Prayers Coveted!!!

I don't want to sound desperate but in some ways I feel that way a bit right now. This week Chris and I have an incredible opportunity to be a part of our church's worship team's live cd/dvd recording. I am confident that it is going to turn out to be a powerful tool for worship and possibly even sharing the Gospel with people who do not know our Lord and Savior!...catch is, we have rehearsals every night this week, till all hours of the night. We were there tonight from 5:30PM to 10:50PM. Needless to say, two of them cried hysterically almost all the way home. And this was just the first night, just the beginning. We would so appreciate prayers for us as we journey through this week in faith that we are being a part of a bigger picture that God has for us, but as it is also very hard to put our sweet children through such a long week of being in childcare. The recording by the way is this Saturday and Sunday so when I mean all week, I mean ALL week. Pray Chris and I would be able to make the most of the time we do have as a family and that we would all be able to get as much rest as possible. Thank you for being our prayer wariors this week!

You know you have a big family when...

1) adding two more kids to your house actually makes it seem easier, not harder.
2) you go through 4 or more gallons of milk a week.
3) you can't call anyone by the right name.
4) you actually try to get your 4 year old to learn to put a diaper on his little brother.
5) you have stocked two pantrys and two freezers and still feel like you are running out of food.
6) you actually can't all cuddle in your queen size bed without 2 kids sleeping at the foot of it.
7) you can only fit in a 7+ passenger car.
8) you get asked everywhere you go "are they all yours?"
9) driving to vacation actually did save you a bunch of money even though gas was $3.85 a gallon.
10) you can't stay in a hotel room anymore with out a king size bed, pull out couch and a baby bed.
11) you have to double a recipe if you want any leftovers.
12) you have a child in almost every classroom in the pre-school area at church.
13) you have to push two grocery baskets (which is impossible unless someone else is with you) in order to fit all the kids and groceries in them.
14) your kids can make up an entire band and play a concert for you whenever they are playing like they are rockstars.
15) you feel like it breaks the bank every time you go out to eat.
16) you shop only clearance racks and if it isn't a good 50% (actually more like 66%) or more, you won't even consider buying it for the most part.
17) you wash at least one load of laundry a day.

Some call it Bead Head, we call it Rockstar Hair!!!

So yesterday Callen get's up and has the most awsome hair do I've seen in a while. Some people pay good money to get their hair to look like this! Then Corbin got up and his hair looked pretty cool as well. Cade woke up and had the most normal bead head but still pretty darn cute! Then Cohen woke up and I don't even need to say anything there. The boys couldn't figure out why mommy had to take pictures of them so early in the morning. I kept trying to explain to them that I needed to capture all the rockstar hair that they had going on so we could put them on the computer for our friends and family to see. Corbin and Cade were not hard to convince. Cohen of course just looked at me like a deer in headlights. Then there was Callen...he wasn't going to let me take a picture for anything and his was the best hair in my opinion. So I thought to myself, "how am I going to get this child to let me take a picture of him? What is the key to his heart? Ah yes, anything with loads of sugar in it...I've got leftover cake balls in my fridge." So I said, "Hey Callen, if you let Mommy take a picture of you then I will give you a cake ball!" He quickly stopped fussing and turned around and said, "Mommy, I want you to take 5 pictures (as he showed me 5 fingers) so I can get 5 cake balls...and I want 5 blue ones, ok?!!! (ending with the biggest, sweetest smile you've ever seen!)" So I let him pose (and you will see that he is my GQ guy) for 1 picture and then have 1 cake ball. It was a good morning after that...we were all happy, especially Cade since he got a cake ball too and didn't even have to do anything to get it! :-)Do I look like a rockstar, Mommy?
GQ pose! :-)
I just want my breakfast!
Pictures already today? This could be a long day!
And Daddy loves to be a rockstar too! :-)

I Need A Dog!

OH MY GOSH (oops, as Callen would say, "we don't say that Mommy, we say Oh my goodness! Right?!), let me start over. OH MY GOODNESS, somebody slap me and slap me hard!!! Now, for those of you who may have wondered or stumbled accross my blog from someone elses and are thinking "what's wrong with a dog, sounds good to me?", here's the deal. There are a couple of things that instantly come to my mind...A)I have 4 little boys barely 5 years old and under and B)I DON"T like dogs! Two kinda major issues if you ask me. BUUUTTTT, you see...my kitchen floor is NASTY! Once again, you are thinking maybe I need to sweep and mop twice a week or so instead of the normal once. Not a chance. Ok, maybe you have a couple of kids and were thinking once a day...getting closer, but not there yet. Lets try after EVERY SINGLE DAD GUM MEAL!!! That might sound crazy if you only have one or two kids or if your were graced with only clean (at least to some degree) children. I definately don't fit in that first category but I also was given two little boys who think it is sooooo fun to get REALLY MESSY all the time. Fun times! That, my friends, is why it would be nice to have one of those precious (I do think they are adorable even though they really pretty much grose me out) little vultures (I'm implying to how they will pounce on any and every crumb dropped to the floor) around just to help me keep it a bit cleaner on a day to day basis. I could be wrong, maybe it wouldn't help that much but it sure is a nice thought. Actually, if I had it my way, I'd have a 'gaurdian dog' that only came around (poof! out of nowhere) when it was mealtime and cleaned up my floor and then magically dissapeared when meals were over so I didn't have to deal with it or take care of it. Is that mean? Kinda makes me giggle actually. I'm truly sorry if I have offended any of you dog lovers in any way!!! I'm sure one day I will have a dog, I've got a husband and 4 boys who LOVE them. So for now, you can pray that my messes will lesson with out having to get a dog and then that in the future when we do get one, that I will finally be ok with that! :-) Here's a couple of pics of Cade making one of his daily messes...laugh it up! Did I do something wrong, Mommy? Notice the yogurt all over his face, hands, arms and chest...and it even made it in the hair too, of course, and pretty much all the way down to his toes. :-) Wow, amazing what one sweet little kid can do.
And that face pretty much sums it up! It just does NOT bother him at all to make a mess...in fact it is quite fun!
I don't think this shows it very well but there is yogurt and green beans all over the floor, and that's just one meal, just one kid!

...And Angels Watch Them Through The Night...

Sometimes I think I may be just a bit jealous of the angels that get to watch my precious boys sleep through the night!!! Each day, at least once or twice, I find myself stopping whatever it is that I'm doing, just to watch one of my sweet boys sleep. Each one of them has their own adorable posture and cute little facial expressions that make my heart stop for a moment.

You might think this is a silly thing to blog about but I was just captured by my sweet Cohen earlier today as he was napping in his beautiful bassinett, it was a moment I'd like to freeze in my mind and heart forever. Such a peace on his face, fully trusting that I am going to take care of him and love him with everything I have! Such an awsome picture of how we should trust and rest in the arms of Christ!

And last night, Callen fell asleep early on the couch and as I walked by him at one point I just had to stop and gaze...he had his sweet little skinny legs going straight up the back of the couch and he was laying there just smiling in his sleep, his eyes moving around like crazy...had to be having a fun dream! It was too precious!

And my big boy Corbin (still can't believe he is 5 now!)...well, even though he hasn't sucked on a pacifier in over 3 years now, he still sucks (on nothing) off and on all night long. Sometimes I just sit and listen to him and watch him, I think because it's like a bit of my very first baby is still there! :-) It's such a bittersweet thing to watch them grow up so fast!

And last but not least, my sweet 'baby' Cade...yes, he is 2 now but I still call him that sometimes. His blue eyes capture me every time I look at him! And when he sleeps he does the same. He puts his finger in his belly button and then in his mouth, then back in his belly button and then back in his mouth...over and over and over again. Does his belly button taste good? Who knows but it sure is precious to watch him. I'm thankful God gives me these moments and memories because sometimes after a long, hard, busy and crazy day, even if it was filled with disobedience and tears, all a mother needs is to cuddle with her children and to watch them rest...Until They Wake In Morning Light, Amen.