birthday boy

James had a birthday! He turned 4 last Saturday. I am so happy to have a little 4 year old boy! He is just such a great energetic little boy. For his birthday he wanted a wiener roast with a football cake at grandmas backyard. Sound familiar? Nothin like doing the exact same thing we did last year, oh and pretty much the year before too! He wanted 30 people and the only adults grandma's and grandpa's. We had to make a few changes to his guest list. Also, James has already requested the exact same thing for next year! It makes me so happy.

(it was actually a hurricane wind which put a damper on my picture taking, i was making sure none of the children blew away.)

(we had to move the cake inside to warm up and so the candles would stay lit. and yes he is sporting a couple lines under his eyes to be a football player.)

A few things about James at 4.

-sleeps past 8 o'clock most mornings
-often is dressed and makes his bed before he comes out of his room
-dressed as in basketball shorts and a shirt out of his dirty clothes because he can't reach the shirts on hangers
-LOVES hot dogs and asks for them everyday at one meal or another just in case (he doesn't usually get them) but when he does it is gone in 30 seconds
-also loves pretty much all vegetables, (carrots and cucumbers are #1) and fruits, (watermelon is #1 at the moment) shrimp, salmon, steak, sushi...ok he is not picky.
-rides his bike ALL the time, even just up and down the street
-loves any and all sports
-is slightly competitive in all these sports (in the talk department that is)
-also plays a good round of barbies with his sister
-works hard when i give him a job around the house to do
-always wants to do what his dad is doing

-always looking for an excuse to go visit grandma and eat her food
-still gives a fantastic cuddle
-is out of control for anything treat/sugar related
-often has a hard time winding down and actually falling asleep some nights (hence the sleep in)
-is so excited to be a big brother and wants a brother named ruff (still not sure if he believes me yet, does he think it's a dog not a rabbit now?)
-can still throw the occasional CRAZY tantrum



James makes me so happy! Every day is better because I get to hang out with him. He is SUCH a good kid. Totally easygoing. Loves to play by himself and plays great with the neighborhood boys or girls of any age. I wish I had just a smidge of his energy and enthusiasm! It doesn't get any better that this kid!

oh mothers!

Well, Mother's Day has come and gone for another year.

I found my camera cord, it was literally in front of my face on the desk. Don't I have a cute backdrop in my very own backyard?! You can pretty much expect us to be there all the time because I think it's fantastic.

I think we should start a campaign for Mother's Day to be a bi annual event. Not so much for the gift factor (although I know you would all be jealous of the tomato saver I received) but more for the recognition we get. (oh and the breakfast, sleep in, dinner made and cleaned up not by me, the children's colorings and extra loves, husband slight struggle to keep a smile on, ha jks, etc.) Who's with me?! Don't you just love a day where you are validated in ALL you do?

(this has got to be the best self timed pic ever! first try too.)

At times I feel overwhelmed as a wife/mother/person. Sometimes I just don't want to be an adult and pay bills, be responsible to feed and bathe my children, empty the dishwasher, mop the floor, and go to work. (i do enjoy it when I tell my kids no more treats etc and then they go to bed and I eat whatever I want, but I digress.)

There are so many things I sometimes want to/could be doing but choose not to because I want to be with my family. I choose to focus on what I AM doing as a wife/mother/person, not what I am not doing. For example, in my last pregnancy, I usually made food and had meals for the kind man of the house and me. Well, this time, up to this point in my zombie state, my house has stayed relatively clean. Put it together if you might, but I choose not to focus on the fact that the other day's Sunday dinner was the first actual meal I made in over a week. (good thing I have a husband and a bbq)

Focusing on the negative is a rough road to go down. While I believe in improving myself and working to be better, I cannot put my focus on the negative. There is a non self destructive way to go about it, and it pretty much involves not comparing myself to others. I truly believe this is what can get me down and can motivate me the wrong way. When I do want to improve in some area or whatever, it's not so that I can be as good or better than my friend(s) or whoever, it's to genuinely be a better wife/mother/person. I hate it when I lose sight of this. I hate when any of us lose sight of this. I love so much when a we can rejoice in an accomplishment together without feelings of envy or spite. (I have decided not to be mad at my friends who can run fast right now. i just focus on the fact that...well someday I will be able to do it again, right?!) When there is a genuine love between people it is easy to find the good in one another. When I am finding the good in someone, they just might be finding the good in me and it becomes easier for everyone involved to feel uplifted when that is the focus.

So that is somehow my mothers day post! I just have to say that I love my family so very much. I really do love being a mom. I love being around my family. I'll be looking in my calendar for one more day to be Mother's Day because I DO want some extra recognition for how awesome I am. And isn't it always nice to be extra loved? You know, just enough to keep us going. Come on, once a year?! I think we all need this at least twice!

Next post, my mothers day present 4 years ago, James!

10 on tuesday

1. I'm 17 weeks tomorrow. So I'm due the end of October. I don't want to find out boy or girl, Derek does.

2. I am also feeling much better, thank you for caring about me!!

3. What is the deal with business's misspelling the name of their business? Do they teach that in business school? Krazy is just poor spelling every time and no more catchy than crazy.

4. I'm planting a garden again this year!

5. I need a meal planner, I'm at an all time low. Well, I wish that was true, but I've been here before plenty o times.

6. I'm awake more than 50% of the day I swear...

7. James was writing the word book the other day. K is a hard letter for him, the letter B is easier. He replaced the K with a B while drawing at church...I got a bad case of the giggles following as did Derek and the lady sitting behind us too.

8. Derek is training for a half marathon this month and a marathon in the fall. I am jealous. It's my goal to get past 5km this week since I have an 8 km race next month. I am way painfully slow right now.

9. Also, he is looking trim and fit, I'm trying not to hate him for it.

10. I can't find my camera cord to download some pics I have actually been taking. I'm annoyed.