I'm Back?

OK, a couple years off...it's amazing to think that I had time to write blog posts when I was working, but now that I'm home, I haven't been able to find time in the last 2 1/2 years to write anything :(  That's going to change right now!  Our family is going through so much right now and I want it captured.  I want to be able to pull these pages out when my kids have their own kids and show them the struggles that we went through and how we dealt with them (or at least prove that we went through them and have come out on the other side).  Life is flying by so quickly right now that this is probably the only way that I'm going to remember it...so here I go...again!

The kids have obviously gotten older...Kylie is 12 and in 7th grade, Josh is 10 and in 5th grade (last year of elementary school :( ), Ryan is 7 and in 2nd grade and Colton is just about to turn 5.  Kylie is still a competitive gymnast (level 7), but is currently injured with a stress fracture in the growth plate in her wrist :( so we are working through her trying to stay in shape while it heals all while she is stressing about not having her skills for competition season in January.  Josh will play his third year of travel baseball next season (practices start in January), which absolutely consumes our lives.  He played baseball from April last year all the way through August 9th - it was a ton of baseball.  Ryan will join him this year as he made the 8U travel baseball team - two Thunder players!  Colton has just started sports this year with flag football this past fall and ninja classes at Kylie's gym.  Wow, just writing all of that has exhausted me!  But it's our life and for the most part, it's very enjoyable ;)

The only way that this has all been possible is that I stopped working outside the home 2 1/2 years ago.  God had put it on my heart for a while before then that I should be home with the kids, but I didn't listen :(  We all know what happens when we don't listen, and 2 1/2 years ago He made is perfectly clear that I was to be home, and of course, He was so right.  The amount of time needed to run the house, raise a child that is still home full-time and get these kids to all the practices, but most importantly, games and meets, was more than I could have handled if I was still working.  And I thank God everyday that I am able to be home...I feel so blessed to be able to stay home and enjoy my last little guy (who goes to Kindergarten next year...yikes!) and still be in such a wonderful community.  I get the best of both worlds now...home with the kids but I do the accounting for John's business, so I get to go to work one day a week for a few hours.

I also wouldn't be able to accomplish all of this if my parents didn't live next door.  I have no idea what I would do without my mom!  She watches Colton so much for me (which allows me to help out at school and go to work and take the kids to their doctor appointments without having to worry about having to entertain a 4 year-old among other things).  When my dad is up on the weekends he takes Colton with him to the school and has lunch with Ryan every Friday.  The kids are always running back and forth between our houses and I LOVE IT! 

I think this is a good start ;)  Hopefully this can become my morning ritual...quiet time with my coffee and memories :)

Happy 4th Birthday Colton!

Colton!  You turned 4 years old today!  You have been looking forward to this day for a very long time, and it's been fun because I don't remember the other kids being so excited about their birthdays this young.

All you wanted to do for your birthday was go to Chuck E. Cheese's.  You have told me that for weeks.  So I booked you a party and we had both sets of grandparents, Aunt Cindy, Aunt Mimi, Uncle Jim and Mya and Mason there.  You played games for over an hour, ate pizza, blew out your candles and ate cake, and then went in the ticket blaster (which you had been looking forward to for weeks!).  You knew exactly what you would get with this party because you had seen the commercial so many times :)  The theme of your party was superheroes, and all you wanted on your cake was Batman and Superman.  Unfortunately the lady who was supposed to do your cake thought I needed it the next weekend, so I ran to Kroger after church and they whipped me up and awesome Batman cake for you!  It all worked out :)

You have grown up so much this past year!  For a while, I was really struggling with you and your crying and your fits and your stubbornness.  I had every intention of making a doctor's appointment for you because I was sure there were some psychological issues that we needed to figure out.  But then, you grew up :)  I don't know exactly when or how it happened, but I know I hit a point where I looked at life and thought that it was actually getting easier.  I used to dread taking you places...I never did it because you were so horrible!  But now, I love the trips we take during the day!  We go to Wal-Mart and you play on the firetruck when I check out and we get Auntie Ann's pretzel-dogs for lunch, we go to Giant Eagle and you ride in the car (you used to go to the play area but they shut that down :( ).  I can even take you to work with me when I go into Daddy's office!  Now that is an accomplishment!  I love the time that you and I get alone everyday!  Which was why I was so glad that you told me you don't want to go to preschool ;)

I'm pretty sure you are left handed.  You throw with your left hand and you bat left handed. Sometimes you still write/color with your right hand, but you usually switch over.  You are slowly fading yourself out of a booster seat at the table...you will sit in it for dinner, and sometimes breakfast, but a lot of times you will nicely ask if you can sit in the big boy chair and you do a great job!  You know your numbers and you are constantly working on what sounds the letters make.  You know how to spell your name :)  First and last :)

You love to play with Legos, cars, planes, and iPads :)  You and Ryan are such buddies (and yet bicker so often!) and will play cars and planes together.  Ryan will build you things with Legos and you will play with them.  You never stop moving.  You have more energy than I know what to do with ;)  which is probably why you are skin and bones and yet probably eat the most of any of the kids. Outside you love to swing, jump on the trampoline, play baseball and football, and mow :) When we go to baseball games, you have your backpack full of cars and planes, and we usually try to pack your mower as well.

You talk like an adult at times and it's hilarious!  Today your dad was making a comment that he shouldn't have done something and you reported right back to him that he had made a bad decision :) You love to retort back, rolling your eyes, with "of course..." (i.e. "of course I'm not going to eat.").

Mr. Colton I love you with all of my heart!  You crack me up and yet also make me want to pull my hair out.  I've often tried to imagine where you will go in life and I just can't see it yet.  You will either be CEO of a company or the goofiest person anyone knows :)  I will tell you one thing - you have the stubbornness (err, OK, the determination) to do WHATEVER YOU WANT! Seriously, you don't take "no" from anyone, and while it's killing me right now, I know that it will do great things for you down the road.

Thank you for surprising us 4 years ago...I can't imagine my life without my little 1/11/11 guy!

Love,
Mommy