that dawned on me as I was eating snowcones with my kids after we swam. But first let me allow you into my thought process that was going on in my head before I had my realization or "ah-ha" moment. We, as in the kids and I, had just finished swimming and our newest summer tradition has been to eat snowcones after we swim. I love our snowcone machine, there is nothing better than a snowcone on a hot summer day and today it's a hot one! So as we were sitting on the front porch eating I was thinking how I have been with my kids 24-7 for many days now. I started going down the bunny trail of feeling bad for myself. It went something like this:
so far today I made the kids breakfast, I took them to our Harkin's summer movies, we got home and I made them lunch, then I helped them make a big fort that took up the whole living room, then we went swimming together where I am a magnet and my kids get stuck on me in the pool like I am some play thing, then I made snowcones and we ate them together and after that there were plans to color and play games and I felt like screaming out, "Can mom just have some alone time for just a few minutes, or hours is more like it, PLEASE!!!!!!"
But then my "ah-ha" moment came just like that. I was thinking how in reality I only have them under my roof for probably about 18 to 20 years(ish) each. Son #1 was born in 1998 and by the time child #3 is 18 years old it will be 2023, which is a total of 25 years of parenting while they are under my roof. I understand that parenting continues as the kids move out, but the dynamics and demands upon the mother certainly change. So if I live until I am 100, that is only one quarter of my life, as in 1/4 that I actually have them here at home. 100 might be a stretch but I do have a grandma who is just now in the process of dying and she is 98. So let's just say I live into my late 80's, that's still just a third of my life spent with my kids under my roof, which means more of my life is spent doing other things. When I thought of it that way it made me realize that the time I have them here is really just a small portion of all the other years of my life. It really put things into perspective for me. And that changed my whole attitude in an instant. So we happily finished our snowcones and then I spent time coloring with Anna, and then we watched a show together, and then it was time to make dinner, which we did together. Did I mention I have an 11 year old, 9 year old, and 5 year old? That means I'm well on my way into my parenting time and the way time flies, I know it will feel like tomorrow when our last child leaves our home. So these days I will treasure and be thankful because we won't always be eating snowcones on the front porch after a swim so I can have an "ah-ha" moment. And I will make a disclaimer, I am not in any way underestimating the importance of time to myself. Time to myself is my saving grace and I am lucky enough to have a husband who gives me those breaks when I need them. I'm probably due for my next one, so I'll work on that but in the mean time I am thankful for days like today when I pour out to my kids and spend every waking moment with them! I sure do love them, a whole bunch!!!!!!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Just a little catching up...
Here it is June, tomorrow is the first official day of summer even though it feels like we have been in summer for a few weeks now as the temps are certainly on the rise. So here is the scoop on what has been going on since we got back from Colorado.
1. My grandma is on her last days. She just has a matter of time before she goes home to be with the Lord. Although she will be missed, we are excited for her to experience Heaven and be in the presence of Jesus. We plan to celebrate her life on July 9th, which is also Anna's gotcha day. By afternoon we will celebrate the life that Great Grandma lived and by night we will celebrate Anna's Gotcha Day #5. This is a picture of her from back in Feb. when we were celebrating her 98th Birthday, that's right, 98!
2. The kids are signed up for the summer reading program through Mesa Public Library and Half Price Books. Can you guess who is the most excited about this? If you answered Anna you are correct. She digs this kind of thing. We are also studying the Revolutionary war through reading books and watching DVD's. The kids seem pretty interested in it so that is nice. Now if I could just get them to enjoy doing some math this summer, we would have it made!
3. Jadon has made the commitment to be open water scuba certified. This means he has to read through a textbook manual and take tests after each chapter. He has scored 90% on the first two tests. This is a huge accomplishment for him as it's a lot of reading and retaining information. We are very proud of him. I'm just not sure I'm ready for that first open water dive. It looks like it might take place on July 10th. Lord help me as I will probably be at home on my knees praying for him the whole time.
4. Camden and Anna have enjoyed snorkeling in our pool. It is the quietest those two are for an extended amount of time so I am enjoying the fact that they enjoy it. There is nothing better that sitting pool side not hearing a peep from either one of them. I can actually get through a thought in my head. It feels kinda nice.
5. Annagrace decided to get her hair cut. She had been growing it for quite some time and I think she had about 4 inches cut off. It looks so cute and she thinks her new cut is "awesome baby!"
6. Nana came in for a visit because MICHAEL TURNED 40! That's right, he hit the big 4-0 on the 18th. We celebrated by having family over for some homemade lavash, brownies and ice cream. It was a nice time and I think Michael felt pretty special. His gift is a blue rae DVD player that he plans to get very soon. He has to shop around a bit to make sure he is getting exactly what he wants.
7. The kids graduated to their next rank in Karate. They are now proud owners of the blue belt. We enjoyed a great graduation where they showcased what they have learned this past cycle. Way to go kiddos, you make mom and dad very proud!
8. Camden has been begging us for something to take apart. So we went to the goodwill and he picked out an old VCR, the portable kind from 1981. He had a blast taking it apart and it offered hours of entertainment for him. The best $4 that I ever spent to entertain him.
9. Does this really need an explanation?
10. And last but not least, this is how we have seen Anna lately. She spent three days (day and night mind you) carrying these little animals in her "pouch" as she called it. She was taking care of them. I didn't let her go out in public like this but when we were home, this is how she looked.
And that sums up what we have been doing the month of June. We still have about a week and a half left of June so I'm sure we will have fun adventures to share when the month is up.
1. My grandma is on her last days. She just has a matter of time before she goes home to be with the Lord. Although she will be missed, we are excited for her to experience Heaven and be in the presence of Jesus. We plan to celebrate her life on July 9th, which is also Anna's gotcha day. By afternoon we will celebrate the life that Great Grandma lived and by night we will celebrate Anna's Gotcha Day #5. This is a picture of her from back in Feb. when we were celebrating her 98th Birthday, that's right, 98!
2. The kids are signed up for the summer reading program through Mesa Public Library and Half Price Books. Can you guess who is the most excited about this? If you answered Anna you are correct. She digs this kind of thing. We are also studying the Revolutionary war through reading books and watching DVD's. The kids seem pretty interested in it so that is nice. Now if I could just get them to enjoy doing some math this summer, we would have it made!
3. Jadon has made the commitment to be open water scuba certified. This means he has to read through a textbook manual and take tests after each chapter. He has scored 90% on the first two tests. This is a huge accomplishment for him as it's a lot of reading and retaining information. We are very proud of him. I'm just not sure I'm ready for that first open water dive. It looks like it might take place on July 10th. Lord help me as I will probably be at home on my knees praying for him the whole time.
4. Camden and Anna have enjoyed snorkeling in our pool. It is the quietest those two are for an extended amount of time so I am enjoying the fact that they enjoy it. There is nothing better that sitting pool side not hearing a peep from either one of them. I can actually get through a thought in my head. It feels kinda nice.
5. Annagrace decided to get her hair cut. She had been growing it for quite some time and I think she had about 4 inches cut off. It looks so cute and she thinks her new cut is "awesome baby!"
6. Nana came in for a visit because MICHAEL TURNED 40! That's right, he hit the big 4-0 on the 18th. We celebrated by having family over for some homemade lavash, brownies and ice cream. It was a nice time and I think Michael felt pretty special. His gift is a blue rae DVD player that he plans to get very soon. He has to shop around a bit to make sure he is getting exactly what he wants.
7. The kids graduated to their next rank in Karate. They are now proud owners of the blue belt. We enjoyed a great graduation where they showcased what they have learned this past cycle. Way to go kiddos, you make mom and dad very proud!
8. Camden has been begging us for something to take apart. So we went to the goodwill and he picked out an old VCR, the portable kind from 1981. He had a blast taking it apart and it offered hours of entertainment for him. The best $4 that I ever spent to entertain him.
9. Does this really need an explanation?
10. And last but not least, this is how we have seen Anna lately. She spent three days (day and night mind you) carrying these little animals in her "pouch" as she called it. She was taking care of them. I didn't let her go out in public like this but when we were home, this is how she looked.
And that sums up what we have been doing the month of June. We still have about a week and a half left of June so I'm sure we will have fun adventures to share when the month is up.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Chickens, 5 and 6 weeks
Our baby girl chicks are now 5 and 6 weeks old! They are doing great and we love them a lot. See how big they are! I can't get over how fast they grow! They are very spoiled as they now have a mister system to keep them cool on our 100+ days. I would have a hard time knowing one of them died because of the heat so now I don't have to worry about that. So here they are all cute and feathery.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Our Colorado vacation
We spent five nights and six days in Colorado. Our trip was wonderful and we enjoyed the quality time we got to spend with the Keane family. It was great for the cousins to be together and develop that special cousin bond. Anna and Izzy especially became close and spent every waking moment together. It was so great to watch them play together. Our first night was spent in Denver at the Keane home. Here are a few pictures from our first night.
Cousins having ice cream!
Maddie and Camden enjoying hanging out together.
We left the next morning for Breckenridge where we spent 3 nights. This is the mountain house we rented.
A daddy/daughter moment.
Exploring in the great outdoors
Downtown Breckenridge
The view from our mountain house.
Izzy was baptized while we were in Breckendride. It was so great to be a part of her special moment.
A day in Vail
And guess who we saw, Ryan and Trista Sutter from the Bachelorette. Ryan was doing a race for charity.
And Trista was nice enough to chat with us and pose for a picture with us girls!
We took the Gondola to the top of the mountains in Vail, it was an amazing sight!
The hills are alive with the sound of music! I felt like we were in Austria!
They had activities for the kids to do at the top of the mountain, 14,000 feet above sea level! It was literally breathtaking!
Cousins having ice cream!
Maddie and Camden enjoying hanging out together.
We left the next morning for Breckenridge where we spent 3 nights. This is the mountain house we rented.
A daddy/daughter moment.
Exploring in the great outdoors
Downtown Breckenridge
The view from our mountain house.
Izzy was baptized while we were in Breckendride. It was so great to be a part of her special moment.
A day in Vail
And guess who we saw, Ryan and Trista Sutter from the Bachelorette. Ryan was doing a race for charity.
And Trista was nice enough to chat with us and pose for a picture with us girls!
We took the Gondola to the top of the mountains in Vail, it was an amazing sight!
The hills are alive with the sound of music! I felt like we were in Austria!
They had activities for the kids to do at the top of the mountain, 14,000 feet above sea level! It was literally breathtaking!
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