my mom

my mom is truly an amazing woman. i am truly blessed by God to be able to call her mother. when i read proverbs 31 she truly displays all of those attributes. if there is anyone that i could be like it would be her. i am not the only that feels this way... the other night while doing devotions we asked our kids who they would like to be like when they grow up? cassi said, g-ma kiki, and for the record chris said papa (you're not so bad yourself dad).
my mom has made so many sacrifices for me. she is an incredibly hard worker. in fact, there are times that i have trouble keeping up with her. she is definitely not a person to sit around.
she is the most generous person that i have EVER met. she is constantly doing things for her family and others around her. there is not a selfish bone in her body.
she is incredibly hospitable. she always has people in her home for meals, or to stay the night. people rave about her food. she amazes me how she can whip up a gourmet meal in no time flat. she definitely gives martha stewart a run for her money.
there has never been a doubt in my mind that my mom does not love her family fiercely. she truly displays this in word and deed. she has been our prayer warrior, our cheer leader, the shoulder we needed to cry on, our encourager, and in my younger years she gave me the discipline i needed. even now she gives me her opinions (when consulted) in a loving way. she has always made being a mom look like the easiest job ever! sometimes i wonder what i am doing wrong? it doesn't come so easy for me (not that i don't love it!) she loves my husband and children in a way that i never could of thought possible. i am so thankful for influence on our family's life.
the part that i love about my mom the most is that she loves and fears the Lord. her life has not always been a cake walk, but she has always remained faithful to the Lord. many have come to Christ because of His evidence in her life. one of those people is me, and for that i am eternally thankful.
i am so looking forward to this weekend to have a little time w/ her. we are going to beth moore together. she has never been, and i am so excited to be able to be able to take her.

a shocking day

let me just tell you there is never a dull moment in kindergarten. i thought i had seen it all the day one of my boys urinated in the field at recess. well, let's just say i was speechless today. i had a parent volunteer helping out, and she had brought in her younger son. he did wonderful the first 1.5 hours, but after the class went to recess and computers he got a little bored. his mother thought he was coloring on one of my easels. all of a sudden sparks started flying everywhere! then came the cry!
long story short he is fine. my scissors-now that is another story. about a half inch of them was melted into nothing. i also have a huge black mark on the outlet and wall around it.
i can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. i am sure it will be exciting as my class is practicing eating lunch in the cafeteria for next year when they will be big first graders.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had such a fun weekend in baker w/ my family, of course it would of been much better if Douglas could of made the trek w/ us! The main reason for our trip was for my sister's baby shower. She is expecting a boy on June 23rd. The whole family is absolutely crazy about this baby coming. This is our first baby-so we are all a little anxious.
Friday- We packed up the car, picked up Trev early from school, and began our 2 hour journey. We met my family at the baseball field and were able to see my younger brother play. After the game we all headed to eat dinner at my parent's house. My sis and brother in law finally arrived around 8 p.m. I was so excited to see her, as i have not seen her since January. She is the cutest pregnant woman I have ever seen. She looks like she has a basketball popping out under her shirt.
Saturday- We all made breakfast together, and then the girls headed out for a walk (mom, sis, sis-in-law, and me). Upon returning we all prepared for my sis' shower. We had a wonderful time at the shower. It was so fun to be w/ all the women that I love and admire so much. I am so excited for my sis- she is going to be an AWESOME mom! After the shower we went to my parent's house for a bit, and then went back to the ball field for another game. After the game we all enjoyed dinner together.
Sunday-The kids and I headed back home when they all went to church. I came home to a clean house, and a basket full of goodies and gift certificates. I also got a new potholder-Trev, and various other handmade treasures. I was definitely spoiled. I took a walk by myself, and then we took a bike ride as a family. Doug made homemade pizza for us and some extra special friends. It was a great Mother's Day!
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family! My kids have the absolute best time in Baker. They really should be farm kids. They had a great time 4-wheeling, biking, collecting eggs, helping Papa move sprinklers, and of course Christopher's all time favorite throwing rocks in the pond. There is not a dull moment on a farm! I would post photos, but I left my camera in Baker!

Happy B-day My Dear Sweet Cassi and Chris!

I can't believe you two are seven today! You are growing up so fast I can't even keep up with you! I thank God everyday that he picked me to be your Mommy! You both add so much love and excitement to my life. I have loved every minute of being in Kindergarten with you both this year! I am so proud of how well you are both doing. You make me so proud!

Cassi
You are definitely my firecracker! Thanks for always keeping me on my toes. I love the fact that you are such a girly-girl! You are right, toenails should have polish on them at all times, and no outfit is complete w/ out some accessory. I also love that you can get dirtier than the boys in no time flat. It is so rare that some bug or creepy creature escapes you. You definitely have a tomboy streak in all of that pink!
I love that you don't know a stranger. Thank you for always making everyone around you feel special and loved. You definitely know how to melt my heart, and pretty much everyone that you come in contact with.
Thank you for being Mommy's awesome helper! I can't wait to help you out when you start your own cooking show, "Cooking with Cassi." I promise I will be your biggest fan!
I love you more than you could ever imagine my precious little princess! Happy B-day!

Chris
What is not to love about you my little man? All the way from your extremely soft and freckled cheeks to your little hop in your step. I don't think anything quite melts my heart faster than that killer smile of yours. Yeah- it works little man just show me your pearly whites, and your wish is my command (just don't tell your dad).
I love that you are so determined to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. I love the fact that you never give up. You have such a tender heart for others, and are so sensitive to their needs. I appreciate that you are always so kind to your brother and sister. Thank you for putting others wants and needs before your own.
I love to watch you run and play. You are an amazing athlete, and I can't wait to watch you for many years to come! Baseball season is right around the corner- Yeah!
Thank you for always helping me even when I don't ask you to. I love you with all of my heart and then some. I hope that you have the best b-day ever!

Decorating Dilemma

In the past few weeks I have finally found new bedding for our bedroom and both of the twins bedrooms. I have also picked up about 500 paint swatches and there is still no paint on the walls. Doug is running out of patience w/ me so I need to make some decisions here. The man is in the mood to paint, and once he gets going he could have all of these boring khaki rooms done in no time! I just can't make up my mind! So, I need some help? Where do you go for inspiration/ideas? I need to get my creative juices flowing w/ your help! We have so many rooms to paint, but I just can't decide on even ONE color yet! Help w/ our decorating dilemma!

Warning Gel Nails Highly Flammable!!!

So, it has been a pretty crazy day to say the least! I know 2 posts in one day and still no Hawaii- please forgive me! I came home ASAP from school because we are changing dish companies so we can finally have DVR-Yeah! The guy finally showed up around 1:15. I asked him how long it would take, and he said 3 to 5 hours, and we had to be here the whole time. So, I canceled our 4:30 doctor appointments, and figured we would still be able to go to church tonight. WRONG! The technician was here until 8:30 tonight!
The worst part is he stunk really bad! So, I am finally back to my title..... I lit candles all over the house to help w/ the smell. As I was lighting one Chris was talking to me and I was focusing on him instead of the lit match in my hand, and BOOM the end of my nail caught on fire. I quickly blew it out and no real damage other than it being black at the end and my finger a little sore! The stupid part is I just got my nails filled yesterday. The last thing I want to do is drag the twins back to the nail place to have this sucker fixed. Who would of thunk gel was that flammable?!
Crazy to be home on a Wednesday night. We took a walk/bike ride as we had eaten dinner early thinking we were headed to church. Cassi had a bad wipe out so we had to come home and have 2 bowls of ice cream each- that creamy stuff can heal a lot of wounds! All in all we made the best of our day-kind of nice to be home for a change! Especially if you don't torch your nails!

"You're Going to Miss This"

This is Doug's and my new motto around the home front. We got a little addicted to Celebrity Apprentice and this song really struck a chord with us. Our little people are growing up so fast. I think they all grew at least an inch while we were in Hawaii. But, back to the song whenever we get a little annoyed or overwhelmed w/ the demands of our kiddos we just say "You're Going to miss this!"
Last night was one of those "You're Going to Miss This" nights. We are still recovering from our trip and trying to catch up on everything (i will post pictures soon- check out doug's). Cassi and I had the opportunity to go see Broadway in Boise "Annie" and the boys went to see Spiderwick w/ their dad. Doug and I both wanted to just be home as we have not been home an evening since returning. We both had great nights w/ our kids. Cassi LOVED the play! She was totally into it! She loved all the singing and dancing. Mrs. Hannigan was absolutely hilarious- Cassi got such a kick out of her! She wanted to sit on my lap which I enjoyed every minute of! Thanks Nicole and Evan for the tickets!
Doug had a great night w/ the boys as well. He had the same privilege of holding Chris on his lap through the scary parts. It's kind of funny as that was one of the first things that we asked each other about the night-"How long was your lap empty?"
I absolutely love the ages of kids right now (i have loved every age though!) I can't imagine going to a play or a movie w/ out somebody on my lap! I really am going to Miss this!