Sweet Gifts

Andrew brought me this potato head he was working on and asked me to help him with the eyes. I put the eyes in the correct place to which he said no and pulled them out again. He then placed them on the top of the head. He then surprised me by giving it to me and telling me "for you mommy." He has lately been scribbling on paper and giving me little things and telling me they are for me or they are my "balentine." I love this kid. He is so sweet and I love that he wants to give me little gifts.

Growing Boys

It seems the boys are going through a growth spurt.

For dinner tonight Braden, who is now 5, ate 8 chicken nuggets, rice, strawberries, and had juice to drink. We then headed to Connor's baseball game. We had been there 15 minutes and he told me he was hungry again.

Two nights ago Connor, who is almost 8, had a hamburger, a hotdog, chips, juice, more chips, and apple. 10 minutes after dinner he had a banana, and a glass of milk. I could not have put all that food down.

I have noticed everybody's pants are getting shorter and am glad summer is just around the corner.

It is not yet the end

I like quotes, but I don't cling to many. I heard one tonight while watching a movie that provoked many thoughts. Here it is;

"Everything will be alright in the end. So if it is not alright, it is not yet the end."

It lead me on a thankfulness journey more than anything. Thankful for a husband who is across the country going to school so that he can provide for his family. A choice we made that we might not have if we had to do it again. I know I have my many complaints of raising 3 rambunctious boys and working full-time. I also know how lucky I am to be around those 3 boys and feel their hugs and kisses each day, while Rich is studying hard and alone with only pictures of us to look at and voices to comfort him at a great distance.

There are many days when I do not feel everything is alright and then I think of those who do not have the support of a husband to at least talk to on the phone who gives great advice on how to get three boys into bed in under 1 1/2 hours. Then I am grateful to have such a good husband and I wish I could do more for those who are single parents as I feel some of their pain of being "it."

I am thankful for the great friends who check in on me and those who offer to take a kid or two for a bit. Or those that I call needing help ASAP and they say yes.

I am thankful for a mom who watches kids more than I am sure she wants to and I know she is tired of 3 noisy kids when she locks herself in her bedroom.

I am thankful for these three boys: Connor who is constantly the detective or spy in our house. Who seems to always be smiling and loves life to the fullest.

Braden who is quiet one moment and then crazy silly the next. Who I am sure will work with sea animals someday as his favorite show is Shark Week and he could go to the Boise Aquarium daily and never get tired.

Andrew who there are not enough words to explain. He strives to keep up with his older brothers and doesn't let anything stop him. Who loves food so much that he has taken to eating spilled popcorn out of the grass and spilled Nerds off the kitchen floor(Luckily it was our friends popcorn that was fresh from the snack stand or it would have been very difficult to pull him away).

And this man that will soon be home for the summer and then will be so hard to let go back to school in the fall. Luckily he will be done after the fall semester and we get to have him back for good.

That is when I will know it is the end, as everything will be alright.

Easter Fun

We had the usual fun hunting for eggs at the park, dying eggs at home, and having Easter dinner with family where we hunted for more eggs. Andrew jumps right in to keep up with the big kids. He wants to make sure he doesn't miss a thing. Connor is a die hard and will stop at nothing to make sure he has the most eggs (ie. running over bushes). We had a nice surprise when we went to D&B and the boys got to touch baby chicks and ducks. I love free entertainment. Sunday morning before Church we watched a church video about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It made more sense for Connor this year and he was very sensitive to what they were doing to Christ and the pain it caused him. I enjoyed the teaching opportunity to explain the importance of the resurrection and what Christ did for us.

11 Years

We celebrated our 11 year anniversary in January. It feels like time has passed rather quickly. I will say that the last year has been long with Rich gone. For our anniversary next year we will also celebrate his graduation from nursing school, in style. I am thinking a nice long trip somewhere with no kids and sandy beaches. This year I guess you could say we did a workout. Doesn't sound fun, but it really was. We did the ropes course at Bodies In Motion. It was a killer workout hanging high up there having to use muscle and coordination to go from each station. The competators that we are, we had to take the hard way up, and I was sweating and my muscles were already maxed out just getting up to the course. We did get to sign our name on the metal beam at the top to mark our accomplishment. Looking forward to 11+ more years with my love, Rich, and our 3 crazy, busy, boys to keep us on our toes.

Brrrrrr

Just a few pictures of a sleigh ride Rich set up for us in Garden Valley, about 45 minutes from Boise. It was very cold, but a good time was had by all. I love the beautiful area we live in.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of the temperature while we drove to Garden Valley.

#2 Party

May I just add that the monster shirt he is wearing is very fitting. He is a cute monster though.

It took a whole team to try and explain to Andrew how to blow out the candles. He would blow, but never strong enough to blow any out.