farrah fawcet goes to the zoo...

so exciting, my little sister is back in T-town and we invited her to go zooing with us on a gorgeous spring day. it was so fun. so glad we went early due to the unbelievable amount of people who showed up after us! couldn't she pass for a young farrah with those shades? funniest thing is they were my great grandmother's. emily and i share the same passion for era oleta's hand-me-downs. i have a bunch of her old jewelry and get the most compliments when i wear it.

wyatt remained calm as long as there were cheerios a'plenty.

the boys got these lovely handspun, llama bracelets. thanks BB the llama for sharing. glad they still allowed them one after tate sat down at a spinning wheel that was left unattended. :)





this was so cute. we are watching these elephants cool off and they were making there own mud hole and spraying water. tate noticed i was taking pictures and says (in his usual volume...loud) 'mom, you should put those on your blog!' this man standing close got a real kick out of that. sign of the times i guess :) us mommies and our blogs!


lane was showing his exhaustion and a soon after, hard hitting allergy headache.

thought these two pics were funny too. before ball practice, the boys were trying again to stand still for a picture. this may never happen again in my lifetime :)

i need spring break to last until summer!

like father, like son...

it's spring break here and we are super excited!! our little guy is just a few wobbles away from taking off running and i want to be home when it happens!! for now, we will settle for a few tunes on the guitar. shane has been filling in at central for their music pastor and he plays at legend's this weekend with a big private party just a few weeks away. needless to say there has been lots of music practiced in our home. everything from third day to willie and wyatt is loving it all! he assumes the position every time. soccer pics soon to come...we have a couple of high scorers on our hands!

one year ago today...

http://hopperphotography.blogspot.com/2008/03/wyatt-has-arrived.html

my sweet baby is one...

i am grateful for so many things today. for last minute changes that worked out awesome, for family and friends who took time out to celebrate, for my photographer sister who i pray has better pics to choose from than my 8 i managed to take. i am also grateful for the internet so that grandpa ed and family can stay informed and so i can document such occasions. wyatt was not so sure about the new swing from granny at first, as you can see his brother were there for support and daddy was in charge of pushing slowly. i know he will love it eventually! this little boy was so tired when we came in from the beautiful outdoors where we enjoyed our miss ruby made cake. daddy brought him in the bathroom and while i was running the bath water, he rubbed his eye...so sleepy (and thankfully none was IN his eye). after gifts, it was time for a mega nap!! thank you Jesus for favor with the weather and blessings be to our sweet family. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE DUB!!

a 4 year old mind...

i very vividly remember the things i wrote about tate under this same title years ago. it is funny how lately everything that comes out of lane's mouth needs to be written down. shane and i laugh all the time. don't get me wrong, tate is still FULL of them. there is just something about this 4 year old age that has brought out a funny, innocent honesty and curiosity in my boys.

* mom, 'e' (little boy at sitter) says miss b (young, cute gal that works at sitter) has fat boobs. i say, 'wow, do you know what boobs are?' because although we do have one female in the house we don't walk around using this term. he simply says yes and points with both fingers and big eyes at his own chest. he was surprised that 'e' did not get his mouth washed out for saying the word fat. wasn't at all concerned that he was pointing out her boobs. it was not quite as painful as the tate story about the hills by my stomach from the link above.

*as mentioned last week, we will not be watching any nature shows with snakes for a while. he will now not go in the backyard clubhouse without checking ever nook first and is not particularly fond of his bed right now since he thinks the 'wide cheeked snake lives in the bookshelf' that would be a king cobra for those of you who are not up on your snake identification.

*miss b is obviously a key figure in my young man's life, since he sees her every day of the week and she helps to care for, feed, and educate him throughout the day. it is just funny to me what he picks up on from her wardrobe and make-up choices. monday, as i was putting my mascara on, lane says...mom, why don't you wear green on your eyes like miss b. i said, "well lane, she is younger than me." and to that he says...and KINNIER too. yesssss, that is skinnier for those of you who do not know lane speak. i simply agreed and reminded him that ladies don't enjoy being reminded of how big or small they might be. he is so sweet and sensitive that he sort of felt bad. i told him it was fine and i loved him so much.

*today, we visited our doctor. we LOVE our doctor. he always comments on lane's good looks and charm. they compare hair gel and cow-lick stories. he is just a fun guy. lane had a fever and we feared he had bronchitis. turns out to be viral and just needs to run it's course. they did a flu test which was negative, but lane thought the nurse 'touched his brain' with the swab. while there, lane asked the doctor if he would be able to 'play some dolf since it wasn't as bad as we first thought.' you see, it was about 68 degrees today and he told him it would be 'a dood day for some dolf.' the doc (who referred us for speech testing for that whole g is a d sound) looked at me and smiled for the right way to answer and i just laughed and said...how about this? can he practice soccer with big brother's team tomorrow night? what are our rules doc? he told him if he was fever-free that he could join in. lane thinks he is an honorary member of every sports team that tate is on. he is darn good too and never has a problem keeping up with the big boys. :)

*one more, but i'm telling you, i've got dozens. monday night, the boys were in the kitchen. all chores complete, dogs fed, everyone bathed and ready for bed. tate was wanting to show lane something really cool he learned in computer class. i was helping him access it and lane is sort of dancing around behind me with some jello his granny had sent home with them. the baby is in the floor banging some bowls and spoons together (note to self: find better hiding spot for new william sonoma mixing bowls. not baby proof like gladware) you know, just typical kid stuff. well, i turn around and the baby had thrown up. he wasn't a bit upset, but yikes!!!! he was sort of smacking his mouth around like something tasted bad.

i say, "lane, did you give your brother a bite of that?"

he said, "no, he just ate a piece of dog food"

NICE! i explained to lane that next time he sees wyatt eating something strange that he needs to let me know. we started over on the bathtime routine for wyatt and i think shane could sense a nervous breakdown. i was laughing hysterically to keep from crying. had not slept in nights with all the coughing going on around here, so he very calmly said he would take the big boys tonight to bed. he told me to put the baby to bed and go to bed. so i took him up on it.

pay it forward...

i could not believe how many emails and offers for prom dresses that i received after my last post. thanks for your generosity and kindness. she found a dress and my sweet mom is picking her up after school tomorrow to go buy her some shoes and jewelry. bless that family and the mom's job situation. when i talked to her today to arrange the pick up, i told her to feel free to go since she didn't know my mom from adam. she was speechless and grateful.

my precious baby will be one march 10th. my sister has been so kind as you can see above. her pictures amaze me. i love this little boy so much. he is almost walking and loves to say 'uh-oh!' he LOVES his big brothers. he LOVES his daddy and he LOVES to play pattycake.

funny things from the week...don't let your 4 yr. old watch the spitting king cobra nature show with your husband unless you want to go on a 30 minute snake hunt at 2:15a.m. always keep some tylenol on hand for your 7 yr. old when those giant molars are coming in and he heard the snake hunt in session. never try and give said 'gag reflex boy' the baby's teething tablets to ease the pain or you will just be awake longer listening to dry heaving with luckily nothing productive coming up. never give a baby refried beans at a slightly later dinner time unless you wish to hear more than the birds chirping from the sound machine through the baby monitor. and never leave a sweaty soccer jersey anywhere near a fairly new puppy unless you want to beg the sporting good store owner (that luckily you worked for when you turned 16) to make you a new jersey by saturday.

hope for every man...

knowing the recent turn in the economy would likely hit hard for someone i know, i am sad to say that it has come to pass. my little sister will be moving back soon from denver. we are glad, but it came with a lay-off and with the underlying promise of less pay in the future. i sat through parent/teacher conferences tonight with a crying mom who had just lost her job. my teaching partner and i were brainstorming with her about prom dresses for her oldest and how we can find this girl a dress and my grandma can alter anything. very sad, but we tried to give her some hope and resources.

with all of the doom and gloom that seems to be lurking, i just have to rely on the hope that comes in our Savior. 'there is NONE like YOU, no one else can touch my heart like YOU do' music is such a big part of our family. when i feel like i am getting overwhelmed, i like to pick a song for the day to replay in my mind. recently, i have been LOVING Casting Crowns. shane is even leading a night of praise at my sister's church coming up and we decided when picking out songs that it could easily be a Casting Crowns cover concert.

i find comfort for myself and for the burdens of others in these lyrics:



There is hope for every man

A solid place where we can stand

In this dry and weary land

There is hope for every man

There is Love that never dies

There is peace in troubled times

Will we help them understand?

Jesus is hope for every man



i also find it challenging. that second to the last line there is telling me that i need to take part. even if i do teach public school. i will still tell parents that i will pray for them and mean it and do it.

last week was hard for me. working is hard. being a wife and mommy is so rewarding and attempting to be a great one is hard. my husband was sick last week and he scared me a few times. i was thankful for many things. my neighbor who checked on me later in the week after hearing about a few bad nights. my mother-in-law and sisters who came to my rescue with the boys for after school pick-ups and playtime. thanks!

i am, as always, thankful for my many blessings and pray that life seems easier for those who are in need and hurting. i hate to feel defeated and hate for others to feel that way too.

i know that no one really wants to read all of this, so i will put a cute picture on to satisfy that need (dad)... here is true contentment after an afternoon of playing with big brothers.

10 fun things we do when grace has been extended to us by way of a snow day...
1. planning a one year old birthday party for little sweet cheeks here.



2. playing outside with my boys.




3. and the dog. who was exhausted when we were done. (mulligan, our older dog, was smarter than that. he was lounging on the couch while we were freezing)


4. getting caught up on laundry.
5. getting caught up on schoolwork.
6. dancing to the iPod with the boys to every annoying teen pop song, plus a few oldies thrown in for good measure.
7. having time to make my family a thoughtful dinner.
8. highlights magazines and coloring books. and lots of them!!
9. the promise of a schedule in the next few days. we do love a routine around here. :)
10. realizing we have now officially prayed over every one of our christmas cards, then finding that one that was still hanging on the fridge...SCORE! it will be bathed in little prayers tonight!


Thank you Christ Jesus for grace and my many blessings...today and always.

thg...grandpa ed meets wyatt

it won't ever matter how old i am, i somehow still get that sinking feeling when i get to see my dad and when it is time for him to go home. we dropped him off at the hotel last night after a fun dinner out and i felt like i was 13 again. my sister and i decided that we may never feel any different than that. i love him so much and am so glad that my boys got to spend some time with their grandpa! i have posted many times about him through the few years that i have written. we have come a long way in our lives and i am so proud of where we are. love you dad!

tubes...

the nurses said he started their day off right. he never cried. he was a trooper and so was daddy (which is who i was worried about, he is a big softy). it was early, cold, snowy, and a little nerve racking. low and behold it was over and we were home before most people were even leaving for work. i am now selfishly hoping to sleep better at night :) and mostly thrilled that he should feel better right away. isn't he cute??

so much to say...

we have had a crazy Christmas! we were ALL sick on Christmas day. santa's gifts didn't get opened until around 10:30 Christmas night. sad, but memorable. some sort of toxic roto-like virus that spread among the town. NICE!! i found myself in the middle of cleaning up messes and lysoling anything that would stand still just trying to take in the wonder that is my family. i love them all so much. we are so BLESSED! i was just glad we were all together.

my school will be needing prayers as we start back on monday. we had a funeral this last monday for another one of my teaching friends. i feel for her husband, her two children, and her classroom full of kindergarteners. Lord give us all strength and peace that passes understanding, for this is hard to understand. one of the most impressive things at her funeral was that her preacher said she was credited with teaching hundreds of little ones HOW to pray. she would fold her hands this special way and they would respond so willingly. i can just see her doing it. what an honor and a wonderful way to be remembered. we will miss you Shona.

here are many pics from our fun break...

wyatt in his new t-shirt 'be cute, don't pollute' a new years resolution of his :)

miss B got a flip camera and this was one of many movies made with their own 'suite life' theme

spy shades...he can see behind him

my clever student's trash to treasure recycling project. these are old paperbacks. WOW!!

we were so lucky for ava to come over this morning to play. wyatt was thrilled!!

have you ever seen prettier eyes?? didn't think so!

lane and tate showed her the ropes on the guitar. i think she should look into drumming. she's got that shake your groove thang kind of rhythm.

she had the hang of it in no time!
we also added a new daschund to our family. a friend for mulligan...his name is patch and he is a long haired cutie. so far, so good! :) it's a full house!! anyone know of a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home? the only requirement is a straight up trade for our humble abode :) we are busting at the seams here, but we love it! Thank you Jesus for smiles, active healthy children, friends and for giving your life so we can have the peace of eternity!