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My New Toy

April 5, 2010 by Kelli

After selling much of my childhood and pieces of my parents souls on Craig’s List, I finally made enough money to purchse the one thing I’ve desired for awhile now. A good camera.

My parents are moving from their home of 13 years into a small condo. It’s a good thing. It’s the right decision. But it means getting rid of many of the items that I grew up with. Furniture and decorations that have graced the houses of my parents different homes for most of my life. It’s hard – not as hard for me since I have been living on my own for a long time – but definately hard for them.

My mom was sweet enough to let me post and sell her stuff and, as a reward, split the money she made fifty-fifty. And thus my brand, spanking new camera. My magic camera that actually takes the pictures I want it to take. And I’ve had a good time taking said pictures this weekend.

Yesterday we went to my parents house for one last holiday meal. And we all tried to keep it light when discussing their move, because if we started talking too seriously, the tears would begin to flow. So we laughed and joked, but inside we were all feeling a bit sentimental. Change is never easy, even if it’s necessary.

Despite the emotions, however, we had a wonderful day. The weather was perfect, the kids were well behaved and I was able to document it all just the way I wanted to…

Here is a little collage of our Easter Sunday:

Click on the image to see a larger view.

And, of course, here are a few more pictures from the weekend. The camera has been practically attached to my hand…

Blurred background! That was the one thing I wanted in a camera - the ability to actually focus on what I wanted to focus on.

We had a crazy week with several nights of late bedtimes. Which means Landon did a lot of this Saturday morning when we went to Forest Park.

Poor boy. His parents need to get him a haircut. He's looking like a mushroom head...

We’re going to the Zoo today so look forward to more pictures tomorrow!

Today’s post for STL Family Life is up. Go check it out and let me know what you think!

Filed Under: Easter, Family, Holidays, Kids, Landon, Life, Motherhood, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: Easter, Kids, Pentax K-x camera, Photography

Smile sob Smile

April 2, 2010 by Kelli

I came across these sweet videos the other day and my heart melted. My babies are growing up too fast. I never thought I’d be the type of person to say that and get all weepy, but it does make me a little sad. Those stages go by so fast. How is it they are aging so quickly and I am staying the exact. same. age?

Weird.

As I lay in bed this morning, trying desperately to pry my eyelids open, I couldn’t help but correlate the emotions I feel about my children aging with the emotions that this particular day bring about. Happy and Sad. Good and Bad. Gratefulness and Humility.

Today is the day we remember and observe the sacrifice of Christ. It is heavy. It is hard. It is “the sad part,” as Sloan told us this morning. In fact, he got up early and drew us a picture:

Notice the top corner says "Sad Port"

If you look closely, the picture shows Jesus on the cross. The two people on the right are the soldiers who crucified him and they are laughing. On the left are Mary and Joseph and they are crying. And on Jesus’ head is the crown of thorns.

This day makes me reflect and ponder. It’s something that occurs deep within the recesses of my heart and I often want to run from these reflections because they often uncover the worst of myself. And it is sad. It’s the sad port, erm, part.

But balancing out the sad is the joy in knowing the end of the story. And it just so happens that Sloan depicted that as well. He called it the “Good Port.”

Jesus was not defeated and the grave did not hold him forever. Notice the “sparkles” surrounding Jesus in Sloan’s drawing. It’s because Jesus rose and “He was so shiney when He came out of the grave, mom, because His body was new.”

That really is the Good Part, isn’t it?

So as I look at these videos, I’m reminded again of the preciousness of life. I remember how quickly life happens. We blink and the moment is gone. And it’s sad. But it’s also good.

Happy Easter.

Filed Under: Easter, Family, Holidays, Kids, Landon, Life, Motherhood, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: Easter, Good Friday, Jesus, Kids Growing, Motherhood

Mom, Dad – I’m Sorry

March 31, 2010 by Kelli

There’s a tree down the street from our house. It’s branches are splayed left and right, front and back, one after another. It is the perfect climbing tree. And my kids love to climb it.

As a kid I was a bit of a dare devil. If a tree could be climbed, I scaled it to the top. If a bench was before me, I tried to flip off of it. If I could climb to the very tip of a mountain, I did it, then hung over the side for good measure. Remember, I am the same child who thought it would be a good idea to climb onto the roof out of her second story window as a kid simply because I wanted to see what the world would look like from the very tip of our house. And it is but a miracle that I didn’t break my neck trying to get away from the nest of horse flys that I stepped in on my ascent to the top.

I can distinctly remember as a kid, my mom giving me the freedom to explore while watching warily and saying a frillion times, “Kelli. Be careful. Kelli. Slow down. Kelli!” To me, it was hilarious watching her get nervous and scared because “Moooomm, I’m totally cool. I got it.” Then I’d plunge backwards and flip off the top of the football goal at our local high school.

Or hiking with my dad in Colorado the summer before my senior year, when we got to the top of Pike’s Peak, I thought it was so funny to climb down onto a little ledge over an expansive cavern below andhave dad take a picture of me from ground level looking like I was hanging on for dear life. Dad laughed, took the picture, then demanded that I get back up on solid ground before I gave him a heart attack.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise to me that my kids are a little dare devilish. And I probably deserve the hyperventilation that comes from watching them. As I stood under the tree last night watching Tia slither in and out of the branches, all but swinging from limb to limb by one arm, I got so panicked that I had to turn away. Lee laughed, Sloan and Tia cackled and I told them to hurry up and finish and get back on solid ground before I had a heart attack. In my minds eye, all I could see was one of them plumetting to the ground and my heart raced.

It’s the same feeling I get when we go to a local park that has a significant hiking trail. At one point, there is a rock that juts out over a large ravine and the kids love to go sit out on the rock and look out over the sky. I don’t blame them – it’s exhilerating. But I can’t watch. Lee has to go with them and I have to walk away so I can’t see them teetering 100 feet off the ground. Of course it’s not like they’re anywhere near the edge of the rock and they have to sit or stand very still, but I always envision them tripping and plunging and sweet mercy, I’m gonna be ill…

Mom, dad, I’m sorry for the grey hairs on your head that were caused by my insanity. If it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure I’ll be grey early. Go ahead, I give you full permission to throw your head back and break forth with an almighty laugh of satisfaction….

*pause*

Okay, that’s good. You can stop laughing now.

Filed Under: Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Motherhood Tagged With: dare devil, Kids, mom fears, tree climbing

My Stud Muffin with his Stud Muffie

March 29, 2010 by Kelli

I can’t get enough of watching Landon handle a ball. From what I hear, he’s better at two than his daddy was, which is apparently a big deal. It’s just so fun to watch him get hold of a basketball and start dribbling. He is now starting to run and dribble and he gets a very intense look on his face when he does it. I love that the child who was named after his dad (his middle name is Lee) is so much like his dad. And I love watching the kids play with their dad. Landon shares his daddy’s love and skill in basketball. Sloan shares his dad’s love and skill in golf. And Tia shares her dad’s love for competition. They all got a little bit of him.

As you can see, Daddy gets a bit intense about dribbling a ball. So much so that sometimes he has to be reminded to share. Ha!

My husband is hot. S’okay – you can agree with me. 🙂

I found this picture on my computer this morning and it made me smile. I love my family…

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Landon, Lee, Life, Motherhood, Random Tagged With: Basketball, Family

No Boys Allowed!

March 25, 2010 by Kelli

Today was a sad day for the child who bears the X-Chromosome. It was a day she had been waiting for with great anticipation, but was ultimately not to be… She was supposed to have her “vewy betht fwend” come over to play for the whole morning. An entire morning of girly giggles, squeals and squeaks. Her friend was even going to come with us to watch Tia do gymnastics. The excitement was palpable.

But her high was crushed at 4:30 this morning when Sloan came tearing into our room, jolting Lee and I out of our slumber so quickly that we almost knocked each other out in our flurry to figure out whether or not the world as we know it was about to end.

Turns out the world was not about to end, but Sloan was just dry heaving and experiencing major stomach cramps. The kid hates to throw up and avoids it at all costs so in his attempt to not hurl, he completely and totally freaked out causing quite the ruckus.

And nobody really went back to sleep after that. So we had to cancel the anticipated playdate, which resulted in great weeping and gnashing of teeth. Had I had tiny sackclothe, I fear Tia would have arrayed herself in such and tossed the ashes of the fireplace over her head. She rolled on the couch moaning, “I don’t hab anybody to pway wif. I don’t wanna pway wif my bwudders. I want to pway wif a Dirl!” And on and on that went.

I already felt bad for her because I remember as a kid how devastating it was to have plans cancelled. But as I listened to her wail at the prospect of being stuck with the boys all day long, my heart sank a little more. I wish she had a sister. I really do. I know lots of girls grow up with only brothers (including myself) and they turn out okay, but I do wish she had the companionship of another X.

Growing up, I can’t say I ever remember longing or yearning for a sister. When I was planning my wedding, I remember thinking it would have been fun to have a sister to talk and laugh with, but other than that I never felt that I was missing out. Now that I’m grown, though, I really do sometimes wish I had a sister. Not that my brother isn’t great, because he is, but you know…he’s a boy. He’s got cooties. And he doesn’t like to talk on the phone because clearly the Y-Chromosome shuts off a man’s brain when a phone comes into close proximity of his ear canal…

Anyway, I do wish Tia had a sister. Maybe she will someday. I won’t say never, because I am not sure God has completely closed the door on the expansion of our family. In fact, I’m fairly certain He hasn’t, but Lee feels…differently. Ahem.

Of course, not having a friend to play worked out swimmingly when I couldn’t keep Tia awake past noon due to the fact that she had been up since 4:30 in the AM. And bonus! I think we will fulfill the need for girl time tomorrow instead. Hopefully that will release the pent up giggles that are threatening to end her sweet life as we know it!

Filed Under: Family, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Tia Tagged With: Childhood, Motherhood, Sisters

Linky Love

March 19, 2010 by Kelli

I’m still nursing a sick little girl back to health…of course you’d never really know she’s sick the way she’s running around here. Her face has finally returned to a reasonable palor and the rash is slowly subsiding. Thank God for Amoxicillan! So in leiu of a regular post, I will refer you to some posts that I have loved this week…

Shaun Groves, who is perhaps one of my new favorite bloggers, wrote this post yesterday that made me want to stand up and clap my hands.
My friend Nicole and her husband Matt surprised their kids the other night in a most unique way. It was adorable and I can’t wait to try it with our kids.
I just love Stephanie from NieNie Dialogues. Her outlook on life despite almost insurmountable odds is awe inspiring. Plus her kids are adorable. This post made me smile.
This post of Kelly’s made me laugh out loud. Girls Gone Wild at Church – hee, hee, hee…

I came across this old picture of Sloan the other day and it made me laugh. Happy weekend everyone!

Filed Under: Family, Life, Random

All but the obvious

March 18, 2010 by Kelli

When Tia came home with a fever and a cough the other night, we didn’t worry much. We’ve been parents for awhile now so we’ve seen our share of fevers and coughs. And Tia, of all three kids, is the easiest patient to deal with. She rarely complains, she doesn’t let an illness keep her down and she almost always bounces back pretty quickly.

But this fever was different. First of all, her face was bright red. She looked like a tiny little beet sprouting white blonde hair. In addition to being bright red, her face was also very puffy. She was like a fluffy, doughy beet sprouting white blonde hair. When she woke up yesterday, her face was still puffy and hot. I assumed that she had gotten a little too much sun in Florida, but my mom assured me that she hadn’t had a sunburn. So then I feared she was having an allergic reaction – but what was she reacting to?

When she came into our room last night complaining of chest pain, she emanated heat. She was just shy of radioactive. So I did what any self-respecting mother would do…I consulted the internets – particularly Facebook – to determine whether or not I should be concerned. Thank God for modern technology yes? My cyber friends convinced me that I needed to call the doctor and despite the fact that Tia woke up with a very low grade fever and no more red face, I called it in.

She has Scarlett Fever…with Strep Throat. I suspected as much when I changed her this morning and she was covered in a sand paper-like rash. Sloan had the same type of rash when he had Scarlett Fever two years ago (almost to the day).

Tia had all the signs of Scarlett Fever and Strep…except the most obvious – a sore throat. I must have asked her 100 times if her throat hurt and she always told me no. But, she did say several times yesterday that her drink was “hurting her neck.” At one point she asked me why I gave her a spicy drink. I’m guessing this means her throat hurt while she swallowed. Crazy kid.

When the doctor looked at her throat, he winced and told me her throat was bright red and extremely raw. Way to go, Mom, for missing that one! Yeesh.

So we are now on antibiotics and on the look out for more rashes, fevers and raw throats as Scarlett Fever is apparently pretty contagious. So much for our long streak of no sickness. It was an impressive run that had to come to an end at some point…

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Tia

Reunited and it feels so good

March 17, 2010 by Kelli

Everyone is home and they have commenced to fighting and tattling already this morning. And all is right in the Universe again…

Sweet girl came home sporting a nasty cough and a fever. 🙁

It’s been a busy writing week for me. I’m feeling a little buried right now. To read my latest at STL Family Life, click here. The topic? Body After Baby. I also guest posted over at Becke’s blog yesterday. Actually, I was a week and a day late on my deadline so I was grateful for her patience with me. You can also read my review of the new VeggieTales movie, Pistachio: The Little Boy Who Woodn’t. I have a review and a post coming up soon over at 5 Minutes for Mom as well. Whew. It’s a lot but it is fun!

Now that I have all my babies back under one roof, we will relax and enjoy the rest of our Spring Break. They’re tan, blonde and worn out. And I, once again, cannot seem to get a single task accomplished. Life goes on…

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Landon, Life, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: Kids, Life Goes On, Reunited, STL Family Life

It’s coming to an end

March 16, 2010 by Kelli

The kids have had a wonderful week down in Florida with their grandparents but, sadly, it ends today. I have to admit, we’ve also really enjoyed the relaxing week with just Landon at home. I know he’s bored out of his mind, but I’ve relished the quiet. But I’ve also missed my kiddos. Rather than wishing they were here with me, though, I’ve more longed to be there with them.

Sloan lost another tooth

Thank goodness the Tooth Fairy makes stops in Florida. And she leaves money in a seashell! Cool!

ROCK ON!!!

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Life, Sloan, Tia Tagged With: Kids, Motherhood, parenting, Vacation in Florida

He’s not having fun at all…

March 12, 2010 by Kelli

While his older brother and sister are galavanting about Florida with their grandparents, Landon is left here at home to experience something he has never known – what it’s like to be an only child.

I don’t think he likes it. I mean, he’s got his dad all to himself…