Thursday, June 18, 2009

Missed

My camera bit the dust last week, and here are a few of the things I wish I could have photographed lately:

- the way Maddie's tiny feet, Evan's chubby feet, and Ethan's enormous feet looked all tangled up on a blanket in the yard
- the look of shock on Evan's face when he ran through the sprinkler for the first time
- the look of ecstasy on Ethan's face while running through the sprinkler
- the boys holding our baby kitties
- the basketful of arugula and spinach we picked from the garden
- the supercute pajamas my mom can't stop buying for the boys
- how happy all my boys looked when we celebrated Matt's birthday on Tuesday

Not that I have time to take pictures, anyway, because I am now working part time at a youth home in Broken Bow. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be part of the CEDARS organization and to use my skills -and degree- with these troubled children. It has been an adjustment for my own kids, of course, but Matt and I have been able to juggle our schedules enough for one of us to be with them most of the time. He has been very glad to have some extra time at home- at this rate the ranch work will be caught up in 10 or 15 years. Since the boys are such good help.
So lots of new adventures and laundry piling up, but I am excited to see what this summer will bring us.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Sweet, sweet babies




No, no, not mine. Are you crazy? Although mine does look deceptively sweet here:


The boys and I made a quick trip to Lincoln last Monday and got to meet Preston on our way home. Isn't he adorable? Matt and I have been friends with his parents, Nick and Dawn, since high school. We just love them to pieces, even though Dawn once shut Matt's head in a car door (hmm...that actually explains a lot).
The other aforementioned sweet baby is that little Maddie we're watching. Evan has gotten over most of his possessiveness of me and has followed Ethan over into adoration-land. "Tiddoo, tiddoo," he'll grin as he tickles her feet. "Look at her tiny little toes," Ethan coos as she lays on the blanket. "Look at her tiny little ears. Let's talk about them." So we talk about how tiny babies are, and who takes care of them, and how wonderful it is that God gives babies to mommies and daddies.
Huh. I guess mine can be pretty darn sweet, too.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Happy birthday, Grandpa!

Today is my Grandpa Joe's birthday, and we are all really sad not to be in Lincoln celebrating with him. He is an amazing man and we love him very much!






Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Food, glorious food

Meal times at our house remind me of The Very Hungry Caterpillar: for supper tonight, Evan ate through one container of yogurt, seven steamed carrots, two servings of corn, five bites of roast beef, and one potato. Ethan is finally branching out of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich obsession with variations such as: "ONE bread with ONE jelly," a slice of bread with peanut butter, a slice of bread with butter, and a plain old slice of bread. That's my boy. He still eats more fruits and veggies than anyone I know (besides Evan), and drinks tons of milk so I haven't been too worried about his general diet but Matt is beyond baffled by the meat boycott. He also feels strongly that each boy should eat whatever I prepare for dinner (and eat it with a smile on your face!) and thinks I am enabling bad habits when I set a PB&J on Ethan's plate while dishing up pot roast for the rest of us. We usually maintain a solid united front on parenting issues but it is really hard with this food situation. I was a really picky eater and I turned out fine. Matt always cleaned his plate... and turned out fine. I figure that I am the one making dinner and making the sandwich, so it should be my call. I'm not offended at all, I'd rather prepare something that I know will get eaten (and by 'prepare' I mean buttering a slice of bread, seriously) than spend the whole dinner with someone in tears over hostile negotiations. Matt thinks the whole concept of 'taste preferences' is ridiculous and there's no reason not to choke down whatever is on your plate. Taste is of the utmost importance to me, and I am living proof that spoiled, over-indulged picky eaters can grow up to eat green veggies, and lots of them. Besides, one of Ethan's first sentences was 'mowe bwoccowi, pweese.' We can't have screwed up that much in the last 3 years, can we? Hopefully this will phase out soon and we can stand united together against the next soul-sucking obsession. Hmmm, another bedtime boycott, perhaps? Or something even MORE fun.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Baseball


Last weekend we went to Kansas City with my family to watch the White Sox sweep the Royals. I had some serious doubts about my sanity while packing up on Friday but the trip was wonderful and the boys traveled really well. The 5:2 ratio of adults to children works so much better than 1:2. Play ball!







The $5 cotton candy treat before it was thrown to the ground.

Kauffman Stadium underwent a lot of renovations last year and there is a really awesome kid's area now. When we got tired of sitting, the boys played on the playground, in the fountain, and rode the merry-go-round. I can't wait til they are old enough for the mini-golf and batting cages. My family has spent many happy summer evenings at that stadium and I love that my boys get to as well.