Snapshots

Corbin and I, on one of my days off from work, ran around town doing different errands. The last two stops were super fun.

We walked through Whole Foods, got a snack, and sat outside enjoying the great weather.

Yummy natural fruit stick snack!  (It really was delicious)

Ahhh, this is perfect!

Then we went to a bookstore and walked around a near by fountain.  Basking in the sunshine, warm weather, and the relaxing sound of the water.

Shake it out and get your groove on…

Wave those hands like you really do care…it’s spring!

I love these snapshots of life with Corbin! Sure, there are other snapshots of life that I don’t stop to record (throwing fits, whiny voices, and unhappy faces) but I believe that these happy snapshots are the ones I will continue to hold on to as Corbin grows up. 

These snapshots are the ones that make the memory books.  Life will always have smooth roads and bumpy paths and really you wouldn’t want life without it that way.  The bumpy makes the smooth feel so good. I will remember the growth that I have done from the bumpy road of child rearing but that growth is the good part of the bumpy.  I won’t remember the details or my feelings towards all the bumps that will be fuzzy.  But these precious snapshots of the special moments of everyday life with Corbin;  those are the crystal clear pictures that will be in my heart forever.

Life Lately

So, here’s what’s been happening the last couple of weeks.

Besides our usual activities of school, work, and church, basketball has been a central part of our schedule. Corbin filled out an NCAA bracket and is ranked 2nd in the Williams’ Family Tournament. So, out of seven adults he’s not doing bad.  He’s definitely doing better than me!

Diligently putting thought into his picks.

Watching the games and praying his team will win.  Who says basketball can’t bring you closer to God

Daddy and Corbin made a special breakfast trip to “Old McDonalds” (That’s what Corbin calls it and we just don’t correct it because it’s so cute when he says it.  It’s probably time we start working on the correct name.)

But, this will be his last breakfast treat of pancakes, biscuits, and sausage.  We had Corbin tested for Celiac Disease for several different reasons and the tests came back very, very positive for the disease.

So we are now adjusting to life with Corbin and I both being gluten free. It has been a bit more challenging with an almost 5 year old being gluten free, but we are getting there and soon it will be normal for him. He’s been a trooper through it all!

We spent some time in Oklahoma with the cousins celebrating Collin’s birthday.

We arrived in style…

and jumped until exhaustion.

But there’s always enough energy to play basketball with Grandma!

They even had some gluten free cupcakes so that Corbin and I could eat with everyone. So thoughtful! And they were super yummy! Corbin had two.

This was a Star Wars themed party. April, my sister-in-law, made all the kids little outfits and light sabers. They played light saber tag and were adorable!

But most of all we enjoyed seeing these two cuties! 

Birthdays, Easter, and soccer area all coming up soon.  So we are gearing up for lots more fun to come!

Spring Break

We have been enjoying our time off from the normal routines of school life. 

Here’s our list of activities thus far:

riding bikes

playing soccer

play dates with friends

coffee dates for mom

date nights with Chris

sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa for Corbin

reading books

ice cream runs at Sonic

and of course the boys favorite….basketball, basketball, and more basketball!  The love for the NCAA has been passed down from Chris to Corbin. 

We have a few more days before we head back and I’m hoping to add grilling, movies, and shopping to the above activity list!  When you’re on spring break that’s my kind of to do list.

Going up the Mountain

My 34th birthday is tomorrow.  Now, that’s not old by any means, but it is getting older.  And I have really discovered, since I hit my 30s, that age does bring on some things.

I once did not understand some of the things “older” people talked about.  But, now I am gaining more clarity.  Age really does make a difference.

You know you are getting older when…

*music playing too loud or at all in the car annoys you.

*you actually are ok with talk radio.  There’s a soothing and calmly quality to those voices that can sand off the annoyances of the day.

*a coffee date is now an opportunity to have a few minutes to talk with your spouse about your financial spreadsheets, projected financial forecast, and go over the 401K.

*you can not twirl more than twice without getting extremely dizzy and disoriented.  Corbin spins around a ton and I do one turn and call it quits.

*children and teens around you have no clue to the references you make because they were either too young or not even alive! 

*people you babysat now have kids of their own.

*you don’t feel as old as you are.  College was just a few years ago you think, when in reality you graduated over 10 years ago. 

*staying up until 11:00 pm is hard and even harder in the morning.  It takes a few days in fact to recover.

*when you get AARP cards in the mail. 

*when your group of friends has passed the engagement stage, wedding stage, and now the baby shower stages. 

I’ve also found that getting older is more settling, a more focused and deliberate time for personal growth, time with friends is sweeter (b/c there is way less time for that), and your family is so very precious. 

I am looking forward to getting older and experience life at each age and stage!

It Came

The days are long and the years are fast. 

These words often flowed through my head when Corbin was in the newborn, baby, and toddler stage. I knew that it was true, but I hadn’t felt the truth of those words yet.  Until now.

I feel the years flying by.  Corbin is almost 5.  And “IT” came.  Another sign that the years are slipping by faster than I realize.  “IT” came and I thought I would be super excited…and I am to a degree…but “IT” also brought a quick dose of reality.

“IT” came – kindergarten enrollment paperwork and dates for observations and parent meetings before the new year starts.  We go in two weeks to a parent meeting. 

In two weeks I’ll be sitting at his future school meeting his future teachers…what!?!?! 

Seriously, I can’t believe that my little guy will be headed to kindergarten.  That he will begin his journey into primary education. 

I am of course excited for all that he will learn, but I am also terrified of all he will learn.  I still have him home with me more days than he is away.  I still feel like I control the influences that around him.  Soon that won’t be the case. 

My prayers have increased.  A sense of urgency to build strong his character and values have increased even more.  This is the beginning of the end.

I have 13 more years with my little guy at home.  I have 13 more years to be a daily influence on him.  I already had 5 years to build and mold him.  Now, I start the process of slowly letting him go and slowly letting him figure out who is.  I pray that he follows God, finds loyal and true friends, and that he always is mindful to show love to those around him.

“IT” came – the kindergarten enrollment packet.  And with it came a reminder of my job as parent.  Teach him to know God and to become an adult capable of carrying out His will. 

Yup, I got all that from a kindergarten enrollment packet; who knew that could teach me so much

Relaxing

Our weekend can be summed up in that one word – relaxing.

We did not leave our house all day Saturday.  It was the perfect day to be cozied up inside while the snow fell outside. 

By late afternoon the snow stopped so we went out to shovel the driveway and play.

Corbin loves the snow…

he is as happy as a cat in a patch of sunlight.

He really thought this snow tasted exceptionally good.  It was apparently a culinary delight for his senses.

Corbin fully immersed himself.  He dug out a snow cave, but there was a flaw in his approach.  When you tunnel in you have to be sure you can get out…oops! 

This kid is ready for more snow!

Aside from the snow, I also spent my time wisely by napping, reading, and organizing my Pinterest boards.  Part of my job is to keep information and books organized so frankly it was a little embarrassing to go into my boards and see the vast disarray.   So I went in and did some major categorizing and creating of new boards to make sure information is more easily accessible.  I can’t tell you how much better I feel…it’s the small things in life!

Loved having a relaxing weekend at home with my boys!

Revolving Door

Pictures, how I want you, but how I forget to take you!  Someday I will have a plethora of pictures to add to my blogs, but for now I’m still learning to take pictures yet still be engaged in the activities. I can’t seem to do both yet.

This week our house has been a revolving door and it’s been fun! Monday night our neighbors came over for chili. There’s something nice about just texting each other to get together that night and hanging out. The kids played while the adults talked and it just made for a nice way to start the week.

We had church Tuesday night and then - of course - Wednesday we were at home because Corbin had a cold. I know, shocking that someone from our house was sick. Luckily it didn’t take him down for long.

By Friday he was ready to go again. We met a friend for lunch and enjoyed time together. Here’s Corbin all ready to go…I call this the “urban hunting” style:

So far our week had been pretty typical, but then Friday night came and the revolving door started spinning.

Chris’ brother, nephew, and Chris’ sister all came for supper that night. After that they hung out while I headed to my “book club”.  (I put this in quotes because it’s what we call ourselves, but we really just enjoy getting together. The book is talked about, but we also do a lot of other chatting!)

We read The Tipping Point this month. I loved it, but the group had mixed reviews.  I think you need to like reading case studies and informational text. The premise is about how small changes can create huge courses of change. It really got my wheels spinning and I’m already trying some small changes at school to hopefully increase reading among students. I think this information is super exciting.

I came home and the little boys were in bed and the adults hung out. Kati left that night while Brent and Collin stayed the night.

Saturday morning we fed Brent and Collin and they left late in the morning to go to a basketball game. Then Chris and I prepped for my mom’s birthday bash that afternoon.

My parents came that afternoon and then we met more family at the bowling alley.  We bowled and played arcade games.  It was a blast seeing the little boys bowl.  They beat us all…but in our defense, they had bumpers and ramps!

After bowling our little hearts out we all came back to the house for supper and cake.

My parents stayed the night and headed to early church service and Sunday School with us.  Then we went to an amazing brunch and stuffed ourselves silly.

That afternoon, after my parents left, we once again prepared for one more birthday. Chris’ grandmother’s birthday was on Sunday. She and Kati came over in the afternoon and stayed for supper.  We had a very relaxing afternoon hanging by the fireplace, talking, coloring, playing games, and then eating WAY too much that night. We had Mexican food, ice cream, and cake….those are hard things to eat in moderation. And trust me I didn’t even try….not even a little…it was embarrassing the amount of food I packed in 

They left that night and finally at 7:00 Sunday night our door finally stopped moving. Although there was a lot going on and many people coming and going I wouldn’t have it any other way.  It was super fun to have family around and celebrate special people!