Tuesday, June 28, 2016

I take pictures because

Every summer is special. Every day is special.
Every minute with my little people is special whether I remember it or not.
And because hay is fun. And because being a kid in the summer is awesome.


A picture where they are all kind of smiling and kind of looking in the same direction, it's a miracle!!!
Little blonde bear. Amazingly the most cooperative.






Property


Future back porch view :)

Exploring around our property
Brad found this, we think it's a moose skull?




Summer goals




Monday, June 20, 2016

Father's Day weekend at the lake

The weather Saturday was not great, rainy all day. 
But Sunday we got some time to chill in the sun.
And had a nice relaxing weekend with friends.
Playing at the beach at sunset.
Happy Father's Day babe! We love you.
 
Gracie and Cate are the cutest little buddies.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Ben's last day of Pre-K and first Tee-Ball game

Our little buddy is growing up! 



He is one of the older kids this year and can hit the ball really hard, out past second base. After we get home from a game he wants to go outside and play more baseball! :)







Monday, June 13, 2016

In honor of Father's Day a cute article-Why I Love My Husband MORE THAN My Kids!

So here, in no particular order, are the reasons Why I Love My Husband More Than My Children:

– I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to nurse my husband (and if he were to ask, I could simply tell him “not tonight”).
– The two of us were an “us” before the five of us were an “us”. He came first, and in my opinion, he should remain that way.
– My husband NEVER says, “I pooped. And it’s really messy. Can you PLEASE just wipe me this one time, and I’ll go back to wiping myself tomorrow? (True story).
– I CHOSE him, and he chose me. There is something special about that. God GAVE me my kids. I was BLESSED with kids. I chose TO HAVE kids. But I didn’t specifically, individually, hand-pick each one, based on how much I just genuinely like THEM. I did with my husband (and I would again in a heartbeat!)
– HE is my voice of reason. The calm to my storm. THEY are my storm.  (Beautiful little storms they are, but storms, nonetheless).
– Quite simply, he is, and pretty much always has been, my favorite person ever. Favorite Person Ever is a hard position to replace.
– Picking up the stray empty beer can he left out on the back patio is much preferable to picking up the stray sippy cup that rolled underneath the couch, and is now full of hard milk. Do you know what hard milk is? Exactly what it sounds like. Milk that isn’t even liquid anymore.
– He is my teammate. My partner. We work TOGETHER to love our kids well, raise our kids well, teach our kids well, and enjoy our kids well. But it is HE who remains my partner…not them.
-He puts me first. They put me last. Oh, how they put me last! “Mama doesn’t need to pee, poop, eat or sleep! Just feed me NOW!” says my newborn (Was I that selfish when I was a newborn?? I mean, seriously).
– This verse from the Bible: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”. So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” No where does it ever say I am to become “one flesh” with my children. Plus….if all goes well…my little men are going to leave THEIR father and mother one day (mother…that’s me! Sob sob), and my husband is who I will be left with. Better make sure I love him best.
– “They” (the kids) have RUINED my already, not-that-impressive boobs. HE (contrary to what he may say) is going to be the one who is going to (pay to) FIX my boobs. Unless I change my mind about that.
– He is my best friend. They are my babies. My little loves. My responsibilities.  My JOB. Blessings. Amazing gifts, designed by God. My heart, walking around on three little sets of legs, yes. But… they aren’t my best friends. They aren’t who I go to relax with, laugh with, vent to, unwind with, and dream with. He is.
– Convincing my husband to take a nap is never a battle. He’s an obedient little guy.
– He looks at me, sees “end of my rope/going crazy/sliding right off of the Sanity Precipice” in my eyes, and swoops in to save. They look at me, see “end of my rope/going crazy, sliding right off the Sanity Precipice” in my eyes, and….they move in for the kill.
– He gave me them.


By on August 25, 2015 in Austin, Babies, Featured Post, Feelings, Marriages, Parenting, Relationships



Guess where?

We made a trip down to Pullman over the weekend for some shopping, cheese, Cougar Country, and catching up with Lindsay and her cute kiddos. A little pre-Fathers Day for Brad.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Farm life

How do we spend an exciting Friday night? Shoveling 10 yards of dirt! The kids were such awesome helpers, they spread while we shoveled and we grinded it out in three hours. Right at dusk.


Cate even tolerated hanging with us, she's our outside girl that doesn't mind getting dirty.
Ben in his element and shirtless.

After a good foot washing, puddle splashing in the dark.
Saturday we went boating on Hauser lake, which is only about ten minutes from our house.





Abi, my little kitchen helper, making salad for a Sunday night BBQ with friends to celebrate Hilie's birthday.
While Ben and Cate help Dad finish the garden fence.
Had to document that we had an awesome weekend. The kids were amazingly helpful and less grouchy than usual, and slept in! It was magical, not even joking. We got a lot of work done and had a lot of fun. And it is finally summer, 93 yesterday and hotter today! And it's the last week of school! The garden is ready to be planted, Ben started t-ball, the pool opens this week, there are just so many things to be happy about..... We are excited and ready for summer :)  :)  :)