He'll be a butterfly, someday

but for now he is my caterpillar.

"Why?!?!"

Seems to be the word of the month!

"Do you love me?"....why?

"Dad, do you have to go to work?"....why?

"Tyler, am I your buddy?"....why?

"Is it raining outside?"....why?

I don't always have all the answers to his questions but today when he was standing on my feet dancing with me in the kitchen and looked up at me and said,

"Mom, do want me to stay little?"

I knew the answer

"Yes, son, you know that I do."

"Why?"

"Because if you get too big you won't be able to stand on my feet and dance with me."

The day is coming when it will all be a memory. He is going to spread his wings and fly.

I heard this song today and as I fought back tears I thought on my kids...

"You're gonna be"

by Reba McEntire

6lbs and 9oz. lookin' up at me

Like I have all the answers

I hope I have the ones you need

I've never really done this,

now I know what scared is

Sometimes I'll protect you from everything that's wrong

Other times I'll let you just find out on your own

But that's when you'll be growin',

And the whole time I'll be knowin

(chorus)

You're gonna fly, with every dream you chase

You're gonna cry, but know that that's okay

Sometimes life's not fair, but if you hang in there

You're gonna see that sometimes bad is good

We just have to believe things work out like they should

Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me

You're gonna be

I'm afraid you'll have to suffer through some of my mistakes

Lord knows I'll be trying to give you what it takes

What it takes to know the difference

Between getting by and livin'

‘Cause anything worth doing is worth doing all the way

Just know you'll have to live with all the choices that you make

So make sure you're always givin' way more than you're takin'

(chorus)

You're gonna be

Someone's everything

You're gonna see

Just what you are to me

You're gonna fly with every dream you chase

We just have to believe things work out like they should

Life has no guarantees, but always loved by me

You're gonna be

Always loved by me

The rest of the story...

Thursday morning we packed up the kids and headed to Columbus. We planned on going to Cosi and then off to the zoo on Friday morning. Thursday went as planned. Cosi is a very "hands on" place and the kids really enjoyed it.

Isaiah was in waterpipe heaven! The point was to build a waterline from the wall spigot to the metal bowl. He eventually got there with a little help from daddy!

This is Tyler using a pulley to pull himself up.

They got to climb down into a submarine.

Tyler is riding the Gravity Unicyle. It was a unicyle on a tight wire that you rode back and forth from the second floor...he was a little nervous but he set aside his fear of heights and went for it!

This was another pulley and, yes, they really did lift that car!

After that it was off to the hotel for some pizza and swimming. I don't know why but my kids love to stay in hotels.

Friday morning we headed to the zoo. The weather man said it wasn't going to rain until that evening, he was wrong! We got to the zoo and decided to see the aquarium first when we came out it was pouring! So, we ran from one building to the next hoping that when we came out of one the rain would stop but, no such luck. We then went, had our hand stamped so we could reenter if we wanted and took the kids to see The Karate Kid. (I had to laugh the other day when a friend said her kids had carnival food for dinner because my kids had popcorn for lunch this day! Terrible, I know!). After the movie, the rain actually stopped so we went back to the zoo. We ended up enjoying the rest of our day that rain wasn't going to bring us down!

Oh, and by the way, we stopped and had a huge dinner on the way home! One way to guarantee your kids will finish dinner...feed them popcorn at lunch!
(Really, I don't recommend that!)

Our little vacation

Bill took last week off work and we decided to take advantage of our time together.

We packed a lunch and went to the Akron zoo on Tuesday. It is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

On Wednesday, we took the kids to the Natatorium to go swimming. They have a really nice pool with a water slide and a kiddie area. Tyler and Jacob really enjoyed the slide. Joshua was just an inch to short but he didn't care, he spent his time in the kiddie pool with Isaiah. I am so impressed by this picture of Isaiah, to get him to look at the camera when you take his picture is a good day but to get in looking and smiling...that is a miracle!

We spent the next two days in Columbus. We had a really good time and we were not about to let the weather rain on our parade!

More on that later...

What a lovely start

to summer vacation!

I started our summer vacation out in the hospital. I had a bladder infection that turned into a kidney infection that was being resistant to antibiotics. Found out I am allergic to some medication and passed a kidney stone somewhere along the way! That is an experience I do not want to go through again. To top it off they were dragging their feet about releasing me even though they told me the infection had cleared up. My husband had to go in there and pretty much tell them to take the IV out of my arm because he was taking me home.

Then, last night someone vandalized our pool. The one thing that makes our kids happiest over summer vacation now has a 3 inch puncture in the side. Bill is out there draining it, patching it, and refilling it. I don't think I have to tell you how happy he is!

It is only Day 3 of summer vacation, I hope this isn't a sign of how it is going to be!

"Great Protector"

The other day I was listening to Jacob and Joshua playing hot wheels together. I hear Jacob say, "Can I borrow your shot gun? I need to shoot a deer." Joshua says, "Just don't shoot the babies...(pause)...and don't shoot the moms either!" So, I ask him why he doesn't want Jacob to "shoot" the moms and he says, "Because they are protecting their babies!" I then asked him if people moms are the same way and he said yes.

It's funny that he said that because Bill calls me the "Great Protector" and maybe I am. If I could I would never let any hurt come into my kids lives. I know that is not possible but what kind of mom would I be, if my natural instinct wasn't to protect. Nothing hurts me more than seeing them go through something that is out of my control or something I don't have answers for.

And just a random tidbit: The other day we were at Steak-n-Shake and there was this couple who were senior citizens. They were sitting next to each other, sharing their food and talking to each other...I hope that I am in love like that after all the kids have gone. It was so nice to see love that is forever.

My coupon book

For Mother's Day this year, Jacob made me a coupon book at school. I just thought I would share with you the coupons I get to choose from.

~I will clean my room

(He forgot to add without arguing and complaining)

~I will make you breakfast

(Bill said, "Oh no!")

~We will take a walk

(Oh, will we?)

~I will let you choose the game

(At first,I was confused but then figured out he was talking about the Wii)

~I will let you pick a show

(This one really made me laugh because the DVR in our living room might as well be labeled, for kids only, because I am not sure there is a show recorded for anyone over the age of 8)

I am sure that I will forever cherish that book, never "cashing" in a coupon because I don't want to rip it.

Life ain't always beautiful...

...sometimes you fight with your husband

...sometimes your teenage son makes you cry

...sometimes your kids tell you to leave them alone

...sometimes when you love someone you have to let them fall as long as they know you are there to catch them

...sometimes life is just hard

but there is always tomorrow and chances are it will be better.

For about the last four years this bird and its mate have made a home on our front porch. That is when I know it is spring. For me, spring reminds me of new beginnings. Often I find myself in a rut, sometimes I think the situation I am going through is the way it's going to be. But as sure as the flowers are going to bloom and those birds are going to come back, things come and go.

And sometimes, no, most times, life is beautiful!

Sometimes I need to be reminded of that