winding down

Isn't it interesting how things get crazy before they can finally wind down? We're kinda in that place right now.  If you could see my calendar that has been really full for June so far, it's pretty empty after the last day of school. I can't wait. And remember how I wanted to make a count-down chain on the first day of school because I was already missing my kids? Well, I didn't make a chain, but I have known for the last couple months exactly how many days were left until I got my two big kids home with me for 2 1/2 months!! I am way more excited than they are, probably because they have both had such phenomenal teachers this year and as a result they truly enjoy school.

My parents came to visit for some fun things going on. It had been 5 whole months since we had last seen them, which I think is the longest time we've gone in over 4 years. Tanner took a while to get accustomed to them, but he quickly realized they are nice and they give him what he wants. He loved running his hands over Papa's beard, and would laugh and laugh at how the prickles tickled. He even fell asleep on my mom's chest while she read to him and Tyler, and he NEVER does that.

Emma had two dance recitals. The girls looked like little cupcakes with sprinkles. Emma enjoyed performing and did fabulously, and I couldn't figure out why I kept feeling so emotional. Spencer kept saying, "What happened to our baby girl?" She even wore make-up. Yikes.

We finally finished up t-ball. 20 games later, Tyler doesn't know if he wants to play again next year. I have mixed feelings about the time commitment, but I did make him finish the season. His favorite part of the season was the snack shack, and getting his very own trophy at the end. He hit a pitched ball (not off the tee) when Grandma and Papa were here, just minutes before they had to leave to drive home. His coach said he was the most improved player this year. I am very proud of my # 9 Sea Dog. By the way, who thought white baseball pants were a good idea?

My parents also helped us finish up some kitchen projects, for which we are SO grateful. I'm glad my dad, the handyman that he is, got to contribute a little bit to this project that has consumed us for almost 2 months. It is 95% done now, and I'll put up final pictures soon. By the way, "simplify" continued to make me giggle as well as roll my eyes, so it is GONE.

Once school is out we have a rather low-key summer planned with two little boys' birthdays (!), as well as the last birthday I will ever have. And a visit from Nana and Grandpa, who will be bringing a huge item with them for us to borrow.

Bring on the sun, the pool, and lazy summer days!

gualala

This year, our annual camping trip mostly revolved around these two...

It's hard to take kids this age camping. There was lots of holding, chasing, wandering and diaper changing. No crawling was allowed, especially since there was plenty of mud. But, we had our big kids, so there was also jumping off the log, playing in the raft...

bug bites, ping pong, Ticket to Ride...

s'mores, the dutch oven, bocce ball...

and skipping rocks at the river.

We're glad our friends came and kept us company this year. It made the sudden rainstorms (yes, that is plural) a little more bearable. And it gave Tanner one more thing (Lily) to look at. It also gave Tyler some peer pressure when Spencer offered $10 (!!!) to whoever would jump off the top of the log. In a nutshell, I'm still not much of a camper and I get the most excited when it's time to come home. But I sure value that family time.

why every mom needs a tanner

I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why I have such needy babies. (Imagine that, right?) I guess it's just an adjustment everyone has when they have a baby, and then with every stage. They need stimulation. They crave it. I hold my babies almost constantly when they are awake, wishing I could just hold them more when they were asleep. Saucers and swings, for me, are tools to get the dishwasher emptied, or a load of laundry switched out. Nothing more.

But, I think every mom needs a Tanner (or a Tyler, or an Emma). He has forced me to think less of myself. Going without make-up is totally the rule and no longer the exception. Hair in a bun or ponytail is the norm, at least 5 days a week. I plan my day and what chores I can get done around 5-minute periods of time, when I know I can get a few minutes out of him with no crying. I so appreciate those snippets of time when Spencer is home and can actually hold Tanner. Another set of hands. Those moments are absolutely golden.

I love having a Tanner. I have to be an involved, purposeful mom. That is just how it should be. I take nothing for granted. I think this is good for me; having a baby like Tanner keeps me humble as a woman (have you seen me?) and reminds me that it's not all about me {and it's not even a little about me}.

my mother's day

I think I may have just had the most productive three weeks of my entire life. Almost every minute of every day was spent being busy, not that I necessarily enjoy that. I have this dumb vinyl lettering WORD up in my kitchen, and I'm fairly certain it will be coming down as soon as I get to it. SIMPLIFY. Who ever thought that was a likely option?! Why on earth did I put that on my wall?

When we first moved into our house 4 years ago I was so thrilled to have a non-carpeted kitchen, a pantry, room for a dining table AND a breakfast nook, and a built-in microwave. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I didn't mind the 70s tile backsplash or the 80s appliances. Well, as time went on, and as I got really into home decorating and design, I started to get irritated with my kitchen. I think that when this custom kitchen was installed 26 (?) years ago it was probably really nice. I knew it was time to make a change but since I'm frugal to a fault sometimes and since I clearly forgot about my recently discovered preference for "hiring out," I came up with the crazy idea to remodel it ourselves. So off we went.

I starting faithfully saving money after Christmas for the remodel. And my poor husband...I know he loves me because he took time off work (shocker #1) during the kids' spring break to help me. So he took work off...to work. And he sincerely only complained a few times.

Let me just say that there were a few things that saved us:
*A nice commercial paint sprayer that a dear friend offered to let us use. We returned the not-as-nice one we had bought.
*A lifesaver of a neighbor who was up in our attic re-wiring for hours, and then hooking things up inside the house as well.
*Amazing paint (it better have been amazing for what it cost!)
*Sanding blocks
*Stainless steel appliance film. Wonderful, that stuff.
*Understanding that everything in life is negotiable (granite included).
*And of course, HGTV.

What we would do differently:
*Come up with a better way to drill holes for handles so that it doesn't take 8 hours and a LOT of frustration (and a couple slightly un-straight handles).
*NOT use the paint sprayer inside the house at all.
*Not attempt this with a needy baby around.
*Hire a painter. (I say that...but we really did all this for not a whole lot of money so I don't know if I mean it. Ask me in a few weeks.)

So, here is what it looked like before... (as Mark was taking that annoying in-the-way cabinet out, and as Spencer was in the attic loosening the bolt that was holding it in.)

This once-popular wallpaper made an appearance. Hmmm...hello 60s! I truly love that I got to see that.

And although the angle is different, here is what it looks like now. Clean, bright, and white.

We aren't entirely done; we still need to do the glass tile backsplash and add the beadboard and crown molding, but it is functional, beautiful, didn't cost a whole lot, and Spencer and I still love each other.  Complete success! And Happy Mother's Day to me. Probably the best one ever.
("Simplify" - what a joke. I'm off to pull that down.)

relief

Nothing quite like a little trip to the beach with two off-and-running kids and this cute baby...

...to get us away from our latest "project" for a short time. And let me tell you, it has been a project!

That sums up our spring break in a little tiny nutshell. More to come!

busy

There are a few things I hope my kids will know about me, especially lately as things have been a little crazy.

*Vomit is one of my very least favorite things in this entire world. And when it's red and when it's everywhere...even worse.
*I really do like to get on their level to read, play Legos, do trains, color, etc. I've noticed what a difference that makes to them when I don't always make them come up to me (table, counter, etc.), but instead when I join them where they're comfortable.
*I love to read, and I love for them to read, and I have dreams of them being those kids with their noses always in a book. I need to do better at modeling this. I also dream of running them to the library just because they're interested in learning about some obscure, totally random subject.
*We all do better with routines.

And there are a few things about me that I hope they'll excuse, or forget altogether:
*I get stressed out easily. When one stressful thing is going on I'm ok, but when everything is piling up and Spencer's in his busy season and I'm not sleeping....I get stressed and they see it. I hope they will know it's temporary and that I am far from perfect but that it's ok. (Is it obvious I've been overwhelmed?) It sorta breaks my heart and sorta touches my heart when I hear Emma pray that "mommy won't be stressed."
*I'm not the best with bedtime routines anymore. Maybe it's because they're older and can put themselves to bed, maybe I've just gotten lazy, but I really think it's that putting 3 kids to bed at the same time, by myself, is just too hard. I used to love bedtime. They would each get a story every night (different ones). One night last week Emma asked me to lay next to her and talk. We talked about everything she wanted to and for once I didn't mind that it was 9:30 and she was still awake. It was nice.

Thankfully, Emma's sweet notes every night bring a smile to my face. One of my favorites was when I saw on her little piece of paper, "Can you show me how to Jimmer?" Love that girl.

And now that tax day is almost here (this is a huge cause for celebration in our house), maybe the stress will lessen a bit. Hooray! I just have to say how grateful I am for good friends who step in when I'm about to completely lose my mind.