Just so we remember

 Our life as it is...

Boys, boys, boys!

Sometimes I sit here and am faced with the challenge of adding one more thing into our schedule. This is always super fun! (sarcastic wail)
Lets do a small breakdown of our current daily schedules, just for kicks...someday we can look back on this and laugh.
My responsibilities: 
Not only do I have the (what seems like) sole responsibility of cleaning the house, laundry for all five of us, cooking, shopping, paying bills, and tending to my darling offspring, I am also currently in college. I have classes four days out of the week. This term was extremely tricky to schedule due to the science labs I had to juggle around. I live by lists, calendars, and organized schedules. Like giant flow charts I have us pretty much squared away, but somehow these things are in need of constantly tweaking. For it seems I have excuses as to why some things never get done! That is why God gave my Daddy. He keeps me centered and supports my crazy obsessive natures, while reminding me to take  a breath and enjoy the moments.

Brent:
 is generally home four nights and two full days during the week. Brent works anywhere between 50-80 hrs a week. It is one of those situations where even though you are not physically at work, you are working. They call you. You have work at home all the time because somehow even though you are always there it all still does not get done. He is patient and calm with the boys. He has very high standards and expectations and best of all he is able to uphold them. He loves to talk and spend time with his boys. He has the amazing ability to actually focus on just YOU when he is talking. (I am still working on that one) I have never met anyone who works as hard and has real integrity. He truly believes in empowering those around him. He builds people up and develops their weak spots into strengths. I know if he had it his way he would be a stay-at-home dad. I'm working hard to get through school, so he can work less.

Mitchel:
Mitchel, you are surviving middle school. I know it can be tough. Seven classes, five teachers and you are at a new school this year.
Your school has this policy where not only do you get academic grades, you also get "citizenship" grades. Which is a grade determined by class participation, organization, and turning in your work. This year started off bumpy so we had to start a homework template that you carry to each class and write your homework on. You bring it home, I check it and if you filled it out and got all the signatures you should have you get reinforced. Your chores that actually get done regularly are the dishes, taking garbage out, and picking up Cosmo deposits in the yard. Things you are still working on laundry, making bed, putting clothes away nicely, realizing the benefit of showering. You are on the basketball team for your middle school. You have practice everyday after school from 3-5pm. So, pretty much you get home in time to eat, shower, do some homework, have a small amount of R&R, read and go to bed. (Welcome to growing up) Soon you'll be joining the Boy Scout Troop and will have that as well..
Brayden:
Yay for fourth grade. You bring home homework on Tuesdays and Thursday. Other than that, when you come home you get to relax. You are great at doing some of your chores without being asked too many times. Dishes, recycling, checking the mail, and feeding Cosmo. (you get out of cleaning up Cosmo deposits, by extensive negotiations with Mitchel) We are trying to find a sport you actually want to do since you have said no to basketball, football, and wrestling. You'd still love to be taking piano, but your last teacher moved and it has been hard finding one in our budget. Your teacher has just recommended we start reading aloud to you. So we have started our family reading circle. We went to the library and got enough books to all be able to read together. It has been fun and one of my favorite times of the evening (when we actually get to do it).
August:
You go to preschool three days a week right now. You love school. You are a model student and your teachers love you. You are great at doing puzzles. You love to help cook. Right now I would say your favorite foods are pancakes and malt-o-meal. You always ask me to rub your back or to do Eskimo kisses. You own a billion books and choose to pull one out at a time and leave them in heaps in your room. Sometimes, I can even get you to pick them back up and put them back on the shelf. Frankenstein is your flashlight friend, you named him yourself. He is a dinosaur. You say when you grow up you want to be a "real" power ranger. To make sure I get your point you make sure to tell me that you will be a "real" one, not your costume. Okay sweetie!

Overall, being busy isn't so bad. You get to a point that not being busy feels weird. I can remember the feeling of only having Mitchel. Thinking how complete my world seemed back then. After Bray joined our family we felt even more blessed and realized how natural a big family was for us. Now with August and Cosmo we are definitely living the dream! Now that we have a house of our own we are learning all about the maintenance and responsibilities that come with that. Especially with 10 different fruit trees in the yard. I have to remember in all the madness to stop and appreciate it all. My  sarcastic teenager is a gift. Like the natural ebb and flow of relationships there is one constant in our lives, it binds us and keeps us humble. I am so grateful for my family, even if some days I feel our lives are on fast forward.

Honey

In addition to some fun birthday shenanigans, I also got to visit Annette.

This was nice, since I have not been able to see her as much as I would have liked this past month. We try to get together every couple weeks. We sit around drink coffee and do puzzles. She is slowly processing the recent passing of her sister, so I feel our visits are more and more meaningful. I can't even imagine how it would be to pick up the phone to make that call and then be hit with the realization that they are not there anymore.

I keep praying she will find some form of peace and be able to look forward to seeing her sister again in heaven...for now I try to see her more than usual and call her more than usual. It's not much, but it fills a small piece of that void left behind.

 She showed me pictures she has been stock piling. Of how hard it has rained, her granddaughter who is now engaged, her son playing with his band at a local venue...

We worked on trying to put the ground together on a puzzle of deers in a meadow.

Each one of these visits make me realize how precious time is and how we take trivial things for granted. I am hoping to remember the joy in the mundane.

*sigh*

Simple joys

Cousin Charles is Two!

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending our little cousin Charles second birthday party. It was a construction themed party. Brent had to work and I was feeling a little under the weather and losing my voice, so needless to say the boys acted a little crazier than I would have liked. Thank goodness we were surrounded by understanding parents.

We were kind of the second guest to arrive. Charles, Gwenevere, and Grace were there playing when we got there. August jumped right in to playing and Brayden hung out with his older cousin Justin. They each got their little aprons and construction hats on and were ready to p-a-r-t-y...

 More and more, and more people showed up with their children and the kids took over. As kids do, they just enjoyed each other. We made our rounds at the snacks table. I had to control August's consumption of strawberries. He would have cleared them out if I didn't regulate him.

 There were a couple games that were started, but most of my time was spent keeping August in toe. One was pin the hammer on the nail. Even with no blind fold the kids did not seem to hit the nail on the head! August was in a mood that day and did not have his listening ears on. He kept trying to go upstairs to play with other toys, so I only got pictures of the aftermath...

 After awhile we all went outside to do the pinata.The kids helped Rebecca set up the
 tarp to help catch the spoils. My favorite part was watching everyone's faces. Not only the kids wielding the stick, but the adults watching.

 Grace took a couple swings and then tried to hand the stick over to Gwenevere. It was adorable.

 Then Charlie got his turn. You can tell he is no stranger to pinatas. He was very serious about getting those goodies out.

The kids were all allowed 3 swings, which of course neither of my boys abide by. I miss doing pinatas. I realize I have not swung at a pinata in awhile...guess I know what to get for my birthday this coming year!

 Look at that determination in Gwenevere's eyes...

 Brayden was a little less excited about being the "only" kid his age there. He was however, happy about getting to be the "older" kid that got to break the pinata! I tried to tell him there were perks

 Following the theme of construction and building, there were great mud treats...no worms in this soil.

 One of the more comical times was the group picture fiasco. These kids had no idea what we were asking of them. I was off to the side, so I did not get a picture that did not have an adults guiding hand, or one of the kids standing/jumping right in the way.

They were adorable. I love this age.

 Usually the two year old blowing out candles can be pretty funny. 

I remember when Brayden was two, he was so excited to have everyone singing to him he kept saying "again, again" and having people sing happy birthday over and over which meant he could keep blowing out the candles.

Charles again, handled the candle blowing like a pro. 

 Max noticed how quiet it got once all the desserts were passed out and being enjoyed...

 There's the handsome Birthday Boy!

 At first the kids payed no-nevermind to Charles opening presents, but then slowly August made his way over. He was commenting and trying to help open everything. There were too many people in the way for me to really make my way over and correct him, plus my voice was gone almost, not a good parenting combo. I stopped feeling as bad when Gwenevere joined in the interest of Charles presents. I guess it is a four year old thing.

 Poor Max kept trying to hold the shirt up so I could get a picture, but kids kept standing in the way and then Charlie wanted it on and tried putting it on himself.

 Apparently Charles is a huge Elmo fan?! It was equally cute that Grace was wearing a matching shirt. (didn't get a picture of that)

 An oldie but a goodie. I do not know what kids has grown up without one of these! As Charles looks intently on while Dad demonstrates it's opening and closing.

Thank you for inviting us to the party! 

It was great having all the kids get to play together. Charles seemed to definitely enjoy himself thoroughly, as did my boys.