Bensim

Last night as I was tucking my very sleepy 4 year old into his bed his said this:
"Mommy it feels like there is something wrong inside my body when someone leaves"
With some questions like does it hurt, where do you feel it, when do you feel it and poking this came out;
"it feels like sad"
when bud?
"when daddy leaves for a meeting, when Nana & Pop leave our house, when Madeline leaves, when you go out, when we leave somewhere."
My boy loves his peeps!

Failure

I loved the idea of a picture a day. . . it is not going well for me.  I forget or really don't know what to take a picture of.  I feel like all the pics of my kids are all the same.  Yesterday we cooked for the men from the homeless shelter who come to stay at our church every Sunday night during the cold months with our high school youth group and I forgot to bring my camera.  It was a crazy day b/c I ended up taking Cali to the pediatrician because of the fever she had been running.   Turns out she has a double ear infection and was wheezing.  Then after a nebulizer treatment, it was still not good, so to the hospital we went for an x-ray!  Yikes.  Talk about a crazy morning.  Round that out with a trip to the pharmacy for some antiobiotics, a nebulizer machine and some meds.  It was not fun.  On top of that at school drop off this morning, she wanted to run with the big kids (the air was warmer and it was i thought some fresh air might be good for her) she ended up falling a cutting her lip open.  Lots of blood.  Her lip is all puffy now.  that is my picture for today.  There are pictures on my cellphone that i could use for some of the days. . .but I do not know how to take them off.  I might try that today!  Happy Monday All!!!

A picture a day

So one of my friends is hosting a blog that posts a picture a day.  I'm not that good, I can't do that.  So I am trying to take a picture a day.  (have not been 100% succesful at that either since I started on Jan 4th and have missed a few already).  I am posting them in the form of collages.  Hope that this will turn into a fun year long adventure with me and my digital SLR camera.

In this first set of pictures we are celebrating new years, playing a new game of hide and seek, playing in the snow, Cali got a black eye, Ben loves to build with legos and Cali pat pat pat's the bread!

making cheesedoodle chains in Youth Group, Cali smiling for the camera, Daddy & Ben enjoy one of the snowday's together, sunrise, an icicle I thought was really pretty, cali in her "fur" and some random toy story toys found in our home.

I realize there are few pictures of my Cassie.  She does not like me to take her picture!  She leaves that to the professionals!  Will be sharing the new photo display that is up in my living room.  My husband was not happy to have to hang 9 seperate frames but I think it looks awesome.  Totally thrilled with pics.



A Day at the Crayola Factory

My kids had off from school today in observance of Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday.  I, along with my dear friend and her 2 boys decided to make the treck out to the Crayola Factory.  Alas, the only pictures are on her phone.  I did not want to take the "big" digital SLR to carry around while keeping an eye on 5 kids.  Since Ben broke my point and shoot right after the new year, I was without a picture taking device.  Should have had Cassie bring the one she got for Christmas.  Might need to invest in a cheap one for just such an occasion.  Anyway, fun was had by all.  The kids loved all the projects they could do and came home with plenty of stuff.  The moms were happy to have everyone eat at Panera.  We were there close to an hour, sitting a round table meant for 4 people with 7 of us.  Five chairs and 2 high chairs. . . people looked at us only mildly funny.  It was a great day!  The car ride home proved challenging as we wanted everyone to nap but only the babies (who both will be 2 very very soon!!!) did.  The 4 year olds were more interested in buggin the 9 year old and being loud.  it was a good day.  I am tired.  But I feel good about having taken my kids to do something fun and out of the ordinary.

Fun New Pictures

Excited to share these with you!

A few pictures from December 2010

Learning something new today. . .collages!

Christmas in 10

In trying to get ready to celebrate Christmas this year I feel like I've done so much. I really was trying to focus less on the secular end of it and focus more on the part that really matters. I was all set to do The Jesse Tree devotions with my family. The kids were not too receptive. Combine that w. a few missed night due to parents being out and then a weekend away and it has not worked. I bought a book for me to read during advent. Got around yesterday to reading the introduction. Love my nativity scene, i keep it our year round. Christmas is in 10 days and I have two more gifts to buy, lots to wrap, 9 dozen cookies to bake for a Cookie Swap on friday night. Made 36 cookies for a cookie swap today. I need to find time to slow down a bit and really reflect on Christmas. At my MOPS group today our leader shared some bad news with us about another Mom in our group. I know this Mom from high school and my heart breaks for her. Just heartbroken for her and her husband and two little boys. There have been things going on in our lives that are taking away from Christmas. We have lots of questions about why certain things are happening. But are they really pulling us away from Christmas? Maybe away from the hustle and bustle, away from the menu planning, and Christmas Card sending. But closer to God perhaps. All these questions and things that come up in life that we must bring before God in prayer. We are closer to God because of the time we NEED to spend with Him so that we can make some sense of the world around us. To make sense of things we hear about. Things that affect those we care about and those we love. I don't go back and edit as I write. I just am putting thought to paper. I just felt so called to really do something extra this year. . . maybe I just chose the wrong thing. Maybe it didn't need to be so complicated. Maybe I just need to spend the extra time praying for all those that need it. And not worry about creating traditions or moments for my family. I think those might happen all by themselves.

Just a thought. . .

How come it only takes about 10 seconds to 3 minutes to make a mess but so long to clean it up??? if it took as long to make the mess as it does to clean it up, it might actually be worth it. From a mommy who is sick of cleaning all day long (or so it seems).
Is laundry considered done once it is clean and dry or does it have to be folded and put away too?