Boys' Bedroom

Moving on with a few more home-makeover posts ... here's the BOYS BEDROOM. This room was one of the worst in the whole house, with smashed -out window holes in the drywall, a paint job that made your eyeballs bleed, and the nastiest stained carpet you would not wish to imagine.

Thankfully, my hubby is very handy with drywalling tools, and I have fantastic friends who enjoy watching a real make-over emerge while they paint. We still need a new light fixture, and I'd love to get a shelf/bin system in this room to organize better. And I need to try to match the curtain fabric and sew one more valance. But until then, behold the after ...

September Snapshots

I never guessed when I wrote that last post that I'd make a flying trip to the east coast for the funeral of my youngest cousin. Or that once again those words would echo through my mind, to treasure the memories and to make every moment count. It is more than my brain can comprehend to say good-by a vivacious, happy-go-lucky, giggly 8-yr. old. And I could do nothing but weep brokenly as my Aunt pulled up the covers for the last time over his little jean shorts and bare feet, and kissed him good-night. Oh, the pain! Every part of me wants to somehow make it more bearable; to dice that hurt and pain up into little pieces and distribute them around so we can all help bear it. And yet, I can't. Oh, God, YOU can! Walk with them!

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It seemed that as September crept up on the calendar, so did fall. We have been having the most gorgeous weather I could wish for! And even though this means that snowy days are just around the corner {groan}, I am loving the vibrant autumn colors!! Extreme blue skies, golden grain fields, bright pumpkins, great bunches of goldenrod in the roadside ditches, and huge mum plants bursting with color. We finally set a weekend aside for camping {in early Sept.} and it could not have been more perfect. I will admit that the more children we have, the less relaxing the camping trip is for Mama, but it's still so much fun to break out of the normal routine and enjoy each other more. We spent a Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend at a lake not far from our house. Fishing, swimming, making s'mores, campfire cooking, sleeping in tents, and playing games. And I love the snappy mornings where we huddle around the campfire with hot chocolate with jackets and fuzzy blankets until the sun warms eveything up. {I also love husbands who run to the store the night before to buy their very pregnant wife an air mattress so she can actually sleep at night!}

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School is finally in full swing. We got a slightly late-ish start since I simply didn't get my book order in soon enough. But I think with the boys' beginning-of-the-year enthusiasm, we might just catch up anyways. I have been wrestling in my mind since last year what kind of curriculum to use this year. Ever since Josiah started kindergarden at age 5, I've just been picking up a Math book here and a Reading book there, patching together whatever works to round out the learning. But as the boys are growing older, I am finding it harder to put together a thorough, complete education with my previous slap-together methods. So this year we made the decision to try the ACE curriculum. I grew up using CLE, which is very similar in lay-out, so I can easily understand how it's laid out and how to teach it. And so far, I am very pleased. The boys love how their work is laid out in daily, weekly, and yearly goals, and they eagerly work way ahead so they can take a day off here or there to go to work with Dad. I'm sure it's plenty early to tell yet, but so far, so very good. And Christi, of course, is just delighted to be officially "learning to read"! =)

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Baby-name discussions are pretty much at the top of the list right now. Of course the children have plenty of their own suggestions. Princess, Strawberry Shortcake, and Petunia rank right up there with Frank, Junior, and George. Thankfully, their Daddy and I get the final say! =) I dug out all the newborn clothes the other day and washed them .... such fun! Tiny little booties and soft fuzzy blankets, little blue sleepers and tiny pink caps. The doctor visits are more frequent now, as we count down the last few weeks. She was pleased to see that the baby is about 6 pounds now, so the lil' punkin is growing quite well in spite of the 2-vessel cord. We have so much to thank God for! 

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Well, the hubby is home and supper needs to hit the table. Hope your evening is wonderful.

 Thanks for stopping by.

Treasure the Moments

Ever since I turned 16 and began my first real job working in a nursing home, I have been impacted by the repeated admonition to "savor each moment". So many precious, frail people, in the final years of life, have nothing to do but to look back on a lifetime of memories. And they would tell me over and over again, and in many different ways, "You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't take it for granted!"

Then I started into the crazy, hectic, delightful time of having babies and toddlers. And once again, a host of grandmas and older ladies urged me, "You are in the best years! Enjoy it to the fullest, the years go by SO quickly." In fact, one of my favorite quotes has become, "The days are long, but the years are short." And it's soooo true!! How in the world did I become a mother to a 10-year-old? And however does it happen that we are about to birth our 6th child?? The years really do rush by.

Another huge reminder this week was a book I cried my way through; Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman. She lost her little 5-yr.-old in an instant. And all she had left to savor was those memories. The last stories they read. Helping her with the Barbie-doll's gloves. The night-time snuggles after bathtime. Those things are way too easy for me as a busy mom to rush through!! Quick, scrub the little bodies, dry off, night-night, love you, kisses, lights out! I'm too exhausted to sit there and brush out curls or read another story or hear their ideas of how it would be if the moon was close enough to jump to or just snuggle beside them for a few extra minutes, breathing in the fresh scents of baby soap and lotion. And yet, that is exactly where the savoring and treasuring and cherishing comes in. If I miss those moments now, I can never get them back.

And then, as if God was trying to drive a point home, I stumbled across a {country!} song on the radio as I flipped through stations in our {new-to-us} van. The words are the typical, red-neck country style lyrics, and yet, it's the same clear message,               "You're Gonna Miss This"

She was staring out the window of that SUV

Complaining, saying “I can’t wait to turn 18″

She said “I’ll make my own money, and I’ll make my own rules”

Momma put the car in park out there in front of the school

Then she kissed her head and said “I was just like you”

You’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this

Before she knows it she’s a brand new bride

In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by

He tells her “It’s a nice place”

She says “It’ll do for now”

Starts talking about babies and buying a house

Daddy shakes his head and says “Baby, just slow down”

Cause you’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this

Five years later there’s a plumber workin’ on the water heater

Dog’s barkin’, phone’s ringin’

One kid’s cryin’, one kid’s screamin’

She keeps apologizin’

He says they don’t bother me.

I’ve got 2 babies of my own.

One’s 36, one’s 23.

Huh, it’s hard to believe, but …

You’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you’re gonna miss this

You’re Gonna Miss This – Lyrics TRACE ADKINS

So, as I buckle into another round of school, count down the last 7 weeks until baby-day, cook unbelievable amounts of food for hungry, growing boys {my 20-month old ate 2 huge meatballs last night!}, clean cluttery bedrooms, and do untold laundry loads of jeans and skirts and pajamas, I will choose to cherish the moments. I will look into little brown, blue, and hazel eyes and smile. I will treasure the little kicks and wiggles while ignoring my aching back and swollen feet. I will give extra hugs and kisses, and remember that I hold this moment in my hand, and before it slips through my fingers like sand, I will make it into a memory. And one day when I am old a gray, I will look back with fondness and say, "Those were the best years, and I wouldn't do one thing differently."