saturday happenings

kalei had another soccer game today, but this time i did my mom thing and brought an umbrella for shade, sunscreen, bubbles, and chilled drinks. i also brought a 12-year-old! this is lici with the boys and a little girl who adopted us during the game. she was such a help!!!

to reward the kids for being such great helpers while james has been gone, we went down to nashville to the build-a-bear store! the kids had fun picking out their bears (anything from the cheaper half of the display - except some ugly puppy that i didn't want in the house), but kalei was the only one that would push the pedal for the stuffing machine to fill her bear. koa watched with his hands over his ears the whole time. things were actually going really well until they announced that it was bearemy's birthday and marched out a grown-up in a giant bear costume. koa promptly flipped out and was crying and saying that he didn't want to go near the "big bear." so, i was calm and reassuring and we did everything possible to stay away from the gigantic bear. we even waited extra time to be at the cashier that was the furthest away from the humongous bear. then, as we were leaving the circuitous route around the extreme edge of the store to avoid the hormone-imbalanced bear, it was time for bearemy's break and an employee was leading him to the back of the store - by way of our sheltered aisle. at this time, koa is borderline hysterical and convinced that this deranged bear is coming to get him. with my cat-like reflexes, i attempt to grab koa and steer the stroller out of the way, and end up with koa melting onto the floor and the stroller ramming into a display rack. yes, wonder-mom to the rescue! the employee guiding bearemy somehow picked up a on our distress signal and waited to the side while i herded our group out of the store to safety. the kids were easily calmed with treats from the food court. good times.

p.s. everyone has sufficiently recovered from the sensory near-overload of the build-a-bear store - and the kids still love their bears. it's a win-win situation!

an object in motion...

heavenly father knew i needed more exercise, so he blessed me with three children with boundless energy. i can hardly catch them to smother them with kisses! (i affectionately refer to this as the "kissing machine," to which koa always responds, "enough! enough!" and runs away, the little stinker.)

perspective adjustment

i love, love, love how heavenly father knows our needs better than we do. (well... i don't always LOVE it - especially when it doesn't quite add up with what i think i need at the time. one of us always turns out to be right, though. hint: it's not me.) i've been getting some gentle nudges lately to help me keep an eternal perspective now that i'm in the home stretch of being alone with the kids. kam's experience taking pictures for a toddler's funeral and kei's friend's news that the baby she's carrying has severe spina bifida have caused me to pause and look at my children and send up a prayer of thanks. however, that's all they've brought - a pause. a pause in feeling annoyed that kawelo has somehow caught a summer cold and is whiny and clingy. a pause in feeling frustrated that koa doesn't seem ro realize when he is not able to do something himself, yet persists in trying, only to end up extremely upset that he can't do it. (hello, bess, he's three!) a pause in overlooking kalei's needs because she does not demand attention like her brothers. i need to wake up!! i feel like i'm standing in front of the mona lisa and all i'm noticing is the decorative edge on the frame... or a dirt smudge on the wall next to her. everyone has heard of randy pausch (the "last lecture" guy), and the things i have been pondering these last few days were two mantras that his wife used. she said that when she was feeling sad or panicky about her husband's condition, she would tell herself, "i have everything that i need." so true. also, if she started having feelings of anger or depression, she would tell herself, "not helping." again, so true! okay, so here's my resolution: to enjoy these last few days (four, to be exact), but more importantly, to help my children enjoy them. i will not turn into momzilla at the slightest provocation and i will not be the guest of honor at my own exclusive pity party. so, look for some happy, upbeat, non-whiny posts from us in the next few days! this pity party is officially cancelled!

craft deprivation

about a month ago, i made a pilgrimage to fabric mecca (aka "hancock's of paducah" - not to be confused with the junky "hancock fabrics" chain that rarely carries a cute fabric line) and made several wonderful purchases.

the fabric has been waiting for me ever since.

before james left, i accepted that i would not be able to craft while he was gone.

accept it.

let it go.

as a result, our home has been fairly harmonious. (usually, when i try to do something crafty, the children are unconsciously drawn to me and instantly need something badly: a drink, a snack, a clean diaper - you get the picture.)

however, the fabric is calling me.

before james left, it wasn't as bad because i didn't have a plan for the fabic, and i was NOT about to cut into it without a plan! you fail to plan, you plan to fail, am i right?!

anyhoo, let's just say that this is lending an extra edge to the anticipation of james' return.

is it sunday yet?

just a sample of the cuteness...

budding photographer

kalei and koa have been having some fun with the camera these last few days and, i must say, kalei has some real potential. (koa is still coordinating the holding-the-button-down-long-enough-to-actually-take-a-picture thing.) i think these pictures really capture the essence of koa. see what i get to live with? i'm the luckiest mama in the whole world!!

soccer saturdays

soccer season has begun!

today was kalei's first game, and she had fun running around (until she got too hot, that is. next time, we'll take an umbrella and a cooler!).

kawelo enjoyed the snacks....

koa enjoyed the friends....

...and kalei enjoyed the beautiful day!

the weather has been super mild the past few days and lulled me into a false sense of security - it doesn't matter if it's 80 degrees, it's still boiling if there's no shade! (and, go figure, there aren't any trees or shade-giving structures snuggled up next to these soccer fields.) so, (bad mom alert!) poor kalei didn't have cold drinks waiting for her (just room temperature ones) and kawelo might've gotten just a teensy bit sunburned. overall, though, kalei decided she still likes soccer. she's still not uber-competitive (which is totally fine by us! i think i was the only parent out there yelling "have fun out there!"), but it'll get her used to sports for when she's in third grade and can start the sport of her destiny: volleyball!

children of the corn

this year, we couldn't decide on a garden plot, so we planted veggies in our flower beds around our deck and in the flower pots on the deck. (at this point, is anyone wondering why there aren't flowers in our flower beds and pots? the answer is: at some point in the near future we will have to replace the deck and i didn't want established flower beds trampled during that effort. doesn't that sound nicer than i was too lazy to plant flowers?) anyhoo, even though we got a late start, the corn is now tassled and little baby ears of corn are showing their silken heads! we also have several green tomatoes and the pumpkins and peppers are flowering!

it's enough to inspire brotherly love.

i love their stair-stepper heights here.

i'm hoping the kids will be more open to eating veggies we have grown ourselves. i'll keep you posted as we test this theory.