Catching Up.

Let's see...

School started in September, we've been in full swing for quite some time. The boys are all doing well. 

Oscar is thriving, both socially and academically, in first grade. He is gearing up for DI (Click here to learn more about Destination Imagination), which will be starting soon. 

Karson is still taking piano lessons with an awesome teacher and is also learning to play the trumpet in beginning band. His first concert is tonight, actually! He played flag football this fall and did really well. He wants to play tackle football next year. 

Kayden is now playing the bass clarinet (from "regular" clarinet, which he has played for the last two years) in his middle school advanced band. His DI team has been meeting for several weeks already and having lots of fun. 

In October we took a trip to the pumpkin patch. Click HERE to see photos from that trip. To see photos of "moments" in our life for November click HERE.

I can't do a blog post without adding some photos, so...

Oscar and Karson tickling Kayden.

Looking a tad mischievous, no?

Oh good grief, would you look at the expression on the cat's face?

I can not believe that we are already gearing up for Christmas!

Wait, it's already September?!

It's already mid-September?! How did that happen?

Okay, let me see if I can even remember what we've done. 

July

Kayden and Karson went to summer camp. Twice

They started with a mini camp for just a few nights and loved it so much that they wanted to go back for a full week at the end of the month. They were up at Silver Falls State Park and it's just GORGEOUS up there! 

August

Oscar and I took a little trip to New Mexico to see my friend Kate and her family! Oscar had not seen his friend in two years, but you would never have known by watching them. They pick dup right where they left off! We even had some sleepovers in our hotel room, which was totally fun. 

My parents came to visit from Texas! They had seen Karson in February, but were still surprised at how much he'd grown in that time. The other two were a shock, as they hadn't seen them in a little over a year. As you can se, Kayden is almost as tall as my mom now! We had a good time hanging out, catching up, and just being together. Mom and I, of course, got a little bit of shopping in. The big day trip to the outlet mall got cancelled, though, since Oscar split his head open on a door! 

September

School started! This is the first year that I've all three in school full time and I have to say... I love it! I feel so productive during the day when they're gone. Well, most days. Today I called in sick. ;)

We finished the bedrooms! We were working all summer to turn their two bedrooms into three smaller ones. So, now they each have their own room. It's awesome! The rooms are big enough for each kid and their stuff and they seem to be keeping them relatively clean! Less fighting and bedtime is easier now too! SO happy we made the decision to do the project. I only wish we'd done it 4yrs ago! 

Karson started playing flag football a couple of weeks ago and is doing really well (although, if you ask him, he'll tell you he sucks...silly kid). He also started back up with regular piano lessons and we had a meeting last night for beginning band. He'll start next week..playing the trumpet! Yes, I need my house to be louder than it already is. 

Oscar is in full day school now and adjusted VERY easily. Gotta love that social butterfly of mine. In fact, I've already been talked to by his teacher about his excessive socializing at school. That's my kid, alright. He starts basketball next month.

Kayden is enjoying 7th grade and all of his new classes. He switched instruments, from the clarinet, to the bass clarinet, so he is excited about that. He starts coaching Special Olympics this weekend and is really looking forward to it. 

Summer is here!

I am such a slacker! Okay, so let's see...

After my birthday post we had three more birthdays...Kayden turned 12, Karson turned 10, and Ben turned 36. We made it through the school year...which means I made it through another kindergarten year with one of my babies and Kayden finished his first year of middle school! 

What have we done since school got out a little over three weeks ago?

-Spring cleaning of the closets.

-Planted our garden (which is doing so-so right now).

-Attended several birthday parties for friends.

-Watched Ben play quite a few baseball games.

-Ben and I had a three day getaway to the beach without the kids! 

-Kids got to spend three days with Grandma J.

-Set up a new pool for the backyard.

-Had a low key Fourth of July at home (because I was sick).

-Started construction on the kids' bedrooms...we're turning 2 into 3!

Oh, and I even managed to get a shot of all three boys together last month!

My Birthday.

So, my 36th birthday has come and gone (March 9th).

The weather was gorgeous and all I really wanted was to sit outside in a comfy chair and read a book. That, however, did not happen. I spent the day doing kid related errands, as usual. 

Such is life for a mom of three. 

My evening, however, was wonderful. 

My awesome husband went and picked up thai food for me. 

Only me.

I'm the only one who ate dinner from a restaurant that night.

I refused to feel guilty about it.

I relaxed on the couch, gorging myself on curry while dominating (as usual) at Jeopardy on television. After the kids went to bed we watched some Netflix and I finally relaxed. 

Ben wanted to throw me a party, but I did NOT want a party.

We compromised and threw a St. Patrick's day party instead. 

It was fun, despite the fact that I had too many jello shots. 

Oh, and a thanks to my sister-in-law for these gorgeous tulips!

Me, me, me!

Our Cat.

So, I can not get a nice photo of our cat to save my life. He will NOT look at the camera for anything. He's such a turd! Anyway, the other day I was outside with Oscar and had my camera. As usual, Tater was following us around. When he plopped down on the driveway, in the sun, I made my 1,245th attempt to photograph him. I had my fisheye lens on the camera and the auto-focus is rather loud. Well, I guess it was interesting enough for him to look at the camera...he kept getting closer and closer...until he bumped his nose on the glass lens! 

 Big ROAR!

The fish were out...taunting him. Poor kitty.

Super Oscar!

Oscar got this KILLER handmade cape for his birthday last month. His best friend's mom made it for him and it is seriously awesome. It's reversible, has a velcro closure and has some old school comic/super hero fabric. He can pretty much conquer the world in this cape. 

Yes, he can even fly. 

From our family to yours!

If you didn't get a holiday card it's because I'm the biggest slacker ever! I managed to send out about half of them shortly after (yes, after) Christmas, but then I ran out of stamps and was too busy (ahem...lazy) to get more and now it just seems too late to even bother. So, if you missed out on our family photos...here ya go!

Catching up

Okay, I had big plans to do all of these posts with photos, to catch up. Reality has sunk in, though, and it's so not going to happen. Instead, I'll just write a little to fill in the last month or so. 

Thanksgiving...

We had a wonderful day here at home. Just the five of us. In our pajamas. Eating turkey and watching football. It was heavenly.

December....

Instead of the twelve days of Christmas, we had the twelve days of illness. We had sickness in our house for twelve days and it was awful. It hit everyone at different times and poor Karson had it twice, starting nine days apart. With just 12 days of illness we got ridiculously behind on everything else...my work, Christmas shopping, laundry, you name it! We did manage to pull it all off, though, and the remainder of of our winter break was awesome. We sort of just shut ourselves off from the rest of the world and enjoyed each other. We also got a lot of projects around the house finished, including our master bathroom! Karson also had his first piano recital and did SUCH a good job. We were so proud of him!

Anniversary...

December 19th marked our 13th wedding anniversary. We were fortunate enough to get (literally) a four hour break from illness...just enough time for us to go car shopping and purchase a new vehicle! My car, which we were so fortunate to have had for the last year (after my van died) finally broke down one too many times. After almost being stranded on the way to the piano recital I realized it was time to buck up and get a new car! So, I got a 2010 Dodge Journey. It's a small SUV with third row seating. So far, I freaking love it!

Now...

All three boys are participating in Destination Imagination on three different teams. I am managing 2 of those teams. So, that has us occupied at least 3 times a week. All three boys are also playing basketball through the YMCA. They've each had one practice and loved it. So, that also keeps us busy in the evenings. Games start this weekend and I had to spend a significant amount of time figuring out our schedule for basketball games. It's going to be crazy! 

30 days of gratitude...DAY 30

Day thirty...

The holidays!

I always love the fall and winter holidays.

We are all counting down the days until Christmas. I love listening to Christmas music and drinking hot coffee with peppermint. I love going and cutting down our own tree and letting the kids decorate it...nothing like getting a 10 ft tree and having the kids put all of the ornaments in one small spot right in the front.

This is the holly bushing our front yard, which ben cut down, but seems to

have grown back just in time for the winter holidays!!

30 days of gratitude...DAY 29

Day twenty nine...

My husband's job.

I'm grateful that today my husband still has a job. I'm grateful everyday that he does.

He's at great risk for getting laid off, due to budget cuts, so at this point we

appreciate every day that he has his job.

(again, no photo...sorry!)

30 days of gratitude...DAY 28

Day twenty eight...

Education.

I'm grateful that my husband and I were able to attend college

(Not just because we met there, but because we got college educations there.)

I'm grateful that my kids are in good schools and receiving decent educations.

No, they're not the best schools in the world, but they have good teachers who care about them, and parents who work with them at home to make the most of their education.

There are far too many children around the world that do not have this.

(sorry, no photo today)

30 days of gratitude...DAY 27

Day twenty seven...

Serenity.

I am grateful for the quiet moments in my life when I can breath in the fresh air and feel good.

Those moments where all I hear is the sound of the wind chimes outside my window.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 26

Day twenty six...

Being delighted with the small things.

I made this jewelry organizer for my wall last week and I'm practically giddy about it! I previously had all of my jewelry stored in a dark dresser drawer. I could never find what I wanted, things got tangled up, and for the most part I just skipped the whole jewelry part of my outfit because it just annoyed me to try. Now I have easy access to all of my bling!

30 days of gratitude...DAY 25

Day twenty five...

My new shower!

For the three years that we have lived in this house I have not had a shower or bathtub in my master bathroom. Now I do! So, I can shower upstairs, in my own bathroom! I'm beyond grateful for this luxury. I'm also able to take a bath in this house...also a first since our other bathroom is a shower only. In addition to a new shower/tub we're also re-doing the whole bathroom so it will be functional and pretty!

30 days of gratitude...DAY 24

Day twenty four...

Tater.

This cat is almost as dumb as a bag of rocks and he isn't cuddly or particularly funny (although we do laugh at how unintelligent he is at times), but we love him and appreciate him. He catches mice, which is why we have him! The kid adore him and he is entertaining when he's wrestling with Punky.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 23

Day twenty three...

Technology.

I'm grateful for modern technology.

I'm able to keep in touch with practically anyone.

My kids can talk to their grandparents and see them at the same time!

I love my computer, my cell phone, and my new iPad.

I also love my t.v., my alarm clock (okay, I actually hate my alarm clock), my microwave and a bunch of other things! I have a lot of respect for communities and cultures who choose to live without such things, but I just don't want to!!

30 days of gratitude...DAY 22

Day twenty two...

The Honey Badger.

I'm grateful to have some honey badger in me.

And to see it in my kids at times.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up on youtube.

I'm not going to tell you, cuz honey badger don't give a sh!t.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 21

Day twenty one...

Me.

I'm grateful for being alive and healthy.

I like me.

I am funny, quirky, and happy.

30 days of gratitude...DAY 20

Day twenty...

My office.

I'm so grateful to have a place to edit, file, package orders, etc.

It is not fancy or a dream space, but it's mine and it's function and I love it!