Photo Friday.

Baby Love.

This is me wrapped around his little finger :)

For some reason, this struck me as odd.

How much do I love these boys?

Flowers are doing really well.

Mom and Dad encouraging the little ones to fly the coop.

The brave first guy. I heard all this chirping from the garage, I got to watch the first two take flight!

Thankful Thursday

Last night we had a foster care training about "keeping your tank full." To be quite honest, it was really cheesy. There were a few good pointers, but mostly, it was cheesy. However, I laughed so hard. The women I was surrounded with kept cracking me up. Combine that with no sleep and I was giggling so hard. I thought they were going to kick me out. I felt a little bit bad, but it was one of those laughs were you just can't stop. It got so bad it turned into snorting laughing. In a room full of people. LOL. I had to walk away from the woman I was standing next too. It wasn't just us, we started the social workers on a giggle fest too.

Anyway, the point of this. We had to do this silly paper. A Joy List. What brings you joy? So, today, I'm listing these things that bring me joy, because I am thankful for them! (in no particular order)
Laughing Uncontrollably, my children, my husband, a hot bath, a good book, my church, Bible time, support groups, a good nights sleep, a solid budget, thrift stores, quiet prayer time, yard sales, cheesecake, facebook, blogging, new journals, nights out, swimming, and a good song.  
So there you have it. So, what brings you joy?

Wacky Wednesday

Oh, the things that I've said and they've said. The highlights this week:

Jackson: Mommy can people walk on clouds?
Me: No, they are just gas and water.
Sam: Ahem, God can if He wants to.
Me: Fair point.



While on their Webkinz page, I hear:
Shane: It's in Chinese, cool.
Me: WHAT!?!?!
All together: It's all Chinese.
Me: runs to computer, sure enough, Webkinz is in Chinese. "I don't know what you did, but turn it back to English NOW."

*sidenote, I was on the phone during this conversation. Brandy thought it was funny.

Me: Jackson, do not pour syrup into your cereal!!! (no more Elf for him)

Also, we've had lots of laughs over tiny man and his bodily releases. He's all boy for sure and that makes my boys laugh really hard!

Teaching Tuesday

My friend posted a link on her facebook page. It was all about what food people eat in other countries and how much they spend per week. We used this for our school today. We looked through all the pictures and discussed how much people spend, what was on their table, and other ideas. We talked about the less developed countries and how little food they had for their large families. I aimed this more at Jackson who has become so picky! I asked him if he thought these kids would refuse their dinner. Would their mommy's told them to go make a PB&J? I then had them draw we we ate each week compared to what other countries ate.

Also on a side lesson. They keep saying "we're starving" because of events that have transpired here, I was getting sick of hearing that. I've been trying to get them to say "we're hungry" so to just blast to the point of it, I showed them pictures of starving children. I think they got the point. It might have been harsh, but they just weren't getting it. I'm also sick of the pickiness and the wasting of food. Hopefully this will impact them a little bit.

So that's it for Teaching Tuesday!

Manic Monday

Actually my weekend was Manic-less. The boys went camping starting at 2pm on Friday and didn't come home until 12 on Sunday. My house stayed cleaned, laundry was minimal, barely any dishes, and to tell you the truth. I was BORED! It was nice to have the quiet. I did have tiny here with me, but he doesn't talk or create messes. After the first day, around 10:30, I was bored. Everything was in its place, no one to teach, no games to go to, no shouting or yelling, no giggles. BORING.

I was created to be a mommy of many. I was created to be surrounded by gross little boys who want to surprise me with frogs and flowers. Now, don't get me wrong. I adore quiet time, I love getting dinner with friends. But a whole weekend in my own home alone, too much. My house was lonely. I wasn't created to live in a spotless home without piles of laundry. I was glad when they got home. I missed them.

*side note. I can do weekends away from home, just fine. They are rare, but I enjoy them so much. It's being alone in my own home, that I don't like.

Thankful Thursday Take Two

When Blogger went down, I lost my Thankful Thursday post. The gist of it was:

We were matched with our Fresh Air Fund Child! He'll be here at the end of July for two weeks. He's from The Bronx. We are really excited.

And we decided to forgo our Busch Gardens passes for a year long pass to Thousand Trails Resort Camping. It's the same price and we get 30 nights anywhere in our zone, which goes all the way to Texas. We get all the amenities, which don't count towards our nights. The pool, mini golf, weekly activites, the lake, the river, crabbing, etc. It's going to be awesome!

Photo Friday.

Well, Blogger went down all day so this is actually Saturday. My Thankful Thursday blog has gone missing! If anyone finds a link, let me know. Without any further delay: Photo Friday!

Meatball Pizza, sprung from leftover in the fridge the night before shopping day. It was a huge hit!

Baby Love