Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Little Things

It seems that "the little things" are what count, make things better, make a difference, lead the way toward whatever were after. I forget so easily about the little things and am constantly focussed on the big ones. When I set out to clean my house I quickly devise a detailed plan in my head as to how I will successfully and completely clean, organize and de-clutter my house all within a matter of  a couple of hours. Ridiculous. I don't know why I work that way. If I would just take one little step at a time I would then see a big difference made. I do the same with EVERYTHING. Reading, writing, teaching my children, playing, exercising, paying bills, etc., all of these and more fall into this category.
My children somehow always remind me of the little things. Their little, it's an easy connection, right? No seriously though, they take their time and pay attention to little things that I would normally want to rush through and hurry to the next step. They slow me down. Sometimes I am very selfishly irritated by the pause.   It is exactly then that I usually stop and see my disregard for the little things and the huge red blinking sign that is screaming "You are setting a bad example! MOM!"  I am actively slowing my pace down, taking a deep breath and seeing what is going on around me. I do not want to be a whirlwind, whizzing past my family. I want to observe and deeply take in all the little things and little people that are around me. It's good to be present.
One of my littlest littles LOVES to tell me she loves me. Her newest way of saying it is, "Mom, I love you too much!" Stopping often to bend down and listen my two year old speak from her little heart goes deep within me, and is too precious to ignore. Thank you God for all the little things that so tenderly remind me of the preciousness of Your love.

8 kids, 2 moms, 3 helpers and The Happiest Place on Earth!

I had the privelege of hosting my good friend Trisha from Arizona, and her four kids at my house for a few days of fun! We went to Disneyland with all 8 of our kids and three very wonderful helpers, Matthew, Josh and Bethany. I don't think our trip would have been as successful without them! Surely we would have lost someone or something right? Anyway, the helpers proved to be an excellent addition to our adventure. The four boys went off for a while to ride the "boy" rides and do "boy" things. And the girls, moms and babies headed to fantasy land of course. The carousel, tea cups and alice in wonderland were just perfect for them! 

Here are all of our kids just before loading up to go. Trisha bought all of the kids St. Patricks day shirts to wear for the day. They looked adorable! Even the moms wore green!
 We actually made it out the door by 9:30 am. I was shocked!

Stopping to have a quick lunch. All 13 of us!








The girls just LOVED Bethany! Trisha's oldest daughter was so sad  to say goodbye. I told her next time  they visit I would make sure to invite Bethany over to see her.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Zoo

We went on a field trip to the LA Zoo! Believe it or not I had never been there in all my 29 years here! We had a great time. There were 7 1/2 kiddos (the 1/2 being the one that Auntie Angela is growing in her belly at the moment), and three mamas. We packed big lunches and headed out for the day. The Roberts were kind enough to invite us along and had zoo passes for us all with their membership so it was a totally free trip! (you know I like that!) The kids had a blast and loved learning and exploring. It is a great place to let them run and explore and feel free. We will have to go back soon!

This Morning

This morning started off right. Right for today at least. We all slept in. Something we NEVER do.
Seriously. Almost everyone is dressed for the day. Not bad. Breakfast has been made and consumed. And we didn't forget to feed the dogs! Sydney and Calvin are working together on Starfall.com spelling words. Jaclynn and I are still plugging away at the laundry we started a couple of days ago. Yes Jaclynn is actually a very good laundry assistant. She shoves all the wet clothes into the dryer and can even clean the lint out of the clean out thingy. Now that we purchased a front loading dryer she can start it too! It is pretty simple and it beeps a little song to her so she thinks it's great! Now I just need to find a front loading washer on clearance and she'll be able to do that too! She has a small height problem at the moment to be able to complete that task. I'll give her a few years on that one! Anyway, here's to a great day! "This is the day that the lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! This is the day! This is the day, that the Lord has made!" That's just the song that is twirling through my head at the moment!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Almost 3 months

For years everyone has always said, "enjoy this time now because they grow faster than you realize." I have always known that to be true but it still seems to sneak up on me once in a while. I am shocked as I sit back and think it has already been 3 months since Gregory was born. We are 3 months into the first year of his life and he has already changed so much! Here are just a few current pictures of our little guy.