Mommy-in-Training

This picture was just too cute not to share!  Here is Rylee holding little Sullivan.  She is always asking to hold him and finds it very hard to wait through the feeding and spit-up times of his day. 

Rylee has gotten much better at holding her "little cousin."  When Sullivan first came home, Rylee would ask to hold him and less than three seconds later she was ready to hand him off and get back to playing.  Now she holds him for a good minute or so, knows how to hold her arms, and even talks to him a little while she is holding him.

When I showed Rylee this picture of her holding Sullivan, she asked, "Mommy, is that a picture of me being a mommy?"  Boy, I'm not ready to think of her being a mommy yet!

Mom: The Best Job in the World!

Yes, I am finally back!  I haven't posted in a while as life has been really crazy!  What a better day to get back to posting than Mother's Day! 

My days are long, busy, and never-ending.  I am not paid in financial rewards.  I will never have a retirement plan, get bonuses, or any days off.  I don't know what it means to have a lunch break, to go to the bathroom by myself, or even have an adult conversation that isn't interrupted with questions, complaining, or crying.  Most of my days are spent in the kitchen or on the living room floor.  I still have "staff meetings" though mine usually occur daily and are needed to talk about appropriate behavior to one another.  I am a teacher, a referee, chef, maid, chauffer, karate instructor, official "underdog giver," professional story teller . . . I am a mother.  I am a wife.  I am so very blessed! 

Thank you God for the blessing of a husband who loves his family more than himself and who isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to do the very best for his family.  Thank you God for the blessing of three children whose smiles light our days, whose hugs bring tears to our eyes, and whose kisses let us feel Your enduring love.

On this Mother's Day, I feel so loved, so appreciated, and so very blessed. 

A Vacation Is . . . Having Nothing to Do and All Day to Do It!

That about sums up our recent trip to Florida . . . we had absolutely nothing we had to do and all day to do it!  That is our kind of vacation!  We spent as much time as we could at the beach or in the pool.  It was so nice to have a break from the cold and dreariness of Michigan and spend some time in the warm Florida sun!

Every trip to the beach brought a new sand castle creation!  This one was created by Daddy and Rylee.  We called this our Camelot of Sand!  It was funny to see people stopping on the beach to take pictures!


Another favorite past time at the beach was collecting shells for Grama's big vase.  It turned out to be a great science lesson for us too as we learned about the different kinds of shells and the animals that once lived in them!

Aren't they so cute!  It was pretty funny, though, that neither of the boys would let us bury them any farther!  It was even funnier when they "busted out like karate ninjas!"

Ice cream always tastes better on the beach! :)



When it was "cold" in Florida (you know, maybe only 68 degrees or so :)), we headed down to the pool.  The pool water was never cooler than 88 degrees!  Bath water - now that's mommy's kind of pool!

The kids had an absolute blast at the pool!  Haydn and Rylee loved to be thrown as high as possible into the air, demonstrating their most "awesome" trick on their way down!  McKay wasn't quite ready for the water olympics yet, but he did learn how to hold his breath and go under water.  He loved to hang on the side of the pool and "walk" all the way around and get back rides from dad and mom.

Holey Moley! Look Who's Three!

Yeppers!  It's McKay!  Maybe it's because McKay is our youngest, but I think he is growing faster than the other two!  It just doesn't seem right that he is already three years old!

Nonetheless, it was a rip roaring afternoon!  McKay couldn't wait to "eat a wheel" from his Monster Truck birthday cake that Grama Babcia made!  He definitely celebrated in true boy fashion with gifts like a big Monster Truck, a remote controlled police car, Chuck the Truck construction set, and a Batman car. 

And, by some small chance, we actually got all three kids to pause for one brief second for a very quick birthday picture.  What this picture doesn't show is how quicky they all broke away from this cute little scene . . . McKay ran off to get his Raminator Monster Truck, Haydn booked it to finish playing guns with the boys, and Rylee ran off in search of her girl friend.  Well, it was cute while it lasted :)

Happy Birthday, little man.  We love you so much!



Hot Tubs and Snow Angels

This picture looks innocent enough . . . three cuties enjoying a sunny winter day in the hot tub, right?  Then this happens . . . .

and then this . . .



Hot tubs and snow angels!  What else can I say other than they definitely don't get that from my gene pool!

Snow Much Fun!

This was our first real snow this year!  For about three days, we had snow flurries for much of the day but nothing that would really stick.  The kids were going crazy!  They wanted real snow!

Well, they got it!  Our first winter storm left us with about 4-5 inches of snow, lots of ice, and even a snow day on Monday!

Rylee and McKay wasted no time making snow angels, rolling around, and, of course, eating the snow!

Even crazier is the fact that the temperatures have been very cold - well below zero when the wind chill is factored in.  These kids definitely take after their daddy - there is no way you'd get me out to play in the snow with temperatures that cold!  My favorite line is, "I'm NOT ready to come in yet!  I'm not even cold!" McKay says through rosy red cheeks, shivers, and quivering lips!

Haydn ventured out in the snow with his Razor scooter!  He loved sliding around everywhere and can't wait for some big snow piles to go scooting down!

Though I wouldn't play outside yet, I did get the hot cocoa all ready for my little ice cubes!  I'll venture out when the temperatures are above zero! :)

Hello Mr. Yellow Belt!

Last night, Haydn became an official yellow belt in karate!  Testing was about two weeks ago so this has been an eagerly awaited night for Haydn!  When they announced, "White belts, turn around and remove your belts" I thought Haydn was going to burst from all the anticipation!  He was all smiles as he was "belted" and that ribbon of yellow was wrapped around his waist!

As Haydn finally settled down for the night (after an ice cream brownie sundae celebration with some close friends), he thanked God that now he could line up with the yellow belts during class!  So cute!

Good bye white belt!

Hello yellow belt!

Haydn with Miss Tonya and Mr. Gary

Haydn and Mr. Vito

Haydn's best warrior face as he poses with Master Collins