AFTONS HERE

Yay--Jess' sister had her baby last week and we're so so happy! And how cute is this name: Afton Dawn Anderson--SO cute! So anyway--good job Emily on the no drugs thing--you're my hero (whether you meant to or not) and welcome little Afton! We love you.

MARINE MUD CHALLENGE/ Pre-K GRADUATION

Last Saturday me and some friends did the Marine Mud Challenge on base. IT WAS AWESOME!

It was a 4 1/2 mile run with 17 obstacles throughout it. It started with an army crawl under mesh in the mud (while overhead marines sprayed you with a giant hose), jumping down a muddy hill into waist high water swimming under logs, climbing over logs, getting up 8 foot walls, tire runs, running through a river....

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. I can honestly say I would run so much more if it was on a course like that---aka--not boring. We had so much fun! Jessica's husband came with the intentions of taking a picture at the beginning and end, but ended up joining us mid way through and running along with us (in his uniform--he's a trooper--thanks Adam) So we got some great shots. Plus, they made a video of it. I'll try to load it, but here are some pics of the event! YAY!!! Jess and I are totally doing this again next year!

Sarah's bum totally would have been shot off....ha ha

See how I look kinda stuck--it took a bit to get over that--turns out those logs were a bit higher then I'd thought--HA

Sarah's like 4 foot nothing, she needed a little boost from Rachel

If the video works--on this obstacle--I pulled out the "penguin slide" It rocked!

Human Ladders--Go Team Work!
ha ha--I totally thought this was going to be waist high...turns out--not so much. I look pretty here.
Finishing up.....
Our Muddy Finish

Who wants to join us next year????

PRESCHOOL GRADUATE!!!

Kade graduated preschool a couple of weeks ago. They had a great little ceremony where they sang an adorable song about how grateful they are that God made them (I love private schools :) and then "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" in spanish, and then all the other stuff-- He LOVED school by the end and I'm so glad he did! WE LOVE YOU KADE! (for real--is this not the CUTEST pic ever? I love this boy!)

Cari

It's a shame that we don't have those "ah-ha" moments more often. I often talk to my mom about the kids experiencing these great leaps in logic or emotion, but we recognize them far too infrequently in ourselves. They certainly occur; I truly believe that most of our 'growing up' is done well after we consider ourselves 'grown up.'

You may want an explanation. An "ah-ha" moment is one of those split seconds in time when a completely new idea makes perfect sense. They are often hard to vocalize as adults, but we have a very vivid illustration in our children. Any parent can think of a time when they've looked into their child's eyes and noticed something...different. Something grown-up. Something complex. Something new and beautiful that the child wasn't capable of before. One day, without me doing anything about it, they just grow up. Their brain goes, "ah-ha!" And they GET it.

Sometimes I'd like to think I'm more complex than a child, but I've proven that to be a stupid lie. I get little "ah-ha's" just the same as they do, and all the sudden I'm the smallest bit more grown up. And in those moments I get a brief glimpse of exactly how un-grown up I truly am.

But this post isn't about me. It's about Cari, and my "ah-ha" about who she is.

I had one of hundreds of "ah-ha's" today, and I think it led to a bigger "ah-ha." I'm not in the business of airing my dirty laundry, so I won't say more than that Cari and I often disagree about things, the way all married couples do. It was in the midst of one of these speed bumps that I discovered something: Cari is the single most important tangible blessing I have in my life; and she's the reason that I feel like I have a chance at 'making it.'

In all marraiges there are speed bumps. They keep us honest, and serve to temper love over many years. However, it occured to me that in our marraige I'm causing the speed bumps. Probably not all of them, but a good portion of them are due to things like greed, immaturity, lack of confidence, conceit, etc. on my part. Ouch. Cari has stood by me, strong and immovable in her love and values, every step of the way. Double ouch.

I have no foolish intention to fix all our problems today, but I'm going to put a pretty big dent in them. Today is the last day that I mistake 'affection' and 'value.' Affection is just liking something. Value is understanding why you like a thing, and doing what's in your power to preserve it's continued effectiveness. I love Cari. But I can do a much better job valuing Cari.

Cari manages to keep our family from flying apart. She keeps our house a home instead of a domicile by making sure the Spirit is here and that each of us is doing our part. She blesses the lives of every one she touches; usually with laughter. Her laughter is like sweet summer air and hints of jasmine in the evening. It brushes against my soul so gently that I almost don't feel it, but when I stand still and breathe it in it fills me with unforgettable moments and peaceful rest. I'm nearly positive that I won't ever meet another soul who has such an overt gift; she spreads happiness like an uncovered light bulb. She's wonderful to be around, as she casts her beautiful glow on everything she touches, but to look directly at her is to be overwhelmed by the staggering strength of her light. She works relentlessly. She probably doesn't tell this to anybody, but I don't think there's been a single day that's passed since she's been called in which she hasn't done something for the primary kids. She keeps saying that things will calm down once she's more on top of what the group needs to be successful, but I know she's lying a little bit. She finds some hidden joy in devoting herself to service, regardless of how. Sometimes it shows in silly ways; extra thick lamination or five pictures instead of three, but status quo is never experienced here. Those kids, and a good chunk of their parents, will never have any idea what she does, but she'll never care. She'll laminate and glue and type and call and cut and color until she falls asleep on the floor, then she'll put the kids to bed the next night and start again. She's always enriching life for our family. As a mom who's busy with regular mom stuff, she manifests herself again in small things. A new receipe on Tuesday, a Slip-n-Slide party on a random Thursday afternoon, who knows what she'll do to make life an adventure. You know, she's never given up on that adventure? It's true. As we leave childhood behind most of us give away our childhood dreams in exchange for trinkets of adulthood like cars of moustaches or fancy jobs. But Cari kept her childhood intact somehow. Come to our house sometime, and I'll prove it to you. Cari is first in the blanket and kitchen chair fort and happy to play the dragon or super villain. She's laughing the loudest when there's a game of tag or an impromptu pillow fight in the living room. It's common knowledge throughout the Winn clan that mom makes the best Play-Do snakes or finger paint pictures. She blesses my boys' lives more through her imagination than I think she knows. I don't know how she can keep that adventure alive, but it's beautiful...it's the reason her eyes shine.

To not go on is a disservice, but there's not enough whatever-bytes in the world for me to paint a descent picture of what valuing Cari means. So I'm done undervaluing my lover. I'll never stop loving, that's never been an issue. But if I want to safeguard what I have affection for in order to preserve it, I have to change. More thank you's is a good place to start, but I get the feeling that won't cut the mustard. As a beginning measure, I'm going to stop assuming that she ever has anything but the best intentions. She's never given me a reason to doubt her decision-making or motives, and I can't imagine that she ever will. So I really ought to stop acting like it.

If Cari truly is the most important tangible blessing of my life (and she is), I need to care for her in order to show my gratitude; just like any other blessing. More back-rubs and dishes and errands and long kisses. Less pushiness and conceit and manipulation...sadly enough all things I should have been doing/not doing before anyway.

For someone like me to end up with Cari is already a huge stretch of what most would consider feasible. No more screwing up, then. You've already had your lucky break, Jess. If you mess this one up there's no mulligan. No more silly mistakes, no more stupid crankiness, no more senselessness.

It shouldn't take "ah-ha" moments to make me realize that I can't do with without Cari. It ought to be simple to know that she's incredible, and that everybody around me sees it. It should be easy to see her value, and to appreciate her for it naturally...but I suck, so none of that happened.

I'll never be happier than when I'm living the gospel with Cari at my side. I'll never be more likely to make good decisions than when Cari is with me. I'll never be more motivated to improve myself than when I see her exceeding the mark. Life isn't easy, but being with a girl like Cari makes it the happiest challenge one could ask for. A pretty simple formula.

Cari is a blessing in my life. I must value her as such ("Ah-ha!"). I've wasted too much time not doing that, to include writing it down here. I think maybe an unsolicited cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows is as good a first step as any...

Karate Kade

Well, it's official, Kade got his yellow striped belt last Friday. He's so great at Karate and tries so hard and is just so cute in his gi. I just love him! CONGRATS KADE!




When we were leaving Kade said, "Mom, this is a pretty big deal huh?"

Kade got the Special Plate and McDonalds--woo woo

Luke wanted his picture taken too, so he did his prettiest picture face.

Here's our little class! Is he not sooooooo cute and little!

Eating Soap

So... here was the problem.....

and here was the consequence.....

If you'll notice Luke swiped like 10 strawberries, and tenderly took off all the green parts, and took one bite out of all of them...and placed them in the cup. Now...that's kinda cute right? Well, Not when it's like the 50th item he's swiped without asking this week. Here's the list:



Tortillas sprawled out in his bedroom from the food storage
Ritz crackers (only barely opened before I got there)
Raisin Bran all over his floor--he was sharing with friends
That cheese business awhile back...not the only time..there's been several cheese block bite instances
Fanta (all over the kitchen floor)
Apples (ALL THE TIME...I'll find half eaten apples under his bed, in the fruit bowl, in the bathroom)



It's not that we starve him...he'll not eat his lunch, and the rule is no food until dinner right....so he gets hungry and gets something. I really should be praising his pro-activeness. See, here's the thing though, I know he knows we say to always ask, but in his young little mind, he doesn't understand why--he wants it so....he'll be a pal and get it.


Anyway, so we decided time outs weren't working with this particular offence, so now it's soap...and it's...working okay...I think? I just hope he won't develop a liking for the soap like my cousin Kae's kids. Oh the joys of parenting. Anybody have good "consequences"...time outs have seemed to loose their effectiveness.

YAY! FAMILY VISITS

So last week my mom and dad came out to see us. It was so so great. It was so nice to just play and relax and play. I think my favorite part was watching the boys drink in all the love from them. I couldn't help but cry when they left thinking of how nice it would be for us and the boys especially to be closer so they could know them better....As I was feeling sorry for myself, Kade ran into his room and came back out several minutes later with a card that he'd made for me with hearts all over it. He wanted to make me feel better...then Luke was adorable and sweet and I realized how blessed I am. Being away from my family is hard, but the joy I feel everyday from my boys and husband makes it hard to feel sorry for my self for long. I'm sooooo glad you could come out mom and dad! We can't wait till next time!

Doesn't this picture look like mom is slamming Kade's head into the ground....ha ha...I'm not entirely sure what was going on, all's I know is that they were both laughing.

We all went to the zoo, and can I just say that I love our zoo--it's small and perfect for my kids. It was sad that the bird house was being remodeled or something, and we missed the time to feed the giraffes (I love feeding the giraffes) but we had such a great time. And grandpa bought us all ice cream...and Kade wanted this gigantic sucker...Grandparents are so cool--they never get that kind of stuff with us!

When we got home we had burgers out back---mom bought the boys these little foam dart shooter thingys that were so so cool, so dad got shot all through barbecuing, it was cute. And this is Jess' average photo face. He does it cause he knows I love it.

So the Easter Bunny brought the boys a slip-n-slid...so mom and I pulled it out the next day. Turns out it was pretty chili and the water was just so darn cold....and apparently we don't have a sloped backyard. There was a lot of fast running and ....thudding---not sliding--ha ha, the boys liked it though.

Like I said, this picture gives the allusion that they were sliding, but most of the time mom or I had to push the little one down the slide. Fun though!

So the next day we checked out Wildwood Park cause mom saw online that it has "sandy beaches" Now, I was skeptical because it seems like all the lake-side's have are red-muddy beaches. But turns out they sectioned off this little part and brought in sand. IT WAS AWESOME! We're totally going back. The boys had a riot and it was so nice and warm. I can't wait to go back!

Then we finally got to Putt Putt for Luke's b-day. It was much busier then the last time we went which is tricky with kids cause--I don't want to go fast....I like to just wait and watch and laugh. They had fun and Luke did his usual--hit the ball, then move it right next to the hole--then hit it again--so he totally won the rest of us! Also, we made a discovery...did you know that Superman Ice cream is just vanilla ice cream? (at least we think) it has mega food coloring which is quite impressive and small bubblegum flavored thingies, but the flavor--vanilla---who would have thought!

Here's a pic of Luke and Dad in the backyard. Luke wanted to spice things up with the soccer ball instead of the wiffle ball. woo woo.

I think part of what helped me not be sad when my parents left were the cinnamon rolls mom and Luke made. That was nice!
We had a great time mom and dad! WE LOVE YOU! THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE US!!!

oh, and I had some requests to see the AMAZING LIGHTNING MCQUEEN CAKE-and since I have a habit of doing things that are embarrassing, or rather, telling people about embarrasing things I've done so in case they found out another way--they'd know I was okay with it--you know--own it!--ha ha---here it is in all it's amazing glory!

Showing Love

This video was on my friend Jenny's blog and it just made me want to be better. So, if you need a little boost, just watch.

Luke's 3!!!

So, as of today, Luke is the big #3! WOO WOO! He's been excited about turning 3 for a month now. This morning was perfect, before Jess left for work, the three of us woke Luke up by singing Happy Birthday. It was so cute to watch him go from sleepy to smiley and excited in moments. After singing Kade asked if he could give him the card he made for him that he's kept hidden so well. We just let him open all his presents before breakfast--it was awesome. He got so many games that we played them all morning, then we were going to go to Putt-Putt with Jess tonight, but it was raining, so instead we went to Chuck E. Cheese (which, incidentally is where Luke is planning on going on his mission). Luke was mesmorized by the giant dressed up Check E. Cheese and the boys ended up with two twirly straws, dumb-dumb suckers, a book mark and Pop Rocks! I love Pop Rocks.

Luke wanted a Lightning McQueen cake so...feeling inventive I tried it. HA! It was awful! I love watching those cake shows and whipped out the electric knife to shave it into the right shape--ha ha--seriously, awesome! But Luke loved it so that's all that matters right.

We love you Luke and are sooooooo blessed to have you in our family!

A week old

1 year old2 years old

3 years old with cake and Chuck E. Cheese twirly straw!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LUKE-IE!

Easter Fun!

We had a great Easter weekend this year! I took Kade fishing for the first time at Euchee Creek by our house, he made us a picnic-sandwiches and snacks to eat on the way--plus bread to feed to the birds. He did great learning to cast!

Friday night we had a tornado, This is a pic of Kade next to the roots of the tree that was uprooted.

Jess and I have always loved extreme weather and wanted to see it, but this time, as we sat there watching the lightning storm (amazing) with our power out, with the tornado watch in our county, we seemed to be thinking--'about insurance...are we covered for this?' At any rate, we were just fine and didn't really notice anything had happened until we went to our friend Rachels house a few minutes away for an Easter Egg Hunt the next day to find a large tree uprooted, the neighbors trampoline in her back yard, and fences in their neighborhood were everywhere. So turns out we were closer then we thought!

The Line Up!
SPIDER-MAN EGG! WOO!
THIS IS HOW LUKE LOOKED MOST OF THIS WEEKEND!

The egg hunt was awesome, there were a million eggs and the only problem was the kids didn't have enough room for it all. They all ran around like crazy--but all they really needed to do to fill their baskets was to stop in one place and just pick them up. It was the perfect day (you would never have guessed there was a tornado the day before) Our friends made awesome strawberry ice cream and cupcakes, cookies...it was awesome! It was the perfect day and so much fun to be with friends.

I was a slacker this year and didn't remember to color eggs. Luckily, we went to our friends the to borrow a pan, and they invited us to do it with them. We have some great friends here and are so blessed! The boys were ecstatic-and we had tons of fun! (not to mention that I had no mess to clean up--yay)

On Easter Sunday I had meetings in the morning and Jess had to get the kids up and out by 8:30--so...needless to say, the Easter Bunny didn't make it..it's okay though, cause we wrote a letter telling him to come while we were at church. When the kids got home, they followed the trail of peeps (a tradition Jess remembers from when he was little) to their baskets! As Kade was going through his basket, he saw some yogos that he'd seen the empty box of in the trash a few days earlier and told me that I'd put them in there. I'm glad they know that sometimes we help the Easter Bunny out.

That night we had some friends over for dinner. It was DELICIOUS! I can say that cause our friends brought the ham! Here's what you gotta do....

you--"Hey, do you want to come to our house for Easter dinner?"

them--"fun--what can we bring?"

you--"well, I really like ham..."

ha ha--totally kidding, I didn't do that (but that'd be funny huh?). They're moving and had food they wanted to get rid of. It was a really fun evening with friends where the kids played and we just laughed and talked. Especially with our families so far away, it is so nice to have such great friends!

The Lord has blessed our family in every possible way. We have a happy, healthy, family, and we know God's plan for us. I love my Father in Heaven. I am so extremely grateful to my Savior! My family can be together forever because of Him. I love Easter!

Potty Training Bliss

HIP HIP HOORAY!!! I just want to say, that after a really really rough 5 days--Lucas ROCKS at being potty trained!!! I've tried to potty train Lucas like 10 times I swear, but each time, after like a day, I'd give up (I'm not the most patient person with things that are gross). So, this time Jess and I decided that we'd try for 5 days, and if he still didn't want to, then we'd try again in a few months. Well, he took full advantage of his 5 days and didn't try to make it to the toilet once!!! That means like a MILLION clean ups. At any rate, we were happy when day 6 came.

Then---wait for it......he cried when we tried to put him in a diaper!!! And ever since then, he's done awesome! He's had like 3 accidents in 4 days! WOO WOO. I've ran tons of errands with him, and each time, he's given me plenty of notice...even going to Kade's soccer game, and drinking tons of his water...and nothing. He's so so cool and I love that he's potty trained!!! YEE HAW! Anyway, I just wanted to share the bliss! Just YAY! (plus, he's excited that he can turn 3 now. You see, Jess told him that he couldn't turn 3 until he pooped in the toilet (ha ha, we're awesome parents)...So, during his trial 5 day period, he kept telling us 'I'll go poop in Putt Putt's bathroom (where he wants to go for his birthday) He's a smart one that Luke. He's excited for his birthday now!

In other news, we used our "Special Plate" for the first time to celebrate that fact that Kade can tie his own shoes!!! YAY for him. We were most excited because it was kind of like his first real goal. I didn't really think he was ready so I didn't do much to help, (I know, I'm a lame mom) but he kept insisting on wearing his shoes with ties because he wanted to practice. And then one morning before school, as I watched, he did it! I was so happy and made a huge deal out of it--to which he said, "mom, it's not a big thing, I've done it like 3 times..." He tied and untied his shoes a million times that day on the way to school. (he says it wasn't a big deal...but he was pretty darn proud of himself) At any rate, we wrote it on the bottom of the special plate for it's inauguration---and it was awesome. Now it's hard to get him to wear anything besides shoes that tie.

Oh, and Kade's liking school now. In the past he's been kinda bored with it, and always wanted to stay home with Luke and me. So I've been worried about when school really starts next year. But yesterday (his day off) he actually said, "I wish I could be at school right now, I'm a little bored." Some people might be sad about that, but not me---IT WAS SO GREAT! He's never felt that way and just yay--just yay. I mean so he only has one month left--he likes it. It helps me to breath easier for him to start Kindergarten in August.

He's also in soccer--it's so cute to see him in his jersey that drowns him...he and another little girl on the team are at least a head shorter then everyone else. He really enjoys it and we love going to his games. Go Grovetown Hurricanes!

And we put together our trampoline a few weeks ago and IT ROCKS!!! And seriously, they've come so far. I mean the springs aren't even possible to touch from the inside. The kids hit the enclosure maybe a million times while they're jumping--and do they fall off and shatter bones--NO--they're saved from the net. They read books out there, work on their ninja moves, play random pretend troll games...and just go crazy. Plus, we love jumping with them. I was always the one that couldn't control her bounce and was off the tramp and into the raspberry bushes way too much (I know---who puts they're trampoline by a thorny raspberry bush? Well, if we wanted to jump off the giant swing set that dad built, it had to be by the raspberry bushes...so...anyway, just a terrible combination.) Anyway, the point is this, I love jumping with them and I don't have to worry hardly at all. It's tons of fun. so all-in-all, everyone should get a trampoline! (and if you don't, just come over and use ours--FUN) (oh, and thanks Jessica so so much for taking us to get it, you saved us like $100 in shipping--you're the coolest)

Why Mormons Build Temples

I thought this video and the Churchs statement below was so perfect and beautiful and exactly how the Savior would want us to respond. I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it's teachings are true. I'm so blessed to be a part of it!



If you'd like to read the churchs statement on "Big Love" click here

That sweet boy of ours!

Sweetest little boy ever! Yesterday morning I slightly remember hearing little feet pittering-pattering down the hall. Then the loud bangs of Kade unloading his dishwasher. Now, this alone made me so happy because he didn't need reminding. Then he came into our room-all smiles--and announced that breakfast was all ready. It was just so cute to see how happy he was that he did it--even getting the cereal off of the top shelf of the pantry, pretty impressive. He did it again this morning and well, we're just soooooooooo blessed to have him in our family. We love you Kade!!!!

A day with Kimi

This is Kimi--we love her! We got to spend some time with her the other day at our house and LOVED IT. Whenever any of us get to talk with her, we just feel so incredibly happy. We sang full throttle in the kitchen to Aladdin and Grease and this girls got skills! Kimi brought over High School Musical 3--which is awesome and Kade keeps singing "The Boys are Back". he he, I just love musicals--I wish life was a musical sometimes he he. Anyway Kimi's moving soon and we'll miss her and her family soooo much! Thanks for coming over Kimi!

The following comes to you courtesy of Jess, the new KING OF BLOGGING!!!

Kind of like a contest...

I have Shang-Hai'd the following from Melodie's blog in an effort to secure for myself some random artifact of drabble of her own manufacture. She stated that the first five individuals to respond to her posting and create one of their own will be the recipients of a fabulous prize! So I now look forward to some wonderful creation, and in keeping with the rules, I offer the same posibility to the first five here. The same restrictions all apply; and you can be sure that the same promises are also yours to enjoy! I look forward both to recieving a home-made treasure from my beloved sister, and to tapping the deep creative well of my soul in an effort to share the joy of recieving. All can be assured that my creations will be of the first degree, and that true thought will go in to each and every gift.

Fabulous Five Fun
OK! So here's how this works...the first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me. My choice. Made especially for you. Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:

1) I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2) What I create will be just for you.

3) It will be done sometime this year (hopefully sooner than later).

4) You have no clue what it will be. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure. ;-)

5) I reserve the right to do something extremely strange (but I'm not that creative).

The catch? The catch is that you must repost this on your own blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog.The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift from me!! Hurry fast, this is a limited time offer.

Oh! And be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!

Can He Do It?

It's on to week two now in the Great Boredom Experiment. My position in the home has shifted from 'main bread-winner' to 'blob.' I pretty much just ooze from room to room and suck the life out of whatever activity was occurring before I arrived. I'm not sure if that means I've achieved some supernatural level of boredom or not. It's an interesting thought, however, to believe that I've transcended the every day type of 'normal' boredom, and that I now exist on a plane of boredom unreachable by the common homo sapiens.
I call my new plane of existence "The Field of Dreams." This has no reference to a baseball field, but rather a place where all the random thoughts of the universe converge. I sit at the nexus of that convergence and channel all the randomness in a state of boredom induced nirvana. In the Field of Dreams, I have access to all the random thoughts of the human mind, both conscious thought and unconscious meandering. Things flow through my infinite field of random vision, and I note briefly their significance. "Can monkeys spit?" "What would happen if I put a banana in Mike's gas tank?" "Who is that girl, and why is she threatening me with a head of lettuce?"
Each one has it's own value, and each one contributes to the mindless boredom, drawing me deeper and deeper into a trance-like state of drool-inducing brain wave inactivity. "What's at the center of gravity?" "Why is it called a 'hung jury'? Did we hang them in the past as a failure to come up with a verdict?" "Do dung beetles hate their job?"
Each thought is so intertwined with the others that it's hard to tell which are my own and which are from the universe. I'm pretty sure most of them are mine. I'm guessing that probably the universe doesn't care much what color lifesaver is Lou Dobbs' favorite, or how long a giraffe can hold its breath.
Maybe when I go back to work I'll lose my connection to the boredom universe. Maybe I'll always carry this new transcendental lifestyle with me. Maybe I can harness the power of boredom and focus it into hyper-concentrated 'boredom bullets' that I can fire with my brain at enemies, causing them to lapse into a state of unconsciousness while I charge ten thousand dollars worth of jelly beans to their credit cards. (Fear me!)
No matter what happens, leaving my Field of Dreams, my boredom nirvana, my nexus of semi-conscious nothingness will be bittersweet. "I wonder if I could catch a cold from a fish?" "How does Carmichael get his hair to do that?" "What percentage of weasel attacks are caused by accidental exposure to high intensity gamma rays?" "Where do leftover......(fade to black)

Why I love my life:

A few of today's highlights:

Luke running into the living room and announcing: "we're playing 'wash kaden's face'...we're using wipes (holding up a giant wad)...it's a fun game" and runs away.

Kade finding the best hiding spot ever from Luke (apparently he didn't like the game as much) in their closet...where I prompted Luke a million times to get me stuff out of it...and on the million and first try--he finally saw Kaden--I was laughing a lot)

Lucas going to time out for a whopping 10 minutes (for turning the water on outside to play with not 3 minutes after I threatened both of the boys not to turn on the water or else....(long list of horrible things)) and doing a relatively good job sitting there. he usually screams and freaks out and just goes crazy--but he was such a big boy today!

Having "special daddy oatmeal" for dinner (yes dinner--I was tired and...we like oatmeal). The "special" part is loads of sugar, butter and awesome toppings....Luke added like 1/4 cup of sprinkles before we noticed. ha ha--he LOVED it!

Playing 2 person tag with Kaden in the kitchen. I don't know if mom remembers it, but B.J. Scott and I used to play it all the time ROCKED at hardly having to move! It's always been so so funny to me!

Kade calling out, "I accidentally put my foot in the toilet mom" Turns out it was before doing his business--so it was just funny---not gross.

Cuddling with Lucas while the family played Mario Kart after FHE.

Today has just made me smile....that's all

TYBEE ISLAND IN FEBRUARY

So, spur of the moment we decided to go with our friends the Johnsons to the beach (which was a huge deal for us, we hardly ever do spontaneous anything). YAY--so it was super fun--and still February so.....pretty cold--but so fun. They are amazing photographers and took some pictures of us while we were there. Thanks again guys, anyway, here is the link to their blog where they have some of the results!