I want to be in all senses of the words, All. Things. Mama.
As far back as I can remember I've wanted to be a mom, not just any mom, but the mom that stays home with her kids full time. The mom who loves even when she is not loved back, who can't breathe without thinking of her kids first. The mom who loves teaching, playing, cooking, baking, laughing, and kissing owies. The mom who is ALL THINGS MAMA. My husband and I scrimp so that dream can be fulfilled. Being a mom is not part time for me. It is something that has captured my heart. All of the going ons of my life start with thoughts of my kids. My kids consume my love and my life and I allow it because, with God's help they are the essence of what makes me a mother. This is me...

kids: the reason for moms

kids: the reason for moms

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Loving the things of fall...

And here are some of the fall things going on in our world.  Candlelit kitchens with cups of coffee and warm baked treats...


Caramel apple pies made of apples from a friend's backyard...
More candles and a touch of Halloween candy to make fall feel right...
And horsey rides in our pajamas...
And introducing our newest tradition of fall...
warming our hands on mom's hot mug of coffee...
She's always been my little Starbucks girl...

With autumn comes more memories and traditions.  Melanie is going to be a princess this year..still pondering Eastie's costume..any ideas?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

I get these phone calls..

Almost daily, I get this phone call, sometimes I dial too, and it is one of the absolute highlights of my day! They're fun, these phone calls, because I can say whatever I want and the person on the other side understands.  You see, I have this friend, and to put it simply, she's really a pretty darn good friend, a best friend, the kind you can tell anything to and she'll be able to muster up a response that's both appropriate and leaves me feeling good and loved.  We're miles apart, like across the country far from each other, but in our hearts we're neighbors.
Just like neighbors we swap recipes, swap advice, swap stories about the crazy people and things in our lives.  We talk about our kids, husbands, the Bible, family, trials, hopes, basically everything. We don't judge, we just share.
Her name is Skyelynn, and she is just what her name says.  She is as pretty and nice as the sky is blue.  She is so special to us that if we ever have another girl, she will be named after Skyelynn.  I have not seen her in over 2 years.  She has not met my kids and I have not met hers.  BUT, someday this will happen!  It is often the subject of our phone calls.  One day, we plan to be real neighbors.  We plan to share a vegetable garden and make family dinners together with our produce.  It is our dream.

And even though she doesn't know my kids, at least in person, we talk about Tia Cielo (Aunt Skye) all the time. She sends them gifts, and I send her little one things too.  You know you have a good friend when she loves your kids without having met them.
She is the type of friend everyone should have.

Monday, September 20, 2010

made with love and sealed with a kiss.

Ode to Evite: You are so easy to use and have so many invites to choose from and the best part of all...YOU SAVE ME SO MUCH MONEY!  I used you yesterday to invite 41 people to my daughter's 2nd birthday party.  Let's see, 41 times 44 cents (the current price of postage)  equals $18.04 plus about $30 for store bought invitations comes out to a $48.04 savings..that's almost $50!
I have been criticized for using you Evite...some say you're not personal enough, well I say, how is sending something in the mail any more personal than email? Is it because you spent money on a piece of paper and postage that will eventually be thrown in the garbage?  I think the only way you can make a party invitation more personal is by delivering the invitation or news about the party "in person."  Therefore, Evite, I will continue using you for my party invitations, because even though you are not tangible, you are still made with love and sealed with a kiss!

Disclaimer: I am not criticizing those who like to use store bought invitations and send them in the mail. I love getting mail!  I am only stating my reasons for loving to use Evite. ;)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

When the time comes...

When the time comes I will tell my kids just how great God has been to us.  How we had no money, but somehow the bills were paid.  How we lost a baby, but were blessed 2 others.  How all of the things we considered to be bad, and sad, and totally life-changing turns for the worse, became good and wonderful and true blessings that made us stretch our faith farther than we knew it could go.
Our hearts are overflowing with blessings.  Things that have come to us, things that are happening now, things that are on our way from God that will change our lives and bring us hope.  He never fails to surprise us!
And when the time comes that they'll understand these things, these glorious happenings and truths of our lives, I will cry tears of joy while I tell them, hoping they'll learn from it and live differently because of it.
But for now, we pray simple prayers of "We love you Jesus, give us a good nappy wap", or "give us a good nights sleepys" AAAAAmen!  The simpleness that God loves and the faith of a child that He desires from all of us.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Shadows of a summer gone...

Summer's gone, so it seems.  We're headed into fall leaving behind our fun in the sun memories.  My kids grew by leaps and bounds this summer.  Easton's crawling, starting to pull up on things, really wanting to walk, Melanie's talking SO much, becoming so self sufficient, it's almost like they aren't babies anymore!  So we took pictures, A LOT of pictures, to remember the times when they were more like babies, times when they needed mama and daddy and thought we were cool, times we'll miss.
Times of pig tails and laughing..
Times of jammy playing babies after bathing..
Times of buying 25 cent tea "cuppies" that make a little girl happy..
For animal watching on warm sunny days...
For trying new things, with sunscreen in our hair!
and for learning to share...

For pink cowboy boots, and faux hawks that make us look so darn cute...
Too many summer memories to count, it makes us realize more and more what REALLY counts...



Family..family matters most in the end...the people God gives us to love and cherish on this earth.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Falling into Autumn

Today makes me feel like making something cozy.  I want the house to smell like pumpkin spice candles and I want to bake.  I did neither of those..but I did make lentil chili.  It turned out more like soup, but yummy just the same.  On this last day of August, which topped out at 59 degrees, we had good company over for dinner and watched all the tiny cozy bugs play together in the toy room.  They had fun, we had fun, and even though it was fall weather on a summer day, it felt normal, like that's the way it was supposed to be on August 31st.
Now, as I write on the morning of September 1st, I'm thinking about how cozy it was to have all 4 of us together in bed this morning.  The cozy bugs squished together between us, Melanie's arm over Easton as they slept.  Picture perfect moment, but it was too early, and I was too lazy to get out of bed to grab the camera. Of course, I'm regretting that decision now because it would have been nice to record that precious little tick in time.
Daddy got to hang out with us this morning, he didn't have to leave at his normal time of 4:30 am, and the kids were so happy to see him.  Easton running around laughing and staring at daddy while in his walker, Melanie hugging her daddy and cozying him, and me being able to have coffee with my handsome hubby.  Such a needed treat for all of us!
Now, the kids have eaten breakfast together and are waiting for bath time, as am I.  So, until the next post!