So Behind....

I feel like such a major slacker in the posting department! I have all of these grand ideas for new posts, and yet there is still.......NOTHING!

Mostly because I have been super duper sick! Again!
Well, to be fair, I never actually got better in the first place.

I woke up on Sunday of last week with a little wheeze in my chest. It quickly turned into a full blown cough and fever. By Monday morning my lower back was killing me and my sinuses were clogged. My wonderful hubby completely took over schooling our boys for the week so I could rest. I'm so thankful for him! I was literally unable to get out of bed for the entire week! I did, however, make it to the doctor. I had a fever of 102.4, and she finally told me my official diagnosis. I had a full blown sinus infection AND a kidney infection! Wow! When I get sick, I don't play around! She prescribed me 3 different medications and a week later, I'm finally feeling back to normal!! Whew!

And then Saturday rolled around.......

Our boys were playing in the backyard while I was making dinner. We called them in to wash up and eat. Carter scarfed down his food and ran back outside. We didn't realize that he had kicked off his shoes while he was eating and had run outside without them on his feet. The next thing we heard was Carter outside screaming. Jason ran out to see what was going on and found Carter's foot covered in blood. Upon further inspection, we found a deep hole between his third and fourth toes. We took him to the E.R. and they put two stitches in his foot.

The next day, Austin got a minor scrape on his leg. It wasn't even enough to break the skin. With big crocodile tears in his eyes, he tells me that it hurts and he needs to go to the E.R. too!

Hahaha!


Never a dull moment in our home! Not even while I'm sick!

Not Me! Monday

While looking at a picture of my mother this morning, my four year old did NOT tell us all that it wasn't her, it was a girl with a moustache. NOPE! He sure did not!

I did NOT completely skip a day of schooling our boys just so I could get a few things done and actually take my time doing them. Absolutely NOT! I know that our time together is precious.

And I currently am NOT secretly wishing I could just leave my boys unattended for a couple of hours so I can rest and take a nap. And even if I were, I certainly would NOT blog about it! No way! (I wonder if they can climb a baby gate if I put one up?????) Just kidding!

Our first born did NOT ask me if I had a baby in my tummy. To which I did NOT immediately respond with a plan for a new work out routine and diet regimen.


Wanna join Not Me! Monday?! Simply head here to find out how!!

Not Me! Monday

Yay! Its my favorite blog carnival where we confess the things we did (or didn't do) over the course of the past week! Its tons of fun and you may even find it a little therapeutic! Click here to find out how to join in!





While attending a wedding reception last week, the heel of my high heeled shoes did NOT sink into the soggy grass, which did NOT cause me to whirl around and run into a pole. Nope! And my ankle was NOT sore for days after either.



At the rehearsal of the wedding mentioned above, we did NOT forget to ask for directions to the rehearsal dinner. We also did NOT think we'd be smart and just follow the bridal party to the dinner. We then, in turn, did NOT get lost in the middle of the high desert, in a car with no air conditioning, in 100+ degree weather. NOPE! NOT us!



Our 4 year old is NOT suddenly obsessed with the words "butt", "poop", and "farted". NOPE! Those words are just inappropriate. He also does NOT slip them in randomly in as many conversations as possible. Which does NOT end up sounding something like this:



Me: (to Jason) Hey babe?



Hayden: (whispering quietly in the background) POOP!



Jason: Yeah?



Hayden: (again in the background) FARTED!! (giggle giggle)



He also does NOT proclaim to all who will listen when he does actually pass gas. Nope!





And lastly, I am NOT taking a quick break from schooling my children just to post a new blog. NOPE! I would NEVER do that!!

Sick!

So I never made it up to the retreat yesterday. We packed up the car and the kids and made it as far as my parents home. And that is where the sickness that has been hanging over my head for the past week took full control over me. I was sweating and shaking amongst other things, and I sat on their couch trying to make myself feel better. In the end, the sickness won. My dad and I have been planning this for weeks and we were both greatly disappointed. To be quite honest, I wasn't even sure I would make it home much less up a mountain. Praise God He sustained me!! Once home, I was immediately ordered, (by Jason), to get to bed and that is where I have been until now.

Ugh! Being sick is no fun! Please pray that I feel better and for protection over the rest of our family. Carter's birthday is next week and we can't be sick for that!!

I haven't had much time to post lately due to the fact that we have been incredibly busy!! School is going wonderfully! Both Carter and Austin are doing very well. I'm so happy to announce that our sweet Austin has begun reading and each day shows that he's ahead of schedule in certain subjects. He breezes through Math like its nothing. Since I was never good at Math, this is a wonderful thing to behold! Carter is also growing and maturing more and more each day. He is really coming into his own this school year! He is finding subjects that he loves and is working very hard. I have quite a few pictures of their school work that I have yet to upload. But I will! I promise!!
As for Jason and I, we have been beyond busy with so many things. Last week I had the opportunity to play piano in a friend's wedding ceremony. It was beautiful and I was so blessed to take part in it!
Yesterday was our first school field trip of the year. We ventured out to the L.A. County Fair. Despite the fact that it was well over 100 degrees, we had a great time! We took part in many of their free, educational activities and were even able to ride a couple of the rides for FREE! Thankfully none of my fair skinned beauties got sunburned. (Although I did. Go figure!)
Which brings me to this weekend. My dad asked me help him lead worship for a retreat up in Big Bear, and as I'm typing, my washing machine and dryer are going and our car is being packed. We head out in a couple of hours and I'm really looking forward to it! We have definately had our share of attacks this week, from sickness to broken keyboards which just confirms in my heart that the Lord is going to do great things this weekend!
And lastly, we are busy with preparations for our sweet Carter's 7th birthday celebration!! It is so hard for me to believe how fast time has gone by! He is such a sweet, tender hearted little boy and we are so proud of him!




And now, more Hayden-isms:

After we had dropped off Carter and Austin at school a few weeks back, we decided to treat ourselves to coffee from Starbucks. Hayden requested a chocolate milk with whipped cream and to his delight, we treated him with one. Today, while chatting with Austin's kindergarten teacher, Hayden loudly announced to the class that he was going to Starbucks for a chocolate milk with whipped cream, NOT his brothers. When he discovered that we were not going to Starbucks, he quietly told me, "Mama, when we get home, daddy can go to sleep and just me and you can go to Starbucks for chocolate milk and whipped cream. Just me and you. Not daddy!"

Baby Love

Today

Yikes! Where do I begin??

I was able to sleep in this morning because my wonderfully hard working hubby thought that I could use the extra rest. I definitely did!!
Once I did actually get up and get moving, I made us all some lunch and spent some time downstairs with my 4 guys. And then I realized that I'm singing tomorrow at church and hadn't practiced! So up the stairs I darted to begin rehearsing for tomorrow. I was so engrossed in the music blaring out of the computer speakers that I was apparently unaware of all other matters. So when I heard Carter call out, "Mama!", it was a completely horrifying shock to see him standing in the doorway of our classroom with a teenage boy whom we do not know. And there I was sitting at our computer desk in a robe!
The boy apologized repeatedly. He told me that he was knocking on doors letting all of the neighbors know that he and his family are having a bake sale and when he knocked on ours, Carter opened it and invited him inside. When asked where his mom was, Carter told him it was OK to go upstairs where I was. And where was Jason you may ask? He was downstairs asleep on the couch. He had waken up very early with our boys and had nodded off on the couch.
And so, the ever apologizing teen walked back downstairs while I, still rather shocked, stood there shaking with adrenaline. Needless to say, Carter, who knows better than to open the door by himself, was sent to his room.
As for me, I couldn't sit still and used this new found "energy" to clean our entire house from top to bottom. The only room that I hadn't cleaned was Carter and Hayden's room. It was, by far, the most messy and I refuse to clean it alone. When I approached Carter, (who was just kicking back on his bed), to clean up, his response was, "But it takes too long!!"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


Fast forward to now......

Their room is clean! Mama don't play that game!


And so, nearing the end of our day, all has calmed down. The house is clean, plans are made for childcare for the boys for tomorrow, and I know I can rest knowing that the Lord is still, and always was and is, in control.

Hayden-isms

1. "Mama, when I get big I want a big tummy like you!"

(gee, thanks son)

2. "Mama, you're my favorite girl!"

3. (Skipping down the hall at the doctor's office, singing loudly), "I love shots! I love shots!"

4. (Five minutes later, sitting in our room, waiting for said shots), "Mama!! I don't love shots!!"

5. (While I was blowing raspberries on his cheeks), "Mama! You're farting on my face! Fart on my face with your butt!!"

Oh my! Never ever a dull moment with him!

Disneyland

All summer Hayden has been asking us if we could go to Disneyland. He has recently developed a love for Mickey Mouse. Little does he know, he's been to Disneyland more times than we can count, however, he doesn't remember.

Jason and I had many conversations regarding the financial issue of visiting the park. As of now for a family of 5, its close to $400 just to walk in the door. We LOVE Disneyland and would love to have our passes again and were seriously thinking about just taking the plunge and doing it.



Then there came an opportunity for me to reunite with a few other musicians to play, (as a band), at a private party. Our drummer, (whom I haven't seen in almost 7 years), and I got to talking. Turns out he works at Disneyland and during our conversation he offered to sign all 5 of us into both parks! He said he just wanted to bless our family.


I know its just Disneyland and that most SoCal residents have annual passes. So did we at one point. However, it had been on my heart all summer. Our boys have been asking and asking if we could go and here it was, laid out before us. Isn't it awesome that the Lord sees the desires of our hearts?!



So, we set a date but didn't tell the boys. We wanted to keep it a surprise. They knew we were going somewhere, but we kept the destination a complete mystery. As we pulled into the parking structure, they were sure they knew where we were headed. They were each positive we were spending the day at Downtown Disney. In fact, it wasn't until we were standing in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle that they finally realized where we were.

Hayden got his wish. He met Mickey Mouse:

And Pluto:

We couldn't possibly of had a better day! The weather was perfect, the crowd was perfect, our boys had a blast and Carter even rode on his very first roller coaster!! It is a day that they are still talking about. Hayden tells me everyday that he misses Mickey Mouse and he wants him to come to our house and spend the night. :)

We are so thankful and blessed to have gone!

Whew!

This week has been a whirlwind of activity! (and its only Wednesday!!!)


Monday our two oldest babes had their first dental appointments which left Mr. Hayden with me. He was overjoyed to accompany me to my piano lesson and even more overjoyed when we stopped to visit my dad at work. He was so curious about everything and everyone. My dad showed him around and introduced him to his coworkers. Hayden even got a bag of Skittles out of it. Quite a trip for him!


Tuesday was Carter and Austin's first official day of school. I still can't come to grips with the fact that my boys are in first grade and kindergarten! Didn't I just give birth to them?! Since our school is a charter school, they attend class two days out of the week and we school at home the other three days. I love it! They truly get the best of both worlds. So, yesterday was it. Both were eager to begin and by the end of the day, I was eager to pick them up and hear all about it! They each did wonderfully and much fun was had.

I looked forward to Tuesday for many reasons. I was so excited for another school year, (and still am), and so proud to see my boys excited too. But in all honesty, I was looking forward to having just one child home with me. (hahaha!)

I had imagined all of the things that could be accomplished, and how I'd work with him one on one with speech and his numbers and alphabet. I had visions of a clean house and cookies baking in the oven.......

HA!

Hayden is a talker! He fully took advantage of being the only child here. My sweet little boy has much more to say than I gave him credit for. His little mouth ran from the moment we got in the car after dropping off his brothers, till the moment we picked them up.

My housework? Only got partially done. Its hard getting things done when you have a 4 year old shadow. :)

Errands? Attempted to run to Target. After hearing non-stop complaints, we made a bee-line home.

Cookies? Were made after dinner. All three boys helped.

One on one time with Hayden? This DID happen, and my sweet boy is very smart. However, he does not sit still for long. He chattered away about how much he wanted to play pirates. So, we did it, but not how I had invisioned. We are all still getting used to this new schedule and I know things will calm down once we get into our routine. There is still hope! (heehee)

Then there was today.......

Our first official day schooling at home......

My first day teaching two different grade levels.......

Over all it went very well. It was very challenging, but it went well. We had no major discipline issues, but I do have one sick kid. I was up too late last night preparing for today and in my fatigue was trying very hard to be patient. Austin figured out pretty quick that he's not able to slide by like he did last school year. I pushed him a little more and once he started his little complaints, so did Carter and Hayden followed soon after.

Our day was a success and we accomplished most of what I had set out to do. (which was A LOT!) Our boys seemed to enjoy themselves and I'm looking forward to what we will accomplish tomorrow!

Anxious

*Sigh*

I know I shouldn't feel this way, and for the most part I don't. But I do have those days. Those days when I look back to previous years and think of how I wasted so much time with my boys. There was so much time that I could have been teaching them the basics when instead we did other trivial things. So much time that I wasted when I decided to take a job outside of our home which took me away from my family way too much. I look back and think, "Why didn't we put Carter into preschool that year?!" I look back at his first year in kindergarten and remember how unprepared he was. I remember what a struggle that whole year was for him and I remember how much I felt the Lord's leading to home school.
My children are all still very young, however looking back at all those "wasted" years makes me so anxious for the future. I love homeschooling! It is most definitely a passion in my life and seeing how much our boys enjoy it makes it all the better! But I often wonder if I'm cut out for it all. Are the boys behind academically? Am I teaching them all the necessary skills?
Then I look at other moms. Moms who knew from the moment they found out they were pregnant that they were going to home school their children. Moms who stay at home. And as hard as I try not to compare myself to them, I do. I never in a million years thought that I would home school our kids. We took a major leap of faith and followed the Lord's leading in our lives after seeing Carter's struggles. And I own my own business on top of that. While I do work my own hours and schedule my music lessons around schooling, I often feel like I neglect our school time for work.


On the flip side, I am so excited about the school year beginning next week. I look forward to it with great anticipation! I have many goals, projects and units that I'm eager to dive into! And I know where these anxious feelings are coming from. I am so at peace with the decision to home school our boys. I see much progress in our little ones. I know, without a shadow of a doubt that these thoughts are attacks.
I'm excited to see all that the Lord is going to accomplish this school year! I know that He will give me the strength to get through it all! And I know that I have no need to be anxious! He is in control always!

Not Me! Monday

While on vacation, I did not wear a denim mini-skirt, (thinking I'd attempt to look cute), and then attempt to climb through numerous tiny compartments of a Soviet submarine at the maritime museum. Nope! Not me! I would have flashed all those standing around and I would never do that!!

While beginning my new workout routine this morning, I did not stop the DVD and lay on the couch out of pure exhaustion. Nope! I'm no quitter! I am also not dreading doing it all again tomorrow!

I did not recently discover, (to my horror), my first ever gray hair. Nope!! I'm way too young to have gray hair! I also did not pull about 50 perfectly good strands of hair while trying to pull the one gleaming white culprit, and I most certainly did not text message my hubby about it!

I did not discover that my children added new apps to my phone! I also am not worried that I have no idea how to take them off. Nope!

My 4 year old did not walk in on me using the restroom! Nope! He then did not run downstairs and tell his brothers. I did not then have 3 little boys running upstairs to take a peek. Nope!

Wanna join in the fun!! Click the button above to get started!!

Vacation 101

1. Always check before departure if your hotel charges for parking so you don't end up spending $30 just to park.

2. As you're packing for your trip be sure to check all pool toys and other floating devices for holes and air leaks.

3. Never wear a mini-skirt when touring a submarine unless you want to give the other families a little show.

4. Be sure to ask your spouse if he is afraid of carousels before boarding one.

5. Be sure you are not afraid of Lorikeets BEFORE you purchase nectar and enter Lorikeet Landing.

6. Hungry kids = Grumpy kids*

*Be careful not to feed them too much!*

7. Let your children play, have fun and be themselves. You will find that they really come out of their shells!

(Yes, he did get stuck!)

8. Be sure to take in the local scene.

9. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

The Sun'll Come Out....Tomorrow.....

Tomorrow marks the first day of my vacation!! Woohoo!! (I say "my" because my wonderful hubby isn't officially on vacation till Sunday). I am so excited and so looking forward to some much needed time away with just us 5. We've got some pretty cool stuff planned for next week and I'm counting down the minutes till we get there!!! We've both been working so much this summer. We need a quick get-away before school starts up again.

We did take a quick trip down to San Diego to watch a Padre game. We weren't expecting the game to be as good as it was. (Sorry, but they're in last place! heehee) They pulled through and won! And to top it off, it was Friarworks Friday and all of the families sitting in our section had the awesome privilege of going out on the field and watching the fireworks from there. It was awesome!

So, for the next couple of weeks, I have to finish my lesson plans for the upcoming school year, ( a task that I did week to week last year), continue scheduling my piano students to make sure my music lessons do not interfere with my homeschooling, and tons of laundry.

And now I'm off! Have a wonderful day everyone!

From boys to men

Hayden: (speaking to Carter and Austin) Hi boys!!!!!!!


Carter: (rather annoyed) We are NOT boys! We're men!!!!!!

summer Project

My summer project has been to turn one of our bedrooms into a classroom. I wanted a more organized space where we would only hold school instead of spread all over my kitchen and family room like before. I am so happy to say that my work is done! Its definately been fun and I'm very pleased with the results:

Lucky Charms?

I was cleaning up our kitchen/family room tonight after the kids had gone to bed and I happened to look up at the ceiling above our table.......

There are Lucky Charm marshmallows stuck on the ceiling! Not only that, but there are also different colored spots up there where you can tell they were thrown but didn't stick.

All I can say is wow!

Its the Little Things...

Its the little things that make my day.

Such as:

*Sitting with a young, shy piano student and finally hearing her speak to me for the first time in 2 weeks!

*Coming home, exhausted after a long day away from my family and hearing news that all four of my boys had a wonderful day playing together. :)

*Eating a quiet breakfast with my 86 yr. old grandmother and listening to our boys tell her some pretty tall tales. Then listening to her tell them a few tall tales of her own.

* Watching Hayden fall down, then having him tell me that he fell because his toes are too short.

* Pulling my hair back in a pony tail because its just too hot outside, and having Austin tell me that it looks beautiful.

* Hearing a screeching car outside and having Hayden run into our room exclaiming that he heard a wolf howling! (then listening to him mimick the howl)



Yeah, its the little things.

Speed Bumps

So, there are about 3 speed bumps in our neighborhood. Each time we venture down that particular street, I, rather excitedly, encourage the boys to raise their hands in the air and yell out, "Woohoo!", as if on a roller coaster. They think its hilarious! Should I forget to do so, they all insist that I do it too!

It should come as no surprise then, that as I was coming home from a piano lesson this week, ALONE, that I almost raised my hands in the air and yelled, "Woohoo!".


WOOHOO!

Not Me! Monday

Want to scream bloody murder when your toddler colored on your floor with a Sharpie? Well don't! Mothers aren't perfect and neither are children, so today I thought we'd switch things up a little and do a Not my child! Monday!Sound like fun? Then let's get going!

It was not my child who told our new babysitter to go home because he liked our previous sitter better. Nope! Not my child!

It was not the very same child who declared loudly to all of Barnes and Noble that the actress Demi Lovato is his girlfriend and he loves her. Nope!

I did not catch all three of my children climbing on top of their dresser and jumping off onto a mattress they had pulled off of one of their beds. Nope! My children are not that wild!

Upon receiving a gift card to my favorite clothing store and attempting to take my kids with me alone, my son did not tell me that he wishes he were a girl so he could wear pretty clothes like me. Nope!

Do you have funny kid stories too?? Wanna share them?! Then head over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ to play!

Game Winners!!

First I want to say a big THANK YOU (!!!) to those of you who participated in our games over the weekend!! It really means a lot!!!

Bekah read over the short stories that were submitted and she has chosen a winner! And the winner is.............


The Wilcox Family with the following entry:

She will go into labor on her way to work while driving on the freeway. She won't be able to get to the hospital and her hubby will be the one to coach her through the birth of Ayden. It will take a very short time because there will be no drugs to lessen the contractions, so Ayden will come quikcly! Hubby will do a great job cutting the cord with his pocket knife and then he will drive her to the hospital with their new little one.


Congrats!!!! You will be receiving your prize in the mail shortly!

Keep checking back to see the winners of Games 1 and 2

A Morning Like This

6:15 am - Alarm goes off. The snooze is quickly hit. (a few times)

6:45 am - I finally decided its about time to get up.

7:00 am - Boys are awakened.

7:15 am - Snacks are being prepared to take to the movies. I realize that I am out of juice boxes.

7:30 am - Chased 2 naked boys down the hall, trying to convince them to get dressed.

8:00 am - Took all three boys to the doctor so he could "read" the results of Hayden's TB skin test. Upon arriving in the parking lot, all three boys began to cry out of pure fear of getting shots. Much to their relief, we were in and out.

9:00 am - We arrive at the movie theater to take in our weekly flick. We purchase drinks and I realize that I spent more on only drinks than I did last week when I bought them the kids combos!

9:10 am - I hand everyone their drinks and ask if anyone has to go potty. All say no.

9:15 am - We sit down and settle in. All three announce they have to go potty. We gather up all of our belongings and head to the restroom.

9:45 am - The movie finally begins. They started the wrong one and my kids get scared.

9:55 am - The correct movie begins to play.

11:00 am - Hayden spills his ice cold drink down my side. Carter complains that the drink is spilled. Thank you captain obvious!

11:50 am - We arrive home and although my surplus of snacks are gone, all three are complaining of hunger.

Presently - Counting down the minutes until Jason wakes up and saves me from the madness!

Not Me! Monday

I did not just now realize (at 10:30 pm) that today is in fact Monday and that this would have been yet another week that I missed my favorite blog carnival! Nope! Not me!! Who forgets what day of the week it is?! Not me!

On Sunday while talking to another choir member at church, I did not refer to Hayden as having blue hair and blonde eyes instead of blonde hair and blue eyes. Nope! I also did not continue the conversation, thinking that all was correct with my previous statement, only to be stopped by the look of amusement in her face. No way! That would have been embarassing!

There has not been a little gnat following me around all day. Nope! And it is not making me wonder if I smell and if that is the reason it likes me. After all, why would I smell??

I did not start calling my children "who-ever-you-are" or "you-know-what-your-name-is!". Nope! I never confuse their names! Never! They also do not laugh hysterically when I do not do this.

Now would typically be the time when I encourage all of you faithful readers to participate in Not Me! Monday. However, seeing as I almost forgot about it again, we'll save it for next week! Or not.

Hayden

Our dear, sweet, kind-hearted, youngest son. He has got to be the most sensitive of the three. He will ask me why a certain plot turned out the way it did during movies or TV shows. I watch him sometimes and his gaze is fixed on the screen and his little hand will be covering his mouth. He melts my heart. They all do. He just has an easier time of it. He's the one who will throw his arms around my neck and say, "Mama! You're da best!". He's also the one who requests that we say bedtime prayers together when I forget. Mr. Hayden, who was born with a small hole in his heart, actually has a heart bigger than he is.

Today was his very first dental appointment. While brushing his teeth a few weeks back, I noticed that he had a very noticeable cavity in one of his molars. So not only was this his first dental appointment, it was also his first dental procedure. I was trying and trying to rest in the fact that God is in control. His hand was and is on our sweet boy. In the end, Jason took him and I stayed home with the older two. We kept in constant contact via text message. I was told that Hayden announced to all that he wasn't scared. He remained calm through out the entire process and as soon as he walked in our front door, he told me that his cavity was gone. (he actually had two!)

We are so proud of him! He is one tough little guy! As a reward, Jason ran out to the store while I was bathing them and bought Jello pudding for him. (sugar free of course). He was thrilled! He kept sneaking his brother's pudding cups and licking them clean. We tried to gently scold him but his response was, "But I like pudding a lot!"

Such a character! Such a sweet heart! Such an awesome blessing to be his parents!

I Told Them Not to Get Wet!

I don't think they listened!

LOL!

Birthday Pics

Can you guess where we went??

If you guessed the zoo, then you are correct!!

We had a blast!

A Little Big of This and That

*This Sunday is my first week serving on the worship team at church!! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited to see what the Lord is going to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*A wonderful friend of mine recently asked me to be part of a mommy's bible study. It started today and I am so blessed to be part of it! It has been my desire for quite some time now to befriend other Christian moms. We need the support and fellowship of other Christian women who are going through or have already gone through the same things we are currently facing. I am so excited to see where the Lord takes this new ministry. I am doubly blessed to have also been asked to be the worship leader for this study!! God is so good!!

*Over the course of the past week, I have received numerous calls from moms wanting their children to begin piano lessons. These calls are from women who had seen my ad last year, clipped it and saved it and are now able to start. As of today, I now have 7 new students! 7!!! That brings me to a grand total of 12 active students!! I have quite a few others who have taken temporary breaks, and when added to the current 12, it brings my total to 16 students! Wow! We are so blessed! Its so hard for me to contain my excitement with all that we have been given!!

I do believe it is time for yet another amusing kid story or two!

I came home from teaching a piano lesson this afternoon and was standing near our table talking to Jason. Carter and Austin were crouched on the floor near me and I could hear them whispering quietly in the background. It took me a minute before I realized what they were doing. They were peeking under my skirt and whispering to each other about it!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!!! They both were quickly sent off to bed!

Yesterday the boys and I took a trip to Target. I had Hayden sit on the floor so I could try a pair of shoes on his feet. Instead of just sitting, he put his arms behind his head, layed completely down on the floor, began snoring loudly, then says, "Ahhh! I'm so relaxed and comfortable!"

Crazy kid!

That's all for now! Hope you are all having a wonderful Friday!!

Addiction

I have an addiction.

Yes, yes I do.

And the more time that passes, the stronger my addiction becomes.

Its pretty much all I think about every day.

My addiction???

FROZEN YOGURT!!!!

Seriously!

You may laugh, but there is a new fro-yo place very near our house and we eat there at least twice a week! No joke!

I think I need to go to meetings!

I'm also addicted to these guys:

No meetings are necessary for this particular addiction.

Stair sledding and birthdays

I'm finally back!! I looked over my last few posts to see where I had left off, and I realized that I'm more behind than I originally thought! So, this will be the first of many updates. :)

While having a friend of ours over for dinner last month, I noticed Austin was dragging around an under-bed storage box around. Not wanting him to break it or injure himself or the other kids, I instructed him to take it upstairs where it belongs. Then I continued my conversation. Within minutes, Austin was sitting inside the box like a sled, clinging on to the sides for dear life, flying down the stairs. He seemed to think it would be a good idea to, in fact, use it as a sled and go for a little ride. The look on his face was sheer terror as he sped down all 13 stairs. It wasnt until he came to a stop at the bottom that he laughed. We tried to scold him, but both Jason and I started to laugh hysterically.

The boys birthday party was a huge success! They loved their Mickey Mouse themed party and were wonderfully exhausted by the end of the day.

Since we had planned their party in the middle of their actual birthdays, we had planned to do a little something special for each of them on their actual birthdays. Austin loves to help me in the kitchen, so on his birthday, he helped me bake his cake. He was thrilled! On Hayden's birthday, we took him to Chuck E. Cheese. He's still telling everyone about it!

Everywhere Chuck E. Cheese would go, Hayden was sure to follow. We always knew where he was within the restaurant. All we had to do was look for the big grey mouse.

I'm still in the process of uploading and editing more photos and I have tons more stories to share. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. :)

Far Behind!!

I know I'm slacking on the updated postings! And I'm super bummed that I missed Not Me! Monday!!! We've been soooooooo busy! I will post soon on all the haps here! Promise! Keep checking back!!

This Little Piggy......

Happy Birthday, Hayden!!

Its Amazing....

.....how quickly everything can change.

The boys and I went to church with my parents this morning. My mom and I took them each to their classes and they each went in without a fuss. The service was awesome as usual, and worship was amazing like always. I sat there overwhelmed with gratitude for our wonderful church and church family. We are constantly blessed by our pastor and blown away by our awesome worship team. I'm also growing with excitement as the day I begin serving on the worship team draws near.

Then it all changed.

The boys and I left a few minutes before my parents, so I ventured across the parking lot alone with all three in tow and no help. As I was attempting to open my car door, Hayden took off running. An on coming car skid to a stop just inches away from my sweet boy. Praise God he wasn't hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My whole heart changed. I went from being so blessed, to being so bitter. All of the "what ifs" came flooding into my head. We are slowly dealing with, and getting used to my hubby's new work schedule, however, the one thought that kept coming into my head was, "If he were here, this wouldn't have happened!"
It took some patient and encouraging words from my mom to bring me back to reality. All she said was, "Just wait for us next time." How true those words are! This is only a season. As hard as it may be for us to accept this change in schedule, it is only a season and all I have to do is wait. The Lord has some big things in store for us, I know. But as of right now, I just need to wait. He was there guiding that truck. He gave the driver eyes to see my sweet Hayden. He was there protecting him when I couldn't. And He's here with us guiding us through each and every day, but I must wait on Him.

And about an hour later, while we were sitting down eating lunch at my parents house, I realized......


How my heart had changed again.....

Where Does the Time Go?

He did it! Carter completed Kindergarten!! Our charter school put on a wonderful promotion ceremony yesterday complete with performances by the Kindergarten class. They sang some pretty adorable songs. We are so proud of our big guy! He even won a reading award for completing 8 reading logs. (equals about 2,000 pages read)

It turned out to be quite a long day for Austin and Hayden. They each wanted to participate in the ceremony. Jason and I had to explain again and again that it wasn't their turn yet.

It was worth the patience and explanations. Carter did so well!

And, to add to an already wonderful day, I was able to see one of my piano students (who attends the same school), play a piano piece in the talent show! He was amazing! I am just bursting with pride!

Carter and his wonderful teacher

Our family

Graduation Day!

Our big guy graduates Kindergarten later this afternoon! We are so proud of him!!! I just finished ironing his gown and dress shirt. :)

I'm sure there will be many pics to share!

First there was Austin, then there was Hayden. My sweet little princes who happen to be 13 months and 3 days apart. People often stop and ask me if they are twins. They may as well be. They are the same height, the same weight and wear the same size clothing. When they are standing next to big brother Carter, who towers above them, it does indeed look like they are twins.

And so, as it is every year, as soon as one has a birthday, so does the other. It seems as though we blink and we are throwing another birthday bash. So this year we decided to do it a little differently. Instead of having two separate parties back to back, we are having one rather large party for the two of them. Each of them was a little uncertain about this new concept. But once I explained that they would each get their own presents, they were ok. :)

I took the two of them to the party supply store and let them pick out their own theme. After about an hour, they finally decided on one that they both liked. So we are going with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I even bought each boy a little button to wear that say, "Its my 5th birthday" and "Its my 4th birthday". Annnnnddddd I came up with a great cake idea! Woohoo!

The party is on Saturday and I'm very excited!! My boys are growing up too fast!! Where did the time go?!

Give Away!!!

Do you like blog give aways?! I do!!! Just follow the simple rules and wait to see if you've won!! How fun is that?! If you would like to participate in this particular give away, click here.

Crazy!!!

Yes, I'm announcing that I'm going craaaaaaazzzzzyyyyyyy! Ugh!!!

For those of you wonderful readers who have followed me for some time, you probably remember this post in which I lost my keys. I have, once again, misplaced something of importance. But lets rewind and start at the beginning......

We are in the process of enrolling Austin in school. We LOVE our charter school and are very eager for Austin to begin. In all of my eagerness, I would daily check the school website to see if enrollment for the 2009/2010 school year had opened up. When it did, I enrolled Austin online and was given a deadline of when I needed to have all of my paperwork in. Knowing he was behind in his shots, I took him our doctor to have his physical done and shots up to date. So we have been visiting our doctor every two weeks to have more and more shots. Our doctor is wonderful and insists on NOT giving too many shots at one time, which I love!

As of this morning, I had two documents to fax to student records. (Our deadline is tomorrow) I was waiting on two more shots to complete the school requirements and Austin had one last appointment scheduled for this morning. Our plan was to drop Carter off at school, head to the doctor, go back to the school, and fax over the remaining two documents. Yeah......

As we were leaving, I realized that I couldn't find Austin's immunization record. I have had it out and ready to go for the last two months because we have been using it quite a bit. But somehow it disappeared. All of the kids were dressed and ready to go, Carter's lunch was made, I had a little backpack of activities for the two younger boys for the wait in the doctor's office, but no immunization card. I know that all of his shots are in his file, but the fact that I lost the actual card really bugged me. So, we tore the house apart and Carter was late to school. Upon arriving at school, I realized that today was our day to bring snack and I didn't have it! Grrr......
So, we take off to the doctor, explain what happened and they tell us that they can write up a new card but will charge us $5.00.

Long story short, they were able to print out a form of all of Austin's shots from birth to now, free of charge, we rushed to the store, got snack for Carter's class, went back to school, dropped off snack and had the forms faxed over! Whew! However, I still cannot find Austin's original shot record. In all of our madness this morning we even forgot to pay our copay! Hahaha! So I have to go back down there tomorrow and while I'm there I'm going to "order" a new shot record. Wow!

Crazy day!!!

Airing Out My Thoughts

My last piano lesson today was rough. This particular student has proven to be a challenge for me regardless of the day, but today's was increasingly more difficult. From being purposely spat upon, to a complete melt down, it is only by God's sweet mercy that I was able to make it through till the end. He tests my patience for sure. I'm certain that God is using this little guy to teach me to be patient and its only by His strength that I have been thus far. Ugh!
I am so thankful for my family and the "quiet" house I came home to. I have been blessed abundantly and each time I come home from teaching this student, I'm more aware of those blessings. My boys are crazy, energetic, mischievous and loud, but they are also sweet, kind and well behaved. (for the most part) *wink*

On a brighter note, I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to this student. It has proven to be quite difficult teaching him to read music. However today, he got it! Its like a little light went on inside his head and he finally understood! What an awesome reward! If only the rest of our time together had gone the same way!

The Many Faces of Austin

This little guy cracks me up!

05/06/09

My sweet Austin,

It is so hard to me to believe that you turned 5 years old on Wednesday! My, how these past 5 years have flown by! It truly seems like only yesterday I learned that I was pregnant with you. Oh, how excited we were!!! We so eagerly looked forward to your birth!
It seems as though no time has passed since I began to feel you move inside me. And I clearly remember the nightmare that followed when we thought we lost you. Those two months were the longest months of my life! Each and every ultrasound we went to, I held my breath waiting to see if you were still there, still healthy. And each time, there you were. So sweet and tiny and perfect. It seems like I just blinked and now here you are; my active, thoughtful, scheming, curious little boy. I remember the day you were born. Daddy's words still ring clear in my head. "He looks like you!"

From day one, you did things your own way. You slept in your own way, you ate, spoke and played in your own way. You have always been such an independent little guy. My smallest baby with such a sensitive little heart. You took your time learning how to walk. Didn't seem too interested in it. Your daddy and I would joke that you would suddenly take off the day we brought your baby brother home from the hospital. You did!

These past 5 years will forever be treasured in my heart as will all the years to come. You prove to be a challenge with all of your scheming. But regardless of how frustrated I may get at times, I love these moments with you. Never question how much we love you and how proud of you we are! We can't believe you are already starting kindergarten! We just know you are going to excel! You are so bright! We love you so much, Austin! We eagerly look forward to this, your 5th year.

Happy Birthday, buddy!

Love always,

Mama and Daddy

Birthdays, Disneyland, and new jobs, Oh My!

A couple of weeks ago, we were sitting at home wondering what we could do as a family. We didn't want to be cooped up in the house, so we decided to take a little trip to downtown Disney. Our boys, of course, wanted to venture inside Disneyland, but we don't have annual passes anymore, nor do we have an extra $400 just laying around, so we just stuck it out on the outskirts. Once we entered the World of Disney store, they seemed pretty satisfied. And, Carter was able to show us just how excited he is to finally graduate kindergarten:

After the graduation excitement, all four of my boys released the pirate in them:

And I fell in love with my prince charming all over again:

After our wonderful family night out, my oldest sister approached me and asked if I would want to join her and our niece at Disneyland for their birthdays. For those of you who don't know, Disneyland is offering free admission on your birthday and my sister and niece share the same birthday. My sister also has a few free tickets to meet the big Cheese himself (Mickey), so I was able to get in for free as well. We had a wonderful girls day out. We literally got to the park at opening and stayed until about 12:30 am. Needless to say, we were all exhausted but had a blast!!!!

On a totally different topic, I recently had the opportunity to go on a job interview for Gymboree. They had an opening for a new music teacher and I went. It was one of the largest group interviews that I have ever taken part of and as I sat there I realized that I was probably the oldest person in the room, including the manager. Not only that, but I was the only mom. The interview was fun and interesting, but I had a major epiphany. I'm over it.

All of the other applicants were just starting out in life. Most of them were still in college. And while I am overly qualified to do said job, I'm totally over it. There was a time in my life that I wanted to work away from home. That time was short lived once I realized how much of my boys' day I was missing. I hated being away from them and it took me such a long time to build up my music business again. I am currently doing what I KNOW the Lord has called me to do. I'm working as a music teacher, working my own hours, I'm here for my family when they need me, I'm homeschooling my boys and I'm about to begin serving on the worship team at church. I'm doing what I've always wanted to do right now!

After the interview, Jason asked me how it went. I just smiled and told him that I was done with it. I'm perfectly content at home with my family. There is no peace quite like when you know you are in the Lord's will.

Changing subjects again.....

TOMORROW IS OUR LITTLE MAN'S 5TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!

Carter: "Lets learn about constellations today!"


Austin: "Wow, Carter! You're a GENIUS!"

Greater Hope

Yesterday my boys and I were getting ready to head out to church. (Jason recently began a new work schedule, and as much as we all dislike it, he is unable to attend with us). We were remarkably on time and unusually un-rushed. We had time to eat a full breakfast, (instead of the usual cereal bar eaten in the car), brush teeth, comb hair, and I was even able to have some quiet time alone before I woke my sweet boys. The best thing we were able to do yesterday was read together. We read of Adam and Eve and we prayed.

After we prayed, I was explaining to the boys the difference between Thursday (bible study) class and Sunday class. The difference, obviously being the teachers, the class size and room numbers. Each boy began to whine. They LOVE their bible study classes, however, each Sunday is a struggle. It breaks my heart each week hearing my boys call after me as I leave them in their classrooms, or hold on tightly to my leg.

So yesterday, with the extra time we had, I explained to them that I would NEVER leave them and not return. I reassured them that I would ALWAYS come back and would NEVER put them somewhere that wasn't safe. They can ALWAYS feel secure knowing that I will NEVER abandon them because I love them and want whats best for them.

It didn't take very long for the Lord to touch my heart. As I was encouraging my boys, the Lord was encouraging me. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. He IS coming back....soon!! He didn't abandon us and NEVER will. He loves us! Each and every one of us! Those words that I spoke to my children, the Lord was using to speak to me, His daughter. And they apply to everyone! The days we are living in seem bleak and hopeless. But we have a Greater hope! We need not fear! Just as I reminded my boys that I would return for them, Christ is returning for us! He is our rescue! Amen!

I have been recently following a new blog. I follow a lot of blogs, but this one in particular is one of my favs. In it, the author, who is also a mother, shared a little about the children's bible that she uses with her girls. In her Easter post, she typed in an excerpt from the bible and I was hooked. So yesterday after bible study I took a gander at what our book store had to offer. And there, in the children's section was the very same bible. I was a little hesitant to buy it considering we already have a children's bible, but after a few moments of indecisiveness, I purchased it. I've been reading it to the boys (and to Jason) all day today and LOVE it! It paints such a picture of the love that God has for us! This book is simply wonderful! Here is a portion of what I read today. It is the story of Adam and Eve:

(after they had fallen into sin)

"Well, in another story, it would all be over and that would have been....

The End.

But not this story.

God loved His children too much to let the story end there.

Even though He knew He would suffer, God had a plan--

a magnificent dream.

One day, He would get His children back.

One day, He would make the world their perfect home again.

And one day, He would wipe away every tear from their eyes.

You see, no matter what, in spite of everything.

God would love His children--

with a Never Stopping,

Never Giving Up,

Unbreaking,

Always

and

Forever Love.

And though they would forget Him, and run from Him,

deep in their hearts, God's children would miss Him always,

and long for Him --

lost children yearning for their home.

Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve:

"It will not always be so!

I will come back to rescue you!

And when I do, I'm going to do battle against the snake.

I'll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here.

I'm coming back for you!"

And He would. One day, God Himself would come."

Beautiful, isn't it?

Why?! Wednesday

So, I decided to change my "Wordless Wednesday" to "Why?! Wednesday". Lets see if it catches on. :)


*Why did my oldest son shatter his closet door this afternoon?!

*Why, for the second time in a row, did I almost miss the chair I was squatting to sit on?! LOL (Yeah.....I really did!)

*Why did Austin find a dead mouse in the backyard and then proceed to bring it into the house to show us?!

*Why, when we went to the grocery store, did Hayden grab the box of cereal bars and in a loud, mad voice say, "I'm going to take them in my room and lock the door!" ?!

*Why did my hubby eat carpet while running up the stairs the other day?! Hahaha! (Too funny!)

*Why am I so unbelievably blessed beyond measure?! :)

My Buddy

Doesn't he look like the old My Buddy doll?!

In two weeks our middle child will turn 5. Not only is he another year older, he is also going to begin kindergarten in the fall! Where does the time go?! My sweet, mischievous, sensitive, quiet little boy is growing up too fast!

I have recently begun the enrollment process for kindergarten and today was his physical exam with our doctor. My poor baby boy had to receive two shots! :( And he has to return in two weeks for two more. Austin was so brave! I was able to hold him while his shots were being administered and I believe that I teared up more than he did! And for being so brave, he got a treat at the store afterward. (and I got Starbucks! I was pretty brave too! heehee)

Signs Of Life

A few weeks back, the boys and I planted seeds as a part of our study of plant life. If you know me, you know that I am horrible with plants. I did not inherit my mother's green thumb! However, I thought it would be an awesome hands on experience for my boys and myself as well.

So, a few days ago I was getting home from a music lesson and happened to glance at the plants on the porch. To my utter delight this is what I saw:

Each boy has their own colored flower pot and each day they run to see if they have any new sprouts in their pots. I love it!

Wordless Wednesday

Colin Richard ~ Our nephew

Doggy Kisses

Easter afternoon.....

Sitting outside in the warm sun enjoying conversation with the family...

Boys faces covered in sugar from all the goodies they had eaten that day...

Hayden sitting on the ground playing with Ricky and Lucy, my parents dogs....

Ricky soon discovered Hayden's face tasted good!

Enjoy!