3rd Grade Field Trip to San Diego

The third grade at NCS takes an annual optional field trip to SD to participate in the Floating Lab. Its a boat that goes out and grabs things from the bottom of the bay and then the kids get to inspect them under microscopes as well as feel and touch them.  It's pretty neat. 

So, Justin took the three boys over to SD for the floating lab trip.  They had a blast. They spent time at the beach, did the boat, went to the Aquarium, and then the last day the Zoo.  Since they had to return that day early, the didn't get much time at the zoo, but they had fun none-the-less.  

When it's just the 3 of them they get along and play nicely together.  Its a nice break from the small kids and time with dad.  

It's a nice tradition to begin since they will all eventually go through 3rd grade! 

Look how cute they are!

Trace's Broken Arm

Well, it's our first broken bone.  Trace was simply playing in the backyard with a friend of theirs (Josiah) and he fell into the grass just right and broke his bone right above the elbow.  It's been a rough few days of sleeping for him since he can't get comfy and finally he was able to get his cast on.  I think he will have a lot of relief with it stabilized now.  He's been very tough and the worst part was setting the bone for the cast since it moved a hair when it hit the ground.  

With 5 boys, I'm sure we are bound to a few broken bones along the way but we've had a good track record so far. 

I've been applying Comfrey leaf oil and giving him tea. It's called the bone healer and I'm praying it speeds the healing for him. I can't quite get to the elbow with the oil so we are just doing our best! 

Sorry you hurt sweet boy. But, I guess getting out of your 2nd grade school work isn't so bad!

Beau Turns 1

My precious, blonde headed little boy turned 1 on April 5, 2014 and I can hardly stand it.  I wrestle with the idea that this is my last one year old birthday, my last sweet baby turning 1, walking, baby talking and smirking his way into my heart.  G-d really knew how special Beau would be to us and how precious he is as our last little guy.  He makes all things right in the world and has a special place in our family.  

It's been a quick year of watching him grow.  Seeing him take his first breath in our bedroom, watching him learn to laugh and roll over, then seeing him take his first steps at only 10 months old...whew time flies.  He's such a joy and a sweet baby.  He LOVES music.  Always kicks in with a dance move when he hears the music come on.  He LOVES daddy. He LOVES water and he LOVES mommy! He's a lover for sure. 

We just had a handful of friends over as an excuse to hang out and eat birthday cake. I cut out a portion of the cake for him to do a little cake smashing but he wasn't into it.  He was not sure what to think about the frosting on his hands and was tentative to even touch it.  His precious little skin and his belly rolls sitting there staring at his cake...agh swoon! I love him. 

Happy Birthday sweet Beau, we love you!

Roller Coasters, Mini Golf, and Arcade Games

My twins have turned 7.  Impossible but true.  I don't know how we got this far but I feel like we just brought them home a few years ago.  I barely remember those days and nights of having two babies to feed and love.  I have retained only happy memories of those times and am so thankful I took pictures.  It helps stir the memory of what life was like back then although I'm confident not as hard as I had expected and certainly more joyful and rewarding than I had anticipated!



It's like with any babies, those early days slip away so fast and then you blink and you are looking at a talking, walking, little person and the lacking sleep and hard work are SO WORTH it.  The kisses, hugs, laughter, and the joy on their faces is payment for the sacrifice put in to loving them, providing for them and giving them a home.

I'm not sure what has happened to today's mothers (besides the lies of the feminist movement and the lies of a "have it all" culture) that they think sleepless nights, rocking and holding babies, and the sacrifice and hard work of bringing them up is somehow an imposition rather than a glorious opportunity and the definition of the job "mother".  That is what we are....MOTHERS and motherhood comes with being a little tired, and aching over what the best thing is for our children, and praying over our sleeplessness so we can find a little function in the morning.

Don't get me wrong...I was often tired, I still am with small children.  I too struggle with the sacrifice and the aching.  But it IS MOTHERHOOD.  IT has BLESSINGS and JOY and it doesn't matter what job you choose you have sacrifice, aching, and challenges.  ISN'T MOTHERHOOD WORTH IT?!

It was for me.  Every minute of having two small babies, feeding and the balance of nursing them, loving them and making time for everyone to have a piece of me when they needed it...my 3 small boys were worth all the demands and now, 7 years has fluttered by and they don't NEED me nearly as much.  They don't demand my TIME nearly as much.  They are walking, talking, precious boys making all those sleepless nights worth it.

I'm so blessed to be their mom.  Happy Birthday Brody and Trace.

For their birthday we kicked off the day with donuts and then they got to spend the day with daddy and Cole at Castles N' Coasters.

It was their first time going and we did a pass so they could do unlimited rides, mini golf, and $10 of arcade games.  They spent the day there from 10-5.  They had a great time.

There were two rides that, funny enough, Brody was tall enough and Trace wasn't.  That half in difference really cramped Trace's style.

At 5:30 they were home for cake and ice cream and a few presents from grandparents.  It was a special day!

 

Rules for Fathers of Sons

This post (which can be originally found here) has been circulating on Facebook and I thought it was so cute I wanted to post it here on our family blog, with some modifications and additions, to remember it and have it once I print our family blog into a book at the end of the year. My modifications will be in italics.

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1. Love his Mother. He will learn to love like you love, and hate like you hate. So choose love for both of you. Devote yourself to it. Love with your whole heart and express that love each and every day. Then, someday down the road, you will see the way he loves his own wife, and know that you played a part in that.

2. Let him drive. Every child remembers the first time they drove on daddy’s lap. For that one moment, he will believe that he is just. like. you.

3. Teach him to be picky. Especially when it comes to women and Mexican food. Teach him to never settle.

4. Take him to a ball game. There is something about sharing a day of hot dogs, sunshine and baseball with your father.

5. Love with Bravery. Boys have this preconceived notion that they have to be tough. When he is young, he will express his love fully and innocently. As he grows, he will hide his feelings and wipe off kisses. Teach him to be a man who rubs them in instead. It takes courage for a man to show love: teach him to be courageous.

6. Talk about sex. Sometimes, boys need to know that all men are created equal.

7. Teach him to be a man’s man. Show him how to be brave and tough around the guys. Then, remind him on the ride home that it is okay to cry.

8. Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let him tell you about girls, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. He is not only your son, you are not only his father. Be his friend too.

9. Teach him manners. Because sometimes you have to be his father, not just his friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles. Please, thank you, excuse me, sorry...there are endless opportunities to be polite.

10. Teach him when to stand-up and when to walk away. He should know that he doesn’t have to throw punches to prove he is right. He may not always be right. But, when it comes to defending the innocent, he can take a valiant stand. Make sure he knows how to demand respect- he is worthy of it.

11. Teach him to choose his battles. Make sure he knows which battles are worth fighting- like for family or his favorite baseball team. Remind him that people can be mean and nasty because of our sinful nature which leads to jealousy, hatred, and fear. Help him to understand when to shut his mouth and walk-away. Teach him to be the bigger better person.

12. Let him dance in tighty whiteys. Dance alongside him in yours. Teach him that there are moments when it is okay to be absolutely ridiculous.

13. Share Music. Introduce him to the classics and learn the words to the not-so-classics. Create a rock band with wooden instruments, share your earphones, and blast Michael Jackson in the car. Create a soundtrack to your lives together.

14. Let him win. Sometimes he needs to know that big things are possible.

15. Teach him about family. Let him know family is always worth fighting for. Family is always worth standing up for. At the end of the day, he has you to fall back on.  Teach him how special our family is and G-d gave it to him as a gift.

16. Father him. Being a father—to him—is undoubtedly one of your greatest accomplishments. Share with him the joys of fatherhood, so one day he will want to be a father too. Remind him over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love him like you love him.

17. Listen to him now. If you don’t listen to the little things now, he won’t share the big things later.

18. Let him try on your shoes. Even if they are old and smelly. Let him slip his little feet in and watch him as he hopes like hell that someday he can fill them. He will fill them.

19. Give him bear hugs. The kind that squeezes his insides and make him giggle. The kind of hug only a daddy can give.

20. Give him baths. Because Mom can’t do everything (even when she pretends she can), and baths make for happy faces.

21. Teach him how to pee standing up. Let him pee outside- such is the joy of being a man. Mom cannot teach this talent, so someone has to.

22. Know the answers or be willing to find them. He will assume you do. If you don’t know them, find them together.

23. Toss him around. Because little boys love seeing the strength of their father. Throw him up in the air, so that he knows you will always be there to catch him on his way down.

24. Ask his mother. He will come to you with questions that he won’t always want to ask his mother, about girls and about love. Ask her anyway, she will know the answers.

25. Love him like you would love a daughter. Little girls are not the only ones who need hugs and kisses. Love is the color yellow of emotions. It is both happy and gender neutral.

26. Pray with him. Teach him to run to Jesus, at the cross, and to find his comfort and answers in the Father. Point him heavenward.

27. Don’t say, do. American inventor Charles F. Kettering once said, “every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice.” Be a good one.

28. Be his hero. You are anyway. To him, you have the strength of Batman, the speed of Spiderman and the brain of Ironman. Don’t disappointment. Prove to him that Daddy’s are the biggest heroes of all. Only Daddy’s can save the day.

29. Show him sacrifice. Be an example of what sacrifice looks like and the rewards that come from it.  Be the one who shows him that although we can't always have everything we want, we always have everything we need.  Whatever we have is everything.

30. Look him in the eye. Whether you are telling him you love him or talking to him about a mistake...look him in the eye and speak with sincerity. The truth is powerful and connections are made through the eyes.