Cutting Down Our Tree

Visit with St. Nicholas, Jack didn't want to get in the picture!

 In my mad rush to make up lost time with all of my December posts, I realized I didn't include pictures of us cutting down our tree!  We went to the same tree farm that we've gone to the past two years, which is also an actual farm.  Unfortunately once we were out in the field is started to sprinkle and so we were a little rushed to pick our tree, and once we got home we were a little disappointed!  After we cut the tree, we met some friends and wandered around the farm a bit, looking at horses, donkeys, chickens, rabbits, the old fire truck and some exotic birds.

This is Beth's best friend, M.  She is also homeschooled and they do a lot of activities together!

An Escape to Jamaica

Ryan and I were invited to go to Jamaica by some friends to help them celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary, so we "crashed" their trip!  We left on a Thursday morning and got back very late on a Sunday night, and we stayed at a couple's resort in Ochos Rios.  We had a wonderful time!  The only downside was that the weather was unusually rainy, but not so much that we couldn't enjoy the beach- just enough that it wasn't the typical tropical weather that we'd imagined.  The resort was very nice, though a bit hilly!  We definitely got our workout with all the stairs!  It was all-inclusive, so we enjoyed drinks at the bar and on the beach, and the different restaurants offered at the resort. 

A view from one of the cliffs, overlooking the small beach that was only occupied by our resort

I spent as much time here as I could- this is why I go on vacation- to sit on a beach and look at the water.  I was born for this!

 We felt honored to be invited on their trip so Ryan and I planned a surprise for our friends.  Before we left, we gathered notes from family members with memories from their wedding.  During lunch one day, I snuck away ("tummy issues," lol!) and I (literally) ran off to decorate their room with Christmas lights, leave their letters from family members,  and set up our phone playing music from their wedding.  I think it's safe to say they were pretty surprised when they finally made it back to their room!

Dinner the first night: an obligatory resort-wide outdoor buffet and entertainment show, and our friends Patrick and Allison who were celebrating their anniversary!

 One morning we went on an excursion to Dunn's River Falls, which included us climbing from the bottom of the river to the top of the water falls- which was no easy feat!  We formed a human chain of 30+ people and spent a couple of hours climbing the freezing cold river.  It was exhilarating!  Another afternoon we went out on our resort's boat with a guide and went snorkeling for about 45 minutes, over a reef not too far from the resort.  When we left the beach it was raining pretty hard, but by the time we got to the reef, there was a beautiful rainbow and clear skies, it was amazing!  I took an underwater camera with us to both the river and snorkeling, but I haven't developed the pictures yet!  I'll update this post once I have them.

The beautiful sunset, I think this is the only night we were actually able to see it.

Toes in the water. :-)

 These trips are so much fun and we feel so blessed to be able to travel together.  Ryan and I both love exploring new places and taking a break, though it always seems to short!  We hope to go to one of the French Carribean islands next, whenever we're able to go!

On our way out to leave the resort, one last photo!

We got back late on a Sunday night, and the next day was the first day in our kitchen renovation... More to come on that later!

St. Nicholas Day

At the beginning of December, Grandpa and Grandma took Beth to see The Nutcracker at the ballet, at a special time with our homeschool group.  She loved seeing the ballet she knows so well, this time up close and personal.  After the ballet was over she had a special treat and was able to meet one of the orchestra's violin players, a friend of Grandpa and Grandma's.

The next night was the eve of St. Nicholas' visit!  We placed our shoes out with tender care, only this night was a bit different since Ryan and I would be leaving early the next morning for our trip (more on that later), so Grandpa and Grandma's shoes were left out instead.  The next morning, the kids woke up to shoes filled with oranges, chocolate coins, and for the kids- new slippers and books!

The kids had fun over the next several days with Grandpa and Grandma, then with my Mom and two brothers, while Ryan and I left town for a little vacation!

Goodbye Austin

They are gone.  My parents sold the home in which I spent the last eight years of of my childhood, and I've left so many memories- the good and the bad- behind.  They have moved because of my Dad's job.  When work calls, you gotta answer.

Saying goodbye to the house in which I spent so many formative years of my life was very bittersweet.  Remembering what had happened there... From fifth grade through high school... Well, it's overwhelming.  Then, I made new memories by watching my kids play in the house where three of my brothers were born and had spent their whole lives. 

I walked through the house one last time, alone, and I spent time recalling the happy times.  Reminding myself of the things I wanted to make sure I remembered- not just how I'd left them, but how they were when I was much younger.  My slumber party in 6th grade with my girlfriends and I sleeping in the living room... I didn't have a birthday the year before because we'd only just moved to Austin and I knew no one.  Wrestling my brothers on the living room floor.  Playing in the backyard on the fort and in the hose.  My band blockhead in the front yard.  My pets- my cats, rabbits, a brief stint with some noisy birds.  So many wonderful memories.  

I have to mention that there were many things I chose to leave behind me.  Many memories I am done with, parts of me that don't even feel like me anymore.  It is freeing to be rid of that, though I know they will never actually leave me.  I choose to learn from the past but not let it dictate who I am today.  Good riddance.

I know that saying goodbye to a house is not the most important part, because it was our family made it a home.  And I've moved on and made a new home, my siblings are doing the same, and my parents and two youngest brothers will be creating a new set of memories in a new house...Making it their home.

So, to a house full of memories, to the friends we've left behind.  To starting over again in new places, and to new memories yet to be made.  To exploring a new city and state, far far away, and to learning how to be a family though we're separated by miles.  May we all be blessed as we are on opposite sides of the country, and may we all remember to use this newfangled technology like Skype and FaceTime to see each other on a more regular basis!  This is not the end, but the beginning to a new exciting journey!  Will you please pray for my family- all of them- as we all settle in to this new way of life?  

Mom, Dad, David, Alex- we are looking forward to seeing your new digs soon. :-)

Tailgating in Aggieland

This year we tailgated with our friends at the first Aggie game back in September.  Yes, I realize that was several months ago!  So I'm a little behind. :-)  Beth and Luke were in awe of everything going on around us- the thousands of people, the corps marching into the stadium and the band, Rudder Fountain, and everything else!  It was my first time to be back since the MSC had been remodeled- wow!  I am having a bit of a difficult time comprehending that it's been 7 years since my time on campus, but on the other hand it definitely feels like a lifetime ago! 

Funny story- we were walking through the MSC area heading toward the stadium, and the crowd was thick.  I have my hair back and my sunglasses on, I think I had Jack in my sling but I don't remember.  I do know that Ryan had Beth and Luke with him.  So I'm walking through the crowd (sort of alone since Ryan is about 30 feet ahead of me) and a woman stops me and asks if I'm Michael's sister.  I say yes, I have a brother named Michael, then she told me that she follows my blog and told me that my kids were sweet and a few other nice things.  I have to admit, I was a little flattered but also very weirded out!  I know I've always kept my blog public but this was one of those strange times that a person- a very nice person in this instance, luckily- could pick me out of a crowd of thousands!

I've often wondered about making my blog private but on the other hand I've shared things here that I feel are motivating and helpful to other moms who read here.  At least that's what I've been told. :-)  So for now I'll keep it public...For now...

Coming Soon

It's so strange to me that something that was such a huge part of my life feels like such a stranger now...  I have lots of fun things to write about but my current excuse is that my computer is acting like a piece of junk.  Remember when I got this thing when Luke was a baby?  Yeah, I blogged about it, because I blogged about everything then. ;-)  It's been a little over three years, I feel like a computer should last longer than that!  Whatever the case, tomorrow we're going to wipe out the hard drive on this bad boy and see if starting all over again with Windows 8 will help anything, so tonight I'm in high-gear trying to make sure every little file is backed up!  If it doesn't help then I anticipate a new Mac in my future (though I'd really rather wait and not drop money on a new computer right after the holidays!).

Just to keep you waiting, here's what I have coming up on my blog...

1. Goodbye Austin
2. From Beth's Point of View
3. An Escape to Jamaica
4. We Like to Work Under Pressure (aka Our New Kitchen!)
5. Cousins!
6. The Christmas Holiday and All 700 Photos That I Took
7. Beth is 6!
8. Goodbye 2012

Thanksgiving in Pics

The End of An Era

Beth started ballet in September of 2009, just a few months before her third birthday.  My little girl was so excited to be dancing with the "big girls," and I remember that day very well.  She was the tiniest and youngest girl in the class by a landslide, but she did such a good job!!!  Since then, she's attended the same class at the same studio on the same day for about 3.5 years now, and danced in three full-scale productions.  I have been so proud of my little ballerina!

But this little ballerina is growing up...

I've always wanted to let my kids choose what extra activities they want to be in, to support them in their choices but also make sure they're giving each activity a good effort before dropping out and moving on.  Of course they're still little, but it was my goal to let them try out a lot of things while they're little so that they have a good idea of what's available to them.  As we started this year of ballet, Beth was very excited because she was in class with one of her best friends, and starting class again signaled the end of a long (sort of boring) summer.  Not even two weeks into it she started the familiar complaining that plagued us last year- she didn't want to go, she was bored, and it made her throat hurt (???).  She'd start complaining over the weekend- every weekend- that she didn't want to go, but once we actually got there she'd have a great time.  So we kept it up, partly because I thought she'd outgrow it and partly because I'd made a financial commitment!  But it's been something I've been thinking about a lot, and she hasn't stopped complaining about not wanting to go, so we asked her if she wanted to stop.  She said YES!

What other option do we have?  We can continue to make her go against her wishes, but I don't think that's being very fair or respectful of her autonomy.  As I've thought about it more, I've realized how she is driven by results- she wants to learn something new, practice it over and over again until she masters it- then move on to something new.  I can't say that's an unfamiliar thing for me!  Ballet is not that sort of thing for her- it's the same thing, year after year, and she just has to get better at it.  While she's young, and at this studio at least, that's the way it goes.  She's just bored.

It's important to us that she be involved in something physical, and since Ryan played soccer during his entire childhood, we are going to pursue a soccer team for her in January.  She is INCREDIBLY excited about this, and I think she'll really enjoy it!  I am a little sad to leave her ballet studio, her sweet teachers, and the friends we've made, but it's also a huge drive for us every week so I can't say I'll miss everything about it. ;-)

We're talking about other things she can be involved in next semester, and we're considering a few other things like an art class (she adores art), a science class (with her sweet friend), and/or piano lessons.  We would love to do everything for her, but these things cost money!!!  So we're not quite sure yet what's going to happen.

I took this video of her yesterday.  She's been practicing, trying to learn how to do a headstand, for about a month now.  She did it.

I'll miss watching her dance at the studio, but I know she'll continue to dance at home!  I wonder what she'll think of to try next?

Halloween

We had great plans this year for Beth to be a flower and Jack to be a dalmatian to accompany firefighter Luke.  However, after I started making Jack's costume, he refused to put it on, so we defaulted to our dress up clothes. ;-)  I procrastinated Beth's flower costume and didn't get that done either, so she borrowed a Rapunzel dress from a friend and we told her to wear her long hair out in front. :-)

Ryan carved a pumpkin on Halloween, convincing the kids to try to help him pull out the seeds:

Beth laughed and thought it was funny because they were slimy.

Jack refused to put his hand in, completely unexcited about the prospect of getting dirty.

Luke tried but was also unimpressed with pulling out those "yucky" seeds.

So Beth helped Ryan design the pumpkin's face and Ryan did all the carving, as usual.  I don't know why they didn't like to get messy- maybe it's because it was on purpose... Because usually they have no problem getting messy on accident!

All Saint's Day Party

 

This year we attended our homeschool group's All Saint's Day party after skipping out last year.  Can you guess who they are?  Jack is St. Joseph (that's a square and a hammer in his belt!), Beth is St. Therese, and Luke is St. George.  We drove out to the country farm and  participated in the Saint Parade, played games and won treats, shared a potluck, rode on a hayride, and had a great time with our friends!  This is one of our favorite activities every year!

Here's a pic of me and Ryan at the party, about to embark on a hayride with a bunch of silly kids. :-)

Pics Are Coming Soon...

302 photos are importing from my camera right now, including Luke's birthday, All Saint's Day and Halloween, and more fun.  One day soon I'll post them, in the mean time I'm going to try to not feel guilty for neglecting this part of my life (my blog) and try to focus on what I have done... Which feels like not much lately. :-/  I'm in need of a change but not quite sure of what/where/when!

To Luke on his 4th Birthday

Dear Lukie Duke-

Today is your fourth birthday!  I have already been thinking of you as a four-year-old for about a month or two now, because recently you've just sort of blossomed into a "bigger" boy.  Three years old just seemed to little for you!  You are starting to look more like your Daddy to me- which is fun for me to see since I have always though you favored me and your uncles/PawPaw more than Daddy's side.  But I see you walk with those looooong legs, and I see how broad your shoulders are... And boy, you can eat!  I bet you're going to have a fast metabolism just like your Daddy!

I am so proud of you, and I love the special connection that we have.  You are such a sensitive boy, and I embrace that because I know that one day you'll probably act too "grown up" to give your poor mother a hug, so every time you tell me you love me right now I try to take a mental picture and hug you a little bit harder.  It's my goal that every time you hug me, I make sure you're the one to let go first.  You have a little twinkle in your eye when you walk up to me, and I know you're about to tell me you love me, so I drop down on one knee and open my arms.  You are just so sweet!  It's times like these when I understand how adults jokingly tell their child to "never grow up," because it's a moment I want to freeze in my memory forever.

You still love your lawn mowers and weed whackers, tractors and backhoes, screwdrivers and drills, and now you love to be a fireman.  Mommy and Daddy bought you a fireman backpack for your birthday because we knew you'd love to pretend it was a leaf blower, but you love it as a fireman too!  Over the past few months you've been very interested in "school," begging me to do a workbook with you or read you a book.  Oh boy, do you love to read!  I have read to you for hours on end and you still ask for more.  You love all books, but at the library you head straight to pick out Clifford books... You don't know it now, but your Daddy can't stand those Clifford books!  He'll read them to you until he's blue in the face though, because he knows that's how much you love them.  Daddy likes to make up silly stories while reading, using silly voices, and you love it when he does this.  Just another way Daddy makes you laugh!

You've joined a young boy's club (Blue Knights) this year, and you're playing more with the older kids.  You jump right into the action, not hesitating to join in on the fun, sometimes not even looking back for me!  You love your gymnastics class and to play outside for hours and hours.  I love that you recently learned how to pump yourself on the swing!  I like to look outside and see you and Beth playing together, swinging next to each other and trying to kick the branches on the tree.  You don't always love playing side-by-side with Beth and Jack, but when y'all do you usually have a great time!

You usually still take a nap in the afternoon, though technically Mommy has told you that you don't have to!

I am so proud to be your mama and I am so excited to see how you grow and change even more this year!  But I do also sometimes wish you wouldn't grow up anymore...  I love you my sweet boy. 

Follow Up Thoughts

I have some more thoughts that have been floating around in my head since my last post, which sparked a bit of conversation on Facebook.   First off, when I go to someone else's home, I hope my dear friends know I do *not* judge you all in any way, shape, or form.  Especially new mamas... In fact, I'm working on a new "thing" right now for my business that revolves around support for new mamas by providing them help in the way *they* need it.  Everyone feels differently about their home, every person places their priorities in a different place, and that's okay. However, if you're a new mama and I show up with dinner for your family, I will help you with some housework because... let's face it... everyone needs clean dishes!  I'm not thinking "Oh man this place is a wreck, let me help you with this..." It's more like, "WOW YOU JUST HAD A BABY!  You're amazing!  Let me help you with this!"  Because that's how I truly feel about new mamas!

And for the rest of us that don't currently have a baby in the house, God has blessed us each in our own individual way.  I know that a clean house is nice, but I also know that my number 1 goal is heaven- for me, my husband, and my kids.  Sometimes I have to let the house go to remember that goal...Other times I feel like I have to teach my kids responsibility so that they can learn to be responsible adults!  It's definitely a balance, and not something I really lose sleep over.  These are just more rambling thoughts...

Messy House... Happy Mama?

I remember a few years ago, when Beth was very little (Luke may or may not have been born yet), I was loaned a copy of the book A Mother’sRule of Life by Holly Pierlot.  I started to read it and thought it was sort of a joke- I didn’t need any sort of house cleaning help!  I had a 1600 square foot house, a very helpful toddler (really- she actually helped me clean up!), and could get my entire house spic 'n span, top to bottom, within a few hours.  Even laundry was no problem-  I did maybe a 4 loads a week?  Whatever the case, I didn’t need a schedule, I didn’t need to spend time thinking about when I’d have to clean.

Fast forward to a few years later: a new-to-me house nearly twice as big, three older (and bigger!) kids, play dates, homeschooling, dance class, gymnastics, a gym membership, and a part-time job, and I have a recipe for a disastrous house!  Bigger kids require bigger clothing and bigger beds (hence larger bedsheets to wash if they’re wet at night), they require more food (LOTS more food), and bigger shoes all over the house.  And I have only three children!

With our busier schedules, I picked up that old copy of A Mother’s Rule of Life and reread it, this time cover-to-cover, discussing it with other Moms in a similar stage of life as we read it in a bookclub-format.  As it turns out, this time around it was a LOT more relevant, and made a lot more sense to me! 

The author discusses prioritizing your life first, like making sure you have time for prayer and for taking care of yourself.  But one of my favorite things about the book was learning that part of organization is having a place for every little thing in your house, and this is something that I don’t have.  I have piles of papers everywhere since we don’t have a good desk space.  My laptop computer doesn’t even have a real “home,” so it’s just sort of left out.  Recently I reorganized one of my bookshelves, putting it in my closet because it’s the only place where I can utilize all of the shelves without having little kids pull stuff off the lower shelves!  But now I have a place for all of my doula-related paperwork, and this little thing helps me so much!

As I take inventory of the rest of the house (as the author suggests), I’ve gone through room-by-room to figure out what other storage pieces I need so that everything can have a home.  We’re hoping to buy a china cabinet-type piece for our dining room, where we can put mail and other paperwork.  I want to build a small shoe bench with a coat rack for the kid's jackets.  I need some sort of storage for all of Beth’s new embroidery/sewing supplies, which currently reside in a pile on my dresser!

I feel like, despite the schedules and methods I’ve created for myself, the countless books, blogs, and websites I’ve read, I just can’t stay on top of my chores.  I feel like the kids are almost old enough to be a big help, but are not quite there yet.  They also already whine and moan when I ask them to do something, so I think I need to figure out some sort of good motivator for them!  (“Because I’m your mother and I said so!” isn’t working so well!)  I feel like in the evening when they go to bed, the last thing I want to do is scrub floors or organize paperwork- I am ready to collapse if I don’t have a meeting or a workout!  On the weeks when I can stay 100% faithful to my schedule, things look great, and the house is pretty darn close to perfect.  But, who am I kidding, that’s happened maybe once!

I am left pondering the idea of hiring help, just to keep the house from becoming an infectious pit of germs and nasty things, especially now that we have a new little boy using the toilets!  I feel like maybe once a month would help- twice a month would be heavenly!  Is the feeling of cleanliness and sanity worth the money?

I do have high standards, and I’m at peace with that.  I’m not going to try to change the person God made me to be by allowing myself to live in a house I’m not comfortable in- in fact I think that would make me depressed because I can’t stand it when everything is messy and cluttered!  However, I am also realistic and constantly let things slide because I’d rather read books to my babies, take a nap during rest time, or crash on the couch with Ryan at the end of a long day to read or watch a tv show.  

 I’ve had an experienced home schooling mom tell me that when you homeschool, something usually gets left behind- school, housework, or yourself.  If you manage to keep up in school and on keeping house, then you don’t take care of yourself.  If you’re great at keeping up the house and taking care of yourself, then schooling falls behind.  I can see how this happens- there are just not enough hours in my day, especially since I’m the sort of person who requires a lot of sleep in order to be a pleasant person!  And since I’m not willing to let school fall through the cracks, that means if I’m good about going to the gym or if I have a lot of evening client meetings, then the house is a wreck.  If I don’t go to the gym or have meetings, then the house is usually in better condition.  I can’t win!

Right now my kitchen is clean but the play room and living room are covered in tent forts, with cowboy boots and baby dolls strewn about.  That's a mess I'm not even going to tackle now because 1. They're having a blast with it and 2. It's only 2:00 pm and they still have a full afternoon of indoor playtime left since it's raining outside!   I've been doing some research for a client while the kids are having their rest time, and I have 3 piles of clean laundry that will hopefully be folded and put away by the end of this week.  *sigh*

How do you other mamas do it???

Moving into Fall

Where to start... The past two weeks have been busy with family, friends, school, and work!  I made the drive into the city 6 times over a two-week period, four trips for doula business and two for personal business.  I have major respect for people who commute into the city for work, because although I wasn't traveling at peak rush hours, my back hurt after all that time in the car!

One of those trips was a special day for Beth and me, when I took her to a ballet performance as part of a field trip with some other members of our homeschool group, then she and I had lunch at a gluten-free restaurant in town.  The boys stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa!

 

Four of those trips were for business- I had my first (and only!) birth in the med center.  It was a great experience, working there, but it's just too far for me to travel so I don't think I'll be taking any more births down there, unless it was for a special friend!  Another two trips were for our local fair about all things birth and babies.  On Friday I was CPR trained and Saturday a friend and I drove to attend the fair and hear different talks.  It was a good weekend but WOW was I tired after driving like that two days in a row!