Skip to content

Tag: Family

I'm Only Blue When The Sox Aren't In Town

After all the posting I did last week, I’m not feeling too wordy but I am feeling the pressure to get something new up here. I was playing around with making collages a few days ago to enter in the iheartfaces challenge this week, but never was satisfied enough with any of them to actually use them. However, you all get to see one of my masterpieces now.

These are some of the pics I took at the Red Sox/Royals game we went to a couple weeks ago. After checking out the ticket prices, we opted to leave Evie with my sister (way beyond the freebie height cut-off now) and just take Zach to the game. I think he enjoyed the Mommy/Daddy time without his annoying little sister around to steal the show. Well, that and the peanuts, snow cone, and nachos! Now, if I could just get convince him to cheer for the right team…

Red Sox v. Royals

Comments closed

Sunny Bliss

The weather in Kansas City has been just absolutely beautiful over the last few days.  Even with my insane allergies, I can’t help but want to be outside.  The temps have been hovering in the 70-80 range and the sun has been shining.  Flowers are blooming, the grass is getting greener, and it is just beautiful all around.  This is why Spring is my favorite season of the year.  If I weren’t so dang tired from the allergy meds I have to take to survive, I would be so motivated right now.  Weather definitely affects my moods and Spring has always been my time to shine.

IMG_3921

This past weekend I got the opportunity to have my two youngest nephews over to spend the night.  My sister, her husband, and my oldest nephew were headed to Joplin for a school competition Friday night so they dropped the younger boys off on the way.  I got to pretend like I was the mommy for four kids and boy was it a lot of work! Actually it wasn’t so bad. The kids are all so close in age that they pair off and play really well together.

IMG_4024

Saturday morning, after some Wii time and my run, I put them all to work cleaning up the sticks in the yard so Hubby could mow. They did pretty well until they started getting bored (we have a BIG yard!). After that, they played outside for a bit until I suddenly realized they were all getting really cranky and that it was well after lunch time. Oops!

IMG_4056

After lunch, naps, and a little quiet time (where I escaped for a bit to sit on the front porch, paint my toe nails, and read my book) they were all ready to go again. We headed back outside for more play time and Hubby made some snow cones for everyone.

IMG_4095

Then it was time for a little t-ball! I was actually pretty impressed with how well my nephews hit the ball. The only problem was that the four kids fought over the two balls and two bats that we have. Everyone wanted to have their own because apparently sharing just isn’t as much fun.

IMG_4107

After dinner, baths, and tucking everyone in for the night, I was pretty wiped out. Unfortunately, there was still laundry to fold and it really couldn’t be put off since we had a full day coming at us Sunday too. My sister picked her sleeping boys up a little after 10:00 and soon after that I was passed out in my bed.

Even though it exhausted me, I had a lot of fun with the kids.  I really had fun playing outside and enjoying the sunshine. We’re supposed to have sunshine all week and I’m soaking it up!

Comments closed

Boiling Point

My mind races with things that need to be released.  I write post after post in my head, yet lack the time to sit and type them out.  My life, it is chaotic.  As I whine and complain about how busy and crazy things always are, I also know that this is the life I chose.  My choices got me to this place of constant activity, stress, and very little rest.  The weekends and evenings go too fast, the weekdays too slow.

There are ups and downs and so many things in between.  Some days I sit back amazed at how blessed I am in my life.  Other days I wonder just how much longer I can keep it all together.  At times I feel like I’m just going through the motions, just to get through one more day.  Those times make me feel like I am missing out on so much.  I wonder how I’ll ever make it when the kids are older and involved in school and activities and play dates and birthday parties.

This last week was particularly hard.  I was still trying to catch up on life as February went and got all crazy on me. My car was in the shop.  Grocery shopping got delayed due to the snow and ice the weekend before and we were out of food.  Zach had a music program at preschool Wednesday night.  I had to get our taxes done because we needed the refund to pay for the car repairs.  Zach had to go to the doctor due to some stomach problems he’s been having.  I couldn’t find time to work on web site updates that were long past due.  I was worried about not having time to get the bills paid before the end of the seemingly very short month.  Plus, on top of that, I was trying to fight off a cold.  Things just kept piling up and by Friday night I was spent.

Saturday I got up with my own agenda in mind while everyone else in the house had a different one.  As much as I’d like to deny it, Evie will be turning 2 in a couple of weeks and I wanted to set up my makeshift photography studio, experiment with some lighting, and attempt to get some good photos of her.  I thought this would relax me, but I found myself getting angry at my not quite 2-year-old for wiggling when I wanted her to sit still.  I kept getting interrupted by Zach and Hubby kept asking me questions until the point that I lashed out at him.

I finally decided to give up on the pictures because I was getting too frustrated (and so was Evie).  Hubby left to pick something up at the store.  I took Evie back to her room for a nap where we snuggled for a few minutes and I apologized to her for yelling.  Then she asked if we could go take more pictures.  If she’s willing, I’m game.  I took her back to the playroom where everything was set up and we tried again.  This time, instead of getting frustrated, I tried to make it fun.  We sang songs, we laughed, and we had a good time until I could tell she was tired of it.  I got some great photos of her smiling and laughing.

Sometimes I just have to hit the edge before I can see a situation clearly.  The rest of the weekend was better.  I still had to do things like pay bills, stress over money, feed my children, bathe them, and all the rest of the mundane daily tasks, but I tried to keep myself in a better frame of mind.  I didn’t find the time to finish editing photos, to dig into the photography books I’ve been dying to read, to browse around on the Clickin’ Moms forum like I wanted to.  But those things will still be there tomorrow, and the many days after that.

Besides, I did manage to get some gorgeous photos of my little girl and even a few of my boys too.

IMG_2259

Rest assured, I’ll be sharing more of these once I have a chance to do some editing. My lighting and exposure wasn’t quite right, but I’m learning.

And, for those of you interested, here’s a small piece of Zach’s music program performance. He was so excited for this and did such a good job. This proud mama was beaming.

Comments closed

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

I had this great idea for a blog post today, but it would require some thinking and concentrating and I no longer have that in me.  That’s the problem with blogging – by the time I finally sit down to write I’m out of energy.  So, instead of my tired brain, I’m posting more pictures.  You guys don’t mind, do you?

After nearly two months straight of cloudy, snowy weather, we had a bright sunny day today.  It warmed up just a little bit too, at least enough to let the kids get out and get some fresh air anyway.

Zach had been waiting since just before Christmas to try out the bike that Granny and Papa brought up for him.  Tonight he finally got a chance to try it out and he was so excited!  Luckily, since he can now ride on the big bike, his sister gets to use his old tricycle.

IMG_2049

IMG_2061

IMG_2058

IMG_2057

Comments closed

The Big Game of Exhaustion

I am beginning to discover that there is a very direct correlation between how hectic my weekends are and how well the following week starts out.  When we have a nice quiet weekend, Monday morning don’t seem quite as bad.  When we have a very busy weekend, and particularly a very busy Sunday, I feel like I’m running to catch up all week long.  That’s the kind of weekend we had this week and I’m still feeling the effects on Tuesday morning.

We spent most of the day Saturday cleaning and getting the house ready for the big Super Bowl/Birthday Party on Sunday.  I don’t think it has had a good cleaning since mid-December so it was time.  Hubby didn’t understand why it needed to be cleaned, but it most definitely did.

Sunday morning we had to be up earlier than usual as our church was having a big Super Bowl celebration.  I had to get up extra early because I had a surprise for Hubby and needed to get the kids up and dressed without his help.  As part of the Soul Bowl celebration at our church we were all supposed to wear our favorite team jerseys/gear.  Since the kids didn’t have any, I secretly ordered them both a Saints outfit to wear as a surprise.  Yes, the surprise went over well!

IMG_1768 copy

Hubby was thrilled with the kids’ outfits and I even gave in and put on one of his Saints shirts too. I was glad I also had a few extra minutes to set the camera up and snap a few photos before we headed out the door. I got one good shot of the four of us together and it will definitely be remembered.

IMG_1902

Daddy taught the kids to sing, “Who Dat?” and then we finally headed out the door for church. We had a yummy pancake breakfast, played lots of games with the kids, and then enjoyed a great worship service. Zach even got to try out his first real “hoop-a-loop” (hula hoop). It was lots of fun, but I was exhausted by the time we got home.

IMG_1863

There wasn’t time to rest though, because it was time to start cooking up the Jambalaya for dinner. I put the meat on the stove, settled the kids down for a nap and movie, made a quick run to the grocery store, folded laundry, and finished up a few last minute things around the house. Then I finally sat down to rest for a few minutes just before everyone started arriving for the party.

IMG_1867

Since my Mom’s birthday was on Saturday, and mine is coming up on Wednesday, our Super Bowl party got turned into a Super Bowl/Birthday party. My sister made us a yummy cake and even decorated it in my favorite color. With the Saints in the big game, the birthday part got a little overshadowed this year, but that’s ok.

IMG_1919

During the game things got a little tense. I laughed all week as Hubby told me that it didn’t matter if the Saints lost; He just was happy they were playing in the Super Bowl. Just as I expected, he wasn’t too happy when the Colts were ahead. He wouldn’t even eat until the game finally turned around but after that things got a little more exciting.

IMG_1924

For the rest of the game, Hubby was jumping up and down, screaming, and scaring poor Evie to death. She had no idea what was going on, but Daddy sure does yell loud! When the game finally ended and the Saints had won, I think there may have even been a tear or two from Hubby.

Saints Win!

Then Zach came in to see what all the ruckus was about and got swept up by Daddy.

Saints Win!

It was quite the celebration at our house! I’m so happy the Saints won and that Hubby will always have that memory of his team finally winning. It was a very fun day, but as I said, I’m still exhausted from all of the chaos. I think from now on the Monday after the Super Bowl should be a required day off of work.

Comments closed

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend, as usual, we were on the go.  Friday and Saturday we spent shopping, errand running, and doing just general household stuff.  Sunday, we headed up North for church, then spent the rest of the day at my sister’s house hanging out and watching football.  I took advantage of the downtime and played around with my camera a bit.  My nephews seem to be getting a bit tired of me always having a camera in their faces, but they did allow me to get a few good shots.

IMG_1591
This little guy is so photogenic! He tries to play shy, but he really loves the camera.

IMG_1609
Ryan is Zachary’s best friend and a total goofball.

IMG_1625
Dylan is 10 years old now, which totally blows my mind. I rarely get a good shot of him because he’s always hiding from the camera, but I love this one!

Bath Time!
When bath time rolled around, Evie insisted that she get in the tub with Brayden. They had so much fun playing together! I love these photos because you can see on their faces just how much they were enjoying it.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... Comments closed