Nothing a good sunset can't fix

Its a struggle living in the city.  Love the conveniences.  Not the view.  It's been a hard thing for me since moving out of my parents house and into dorms at BYU right after high school.  I feed off beautiful nature and wide open spaces.(Que Dixie chicks song... "Wiiiiide open spaces!")  It's hard to explain how it makes me feel but I feel very sad after awhile. Once I tried to explain it to my college roommate,  when I was crying about too much pavement and trees that were planted... not real trees.  Yah she looked at me like I was nuts.  And I was, and probably still am.  So I've never tried to explain it again, just let Devin know, I need to get out of town, and see something pretty.  This has been the cause of hundreds of drives in the country side the past 7 years of our marriage.  Hunting for a beautiful view, a sweet quiet spot.  

Then I always want to take a picture of it.  It's like pouring a pitcher of happiness into my chest and suddenly everything in life is a little extra wonderful.  I seriously go from "I am a huge failer in life!" Too... "I am the most blessed girl in history!"  Even boogers  suddenly seem cute to me.

(North Shore Hawaii had me SOARING with happiness, and I've been scheming ways to move there ever since.) Anyway,

We've driven A LOT since moving to the area.  And to say the least Boise is lacking.

This weekend was extra bad, and I needed something beautiful to look at in the worst way.

Nothin.

But we did find a good sledding Hill.

And my little family is a pretty beautiful sight to look at.

They are truly my sunshine when skies are gray.

Most especially this one recently.

 It was decided that these sunshine's of mine were more than enough for me to be thankful for. 

  (Sometimes I feel the need for a good swift kick in the pants still, to keep my attitude in line.)

And then by surprise, a true gift.....

That sunset will get me through this entire week.

Which was so needed because this week had some big unexpected sadness in it.

But I know if we can just endure the dark days, even when the clouds may be extra gray in life, there are blessings around every corner.

Just like this Sunset.

Tonight went like this:

5ish-extra kids gone.
5:05is- spaghetti is decided for dinner while Cache checks the mail.
5:06- Cache announces its super warm out and he reeeeally wants to go the park.
Dad won't be home till late, heck why not.
5:10- A car full of scooter and kids eating animal crackers(dinner is postponed) on the way to the park.
6:00- Return home to a house FULL of smoke.
I forgot to take the spaghetti noodles off the stove in our haste to get to the park.
Black pan found-suprisingly and thankfully not much damage to stove or pot.
6:05-I run through the smoke opening all windows and doors in house, when I hear hysterical crying.
Naomi did not take a nap = a Maniac, true true MANIAC that is upset by everything if she is not in pj's and in bed by 5:55pm.
The open windows have upset her and she is frantically closing them all.
6:15. Take a kicking and screaming Nay back out to the car and buckle her in with her blankie.  She is calm.
go back in and open all the windows.
6:30. Arrive at Costa Vida smelling like smoke.  Two kids wrapped in blankets.
We stay for over an hour and 1/2 sharing salads and Nachos and watching surfing. The kids want to move to Hawaii too. :)  Cache continues his plot to throw pies in his Dad's face as soon as he can.  He is such a happy kid. I love him.
7:30ish Devin is done seeing patients and joins us. Gets the low down on the fire, but he says he can smell us from outside.

Day is done.
  I had the best time I've ever had with my 3 kids sharing food and waiting for our house to un-smoke.
I'v never laughed so hard at their tactics, personalities, attitudes.  And I so love seeing my kids inhale salad.  Cafe rio and costa vida are the only places they do that.  Crazy night turned great night.

In the life...

It's a wonder more doesn't get done around here with all this help.

This is why I wait till 10pm to deep clean the bathrooms.

***

Today:

Naomi:  "Mom I hear a volcano in my chest.  It's going to blow up and splode my heart." 

I have no idea, but she'll tell you all about it.

Another Naomi logic from Bath time this morning:

"Louie sit down. Louie, I SAID sit down! Tashhy help me so Louie doesn't dus slip down, roll over and bonk his head, THEN he's eyes will blink blink blink."

Tonight as Devin was home for 30 minutes to throw down a smoothie and some chicken, wrestle with kids,

listen to Naomi tell about her volcano in her chest,  do a whirl wind clean of the house (to help me prepare for Activity days at our house), listen to me yell, STOP cleaning I can handle it!(even though I probably couldn't get it done in time) and then finally kiss me goodbye to go teach till 10pm, I sighed: "Do you think we'll ever be bored again?"  I wish we could be bored.

I wish we could be bored in Hawaii.

Lost his first tooth riding in the car.
Second tooth: a bunch little girls were over from church, Cache was hiding in the back of course, and he came out holding his tooth.

No I'm not going to document every tooth my children looses.
But maybe I will. :)   So don't judge.
He is my first child so every tooth is exciting for me and for Devin.

Tonight as he was studying his little tooth in a baggy, he said:

"Mom when am I going to loose my tounge and then get a grown up tounge?"

I told him 12 days after his 9th birthday. :)

Snow is fun

Just another food source to Gage.

Snow is so exciting.  The kids just shoved snow gear on over the jammies.  They were tearin out the back door before they even had breakfast.  Had to chase a few of them down through the snow with boots and gloves and hats and they even fought me to keep them on. Crazies.

Random note.  Gage is such a joy in this house.

At breakfast this morning Cache told us how in the middle of the night Gage was singing "Twinkle twinkle,  but only with the words: "Da da da da!" (The boys share a room now.)

 He is a good little singer.

He wrestles with Naomi.

He is possessive of a certain Boston red sox hat.

You have to help him search for it when he gets up from his nap.

No other hat will do.

When we call for dinner, lunch, snack, breakfast, he runs as fast as he can,  puts his bib on over his head, and waits patiently by his highchair.

He eats more than Naomi.

He sleeps with his shoes on. 

And if he is wearing feety jammies, he will sleep with his shoes in his chubby little hands.  

Iron grip.

He thinks everyone and everything is trying to steal his shoes.  He'll boss : "DOH DOH DOH."

(dont' don't don't) if you come near his shoes.  

He raises his voice at the end of words(babble), like he is always asking a question.

He throws his dishes when he's finished eating.

That should make a mother mad.  But I crack up every time.

I guess I wish sometimes I could be that uninhibited.

What if adults just threw their dishes across the room to signal they were threw eating?

Think about it....

it would be so funny.

That's all I got for today.

I was reading this website.  And found this advice. I loved it. I needed it. Here it i:

 Children are not adults.

so let's stop expecting them to act like adults!

Let's remember that we have almost 20 years with them in our home.

Let's remember that it's our job to keep reminding, keep training, keep responding with kindness...over and over and over.

(times infinity)

Let's remember that their immature behavior doesn't make them bad, and doesn't make us bad.

It makes them children.

Which is exactly what they are supposed to be. If children acted like adults, why would they need us?

Do we hope they'll be "good" so they don't inconvenience us? Do we hope they'll be "good" so they make us look good in front of others?

(yes, raising my hand sheepishly here)

Or do we expect to do our jobs? Expecting to love unconditionally, to chase away fears and worries from our minds, to show and model grace.

(times infinity)

Sounds like a job description worthy of a couple of decades, don't you think?

I also loved the link at the bottom of this post titled. "Have a YES day."

It's all about saying yes to children.  

I read several articles on saying YES. THIS was my favorite ever.

Saying yes does feel good.  It reminds me how exciting the world felt when I was a child and gives me a chance to give my children the experiences they'll remember forever.  

A conversation to remember

On the way home from a park tonight I heard Cache in the back explaining to Nay:
"If you plug your nose and hold you breath and blow out really hard Your eyeball will pop out of your head.  Then you have to wait for a long long time for another eyeball to grow back."

Pretty soon, he yelled to the front for me to confirm his story.  I told him NO that sadly eyeballs don't grow back.

He wasn't convinced.
"Well arms and fingers grow back if they get chopped off, so an eyeball might too if your really careful with your body and eat and sleep really good."

Well, no actually arms and fingers don't grow back either Cache. Although it would be so great if they did. But they don't.

"Well one time at the fair I saw this guy with short arms and he had 3 fingers on one hand and 4 fingers on the other hand."

OH.
So what did you think about him?

"That he was just working hard to grow his fingers and arms back after they got chopped off.  He just had baby arms, and they were growing UP."

:)

UPDATE: Cache told us the source of such knowledge that eyeballs will pop out of heads was

Uncle Nick.

My favorite thing that Naomi says lately is:

"Tashy is being inapopeee AT."  (Cache is being inappropriate.)

She's says this very seriously while blinking her wide eyes at me.

Then nods her head and walks away like a little miss.

These are our blessed children in their Christmas outfits. 

I meant to retake them. Don't I always?

I just really imagined these pics in snow.

Still waitin for that snow.

In the mean time, these make me happy.

Behold our 3 Christmas cheese balls.

 OH looking at those pictures makes me feel like I just laughed for 10 minutes.

I don't know why I was given such characters to raise.

But I am grateful. 

Well... most of the time.

Getting through winter

Scooters inside where it's warm.

Gage has lotion on his face. He applied that himself.

Friday nights of homemade pizza and Disney movie.

Gage insisted on having his very own blanket just like the big kids. 

 Ring around the rosies with friends.

 Spring come soon! We are runnin out of stuff to do and room to do it within these walls.

Christmas 2011

Christmas was extra special this year.  It just felt well, wonderful!

 The cherry on top of the ice cream sundae of life.

We packed all the presents, ate the gingerbread house, very sadly threw out the Christmas tree(fire hazard Devin said), and headed to Pendleton.

We did all our traditions. 

 Visited the Levy's and played with their train, met Jennifer's  new baby Morgan! 

Jan and Mac always gets the kids the cutest presents. 

Then To Grandma Carla's for Christmas Eve!  OH soo much good food.  Uncle Max's wife Martha always sends some good meat over from Haines.  Sirloin tip or Ham or both.

Then we talk and eat and talk and eat and talk and eat.

This year was extra special because 6 out of the 7 brother's were there.  Just missed Uncle Troy.

oh AND AAAAAShley was home from her Mission!!!! 

I love this dear sister of mine. And missed her so much.  So I was ex tactic to  see her, and hang out with her.

She is truly DA BEST!  And loves Christmas! 

SEE!

Grandpa Calvin

Grandma's tree with all her crochet framed Grandchildren.  This one is Joey!

While we talked and ate,  the kids as tradition... went crazy.

Rug burns, red cheeks and 20 different ways to slide down stairs.

Roan was hiding from my camera but I caught him up there at the top.

Lane and Gage.

Two of the cutest chunkity chunks.

Matching round tummies.

Devin and my Grandma are Kindred spirits in many a way.  

He always likes to catch up on all her new books she's been reading.

Google Santa tracker.
The kids were constantly checking to see which country Santa was in at the moment.

Then we all gather for the grand kids to open up pajamas.

Gramps is trying to kick someone in the head...of course. :)

Until your married you will have matching Pj's from Grandma.  And must pose for picture.

Ali is always so sweet to Naomi.

 You can tell how much Naomi loves getting her picture taken with her.

It was cute.

Since Hawaii, Gage still prefers Grandpa or Grandma over me when they are around....

Uncle Jay looked strong that  night.

Then around 9 or later, we go back home.  Sent out Santa cookies, take a Christmas Eve pictures.

The siblings.

The Parents

 Santa came!

As tradition since Ben and I were little, the boys and Ash were up by 3 am, playing with Santa toys.  

Since I was up with a crying baby, I had company.  Great for me!

Daylight came and they were aloud to wake up the little kids and open gifts.

Wicked tickets!

Gage was most interested in Santa's left overs.

shin guards and knee pads for the next time Dad fall off the tractor!  (Joey's gift.)

 still sneekin the cookie crumbs

pink scooter, tutu, lip gloss and a barn were Naomi's spoils.

Cache: scooter, camera and spy watch.

Gage: farm animals, diapers and a plasma car.

 OH and Devin and I made the kids blankets. With Sarah and Ashley's help :)

 "Putting Makeups on me wips."

"I'll just take the whole plate." He decided.

We went to church, which was very Christmasy and was a nice reminder after our LOOT of what Christmas is really all about.  Christ.  And I got to see lots of high school friends.

That night Grandma and Gramps came over with Bruce and Natalie to eat Trifle and try out all boys new 

xbox Dance games. Grandma is such a sport!  Natalie wouldn't let me take pics of her but she is an awesome dancer.

                                                            Great Christmas.  I don't want my kids to grow up.