Potty-Training, Bad Dinosaurs, and Bragging

Potty training is going on at our house. "Potty Training in One Day" says to have your child practice checking for wet/dry underwear on a doll, so poor Elmo and Koala Bear (known as Panda) had to suffice. That's the closest these boys come to dolls. Both animals have their underwear on backwards. There's only so much I can control. Take note of the pile of dirty pants and underwear in the background and you will know how well potty-training is going.

In an effort to cut down on the dirty laundry, I made Evan go bottomless for a day. He liked it too much. I kept finding him in places like this:


And like this:


which strike fear into the heart of a mother. Thankfully, he had no accidents, just probably was constipated by the end of the day.

We played Superheroes Fighting Bad Guys that day. Here's my attempt at a self-portrait with the timer:
We were named Master, Super, Captain Bottom, and Kitty. You can guess who Captain Bottom was.

We went to a Kite Festival (Festible, says Sam) last weekend. Here is a picture showing classic First Child and Second Child responses to my request to pose for the picture:

The boys got their faces painted. The good-natured volunteer with the least amount of experience (and the shortest line) tried to divert the boys to the "expert" (with a longer line) when she heard my boys' requests for a "Bad Dinosaur" face paint, but I said, "Oh no, I'm sure you will do fine" and shoved the boys toward her.

This is what we got:



But the boys were appreciative and loved them and got right into character. I love their imaginations!

Who are all these kids playing with a giant Connect 4 game?


Watch out, Sam!

Here's my creative kids playing skateboard/surfboard with a fabric bolt (their idea):

And Sam, with some of his original designs:



Okay, I've bragged enough about their talents for one post. I will refrain from bragging about their crazy swimming skills. I'll save that for the lifeguards at the Aquaplex (yes, I was THAT mom the other day. Thanks for being a good sport, nice young guy with the shaved head).

Grand Canyon

This picture is not of the Grand Canyon, but is for my mom--Look, I actually got a daffodil in my garden this year! The bad news is that it is now covered in snow. The good news is that I can put off watering for another week.

This week is National Parks Week. We decided to take the kids to the Grand Canyon since they hadn't been before. It had been 6 years since we had been. Here's the obligatory "Stand there by your brother. No, scoot over. Smile, please!" picture that I think we all have of ourselves and our siblings. I think the only thing that changes is the clothing styles.

I had to document that Annie was there since there was no way I was going to let Sam hold her at the edge of the canyon for a complete siblings shot.

I had been a little nervous about taking 3 kids there with a husband who likes to "live on the edge" (read: sometimes scoffs at safety precautions and is only egged on by the increasingly high-pitched protests of nearby females). I needn't have worried. Here was the view on one side of our picnic spot:

Here's what the boys did the whole time instead:



Could they have played like this 3 minutes from our house? Yes, but that's not the point. It was an excuse to be together and enjoy God's creation.

This is the only part that got a little dicey.

There were so many elk in the forest on the drive home. I got the boys to look up for a second from their obsession with the GPS to see them. I think they were impressed...I know I always am.

Here's the kids with some good friends, Zoe and Joseph. It's not the greatest picture, but I love it how they sit so close on the couch together with all their special knick knacks. We're so blessed with our friends!

Jeremy left early this morning for a mountain biking trip. I am stressing myself out with how to spend my "free time". Should I watch a movie? Should I get work done around the house? Should I be crafty? So many good things to do (and yet the time isn't really going to be much with 3 kiddos underfoot). My Sam must have inherited my desire to "create"--his creations are far more purposeful and technical, but I think the passion is still the same.
(He wanted to make the blocks this way and really only needed a little guidance from me). Today at the Aquaplex, they are doing a kid's coloring contest, so I am thinking of taking my little crafty guy there. The prizes sound really great, so I might coach him a little before we go...that's not unethical, right? :)

They Make Me a Mother

I'm headed off to our women's retreat this weekend, but I have been meaning to write lately, so I thought I would post something real quick before I leave.

I really have been enjoying my age lately...I keep thinking about how cool I thought Dara Torres was in the last summer Olympics.
She was 41 (and a half) and a mom and yet won 3 silver medals and was in the best shape ever. I was just entering my 30's, so I thought she was inspirational. I thought about her a lot when I went snowboarding with some friends on Good Friday--my mind would say, "I'm going to break something!" but then I would think about how strong I am since having kids and working harder to be healthier. I think it's awesome being a woman for this reason. (I also thought about my mom a lot that day because she went snow skiing for the second time in her life just a few years ago--and did really awesome! Her first time skiing was when she quit the ski class we were taking together despite the instructor telling her she wasn't allowed to.)

I am riding alone to the retreat tonight, and I realized in a moment of maturity that it would actually be fun to be in the car alone for an hour (well, not really alone because Annie will be with me, but after travelling with 3 children, one baby is a breeze. This is a well-established fact in the mothering community).

I have really been feeling like I need a break from the demands of my kids lately.
I've wished their grandmas lived closer.
I've rolled my eyes and acted exasperated.
I have demanded that they JUST BE QUIET at the table or in the car. I've looked forward to this upcoming retreat. But then a new motto came into my head..."These kids make me a mother." It is because of these 3 specific kids that I am a mother. And if I wasn't a mother, I would be wishing I was. It is really the thing I want to be doing in my life right now, and these kids make it possible!


I write the newsletter for our MOPS group, and in yesterday's edition, I included this excerpt from a book I just read called 90 Minutes in Heaven (by Don Piper). He was in a horrific car accident, was declared dead until he regained consciousness 90 minutes later, and lived in terrible pain and rehabilitation for the next 2 decades. Most of the book tells about his recovery and how it affected his relationships, his ministry (he was a pastor), and his view of himself.

My mother cheerfully agreed to...(stay with me while my wife was away for a week). The week of the church youth camp came, and Eva left me with Mom. Each day Mother prepared meals for me, and I was so glad to have her there. But I did dread one daily occurrence—my mother would be required to empty my urinals and bedpans. Now, I know she had diapered me when I was a baby, but a lot of time had passed between infant powderings and the present.

I remember the first time I had to go when she was caring for me and I asked for the bedpan. She acted as if it were the most natural thing ever. After I had finished, I agonized over having to tell her.

She saved me the embarrassment by asking if I was through. I just nodded. She took the bedpan into the bathroom, and then I heard one of the most remarkable sounds I have ever heard in my life. After she entered the bathroom and flushed the commode, I could hear my mother singing. In spite of the most lowly of tasks one human can perform for another, she sang as she washed out the bedpan. It was as if her whole motherhood was wrapped up in that moment. She was again doing something for her son that he could not do for himself, and she was happy and fulfilled. I will cherish that memory, for it defines the devotion that only a mother could have.

So, I am glad to be a 32 (and a half)-year-old mother, even if it means a lot of hard work. Faith, hope, and hard work, right? I just need to remember to sing while I am doing it!

Having 3 Kids is Really Busy

Having 3 kids is really busy.

The end.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Here's some of the rejected photos from our photo shoot with Rita. Enjoy!