Giveaway

There is a giveaway going on over at To Go Into the World by an amazing artist named Mae Chevrette. Her work is beautiful. If you visit her blog there are several chances to win. Here's a picture of what's up for grabs.

8 years

Yesterday was mine and Husband's 8 year anniversary. Time has flown. His sister was so sweet and watched the twins for us while H was at preschool so we could have a few hours together. It wasn't a "normal" anniversary date, but it was fun. We ran a couple of errands, went to the gun range (he's been trying to take me for years), and then we went to get some lunch. It was so nice to be just us. I loved having time to chat without kids interrupting the conversation. It is amazing how quickly a trip to the store can be without unloading and loading three children, pushing a cart full of said children, and trying to get them to sit down and keep their hands to themselves. After our little outing we picked H up from school and spent the rest of the day as a family. We hung out, had dinner, and then the little ones went to bed and we had some cake and ice cream. Super fun day. I'm glad it was traditional. I couldn't have asked for a better present than time with Husband (it's all too rare) and family time.

Yay for 8 years. I'm looking forward to at least another 64!

Costumes: Superman & Dino/Dragons

H decided he wanted to be a superhero for Halloween, from there he settled on Superman. Because I'm cheap, I told him it was fine as long as I made the costume (sometimes being cheap is a curse). Anyway, I am pleased to say the costume turned out well and he liked it (the most important part). He was an adorable little superhero.

Next on the agenda were costumes for the twins. I was going to make them lions and fluff out their curls. It would have been cute, but I saw a picture of a hoodie with dinosaur/dragon spikes on the back and it changed my mind. I went to the Dollar Tree thinking I would go with whichever I could find materials for (again with the cheap). I ended up getting a couple of t-shirts to use for the lion costume if the 6 receiving blankets I bought for the dino/dragon costumes didn't work (I changed from hoodies to p.j. type outfits). Thankfully, it worked, and they were super adorable. According to H, G is a dinosaur because he's blue and J is a dragon because he's green.

J and G

With my sister-friend - we were getting ready to get some candy

Blog your heart

A couple things on my mind and heart the last week or so.

- Someone my husband knows died recently in a car accident. I'd met the man once before, but didn't really know him beyond that. He had a wife and child (the child is the same age as our oldest). Every time I think about them my heart breaks. I can't imagine life without my husband. Everyday he goes to work, and thankfully everyday he comes home. I know his job comes with risks, and usually I don't give them a second thought, but after this accident (which was not work related) I find my mind wandering to the risks more often. I know he does everything he can to be safe, but I want to grow old with him. I want to be like that couple that died together holding hands after 72 years of marriage.

- Babies. I have three of them. I want more, but I don't know if we should have more. I don't know if now is the right time. We've talked about adopting (even before we had children) and I don't know if we're going to do that either. Husband would prefer to have more soon rather than later, and I understand that, but I don't know what to do. I love my boys, and sometimes I look at them and think they are just the right amount. They are active and full of energy and all of them always seem to want me at the same time (making my lap seem just a little too small). Then there is the part of my heart that looks at them and wants more. I love the idea of a big family. Of course, you throw our family joke of triplets is next in there and I'm not sure how I would hand three at a time. One was easy (he was an easy baby), two was interesting (they're still easy babies for the most part), but three...I realize the odds are very small that we'd end up with triplets, but we weren't expecting twins either. I'd much rather be mentally prepared for three and be amazed at the easy of going back to one.

So there it is, life and death crowding my thoughts when I'm not thinking of the present moment. Thankfully, the present moment takes up a lot of time because with 3-5 kids running around our house on any given day, time moves very quickly.

Life's random bits

Okay, I've been extremely terrible about blogging for the last month or so. We went on vacation, and I planned on getting back into the swing, but I haven't. I've thought about it, and then done nothing (much like my journaling issues sometimes). The intention was there, the follow through wasn't. So, here are some random bits of life for the last few weeks.

We went on our family vacation to Texas and Oklahoma. This is something we look forward to every year. I love visiting with my brother and his family, my aunt and cousins, and Husband's grandma (and other family if time permits). We drive, which is interesting with three active boys all under the age of four, but it wasn't bad. There was a lot of stopping, swapping books/toys, movie watching, napping (less napping than anything else of course). It was a good trip. As the boys get older I look forward to this more and more because they will start remembering things. We can take them places (in addition to family homes) and have them enjoy and interact with those places. This years extra stops included a model train museum, train ride and pumpkin patch visit, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Tx, parks throughout NM, and the train in Kingman, Az. It was a lot of fun.

Hotel stays

Can you see the family resemblance?

Harold's Model Train Museum (Tyler, Tx)

Husband and H

At the pumpkin patch

G, H, and J with Mema H.

Mine and my brother's kids

G, H, and J with Great Grandma G.

Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo, Tx)

Santa Rosa, Nm

Kingman, Az

Coming back we had a few days before jumping back into work. It felt (and still feels) so good to be home. Husband went back to work and I started babysitting S again. She seemed excited to see the boys after our two week hiatus and they have been playing like brothers and a sister since. She really stands up to them, which is funny to see since she's smaller and younger than all of them. She doesn't take any flack and J is a lot more possessive of her and wanting to play with her since our return also.

This past weekend we had a visit from Husband's parents (always a nice thing), I had a bridal shower for my sister-friend, and there was a birthday celebration for our nephew. Today is baking day (before the zucchini goes bad). Husband is excited about that because he loves this new carrot-zucchini bar recipe (substitute apple sauce for oil, add 3/4 cup oatmeal).

It feels good to be back in our routine.

The Boys Are Back in Town

My boys are back home. They were only gone for about 36 hours, not TOO long; just enough to be missed and give me a break. They went to visit the multitude of grandparents that live a few hours north of us. I'm glad Husband took the boys, they haven't visited with those grandparents for a few months. I had to stay and babysit, and that's okay. I had a chance to relax, to watch a movie, to get some sewing done, to fold clothes once instead of multiple times before I put them away. I had a chance to get the house looking better (not as good as I could - I was lazy). I had a chance to just be me. I loved my break, but I love my boys more. It feels good to have them all home. I love that I am back to hugs and cuddles. I love that they want me. I love that this house has life in it once more instead of being so quiet.

Sidewalk Art

When we visit our Alma Matar (down the street), we usually go in the back way (it's faster when we walk). I noticed this sidewalk art around Sept. 11th.

Ps. 118:8 - It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. (NASB).

It's still there. It's interesting. It's in an out of the way corridor, one very few people ever go and I wonder why they chose this place. I wonder a lot about this particular writing; what made them decide to do this, why did they chose that verse, how old were they when this happened, and the list goes on.

It was on my mind, so I thought I'd share.