Rest.

Everyday I look forward to my 20 minutes of peace.

Eli naps in our bed and I snuggle with him until he drifts off.  It is 20 minutes of sweet whispers with my newly 4 year old.  And, equally important, 20 minutes of stillness for me.  No cleaning, cooking, reading, wiping, washing.  Just quietness.



Most days the my quiet time draws to a close when I hear Walker stirring.  He has to stay in his room for an hour (trust me, he needs the quietness as well), but he shakes and rattles and turns pages while in his quiet time.  This usually sounds as my alarm and I get up and use my 40 minutes to get some things done kid-free.

This week as been crazy busy, with little sleep and lots of late nights working things out.  Walker gave us both a little break this afternoon.  Without his stirring my 20 minutes turned into a nice little nap.



I woke up in one of those what time is it? What day day is it? Kind of stupors, but it was so worth it.  I know my days of having times like this are few, so I enjoyed every minute.  The kids are getting older and we usually cover some of our school during the littlest one's nap time, but for today we all took a break of restoration.

So thankful the Lord gave us this little rest, we all so clearly needed.

To the Races

On Saturday (courtesy of a well connected friend) we were off to the races at Barber Motorsports. This was a first for Jason and I, as well as the boys.

There was, well, racing. {this little cute one was my favorite}


It is the perfect set up for kids.  We sat in a great spot to watch the cars zoom by. We were in the shade and had lots of run around room for the boys.  There was a even a mud puddle to throw sticks into, win.

There were friends.


Even a dash of pink.


And hydration, what with all the running around.

{I do not believe I was given enough credit for dressing all the boys in racing themed Lightening McQueen gear. Thank you.}



The boys had a blast.  We would love to take them back.  You can pack a lunch and spend a day outside with the kids, while watching a major event go on before your eyes.

And about .06 seconds out of the parking lot.  I'd say they had fun.


I wish we had a picture of the street sweeper cleaning the track in between the races.  That was generally received as the most exciting part by the littlest observers.

Oh well, zoom.

Perfect Park Day

The days of not too hot, not too cold, peaceful play with friends are for cherishing.

Slide Races


In the tunnel, which they turned into their personal club house.


They ran, climbed and played hard for almost 2 hours.  And oh, how these boys needed it.


Mr. Independent.  I can see his baby-ness fading before my very eyes.


He desperately needs a haircut, and then I see I picture like this and I think I'll let it go a few more weeks.


A morning of energy expending for the boys and a morning of energy restoring for the mommies.  I love how it works that way.

I Just Can't Stop Loving You

Let's face it, Eli is cute.  This is clear.  And he is not afraid to weld this to his advantage every. single. night.

He does not care for the going to bed and uses every excuse he can come up with to delay the pain of going to sleep (oh please someone subject me to the pain of going to bed, really please).

He fake cries and when he starts laughing, he keeps trying to cry-laugh. It is endearing and maddening all at the same time.

It is hard to remain the stern faced parent once he starts all this, and boy does he know when we have turned the corner and started giggling.

For your pleasure, 2 minutes after being tucked in:


Also, his new thing is to say, "I just can't stop loving you." Which is so sweet and so perfectly him.

But - it is so hard not to laugh, because all I can think about is Michael Jackson when he says his little catch phrase.


So Eli's advice for delaying the inevitable: Cry until you gain sympathy; laugh like everyone is having a good time; and most of all use an 80's love song tag line to OWN YOUR PARENTS.
{Well not really own, but every minute out of the bed is a victory!}

What, I don't see that crying kid.

Colin is going through this phase. This phase is that he has an opinion and when he doesn't get his way he pitches quite the fit.

Related: He spends a lot of time sitting in time out composing himself.

And now, well, he has brought this behavior out for public testing. Oy.

Once he has committed to a crying-screaming fit, he is well, committed.

He pretty much requires being removed from the situation to regain control.

So, if you happen to see a not quite two year old sitting alone in a field, a corner, at a table...or so forth; be confident that we are keep in a close eye.

When he has decided to stop screaming like a banshee he can rejoin our group.  Pay no attention to the agitated toddler, he will calm himself (at some point) and happily rejoin the festivities.

Praying this is the shortest phase ever. Please.

Family Counts 2011

The crowd of happy people.


The toddler who will not be left out of any of the big kid fun.


Driving the Boat


Eli is even wearing his fishing hat, how appropriate.


Time to ride the motorcycles.




Did someone say cotton candy? {The kids hit there sugar quota for the month}


Baseball lessons with dad. {everybody together, awww} Eli was the only one interested in the sports games, and he wanted to play them all.


Dancing.


Riding the the race cars.


Ending the day all together.


{What an amazing day with our family.  So thankful for the heaping blessings of love he surrounds us with, that it would all be for His glory.}

Superman and His Blankie

There is something beyond adorable about a superhero with a lovie. Right?

He played all day, basically unaware of his cape and his superpowers.


Which made him all the more precious when he wanted to snuggle.  You know, superman needs a hug.