Attack !

For so long we never let Brady play with guns, other "violent" toys or watch violent shows.

 We worried that he couldn't understand rules about guns/ swords, etc

 (we dont have any but its one of those weird things you worry about as a mom...that somehow he will get ahold of a gun and shoot himself or someone accidently or get a machete and chop his toes off)

At one point i guess we decided it was ok.

I think it was when he wanted to play pirates and he got some swords..or he wanted to be a police officer and handcuff us then draw his gun.

Whenever it was...not sure but we let him use toy guns, swords.

He is not a violent kid but he is a boy- he likes to play pirates, and chase his dad around with his nerf dart gun...to try and "get him"

Soooo on to our little project that we did today...

Brady was given a GIANT nerf gun with velcro on the ends, its loud and fast-

Perfect for a 7 year old.

see how big it is

We have been sneak attacking each other in the house for the last day or so.

Today we made team shirts for the boys.

Super easy project.

All you need is:

old t shirt(s)

fabric markers

velcro strips

  nerf gun (if you have a one with darts w/o velcro, you can add velcro dots to the end)

Cut Velcro strips to size you would like.                   Write name/phrase/bullseye with fabric markers

 Add velcro strips to shirts front and back.               Get ready to rumble!!!

We made them for Brady and Luke (warrior team) and J. (general team), Eventually i'll make one and be on J's team but we ran out of velcro strips.

They aren't super cute but easy and fun.

As far as letting Luke use toy guns at a young age...its so difficult not to let him when his big bro wants to play with him. We just have to be sure that he doesn't have a machete at his bedside !!

Attack!



Embrace the Camera 1

My first ever Embrace the Camera...

Mothers Day 2011.

I actually don't like the picture of me very much (i have lost some lbs.since then and it kind of makes me cringe...)

It doesn't make me cringe because i really care what others think of how i look..

I cringe because i was to the point where i felt uncomfortable in my own skin.

Sluggish, tired, blah. 

welllll i AM tired all of the time anyway..hey, im a night nurse..im allowed to be.

Anyway.. i love how my littles are snuggled in close for the picture.

That is more important, that moment in time when all seems right with the world...

because your babies are nestled in your arms.

by the way...J. HATES  big sunglasses so i always wear the biggest ones i can find.

those i got at good ole' walmart for $5.

Embrace the Camera with your littles today!

 

stripped

grief, sadness, thoughts churning..

I have a heavy heart tonight, thinking of a friend going through something difficult and getting ready to have it placed in front of her once again tomorrow.

(in fact i have a few friends that have had extremely difficult times recently)

I am a nurse, i want to make it all better, i can't.

i have had many, many prayers for these friends recently.

i know God is listening, i know this is part of His plan..

BUT i am sitll wrapped in sadness and sometimes questioning..why?

honestly, it has hit me hard these last few months...

tonight i sit with my thoughts and prayers.

 i can maybe be a comfort to these friends with words, prayers, lending an ear...

i want to make it all better, i can't.

Have you ever had your heart hurt, i mean really hurt for someone?

Have you felt stripped of control because you want to help and you can't?

God may reveal in ways we don't want, like or in a way we would never ask...

"Rejoice in the lord always; again i will say, Rejoice.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand;do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer

and supplication with thanksgivng let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, wich surpasses all understanding,

 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jeasus."

Philippians 4: 4-7

i want to make it all better, i can't.

Gullah Church in the lowcountry of South Carolina 2007

Failed

ever have those moments where you feel like you've failed ?

Nothing major...just UGH...that stank of failure looming

 was all geared up this afternoon to be supermom, wife, etc, etc, etc

AND today was not the day.

i just couldn't pull it off (most days i can't but really WHO can?)

I DID accomplish some things that i wanted to..

organized & cleaned old toys, baby clothes, even washed the infant car seat covers and put it all away nicely with a label-OCD moment- Just in case we have another baby sometime....

played with hurricaine luke,

made 4 mini loaves of banana bread (so J. can feed the littles an easy breakfast and i can sleep longer)

made homeade french vanilla coffee creamer

 (via pinterest- like i said when i started this blog....most ideas are not my own...i steal them.YUM. http://pinterest.com/pin/196328864975321755/)

french van. creamer

mini banana bread loaf

Anywayyyyyyy

Failure moment

I ruined dinner.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits (like red lobster-YUM again)

Peas (not exciting and i didn't want a labor intensive vegatable dish. im trying to get more veggies into the kids)

Baked Swai Fish (FUN FACT- its a white fleshed fish, with a mild sweet flavor.. native to veitnam and some other places)

Never cooked Swai before, we usually have tilapia, EVERY WEEK!

was trying something new..

didn't work.

didn't set the timer- never really do and this annoys J.

 didn't cook it long enough

 tried to put it back in the oven, didn't work

Kids hungry= microwaved turkey meatballs and slightly burned cheddar bay biscuits, nobody really wanted peas anyway.

sigh.

I know it's not a big deal and im really not heart broken about it.

Just stinks.

 Many times i enjoy cooking for the fam but a lot of times it's stressful....

we are all picky in this famiy so just the planning is difficult, the littles are hungry, i get distracted (ADD, ADD,ADD) , I feel rushed AND i miss out on time with them-occasionally they help me but  thats not always realistic.

poo.

I was going to take a picture but the garbage disposal ate the Baked Swai.

Weekend/Reflection/Future

This weekend was a busy one...

Pinewood Derby (by the way, B. got 10th place & had SO much fun)

cleaning, church, sifted through some family drama

hanging with the littles and J.

lunch with "the girls" , was supposed to work tonight

(but got cancelled/on call for the night...still could get called in).

In the midst of life and the "busy-ness"

of the weekend a few things happened...

1. Saturday night J & i got out some old videos of Brady to see himself when he was lukes age...

after the kids went to bed we watched videos of us "before"

Before kids

Before gray hairs

Before the extra pounds

Before the wrinkles

Before the busy-ness and crazy-ness of life took ahold-

2. At lunch with the girls today we talked about gray hair, under-eye wrinkle cream,

vertigo, baseline mammograms, broken dishwashers and kids (since when do we talk like that)

Do you know what that means ?

1+2= getting old

you see- this year a lot is going to happen...

This year is my 10 year wedding anniversary

This year I turn 21  35 years old.

These things are fairly big things in life and near the end of 2011, i could feel these events "coming on"...

I started to feel restless, crabby and a bit blue

 (i also swear that i have S.A.D. seasonal affective disorder- i get a bit blue in the winter anyway).

I felt like i needed to explore, do things, accomplish things, dig back into myself, nurture some relationships and let some go...making sure that i can or that i am living the life i intended to.

In this year of big events...

Instead of feeling old I want this year to be filled with purpose.

I want to nurture relationships that are healthy and let go of ones that are toxic

 I want to spend time finding me (as a 35 year old mom, wife, friend, christian)  I want to dig in more spiritually,

I want to laugh with my kids more, kiss my husband more.

I want to accomplish what I thought I couldn't.