Kids Were Here | November

Whoa!!  I blink, and it's November!!!  Less than 90 days until Christmas, y'all!  Time is seriously on some sort of speed train.  And I'm SO not ready for winter!!!!!!!!  With winter comes that dreaded white, fluffy stuff...a fan I am not!

Anyway, enough with the exclamation points.  Let's move on to something a little more calming...well, sort of!  Seeing how it...umm...SNOWED...on Halloween this year, discussion of this event may not be all that soothing!

I tried to avoid carving pumpkins this year, but then, I decided at the last minute that I would definitely not be in the running for Mother Of The Year if I did.  Granted, I fail to earn this award every year fresh out of the starting block, but what else is new.

This year ALL three kids wanted to get into the carving action.  I thought I might actually get out of the whole extremely messy scooping-out-the-pumpkin-innards thing, but I was quickly reminded about one scoop into the process that children under the age of 10 want NOTHING to do with all the goo!  In fact, there was a bit of drama and crying and wincing when a certain child thought he might have to scrape out all the nastiness by himself!  So...in order to calm said child, I freed the pumpkins of their yucky-ness while the other children gasped from my fearlessness.

Luckily, I was able to negotiate with the kids and convince them to go simple with their pumpkin carving designs.  Seriously, creating a fancy-nancy jack-o-lantern is not my forte.  I've tried this in the past, and the results were not good.

So...here's the results of their pumpkin carving adventures.  I'll let you decide on the owner of each pumpkin.

We also inherited a few other pumpkins from a field trip to the pumpkin patch.  They were screaming to be painted!

To see more of what our kids have been up to, visit the lovely Erica and her blog (click here).

Kids Were Here | September

Somehow it's September!  Seriously, where did the summer go?  I can still feel the insanely frigid temps from January.  How can Fall be just around the corner?!!  Man, I blink and the year is almost gone!

Anyway, this summer has been busy as always...full of 4-H activities, a small vacation, home improvements, and endless searching for the dog who's become more skilled at disappearing than Houdini himself.  The fair went well, my kids all turned another year older, and school's back in session.

And now it's September!

Whew...

Even though I have a THOUSAND stories that I would like to share (mostly so I don't forget), I'll save them for another time.  Trust me, there's some whoppers to tell...yeah, the fair happened.  Need I say more?  One day I will become a pro at the fair...I will, I say, I WILL!

I'll leave you instead with what my children leave behind after an afternoon at the park.

Why was there a random toy tractor and trailer sitting on the playground equipment?  I do not know.
How did those tiny toys make it from our toy room to the park without me knowing?  I do not know.
Where does our little boy conceal the tiny treasures that he acquires throughout the day?  I do know that...deep in his pockets!  Yep, he's the boy who fills his pockets with slimy, squished worms, gooey cookies, and random Legos.  You should see what I find in our laundry on a daily basis!  Too bad I can't seem to find his missing Kindle!

Apparently, my children believe shoes are overrated...although one child wasn't completely on board with that idea.  Yeah, he decided he only needed to discard of one shoe.  

He didn't want to conform completely.  He's an individualist!

To see more of what children leave behind, visit the wonderful Rachelle's blog.  

Kids Were Here | July

I would like to start off by saying...please ignore the image quality of the following pictures.  They were all taken with my lovely phone, which might just be the very first smartphone ever invented!  It's not the best, but it's the one I use most often.  So here's to embracing the grain!  

Now off to some of the shenanigans we see on a normal basis around here!

Not sure why, but only one child will eat a strawberry Poptart.  Granted, it takes the other children a couple bites into the pastry (can you actually call a Poptart a pastry?) before they realize it's the dreaded STRAWBERRY flavor!  So...instead of finishing it, they give it to their mother whom they know will eat it since the last thing she wants to do is waste money!  (Even though she wasn't the tiniest bit hungry!)

 Then, there's the window sill that constantly displays random toys.

Finally, we have the toy that's been completely dismantled to the point of being unrecognizable and unrepairable, which was all accomplished without any tool whatsoever!  Seriously, how does one do that?!   All of that "stuff" is supposed to reside inside that sweet little "fake" hamster!  And no, this is not the first toy that has fallen to the hands of a certain two year old, and I'm sure it won't be the last!

Around here we have a four year old who is constantly repairing and building things...seriously, he's about four steps away from constructing his own John Deere tractor from scratch!  Then, there's the two year old who is completely opposite and destroys every last thing...all of which I never thought possible!  How 'bout a little yin and yang, y'all?!

Anyway, if you were able to get past all of those wretched images above, I applaud you!  Now to soothe your eyes, continue on the Kids Were Here journey by visiting the amazing Lisa!  I'm sure you'll be glad you did! (Click here for Lisa's blog.)

Kids Were Here | June

It's officially SUMMER!!!!!  Okay, not "officially" as in what the calendar says, but "officially" as in school's out and the temps are amazing!!!!!  With this past winter being anything but ideal, I welcome warm air and sunny skies with open arms...guessing most people do!

When the weather outside is wonderful and warm around here, off go the electronics and on go the creative minds!  Granted, I receive a bit of resistance as the younger members of this household aren't always excited about putting down their mind-absorbing electronics, but it's GREATLY needed!  Fresh air does wonders for the soul!

With outdoor adventures, comes a bit of mud and dirt.  Who am I kidding?!  A LOT of mud and dirt!  You know it's summer around here when you see these kids getting much needed two to three baths every single day!  Whenever it's warm, the garden hose is turned on!  When the hose is turned on, the dirt becomes their playground!  Their playground, in turn, becomes one giant pit of gooey, messy, dirty MUD!  My favorite thing...only not all!  But who cares as long as the kids are happy and having fun!

So hello amazing weather!  Please stick around for a long, long time for we have a countless supply of water guns, slip-n-slides, and water toys that yearn to be used by little ones.  I welcome games of cops and monsters, let's make a mud castle, and even the occasional let's torment mommy with the water gun!

80 degree temps...oh, how I've missed you!

Please continue on to Jenn's blog so you can see more of what our kids have been concocting on your  Kids Were Here tour!

Kids Were Here | May

This past week was a bit rough.  Earlier in the week, we had to say good-bye to a family member...one who meant so much to so many.  It was difficult to see him go, but we know that he's in a better place looking down on all of us.

As the week continued on and resumed to the craziness of every day life, there were moments that caused me to step back and take in all that life has to offer.

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle.  Appointments here.  Dance lessons there.  Arguments between children that need resolved.  Dinner that needs to be cooked.  Laundry to be washed.  Socks to be folded.  Bills to be paid.  And a child's wound that needs mended.

It's easy to get worn down and exhausted...hoping for a moment of peace.  A time to let out a sigh.  A time to unwind.  Turn off the mind for one little instance.  Relax.  Breathe.

Then, that moment happens.

The moment that causes time to stand still.

The moment like no other.

The moment you want to cherish forever.

The moment when nothing else matters.

Just when you think you can take no more...

A sweet little boy approaches you.  With his hand held out, he turns over his palm to revel a fist full of ragged dandelions.  He graciously looks up at you with his adoring brown eyes and says "I picked deese fowers for you, mommy. Aren't they the most boo-ti-ful fowers you ever seen?"  

Worried that he most likely stained his hands and possibly clothes while picking these weeds, you lay the dandelions down and grab a wash cloth.  Before you can check for evidence that dandelions leave behind, the amazing little boy reaches into his coat pocket and lays another bouquet of dandelions on the counter.

He becomes concerned and urges you to quickly get a cup full of water for his "perty fowers".

As you fill one small vase with the two bundles of weeds, you hear the said child declare "That's not going to work."

You glance over your shoulder and notice the gracious child holding yet another bouquet of dandelions.  The puzzled look on your face causes the boy to whisper that he has more.  Looking down you realize that, in fact, each of his pant pockets are stuffed with these yellow weeds.

As you hold more dandelions in your hand than a thousand acres has ever seen, the sweet boy embraces you with a gentle hug and says "I picked all deese fowers for you 'cause I love you tis much." 

That moment when nothing else matters.

That moment when your heart is full and overflowing.

That moment you never want to forget.

That moment you'll cherish forever.

It's the little things that matter most.

Continue on to Shauna's blog and see the little things that children leave behind...showing us that "Kids Were Here."