To Measure a Year...

Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes...that's what we are given each year.  How do you measure it?

In Daylights - In Sunsets?

In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee?

In Inches - In Miles?

In Laughter - In Strife?

In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand

Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure

A Year In The Life?

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand

Journeys To Plan

Measure In Love!

You know that love is a gift from up above!

This past year, my life has been measured in a lot of love.  I loved adding friends to my life though the newly-formed mom's group at church, I loved on my kids, watching them achieve more and more-swimming better, growing taller, learning even more at school, I loved spending lots of time outside in the mountains-with friends & with family.  I loved on 4 friends as they became new moms-some for the first time, some adding to their blessings.  I loved being loved (spoiled?) by my husband, not because I deserve it but because that's the kind of amazing person he is.  I felt God's love like never before when dealing with the struggles of this past year.  I also loved a lot of cups of coffee, hugs, loads of laundry, sunrises and sunsets, and laughter.  Looking back, it has been a good year-a full year, but one I wouldn't trade.

Share love, give love, spread love...

Measure, measure your life in love.

I think 35 is going to fit me well...mid-life?  Here I come!

Now...I have a whole bunch of homemade gifts from little ones just waiting for me to ooohhh and ahhh over, the best presents ever.  Here's to measuring another year of love...

*lyrics from Seasons of Love, Rent

Project 52:4-sports

No matter that my kids aren't in organized or club sports...it's still a mom's job to know how to play any and all sports...whether we practice kick, pass, catch with the football, or hitting a baseball, or even throwing bouncy balls onto the roof, they expect mom to show them how!   (then dad comes home and shows them how to do it RIGHT!)

Ski Trip

We took the big kids on a ski trip this past weekend & had a great time!  Kids did ski school the first day so the two of us skied alone, then the next day we all skied together as a family.  Little bit slower-going, but fun and full of laughter-moments I know neither of us will forget.  

The weather could not have been more perfect and oh, my was that mountain glorious and beautiful!  

Macy caught on really fast & I was so proud of her, mainly because I had worried she would be terrified of the lifts because the girl has a serious case of fear-of-heights.  Jack did pretty darn good considering his age...he tired easily & would get scared he was going to fall off the mountain...which we couldn't help but chuckle at which then made him SO mad!

 Considering adding this hat to my yoga pants outfit...then I don't have to fix my hair!!  Heehee!!

We all woke up on the third day missing the rest of our family so much-we couldn't get home to them fast enough!  Lily & Ava got to spend some spoilin' time with Nana & Bob...which they loved every bit as much as we loved skiing.

 I love my hubby!

One of the biggest coincidences of all time I think was on Sunday afternoon-we skied down to the lodge for a break and bumped into my sweet cousin & her family!!  Neither of us knew we would be skiing that weekend and what ARE the chances we would happen to be at the same picnic table at the same time??  It was such a neat surprise to get to see them & then we skied down the mountain together once too! 

We also got to see Uncle Cody & Aunt Shannon & new baby Fynley...oh, my, have I been waiting to get my hands on that sweet little girl!  We spent an evening with them, loving on their precious little girl & catching up as only old friends can do...distance may separate us but our friendship has always kept us close!  And as is always the case...it felt as if there wasn't enough time together.

Waiting for us at Nana & Bop's were two very happy little girls...Lily was so very proud that she had made her daddy cookies while we were gone!

*took all these with my iPhone 4-couldn't believe the quality considering it is a phone...great videos too!

Project 52:3-bad hair days

For me, this is really true...I have more bad hair days than good...but mine aren't as fashionable.  I am always amazed at the hilarious updo's that you can create from pig tails & topnots.

"Clock a doodle doo!"

Lily is at the age of thinking of a million things to keep you beside her bed just a minute longer when it's time for rest...her newest is to say "Mommy, when it's mornin' time and will you come in my room and say 'clock a doodle doo' and we can get up & go snuggle on the couch and watch Max and Moobie?"

Ava's first word (awhile ago) was cracker.  She has added other important words like snack, milk, eat, apple, and buffalo wings.  Is every fourth child always concerned about forgetting to be fed, or is that just mine?  Just kidding on the last word, but here's proof that she can suck a chicken bone cleaner than a grown man.

Yes, she's sticking the bone in her ear-we work on manners in our house!

Ava also says words like toot, burp, poop-all courtesy of her five year old brother who says these things (and more) almost non-stop.  Someone, please tell me he will eventually grow out of this.  I have nightmares of him going to a job interview & cracking a toot joke to his prospective boss.  Then he'll be living at home for-ever.

And, while we used to cherish & chuckle at Jack's mispronunciations...saying things like "glitter bugs" for litter bugs, "smashed" potatoes, that it's "soggy" outside instead of foggy, or "nibbles" for nipples (hey, I'm just sayin'...), he's getting words right more and more.

Today, Macy didn't have school so I took her to get our toes painted and I watched her, caught in between two worlds...acting like the little inquisitive girl that she is, asking all about the fish they had there & why was one sick & shouldn't it be in it's own tank so it didn't get the others sick...and then shifting, staring in awe & wonder at the two teen girls who sat beside us, talking about teen things.  I saw the look on her face, just taking them in, sizing them up, and I know thinking about herself being of that age soon.

Project 52:2-cozy

Sitting on the couch, cuddling with any or all of my kids is one of my very favorite places to be...I love to smell their sweet little heads & the feel their tiny perfect bodies intertwined in my arms, to twirl their hair or examine their miniature fingers, tickle their "Santa" bellies or whisper in a ear.  Even Macy, who really isn't considered "tiny" or "little" anymore, still seems small in my lap...

The Three Amigos

These three little boys are such best buddies...they are hilarious, ornery, silly in a BIG way, co-conspirators in pestering big sisters...and perfect little boys.  Perfect in that they act just as little boys should & I wouldn't want it any other way.  They are growing up together and figuring out what being friends looks like-sometimes it's a little bumpy, but so much of the time they get it right!  They will disappear outside together and get lost in some imaginary tale of super heros and bikes or hole up in their bedroom and zoom cars all around or just roll around on the floor wrestling, all of which Jack needs in his life.   They are (finally) old enough to start sleepovers like their big sisters have been doing, and they think that's just pretty darn cool.

I just chuckle to think of these boys as big boys, what they'll be like when they trade their matchbox cars for real ones, and their super hero games for jobs and careers...but I know for sure they will still be buddies!

Project 52:1-sweet

Inspired by this friend who was inspired by http://styleberryblog.com/ I'm going to try and participate in this year-long project of taking a photo of the ordinary and see it as extraordinary.

I'm going to try and reflect on motherhood as well...and in an effort to spend more time with my Bible, find verses that relate.

Ava got her first chance at licking the beater the other day...and it was good, very, very good.  Cookie dough brings a smile to children's faces for sure!  

Little nervous that my creative juices will run out...wish me luck.

Going Paperless

Once again I've learned to never say never...

I didn't think it would be economical to switch to cloth with only about a year left to go for diapers for Ava, but can you believe that it was still half the cost of disposables?  

Washing a load of diapers is about 500 times easier than loading 4 kids & going to Sam's to buy a box of diapers in my book...it's been an incredibly easy transition & I was floored at the new cloth diapers & technology when my friend had to wash a couple of loads over here...I got the low-down from her & saw first-hand how easy it really is.  Loving the diapers...and so does Ava!

I've also switched to cloth napkins & cloth towels instead of paper...still my #1 motivation being that I would rather be home playing than loading up the kids to go buy paper products...it doesn't make that much more laundry or maybe it's just that I've arrived at a new peace with the beast that is the laundry and I like doing things a little "old school".  

Reaching a milestone

Three days ago, Lily dressed herself, every layer, without help, for the first time.  To say she was proud of herself is a gross understatement.  She couldn't wait to tell her daddy, remembered all day & was the first thing she said to him when he walked through the door.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...milestones are always bittersweet for me.  On one hand, now Lily can dress herself, making mornings a little easier for me...but it's just another reminder that she's not a baby anymore & getting bigger.  I know I'm not the only one that wants my babies to stay little forever!

And, somewhat related...we have a little Houdini on our hands.  She's not our first to learn how to escape her pjs, but she is the youngest and most talented, getting even the pjs with the little zipper tabs on them off.  And she is proving to be the most persistent...on this night, we re-dressed her 3 times before she (or we?) gave up & she fell asleep.  I just had to chuckle out loud when I went to tuck her in this night-she finally fell asleep in nothing but her diaper with her beloved blankie thrown over her head.

She stepped it up a notch for the sitter last night & took off not only her pjs but also her (poopy) diaper as well...it'll be a miracle if the sweet girl ever comes back to watch our kids again, they have put her through the paces.  

Christmas

I had every intention of posting these with the last post, but things were behaving badly & not cooperating...and then I got distracted.  It happens.

 Ava got a doll with hair to match hers.

 Macy got her very own laptop (netbook) and couldn't quit smiling.

Notice the grin and the curled toes...that is pure & utter excitement.  She kept saying things like "I think I want to pinch myself-this is like a dream!"

 Jack got Legos & lightsabers...and some 3-D poster thing.

His daddy enjoyed his presents just as much!

Princess Lily got her baby from Santa...and a bunch of other girly stuff.  Here she's eating PopRocks from her stocking...WHAT was Santa thinking on that??  We crunched PopRocks for days afterwards...

Back in the Saddle

Every year, three years running, at the end of Christmas Break I get this very strong desire to pull the kids from their precious school & homeschool.  Now, before you think it's because we have had such a peaceful, every-one-got-along-so-we-should-be-together-all-day kind of time, I want to assure you it's purely selfish driven.

The fact is...I hate getting out of bed in the winter mornings.  I want to stay snuggled under my BIG, huge, fluffy comforter and quilts and flannel sheets and snooze just a little bit longer.  If I was teacher, we would start school at about 9:00am...in our pjs...in front of the fire...and my kids would subsequently be behind in the learning department I'm sure, but it sounds soooo good in the mornings!

But, since I didn't do that...again...this year, Macy started back to school today, Jack will tomorrow and I'll get out of bed & put on something besides pj's (learned that lesson the embarrassing way-fender bender on the interstate & had to get out of the car in my mis-matched pjs, not pretty.) and take the kids to school.

Christmas was just how it was supposed to be this year...I loved it.  In fact, our whole break was a really fun, relaxing time with family & friends.