Back to the competition....

Not sure why I ever painted Nick as a soft spoken shy guy - I kinda like finding out that it isn't true.  on Sunday while we were at the winery several kids (all older than him) were orchestrating a kickball game.  Nick asked if we would join him over there - I asked if he could try solo.  You know what - he did!!  He cautiously went up there, asked the kids to play.  They referred to him as the little guy, but he got to swing the bat for baseball (and get a hit) as well as play a little kick ball.  Joining a new group can be so daunting for kids and i was THRILLED that Nick has the 'tools' to fit right in and the desire to do it.
Here are a few more of the little guy's accomplishments.
tackling the local playground monkey style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5KiI2DXZpU&list=UUVOS8rAoIkMr_viSR6tsaFw&index=2
The wall climb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aujjyskoXBI
when he was ready to go down the guy manning the climbing wall told him to just 'push back'  ya right?!?!  He thankfully went up to show him....
Quite concept for him to grasp on the first time.
The kicker for Nick - - - just the other nick with dinner prep on the way he popped up to ask if there was anything he could help with - thanks Nick - LOVE YOU

Mother's Day

All you need is..... It was SO cute listening to Chris orchestrate breakfast in bed.  I loved the chorus of 'ME ME ME MEs' that followed his requests.  In these young years we all know a wonderful Mother's day is often fed through the loving husband.
Here is my breakfast in bed (well, not the food yet as we would surely make a mess of that!)

We actually made it to 9am church and I snuck out for an 11:30 body flow class that was pure relaxation for me and good for the soul. 

The afternoon was at a BEAUTIFUL winery at Bull Run with TONS of folks from NoVa.  Most importantly the Leadbetters!  I loved being able to celebrate alongside another wonderful mother.  I cannot believe we didn't take any photos.  Such is life.
Later that night we got to celebrate someone's new bike - o.k., obviously not Caz's or Chris... Look at that sweet ride for Ms T - complete with a Drew in the basket. What a truly beautiful day - honestly I cannot believe how far we have all come.  
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And the winner is....

Lately I have been rating my children on their daily rock star status.  Not necessarily to them - but surely to Chris as its kinda humorous as the criteria is so fluid.

Here are your contestants 

Of course Pauli is included and although I admire her gaul for catching some rays in plain view - this was NOT her day.

This guys should get a 'W' every day

Here's the judge and boy is she tough!

Pinterest project for drew.  Tackled in 10 seconds, disinterested by 11.

Shane reading to Drew - points for story line creativity

Mother's day Tea - bonus points

Love that shirt Tate 

Honestly, the winner today is this guy.  At 18 months I have TOTALLY slipped in teaching him to communicate which results in LOTS of 'AH AH AH' which is nail on a chalk board when making dinner etc...  so for the passed for days we started the basics, food, drink, more...  Geesh - he loves it!

I love how he looks at me and totally understands what i am saying. he gets it - 

Night night cute buns. 

More from me...

Days are getting better... Last night I rocked the kids with a well structured words with blocks game enticed by minimal iPad swapping. After 2 turns in the iPad they both preferred blocks. Win win!

Here's what the superman version of angry birds looks like


they play hard...


Horrible photo of me (again, I'm seeing a trend-haircut scheduled for tomorrow in hopes of it helping) but look at these dapper dudes. Shane served up a beautiful Mother's Day tea at prek. Brought me water, grapes, brownies and in his words 'whatever I wanted'


This was his gift.


All there is is love...


And we LOVE these fish sticks. Grab your family some from Costco!! It's what's for dinner;)

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Tips to success

Don't call them secrets because we all need a tip or two. I wish someone would come in and help me with what seems like mountains of inefficiency. But until than I need to keep track of my successful tricks.

Do laundry once a week! Sure it piles up, but hide it. The act of changing the washer/dryer isn't the drain or some imagines even the folding is therapeutic but the putting away.. Argh... Make sure you have enough undies and do it once a week.

Have an every Friday meal. Right now is pizza (shocking) and we may need to change it as Chris is growing tired of it. But it's a nice I don't have to decide and the less amount of decisions in a day the better-- for me.

What else you got?!


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The Highs and Lows

A Job is a Job and life is life - full of ups and downs.  Lately my life as a Mom has felt like more downs than ups.  but there are so many stages to life - to kids - to work.
Last Monday I barely made it to the gym on time to teach my 4:30 BP class.  Lugging the 3 boys as they haphazardly put on shoes etc. I decided to ask everyone in class today - I know you had a stresser today - now we are all here in class which is where we want to be - so what was our blocker??  I soaked in every answer as we all work through something different -
- horrible traffic and paying $5.50 to ride the tollway
- working with imcompetant employees (oftentimes more stressful than struggling toddlers, prekers and kindi dudes).
- Not having enough time to be a parent or having to flop schedules meetings etc to be with a sick child
- Early mornings...
I was quickly reminded of so many of the reason why we are where we are.  We made this decision and we didn't make it becuasxe it was the easiest one - it made sense for our family.
Is this article true whether you are a working mom or not -
http://www.today.com/moms/mom-survey-says-three-most-stressful-number-kids-6C9774150
This mom puts herself at an 8.5 outta 10 - I say - yes if not more at many moments!  Its something about constantly not measuring up for your kids.  You try to help Nick with his homework and Drew stretches from Shane's inability to share.  You try to engage Drew in  his level of toy, but he really wants the tiny Legos his brothers are trying to master in his absence.  From someone who always thought you can do it all, realizing you can't that you just throw in the towel and look at your phone (which part of me wishes was never invented... but that's my own problem....)
I learn something from EVERYONE - so when I feel like crap I ask for help!  LOTS of it.  I have Farrah Bootcamp coming this summer, a daily dose of Teresa, Dawn and Amy, the enrichment of MOPS and I have even opted to tackle a job discussion.
I listen to the working moms who say they could never be a stay at home mom and truly understand why - but in the same breath -  be thankful for the lack of alarm clocks ringing in our house and simple Doctor appointment making case in point - yesterday nick rolled off the bus with a MAJOR eachahe.  1 hour later and no job swapping he had meds and was laying on the couch - 3 hours later he was back to bouncing off the walls - but i digress...
So here is my happiness list so far - its inside my cupboard door - not the one with food in it...

Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

Tuesday -  in a sea of Salsa and tears in our eyes Drew and I both came to the realization that we need absence ... to make the heart grow fonder.  

I am so thankful to have such loving grandparents a phone call away.  This is what he looked like Tuesday

This is what he looks like tonight. 

This is what the big kids got to do today.

I finally got to be a 'yes' mom instead of the constant 'fun killer' that I feel like.  when Nick asked if he could scale the wall at the local rec center - yes - yes you can - you know what, he did! 

We ended our date night at Red Robin.  I sat next to 2 rather exhausted boys with great manners - yummy food and 2 sprites - I said 'yes' again, and it felt great - (we brushed our teeth a lot tonight)

As a SAHM - the break from your kids is more necessary than I let myself admit.  Not just an hour at the gym or a few hours to run an errand.  A true break is just liberating.  

I could finally help Shane through several missing steps of his evening as he struggles to take his shirt off (leaving it dangling form his head as he again forgot to unbuttom)  or puts his pants on backwards for the 50th time..

or Nick spouts off some Math begging for my acknowledgment and encouragement 

By the end of the day I KNOW my boys truly felt we were fun and KNEW how much I love them.  

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for giving them today!