I am Blessed!

I am so very Blessed.

My husband wants nothing more than to spend time with me. 

He doesn't complain that I don't get my hands dirty when he is in the garden.  (Wasps and dirt, not my thing)  He thanks me for spending time with him.

He makes coffee for me even though he has given up the most cozy drink ever.

He eats every meal I make no matter how badly it is blackened (my fancy word for burned).

He and I never have nothing to talk about.  Our days are filled with conversation.

I love that he, like I, feels lost if our little people are not with us.  We cherish our quiet time together but love the little people tucked away in bed for the night while we talk the night away.

I love that he can find humor in my "I was not meaning to be funny, that was a totally serious question!" moments.

I am blessed that he hurries home each night caused he missed me.

I love that he is interested to find out all about what ever new thing I am learning.  Be it photography, homeschooling, or frugal and natural homemaking.

I am loving growing with him! 

Growing as a Christian, as a parent and as a student of life.

When I really take the time to look at all I have been blessed with (and this is a small part of the vastness) I can see that I have so much to be joyful for.  He has been given to me and my children.  He is an amazing gift. 

My prayer tonight ~ Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Psalms 51:12

Can you believe what they are up to?

So we have taken a vow to limit the amount of TV our children watch.  On "School Days" the TV does not come on at all.  They are still getting used to me not turning on a movie whenever they ask.  I have seen a change, this is what I usually find when it gets too quiet.  Now instead of sitting they are jumping on the trampoline, playing basketball in the courtyard, riding their bikes or finding something interesting to read.  At least 10 times during the day, the twins are coming to me to ask if I will read some story they just found or one that they love hearing over and over again. 

Top In Blue

Yesterday we went to the base Kids Day picnic and Tops in Blue show.

Sparky the Fire Dog was there, who my son hugged about 25 times.  He loves all things Fireman/Firetruck/Firedog.

Giant inflatables

Proud boys going down all by themselves.  He is not one for seeking the thrills, this was a big step for him.  One time down, he was hooked!

This one on the other hand, has no fear.  She scares me!

Proud little girls of their Princess Tiger face paint.  Original design a' la my daughter.

Race bikes and questions like "Why are you over here mom?"  to which I respond "To watch you race."  I think I may have gotten an eye roll for combining my excitement to watch with keeping an eye on her.

Pinwheels and Popcorn (not pictured but worth mentioning since it was the main feature in my children's dinner last night)

And then the show, It was great.  The kids were entertained and my oldest questioned every technical aspect of the show.  I was ill equipped to answer. 

This was the girls favorite outfit from the night.  Hopefully their sense of style changes!

It was a great night!  Great show, Great friends and of course my Awesome Family!

Weekend GetaWay

This weekend we took another impromptu Vacation.  A vacation to another country.  A vacation to Portugal, only about 3 hours drive.   It was even a vacation from my camera. 

We stayed in a resort.  I loved the colors, the tiny but efficient spaces and I could so see my self living in it.  Simplicity, Amazing!

When not in our room we were hanging out at the pool.  Piped relaxation sounds mixed with techno, hard to imagine yet so relaxing.  The kids played in the kiddie pool.  They pretty much had it to themselves.  The perks of being a home school family, vacationing off season!

All of our kids wanted to do nothing more than stay out at the pool all day, we did what we could to oblige. Not to mention it wore them out and they slept amazingly.

If not lying by the pool I was laying on our patio.  Oh yes it was a vacation of laying around, not seeing sights and I am perfectly happy with not having a plan.  It was perfect.

You may be wondering, why so many photos of my son.  I don't love him more than the other two, he was just more cooperative than usual with the camera and again I am perfectly fine with that.  The above photo is proof that I was there too!

My youngest has her dad's appreciation for the finer meats of Europe.

It was perfect for our family!

Weirdness

Weirdness
Originally uploaded by freakaflutter
Just a photo I love!

No Fear

This little one is going to be the end of me!  She has no fear!  Be it on jagged rocks, the playground, the ocean, pool, bathtub.  She is the complete opposite of my "play it safe" take on life.  Again I love her for it.

Lost the Training Wheels, Finally!

My daughter is going to be 7 on May 16th. She has outgrown her current bike but for the longest time refused to take off her training wheels. The deal was that she could not get a new bike unless she learned how to ride without training wheels. For the past year she has whined and complained about this statement. About a week ago she asked me take them off of her bike, three days later she was riding all by herself. Now I saw this whole experience going down like World War 3. She is a very strong headed little girl and I have always thought much more than I ever was. I have heard horrible stories about learning to ride my bike that my family loves to tell me in full detail. I blamed my dad for every fall, at least I think that is how it went. It must have been a traumatizing time in my life because I have erased it from my memory. I seriously do not remember learning to ride my bike. Back to my daughter. She did not complain, did not want my help because she "wanted to learn it the right way". I am not quite sure how I was going to teach her to do it wrong but she has pretty much mastered the task. I am amazed at her independence during this task. She is growing up to be a beautiful, warm, caring and smart little lady.

Babies First Snow!

The twins had their first experience in the snow today! They didn't touch it too much and our little girl needed to have Dad hold her hand to walk in it....It was really cute!

There was a pretty cool icicle hanging from the kids swing set!

Our oldest and I made a very small snowman yesterday. He is now covered with another inch or 2 of snow!

Haircuts!

My Daughter and my step son both got their Haircut over the weekend! I think the both look Marvelous!
Everything is going really well since my step son has come...He is really a great kid!

Our daughter asked to cut her hair to the middle of her neck and I had to convince dad that it was okay. When the stylist started to cut I got pretty sad and decided that she is too young to make this decision for herself. She looks adorable but I do miss her longer hair!

Should now read "Double Blessed plus one plus one!"

We are being blessed by many changes! Our oldest daughter started Home school on Monday and that is going great. The twins are not wanting to play as nicely as I had hoped but I am sure once it becomes daily routine they will start to enjoy it! My step son is also coming to live with us. For how long I am not sure but I am excited for him to come! He is a great kid who needs his dad right now! I pray we are able to help him in any way he may need! This is going to be such a blessing. Please keep us in your prayers as I am sure all the kiddos involved are going to feel the change! Love to everyone!

Happy Halloween!

Just wanted to share our kiddos on Halloween. They each had a blast and this was the first year the twins went up to the houses pretty much by themselves...They didn't last long so Dad took them home after about an hour and continued on with our oldest and her friend. Our oldest was Mrs. Clause she was so cute! I love our meece! We hope you had a wonderful time and got some yummy treats!

Home Schooling!

My husband and I are in the midst of deciding if and when to go about Home Schooling our oldest daughter. We want what is best for our family. We have found such great support from all of those we have talked with this about! Thank you to everyone who has given us prayers, feedback and advice! We would like to teach our children in a christian based curriculum. Our school district here is lacking and we do not feel that our daughter is meeting her full potential! I have come across a list of Pros and Cons!

The pros:
Educational Freedom
Physical Freedom
Emotional Freedom
Religious Freedom
Closer Family Relationships
Stability During Difficult Times
Well-Rested Kids
No Busywork

The Cons:
Time Restraints
Financial Restraints
Being with Your Kids 24/7 (I don't really see this as a con if you have a supportive/helpful husband/partner/support system)
Limited Team Sports
Living Outside the Norm


Looking over this list of Pros and Cons, the Cons aren't all that bad. We are already a one income family, I have a wonderfully supportive husband, I love being with my kids. This is the choice we are leaning closer to at this point. Thank you again to all who have invested time in us!

All I want for Halloween is My Two Front Teeth!

Our oldest has finally lost both of her top front teeth. This was a battle! She already has one big tooth coming in. She still looks so cute and loves being toothless. I thought she might be a little self conscience about it but she is in love with her new look. She is too funny!

Where has the last 20 months gone?

Seriously, Where has the time gone? Twenty months has flown by! A lot of it a blur of sleepless nights and hourly feedings, but mostly wonderful happy moments. Our twins have become very independent, exploratative little people. They are no longer our "little babies"! We are currently in the process of weaning, yes I am still nursing our twins. We are having little emotional outburst because they think they can nurse at any given moment! We are trying to limit it to nap time and bedtime....Their vocabulary is booming. They have both begun to put sentences together! Our little man says, "Can I have a bite? Where'd it go? What's that? Apple, Airplane, Outside" and many more. Our little lady isn't as vocal as her big brother! She does say "Mommy stuck, please, What's that?" and a few more. They are a blast and I am so very thankful for them every day! Here's to the next stages!

My Youngest did not want to co-operate with me, my oldest was a Poser!

Check out the face of my little one! She was not happy with the fact that I put her back in the stroller. I only let one of them out at a time today since there were quite a few kids already running around. That way I could keep a close eye on the one running around! I am not sure if that was the best idea but it sounded good at the time! I did get a couple of shots that I like today.

I am not sure which one of these photos I prefer. I do like the straight out of the camera shot but I like the softness in the second one!
This is my favorite for the day! I love that she is so willing to pose and play...I only hope my little ones start to enjoy it as well!

Pumpkin Patch

We had a great time this last weekend going to the Pumpkin Patch! Even the babes had a great time picking out the most perfect pumpkins! We enjoyed pumpkin bowling! Hot Chocolate or Apple Cider and a Carmel Apple. We had a blast trying to make our way through the hay maze. I think the kids did a better job of finding their way and not getting stressed about getting stuck. Best of all we got to get some much missed Pumpkin Butter! It is so good on pancakes. I am also looking forward to making my first ever Pumpkin puree. Dan made a Pumpkin Pie last year but I actually preferred the can stuff. Sorry babe, I love you! This year I have come across a recipe/technique that sounds pretty exciting to me! I hope everyone is enjoying the fall season and all the wonderful smells and taste that come along with it.

How should allowance be handled?

Our daughter is now at an age where she is able to understand (if only a little) that money does not grow on trees. We have gone back and forth on how much, when and what for she should get an allowance. Her responsibility is minimal and we have been paying her $1.00 a week for the things she has been doing. She is to make her bed, clean her room, put her clothes in the dirty clothes hamper, help set and clear the table. I have talked to friends and read in a number of articles that these things are expected of her age and not appropriate to pay for. How then do we teach money management? Will this lead to unrealistic expectations into adulthood? I found great tips on Children and Chores. I have yet to find what should be paid for! Any suggestions, thoughts, or resources?