This is what being a mom is all about...

For awhile now, I've been writing a blog in my head about what being a mom entails - for my family anyway. I haven't had the time to put it all together, but it would have included stuff such as:

• Being a mom, means you have to turn right out of the subdivision every time we go somewhere, just so we could drive past the firehouse to see if the garage doors are open. (Even though, nine times out of ten, it's out of my way, and no - the garage doors are not open.)
• Being a mom means, you sacrifice the last pancake at breakfast, because someone else is "SO HUNGRY!!!!"
• Being a mom means, you sit and read books upon books to the kids, even though you know that you should be doing something a bit more productive -like, say LAUNDRY!
• Being a mom means, you push the kids on the swings for what seems like hours and hours.
• Being a mom means, you wipe countless amounts of bums in your lifetime!:)

This list doesn't include everything, but it's definitely a start! :) But for today, what being a mom meant for me, was sitting watching the town workers dig up a dead tree, and then turn it into mulch. Yep, we were on our way home from bringing Chloe to school, and the boys saw the big tractor pulling the tree out. So what do you know, I turn around and sat there for well over 1/2 hour to see this tree get turned into mulch, and the boys loved every minute of it!

It doesn't take much to make these kids happy, and, in the end, if it makes them happy - Mommy's happy! :)

Dinnertime Prayers

At dinnertime, it's always a challenge at prayer time. If it's not who goes first, then it's the fact that someone is praying, and notices someone else's eyes are open, etc.

I will say though, that the kids are getting so sweet at praying. The things that they pray for are just so cute. The other night, Brett prayed that our family would stay together forever, and that we would be "snuggy" in our house. Too bad I didn't get that on video.

The first two videos are of Owen and Chloe in October of 2007. Then the last two videos are of the kids just about a week or so ago.

Birds and Worms...

As we all know by now, Brett has an infatuation with worms. Worms, worms, all things worms!! I've told him in the past that worms are for birds to eat. I thought he pretty much understood that, until this morning...

Brett was running after a bird that had "Big Foot" in it's mouth. He didn't understand that this little Robin was going to eat it! In fact, he hated the fact that this Robin was going to eat it! Let's just say that it made for a pretty ugly scene.

I am a blessed Mom!

I woke up yesterday morning to breakfast in bed! Yeah, it was my day for sleep in - after all, it was Mother's Day!:) I can't remember ever having breakfast in bed before, and it was great. The kids were so excited, and then of course got right in there with me and helped eat my food - especially Brett! Daddy did a good job making the eggs and toast! :)


My mom spent a lot of the weekend with us. She came on Thursday afternoon to see Chloe's Grandparent's Day program at school that night, and then she also stayed Friday night so we could all go out for breakfast Saturday morning! We had a lot of fun with her, and she did a lot of things with the kids too...

Chloe was so cute all week. She made a bunch of mother's day crafts, and kept giving them to me - even though I told her I wanted to wait until Sunday - she was just so excited! She came in the house with Lilac's from the tree in the backyard, and dandelions, and a birdhouse that she found, and every time she would say "Happy Mother's Day!" At one point, I had taken Brett with me to go to the Post Office and the Library. When I came back, this is what I saw...She and my mom made flowers and glasses out of pipe cleaners for me! :) Last night I was matching socks - uggghhh...anyway, she said, "mom, I'm going to help you, because it's Mother's Day, and I don't want you to have to do all the work." Man - I can get used to this treatment! :)



Anyway, on Thursday morning, Ryan's Mom was able to go to Chloe's school with Great-Grandma S. for Grandparents day, and then they took her out to lunch! I can't begin to express how important this was for Chloe! She just felt so special, because it was just her and her Grandmas!

Yesterday, after church, we went to Ryan's Mom's for lunch. We had a really nice time!

I am a blessed mom! Not only do I feel blessed to be a mother myself, but I just feel really blessed to have all of these women in my life. (not just for me and Ryan, but for my kids too!) Each of these women hold a very special place in my heart - not only on Mother's Day, but everyday!

One of those mornings?!?!

Each morning, I make coffee for Ryan (well, minus Monday and Friday - Chloe has no school these days, so I take the morning off!:)) Anyway, today is Grandparents Day at school, so I had to make sure that Chloe had everything all ready, plus make a lunch for Ryan (not Chloe, because she gets to go out to lunch with her grandmas!!) so, needless to say, it was a little bit of a hectic morning - not to bad though...

That is, until I opened the refrigerator door and found this...



I for the life of me cannot even remember putting the sugar bowl in the fridge. I can't even remember mixing his coffee! Man, must've been one of those mornings!

Peek-a-boo with the mailbox...

It doesn't take much to amuse Owen - he is only 2 after all. Last night after dinner, it was the mailbox. We were playing peek-a-boo with the mailbox (it's 2 sided) and I couldn't resist getting a couple of pictures!







I know I'm biased, but he's so stinkin' cute! :)

A welcome change

Over the past week Brett and Owen have been pretty sick with respiratory problems. I took them to the doctor today, and found that on top of the already breathing treatments we were giving Owen (every 4 hours) I needed to add 2 more to that. Let's just say it makes for alot of breathing treatments. Thankfully, I get to start weaning Brett of them! :) Unfortunately he does have 2 ear infections. :( Throw in several throw-ups, and lets just say we had a great weekend! (Notice the sarcasm.) Anyway, that was not the welcome change. What was though, was the fact that Owen will now sit so AWESOME for his treatments. We sing and read books, and he just does SO good! Don't mind the awful nebulizer noise in the background nor my singing voice. But this video was just too sweet!



As far as the "ever so much" statement. Yeah, I'm a dork. My sister got me onto the Beverly Lewis books. For those that haven't read them, (READ THEM - THEY ARE SO GOOD!) they are books about Amish people. I love how they say "ever so much" for everything. So I taught Owen to tell me that he loves me "ever so much!" Of course I love him "ever so much" too, and I love the fact that he sits so good for his treatments even more!

We were meant to be together

Ryan and I went to the same church growing up. In fact, quite a bit of my family did. Ryan says that he can remember coming to my house to play while my parents had small group. I don't remember this, but it doesn't mean that I don't believe him.:) (I don't remember alot of my childhood.)

I think we left that church when I was about 5. Since then, the church has closed, but my aunt had continued going there the whole time. After Ryan and I started dating - and it may have even been after we were married (see I don't have much of a memory:)) - she brought me a book from the old church library. I just recently came across it again.


It's definitely not in the best shape, so I don't let the kids read it.




Notice the name on Nov 09 - Aimee L. Yeah, that's me. And then go on down to Mar 15 - Ryan Thiele, that's Ry! Now, I really don't think that because we checked out the same book at the church library, it made us destined to be together, but it's definitely a fun item to have! :)