what?

You thought I was going to quit with these Instagram collages? Well, they are about the only photos being taken these days. Allow me a few more weeks of this narcissistic insanity, mmkk?

post 401

Yes indeed. 400 posts, and this post is going to be another weird one. They are not really weird so much that they are a less filtered version of me. I am trying to do more posts like that. I get great feedback from them. 
 via

So, I was feeling a bit old. I turned 30 in the fall & I am noticing subtle changes. Most aren't bad, just that I perceive them negatively. Then I went to the doctor for the first time in 5 years. Yup, bad girl I am, my last visit was 6 weeks after Mr. Collin Joseph made his grand debut. 

Funny thing about the doctor visit, it made me feel really young. All those boxes next to hypertension, diabetes, etc.?  I did not have to check a single one. The Dr. said I was the picture of health. And other than a rather dramatic (on my part) blood draw, I was on my way. Feeling young, and fit, and so very blessed. Thanks, Mom, for the stellar genetics. 

Also, I have read a lot of really great articles online lately, I am thinking I will share some with you. Like I found this one which is exactly what I was trying to say about this terrible letting go of babyhood a few posts back. She really nailed it though, beautiful writing. (and yeesh!, nine kids!)


p.s. I have no idea what is going on with the font or photos in this post...sorry.

my kid is cute

That is all.

going to get weird

 To start, because it is awesome & goes unrecorded all too often. Collin serenaded us with, "I like green beans and I cannot lie!" last night at the family dinner table. Happens a million times a day. I am dumbfounded at how funny & weird my kid is. It is really the only way I am making it through these long February days.
 Speaking of dinner. We were spending almost $1000 a month to feed ourselves. Say what, now? Cah-ra-zee. I have worked to get it back to $800. Still a long way from the $400 we could get by with in Idaho, though.
 Lentils were becoming my best friend because they are so darn nutritious & cheap. Not a very common occurrence. Then the stomach bug of 2012 hit. Blech! Not wanting to consume another lentil anytime soon, if you catch my drift. Also, I am not recommending it, but I did lose all my holiday weight with the stomach flu diet. (silver lining?)
 I feel like we are slowly waking up from a hibernation. I think we all go out with a bang at Christmas time. Before tucking away for the winter. Then the end of February hits. You are still half asleep but you have to go to the bathroom & that terrible morning taste has formed in your mouth. (sorry Feb., but it is true)
 I have been blocked a bit when it comes to the blog. Blogging about anything that matters is a place of vulnerability. It is to me, like that naked public speaking dream. I am only in this blog world for the feedback, even if it will just be my own in 2060, reflecting on what a full life we lived. Serving as a baby book of sorts. But for the day to day, it has not really scratched the validation itch.
 And maybe that is a good thing. A great thing, really. Because I need to stretch & grow & not be such a darn people pleaser. On the blog & in real life.
 So here goes the vulnerability part. I really want a baby. Not a child. A baby. I know what to do with a baby. A preteen? Yea, I have not quite got that figured out. The thing is, all the "somedays" are happening right now. Someday we will be tee-ball parents, someday we will play tooth fairy, someday they will know all the words to "Baby Got Back." (just kidding) All these hopes & dreams are coming true. It is so satisfying & rich, but also SO SAD. I did not really dream a dream past 10 years old. And now that we are there, I am just so exhausted.
 So.... add a baby to this over-priced, diarrheal, seasonally affected bunch... right???!!!

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homeschool gem

I have not kept it much of a secret that I do not love homeschooling the three older boys. Today though, they had an online writing class where they generated poems about themselves. I thought they were fun.

Parker
Loud, fast athletic, amazing
Sibling of Kaleb, Aden, & Collin
Lover of football
Who fears fear
Who needs football
Who gives fried eggs
Who would like to see Larry Fitzgerald
Resident of Washington
Archuleta

Kaleb
tall, redhead, loud, active
Sibling of Parker, Aden, Collin
Lover of Mom
Who fears fear
Who needs family
Who gives help
Who would like to see New Zealand
Resident of Washington
Archuleta

Aden
blonde, big, quick, active
Sibling of Parker, Kaleb, & Cojo
Lover of video games
Who fears death
Who needs food and water
Who gives help
Who would like to see Tokyo
Resident of Washington
Archuleta

more love

Another week of our life according to Instagram. Happy Saturday, friends!

my love

If I know what love is, it is because of you.
~Herman Hesse

Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.
~Bruce Lee

If God is the DJ, then Life is the dance floor; Love is the rhythm, and You are the music.
~P!nk

Happy Birthday, Matt!

in love

Currently geeking out on Instagram. I love how the filters make our daily grind look much more interesting. Follow me at thefunnyfarm if you can't live without knowing what color my nails are painted or when Collin is taking a bath, you know, the really important things in life.

whole-hearted

Here is the start of this year's Valentine decorations. I am obsessed with sewing paper! My mom brought up the sewing machine & we tried sewing cardboard. The vertical chain of hearts is just painted cardboard. The pennants are felt scraps. I think she & I would have been more productive without requests for sword sheaths & capes & whatnot. That is just the sweet life with 4 boys, I suppose. Anyone else have trouble balancing fun with the kids and what is intended to be a ROMANTIC holiday?

storytime

 
How was your weekend? Matt was out of town for Sunday so I sat around all day & let the boys entertain themselves. I had entire pints of ice cream & caught up on all my shows, like I had just had a bad break up. I even did the ugly cry when Will Schuester proposed on Glee.
 Matt & I had a terrible dating relationship. Our very first break up was so silly. I was going to see my dad & I said I would miss Matt, he would not say it back. Well, I really didn't think we had anything left to say after that. (double snap!) We worked it out later over the phone, me in Arizona, but Matt was in front of a living room full of people at his mom's. (back when you were tethered to the wall to talk on the phone) He started crying & got a bloody nose. Now tell me, would it not have just been easier to say, "I'll miss you, too"?!
image found here