Fashions Finds

I often have a hard time finding things that I ABSOLUTELY love my boys in. I have a feeling that ZARA will be a new go to for me. Plus, the prices are very reasonable. I often like pieces from odd and end stores carrying boys items... but little do I find that the way the clothes are styled to be appealing. I may not have a girl but I don't feel that boys have to be grubby. I am all about making them look and feel unique:) Rowan loves to wear his minnetonka moccasins and I don't think his style ends there! Can't wait for some of our new things from other online shops to arrive!

A Scary Story

A long time ago in a far away village {not so far away, and not really that long ago} a little boy was born. His mommy and daddy had lots and lots of time to give to him. So they spoon fed him {for way too long} so he could keep his precious little hands clean. They bathed him (even when he was not smelly~ because, well, they had the time.) They even put a clean shirt on him if there was even the teeny tiniest crumb on his current shirt. One day something FRIGHTENING happened. The mommy and daddy had another baby. YIKES! Not so scary you say? Well, now, that mommy and daddy had less time to clean that first little boy's hands and shirts (SHRIEK!!!!!!!) On the other hand Rowan's new little brother was not so clean. Brinley stuck his hands in the dog's food, ate things off of the floor, and he would even reach into the potty to splash around in the water. Rowan was terrified by these monstrous behaviors. And here comes the scary part. On a day that started out as clean as any other... that little boy, Rowan, who did NOT like messy hands was FORCED by big, giant people to stick his hand inside a ooooooey gooooey pumpkin! Rowan flailed, shrieked, and pleaded for them to stop, but they didn't. They let out roarous laughs "Bwahahaha" at his expense. They even recorded the torturous moment. They forced Rowan to, to, to GET DIRTY! It was terrifying. It gets worse... Rowan had to watch wide-eyed as they got his little brother. He was so little and helpless. But it happened. They made Brinley stick his hand in there too NOOOOOOO. After Rowan's tears started to clear he realized Brinley, WILLINGLY grabbed chunks of pumpkin out with his bare hands. Brinley loved the messy pumpkin, he went so far as to eat that ooooey gooooey orange thing. Now Rowan is now walking around with messy and hands and is slightly ok with it for once (insert screams of terror.) No one ever knew what happened after that... did he ever wash his hands again? Did he like the pumpkin? Did he like being messy? (DUN DUN DUN) We may never know...

 

and they lived happily ever after!

Not quite ready or 3 kids

Nothing like borrowing a nephew to teach you your not quite ready
for another child.


Quick clip blogs from the iPhone

Am I the only one who thinks there are MOMMY WARS?

A month ago I decided to give up social networking until November 1st and it has made me aware {many times over}of what kind of person I was becoming. Taking a step back from all the things in life that kept me too busy to reflect on myself and who I was becoming was actually a lot easier than I had expected. Of course, the first few days it was just avoiding the habitual routines of posting funny little tidbits, but I really didn't miss it that much. Immediately I was saddened by all of the times I noticed myself thinking in "status update" terminology. How pathetic is that?!

The more I was away from it the more I was aware of the time and moments it was stealing from me. Another thing I realized was how much I was {unknowingly} a victim to MOMMY WARS. We are often unaware that we are fierce warriors in these battles. I am sure you are well aware of what I am referring to. "My kid has this" "I take my kids here" "we do things this way" "we are always so busy doing(fill in the blank)" "we don't allow that in our home."  These things are mostly just innocent over-shares that we take as personal vendettas to "one-up" us. Most of the time it is truly innocent. Although, we love hearing what other people and their darlings are up to we do not realize what comes with it.  Unnecessary attempts to prove that you are just as good of a mom. Feeling that we have to post our lives publicly to prove to every one that we have it all.Quick statement that we often want to retract. Even being repeatedly offended by people that we can't seem to just remove from our news feeds...FYI tone and intention do not translate well in typing.So why do we torture ourselves? I have no idea. But I am sure that we are looking into things a lot deeper than they are. We forget that there are so many bigger things going on in our lives.We never honestly know what is going on in someone's life! So who cares if you think it was rude of them to share or brag. It is not for you to decide and also very likely that they meant no harm.

Sorry, fellow mommies, I am not accusing you... I am just giving myself a pep talk :)

One more thing. If people feel like you are bragging because of the things you share about your children it does not mean that you are. You should not have to filter what you want to post. It is not your fault that they feel inferior or insecure about what you do/ have. FYI I do not take pictures or dress my kids a certain way so that I can brag about it. I do those things because it is something I genuinely enjoy!! We have to stop being so worried about what others think about us. As long as you are comfortable with the things you are putting out there then why on earth would you change due to somebody else?

So I am surrendering. I do not want to be in on this war any more. After all it is not a fair fight...we all have different needs and wants. We all come from different places. We all have different expectations for life. We are enduring different challenges. We all have a different purpose and a different vision of what kind of mom we want to be. Truth be told God equipped each and every one of us to take care of and raise our children to the best of our abilities, but are we doing that? I sure hope I am!!

Does this mean that I won't indulge in social networking after my fast? Doubt it. But I am glad that I took time away to redefine who I want to be opposed to who I was slowly becoming.  I admit I often come in with my defenses up instead of taking in what others have to say and learning from it. I am willing to change. This does not meant that I won't share my opinions (cause, well, lets face it I am opinionated) but just cause we don't agree doesn't mean we can't still be friends.I am trying to work harder on myself and worry less on proving to others who I am.
I know not everything in life is a mommy war, but it is more relevant in social networking than in any other aspect of my life.I have learned so many other valuable things in my time away.
I am so excited about the changes me and my family have chosen to make in the upcoming months I hope that not being constantly offended will make the other changes easier.

please leave any thoughts you have or add to this in any way! Re-post or link to this if it pleases you

Andy you're a star

I was looking over my blog and I felt that there was something (someone) missing. My husband is no small part in my life with my boys, in fact just the opposite. He always goes above and beyond the call of duty (gamers, no punn intended).The moment Andy laid eyes on our boys for the first time was the most romantic moment we have ever shared. I know that as a young couple many people think the odds are against us. But AU CONTRAIRE! We have never been closer nor have we ever been so in love. I know that God is the reason we were able to make it through some of the tough moments and decisions, but Andy's calm and collective ways always help too.

  I don't mean to brag (but I am). Gosh, I do not know how he has endless energy. He works all day then he comes home and makes dinner. While he makes dinner he is usually playing football with Rowan. After Rowan goes to bed he wrestles Brinley. He even stays up late to have special time with me and then he does it all over again. This guy is like a machine. He is always one step ahead of me and doesn't even rub it in. He never asks for credit for all the things he does, and I KNOW I don't give him enough:( Gosh he even let's me work part-time and never once have I heard him ask for me to clean the house more or spend less money or give him more free time. He does it cause he has such a good heart. His faithfulness and patience is paying off and I am so blessed that he is all mine:) I am so glad that Andy always can rise to the challenge because God knew I could not do it on my own.
There is something so sexy about seeing your husband change a diaper or put your kids to bed, or even tackle your 3 year old... Andy is often covered in as many grass stains as Rowan!!! I just wanted to share that this blog is not just about my life with my boys because it would be empty, he is our world and he is our joy! I just know there aren't enough things to say to show my love and honor for him. I am sure you would agree about your own husbands. I just had to rave because he still gives me just as many goosebumps (if not more) then when we dated in highschool
(pics from this past week)

GOODY GOODY GUMDROPS

I just got photoshop elements (cause let's face it I am only so computer literate) and I didn't know who else to tell...

You thought that my kids were cute in unedited photos now they will BLOW YOUR MIND!
2 quick before and afters