Let Me Bore Ya w/ My Vacay Pics!

THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THIS BLESSING!

Did I Mention I Was Behind?

Uh - yeah, I think I did... and that was 16 days ago... AND I HAVEN'T BEEN BACK ON HERE SINCE! One would think that my NOT being on here regurgitating my life story and giving play-by-play accounts of sand table play (and sand-eating) would allow for me to do some serious "catching up" and getting things "in order." I got 2 words for ya. Yeah. Right.

But that's ok - we're truckin' along, making the most out of every day God blesses us with. No, I STILL don't have our house fliers done. No, I STILL don't have the For Sale By Owner sign in the yard. No, I STILL don't have the house on-line ready to sell, sell, sell. No, I STILL don't have my paint colors picked out for the new house (a.k.a. The Compound). I could go on and on, but frankly I would end up embarrassed at all of the "No, I STILL don't's."

However, I HAVE witnessed Caleb draw the most marvelous pictures and try and try and try (and just about perfect) writing his name. I HAVE swelled with pride every morning, night, and sometimes in between as my boys hug and kiss one another like they've been apart for days. I HAVE enjoyed morning coffee and muffins with my Aunties. I HAVE blown bubbles and watched as Connor chases them down calling, "Bo-boos! Bo-boos!" I HAVE watched with ridiculous amounts of pride as my 2 children were THE ONLY 2 who listened and enjoyed the story at the library during story time. I could go on and on, but frankly I would probably bore you to death with all of the "I HAVE'S."

And here we are today - preparing for VACATION!!! Caleb is beyond over-the-moon excited as he knows he will be in the presence of Shamu tomorrow. He's already talking about how he's going to feed the dolphins, let the water bucket dump water on his head, ride the water slides, build sand castles, etc. We are all so excited - like it's 4 kids ready for vacation rather than a mommy, a daddy, and their children. But, isn't that how it should be?! I hope so... 'cause it is!

Now then - if you don't want to be bored outta your gourd with vacation pictures - stay away for a while! Because I'm sure I'll make you ill with slide after slide of my babies (and their parents) loving life!

Here are some selected scenes from this month so far...

<--- ARRRRR, Matey!!! Caleb was enjoying dress-up time and sailing the seas in his pirate ship.

<--- Chef Bon-Bon eating breakfast and getting into brother's chef outfit. He put it on, looked at me, and said, "CHEESE!" Gee... get you pic taken much?

<--- Caleb singing "You Are My Sunshine" during the Tea Party @ his school.

<--- Mom & Me on our annual Day Before Mother's Day trip to Fredericksburg.

I'm Soooo Behind!!!

In everything, it seems, lately. I can't get this done; I can't get that done... but know one thing - what I AM doing is enjoying my boys to the fullest extent. I have so much to do and worry about, yet here I sit... in my porch swing on a MARVELOUS Spring/Summer morning in West Texas... I hear birds chirping, wind rustling the leaves, and Caleb - dear Caleb - belting out, "OH I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KIIIIING!" as he and Connor get crunchy in the sand table. (What an AWESOME $15 that has been!!) Here's a pic of the fun they had on Earth Day playing in the sand:

This is just a glorious time of year - and our little Peacock family is enjoying it as much as possible! Bill and Caleb play football every evening in the back yard. Connor climbs to the top of the playhouse like a pro (and gives me heart failure while doing so)! Sometimes we go for walks - sometimes all the way up to the "new house." Sometimes, we go for a picnic. Flying kites or playing at the park are also on the menu some nights. I just never in my wildest imagination dreamed life would be like this. It's so much better than I ever thought it would be!! Here are a few pics from our picnic night at the lake:

All the while, we are working on selling our house while the new one is getting close to completion. We are growing frustrated and worried, and we are continuing to try to trust that God will take care of it all in His time. It's scary at this point, but all we can do is have faith. In the mean time, we will accept any prayers you have for us!! :o) The kids are working so hard to get well and stay well. We're so ready for them to put this season of sickness behind us. We've had some scary times with illness this year. I'm ready for that to be a part of our past, as well. I hope to keep up a little better and fill this blog with happy memories of my little family that overwhelms me with blessings every single day.

Plants and Popsicles

Ahhhh Springtime! I've already posted about how much fun Springtime can be - especially with Caleb! He's constantly pointing out flowers, buds on the trees, and (of course) BUTTERFLIES! He's been "studying" butterflies in Mrs. Thompson's class at Sierra Vista - including fun activities, books, and even a butterfly habitat. *One had come out of its chrysalis when I picked him up from school today!* I'm so proud of everything he's doing, seeing, and exploring at school!

Ok... back to the plants and popsicles! The weather has just been marvelous, and we really are trying to make the best of it. Yesterday Caleb and I planted small pots of chives, oregano, basil, zinnia, and strawberries. He loved pouring the water on the sod pods, watching them swell as they sucked in the moisture, counting the seeds, and covering them with the dirt. He helped me find the right pot by matching the beginning letter to the sound he heard when I would tell him what we were planting. So fun and amazing to see his little brain at work! I love it!

<---- Getting those seeds planted.

Having fun outside ------->

Once that was done, it was refreshment time! Plus, Connor had finished up with naptime and was ready to be a part of the fun. So I brought out the popsicles! Caleb went right for it, mmmm-ing and slurrrrping and telling me over and over how good it was. Connor wasn't quite sure what to think! He's already apprehensive about really cold things - not a big fan of ice cream, if you can believe that! He would stick his tongue to it, give a smile and a shiver, and try it again. He finally sat down to really work it over, BUT... it started dripping cold drops on his feet. *taking a break to giggle* He held his foot up at me and started whining, "Momma...momma!" not sure what to do about this cold stickiness attacking his tootsies! That pretty much did him in for the cold treat. He handed it over to me (awww, shucks) and went off to slap at leaves that were waving in the wind.

People, this is the sweet nectar of life! Enjoying the sunny days, soft breezes, giggles of children, and sticky popsicle drips... this is what we are here for! Thank you, God, for blessing me with MY LIFE!

Oh. My. Legs.

Ok... here's the new workout for fab calves and thighs...
I think I'm gonna make a workout video, patent it, and become rich!!!

Take your kids to an older park with nothing but equipment that would probably be condemmed if actually looked at closely. (You know, because it's the "old" metal stuff that WE used to play on!) Place your kid on one end of the METAL SEE-SAW and yourself and baby on the other end...

Now, with all of your might, JUMP to get your much-heavier-than-the-munchkin-on-the-other-end self up in the air and your child down to Earth.

Repeat.

After several repititions, realize that you're going to regret this BIG TIME in the morning, BUT... keep doing it because both your baby and your "big kid" are giggling like crazy and loving every minute in the sunshine with you - their Mommy.

Wake up the next morning and realize - Oh. My. Legs. THEY HURT LIKE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!!!

Holy crap am I out of shape.

I think we need to go it again!

Spring Has Sprung... And so has Springtime Weather!

Oh my goodness! SPRING IS HERE! Caleb is so excited - he just keeps talking about the plants, the flowers, the caterpillars... Thank you, Mrs. Thompson!! We've been blessed with some beautiful weather! We've enjoyed playing outside with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, playing ball, going for evening walks, going to the park, flying kites - you name it. It's been awesome!

I guess after going back and searching for pics to post about our Springtime fun, I no longer feel so "bad" for being tardy in posting a new blog! *Big Grin* We've been doing what we're supposed to be doing - enjoying one another and having fun as a family. Disclaimer: the two pics of Caleb were actually taken by Granny who took the boys to the park. She just had better pics than I did! ;oD

Now for the REAL Springtime weather... we were rudely stirred from slumber at midnight to the terrifying sound of tornado sirens blaring away!! I know, I know... they don't mean a big, fat twister complete with the Wicked Witch of the West is going to suck us up and send us to Oz, but they still scare the h-e-double hockey sticks outta me! We got Caleb as cozy as possible in our "safe room" (aka laundry room) while Bill and I paced between the TV, weather.com on the laptop, and the patio door. Yes - we let Connor sleep through it all... I figure it's easy to snatch a baby up out of a crib, but not so easy to do the same to a 43 pound pre-schooler! We got some good-sized hail, and completely lost our "for sale" sign outside. (I still say that's God's way of telling us it's time for a new realtor, but that's an entirely different blog!) Luckily, the storm passed rather quickly and we were able to go back to sleep. Still had me shook up for a while. Nothin' scarier than West Texas weather sometimes...