What does that mean?

Brooks had a softball tournament all day last Saturday. All throughout the tournament my boys would admire the trophies and ask if they could have them. Well, Brooks' team took 3rd place and the team captain guy gave the trophy to the boys. They were all sooooooooo excited.

Here they are when they came home. Camden said, "It's the 3rd place trophy!" Then I heard Brooks yell from below, "What does that mean, Camden?" Then Camden said, "It means you're the 2nd loser." Perfect.

Iris has taken it upon herself to feed Royce now when I'm not looking. I've caught him being fed PB&J, ham sandwich, oatmeal, cheerios and this particular day......dum-dums. (and no, I haven't started the kid on cereal yet. After all these yummy tastes, he probably won't WANT it!)

And here's a good ol' fashioned sideways picture of Iris holding JJ in her death grip (after her nap on Sunday)

However, I will close this post by making it public for all to read that I BEAT BROOKS AT BOWLING!!!!! (by one point......details, details)

So wouldn't that make him the

1st LOSER?!?!?!?

"Mommy Ears"

Sometimes Heavenly Father speaks to me though my "Mommy Ears".

You know what I'm talking about............the Mom ears that helps us hear a wrapper being opened 3 rooms away or tip-toeing feet out of bed or the unbuckling of seatbelts before you're actually in your driveway? Yea, those ears. The sounds most people don't hear, but a mom can.

I was getting ready for bed tonight, brushed my teeth and was ABOUT to say my prayers when I heard one VERY faint sound I've become VERY good at hearing..........a water sound. It's the sound the pipes make when the washer is running, dishwasher running, toilet flushing or an outside hose turned on. I thought it strange considering none of the above applied. It HAD to be the hose. It was raining and thundering outside so I couldn't just step out to listen for it, I actually had to walk out and find the hose. I went in the front yard, nothing. Then I went in the backyard to find the hose nice and wound up next to the house (my personal contribution in keeping the backyard picked up.............well, it back-fired this time).............WITH THE WATER ON! Considering it was 10:30 the house had to have been on for at least 4 hours, RIGHT in the spot where the water kept coming down and flooding our basement last year. Arg.

I went downstairs and found water in the garage area. Just in that corner and along the wall and only extending out 3 or 4 feet. Without wanting to wake Brooks I just grabbed the shop-vac and started sucking up the puddle of water. I did that for about 45 minutes. I couldn't help but think of the tender mercy Heavenly Father had just given me. I immediately felt so much gratitude and peace.....that still fills my chest as I type this. I could've NOT checked the hoses, or just one and found a REEEEEEEEEEEALLY flooded basement/downstairs/garage in the morning. HEAVEN KNOWS it would've been a REALLY bad morning for me to wake up to THAT, because I am NOT a morning person......at. all. (Just ask my mom).

As little as this event might have been I see it as a little loving sign of mercy from above.........a little evidence that someone is watching out for me and cares enough about my sanity to perk up my "Mom Ears" to what could've been a mess. With all that is going on around the world it's pretty overwhelming sometimes to think I have a Father in Heaven who cares enough about me this evening in my safe and now-dry home.

And now that it's past midnight, I think I'll go finish saying my prayers that got interrupted before.............but this time, with a few more things to be thankful for.

THIS little sweet boy, at 5 and a half months weighs a whoppin'

(drumroll please...........)

14 lbs. 11 oz.

Okay, so he MIGHT be somewhat of a lightweight, but he is soooo darn cute.

Everyone loves him and he's pretty spoiled. See? (Emerson reading to him)

He even got to stay up late one night and watch Biggest Loser with me, Emerson and Sally (Sally is ALWAYS my TV/movie buddy)

Shortly after though he fell asleep.

Even though he's not sitting up yet by himself, he STILL thinks he's almost ready to do something that I'm NOT very happy about........

(Oh and the poor kid, he'll just DIE when he's older and his Mom yells "GO ROYCEY!" in his games!)

TEN FRIGGIN YEARS!!!

Ten years ago Melissa took a terrible chance on a young man named Brooks. TEN YEARS AGO!! Well, other than me, what does she have to show for herself? Not much. I'm kidding. Let's see. Fifty four months of pregnancy.That's four and a half years of having a tumor within your uterus. Wow!! One hour of labor. No, not one hour of working, but one hour of actual pushing. That's a long time...I think. At least it seems so. Sixty plus months of nursing. Now, I know that's a long time. Two years or so (the number is foggy as my slumber was rarely interrupted) of getting up at least once during the middle of the night. Around 10000 meals prepared for her family. Man, think what I could have done with all that money. I digress. Those items are just the ones that I can quantify. But, what about all the other "stuff?"

For starters, 99.67% of the last ten years she has done her darnedest to make me happy. For the most part she has succeeded. The only hiccups along the way were those nights when she made me get up and do what I could to get one of the kids to quit crying. No worries. I forgive and forget.

For ten years she has supported and encouraged me to do well in school, church, and in fatherhood (not quite ten years). Ten years and counting she has not muttered one complaining peep about where I have taken her as I've went here and there for school and work. Never before has a wife been more of a support to her husband than Melissa.

For eight and a half of these ten years she has, with grace, been the best darn mom that she could be. Few things rattle her and even fewer things have caused her to lose her marbles. She has, from the beginning, taken these loaned out spirits and has cared for them as only a true mother can. She has unselfishly dedicated her life to see that these children of hers become good and righteous sons and daughters of God. Though this world will one day be her inheritance, she has, for now, chosen to live, teach and be in a home not much bigger than 1500 square feet. WHy? Because she understands that the farthest reaching influence for good begins within the walls of this small home.

Because of her example, one day her kids will feel to cry aloud, "How I love and cherish true motherhood! Nothing beneath the celestial kingdom can surpass my deathless love for the sweet, true, noble, soul who gave me birth—my own, own, mother! O she was good! She was true! She was pure! She was indeed a Saint! A royal daughter of God!"

Finally, may I say to you Melissa, how much I love you! How grateful I am that you weren't quite as smart ten years ago when you were fooled just enough to sit across the altar from me. That could have been one of the greatest heist of all time. Some would actually really believe that. I happen to be one of them

Happy Anniversary to ME!!!

Do you think there's a chance

(even a SMALL one) for Royce?

With these 2 has his older sisters, Emerson starting kindergarten next year and him being ALONE w/ girls all day, I'm starting to worry...........

Celebrity Day

At the boys' school they have a Theme Week going. Yesterday was “Hat Day”, they'll be a “Pajama Day”, etc. Well, TODAY is “Celebrity Day”. Camden came home yesterday and asked what a “celebrity” was and I told him. Bronson was soooooo excited because he said he would dress up like a basketball player because then he could wear basketball shorts to school (which we don't let him do normally). He was thrilled.

At the dinner table Camden told Daddy how he didn't know WHO to be. Brooks asked the boys what a celebrity was.

Boys: It's someone cool

Brooks: Camden, that means YOU are a celebrity

Boys: No, it's someone that does something neat

Brooks: Yep, Camden, THAT'S YOU!

Boys: (Exasperated they said,) NO! They have a LOT of fans!

Brooks: Camden, look around here, you have a TON of fans at home, at church and at school!

So here's what Camden ended up wearing for Celebrity Day. I can't help but sit here and smile of thinking him confidently wearing that at school!

Oh, and I had to include a picture of Aleeya walking around w/ J.J. on her shoulder. He's actually been a pretty loving pet........and VERY ....(how shall I say this).....DURABLE!

How old are we?

I'm not going to disclose ALL our ages, but here are 11 moms, dressed in tutus (many borrowed from our daughters........not mine obviously, because it didn't fit) getting ready to run the 5K for Breast Cancer.

And not only did we RUN but there had to be a little dancing before

Aaaaaaand, well, a little potty break before too. Here Allison, Nikki and I come back from....well, you know what......in an undisclosed place. Because apparently if I TOLD you where we would have gotten a ticket........according to Nikki.

There was sooooooo many people. To give you an idea, by the time we got to the starting line, it had been 17 minutes since the first people took off. We could barely run once it started.

We spent most of the race zigging and zagging through people......which wasn't too easy because the whole first mile was uphill, but everyone was so nice and friendly during the race that it made it enjoyable (wait, did I just use that word associated with RUNNING?!?!? Yikes.)

Nikki and I finished it in 29:00 flat. And we were thrilled considering we were shooting for around 30. I think it was the drums/music, etc. that kept us running to a fun beat (Pause. Now I used the word "fun"?!?!?)

However, had someone TOLD me there would've been a ton of freebies waiting at the finish line, I probably would've sprinted faster!!!! NOW, they're talkin' my language.

(why I wore a pink shirt when my face goes bright pink/red is beyond me.......)

I don't think I've EVER eaten a better-tasting orange!

Rachel was all about "goosing" the Chick-Fil-A cow....

But you know what they say? What goes around, comes around!

Here we are at the end of the race w/ all the babies (that the iron-men mommies pushed in strollers).

Don't get me wrong though, I still don't LIKE running, but Rachel of course, challenged me and said I at least had to do ONE race in my whole life. And there it is.

However, I WILL say, I enjoyed hangin' w/ some of my peeps......even in tutus.

6 reasons..........

why I love today!

Well, that, and Brooks gave me a KILLER Mother's Day Junkbox full of mothering objects I've needed/wanted like pens, dishrags, measuring tape, etc. and of course, my fav. treats.

Just LOOK at those faces!!!! I am one stinkin' lucky lady!

Three Big Happenings

We've had 3 pretty huge things happen around here in a matter of 3 days.

#1- J.J. joined our family

The boys saved their money and bought this RAT.......

Considering I have rodent issues since......oh......one gave BIRTH (really, it was pretty messy.....and nasty...I felt like a nurse) to 3 babies in my closet while living in Tennessee (see?)

J.J. is actually pretty cute. Everyone loves him and Iris ADORES him.

(If you're wondering why a rat, the reason is that they're better pets for younger children then hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc..........go figure). But it was cute how the boys bought his bedding, food, exercise wheel, water dispenser, etc. with their own money. They were serious about this all.

#2- The Gun Show arrived

Here's the other thing Bronson used his money on that he had saved up from his birthday, and can you tell he's a little excited about it.

He WANTED a paintball gun (I, of course, didn't really want that to happen), but after I showed him these, he was sold. They're little red beads that get shot out and actually give a nice sting and leave a little mark (nice huh........and yes, we'll be investing in goggles to protect the eyes). Go ahead, just ask every member of the family except me and Iris to show their little marks to prove it. Here's Brooks and Bronson playing......(Bronson had the pistol one, but you can't see it, so no, Brooks wasn't shooting at an unarmed person)

My favorite part is Camden in his big winter jacket, so it won't sting when it hits. That doesn't stop Brooks though, he would just aim at the legs.

#3- “Best hotel trip ever”

(Oh, and Aleeya ASSURED me if we went to a hotel that she would "not plug the toilet and flush it and flush it", like they did LAST TIME!)

I pretty much couldn't say ENOUGH about this place and how much I would HIGHLY recommend Great Wolf Lodge to ANYONE. Anyway, we got the Kid Cabin Room So the boys had their own little room w/ a bunkbed, daybed and TV. They were in HEAVEN! (What's cute is that the girls were supposed to sleep in the pull-out sofa bed, but ended up sharing beds w/ the boys in there, so all 5 kids slept in those 3 beds!)

They said it was the "Coolest place EVER!" Then we said, "Let's go swimming" and Emerson whispered to his brothers, "I hope it has 2 pools." (meaning a pool and a hot tub). We didn't even TELL them there was a WHOLE indoor WATERPARK!!!!!!!!!!! You should've SEEN their faces when they walked in! (Brooks says mine was even better though.....yes, i'm like a kid sometimes!)

(that's Brooks and the boys under the water fort when all the water comes crashing down!)

Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited Iris.......

She is NOT a fan of water and is pretty much a pansy over most things......stinker.

There was basketball (okay, for those of you who know Brooks' brother, Gabe, doesn't Brooks look like him in this picture?)

Camden by FAR was the best at the lily pads.....think of the TV show, Wipe-Out, where the people keep slipping off those things.....then picture me, doing it EXACTLY like the people on Wipe-Out. Well, at least I gave the life guard a good laugh, but I was DETERMINED to keep trying and to master them. (for the record, that determination was in vain, because I just kept looking like a fool)

And Aleeya even got in on the slide action.....

Hmmmmm, I think I'm missing a child......where might Emerson be........

(his little bum would NOT take up the hole in the tube in the wave pool, so he insisted he was fine like that)

Speaking of Emerson, he beat Brooks, Bronson and Camden (and me later) EVERY time on the racing tubes......he's on the far right.

Here's the champion himself.

And how awesome is this, we run into our close friends, the Bells, by chance!!!! Now THAT was fun!

Okay, so Iris SLOWLY starting warming up to the water idea, but notice, her hair is still dry....

Yep, still dry, even in the wave pool. However, this was taken shortly before Brooks pushed Iris down a water slide by herself.....and she got plenty wet then. She came to me crying, "Daddy......slide.......agua"

Oh yes, and Royce was there too......and here's proof.

He liked the water as well (taken BEFORE Brooks dunked him under the water). I love this picture though because you can see Aleeya just floating on her back to the side.....this was her in the wave pool for almost 3 hours total over the two days we swam there

However my FAVORITE part was w/ these three.......

I left the younger 3 w/ Brooks in the room at night and went w/ the boys for the last hour and we hit up ALL the HUGE rides. My quads were KILLIN' from all the stair climbing! After we went on the most intense "Tornado" ride, Bronson asked, "How come you were screaming the whole time?" :) Yep, that was me. It was sooooooooo AWESOME though. It felt like I was hanging w/ my friends and we laughed a lot. I came back to the hotel room with that feeling like I just came back from a date and w/ a HUGE smile on my face. Those boys are dare devils and it was soooooo fun.

It's a pricier place to go, yes, and that's usually not my style, but I've wanted to go for 3 years now and it was DEFINITELY worth the wait. The kids said it was the "Funnest place we've ever been!" So easy to please. :)

And I REALLY liked how it WORE them all out on the 1 hour drive home!

"My morning's not going so well"

That was my DIRECT quote to my friend Wendy on the phone this morning when she asked how I was doing. (yes, despite popular belief I SOMETIMES talk on the phone)

It has started out normal, but today at 9:00 some ladies were getting together to make tutus for our upcoming 5K race so we could all be AWESOME and match. I was planning on going, but Royce just hasn't been 100% in a while (poor little thing has a cold/fever) and it was RIGHT during his nap and Iris' nap......and let's be honest, I didn't really WANT to spend dinero on tutu supplies. So, this BRILLIANT idea came to me after I thought of how many stinkin' tutus Aleeya has!

I COULD JUST WEAR ONE OF HER'S!!!!! (pure stroke of brilliance I assure you)

I tried on one, but I couldn't pull it up over my hips (yep, real self-esteem booster, huh) Then I smartened up, tried a DIFFERENT one and put one arm through, then the other, then over my head and shimmied it down to my waist. It was super snug, but who needs to breathe during the race anyway, right?

Then I finally realized that it was probably too tight to run in, and I don't really dig “Little Kitty” (since there's a HUGE Little Kitty button right on the front), and it was a little short......so I went to take it off..............and...........it didn't move. I couldn't even get one arm IN! I couldn't even shimmy it up over my RIB CAGE! Great. And that's when Wendy called and asked how my morning was going.

I told her I would take a picture of it. So here I am in all my Brooks'-b-ball-shorts/t-shirt/glasses and HELLO KITTY TUTU beauty!

I was pretty convinced that phone conversation made me lose weight w/ all the laughing and that I would be able to get it off AFTER talking to her............um, nope. But don't you think for a MOMENT that I didn't sit there and try and try and try. (I could just see me walking over to the neighbor's house w/ one arm stuck and a tutu over my head and under my armpit, so I stopped pushing it before that could happen).

Aleeya was a little concerned, as you can imagine and said, “I think you're a little too big”. YA THINK?!?!?!?

Then the poor little girl watched me pin the elastic into place and start cutting her precious skirt. (Have I mentioned I'm an idiot sometimes?!?!)

Let it be known, I've learned my lesson ..............I have. I will NEVER buy any Hello Kitty skirts AGAIN! Darn 5T can't even fit a 30 year old. Where's the versatility?!?!?!

At LEAST she “still loves me” though (that's what she said).

(Yesterday for church she wanted her hair just like me in "a long line of hearts".......that's what she says braids look like)