A High Schooler!!

Well today was the day I was dreading in a way and looking forward to for Austin. My oldest son is officially a high school freshman. I can't believe my sweet baby boy that made me a Mom 14 years ago is heading into high school. Where has the time gone? I reflected on all of the past 14 years I have had him here with me today. It goes by so quickly. Today when we were standing in line for registration we were talking about how quickly these next four years are going to go. I said it will fly by between the academics and all of the sports he is involved in. This is what my son told me "Mom, it won't go as fast as you think. I mean it takes 24 hours to get through one day and then think of all the minutes I have to get through in a school day and add in football. Holy cow it is going to take forever to get through 4 years." Ummm, I didn't really have a response to his theory because I know all too well that before I know it I will be preparing for a high school graduation party. I am going to go hide in a corner and cry.

Just Us!!!

Mat and I have been married for 15 years, together for over 16 and all of the hustle and bustle that life has thrown our way has had me thinking lately. There was a time in our marriage that it was just Us, Mat and I, two peas in a pod, we (as in him and I), not another person to come in between our love and time together. A lot of people say your marriage should come first before all other things in your life. After 15 years of marriage and four boys it is really tough to find those "Us" times. We do not see each other a whole lot during the week because we work opposite schedules. It is tough on a marriage, I won't lie. When I stayed at home with the boys our schedule revolved around Dad and his time with us. We would spend every moment we could together before he went to work and when the boys were little with no sports, school schedules, etc. it was SO much easier. Now with life as a working Mom, taxi driver, housekeeper, cook (you get the idea) our marriage falls into last place.

I wish I could say it didn't but unfortunately it does. I wish I could say we do date night once a week to just talk but we don't. We do date night maybe once every 6 months or so. Our lives are busy and I do miss the nice quiet just him and I days but this parenting stuff is pretty awesome too. I think your marriage should come first or at least higher than other things but I will guarantee that nine times out of ten something will come in between, like a crying baby who wants to be held, a sick kid who just wants his Mom, a sleep over with the neighbor kids, something will always happen. There have been nights where we planned a date night and one of us has fallen asleep before we even got dressed to go out (Mat). Disappointments happen! I do think that you should make time for your marriage to work for you and not against you. With all of the extras we as parents have on our plates you have to make a commitment to be a couple. I think that is my new goal for the remainder of the year, to go on a date at least once a month with my hubby. Here's to date nights for all married couples!! Go out, have fun and reload for the parenting duties in your life!

Here today.... Gone, Well Right Away!!

Mat went to the store yesterday and bought some essentials for the week. One of the items he bought was a case of bottled water. Between our three older boys and all of the neighborhood friends that come running through our house on a minute by minute basis we were out in the blink of an eye. Well, Mat came in the door this morning from work and went to get a water. He asked me if I had put them in the refrigerator and I said Nope. He was fuming when he realized that they were all gone and he had gotten one. I for one will be one thankful Mom when the boys head back to school and their sporting afternoons. That means school, sports, dinner, homework and bed. No time for the extras like invite the neighborhood over to eat and drink all of our food. Holy cow! My food bill in the summer is ridiculous. I am happy that my kiddos are so social and have lots of great friends to have over (and I really do like their friends) but good grief. So that leaves me with my dilemma of my poor husband has to go hungry and thirsty throughout the day now. I mean unless he turns on the faucet with our running water or cooks something because all of the convenience foods are gone. Thank goodness for Mom though because I do cook some fabulous dinners every night of the week (and yes we always have lots of friends over for those too). I mean that is what I am here for right?

Liam!!

Our newest little guy, Liam, is full of life. He is such a cutie patootie and we love him so much. He is now 16 months old and boy has he gotten onery! His favorite thing right now is hitting his brothers. If he doesn't get what he wants he hits. We are trying to urge him away from hitting and instead showing love and saying please when he wants something. So far, no luck. It could have something to do with his brothers and the fact that they think it is cute and very funny when he does it. Well, this weekend it wasn't so funny when Liam decided instead of hitting to bite his brother Austin in the leg and then when Preston shut his door and wouldn't let him in his room Liam bit him in the head when he came out. I have tried to tell them to redirect him after telling him No, please be nice. Instead they laugh and I am left with a beast! Ok, not so much a beast but a very strong willed little guy who thinks anyone around him should just give in to his crying requests. He got put in his crib for a 1 minute time out this weekend for hitting me and as soon as I pick him up he gives me a hug which is awesome because they are such great snuggly hugs. Well, two minutes later I say No and redirect and he hits me in the arm again.

Holy cow! How many one minute time outs can I do in a 14 hour day (since he sleeps for about 10 hours a day)? Well, I guess I could do a whole lot of them but I am not entirely sure he is learning anything. So for now I am redirecting and giving lots of hugs and showing him how to be nice to each other. I am up against a rock and a hard place though because he does have three older brothers and all of their friends around who like to "play" wrestle around. I think Liam has picked up on the rough housing just a little too early.

Another day, more pets...

Well we have decided to dive in head first into raising chickens. They will be our pets of course but we want them for eggs. The more and more we watch the world around us the more we have decided maybe it is time to raise some animals for food production and plant gardens for fresh produce. I am hoping that both will catch on in our home and it will become the way of life for us. It is hard at first with the building of our chicken coop. Mat has been building away with the boys and hopefully by this weekend I will have pictures to share. We have three five week old chickens right now and if Liam had his way he would live in their coop with them. They are his favorite thing to play with right now and we definitely have to watch him with them because he is not the most gentle child. His hugs are more like squeezes, but then again I live for his squeezes. Unfortunately for the chickens they won't live through his squeezes. He chases them around the yard right now and our poor dog who also doesn't play well with others has to be separated from them. We will never put the dog and the chickens together so as soon as their coop is nice and secure the backyard can belong to the dog again, hopefully soon. I am hoping that we transform our backyard into a nice oasis of edible plants and fun animals to watch. Mat wanted a goat until we realized that they are sometimes mean and territorial and we didn't want to put our dog through that. Plus Liam can't hug a goat too well. I will post pictures this weekend of all of our backyard and chickens fun. Stay tuned!

Back Again and this time FOR GOOD!!

I am going to try and post at least once a day and if I can't do that at least several times a week. I used to love blogging about my fun loving crazy boys! Then life just seems to get busier than normal and I fall asleep before I have a chance to turn on the computer. Not anymore. I am making a promise that I am going to keep up with this blog once and for all. I love looking back at previous years and see all of the fun times, cute things the boys said and pictures. Now onto the updates. Liam is 16 months old now and boy is he a mover and a shaker. He loves to play outside and his favorite thing is a ball, any ball, it doesn't matter if someone is playing with the ball, if he sees it he wants it. And I will admit that usually he gets a ball. He is pretty cute and convincing. Austin will be a freshman this year and off to high school, HIGH SCHOOL! I can't believe I am going to be the mother of a high schooler. Wow, time has sure flown. Nicholas will be a 7th grader this fall and Preston will be entering middle school as a 6th grader. I have no elementary school kids this year and won't for another 4 years. I will actually enjoy the break. Austin will be playing football this fall and I CAN'T WAIT. I love football season and especially when one of my kiddos is playing. He has practice four days a week this summer and seems to be loving every moment which makes me happy. He gets his schedule next week and then on August 13th he will officially enter high school. Wow! Have I mentioned that he is going to be in HIGH SCHOOL! Nicholas made the AAU Basketball team in the spring and has been loving every minute on his team. He is obsessed with basketball and being that he is 6 foot tall and only 12 years old I think it will become his favorite sport ever. He is getting really good at it too. In his last tournament he scored half of the teams points in one of the games. He always seems to be the tallest on the teams and as soon as he figures that out he seems to be good to go from there. I am so proud of him! Preston is still my little guy and struggling to find his thing. He enjoys hanging out with his friends and I am ok with that but he wants to try basketball too this fall and being as fast as he is I think he will enjoy it. He used to play when we coached him but I think it will be good for someone else to give him the pointers and not Mom and Dad. I am nervous for him to start middle school as I don't see him as ready as my other two older boys. He was just my baby for so long that it will take me a little time to adjust. I am sure he will do just fine. Mat and I are enjoying our lives with four boys. Our times is spent running them around from sport, school or friend activity and we don't mind. I love my boys!