I Might Need To Do This More Often....

Not sure why, but I was feeling a little under the weather this afternoon. Benjy kindly offered me a free pass to take an afternoon nap in hopes of stamping out any thoughts of a possible sickness coming our way. I graciously took it ~ closed my bedroom door and crawled under the covers. It didn't take me long to drift into a deep sleep. Soooooo nice.

I don't know how long I was out before I heard tiny footsteps approaching me (why is that once you enter motherhood you can't sleep past the tiny footsteps sound?????) I knew if I opened my eyes I would be dead...so I faked it.

A few moments passed, and to be honest, the curiosity was killing me as to which boy was staring me down. I knew it couldn't be Pierce because there was too much self-control being exhibited. There was some rustling, wiggling, shifting, and then......a sweet kiss on my forehead. I am sure the smile must have escaped my lips. A sweet moment. It was Chase. I whispered to him that I wasn't feeling well and he needed to leave, but what did he need?? "FOOD" he whispered. I directed him to an easy option and off he went.

Back to my sleep....

A while later they all came piling in the room with homemade cards and pictures and mispelled words of love and well wishes. So sweet.

"All on their own initiative", Benjy told me.

I hugged and thanked them all. I felt loved. And special. And cared for. Until.....

Chase ruined the moment by stating, "Mom, I thought you were dead. "

:)

Apparently it is a rare thing for this Mom to take a nap!

Happy Halloween! "Oooooooooooooooo CANDY!"

We had a really fun weekend. Lots going on but we managed to squeeze it all in...

The boys had been anxious to carve their Jack-o-lanterns a few days ago, but with everything we had going on we convinced them to do it in stages...appeasing them with a little fun every night (which let us squeeze the most enjoyment out of the smallest activity and saved our tired selves from attacking the whole mess all at once)! So Thursday evening was designated to designing the face! Trust me, that in and of itself took enough time for these boys (I sense a wee bit of perfectionism pulsing through some veins already) Then Saturday morning we finally got around to gutting and carving them. Here are a few fun shots of the action and then their final mug shots next to their Jacks (ummm, excuse me, Pierce decided to name his "speedy boy" and was quite bothered by any reference to him as a Jack-o-lantern)

We love Toy Story and since we have found ourselves feeling like we are from another planet these days, I thought it was a perfect costume idea when Reece suggested the Toy Story aliens... So that is what they became....

Pre-performance mode they had practiced their unison alien voice of pointing and saying "ooooooooooooo candy....you have saved our lives, we are eternally grateful" - but that kind of fell by the wayside when they began running like wild indians to get to get the candy...usually leaving stumbling Pierce at the back of the pack...

As you can see, the masks held up great for a picture but weren't so user friendly when in trick-o-treatin' action....so Chase improvised and held it high on his head...and Reece apparently thinks he is already too cool at age 7 and didn't keep his on for very long at all. Pierce was the cutest, truly looking like an alien as he stumbled around, trying to keep up with the big, fast kids (ha! and easily losing his way because he was more focused on maintaining extreme caution around any costume that might be scarey)

And I knew Hudson would never keep anything on his face, so we tricked him into alien world by attaching his onto the back of his hood :) It was pretty cute when he crawled around to find the candy stash. Oooooooooooooo candy!!!

Hudson got a hold of a tootsie roll....at first I was not too concerned until I noticed his rapid sucking motion and total contentment....he got through the paper and was loving it!! (not so happy when I pryed it out of his mouth!)

Here is a picture of the friends we went trick-or-treatin' with. It was a great night....Happy Halloween everyone!

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

Four boys. Lots of talk about gross things and bathroom humor. I try to stop it. I do. But it is hilariously funny to them and my instruction and good intention for well mannered children does not always succeed.

Tonight, I shocked the pants off of Reece (not literally - ha!)

Maybe it is the fact that Halloween is just around the corner but at bedtime snack (because it would be a crime to send them to bed without eating for the 8th or 9th time in a day!!) I am not sure what got into me....I simply asked them if they would like to learn a new song we sang as kids. "Sure" they all said.

So I sang to them. (do any of you remember this song or was it just my weird family???)
Great big balls of greasey, grimey gopher guts.
Simulated monkey meat.
Teeney, weaney birdie feet.
French fried eyeballs cooked in a pot of blood.
And I forgot my spoon. Yum, yum!!

The look on Reece's face was priceless. He couldn't believe I was singing about all that gross-ness. Fun! Like I said, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em....

Rappin' Talent

Not so long ago a couple of friend's sent this video to us and we have laughed so hard at it. The kids LOVE it and have asked to watch it again and again. I have grown weary of it, to be honest, but I can't help but smile when I hear the boys walking around the house repeating it. If you haven't seen it yet, I have posted "It's a Dad's life" so you can enjoy it in its fullness. That is just the background to this post, however. I asked Pierce to perform his 3 year old white boy rapping talent at the breakfast table yesterday....you gotta see it! Hilarious!! So, enjoy the real thing...and then Pierce's rendition below.

Pierce & An Empty Crayon Box

 

I need to record this simple memory because it is so simple, but so full of life and love and laughter - deep, uncontrollable, belly deep laughter. It was a highlight of my day - maybe even my week.

We were having lunch with some friends on Friday. The big boys were at school and the little ones were with us. Behaving very well. Pierce had eaten and colored and colored some more. As the conversation carried on he slowly made his way off of his chair and towards Hudson. Pierce had the empty crayon box in his hand and although I know he had never experienced this before (noted by his complete awe when it happened), when he blew on the box a whistle sound came out. I guess it startled Hudson - or maybe Hudson didn't even notice. I am not sure because I was too busy laughing at Pierce's surprised but joy-filled reaction. He was laughing so hard (at the whistle sound, his brother, a combination of the two, who knows?!?!) but so hard that he couldn't stand up...he was falling to the floor and was in complete laughter. It was so awesome. He tried to stand up and put the box back to his mouth to repeat the fun, but as soon as the box approached his lips he was overcome with another wave of hilarious giggles. This went on for several minutes more and was bringing smiles and happiness to our table, to the waiter clearing the table beside us, and to the other people seated in the area. Everyone had a smile on their face, all thanks to a plain old crayon box.

I love his spirit. Pierce makes us laugh a lot because of the way he fully experiences the little things. Thanks Pierce!!!

The Stars Will Still Shine

Have I mentioned that I love having a library just down the street?? I do.

I find it entertaining to sit back and watch how the boys make their selections. It is most often quite random. But they have picked out some really really great books all the same. I think what makes a children's book extraordinary is when the kids love it AND the adults do too!

Tonight at bedtime, I read the boys a few books - one that was especially appropriate for us right now. It is called "The Stars Will Still Shine" by Cynthia Rylan, Illustrated by Tiphanie Becke. The illustrations were really well done. The words were simple but powerful to me and where I am right now. They go like this:

this new year...
the sky will still be there
the stars will still shine
birds will fly over us
church bells will chime
cows will have calves
kittens will sleep
flowers will bloom
(a promise they keep)
we shall have peaches
we shall have pie
we shall have ice cream
three scoops high!
homes will be cozy
homes will be warm
we'll curl up together
when rain makes a storm
and in this new year
love will be strong
growing and growing
all the days long
there will be goodness
there will be grace
there will be light
in every dark place
the sky will still be there
the stars will still shine
birds will fly over us
church bells will chime.

A simple but strong reminder to me when I question and wonder and worry about this year, its timing, its purpose, and what direction it is taking us - where it will take us - how it will take us there - why, and on and on and on... just to remember that this year is full of life - full of everyday normal happenings and full of normal everyday goodness, and grace and love.

There is another great book that I have in my home - (it didn't come from the library, but I should read it more often!)

Psalms 37:3-8
Trust in the Lord and do good.
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

This Just In, Folks

 

We have a top pearly white and adorable front tooth here to stay!