IN A DRESS

I have said since we found out she was a girl......she can play in the dirt or be a tomboy all she wants so long as she is wearing a dress! It has been evident from very early on that she gets the dirtiest of all four......and as you can see from the smile on her face......she LOVES it!! And this is a "minor" incident!

STAR HORSE

Smoke Bomb: Mom, I bought a book at the book fair.
Mama: Oh yeah, what did you buy?
Smoke Bomb: Star Horse
Mama: Star Horse????
Smoke Bomb: Yeah, like Dada watches on the movies.
Mama: Oh! Star Horse! Dada will love that.
Mama (in my head): That is way too cute to correct! I'll just let him keep calling it Star Horse!

NOT GIRLS.....THEY ARE LADIES

Smoke Bomb came home from school the other day and announced that he had moved tables in his classroom. He says now he has to sit with "a bunch of ladies!"
I was in stitches!!! He must not mind this too much. The other night the school held curriculum night. We were all walking down the hall and a little "lady" sauntered in front of us saying "heyyyyy Smoke Bomb". MacGyver and I both did a double take....make that a triple take. When our jaws lifted off the ground, we asked him who that was. He just skipped away saying I don't know! Perfect....let's keep it that way for about 10 more years!! My heart cannot handle all this yet!

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, FIRE CRACKER SCREAMS FOR ICING!

We have recently discovered that Fire Cracker loves icing! Actually MacGyver has noticed this for a year or so. Any time we have cake or cupcakes, Fire Cracker carefully and precisely consumes all of the icing while eating the least amount of cake possible. It is really pretty funny. He must lick all the icing off. This works out great for MacGyver who just happens to love the cake! Not me so much...I love the icing! Here is proof from the cupcakes I baked tonight. So what are you...... a cake or icing person?

LITTLE CHEERLEADER

This weekend we finally bought a new kitchen light that has been on the list for some time. When MacGyver finished installing the light, Sparkler walked in the kitchen and grinned huge. Then she turned to her dada and exclaimed "YEA DADA while clapping her hands!!!!! It was a very charming moment and made him feel so good. She has that way toward him. Each night at dinner she gives him a smile she saves strictly for him. She also loves to sit in his lap. And each day when he comes home from work, she is the first (and loudest!) to say Heyyyyyyyyyy Dadddddadddaa! Then she gives him a monster hug. It is clearly evident that she is his biggest little cheerleader!!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

I am excited to announce that my sister got married today! She and her husband are traveling to the tropical islands tomorrow and having a formal ceremony with just the two of them, so they decided to make things legal in the US first to cover all their bases. They invited MacGyver, me and a close friend to witness their marriage today and it was exciting to say the least. More on that to come! Let me just say they will forever have a story to tell about the day they were married! I am very excited for the two of them and wish them a lifetime of happiness and joy! We went out to dinner after the wedding and then my mom and dad set up a cake and toast for the new couple so that was a nice surprise for them. Thanks to MacGyver for buying decorations and flowers that completed the celebration. He is such a wonderful husband! He knew with sick kids all week I could not go get everything, so he did it himself! I am so blessed!! Here's to a lifetime of happiness and joy for Liz and Todd!

The other big deal this week has been the continuation of strep throat/virus that has wiped out each of us except Sparkler in some sort of fashion or another. Smoke Bomb is at the tail end right now and hopefully marks the end of this mess. He has missed 4 days of school this week (and a t-ball game tomorrow morning!) not to his delight as we had crocodile tears several mornings when he found out he could not go to school. What a blessing though that he likes school that much! The other blessing is that MacGyver and I have had this mess, but not full force so we were able to push through it. God is good! Needless to say, pictures have not been top priority this week, but here is what we have....a video of the hotwheels track Dada and the boys built and of course a picture of the newlyweds!!! Enjoy the weekend and take time to do something fun to make a new memory!

HOMEMADE HAMMOCK

Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb love to play outside. Well actually all the kids do. It is hard to get them in most days. The other they built a homemade hammock.....all by themselves.....they even tied all the knots! I thought it was very creative. Just look at those MacGyver skills they inherited!

PUZZLED

All of our kids love puzzles and lately Fire Cracker has really gotten into them. He is super good and almost has the whole puzzle done before he asks me for help!

WE MADE IT SEVEN YEARS.......

Without strep throat!!! I was so surprised the other day when Fire Cracker came down with strep throat. In over seven and a half years, we have never had a child with this illness. It took Fire Cracker out. He had such a high fever we could not even control it with meds. He has felt lousy the past 2 days. These pictures are a good reflection of how he has been lately (just look at those lucious lips and super long eye lashes!). He keeps telling me he is freezing cold and wears about 3 shirts to stay warm. I try to hold him but he cannot get comfortable. He says hold me and then asks me to go away a few minutes later. Boo! Go away strep throat! I hate that he feels crummy, but I love to cuddle and love on him. He is so sweet!

FINALLY (BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!) FRIDAY!!

This has been an up and down week. We started last weekend off with Bottle Rocket being sick. Then Wednesday night Fire Cracker came down with similar symptoms. Turns out they both had strep throat and so we are all wearing masks and gloves and bubble tents around us for precaution. Just kidding! But don't think I have not thought about enforcing it! Good news is it should be all short lived. The boys had great weeks at school. They are both settling in well and enjoying the days. Smoke Bomb is playing one more year of t-ball before he and Bottle Rocket are on the same coach pitch team in the Spring. They had their first game this past Saturday. Awana started back for the kids at church so that has been fun. I am so proud of all three boys and how they really work to complete the verses they learn each week. They are all very good at the memorization.....let's just hope it is sticking in their heads! Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks. Hope you enjoy and have a fantastic weekend! I love the Fall breezes. So refreshing!

SPARKLER HELPS OUT

The others started helping out early, but not this early I don't think! I went to take the trash out a few minutes ago and came back in to see Sparkler doing this.....

SENT FOR A REASON

Have you ever had one of those days where you ended up somewhere you did not plan to be, but knew without a doubt you were there for a reason? Or had someone pop over to your house out of the blue? Or perhaps it was someone who called at just the 'right' time? Maybe it was the time you saw someone out who you least expected to see. Did you read something that you just knew you needed to hear? I just love when this happens. I believe that we all have divine appointments, not only in our lives, but for things we encounter each and every day. It might be a meeting at work, a bible study, the homeless person we give food or sharing a laugh with a neighbor. It can be something big or little. It can be something deep and significant or something fleeting that we don't even think twice about. I once read about the following notion: What if we went about the moments of our day fully and specifically aware of God's intention and will for the things we faced. Would we help a little more? Would we listen a little longer? Be willing to give a little more? Would things become a little less inconvenient? Would we search out people in need more often? Spread the good news with more spunk? Be less selfish. Be more understanding. Be more loving? And less hurried?

Today got me thinking about all of this. I woke up this morning and muttered to my husband that "I was tired. Just plain tired."

Not 2 hours later I was sitting in a new bible study class. The first words out of the facilitator's mouth on the training video session were "Are you tired?" I had debated going, debated if I had the time and energy to put forth into another study. And there was the answer.

Later in the afternoon, I was completely stressed out and felt like I could not hold it together any longer. In the heat of this 'funk', the phone rang and it was my sister. I told her I would call her back. Ten minutes later she was on my doorstep giving me a hug that would encourage me and keep me going for the rest of the day.

I challenge you to wake up tomorrow and take a new perspective. Dig deeper. Look more vividly at your day and life. Be more observant and listen harder. Ponder more about those chance meetings and coincidences. Look and listen for the things/people/events/situations that allow you to hear Him speaking or see his will. There are two sides of the coin. The times you have people who intervene to you on His behalf and the times you are the one who is 'working' for Him. It is such an amazing thing. That we can make a difference in someone's life as well as receive the blessing of another person making an impact on us. Look for the moments in your life that he uses you as a tool to serve others and be the messenger of His word and love. Be attentive to the times he sends someone/something/ some situation your way to show His unending love.

THE COOKIE STORE

Those of you who know me well understand that I have turned coupon crazy. It takes a lot of time, but well worth it to me and our family. We think our boys eat a lot now.....fast forward 10 years and we are going to need 2 freezers, 2 fridges and stock in the local grocery store! We can almost run through a loaf of bread and gallon of milk in 1 day at this point! Almost. That being said, I frequent several stores each week to "buy" the free or very low cost items on sale. I don't go too crazy and don't buy things we will never use. We do save a great deal of money and have items we frequently use on the shelf. It is nice not to have to run out for staple items all the time.

One of the grocery stores we visit always provides cookies for the kids. What a blessing! I can usually (okay, sometimes!) make it all the way around the store without a fuss thanks to the cookies. And yes, I know it says one per person. I just happen to pick up 2 (or 3!) extra for the kids who are in school.....hehe. Wonder if they really watch for people like me?! Anyway, this morning I told Fire Cracker to go put on his shoes. His reply was, "Mama, are we going to the cookie store?" I could not help but laugh. At least he associates grocery shopping with something enjoyable. On a side note, the cookie store has cupers double coupons starting this Wednesday! Looks like the kids will be getting lots of cookies!

MOMENTS LIKE THIS

Wow! That is all I can muster to say about what my sister just did! She spoke in front of 20,000 (!!!!!!!!) people at an international convention. Could you imagine? I have always looked up to my big sister and am so proud of her. She looked so amazing up there (her fiance sent these picts to me) and the level of confidence she had prior to the speach was unbelieveable. I spoke to her last night and she was calm, peaceful, excited and ready to go. I would have been a nervous wreck! Not many people have this type of opportunity. She took it and ran! Way to go 'Grace'! It is no doubt public speaking is a huge part of her calling. She is so talented at it and enjoys what she is doing.....it shows in every way. When work does not feel like work, but something you know you were destined in life to do, that is true happiness. I am so happy for you big sis!

READ IT FORWARD

I love to read. I always have and wish I had more time now to read. I like to read for pleasure, work, devotion, teaching, reading to my kids…..really any kind of reading makes me happy!! Thankfully the kids have carried on this trait and love to read or be read to! So I must share with you a website I have found recently. It has been a little guilty pleasure of mine and a true gem to me in times when I need to just “escape” from it all! It is called READ IT FORWARD. The website is is filled with great things.

http://read-it-forward.crownpublishing.com/

One of the best parts of this site is the READ IT FIRST program. Here you can register to win a free copy of books that are new, but not yet published. They ask that you read the books and then provide feedback on their website blog, to others around you and then pass the book along for others to read. It is a brilliant concept and one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I have reviewed two books to date and each one has been sensational. I would recommend each of you at least check it out. It is well worth your time and energy. I make time to read the books they send and enjoy each page. Tonight I even locked myself in the bathroom (after the kids were in bed) to sneak a few quiet moments to finish reading the latest book! That is normal right!??! Can you tell I need the outlet? What a great resource! Be sure to check it out!

SPEAKING OF NATURE....(CAUTION BEFORE YOU READ!)

Seriously? Now? Are you sure? These were the words out of my mouth yesterday to Smoke Bomb. We were in the middle of a hiking trail next to the nearby river. We had been to lunch with my dad and decided to go on an adventure. The trail is fun to walk along and MacGyver wanted to build a tire swing....the second one this summer. We got all the equipment together, packed up the double stroller with the two toddlers and took off. Well let me tell you it was not smart timing! A good ways into the woods, Smoke Bomb nudged MacGyver and told him he had to go. You know 'go'. And so the words spilled from my mouth. Of course. It made sense. What didn't make sense was why in the world I did not pack some TP for the trip! So MacGyver headed back to the house and we traveled along the trail with a spot in mind to meet back up. Not ten minutes later, sure enough, Bottle Rocket AND Fire Cracker inform us that they too 'have to go'! Okay well you'll just have to wait because we can't leave. It felt like MacGyver and Smokebomb were gone forever. Then finally we hear Smoke Bomb running up excitedly announcing that he got to 'go' in a hole in the ground and used leaves to complete the assignment.....leaves from a tall tree so he was sure it was not poison ivy! When the two other boys heard this, they couldn't wait (literally) to go too. And so they tromped off with Dada. Again, it seemed like they were gone for quite awhile! Bottle Rocket was quite pleased at his first ever experience 'going' in the woods. Turns out Fire Cracker changed his mind...or became gun shy as MacGyver put it! We ended up being on the trail for about 3 hours......one of which was using the "restroom", or should that be "resthole!?" It was rather hilarious and a great reminder for me to never travel without some goods. As the blog caption says, never a dull moment!


The whole adventure was a blast! The kids got to 'do' something new, the weather was gorgeous and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The bummer for the whole thing was that I forgot the camera. Boo! MacGyver and Jack built the tire swing while the kids played alongside the river bank. Then they took turns swinging. Even Fire Cracker loved it. It was easier for him to sit on top of the tire. Bottle Rocket enjoyed swinging as high as he could.....and giving his Mama a scare! He has no fear. Sparkler was walking around while the swing was being put up, but as soon as they started swinging, she ran over and sat in the stroller. She just sat and watched the entire time. She was 100% positive that she was not going to swing! All in all it was a great time!

NATURE AND NURTURE

The other day our family was outside preparing our garden for Fall planting. There were a ton of caterpillars in the dirt. Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb wanted to put them in a box and keep them to watch them turn into butterflies (like the commercial on TV says!). Anyhow, we convinced, rather told them, that was not a possibility and so they scooped them up and carried the caterpillars back to the swingset. A few minutes later Smoke Bomb ran over and asked MacGyver what caterpillars like to eat. He told him leaves and vegetables. A few minutes later we went over to see Smoke Bomb trying to get the caterpillars to eat all the leaves and grass blades he had lovingly collected! What a sweet nurturer. He has such a big heart!

HEART BROKEN

It is always painful to see your children sad or upset. Period. It is rotten. Such was the case yesterday afternoon for Smoke Bomb. He hopped in the car after school and almost immediately the crocodile tears began to fall. Turns out he could not find his ice cream money in his book bag and therefore missed out on the 'first ever time to buy ice cream at school'. He was so sad. And I was so sad for him. He had looked forward to this for years, literally. Over the summer we bought a special little money holder just for this purpose. He was so excited on Thursday night to put the quarters in the bag and then find a special place in his book bag to keep the money. We went over it a number of times. He was ready. But he must have been overwhelmed when she asked for the money on Friday. He said he searched and searched but missed this one little pocket in the book bag. And for those who know Smoke Bomb well, you know he has a hard time asking for help. For the entire afternoon, he periodically continued to sob over missing out on ice cream. I couldn't hold back my tears either after awhile. I felt horrible. I would have driven (or walked!) up to the school to pay for the ice cream. I would have put his money somewhere else had I known. I would have done anything. Sweet little boy. I know in the overall scheme of things it was not that big of a deal. But it was a huge deal to Smoke Bomb.

I had MacGyver stop by the store and buy some ice cream---the little cups like they sell at school. I got out his bookbag and we made a plan for putting the money somewhere more visible. We talked about how the teachers are there to help and he can always ask them to help find the money. I hugged him and sat and talked with him and cried with him. Eventually he moved on and ate dinner. And he loved the ice cream dada bought for him. So he was okay. But I am sure he will never forget the first day of ice cream at school when he had to miss out. I began to think down the road about the heart break my children will face. Times 4. We all have had our heart broken. It is inevitable. It is the way we handle it that makes the difference. Thank God for these experiences and the chance to help our children learn to handle them. Thank God for a higher power we can turn to. Thank God we never have to handle any heart break alone.

FINALLY FRIDAY!!

This has been a great week! It has been a long week with the start of school and a week of adjustment, but exciting as always! The boys are settling into a routine with mornings and homework, early bedtime, etc. It is not always what they are happy with (like early to bed) but definitely for their own good. Smoke Bomb appears to LOVE school. He has been dancing, singing and laughing all week. His self esteem and confidence seem to have grown enormously over the summer. He also seems to be a bit relieved that Kindergarten is 'alright". Bottle Rocket continues to do great with 2nd grade. He lost his 8th tooth this morning! He had been working hard to wiggle it, so he was very proud. He is back into reading regularly and even loves reading to Smoke Bomb and Fire Cracker in the evenings. MacGyver's fall semester is back in full swing. Once again he is teaching several sections of a course that has 200+ students. Quite a bit different than classes of 25-30. I am very proud of him and how he touches other people's lives through his work. We are ready and excited for a holiday weekend with 1 extra day to relax. I hope each of you enjoy the weekend - make sure to do something fun!

FIZZLED OUT

Today was the second day that Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb were off to school leaving Fire Cracker and Sparkler 'home alone'. And to be honest, Fire Crackers' spark is just a fizzle! He has told me at least 12 times this morning that he "just wants to go get Bottle Rocket and Smoke Bomb." I keep telling him that we can't because they are not finished with school yet. His only response is "Yes, I think they are finished Mama!"

I remember those days, quite clearly in fact. When my sister went to Kindergarten, I was the same age as Fire Cracker. I was devastated. And mad. In fact, I took it out on her barbie doll by cutting half of her hair smack off. Yep. Just half to make sure the message was received. So I can relate.