some things never change

Well....plus a few kids and one on the way! We went up to Seattle to visit my friends Emily and Jenni and their families. Em has Max who is almost 3 and the biggest football fan I have ever met, Jack who is 10 months and absolutely adorable and of course her husband Brian. And Jenni and her husband Steve are expecting in August and she is the cutest little prego ever! We had a great weekend, and even left all the kiddos with the boys and escaped for lunch and to look at all the fun baby stuff for Jenni. It was pretty much chaos the whole weekend with all 5 kids but the most fun chaos I have had in awhile! Jalen and Jack had the best time sitting and playing, they are both the smiliest happiest babies! They even tolerated us putting bunny ears on them and taking pictures (one day they will roll their eyes but for now they just gave us their sweet smiles!). Max and the girls played so good, and Max and Lily really enjoyed watching Dora together (I'm pretty sure that was on in the background 90% of the time we were there!) The most amazing thing to me though is how we live in separate states, rarely get to see each other and we pick up right where we leave off...the best things in life never change...and good friendships are one of those!

A picture perfect heaven

I thought I would share the conversation that took place on the way to school today. Let me begin with saying that ever since my grandma past away last April, the girls have been VERY curious about a lot of things...even things that Mommy's don't always have the best answer for. For example, a couple of months ago Ellie asked me if God chooses how you die. When I asked her to explain what she meant, she said "well you know how you said that only God knows WHEN you'll die? does he decide HOW you'll die...like will he make you drown in a river?" This one stumped me. How do explain to a six year old that yes God has the ultimate plan for each of us, but you also have your own free will to make good decisions as well (meaning don't go jump in a raging river!). So onto today...Lily is in the back seat and says "when you are in heaven can you breathe?". Considering that no on really knows the answers to any of these questions... I say yes. "Do you wear clothes in heaven?" Again, I say yes. Now you can guess where this is going..."can I wear my camo pants in heaven?" I smile and say yes (thinking those better not fit you when you go to heaven!) "Are there animals in heaven?" Yes. "But not real animals, animals like my Ashley (meaning her Webkinz pet)?" Yes those can be there too. "Mommy is there a sun in heaven?" I say absolutely...there's all the light you need. She then asks me to look in the rear view mirror as she is using her hands to draw like she would on a piece of paper and says "Like the round kind with the streaks coming off of it?" I get that she is describing the yellow sun that she draws at the top of her picture and the "streaks" are the rays. I laugh and wait for her to add that happy face that is usually on the sun as well, but she doesn't take it that far. I say yes, that sun is in heaven. She ends by telling me that Grandma June is in heaven taking care of Sketer (my old kitty I had growing up). As I watched her in the back seat I could see her imagination working and was amazed that at 8:00 in the morning my four year old daughter was drawing in her mind what her picture perfect heaven would be like. They say that children are born believers with an infinite amount of faith...today Lily proved that.

Two Points is Two Points!

I'm trying to tell all of you right now that two points is two points. When you have our gene pool, I am not sure if the NBA has room for a 5'2'' point guard! Hey you never know! In the mean time he can dress the part (thanks to Repeat), however, Dina and I will continue to stress the importance of GOLF!

Little Miss Bossy

Okay, so this little shirt that my grandma got Jalen for Christmas is cute and got a good laugh out of everyone...however, let me clarify that there is a difference between being bossy and asking for help. (It is not my fault that in asking for help I need to kindly give direction on HOW to help me in the fastest, most efficient way possible.) I think this is where the confusion comes in for Jamie. In given the choice to hold and entertain Jalen or do one of the many tasks that moms have to do all day...he always chooses the other task. I'm not sure why...for two reasons: hanging with Jalen when he is your only focus is really a pretty fun thing to do, secondly, the other task that he chooses he only does 3/4 of the way...it's never completed as I would have done it. Now I know this could seem like I'm "throwing him under the bus" as he likes to call it, and I'm sure he will soon be on here "throwing me under the bus" right back but that is really not my intention. It's okay, I've surrendered to the fact that guys generally don't multi-task well and they just don't "see" things that same way we do. For example, let's take putting away Christmas. Here's my point in the fast and efficient comment...for our 8 years of marriage I have been getting out and putting away the Christmas decorations every year. I know what goes in what bin, box and bag and how it fits together. So this year Jalen was sick and fussy and Jamie chose to put away Christmas instead of hold him. So when I was sweetly following him from room to room describing to him "how" to put things away I got accused of being "bossy". Wouldn't it have just been a lot easier for him to take the fussy baby and let me put everything away in the same fashion I have every other year? So , as "Little Miss Bossy" let me end with this: I love my husband dearly and greatly appreciate everything he does to help around the house as I realize it is much more than most men do...let's just say there are some things girls do better, like putting away Christmas decorations. (Now I don't think even Jamie could argue with that!)