Sunday Bobbing.... for Apples

Sundays are my FAVORITE DAY of the week. I love getting feeling renewed & spiritually "fed" and I LOVE the fact that I don't have to go anywhere. We can just be together as a family. Early 8:30 am church means the rest of the day to hang out, rest, play, watch movies, bake, and scrapbook. Today the kids had planned "BOBBING FOR APPLES DAY". A bucket filled with water, a few apples, a homemade shower cap (invented by Miss B and it really did work), and they are good for the afternoon.

This is Bronson's impersonation of Richard Nixon

Horton Hears a Who

We had a super fun day today. I heard about the IHOP Dr. Seuss meal and knew my kids would love the idea so I called but they no longer offered it. I was disappointed but also kind of glad (because I am a health freak and like the idea of home cooked nutritious food) so I recreated it at home. I surprised the kids with a YUMMY lunch of "Who Cakes" with Beazleberry drizzle, "Green Eggs and Ham", and "Jo-Jo" Juice to drink.

This may be a tradition...it was soooo good! Then we headed to the theater to see Horton Hears a Who- totally loved the movie. On the way home the kids and I had a great spiritual conversation sparked by the movie message. I was so grateful that they were able to get what it was all about!

We spent the rest of the day swimming, being goofballs, and hanging out with family. It was a perfect "ALMOST SUMMER" day!

Brooklyn & Bronson hanging out with Uncle Kole

Mother's Day story

Brooklyn is a phenomenal writer. When I meet with her teacher for conferences I get to read some of the stories out of her Life Book. I am always blown away by the things that come out of her. Even as a 1st grader she was really good, but this year her writing abilities have just taken off! So I have to share the story she wrote me for Mother's Day. SO CUTE!!!

She loves this title- it is one of our favorite books....

I LOVE every single ounce of it..but my favorite line has to be...

"You are hygiene to my heart"

Oh how precious this is to me now, and it will be someday to her children & grandchildren!!

LOVE YOU LOLLIE!!!!

Rattlers Game

Last week we took the kids to a Rattlers game. It was pretty fun-even for me, who is not a football fan, and does not really understand the game. We had good seats right behind the goal post-especially if you are into the "entertainment". Good thing for the padded walls, those guys hit the walls really hard! Pretty cool introduction of the players with fire works, and flames.

Oh, and we also saw Carson from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" & "How to Look Good Naked". He was the celebrity host/ special guest of the game.

The big question of the game from Bronson:

(of course had nothing to do with football)

"Where did the CHEERLEADERS go?"

Mr. Ladies Man wanted to know why they kept leaving...

(it's because they cheered under the goalpost and would get creamed by football players if they stayed. They would alternate goalposts depending on which way the players were headed.)

Once he discovered where they went, he pretty much hung out there for the rest of the game.

I'm getting a little concerned...this is Bronson watching intently as the "dancers" are performing. Notice how MY HUSBAND has a hard time taking his eyes off the field.... :(

Oh PLEASE, all you men, wipe off the drool...

Being A Mom...

Being a MOM... We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"

"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.

"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."

But that is not what I meant at all.

I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her.

I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.

I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her.

That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation.

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.

That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks.

I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child.

I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.

I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

To my beautiful babies with gratitude....I am forever blessed to be your mother! I am honored to be the one you chose to spend this earth life with. I am far from perfect, thank you for your patience as I learn, but my love for you is unconditional, endless, & eternal.

For me Mother's Day is not JUST about MOTHERS. It is about ALL WOMEN. We ALL have been given the divine calling to nurture children on this earth, whether our own or not. We are here to be advocates for those who either cannot speak, or their voices will not be "heard"-(listened to). What a blessing it is to have each other! To learn from, rely on, give strength to, and love!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING WOMEN IN MY LIFE!!!

Job Description: MOM

POSITION:

Mother, Mom. Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.

Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, and face embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of half a million cheap, plastic toys,

and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

If WOMEN Controlled the World....

How we preserve those fastly fading childhood moments...

I need to face it. My kids are going to grow up. And that's already happening way faster than I feel ok about. It totally tears my heart out to think that Bronson will be in kindergarten. Gone all day. I am going to lose my Buddy. My errand buddy. cleaning buddy, story buddy, lunch buddy, (and my most favorite) my cooking buddy. Little "Bronsatouille" we call him (after Ratatouille). It is some of the most precious time I spend with him in the kitchen making dinner before we pick up Brooklyn from school. And I must say even though he is 5, the boy can cook! And has a passion for it too! I'm talking on the stove!! I love every second with him. And Brooklyn will be 9... nine! Where did my sweet little baby girl go? Where's the little one who used to help me fold laundry-"Mama, I'll be the pannie baker (underwear folder) and you be the clo baker." (fold everything else) Time goes too fast, I feel like I can't get enough! I guess that's why I latch on with all my heart to ideas I hear or come up with that will help me cherish the moment while they're young. Some of them I'm good at. Some of them I want desperately to be better at. Here are my ideas that helped me to soak in my "babies" for as long as they'll let me. I would love to hear your ideas...things you do with your own family.

1. Yeah, Lunch Dates!

I know there will be a time I'll need to take school time more seriously. Soon enough they will be worrying about jr high finals, SAT scores, and college applications. AHHHH! But this is only elementary school for now.So once a month I take them out of school for a lunch date. With how busy life can be it seems like a good time to squeeze in a little quality one-on-one time. They love that they can choose where they want to go, and I love to watch the twinkle in their eye at the fact that they can order whatever they want. I love that they beg for it to be their turn. I'm attempting to have a little interview with them during this time. I want to help them learn to set and accomplish goals, albeit very short term small ones for now. I love our alone time together, connecting with them. I know these lunch dates, as "gourmet" ...(not)... as they are, help my kids to feel so special and loved.

2. Real Date Nights

I am definitely wanting to work on this because I love it and I know the kids love it too! Every once in a while we take the kids on individual dates. My friend gave me this great idea to have a date jar with strips of activities to do-some as simple as going to the park, for a bike ride, or making a cake. Or other things like going to a concert, play, museum, baseball game, etc. With Brooklyn once in a while we will have a scrapbook night when Billy is working. She gets to stay up late with me and create, just us. She eats it up! So I will take Brooklyn while Bronson is with Billy, then the next time we switch. I feel sometimes like we can get a little "disconnected", just like adults need a special date now and then so do our kids.

3. "Can we have Movie Night?!!!!!"

With Billy being gone at night so much, after all homework, baths, etc have been done, yes even on school nights, we frequently have movie night. Many times it is just the kids watching a movie while I clean up the kitchen, laundry, etc. But I love to "snuggle" them on the couch ("snuggle time"... they just eat up!) and watch a good flick so we are trying to find a night to designate as "Family Movie Night." We pop popcorn, make cookies, and watch a movie. They usually choose what they want to watch-sometimes it's an amazing movie, the kind that makes you want to go and save the world, sometimes it turns out to be a dumb show we thought we'd try. But none of that really matters so much. What matters is that we're together. And we all LOVE it. Inevitably there will be a time in the future when our kids won't think it's so cool to stay home with their parents to watch a movie, but for now, we're superstars to them and we're eating it up while we can!

3. Sunday is Baking Day

Sunday afternoon is sacred at our house. I don't mean necessarily in a spiritual way, but it is sacred family time. This is the time when my kids love to bake. We don't do this EVERY Sunday, but pretty often. "Chef Lollie" and "Bronsatouille" put on their aprons, pull a chair to the counter, and what ever we make, even something simple, they LOVE it! I think it is the part about creating something grand from a bunch of ordinary ingredients, not to mention the anticipation of waiting by the oven door to get the first glimpse of the finished product! But if you think about it it is pretty magical in the eyes of a child. Mix in a pinch of this and a little of that and you have a yummy, spectacular treat!

4. "You've Got Mail"

No, not the electronic kind. I'm talking Pony Express, genuine US Postal Service delivered! EVERY TIME I get the mail both kids ask "Is there anything for me?" So I started sending them mail. Just maybe once or twice a month, sending a post card, a little note, even a picture I colored out of a coloring book. I LOVE to see how their entire face lights up at the fact that they just got mail of their very own!

5. Speaking of notes...

I'm know every mom does this...I used to love finding notes written on my napkin in my school lunch. I love the thought of Brooklyn being away at school and finding a little note hidden inside her lunch box. It is so precious, even makes me a little teary that she has saved almost, if not every one of the lunch notes I have ever given her inside her binder. Don't know how long she will do that but I am grateful it means that much to her.

6.The old Smiley Face on the hand...

When Bronson first started school this year, and kind of having a difficult time with the separation, I would every day draw a smiley face with hearts on his hand. He knew if he was sad, having a hard time, missed me, whatever, he would look at his hand and see me sending happy thoughts to him. Well, I thought after a few days, maybe a week it would wear off, but almost every day this whole year he has asked me to draw him a smiley face. It melts my heart I tell you! These precious babies grow up so fast! The day he is too big for a smiley will be a sad one.

7. "Terrific Ten"

Every day, sometime during the day we try to have Terrific Ten. When the kids, one at a time, get my undivided attention for ten minutes, at least. (Okay... life gets busy and sometimes you get carried away in the "to do list" of chores, errands, activities, and everyday tasks.) They get to talk about whatever they want and I will listen intently and enjoy snuggling them, oh... and kissing their cute little squishy cheeks.

8. Our "Tree of Goodness & Joyness"

(Okay this is kind of another subject but I thought I would add it in.) Everyday I ask Brooklyn to give me "5". Which means at school she will do 5 "good deeds". Not for her best fiends, but for others she wouldn't normally interact with, although it can be for a teacher. Bronson & I can do it too at home. It was something she looked forward to at first and then kind of lost steam. We started writing all the good deeds we would do in a journal-then lost lost steam with that. So now we have created our Tree. (The name came from this dumb YouTube cartoon that Lacey & Kole introduced us to. You know the dumb Napoleon Dynamite kind that are so stupid the first time you see it, but the more you watch the funnier it gets...here's the link in case you need a little amusement-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0Ssyyus ) Every day we add "goodness & joyness" leaves to our tree. It can be your good deeds for the day, things you are thankful for, things you love, characteristics you like about family members-whatever as long as it is positive. Fun to see all the "goodness" we are giving out to the world!

9. Birthday Letters

Being the fanatic about record keeping that I am I love to write letters to my kids. I love to keep every sweet note they give me, pictures they tape on my walls, many of which have remained in the same spot for years. Every time I pass by them my heart melts at the love my children show to me. it. I decided that every year on their birthday I would write them a letter. When they turned 18, 21, or when they get married, or have a baby of their own-haven't decided yet, I would present their letters starting from before they were born. I want them to forever remember how much I love them at every stage and what I've noticed about them each year as they grow and change.

10. Things I love about you

I got this idea from a friend- every now and then she will write on her children's finger tips. With a pen she will write the 1st letter of a talent, skill, or quality they have on each of their 10 fingers. (such as for good at playing baseball you would write a "b", etc). I do a letter for things I love about them. How awesome for them to look at their fingertips and know that with those fingers they can create/accomplish anything they want to. And to see all the things that Mom thinks they are really good at. What a great way to build self esteem!

Just my thought for the day....

(This is the perfect picture from my Aunt Debbie. Exactly what Kielee and I were talking about...see post about the train.)

When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.

"I'm FAUX...I mean SOOO SICK"

Monday morning...breakfast... as usual

10 minutes later from the couch..."Mom, my tummy hurts"

Me: "How bad does your tummy hurt?"

Brooklyn: "About a 7" (on a scale of 1-10)

Me: "Did you eat too many pancackes, etc"

B: "and my throat hurts too."

I guess that changes my "to do" list for the day...

Bronson fixes up the sickness with some casts and cold compresses, even a little frowny sign that "says"... "I'm sick, don't come near me."

(I am totally a sucker for my kids drawings, I can't bear to throw them away...THEY JUST MELT MY HEART!!)

A few hours later...

**School starts at 11am, by about 11:30 she is out jumping on the tramp and telling me she is hungry for lunch.

I tell her I think she is well enough to go to school and Bronson exclaimes.."NOOO! I want her to stay home with me!"...awwww! I love those moments, between the little spats, when they really show how much they care about each other!

So I give in, who cares about perfect attendance anyway? She was disqualified from that probley after the 1st month of school!

So instead of the usual... you know... school...we do pedicures, they play outside, we watch a movie, make cookies, do lots of neglected laundry, make a yummy Shrimp Scampi dinner, have FHE, and make an Evans' Family "Tree of Goodness" (more on that later) to go along with our Enos' Marshmellow Forest (rice crispy tree treat). Oh yeah, and one of the best parts...the kids offored to help me clean the house ( I totally took advantage of that one and now we have the cleanest baseboards, walls, and light switches in the neighborhood!- I am a perfectionist about cleaning so when the kids want to help me clean, that is thier job...they are so proud of what a great job they do, of being "needed for special jobs", and I love it that they enjoy cleaning just so they can be with me. I love to hear them say, "what next", or "what else do you need cleaned". FANTASTIC!!)

So it was a pretty good day, and I know school is important but I like to have Brooklyn home.

I am okay with a "FAUX" sick day now and then!

Can you FEEL THE HEAT?

Brooklyn's 2nd "Ponytail" softball season is under way. After 5 games thus far she is loving every minute! She has a great coach and loves being on her team with cousin Isabella. **Notice all the pink...pink bat, glove, shoes, helmet... it HAD to be pink :)

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention her team is "The Heat".

The similar life of a Lioness

M: "Bronson, tell me something you learned at school that you didn't know." B: " I learned about the lions in the African Savanna. And GUESS WHAT?! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?! M: "Yep, let me have it" B: "If you think the daddy lion goes hunting for food, put your hand on your head."

(I put my hand on my head)

B: "Nope. The mommy lion goes hunting for food. Oh, Oh.... Who do you think eats first?"

M: "The babies."

B: "Nope, the daddy!!! (with disgust in his tone)

Bronson just could not understand why the "Lazy Daddy" would get to eat first!

B: "I don't think you would want to be a mommy lion!"

M: "Mmmm, NO WAY!"

Then I got to thinking....

the mommy

goes through the labor of carrying and giving birth to the babies,

takes care of the babies,

runs around all afternoon to hunt prey,

kills the prey,

drags it back to the rest of the lions,

then waits for 1st her husband to eat,

who by the way has just been laying around all day,

then her starving babies.

Then finally, exhausted, sits down to eat whatever leftover morsels she can scrape up,

all the while most likely being tugged on by her cubs,

who are already full & on to the next activity.

DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TO ANYONE?

At least she doesn't have to clean up!

(I'm totally NOT ragging on Billy- he works very hard! And I appreciate it EACH & EVERY DAY! And I love being able to be at home with MY babies.)

I'm just saying that some days the life of a HUMAN mom and a LION mom don't seem so different!

Some Pics of the Kiddos

The kids had SO MUCH FUN during this shoot- if they are not smiling it was on purpose, at their request, not because they hated it! Again this was for the ART of photography. I wanted these pictures to be more candid and random. They ran around, played in the water, took a few, then ran around some more. Thank goodness for Kielee! We took turns with each of them then swapped. (I don't have hers on here because she was shooting with film for a photo class. I LOVE to have her with me. She has such great ideas on composition. It is always good to have fresh ideas and hear her "take" on things! Not to mention she is SUPER FUN!) When we left the kids were asking to come back and take pictures again. And because I am Paparazzi Mom and always taking GALLONS of pictures of everything that was cool to hear! I totally love Brooklyn's fun, funky outfit, She calls it her "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" outfit. And Bronson...so COOL in his shades!! :) OH! It just makes me want to kiss their little cheeks off!!

Miss B and Bella Boo-Unscripted

Cousin Isabella was over for a sleepover so she came with us to take pictures. She has this beautiful, super shiny dark hair and china doll skin! I got some gorgeous pictures of her! The girls had so much fun together. I love these pictures of them-telling secrets! Totally girly and fun! They chose what they wanted to do. I love that they were just being thier sassy little selves!

The Train

About 2 weeks ago my sister Kielee and I, both armed with cameras, did some photo shoots with the kids. This one was more for the ART of it than to have cutsie photos. This intriguing old train has been sitting on the tracks for YEARS- as long as I can remember. For a long time I have really wanted to take pictures by it and check it out. Unfortunately there was a grumpy man sitting by it in his car so we were a little intimidated and were not able to get all the shots we wanted. We went back the next day and IT WAS GONE!! I think the feelings these pictures evoke are really interesting. Kielee and I were talking about how the TRAIN IS LIKE THE WORLD- DANGEROUS, OVERPOWERING, HARSH, CRUEL, sometimes RUTHLESSLY EVIL. These CHILDREN REPRESENT PURITY, LOVE, AND LIGHT. How can we keep our children, all children, PURE and unspotted from the world? How do we protect them from the dangers? How can they be FREE and LIGHTHEARTED amongst the evil? We need to teach them to BE who they are!! We need to help them find THEIR STRENGTH to withstand. I am so thankful for the Light of Christ in my life. I am thankful that I KNOW WHO I AM and that WE ALL can FIND REFUGE IN HIS ARMS.

"Lizzie"

"Mom, Mom, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS! I found a real live snake! Can I keep him? Please Mom!?Then I can have MY VERY OWN PET!" (To Brooklyn) "Look I have pet! See, He's not so bad! HIS name is Lizzie. HE'S a GIRL! He's sort of like a snake. Maybe when he grows up he will be a snake. I LOVE him SOOOOO much! Can I keep him forever?" This little lizard came to visit and stay for a day. He went to live in heaven the next day and Bronson was so sad, but he was a good little lizard and just let Bronson hold him and crawled on his arm.

McCormick Ranch Train Park

Fun place to go for the afternoon-train park. They have old trains that you can walk on, a Merry-go-Round, a little train you can ride, and a Old West "play town" with a stage coach.