Cherishing the Moments...: We love the river (and our own creek) Spring 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

We love the river (and our own creek) Spring 2014

Damsel in Distress!

Not crazy about this fish!

Nature's swing

The Chauga Narrows


Wow! That's cold!	s

Daddy and I had fun on the kayaks too!

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Why I love being a (mostly) Stay-At-Home Mom

Being a stay-at-home Mom ended on 12/1/14. It was a wonderful 8 years filled with hard work, good laughs, sweet lunches together, times with friends, and I miss it already. I miss the days when my only job was to love my kids (and cook, and clean, and educate them, and well...I could go on). I love my kids.
hearing Caleb say each morning, "can I go let the dogs out?" and then this morning..so Sarah Belle can lick me?!
playing games in the morning in a tent out in the yard
working with Daddy on projects while he's home
playing army until late at night in a dark house and not worrying about work the next day
so we can have more time for you to play Legos with Daddy at night
so the FIRST day that it's warm enough we can be ready to swim and break out the sprinkler with our cousins
so Caleb can snuggle on the couch with "his dog" when it is 22 degrees and watch Old Yeller !
so Caleb can play with Sarah-belle all day...he says, " actually I Love her" today
I find great signficance in what I do! from the Purpose Driven life: everyone lives their lives at one of three levels: survival, success, or signficance
so that I can take care of our many plants...
so that I can plan our weekend excursions camping!
so that I can be here to play with cousins when they are visiting on a work day!
so thankful that on Jeb's days off from school that I can be with him and cherish him and not find a babysitter to keep him
so I can get the bills paid on time
so I can check on our eggs in the incubator--ha!
so when I am sick I don't have to take a day off really...just a Sesame Street Day!
so I can laugh my head off when we try to say the Y sound and all you do is l after l...and you are too cute doing it...
so I can tell you about how God loves you during the day Caleb...and you can say that he lives in your leg
so I can sometimes sit at the sandbox and read
so I can find lost things
so I can return phone calls BEFORE my hubby gets home
so I can mop, mop, mop, mop--oh wait that is torture...I want to go to work and get a maid instead
so I can work on my photo albums
so I can pay bills during nap
so I can organize all the junk that needs organizing
so I am ready to play Foozball with Jeb when he arrives home
so Caleb and I can read books about opposites!
so I can watch out over the animals during the day
so I can meet contractors who need to come here
so I can fix all the broken things
so we can enjoy the treehouse before the heat sets in
so I can watch Caleb work outside
being home with the boys on their Birthday! Yeah--so many good memories!
having energy left to have FUN on the weekend!
watching Caleb go to Jeb for lovin' when he is hurt...I am glad they are together
training Caleb not to hit and scream to the top of his lungs when he doesn't get his way
cherishing Jeb's last days home all day
because trusting God to provide and trusting him for a full-time career in the future...is teaching me to trust God more!
because I spent the morning at a gorgeous lakeside park with friends watching the kids dig and slide...what a short season to cherish...
because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I knew my life was over I would say...I should have worked more...
to spend my limited amount of energy on the people who matter most in my life and not just a bunch of people who pass through my life
seeing my kids glowing faces in the morning and not feeling rushed to get dressed and get to work
learning to live and be content on one income really is a blessing!
so we can be outside ready to play on the farm with Daddy when he comes home!
training Cay to ride his new power wheel....he can't talk--but he can DRIVE!
Going to the children's museum when it's not crowded
Chick-Fil-A Days!
being available to help friends/family keep with their kids when they are in a pinch...
deciding to go visit Shirley and Ray during the day...golf cart rides on the driveway!
working lots of puzzles together
having fresh fruits at home for Bfast and lunch...school lunches will hit soon enough..
watching the boys delight in their dollar store foam swords
Knowing that when the boys are crashing out from the weekend that Mondays we can recover and catch up...
Cooking for my Mama on occasion...
Not hating Sunday nights anymore! I love cuddlin' with the guys and watching America's Funniest Home Videos on Sunday nights.
When do people who work full-time clean behind their appliances? I did this today and it was DISGUSTING.
When do people who work full-time find time for all the Dr. visits??? I find this is my other part-time job.
When do people who work full time find time to pack and unpack daily bags and bags from trips???
Reading a book to Jeb and then him reading an entire book to me. I had tears this week! Our hard work is paying off and I do mean OUR.
Being home to check on animals during the day
Blogging time!
watching Cay run to his chair for lunch and then run upstairs to go night-night and get in the rocker. He knows the deal!
Playing 10 hands of UNO with Bradley and Jeb!
Having my neices and nephews on special days.
Dancing to She's Country and Chicken Fried during the day
Hearing every new word that Caleb adds daily to his vocab.
Not going out in the wee hours of the morning when it is pouring rain or freezing cold!
Being home in the morning and snuggling in the bed until we are ready to start our day. Reading books in their own beds/rooms before nap. They get to sleep in their own rooms for naps! No other kids are yelling! No playpens! No floors! 3. When they are sick, it is my sole purpose to make them better and attend to their needs. I just get up and take them to the doc…no sub plans, no stress…well not much anyway. 4. We have time to visit the public library together and pick out fun new books to read together. 5. We have time for swim lessons 6. gymnastics time…last fall. 7. Bible Studies (well, not now, but in the past) 8. We eat all THREE meals today 9. We can play outside all day if that is what we want to do! 10. I have some (very little) but some time walk, read, pray, be a friend, be a mom, be a better wife, be a granddaughter, help out at church, etc…without feeling like I haven’t been with my kids. 11. When you were little, you said one day, “I’m happy!” out of the blue. 12. We “snuggle bug” when you wake up from nap. 13. We can go see Mamanette during the day. 14. I feel better about “sharing” you with grandparents! 15. I get to teach you and watch you learn new things…everyday 16. We can go to the park with friends and play often… 17. You get to choose what you want to eat for meals…we have healthy food here that you like. 18. I give you your medicines…without worrying that someone else will mess it up… 19. I get to come up with creative new ways to have fun. 20. I know where you are all the time. 21. You don’t get bitten or beat up by other kids (well, not as much) 22. I’m with you in case of an emergency. 23. I get to rock yall at naptime if I can… 24. We’re home and generally feel good when Daddy gets home. 25. I have time to plan/prepare decent, healthy meals. 26. I have some (a few times a year) to play tennis and be with friends—things that make me, me! 27. I get to introduce new things and see how you do! I know when you accomplish a new skill. 28. If we want to be in the sandbox for hours—we can. 29. You are not sick NEARLY as much. 30. You get to play in the dirt more. More mud in our life. 31. You get disciplined they way I see fit—God put me in authority and so I get to take care of problems immediately and not hear about it from another caregiver. 32. Saturdays are fun days—not days to just work--laundry, sweep, mom, shop for groceries is done all week—not just on the weekends. 33. I am less stressed, which generally means better for my hubby---you know! 34. We get to stay at our beautiful home that God gave us and enjoy it to the fullest. 35. I try to make home a better place to be by organizing and managing it well. 36. We can play computer games and look up answers to things we wonder about! 37. I can take pictures of the kids all day! 38. I can cook supper during naps …he can enjoy licking spoons during the day if I’m baking. 39. When they get tired, they can rest without other kids around. 40. We can practice your Bible verse at lunch, and talk about your church lesson all through the day. 41. When it is cold and rainy we don’t have to go anywhere. 42. We can decide to dance while unloading the dishwasher. 43. We always dance to the Diego theme song and often “I Play Chicken with the Train”…so funny. 44. I can wrestle at least once a day…Jeb likes to be Cymba and I am Scar and we fight for Nala—a hoot. Glad you can’t see it. 45. We can act out the movie “Cars” …he is one race car and I am ALL the other characters. 46. Making Caleb giggle together with Jeb. 47. Going to all of Jeb’s spellbinding performances at pre-school. 48. Playing with our animals during the day. 50. I have time to do devotions –Jeb says…mama why do you always have to read Bible stories—what an opportunity. 51. Reading endless books whenever the mood strikes us. 52. My precious one on one time with Caleb while Jeb is at pre-school. 53. Not showering until 3 or so, or not at all, if that is what happens during the day…oh well. 54. Not worrying about what I am going to wear every morning. 55. I spend mornings enjoying the kids when they feel their best. I used to pick Jeb up at day care and he was SPENT. It made me so sad.
Playing Go-Fish--you are GOOD!
When I mess up and get impatient; I can apologize and do something fun with you instead of being apart from you for a long time.
I can snuggle with Cay after BOTH naps.
I can enjoy your silly talk all day--it is so funny.
We can enjoy getting our "energies" out by walking to the end of the driveway before we go in for lunch.
We can swing on the white swing when the mood strikes us!
We can learn to read together!
We can do our highlights, read our Big Backyard Magazine at lunch and breakfast
Caleb pats me often when I pick him up and just said "I wuv you" for the first time without me saying it first...I was home at 3 to hear it.

Cherishing the Moments...

Saturday, May 31, 2014

We love the river (and our own creek) Spring 2014

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Our family hiking in the mountains that we love!

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