Springtime in Spurts

Spring air is hear and how welcomed is it?  Thought I would share some of the ways we have gotten to enjoy its slow entry this year!!

We spent one day on the farm with the fam.  Landon really enjoyed playing ball with Wilson and getting to be outside in short sleeves!!!

Baby Cole was all smiles.  Just a doll baby.

Landon and Connor spent some time trying to get him to smile by tickling that sweet little belly.  I love watching these little ones grow up together.

Aunt Moo Moo got her time in with sweet Lindsay Jane.  There was, of course, time for making the puppet, Wrinkles talk and dance, lots of giggles and lots of snuggles.  These two have such a sweet little bond.

Nanny with the three Cole babies on the golf cart ready for an adventure!!

Ummm.  This one is more like it...

We did manage to go on a golf cart ride on the beautiful farm.  It couldn't have been a more beautiful March Sunday.  We looked at the animals, the big tractors and the rolling hills.  It truly was good medicine to be outside all that time and enjoy our beautiful earth.

Back at home, we decided it was prime time to get more sand for our sandbox.  Miss Lindsay Jane agreed that that was a great idea.  She has such a sweet look of determination in this picture.  I can hardly stand not to squeeze those cheeks!

More sandbox fun!

Porter and Landon getting out the water guns...these boys want any excuse to get into water play.  One reason I have been thankful for the cool weather is that I can still get away with, "No, it is still too cold for water play..."  Ha!

Landon started baseball!!!!!  We are thrilled to have a little baseball player at our house!  Landon is actually really enjoying baseball and seems to be a natural.  He is currently playing first base on his team and has quite the focus on the field.  He is taking after his Pop, which makes my heart so full.  My dad just beams at the idea of Landon playing baseball.  I love it.

Ready position...

Another ready position..

Get that grounder, boy!

Mommom even got out her glove to play, channeling my wonderful Grandmother, who was quite the softball player!  I guess baseball/softball is in the blood!

Lindsay Jane has been diligently washing her hands after playing in that sand box...

Landon completed a Read a thon and loved the book, Charlotte's Web.  He is really taking off with his reading, which is a huge Praise!!  I have really enjoying reading chapter books with both boys and also having them pick those movies to watch after reading the books.  Hey, a nice break from Star Wars, Lego Movie and Ninjas...

Lindsay Jane enjoyed the swing.  It is amazing how very big she is.  My baby is growing up.  My how quickly time flies.

Time for our annual Easter Bunny Cake making with the Woodruffs!

Happy Crew!

My crazy crew!

All done!  These four have really enjoyed this little food craft that we have been doing for 4 years now!  It is really hard to believe.

This was the first year we did it...Landon and JD were just babies!!!  Great memories for sure.

Lindsay Jane loved sharing in the tradition by eating the cake.  This girl has a mean sweet tooth...

Look what we found!  Our sweet Connorbug is such a free spirit.  He always stops to smell the roses and frequently, because of his creativity, loses things...such as his beloved back pack.  He has been looking for this for weeks because he still wants to be Diego- one of the childhood memories I am sure I have keep a hold of forever for him.  So, the fact that he is still wanting to dress up like Diego warms my mama heart.  Seeing this orange back pack was such a surprise.  Some sweet soul left it on the fence so that the owner would find it.  What a blessing.  You know, I do see that as a blessing.  Taking time to smell the roses, like my Connorbug does, also reminds me to stop and count my blessings.  There are too many to count...as long as I look!

My sweet happy boy.

Lindsay Jane loving playing on the play structure.  Love that smile.

Connorbug climbing the bars.  This picture really makes me see just how big my sweet boy is.  I cannot believe how tall he is.  Only one more year and he will be going to Kindergarten.  STOP time!!

Stan got to go with us.  He took off for a work trip to Orlando on this past Tuesday but took the morning off before he went to spend with us.  I have to say, that was one of the best gifts he has ever given me.  It was so thoughtful.  No gift is greater than time with my family.  You can see that Lindsay Jane agrees. :)

It was truly amazing the way God blessed me while Stan has been out of town.  I had help that far exceeded any expectation that I could have had.  My mother in law was an amazing trooper, spending the night and stepping right in with carting kids to and fro.  She also spoiled me by getting us dinner, lunch, taking us girls shopping, doing dishes, laundry and even helping Connor in the middle of the night when he got sick! What a blessing to have such a wonderful mother in law!  The kids really enjoyed her sweet company and the extra giggles that are always present with Nanny around.  I had a dear dear member of our church family bring me several freezer meals and dinner just because!  She also imparted some of her wonderful parenting wisdom on me before she left as she has raised two boys and a girl and has been where I am!  Blessing!  Another member of our church came over and watched the kids so Stan and I could go dance before he left for his trip and yet another member of our church came and kept the kids so I could go spend some quality time with my mother in law without distraction.  Lots of friends reached out to me asking what they could do to help and I just got off the phone with one who invited us over to their house for a playdate, food craft and dinner tonight!  I feel so loved and cared for and better able to encourage Stan to go on another trip like this if needed since I have such a great network of support.  Stan, if you are reading this, I don't mean any time soon!  Ha!

Daddy daughter love.

More sweet shots of Connor.

Lindsay Jane really thinking about going down that slide!

And, she's off!!!

Daddy had to show Connorbug how to master the monkey bars...

Lindsay Jane got more and more brave as the morning went on and was sliding down all of the slides with ease by the time we left...

Which is why I got to take this picture. ;)

So welcome Spring!  Though it has come in slowly and in little spurts, I really think we have been able to appreciate it more.  The vitamin D certainly doesn't hurt our moods, either!  I have to admit, it has been hard to wait for this weather, but now that it seems it is here to stay, I really look forward to the fun times ahead for our family this spring and summer.  It is so refreshing to sit down and count my blessings.  Love to you all!

Fun Mom

Most of my posts have these types of precious smiles...

And even of few of these types...the forced cheese, but still adorably cute..smiles...

And these little tender moments I get to be a part of...watching my sweet baby girl read her little book.  I mean, precious doesn't even begin to describe this face, does it?

We do have these types of faces in our house too...

And these...

I set out on the day it iced and there was a three hour delay at Landon's school this past week...I set out to combat the dreariness and do something fun with my kids.  I used my time during the small nap overlap I have these days with Lindsay Jane and Connor and found a recipe and directions to make sugar cookies shaped like flowers.  Knowing how very much Landon loves a food craft, I excitedly went to pick him up from the bus stop!  I was sure to be getting the fun mom award for the day!!!

So, this little face...not happy about being confined to the chair was just a part of my slap in the reality face that day.  I had to remind myself several times that afternoon that my children are little and I have three.of.them...  I picked Landon up from the bus stop and announced my great plans...which were met with less than excited groans especially after I threw in that we would get haircuts first.  The whining was so intense that I opted out of the energy sucking hair cut adventure and decided to spend all of my energy on the cookies.  I was determined to be the fun mom!

We went to Harris Teeter.  We got one of those giant race car carts and we set off for the ingredients...after fighting over who would sit in the cart, many curt words regarding being grateful and several deep breaths from me...

We even hit up the samples!  I love Harris Teeter!  And the cookies!  Yay, fun mom, yes????

I gathered the ingredients as quickly as I could and ran into a friend in the midst.  We related to one another on the wishes for Spring and the challenges of grocery shopping with children...remember, I do all of my shopping on line...this was a special "treat".

We checked out as Lindsay Jane finished her cookie and started screaming.  Whew...at least we were at the check out.

I got the kids in the car and quickly went to return the cart, almost getting hit in the process due to my furry to get the heck home...

I almost cried on the way home...but instead I prayed.  Lord, help me to enjoy these precious little gifts.  I really want to enjoy this afternoon with them!

I began instructing Landon and Connor on how to make the cookies while Lindsay Jane begged for cookies, which I happy gave her.  She still screamed and threw them all in the floor and then screamed more.

Connor licked each piece of candy I put out to decorate the flowers and had to go back and wash his hands about 8 times before he got that he could not lick his fingers and them continue making cookies.

Then...

Landon said, "Mom, this is way funner than I thought it was going to be...thank you."

Connor stopped licking and started cooperating.

I got to make a couple, always a treat.  :)

And...Lindsay Jane lost it.

We pushed through and ended up with the above as our final product.  It was quite the adventure to be a "fun mom" on Tuesday.  I learned a lot.

This is absolutely the best time of my life.  It is also absolutely HARD.  I would not trade my three precious little miracles for anything in this world.  I love and enjoy them so so much.  What I learned on Tuesday is something that I haven't totally gotten yet.

I want to be that fun mom and by fun mom, I mean I want to have fun with my kids and I want them to enjoy my company and our time together.  The truth is that it is not always fun, nor should it be.

The bible says to "train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).  It does not say, "do everything to have fun with your kids and make sure they like you."  I know that is a stretch, but who doesn't want their kids to think they are fun.  Who doesn't want to be the "fun mom"?

As my three develop, learn and grow, I am doing the same. It is so tough to deal with the realities of this world and there are many that are just plain harsh and not fun.  I view my teaching my children manners and respect in the midst of my own hurt feelings as a part of teaching them reality and helping them learn how to deal with that (me too!).  There will be disappointments and they will have to do things they don't want to.  Landon will hopefully have other situations where maybe he begins complaining (hopefully next time in his head instead of out loud) and remembers his delight at the boring old flower cookie project that turned out to be "funner than he thought."

It is such a gift and such a challenge to be a mom.  There is a lot of push, a lot of pull, a lot of take and a lot of give and in the end, a lot of love.  Fun mom or not.  There is a lot of teaching to be done and this girl is only beginning...and I have a lot to still learn!  Thank God for his grace and love in the process.

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them." - Deuteronomy 4:9.

Brightening a Dreary Day

How could this sweet face not bring JOY on this yucky day.  Yucky rain, yucky cold, yucky news of a dear sweet friend passing away last night.  JOY in the morning...joy in talking to an encouraging friend about the weight of this world, joy in the celebration of a life very well lived, joy in the blessings I often take for granted. JOY.  Just have to look at that face.

She was so proud of herself for stacking the lids.  She did not really want to color with the markers, she just wanted to stack the lids...hilarious.  I love how each of my little ones is so different.  Seeing her personality and little preferences emerge is new JOY every day.

Finger painting was NOT her fave..."I do not want to put my fingers in that!"  She was wiping her little fingers off each time I put them on the page.  Quite the difference from my boys!

My very sweet Connorbug, who has an amazing attention to art and is able to just hone in and concentrate.   He was so thrilled with sand art and did a great job with it!

It is often hard to find joy, especially if I feel bogged down by the weight of the world, which is often.  I mean, Jesus did say we should expect suffering!  I am looking for the JOY today and one thing I have learned is that I can find it in and through HIM, no matter how dreary a day might be upon me.  Hope these smiling faces help you see JOY too!