record

As part of the 10 Days of Intentional Parenting, today is a day to record, and to rest.
So I will keep this brief.
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We spent the week focusing on our parenting,
being more deliberate with our children, more careful with our time.
It was amazing.

Day One: Awake
Day Two: Heart
Day Three: See
Day Four: Listen
Day Five: Record

I will recap the whole week, not separating out the specific days.  This picture of Jack is from when we traced our hands and wrote what we love doing with each other on them.  I have it hanging on my wall to remind me that the boys love to just spend time with me. They are not particular about what we're doing (throwing snowballs, reading, playing Legos) and it's good for me to keep in mind how ten minutes can bring them such joy.

LOGAN:

One really fun part of the week was having the boys take pictures of things they wanted to remember or capture.  Logan wanted to capture his robot;

Bullseye;

the diggers outside;

and his "cage".

JACK:

Jack wanted to take a picture of my new rainboots, "Cause they're so cute, mom."

As well as Flora's four-wheeler;

and Mount Pilcher in the snow.

Jack also wanted to take a picture of me.  In my workout clothes.  The boys are fascinated with my "exter-size" and think it's funny when I do my workouts while they are awake. Logan will sometimes even join in.

WYATT:

I helped Wyatt a bit with his photo selection. It was really fun for me to try and look at our life from his perspective.  Naturally, a good day includes a whole pile of binkies;

 And his view from the crib;

 As well as his favorite place to be: my arms.

 And a photographic account of his day just wouldn't be complete without including his favorite part of the day- when his brothers wake up from naps & come downstairs.

 He coos, and they coo, and it's just the sweetest time.  All three boys loving each other, happy (at least for a moment) to be awake and reunited in the living room. I love it.

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"Instead of letting life pass by in the hurried blur that society pushes it at I instead became diligent about slowing myself down enough so that I could be awake and my heart would be aware, and I would see the world, and then listen to my children. And in all of that I began to create a very profound and beautiful record of life." -Rachel @ Finding Joy

So this week, I slowed down. 

There were still moments that were harried. 

Moments when I was grouchy or the boys didn't receive my full attention. 

But I kept bringing it back. 

I took time to capture moments on film, and enjoy them in real time.

I laid on the floor to see our world from Wyatt's view.

I allowed the twins to use the camera, loving the things they chose to take pictures of.

The things they wanted to remember.

I held this guy just a little closer and a little longer before laying him down at nap time each day. 

Just being told "this time is fleeting" upped my diligence to savor it.

I took pictures of our "front yard" as the landscape has changed. 

With the warmer weather the melting has commenced. 

The whole village looks different.

I also took pictures around the house, like the boys' train table covered in Legos. 

Building garages with our new Legos was our favorite past time this week.

And I played more with the boys. 

Doing whatever they were doing. 

Reading stories, flying airplanes or coloring in colorbooks.

I even made this beautiful picture for my own mom,

which I will send off this afternoon when we head to the post office.

 I got more real.  Real with how our life looks (messy most days, but also fun) and real with my expectations of myself.  I put WAY too much on my daily to-do list. 
This leaves me with:
A. No time for the children and
B. A useless feeling at the end of the day. 
I have resolved to be realistic with how much I can get done, and to let go of what I can in order to make memories with these boys whose childhood is so fleeting.

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The challenge will resume next week with days 5-10, but on the blog Finding Joy you can get the pages & instructions from the first five days and join the fun. 

Someone You Could Never Thank Enough {thank YOU! Thursdays}

I am following Tabitha over at Team Studer, in doing "thank YOU! Thursdays".  I am going to be one week behind her themes, but each Thursday I hope to thank someone near & dear to my heart.

Last week the person was Someone You Could Never Thank Enough.  There is an impressive list of people who fit this theme (Mom, Julie, Josh, Carol...) But this morning I was remembering when I brought the twins home because my friend Heather over at Twinsanity just announced her fifth pregnancy, which will be her seventh child (yes, she had TWO sets of identical twins!) and I am wondering if she'll get twins again, or a singleton.  So, as I said, I was remembering how overwhelming bringing twins home was. 

{2008}

Then my sister came & did night duty, and she saved.my.life.  She stayed up with the babies, holding them, rocking them, loving them, just like they were her own.  And when I woke up to nurse, she would stay awake and visit with me, bringing me grape juice & animal crackers to munch as I fed & pumped.

{2008}

I think that the sister who has babies first is lucky.  I got a sidekick, a helper, a built-in baby-sitter who loved my children as if she herself had bore them. 

{2009}

The only unfortunate side of her loving my kids so much is that she then wanted her own! And I lost my weekend-out-of-town nanny. (Only kidding!) 

{2008}

  She came to help when I was doing evening duty by myself when Josh was in school, she would go to the park, the store, with us. 

{2008}

Anytime I needed her, she was there.

{2007}

I could call her crying, and she would listen.  I could call her laughing about something the twins did, and she, too would start to giggle.  I am so blessed to have a sister.  And not just any sister, but a sister who is loyal, honest & funny.  But who most importantly loves me (and my children) just as we are.

{2008}

Thank you Roxanne, for making my bringing-home-babies experience what it was.  Thank you for flying home, for walking into my hospital room that morning, and for loving my babies as much as I did. 

{2007}

I cannot wait to see you (and your babies) in 30 days. 
This summer is going to be totally awesome. 

{2008}

 I love you.

{always}

Best Daddy Ever

My men: Logan, Josh, Wyatt & Jack

So, I already knew Josh was the best Daddy ever (not to mention the best husband ever) but this afternoon he proved it again.  He got home after a very trying day at work, and announced he was taking the boys on a walk.  I was giddy, imagining all I could get done with just the baby on my hands.

Then he walked out of the arctic entry with the baby backpack and announced little brother would be joining them.  The twins were so excited that Daddy was going to wear Wyatt, and that Wyatt would be joining them on their adventure.

So while they are gone, I am cleaning both bathrooms & making some tortillas for our dinner. 

The quiet of the house, my music playing on low in the background, is so lovely.

How lucky we are to have the best Daddy ever!!!

letter to myself

Dear Shelly,

You are tired.  That is okay. Normal, even.  You have two three year olds and a ten-month-old baby.  Sleep will come to you again, someday.  In the meantime, how about you cut yourself some slack.

Yesterday as part of Day One of Intentional Parenting (the brilliant brain-child of Rachel over at Finding Joy)  you took ten minute of undivided time and gave it to Wyatt.  He was fussy, and you went to him, scooped him up and held him.  You rocked him gently in the easy chair, and he melted into you, thankful that you had just what he needed most: attention.

And after naps, when Logan & Jack woke up, you gave them ten minutes of uninterrupted attention as well, when you helped them glue popsicle sticks together in whatever fashion they desired.  This ten minutes bought you at least twenty, as they flew their popsicle-stick airplanes around the living room.

You are doing it. You are being a good mom. Are you perfect? No.  But are you enough? Yes.  You love them, hug them, kiss them and discipline them.  That is all they ask for.

In the future there will be more time for you, for journaling, for working out, for being introspective.  Right now, just squeeze in what you can, try to get by, and remember that all they want is you.  You looking, you watching, you paying attention, you being present.

It's that simple.

The housework will always call to you.  The laundry will never be done. And each month the bills will require paying.  Just make sure that while those things are important, they never take precedence over your children, who are even more important.

Also, remember to breathe.  I think sometimes that hours go by without you taking a real breath in.  The kind that fills your lungs with good, clean oxygen and lowers your shoulders down from their "resting place" up by your ears.

You have been through a lot in the last year.  More, perhaps, than all the previous years combined.  Allow yourself to be, sometimes.  Just be.  Feel the feelings that come.  Sadness at the time you spent apart from your beloved; joy at being reunited.  Guilt for the days when you are short-tempered with the children; cheerful for the days when you can play & be one of them.

And remember, I am proud of you.
I am proud of you for being brave.

{{hugs}}

Sledding

 A while back, Josh ordered sleds on Amazon.

 When they arrived, we let the boys open them...

 And they were so excited!!!

 Then when Grandma & Papa came to visit, there were plenty of opportunities to use them.

 They had a blast!

 Daddy & Papa had to stand at the bottom of the hill to catch our crazy sledding boys so they wouldn't go across the road and down to the river!

 We loved watching the little munchkins march their big sleds up the hill
& watching them slide down, giggling like mad, again.

So fun!