Well Hello There

Oh hi!  How are ya?  Good?  Me too.  I've been busy.  Too busy to blog like I used to.  I think having older kids who don't nap anymore took away my blogging time.  Either that or I've become too lazy to blog like I used to.  Or maybe I don't blog like I used to because of Instagram.  This here blog is kind of a family journal, but Instagram has now become my digital family photo book (I still need to make last year's Instagram pics into a book), and I don't feel the pressure to blog as much now that I've been Instagraming.  Anywho. . . . here are some recent iphone pics that have either graced the pages of Instagram or my husband's phone through messaging.

Hunter and Tralee wanted to be superheros, so we spent the morning making masks and capes.  They wore them all morning long. . . and not one time after.

I think her superhero powers will be to make you swoon with her big brown eyes.

I was having a day where I felt like I didn't spend any quality time with the wee ones.  Jim was out of town and my mommy battery was drained something fierce.  I decided to take myself and my chickies out on a date-night to bond and recharge.  Before we left, Tralee requested I paint a kitty face on her.  I thought it would make for a fun memory.  Well, three cat faces later, and several complaints about the whiskers not being painted on right, and the nose not being pink enough, and we finally got it right.  The girl wouldn't leave the house until her cat face was just so.  We were off to a great start! (Insert sarcasm.)

 After the face painting debacle, we made our way to Big Al's where the kids and I played together. . . and then Tralee left in tears because she didn't have enough tickets for a lava lamp.  All I wanted was Tralee to say, "Thanks for a fun night mom."  Instead she had tears smudging her imperfect cat face and forgot all about the fun games we played together because she didn't win a lava lamp.  I thought to myself, "Crap!  My child is acting like a spoiled rotten stinker!"  I tried my very best to stay calm and not loose it.  I really almost did, but then thought that wouldn't make the situation any better.  I never yelled, but I did tell Tralee that there are many many MANY children who would LOVE to spend a night playing at a place like Big Al's, but will never get the chance.  I told her there were children who were hungry, children who were scared, children who were sad, alone, and never spent a night in their very own bed surrounded by a loving family and lots of clothes and toys.  I told her we need to think of ways to help these children instead of obsessing about lava lamps.  I'm sure some parenting expert would tell me I should have done something different, that my little lecture fell on deaf ears, but I swear I should get a metal for not yelling.  I was thisclose.

I didn't want to end the night on a low note, so I told the kiddies if they could put a smile on their faces, and start telling me about all the things they were grateful for, we could end the night with ice cream sundaes   The rules were no one could complain or saying anything negative.  We could only talk about things we're grateful for whilst plunging fudge covered ice cream down our gullets.

My plan actually worked, and the wee ones got more and more excited to share what they're blessed with.  I didn't feel like yelling at anyone either, and was actually able to say, "I'm grateful for my children" as I scooped a well deserved bite of soft serve into my mouth.

Playing at Big Al's before the lava lamp episode

We went window shopping at the mall a few weekends ago.  I let the kids play at the play place, and all Tralee did was sit on a fake stump and write/draw in her journal.

We've been going on nightly walks, and almost every night we stop so Tralee can pet "Tiger" one of our neighbor's cats.  I have no idea what Tiger's real name is, but that's the name Tralee gave it, so that's what this feline is to us. 

A few Sunday's ago the weather was gray and rainy -- my favorite!  The kids love playing in the rain.  I wasn't all that surprised when I looked out my bedroom window and saw the wee ones "rock hunting" with their umbrellas in tow.

I was inside my bedroom when this photo was taken.

Me ready for church. . . I sent this selfie to Jim because all-to-often when he's out-of-town we Facetime when I'm in my mommy uniform: PJ pants, oversized t-shirt, hair in a pony or bun, and no make-up on.  I wanted to show him that I still know how to make myself look presentable.  He approved, by the way.

I made this Sleeping Beauty dress for Tralee out of t-shirts for her to wear at Disneyland.  It kind of worked out until I had to hack four-inches off while at Disneyland. . . I'll write more on that when I post about our Disney trip.

 A few Saturdays ago Tralee made a boat out of two water bottles and was obsessed with finding a lake to float it in.  This girl comes up with more crafty ideas than her mommy can keep up with.  When I was out for a run, I got rained on, and during my jog, noticed how perfect it would be to float her boat down the road towards the drain.  I ran home, gathered up the littles, and we spent a good long while floating Tralee's boat down "the river."

So proud of her boat!

So. . . that's a little glimpse of our everyday life around here lately.  Hope you enjoyed it, if not, that's ok too.