Really nice day

Today was a really nice day. It began with a picnic with my mother at a great park with a splash pad.I really like the fact that they are free and just perfect for the little ones. Olivia still enjoys them too. Rome not so much, but hes a good sport about it. The weather was beautiful and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Last night the two older children and I visited Romes new school and I cant tell you how excited I am for him to go there. The school is in the same community as the amazing elementary he attended and has an outstanding record for top test scores, the best sports programs and great parent involvement among many other things. A rare thing Rome and I got to do this afternoon was go shopping together, just him and I. I let him splurge and get lots of good stuff for school and he was very happy and thankful.I was glad I did and glad we got a few hours together just us, to talk,joke around, shop and eat together, where I was able to give him my undivided attention...it was nice. I cant believe on Tuesday my oldest child is starting Jr high and a month and a day after he'll be an official teenager. Seems like just yesterday I brought him home from the hospital, a teenager myself without a clue. And now almost 13 years later I'm proud of the young man he is. Kind, strong, confident and still mama's boy (shh) Good Luck on your first day buddy, your going places and you'll do great

Knitting, Waiting and more

MT Rushmore in SD

Little Dom @ the beach, hes a crawler now!

Panning for gold in SD



Summer is winding down here and the weather has gotten a little bit more tolerable, just a little. Today the humidity and heat reminded us that summer is not over quite yet.  School shopping is upon us for our 2 oldest and an exciting new school year is only 10 days away. Romeo will begin 7th grade this year and  will be going to a new school. I am excited for him and just hoping the transition is smooth. I know some good friends of his will be going to the school he chose as well, so that should make it easier.

SD

Gabriel sitting with the goat @ The farm in SD

What a busy and fun summer we have had. We took a trip to South Dakota in July for a family reunion, visited many parks, pools and beaches. The older children spent some days with grandma, and we did so many other fun things. I personally am pretty content to be home these days, but not my children, they love being busy doing things and being around extended family and friends.

Just hanging around with Uncle Dan

Over the summer I have been working on my knitting, teaching myself more and trying more difficult projects. I knitted my first project in the round, a cowl for myself and it turned out ok I guess, but I think either I knitted it a bit to loose or perhaps used the wrong yarn fiber. I also decided I would knit all my children something for their upcoming birthdays. I just finished Dominique's. I made him 2 different balls.  I made a few mistakes but overall they look ok. Now on to the next 3 projects. Hope I can get them all done in time, we'll see.

These past few weeks have been filled with some stress, excitement, hope, and prayers. We are waiting on finding out if our plans to move will happen. After being in this house for 8 years we have more than outgrown not only the house itself but also the neighborhood. Everything is in place and now whether we can house hunt or not is just a phone call away. Say some prayers for us please. Our family really needs this change.

Changes

It has been quite awhile since I have blogged. I have been thinking a lot lately about the best ways to use my time since there never seems to be enough. I like the idea of blogging however it  falls on the bottom of my priority list which I never get that far most days.

One big thing I have decided to try to get away from is Facebook. I find when I am bored or have a few extra minutes I tend to hit that pretty blue icon on my fancy smancy cell phone and check out whats going on in the world of many people I haven't seen since my elementary days. We all know it can be quite addicting. Although peoples lives can be quite interesting, funny, drama filled, etc, I find it strange that I know so much about people I don't REALLY know, if you know what I mean. I like reading what my family/close friends post, but I talk to them on a regular basis anyways. More than that I realize how little time their is in a day and I'd much rather take those 20minutes or so that I would otherwise be on FB, to read my bible, catch a cat nap or talk with my family. With that said I deactivated my account in hopes that I will use that time for the better and keep all the strangers lives a mystery, as they should be. I hope I can stay away, seriously, because I really do enjoy Facebook but just because you enjoy something, doesn't make it good for you.

Gabriel <3

Watching his big brother make something with the glue gun

My sweet baby

Me and my girl

Romeo and his buddy at the 6th grade send off party,so much fun!

Another change I am trying to make is spending QUALITY time with my children and not just being here. It is so easy to be present but not interact. I found that growing up and even now there was a lot of that. So instead of trying to tackle everything that needs to be done im trying to relax and play a little more. Everyday I take Gabriel outside to play and leave the chores for later. I make more simple meals so there is more time to spend. Instead of saying No to the children, that I have to do this or that, my new goal is to say YES as much as possible Instead of Mommy's having time to herself in her room, its been sure you can come in and cuddle and my time comes shortly after when they go to bed.

Having a 12 year old and a 9 year old helped me to realize how short a time our children stay small and I am embracing that fact by enjoying every moment of Dom and Gabriel being little, even Rome and Liv I keep that mindset, they seem smaller to me now then when they were younger because then I didn't realize how small they really were, now I do and  in 5 more years ill look back to now and say." look how little you were"...so... that's where I've been, enjoying my babies, making the most of each moment and working on ever improving. And just so you know I love my role as a Mommy, I do, I really do.

The foundation of a family

What makes up a good strong family? With blogs and Facebook and all the other ways to see into others lives these days without having to even know someone, we get a picture painted of what goes on in the lives of others. There is always the people who complain and seem to just be miserable 24/7, but more often I read lots of good things and am happy that it seems so many people are so happy with their lives. Truthfully, I'd be lying if I didn't say it makes me a little jealous at times. I think to myself, how come it seems so easy for them to juggle kids, work, hobbies, a house, a relationship and never have a problem? Then I snap back to reality. It isn't.

Most of the time we like to share what people like to hear, we like to paint a perfect picture. Who wants to see a big mess anyway? Truth is, everyone has problems, whether they only the share the good things, they have them, I guarantee. Just to clarify, we are no different here, in case you haven't guessed.

Lately my struggle has been with our family foundation. First off God is our foundation, but so are we, the parents, Prob and I. Its been so easy to put us on the back burner, especially with the unexpected 2 additions to our family within a year. Stress, fatigue,being busy and unresolved issues that we have ignored for far too long have threatened our foundation.

I realized something and that is why I am sharing this with you. I realized that in the midst of everyday life, you HAVE to take the time to take care of the foundation of your life or everything you care about will come tumbling down before your eyes. Instead of trying to pretend like everything is perfect, instead of just focusing on the kids and thinking it will just get better,that things will change, take the time to work on it. Upkeep is alot easier than waiting til everything is broken. What makes up a good strong family is the foundation. A foundation of love, helping each other, talking about things that bother you. resolving issues, changing, keeping it real...everyday.

We are rebuilding, and it isn't going to be easy, I can already tell you its an uphill battle but we are willing to do it because its worth it to us, just wish we would have done the upkeep. Remember this, you can fool anyone you want, even yourself, but instead, live by this, one of my favorite quotes.
 "Be who you would like to seem"

There will always be problems, no matter what. All I'm saying is, do all you can to be the family you write about, Facebook about, read about. Most importantly don't neglect your foundation.