Wednesday, October 29, 2008

right now


I am listening to Maddie laugh right now. Her laugh is so contagious and beautiful. You cannot be sad, worried or stressed out when Maddie is laughing. I don't think there is any better sound in the entire universe. I love you, my darling second born child. Thank you for laughing {for me} today. You make my heart smile.

not kidding



You won't believe what I made last night... I'm barely believing it myself and I did it. I made a Halloween costume for a banana. Yup... a banana. Marky came home on Monday with a competition "assignment" - to dress up a banana with a costume for Halloween - due Thursday (along with regular homework). So... we made a "banana bride". Are you KIDDING ME!?????
And HOW can you expect anything less than her (my?) best on this project... sigh... tonight we, I mean she, is going to finish the project by making a shoebox scene to accompany the banana. She thinks that she is going to make a church. I can't believe that this is my life :). I mean her life.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Pumpkin Patch fun





Today, Meredith and I went to the pumpkin patch for a field trip. Her preschool class was supposed to go on Friday, but it was way too cold. She handled the disappointment pretty well, knowing that the trip was rescheduled for today. Michael stayed at home with Daddy so that I could go along. We had a great time together - hayride, corn maze, picking out a pumpkin. It is so much fun doing things with Meredith for school. I can't believe that she's old enough to be on a field trip!

Great weekend









Our weekend was filled with fun times. We carved pumpkins, made a craft at Lowes, had Grandma and Poppop over for supper, made our way to CSU for Obama's speech and most of all had very special family times together. I love our weekends together as a family. The house gets messy and loud, but that just means that we've had great times and made good memories.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

HSM 3 - FINALLY!!!

We've been counting down the days for the movie "High School Musical 3". We went to the movie tonight! It was finally the day!! All 3 of the girls loved it. Of course, Meredith noticed the clothes the most; Marky loved the storyline - the romance - and Maddie loved the music. Michael even enjoyed the movie. We had a great time as a family munching on our popcorn and ooing and aahing over Sharpay's wardrobe and Troy's handsome face. It was fun for me to watch the kids watch the movie. All in all it was worth the wait!!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Life's what you make it...

I was feeling very disappointed about something tonight, and starting down the pouty path... then this song popped into my head - "Life's what you make it", by Hannah Montana. It is very telling what stage of life you are in based on the particular song that speaks to you.

http://www.songlyrics.com/hannah-montana/lifes-what-you-make-it/262072/

Good thing tomorrow is another day. I need a do-over.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Around our house today...

  • Michael has a cough
  • Maddie put her backpack away(rather than leaving it on the floor) when she walked in the door from school
  • We ate chili for supper
  • 2 loads of laundry got washed and folded
  • Mommy finished a mitten
  • Michael ripped Meredith's favorite princess picture
  • Meredith forgave Michael when he said "sowwy"'
  • Daddy left for Montana
  • Marky went to the doctor again for her foot
  • We ate MORE candy corn
  • Michael made MANY car configurations
  • Sarah came to babysit so Mommy could leave for a few hours
  • Michael was sad that Jason didn't come too
  • Mommy read a great book
  • We loved each other

Monday, October 20, 2008

I do too

"Mama?"

"Yes Meredith."

"I really wish that I could see God".

"I do too, honey."

Sunday, October 19, 2008

our girly day






Friday was a day off from school for all 3 girls. We had parent/teacher conferences for them; we are so proud of the reports from their teachers. Each of the girls is unique in how they approach their school work, their desks, their friendships. They each reflect how God individually created them. Their teachers adore them, and they are all excelling academically and socially. When we got home from conferences, the girls played with their dollies. We did some hair, and they dressed alike; I was downstairs with them playing instead of upstairs worrying about what needed to be cleaned, straightened, washed or picked up. It was so enjoyable just to play with them. Of course Michael was in the midst of us all, zooming his big Tonka truck around the dolly clothes and accessories. As a reward for their wonderful report cards and excellent teacher reports, I took the girls to Qudoba for lunch (Michael styaed home with Daddy and took a much needed nap), and then we went to a new "makeup store" for a field trip. I told the girls they could all pick out 1 thing. Boy oh boy... we were ALL overwhelmed with how much was in the store! It was a really fun place. Usually Maddie picks out what she wants very quickly, and it takes Marky a while to decide. It was different this time for some reason! Marky picked out some lipgloss right away, and then Meredith found some glittery nail polish (she takes after Grandma Oman with her love for all things glittery!). Finally, after 30 minutes of browsing, I encouraged Maddie to decide - it was fun watching her and Marky interact about what she should buy (finally settled on a makeup kit... mmmm...). I loved every second of it. It reminded me of when my sister Lisa and I would ride our bikes up to Walgreens at the University Mall. After the makeup store, we went to Target where they picked out some boots that they were dying to have; pink for Meredith, brown for Maddie and tan for Marky. An afternoon of shoes and make up; it doesn't get ANY better than that!!!... I certainly have 3 girly girls. It was so much fun spending time with my daughters. I loved every minute of it.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Mr. Montana

Patrick is big time now - he made the news!! He is the one in the hard hat on the right. I wonder what it will be like being married to a television star... ahhh... the glamorous life we lead.

www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/category.asp?C=50433

After you get to the news station website, type in Sunburst in the site search at the top; it should take you to the article about Patrick's project as well as the video that accompanies the article.

All about pictures


Last Sunday, we took some family pictures. My dad and mom were the photographer and the "make the kids smile" assistant (respectively). It is something that I absolutely love doing. I love seeing the kids with the fall colors as well as the fun tradition with Pop-pop and Grandma. My dad is the best photographer, and he and mom make the kids smile so genuinely. This is the 4th year that we have done this and much to my family's dismay, I want to do it every year. We even tried to get Molly (doggie) in the pictures again this year, but she was too confused with all of the commotion... and believe me, there is commotion. But a fun sort of commotion, laced with bribery, bossiness, threats, and lots of love. Thanks to Grandma and Pop-pop for giving us these sweet memories!








Thursday, October 16, 2008

this little piggy...





It was a pretty exciting evening at our house - trimming toenails and fingernails!! Actually, the kids and I had a wonderful evening together. Piano lessons with Grandma, no homework, sleep in mommy and daddy's bed, no school for the next two days, watch a movie, eat Grandma's cookies, drink root beer for supper, and of course our mani/pedi sessions. I love nights when we are home together (sans Daddy this particular night). Nights where we don't do anything really special, but we make the regular things that we do special.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

You might be a 2 year old (boy) if...


  • *It's 8:30 am and you've already been spanked
  • *You are reading a dump truck book for the 100th time
  • *All of your cars and trucks are lined up in various places all over the house
  • *You have chased your doggie until she runs away from you
  • *You keep begging busy mama to sit down and read under the "tent" in the living room
  • *You've told your bossy sisters "NO" 50 times since breakfast
  • *You give your mama a kiss even though she spanked you
  • *You keep asking "Where's Daddy" since he's your best friend

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I was just thinking about it...



















I thought that this was very interesting: In the current issue of the Oprah magazine, Oprah makes a list of the "things that she knows for sure". At number 17 of the 20 things she writes, "Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so." I agree with her, although I'm wondering how she knows? I could be wrong, but it seems to me that we should experience the things that we know "for sure" before we declare them so. I appreciate her empathy, however it would probably mean more coming from someone who really knows "for sure". It was just something that I was thinking about.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

October 10, 1998

This was the day 10 years ago that I decided to quit working full time and be at home with my kids. Well, kid - singular - at the time, since I was pregnant with my first and had no idea that I would eventually have 4 children. I was driving home from my job as a hairstylist that I loved, struggling with what to do when the baby was born. I just didn't know if I should find day care or work part time or stay home. I can still remember the place on the road that I was; I was listening to a radio program with a mom on it who was talking about being at home with her kids, choosing this option for how she was going to raise them while they were little. I felt God nudge me in my spirit saying,"That's what I want you to do". I remember being a little surprised at first, and then becoming very excited because now the decision had been made. Fast forward 10 years...

Yesterday I took Marky shopping for a few long sleeve shirts. Just the 2 of us went to Old Navy. 10 years has gone by since I became a mother. Marky was born at 5 pounds 11 ounces, 17 1/2 inches long (or short!). She has always been small; I've always had to buy her clothes much smaller than her age, but yesterday we finally bought clothes meant for a child her age. Size larges and size 10s! It was a poignant moment, in the dressing room realizing that she is growing up so fast; watching her deal with her petite genes ("I'll have to roll up these sleeves because my arms are short, this vest bothers my neck because my neck is short, these jeans are too long") in the same way that I do (we can thank her tiny grandma for that).

I thought back to that day 10 years ago and realized how much I have been able to experience by making the decision to be at home with my now 4 kids. Some days it is unbelievably boring, hard, mundane, and I know that I have had many moments of self pity and complaining; Some years there have been circumstances where the choice to be with them was out of my hands. However, I am really happy that God directed my path the way that He did 10 years ago. I truly am very thankful for all of the memories that I have stored about my children - memories that made their way into my heart through my choice to be around them a lot. Yesterday, in the dressing room at Old Navy, I realized that no matter how slow or fast my kids change, they do in fact change. I want to watch and absorb all of who they are as they make these changes. I'm so blessed to grow and change myself because of them. I can only imagine what the next 10 years will be like.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

There's no place like home.

Dallas can go on without me. I am HOME and loving it!! It is where I belong, and that is a great thing. Our MOPS convention was a lot of work but rewarding in some respects. Even though I was lonely at times, I was able to spend a lot of time reading, walking and praying. Those were good times, needed times. God was faithful to speak to me with some of the things I had been talking to Him about.

Life at home went on without me - Patrick and the kids weathered my absence just fine. I know that the little hole that I left empty while I was gone impacted them in some ways - that's what being a part of a family means. We notice when someone is gone; their presence is so necessary to the function of the family no matter who they are. I don't envy Patrick's traveling (he's leaving for Montana tomorrow); it's hard to be away from home. I am so thankful that I had the reminder of what home is to me.