Sparkler's 1 Year Old!!!

It is so hard to believe. In fact, Mama told Sparkler it was all pretend and she was not really one year old today! We gave her a cake to dig into - she liked the icing but was not too interested in getting dirty! Enjoy these pictures of her one year cake "party"!

Will You Hold Me Mama?

These are some of the sweetest words ever whispered to a mom- new or seasoned. Our two year old, Fire Cracker is very spunky, energetic and busy throughout the day trying to keep up with his older brothers. But when he winds down at night and lays in his bed, he asks in a quiet voice to be held. Of course you can't resist his request and when he says hold me, he means it with all his heart. He wants you to put your head on his chest and then wraps his little short arms as tightly around you as he can. And then......he lies as still as could be and doesn't budge an inch! To me it just shows how special he thinks that time is. I hope he knows how special it is to me as well. I try to embrace each of these moments to the fullest potential. With our youngest nearing 1 and the middle turning 5 soon, it is certainly a quick reminder that kids grow up FAST! Of course I remind them that even when they are 15 or 35 or 50, they can still ask me to hold them..... and of course I gladly will!

Finally Friday!!

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It's here...finally Friday! This week has been busy with the holiday, tree decorating, sleep overs, birthday celebrating & family time together. Hope each of you had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the pictures

THANKS. GIVING.

Our kids are so excited that Thanksgiving is here! They have been up bright and early all week - running around and singing with great anticipation of the pow-wows and parties at school, the feasts that abound with family & friends and time off school to spend together.

It is very refreshing to see children take the holiday for what it is worth- not wanting to miss a moment, enjoying time of family and traditions, pure anticipation and celebration. They get it. They really get it deep down, don't you think? This got me thinking about my own actions, reactions and emotions during Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wish my excitement for the holidays was just as passionate and pure as the children. Don't get me wrong, I am quite excited to spend special time with family and friends, to decorate for the season, carry on traditions that the kids will cherish, and celebrate the real meaning of the holidays.

But it is so easy to become stressed over the little things and "busyness" of the season. We tend to let our minds take over and worry about the things that don't really matter: gift giving, food, what we will wear, the list goes on and on. It is like a snowball that starts growing mid November and is ready to explode by New Years.

Why do we do this? What if we could be more like the little children who just soak it all in. Who cares if the food is overdone or we stain our new holiday attire? Does it really matter if we don't give our neighbor an "equal" gift or the children don't get all they want from Santa?

Make today different! Focus on the matters that really matter. Enjoy the holiday this year- live it, laugh, make memories, celebrate. Take today to truly demonstrate THANKS and GIVING. Thanks - to the Lord for all we have, for our lives and loved ones. Giving - unselfishly, continuously, happily and thankfully.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Like a Magazine

Overheard the other day in the car after a passionate argument over a toy:

Bottle Rocket: It is mine!
Smoke Bomb: No it's not, it is mine!
Bottle Rocket: Un-huh
Smoke Bomb: Ah-huh
Bottle Rocket: Well you know what? Smoke Bomb, you have issues!
Smoke Bomb: Oh yeah, well you have issues too Bottle Rocket!

They are always listening! ALWAYS.

She's WALKING!!!!

Wow! We knew it was coming soon. She had been standing for some time but now Ms. Sparkler is WALKING! Yeah! We are so excited! We enticed her today with none other than a very special item......her GREAT-Grandmothers' costume jewlery! You wil see it on her in the video! What a special moment- enjoy and thanks to hubby for making the video!

Finally Friday!!

In an attempt to keep myself more "organized" and consistent with blogging, I have decided to start a weekly posting called Finally Friday! I will post pictures or video of the kids from that week. Hopefully this will provide a good source of laughter, smiles and cheer to the beginning of your weekend. This week will be a bit lengthy since it will cover a few weeks (couldn't resist!). Hope you enjoy - aren't you glad it is Finally Friday?!

Mama, I Think We Need a HAMSTER

6:30a
A what?????????? Really?? Come on Bottle Rocket don't you see the house already.....2adults, 4 kids, 2 dogs and now a hamster for your room? OK, deep breath, breathe, count to 10. Nope that was not working! Bright Side: At least he is not asking for a cat or bird. But wait, visions race through my head to a time when Fire Cracker and Sparkler conspire to see how fast the hamster can run outside the cage, or the time when Smoke Bomb accidentally leaves the cage door open or Bottle Rocket trys to let the hamster meet the dogs. This is too much! But wait! Bottle Rocket has been talking the entire time my mind was spinning. What? What did you say? You say you want a "hamster" in your room so you can put all your dirty clothes in it!! Whew...pure relief. Great idea Bottle Rocket. Mama would LOVE to put a HAMSTER in your room!

A Glimpse of What is To Come

You know you are in for it when your 2 year old can play pranks on you! I am still trying to determine if he really knew what he was doing or if things just happened to be in the right place at the right time for scaring the pants off mama. As usual I did some work once the kids went to bed and watched a bit of TV. I put my computer away like always. Then out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something pink sticking out at me to my left. What in the world?!? Another glimpse and I was up on my feet dancing around totally freaked out at the LIZARD that was crawling out of the crack in the couch not 3 inches from where I had been sitting! Needless to say I do not like bugs, lizards, insects, spiders, worms......get the point! So when I saw this thing and 1)did not know how long it had been there and 2)did not comprehend how something so big ended up in my house, let alone on my couch, I panicked =). Yeah, it has been raining a great deal and quite warm in our region for the middle of the Fall, but now the house was invaded....taken over....by LIZARDS....yikes! I was shaken from my panic with my husband laughing and laughing. This horrendous, outspoken intruder was nothing more than a plastic Komono Dragon conspicuously placed by none other than Fire Cracker! The truth came out the next morning when I calmly asked who left the lizard and he replied quite happily (and proud) "ME! I DID MAMA!". Now this whole episode would not catch me so off guard if the 6 year old had planned it, maybe not even if the 4 year old had. Fire Cracker is only 2!! I guess I have been naive to this point. I mean come on I have 3 boys and should have seen it coming. So now, I need to make a few adjustments......pretend like I really LOVE bugs so they won't think it is funny to scare me. I guess that means I have to stop asking the kids to kill and remove the spiders for me! Hmmm.....Maybe I'll start that next week!

Princess the Menace

The other night we were all downstairs. The boys were in the playroom and Sparkler was “roaming” around. She likes to follow the boys in the playroom and be a part of the action. Of course we keep an eye on her but the boys are also very good at letting us know if she is into something she should not be. The house has been baby proof now for seven years, yet there is always something you forget! We had just finished getting dinner ready and the boys had a seat at the table. I asked them if Sparkler was still in the playroom and they said yes. A few moments later once the table was set, I went to get Sparkler. She was not in the playroom anymore and she was not in the den. I looked in the kitchen and under the table. Then I looked in the hallway. Sparkler was no where to be found! The gate was up at the stairs so I knew she had not gone upstairs. Had Firecracker opened the front door and Sparkler scooted out behind him (this is his favorite new thing to do- he runs out the garage door and rings the front door- then laughs and laughs when I tell him NO- and Sparkler can sense an open door crawling toward it at warp speed!). I began to panic a bit until I heard a thump and giggle from the bathroom. Relief! I ran to open the door. I still don’t know how she pulled it up to a crack- some things we just will never know! And sure enough, Sparkler had found the toilet paper! Here is how we found her. She was draped in TP and even had some on her lip so she must have tried a few pieces to see how they tasted. She also knocked over the trashcan which was the loud thud we heard. So now we have added another rule in the house- keep the bathroom doors closed! I am very tempted to buy a potty lock. We never needed them for the boys but something tells me Sparkler is going to be very inquisitive!