The Need to Stop and Smell the Roses (or Vincas, as the case may be)

Right now, my life seems to be running away from me. I am struggling to keep up and it is just a matter of time before things start to unravel. There is always more that needs to be done. There is always more laundry, another diaper to change, and a meal that should have been eaten an
hour ago. I'm so concerned about my household chores that are going undone that I have started to move them to the top of my "to do" list.

My little boys are into everything, so I feel that I spend most of my day keeping them from killing themselves, or each other. They love to climb, so keeping them off my kitchen table is a real chore. They open cupboards, that they have broke the child locks on, and get boxes of cereal out all day long. I finally put all the cereal on the counter, until we replace the lock.

Dalin is now realizing how little time we get to spend with him. When we do have time for him, it is usually filled with chores and homework. He needs so much more than I feel I can give him. We try hard to spend one on one time with him, but it doesn't always happen the way he wished it did.

Bryan is missing me and the time we used to spend together, he often feels like a 4th child, I'm sure. He wants to go to the movies and out to dinner with just me, but getting a babysitter can be expensive. It's also hard to leave the twins now, because I know how hard they are to control. I worry about what they are going to get into.

But lately, my boys have had a way of making me stop and enjoy all the things I have in my life.

The other day, we played in the backyard for over an hour, it was as if time stood still. They played, and I took pictures. I believe that this time we spent together was a gift from Heaven. A gentle reminder that I have a lot to be grateful for. It made me stop and think about how fast my life is passing me by. My babies are growing up way too fast and I'm too busy to enjoy it. I need to slow down and enjoy my family now!

We need to make memories together and build the kind of eternal relationships we are striving to have with each other. My kids don't care if the dishes are done, or the laundry is folded, all they want is my undivided attention. I'm going to strive to give them that!! The priorities in my life are changing and my family members are going to be #1 on my "to do" list. Since the death of my cousin's little angel, Kamber, my life with my family here on Earth seems very temporary. I want to enjoy every moment I have with my kids and husband, because I never know what tomorrow will bring.

A Trip to the Zoo

We went for a real quick trip to the zoo today. It was too hot to stay for very long, but we needed to get out of the house. I took the twins to the zoo last year, many times. But, of course, they don't remember it, so this was a whole new experience for them. It was so fun to watch their eyes light up as we walked toward the giraffe exhibit.

Matthew looked up at me with such a cute expression as if to say, "Mom, that is a real giraffe, look, it is moving!'' He kept looking at the giraffe and then me, the giraffe and then me, over and over. It was so cute to see. Micah just kicked his feet and pointed at all the animals he could see. He wanted to know what everything was!

They loved to see the Squirrel Monkeys. You can't take a stroller into their little village, so I was a little nervous that the boys would run in different directions, but they were too in awe of the monkeys. As they jumped from tree to tree, Micah would laugh. Matthew would jump like them and smile real big!

Next to the monkeys was a brand new water area. I guess it was designed for the older kids at the zoo, but we were told it was worth showing my boys anyway. OH MY GOSH!! It was so fun! In fact, it was fun enough that I may have to pull Dalin out of school to come and see before it cools off too much and they turn the water off. There is a cave with waterfalls, a little stream that my boys chased each other in, and water slides. Here is a very short video inside the cave, so you can get an idea of what it was like.

It was such a fun way to cool off in the heat, it ended up being 106 degrees today, not the best day to visit the zoo. Oh well, we had a blast anyway and can't wait to go again!! I'll post more pictures when we return with Dalin.

My Boys and their Toys

Bryan absolutely loves his three boys. Well, he loves their toys anyway!! I think that he is reliving his childhood through the eyes of our little boys. This weekend we had fun with the boys an their toys. First, we charged up Bryan and Dalin's R/C cars. (Yes, Bryan has his own car!!) They haven't raced them up and down the street since the springtime, obviously because of the heat, so Dalin was real excited.

I remembered that the babies really enjoyed watching the cars, last spring, as they raced around their feet, so we went out to watch. Bryan and Dalin were so fun to watch as they raced each other and did tricks in the road, each trying to out do the other. Dalin really gave Bryan a run for his money, now that he is getting the hang of it. Bryan even let Matthew and Micah have a chance to try. They were so cute as they watched their dad and brother from their swings!!

After the R/C car batteries died on us, we ate dinner, and then headed out in the Rhino. Now that it is starting to cool off as the sun goes down, Bryan had been dying to take us for a ride. It was so pretty as the sun set behind us. I tried to get a good picture of the boys, but this is the best I could do. It was so fun to be together as a family all day today and have such a good time. Even with a six year gap between our boys, there are still plenty of things we can all do together.

Only Child or Big Brother??

I knew from the beginning that I did not want Dalin to be an only child. Although only children do have the benefit of never having to share their parents with another child or their toys for that matter, I still think they miss out on some of the fun of growing up. I didn't want Dalin to be alone, which was why we tried so hard to have another baby. I also knew, deep down, that there were more little spirits waiting to join our family, I just couldn't seem to get them here.

As Dalin got older and older, many people gave me a hard time (including my dear husband). The comment was always the same. He is so old now that they won't play together anyway. He'll still be an only child, at heart. Well, I'm happy to announce that they were so very, very wrong. Dalin is almost six years older than Matthew and Micah. That is quite a gap, but you would never guess how little difference that has made.

Dalin spends a lot of time playing with his baby brothers. Sure, there are a lot of times when he does his own thing and he wants them to move to Alaska (like Sunday), but there are just as many times that he is right in the thick of things, singing the Itsy, Bitsy Spider, watching the Wonder Pets, or reading books to his brothers. His favorite thing lately has been to chase them through the house getting them all worked up. They love their big brother and it is obvious in this video below. Big brother is definitely better than only child!!

Lunch Dates

It has got to be hard to leave everything and everyone you love behind and move to another state. That is exactly what Bryan's family did for us this summer. As much as they all wanted to live close to their brother, they still dearly miss Colorado.

The littlest girls have struggled at lunch time finding someone to be their friend and sit with them. Lunch can be pretty lonely when you have to sit alone! Matthew, Micah, and I decided we would visit them and see if we couldn't brighten their day. Last week, we had lunch with Mariah, and yesterday we had lunch with Mareena.

The twins fit right in as they sat at the big table with the girls. They even got to go down the slide a few times when we went out to the playground. We created quite a scene and both girls were flooded with attention as all of the other kids wanted to know who these babies were and why there were two of them.

It was fun to watch them as they showed off their baby nephews. Dalin shows off his babies all the time, but for Mariah and Mareena this was a new thing. I hope these special lunch dates help make the move a little more bearable.

Diamondbacks Fan in the Making

Today, Dalin's best friend, James, invited him to go to a Diamondback's game. We went to the store after school and bought him a Diamondback's hat to wear to the game. He couldn't wait to show James. He wanted to know who they were playing, so we checked their schedule on line and found out that they were playing the Giants. Then, he asked, "Are we allowed to cheer at this kinds of game, or do we have to be quiet, like at church?" He was thrilled to hear that cheering was definitely allowed.

We have only taken him one time before, and that was a few years ago, so I wasn't sure he even understood where he was really going. The more we talked though, the more I realized how much he remembered from three years earlier. (Kids are amazing!!) You would have thought they were going to Disneyland, he was so hyper, and he could hardly wait to be picked up.

When he got home, he told us all about the game, talking a million miles per minute. Of course the most exciting part was that they had won, 3-1. We struggled to get him in bed because he had so much to tell us. He bought a souveneir bat with the money I sent with him and took it to school the next day to show his class. Thank you, Landon and James for a night that won't soon be forgotten!!

A Day for Dalin

Today was all about Dalin. Unfortunately, he sometimes is left to fend for himself these days. Bryan and I both felt that he needed some time away from his baby brothers, doing "big" boy things. Bryan took him shooting this morning. He loves his BB gun, but was excited to go shoot his "real guns". He loves his 22 Magnum because it has a scope on it. His Uncle Skip gave it to him the last time we visited him in Washington. Bryan said that Dalin is actually a pretty good shot.

When he got home, we quickly fed him lunch and then he went to his best buddy's house for a couple of hours. He always has fun with James! Then after running some errands and getting dinner at In-N-Out Burger, Bryan told him that he needed him to ride his quad. It hasn't been ridden since our last camping trip and the gas and oil needed to be cycled through the engine. So off to the green belt we all went. (Shhh!! Don't tell anyone in the HOA!)

We had Dalin take his brothers on a ride tonight. We've never done that before. Needless to say, his off-road addicted brothers loved it!! Micah wouldn't hold on, so we were nervous that he was going to fall. But Matthew instinctively seemed to know exactily what to do. He had an absolute blast and was not happy when it was time to get off, as you can see below through all of the tears.

It was nice for Dalin to have such a fun day. He said, "I love you, Mom!" too many times to count. It was fun to see him have the attention he deserves!!

Meant To Be

Last week, we celebrated our 14th Anniversary. As I looked through our wedding pictures, I was reminded how simple everything seemed back then. We were in love and wanted to be together and nothing was going to stand in our way. I had no idea how many trials would come our way and how grateful I'd be that I married the man that I did. He has given me three wonderful boys and has stood by my side through many struggles. From the beginning, we were drawn together; I really believe that I knew Bryan before this life began. When we met, it was as if we had met someplace before.

Bryan and I met on New Year's Eve. He came over to my house to see a mutual friend and we spent the entire night flirting while we played games and watched movies! My parents usually kicked my friends and "dates" out of the house at midnight, but he wasn't my friend at the time, so I guess they were OK with him being over. A couple days later, he called and asked me out on our first official date.

We went to TGI Fridays in Scottsdale and saw my first IMAX movie. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. For a senior in hight school who had obviously had losers for boyfriends before this, this was quite a night. I was used to Taco Bell and a $1 movie. One week later, we went out again and this time we realized we were falling in love.

Bryan picked me up early and took me rapelling. I had rapelled before (at Girl's Camp) and was excited to go again. Lucky for me, a guardian angel came along with us because things didn't go so well. Let's just say that I'm not the best rapeller. I ended up hanging upside down on Pinnacle Peak. What a nightmare!! Somehow I didn't pull Bryan over the cliff when I slipped and luckily he managed to pull me back over the cliff to safety.

After our near death experience, we got lunch at Subway and went home to change clothes. Then, Bryan took me to the movies and to Olive Garden for dinner. From that day forward, we saw each other everyday until we were married except the two weeks I was in Hawaii at a volleyball tournament. We were just meant to be together and fell in love from the very beginning.

I definitely felt that we were drawn together. It was "meant to be" as the saying goes. One week after my high school graduation, we were engaged and three months later were married. Our parents thought we were crazy to get married so young, but we knew we were supposed to be together!! Happy Anniversary, Sweety! I love you!!

Celebrating 14 Years

Today Bryan and I celebrated our anniversary. We had big plans this week but, as usual, everything seemed to fall apart as the week went on. We were supposed to go to lunch on our actual anniversary. My mom agreed to babysit and everything. But, our air conditioning in the house went out the night before and Bryan was busy trying to get it fixed. "Happy Anniversary, honey, I bought you a new compressor!!"

Then, today, we planned to go to the movies. We haven't been to the movies alone since the twins were born. We did go see the 5th Harry Potter, but we took the babies with us, so that doesn't really count. As luck would have it, there was not a single movie that looked interesting to either of us. We did go to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, though. Bryan's sisters watched our kids and we managed to escape alone. It was wonderful to have a few minutes to ourselves!!

Riding bikes would be fun, right??

You'd think that riding bikes to school would be fun for a house full of boys. With my boys though, everything has to become an adventure. Dalin has never ridden to school and was pretty excited. The twins don't remember being in the bike trailor, so they were excited, too. We made it to school without complication, and showed Dalin where to put his bike and where we would meet him after school.

On our way back home, we stopped by the park. I took their shoes off and the twins played for about 30 minutes, going down the slides over and over again!! When we'd had enough, I threw them and their shoes in the trailor to head home. This was quite a chore because Matthew did not want to leave and proceeded to throw a tantrum right there in the bike trailor strapped in with Micah. Poor Micah had to deal with his crazy brother.

When we got home and I started to get them out, they got very excited to go inside. That is when I noticed that their shoes were gone. Both pairs were missing, they had thrown them out along the way. Now, I had to put them back into the bike trailor causing both of them to have a melt down. I finally got them buckled in and we retraced our foot steps finding two shoes right away.

As we continued, we saw a neighbor coming with her 2 year old in a stroller and she had our other two shoes. She knew they must be ours and I was confused as to why. She explained that she realized the shoes were different sizes, but exactly the same type and color of shoe. They had to be ours, and she was right. Thank you, Julie!!

So as if that isn't enough, we had more drama when we went to pick Dalin up this afternoon only this time Bryan came with us. Dalin found us right away and we started to ride home, but he struggled to get going. That was when we discovered that he had a flat tire. With no way home, we had to get creative. He hopped on the trailor, holding on for dear life, and Bryan carried his bike. We were quite a sight to see. I think we'll take the truck again on Monday, the bike thing didn't work out quite like I planned!! Maybe we'll try again in a few weeks when it is cooler and I've forgotten how much fun today was.

My Little Dare Devil

This weekend, I sent Bryan into the attic. My little boys had never seen the attic and, of course, saw an opportunity to get themselves into trouble. Micah loved the stairs, but stayed to the bottom two or three steps. Matthew, on the other hand, went all the way to the top. He was mad when he made it to the attic, only to have Bryan hand him back down to me. He wanted to go in so badly. Dalin was with his daddy in the attic and he didn't understand why he couldn't be with them.

Matthew is such a little dare devil. He is not afraid of anything!! He going to be a hard boy to keep tabs on. I'm really afraid for his teenage years. Bryan, on the other hand, is so excited to have someone to jump dirt bikes with. The two of them are going to get into a lot of trouble!!