A Few Pictures

I am trying really hard to make sure that I am balancing the packing/organizing/purging with quality time in with the kids. I really want this last month in our home to be filled with good memories for them, and for me. Here are a few snapshots of life in the past month. Enjoy!

1) This was a day out at Grandma's pool. It ended up just being the three of us for a few hours, which turned out to be a blast! There was TONS of laughing, screaming, splashing and giggling. I needed that time so much with them. It felt so good to play so hard.

2) I was washing dishes and then heard the usual, "Mommy look at us!" Before I snapped this picture, Sam was next to Rose, trying to stand on his head! They were doing "tricks," in the kitchen and that lasted the entire time I was cleaning up. The laughing was hysterical!

3) I love these two pictures! I had turned on the washing machine and was going through the bedrooms gathering any stray clothes that missed the hamper, when I came upon this scene:

4) He had grabbed the stool from the bathroom, placed it in front of the washing machine and proceeded to throw the clothes in! He was so proud of himself. I allowed him to "wash" several loads that day, just because it was fun...at least to him.

5) Me trying to convince Sam that the water is NOT cold and that it feels good to be in. I wasn't successful. He preferred to fill up the water gun and shoot his sister from the sidelines. I suppose it is sort of like "Shooting fish in a barrel!" :)

Moving Day, Here We Come!

My apologies for lack of blogging and updates! Our life has been a bit topsy-turvey lately.

The long and short of it is, we lost the house we had been waiting for these past few months. However, we found a very nice townhouse to rent that may actually be in a better location. So we are packing boxes, purging trash, organizing toys (yikes!) and planning on life in a new home.

This is the last weekend in this home. I am going to miss this townhouse and the location. I love the memories we have made here, but I look forward to the new ones to come. Mostly, I look forward to being together again, as a family. I miss my best friend EVERYDAY. The weekends have been amazing, but I am ready for family dinners to be the norm again. I can't wait for the new memories waiting to be made, new celebrations, renewing of friendships and making new friends. I am so excited and nervous!

Neverland

It all came crashing down today. There were the phone calls, the disappointments, anger, frustration, sadness, shooing the children away so Mommy could make some important decisions with Daddy and then trying hard to find the hope in the future.

Then, there was the pirate ship. And for half an hour, cannonballs were fired, sails were raised and lowered, running, squealing, tickling, goofy name-calling and bright eyes reigned. I hope at the end of this excruciating day, my children were tucked into bed remembering the "Battle for Neverland"...and that Mommy can launch a pretty accurate cannonball. :) It was the silver lining to my day and for that brief time, it was the only thing that mattered. I hope I can remember that tomorrow.

There and Back Again

Can it be June already? Are we really in the middle of summer? I can hardly believe it is here! I can't believe that I have been away from the blog for so long! Funny how life can do that.

My husband and I were so incredibly blessed to be able to take a little vacation, just us two, down to Florida for a week. We had such an AMAZING time! The funny thing about it, was I initially wasn't so sure I would want to leave the kids for so long. Little did I know that we would have been living separately for three months leading up to that little vacation! It was so needed, and so wonderful to have an entire week just to catch up. And yes, we still found so much to talk about. We laughed so much! We were both saying how relieved we were to have spent that much time together, and we never even turned on the TV or watched a movie (not that there is anything wrong with that) but it was so nice to find that we just really wanted to spend quality time together. Time flew by so fast, but every moment was wonderful! I missed my babies more than I could have imagined, but I knew that reconnecting as husband and wife would be a much better gift to them than anything else. I am so grateful for the opportunity, especially coming at such a crucial time. I will say that the week after we got back and Jake left again for work, was one of the hardest weeks yet. After that much time together, it just made me miss him even more when he was gone.

God willing, we will all be together again soon. For now, I am grateful for the gift of quality time with my husband. I am so encouraged to have found that we are still best friends, soul-mates and lovers. Not that I ever doubted it, but it was comforting to be reminded so strongly. :)

Book Suggestions?

I am really excited! I am about to take a full week break from my part time job for the first time in three years! With some leisure time looming ahead, I am dying to dive into a good book (or two!) Somehow I feel out of the loop of good reads recently and could use a few suggestions. I am in the mood for something Elizabeth Gaskell/Jane Austen/complete chick-flick and easy reading type of book. Maybe for variety, I would love something a little more thought provoking and beautiful. Have you read anything recently that you would recommend?

Difficult Concepts for Sam:

1) Why does Mommy have the arbitrary rule of, "Baseball bats are only for hitting baseballs, not your sister?" Chasing a screaming sister through the house is so much more lively than a ball.

2) Mommy does not appreciate the fact, that toilets are just as good as sinks for handwashing. Plus, the toilet is at a much more convenient level.

3) Gravity is really hindering to one's flying capabilities, even if you jump from really tall objects.

4) By the time Mommy finishes reading "Madeline" to Rose, she could have been reading "Gossie," three times over! It is so unfair that Rose's books take so much longer to read!

5) The Priest never includes me, even when I ask, "Bite?" and open my mouth to receive the Eucharist too. He only smiles, but I didn't ask for a smile.

Life is so unfair.

Five Love Languages

I just recently finished reading the book, "The Five Love Languages of Children," by Gary Chapman. My husband and I have been huge fans of the original book, "The Five Love Languages," since we were dating. We discovered what each of our primary languages were and discussed how to speak the other person's language in a way that made them feel the most loved. We come back to this discussion, along with the discussion on temperaments, quite often. It is always fun and enlightening!

As Rose Marie continues to grow, I have been watching her begin to truly express herself. The thing that has been the most interesting is watching how she expresses love. I have known since she was little, that physical touch was not necessarily how she felt the most loved, nor how she gave love. It seems that right now, at this little stage in her life, she is expressing her love for others through acts of service. It is so beautiful to watch! When Jake comes home for the weekend, she does not always run to his arms, but quickly asks, "Can I get you a drink? Do you want me to take your shoes off? Do you want a snack? Let me put your suitcase away for you!" During the week she talks about how she can't wait for Daddy to come home so that she can "take care of him." She is so attentive and so nurturing.

The book was so helpful in reminding me to pay closer attention to how Rose Marie is loving. It also pointed out that most children do not show their primary love language until the age of five, which is why until that time, it is crucial to purposefully speak all five love languages to the child. We should always be striving to speak all five languages anyway, but I think knowing what a person's primary language is, can help to ensure that you are saying, "I love you," in a way that speaks loudest to their heart.

For now, the book was a gentle reminder to express my deep love for my children in many different ways. I making more of an effort to try to speak each of the five languages to each of my children throughout the day. Some days are better than others, but it helps me stay focused on what is the most important thing...cherishing and loving my babies.