Once Upon a 4-Wheeler

A couple of weeks ago we escaped to the cabin for a day of 4-wheeling together. I must admit, I wasn't looking forward to spending the day in the cold. But when a mom has all boys, she does what the boys do. Looking back on this day, I'm SO glad I got over myself and went along with my family. We had the very best day together. A storybook day. Once upon a time. . .

Aaron being Aaron

Braylen being Braylen :)

Ginger couldn't get enough! She ran and ran and ran!

Aaron rode first, then he drove Daddy around!

Kaleb would drive this 4-wheeler all day if we let him.

Derek pulled the boys in the sled. I even took a turn in the sled!

There's something special about spending a winter day at the cabin.
I love this picture of Aaron riding in the sled behind Derek.

At the end of the day, I impressed my boys with my driving. I want them to learn from me that girls can do these things too! The one thing I didn't do was chow down on jerky. The boys (and Ginger) wanted no other snack but jerky. Good thing I packed some peanut butter crackers for myself. :)

Derek went to a lot of work to arrange this family outing, and I'm so thankful he did. I hope our boys will remember these fun days. I'd like to stop time right here and keep them like this forever. I guess the best I can do is capture the memories through pictures and writing. It's my way of remembering once upon a time. . .

Life Right Now

This week is a very busy week for our family. Extra shifts for Derek. Meetings for me. Planning for an upcoming trip. Thank goodness Braylen can babysit for us. He'll earn himself another iTunes gift card this week! Kaleb was sick last week and missed three days of school. His fever was high enough to stay home, yet low enough that he felt chipper most of the time. His cough is still with him, but I think it's getting better. One more virus we just had to ride out. Last week was definitely the week to be sick. Please, not this week!

Aaron's up to 1000 mg of Depakote per day. Today was a very good day for him. I didn't see any seizures, and he wasn't groggy like he was yesterday. I'll take it. :) He has another blood test on Friday to re-check his therapeutic level.

Braylen's really grabbing on to what his youth group leaders are teaching him in Sunday School. When he asks me to make a copy of the handout from class so he can share it with his science teacher at school, I take a step back and think to myself, "Where did my son get his boldness from? Certainly not from me! It must be from his dad!" Or more likely, it's from his Heavenly Dad. :)

I know Aaron and Kaleb have said some funny things lately, but I just can't remember them now. Tonight I grilled pork chops for supper and fixed twice-baked potatoes. Aaron told me it was the best supper he's ever had in his whole entire life! He even had seconds! Oh, and that helped me remember one more thing. For the past week or so, the boys have been obsessed with popcorn chicken. They have it for after-school snacks and before bed. I guess crackers and yogurt aren't enough anymore. Tonight Aaron asked for a hot dog for a bedtime snack. He settled for some sausage snack sticks instead. I expect to see some growth spurts from all of this eating they're doing!

Now to play catch-up through pictures...

Kaleb helped me deliver Derek's valentine treat to him at work,
since he didn't go to school that day. I loved having him with me!
He wrote Daddy a note and taped a piece of bubble gum on it.
Derek loved all of his goodies!

Sweet Aaron

Special K

My buddy Braylen

I'm not sure when Valentine's Day turned into such a big deal, but it's a great way to brighten up the month of February. This year we bought each of the boys a pair of pants. Pajama pants for B, wind pants for K, and sweat pants for A! I didn't plan that...they just all happened to need pants! :) Derek left me 21 yellow love notes hidden around the house. I think I found the last two just this past Sunday.

It's warm again and much of the snow has melted. Kaleb and Aaron brushed Ginger for almost an hour on Saturday. I should say, Kaleb brushed her...Aaron's job was to grab the hair off the brush after each stroke. I tried to capture what he looked like when they were done. He was covered in dog hair!

Our hairy Aaron

On Sunday, Aaron and Kaleb decided they needed to knit again. They're knitting bookmarks and washcloths to stock their knitting store. They priced their items and now they're waiting for customers. So far Daddy bought a washcloth and a bookmark. We might pack up the store and take it with us over spring break! Get ready Grammy!

18 Valentines

Derek, you've been my valentine for 18 years! Who would have thought 18 years ago we'd celebrate this valentine's day by going on a 4-wheeling trip with our 3 boys and our dog? You might have, but I sure never imagined it! :)

18 things I love about you

• You pursued me 18 years ago, and you're still pursuing me today.
• You make my coffee every morning, and you don't even drink coffee.
• Your smile :)
• You are always the first to say, "I'm sorry."
• Your dedication to bring up our sons to be Godly men.
• You are even-keeled while I am definitely not!
• You know what I mean when I'm not even sure what I mean.
• You took me to Hawaii.
• You became a dog person when you were not raised as one.
• You've taught me to love camping. (in a nice, fully equipped camper!)
• You understand what Cedarville means to me because it means the same to you.
• Your job is extremely intense and yet you don't bring it home very often.
• You greet me every day with a "good morning sweetheart" and don't expect me to answer back so cheerfully!
• You are strong in all the areas where I am not.
• You value my role as a stay-at-home mom and model that appreciation for our boys to see.
• You love my parents and let them come and stay for 10 days!
• You call me in the middle of the day just to say you love me.
• You picked me to be the only girl you'll love all your life.

That last one comes from a song that I like. You can listen to it by clicking here. Happy Valentine's Day to my loving husband and sons, the ones I get to hug and hold today. And Happy Valentine's Day to my first and forever valentines, my mom, dad, and brother. How blessed I am to have you all to love and be loved by. And now I'm going to go and snuggle my 10 year old son who happens to be home sick from school today. Secretly I'm glad he's home with me. We are having a special day together on this lovely day. :)

February Snow

The taxes are done, the bathrooms are clean, and the laundry is washed. Yes, it is definitely Monday. Time to sneak in a little blog post. :)

No more mild winter! Our first big snow of the season came as soon as we turned the calendar page. No snow days though, since the storm hit on a Friday night. Still, I think it was great timing. It allowed Derek to be at home with us! That doesn't usually happen, so I will take it as a treat.

Kaleb cleared his bedroom window off just as I was taking a picture of it!

I had to go outside for the rest of my pictures. All I can see of Aaron is his nose!

Derek worked hard to clear our driveway. No more basketball for a while!

Braylen is a big help for Derek. He works just as hard as his dad.
Ginger's good at getting in the way.

She's always on the move, which makes it hard for me to get a good picture of her!

We left our backyard untouched...until the next day.

This snowy Saturday was perfect for my boys. They spent about 2 hours outside before lunch, and 4-5 hours outside after lunch! I couldn't even coax them inside for snacks! Kaleb and Aaron built a fort and went sledding on our neighbor's snow drifts. Braylen built another fort with his friend Matthew. Derek spent the afternoon clearing driveways around town, and what did I do? Well, someone had to stay inside and bake cupcakes. :) I know, it's a hard life, but somebody has to live it!

One funny before I go. The other day Aaron asked me, "How old do you have to be to be old?" Before I could even come up with a response he said, "97! So, you're not old Mommy!" Wow, Aaron, you can have two cupcakes for dessert! :)