I’m pretty confident there’s one in every family. The “easy one.” The one who almost always follows the rules, does what is asked of him (usually the first time!), and doesn’t demand your attention at every waking moment of the day. While our house is in a constant state of activity and noise and movement, there is one who is the calm in this crazy family storm. He helps when we ask him to, he does his homework without our nagging, and he is generally the one not in trouble. 🙂 Sometimes at…
Normally, you don’t want people to laugh at your children. But, sometimes, you just put it out there because it’s too funny to keep to yourself. Like these photos from a Christmas card photo shoot a couple years ago… I was in the hospital and asked my mom to take the boys to a friend’s house where a photographer was taking Christmas photos. I felt so bad asking my mom … we can all agree taking family photos is a beast! But, I assured her there was no pressure. I just needed one picture for our Christmas…
I looove behind-the-scenes footage and seeing the blooper reel at the end of a movie. They give you a little insight into what the set was really like, and what the actors and actresses went through to get those perfect shots. (And they usually make you laugh harder than the movie itself.) Don’t you wish we could see the blooper reel from our friends’ Facebook photo albums? Did their 2-year-old really sit for that perfect sunset shot without getting her dress wet, losing a shoe or throwing sand at her brother? Hmm… Saturday was…
Sometimes a single photo can overwhelm you and make you stop to catch your breath. This one from our 4th of July weekend did it to me. I took this picture of my youngest son, Finley, holding onto me as we stood ankle-deep in the water, letting the waves crash against our legs over and over again. He was smiling and laughing as the waves would roll in closer and closer until they finally splashed up on us and made his whole body rock back. Each time, he clenched my leg until the water crept back out and he…
There are so many reasons I should be celebrating. Making that last preschool payment should make me want to jump for joy! It means we have extra money each month to spend elsewhere. It means we have officially graduated from pull-ups and sippy cups. It means all my kiddos are old enough to make their own snacks, put on their own shoes and buckle themselves up in the car. Those are all good things that definitely bring a smile to my face. But, then my heart feels heavy and my eyes fill with tears. Because this also reminds me…
I never like to hand out parenting advice. Even when someone comments that I “must know so much” because I have four children. Honestly … they are all so different that my hubby and I are constantly looking at each other and shrugging when faced with a new question to answer or problem to solve. It is still trial and error, even four babies in. But, one thing I have learned in the past 12 years is to stay involved … with their school, with their activities, with their friends. That’s advice I’m happy to share. The secret is they…
You are my precious middle child. Well, you are in the middle of four. You are second born, with two littles behind you. You are the one who wants to hang with your big brother and take care of your little brothers. You want to be like that firstborn in so many ways, but you also want to do everything opposite of him so you feel different and unique. You want to explain the world to your littles and be in the same teenager world of your big. So, yea, you’re my middle child. And those littles look up…
You know when someone you love is in a sad, heart-wrenching place and you just want to fast forward life to get them to happiness? That’s how I felt about my little sister three years ago. She was going through a divorce and was so upset, and scared, and anxious about so many things. Every time we spoke, her voice was soft and sad, and I knew she was struggling to talk or think about anything else. We prayed and prayed for her to get through that crazy, difficult time and find something to make her smile again…
Yes, I’m singing Flo Rida’s “My House” as I type this and laughing at myself. Is that the most addicting song or what? (I bet you sang along as you read the title too, didn’t you?) 🙂 Well, here is my crew. Miles, Carson, Sawyer and Finley. They are my busy, hilarious, loving little guys, but also each very different, which is awesome to witness. (I’ll share more about each of them from time to time, to give you a peek inside our little world.) When someone imagines four boys in the house, I…