Someday...

Someday is when I'm going to actually have time to blog. Keeping my head above water is basically what describes this year. Having 3 little boys and working is EXTREMELY time consuming - to the point that I have no time left. We're having so much fun though. I'm sure in 15 years when I get time to take a breath I'll look back fondly on this time. I'll probably also say we were nuts!

We had an awesome year. Middle-G stayed out of the hospital, and we actually get to stay away from his renal and urology clinics for a whole year! What an incredible blessing. God has gone above and beyond our expectations for his health. He's got quite a personality now too, and has a way of getting people to give him his way.

Big-G is thriving with his school work. He loves learning and amazes us all the time with his art. He is a very creative child and always trying to think of something he can build. He's now getting old enough to start help me out a bit with watching the other 2 and to do some chores. It's kind of a glimpse into the future when they won't all be so dependent on me for everything.

Little-G is giving us a run for our money. No one ever imagines they will have a child like this, but I can now attest to the fact that they do exist. Every meal looks like a natural disaster hit afterward. I've even had to tie all the chairs to the table so he can't get on top of the counters. I'm always trying to out think him, but it doesn't usually work. We are either going to become very strong parents or end up being driven to crazy town. Not totally sure which it will be yet. He can be a joy at times though. He has such a happy spirit and loves to "sing."

Last month we went on our annual Disney vacation. It was a complete blast. This was the 1st year we went without my brother as an extra driver. Me and the hubby drove 19-1/2 hours straight there, record time for us. We were so proud of ourselves. The kids just had so much fun. Watching them really enjoy all the rides and characters is really a lot of fun for us. Little-G was pretty terrified of the characters, which was unfortunate for him since we scheduled so many character dinners with the free dining plan Disney gave us. So he mostly ate with his blanket over his head. It was cute though!

It turns out that Middle-G is definitely our thrill seeker. He wanted to go on every roller coaster he could. We even put folded up paper in his shoes so that he would be tall enough for a few. Big-G has no interest in any rides like that, so he just waits with me, which I am totally fine with. Daddy is going to be pushed to his limits when Middle-G gets a little taller and makes him go on all the really crazy rides.

We are now getting ready for Christmas. We'll be heading up-north to stay in the cabin in the woods and see my dad's side of the family. That's when it really feels like Christmas. We are so looking forward to it. I'm not getting all the baking done that I was wishing I would find time for, but again - maybe someday.

I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Christmas. Keep yourself focused on the reason why we celebrate. A Savior was born for us, died for our sins, came to life again, and we are redeemed by his blood! It's an awesome thought!

Take a peek at our vacation:

Cinderellas Castle lit for Christmas. It's gorgeous!

Big-G driving on the Grand Prix Raceway. His driving was pretty scary!

Big-G and Middle-G with pirate Goofy. Middle-G has a pirate obsession.

Little-G at breakfast. He LOVES to eat!

Middle-G after doing a 5-story drop on Splash Mountain, his favorite ride.

Daddy and Mommy pedaling the heaviest bike ever!

We just celebrated 14 years together, and we're finally getting good at taking pictures of ourselves.

Middle-G and Daddy at the Osborne Lights.

HELLO SUMMER!

We just finished unpacking from our extended Memorial Day weekend trip to Wisconsin Dells. It was just about one of the best vacations I have ever had. We went with our friends, and everyone had a blast. Imagine being in the pool with the hot sun shining on you all day every day. Not a cloud in site, with the exception of the one day I asked God to send us a cloud while we got out of the pool to eat. Don't know why it surprised me, but there came a cloud and blocked the sun the whole time we were eating. It then conveniently passed when we were ready to get back in the water. It was just an all round awesome trip. We are browner than every before!

We actually got all the kids to put on life jackets so we could go in the deeper pools. Big-G wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but he came around to it and started having fun. Middle-G turned out to be a huge water slide fan. He even went on one of the giant ones. You just couldn't stop him from sliding. He just made a continuous loop down the slide and up the stairs for as long as we'd let him. My favorite was definitely the lazy river. If the kids wouldn't have been there, I definitely would have sat in that all day. Big-G also had to find time to go paint at the pottery place. He loves doing art projects so much. He did a great job on his vase. I'll have to get a picture of it sometime.

Overall, we just had such a wonderful trip. We were blessed with great company and the most perfect weather ever. Can't wait to do it again next year!


We started off with a lumberjack breakfast at Paul Bunyan's Cookhouse.


Big-G lounging in the water dome.


Little-G loved splashing in the water.


Miss O and Big-G looking sweet.


My hubby and my friend got to go on 5 ziplines. They said it was awesome, but unfortunately they couldn't take the camera.


Little-G enjoying a hug from his little friend.


Me and my little boys.


All of the kids and their silly faces.


Daddy and Middle-G taking a brief break from the slide.


Just the grown-ups.


Good times for Little-G and his little buddy.


The End.

Go Brewers Go

On Saturday we took the boys to their very first baseball game at Miller Park. We obviously didn't take Little-G. He would have been a little much to handle, but the other 2 had a wonderful time. Big-G said that tailgating was his favorite part. I don't know how much they actually got out of the game itself, but they really enjoyed the environment. I haven't been to a game since Big-G was born, so it was nice to be back.


Last week we went to the museum for Mother's Day after having the Mother's Day brunch at church. My mother-in-law got to come to the brunch too which was nice. It turned out to be my best Mother's Day yet. It means so much more with all the homemade cards and sweet words from the boys now that they are starting to get it. I just love being a mom. It makes my life mean so much more. I just couldn't possibly want it any other way.



The hubby is now running 10 miles on his long runs, which means he is basically ready to go for the Chicago half-marathon. So proud of him. He has now decided to run the Lakefront Marathon next year. That's a lot of running!



Big-G finishes his Kindergarten class this week. I just can't believe he's getting that old already. He has had such a fun time this year in that class. I think we'll be going to the zoo with the kids to celebrate, and hopefully the weather will be nice after a week of rain and a lot of cool temps.


The big 3-0 for me. Hubby made me brownies.


Kids picking a giant nose on Mother's Day.


Middle-G was the only one to get a butterfly to sit on him.


My twin.


Cute kids on a giant bug.



Big-G with his best friends.



Little-G looking so cute.



Our awesome tailgate party.



Middle-G doing some tailgating.



The whole gang in Miller Park.



Our seats were WAY up there.



My and our family friend, Mr. J.



It was a little chilly at the end.



This is our Little-G. He's got quite the personality!

He is Risen!

What at wonderful Easter weekend... I think the best yet. We had a fabulous time with family and friends. We went to our friend's house to have an egg hung on Saturday. The kids enjoyed it very much. It's amazing how little it takes to impress a 3 year old. We had a delicious meal and wonderful conversation. Our kids got so filthy!!! They played outside all day. Big-G and his friend discovered how to turn some high-power water guns into "smoke guns" by sucking up ash from the fire pit and shooting it at each other. It was fun like they've never had before. It's was hilarious watching them.

We were very pleased to have my husband's mom (Grandma) meet us for church this morning. The service was incredible. We just love our church... the people and so great. As I gain more life experience, the reality of the power of Our Lord becomes more relevant to my life. He is everything I need and so much more. You just can't beat having a personal relationship with risen Savior, victory over death, healing, etc., etc. The list goes on. He is such an all encompassing God. He brings so much joy to our lives. I don't know where any of us would be without Him.

I made Easter brunch for our family today, and it actually turned out good. The ham was so good. One of these days I'm going to learn how to cook good... someday when I have some free time. In the meantime, my family will have to survive!

Probably the biggest recent event is that my hubby (the lover of all things greasy, salty, or sugary) has signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon. That would be running 13.1 miles through downtown Chicago. That seems to be pretty shocking to everybody who knows him. He is training with a friend of mine who will be running it with him. They will be running 6 miles on their training schedule tomorrow already. I really couldn't be prouder of him. He's made some amazing changes in his life, and he's doing fabulously.

Here are a few pictures of our wonderful weekend :)

It's the Little-G Bunny.

Before the egg hunt at the beginning of the day when they were all still clean.

Me and the Little-G cruising in the bouncy car.

Daddy getting a wild ride by his friends.

Big-G swinging with Miss O.

Middle-G looking cute as usual.

Little-G completely filthy with Miss L trying to help him get his clothes back on.

March MADNESS!!!

March makes me mad. How frustrating is it to have a week of spring weather only to be told we might get 4-7 inches of sloppy snow over the weekend. YUCK! The kids are going to be pretty mad when they find out we have to put winter coats on again too. We should have figured this weather was just too good to last. It was so warm and sunny in the backyard today that Middle-G asked if we could go swimming. It just isn't quite that warm yet! I'm glad we're making the most of this warmth while we have it. We did the zoo on Tuesday and we've been playing outside every day a couple times a day. It's nice to have fresh air and lots of space to burn off all their extra energy. We'll be making another trip to the zoo tomorrow when it is supposed to be 65 degrees!!! I can't wait.

Not much else has been going on this week other than the usual Tuesday School, Rainbows tonight, and our church small group on Friday. I'm taking a spiritual warfare class on Wednesday nights while Big-G is in Rainbows and Middle-G is in Lambs. It seems like it is going to be very good.

I did take Little-G to the doctor on Friday for his 18 month visit. He's still in the 60th to 70th percentiles for head and height. He got his chickenpox shot, but didn't even shed a tear. We also found out that he had a pretty bad double ear infection. He had absolutely no symptoms, so apparently he has a very high pain tolerance. He's such a sweet boy and such a handful also.

Below are some pictures from this week.




These pictures are of Gibson and his absolute favorite outside toy - the shovel. He never sets it down.


Man this kid is getting big!


Big-G is turning out to be a good helper. It's so nice when their old enough to start helping you sometimes.


Here's Daddy shooting some hoops at open gym time before Tuesday School starts.


Here's Little-G running around with his ball. He just keeps yelling, "Watch, Watch!" Now that he knows that word, he doesn't do anything without yelling it first.