All things old are new again!

I love it when the children get really "into" something. Like Elmo when John Russel was 18 months and Shrek for Mae when she was 18 months. We've been through Care Bears, Hello Kitty, Spider Man, Bat Man, Transformers, Make-Up, Dress-Up Shoes... I could go on and on. A few things have held their charm like transformers and care bears. What's really fun for me is to relive some of the old fave's with Will. Elmo and Thomas both are really big right now. I am getting reacquainted to some old friends like Percy and Harold. It's funny the memories they bring back. It's especially funny to see Will drag the bucket of trains down stairs to my coffee table. You see, this is the exact same thing that John Russel used to do. I'm not sure if it's the scratches ingrained in the wood that Thomas and Friends made a few years ago drawing Will to this now sad piece of furniture or what, but this is his new favorite activity. He runs Thomas and Percy up and down the table making new tracks for their little wheels. I'm tired of fighting this useless battle. I lost it years ago with John Russel, so I've given up. I'm not sure what the appeal is of the coffee table. We have a perfectly good train table upstairs that was handed down to us. It gets some use but not near as much as ol' scratched up coffee!

It's fun to see Will get "into" something like his brother and sister. I love to see their little eyes light up when they see something they like. Its the stuff of great Christmas mornings. It takes me back to when I was little. I loved the baby aisle at the grocery store. Anything "baby" would get my heart a pumpin! I guess this is why I love to see this in my kids.

Whatever the reason, I love catering to their little obsessions. You never know when it all will end.

Stir Crazy

*Look how little!*

I know that most of you have had these kind of weeks. The kind where you never leave the house. We are stuck at home....again. Will is feeling so much better, but his little tummy is not taking the antibiotics well. So, here we are at home. Rusty is playing in a golf tournament. The four of us are vegging out. Oh well, I guess it's good to stay home sometimes. Mae has a birthday party this afternoon. It's sad, but I can't wait to go. Any excuse to get out of this house!

Since Will has been sick, it takes me back to the days when John Russel and Mae were very little. They would always get sick at the same time. Can we say Double Diarrhea Duty! Oh My! How did I do it. As they have gotten older it all has become so much easier. They don't get sick as often, and when they do have diarrhea it's not in a diaper. Thank Goodness!!

Life is funny this way. God helps you forget all the hard times. I'm so grateful for this. My memories are filled with their sweet smiling faces and echos of laughter. Time has let those hard times slip from my head. It takes something like Will getting sick to bring them back to mind. As I ponder how in the world I did it, I suddenly remember. It was just like I do now, one day at a time! Pretty soon I won't even remember this little stint at home. It will be replaced with little smiling faces and hints of laughter.

Sicky Sick

I haven't posted in the past few days because Will has been sick. It all started with this weird eye thing. I thought he had gotten sand in his eye. Needless to say it some sort of infection. He got a shot at the doctor and is on an antibiotic. His eye is much better, but you know what antibiotics bring. Yep! The dreaded diarrhea! Yikes. It's even hard to spell. Hopefully he'll be over it all soon. I'm ready to get back to normal....whatever that is.

Lay Down Sally

Well....we have a new pet. We found a little frog this weekend outside our front door. Mae and John Russel quickly caught him/her and put him/her in our red bucket. The kids then began decorating his/her new habitat with water, rocks, flowers and leaves. Mae, the namer of the family, decided that we should name him/her Sally. Perfect. I can't believe Sally is still alive. If she/he can survive Will's decorating attempts of throwing rocks in the bucket I think she/he can survive anything. Yesterday the kids wanted to visit Sally before school. I told them they could after they were fully dressed and ready. Wow! They got ready in record speed. As they sat and peered into the bucket I sat and listened to them. The following hilarious conversation was overheard.

Mae: Yesterday Sally tried to jump out of her bucket.

John Russel: When? (Disbelieving)

Mae: When I was out here with Daddy.

John Russel: Oh.

Mae: Yeah, She first jumped up here on this little ledge and then she tried to jump out, but she didn't make it.

John Russel: OOO! Did he BAM down on the rocks!!! (Hopeful)

Mae: No, she didn't BAM down! She landed nicely in the water! (Prideful)

All the while, Will is throwing rocks in the bucket.

All I can say is, "You better lay down, Sally!"

Peanut...Peanut Butter....Play dough

*Look! A snail*

*You roll it and you pat it!*

*I love peanut butter play dough!!!*

Today I decided to do something new and fun for the kids as an afternoon activity. I made peanut butter play dough! I used a no bake cookie recipe that my mother used to use to make me cookies when I was younger. It is so great. It tastes good (Rusty loves them), and has the consistency of play dough. It's a fun activity, but be prepared for greasy fingerprints everywhere!



Here's the recipe



No Bake Cookies or Peanut Butter Play dough



1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

2/3 cup dry milk

2/3 cup powdered sugar



Mix together and voila....peanut butter play dough or you can make little cookie balls.

PTO

OK, so I went to the PTO meeting last night at John Russel and Mae's school. It was great. There are so many ways for the parents to get involved. The people were so nice and friendly too. As the meeting progressed they announced that we were going to have elections for the Executive Board. There were three spots open. As they read the descriptions of the spots, I thought, "I can do this." So I told them I could do it if I could have some help. Of course, no one else said they wanted this position. Then as we were discussing upcoming events in small groups a lady said she would like to go up in the same spot as me. So I thought they would surely vote for her. When the meeting was almost over they announced the election winners. I am now the Community Coordinator for our PTO! How funny. I'm really excited about getting to know more people and getting to be a part of them school. The best part is that I can take Will with me when I go and volunteer! I knew that God would put me in a place and let me use my gifts.

Growing Pains

*Mae in April*

*Mae in August*

I have just finished putting some pictures into frames. I took the advice of my sister and decided to print off some pictures of the kids in black and white. They are so cute. I can't wait to hang them on the wall. They are action shots of them playing. Some are in the mountains and others at our house. Frozen in time the children are having a blast. They look so cute as they play and sweat. I'm so glad I took this priceless advice.



While going through my pictures, I found so many worth displaying. Caught playing in the sand or riding their bikes. It was hard deciding which ones to pick. I went back to when we first arrived here and the one thing that astonished me was how much they've changed. For John Russel and Will it's not so much physical as it is emotional. It's amazing how this shows in the photographs. A look Will is giving me in one is a gaze I no longer see. A small tilt of the head or the way John Russel rides his bike is a new skill accomplished. I love to see this subtle growth. Mae, on the other hand, has grown so much physically. I couldn't believe it. I had to look at several pictures just to make sure it wasn't just all in my mind. Her hair has grown and she has gotten so much taller. I should have know this when we went swimming the other day and her bathing suit was too tight and short. Just looking at those pictures astounded me.



Looking back at the pictures makes me realize how fast they grow and how precious every moment is. I ask God to help me remember this as I cherish each new day.