I could tell you all about the conflicting email accounts and account administrators and....oh never mind. I'm so happy I can finally get back on here!
Life is full
Life is good
Life is BUSY
Turns out, 4 kids is a LOT! AWANA, soccer, track, softball, birthday parties....I feel like I live in my car. And, of course, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Well, I don't have a whole lot to say today. I just felt like writing something because I CAN :-)
November is a big month for me -- it's my birthday month (it's my first 39th birthday this year!) ;-), and it's my anniversary month with Rodan+Fields.
This business changed EVERYTHING for me....not only our finances, but my friendships, my sense of purpose and wholeness, my family's dynamic, and my skin. I'm a new person since this business, and I'm so thankful for this blessing in my life.
I try to not post too much here about this business, because you've come to know and love me for sharing other parts of my life. But how do I not share when I'm giving away freebies?
If you'd like to know how to have your name tossed in the hat for this one, visit my Skin, Beautiful Skin blog for the details:
In other news, I'm feeling so blessed and loved. All joking about aging aside, I love having my birthday. And I really don't mind aging at all.....would I rather be here and now with my wonderful kiddos and a full, happy life?....or 5, 10, 15 years ago with my perkier T&A? It's a no-brainer.
My birthday was filled with phone calls from loved ones, hugs and kisses and crayon drawings from my kiddos, and a general feeling of...
I'm alive
On purpose
I LOVE this!
Life is good, friends. It's not perfect. It's not tidy. But, it is good, and I'm so happy to be here!
I'm not the only one with a recent birthday though. Remember that tiny little bundle who kept me hopping when I started this blog?
He just turned FIVE!
I am head over heels in love with this little boy, and I take every possible opportunity to hold his little hand in mine and to kiss his soft cheeks.
He is the very definition of "little boy"....loud, rambunctious, messy, funny, exhausting....and I wouldn't have him any other way.
He has the craziest ability to stop, drop, and sleep wherever he is:
And he just generally spreads joy and smiles everywhere he goes! I can't imagine life without my Tommy!
We had a fun little party for him. Let's see if I can get some YouTube videos linked up here:
I love you, Thomas! You're extraordinary and wonderful!!
I have the happy problem of having so many fun and wonderful things going on in my life that I simply can not document them all. I know, you feel terrible for me, don't you? ;-)
Let's seee....First and foremost, we have a very full house right now! My husband's brother and his family moved in with us. Yes....moved IN. They're going to be here for about 6 months while they purchase a piece of land and build a house. Thankfully, I love them to bits, our kids love each other, and we have a big house! They've been here about a month now, and I'm loving it.
Sorry for so many blurry pictures. I've definitely gone over to the dark side....it's just so much easier to shoot a quick photo with my phone than it is to lug my big camera around, then transfer everything! Just another reason I really want that new phone....better camera resolution. Here are some snapshots of life at our house lately....notice the love busting through every picture :-)
Nick and Esther
Sammy with Stella
Thomas and Milo - good buddies
Thomas's 5th birthday (!!) was extra fun with family to celebrate with us
Cracking up!
And YESTERDAY....a new little addition....Meet Sadie Lynn:
So this is who's living at our house right now:
4 adults
7 kids ages: 10,9,6,5,5,3,one day
W.O.W. :-)
Let's see....what else?
My kids are all doing wonderful. Ben has started the cello, which I'm loving. Here's a video of him tinkering around even before lessons began:
Ben, Clara, and Sammy are all excellent students -- learning and growing and just happy busy little people. I'm so proud of them all!
Thomas -- my baby -- turned FIVE! Unreal!
We had a wonderful time celebrating our spunky little joyful man! First, we had a celebration with his friends....homemade power ranger pinata, cupcakes, gifts, and games.
My Luke is such an amazing Daddy -- eternally patient and always looking for fun things to do with the kids :-)
Movin' on up from the scoot bike to a big boy bike with pedals!
Then, on the actual day of his birthday (which is a school and work day for the rest of our family), Thomas and I had a sweet day of fun and snuggles. We spent 3 hours building a Lego space shuttle in the morning (I love that he still has his chubby little baby boy fingers and cheeks):
Then we met Daddy at McDonald's for lunch....of course, as always, the box is the best part:
And then we went to the Boise Aquarium for an afternoon of petting sharks and "oohing" and "ahhing" over all the amazing creatures we saw:
This little boy of mine is such an incredible joy. I sincerely don't think there's been a day since he's been on this earth that I haven't smiled and/or laughed out loud. He's busy, joyful, affectionate, smart, and thoughtful. Thomas.....I love you to bits, and I'm so very proud of you!!
A snapshot of my Thomas as a 5 year old:
See why I'm always smiling? :-)
Whew....this has been a marathon post....and I've barely caught up! 'Till another day...
If you'd like to be in touch with me on more of a regular basis, Facebook is where I'm at most days. You can find my personal page here: Daiquiri Facebook
Wow -- I'm sitting here in my home office and the only sound I hear is the dog "talking" in her sleep. No screaming. No bickering. No stomping. No pretending. No TV. The silence is making my ears ring!
I dropped my little Thomas off at school this morning. He'll be going to 1/2 day preschool 3 days a week. The older three are in full day classes -- 5th grade, 4th grade, and 1st grade.
Where have my babies gone?! Incredibly surreal.
And NICE
And quiet
And a little bit sad
Here's my favorite picture of my little Thomas this morning before school:
And my favorite quote from him as we got him ready: "Mommy, it's my first day of school, so make my hair as handsome as possible, okay? And I also have my nice handsome shirt, and my handsome pantses (love this word), and I'll wear my super-fast shoes."
Here's a pic from last week's first day of school for the older kids -- much more representative of our household....love, horsing around, teasing, noisy, wrestling, giggles:
I love these little people!! Those sparkly eyes, crooked and missing teeth, and soft skin....I just *crave* their little arms around my neck after school.
Sammy has ZERO front teeth, Ben is learning the cello this year, and Clara has the same sized feet as ME. Crazy how these kids are growing! I'm so blessed to be their mom, and so very proud of them :-)
I like to think about what I remember from my childhood when I was my kids' ages.
Let's see ----
4 years old? I don't remember much of anything. My little sister Tiffany was about 2. I'm thinking we lived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin? I'll have to ask Mom and Dad.
6 years old -- 1st grade? We were in St. Louis, MO I think. I went to 1st grade at Seven Holy Founders Catholic school. We had to wear uniforms, and my teacher was Mrs. Mater. The only school experience I remember that year was picture day. Picture day was the only day of the year that we could wear "real clothes" instead of our uniform. I forgot and wore my uniform....and was devastated. My teacher let me borrow her navy blue sweater, so my picture wouldn't be a "uniform picture". It was a sweet gesture, but you can still tell in my picture that I'd been crying.
9 years old -- 3rd grade? We were in De Moines, IA. I was at Clive Elementary, and I had Mr. Sweeney as my teacher. I did NOT like having a male teacher (this is Clara's first year having a male teacher too!). I was convinced Mr Sweeney didn't like me at ALL. But we had a "menagerie" complete with hamsters, gerbils, salamanders, and even a tarantula. Loved that :-) My best friend was Ellen Burger....and we're back in touch now thanks to the miracle of facebook! This is also the year that my youngest sister, Megan, was born. Man....I remember poking at her when she slept because I wanted her to wake up so I could play with her. You're welcome, Mom and Dad :-)
10 years old -- 5th grade? My family had just moved to Williston, ND and I was starting school there. Lewis and Clark Elementary. Mrs. Lobsinger didn't like me one bit, and I never really knew why. I liked to play marbles and tetherball at recess. And the cool girl of the school, a 6th grader named April, wanted me to "follow" her at recess. She would literally strut around the playground and demand that people walk behind her....her own little fan club or something. But not me. I don't play nice when I'm bossed around (not much has changed). We decided to settle our debate with a game of tetherball. Since I was just a "little 5th grader", she let me start the game. I wound up and swung that ball as hard as I could. And she received my serve....right smack dab in her nose! Blood was everywhere, and I literally feared for my life...probably because all the kids who'd gathered to watch the game looked at me with wide eyes and whispered things like "you're DEAD". That was the end of me being asked to "follow" her. Come to think of it, I don't remember anyone following her after that. Let the record reflect that I did NOT mean to hurt her -- it was an accident that I felt really bad about....but it sure felt good to have her off my back. And my first love....Daniel Soggy. We "went together" all through 5th and 6th grade. My Dad called him Chief-Soak-A-Soggy-Sock. Hahaha!!
Here's to a great school year, everyone.
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When some of our girl cousins came to visit recently, they camped out in the play room. This was the sign they made to claim their territory:
If you can't read it, it says, "WELCOME to the sleepover if you are Stella, Sydney, Clara, Sammy, or parents come on in!!!! No coming in if you are not a girl."
Ben was not impressed.
At all.
I was grinning from ear to ear as I listened to Ben and Clara bicker when Ben tried to enter the forbidden territory. They were both so self-assured and logical in their arguments. There was just a (sort of creepy) calm boldness from both of them.
Ben, "Let me in. I need to get something out of there."
Clara, "I'm sorry Ben. You can't. You're not allowed in this room. This is the girls' room."
"I can come in. Step aside and let me through."
"But it's against the rules. See? Is your name Stella, Sydney, Clara, or Sammy?"
"No."
"Well then....the sign says you can't come in. You have to listen to the sign. It's the rule."
"Yes, but the sign says parents can go in."
"Well yeah....but you're not a parent, so you can't go in."
"I AM a parent."
"Ben....No you're not!"
"I AM a parent. I am the Father of AWESOMENESS. Now move. I'm going in."
Clara's reply was the appropriate shocked look of awe and wonder. With an argument like that? Right off the top of his head? He just might be right....he might be the Father of Awesomeness.
