Joyfully Weary

I'm such a lucky momma. My older three kiddos, with the help of Jeremy, surprised me with breakfast in bed yesterday. Jeremy made sure I knew to stay in my room and they all headed  downstairs early to make me bacon, eggs, and chocolate chip pancakes. It was so much fun hearing their happy chatter as they prepared their surprise.  Big Buddy is so past giving kisses to his Mama, but he knows is makes me happy so once in awhile he will amuse me. 💓 They day before they also worked together to make this spinning Lego heart. I love that they are such a team! The breakfast and the heart were wonderful, but them working together is what makes me beam with joy.  BabyZ gave his own gift and slept in super late! He didn't wake up until after my breakfast was served...and then he helped me eat some of my chocolate chip pancakes 😉 He was convinced that all the candles meant it was somebodies birthday and started to sing "Happy Birthday". The old...

I've mentioned before that we are big on traditions, especially holiday traditions. St. Patrick's Day doesn't get left out! Every year the kids' aunts send them a box full of St. Patrick's Day goodies.  We deck our house out in in green and then count down the days until the leprechaun visits. This year was a little bittersweet for me, because in past years the kiddos didn't call it St. Patrick's Day; it was a count down until Green Day...nobody called it Green Day this year. They are growing up too fast!  At our house the leprechaun hides some gold/golden wrapped candy under a hidden rainbow. To find the rainbow the kiddos have to solve five rhyming riddles.  He also dyes some milk green, sets out the Lucky Charms, and usually leaves behind balloons.  We thought the second clue would be really easy for them but it took them awhile for them to solve. That right answer was just coming to Mini Man in the picture below.  And they are o...

I already shared earlier in the month about our  V-day traditions.  This has become one of my favorite holidays...I'm a bit like a kid, though, and get excited for every celebration. It did this mama's heart so much good to sit down and write what I love about my kiddos; they are such unique-fun-extraordinary people.  Life can get too hectic sometimes and I loose sight of what a joy they are. We have these little tin mailboxes, that I picked up at Target's dollar spot; Jeremy's been leaving little notes in them before he leaves for work. I think I'm going to start doing the same. There is just something about the written word...it seems to have more power to change outlooks/attitudes than spoken words do. The kiddos where all pumped to look for their hearts again. Mini Man always asks us to hide his really well and I think we succeeded this year. He was the last to find all of his hearts. We actually gave up on the last one. He found it a couple hours later...

This past weekend we went to the American Girl Place to celebrate these three girls birthdays. They all have January or February birthdays and decided that instead of a party they wanted to have dinner with each other and their dolls at the American Girl Place. They all have hand-me-down dolls: Felicity, Kristen, and Samantha that they are very attached too.  Too make it even more special we invited grandmas to join us. How cute do Maca and Little Lady look in their matching red coats? I am so grateful that Little Lady has these friendships. I am still close to friends I met in first grade girls scouts. I'm hoping these three will also be life long friends.  They are great girls who also come from families who also love the Lord. Their  moms are actually good friends of mine. It's such a blessing to know that her best friends are being raised in families with similar values.  I love how Little Lady can be completely herself w...

We are big on family traditions and celebrations in our house. I've shared here before that I grew up in a chaotic unhealthy home **. There wasn't enough structure to have rituals and traditions. Naturally, I want to provide better for my kiddos.  There are several reasons I think traditions are so important. They become a joyful constant in our lives despite the many chaotic changes that happen. They give our kiddos and us a time to look forward to when life starts to feel mundane. Most importantly, they create shared memories which create strong bonds. Holiday traditions and family rituals are an easy way to create a lasting family identity.  In our home we don't just celebrate the major holidays like Christmas and birthdays . Minor holidays, like St. Patrick's Day and May Day , also get a bit of celebration. We have seasonal rituals as well. We use a chalkboard where at the beginning of a season we write down our plans: apple picking, ice skating, Shakesp...