Something I'm working on...

I wanted to show everyone what I'm working on today, and see what you think. This is the third purse I've ever made from a pair of pants, and they seem to get better each time. I made this purse from a pair of Aeropostale khaki pants, and I lined the inside with a pretty pink paisley cotton print. If you can see in one picture, I even made an elastic pocket in the liner. The only think I'm thinking on yet is what to use for a handle/strap. I'd love some ideas if you'd leave a comment. I also am thinking on adding a zipper on the top to close it with. I have another purse that I made on my Etsy site. Check that one out too and tell me what you think. www.etsy.com/shop/bambi3

Quality family time

 The sun looked so pretty shining through the trees onto the picnic tables! There was honeysuckle in behind the tables that made the whole park smell so pretty.

Well, I did what I said I would do yesterday, and spent the day with the kids. It turned out pretty nice with a few exceptions with Mary and her "meltdowns". Matt and I took the kids to a lake not too far from us here, and had a picnic. We had perfect weather for it last night, and the kids really enjoyed it! Matt took the fishing poles along for the kids ( considering he's the biggest kid, that means he took them for himself) and showed them how to catch the many bluegills that were swarming around our part of the lake. I only got a picture of Paul's first catch and then it was back to the grill for me to finish the hot dogs, but the girls each caught one as well. It was an absolutely beautiful park and anyone wishing to come along with us next time (hint hint) is welcome!

Where does the time go?

I woke up this morning, and held my little baby as I fed her a bottle. I was thinking how small she was when Paul comes crashing down the stairs. Do you know he's about to turn 6 in June? He'll be in first grade this fall, but it seems like he was just a baby last week. My Mom used to tell me when I was a kid to enjoy being young because it goes fast, but I didn't believe her, I thought my life was moving too slow and now I have an almost six year old who "knows everything". A couple of weeks ago, Paul was really into dinosaurs for the week, and was asking a million questions about them. As we were driving through town, he asked me if there were still dinosaurs around, so I told him that they all died a long time ago. He thought about it for a minute and then asked "Were there dinosaurs when you were a kid, Mommy?" AHH! I can't be that old already....can I? Anyway, my thought for today is to spend as much time as I can just being with my kids since time is flying away from me. Course it helps that I cleaned my house yesterday!  

Spring!

It seems spring comes earlier every year, and this year I have flowers blooming already that don't bloom until May. So, I thought I'd share some pictures of what's going on in my yard this spring. Spring isn't the only thing coming early this year, my newest little flower came early as well. Lonnia Grace Lauver was born two weeks early on March, 12, and weighed in at 6 lbs 9 oz. At only 18 inches long she's my shortest baby, earning her the nickname "Midget". I know this announcement is over a month overdue, but what can I say? Five kids keep me very busy, especially now that I'm starting my spring cleaning.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some pictures today of our Lonnia Grace as well as the flowers. The girls think she's the most beautiful sister in the world, although Melody took some convincing at first.

Too much rain!!

So it's been raining seemingly nonstop for the past four days. My kids have been driving me nuts wanting to go outside, but of course I told them it was "too cold, too wet, and too muddy". That lasted until today. I checked the weather forecast online to see how much longer until the sun comes through these dreary clouds. It said Saturday...not this Saturday, NEXT Saturday! That's over a week of rain and clouds! Not to mention the kids running off steam by jogging laps around the island in my kitchen. So, I called my Dad for some ideas, and this is what he came up with. So what if they get muddy? So what if it's only 60 degrees outside? Let the poor kids run in the mud, and have fun! My first thought was, "are you CRAZY??" Until Mary started screaming to watch a princess cartoon, Paul yelled for Thomas the Train, and Melody hollered for Big Bird. That's when I knew we needed a break. I kicked everyone out besides Micah, and told them to have fun! Boy, it was a sight. The neighbors probably thought I was nuts, but the kids loved it. We have this spot where we park our cars that turned into a big puddle which Paul and Mary were riding their bikes through, splashing water everywhere as they went screaming along. Melody, on the other hand, decided the princess way was to be clean. She had dressed herself in a pretty pink tutu, and was riding her tricycle. Paul managed to race by her close enough to smudge her dress, and I certainly heard enough about it from her. By the time I figured they were cold enough to go back in, Paul and Mary were covered from head to toe with mud. At least it's supposed to warm up so the next time I let them out I won't have to worry so much about them catching cold. Well, you know what they say, "kids will be kids".

Time for romance

It seems that time just keeps running away with me, and before I know it tommorrow was last year. My husband and I have been married for almost six years now, and yet most of the time it seems like we just returned from our honeymoon. I'm sure everyone reading this knows just what I mean. My oldest son was just born (wasn't he?) and now I'm filling out papers for him to go to school this fall. My baby was born last week, and yet I'm hearing his first words and watching him run. Now I know what my parents meant by "time flies, enjoy it!".

So what I'm really coming to, is romance. Time flies so fast these days that we barely have time to sit together for supper, not to mention talk for ten minutes after the kids go to bed before I fall asleep. It seems like there's never enough time to just sit down and enjoy being together. So, I've come up with a solution. Yesturday, I told Matt that we were "going on a date" after the kids went to bed. I then fixed a wonderful cake, cleaned the back porch (more like a sunroom/laundry room), and picked flowers from my flower beds. As he put the kids to bed, I quickly dressed in my newest, prettiest dress, fixed my hair, put some quiet music on, and set the table. He was really suprised to find me waiting for him with coffee and dessert. We spent a very nice evening just talking about ourselves, the children, and our Lord. By the time we were both yawning, I realized we'd just spent and hour and a half just being together while doing nothing. It was the best evening I've had in quite awhile.

So, my suggestion to all you love birds out there, is to take an evening to just sit and talk. There doesn't have to be any money involved, just a couple candles, and good conversation. For all too soon tommorrow will be last year, and as I heard once, the honeymoon should never cease.

What will they think of next?

Now, I've had different ones tell me that their kids never act up, and they don't cause any trouble. I wish they'd give me lessons on how to be the perfect mom! My children seem to always be thinking up ways to make the best messes they possibly can. Like, when my oldest, Paul, was just starting to get around, he'd dump baby powder on the carpet, but I don't mean a little dab...I mean half the container! (Surely I'm not the only one whose kid has done that.) Then there's the time when we first moved, Melody was only 3 weeks old, when Paul threw four dozen eggs on my kitchen floor. Now, that was a mess! There's also the grosser messes, such as digging in their diaper and slinging it down the stair wall, or smearing it all over the crib after a nap. Anyway, I don't suppose anyone wants to hear about those.

So, today I was working on my laundry, as usual, when a pair of bright red hands reached out and latched themselves onto my new glider! It took me a couple seconds to recognize this martian as Melody, and that the red was craft paint. Only thing was, she looked like she'd been to a football game, and had her face decorated. It was completely bright red!! For once, I didn't feel like crying right away at the thought of the mess that must be elsewhere for her to look like this. Instead, my first thought was, "Where's my camera?" So, the lovely picture I have on this post is one of my almost 2 yr old daughter wearing red craft paint. Doesn't she look so proud of herself?

Blowing a fuse

How many times do I have to tell Paul (my four year old) to do something before I blow my fuse? Sometimes, it only takes once. For instance, I've told him time and time again not to pick on his sisters to make them cry, but does he stop? No, for some reason it's a big joke to take his little sister, Melodys', doll from her to hear that annoying shriek she's just so good at. I do have to admit, though, that the times I find the hardest to keep from blowing up is when I'm multi-tasking. I'm trying to wash the dishes, plan supper in my mind, everyone is crying for a drink at the same time, my mind just goes into overload and it blows a fuse.

I never thought about this much until tonight. I was thawing some chicken in the microwave for grilling supper, had the air conditioner running, the kids were washing their hands in the bathroom, and I was vacuuming the living room when all this just stops running. At first when I realized what happened, I ran to the basement to "flip the switch" only to realize how old our breaker box was, and that there is no switch to flip. So, I called my handy-dandy father-in-law to find out what to do (as the house is his; we're buying from him), and he comes over right away. When he arrives I find out that not only did I blow a fuse, I blew a "big" fuse as he put it. Since we couldn't find the spare fuses, he had to run to a local store and buy one. He told me that with all that going at the same time (water, a/c, microwave, and vaccum), it overloaded and blew a "big" fuse. "Boy, when you blow a fuse, you really blow a fuse", was his exact words.

Anyway, it got me to thinking tonight about blowing my fuse as often as I do. So I think that from now on when I feel like blowing it, I know it's time to turn a few things off and focus on my babies.

How to start....

How do I begin to describe a typical day with my kids? I mean, what is typical anyway? No two days are ever exactly the same, and I usually end my day wishing I'd have kept a notepad on me to capture the funny things my munchkins discuss. It's such a facinating thing to me, to see my four and three year old deep in conversations about princesses, water slides, and if the shoes are "cool" or "pretty". For instance, one day I tackled my son on the couch and was smothering him in kisses, telling him I loved him "sooo much", when he pushed me away angerily and shouted, "I don't like it when you love me!" Of course it made him even angier to see me cracking up over his statement.

Anyway, the object of this blog is to allow me to share my experiences I have while doing the job I always dreamed of having, motherhood. So, here's hoping I'll always have the time to drop a line or two, and if you're lucky, some pics!