Let's Go Ride a Bike

Thursday night John and I decided is was finally time for William to graduate from the creepy little tricycle he rode around our parking lot.  Every time we go to Walmart, William runs to the bikes and says, "Oh yes, this is my bike I want for my birfuhday....no...wow, THIS is the bike I uh weally want for my birfuhday." His face expression when I suggested we just buy it today? Priceless. He made all sorts of promises of never being mean again to keeping his bed clean (he's a hoarder, so this was a big deal.) 

William, Caity, and Johnny took to the parking lot on their bikes as soon as we got home. Caity and Johnny were so attentive to their little brother teaching him how to break (albeit unsuccessfully) and how to go over bumps in the concrete without falling over (again unsuccessfully). Their effort was so touching to this mother's heart! While they were riding fast and furious around their turf, Matthew and I sat on the porch playing with " 'cary guys and good guys".  With the sun setting, it was a perfect end to the day.

Saturday seemed like the Day of the Bikes.  

We woke up early and rode a bike trail to McDonald's.  One of my all time favorite views is seeing everyone in front of me riding and laughing. For a brief moment, all seems right in the world, you know; until someone runs into a trash can or something.  On the way home from McDonald's, John and the older kids played at a bike park with dirt mounds and jumps; I'm always so impressed with their lack of inhibitions- they get that from their dad! For the last leg of the journey, John asked William to show us the way home.  He squared his little shoulders and he was so proud of himself peddling his little heart out.  He took the responsibility seriously.

Every time I'd help Wiliam over a bump or up a little hill, he'd say "Thanks Mom," and always turn around and say,  "Do you need help now, mom?" I must say, I was flattered by that little gentleman! 

It was just a great outing for all the kids. 

Johnny would fall behind on purpose just so he could pedal as fast as he could to pass everyone.

Matthew sat with his hands in his pockets in the seat behind John, giggling whenever John raced up a hill.

Caity rode in the back with me for awhile just talking to talk, "Yeah, Matthew in my class has a crush on me. I know he has a crush on me, he knows that I know, and our whole class knows; but I just tell them: 'Look guys, a crush just means you think someone is really cool. It's not a big deal, you can still be friends and stuff.'"  (I just love her.) 

We went on a couple more bike rides to places throughout the day, and it was just an all around great way to spend a Saturday. I'm grateful for John for making us get out of the house...now, five more days until the next Saturday!

Snip, Snip!

Yesterday the boys got haircuts. I usually am the culprit for the uneven blending, but yesterday John gave it a go- and he did a terrific job.  I was on bath tub duty, washing off the hairy backs and dunking screaming heads (affectionately) in and out of the water.  From my view on the toilet seat, I was in a pretty happy place. He's a good dad. They're good boys. The sun is shining outside, and Life is good.

Matthew kept checking his reflection when ever he could and would just smile at himself and wave or shrug. So cute.

William wasn't so thrilled...haha!

No, I Didn't Give Up Blogging

The other day I was wasting time on the computer and it weighed me down. I thought, "Wow, the internet is a lousy place. I'm boycotting it. Like, for REAL this time. No more Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat...nothing. It seems every single post I read today was negative- I logged into a world of bitter, bleak, self-indignant-----well, except for that one post." And stopped mid-thought, changing directions.

My husband's grandma, Carolyn, wrote a cute little bit about her amazing ability in growing dandelions- and I must ask alongside her- who decided those things were weeds anyway? Her words made me smile and miss her in that achy-heart, just-an-afternoon-would-do way.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was approaching my frustrations all wrong. Something so simple as a post about dandelions counteracted at least fifteen negative posts. Of course it is OK to vent frustrations and point out discrepancies and facebook can seem like a valid platform to be heard- but when done from a place of self indulgence, pride, and bitterness- it hardly ever promotes the change you hope to inspire.  More often than not, it just spreads more bitterness and more frustrations. Rather than opening hearts to your perspective, people are more likely to become closed off and defensive- driving a deeper wedge in our differences rather than inspiring the change and perspective aimed for.

  At least that is my opinion.  

Yet, there is something about negative posts that seem to suck me in, and I willingly dive into a pool of angry emotions on my own free will.  And I hate it.  I hated the way I felt after my facebook excursion...and that two hours later I was still harboring resentment....until as I already said- I was reminded of dandelions. 

So...perhaps the solution isn't boycotting the internet (duh.) Perhaps it is deliberately choosing to be the good.  There is so much in life worth rejoicing amidst the political unrest, the differing moral views, the wars, and the injustices.  There are daily moments that wake us every morning feeling a compelled determination to live a more full life.  It is the smell of the lilacs blooming in my parking lot, piles of Legos color coordinated by a six year old boy, the three year old praying that he'll remember to be nice, the giggles when you push a belly button, the swelling anticipation every time I see John's car pull into the driveway after work. It's the tucking kids in bed multiple times- when finally on the fifth time you remember why you like those kids so much, it's snow cones, it's holidays, it's a good book, it's a bear hug, it's walks to the library, it's when you feel God is listening to your prayers, it's strangers smiling at the grocery store....it's just insignificant moments of our daily life that set a climate of gratitude and purpose. 

And it's not much, but it's the good I can gladly contribute.

And that whole shpeal was supposed to be two sentences. But it's me we're talking about here.

So, here's to hopping back on the wagon!

So Long, Halloween Twenty Sixteen!

November 1st is always a strange day for me.  I look around my house at our "Halloween hang over" observing a diaper clad toddler running through the wreckage with his chubby cankles protruding from his ankle socks. I take in the other toddler with his then-black-now-gray-spiky hair, sorting his candy for the third time on the couch. I watch the older kids viciously scrub at the remnats of a captain america star and the dripping vampire blood, looking in the mirror with sleepy eyes.

I have vague memories of last night, October 31st. 

Memories of picking up William and running him from house to house so he could keep up with the older kids...and on that note, Caity shouting "WILLIAM!" as soon as she saw the homeowner begin closing their door, only to realize Johnny already grabbed a candy for his little brother.  

I think images of jack o lantern and ghost pancakes for breakfast and dead man's toes and pie crust tombstones in potato swamps for dinner.  

I see William and Johnny working on the witch hat craft at the Library with William's proud smile and Johnny's tongue sticking out of his mouth while he colored in the lines, them both being watched by a little tiger trying to figure out how to open his sucker. 

There was Caity in her jack o lantern shirt and striped tights helping me make treats for teachers at school, and there was a lego-made trunk-or-treat by Johnny.

I swell with gratitude and pride thinking about John braving the winds to fix the van for me last minute.

I have memories of trying about a million pictures unsuccessfully of my kids' costumes before we headed to the Season's Medical Trick or Treat.

I see my kids blend with swarms of neighborhood kids dressed as witches, super heroes, and tigers going door to door, and the fun I had greeting all our wonderful neighbors.  I remember a very shy hulk when he finally had the courage to say "Trick of Treat!" and the intense face of a cute baby Tiger every time a piece of candy made it into his Frankenstein pail his white knuckles clutched for dear life.

I see Caity posing, and re-posing to be a more convincing Vampire as she dripped with confidence, swooshing her cape over half her face.

And I see Johnny flexing his fake muscles and flexing again and tackling and speed racing with his fist in the air. 

I see wilting Jack O Lanterns and wind blown wreaths.

The face expressions of cute newlywed couple, Becca and Tyler, as they came out to the car to see their excited to-show-their-costumes niece and nephews.

I think about the piles of candy being sorted, a certain little girl sorting them by type, then size, then finally settling on alphabetically. Then, Johnny trading "anything you want in my pile, even milk duds" for a pumpkin donut flavored laffy taffy, and then every time William found a KitKat, he'd say, "ANUDDER ONE!?" All this while Matthew watched in his crib until he fell asleep.

I remember the pure exhaustion as children dragged their sore feet to their beds, while their Mom and Dad confiscated their candy to pull out taxes that we enjoyed while we cuddled and watched a show together with the kids asleep. 

My crowning moment of every Halloween is the time I get to spend with John.  I think about that on November 1st. I think about his amused face as he walks the kids to the doors, and talks about hometowns, big foot, and politics with the other parents. I think about his smile while he humors me and my themed dinners, and how he brings me back down to earth when I get too worked up about making everything perfect. I think about how he fixed the van without having any clue how to when he started. I think about dumping out Matthew's candy to find a flower he picked for me along our trick or treating route. I think about how great it is that I get to go home with him every night and we get to laugh about all our favorite kid moments and spend time together eating their candy. Haha.

Yes, it was a good day with good memories. 

But on the morn of November 1st, it feels so foreign and the wilting bats on my walls and the smiling witch suddenly become clutter of a distant memory and I get all excited for this new turned page.  It is the holidays. It is time for Thanksgiving- a time for gratitude and family and autumn harvest and gosh, I love that.  So, I get to spend my November 1st switching gears, pulling out the gratitude poster and preparing my family for our next great venture, all while yesterday's adventures still keep me smiling and feeling all nostalgic. 

In other news....I think I am making breakfast for dinner tonight because, hello- breakfast for dinner.

Coming home from School

A Vampire, Iron Man, "Hoek", and a Tiger

Swampy graveyard, bloody bone (biscuits), dead man's toes, Frankenstein's brains.

Halloween Costumes 2016

CAITY the VAMPIRE

JOHNNY the "VAMP" (turned IRON MAN)

At his class party. He stood up before I could get a picture WITHOUT a cable cord. haha.

WILLIAM the HULK (pronounced "Hoek")

 

MATTHEW the TIGER!

 And HERE is what trying to get picture of my kids in their costumes on Halloween looks like:

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Someone was ALWAYS blurry...or making a face...or running away....or closing their eyes...or sitting. So, sorry for so many of the same things, I'm just going to put these here until I can decide which is the least terrible. haha.

It sure was fun dressing up though!