A little more lighthearted... let's laugh a bit, eh?

Okay, so my last post was a little intense, I know... if you haven't read it though, don't bother-- it may make you think less of me. But here is a new post- an interactive one! I just have HAVE to post on this because it has been causing me so much laughter in the past few weeks, and laughter is truely the best medicine. One instance even had me in tears (of laughter) on Sunday morning as I re-told it to some dear friends.

SO- what is it, you ask? Well, I want to start posting some of the mommy (or daddy)-isms that I have found myself saying... not the typical "I told you so" type, but a mommy-ism that you never could have imagined saying to anyone in your life, and only your child(ren) have been able to brew such a statement in you. I want you to help me! Post (as a comment) something you've said to your kids that you look back and think "What!?!?!?" or it just makes you laugh. My (real) example will be below, so you'll totally know what I mean. If you are a mommy or a daddy, please add to my list! As many as you want! Let's read each others and have a little chuckle. Check back to find more later.

Love to you all... and remember: being a parent isn't always a barrel of laughs... but sometimes you get a truckload.

"If you eat another ant, you will get a spanking."

"Please don't paint the television."

I lost my baby today...

Today was wonderful and horrible all at the same time. In the pouring rain we headed to the Dow's house for a much needed playdate/catch up with Maddie and Tina. Maddie had the day off from being a big first grader so the timing was perfect. Wonderful.

Tina and I sat in the family room sipping coffee as the kids ran up and down the stairs playing fairly well together as we caught up on our news. Wonderful.

Big Kids opened the front door. Left it open. Horrible.

(This is one of those stories that you really REALLY don't want to tell people about, because it makes it seem like you are the most terrible, unattentive parent in the universe; but it so profoundly affects you that you can't help but share. It's hard for me not to share when my heart breaks).

Austin goes out the front door. Tina and Adria, being not near the front door, didn't even know it was open. Horrible.

Big Kids say they can't find Austin. Wonderful. (That they told us).

I go running out in the rain while Tina looks all over the house. No trace. No trace at all. Horrible.

There is a field across the street from the Dow's that now has a small creek running through because of the rain. Horrible.

I look EVERWHERE on their street, thinking, "this is impossible- his legs aren't that long!"

Now both Tina and I were searching outside. Nothing.

This was probably 10 minutes, but you must agree- that is a lifetime while looking for a missing kid. A lifetime.

I finally got in my car; we were seriously ready to call the police. I roll down my windows in the rain, looking frantically. I think I might die. Horrible.

NEXT STREET OVER: Someone is looking in the backseat of their car while stopped in the middle of the street. I'm thinking, might be wonderful.

It was... a sweet lady saw him wandering and picked him up. Lord bless her, she said she had grandbabies (a midst my sobs) and even had a carseat in her car. I think I hugged her four times. She was strapping him in to go knock on doors when I found them. Wonderful.

God is good. So so so so so amazingly good. The things that could have happened, DIDN'T. Let's not go into those, they are already playing in my head.

Needless to say, I'm feeling VERY grateful for my healthy boys today. I lost my baby today and he's okay. Thank you, Jesus.

Now, go give your own babies a kiss. Or your dog. Or significant other. I did.

I might give Austin a couple more days sleeping with his pacifier.

Trying so very hard....

I was just telling my girlfriends last night that I think that I don't blog much because I don't find it interesting to anybody. Then I realized that Brooke does exactly the same thing (albeit way more often, she is so on it) and I read hers every day... I think HERS is interesting. So here I am again after a long thought out process of whether to keep the blog or not (by the way, I'm still not sure. I'm so fickle). Anyways, things are as well as they can be around these parts. October decided to come really fast and drastically change the weather from 102 degrees to 60 and windy. I hate the wind. (Has anyone else put flannel sheets on their bed yet? Because I'm highly considering it). I do NOT however, hate Halloween. I need to buy the boys' costumes like, yesterday... but dressing up and trick-or-treating is just precious. They have so much fun. So we're looking forward to that.

When it was still warmish outside last week or so, I took the boys outside in our "backyard". Since we decided to not buy a house for awhile, I've been trying REALLY hard to enjoy and appreciate what we do have. Our backyard that we actually own is not a yard at all... it's a storage area with bark and a 5x5 patio. So, we go outside the gate to the other "backyard"... the one we pay HOA to maintain every month??? (yeah i guess we should use it). So I let the boys run on the grass and play with their golf clubs and trucks and get out a little energy. It's a lot of effort because it's not fenced and there is a road right near the grassy knolls... but again, I'm trying really hard here to use and be grateful for what we do have..... see Austin heading for the road? I had already called him back twice at this point. There's a lot of running after children to make sure they live while we are "appreciating". :-)

The kids have a good time, they need an outlet and lets face it, cartoons just don't do it (though Imagination Movers help me to clean the floor). So seeing their little bodies run and run and run just brings joy to my soul and makes the whole thing worth it. Then daddy comes home and tries to fall asleep on the grass. Riiiiiiight. Good luck with that one, honey.

Other things that are fun and new: We went camping at Henry Cowell State Park a couple weeks ago with Mike and Michele. It was so fun and dirty as camping always is. However, Henry Cowell was super close to Santa Cruz, so not only did we go the Boardwalk (even Austin went on a ride by himself, so adorable), but also to the beach, Capitola and Roaring Camp Railroad. It was a nice last bit of summer for us.

Annabelle Lyric Burgess joined us on September 23rd! She is so beautiful and sweet you just want to gobble her up! Andrea and Brandon are doing great as new parents... Little Annie is so blessed to have them as parents. We are all so excited to have finally met her! :)

Tyler tried Brazilian Jiu Jitsu last night for the first time. I didn't get to stay and watch because the studio was all open and Austin thought it was all for him to run around on. So Doug stayed with Tyler and said afterwards he did really well; listened and did what they told him to do (fascinating, isn't it???). But the owner said for attention spans being so short at his age that we might want to wait just a couple months. Ty was the youngest in there so it totally made sense. But it was fun to start thinking about little activities for him to do on his own... big man.

They just keep growing.... and I keep trying to appreciate every moment at this age even amongst the whining, hitting, defiance and pouting. Because (as I like to tell Tyler when he asks "But whhhhhyyyyyyyy???") God put me in charge of them. And what other job would you really want than the one He gives you?