2011 Summary

I really hope I can start writing more frequently, even if it is random little bits! My memory is so bad, what's written will probably be my only memories! : )
Life is pretty good and non-eventful these days--if you can say that about a family with 3 young children. : ) I cannot believe the year is more than halfway over already! Ugh, time will just not slow down!
The kids are doing well. Emma is a beautiful, nurturing little girl, and I am so proud of her and overwhelmed with the blessing of her in my life. Of course there are times when she is the most aggravating big sister, but for the most part she loves to play with Bryson and Ava and takes really good care of them. She seems to be interested in gymnastics, so we are going to look into possibly trying that this fall. She LOVES dressing up and playing "Cinderella" or "castle" or "princess". She has gotten really good at riding her bike again and loves to swing. She is fascinated with bugs and animals and was just holding a dead hummingbird today telling us all about it. Collecting shiny rocks is another obsession--I remember being obsessive about collecting all the quartz out of my parents' yard too. : ) She played t-ball with the church this Spring and seemed to enjoy it. She was actually getting pretty good at fielding some grounders by the end of the season. We've been working hard on swimming this Summer. Seems like we start again at square one every Summer--too many months in between swimming. Her coloring and writing have improved tremendously lately, and I am so impressed with her! Most importantly, she asked Jesus into her heart early this Spring!!! It was a little before Easter, but we happened to be on the "Easter" stories in her Bible. Ben and I on two different nights (and not together) made reference to the soldiers and ppl as "crazy" and so mean. After reading I said, "They are so mean, aren't they?" to which she replied, "No they're not, Mommy. They had to do that so we can live in Heaven when we die." Of course, we continued the conversation and I was amazed at how she comprehended God's plan of Salvation for us! I talked with Ben later that night, and he then told me they had had a similar conversation the night before. The next day, we talked some more, and I knew she really got it, so I asked her if she wanted to pray to ask Him into her heart. She told me she didn't want to, she wanted me to, so I told her it was fine if she wasn't ready for that but that I could not do that for her. A few nights later, it came up again, and she wanted to pray and did. What a special and humbling experience! I am very often amazed at her comprehension and application of things especially those of spiritual nature. Anyone reading this who is an educator will probably appreciate that Blooms Taxonomy is often running through my mind as I recognize higher learning order skills in my children. Does anyone else do that?? I guess I just get tired of all the hoopla about kids doing things so early such as reading when I know that it is so pointless if the higher order thinking skills aren't being built. I'll stop that tangent right there. : )
Speaking of amazing me, my little man does so very often as well! His verbal skills are incredible, and I love his sweet voice. Emma talks well and has a very good vocabulary, but she has just never been verbal like he is, so I am being blown away by him! He seems very intelligent, but I am afraid it often comes out in the form of skirting around disobedience. He is obsessed with tractors, and lucky for him they are repaving the road right outside our neighborhood, and building apartments that we pass every time we go to church! He like to escape and climb on Ben's tractor as well. The excitement in his voice and eyes EVERY time he sees a tractor is too precious! He turned two in April, and we, of course, had a tractor party. We had family and just a few of his little friends who also love tractors over to celebrate. Ben took all the kids on tractor rides, and I made a construction cake with tractors on it. So adorable...we found him at one point in the night (the cake had already been served) in his own world at the table working hard with those tractors in the cake. Of course, we swarmed him with cameras, but he was oblivious to that too--He is a die hard tractor man! : ) Ball is also another favorite in his life--whatever he can get his hands on. The boy has force behind the ball and is very coordinated. He will hold/drop a ball and nail it with a bat in a second, and he out throws Emma already. Rough describes him well. In fact, I am sitting her with pain in my head and neck because he just ran by me this morning, grabbed my hair and cracked my neck more than I have ever heard or felt. I really am afraid he gave me whiplash. I have had so many bitten lips, bruises, and headaches from him. The girls have felt it the most, but at least they're tough. : ) We are trying to teach him to be gentle, at least around girls. He is one of the sweetest little boys ever, but he must have an abundance of testosterone! Sometimes he is being mean, of course, but most of the time, he is just playing and doesn't mean any harm. Wide Open all the time! He's done a lot better with sleep and has even slept through the night 3 nights now!! : ) He ADORES Ava and can't wait to get his hands on her every morning. Same with Emma--a frequent phrase, "Come play with me, Emma!" He is a little lost when his big sister is not around, and very lost if she's gone and Ava is asleep! : ) And, to think I worried about him feeling neglected in the middle and shunned with a baby so early in his life. : ) Daddy is his buddy too, and I often feel the love in the mornings he wakes up mad I'm the one here instead of Daddy. : ) Doesn't seem right when I'm the one "rescuing" him in the middle of the night, and I'm the one who has him attaching himself to me all night when he ends up in our bed--where's all that love when the sun comes up?! He still loves books, and I cherish nap time when we lay down together snuggled up reading a few books. I think I'll miss that more than him not sleeping when he quits napping. One of my favorite things he does lately on days he doesn't want to sleep is show up after about 2 minutes and say, "Look Mommy, I wake now! I all done sleepin!" I try to explain he has to sleep before he can wake, but he's not interested. He is just as loving and sensitive as he is wide open and rough though. I can't get enough of him and his sweet hugs!
Ava is doing well and will hit the 10 month mark in a few days. Crazy how fast another first b'day is approaching! She's been cruising for a few weeks and wants badly to walk. She's hit all of her gross motor skills a tad early so far with all her trying to keep up in this house! Of course, Bryson and Emma get excited about all the milestones and try to help her catch up with them. : ) She is still very laid back and very happy! I LOVE to hear her get started laughing, and we all love to do what it takes to bring it out of her! She quit sleeping so well at 4 months, which coincided with teething. She's been back and forth and has some random nights where she'll make it all the way, but I miss those early days! I hate the nights with teething and/or growing pains! I don't know if she has a low pain tolerance, but she is all about crying and restlessness and LOTS of nursing when she is not feeling quite right. We've just been getting her on solids the past few weeks. She as not interested in eating for a while and would gag herself on the third bite every time I tried feeding her. She's all about getting Emma and Bryson's food though! The doctor was concerned about her weight at her 9 month check up as she was only 15 lbs. 5 oz. We are not concerned though...she's growing, thriving, hitting all the milestones, and I think looks very healthy. I still cannot see why he worries when he is standing there looking at their small mother! Anyway, she is waving too and actually started saying, "bye, bye" with her wave this week. She's said what sounds like Momma a good many times, esp when I put her in her crib screaming. She has started standing on her own for a few seconds at a time this week too. My sweet little Ava is very adamant about being held when she's tired too and is starting to stick her hand down my shirt like Bryson. Hoping we're not heading for similar attachment issues. She LOVES bath time and swimming! She also loves crawling into my shower--what a pain! Unfortunately, she seems to be the most interested child in outlets. The other two didn't seem too drawn to those, but she won't keep her hands away!
Ben is doing well. Business seems to be going pretty strong these days, and he is working toward starting some building. The kids can't wait for him to get him each evening so they can run crazy with him!
I am doing well too. I am forever trying to keep up with life and keep priorities in the right order. I can't stand not to be organized and have a very clean house, but I have to let that go more than I would like to give my children adequate time. They are growing up so fast though, and I am so sad when I go to bed sometimes and realize I didn't take full advantage of being at home with them that day. What women doesn't struggle with balance though? I directed our VBS last month, and that was wonderful! It wasn't bad until the last two weeks. Those were, of course, hectic. The kids did great though and were so patient with me! I made myself let go of a few things there too when I realized I was really pushing my family too much. Ben may say I didn't let go of enough, but it was worth the lack of sleep and all the work to do such a great ministry for the Lord! We planned for 100 for material purposes, and the first day we had 96 I think...I came home that afternoon worn out and a little stressed. As I was trying to work out a few things and talked to Ben he asked why I was so surprised we had so many. He said, "Weren't you planning for 100?" I was very convicted--me of little faith!! I guess it was like most other times in life when you have big goals with an "out" for the Lord. We had an incredible week western style and had an awesome closing ceremony/western fest as well. One of our songs, was "Rock of Ages"...I still catch Emma singing, "Rock a manger!" How cute is that!? The volunteers were amazing too, and I was humbled by their service! We had an awesome drama team that did a great job presenting the gospel in the afternoons--lots or parents tried to get there early just to catch them. My mom was "Jake the Snake" and is still talked about among the kids. What a blessing to be a part of such an amazing week!
A couple of weeks before VBS started, Ben's PapPap lost his short battle with cancer and went to be with the Lord. It was a blessing to not have to watch him suffer a long time, but it's never easy to let go of a loved one. Thankfully we got to visit him at the hospital for closure before he passed into eternity. Emma still points out the way to his apartment every time we pass the road. I was really worried about her when we found out he had cancer. That is three people very close to us who died within 10 months. She handled well and is very matter of fact about death. In fact, it is probably the reason she knew enough about the need for Salvation and going to Heaven. She may not have already accepted the Lord's call without all of those experiences. She just told me the other day that she can't wait to go to Heaven and see how tall God is! She really talks very openly about dying and Heaven and is very matter of fact about it. Wish I could take it as gracefully!
The morning after VBS we loaded down the Honda and headed to Garden City! I was too worn out to go on vacation, and three kids 4 and under makes for a very different definition of vacation. It's all about making memories for them now. No more lounging on the beach doing what I want and sleeping in--our kids sleep in way more than they did at the beach. I thought for sure the sun and sand would wear them out and give us some good sleep--WRONG! It was a wonderful, fun week but went by WAY too fast! Our pastor suggested we send the kids home with the family next year and stay a few days! ; ) That would be nice! Ava loved the sand so much you could frequently find her covered and eating it! Emma, Bryson, and Will had a blast building in the sand, being buried, jumping in the waves and going for walks. Grandmother brought her best friend, Billie, which was a huge blessing since this was our first trip without Granddaddy. We had a princess b'day party for the two of them, and they ate it up. It was too cute! I always love the minutes I can steal away by the ocean and try to comprehend how big and mighty God is. It just blows my mind that that's only a taste of his splendor, and it really blows my mind that people can witness creation like that and not even blink at its majesty and power, much less bow the Creator. I am grateful and humbled that He chose me to abide in Him! I for sure don't want any part of His wrath when watching the ocean roar.
Here's to hoping I will soon post some pictures and also write shorter, more frequent entries.