From Warm Hearts to Cold Fingers and Toes

My three little Valentines.  :)  It was fun having Valentine's Day on a Saturday this year.  Landon was particularly pleased.  The kids woke up and we had our Saturday morning ritual of lounging in pjs with coffee and cartoons...and then, I let them open their treats.  A lovie for each and some candy...that was immediately consumed.  :)

Connor, Lindsay Jane and I had a chance to make heart cookies in preparation earlier in the week.  I love that sweet little face.  :)

Connor is so meticulous.  He really enjoys taking his time and making his cookies look just right. This one is so similar to his mama.

See...these are mine...he always likes to copy what I do.  My, oh, my, how I have to be careful.

Then, there is this one.  She is also a lot like me but in a different way.  She is also such a little clown. When doing sugar cookies with any two year old, one is bound to laugh...just to keep from crying for all the mess that just comes with the territory.

Landon, making the same face as his Valentine's Day lovie.  He is hilarious.

Connor had to follow right in big brother's footsteps...

And then we have little LJ, a smile a minute, showing off her newest pink puppy.

Little rascals with their Valentine's Day treats.

Next up...Connorbug and mommy had a date on Valentine's Day!  It was so much fun!  We both dressed in red and set off for our day with no complaining about "having to go with mom instead of staying home and playing with his brother..."  (I wish)

I took him to his first ballroom dancing class.  He has been very interested in Stan and I taking lessons and agreed to give it a try.  It was really adorable and Fred Astaire did an amazing job with the 15 kids that showed up!  It was so great to see these kids starting to dance at such a young age and I couldn't help but to picture our own dance instructors starting at 5 as well.

Look at that posture and hands on those hips!

Very serious, this little one...

I am amazed at how very into the class he was.  He was so intent and paid attention to Oksana's every move.  I was so proud of my little dancer!

It was adorable because Oksana was messaging with me after the class talking about how well Connor did, so I told him of her compliment.  He grinned a little and slyly said, "Does that mean I get a trophy, mom?"  Not quite yet, little man, but keep up the practice and maybe one day!  Kids, they are so darn cute.

Next stop...my least favorite restaurant of all time...McDonalds.  Also known as my kids' favorite restaurant of all time...thanks, Stan.

I do have to admit that they make a pretty mean fudge sundae, which Connor promptly told me that in this case it was a fudge "Saturday".

After McDonalds, we went to Sam's club, another of my favorite places (not).  We did make it fun, though, and I let Connor ride on one of those platform carts and he built a fort out of the groceries.  :)

It was a treat getting to spend that quality time with Connor.  So often, I am working with Landon on homework/reading or working with Lindsay on potty training/bedtime/eating/2 year old needs and Connor usually happily plays by himself.  I have noticed that he has been more whiny than normal lately, so I thought he might need some mama time.  I do think he enjoyed it and felt loved...but it did not stop the whining...

Next stop...Dinner and dancing with these wonderful people!  Stan and I started going on monthly dancing dates with John and Sherene almost a year ago now.  We meet for dinner and then dance the night away at local dance studios and ballroom dancing clubs.  There is never a lack of laughter when we are with these two.  Between encouraging Stan Cole to expand his "Mebane palate," comparing notes on the "trajectory" of our kids' progress in learning life and joking about who is going to first earn the right to wear "all black" to our dancing events (we have noticed that those who are on a much higher level than we are often wear all black), we absolutely have a blast.

And, they have some pretty great kids too...photo bomb!

We took a marriage class together about 2 years ago and found out that we both had a love of ballroom dance.  It has been great continuing that relationship that was really founded on a commitment we all share in common to building a strong marriage.  Dancing sure will teach you a lot about your marriage!  What a blessing this sweet friendship is.

And, that ends my post on Valentine's Day...where hearts were warm and cozy...

Yep, you guessed it, these next photos are from the Ice Storm of 2015...

Getting ready takes a long long time...

Someone was excited...

I am still amazed that they all stood there and let dear old mama take a picture.  I love kids in snow clothes!  Especially these three!

Did I mention she was excited?

Ready?

Set...

Go!!!!

Connor was so sweet to pull his little sis on the sled.  As much as these two have started getting into it, they do have a sweet little bond.

Mr. Poley joined the fun with his pastry and coffee.  :)

Porter stopped for a cheese...

Landon was a little excited himself.  He was beyond thrilled to 1) Be out of school again (he had President's Day off) and 2) Get to play in the snow!!

"Hey mom, can you come catch me?  I want to do this because I saw my brothers do it, but I am just not 100% sure it is a great idea."

"I have a better idea, I am going to drive my buggy on the ice."  Translation: Mommy is going to push Lindsay Jane on the ice and fear for her life as she heads down the hill...

Cutie Rachel!

I just adore this picture!  These two are two peas in a pod.  Have I ever mentioned that we love our neighbors?

Sweet smiles, cute hats, precious little ones.

Great fun!  What genuine smiles.  I love love love it.

Then, daddy made it out...

Sledding on ice became even more fun!

The big boys heard that Stan was giving boosts down the hill!

Connor was racing back to get his second turn!

Love.  The last picture of Porter is my favorite!  Doesn't that just capture a kid's thrill of the snow? As my Connor would say, "It's really great to be a kid."

I caught someone looking really cute...

I can hardly contain myself on the cuteness factor here...

Who me, mom?  Look at my baby.  She sure is growing up fast.

The sledding crew!  A crew of happy boys.

Then, we headed in for some cookie baking and a nap for Lindsay Jane.

Melting Snowmen cookies!

Connor's version...

And, Landon's version...I'm thinking zombies?

Then, we got out the cornstarch and shaving cream and made our own snow to play with inside! Landon was absolutely into it!  He has always liked to get his hands dirty and play with finger paint and such.  My other two are less inclined that way, but they did join in the fun to a lesser degree.

I made Lindsay Jane a kitty cat in the snow which pleased her.  She did not want to touch the snow so much, but she was happy to have the kitty cat to look at.

Landon made an entire diorama and a play to go with it.  He even had "main characters" which included the eye balls, snow leopard and a killer whale.  Basically the killer whale was attacking everything else and making a big mess.  But, he did allow for questions at the end of his play, as long as we raised our hands.  This was serious business...

This was his staging place...

And in case you were wondering, all of this was "OFF LIMITS! All of this!"  Because, he is really only talking to his sister and brother here, neither of whom can read.  :)  Adorable.

And, just when things were clearing up...we had another snow shower.  This time, it was really great packing snow.  It was really big beautiful flakes...

That Connor was trying to eat. :)

A child's delight and wonder.

Another type of delight and wonder. :)

One of my favorite pictures ever.  I love this little girl so much!  We had so much fun sledding down the driveway.  It really doesn't take much. :)

Mr. Poley came to play again.  And this time, taught the boys the art of a perfectly packed snowball...

Landon trying his hand at it...

Porter...succeeding in making the snowball and ready to aim...

Steph came out when it was quitin' time.  Poor thing had to be on a conference call when we were all outside.  I love that we gather, rain, snow or shine and talk about life.

Well...on Snow Day number 3...Lindsay Jane and Landon had the day to themselves and climbed in this cocoon.  Connor's daycare was open and the boys definitely needed a break from each other...

They have such a sweet little bond.  Lindsay has a sweet little name for Landon, "Gaga."  Not really sure where that came from, but it is definitely his name.  :) Lindsay Jane even told us tonight that she was "Gaga's baby". This was after Stan and I were joking around with her saying she was Mommy's baby, no Daddy's baby, and she said, "No, I Gaga's baby."  That is precious, my friends.

This picture does a mama's heart good...

One more.  I just love it.

Then, we had to break out the hot chocolate!

Cheers!

Lindsay Jane even convinced me this morning to have another cup in front of the fire after successfully completing another potty deposit.  I could not resist this little face...

Then, we had a BIG playgroup since school was out and decorated sugar cookies.  This time, they were snowmen, mittens, snow flakes and penguins.  How fitting for this cold wintry weather.

Happy kids...

Happy mama.

Well, that about sums up the past 2 weeks.  Hope you enjoyed!  We really have...minus a few sibling arguments I have had to break up...

Shift

My two year old climbed out of her crib last week.  Three times.  We told her to stop.  It didn't work. We didn't want her to break her arm continuing to practice her pole vaulting skills out of her crib.  I didn't know that last Thursday night would be the last time I put one of my babies in a crib.  Now, she has adjusted, after one week of a bit of the battle of the wills...to her new toddler bed.

I still watch her fall asleep, that baby of mine.  Those sweet round cheeks, perfect nose and lips. Those long lashes brushing her little face.  That last little baby of mine.

My two year old is also practicing the art of potty training.  I am not sure when the last diaper will be used, but it is coming.  It is strange, but I will miss changing my babies' diapers, even.  Yes, even that.

My five year old got a letter about Kindergarten.  I have seven more months with him at home (not that I am counting or anything).  I want to savor every last minute of him being my baby boy, being at home with his mama.  He is adding and subtracting.  He is reading.  He is not napping in the afternoon.  He is seeking more, more than what I can teach him.  I see that he is ready for Kindergarten, but am I?

My eight year old has completed his first Diorama.  It has a full on "report" with it.  He is also getting ready to be in the "big leagues" for baseball with upcoming practice 2 nights a week with a game on the weekend.  He is no longer happy to tag along on our old adventures around Durham.  He still does it, but he has grown out of the mall play area, the train and Lego tables at Barnes and Nobles and almost the Chick-fil-a play area...sigh...such great great memories of those days with my littles.

I always imagined getting married and then having babies...but really, I didn't imagine much past that.  I didn't really imagine myself getting yelled at by my 8 year old that "That's not fair".  I didn't imagine my 5 year old passing up a one on one date with dear old mom in favor of watching football with his dad.  I didn't imagine my 2 year old little girl throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the bowling alley while my 5 year old panicked about how to get the ball down the alley and my 8 year old pitched an all mighty fit about not winning.  Nope, didn't imagine those fun times...

When you have your last baby and you see that baby growing up and asserting her little self, you realize that you are now surrounded by little humans who have opinions that need molding and guiding...not little babies that think you are the best thing since sliced bread.  And, that molding and guiding...it takes a lot, I mean a lot, of work.

Before too long, there will be no more greeting me every morning with a big goofy happy grin with sweet little curls and giggles.  No more running to hug me when I walk in the room.  No more making me feel like the mom I try to be and imagined I would be.

I only say this because I have already seen it happen twice, this shift.  My sweet boys turned "teenagery" - overnight.  (definitely not saying they don't ever hug their mama or cuddle in my lap still- it's just not as frequent as when they were littler!)

I am training for my first half marathon.  Fitting, I'd say, amidst some real shifts going on in my home and heart.  As I inch up the miles I run, week by week, I am getting stronger and stronger.  My muscle memory is growing.  My stamina is growing.  My resolve is growing.  Much like mothering babies to toddlers to waddlers to preschoolers to Kindergartners to Third graders to...not yet there...yep, not yet at 13.1 miles...but I will be.

The great thing is that each mile, each step, each phase, God gives me what I need for that time.  He doesn't give it to me any sooner.  And I can't slow it down or rush it, no matter how hard I try either way.

I can enjoy the ride, though.  And, I can live into each moment I am given with these precious little ones.

This mothering.  It is a tender blessing.  It is a snapshot into heaven.  Shift or no shift, I love this calling that I can only do with God's great grace and mercy, one day at a time.