and it's exactly what I needed to read. Wanted to share it with everyone today... because today as our children show us how much they love us... let us just soak it in.... and remember that what matters is us investing in our kids lives... and loving them unconditionally.... forever... not how clean we kept the house or how clean they kept their room :-)... what their grade point average is.....how many awards they have received.... what kind of meals we make... I could go on and on..... what matters is they grow up knowing that we love them more than anything and that even more importantly... so does God...... and we need to remember that God loves us moms too.. and as long as we are seeking him.... and trying our best.... we are on the right course!

Repeat after me:

I shall not judge my house, my kid’s summer activities or my crafting skills by Pinterest’s standards.
I shall not measure what I’ve accomplished today by the loads of unfolded laundry but by the assurance of deep love I’ve tickled into my kids
I shall say “yes” to blanket forts and see past the chaos to the memories we’re building.
I shall surprise my kids with trips to get ice cream when they’re already in their pajamas.
I shall not compare myself to other mothers, but find my identity in the God who trusted me with these kids in the first place.
I shall remember that a messy house at peace is better than an immaculate house tied up in knots.
I shall play music loudly and teach my kids the joy of wildly uncoordinated dance.
I shall remind myself that perfect is simply a street sign at the intersection of impossible and frustration in Never Never land.
I shall embrace the fact that in becoming a mom I traded perfect for a house full of real.
I shall promise to love this body that bore these three children  – out loud, especially in front of my daughter.
I shall give my other mother friends the gift of guilt-free friendship.
I shall do my best to admit to my people my “unfine” moments.
I shall say “sorry” when sorry is necessary.
I pray God I shall never be too proud, angry or stubborn to ask for my children’s forgiveness.
I shall make space in my grown up world for goofball moments with my kids.
I shall love their father and make sure they know I love him.
I shall model kind words – to kids and grown-ups alike.
I shall not be intimidated by the inside of my minivan – this season of chip bags, goldfish crackers and discarded socks too shall pass.
I shall always make time to encourage new moms.
I shall not resent that last call for kisses and cups of water but remember instead that when I blink they’ll all be in college.

~ with love from one tired mother to another.
(free printable of this Tired Mama's Creed in the 1st comment)

 

I also think about my mother... as I learn what it means to raise children.... I think back to all things my mom did for me and the sacrifices she made for me. When I was a sophomore my mom had been saving up money for a computer....the opportunity came for me to go to Egypt with my high school and she used the computer money to allow me to go. As a teenager when I was struggling she drove 45 minutes 3 times a week for me to a part of an incredible youth group at a church... and without that youth group I don't know where'd I be today. She has always been someone I could talk to that I know will be supportive and help me whenever needed. I love you mom and Thank you!!!

 

I'm so thankful for the children God has blessed me with and my mother. Here is a picture of me and my mom and a picture of me with each of my beautiful children! I hope all the mothers out there had a blessed day!

 

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the incredible mothers out there!!

 

My Favorite time of the Year!

Each year when it comes to Spring I think it's my favorite season.. until Fall. So I will say they are equally my favorite "times" of the year. Spring has something especially special though.... BASEBALL/SOFTBALL!

I'm sure I've blogged about it before and probably will every year with updated pics of my kids (should they continue wanting to play) playing one of my favorite sports.

You see one of my earliest memories of playing softball I must have been 5 years old and my dad walked me down to the park where my practice was supposed to be and no one was there. I remember going home crying so disappointed that there was no practice. Even before I had ever played I knew I would love it. I played every summer from the time of 5 years of age until college when I did intramural slow pitch softball, after Mike and I were married we played in the church league for several years, and then even 2 years ago I played on a women's softball league here in Indiana for a summer. I was a catcher from t-ball through high school and so I'm hoping at least one my kids will follow in my footsteps :-)  I also follow Cardinals baseball. I must admit I don't keep up on them like I used too but I still love them and get into any game I am able to sit and watch.

That is me at I'm not sure what age. I'm guessing 7 or 8 :-)

So it makes me smile when my children show an interest in something I love so much. Each year I ask my kids as a sports registration form comes home from school if they would like to play. Joseph almost always says no and Samuel almost always says yes no matter the sport, so I was pleasantly surprised when this year Joseph said he would like to play baseball with Samuel. They are both on what is called "rookie" league here which they hit off of a pitching machine.

Joe and Sam before their first game :-)

This past Friday night was their first game. Due to Anna and Jonathan being sick I had to miss it but Mike went and took pictures for me. Joseph actually volunteered to catch!! I was so surprised because it just wasn't something I thought he would want to do. When he got home he came to me with a huge smile on his face and said "mom! I was a catcher... and I got hit in the leg and the arm!" I laughed and then he told me "The coach gave me the game ball for being so brave".... I told him I was proud of him for trying and even when hurt he tried again, until the 2nd injury then the coach had mercy on him and pulled him out and let another child try.

collage of highlights from their first game

Sick Jonathan supporting his brothers from home :-)

I don't know if any of my kids will be into this sport as they grow and I will be ok with that. I just want them to find their passion in life. Something that they will want to do and stick with it no matter what.

Looking forward to going to their next game! :-)

My Jonathan is 4!!

Each year when it's one of my children's birthday... it amazes me how much they have changed... grown.... but especially with Jonathan. You see my little Jonathan has had a rough couple of years. During his first year of life he had 8 ear infections and with us moving when he was 10 months old to a different state he did not see a ENT doc until he was 1.

They decided to do tubes in his ears to help him, but when we went to his 3 year checkup the Pediatrician told us that even with the tubes in his ears they still had a ton of fluid due to allergies and so he put him on allergy medicine.

The end of last year I took him in for an ear infection :-( They said his tubes were just laying there and no longer working. I took him back to the ENT and they scheduled in December to have his adenoids taken out and new tubes put in. Poor kid had a hearing test and it was very bad. We already knew he was severely speech delayed due to all the ear problems and it just broke my heart. They told us that basically, for most of the first 3 years of his life he had been hearing us as if he were underwater. :-(

After the surgery he has been improving soooo much. Each day I hear him saying new words and understanding more and more. I just met with the school staff a few days ago and got him started on an IEP so that we can get him any services he may need to continue to help him catch up with the rest of the kids his age.

He is such a huge blessing to our lives and I'm so thankful God decided to give me Jonathan as a son. His smile lights up our lives each day, his energy keeps us going, and his sweet spirit and heart makes us so proud and blessed.

Happy Birthday Jonathan!  We love you very very much!

Took this morning :-)

Q & U Wedding, Easter Egg Hunt & Snow Fun

We have had a busy March :-)

First was my son Samuel's Q & U Wedding at school. It is so adorable! The kindergarten classes pick a groom, bride, ring bearer, flower girl, best man, maid of honor and ushers and they perform a wedding ceremony joining Q & U together. Samuel was the ring bearer and it was so cute!

The bride, groom, flower girl and ring bearer

samuel giving his sissy a quick hug :-)

 

Then last saturday our church had an Easter Egg Hunt. It's always a lot of fun. 

I didn't realize how much I loved snow till this winter. I don't know why it took me so long but this year as I watched the snow fall on several different occasions I realized just how beautiful it is.

I of course am completely ready for Spring and considering today is March 25th I did complain a little when I saw we were getting a spring snow storm, but as our 10-12 inches accumulated throughout the day the beauty of it overwhelmed me. God certainly knew what he was doing when he created this beautiful stuff called snow.

Here are some various pictures of my family in the snows from this winter, and although I do love snow I will be happy to begin posting blogs and pictures about spring and summer things! :-)



Anna's favorite way to enjoy the snow

Last month dad out enjoying snow with the boys

I'm looking forward to a warmer April!!! And I'm looking forward to baseball starting too :-)