Water Balloon War

Yesterday as Connor and I were waiting on the return of the rest of our family, we decided to plan a surprise.  Cole has been asking to play with water balloons all summer and it was time.  So, Connor stretched them and I filled them.  We even made a trip to the store for some more since I popped half of the ones we had while filling them.  When they arrived home, the war was on.

The Ammunition

The Participants (with one sad Caleb who had already dropped several balloons accidentally)

First shots fired

 

And IT was on...

 

I'm not sure Caleb ever actually hit anyone with a balloon but he had fun

Connor would stand very close to Jason waiting to be hit

Jason got a little into it

 

And when we were down to the last balloon, everyone wanted to get wet

I think everyone won

 

And when I woke up this morning, my legs were sore and aching.  I thought "what in the world did I do."  Then, I remembered that I squatted for over an hour filling balloons and I'm about to turn 33.  That about sums it up.

Date Day with Connor

Yesterday Connor and I had an entire day to ourselves.  This rarely happens with any of the boys, but probably the least with Connor with him being the middle child (no, to my-middle-child-sister, he is not neglected or ignored ;0) ).  The funniest part of this whole thing was when we told Connor he was going to have an entire day with mommy.  Once he confirmed repeatedly it was only going to be him, he looked right at Cole and said "And YOU'RE not going."  He didn't care where we were going or even when, he was just so excited it was just going to be him and mommy. 

So, yesterday was the "date day", and Connor was the perfect gentleman.  He held the door for me, held my hand, and gave me lots of hugs and kisses.  We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, Chuck E. Cheese for games, and Target for mommy.   Sometimes Connor gets lumped in with Cole as one of the "big boys." Watching him so enamored with Chuck E. yesterday and wanting to ride in the shopping cart, reminded me that he is still my little boy.  Then, last night we met some friends for dinner and Connor had his first soccer practice.  It was a perfect day.  He is such a sweetie!  I told the boys this will be become a regular thing and Caleb's turn is next.  I'm scared that date might be a little wild.  Here are a few pictures of Connor on our date,

 

 

No Routines & Summer Adventures

If you have been reading my blog for any period of time, you know every summer I completely fall off the blogging wagon (if there is such a thing). I have learned something about myself that I probably already knew, but didn't want to own up to.  I need routines.  I crave routines.  My sanity wavers when there is no routine.  Moving causes the loss of all routine.  Summertime is notorious for having no routines. So, yes, I am a little crazy at the moment, but sanity is on the horizon.

There is much about summertime I do enjoy though.  While my routines might be turned upside-down, there is freedom with summer to do just about anything at anytime.  Plus, 3 of us (not me) have summertime birthdays, so Caleb, Cole, and Jason are a year older than probably the last time I posted.  Our summer has looked something like this,

Lots of Swimming * Seaworld * Disneyworld for Cole * DeeDee's House * Parties * New & Old Friends Visiting * Caleb's Birthday * Father's Day  * VBS * Lots of Nana & Papa * Western Days * ER Visit * 4th of July *  Houston * Youth Camp for me * Cole's Birthday * Farmer's Markets * Jason's Birthday * Date Night * Round Rock Express Games * Cousins *  Picking Watermelon at Mr. Alvin's *  Austin's Park & Pizza  * Bowling * Library * Movie Nights * Way too much Eating Out * Lots of Driving

And now I'm tired all over again. 

With the lack of my much needed routines comes the lack of picture-taking.  I seemed to only remember my camera about half the time during the summer fun.  Here are a few pictures of this crazy, fun, busy summer.

 

 
 

 

Sometimes we can learn from watching a 2 year old.

I just witnessed something that I see fairly regularly yet it still amazes me.  It is the fight that is in a 2 year old.  Tonight it was over vegetables.  The rule in our house is not difficult.  You don't have finish your plate if you don't want to, but if there is a treat, you do not get it unless you eat what is put on your plate. It's always been this way.

Yet, here is Caleb simply horrified that he is not with his brothers enjoying an after dinner treat.  He screamed, wailed, threw himself on the floor, followed me to another room to start it all over again, and never ate his vegetables.  He was not going to give in and I knew this from the second the tantrum started, because I know the will of this child.  Connor, on the other hand, would eventually give in but not without lots of whining.  Whereas, Cole and Caleb, are as stubborn as one of their parents, who shall remain nameless.

What amazes me even more than the fight though is the how easily he got over it.  I mean he was mad, really mad, but before I finished loading this picture on the computer, he had crawled up in my lap and gave me a hug.  After we hugged it out, there is complete restoration in our relationship.  I again was mom and not the "evil-vegetable-pushing villian" and all was right with his world.  When a 2 year old is mad, they are mad, but once they are over it, they are truly over it.  He is not currently holding a grudge or even talking about it anymore.  It's done.  He loves me the same now as he did earlier today.

At what age, do we stop just getting over it?  Watching him tonight just got me to thinking, how much easier and better would our relationships would be if when we got mad or hurt, we threw our fit and then let it go.  I'm not one to hold grudges easily, but there are definitely times I could let things go much easier.  I mean truly let it go meaning the person we were mad at is fully restored to us.  Love becomes conditional so often for us as we grow older.  However, love "keeps no record of being wronged" so maybe tonight I can learn something from my little stubborn 2 year old who loves me despite the fact that he did not get his treat.

P.S. Just in case you are wondering, Caleb is now getting ready for bed and the vegetables are still sitting on his plate on the table.

Playin' in the rain

I love that the boys can have so much fun in the rain. I'm not sure why they felt the need to dance in it, but they did and for that I wish I'd had the video camera handy.  It was quite entertaining.  Still, I got some pretty good shots of them enjoying the sprinkles.  And the last two photos are simply further proof that I do indeed have 4 children.

 

 

I can't believe he is 4 years old

Connor turned 4 on Sunday.  I cannot believe he is that old. I found out I was pregnant with him shortly after we moved here.  It was such a sweet surprise as we were fully expecting it to take awhile after our years of infertility before Cole.  I cannot imagine our family without Connor. All three boys have their unique personalities, but with Caleb and Cole having similarities, Connor tends to be the most different from his brothers.  I used to say he was my quiet one, but he has proved me wrong on that one in the last several months.  While his brothers prefer to be outside and constantly moving, Connor would be perfectly content staying inside all day.  His perfect day would probably be playing on the computer or watching TV all day, but that is not allowed and is often the source of whining from this little guy.

Connor's favorite thing to do these days is try to read.  Cole is reading and Connor wants to so bad.  I am working with him on it, but he gets so frustrated when he doesn't get it so we are taking it slow. 

We had a big birthday lunch for him Sunday.  I asked him what he wanted and after he made sure there was going to be cake of some sort, he said "Sow-wood (salad) with some 'matoes and carwots."  He cracks me up!  Moms, don't be too jealous, he doesn't always eat his veggies.

I took this picture of him Sunday in a brief moment that I got him to look up from his Leapster.  He got 2 new games for his birthday from us and his friend and was beyond excited to play them.  Of course, on a normal day, he is either not allowed to play or it's severely limited, so it was a major bonus to him that he pretty much had unlimited play time for his birthday.

I love you, Connor James! You will always be the best Valentine present I ever received! I can hardly wait to see what this year holds.

"I wuv my seesters" - Is he prophetic or just silly?

I was tucking in Caleb tonight and our conversation goes,

Caleb "I wuv my mommy.  I wuv my daddy. I wuv ColeConnor.  I wuv my seesters." 

Me "What?  Silly, you don't have any sisters?"

Caleb "My seesters." 

Me "Oh, what are your sisters' names?"

Caleb "Seesterhead. Seesterhead." 

Me "You're such a silly boy." 

Caleb "My want seester."

My cute boy and I have lots of silly conversations.  We often say "our little surprise" should've been named Isaac since it means "laughter."  He cracks us up on a daily basis. 

This conversation, though, I can't get out of my head. "My want seester" too, Caleb.  As many of our friends and family know, God placed adoption on my heart when I was young and then confirmed it in both of our hearts when we went through our years of infertility trying to get pregnant with Cole.  After being blessed with our three sons, I've wondered over the last few years, where does that put us adopting?  Well, it's been heavy on my heart and I've even been doing some research on countries lately.  It will still be at least another year, probably more like two, before we are able to get started in the process, but I'm excited about the future.  In the mean time, it's certainly good to know Caleb's on board with a sister. ;)

Some Digi Scrapping to Share

We've had a lot of sickness going around the house.  First Caleb, then Jason, then Cole, then me, now Cole and Jason again.  Yuck!  But with all this down time at the house, I've been able to get some scrapbooking done, which I've been missing lately.

Designer Digitals has a new kit, Help Haiti Collaborative Kit, where 100% of the proceeds are being given to MercyCorps to help with the horrible devastation in Haiti.  If you are scrapper, consider purchasing this great kit. Below is the page I made with this kit.  I've been working on going back and scrapping 2009 pictures that haven't been done.

Products used: Get It Scrapped Sketch 30, Designer Digital's Help Haiti Collaborative Kit, Katie Pertiet's Cardstock Tabs No. 1, and fonts: love ya like a sister, ckalishand, & century gothic. 

Here is a page I did for the current Web Inspiration challenge at O'Scraps.  I've never participated in any of there challenges before, but this was a fun template to use.

 

Products used: O'Scraps Jan 2010 Web Inspiration Challenge Template Freebie, Audrey Neal & Paislee Press' Photogenic Kit, Emily Powers Love Birds Kit, Danielle Young New Lunchbox Kit, and Pea Mique font

Here are 3 other pages I've done recently.  I started these awhile back but put the finishing touches on them this week.

Products Used: Lynn Grieveson Scrap Express Template 25, Audrey Neal & Paislee Press Photogenic Kit, NinaScraps Grids & Dots, Anna Aspnes Yes Kit, and fonts: CK Puppy Love, CK Tipsy, & Century Gothic

Products Used: Tiffany Tillman 25 Days of Templates, DeCrow & Sahlin Studio Play Kit, Audrey Neal Resolve Kit, Katie Pertiet Photo Wraps, Hanging Tags No. 1, Anna Aspnes Yes Kit, Lynn Grieveson Worn Pages, and Fonts: tweed & ckalishand

Products Used: Emily Merritt Expressive Moments Set 3 Template, Emily Powers Art Nation + Blossom Kit, Katie Pertiet Buttoned Up Love, Pattie Know Pin-Its, Jesse Edwards Little Tags Brush, Anna Aspnes Art Inspired Chat Freebie Brush, Karla Dudley Capture + Record Kit, and Fonts: CK Jr. High Girl  &  Ckalishand

Tri-State Fair

Last night we went to the Tri-State Fair in Amarillo and had a blast. We walked around checking things out.  Then, we went to the petting zoo where the boys got to feed deer, sheep, goats, and llamas. Caleb was a little scared at first, but ended up petting some animals.  Here's Connor feeding some.

I forgot how expensive things get at the fair. The boys kept wanting to play the carnival games, but that is  simply throwing money away.  Still, we let them pick a couple to play.  Cole won a stuffed banana and Connor won an amazingly, annoying toy trumpet that all three of them love.  

After the games, we told them they could pick a ride.  There were all kinds, but they picked this goofy little canoe ride.  I admit it was cute though.  They all three fit in one canoe.  I think they just liked getting a little wet.

After the ride, we had to get some fair food.  We shared a huge corn dog, a turkey leg, and fried potatoes.  It was all very good, but messy and greasy.  We then headed to the livestock area and the boys got to see chickens, pigs, goats, and cows.  Connor thought the chickens were hilarious.  He was cracking up.  As we were leaving, we promised cotton candy or as Cole calls it "cotton ball candy."  Caleb was very unsure of this and just held it in his hand for awhile, but loved it once he finally realized it was sweet.  I wish I'd gotten a picture of this, but I forgot.  This last picture is my favorite of the night.

Busyness and updates

Well, I keep thinking I'll have a day to get caught up but that day hasn't come as the days only seem to get busier and busier.  This summer was the busiest we've ever had with my trip to China, VBS, Houston Project (Youth Camp), visiting friends and family, summer visitors, and then Cole starting kindergarten.  Now September is here and Jason is back in school taking some online classes for his Seminary degree and it's a whole different level of crazy for our family.  Soccer has started back as have all church activities.  I am loving that fall is quickly approaching though.  There were pumpkins at the grocery store today and the there are a few days where the high temps are only supposed to be in the 60s. 

Cole is loving school though getting up every morning has been a challenge. He is attending the kindergarten program at our church which is 8-12 Monday through Friday.  I've really missed him every though he is only gone for a few hours each day.  Many people have asked what are plans are next year as we've talked about homeschooling or him going to all day kindergarten at public school.  Right now, I truly believe God is calling us to homeschooling.  The more I read about it, the more I am impressed and encouraged to do so.  I prayed that God would put other homeschooling families in my path and I've met several these past few months which has been a huge encouragement.  For those who haven't seen these yet, here are some pictures of Cole on his first day of school.

Connor started preschool last week.  He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12.  He is in the Star Class (also at our church) and he thinks he's big stuff.  Here he is on his first day of school,

Caleb is the biggest and littlest stinker still. He is my clingy one and is extra clingy these days he is either right next to me or hanging on me most of the time.  This has become exhausting, but he's so darn cute which helps immensely when I want to scream "please stop touching me for just a few minutes child." I know he will grow out of this so I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the extra holding and cuddling. :)  Here is a picture of him on Connor's first day of school. He didn't want to be left out.

Well, that's a little update on us.  I've got some other pictures to share in another post.

Cole's First Family Portrait

Cole just brought this picture he drew while his brothers are sleeping. He loves doing art when they are not around to bother him, especially Caleb who likes to get in the middle of it.

I love the picture! It's our family.  He said Daddy is the brown one, Mommy is the red one (oh, and he put a hat on me, he said ;) ), Caleb is the green one, Connor is the pink one, and he is the blue one. He also made a frame for the picture, which cracks me up.  He is so proud of this and it's already displayed on the wall of fame (our fridge door, of course). 

My sadly neglected blog... an update on us

Does it help to know that I've thought about blogging many times in the last 2 months?  It seems that once I get out of the habit of it, I go months without updating.  Hopefully this post will kick me in the pants and get me in the habit again. 

We are all doing well.  All of us got the flu last week and were down, but today other than a little coughing left, we are feeling back to normal.   As requested, below is an update on everyone individually,

Cole is 4 1/2 now and can't wait to be 5.  He's been talking about being 5 for 2 years and is probably going to be disappointed when he actually turns 5 because he's got it in his head and that he can do anything once he's 5 ;).  I've started homeschooling with him this year just doing some preschool stuff and he's also still going to our church's Weeschool program 2 days a week.  Next year, we will homeschool full-time as he starts pre-k at home.

Connor just turned 3 and I can't believe it.  He had a great birthday party even though that's the day we realized everyone was starting to get sick.  He had a great time with his friends though at his Mickey Mouse party.  Connor's favorite thing right now is to watch movies and would stay in front of the tv all day if we let him.  He spends most of his time trying to keep up with Cole.  Here are a few pics from his party,

 

Caleb is 20 months old now and is the busiest child I've ever known.  He is into everything and rarely sits still unless he is eating or sleeping.  He cracks us up all the time and is obsessed with hats right now as you can see.  I don't believe he realizes he's younger than his brothers because he gets really mad when he can't do something they are doing.  My house is messier than it's ever been with him around, but we're having fun and it will be clean again one day, right?