around the house

Things here have been buzzing.  We are at three weeks and counting until we leave for Washington, and I am all about the preparation process right now.  Organizing, sorting, dumping, cleaning.

Making lists.

and lists.

and lists.

Things to pack.

Things to buy.

Things to check my storage unit for.

Gear we'll need in the fall.

Summer clothes we'll need right away.

Our agenda for Anchorage.

Our plans for Washington.

It's all getting very real.

The house in Vancouver is gonna be awesome.

AWESOME.

Total answered prayer.

The summer is gonna be awesome.

AWESOME.

And I can't wait.

Our family is awesome.

AWESOME.

They put a smile on my lips everyday.

We have been very focused lately on character traits with the boys.

Listening.

Being kind.

Treating others as we would want to be treated.

It's exhausting work, but it's also good.

When we see them sharing, putting their brother first, we know it's paying off.

Today we decided, at the last minute, to join "Screen Free" week.

I knew that with all the craziness, I would need the internet for sanity...

but those boys could stand a week without it.

No TV, movies, Wii or Tablets.

No Angry Birds.

{gasp}

So Day One is done, and was a great success.
They played and cleaned and helped with chores.

And by bedtime they were all three exhausted!

Tomorrow I hope to pull out a few more fun, exotic toys or activities.

Maybe painting? Or washing their little set of dishes in the big sink?

We will also do more reading.  They are big into Junie B. Jones right now, and I love it.

I can hardly believe they are old enough to listen to a chapter book.  It's so fantastic!

Right now my favorite part of our day is the evenings.

Josh gets home and we have dinner.  The boys are great eaters, and have awesome manners.  Plus our dinner conversations tend to be hilarious.

Then we brush teeth, get on pajamas and read stories upstairs in our bed.

We end the night with bedtime prayers in their room, which crack me up nightly. 

Thank you, God, for Daddy's macaroni.

I pray tomorrow we can play the Wii.

Thank you for Wyatt. He's so cute.

And then my favorite.

Wyatt asks for me.

It's the only time of the day he requests me over Daddy.

And I soak it in.  I scoop up his cozy self, settle into the rocking chair,

and sing him every song I can think of.

And when I close the door on those three precious sleeping boys,

I thank God for my life. For this life.

It's so beautiful.