8 Is Great

He is 8... I cant believe it.  It seems like just the other day he made us parents.  He has grown into such a fun, smart, incredibly thoughtful, supper witty and a little bit sarcastic young man.  We are so proud of him.  he is growing and changing right before our eyes and I feel like every time I blink, he has learned something new and is excited to show it off.

He loves being a hockey player, a digger of dirt, a Samish drumer, a teacher to his younger brothers, a love bug to his mama and his dads right hand man.  He loves animals and when he retires from the NHL someday, he wants to be a teacher because he says that there needs to be more guy teachers (I think his school only has 1).  Blake notices things, hes the observer that doesn't say anything and that you don't know is listening until he says something about it days later, and he has an opinion about everything!!

Ahhh... he is 8, in second grade, and I cant believe we have survived these last 8 year.  I am better because of him, a better person all around.  We love him with all our hearts and cant wait to see him fly... the sky is the limit for this young man, and we have no doubt that he will achieve all his dreams.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLAKE!!

   

The Boy Can Ride

It was just a normal day last week, and by normal, I mean we were all running around outside getting chores done.  Josh and I were mowing the lawn (he rides on my lap while I drive, and I wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe)... but that's not what this story is about.

I'm mowing, and then all of a sudden, Luke comes riding past me on Blake's bike... the bike WITHOUT training wheels!!!!  It took me a second to realize what he was doing and then it clicked!  I looked back and Blake is running behind him and clapping, yelling, and jumping up and down.  Blake taught Luke how to ride without training wheels.  It was such a proud moment for both of them to share together and I couldn't help but smile.  They kept jumping up and down, hugging and hi-fiveing.  It was the cutest and sweetest thing I have ever seen between them.

These two have moments when they want to kill each other and times where I physically have to pull them apart. Fists fly, feet kick, words are yelled... its usually a daily occurrence, so when something like this happens, where they work together and share in each others successes, rather then compete, it fills my heart with such joy.  These boys... They are turning my hair grey and filling my heart at the same time.

We are so proud of you Luke!! And thank you to Grandpa Monty and Grandma Tammy for the kickstands!!

I wish I would have taken more pictures...

Summer Adventure 2017

This summer... I tell you, it was sure one to remember.  Before I started writing this, I was having a hard time remembering if we did much that was "blog worthy" but after looking through all the pictures, you bet you butt it was!  We had some amazing things happen this summer and it is definitely one that we wont forget!!

This summer, Josh was 1 1/2 which was easier, but also harder.  He is Into absolutely everything... the things you think that he couldn't destroy, he will and nothing is safe with this little tornado around!  We introduced him into eating raspberries off the vine this year.  Side note- Every year I fight the kids to make sure that I can pick enough for jam because they usually beat me to it.  This year, josh joined in, and if we were outside, and I happened to lose sight of him for a second, thats where he was... sitting in the middle of the rows, picking and eating, with his hands stained red. :)

We also lost a very important member of our family, Kyles grandma passed away this year and it has been really hard on the entire family.  She was such a wonderful woman and had treated me like her own grand daughter ever since I first met her when I was in high school.  Our family is strong, thanks mostly to her, and I know we will all stop hurting so much, but the ache in our hearts is something that im not sure will ever go away, but she leaves behind memories that also fill our hearts, so we are just learning how to live this life without her, but also live our lives in a way that honors her.

I finally have a SISTER (in-law) lol and the boys have their first official aunt!!  Tyler and Liz got married this year and it was a day filled with love, devotion, laughs and dancing!  We all had an amazing day, and Luke still says it was the best day of his life because he got to stay up all night dancing!!  HAHA  We were all in the wedding, and that just goes to show how close this family is... were all up in each others business... see what you married into Liz?!?!

It was HOT this summer... I mean, its still hot!!  We had sprinklers, kiddie pools, water balloons, super soakers, and little naked babies running around all summer! We didnt go to any fancy pools or resorts, but we did play, and hard... my kids feet are still black from all the running around barefoot, and I love it!!

We snuck away for a week...just Kyle and I ... and let me tell you, this took months of planning.  Monty, Tammy, Tyler, Liz and Ryan all tag teamed our 3 rowdy kiddos and dog while we were gone and we are so lucky!  They hardly missed us, because they took them all camping and swimming!  its easy to leave when you know they are in good hands.
We snuck off to Colorado to celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss!! haha, and it was an experience that we will never forget.  We stayed just outside on Vail, deep into the Rockies in a tent... not just any tent, here's the Link to Collective Retreats. Ill have to go into more depth later, but it was perfect!  we forgot what it was like to spend time like that with just each other, and with how busy we are raising these 3 kiddos, we kind of realized how important getting away was... maybe not always for a whole week every time, but their might be some weekend get aways in our future!

School started... Blake is in Second grade, I feel like he was just born, I remember every bit of it, and its hard to believe that hes about to be 8... ugh, I have to fight back the tears.  Luke... my little Lukie is going into kindergarten.  He is so excited and his eyes are full of wonder and his heart is excited.  Kindergarten is such a special year, they grow so much, and with Blake it was hard for me to let Kindergarten go, because after this year, they are considered the big kids... oh, hold still, my heart cant take this!  Thank goodness for Josh... I have few more years until hes in kindergarten, but nevertheless, its a milestone that shapes these boys, and we have the most amazing teacher that makes everlasting imprints on their hearts.  This is going to be a crazy year, full of challenges, growth and achievements!

Group Hug!!

My Bad Mom Moments

Well, HELLO!!  I seriously miss this blogging thing, so I now am committing to myself that I will be making more time for this.  I LOVE TO BLOG and Josh takes good naps, and my household is starting to find rhythm amongst the ciaos, so its time to get this show on the road!!

I have been thinking a lot lately about how there isn't an actual manual for parenting, and how we all parent different, and thats OK!!  We are all raising different little humans and they all need different types of love and care, and after deciding that I am okay with NOT trying to be "perfect" I finally come to the realization that I am a bad mom, but in the best way.  I used to spend all my time making sure that the kids were reading enough hours a night, that whatever was on their tablets was educational, and making sure that their meals were balanced... which I still believe that I (we) should be doing, but I am no longer beating myself up over grilled cheese 4 times a week or using the TV to entertain my children to get things done... don't lie, we have all done it!

I'm a bad mom because my 16 month old knows how to find YouTube on my phone and he also knows how to skip the adds.

I'm a bad mom because I told my son that it was pizza day at school because I didn't want to make his lunch, but he never complained that he was served Teriyaki dippers... and what the hell are teriyaki dippers?  He didn't say anything and I didn't ask!

I'm a bad mom because I do a secret happy dance when someones practice or game gets canceled!  (2 kids are in 3 different sports and we do that 5-6 times a week)

I try and meal prep, and I really do eat the meal prep food... because you know that i've been working on losing 30 lbs for like 3 years, but then I will eat a bag of chips and watch Grey's Anatomy during nap time!  Sorry, but not so sorry...

I'm a bad mom because I have thrown away birthday invites that come home from school before Blake or Luke have seen them.

I'm a bad mom because I have made my kids grilled cheese for breakfast before... many times.

do fruit rollups count as a fruit serving?

Oh, I'm a really bad mom because Blake was complaining of headaches and I told him to just drink more water.. this went on for a few months, he fell behind in reading, and come to find out...he needed glasses (parenting fail)

I'm a bad mom because Josh was throwing a fit that he wanted my glass of water, so I finally just gave it to him knowing very well that it was going to end up all down the front of himself... and then when it did, he screamed, and I laughed!

I know that I have my "bad mom" moments... we all do things that aren't perfect to get through the day, but that doesn't mean that we don't love our kids to pieces.  No one can be perfect all the time, and there is so much fun in the imperfections.  I'm one lucky lady to have a rad group of chicas around to validate my bad mom moments with... or that show up with coffee at 9am just because sometimes moms need that to get through the day.  With all this mom shaming I see on social media, it makes me realize that I need to do more to help my mama friends, because without them, I would be up shit creek!  And if you see a mama bear that looks like she needs some help, don't ask, just do it, because a lot of the time, we are all too proud to accept.  (but you already knew that) ;)

Oh, and one more bad mom moment... I just remembered that one time, I took the kids to the YMCA and dropped them off at the child watch so I could workout... but I didn't work out... I went upstairs, found a quiet corner and played candy crush.... for a whole 45 minutes HAHAHA

Josh is 1!!

Can you believe it?  Josh turned 1 on December 9th and I cant believe how fast the time has gone.  It seems like only yesterday that I was trying to figure out how this was all going to work, how I was going to juggle 3 boys, and how I was going to satisfy everyone's needs, and i'm please to say, somehow it has all worked out.

Josh is fun and giggly, rough and tumbly, loud and proud, sugar and spice, and most things nice :)  He is into absolutely everything from drawers to bathtubs, and dishwashers, and opening doors and climbing onto counters.  He is everywhere and the only kiddo that we have needed to purchase baby gates for, its a darn miracle that he is still alive.  I mean, I'm pretty sure he thinks that he can fly.  You know those pictures that you see of someones kid sitting on top of the refrigerator and you think - how the heck does that happen- well, I can honestly say that I can see that picture in my album someday... this one is everywhere!!

Josh loves food, all types!  he eats chicken, fish, beef, loves asparagus and cauliflower, and gets super excited when he sees apples or cheese... you even say the word cheese and he runs to the refrigerator haha.   He is eating crackers and berries... pretty much everything.  he even had some of my pizza the other night, it makes life a lot easier when he can just eat off your plate :)

So, there is this song... Wheels on the bus... You've probably herd of it lol... well, Josh is OBSESSED with it.  he can be screaming bloody murder and you start singing that, and he just stops.  We made the mistake once of looking the song up on YouTube and he saw this video of the song, and he remembers... he knows that it lives inside our phones and he will run around making the "round and round" hand motions and take our phones wondering where it is in there... haha we have created a monster!! Yes, I know that he is not supposed to have screen time... I don't need any nasty-grams!!

Josh loves to go outside and feel the grass :)  He loves to be in either my backpack or ergo and go on little hikes and he loves playing with his brothers... Luke and him could play for hours, but Blake has enough of him after a bit and retreats to the garage to do big boy things haha.  He babbles Momma and Daddy, waves bye and claps.  He runs everywhere, I don't think he ever walked.  He has had one overnight visit with Grandma Tammy and Grandpa Monty... hopefully another one in our future (winkwink)

He weighs in at a hefty and healthy 24lbs and is 33.2in long... only one of our kids to ever be in the 98% lol were working on 24M clothing!

This year has been amazing.  When you find out that you are having a baby when you thought you were finished having children, it gives you a very unique opportunity to do things that you thought you may have missed out on or you didnt get an chance to do with your other children.  I had a natural birth, breastfed, co-slept, and wore this baby in my ergo for the first year.  With every child you learn more about yourself and you adapt.  Josh has softened us all.  In a house with all boys, it can get pretty loud sometimes, but my older boys have learned how to calm down and be more gentle, and we all were reminded that we needed to use softer voices. We have had a great year... Josh is absolutely amazing, and I cannot wait to see what the next year brings!

Fall 2016

It has been a really REALLY long time since I have written in my blog.  But, let me tell you, we have been busy!  Most days, the last thing I want to do at the end of a day is open up my computer, even though I am thinking to myself "I really want to write about that"  Its just the season of life that we are in right now... we are always go go go, and just when I feel like I am  -getting the hang of it- I am instantly humbled. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that I am rocking this stay at home mom of 3 kids thing, but there isn't room for much else.

Lucas has been our little soccer star; he LOVED outdoor soccer this year and he did so well.  I mean, whats better then kicking around a soccer ball in the mud...and rain..and wind... but he loved it, and we had so much fun watching him.  He is sure at a fun age.  He asks me if we can go to the park so that he can "make more friends" haha he loves school and is friends with everyone.  This little guy still likes to dig in the dirt, go hiking, takes care of chickens and he loves being a big brother.  He is such a fun boy!

Blake is our little hockey stud.  WOW, I mean, just wow... he has kicked it into high gear.  I cant believe how good he is getting.  It is so fun to see, and hes one of the youngest on the team but he is even scoring goals, and I'm one proud mama!!  He is doing great in school, and we just recently found out that he needed glasses.  We took him in after realizing that he was holding books and tablets really close to his face... and yep, the kid needed reading glasses!  I wish we would have realized sooner, but its likely that he will always need them, not for sports and everyday stuff thank goodness, but hes going to want them for reading :)  and he looks adorable in them! 

Josh... oh my gosh, where do I begin.  This super smiley, happy kid has been giving me a run for my money.  He pretty much skipped the whole baby food phase, and went straight to solids.  he is eating shredded chicken, fish, all veggies and fruits, anything off my plate that is appropriate and drinks from a sippy cup.  He is 10 months old and is walking... I mean, RUNNING!  He likes to get in the dishwasher, play in toilets, pull clothes out of drawers, bang pots and pans together, climbs up everything, dumps out the dog bowls, and he really likes to find cords and chew on them... just when I think that we are completely "baby proofed" he finds something new to get into... Lord help me!  It is a miracle that he is still alive lol.  I cant believe that his 1st birthday is coming up... can you believe that?  I'm in shock that its already time to plan his party.  When your in the moment, sometimes the hard parts feel like it takes so long to get through them, but now, I think, where did the time go?  Slow down my sweet little babe! 

Next year is a big one... we have a Disneyland trip planned, then Tyler and Liz are getting married!!!  I cant wait, I love weddings!!  Kyle and I also celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary next year too, and are in the process of planning a trip :)  I am so excited for 2017! 

Hopefully, it wont be 7 months before I write again!!