Looking through old photos of my firstborn is a sure way to make me cry.

Look at my Mason back in the days when he was an only and soooo little!!! How is it possible that 2011 will bring this redhead to the age of SEVEN? ::wipes away tears::

oh the sweet of it all...

It's been one of those *good* days.

You know the ones. The days where there is nowhere to be and nothing particularly important to get done. Yes, I have papers to organize and a full sock basket that could stand to be paired and actually, come to think of it, my laundry basket pile is climbing up the wall.

None of that matters though, next to the agenda we had today.
That agenda was spending time with our kids.

Sweet time. Sweet time playing GoFish with our three oldest and laughing and laughing. Sweet time working together to clear off the table of breakfast dishes. Sweet time baking banana bread with Daphne. Sweet time watching the babies give each other a hug and a kiss after a bicker. Even their bickering seems sweet today. Sweet, sweet, precious time.

The clock is ticking and soon they won't be our babies anymore but grown and out in the real world. Soon we won't spend 10 straight days all together at Christmastime. Soon, very soon, we will look back at this day and say, "Remember when...?"

Sweet time.

I cherished it today.

Monday Evening Food for Thought

You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. 
-James Anthony Froude

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night

It's been kind of a nuttier Christmas than it usually is (Matt has been dealing with pain of passing kidney stones, babies are sickies with such raw, sad, little bottoms from all their sickness, and we are hosting things at our house this year) but, BUT 

it is Jesus's birthday! What an incredible day! So I will put all the other worries aside and find joy in the little things:
watching the joy on my children's faces as they open presents.
relishing this time I get with my kids, my love and my family.

This Mama gig He has bestowed upon me is a gift. A beautiful gift. How I treat and raise these gifts He entrusted to my care is an act of worship to He who created me and by worshipping the Lord in this way, I honor the sacrifice He gave for me. Eternal life. Pretty darn amazing.

My wish for all of you wonderful bloggy friends {and IRL friends} is that your day is amazing, wherever it may find you and that you will feel God's love all around you.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

on family pictures with Santa

I used to think family pictures and Santa pictures had nothing in common. Santa pictures featured the kids and family pictures featured the whole family. Right? Right.

Well, when you pair a shy two year old with a jolly, fat, hairy man who says Ho,Ho, Ho- the shy two year old is now a frightened two year old. Then the frightened two year old wants to get as far away from the jolly, fat man as he can. I tried to get my petrified toddler to sit but he wanted me and only me at that point. And then, since *I* was already in the picture, we might as well pop Matt in too! And WALLA- this all leads to the beautiful photo below, haha! 

I think this should win an award for most akward family Christmas photo. :) 

Sidenote 1: Yes, my 2 year old is wearing Crocs and purple Halloween socks. Don't judge. 

Sidenote 2: Yes, I am wearing sneakers. I wasn't supposed to be in the photo. 

Sidenote 3: Yes, this photo WAS all my mother-in-law's idea. Never again!

Sidenote 4: We DID have a pretty awesome looking Santa!

Sidenote 5: I am now done with the Sidenotes!

I have nothing of purpose to say.

And I don't feel like doing San Francisco posts right now {sorry}.

But, I do want to say HAI!! and did you know that Christmas is one.week.from.today?!? OMW.

and did you also know that I adore!! this kid? oh, you did? well then. :)

Happy Saturday!  What is on YOUR brain today?

Just not right.

Today I went to a funeral- the funeral of a five year old boy. The funeral of a friend's child.
It was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever seen.

While honoring this precious little boy, my thoughts kept traveling toward my children. What if one of our children died? What if our family were affected by a loss too young? I just cannot imagine-and I don't want to but the thoughts do occur to me when something so tragic happens.

In some ways, losing my mother changed my views of the world. Heartbreak has touched my life and it changes you. I have come out on the other side with the belief that I will see my mother again one glorious day and I honor her by living my life the best I can.

However, the world isn't as perfect as it was before my mom took her last breath in front of me. I am not as naive as I once was. Every now and again, the thought that my children could be taken from me flits through my brain. When this happens, I beg and plead for God to let my children live long, full lives. I ask the Lord to let my children bury me, not the other way around. It is one of my greatest fears. Perhaps this is because death is not a stranger to me anymore, as it was before my mother died. It is real. It happens. And it is devastating.

I know the Lord has a plan, even for this little boy who was taken at only five. I know our bodies are not meant to live forever, that we all die eventually. I know that our souls live on in our true home. I know this. But it still just plain sucks.

I am so grateful today for my beautiful children, all five of them! I am so thankful for healthy, happy little beings. I will hug them tight and cherish what their sweet lives bring to mine, for we never know how short this life can be.

I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring.
-Liz Armbruster

Last First

:::I now interrupt regularly scheduled San Francisco recap programming to show ya'll my baby's first haircut.:::

*stops crying* This is my baby boy, friends. My b.a.b.y. boy. As in the last one coming out of my uterus eva! As in the last first haircut I will ever experience with thine own child again.

{Just want to make sure you get the importance of how big this is {at least to me, ha!}!}

I tried and tried to fight cutting the mullet that had grown its way onto my boy's head. Alas, it could be no more...so we trekked over to Cool Cuts for Kids. It is totally expensive for 15 minutes of cutting *but* my kids can watch a movie and eat a sucker, which totally keeps a 2 year old {and now a 1 year old} kiiiinnnnddd of distracted while they cut, cut, cut.
                                        

                                                                        The Mullet

Look at them cheeks!

Time to say goodbye to the overgrown mullet!

SUCKERS are the best way to bribe your kid!!

Although, honestly he didn't even need it. Keeping true to the nature Theo has possessed since even in the womb, he was mellow, laid back and went with the flow. 

See?

I just noticed the crazy face this lady is making. haha!

And the cutting begins!! {while Mama sobs}

Every few minutes, Theo would look at the woman cutting his hair like, "Exactly what are you doing lady?!" He was super curious..then would go back to eating his lolly and watching Elmo. 

MEANWHILE, his grumpy pants brother was not going with the flow quite as well.

Will despises having his hair cut. 

And the finished product?

Not quite finished but ohhhhh so handsome! {and the best shot I could get whilst calming down a 2 year old in the throes of an I-want-no-part-of-this-haircut- tantrum.}

Doesn't Theo look so much more grown up now? 

I keep telling them to slow their roll, yet they don't seem to be getting the memo. 

Sigh. 

My Cup Overfloweth...

We are home from our trip!! We walked a TON {I have the blisters to prove it}, ate even more, did whatever we wanted, slept in everyday and had a BLAST!!!

I did not really realize how *much* I needed this break until we came home. I feel like a new mom- my patience is endless, my appreciation for my kids is through the roof, and it truly let me step away and realize how great my life is!! This week is going to be San Fran recap week on my blog...starting tomorrow!

Stay tuned!!

Just a little excited!

This lovely place is calling my name because:

                                                courtesy of unionstation.com

in just a few short days, my love and I will be in SAN FRANCISCO!! and I have never been!
As if that weren't awesome enough, we are also going A.L.O.N.E!!!

I am soooooo excited!! We have one activity scheduled-mostly are just planning to explore, hit some awesome museams,  find adventures and relish our time together. Our lives are very scheduled and it will be amazing to be free to do whatever we want!
Sleep in today? Oh I think I will! Leisurely get ready? Yes please! Explore the beautiful city and enjoy life with my soulmate? Don't mind if I do!

Anyway... I am thrilled!!  {can you tell? ha!}

I only have one presentation, one final conference and two finals to get through before then!! The end is so close I can taste it!!

EEEEEE!!

Survival is