Brudders Playing

So, today, it was close to 60 degrees! On the last day of January! We made the best of it :) No hats, no gloves, no boots - we just played...

and played...

and put our sunglasses on crooked, and then played some more...

Thank you for a great day in the sunshine, Jesus!

Happy Birthday to My Hubby!

A very special "Happy Birthday" to my fifth grade crush and now my husband...

More than a catbird hates a cat,

Or a criminal hates a clue,

Or the Iranians hate the United States,

That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,

And more than a grapefruit squirts,

I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,

And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,

Or a juggler hates a shove,

As a hostess detests unexpected guests,

That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,

And more than the subway jerks,

I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,

And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,

And below, if such there be,

As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,

That's how you're loved by me.

Ogden Nash

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's a very special day

Here's a Happy Birthday wish to you

This comes with deepest fondest love

From your wife and best friend too!

You know I love you

And you must know too

That my happiest moments

Are those spent with you

For when we're together

Or when we're apart

You're first in my thoughts

And first in my heart!

Love you Son hon

~Mary

Meet my Russians

~ The first of sledding season 2012 ~
I told them - "the faster you smile, the sooner you can go sledding"
They're smart blondes :)

Proud family sled

Baby Gray had to stay inside with Mama, Thanksgiving bib and all :)

A good time was had by all... well, except for Daddy who did all the work but the boys had fun getting snow in their face when they fell and Gray and I enjoyed 'joose' and hot cocoa!

Stay warm!

From Frazzled to Dazzled

Stressed spelled backwards didn't matter much this morning. I woke up with stress oozing out of me. I had plans with my mom and when she called that she was on her way, I told her "I woke up late, I'm running late, I'm stressed etc." I repeated all those things to her when she arrived and upon hearing she said "Go somewhere and just take a minute, and give it to the Lord." Well I got distracted with what I was doing and didn't do it. Wish I had. We started our day of a few errands and had a nice time, even though the kids were somewhat antsy in the store. I still had a feeling of 'rushed' in me. My mom was gracious enough to stay over during naps for me so I could run and get a haircut. (Thanks again, Mom!) Even at the salon, I still felt rushed and stressed because of the feeling of being behind, and with the snow falling fast, I just wanted to get home.

Home I went to kids who didn't take a long nap and were ready to play, Daddy who was on his way out the door to plow and dinner not made, dishes not put away, you get my drift. It was then that I took out that time to give it to the Lord.

From Frazzled to Dazzled.

Kids played so nicely downstairs by themselves, dishes were put away and another load went in, dinner was in the oven, even had a chance to hang a new curtain I had bought recently and all just felt good! Daddy was gone so we weren't complete but made the best of our dinner time together. The boys talked to me like little grown-ups about their day and how much fun they had at Kohl's and how glad they were Baba (my mom) came over and how much they loved me. I was so surprised and pleased by our fellowship. God knew I just needed that. One boy at without talking (a rarity) and the other ate his whole meal without complaining about the "Shaw-shiz" (a miracle)! Baby didn't throw his plate OR cup on the floor and no spills! The joys of motherhood! :)

After dinner, I cleaned up and decided to tackle a project I've been putting off - organizing my recipe basket. Instead of just having the kids play, I involved them. I started cutting down copies of recipes I have made and letting the boys cut the scraps of paper just for something to do. They absolutely loved it! I have realized my oldest's newest talent - cutting one 5x7 sheet of paper into 829 pieces! My frazzled-self would have gone nuts about the itty bitty pieces on the floor but I didn't care tonight. We made a mess and got our projects done and had fun! I was so happy to get my project done and even more happy to have three assistants who wanted to just be with me. After we were done, we picked up and even the oldest assistant vacuumed up the pieces. Dazzled I was.

I realized I need to take a step back from our every day stresses and just enjoy the moment. God is so good and I just love how He knows what we need! Let me encourage you to do the same if you are like and try to do everything quickly and neatly and by yourself. Sometimes with little ones, it's easy to just do it yourself - but don't rob them of the joy of being a help, of having a servant's heart. That's just what they need!

So, my middle assistant, during his shift on the potty, tells me (quote) "Mom, I'm glad I helped you tonight, Mom. Children love to help their Mommies" and BOY, how right he is!

Hello and Happy New Year!

I'm back!

Hello, everyone! How are you? Happy New Year!

2012, wow! Time is sure movin'! I have been busy the last few months and there just wasn't any extra time for blogging but I hope to keep up more in 2012! God has been good to us, as always. We had a busy, trying and blessed 2011 and are looking forward to what He has in store for us this year!

Talk to you all again soon,
Mary