Photo Series: {Rainy Day Fun}

I have so enjoyed selecting my "Photos of the Day" and I am thankful to all of you for hanging in there with me and actually looking at the photos. It has been a great opportunity to post some of those heart favorite photos or even just some random photos without the pressure of the writing.

The "Photos of the Day" have been great. But sometimes you can't just pick one photo to represent the full memory and sometimes collages just don't work either. So, this time a am doing a photo series.

If you all share my same hometown you know that we received a huge amount of rain this past week, which was such a blessing for some wildfires in our state. It doesn't rain super hard like it did here very often so it was neat to see the kids' reactions.

That day also marked some downtown festivities so the boys actually got to play in the rain, in the middle of Main St. How cool is that! So, that is what these photos are from. I also wanted to note that these were completely impromptu. They receive no direction from me whatsoever. I was simply hiding under and overhang snapping away. I hope you enjoy.

Photo of the Day: {Boy Things}

Having 3 boys in our house has been such a blessing. I have truly loved it. They have a wonderful role model in their daddy, who teaches them all kinds of cool boy things that I do not pretend to understand. But it works and we have joy.

These are just some of the boy things we have done so far this summer. They had to be carefully documented.....Proud moments indeed.

Funny of the Day: {Don't Say Bad Words}

This is another story involving my ever-so-funny Creidey-bear (as we call him).

Today he comes to me crying....

Creide: Mom, Ky called me something bad.
Me: (Long sigh in preparation for what was said) What did he call you?
Creide: Bottom Britches
Me: Bottom Britches???
Creide: Yes, and I didn't like it.
Me: Is "Bottom Britches" bad?
Creide: Yes!
Me: What does "Bottom Britches" mean?
Creide: It means that I don't like you and your a meaner (The word "meaner" has be classified as a bad word in our house by Creide as well).
Me: Okay.

Moral of the story.... Don't call someone "Bottom Britches".

I am a Superstar!

One of the things I missed so very much when I was going through my treatment was actually cooking for my family. I had a wonderful network of friends that totally stepped into our lives and made sure my family had meal after meal covered for us. It was overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time and I will be forever grateful.

However, after 6 months of chemo every other week, I can tell that I really did miss cooking for my family. So, now that my treatment is behind me - I have just submerged myself back into being a wife and a mother  - and it. feels. wonderful!

Tonight I made homemade pizza which is one of my boys' all-time fav's. I make the crust from scratch and the whole nine yards. Part of the process of my baking and cooking is that my boys always help me. I think that is probably what I missed most about the cooking thing. It doesn't matter what I am making I will eventually hear the sound of my dining room chairs being brought in the kitchen. Before long, I will have all of them in there with me and I do my very best to come up with "jobs" that each of my boys can do. It never bothers me to have them in there with me - and I don't even mind the mess. :-)

It has always been my determination that by the time my boys leave home that they will be able to proficiently cook for themselves. I also feel like I will make some young lady extremely happy someday when she chooses to marry one of my sons to find out that he indeed knows his way around the kitchen. Back to the pizza....

So, tonight I made individual pan pizzas and they each got to create their own. They were loving it as they always do. My hubby asked the boys if they liked their pizza and they literally started hooping and hollering like they were at a rock concert. It was so funny - I started to laugh but then it got really funny.... my oldest, out of the blue, yells out, "She looked at me!" He sounded just like someone at some concert or event where the star actually looks at some fan in the audience. We all started laughing so hard because it was just so random and so funny all at the same time.

I was so grateful for the moment and I realized that I am a superstar - at least I am in my own home. Despite all my imperfections and shortcomings as a wife and a mother there are still four little people and one big person that looks at me and loves me just for who I am - their wife and mother. I am grateful for all that I have and I am grateful to be that "superstar" (even if it IS just over pizza) of my home because there is truly nowhere else I would rather be.

Trip to Ouray... {Creide}

We took advantage of Jason's day off this week by taking a quick trip to Ouray. This time we didn't swim - instead just checked out a couple of the shops and treated the boys to ice cream. It was a great time - perfect wheather and very relaxing. I was able to get these pictures of Creide - our third son. He is definitely "all boy" and when I found the boy banner hanging on the side of a building I couldn't help but to get a picture of it as I thought of him. Whether he is playing guns with his brothers, hanging upside down, trying on silly hats, or giving me that Creidey-bear smile - he just makes me happy. He is so darn funny too! I am always in stitches when he is around and he is only 3!

Okay, so I haven't shared a "funny of the day" recently so here is one for you.... Creide is a bean poll just like his oldest brother. But don't let the fool you - he can put away a half a pizza without batting and eye. He held the pancake eatting record at 9 pancakes before Cale was so embarrassed that his baby brother could eat more than he could that one day he ate 11 (giving himself 1 extra for a cushion just in case). Just to clarify- we don't sit around encouraging our boys to have eating contest. I am assuming that this must be a boy thing because I am certain my friends and I never sat around having eating contests.

Anyway, Creide - just like Cale use to - can rarely make it through the night without having to get something to eat. And we aren't talking the "I just don't want to go back to bed" kind of hungry - we are talking full blown "Mom, I am going to starve to death" kind of hungry. So, a couple of nights ago he wakes me up STARVING. So, I am getting him whatever he said he wanted and he says, "Mom, you have to hurry really bad." I asked him why. "He says because if you don't hurry I am going to starve to death and God does't want me to die!" Like I said, he always keeps us in stitches.
I love this boy.

Day 47: Barrel Monkeys & Pipe Cleaners

This has started to become increasingly difficult for my children to handle I am afraid. It is obvious that they are sick and tired of me being sick and tired. I noticed it more after treatment #3. During my "good week" it was like they were inseparable from me. If I was on the couch, they piled all around me on the couch as well. If I was in bed, they were all on the bed with me. It is like I have this heard of followers wherever I go. I obviously don't mind but it does hurt my heart that I can't do all the things I did with them before. I keep telling myself it is just a season but I am increasingly ready for this season to be over.

My life long hearts desire was to be a wife and a mother. However else God chose to use me, I was fine with. But first and foremost, I knew those were my two rolls above all else. It is hard right now to not be the wife and mother that I feel God has called me to be. It is hard for me to lay that down, even if it is just a season.

As I have shared, we have had so many offers of support and love - provided in so many ways - we are truly blessed. But one of my requests was that some of my friends get us some "quiet" activities for the boys to do while I was in bed recovering from my treatments. This way we could still spend time together and they wouldn't be tempted to jump around all over because I am pretty sore after my immunity booster shot. Anyway, several of my dear friends really took some time to get the boys some fun things and for that I am grateful.

One of our friends, Lisa, delivered a great big blue tub of stuff, which has now been dubbed the "activities bucket". The boys know that they can go get something out of the tub and then we can play with it together. Today, the two younger boys each picked something. Creide (who is 3) picked Barrel Monkeys and Ky (who is 5) picked pipe cleansers. I never knew you could have so much fun with Barrel Monkeys and pipe cleaners.

They had me building all kinds of things out of the pipe cleaners - things I didn't even know were possible. Each time I would give them something they would give me a "great job Mom!" and I knew I had done okay.

There is a lot about this cancer and chemo treatment that I would chose to forget if I could. The nausea that I have had to deal with throughout my treatment, the nasty taste that I get in my mouth for days and days, and the intense fatigue I have experienced - but this is a memory I will choose not to forget. Playing with Barrel Monkeys and pipe cleaners with my boys.

Attention: For Those Who Have Boys........{Boys (Lesson One) - Jars of Clay}

My friend Leah and I were able to see a Jars of Clay concert 2 years or so ago (wow, it didn't seem to be that long ago.) This is one, if not the, favorite song of the night for me. At the time we did not have Kearyn and so I was exclusively a "boys mom" and proud of it. :-) I heard this song and it just touched my heart. I want so badly for my boys to learn these lessons in life. For all of you who have boys - I think you will enjoy it. For all of you who have raised your boys - maybe it will be a way for you to look back fondly at the years you were able to teach these lessons. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

For those of you who are receiving this by email, once again you will have to go the the blog to listen. I hope it is worth it.