busybody

Me to Collin, "Quit doofing around!"

Collin, "But doofing is fuuuun!"

 This last pic is Collin showing me his "secret friend." (his shadow)

sickos

  My babies are sick. It is a rare thing for me to be able to mother them. They simply won't stand for it on the day to day. So a tiny part of me rejoices when fever sets in & they are mine again. They want the back rubs, the books read to them. Along with gatorade & popsicles, because that is the sick ritual 'round these parts. At my house growing up it was 7-up and vanilla ice cream. More than a time or two I feigned illness to stay home, tended to by my mom.
 I had to shift by a mile to become this caregiver, you know. I was not known for my great empathy or compassion. It seems so unfair then, that just as I came to love it, the boys seem to have such little need for my nurture. But those changes are more for us parents anyhow. That is why grandparents are such lovely folks. They have been molded & shaped over time. They've figured out the really good parts to focus on & what bits are best left unsaid. And they never are short on sugary treats, which, let's face it are the best remedy for a bad day.
  I am struck by the middle place I am residing in. Not yet gray and wise but not so enthused & hopeful as in my younger days. A lot of "press on" but, "enjoy the present!" And all the while not forgetting the past.     It is a mad pull from all angles.

 What about you, moms? How do you deal with the exhaustion? The loneliness? The fears?

lol

I heard about this free app for iPad called aLike. Seriously, a good time folks. These were some of our results

 I guess it is okay for me to be into Legolas, right?

 Matt kept changing his expressions to get different results, I almost peed my pants when this popped up.

The boys kept getting females except for Aden, he repeatedly matched with this guy. I do not see it.

Thank you to those of you who have reached out this past week. The connection with you dear friends makes the hard stuff not so hard.


Also, my favorite quote this season:
"Comparison is the thief of joy."

Theodore Roosevelt

spring "break"

The Archuletas have their very first broken bone. Aden was the first to need stitches and now he has broken his left forearm. (They gave me all these fancy terms for it but whatev) There are a few pics on his blog.

Of course, as a mom, I am freaking out. I can't help it. It is hard to see your child hurting, plus I struggle with false guilt in general so this will take me awhile to wrestle through. We had this nightmare experience with the ER. (Maybe this is everyone's experience?) We checked in at 8pm and checked out at 2:30am- WITHOUT the x-rays that would be needed to get a cast put on at Seattle Children's Hospital! Yuck! I seriously was having this re-occuring thought that we would never be able to leave.

Lately it has really gotten to me how rude this city can be. Just a lot of encounters with busy, angry city dwellers pushing through life...uggh... It would not be so difficult if I had a community to laugh at it all with. That kind of thing takes time though, and even more time with four kids and homeschool to manage. Couple this feeling with an injured child, two missed opportunities to see old friends visiting, and well, I am kind of in a funk. Last Easter was a big deal for our family, I think I am having letdown from that as well.

Anyway, Collin woke up with a stomach bug, Mom has the blues, and Aden is rocking a neon green cast. Aren't we a hat trick of malady.

around the web

So I promised some links to what I have been finding interesting in cyberspace:
On blogging
“There’s something sacred about reading a blog post on someone else’s site. It’s like visiting a friend’s house for a quick meal ’round the breakfast table. It’s personal — you’re in their space, and the environment is uniquely suited for idea exchange and uninterrupted conversation. In many ways, we should be treating our blogs like our breakfast tables. Be welcoming & gracious when you host, and kind & respectful when visiting.” – Trent Walton
via

Because it is so good & Mother's Day is around the corner.

Kind of a weird site but WOW, the 1st & 4th child roles totally apply to our boys.

Uh hello! Know anyone that needs to read this?

Thanks, Andrea.


Fed up with the church? This was SO validating and gave me hope. Thanks, Jim.

party animals

A fun little glimpse at Collin's party with Auntie Lindsay and neighborhood friends. He is still into turtles something fierce & I had a lot of stuff leftover from Aden's beach party last year. Pretty easy way to blow your five year old's mind which of course, is the point.

storytime

Our story is unfolding in Seattle. We are coming up on a year since the big move & some things are coming into view. My friend & neighbor, Rhiannon encouraged me to blog about our goals in moving here. I like to think I am open to feedback, (I practically beg for it!) and then the universe plopped a foster kid in our home for the morning so I am taking the hint.

It all started with the idea of whether or not to send Collin to Kindergarten in the fall. He is nowhere near ready but a lot can happen in 5 months. Anyhow, Rhiannon was taking a tour of the local elementary school and invited me along this morning. We moved throughout the school, built in 1985 & smelling a bit of dirty feet, every square inch displaying the student's artwork. Our kids would be the minority at this school and as I was taking it all in, my heart swelled and rainbows shot all around my insides. This is it! This is why we moved.

It is still difficult for me to put words to but the story guiding us. We are experiencing new cultures, different lifestyles, and most important, more humanity. It is awkward, and scary, and JUST WHAT WE WANTED.

We walked out to our cars, raving about all the promising things going on in that old stinky school and are stopped by an middle-aged man asking if an 8th grade runaway boy could use my phone. The boy, Jacob, had been living on his own and sleeping in Metro buses for almost 2 weeks. The older gentleman was encouraging him to get ahold of his caseworker and get off the streets. Well, Rhiannon and I, both kick into "mom-mode," trying to help him but FAH-REAK-ING OUT inwardly. I ended up taking Jacob home, where Matt was, to figure something out. Matt knew what to do and we got Jacob where he needed to go but no easy "fix" for that situation, obviously.

And while I have a heavy heart about kids, not much older than my firstborn, finding themselves homeless, it was exactly what my boys needed to see. They all had a (much needed) perspective shift this morning. And that is the end game for all of us, I think. To see clearer, to love deeper, to stick in this together.

grandparents

 The boys are seriously blessed with fantastic Grandparents. We celebrated Grandma Ellen's birthday on the last trip to Idaho. The photo above shows what that entailed. She has repeated told me that the wild antics of our boys are actually what she enjoys most. Do you know how great it is to hear that as a mom? SO GREAT.

 Grandpa Ken is the Weapons Master. He crafted shields for the boys on the Saturday afternoon we were in town. Oh, ya, no biggie. He just heads out to the garage for 20 minutes & whips up some childhood dreams come true. Not to mention these were to accompany the tridents the boys had designed & he had ready for them when we arrived.

 Then Grandma Ellen goes and blows our mind with her mad skills with a paintbrush. BAM! Parker's is the lion, Kaleb has the sun, the bear is Aden's, & Collin of course chose Leonardo.

Seriously, SO BLESSED.

insta-awesome

Idaho trip via Instagram + Girl Scout cookies & Robin Eggs = one happy girl.