Two(th) out

Yes-I spelled it that way intentionally.  On Saturday morning, Benjamin had all of his upper teeth.  On Saturday night, he was minus one.  On Sunday night, no doubt motivated by the treasure he found under his pillow, he was minus another tooth. 

This has to be another of my favorite stages-he talks so stinkin' cute. 

Free Limeade Sparkler

Go here to print off a coupon for a free Limeade from Taco Bell.  They are only allowing 500,000 coupons, so hurry!   Refreshing start of summer drink.  Anybody have a recipe for cherry limeade?  Anyway-enjoy!
Sorry I don't have a picture of this delicious looking drink-I'll learn how to do that soon.

Bedtime Stories

     If the boys ask me to tell them a story at night I usually suggest they choose a book off the shelf.  We have plenty.  Otherwise, my stories often go like this, "Once upon a time there was a little boy named _______ (boy who is listening) and he had a busy day with his mom.  At the end of the day, he put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth and went to bed.  The end."  If I'm telling the story it is better that we use a book written by someone else. 
     Steven, however, has this amazing ability to tell stories in great detail.  Last night as I was putting clothes away and stacking diapers, Andrew asked his daddy to tell him a story.  This story was about two friendly birds named Pete and Bo who were fortunate enough to get a fascinating ride on the back of an eagle and the sights they saw as they flew along.  I don't know if it was exactly what Andrew needed to hear or if having daddy take the time to tell him a story is what brought him comfort.  Either way, my boys are lucky.

Lime Sherbet!!

Andrew chose sherbet as the FHE treat.  Jared knew we were having a treat and he wasn't and he would NOT hear of that.  So, we put him in his chair and gave him his first taste of lime sherbet.

Mother's Day

I know many righteous, outstanding women who have been and are influential to me and  I'd like to celebrate them, but today this post is about my mother.  Or more about what I've learned about my mother by being a mother.  Sometimes, at the end of the day, I kneel down and think I have messed up the entire day...didn't do things I should have, did do things I shouldn't have...and when I replay the day in my mind I often find my thoughts turning to my mom.  She raised 7 children, at times she was going to college, working 2-3 part time jobs, making homemade meals, meeting with teachers, getting us all to our different activities, and more, and for a while this was done by herself.  (And she always looked good, I might add)  Were there days when she would kneel down to pray and replay the day's event in her mind?  

As a little girl, I wasn't aware of all that was going on, I only remember Mom being where she needed to be when she needed to be there.  She was at my band and choir concerts, came to my clogging competitions, helped me study spelling words, and taught me fractions while baking.  She did what was expected of a mom and more.

My mom showed me compassionate service through her actions, faith in Jesus Christ during trials, and integrity to name a few.  She taught me all things good through her charity, her love, and her endurance.  Happy Mother's Day Mom.   

Track and Field

Adam was able to participate in 4th/5th grade track this year and he loved every minute of it.  His first track meet was April 15.  I didn't take any pictures and I should have.  The environment was so fun with parents all mingling, kids running from event to event, the sun shining, Benjamin and Andrew trying their hand at the running long jump and getting more sand in their hair than on their feet...

His second track meet was on April 29 and he chose to participate in all 10 events.  5 running events, 5 field events.   Do I get to brag on my own blog?  Without sounding too proud (yeah right) he did VERY well in 9 of the 10 events.  The other event was the 4x100 and that was a great character building event for him. 

One of my favorite events (and Adam's too) was the long jump.  Adam paced out his steps (like he'd done this a thousand times) and then took off running.  He scratched the first jump.  See his foot on the line?

His second jump was perfectly paced/spaced. 

I didn't get a picture of the landing, my shutter speed...UGH!  But he jumped 11 ft. 2 inches.  All I could say was, "Are you kidding me?"  He's 9!  Rio de Janeiro here we come!

My Blog

So for a few years I've strategically avoided starting a blog.  However, my little band of brothers is getting bigger and participating in more activities and I want to share this with my friends and family who I love but don't get to see often enough.  Last Friday during dinner we threw out some name suggestions for our blog and we finally settled on the above name.  This blog will primarily be about our comings and goings, but I'll throw in some money saving tips and recipes along the way.  Anything you want to see?  let me know and maybe I'll include it.  We hope you enjoy!  (by the way-I'll have pictures tomorrow so come on back)