Moments like these make it all worthwhile...

When your 13 year old walks up to you and wraps her arms around you and cuddles in...

When your 11 year old comes up behind you, lays his head on your shoulder and talks about his day...

When your 10 year old wants to take you out on a date and is always looking for more one on one time...

And when your 7 year old writes you a 2nd birthday card to give you the best news ever...

These are the moments I love most...when we are smack dab in the middle of a messy life and the kids offer up their love and affection because they know they are in a safe place...

Things that worry me these days.....

Being unemployed...

The price of gas...

The cost of living...

An unorganized loft...

Not being able to find everything I need...

AND

My mother who has decided to take on a new project...

Scott and I went dumpster diving and this time there really was a dumpster involved! Although we didn't have to climb into it, it was still fun and made me laugh...although I must admit that I have never actually climbed into a dumpster...but free cycling is fun. Some girls prefer diamonds while I'm ok with scrap wood! hahaha I think Scott caught a lucky break! Actually, we live a block away from a wood shop and they had beautiful scraps of wood in their dumpster...and I am working on some new art with all of our coffeehouse burlap and the wood will make perfect frames....so we took a stroll last night and picked up some goodies. :) When I showed them to mom last night she approved (of course) and today she is using some of the pieces to fix some holes around the columns...which she also started to paint a semi-gloss black...so now you know what mom's Physical Therapy is...I make her do chores!

Money Museum

Since I have a lot of free time this summer we are taking advantage of it and have booked our calendar full of swimming, free movies, free concerts, museums and day trips...and last week we enjoyed one of each!

Since we have been at Tweety's pool we have resumed swimming lessons. While I haven't officially taught in a few years I always love to see the progress the kids make when they try. We started with Diving this year and quickly moved on to front and back flips! We started with kneeling dives, then standing, then jumping and then on to the diving board. They picked it up so quickly that it was a lot of fun. Lucas is a little fish and now runs and dives off the diving board without any hesitation. Once daddy came swimming with us on Father's Day the boys worked on front and back flips and lucas has done BOTH off the diving board! Noah can almost do a double front flip and his back flip is great too! The only thing we are working on with Noah when it comes to his diving...is keeping his feet together...he turns it into a froggy like dive... Eli prefers to just dive and play and I am completely OK with that...if they aren't comfortable flipping I don't want them to do it either!

On Tuesday we went to the Legends for their FREE kids movie and because Imagine That was sold out we saw the other one...Kit Kittridge. I wasn't sure about this movie because it is an American Girl movie but I really loved it...in fact I cried several times. I REALLY enjoyed the comfy seats and air conditioning too and while I wouldn't have picked the movie I was glad we stayed. After the movie was over each of the boys said the same thing...they wouldn't have picked it but they were glad they saw it cause it was good...so that was a relief! We even took Grandma with us on this little outing hoping to cool her off in the AC and she had a good time too. The boys were great helpers and pushed her wheelchair, pushed her oxygen and took care of her. It was great to see them work together too.

On Wed. we went back to the Legends, 20 minutes earlier than Tuesday, and Imagine That was sold out again...and while we contemplated watching Kit again...we opted to visit the Money Museum. Lucas has been asking me for weeks when I was going to take him so it worked out well.

Here is our future president on the Hundred Thousand dollar bill...

This is a 27 lb GOLD BAR...

And their SHOCK when they saw it was worth almost $534,000!!!

We read about banks, money and how the system works...we got to design our own money, check inflation on products, watch a silly movie about commerce and watch workers sort and shred money. They boys really like Huey, Duey and Luey the robots who transport the money to the GIGANTIC vault! We learned that this bank shreds almost 4 MILLION dollars a day!! On most days there is over 1 BILLION dollars stored here...wow...it was hard to imagine even though I could see the warehouse like vault with stacks and stacks of money...

On our way out the door we each got a FREE bag of shredded money...which the boys LOVED! Eli wants to hang on to his so he can sell it for a lot of money in a few years and they really liked knowing that each bag held $165 of (unfit) currency... Outside in front of the fountains they posed with the Spirit of Commerce and smiled with their money bags....

The Decade Celebration Continues...

We officially had Eli's birthday party on June 13th...3 weeks after the big day...but better late than never...

Since the boys get "big" parties at their mom's house we always have a little family party at home. This year we swam at Aunt Tweety's pool and had Boston Creme Cake from Cosentino's market. Eli got a few little goodies and then 2 more presents the next day after I unpacked them! So far, Eli has opened gifts 4 times and we are still working on his list of 10 special things...sometimes that list takes months to finish but a Decade is a lot to celebrate!

Mother's Day

I know...I know...Mother's day was soooo long ago but with the end of school activities, hospital stays, packing, moving, job hunting, mommying and wife-ing I haven't had a chance to post our pics yet. The boys surprised me with breakfast in bed again this year on both the day before Mother's Day (when they were still home) and on Bonus Mom's day (the following Saturday)...and by my calculations that is 3 times so far this year! Woo hoo! I sort of got two weekends of celebrating because after my breakfast we went to our local Ace Hardware for a Mother's Day treat. The boys painted flower pots for me and then they each bought me my favorite Gerbera Daisy for the pots. They were lovely! We listened to Radio Disney while they painted and had a great afternoon! We even stopped for iced coffee! Eli and Lucas even made me gifts at school but they left them in their mom's car and the gifts have disappeared...so they made sure to explain every little detail of the gifts to me instead...

The next weekend, after my breakfast and coffee, I got to go back to bed and take a nap! What an awesome gift! Then....like any good mommy I did what needed to be done...and we all went to the loft to do some work...but since we were all together we had a great time. The loft was so dusty that the kids were covered in dirt in no time at all! You can tell that a little dirt doesn't slow them down...and by the bags under my eyes...it doesn't look I was getting much sleep either... *I see that I posted some of these "dirty" pics before but since it was on Bonus Mom Day I wanted you to see what we did on MY day. :)

So, while my Bonus Mom's Day was not your typical pampered event...it was still memorable and I love my family very much and am so thankful for the 4 sweet kids that make me a MOM.

Father's Day

Father's day always brings a mix of emotions for me. Before Scott came along with the babies, I hadn't celebrated Father's day in 8 years because my dad died in 1997. I was only 19 at the time and the 6 month battle molded the person I am today. My sophomore year of college was an exhausting, emotional roller coaster and I really got a glimpse of who I was and what I believed. My father was a good man who loved me very much and I still miss him every day. I wish that we had more time together so he could have met my amazing husband and sweet children. He would have loved them too. Every year I think of my dad and wonder what life would be like if he were still here and I always wish he was.

As I was unpacking tonight, I found the beautiful set of china that my dad bought for me my freshman year of college. I believe it is the last gift my dad gave me and it is a valued treasure to me. It is girly with pink flowers and delicate features. It is a great example of how my dad saw me. I really miss him.

Now that I have a sweet husband, I have really enjoyed celebrating Father's Day again. It is an honor to help the kids celebrate and honor their father who loves them more than anything. One of my roles as his wife (in my opinion) is to show the kids how to respect him with their words and actions. When they see us interact and watch our relationship I know that we are setting a good foundation for their future relationships. Scott is an amazing, loving and patient daddy who has sacrificed so much for his kids. They love him dearly and I am so proud to be a part of that relationship.

The boys woke Scott up with breakfast in bed to start off his Father's Day. They were soo cute while running around in the kitchen. Coffee, juice and Eggo's were on the menu and even I got to share in the cup of coffee! We spent most of our day at home and Scott even managed to sneak in a little nap too. Since we had had a busy Saturday celebrating my birthday, Scott had to use some of his afternoon time to study...so while he was gone the boys and I decided to set up the Music Room as Scott's Father day present. The boys helped me move and unpack boxes, set up the music equipment and clean the room...and as soon as Scott texted to say he was here you should have seen them making their final touches and running to the elevator. They love their daddy so much and were sooo excited about his surprise! All 3 boys (Autumn is on a 3 week missions trip) led Scott back to the room while he closed his eyes and boy was he surprised!

The music room did just what we wanted it to....it inspired all the boys to start playing and they had a nice little jam session. I love how music is just one more thing they have in common with their daddy and it strengthens their bond each time they jam. Grandma and I enjoyed a little concert while they "bonded".

Lucas is really working the electric guitar and asks to play it every day...all day...and he is really excelling at making some super cool sounds! Makes daddy so proud!

These two have some amazing musical abilities and they think alike too. Very similar these two....

As a special Father's Day treat we snuck over to "Aunt Tweety's" house for a little late night swim...and Scott taught Lady Bug to jump in and swim...which she does about 30 times a visit now! If a kid jumps in she is right behind them and we think she is trying to "save"them...very sweet.

Happy Father's Day to the WORLD'S GREATEST DAD!

Happy Birthday to me!

Saturday was my big day and my sweet family did a great job making me feel special! The night before Grandma, Lucas, Eli and I got a jump on the festivities with a free movie at a local outdoor venue. We watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs while we snacked on junk food and drinks. It was a great start  to our weekend and even Grandma had a good time enjoying the cool breeze.

On my big day the boys woke me up with breakfast in bed and big cheesy grins. They had all decided on Friday that since it was my day I could pick ANYTHING...and EVERYTHING that we did that day! I was so excited but a little overwhelmed too...that was a lot of responsibility! They all had ideas to help me pick our activities....like bowling or going to the movies....but they assured me it was ALL UP TO ME! Eli told me that I didn't have to do any errands or chores on my birthday so I chose a little bit of  shopping followed by one of the FUNNIEST lunches of my life! Of course I forgot my camera but just know...IT WAS THE BEST LUNCH EVER! We went to On The Border and while we waited an eternity for our food, we laughed and played the staring and no smiling game. The boys were so funny and while I won't give you all the details...Eli ended up "snotting" on my finger and I was laughing and crying so hard I had to leave the table! It was soo funny and makes me laugh out loud while typing this. Eli assures me that it is a birthday I will never forget because of those special memories...and I agree. Because of the long wait the manager offered us 2 free desserts...one for my birthday and one for our patience...so we all enjoyed extra yumminess...

After lunch we went to the movies and I picked the Karate Kid. It was a great movie and I cried about 10 times! I think it is better than the original movie too and the boys LOVED it! Because we were out so late, Eli and I made a run to a nearby town for a few errands, dinner, birthday cake and groceries. It was nice to spend some more one on one time with Eli....that boy makes me laugh! I got to open my presents and we enjoyed a delicious Italian Wedding Cake with only 5 candles...

A new special mug for my coffee addiction....

A new perfume called "Shi" that smells yummy!

Here is Scott "smelling" Shi on me...The photographer (Eli) had him do it twice for photos....

My yummy cake with our favorite sparkler candles...not enuf room for 33 candles...5 is good...

I had such a great birthday because I have an amazing family! Thank you for showing me how special I am to all of you. I love you!

Our Long and Hot Hiatius

WE'RE BACK! After 19 long, hot, humid and internet-less days we are back! We are all moved in to the loft and I will try to get you caught up on the last 3 weeks. I still have Mother's day, Father's Day, My 33rd Birthday and Memorial Day stuff to write about so I will try to get caught up....but for now I just wanted to say HI! And because I like to leave you with a cute story here is Lucas' prayer from tonight...

Dear Jesus - Please help grandma to get better so that she can be a normal woman at least once this year...and help her to get stronger so she can go back to her home and be normal again...and help her to start eating so she will stop losing weight so she can be normal again...

Dear Lucas - I love your great big loving and compassionate heart! Love Mommy

Lofty Ideals

This whole loft thing is going to kill me....or at least wrench my back permanently! The last week of May was so busy with activities at school, home, hospital and loft that I was running in circles trying to please everyone! Eli had his school birthday party on Mon., Tues was the boys' school picnic and Wed. was their awards ceremony. We had planned on going to each event but a life long camp friend died the weekend before and I skipped working at the loft Monday night to go to the visitation. The funeral was on Tuesday and we worked at the loft till almost midnight that night. We were "informed" that the boys would be eating lunch at the school picnic with their mom so instead of making her more uncomfortable, we decided to let her have that time with them. Sometimes, it is better just to step back than to try to show the world how well we get along....or don't. The fakeness of it all is rather draining...

On Wed. my mom came back home from the hospital and we worked at the loft till 1 am while she slept at home. Her nurse came on Friday to check her INR again and when I was an hour away from home, driving a huge Uhaul, on our way back to our old home town...she calls to say that it had dropped again and her cardiologist wanted her admitted back into the hospital asap...so I called my sweet friend Kristi and she picked mom up and admitted her back into OMC. We spent friday night moving and my sweet brother helped me from 3pm till 5 am on Saturday. I finally returned the Uhaul truck at 6am and fell into bed as the birds were welcoming the day. We packed, moved and worked on the loft Sat, Sun and Mon. too....the boys are definitely tired of packing and moving! I am too but we don't really have a choice so we might as well have a good attitude about it...or it will make it worse!

So, here are a few more pics of the loft...still a lot to do on top of packing, moving and cleaning here...It's 2 am and I have to be up by 9...I don't know how we will get it all done but I am sure it will all work out...

Kitchen Before

Kitchen During

Our kitchen is going to be very industrial looking because of our coffeehouse equipment...and the walls are Guacamole! It is turning into a beautiful room with a great view of Downtown.