Pizza Night.

We did a fun pizza night.

the boys loved kneading and making their own pizzas.

The end result was absolutely delicious!

Someday's I wonder, "WHAT WAS I THINKING"

Today is one of those days. Everything goes wrong from the moment you wake up. I woke this morning with a pounding headache and my stomach aching as well. My boys were up at 730 despite my need for extra zzz. I slept horribly last night and that was a big contributor to the over all aches that I was feeling, I think. So I tried sleeping in the TV room as the boys watched Dora the Explorer. That of course didn't work because although I got Adie back asleep for a little the boys are, well, boys. They are loud and messy even in their "quietness". So I was up for the day. Minus well clean, I thought. Nope that wasn't happening either. Adie decided today was going to be the hardest day ever since we had her. She had been screaming and screaming and screaming pretty much all of today (when she wasn't napping). Then Randy and Robert decided dumping out all of their toys every where and then trowing them around my home and then fighting with each other over EVERYTHING sounded like the best idea ever. Mind you, my headache has persisted this entire day. I believe that there is a battle ax being driven into my brain. My house is a wreck, I have 4 flies that keep escaping my killing attempts, my puppy keeps trying to lick all over my new carpet, my sons have crumbs littered through out the house. All this leaves me thinking, "What the heck was I thinking having 3 children. I must literally be insane."
And then I look down in my arms and that fussy, demanding, screaming, little girl is passed out with an adorable smirk on her face. She looks perfect, angelic. And my Randy offers to sweep the mess in the kitchen and Robert looks at me and tells me "Mom, I love you a thousand!" And I remember no matter how horrible one day is I am so happy I have my little blessings. And one bad day will never compete with the thousands of amazing, blessed, fun days we have had and will have. I am in love and wouldn't exchange the difficult path of parenthood for any amount of "easy" days. Even on the hardest days by the end of it I am left looking at the most perfect sleeping faces thanking God he gave me Randy, Robert, and Adeline.

Backyard Chickens

Right before Easter time this year my family decided to embark on our first real homesteading adventure. We bought 4 baby chicks. They were so cute and fuzzy. We even named them: Abigail  Evelyn, Burnis, and Gretchen. They lived in our house for two months and then we moved them to our garage, awaiting their coops building. At about 11 weeks we moved them into their half finish coop. After the first day of being outside we lost one of a chicks. She had been sick and it finally took her. I cried A LOT. It was hard because I was the one responsible for their care and well being. The day after we lost Evelyn, Gretchen fell ill. We nursed her back to health with sunshine, apple cider vinegar, and probiotics. Magically, she recovered. Gretchen was the outsider in the group and she would follow my husband, me and the boys around the yard. She was curious and loved to be petted. She would perch on our arms and just hang out. We genuinely grew to love her. Well, fast forward to 16 weeks. It is the beginning of summer now, but the temps had been cool until all the sudden it went from 70 one day to 95 the next. Gretchen got sick again. The heat wiped her out and the door to her coop some how got shut and she couldn't get to her water. When we got home my hubby noticed she wasn't do well. So of course I tried all of the things that helped her before, but it was too late. I held her and petted her and tried to help her eat and drink. She gripped my finger with her feet, looking at me, her breathing shallow, she moved her head closer to me so I could pet her. So I continued petting her, then her feet lost grip and her head fell to the coop floor and I watched my pet chicken breathe her last breath. It was weird, we just like that lost the only chicken that liked us, we lost my sons favorite chicken. I mean she was Randy's favorite from the beginning  he had picked her out. I know she was just a chicken but loosing life of any sort, even that random road kill squirrel is always hard on me. I love animals and seeing one die crushes me. We buried her in our back yard and the boys told her they would see her in heaven. They told her they where sorry she got sick and they hoped she felt better now. And that was it, it was over and the boys where asking daddy to buy them a new Gretchen, one that wasn't sick. It is amazing to me how quickly children can move on. It's a gift. We buried her to help them learn to grieve and say good by and to learn to respect all life, even if it is just a chicken. And my boys were sad, but they got over it quickly. I am grateful God makes children and their emotions so resilient!! Despite my disappointment in our two lost chickens we are going to try again. We will be getting a few more chickens and hopefully I will be able to better care for them and make sure that they are all happy and healthy.
Let the homesteading adventure continue!!!

one of their 1st adventures outside

back row: Abigail, Gretchen

front row: Evelyn, Burnis

Gretchen just chillin' with Randyman. No big deal:)

the chickens coop

So, it' Been Six Months and A Broken Leg Later

I'm late, I'm late! For a very important date. My sweet Adeline turned six months a week and a half ago already! Wow, that was fast!

-She is still petite.
- She rolls over; both ways.
-She sits on her own for brief periods of time.
-She reaches for me to pick her up.
- She pinches me while she falls asleep in my arms, just to let me know I better not put her down.
- She touches my face as she nurses and looks into my eyes.
- When she smiles her whole body wiggles.
- Still co-sleeping. She wouldn't have it any other way.  :)
- Loves her brothers. They make her happy.
 - She prefers the big boy toys to her "baby" toys. Action heros taste better.
- Still not really eating solids. We're taking our time.


Now, about that broken leg business. My Robert slipped and fell on some water in our kitchen while being chased by his puppy, Lila. His femur suffered the injury. He spiral fractured the hardest bone in his body! It was one of the hardest things I have ever, EVER, had to got through. To watch your baby suffer and know there is nothing you can do to fix the problem is horrible. He ended up having surgery at Cardinal Glennon Hospital and after a one night stay he was released on pain meds. He did amazingly well. All of the nurses were so impressed with his ability to manage the pain. They said most kids screamed more and required a lot more narcotics. My baby is tough, what can I say?
It broke his daddy's heart to see his buddy go through something so traumatic. A couple of nights after we came home from the hospital Jase got off work and came home around 10pm. Usually, the boys are still awake when their daddy comes home (no matter how late) they can't fall asleep with out their daddy lovin's. So per the usual for a brief moment my husband got excited and prepared to be tackled by Randy and his Robert. When he walked through our front door, nothing. Robert wasn't coming to greet him. Robert was stuck in bed with a broken femur. My husband felt devastated for Robert all over again. Those first few days were pretty emotional raw. Fortunately 2 year olds are resilient  Even as I type this Robert is crawling around and in terrific spirits. No broken leg is going to hold my 2 year old back. He has a doctor appointment this friday, if were super lucky he will get the cast removed. But more then likely it will be another 2 weeks.

See a Robert just hanging out like nothing happened. What a trooper.

There are so many things to update about I'll post more later :)