One last snow day (I hope)

A couple of weeks ago we were enjoying 70 degree weather, playing outside as much as we could, going for walks, and just plain enjoying a taste of spring.  Turns out, that’s all it was, just a taste.  *Sigh*

The last few days it has been cold and snowing off and on.  Not much, just enough to leave a little white stuff on the grass and make everything all wet and muddy again.  My kids don’t understand why we can’t go outside.  They want to go to the park, they want to swing, slide, and go for a walk.  I hear about it all the time.  Poor kids.  Well, now they have decided they want to play in the snow.  I am fine with playing in the snow, except that this snow is so incredibly wet and sloppy, that it’s not really that fun to play in.  Besides that, there isn’t really that much of it to even have fun in and it is cold outside.  Gosh, I love this Nebraska weather!  (Did you catch the sarcasm in that???)

Well, today was another snowy day.  We went to my mom and dad’s this morning, with the plan of staying most of the day and finding something fun for the kids to do.  After we got there, it started snowing like crazy, and it was actually sticking to the ground…alot.  So, we decided to go get ice cream just to get the kids out of the house for a while and then head back home.  It’s only about a 40 minute drive from my parents to our house, but it was snowing pretty good and the roads were kind of slick, so we decided we needed to get home before it got colder and dark.  That decision made for four very unhappy kids.  They were not happy with Lee and I when we got home, and to make matters worse, they had napped on the way home, so we knew they would be up late tonight.  So, what do you do when you have four kids that want are bored, crabby and have lots of energy on a cold, snowy day?  You go outside and play in the snow, of course! 

It was wet.  It was sloppy.  It was pretty darn cold.   But, the kids didn’t mind a bit!  Evidently they really needed to play outside!  They had a great time and played for almost 45 minutes.  Hopefully, this will be our last snow of the year (please, God, please!). 

                                    

                                               Parker

                                                    Brett                                                       Cooper

                                                Kaden

 

Brett showing me his cold hands.  He hates it when his hands get cold!                              Kaden throwing a snowball at me

                                         

Cooper

                                  Parker refusing to look at me

                             Cooper and Parker hard at work                                  Brett filling up his cup

The same kid that was freaking out about his cold hands five minutes ago, decided to take his coat off!      Parker still refusing to look at the camera, but doesn’t she look cute?     Cooper hanging out on the 4-wheeler We had a great time playing in the snow, but we are so ready for spring!  I am excited for the day when we can go outside without putting on coats, hats, mittens and boots! 

Heaven Is For Real

I just got done reading the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. If you haven’t read this book yet, do it!  It is awesome and really makes you think about where you are in your Faith.  In case you haven’t read the book, I am going to include the summary of the book that is written on the back of the book.

”When Colton Burpo made it through an emergency appendectomy, his family was overjoyed at his miraculous survival.  What they weren’t expecting, though, was the stroy that emerged in the months that followed-a story as beautiful as it was extraordinary, detailing their little boy’s trip to heaven and back. 

Colton, not yet four years old, told his parents he left his body druing the surgery-and authenticated that claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital while he was being operated on.  He talked of visiting heaven and relayed stories todl to him by people he met there whom he had never met in life, sharing events that happened even before he was born.  He also astonished his parents with descriptions and obscure details about heaven that matched the Bible exactly, though he had not yet learned to read.

With disarming innocence and plainspoken boldness of a child, Colton tells of meeting long-departed family members.  He describes Jesus, the angels, how “really, really big” God is, and how much God loves us.  Retold by his father, but using Colton’s uniquely simple words, Heaven Is for Real offers a glimpse of the world that awaits us, where as Colton says, “Nobody is old and nobody wears glasses.”

Heaven is for Real will forever change the way you think of eternity, offering the chance to see, and believe, like a child.”

One part of the book that has really touched me is when Colton talks about meeting his sister in Heaven.  Colton’s mom lost a baby before he was born.  Colton tells his mom that he met his big sister in Heaven, and even tells her what his sister looks like. He also says that his sister is okay, because God adoped her. His mom is overjoyed to learn that the baby they lost was a girl, and that she is in Heaven waiting for them.  When his mom asks him what his sisters name is, he says she doesn’t have one because they didn’t name her.  They didn’t name her because they didn’t know if the baby was a boy or a girl. 

The relief that this story gave to me was huge.  When I got pregnant with my kids, we started out with 5 babies.  We lost one of our babies around 8 weeks. I’ve always thought that my baby is in Heaven waiting for me, but for me, this book confirmed what I believe.  I have always wondered whether that baby is a boy or girl, what he/she would look like today, what he/she would act like and how our lives would be with another kiddo.  It’s amazing how even though I have never met that baby, I still miss him/her like crazy.  I think about her alot.  I am so excited to go to Heaven someday and meet my baby.  I know he or she is up there waiting with God for me to come and finally give him or her a name.  Lee and I have talked about naming that baby, but I always have a hard time deciding what name I would pick just because I don’t know if the baby was a boy or a girl.  Now I feel like someday I will have the chance to give the baby a name and I have the peace of knowing that until I do get there, my baby has been adopted by God and is happy waiting for me in Heaven.

What a day!

Today has been a challenge for me.  Parker started out the morning by throwing a huge fit over a blanket.  Are you kidding me?  A blanket!!!! The boys and I were playing a game, where they hid under the blanket and I would tickle them and scare them.  They thought it was hilarious!  I went in the kitchen to make myself some breakfast and Parker started melting down.  We’re talking big time melt down.  She was screaming, throwing herself on the floor, and banging her head on the floor (her favorite thing to do when she’s really mad!).  I couldn’t understand a word she was saying for about 10 minutes.  I finally realized she was mad because she wanted to lay on top of the blanket and the boys were underneath the blanket.  Oh my! 

I tried to get her to play with the boys, but she was having none of it.  I tried to get her to use a different blanket, but that didn’t work either.  Then I tried to get her to play other things with me, but she just wanted to lay on top of the darn blanket! 

Then she started hitting, kicking and trying to bite the boys.  So we spent the next 20 minutes in and out of time out, telling the boys “I’m sorry” and then getting mad all over again.  Lee was sleeping this whole time since he has to work tonight, so it was quite the struggle for this mama. 

I tried everything I could think of.  I finally just ignored her because I just couldn’t take it anymore.  After 45 minutes of all of this, I finally decided to wake Lee up so he could give me a break.  And what does the Little Princess do?  She stops throwing a fit!  Lee walked in the room and I sware, she was like, “Oh, daddy’s awake.  All is right in the world!”  That girl knows how to push my buttons!!!!!  I wonder what it will be like it 10 years?

The rest of the day went a little better.  They all four woke up a little earlier than normal, so they were a bit (ok, more than a bit) cranky all day.  At 530 Parker threw yet another fit, for no apparent reason.  I asked her what was wrong and she said, “I just wanna go night night, Mommy!”  Brett chimed in and said, “Me too!”  Poor kids were exhausted! 

I love my kids more than anything in this world, and wouldn’t trade my life for anything, but on days like this, it makes me really want to take a vacation!  Needless to say, we went to bed early, and boy was I happy when they all went to sleep without a fight!

It’s hard to believe that this sweet, angelic little girl can throw some major fits!

Tomorrow will be a better day!

Happy 3rd Birthday! (a little late)

Ok, so better late than never, right?  My kids have been 3 for 11 days, and I am just now getting around to putting this on here.  I did just upload 568 pictures from the last couple months, so now maybe I can actually take the time to blog about some of those pictures!

The kids birthday was awesome!  It was so much more fun this year!  They actually understood what was going on, and that it was their day.  We have been talking about them turning 3 for a few weeks, so they were really excited when the day actually arrived.  They even picked out what they wanted on their big cake, and picked out the colors for their little cakes that Aunt Stacie made for them.  I cannot believe they are already 3!  Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday that I even found out I was pregnant, and other days it feels like it was 10 years ago. 

We have been so busy the last couple of months.  We are not a stay at home all the time kind of family.  The kids love to go, go, go and so do Lee and I.  Lee’s schedule changed a couple of weeks ago, so he is back to working every other weekend.  This is a bit of an adjustment for us, but we will get used to it. 

We have filled our days with going to Nana and Papa’s, playing at the Children’s museum, hanging out at Grand Sue and Grandpa’s farm, playing in the snow, playing at the park, and enjoying this nice weather we have been having the past week. 

Now for the birthday parties!  We had a big party on Feb. 5th with all of our family and a few close friends.  Then on the 11th, their actual birthday, we had a little party at home with just the kids and Lee and I.  We made cupcakes, sang Happy Birthday about 1000 times, and they opened a couple presents from mommy and daddy. 

This is just a smorgasbord of pictures.  I couldn’t narrow it down to just a few, so enjoy!  Ignore the fact that they are all in just underwear in the last few pictures.  We are working on potty training, (that’s another post!) so just underwear is the normal wear around here these days. 

 

I hope you are all doing well!  I had a complaint the other day that it is too complicated to comment on here, so I made it a little easier.  You should be able to comment anonymously now, without needing a google account, so just make sure to sign your name if you comment this way!

Brotherly Love

My boys fight like crazy.  Especially Brett and Kaden.  I know they love eachother, but man, they get on eachother’s nerves!   They are always fighting!  ALWAYS!  They hit, bite, scratch, wrestle and do whatever they can to irritate the heck out of eachother.  But, occasionally, I catch them in a rare moment when they are getting along and playing so nice with eachother. 

Yesterday, they all 3 decided they needed to wear their snowboots around the house.  They looked so stinking cute that we had to take pictures.  When I asked them to stand together, so we could get a picture, this is what they did……

Kaden, Brett, Cooper

 

Cooper, Kaden and Brett

 

Kaden and Brett

 

Cooper

Brett, Kaden and Cooper

 

Brett, Kaden and Cooper

This girl does not like to smile for pictures, so I have to be very sneaky!  She looks so cute in this one! 

I love when they do stuff like this.  It’s awesome to watch their relationship with eachother grow from just being siblings that live in the same house to friends!  It should be fun to watch them grow up together and see the bond that they have with each other grow even stronger!