Mid-Summer Days

Here we are at the end of June, with firework stands popping up all over town. I used to silently dread this time of year. Everyone loves the 4th of July, right? I didn't. Noisy fireworks interfered with my babies' naps and bedtimes. It's hot and buggy. Lots of hype all around for a day (or days) of irresponsible partying. I know, I know, what a party-pooper I was. All that has changed now that my kids are older! I LOVE this time of year!!! Last summer my boys and I rode our bikes to the nearest fireworks stand and bought some goodies. I like to think we'll do that every year now. (until they learn to drive!) Braylen is old enough to light his own firecrackers, and nobody takes naps. :) I'm one of those super-cautious moms around fireworks, though. I think that's my firefighter daddy in me. :) My house is decked out in red, white, and blue. Salads and desserts center around a 4th of July theme, and the week wouldn't be complete without a big juicy watermelon. Top it all off with a visit from my parents, and this week is more fun than any other week of the year! I'm very excited for it to begin!

Playing hide-and-seek with Daddy

Ginger is 12 weeks old and growing so fast. These days she's chasing her tail and walking better on her leash. Derek got some awesome pictures of her the other night by our pink flowering shrubs. Pink is my absolute favorite flower color, and I just love it when these shrubs are in full bloom. What a perfect place for our puppy to plop down and pose.

This past week our activities really cranked up a notch. Aaron enjoyed a preschool VBS, which he called "PBS." :) Braylen kept busy mowing lawns and swimming at a friend's pool party. Kaleb and I had 2 hours to ourselves one morning and enjoyed a modified donut date. Let me explain. When we went to the donut shop, we saw it's closed for a month. A month?! Thankfully, Kaleb agreed to sit in the shopping cart and eat his grocery-store donut while I sipped a yummy iced coffee :) Throw in 3 doctor's appointments and pharmacy visits along with a house screaming to be cleaned, and I was one busy mama.

Last night I had one of those mad-mommy-moments when I found ice cream on the couch, water all over the bathroom mirror, and poor aim around the toilet. It's so hard to rise above that and look at what really matters. I'd really like a few hours (alone) to deep-clean my house before my parents come for a visit. I think that would do wonders for me. Since that wasn't happening last night, I opened my Bible to try and soak up some kind of cure for my grumpiness. I found it in Psalm 118:13-14. "I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." So many times I feel pushed--pushed by my kids, by life's demands, by my own standards. When I take some time to be still before the Lord, He helps me. He quiets my spirit and helps me realign my priorities. My kids don't need a clean house, but they do need a mom who's grounded in the Lord. However, I'm still hoping Derek takes the kids out for a couple hours this week. :)

12 Years

June 21st is the summer solstice, the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. . .and our wedding anniversary! This is the first time that I can remember our anniversary falling on Father's Day. Because of that, we celebrated both events by boating as a family. The weather was nice and hot while the water was nice and cool. Part of me can't believe I've been married for 12 years. But another part of me thinks it should be longer. Derek and I dated for 3 years before getting married, so in my mind I feel like it's been 15 years. :) I am blessed to be married to my best friend.

7, 9, and 5 years old are my favorite ages so far!

Posing at camp before heading home

Braylen had a fun week at camp, but he was ready to come home to his cozy bed and loving family. As our van pulled up the camp drive, Braylen came darting out of the chapel and splashed through the mud to greet us. What a glorious muddy hug! As we stood in the chapel for the closing program, my eyes watered just watching him sing his camp songs and recite his memory verses. I vividly remember my camping days, and to see my own son experience his camping days made me a bit emotional. That's who I am, and my husband sees that and smiles at me. (inwardly he's laughing at me I'm sure!) One thing I wish Braylen would've left at camp is a skin infection. Instead, he brought it home and shared it with Aaron. Now we have 2 sons on oral and topical antibiotics for 10 days. It was so hard to keep them out of the pool today! Kaleb, completely healthy, had our pool to himself and splashed around for 3 hours. At least one son was happy!

Car-washing station!

As summer heats up, I'm getting brown. Last week someone asked me what nationality I am. That's a new one! I think she was disappointed when I rattled off my European roots. Was she expecting Native American? Hispanic? No such luck--I'm just a white girl who happens to tan easily. My boys look blonder to me these days, with brown skin as well. I like to say they got the best of me and the best of Derek--tan blondies! Braylen tells me Kaleb's hair is "getting baggy." That made me laugh, because I don't get "Braylenisms" very often. It's usually Aaron providing me with such great material. :)

Speaking of that, Aaron's latest switcharoo involves our dog's name. Sitting at lunch the other day, Aaron said, "Ninger likes to play with me, Ninger likes to lick my fingers. . ." The first thought that popped into my mind was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (A flash from the past--right, Eric?) Then I realized he was talking about Ginger. Too funny!

While Big Brother's Away. . .

Life at our house is not how it should be with one child missing, but we've managed to find lots of fun moments together while Braylen's been at camp. Kaleb finally had a full week of t-ball games, we enjoyed a full day's worth of lake fun at a friend's house, and we made our first trip to the pool. It finally feels like summer around here! In fact, Aaron and Kaleb were swinging one night when Aaron said, "Summer is always fun for some reason! These are happy days now!" I agree.

Just a glimpse of the water-fun we had. Our boys are in the paddle boat.

Kaleb does love to drive!

Speaking of happy days--Aaron learned how to ride his bike without training wheels on Monday! Daddy's been working with him for weeks, and Aaron was so close. All he needed was about 30 minutes with Mommy, and off he went. Part of me feels like my baby bird flew out of the nest that day. My kids are growing up and needing me less; one small step at a time. In this case, one pedal at a time! :) Aaron's secret to success were some really good knee pads, elbow pads, and biker gloves.

Aaron with one of his toads

Aaron's discovered a real love for toads this week. He's collected 5 toads that I know about. One is now in our window well, three are in frog habitats on our front porch, and one was released in the neighbor's landscaping. Kaleb won't touch them, let alone pick them up. He calls himself a good frog finder and finds the frogs for Aaron to pick up! Aaron collects ants and worms to feed his toads. Even at the pool today he was more interested in playing with the bugs on the cement than swimming. He is SUCH a boy. One odd thing Aaron's been doing lately is tying his feet together with rubber bands and hopping around the house. The other day I had to help him get 10 rubber bands off his feet! Silly boy!

Kaleb will wave at the toad! This toad ended up in our window well.

Kaleb played basketball at a neighbor's house the other day. Being a sweat machine, Kaleb loved the water brought out for him by this neighbor's mom. She said it came straight from the cold refrigerator. After a few sips, he looked into his cup and said, "Do you have grass in your fridge?" Little grass pieces couldn't have come from the ground--in his mind they came from the water's source! :) He loved playing at the pool today, and spent 2 hours jumping off the diving boards.

Yes, Kaleb and Aaron have had lots of fun this week. But we're all looking forward to Braylen coming home. Then I'll have all of my chicks back in the nest. . .for now. :)

Changing Places

With Braylen off to camp for a week, Kaleb and Aaron are now "roommates." Aaron's always had his own room. Kaleb and Braylen have always shared rooms. This week, Kaleb moved into Braylen's top bunk, while Aaron moved into Kaleb's bottom bunk. Both boys are delighted! I'm anticipating a week of bonding sprinkled with occasional fights. :)



Dropping Braylen off at camp for a week was like stepping back in time. I loved going to camp as a kid! But being the mom instead of the camper is weird. I think about things like, "Will he apply sunscreen and bugspray? Will he take a shower this week? Will I get a call from the camp telling me he needs stitches?" When did I go from a carefree camping kid to such a worrywart adult?! Sometimes growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be. When leaving the camp, I saw a sign posted that read, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them.'"--Ecclesiastes 12:1 My prayer for Braylen, beyond his bodily safety of course, is that he finds MUCH pleasure in the simple things of being a kid this week. That he enjoys these days of his youth, before adulthood comes to swoop him up.

Have fun at camp Buddy! Ginger will be waiting for you to come home!

Rain & Laughter

What a peachy week. Rained out t-ball games, an emergency trip to the vet, and a very long time spent at the dentist's office. When all 3 kids and Mom have back-to-back teeth cleanings, we just check in for the day! Oh joy! Ginger is okay after getting into something she's not supposed to have. Now we know all about induced vomiting and antidotes. If Thursday's t-ball game is rained out, we will be halfway through our t-ball season without a single game. Kaleb doesn't even have his uniform t-shirt yet, but pictures are supposed to be tomorrow.

When God sends a week like this our way, He also provides humor at the most random times. This morning Kaleb walks through the kitchen and says, "If meatballs were grass, I'd be a lawnmower." Thanks for the smile, Kaleb! Aaron's delighted at all of his new clothes he received from Kaleb's dresser. Kaleb is not delighted. Aaron sees that Kaleb wants his shirt back and answers, "It's in my power now!!!" Then he tears off running as fast as he can. Braylen asks if he can take Ginger for her morning walk--in the rain. YES! Let me stay cozy and dry while you take the puppy out!

Aaron asks when Great-Grandpa used a bullet. I tell him he probably used bullets when he was in WW2.
Aaron: Was he new in WW2? (he means not old)
Me: Yes, he was new.
Aaron: How new?
Me: Oh, maybe 19 or 20?
Aaron: Were you made yet Mommy?
Me: No, not yet.
Aaron: Was Grandma made yet?
Me: No.
Aaron: Oh yeah. . .Is Great Grandpa new in heaven now?
Me: Yes, I think he is.
Aaron: Is he a little tiny baby?
Me: No, I think he's a grown-up, but not an old man.
Aaron: Will he get old in heaven?
Me: Nope! He'll always be new.
Aaron: Always be new? Wow!

Even when things don't go as we planned, I still want to remember how fun it is to be with my kids. They're not sitting in school all day; they're here with me. We're laughing and running and playing. Lately the boys have been laughing so much at the supper table, we've had to tone things down. Even still, one of them chokes on his milk and out it comes on his plate--all because he couldn't hold in his laughter. Tonight we had some good friends over for ice cream sundaes and root beer floats. This week's not all about disappointments. It's all about taking the good with the bad. That's our life!!!

Lake Fun

In spite of the recent cold, rainy weather, our family grabbed a partly sunny day at the lake. Yay! We brought Ginger along for her first trip to the cabin. Derek and I agreed that we will have many memories of her "growing up" at the lake right alongside our boys. While we boated, Ginger hung out at the cabin and explored. My mother-in-law tried to take her for a walk, but she had as much success as I usually have. Ginger will walk for Derek though. She knows who her boss is. :)

Walking Ginger with cousins

Braylen used some of his mowing money to buy himself some new fishing lures. I wish I could say they attracted the fish, but nobody caught even a nibble yesterday. Thankfully we still had fun on the boat, driving fast and even jumping in the water for a swim. I waterskiied a couple times, got a little too crazy with the rope and ended up with too much slack--down I went! Derek said I skiied on my lifevest for a bit. I'm feeling it today--ouch! Not to end the day with a fall, I gave it another shot and played it safe. Much better to just let go of the rope when I'm done and gently sink into the water.

Fishing buddies

Kaleb & Grandpa driving the boat

Ahhh, the first lake swim of the summer

This summer, in addition to all the usual summer activities, I'm carving out one day a week to do something that can only be described as awesome. A friend of mine pointed out a few months ago that soon, if not already, our older children will be taught evolution in the public schools. Because of this, she came up with an idea to form a group of kids who could get together once a week this summer. At these weekly gatherings, the kids will form friendships with other kids who believe the same way they do. They'll also be taught a lesson from Focus on the Family's "The Truth Chronicles," a kids' Odyssey series paralleling the adult study, "The Truth Project." We had our first session last week and I'm pumped to see how God will use this group. Braylen was excited to make a new friend, and both boys participated in the discussions on a Biblical worldview. I, along with the other moms in this group, hope to have some honest talks with our kids about Absolute Truth. We want to open up our kids' eyes to the lies of the world and the Truth of God, and we also want our kids to have friends to stand with. If I've learned anything while raising kids in today's world, it's this: I have to be an intentional parent. My child will get chewed up and spit out if he's not Biblically equipped. I love my kids too much to let that happen. It is icing on the cake to be doing this at a house on a private lake. When the lesson is done, our kids can play to their hearts' content. Water trampolines, paddle boats, swimming, playgrounds, land trampoline, jeeps. . .and God's Truth. Pretty awesome, don't you think? :)

Ginger Girl

We've been a doggie family for 5 days now, and we're all adjusting to what that means. Thankfully Derek takes the 7am shift with Ginger so I don't have to give up my summertime-sleeping-in-sessions! The kids follow her everywhere she goes, and want to take her with us all over town. Tonight I took them to DQ for ice cream while Daddy worked a late-evening shift, and they wanted to bring Ginger. They feel sorry for her at home by herself. I think she's probably relieved! She gets so much attention around here. But maybe all that attention is helping her enjoy her quiet time. She doesn't yelp or whine in her crate at all. We've even taken her on a few car rides in her crate, and she does beautifully.

One area of frustration has to do with woodchips. She chews on them CONSTANTLY. Should I let her chew on them, or keep following her around to dig them out of her mouth? She also doesn't like her leash at all. I put it on to take a walk and she refuses to come. She plants her feet in the grass and will not walk! If she does walk, she carries her leash in her mouth and I'm forever prying it out to hold it above her head to walk her. Is this just a puppy thing or what? I know it's not good to tug on her leash, so I try to avoid doing that. I've tried leash-training her around the yard and that is a joke. Any suggestions anyone? Also, she's hyper in the evenings. That means nippy. She nips at our ankles, sleeves, legs, shoes--you name it, she's all over it. For the most part she leaves our hands alone. I've worked with her and worked with her on that. But the rest of the body? When she's hyper, it all looks like fair play to her. Tonight she was so hyper and crazy I had to put her in the 10'X10' kennel for some isolation!

Our daily activites this week have been squashed by cold, rainy weather. While I'm always up for a good rain or thunderstorm, I've had enough of these dreary days! I switched the boys' winter clothes out for summer clothes on Tuesday, and ended up digging out the pants and sweatshirts this morning. Sheesh!

One particularly bright spot in my week came from a surprise visit from a friend. She stopped by to give me a cute little scrapbook for Ginger. It even has girly doggie stickers and embellishments. That meant the world to me! She knows I don't scrapbook, but I love to take pictures. Thank you Dusty!!! You made my day. :)

Remembering that this is "fun with our SONS," I will allow them some time in this post. Kaleb and Aaron have been addicted to their big wheels this week. They've ridden for hours and hours on those things. They've also resurrected their love for the Jeep, tying the big wheels and little tykes cars behind it and pulling each other all over the place. They're noisy and crazy, but they're having fun. :) And Ginger isn't afraid of all the commotion one bit. She sits on my feet and snuggles in to watch the show. Braylen joins in at times; other times he plays with his buddy or mows Grandma's yard. Aaron rode a good stretch of the street on his bike without training wheels, but still likes to have Daddy run with him. He did our monkey bars all by himself today and learned how to pump a swing on 5/27. He'll be on his own with his bike in no time. I'm not sure how I feel about that. . .

Aaronisms:

"I like guinea pigs, but I like dogs better." (Where did he learn about guinea pigs??)

"Can I ride my scooter to Dairy Queen?" (2 miles away?)

When seeing the sun rays shine down through the clouds before sunset, he says, "Aww look--someone's going up to heaven!"

"Everything's fun, but home might be the best."

Puppy Love

Cement pad, dog kennel, fenced in yard, dog crate, food bowls, chew toys, dog food, dog treats, collar, leash, brush, cable, pooper-scooper, nail clippers, tick collar, dog house, dog bed, PUPPY=more money than I'd like to admit.

3 boys and their dog=priceless

Ginger came home to us 2 days ago, and our lives will never be the same! We are cuddling her, running around with her, teaching her, and loving her to pieces. She's soooo cute! I'm so glad we have this new puppy at the beginning of summer. I'm learning how helpful the boys really are! In fact, when Braylen goes to camp in a couple of weeks, I will really miss his help with Ginger. He takes her to her "potty spot." He plays with her. He walks her. He keeps an eye on her. Kaleb, bless his heart, comes in the house and asks where Ginger is. Nevermind the fact that she's asleep on the garage step and he had to walk OVER her when he came in the door. :) Aaron's an easy target for a playful puppy, so he spends most of his time running away from her while I teach her not to nip at him or jump on him. I tried a new technique to correct that problem today, and feel really good about it. Success is such a great thing for this novice puppy mommy!

Raising an outdoor dog is new to me, so I'm reading all that I can while getting creative with how we do things. At night we put Ginger in her crate in the garage, and I turn my baby monitor on so I can hear her if she yelps. It took me a while to find my baby monitor, but I'm so glad I still have it! So far I've only needed to take her outside to do her business once during the night. Yay! And she loves her crate. Another big plus. I've realized that raising this puppy really is similar to raising a baby. (I think having 3 babies of my own gives me the right to say that.) :) She needs constant supervision, consistentcy, attention, love, vaccinations, potty training, etc. I call her my canine baby.

Ginger had her first jeep ride today!

On a different note, Braylen ran in another track meet this past Saturday. He did so well, and it's fun to see him improve his times. I just love watching him run. Kaleb started t-ball last week. This is Aaron's last summer as a spectator, since he'll be old enough for t-ball next summer. That's hard to believe! But for now, Braylen and Aaron and I will enjoy watching Kaleb play. I'm sure we'll bring Ginger along as well. Summer may not be here on the calendar yet, but it's here in our family!