Twenty10:108

I planted sunflowers in my ugly backyard....and they are actually GROWING!

Twenty10:107

It is days like today when I can't imagine not having my faith. I have no desire to write about today. I don't want to relive it. I have had no desire to write at all this week. But I am so thankful. Thankful that despite that millions of reasons people choose to not believe in God, I choose to believe. And since I chose to believe, He has shown up in ways that I would have never imagined. Ways I would never share with others, because most people would not believe me. On days like today, I would have fallen apart if I had not known that God was holding me all day long. Holding my mom. Holding my whole family. My mom is okay. Life continues as normal. I've learned that a normal day is a blessing in my world. And for that I am thankful.

Twenty10:106

We had some great success at the neighborhood garage sale today. It was a long day, and I was beyond tired....so I felt worthless, but Kaitlin helped Nana a lot. She is very much comfortable when she is organizing and in charge. And I was very much comfortable sitting in a chair and dreaming of a soft, fluffy bed. Jack and Carsyn stalked my mom's new neighbors, Lee, Brant, and Saishell, all day. They would NOT.LEAVE.THEM.ALONE. I felt so bad, but I was so tired and was not making my normal parenting decisions. These sweet people just loved Jack, and Jack and Carsyn wanted to hang with them all day. He talked their heads off. He charmed them into letting him play with their dog, their bubble machines, and practically host their garage sale.

This is Brant, giving Jack a ride on the dolly they were trying to sell. I seriously owe these people babysitting money. I feel bad, but they loved him. I think Lee and Saishell are a young couple, possibly contemplating marriage, and playing "pretend parents" with Jack and Carsyn to test the waters. I am not sure they will have children of thier own after today. I need to send them a thank you card. No matter how many times I told them to stay away from the neighbors....I would turn around and see them over there....running the show.

Twenty10:105

We helped Nana set up for her garage sale tonight. Jack and Carsyn had more fun than we did. They built a whole pretend house and even added plants on each side for decor. They were really into their little world, so Nana and I just listened. This was the living room I guess. They are so cute when they play together. Such vivid imaginations.

Twenty10:104

This is Eric's man cave. He spends a crazy amount of time here. He plays an online game called Evony, and I am pretty sure that after the amount of time he has spent playing it, he has become Lord of his Country, or whatever it's called. He is very serious about his pretend universe, because in this virtual world....no one whines, no one asks him to help clean, and he is always in charge. Must be nice. :)

Twenty10:103

My mother in law should teach courses to other Mother in laws. She picked up my kids from school, brought me a Starbucks iced coffee in a new coffee mug, cooked dinner, did 3 days worth of our dirty dishes (this sink was overflowing with crusty dishes this morning), and let me work for 2 hours by myself this afternoon. I could go down the list of things she does for us regularly. She re-defines the word service. Thank you Beth! God knows I need your help!

And she even used organic ingredients because she knows I'm freaky like that. :)

Twenty10:102

The best part of my day (besides the obvious waking up alive and making it thru with portions of my sanity) was unpacking this china. Eric and I did not register for china at our wedding 8 years ago because we were 12 and we did not know what we were doing. Who wooda thunk that all these lovely years later I would help my mom pack up her house and she would GIVE me her china from her and my dad's wedding? I am obviously her favorite child. And I am so stupidly excited that I have fine china in my house. I love the pattern too. I goes with everything in my dining room. Eric's parents gave us the dining room furniture, and now we have my parents china. yay for us! Now its time for a fancy dinner party. Break out the Ramen noodles! Mamas gone fancy!

Twenty10:101

It's always fun to use a computer when you have this beautiful brightness bar frozen on your screen. I'm not complaining. I don't do that. I'm merely mentioning that this is a joyful experience and that I highly recommend buying a Samsung flatscreen monitor because they do this awesome thing and everyone should experience how awesome it is to have a monitor Justlikethis with this frozen bar in the middle! I love having to move my pictures around the screen, only to catch one half of an eye around that awesome brightness bar and not even be able to SEE the pictures I am editing. But I am not complaining about this. It was just the only thing I thought of when I realized I never took one single picture all day today, and I am in the middle of this awesome project that I have joyfully committed myself to in the midst of my busy life that requires me to take one picture every.single.day. As soon as I get paid, I am getting a new monitor. I've found some really nice ones on Amazon for under $150.00. The end of this month, this pollen, and this monitor can not come soon enough. No complaints, just stating facts.

Twenty10:100

I can't believe I have made it to day 100 with this project!! And the best part about it is that I somehow am off by one day. hehe. Today should be day 101. But I am always a little bit off, so why start being "on" now? That's not me.

We are having a contest in our little foursome family. I have had it with the complaining and whining that I hear in my house on a regular basis. Eric is always complaining about his job being so stressful and how the kids don't listen. Jack complains about just about everything. Kaitlin complains about being bored or having to help me around the house. blah, blah, blah. We grabbed some Mexican food after church today and it hit me. I wake up happy and inspired, but am quickly brought down by negative complaining and whining. I decided to challenge my whiny family to a contest. And the biggest complainer loses. We each picked something (that costs nothing) we really wanted if we are the winner of the contest. For every verbal complaint, each person gets a strike. 3 strikes and your out. I am so going to win this game. The good thing is, my kids are becoming aware of the negative thought patterns and words that are robbing them, and people around them of happiness. I want them to be aware that when they complain and whine, everyone around them is affected. But the person affected the most is them. Your actions often follow your thoughts and words and lead you down a very depressing and negative life. I do not want my kids to be negative thinkers. It has been a very peacful day. We have gotten competative about it. Every word that comes out of our mouth is thought out carefully. I'm loving this.

Twenty10:99

As I pulled into Nana's house today, I saw that one of her neighbors horses was laying down, not moving. I was in a rush, but wanted to make sure she wasn't dead, so I pulled over. As soon as I got out of the car, she lifted up her massive head and turned around to let me know she was alive. I felt a huge sense of relief. She was just taking a nap. Thank goodness, because I was about to enter day 3 of moving exhaustion and was in no mood to break the news to her owners that she was a goner. I guess I've never seen a horse take a nap. As I stood there in amazement at the enormity and beauty of one of God's most awesome animals, one of them decided to come say hello.

And man is she BIG, and so beautiful it made me tear up just being in her presense. Or maybe I was just tired, but I am pretty sure it was her beauty that left me speechless and tearful. Or maybe it was all the emotions of having to help my mom move away from her dream home that got to me in that moment. But the tears started flowing. She was just so beautiful. And clearly this moment was deserving of being digitally captured.

And I am thinking she liked to photoshoot. I am pretty sure she was smiling. She kept turning her head and posing for the camera. Or maybe she was trying to get a good look at this object that I was holding. At this point I wasn't sure if she was happy that I was there or if she was trying to bully me into leaving. She was SO close to my face, but I'm thinking that she was just being friendly.

And then came her friend, Donkey, whom I enjoyed just as much. Donkey wanted to know what all the fuss was about, or maybe she wanted to pose for the cameras too, or maybe she was helping beauty bully me into leaving. Either way....I got all warm and fuzzy. They let me pet them for a while. We talked about stuff. They were very nice. It was such a surprising little slice of heaven to stop and hang with such beautiful animals all by myself. I wouldn't have stopped if beauty didn't look dead, so in a wierd way, I'm thankful she did....and I'm thankful she wasn't. I am going to miss seeing them as I drive down that gravel road on the way to Nana's. But we can always go back and see them, or drive to PaPa's farm. It's sad that I never really apreciated this amazing view like I should have. I guess I thought it would always be there. And I guess that's a lesson I needed to learn.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

G.G. and her great grandkids

{ This picture cracks me up. I love Jack's mullet and how messy his face is.}

We spent the week moving mom, Cliff and G.G. into their new house. We still have another week of organizing for the garage sale next weekend. The kids were expected to be miserable throughout this process but they were surprisingly wonderful. They both helped us in ways we never expected and were so well behaved all week. Kaitlin was very take charge, Jack was great for placing things where they belong in the new house and taking things apart with his tools, and I am a really fast worker.....flying through like a tornado and gettin.things.done. To be honest, I loved every minute of being with my mom. We laugh so hard together all week. I developed a new favorite word. Chochkee. It's what my mom calls Nick Nacks. I think I've said it over a thousand times this week. I don't get to spend a lot of quality time with her, so I enjoyed this week, even though moving is an absolutley awful process. We got a huge kick out of cleaning out G.G's house. We found so many old pictures and boxes full of her memories. We also found a lot of strange "chochkee's" that we werent sure why she ever bought. We laughed a lot, and gagged on dust mites and pollen in the process. But we were so glad we were getting to do this while she is still alive. She jokes about dying soon all the time, but we think she's got a good 20 years left! Love you Geeg!

Twenty10:98

We loved every minute of our visit with the Galbraiths today. Kaitlin and I were both itching to meet baby Anna. She is beautiful and sweet and snuggly. Michelle and Steven....thank you for hosting and letting us invade your quiet little world! Just kidding. I know it's never quiet around there. But a serious thanks for having us. We wish we could have stayed all weekend and caught up. We've missed you over the last 3 months. Love you guys!

Twenty10:97

This was our dinner tonight. Chicken smothered in sauteed spinich and onions, topped with tomato slices and sprinkled with cheese. Sliced potatoes, cooked in coconut oil, and a dab of ranch on the top of each individual slice. Really Eric? You can be such a pain (as I can too), but you make up for it with all the love you put into feeding our family! My goal for this sumer is to learn how to cook. I don't want to take over as the chef in the family because Eric loves his role in our house, but I would like to be able to whip up a meal like this on a whim.

{This was supposed to be my picture of the day but when you hand a camera like mine over to someone who has never used one, this is the result. Blur, grain, and yuck. I tried to salvage what I could so I could record this day in my book at the end of the year}.

These are my Kindergarten teacher friends (minus half of them who were out of town). Rebecca is about to have her second little boy. She's been in the hospital on bed rest for 3 months now, which I can't fathom. I can't sit still for 5 minutes! She is so happy to be home now and spending time with her son Anderson before Jackson arives, and we were so happy to see her tiny, pretty little self outside of the hospital! I love these girls. They have carried me through this year, not to mention given me many, many laughs. You have to maintain a sense of humor as a teacher or you will go crazy, and I think we accomplish that!

Twenty10:96

I step on legos everyday, and it hurts. And my living room is always covered in legos, toys, and baskets full of toys. I've given up on trying to keep it neat. It's turned into Jack's playroom over the last 2 years. I get really mad when I step on a lego because it feels like stepping on glass. I have to hold back the words that want to come out of my mouth. But I know that he is only little for a short time, and I am in no hurry to see that go, so I'll deal. In the mean time, my living room is just going to be exactly this. It's a wreck, but those legos will be missed someday when he is a smelly teenager and wants nothing to do with me. Not that I think he will ever not worship the ground his momma walks on, but I prepare myself for that.....just in case.

Twenty10:95

We helped Nana move into her new house today. When Nana and I were taking furniture into the house, we walked outside and saw Jack, exactly like this, waiting (in all of his cuteness) with his head poked out of the side of the trailer. We both started screaming "don't move....stay just like that!" As we ran inside to get our cameras. And in typical paparazzi fashion, we snapped away at Sir Handsomeness. He was such a big help today. He really understands what looks good in a home and gave us great tips on where we should put what. He is also a great director and a strong mover! We loved his company and his input. He melted our hearts all day with his decor wisdom. We missed Kaitlin though. She sort of takes control and starts organizing and telling us what to do. A Little Aunt C.C in the making, except she's a little bit nicer. :) Love you sister! Now we are off to have dinner at Aunt Pattie's. I'm looking foward to relaxing a little bit.

Twenty10:94

gotta love apples!

Twenty10:93

We had a very happy Easter. We had breakfast with the Vaughns, attended a beautiful church service, helped Nana unpack at her new house, had Uncle Joe and Uncle Scott over for some Tacos, and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 8th, 9th, and 10th time. I spent most of the day quietly counting my blessings. But we sure did miss you Eric!

Twenty10:92

We had a boys night last night. Jack was so excited to finally have his boys sleep over. They ate pizza, watched Alvin and the Chipmunks the Sqeakqual, and played with Legos....for hours. Kaitlin and I curled up in bed and watched The Blind Side. We put the boys to bed at 11, and I woke up to a noise in the playroom at 5:50 am. It was two of the boys, playing in Jack's playroom, at FIVE IN THE MORNING!!! I quickly made them go back to sleep and told them they could not get up until the sun came up. We made pancakes this morning and Jack was so sad when they left. I had a full girl day planned so Mama kept the kids. She took them to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and I went to lunch with Kristin. Then I got to take pictures of one of my teacher friends. She is hysterical, and it was the most taking her pictures. Adults are so easy to photograph. I ended up picking up the kids at 5 and taking them shoe shopping. I finally got Jack to buy a pair of cool shoes. He likes the terrible ones that light up and have disney characters on them. I like converse, vans, and adidas flips. He agreed today, after 30 minutes of trying on tons of ugly shoes, to buy some adidas flip flops. YAY! Kaitlin got some really cute summer sandles too. We left the shoe stores and headed straight for he park. We got home after dark, and the kids are tired. I love Spring Break. I love the freedom and the weather and the feeling of the seasons changing. Now off to ge ready for Easter breakfast at our house!

Twenty10:91

Jack's class had his Q and U wedding today. He was very upset that he was not placed as Mia's groom. He was placed with Victoria instead, who is very cute, but clearly not his beloved Mia (pictured below). He cried for an hour last night over her. He says he loves her and he's mad that Ms. Dean did not make them a couple at the wedding. I was feeling really sorry for him for a while. He talks about sweet Mia all the time. He says he wants to marry her and have 4 kids. He even named all four of them one day! This girl is for sure his first crush. And how adorable is she??? Oh my. At least I know he has good taste in girls.

I felt so sorry for Jack all day. This afternoon I rushed to pick Jack up from the car rider line after I was done with my afternoon teacher duty. I was feeling that momma love and knew he had a rough day watching Mia marry some other dude. Then he broke the knews to me. This cute girl Piper in the car rider line confessed her love to Jack and now they are boyfriend and girlfriend. Jack also informed me that he is dating Piper's sister, Ellie, as well. He says he still loves Mia, but Piper likes him back, so he's going out with her. A lot can happen in one day in the life of a six year old. Jack is all of the sudden walking a little different. He's got confidence. He's the man!

Twenty10:90

No matter how cheesy school pictures are, I love um. I love having them around the house. It makes me feel like a real grown up to see these photos of my kids in frames arond the house. This was the first year Kaitlin wore her glasses in her picture. Her friends tell her not to get contacts because she doesn't look like herself without her classic black frames. I agree. Those glasses have become a part of her current identity. And Jack's cuteness makes me hurt. Oh that beautiful red hair!!! And how did April get here so fast? I can't believe how fast the first half of the year goes by....every year. No complaints. Summer is so close!