Motherhood is Calling - Extraordinary Fatherhood

I am married to an extraordinary man.  Period.  My love, my best friend, daddy of my babies.

Without him, this whole motherhood thing would be impossible and not nearly as much fun.

Thank you, Love, for the kind of Daddy you are.  Because of you, I can be the kind of mama I want to be.




Motherhood is Calling!  Today, I talked about what (or who, rather) helps me be a better mama.  What helps you?  Share with us.  Link back here and then using the linky, join in!  Can't wait to see what you posted. 

Oh, To Be Five Again

Two weekends ago was Livy's fifth birthday party, otherwise entitled, "Pretty in Pink" or "Ach, For the Love of Pepto-Bismol."

I have just now gotten around to posting about it because, well, I've just recovered.

Buuuutttt, we had such a blast, me just as much as all the five little girlies who fluttered around here in dress-up clothes blowing bubbles.

Ya-Ya, the birthday girl.

Paco and I made a "photo-booth" on our back patio the day of the party.  Have you heard of these photo booths?  Apparently, they're all the rage in "blog-land".  Finally, I am one of the cool kids.  (It didn't last for long.)   It wasn't as picture-perfect as I had idealized in my brain (let's face it, nothing ever is), but I think it turned out really cute and the girls had a great time with it.

We had pretend lips glued to skewers that two of our young guests discovered.  I love this picture!  It's something they come up with all on their own and it made me howl with laughter.

All of the girls made fascinators, as seen here on our lovely model.  Fascinators are those beautiful (or absurd) creations that many women wore to the royal wedding.  I found the inspiration over here at Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss.  Even though they made their hats for a grown-up ladies tea, we had just as much fun with them.  (I even made one for me, which I'm tempted to wear every stinkin' day.)  Each hat was just a little bit different showing each girls' personality.  Some were very simple, others were...not.

Case in point:  feathers, feathers everywhere.  Then a big ol' peony front and center.  Love this girl and all her lovely, dramatic whims!

This precious girl was lovely and gracious enough to wear one through out the majority of the pictures, but needed to get her serious bubble-blowing game face on and you absolutely cannot do that with a pink fascinator on. 

I think this princess wore her's the entire evening.  She had no qualms about glamming it up!  Gosh, I wish I had a skirt that would foof out like that!  Oh, to be six again...

 

Get a load of that smile complete with dimples!  And y'all know how I feel about dimples...  She makes me grin just looking at her.

We headed inside because is was getting dark and stormy and the girls wanted to play dress-up.  Perfect!

They played rich people.  Did you know that rich people drink raspberry tea, have servants and dogs and cats that get along?  The things you learn at a five-year-old's birthday party.  Apparently, we're not rich.  Could have told ya that one.

Our first course was fruit salad in waffle cones.  The girls got a huge kick out of that.  So simple, so fun.

No pictures of the main course (Livy's fave...stuffed shells), so it's on to the finish line!

Strawberry cake with chocolate frosting.  (Strawberry cake with chocolate frosting?  Oh, well.  I suppose it's a good way to keep Mama from eating all your cake...)

When it was all said and done, it was such a fun birthday to celebrate and bless Olivia.  We are very thankful that all of our children have amazing friends.  But it was especially lovely having all of these girls fill the house with squeals and pink.

                             

PS The night ended on a fantastic note when we got the most powerful monsoon storm we had the entire summer.  I thought it was fantastic because I love rainstorms until the girls started earnestly praying that the storm would get worse and worse so their parents couldn't come and get them.  Plans were being made on who would sleep where. The storm ended just as the parents started showing up.  Thank goodness.  I mean, "Darn it!!"

Tomato-Stuffed Avocado Goodness

Summer is still present here in Arizona.  And while I could bemoan and kvetch and basically complain about this fact, I'm really trying to bloom where I'm planted.  I'm trying, I'm trying...
Here's a good thing about living in Arizona...We get to grill year round.  Even in January.  It's lovely.  During the warmer months when it's too hot outside to warm up the inside of the house, I'm left to find something that is cool that goes along with whatever we're grilling.  I don't know about you, but I can get tired of green salads, so what else to do?

Enter one of my favorite recipes Tomato-Stuffed Avocados.
TA-DA!

Clearly, this picture was taken before I had white dishes (which makes all food look better in pictures) and with an awful flash.  Sorry.  However, do not let that distract from the goodness that will leave you begging for more.

Here's how to do it:

Ingredients

2 plum tom-ah-toes, seeded and chopped

3/4 thinly sliced red onion (I rarely use this much, but it depends on the size of the onion)

1 teaspoon fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 medium ripe avocados, halved and pitted

2 teaspoons lime juice

In a large bowl, gently toss tomatoes, onion, basil, salt and pepper.  Spoon into avocado halves; drizzle with lime juice.  Serve immediately.

That's it!

This filling is so good, you could eat it just by itself...if your husband doesn't mind your onion breath.  This really is a one of a kind recipe and always brings a cheer from my husband when he sees me making these.  

Maybe that's why he doesn't mind the onion breath. 

If you try this, let me know!  I'd love to hear what you think!

This is linked up to:

Skip to My Lou's Made By You Monday

Motherhood is Calling - Now I'm a Soccer Mom

We are clearly crazy people.

We have three kids in soccer this fall and it's nuts, people.  There's no avoiding it, just plain nuts.

I feel it especially when we're trying to get out the door every Saturday morning.  Three kids in soccer uniforms, cleats and shin guards; girls with their hair kinda done; Judah crying because he needs more milk; baby fussing because he's not excited about having the rest of his breakfast at the soccer field; Daddy and Mama loaded down with a canopy, camping chairs, stroller, diaper bag, cooler and of course, my ever-precious camera.

Then we get there and my heart melts when I see Livy's team whose knee socks  and shorts meet and you don't see their knees.  My son makes his first goal and there's a look of utter shock on his face.  Maggie protects the goal with all her might.

And I yell.  Yes, it's true.  Not mad yelling.  It's more instructive and encouraging yelling.  I think it helps.

"RUN, SAM, RUN!" says his mama.

"GET THE BALL!!!" Mama yells from the sidelines.  I can't keep my mouth closed, I tell ya.  It's instinctive.

See what I mean?  No knees.  I get the giggles during every game.

"GO, MAGGIE, GO!!" No wonder I was hoarse at church yesterday.

And in the end, we're spent.  Mama's hoarse, Daddy's loaded down like a pack mule, and three out of five children are too exhausted to bicker on the way home.

That must be why we do this every Saturday morning.  That and the free snacks the kids get at the end of their game.







Happy Monday, friends!  Motherhood is Calling.  I would love it if you posted a post on motherhood, used my cute-sy button and then linked back here.  Join the linky list so I can come visit you back!  Can't wait to read about your mama-moments!

Family Gallery

Even though you might not be able to tell, I'm an avid reader of home decor/craft blogs.  Most of the ideas I come across are fantastic, wonderful and sadly out of my skill set.  But, I am learning.

We are also renting our house right now, so I can't do the major and not-so-major renovations that I envy see.

One idea I came across was a way to showcase your children's photos.  I love having pictures of my family up, but frankly, sometimes it can be rather (dare I say?) boring.  This idea was perfect!

However, even though I bookmarked the site to come back to it, it has now become lost.  Ugh.  I can't, therefore, give proper credit where credit is due.  If you have seen this around and know where it came from, could you please let me know?  I really want to acknowledge someone else for their fantastic idea.

This is what I saw:

I now their crooked and wonky, but as try as I might, they just won't get straight, darn it. I still like it, though. It's crazy, just like our life.

Here's what I did:

I took five frames and painted them black, distressing them slightly around the edges.

Then I found five coordinating scrapbook papers and glued them to the cardboard that came with the frames. 

I Gorilla-glued the jumbo office clips to the paper and let them dry for a good half hour before slipping the kids' pictures in.

The beauty of this project is that I switch out their pictures easily any time I want and they will still look adorable!

I love the way this project turned out (even if they are a little wonky).

One more picture for the road, because you know you just can't get enough of my darlin' kids:

Happy Wednesday to ya!

Edit (only like a year later...):  Found it!  It came from Shanty 2 Chic's blog.

Sweet and Sassy

Ya-Ya, Sweet Ya-Ya, was this weekend's recipient of the Pretty in Pink birthday party.  She had a blast and I'm pooped. 

Just like the day she arrived five years ago...

We had a feeling she was going to be ginger-y and firecracker-y.  And we were right.

What we didn't know was that she would be a natural mama with a huge heart for babies and all things mama-ish, such as cleaning potties and cooking meals.  She literally begs to clean the potties.  I ain't no dummy.  I let her do it.

We also didn't know that she would love, adore, desire all things sparkly and girl-y.  Twirly dresses and patent leather shoes have been her MO since day one.

God has created her to be a true model of femininity and sassy-fun.  Thank you, Lord, for my girl.

Happiest of birthdays, sweet Olivia.  May you always be as sweet and sassy as you are now, my dear.

(details of party fun will come next post)

Motherhood is Calling, cha-cha-cha!  Would you like to link up a post with your favorite or latest motherhood moments?  I sure would love to hear about them!  Link up here and use my little button to link back here! (That's just blogger etiquette, you know.)

I Remember...

Ten years ago, I was glued to the tv.  I prayed and cried, held my baby, and didn't move from my seat for the whole day.

Ten years ago, I sat with my eyes wide open in dismay, my hand covering my mouth as if to somehow keep the agony of my helplessness inside.

I remember whispering, "Sweet Jesus..." as I watched the towers come down knowing that things would never be the same.

For ten long years, I've remembered these things, living off of my memories of it, not ever watching specials or movies about it on tv.  I just couldn't go there.

I did it tonight though.  I sat wrapped in the secure coccoon of my husband's arms watching the story of Flight 93 that landed in the field in Pennsylvania.  The tears came and it was just as fresh as on that day.

As I watched it, though, in the midst of the horror and terror, I was struck by the willingness of the passengers to do what was needed to do to save countless other innocent civilians.  Maybe there wasn't time to fully contemplate what their actions were going to mean to themselves and their families.  Maybe God in his infinite mercy, spared them the agony of realizing the pain that their families would suffer.  They knew to a certain extent that they would more than likely die on that plane.  Their decision to take over the plane saved other lives even though it cost them theirs.

What would I have done?  I would love to think that I could be altruistic like they were. I pray I never have to find out.

As I listened to their phone calls home to their families, I cannot fathom how it felt to be the one receiving that phone call.  I don't know how any of those family members managed to keep breathing.  I'm sure than more than one of them wanted to stop their lungs from working right then and there.

I don't know...  This post is being written late and I can't get all of my thoughts down the way I would love to write them.  Not only is it late, but I'm sure I'm close to a pink-birthday-party-induced coma.  Maybe this wasn't the best time to chose to write this.  But I had to.  I couldn't push it aside tonight.  So, here I am, just a girl, a computer and her backspace button to cover the multitude of late-night spelling errors.

I do know that by Flight 93's actions ten years ago, today I am blessed.  I am blessed and I am thankful.  Tomorrow, I will fly our American flag with pride, not only of our country, but of the kind of people it produces.

God bless America...and America bless God.

Pink, Pink, You Stink!

This weekend is Liv's fifth birthday party.  We have a funny rule at our house that only certain "big" birthdays get birthday parties.  We have five kids, folks, we had to come up with some plan or else this mama would be losing her ever-loving mind.  Our kids know that when they turn 1, 5, 10, 13, 16, and 18 that they get their party complete with theme, decor and friends.  This year is Liv's turn and she has been counting down for the past six months.  No joke.

So, here we are, two days before the big day and pink is on my mind because that's her theme.  It's her signature color, don'tcha know.  (Remember that movie?)  So we're having pink pennants, pink lemonade, pink clothes, pink decor and I'm. so. sick. of. pink.  Then she said to me last night that she wishes she had picked silver because she really likes silver better than pink. 

Sorry, girl.  You're stuck.  The whole house/guests/food will look like it's been sprayed down with Pepto-Bismol (same movie...).  Good times, good times.

Here's wishing that your weekend is devoid of all things pink.  In the mean time, I'll get back to my glue gun and one of my many numerous trips to JoAnn's/Walmart/Dollar Tree because little girls only turn five once.

Judah's Courtship Profile

After last week's vlog with the mother/son duet, I thought that I might just add a few things.

Judah's daddy and I are preparing our children for the whole courtship thing, rather than the dating experience and so we've been talking to them about qualities they should have themselve and then look for in a future spouse.  As Judah is a boy, he'll be doing the asking of the daddies for permission to court their daughter and not the daughter approaching us. 

However...

This boy is a dimpled darlin' and I thought that I would warn all of you parents that in a few short years, this boy will be ready to find his one true love.

That being said, I thought I'd give you a short synopsis on who this boy is, just so that you can be getting ready.  (It's just a small service that I'm offering today.)

Height:  3'2"  Disclaimer:  I guarantee that he will not stay that short.  He will absolutely, positively be taller than 6' with an appetite to match. 

Eyes: Melted chocolate brown.  You will want to eat brownies every time you look into his eyes.

Volume: Loud, louder, loudest. 

Quirks:  Must have his hands washed thoroughly after eating, likes to walk around in a diaper and crocs, must. have. milk. every. morning.

Likes: Yodelling, Lightning McQueen, computers, pizza, babies, and charming one and all with his delicious dimples.

Dislikes:  The beach, bossy older siblings, being woken up from his naps and being left by his mama.

Therefore, he will likely court someone who is a good cook, doesn't mind his odd fashion sense, can keep him supplied in milk and pizza and loves his yodelling.  His wife must also not mind his mama living next door, watching Cars over and over (and over and over...) and wearing ear plugs at all times.

If you have a sweet little daughter who'd like to apply to be courted by our son in say about twenty years, please contact us.  We have a thorough application process already mapped out.  You can even send pictures if you like. 

He prefers brunettes, just like his mama.





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