My Three Sons

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T11:01:00.001-07:00

Planning Ahead

2011-07-18T21:27:00.001-07:00

As July comes closer and closer to an end, I find myself getting more and more into school mode. Really, I should have been in school mode long ago, but being the procrastinator that I am, here we are. I am currently working on goal setting for the next school year and planning possible hands on projects and activities to work on. I am determined to have a productive and fun school year!!

With all that being said, my dear Austin requested a special project that perked my interest. He asked me if we could make a paper mache race car. He wanted to start on it right away, but the more we discussed it, the more I thought of it as being an awesome school project. We could study a certain subject and the project would be our big finale. But what would the subject be??

I spoke with my mom about it today and she had the BEST idea! She suggested studying Henry Ford and the history of automobiles. Our boys are very much into cars so this idea is AWESOME!!

Thanks mom for the wonderful idea! I'm looking forward to this upcoming school year and am so excited to see all the Lord has planned for our boys!!

The Orange Dress Conspiracy

2011-05-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

It happened again!!

Another "This really could only happen to me" moment.

And I was wearing the same exact outfit as the last time.

The now infamous orange dress.

The last time I chose to wear this dress was the Sunday that I was late getting onto the stage to sing at church. Remember that post??

I was asked to sub for another singer this past Sunday and chose to wear the same dress.

And here is how the story goes:

My boys and I arrive at church and the sky is cloudy, but not raining. We have an awesome sound check and vocal rehearsal and afterward, I take the kids to class. By this time, it is sprinkling a little, but no big deal. By the time I checked the boys in, the sky had opened up and it was pouring down rain. (We are talking a matter of minutes here).

I still have to run across campus to get the the multipurpose room in time, so I take off. By the time I arrived at my destination, I was soaked. Visibly dripping wet. And I have to get on stage.....like now. Nothing I could do. So I grabbed a comb and ran it through my hair quickly and got up on stage only to be asked, "What happened to you?!"

Yeah.......

Praise God that by the 2 or third song you could no longer tell that I was wet. My dress apparently dries very quickly.

All in all, worship was awesome, the message was awesome and no one else commented on my appearance. Yay!

And of course, when I went to pick the boys up from class, the sun was shining and the rain had stopped falling. But the icing on the cake was when I got into my car and took a quick glance at myself in the mirror and saw that my bangs had dried in an antenna-like curl off the side of my head.

Nice!

So the moral of the story is........

I'm NEVER wearing that dress when I sing again! NEVER!

Once upon a Sunday morning

2011-04-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 10th began as any normal Sunday. The boys and I woke up long before the sun and were dressed and ready in record time. Church now starts 15 minutes earlier, so call time for the worship team and choir has naturally followed suit. But I was prepared. I had planned ahead and we even made it to church early. Even with a hubby who works on Sundays, my boys and I have a tried and true system to get out the door and in the car by 5:30 am. I was feeling pretty good, honestly.
We made it through sound check and were rehearsing in the greenroom while I kept my eyes on the time. The boys kept asking me if it was time to go to class yet and I kept telling them that we had plenty of time. We didn't. By this time my brain had switched back to our old start time.
When I deemed it time to go to class, the boys and I hustled upstairs to the children's ministry building where they all decide they have to go potty. After a not so quick pit stop, I finally got them all in class and ran back down to the sanctuary. Much to my horror, I entered the greenroom only to see no one. Yes, that is correct. Everyone was on stage and I was not.
I took off running, almost knocking over our guest musician. (Fun way to be introduced to someone). I call back an apology and keep running down the black hallway behind the stage, hoping the band doesn't start playing because if they did, I'd be out of luck. (It is very dark in that hallway. I'm lucky I didn't fall flat on my face.)
I make it to the side curtain and walk as fast as I can, attempting to maintain a look of calm, across the stage alone, and climb the risers as fast as I can. In my rush, I bumped into a fellow alto which sent her whirling around and almost knocked her off completely. All in front of a congregation who was waiting for church to start.

But.......

I made it!

I was out of breath,

but I made it!

I knocked two people over,

but I was there!

And that is what happened once upon a Sunday morning.

When I Get To Heaven.....

2011-03-12T22:33:00.001-08:00

While driving around today, I overheard Austin talking to his brothers about heaven. Here is a snippet of what I heard:

Austin: When I get home, I'm going to pack all of my clothes so when I go to heaven I won't be naked.

Daily Treasures

2011-03-03T11:37:00.002-08:00

As a mother of three young boys everyday brings something new. Little nuggets and treasures that I will forever hold on to and think back on. Here are a few of today's treasures:

1. Hayden's insistence that every boy must have a bear costume.

2. The discovery that blowing raspberries on each other's cheeks is much more fun than sitting down to do school work.

3. Hayden's announcement that girls DO NOT pass gas or sweat. They aren't allowed.

And then there was this little treasure that I discovered in our school room :

I hope we all take the time to look for those daily treasures and enjoy the small things that the day brings.

Seuss-tastic Day Recap

2011-03-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

Scissors, glue and tiny bits of paper litter our school room. A sure sign that much was accomplished today and much fun was had. Here is a short recap of our day:

We had a serious discussion about the book "Horton Hears a Who" :

We watched, listened and read along with an online version of "Green Eggs and Ham" :

We did Math activities, acrostic poems, reading, writing and so much more.

But none compares to our big, messy, gooey................

Cat in the Hat cake:

Our day was a complete success and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!

For great Dr. Seuss resources, click here!

2011-03-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Everyone is getting back into jammies after running a few morning errands. Lesson plans are ready and supplies for our crafts and recipies abound. Let our Seuss-tastic day begin!!

(Photos to follow soon!)

Homeschooling with Dr. Seuss

2011-03-01T20:56:00.001-08:00

I have been inspired.......

Inspired to follow the examples of many others this week and celebrate the birth of Dr. Seuss. I have looked online and discovered many fun and educational activities all related to him and his books. There is even a free local event on Saturday that I hope to attend!

What is on the agenda for tomorrow?? A Cat in the Hat cake made from scratch, a Horton Hears a Who craft, and many more things. I am truly looking forward to a day full of reading and fun with my boys. These are the days that I treasure most. These are the days that I hope they will look back on with fondness when they grow older.

Now, on to more preparations!!

Baldness

2011-02-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

November and December of last year were a whirlwind of craziness in our home. Much was happening so needless to say, many small tasks were left undone. Like giving our boys hair cuts. On Christmas Eve I decided to finally cut their curly locks before we headed out to enjoy our family festivities. I did not, however, give myself enough time. Cutting three heads of hair is very time consuming. Especially when those heads belong to three squirmy boys.
Combine three wiggly boys, little to no time and a hurried mother and what do you get?? Yes, you get a child with a bald spot above his right ear. A spot that shines (quite literally) my failure as a hair stylist. Our poor lopsided son wore hats and beanies for weeks until his hair finally grew back into place.

Flash forward to the present.........

Our boys curly locks were once again growing quite long so I pulled out the comb and scissors and began the tedious task of taming their wild hair. This time I was determined to take my time and go slowly. We did not want a repeat of last time! I carefully inspected each child's head before sending them upstairs to take a bath and I was quite satisfied with the results.

Until the next day.........

We were sitting down to eat dinner and I noticed that Austin had a very familiar lack of hair above his right ear. Same spot, same baldness. We laughed at the irony and I vowed to never again cut their hair and just pay someone else to do it. Austin, however, didn't laugh. He had a strange look on his face........

Later, I found my scissors, (which I had put away), on the table, along with a few other items used to cut hair. Knowing full well that I didn't leave them there, it all started to make sense..........the look on Austin's face.......the items I found..........the bald spot in the SAME place as before, even though I double checked his head.........

He had cut his own hair. When confronted about it, Austin confessed. His response? "It was too long on this side."

Starting Over

2011-02-27T00:03:00.000-08:00

Ode To Little Boys

2010-01-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

Oh, little boys, such a mystery to me!
The things you do, the things you see.

Asking for applesauce with no apples inside,
or discovering the bathroom cabinets are the perfect place to hide.

Sneaking daddy's sweet snacks in the middle of the night,
and sledding down the stairs just to take flight.

Bodily functions are great fun of course,
More fun still is finding the source!

Oh little boys, with your dirt and grime,
How I wish I could slow down time!

I may be crazed with all that you do,
But nothing can change how much I love you!

From boys to men

2009-08-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

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

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

Speed Bumps

2009-07-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

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!

A Morning Like This

2009-07-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

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!

My Buddy

2009-04-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

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!

Heart Melter.....

2009-04-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

We spent this evening celebrating Easter weekend with my loving in-laws. Due to a conversation I had with my mother in law regarding the true meaning of Easter and what all our children grasp at their current ages, I began thinking of ways to share with them all that Jesus did for us on the cross. We have a children's bible that came with DVD's and on our way home I got the idea to pull out the DVDs and pop in the New Testament one and watch the resurrection in cartoon form.
Upon arriving home, the boys eagerly put their jammies on and came downstairs to watch the movie. After the movie, I pulled out the children's bible and read to them. To my delight, I noticed that they really seemed to pay attention. Especially to the movie.
Afterward, Austin, (my little skeptic), looked at me and exclaimed, "Mama! He's not dead anymore!!"
My eyes are getting misty just reliving that precious moment. He got it! He understood!
Thank You, Jesus!

Happy Easter everyone!

2009-04-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the first day of Carter's spring break. While I am not required to hold school this week, I figured we would work on some things - lots of arts and crafts and such. My days, however, have not gone as planned. I feel unbelievably horrible tonight. All I have done for the past few days is yell and scold my boys. It seems that everything they can do to misbehave, they are doing and my patience with them is wearing thin. I know that the Lord chose me to be their mother for a reason and that He will give me the strength to mother them from day to day. I know these things. I'm just exhausted.
I'm so tired of my 3 year old arguing with me for every little thing. I'm tired of Austin breaking everything and getting in to everything. And I'm tired of Carter telling on his brothers for every possible thing. I'm just tired.
My boys bless me more than then tire me and my hubby is a wonderful daddy to them! I need strength and wisdom on how to mother these three precious little boys.

Spring Has Sprung

2009-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Too much swirling around in my head to blog about, so I'll just post some spring-ish photos. Hope you enjoy!

Pray pray pray!

2009-03-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Click the button above and join us in prayer for baby Stellan!

2009-03-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Please keep us in prayer over this next few days! We would really appreciate it!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-18T12:54:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-11T19:05:00.001-07:00

Face Plant and Birthday!!

2009-03-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today is my wonderful hubby's birthday!! Happy Birthday Jason!! We are just hanging out today and taking it easy, and then a little later he and I are going out to a nice dinner. We are both looking forward to a night out with just the two of us.

In other news, this afternoon while I was baking Jason's birthday cake, I decided to sit at the piano and practice a little. The smell of the cake came wafting through the living room so I got up to check on it. As I was getting up my big toe on my left foot some how got caught in my right pant leg, which sent me to the floor. All the way down I was yelling, "OH MY GOODNESS!!!!" I think back on it now and can totally picture myself in slow motion, foot tangled in my own pants, arms flailing, and yelling, "Oooooooh Myyyyyyyy Gooooooodddddddnnnnnneeeeesssssss!!"

Haha!

Jason came running downstairs to see what happened, and once he saw that all was well, he started laughing.

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*At this exact moment, he's yelling at the boys to stay away from the cake. (Its cooling on the counter.) Hmmmm.....I'm thinking I may find chubby little finger holes in it.

More Farm Pics

2009-02-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Mama Tina:

My Little Complainer:

Petting a Horse:

Feeding a calf:

Watching the bottles being prepared:

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

2009-02-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Carter's class field trip to a local farm. I was seriously debating on whether or not to go and at the last minute, (of course), after realizing just how much my sweet little guys really wanted to go, I decided we should.
We were rushed in trying to get there on time and much to my surprise, we made it before many of the other families. Despite our rush and last minute-ness, (is that a word? LOL), we all had a great time!

The boys got to hold a baby bunny:

They also fed piglets and calfs, they met Mama Tina, a giant cow, and did many other fun things! Overall, our time was well spent and they had a blast! My little complainer, aka Austin, did his usual complaining about everything you could possibly think of, but I've sorta learned to tune him out. LOL
I have a ton more pics of our day that I will post soon. Here's a few more in the mean time:

Hi/Lo Thursday

2009-02-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and for a chance to win $100.

Low:

Taking our car in to be fixed and it costing much more than we anticipated. Ugh!

Hi:

Walking in the door after a long day and having all three of my boys run at me, joyfully screaming, "Mama!!!!!!!!"

And, having my 4 year old try to "pick up" a really cute little girl at the library.

*Be sure to click on the button above and check out their blog! Their sweet little daughter is in desperate need of prayer!

Laughter Lives Tuesday

2009-02-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

This post is part of "Laughter Lives! Tuesday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check our their blog to read everyone else's "Laughter Lives!" posts.

A couple of weeks ago, I "lost" my keys. I knew that one of my boys had taken them because I found a few items from my purse in their rooms. They like to pretend they are going "bye-bye", although when asked, they each conveniently had forgotten where they had placed my keys. They also each blamed a different brother.

After my wonderful hubby finally found my keys (after two days of searching), the boys and I were at my mom's house. She and I were chatting in her kitchen breakfast nook and the boys were all outside playing. I happen to look up and notice that Austin had come into the house to get a drink. His juice box was sitting next to.......you guessed it......my keys! He didn't know that I was watching him and he, very quietly, put his hand on my keys and started to take them. He's very sneaky! He was ever-so-slowly trying to move them with his hand covering them.

I had to laugh and I said, "What do you think you're doing?" He immediately pushed them away, said, "NOTHING!!!!" and took off running back outside. HAHA!

Needless to say, my keys have remained safely inside my purse since then.

More Pics

2009-02-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

These are two of my favs:

Some Valentine Pics

2009-02-14T22:08:00.002-08:00

First take 3 little boys, add a few ingredients and blend well:

Add a little extra flour just for fun:

Dont forget to lick the frosting bowl clean!

The result:

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

2009-02-14T18:50:00.001-08:00

I truly hope everyone had a wonderfully blessed Valentine's Day! As for our little family of 5, we spent the day at the zoo. We recently purchased annual passes that get us into the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park and we used them for the first time today. The weather was a bit chilly, but absolutely clear and beautiful. We all had a great time! I even ran into an old high school friend, her hubby and their new baby boy! What a wonderful surprise! And the best part is, we can do it again and again as much as we like, for the next year! Its such a great deal! I highly recommend it!

I'm working on posting some pics!! I took tons. Now I get the fun task of editing them. :)

Now its your turn! I want to know how each of you spent your day!!

Cheese Sandwich

2009-02-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Hayden is very much a mama's boy. He loves to be held and cuddled by me, which I obviously love too! However, if I so much as coo at another baby, he freaks out. He seems to have some sort of radar. He always manages to see me from across a room, holding another child, or talking to another child. Even his own cousins.

So last week, Jason and I were just being silly with Hayden and asked if he wanted to be a big brother. We really wanted to see what sort of response we would get from him. Much to our surprise he answered us with a happy, "Yes!"
So we asked, "Do you want to have a baby sister?"
He answered, "No!"
So we asked, "Do you want a baby brother?"
He again answered, "No!"

With those being the only two options, we asked him what he wanted. His response??

"A cheese sandwich!!"

My Day So Far

2009-01-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

*Austin is currently on time out. About 5 minutes ago he told me he was allergic to time outs.

*All day our kids have been making what they call "Sock Monkeys". Meaning, they are putting socks on the head, arms and legs of their stuffed animals....ALL of their stuffed animals. (I think this solves the case of the missing sock!) LOL

* We received a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory for Christmas and decided to have a nice dinner out last night. Other than the hour long wait, it was very nice! And, no one tried to leave via emergency exit! Woohoo! LOL

*In other news: I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND TOMORROW!! Just me, by myself. My wonderful hubby is going to be with the boys alone tomorrow so I can go and celebrate one of my bestest friend's birthdays. I'm so excited!!

Conversations with a 3 yr. old

2009-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hayden: Mama! Its Christmas downstairs!

Me: No, buddy. Christmas is over.

Hayden: I like Christmas!

Me: I know, but Christmas is over now. Valentines Day is coming and you know what that means?

Hayden: (eyes wider) What?!

Me: Lots of love and chocolate!

Hayden: I eat chokit too?!

Me: Yes

Hayden: And Santa will be there!

Me: No. Santa is in the North Pole at his house.

Hayden: Yeah. He's naked.

Just when I thought I'd heard it all....

2009-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, maybe not all. My kids are still very young after all.....

LOL

Hayden: (whining) Mamaaaaaaa???? I'm too tired to go to bed!!!!!

Never a dull moment

2009-01-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight Jason and I decided to go out to dinner as a family. He finally had a night off so we went. I wasn't feeling that great (over tired), but it was nice to get out of the house. We went to the Olive Garden which is always awesome and we make it about 90% of the way through dinner when Austin decideds to get up and investigate the emergency door. Just as Jason and I tell him to leave it alone, he pushes on the door and the alarm goes off. Keep in mind that the restaurant is packed full of people enjoying their dinners and the alarm is VERY loud. I was mortified! A few people nearby laughed. (they obviously must have kids), but some started to complain. It seemed like forever till the manager finally came over and shut it off. We apologized repeatedly and left as soon as we could! AAAHHHHHHHHH

We got into the car and I just wanted to get home and put the boys in bed. We're driving and Jason misses the turn toward home. I asked him where we were going and he said it was a surprise. We end up at the Verizon store. He bought me the Blackberry Storm! Woohoo!!!

Still upset about Austin, but totally stoked about my new phone!! LOL

Cleaning Update

2009-01-03T00:26:00.000-08:00

This is what I have completed thus far:

1. Christmas tree has been taken down and all of the ornaments have been neatly put away.

2. The remaining Christmas decor has been taken down and put away.

3. Our broken dryer (which had been taking residence in our upstairs hallway) has been taken into the garage where it will stay until we decide what to do with it. LOL

4. Laundry has been done, and the washing machine has been scrubbed down.

5. Living room has been vacuumed, dusted and entry way mopped.

6. Family room/Kitchen has been mopped and dusted and all toys have been put away.

7. Banisters have been scrubbed and are now sparkling.

8. The master bathroom has been mopped.

9. The kids have been scrubbed. LOL

I'm sooo tired!! Good night everyone!

Inspired

2009-01-02T14:54:00.001-08:00

While I've been taking down all of my Christmas decor, I've been super inspired to clean my home from top to bottom. I've been picking up toys and doing the laundry and dishes, etc, but I mean seriously clean it. Scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, and steam cleaning (if needed) every room in my home. I've been seeing the dirt build and its driving me crazy! LOL
This is no easy feat and the majority of it has to be done at night while Jason is at work and the boys are sleeping. Its the only time that I can concentrate undisturbed. Its a new year and I'm looking forward to a fresh, clean home!! :)

Wish me luck!

This stuff only happens to me!

2008-12-29T16:11:00.000-08:00

I have melted plastic in my hair......

Yes.....yes I do.........

Prayerfully it will wash out and I won't have to shave my head.......LOL.....J/K

Seriously.....

This sort of thing only happens to me!

2008-12-23T18:17:00.001-08:00

Sick me = No blogging

Although, I am feeling much better! Just in time for Christmas!! :)
Tonight I have a date with a bunch of boxes that need wrapping. I love it!

2008-12-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little better today, so I thought I'd share this very boyish moment with you all. After my boys had their bath this morning, they were all lined up, wrapped in their towels, waiting for their clothes.

Carter: "Mama? My booty itches."

Me: "Ok. Scratch it."

Carter: "No. It itches on the inside."

Me: "Oh. Well just leave it alone then."

Carter: "Yeah, cause my poopoo is in there."

(I laughed)

Austin: "I scratch the inside of my booty."

Guess we'll be washing our hands more frequently!

Unexpected

2008-12-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Over this past weekend I was feeling incredibly run down. Good, just very tired. By the time Monday night hit, I was running high fevers and in a lot of pain. Tuesday, more pain, more fevers, lots of dizziness plus with my lack of appetite, no food for a while. Turns out that I have a full blown kidney infection. I think I even surprised the doctor who saw me in urgent care last night. They ran a bunch of tests on me (not sure what exactly), and I tested positive for them all. Meaning that I am one sick girl.
Please keep me in your prayers. My wonderful hubby is at work and its up to me alone to take care of our three munchkins and as of right now I can barely move.

Photo Shoot

2008-12-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from my photo shoot this afternoon. Enjoy! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

And then there were two

2008-12-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Every family has one

The tattle tale.

Growing up in my family it was my oldest sister.

Here in my home it is Carter.

He's constantly tattling on EVERYTHING from spilled cereal, to things he did but is blaming others for.

Today while homeschooling, Hayden seemed to pick up on his brother's habit.

All day I've had not one, but two tattlers......constantly.......

Someone call the people with the straight jackets now! PLEASE!

Holiday weekend Recap

2008-12-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

We have been super busy this past weekend, thus the lack of blogging. So here's a quick run down of all that has happened......

Thursday ~ Our very first Thanksgiving in our new home!!! We had our family over and ate tons of food! All of the cousins ran around like crazy while we all relaxed and enjoyed the day. I was bummed that Jason had to work, however once the kids were in bed for the night I fell asleep too. Guess I didn't realize how tired I really was. LOL

Friday ~ I unexpectedly found myself with the day off. The two students that I was supposed to teach cancelled their lessons. Also, much to my surprise, Jason decided to take the night off of work. Yippee!!!!!!! So, we spent the day doing a little shopping, drinking some Starbucks (Yum!), and decorating our house for Christmas. :)
Our boys were watching me decorate and kept asking if Christmas was tomorrow. (BTW, this question continues everyday) LOL

Saturday ~ Our sweet little niece's 2nd birthday party. I can't believe how fast she's growing and how much she's talking! Such a cutie!!
After the party we went to Starbucks with Jason's mom and dad and had a lot of fun! They had a giant Christmas tree set up outside and the boys were convinced that Santa Claus himself was inside the tree making toys. We had to distract them with something else, then tell them that Santa left while they weren't looking. LOL (They kept trying to climb the fence to go inside the tree)

Sunday ~ We kept our tradition of attending the Hollywood Christmas Parade. The parade is free to all those who wish to camp out on Hollywood Boulevard, which is what we do. We bring chairs, blankets, an ice chest full of food and drinks and join the hundreds of other families sitting on the street. This year was a bit different however. A couple of Jason's co-workers were also going. They actually arrived in Hollywood at 10 am (parade didn't start till 5:30 pm), to set up a large tarp, blankets, etc to reserve our spot right were the parade started. Usually we're much further down.
It was really nice being surrounded by other Christians that we knew who had kids the same ages as our kids. It also allowed us to walk down Hollywood Boulevard to enjoy the festivities that were going on down there like jumpers for the kids, celebrity impersonators, etc. We had a lot of fun!
Once the parade started we had this really rude woman and her kids pushing up against us trying to sit on our blankets. We tried to explain that we'd been there all day reserving our spot and we couldn't see our own kids with all of them there etc. It escalated to her yelling, "I hope someone slaps one of your kids!" Wow! We had to call a police officer over and he made her leave.
Over all, we had a great time! Carter got to see Demi Lovato (from Disney's Camp Rock). He's got the biggest crush on her and he keeps talking about how she saw him yesterday (she really did!). He actually called her his "girlfriend" today. LOL

Anyway, I have tons and tons of great pics from yesterday. I'm working on putting together a slide show of them all. There's just too many to post individually.

I truly hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!!

Leave me comments! I want to know how you all celebrated your holiday!! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!! Ours definately was!! Now, my guests are gone, I'm exhausted (but blessed!), and I'm selfishly wishing Jason didn't have to go into work tonight.

Scary!!!

2008-11-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

Because of Thanksgiving, my wonderful, hardworking hubby was called to work 6 days in a row with no day off.....plus over time. For those of you who don't know, he works for Ralphs Grocery and during the holidays more and more food gets shipped out which equals tons of overtime. However, he's never been made to work this many days in a row. He works 10 hr. shifts normally (all at night), but for the last few days has been working 12-14 hr. shifts. He then comes home, sleeps all day, I wake him to eat then he leaves again. The boys and I have literally not seen him for a week.

Which brings me to last night......

I had just gotten off the phone with him, (he always calls me on his breaks. :) ), and had finished cleaning up and had settled at the kitchen table with my coffee all ready to work on my bible study. The kids were asleep and it was nice and peaceful. I heard a noise outside and looked out the window only to find that it was raining. I LOVE the rain and have been waiting and waiting for some actual fall weather.

Anway, I opened up the back door to let our dog in and all of the sudden there was a bright flash in the sky and just as quickly our power went out. Keep in mind that I'm home alone and now I can't see ANYTHING. The whole street was black. I stumbled through the kitchen to find a flashlight. It was barely working, but I was able to use it to find matches. Thank the Lord I love candles and have them all over my house. One by one I lit them all! LOL
I kept hoping that the boys would stay asleep. They are all deathly afraid of the dark.......I'm actually not to crazy about it either. LOL
I had candles lit upstairs and downstairs on every flat surface I could find. I kept hoping Jason would walk through the door, but of course, he didn't. The power stayed off for about an hour and a half. Yikes!!
So, needless to say, I didn't go to sleep until about 1:30 am. I waited till the power came back on. Even then, I sat in bed watching TV just waiting for it to go out again! LOL

So thats my scary story......

LOL

Feeling a little blue??

2008-11-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, while I was catching up with some ironing, I let the boys paint pictures. (They were about 5 feet from me). I must have been really into my ironing, because I look up and Carter and Austin had done this to Hayden:

He's the newest member of the Blue Man Group! LOL

Thank the Lord it was Crayola Washable paint!

He was so happy to be blue too! hahaha! He seriously didn't want me to clean it off! LOL!

Woohoo!

2008-11-14T19:28:00.001-08:00

So, many of you know that The Wizard of Oz is my all time favorite movie....EVER! I'm stoked to say that its going to be on TV tonight! Yes, I do have numerous copies of it on DVD, but its different when its on TV somehow! LOL

So, in 30 minutes, I'm gonna catch up on my ironing while watching my fav movie! :)

Dang! Iwish I had some popcorn!!

LOL

Funny Things Kids Say.....

2008-11-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when we arrived at the grocery store, Austin looked at me and said, "Mama! You look fabulous!"

LOL

Today I overheard the boys talking and Carter says quietly, "Mama is making me get a tattoo!"

Hahahaha!!

Exhausted!

2008-11-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion. (wow! that makes me feel old! LOL) I was a little nervous to go. The cost per ticket was a bit pricey and Jason and I decided that it would be more budget friendly if I went alone. So, going without a date was pretty nerve wracking. I ended up carpooling with an old friend, so that lessened my burden a little. :)

I ended up having a great time! There weren't as many people in attendence as I'd expected, but that made it much easier to mingle and get reaquainted. Plus, I got to hang out with my friend and her hubby for the majority of the evening. And we all collectively decided to leave once the party got too crazy for us. It was fun!

Here's some pics:

Then came recital Sunday......

My morning started with my wonderful hubby letting me sleep in since I didn't go to bed until very late the night before. Then when he did wake me up, he had a Starbucks for me and a parfait as well. (I heart him!) Once I was out of bed, I literally didn't stop moving for the rest of the day. When it comes to recital day, everything relies on me. I was prepared, however. It was just a matter of getting everything together. Then, on top of that, finding time to practice my own song that I was going to perform, plus making a trip to the grocery store to get a few things for the recital as well. I had performers to check in, sound checks to do, food to set out, families to take care of.......EVERYTHING! (all of which I LOVE doing!)

Once it started, it ran seamlessly! I've put on many a recital in the past, but this one was the best by far. I had the most guests in attendance, my students all performed wonderfully and I was even able to perform a duet with my dad. It was amazing! I was so overwhelmed by it all that I couldn't fall asleep that night! I ended up taking the day off on Monday and literally slept all day! Jason came into our room at one point and woke me telling me he was worried about me because I was sleeping so much. :) All is good! God is good!! Unless you were there, there is no way to describe just how wonderful it was! But, here's a few pics to give a better idea:

2008-11-06T18:12:00.001-08:00

3 DAYS TILL THE RECITAL! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL

Here's a couple of pics from a past recital:

Daily Commitment

2008-10-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night, after I'd finished with my lessons, I came home and tried to lay down to rest. I immediately got up and took myself to Urgent Care. I've had this sinus thing going on for the last couple of weeks and when I layed down, I had fluid coming out of my ear. Yeah....not fun!
When I was asked why I waited so long to come in I told the doctor that I keep getting these infections. They don't go away. As soon as I'm done with my antibiotics I get it again and its frustrating.
She asked me if I take any meds on a daily basis for my allergies. I said no and asked her why. She said that I HAVE to take something everyday to maintain my allergy symptoms and since I'm not doing that, I keep getting infections.

So, I have to take meds everyday of my life to prevent getting sick.
What a spiritual lesson that is! We need to daily be in the word and in prayer to prevent our hearts and souls from becoming sick. Its a daily commitment just like me taking Claritin everyday is a commitment; a commitment to stay healthy.

Excited!

2008-10-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

*I was asked to help lead worship this weekend at Calvary Chapel Victorville for the morning and evening services. I am so excited!!!!!! It is going to be so much fun! I'm so blessed to even be asked to do it!

*I've lost another pound! Don't know how seeing as I've been "cheating" a lot lately! LOL I'm only 3 pounds away from my 20 pound goal. :) Woohoo!!!!

*My business has been totally blessed! I now have more students than I've ever had before! Plus, my Munchkin Music class, which has been on a break for the last few months, has about 10 kids waiting to start! Wow! I'm amazed at how the Lord has blessed me! I need to make sure not to overload myself, however. Carter's schooling needs to always be first.

*The fall recital is only 2 weeks away! The nerves are starting to set in! All of my kids are ready to go. I know its going to be a lot of fun!

*I get to babysit my niece tonight! She's almost 2 and such a little sweet heart! I am so excited!!!!

On a side note, MY COMPUTER IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!!!! If you are computer saavy or know someone who is, LET ME KNOW! I need serious help! I'm about to chuck it out the window! LOL

Birthday pics

2008-10-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Just a few new pics. Theres lots more that I haven't uploaded yet. Check back! They'll be up soon!

Look Mama!!!

2008-10-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

While we were picking apples on Saturday, Austin runs up to me, very excited, yelling, "Look Mama!!!!" I look down and he had a live bee in his hand! He was holding it by the wings! He could not have been more proud at what he had! As fast as I could I swatted his little hand. (Not as a punishment. I was trying to get the bee away from him) The bee falls to the ground and I stepped on it. I didn't want the now angry bee to come back and attack. Little Austin looks up at me and says, "Awww Mama! You killed it!!!"

LOL

I had to explain to him that bees sting and it hurts a lot! Poor little guy! He was so proud of his bee. LOL

No Words

2008-10-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

There are simply no words to describe my day today! Well, none that could capture just how amazing the Lord is and how much He's provided for us!

Bible study this morning was awesome, as always. I had a tough time working on my study this week, but ended up learning the most from it than in weeks prior. Group time was great, and we're planning for next week's Koinonia. I have the honor to lead worship and I am super excited about that!

If you've read my past posts, you know that I've been feeling overwhelmed lately. I'm trying to focus on the Lord, knowing that He's our provider. There's nothing we need that He doesn't already know about!! How amazing is that?! This was proven to me after study when I was approached by a friend who just absolutely blessed me with an incredible gift!! God is so good! All glory to Him! I am so thankful to Him for using my friend to bless me in ways that I could not imagine!

To my friend: If you are reading this, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! You have blessed me more than words can say! I thank the Lord for you and your family everyday!

Overwhelmed

2008-10-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

*sigh*

Thats how I feel today. This song comes to mind once again:

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace!"

ps. Please keep my sister and my mom in your prayers. (for two completely different reasons) Thanks!

More Fair pics

2008-10-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

Pics part 1

2008-09-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Between the 2 days we attended the fair, I took over 100 pics! So, here's the first of many that I will be posting! Enjoy!

Why?!?

2008-09-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Why am I having such a hard time getting rid of this horrible sinus infection?!? I was feeling awesome, and as soon as I finished my antibiotics, it came back! Ugh!!

My boys and I got up bright and early this morning and headed down to Pomona for the LA County Fair. We stayed for 3 hours and walked through all of the animal and insect exhibits. Which worked out wonderfully since we've been learning about insects during our homeschooling time. We were able to see live bees making honey, and I bought them some home made honey sticks. (very yummy!)

There were so many other exhibits, rides and jumpers located all over the fairgrounds, but it was getting too hot and the longer we were there, the worse I felt. Plus, the more people that showed up, the more scared I became that one of my boys would run off or simply get lost in the crowd. They all behaved so well! Toward the end they started to whine a little, but I completely understood. It was just too hot. So after 3 hours, we came home.

By the time we pulled into the driveway, my whole body was aching and my head was pounding. I put each boy in his room to rest for a little while and I layed down myself. I had a piano lesson scheduled for this afternoon and I wanted to rest before I left. I ended up falling asleep and could not get myself out of bed. Jason (my hero!) had to call my student and cancel my lesson for me. Then he went out and got dinner for us all. He's the best!

We did have a great time while we were at the fair. I wish we could have done more, and I wish Jason could have been there to share it with us. I did get a lot of great pictures that I will be posting soon! Please continue to keep me in your prayers! I hate being sick!!

2008-09-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

I was shopping at Target the other day (shocker, since I practically live there), buying some things we needed and while I was there I decided to stop by the clearance section and see if I could find any super cute clothes for dirt cheap. I came across this really sweet pair of jeans, however, they were a size I haven't worn since college. I've been dieting for a few months, so I decided to try them on, totally not believing they were going to fit me.

THEY DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(dancing)

In other news, my recital is quickly approaching. I am currently working on my program and getting pieces together for my guest performer(s). I also FINALLY decided which song I am going to play. I've been practicing it for a few days now. Its really coming along and I'm getting really excited!! The recital is in less than 7 weeks!! Here's the info. If anyone out there wants to attend, just let me know so I can count you in the final head count.

Fall Recital 2008

November 9, 2008
6-8 pm
Benedict Castle
Riverside, Ca

Its going to be awesome! All of my students have worked so hard on their pieces! I hope to see you there!!

2008-09-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

1 bucket of sidewalk chalk from Target : $1.00

1 Spiderman Frisbee from Target : $1.00

Spending a morning playing outside with my boys : Priceless

First Meeting

2008-09-17T08:30:00.001-07:00

This morning is our first 20 day meeting with our ES. I have to give her Carter's attendence sheet, summary of what we've been working on and samples of his work. Please keep us in prayer! I'm a little nervous! I really hope I'm teaching him all that he needs to learn! On the other hand, our ES knows that this is my first time homeschooling and this is our first meeting. Maybe she'll cut me some slack! LOL

At any rate, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers this morning. There is also a park day scheduled today that I'm hoping we can attend. It all depends on when my meeting ends.

On a side note, women's bible study at church starts tomorrow!! I'm so excited! I've met some awesome friends through study and I always learn so much! I'm really looking forward to it!

ps. I know I need to post new pics! I have some on my camera that I haven't uploaded yet. I will post some soon!!!!

ps 2. Don't forget to take the poll on the right side of my blog!

Ugh!

2008-09-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Cough not getting better.....

Head throbbing.......

Chest hurting........

Went to doc this morning and the diagnosis is.........

I have a pretty major infection......

Am now on antibiotics and a stronger cough medicine........

School must go on......

Have a meeting tomorrow......

Still have to teach piano..........

Sometimes I wish that moms were able to take sick days!

Cheated

2008-09-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

I totally cheated tonight!!! Ugh!!!!! (Actually, I cheated a little yesterday too)

My mom makes THE BEST enchiladas in THE WORLD and she made them tonight with homemade beans and her famous rice......yeah.........how can I pass that up??? So, my thought was, "I'll just have like 2 enchiladas and lots of beans and rice"........yeah.............so 4 enchiladas later.......LOL......seriously............I can't pass them up!! LOL

Then came dessert...........I thought to myself, "I'll just have some coffee and I'll be good"........yeah.......a slice of chocolate cake and some ice cream later...........yeah................

Ugh!! I was doing sooooooooooooooo good!!

Now I'm bloated from eating such heavy food and I'm thinking to myself..............................

IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL

Weekend Recap

2008-09-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my cousin-in-law and I went to the Women of Faith Conference at the Honda Center in Anaheim. It was awesome!! I'm so glad I went! She and I had such a great day! I missed my hubby and kiddos, but it really was a much needed girls day out! :) I can't wait till next year's conference!!

Chuck Smith was the guest speaker this morning at church. Its always such a blessing to hear him and today was no different. Now we're home relaxing and getting ready to head over to my parent's house to visit with some friends of our family.

This weekend has been awesome! It really has been a time of refreshing. With homeschooling, working, and just being a mommy and wife, I really truly needed this! I am so blessed!!

Tomorrow

2008-09-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

We're going on a walk-thru of the "new" house in the afternoon. So, I've got school in the morning with the boys, the walk-thru, then I leave from the walk-thru straight to two piano lessons and I still have this horrible cough. Please keep us in your prayers tomorrow!

No Jury Would Convict Me....

2008-09-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

On a normal day, I wake up at 6 am, get myself ready for the day, go downstairs, make coffee, eat breakfast, get stuff together for homeschooling for the day, etc.
This week I've been totally knocked off of my schedule because of this cough I have, and I haven't been sleeping much at night. To help me out this morning, Jason got up with the boys for a little bit and let me sleep in. :) I got up a little while later and started my homeschooling day with the boys. (still not feeling well, and still in jammies) I have a couple of piano lessons to teach later on this afternoon so I gave Carter and Austin an art project to work on while I ran upstairs to get dressed for the day. (Jason and Hayden were napping) I started to hear Carter and Austin laughing hysterically so I went downstairs to see what they were doing..........

They completely flooded my kitchen. No joke. If you've ever been to my home, you know that my kitchen isn't small. The whole floor had about in inch of water on it, and Carter and Austin were rolling around in it "swimming". I don't know how they did it, but they did. I tried to remain calm.....remember, I don't feel well.........I put Austin upstairs in his room, grabbed about 5 large towels and started soaking up all of the water. Carter was on time out on the couch. He kept trying to talk to me but I ignored him.....still trying not to lose my cool. He finally looks at me and says, "Mama!! Who flooded the kitchen?!"

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally came up with a great punishment. I made him write sentences! LOL He had to sit at the table and write, "I will not play in the water" over and over again. So, I kept my cool, he received his punishment, and he got to practice writing all at the same time! Woohoo!! LOL

Moving....AGAIN......maybe

2008-09-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you just tuning in, we lost our home due to a foreclosure in the beginning of spring. The Lord had His hand on us like He always has and provided an amazing home for us to rent. Its huge! Its everything we've wanted in a home! We love it here and are pretty comfortable here space wise and financially. There are a few draw backs however. Our backyard sits against two major streets, and we have a vacant lot right behind us as well. Don't get me wrong, we really enjoy this home. We aren't having any major issues with it at all. Our landlord is a really nice guy and he's has always bent over backwards to make sure all was well with us here.

Sooo....

A few months back my mom mentioned that she and my dad were considering buying another home and renting it out as an investment for them. Out of the blue she asked me if Jason and I would be interested in renting from them. They live in an awesome neighborhood! Very quiet with lots of families, etc. There is a house directly across the street that is bank owned. Its the exact same house as theirs. That is the house they are looking to buy. She mentioned that the rent would only be about $1400 per month, maybe less. (we are currently paying $1750) I laughed and said, "For $1400 per month, I'd move in tomorrow!" She laughed and it wasn't mentioned again. Until today....

I was talking to her on the phone and she asked if we were seriously interested. We don't NEED to move. However, with a rent of $1400, our lives would be that much more relaxed. We would also have the security of knowing that they are my parents and they have our best interest at heart, and they are not going to up and sell the house the next day. Also, I would have them right across the street from me if anything were to happen while Jason is at work. If anything were to happen with the house, they are right there to help us fix it. My mom even said that we could rent it for a few years, rebuild our credit, save some money and they'd sell it to us. That in itself gives me a lot of security. Once our lease is up in our current home, we have no guarantee that our landlord will want to rent it to us again. My parents are telling us that they want us to live there for a few YEARS. There are a couple of issues. The house we are currently in is 2535 sq. ft. The house we MAY be moving to is just over 1300 sq. ft. We haven't aquired any more furniture since we moved, and the house we lost was only 1184 sq. ft. so I don't think that will be too big an issue. My boys don't like having their own rooms here. They say that its scary.

Its a lot to think about and pray about. Any input from any of my readers? There seems to be more pros than cons. Keep us in prayer as we make our final decision. Any advice would be appreciated.

Today

2008-08-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

My sister called me the other day and during our conversation I realized that I haven't seen her SINCE JUNE!!!! She lives just a few miles north of me. Wow!

Anyway, she's coming over today and bringing all of my nephews, so it should be a lot of fun!

Also, last night in my boredom, I got the idea into my head to try on my wedding gown. (LOL) I've lost 15 lbs and wanted to see if it fit me. IT DOES! Thus the pic below:

I know I'm a dork! LOL But, on the plus side, I'm stoked that I still fit into my wedding gown!! Woohoo!!

Little Artists

2008-08-29T15:19:00.001-07:00

Ok, so the last one is mine, but I had a lot of fun too and just wanted to share! LOL

New strategy

2008-08-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Due to recent events during homeschooling, I've had to come up with a new strategy for disciplining the boys when they misbehave, or when they refuse to listen to my instruction. They all did amazing last week and I'm thinking that our problem this week is that they are getting used to the whole homeschooling concept and are testing me.
So, in my frustration yesterday, I came up with "The Sticks". I made 3 little pockets, one for each boy, complete with their name. During the entire school day, each time they misbehave, or refuse to listen, they receive a craft stick in their pocket. If they get 3 sticks, they lose all privileges for the rest of the day, like TV, playing with toys, etc.
I wasn't too sure how this would work this morning. However, we had a lot of material to cover and I needed them to behave, so I tried it out. I explained the concept to them right after breakfast and they all nodded in agreement that they didn't want sticks in their pockets. A few hours later, Austin and Carter decided to completely ignore my instructions. I gave them quite a few verbal warnings, and still nothing. Each of them received a stick.
Oh my! I thought the world was going to end! They both cried and carried on!
(patting myself on the back.....LOL)

I explained that all they have to do is behave and they will not receive any more sticks. And guess what?! Our schooling is done for the day and both kids still only have 1 stick in their pockets! The best part in all of this is, I DIDN'T RAISE MY VOICE ONCE!!!!!!!!!!

We got a lot accomplished today and as a reward, they get to bake cookies with me later! :)

I love days like today! :)

Beautiful Butterflies

2008-08-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how proud my boys are of these. Makes me proud too!

Homeschooling 101

2008-08-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

So far, yesterday and today went very well! Carter is adjusting to having me as his teacher little by little. I was so excited on Tuesday night and I had pulled various different worksheets and projects to do during the day. As it turned out, it was a bit too much. As the day wore on, I could tell I had picked too much to do, so I started setting things aside to do today. Here's what we did:

1. We reviewed the letter A. I didn't have Carter write it out because he already does so well with that particular letter.

2. We learned about Ants. (A is for ant) We went outside and found some ants and watched them for a little while. Carter still doesn't believe me that ants are strong. LOL He says they can't be because they are so small.

3. We made bug portfolios. Every week we are going to learn about a new insect. (I was going to do a different insect every day, but decided on every week. The boys will retain all the info better that way!) All of the projects that we do on each insect will go into their portfolios. They cut out pics of bugs and colored them and glued them to their folders.

4. We took a walk around our neighborhood and observed all of our surroundings. Our morning devotion yesterday was on creation and how God created everything. :)

5. Today we started learning about butterflies. We're going to finish up on butterflies tomorrow. We watched a couple of cartoons online about butterflies, we made our own butterflies, we pretended to be butterflies and tomorrow we're going to make another really cool butterfly craft!! The boys are fascinated with the metomorphisis they go through! Tonight they were wrapping themselves up in anything they could find and the popping out and "flying" around the house. I'm so excited that they understand it! Once we finished our butterfly stuff, we put it in our bug portfolios.

6. Today for PE we went to the park and played until Hayden started getting blotchy. (my poor fair skinned baby!)

7. Both days we've done calendar and weather time.

8. All three boys are learning to put things back where they belong and help me with the daily chores. I bought a giant chore chart and for each chore they complete, they get a sticker. They get so excited to receive stickers! I LOVE it! I never thought it would work so well!

So far, its going great! I'm exhausted at the end of every day, but it is so incredibly worth it! I'm still learning.

I'm learning how much to give each day. Yesterday I had too much. Today it got better.

I'm learning what my children's strengths are now more than ever. For instance, Carter excels in anything art related. Austin loves to write. He wants to be right next to Carter all morning doing exactly what his brother is doing.

I'm learning to be patient with my three boys. Its so hard not to yell at them when we're trying to get so much accomplished. I've found that they respond so much better when I'm calm! Thank You, Lord for helping me stay calm these last few days!!

I'm learning what sorts of things Carter already knows, and what he needs more work on. I've found that I don't have to do every single worksheet page. Since this is Carter's 2nd year in kinder, he already knows quite a bit. Now its up to me to look and listen and see what his weaknesses are and focus more on those.

And, I'm learning what sort of outside activities I can take my boys to that tie into what we're learning at home.

Its only the end of the 2nd day, but I've already learned so much. I know how I'm going to plan out my lesson plans for next week and I'm very excited!!

I'm so proud of the butterflies my boys made today! So are they! They've been "flying" them around the house all day! I'm going to take a pic of them tomorrow so I can show them off. :)

Well, I'm pooped! I'm off to bed!!

ps. I would greatly appreciate any activity, craft or lesson ideas from anyone out there reading my post!! :)

Comments

2008-08-19T22:01:00.001-07:00

I would love to hear from all of my blog readers! Please feel free to comment on my blogs even if I don't know you! You can always remain annonymous! :)

Tomorrow

2008-08-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our first official day homeschooling!! School actually started today and Carter did AWESOME in his kindergarten class!! We spoke with his teacher and she said he was great! We're so proud of him! He even told us that he had fun!! I was a little worried since he was there from 9 am till 3:30 pm, but he did it with flying colors!!

So, tomorrow its all up to me! Here's a pic of what our kitchen/family room looks like right now:

Keep us in your prayers tomorrow! We're going to start our day bright and early at 7 am and after breakfast, we're going to do our morning devotions together. Can't go wrong starting the day off with the Lord! :)

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-08-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight while taking their bath, Austin starts crying. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he was "melting". (He was dripping)

After their bath I had them lined up and I was cutting their fingernails. Austin and Hayden noticed that their fingers were wrinkled. They both had their hands up for me to see and were saying, "Mama! We have frinkles!!"

LOL

Tomorrow is the first day of homeschooling!!! I am beyond excited!! I know that the Lord is going to do great things this year! Pray for us! I'm gonna need it!! :)

Bedtime Rundown

2008-08-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first night Savannah has ever spent with us without her parents. We had a lot of fun swimming in the pool outside, eating popcicles, and making cupcakes. Then came bed time....

I knew my boys were tired, especially Carter. I could even tell that Savannah was tired. She had asked me if she could sleep in Carter's room, so I dragged Austin's mattress and Hayden's mattress into Carter's room so all four of them could sleep together. I knew they weren't going to sleep, but I thought it would be fun for them. Savannah wanted to sleep on the floor in her sleeping bag. I stayed upstairs to be near them and make sure everyone was behaving. One by one the kids were coming into my room telling me that Carter had hit them, or bit them, or punched them, or kicked them.....the list goes on and on, and it was always Carter who was doing it all. No amount of scolding him was working, so I took Austin's mattress and put it back in Austin's room and did the same with Hayden's. Of course, Carter threw a huge fit and was screaming at me, etc. I've never seen him act out as much as he did tonight!

The end result, Savannah is sound asleep next to Austin in his bed. Hayden is cozy asleep in his own bed, and after much fighting and fit throwing, Carter is also asleep in his own bed.

We had a great time together! Bedtime was the only challenge. I think I feel it more because Jason is at work and I'm handling it alone. And by "it" I mean Carter. All of the other kids were as sweet as can be. It was just Carter.

I did take lots of pics!!! I will post them tomorrow!! I'm beat! I'm going to bed! Please pray that the kiddos stay asleep all night! heehee

I have to wake up early. I promised them pancakes for breakfast!! Yum!! :)

Updates

2008-08-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

Our family has been so incredibly busy lately that I haven't had a single moment to catch up on my blog! *gasp!* LOL

Here's whats been going on in a nutshell. I'll write more in detail soon!

1. Jason had to have minor outpatient sugery last week. He did amazing and is healing well!

2. Homeschooling starts next week. If you remember, Carter will be spending one full day in his kindergarten class on Tuesdays. School just happens to start next Tuesday! Perfect way to begin the new school year! However, I am a little nervous. Its a new school and a new teacher and its further away from our home. But, I'm trusting in the Lord on this one. I know Carter is going to do very well this year! I'm also a little nervous to begin homeschooling because I've never done it before. Again, I just have to trust in the Lord on all of this! :)

3. Our neice just started Jr. High!! I made her call me after her first day and tell me all about it! LOL

4. Both Jason and I took last week off of work because of his surgery. Since he was feeling so good, we took little day trips almost every day. I have lots of funny stories to share, and promise to blog again on them all!

5. After 6 years of careful consideration, I finally got my first and only tattoo. I didn't want something I'd regret later on in life. I finally decided on a very pretty butterfly with my FAVORITE scripture underneath it; Psalm 118:5. I can't tell you how much I love this verse! Our family has gone through so much this year and this verse just sums it all up for me!! Look it up! Its amazing!! :)

I'm sure there's much much more, but thats all thats coming to mind right now. I'll blog again soon!! I have tons and tons of pics to post as well!!

To all my blog readers, thank you for reading!! Check back again soon! I promise to have lots more posted!!

My dad

2008-07-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I received a text message from our niece saying that my dad had been in a motorcycle accident. My dad has driven motorcycles his whole life and is currently serving in CMA (Christian Motorcyclists Association). He always takes the necessary precautions when driving, however, not every driver on the road is so careful.

My dad had tried to call my cell phone and our house phone and we missed both calls. Praise the Lord he was able to reach my sister and she was able to go to the crash site and help him. He had been traveling west and a driver in a car driving east bound didn't see him and made a left hand turn in front of him. The ending result was him hitting her.

Praise the Lord another passing motorcyclist saw him in the road and some how gathered a few more guys and they were able to get the bike out of the middle of the road.

My dad sustained NO broken bones! He's bruised and very sore, but other than that, he's perfectly fine! God is so good! He had His hand on my dad last weekend.

Angels vs. Red Socks

2008-07-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a much needed trip away from our home to see the Angels kick some Red Sock behind!! We were stoked to watch them win again!! It was a great game, I got some great pics and afterward, our boys were able to run the bases on the field. I think Jason was a bit disappoined that he wasn't able to run with them, but needless to say we were so proud watching our boys run like the pros. They are still talking about it today! And, I have it on video! Its something I hope they remember for the rest of their lives!

Vladimir Guerrero doing what he does best....HOME RUN!!!!!

Wrong Night

2008-07-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight we decided to get the kids out of the house and took them to see the new Disney/Pixar flick Wall-E. We had a great time! The movie is adorable and the kids really enjoyed it......from what they saw of it. Since we saw a late showing of it, all three boys fell asleep in the theater. After the movie was over, Jason was holding Austin, I had Hayden and Carter was holding my hand and walking with eyes closed. About halfway through the lobby I noticed some teenagers staring at me and snickering so I looked down......

The weight of Hayden's little body had pushed my tube top down.........yeah............

Awesome movie, but I could have gone without the flashing in the lobby! LOL

Just like Daddy

2008-07-12T13:43:00.001-07:00

Hayden loves to dress up in Daddy's work clothes and pretend he's going to work. He even gives us kisses and says, "Bye! I'll call you on my break!" He's only 3 and already so proud of his Daddy! He has every reason to be! He's got a pretty awesome Daddy! :)

You can't see it in the pic, but he even has Daddy's work socks on. :)

Birthday Pics

2008-06-27T20:08:00.001-07:00

"But I'm cute!"

2008-06-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while I was scolding Austin for misbehaving, he kinked his head to the side and looked at me with his big brown eyes and with the sweetest smile on his face said, "But I'm cute!!"

That was the end of my scolding. Jason and I couldn't help but laugh! He definately knows how to work it!

Results....

2008-06-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our meeting this morning went very well! Carter did not need to take an assesment test after all, and he communicated very well with the teacher we spoke with. We completed the enrollment paperwork and discussed our many options for homeschooling. There are so many different things we can do! Its all very exciting! We have decided to have him attend a regular kindergarten class every Tuesday, and the rest of the week he will study at home with me. I am able to stay with him during his kindergarten class to help him if necessary! I am so excited about all of this! :)

Beach

2008-06-18T23:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I took Anna and my boys to the beach to celebrate Anna's graduating elementary school. We had a lot of fun! However, all three of my boys are little lobsters today. I put sunscreen on them, especially Hayden, and today they all have some sort of sunburn. My poor little Hayden is the worst. He screams if you try to touch him and has blisters on his poor little body. I feel horrible! I tried to protect him against the sun, yet he's so fair skinned that it really didn't matter what I did. I had to take him to Urgent Care tonight. The doctor presribed him a couple meds, so he should be feeling better soon. Please keep my little guy in your prayers.

I did take pics of the beach. Here are a few:

Pretzels and Freckles

2008-06-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, Jason, the boys and I were playing in our backyard. Hayden got an inflatable swimming pool and squirt guns for his birthday and we sat outside for a couple of hours and let them play. I was talking to Carter and telling him how big he's getting and how much he's changed, and I mentioned that he's getting more and more freckles like his daddy. A few moments later Austin comes running up to me very upset by something and exclaims, "Mama!!!!!!!!! I have pretzels!!!!!!!!" (He was pointing to a small dot on his arm) I asked, "Pretzels?" He nodded, still very upset. So I ask, "You mean freckles?" To which he replies, "YES!!!!"

Ahhhh......he's too cute!

We had so much fun that day! Complete with ice cream cones, sunscreen and starbucks with the rest of the family later on. :) Almost everyday since Sunday we've pulled that pool out and let them play. We even bought them all new swim trunks. I'm determined to get my little white boys tan this summer! HAHAHA Just kidding!

I even got a lot of great pics of my handsome boys at play! Enjoy!

(Yes, that is a black eye on my poor baby's face!! :( Proof that he and his brothers have a love/hate relationship!!!!!)

My Day....

2008-05-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

......started out great! Spend the morning and early afternoon with my friend Joanna and her boys. :) Had a great time!! (thanks for coming over today!!) Then Carter came home from school......

I had a piano class to teach this afternoon and when I got home, Jason was on the phone and I could hear little footsteps above me which meant that the kids were in our room. I went upstairs and before I even reach the top of the steps I smell cologne. Carter and Hayden were in my bathroom spraying all of the body sprays and colognes that are on my sink. They both still smell like a variety of different aromas. I put them in their rooms for punishment.

Since I had a little bit of time before my next music lesson, I hopped on the computer and checked my e-mail, myspace, etc. Jason comes in a few minutes later and begins to tell me about his phone conversation. While he's talking to me, Hayden and Carter sneak downstairs. All of the sudden we hear this loud CRASH. Jason and I go running downstairs and find the floor of my kitchen covered in water and a broken plate on the floor. They were playing in the sink and using whatever objects they could find to splash water on each other. My plate was a casualty of this water play.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are days when I feel like the worlds worst mother! My five year old is slowly driving me insane! And now when I scold him he smiles, like he thinks its funny!!!!!!! I am so tempted to lock him in a closet somewhere and let him out in 10 years.....just feed him through a small hole in the door. HAHAHAHA Just kidding.....or am I?! HAHAHAHA

Adventures in Potty Training

2008-05-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

I took Hayden to Target with me yesterday. While we were there I got the idea to finally buy him his own "big boy" underwear. I'm trying to push him in the direction of potty training. So far he's been content in diapers, but he's about to celebrate his 3rd birthday. Its time.
I took him to the "big boy" underwear isle and let him pick out his own underwear. He picked Mickey Mouse Club House. He was so excited about it, he kept telling passers by that he had underwear and he was going to use the potty. The checker even put them in his own little Target bag for him to hold. And boy did he ever! He didn't put them down the whole way home! As soon as we walked through our door he ran to his daddy and proudly showed him his treasure! :) I put a pair on him and he went potty like a champ for the rest of the night until bedtime when daddy put him in a diaper. My poor baby cried and cried. He didn't want to be in a diaper like a "baby".

I didn't work today until 4:30, so I put him in underwear for the majority of the day. I made sure to ask him if he needed to go and everytime I did, he went! We had a few minor accidents, but thats to be expected. Everytime he would start to wet his underwear he'd tell me he was wet, then run to the bathroom and try to go by himself. (STANDING UP)
Twice today I walked into our bathrooms and found sprinkles on the floor surrounding the toilet, and on the toilet seat. LOL He hasn't quite got the aiming thing down yet. LOL

I'm so proud of our little man! At this rate he'll be potty trained by his birthday in 2 weeks!! I'm hoping and praying!!! He really likes it too!! :)

Austin

2008-05-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

So, today when Jason and I came home we were relaxing in our room watching TV. Carter and Hayden were asleep and we had Austin on our bed with us watching Sponge Bob. He started wiggling around and trying to get down. When he finally reached his goal, he jumped off the bed and yelled, "I'M FREE!" and took off running down the hall and down the stairs. About 15 minutes later he comes back upstairs with a hotdog in his hand. We didn't give him a hotdog. Which means he went into the pantry, got a bun, went into the fridge and got the hotdogs out and put the two together. Then he came upstairs eating it like it was just an every day sort of thing. LOL

I don't know what I'm going to do with this silly little boy! HAHAHA

School

2008-05-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have just started the enrollment process for Carter for Homeschool!!!!!! I am so excited!!! I've filled out and turned in the application, now all I have left to do is turn in some more paperwork and he's done!! Yippee!!!!!!!!! I just know we are all going to be so blessed through this whole thing! I can't wait!

Blah...

2008-05-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

That was my day today. Not that I'm complaining. Lately I've been so extremely busy with work that I've welcomed this little break!! I was off today and although I had planned on catching up with some cleaning, all I did was lay around the house doing nothing. (well, not exactly nothing with 3 boys in the house). It really felt good!! Carter and I got up early for school today and for once we weren't rushing to get there. He was so excited that it was me picking him up too! We came home, ate some lunch, and he and I did some homework together. Usually I'm running out to another lesson so Jason's been doing homework with him. It really was a joy for me to be able to do it with him today!

My day, however, did not go without incident. Earlier Carter and Austin ran off somewhere and I could hear them giggling. (Never a good sign). I found them in their bathroom with the sink stopped up and full of water and Austin STANDING in the sink. They both had hats and jackets on too. I don't know what in the world they thought they were doing, but Austin got sent to his room for a nap and Carter got sent downstairs to sit on the couch.

Doctor Appointment

2008-05-19T14:12:00.001-07:00

Hayden had a doctor appointment this morning to check out a rash that he had been getting all weekend. Turned out to be nothing, but our trip to the doctor was still very interesting!!

1. As we are sitting in the waiting area, Hayden would loudly tell anyone who walked by, "I HAVE BUMPS!"

2. An elderly woman hobbled by with a walker and Hayden yells loudly, "THATS GRANDMA!!"

3. Still sitting and waiting, Hayden lays himself across me and tells me he's a baby. Then he closes his eyes and begins to snore LOUDLY.

4. He kept peeking over the back of his chair to the woman sitting behind us and saying, "POOPOO!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Good thing she also had a son and thought it was funny.

5. When we were finally called in, he skipped all the way to the exam room.

Such a silly little boy!! At least he had fun at the doctor!! :) He definately made me smile!

Austin's 4th birthday

2008-05-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

After posting my last entry, I realized that much more time has passed then I had thought. I never posted anything about Austin's birthday party!!!!

Here is the run down of his big day:

1. I tried to be creative with his birthday cake and had planned on making him this really cute Superman cake. During the whole process, the cake just didn't turn out right. I was frustrated and ended up throwing it on the floor. HAHAHAHA.....I think thats what we call "over stressed".

I ended up making him a cake from scratch and it ended up being a big hit! So all ended well!!

2. My mom made Austin a red cape to wear for his party so he could be the superhero of the day. She also made him a blue superman shirt and bought him a Superman baseball hat as well. He looked to cute!! His daddy even wanted to try it all on!

3. We bought waaaaaayyyy to much food! We had hosted another party just a few weeks before and didn't have enough food or drinks. By the end of this party we had at least 5 whole pizzas left over that had been untouched. I sent both of my sisters home with pizzas! HAHAHA

4. In all the busyness of party planning and hosting, and Mother's Day being the next day, my wonderful husband forgot about me for Mother's Day. It was not intentional at all. We just got too busy and he ran out of time. He's still apologizing to me for it! LOL

5. Carter has a guitar and my parents decided that since all of my kids fight over that beloved guitar, they would buy Austin and Hayden matching guitars for their birthdays. Austin opened his gift and fell in love! All was well, and the two brothers were playing their guitars together until Carter got a little over excited and began swing his guitar at our nephew. Despite my warnings to stop, Carter did it one last time and slammed his into the ground. The result? The neck of the guitar completely snapped in half. So, now we are down to one guitar.....AGAIN! And Carter has to wait until his next birthday (in October) to get another guitar! Oh my!

Our big guy had a great birthday with all of his family! We still can't believe how fast he's growing!! And in a few weeks we get to plan yet another birthday party for our baby, Hayden who will be turning the big 3!!! MY BABY IS TURNING 3!!!!!

*Note to self: Perhaps I shouldn't try too hard on his cake! LOL

Grrrrr.....

2008-05-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

My kids were beyond bad today. Anything and everything they could do to misbehave they did. I'm sitting here about to jump out of my skin I'm so frustrated! They just decide not to listen. They look right at me while I'm telling them NOT to do something and they do it anyway! And its not only 1 of them that does it. Its ALL THREE! I'm going to go crazy! They are going to have to lock me away somewhere because I'm literally going to lose my mind!

Shake your booty

2008-05-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

About an hour ago, Hayden goes into his room and shuts the door. I noticed the door was shut and went in to check on him. He had stripped down completely naked. When I opened the door he took off running past me and into our room, starts spinning in circles and shaking his little naked rear and singing loudly, "Shake your booty! Shake your booty!"

Gas

2008-05-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

What is it with boys and gas?! They think its the funniest thing in the world and find the most inappropriate times to relieve themselves!!! Like today.....everytime my mom would sit Carter on her lap, he would fart on her! Of course he thought it was hilarious and kept doing it, and he was hopped up on sugar so that didn't help anything. LOL

Whether we be at church, in a restaurant, in a store, or just trying to enjoy a quiet family dinner at home, they find a way into our lives DAILY!