Someday

Someday. Seems like such an ordinary word, but it isn't really. I would be willing to bet that most of us are subconsciously addicted to that word as we are constantly grasping for that next phase of life that will surely be easier than the one we are currently living. For me as a stay at home Mom, I at least think this word one hundred times a day. Someday I won't have kids in diapers. Someday we will be past screaming and throwing fits. Someday I will take that photography class, be able to focus my energy on more creative things. Someday I will be able to go to the grocery store without at least one child on my hip. Someday I will be finished with diapers and wiping other people's backsides.  Someday I will be able to volunteer more. Someday I will be able to go on a walk without pushing a stroller. Someday I will get to all those house projects that have been gnawing away at my sanity. Someday I will have time to do something for me. Just because I want to. Someday I will be able to cook dinner without tripping over crying, hungry children as my pot is burning on the stove.  Someday. Someday the possibilities are endless. A word that has so many meanings.

Don't get me wrong, I am not wishing away this stage of chaos when the days are looooooong but the years are short.  It's just that it's quite impossible to keep from daydreaming about my someday.  And it will come....all too soon, I am certain.  So I am choosing to focus on now.  Because for now, I have this.....

 These children. Precious and innocent children. Barefoot in the rain.

 Last night we went outside to watch a storm come in.  It ended up just raining and so we let the boys play in the rain. And it dawned on me that nothing encompasses the perfection of childhood more than playing in the rain.  A seemingly simple act, but oh so significant.  It's the epitome of being a child.  It's what it's all about....

 So innocent, sweet, and pure.  Just soaking up life.

 Not a care in the world. 

 Laughing and having fun.

 Building bonds with their siblings that will last forever.

I am privileged to spend my every day loving and taking care of these precious little beings. It's the little moments like yesterday when William announced that he wanted to spend some of his allowance money to buy a toy for each of his brothers.  (Which we took him to do).  My heart grew about 100 times.  Or how Charlie is starting to voluntarily tell me he loves me....and proceeds to tell me how much by stretching out his arms.  Or when Shep runs as fast as his fat little feet can carry him to run into my arms.  It's moments like these that I am living for and that make all the spills and fits and everything in between more than worth it.  I am blessed beyond words.  So for now, my someday can wait.

Easter in Texas

Easter 2012 was spent at MiMi and Grandad's in Texarkana.  The boys always love going down there, and MiMi and Grandad spoil us rotten!  Wm and Charlie got to go fishing with William and Grandad on Saturday morning.  The pictures are on William's phone, but they had fun.  Wm caught his first bass, and Charlie caught a few brim.

Saturday after naps, the boys hunted easter eggs.  They were all at such different stages of, well, egg hunting, if you will.  William just wanted to get the most eggs at the fastest pace.  Charlie just wanted the ones with candy, so he would find one, shake it to see if there was anything in it, throw it if it was empty, put it in his sack if there was something.  He might to stop to eat some, and then hunt some more.  Shep would find an egg, try to get it open, try to get the candy open, eat it, and then when he was finished, oops...all the eggs were gone, so he went and bummed off his big brothers.  :)

We need to take a video of Shep running on those trunks we call legs.  It's hilarious.  He moves and twists every part of his body, and he is so dang happy every time he runs.

After the egg hunt wound down, uncle Chris stopped by.  One of his partners had killed an alligator on his land, and William and Charlie got to go see it.  Hot diggity dog!  A week later, Charlie is still talking about the blood coming out of the alligator's eyes.  Gross to me, cool in the mind of a little boy.

Easter morning....loading up on snacks before taking the boys to church.

I don't know what I was thinking letting them have a cookie AFTER they were dressed and right before we were taking them to church where they needed to be quiet and behave.  Somehow, their clothes came out unscathed.  ;)

I hope I look as good as MiMi does when I'm her age.  Isn't she pretty??

Not the best family picture, but come on....we are all 5 looking at the camera, and no one is making a silly face or crying.  That's a monumental victory in my book!!

And then the sugar starts to kick in....

Shep (who's name has been changed from Sweet Baby to Sweet Mess), knows he's about to be told not to pull those books off the table......but he's wondering "how far can I go before somebody stops me??"

Look at those chunky trunks.  Yummy yummy rolls!

So after all the picture hoopla, we went to church.  Shep lasted oh, about 2 minutes.  Charlie and William did remarkably well.  Then, we had lunch at the country club.  They always have a wonderful buffet with lots of food options.  I'm pretty sure we disrupted the entire dining room, but perhaps that's just me being the paranoid mom of a screaming 1 1/2 year old.  After a brief run on the golf course, Sweet Mess conked out in the car.  It was a happy happy celebration day, and we are so fortunate to have such special family to share it with!

Spring Break

For not taking any trips over Spring Break, we stayed PLENTY busy!  The first weekend, the boys all went to Mom's house so William and I could have a few days to ourselves in Hot Springs.  It was wonderful for us all!!  The rest of the week we (shocker) played outside....

went to the Museum of Discovery with Anne and her girls....

 they were having a dinosaur exhibit with one of the characters, Buddy, from Dinosaur Train.  Neat-O....except we were there on the day they set their all time attendance record.  Lucky us, huh?  It was a zoo, but the kids had fun.  

You can totally read Shep's mind....oooh, that looks like something fun to get into.  I'm still in shock he was still long enough for me to take this picture.  He. Did. Not. Stop.   

Wm and Charlie got to go canoeing with Daddy one afternoon.  I wish I had pictures to share.  I'm sure it was hard having to watch the boys and maneuver the boat, so I'll give him a pass this time for not being able to take any pictures.  :)

 A little rain doesn't slow down Wm's outdoor play.  I was just so happy he wasn't sitting in the mud for once!

**The following pictures were uploaded from my phone, and I don't have the time to figure out why they are distorted.  Someday.

Shep got his first black eye.  He was trying to climb up a stool and fell....I think he hit his face on a kitchen cabinet.  This child is a climber, but he is clumsy as all get out.  He falls no less than 20 times a day.  I'm sure people have wanted to scold me for not being a more caring mother when he screams after a big wipe out.  But when it is the most common occurrence at my house, I tend to blow it off most of the time.  I can't spend my entire day comforting boo boo number one thousand and fifty four.  But ouch.....

Shep also got to visit MiMi and Grandad in Texas for the first time all by himself!  I think they had a ball, and it was nice for me to be able to take the older two to do things I can't do with Shep.  Charlie got to go to his first movie with William and me....The Lorax.  I took them to a new pedestrian bridge that's by the Arkansas River, and they had a ball climbing, riding bikes, and running around.  Getting dirty again. They had so much fun that we did it again the next day.  

We found a baby frog by the river.  He was soooooo cute!  The boys got a kick out of him.

I'm sure I am forgetting some things, but I've slept since then.  All in all, it was a fun week!

More Outdoors

Since the weather turned nice outside (um, about mid-February), we have lived outside!  William comes home from school at about 2:30.  The boys eat a snack, and out we go until dinner time.  These boys are dirty, they tear up our backyard, they dissect bugs and critters, but they have a ball just being kids.  Love these little munchkins to pieces!!

We also made another trip to Mt Ida at the end of February.  The Oosterhous crew came and visited Saturday night. I love this picture of Ben and Charlie.  One can only imagine what they are talking about while taking a break from 4 wheeler riding.  Pretty serious stuff, it appears. 

The Oosterhous boys were all super sweet to Shep, of course.  I was so glad to see their precious little Momma, Kara.  Our boys get together several times a year, but the mommy's paths rarely seem to cross.  One of us is usually staying home with a baby or something of the sort.  I loved catching up with her and sharing stories about raising 3 boys!  

 Zac and Shep

 Let the wrestle mania begin!!!

 Somebody is needing a second wind....hot dog please!!

 uh huh.  I did it. Whatcha gonna do about it?

 Cannot make a non-silly face to save their lives.  

 Dinner of champions: chips, hot dogs, chips, pickles, chips, and chips. ;)

 Well rested and ready to have at it again!