The Latest ( And The Locker Room)

We're on Spring Break over here.

Nothing fancy going on, we aren't vacation bound or anything, but we are staying in our pj's till after 9am and THAT my friends, is a vacation in itself. Right? Right.

So Monday the girls had some friends over, and yesterday I took the kiddos (and the neighbor) swimming. They were so excited, they were in their swimsuits at 8am...I'm surprised they didn't have goggles on already as well. The YMCA was interesting, I unfortunately forgot to warn the girls that elderly women tend to change out of their swimsuits right there in the middle of the locker room for all to see.

The shock on their face was priceless. And understandable.

(Random, but do people not know how uncomfortable that can be for everyone else? I was going in for a leisurely afternoon of swimming, and instead I had to teach a 2 hour class on the female anatomy and how it changes with age. Put a robe on, woman!)

(Sorry. I had to get that out. You all are such good listeners.)

30 brought me a new sense of confidence. So maybe 80 brings the walk-around-in-the-bare confidence? I honestly don't foresee that, sisters. But I guess only time will tell.

Anyway.

Lincoln has been sick (as I mentioned on Facebook). He's had a fever of 102, so he's felt pretty miserable. We've done a lot of snuggling, and he's done a lot of sleeping...

And the girls have even been movies, playing outside, and doing some relaxing...

I love relaxing. And naps. I really love naps. Neither of those exist for us moms, though. Someday, right?

So that's what we've been up to. Nothing too out of the ordinary, unless you count the YMCA discovery - unfortunately that might be etched in their minds forever :).

Hope you are having a great week so far!

I (Don't) Always Cook All Natural Meals - Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwiches

I try, but sometimes you just have to eat a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles, and in my opinion, life doesn't make sense without a hefty Chick-fil-a meal now and again.

I do love me some organic Trader Joe's groceries though, I like to think I feed my family well for the most part.

But let me share a new comfort food that we love. SO yummy, my friends.

You know when you hear of a meal idea and you think, "why on earth didn't I think of that before??", I had one of those moments with these. The rest of you may have already thought of it...

Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwiches. They're a gift.

How I made ours...

-I used Italian bread from Trader Joe's.
-Buttered the outsides just like a regular grilled cheese.
-Put some pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperonis on the inside (or your favorite toppings).
-Cooked till done!

I mean it, they're gooooooood.

The kiddos ate a picnic dinner outside, it's their favorite. Well, and mine since the clean up is SO much easier.

Make them, ok?

Enjoy!

He Is A Manly Man

until he realizes he's sitting in grass...

cause he is not a fan as of yet...

but those little toes sure look sweet in the grass :)...

Just Another (Blissful) Day

The alarm goes off at 6:15am, Eric hits snooze...like 5 times, and I keep hoping that we somehow have another hour of slumber.

I feel bad waking Ella, she's sleeping so peacefully in her warm bed, but school is calling and it's time to rise and shine. Reese and Charlotte follow their big sister down the stairs, Kinley and Raya are talking in their beds, and I already have Lincoln on my hip.

It's officially time to start another day.

Somewhere in the middle of filling sippy cups, packing lunch, and buttering toast I can sometimes think, "just another day...same routine, same thing, same job." Not that I don't love my job, because I wouldn't trade it for anything. But it can be easy to let your mind wonder to a more relaxing day ahead - you know, where you can take a nap, actually sit and eat lunch, or use the restroom without an audience.

C'mon, you dream of that place, don't lie.

There are mornings when Eric is heading out the door for work when I want to yell, "Don't go!! You can't leave me with all of them...you've seen how crazy they can be!! I'll go to work at the office today, YOU stay here!".

You've wanted to say that too, right??

But I don't, cause I know that this is my calling, and I know that I'll get a sweet reminder of that in the coming hours. It's a promise I cling to on the weeks that seem to go on and on and on...and on and on.

Being a mama is a gift. Grace in my life, that's for sure. It's a job that can feel mundane but in reality has SO much purpose.

But whew, it's exhausting. And the reason why I'll surely have grey hair prematurely.

The time is now to impact these little lives - cause as we all know, they grow fast. I keep reminding myself of that. Think I need to be praying for more energy, patience, and wisdom. And maybe a nap or two.

It's good to remind yourself that mothering is more of a privilege than a job.

And it's nice to know He is SO gracious and merciful with us mama's as we try to make an eternal impact in the little hearts He's entrusted to us.

So here is to persevering in this mommy-hood journey, even in the craziest seasons. After all, that's when He does the most work in us!

Happy Wednesday mama's, you're an everyday hero in your home :).

Never Before Seen Here...

I'm pretty sure I was way more entertained by these than I should've been, my friends. It was clear when I gave the sales lady at Old Navy my 4 bucks (yea, $4!) for them that they were my first pair of super hero pj's.

Remember before I was a mom, when I knew everything about raising children, and I swore my kids would never wear character clothes?? Yea, well add that to the giant list of reasons why you "never say never."

Those pj's cracked us up. After 7 years of pink and princesses, its time for a little super hero gear :).

Our First...

Ice cream cone...

of the...

season...

Kinley made a bit of a mess...

Sitting outside in the sunshine eating ice cream means Spring and Summer are one the way, right!?

Time With My Biggest Helper

I spent my birthday with my oldest little lady. Ella, my mom, and I headed an hour out of town to hang out, go shopping, and just be together. I can't even tell you how blessed I was by this one on one time with my biggest helper :).

She's just like me. The hair, the eyes, the people pleasing, and the independent personality, they all came from me.

She may have also got my stubbornness, but we don't have to talk about that right now, do we?

She's a sweetie, a trooper, and a gift...

We ate, and got our nails painted, and shopped, and tried on clothes (she's newly into trying clothes on and thinks its the coolest!).

I can't think of anything I would've rather done than sit across the table from JUST HER and listen to her talk about school, friends, silly things, and not-so-silly things. I didn't take my camera with me, so this is the only shot I got of us on my phone...

It's fuzzy, but it's a memory.

That pic is a little close up for my hate-to-be-in-front-of-the-camera-taste, but hey, you take what you can get.

I asked her if I could take just one more and she said, "moooooooom...".

I took that as a no.

We had fun, and she has already asked if we can do it again on my 32nd birthday :).

Hope you had a great weekend!

31

So, I am turning 31 tomorrow.

Thats right, 31! Remember last year when I celebrated my baby boy belly and entering my 30's on the same night? Good times.

So just for kicks, here is a random number of things that I learned and/or accepted after I entered the land of the 30's. The Lord has taught me more this year than I was ready for.

Here we go...

1. The 30's are a freeing season.

2. With age comes confidence. And the ability to not care what other people think.

3. My Mother was right. About everything.

4. I don't have to be, nor am I ever going to be the perfect mom. Just getting out of bed in the morning is a success considering that there will be poop and spit up and the probability that the children will continue to describe me and my clothes as "big" in my near future. No wonder us moms want to sleep in.

5. Love your friends. God has placed specific women by your side for a reason. That girlfriend that will listen to you cry and can also make you laugh till you cry is a gift. Embrace her.

6. Playdoh and carpet is like gum and hair. It's never pretty.

7. Staying home on Friday nights in an effort to not miss one episode of Dateline and 20/20 confirms that you are no longer cool in the eyes of the youth.

8. Marriage can be hard, but it is so worth the work.

9. Starbucks does indeed make your day better.

10. Kids are the most humbling mirror I've ever had. They are listening, imitating, and repeating. It's time to think before you speak or act.

11. Pray for patience. And then pray for some more. You're going to need a lot of it, cause raising kids isn't easy.

12. Grandmas have the ability to save you before you go off the deep end.

13. Just be upfront and honest, even if it's uncomfortable. It will save relationships, and more importantly, it will clear your mind so you can move on regardless of the outcome.

14. Never say never. You're just setting yourself up to eat your words. Eventually you realize that character t-shirts aren't the end of the world, clean faces and matching socks aren't always on a kids agenda, and your child is also capable of a meltdown in a crowded store.

15. It's ok to admit you're struggling. God does so much work in you when you are vulnerable.

16. Choose clothes carefully...and from the age appropriate department. Classy is your new trendy.

17. If filling my house with children is wrong, then I don't want to be right.

18. The old saying is true, "You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of them.". A healthy you makes a healthy mama, inside and out.

19. I don't need to apologize for my kids when they are just being kids. If you don't like it, you can switch checkout lanes. I'm done crushing their curious spirits just cause Mr. Grumpy standing behind us has had a bad day. Ahem.

20. The housework will always be there, the kids are only little once. Even though I love when my laundry system is in full swing, all that really matters is that the kids have clean underwear somewhere, in some basket, or some pile. Right?

21. Paint nails, play hair salon, read books, and play peek-a-boo even when you have SO much else to do. Those are the most important moments, with the most important people :).

I'm thankful for an amazing year filled with His grace.

Here's to the 30's!

He Rebounds Well

 Lincoln soaked up the sunny weather with us yesterday instead of falling into end tables :).

We are all so insanely excited for Spring and Summer. I can almost smell the chlorine in the pool. Almost.

Something tells me little Lincoln will give me a run for my money this year at the ol' pool!

Boys Will Be Boys

Nothing like an eventful day.

Our very curious Lincoln took a fall today...into the side of an end table...and had a nasty gash in his mouth as a result. No fun!

The kid is into everything. I mean, everything.

I have to be honest. When I picked him up and tried to make sense of all the bleeding that was going on I thought, "yep, he's definitely a boy, this is probably the first of many!".

But he did did pretty good at the doctor, and they ended up not stitching it since it was on the inside of his mouth (praise the Lord!). He just can't have any hard table food for a few days so it doesn't re-open.

Him and his chubby cheeks were worn out from all the excitement...

Seriously, look at those cheeks. It's like he's storing food in there!

You have my permission to reach in there and give 'em a squeeze. You know you want to.

Took that pic with my phone. I hate that he got hurt, but I could sit and hold him like that for a reeeeaaaallly long time :).

Anywho, that's what we were up to today!

Boys will be boys, right?

Frozen Yogurt Bites, And Other Things On Our Monday Checklist

1. Do 324 loads of laundry.

2. Exaggerate a tad on number one.

3. Make Frozen Yogurt Bites.

They are super easy and a gigantic hit in these parts. Just drop little bite size portions of yogurt on wax paper and freeze. Lincoln adores them as well. Watch out though, they melt in your hands quicker than you think!

4. Realize at 10am that I have hardened grape jelly in my hair from breakfast.

5. Make a memo to wipe off sticky hands after breakfast before they come anywhere close to my head.

6. Turn the living room into an art room...

7. Find and hide all the scissors cause apparently we have a hair stylist in the family. She's given 2 cuts in the past week.

8. Demolish the toy area...

9. Wear the children out by having them race each other around the couches.

10. Repeat number 9.

Phew :). Mondays are always a good time, right?

10...

sweet months old...

He loves to look out the window in our room while I clean and put away clothes - and now that I can open the windows he is obsessed!

Love that curious little boy :).