The Dirty Dash

My brother Colter had the genius idea to have everyone in our family run in a race together called The Dirty Dash. It was my sisters' boyfriend Adam who came up with the idea to dress like white trash. This course is full of mud and obstacles to go through. It will clearly become a family tradition.

BEFORE


AFTER


Family Christmas Card...
(who cares if half the family is missing....
and seriously, we needed Bill and his beard in a
wife beater but he was off playing with his
friends in Oregon!! Next year babe, next year!!)


We didn't want to get hurt, so we made sure
to do some stretching before we started....


And we're off....


My weak sauce sisters decided to go
UNDER the walls....


While I flew over them like a man ;)-


Fake running to the finish line...


FINISHED


This is as close as my kids would get to me
for a picture....hahaha!


After watching all us girls take off our wife
beaters to clean up after the run....
Marley had to join in....


Oh....and in case you didn't already know....
my mom is WAY cooler than your mom....

Preschool

Boy started preschool this year.....

After clinging to me like a newborn baby monkey and shedding far too many tears during orientation, I was slightly nervous about how this whole preschool thing was going to go. I was surprised when the first day of school came and Boy was beyond thrilled to sit on the steps by the front porch with his back pack on.....just like his big brothers do every year on their first day of school....to get their pictures taken.



Just like I knew he would....he LOVES every minute of school and tells me I'm a mean mom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when he DOESN'T get to go to school. I love this Boy!!

(but too bad he doesn't remember a single thing he does in school each day to share with his mother....even when I ask him the second I pick him up in the car. "What did you do in school today?" I say. "Ummm, me not know," he replies. Awesome! Thanks for the details!)

Hard Things....

I ran across this blog today.
It conveyed my feelings so perfectly......
I had to share.
Here is the link so I can give credit where credit is due

Lately, our mantra has been “Do Hard Things”. When one of the kids doesn’t want to practice their piano or feels defeated after an inferior performance at baseball practice we chat after the importance of digging in our heels and doing hard things. Together we recognize that it is easy to be mediocre at something, hard to be good at an activity, and painstakingly difficult to be great. We take comfort in the concept that greatness is not born, but made. Typically, I stand on the sidelines and act as a cheerleader as my children attempt new feats and learn new skills--taking a first step, swimming across the pool, reading a whole page in the bible, writing a paper, making a goal in soccer, snowboarding for the first time, doing a new trick on their bike, learning to ride a ripstick, etc........

The other day I caught myself wondering- what hard things was I engaged in ? What difficult skills was I working on mastering? Then it hit me..........
MOTHERHOOD IS A HARD THING.

I don’t remember anyone saying it to me that bluntly.

Perhaps, to some it may seem that I am belittling the role or the blessings of motherhood by describing it as HARD. But I disagree. I think that there is power in such a proclamation. I even think that when you recognize and admit that you are embarking on such a challenge then you are able to reach deeper and claim untapped resources.

Motherhood is hard. Having children is hard. It is hard to be sick and pregnant. It is hard to be consistent. It is hard to run a home. It is hard to be excited about following through on consequences. It is hard to ignore all the pressing responsibilities of the world and read to your baby. It is hard to be told (AGAIN) that you are a mean mom and have the dignity to smile with patience. It is hard to teach your children to work amidst moans and groans. It is hard to watch children chose to not reach their potential that day. It is agonizing to watch your child hurt. It is hard to have health issues, but even harder to watch your children suffer through them. It is hard to be the kind of mom you know you want to be every hour of everyday. It is hard to remember to bask in the moments when the moments are filled with noise and unmet expectations.

I am not a pessimist. Rather I have been characterized as an unfailing optimistic (often to my detriment). Thus, I don’t believe that admitting that motherhood is REALLY HARD sheds any negative light on the role or the call. Rather I believe it is an empowering call to action. Hard does not mean bad or wrong or unfulfilling. Hard means blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice for greatness. And in the hardness there is joy--intense, overwhelming joy. It is the joy of a little face whose smile lights up the room when you walk in. It is the joy of looking in on your sleeping child and realizing that they are truly heaven sent. It is the joy of a handmade valentine and a carefully picked dandelion just for you. It is the joy of listening to them thank God for YOU during their nighttime prayers.

I am grateful that I get to do this HARD THING.

CRY BABIES

It seems I have mastered the ability to make my children cry.

MASON: Make him go somewhere. Anywhere! Asking the child to put on shoes, leave the house, and get in the car....TEARS!! "Why can't I just stay home?!?! There is no point in me coming!" He is a homebody in every sense of the word!!

MADDEN: Comb his hair before football pictures. Thank you to his coaches that teased him about coming straight from his "date." Asking, "Who's the lucky lady, where did you take her, etc" He gets in the car after pictures and says, "Mom, NEVER comb my hair again before pictures! That was the worst experience EVER!"

Ohhhh, Ohhhh, Ohhhh....better yet....tell him he can't play the computer on Sundays. Yah, that one will bring tears for SURE!

MARLEY: Show her an article of clothing that was purchased for her.....and then put it back in the bag to return (because it doesn't fit....or it was really ugly ON) and the tears will NOT stop!
"Dat's MINE!! Dat's my princess dwess! Div me it! You a mean mom!"

MACKSEN: Easiest one yet. I just have to dance. Anywhere. To any music. In the car, in a store, at home in the comfort of my own living room.....and BAMMMM.....full on tears!! "Stop mom! Please stop!"....all while sobbing. Who knew my dancing skills were THAT top notch!

The Haps

Life has been boring lately.
I guess that's what happens when school starts.
Booooooooooooo! Me no likey!

As much as Mason LOVES school,
he's sad that he doesn't get to read as much.
His teacher has already emailed me asking me to help
remind Mason that he can't read books during instruction time.
And to encourage him to TRY and stay with the class
when they read out loud in their class book.....
because by the time they get to him to read out loud
he has no idea where they are.....
because he is 15 pages ahead in the book! Whoops!!
Here is a little glimps of Mason's last 8 days of summer.

And I'm not joking in the least bit.
All these books were read in EIGHT days.

Madden's life right now is FOOTBALL!
He's been begging me for years to let him play tackle
and I avoided it as much as I could.
When this year came around I had two choices.
#1 - Give in and let him play. Or
#2 - Hear him whine about it every day for the next year.
Poor tired mom always gives in if it means less whining.
And the kids KNOW IT! Practice 5 days a week,
two hours a night, AND a game on Saturday.
I'm about ready to make him quit....
just so I don't have to drive to/from the field every. single. day!
He is loving every single minute of it though,
so I guess that's all that matters.

He really does love it....dispite the look of
"I'm going to die" here in this particular photo

Macks is growing up. And I don't like it one bit.
He just started preschool and when most mom's
thrive on the 2 hours without the child,
I count down the minutes until I can pick him up.
He's my favorite, what can I say! ;)-


Marley has developed this new habit of
sleeping on the floor....right outside of the
boys bedroom. I'd move her back to her bed
at least 3 times a night. I finally gave up and
figured if she thought sleeping on the carpet
without a pillow and blanket was comfortable,
then more power to her!!


She's no dumb bunny.....
It only took her a few weeks to
realize it was just as easy to
take her pillow and big blanket
right along with her....