Back to school

      We are almost done with our summer vacation, the kids will be going back to school soon and I am not looking forward to that day. This week the boys Zachary and Brodie have been enrolled in a soccer/swimming camp and it just made me realize how soon they will be gone to school all day. This is Brodie's first year of full day school he is going into grade 1 and Zachary is going into grade 5 where has the time gone.  Lucas and Max are sure going to miss them.

I will be shopping for all the school supplies later today when the kids get home, I can't get over the list of supplies they require even little Brodie's list is huge. Thank goodness for back to school sales. I have so much to do before they go back. We have spent most of our summer at the lake so I feel like our house and yard have been seriously neglected.  I have spent all morning cleaning and doing laundry since only the bare minimum has been being done!

Maxwell has started crawling and pulling himself up on the furniture it is so exciting to see him grow and change every day, yet at the same time he is growing up so fast. I have had to ween him off of the breast cause he was biting all the time so he is now on the bottle full time, it is a little sad but at the same time it is a happy day, I am enjoying having my body back, I am free to go out on my own again with out feeling like I am leaving them helpless. it only took me 2 weeks to get him fully off but it was the longest two weeks I would say every time I nursed him he was biting. He also has 3 teeth now. The two bottom ones and his top front tooth on his left side.

It is almost my birthday, this year I will be turning 31 and I have no idea where the time went, I think I feel 31 but I don't really know what 31 feels like, Last year was my 30th and I was not really able to go out and party it up cause I was pregnant with Max so we are going out and partying it up really good this year. Mary Lee my Mother-in-Law has planned to watch the kids over night and I am so excited to have someone I trust so much watch them it has been so long since we had a night away from the kids.

I have been doing some scrapbooking this summer, thank god cause it had been way too long, I just love doing it but I never make time for the things I love any more, I need to make more time for myself.  

Habits

Habits are formed by doing something over and over again or not doing something over and over again. I have worked very hard for the past few months getting my Newest son Max on a schedule, I have watched his cues and taught him cues so that I know when he is hungry, tired, poopy, or just wants to be held. With summer approaching things have become very hectic around our house. Baseball is in full swing, we have begun our summer line up of events, usually beginning with mother's day and this year was no different, Mother's day was spent in the mountains this year so that meant we were in the van a lot touring around and enjoying the sights and scenery, then we had a wonderful long weekend at the lake, last weekend was spent at a ball tournament for Zachary and his team, next weekend we will be at our Pitmaster competition, the weekend after we will be back at the lake, and all the while the kids have 25 school days left in the year and I know it will just fly by!! Anyway the past few weeks have been a little rough on Max he is still sleeping good and in good spirits but I am not sure how next weekend will go lets hope he still wants to spend lots of time being held. I think we will have to bring the kiddo some toys and such not being home for a few days is always more difficult.

Birthdays

SO this week is my husbands birthday and I am really struggling on what to do for him this year, we have plans to be a part of a BBQ competition this weekend so it is limiting our options I was thinking that it would be great if I could make a cake and present it to him during the day but I am not sure I can manage that large of a cake I think it would need to feed about 100 people. I guess we will see how it goes!

Busy Busy busy!

Lately we have been so busy 4 kids are a huge time commitment we have had our 3 older boys in swimming lessons and now the 2 older boys have started baseball. This weekend we are in a tournament for the oldest boy Z and I am sure it will be a huge success! His team is the youngest in the league so they will probably not win but I know they will be having fun!I will be very busy chasing the 2 middle boys all day! Lest Hope they win!

Lucky Me!

Somedays I feel like I am the luckiest mom around, I have a wonderful 10 year old that is almost always willing to help, a 5 year old that is just so sweet and friendly to everyone, he is very polite and  helpful too! A 3.5 year old that when he wants too he can be the sweetest most loving little boy and my almost 2 month old that is sleeping threw the night already! Max has a great schedule (He set) and is nursing wonderfully, I know that they do say that the more babies you have the easier they are, you know what to expect and learn all the cues early. Baby Max is also smiling and cooing so happily and it just makes my day!

I also have the most amazing husband, he is supportive and caring,  I have more fun with him just sitting at home than I could with anyone else. We will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary here in a few weeks and I am just not too sure what to do for him?

I have a wonderful family, my mom is just amazing and my step dad (Cal) is more than I could ever ask for. He is just great for the whole family. My dad and step mom (Kim) are great with our children and so much fun. It was so nice growing up, having 4 people that loved me. I also have a Brother, Tyler. He is the best brother a girl could ask for, we work together and hangout often, he is a super uncle for my boys and loves to spend time with them. He has a Great girlfriend Trish and she is just amazing, we have become fast friends and I couldn't have picked a better person for him myself! I also have 2 step sisters and a step brother, Casey, Heather and Andrew. Casey is from Cal and Heather and Andrew are from Kim. I love being part of a big family. Casey is married to Paul and have 2 children, Aurora and Ryder. Aurora is the only grand daughter/Niece so she is very special to us all.  We also have TJ's family, Mary Lee is his mom and Rick is his dad. Mary Lee is the best mother-in-law a girl can ask for she is easy going and so supportive. Rick is going threw some hard times right now and is just needing to work on himself. TJ has one sister Krista and a Brother in law Arturo who have 3 children. Jaleena, Saraya and Ariono.  They are super sweet and the kids love spending time together.

People keep asking us if we will have any more children and I am not opposed to it, I would love to have a little girl but so far we have not been graced with one. I am trying to be optimistic and keep hoping that we will one day. After I had Lucas I was very depressed that he was not a girl I was so hopeful and when he was born a boy it was really hard on me. This time was a little different I am not sure why but I don't feel bad that Max is a boy. Max is so easy going and really all in all just an easy baby so maybe that helps. Not too sure.

Gotta Run
Lindsay

Cherish the moments

Some days I look at my life and wonder what the heck was I thinking, I got pregnant the first time at  19, I had my first boy Zachary at 20 (2004)I was engaged to be married, and a short year later, I ended the engagement because I knew we were not meant to be. In 2007 I did marry my best friend and we have 3 more boys together, TJ and I have had our ups and downs but we have always worked things out. I am living proof that you should wait to have children, don't get me wrong I love my son and would not change a thing but waiting until I was older and in a much better relationship would have made my life much easier. Zachary was born with a problem with his swallow(Aspiration) it caused him to take liquid into his lungs and it was miss diagnosed for 3 years as asthma. All of these things made me into the person that I am today but every once and a while I think about what it would have been like to enjoy my early 20's (without children), with little to no real responsibilities. Possibly go to university, travel, just be me.  Since then I have managed to get a great career in oil and gas industry, I did take some management course at NAIT and be a "super mom" as our friends and family call me. I love my boys more than life it self and I would do anything for them.
Zachary, Brodie, Lucas and Maxwell are the most amazing little boys, and they truly are little BOYS they love to wrestle, get dirty, play sports, build forts, play with tools and build stuff, but at the same time they love to cuddle and give hugs and kisses.  I love watching them play together, there is something about a family that loves to be together and my boys enjoy playing, painting, colouring,  traveling, and helping out together. It is truly an honour to be their mom, sometimes it just takes a little reminding that I am the person I am now because of them.

This past mothers day I was given gifts with their hand prints on them and I know they won't be little for much longer and it saddens me to think that they won't be babies any more. Zach and Brodie are already in school and Luke will be there soon Thank goodness little Max will keep us in baby mode for the next few years.

The poem that came with the gifts read this.

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints 
On furniture and walls. 

But every day I'm growing 
I'll be grown some day
And all those handprints 
Will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked 
When I was very small.

Someday I will look back and I will shed a tear(cause that's what I do),  I am seeing Zachary as more and more of a man and what he will become. He is already 10 and in 8 short years he will be an adult going off to university(he already has the one he wants to go to picked out cause it offers the program he wants to take) Sometimes I just make him sit with me and hold him I wish I could keep him young forever but then he wouldn't get to experience all the wonderful things that come with being an adult!

Gotta go ... Lindsay  

Creativity Lost but not forgotten :(

Over the past few years being back at work, having 3 kids and no where near enough hours in a day I had lost my drive to craft, but now that I am home again and being able to find a few spare minutes I am just Jonesing to get my hands on some paper, buttons, ribbon and ... My Cricut! I have so many good Ideas and no where to set up my stuff (Of which I have lots of) no really LOTS!!!) As soon as our home project is completed I am going to be setting up my craft table again and getting busy. I have a bunch of great Ideas for Max's baby book. I also did not make a full year scrapbook last year so I need to do some catching up.

SO ... here is a motivational push to get crafting. Call me if you want to get crafting and maybe we can do it together!

Lindsay