On the Eve of Change

Whew!
This past week has been a whirlwind!
Here we are the night before a new school year. I cannot believe its here. So many thoughts and emotions running through me.
I get so set and comfortable with certain routines (or lack of them during the summer) and it is tough for me to change.
We went up to school this afternoon for the open house so the kids could meet their teachers and see their classrooms. Its hard to get used to new teachers, and I'm not even the one going to school!
I wish the best for my boys. I want them to be able to adapt and be able to flourish in many different circumstances.
I am trusting that the Lord in His infinite wisdom is placing them where they need to be in order for them to learn and grow and be the best that they can be to reach their full potential. I just hope that I am doing my best to usher them along!
This summer brought on so many new things for me. From the new baby, to thoughts, hopes and aspirations of a new home, sometimes I have felt that I'm not hitting the mark, that I should be "somewhere else" in my life. Yet the other night I had this complete deja vu - I guess that would be the best way to explain it, and I just had this complete feeling of peace come over me that I am in fact exactly where I need to be in life and that I just need to keep plunking along.
I have made some huge revelations about myself this summer, about how and why I do certain things and am the way I am. Some of these are in need of a major overhaul....and I am working on them daily. It's so tough sometimes though, to feel that there is so much ground to cover to become what I want to be. For now I just have to settle to be a little better and to stand a little taller that I was the day before!
Have a beautiful day!
Amanda

Wounded

This evening we went over to some of our friends' house. We had a little gathering with some family & friends......it was a really nice evening. Great food, great company, and beautiful weather.....couldn't ask for a lovelier time.

Everything was going so well.

And then it happened.

All the kids were left in the house, for, I kid you not, like 1 minute and in that time, Cody and Dylan decided to come back outside. Cody had taken off his socks, and ran back to get them, when Iris came running around the corner at the same time and BAM! Cody's cheek met Iris' forehead, and we had instant woundage.

Poor little kids.

I felt so bad for both of them, but probably more so for Iris, who is only 5, and is a girl and an only child....and probably isn't used to all the crazy bumps and bruises and wounds that come with being around boys....especially my boys.

I cant explain how terrible I feel. I know it was an accident, but still, I just have this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think being a mom of 4 boys, I don't react that much to these types of things happening. I just figure that there is bound to be accidents and bumps and scrapes along the path of life. It just feels so crummy when it involves others.

Hopefully Iris is doing okay.....we all headed off to two different ER's at about the same time. I am hoping that they were able to glue her like they did Cody! The ER doc gave us the choice between glue & steri strips and stitches.....and I wanted stitches, because I think that the scar will be less noticeable, and also, he is an almost 9 year old boy, who is very active and busy and has soccer practice and school and recess....and I could think of a million other things, but Cody won out....the doc was on his side too....I don't think he wanted to put stitches in so close to his eye, with the chance that Cody might not have been able to hold completely still.

On the positive side of things, Cody and I got some great one-on-one time together while we were in the ER. I really love that kid. He is really an awesome human being, and I feel so blessed to be his mom! Here's a picture of us when we got home from the hospital!

Have a beautiful day!

Amanda

REWARD SYSTEM

One of my biggest 'wants' in life is pretty simple. A toilet all to myself. Someday, I will have this, and not any of my boys, not even Kerry (sorry sweetie) will be allowed to use it. At that point in my life, I am hoping to never have to put down a toilet seat and ask someone to flush again.

Until then, I have to come up with something. There has to be a way. If I could have a recorded message that played in the bathroom when a boy entered.....it would be amazing. 'Please replace the toilet to it's original pre-use status' it would say....so sweet and so kind, just like the lovely lady who asks you to return your tray table and seat to their full and upright positions on an airplane flight.

Or perhaps a reward system could be put in place, like when you put the toilet seat down and flush, a little treat comes out from a dispenser above the toilet. Positive reinforcement. But then again, these are boys we are dealing with here, and if that were the case they would never leave the bathroom. However, the rest of my house would stay clean.

And I thought potty training was hard. Its nothin' compared to this. Seriously....can one ever train a boy correctly in this department?

Have a beautiful day!
Amanda

10 Days From Now...

My kids will go back to school. I don't think I'm ready for that. I have real mixed emotions about it. I love having summer with them. I love being able to sleep in, have late breakfast, and then just decide what we want to do that day, whether its going out on an adventure to somewhere we haven't been before, or just hanging around the house having some good old summertime fun at home.
It's been fun having Kellan around this summer as well. He is the best baby in the world, and so it's been fairly easy to do things and go places. Next year he'll be over a year old, and will be on the run; moving around and trying to go everywhere he's not supposed to.
My children are one of the biggest blessings in my life, and it has been so wonderful to spend a lot of time with them this summer. I already feel like they are growing up too fast, and that my time with them is so limited. Dylan just turned 7 last week, Cody will be 9 this fall, and I can't believe it. When I hold Kellan, it seems like just yesterday, it was Cody I was holding in my arms.
I hope this school year is a good one for the boys. I hope that Sam flourishes in Kindergarten, and that he doesn't oppose authority as much as he does here at home.
So, I'm going to try to soak in these last few days of summer with my boys, and hope that the schedule of school, sports and other activities do not bombard us too much, and that we can still be able to find those few precious moments to create more memories that will last us throughout our lifetimes.
Have a beautiful day!
Amanda

Kate Spade Bag Continued

So, I shed a tear or two, and last Tuesday night went to go and return the kate spade purse.

As I am returning it, I am telling my story to the gal......and then she says to me...."you probably don't want to know then, that its been reduced to 250.00, do you?"

I seriously almost bought it back.

But I didn't. Good me.

Besides, that purse cost more than a round trip plane ticket to Maui!

Have a beautiful day!

Crazy Days

This past week has been a complete whirlwind. It's been full of ups and downs...times of complete joy and moments of tears.
For those of you who know the situation, you know that we found a home in the exact area where we want to live. This was thrilling for us. However, as of this morning, we found out that the timing is just not right.
We went into this thinking that if this is where the Lord wants us to be right now, that He will provide a way, as long as we do our part to the best of our ability.
Part of me is SO angry at what has happened in this country with the housing and lending markets. I cannot believe that people were such IDIOTS, and that those in authority allowed them to be. The situation is so dire right now. Even with amazing credit, and good jobs and a growing business, it is impossible for the "good guys" to get what they want.
But as much as I want to whine and complain right now, I have to be grateful and thankful to have a home, to have an amazing husband who loves me more than I deserve, and 4 happy and healthy children.
I am so blessed.
Even if I don't have 4 toilets.
Have a beautiful day!

The Kate Spade Bag

Is there anything to you that is worth 410.00?

I have been looking for a certain Kate Spade purse now, for close to 7 years. I finally found it a month ago.

With tax it came to 410.63.

It's beautiful. Exquisite. Gorgeous. Perfect. The picture really does not do it justice.

But it won't make me any happier. Well, maybe it would. No, it wont.

I just took it out of it's happy little bag. It smells so pretty. And I just put it back into it's happy little bag. It's going back to Nordstrom this week. I think I might just shed a tear or two.

I can't live a lie. I cannot afford this purse. It's absolutely absurd to spend this kind of money on a purse that has the chance of being colored on with a crayola marker.

But isn't she lovely?

Have a beautiful day!

Amanda