Too Much Scooby-Doo?

A sign that I've let my two-year-old watch a little too much Scooby Doo: We were on our way down the stairs to clean up the basement this evening and he stopped on a step, picked up a small toy and said, "I found a clue."

Because It's There

I remember a painting my brother, who's an artist, made when he was in high school. It was of a guy scaling a skyscraper and to the side it said "Because It's There." I did not understand what that meant. And then I married Corey. I get it now. It is this innate need to conquer something, even if you have to traverse through some awful (at least I'd call them awful) conditions to do it. A cold, snowy mountain for instance. I think I would be happy to sit in a resort at the bottom, drink my hot cocoa and enjoy the Colorado mountain view. But no, not these guys. There was a mountain begging to be climbed, so they climbed it. Don't get me wrong. I think it's great that Corey does this stuff. He's even taken me on a couple trips, and I can honestly say I enjoyed myself. But I don't get home and immediately start looking for the next mountain I can climb or the next river I can raft down. And I don't think any amount of convincing would get me to climb Mt. Yale (I think that's the name.) It snowed, it hailed, the oxygen is thin way up there, and it was 27 degrees at night (which is balmy compared to some of Corey's camp outings, but still sounds very unpleasant to me.) I'm hoping it will be a while before the wilderness starts calling him again, but it will call and he will go. I am pretty certain of that.

Corey and Brent almost to the top.

Mt. Yale

Hail.

So You Think You Can Dance

My boy groovin' to my new favorite musician, Jimmy Needham. Listen carefully and you will hear Lewis say "Yeah baby." He is the epitome of cute.

Me and My Littlest Man

There are some moments I wish I could bottle up and store in my cedar chest to take back out and relive after my boys have grown.

Body Art

I have no one to blame but myself. By the third child, I should know that when a two-year-old plays quietly by himself for too long, he is up to no good. Lewis was very proud of himself. See how he is displaying his leg for the picture.

Soccer Pictures For Grandma and Grandpa

Tonight was game two. The boys are really fun to watch. Carter and his friend Ethan, who have been playing together in the yard all summer, are very good players. Owen does a good job too, but he's one of the youngest on his team.

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We had "professional" photos tonight, but I decided it was not something I wanted to spend money on. I'm kind of obsessed with taking pictures, so why pay someone else? This was my photo shoot with the boys tonight. I think we'll try it again next week. One boy was not in the mood for pictures with mommy. The other was a bit goofey.

Handsome

Tonight at the soccer game, Lewis said "Take my picture." So I took it. Afterwards he said, "I handsome." Yes Lewis, you are handsome. You can be a handful, but you are handsome.

Our Sale is "Unpending," But God is Good

In August, we accepted an offer on our house. Because it was contingent on the sale of the buyer's house, we told very few people. We were guardedly excited. I tried to keep my mindset the same as it would be if we hadn't received an offer.

Then, our buyer's house sold. The contigency was taken off. Inspections were complete. We stopped showing our house. A sale pending sign was added to our yard. Our closing date was set. As stated in a previous post, I stopped "uber-cleaning." I let myself get excited. The guard was down. We told the boys. We told people. We started looking for an apartment....

Well, now our house is "unsold." Something happened, not with the people who were going to buy our house, but with the people who were going to buy their house. So, the contingency is back on. Uff-dah!

So, the emotional roller-coaster that is selling a house, just blasted down a giant hill, leaving my stomache in my throat. But I know that God is good. And I know that his goodness is not dependent on my emotions and thoughts. He is good when I am happy. He is good when I am sad. He is good through every up and down I go through. And that, my friends, is worth so much more than the sale of my house.

So, though this girl is disappointed, she is not devastated. A house is a house. And this situation is what it is, and I can plot and plan all I want, but I will never be in control of this journey. And though I sometimes want control very badly; I'm so glad that God won't let me have it. He is good.

Now, I should get going. I hear a mop and a kitchen floor calling my name!

Sale Pending

Yes, the sign in front our house has changed. No more real estate agent name and phone number. Instead, it is sale pending. Let me give you an idea of how that has changed my life this week. After 4 months of uber-cleaning. I did not mop my kitchen floor, my entry way or under my dining table. I did not clean the boys bathroom. I did not scrub my glass shower door (I do not see any more glass shower doors anywhere in my future). I did not wipe little fingerprints off my glass deck door. I did not make Carter's bed. I did not make Owen's bed. ( I did make my own. I'm kind of weird about that.) I did not keep all of my toiletries cleared off of my bathroom countertop. I did not dust the woodwork. I'll think I'll get back into my normal cleaning routine this week, but oh how nice it's been to take a break!!

The Soccer Mom

One thing I didn't ever think I would be is a soccer mom. Soccer wasn't even a choice when I was growing up, and before this summer I knew virtually nothing about the sport. I still don't know much, but I'm learning. The boys have been playing soccer in our yard all summer. Carter NEVER tires of kicking the ball around. So, when they wanted to play soccer this fall, we signed them up. Their first game was last night, and they both loved it. They had so much fun that they were disappointed when the game was over. Carter scored a few goals and Owen scored one, so they both felt pretty proud. It was fun to see them doing something that they totally had a blast doing. Plus, one of their best friends is on their team, so it's all the more fun. (Lewis kept us entertained on the sidelines - notice him in the background of the picture above.)

I Hate Being the Bad Guy

September is a wonderful month as far as temperatures go, but it is downright painful to make my children come in to get showered and ready for bed when this is the scene in my backyard. I might have to spearhead a campaign for school to start at 9:30 through the month of September. Getting ready for bed when it is still light out is torture for a kid. I am often the bad guy on the street, bringing my kids in first, but if you have read any of my previous blogs, you have seen what happens to Owen when he doesn't get to bed at a reasonable time. He doesn't get up!

Worth the Wait

After a decade of waiting (okay, and maybe a little nagging), Corey made me a bed! The wood is walnut, the stain is dark walnut, and I love it!! Unfortunately, the side tables he made when we got married do not match. They might be my next refinishing project.

Lewis and the Imaginary Toad

OH My Goodness! This little man makes me giggle every day.

Maybe If She Can't See Me....

...she won't make me get up. This may just look like a photo of a messy bed, but somewhere buried under that yellow sheet is a little tow head who doesn't want to go to school. This picture was taken at approximately 7:32 a.m. That is about 10 minutes before I like to be out the door in the morning. Believe it or not, we made it to school on time. Not happy, but on time.