Hangin' with the Boys Summer '10

Wow, I'm a Mom of 3 boys. All those boys in the above photo are mine... Sometimes, I just have to stand back and take it all in. Don't get me wrong, the first two months were a HUGE challenge for me. I really felt like I was in over my head almost everyday. I spent everyday on my knees saying God, I know you'll get me through this, but honestly I don't know how. And you know what? Everyday He was so good to my whole family. Grandparents spent extra time with us this summer, the boys got used to staying home more than going out and now prefer spending quiet days at home, I learned how much I had been relying on my own strength, and Kurt and I grew closer together as we learned how to be better helpmates for one another. While challenging at times, it was also sooo good to be humbled and truly rely on Christ. Things have settled down into more of a rhythm and I am so thankful for my beautiful, crazy family. Calm we are not, but everyday has more than its share of love and joy in it.

Not that we didn't work in some fun around all the craziness a new babe brings.We decided to upgrade our swing set after two of my boys got on our old one and the thing was moving - big time! I knew as my boys grew, it would not support them all for long. My neighbor kids had just outgrown their playset so it was working out perfectly to update with the one above until.... This playset had set in their yard for over 7 years and literally the night before we were going to move it, a 16 foot branch fell on it and broke several key pieces of the set. We just had to stand back and laugh at the timing. We went ahead and moved it and ordered replacement pieces. Ordering replacement parts during peak season took quite awhile, but finally after a month we were ready to go. It was worth the wait - the boys LOVE it and all 3 will be able to play on it for years to come!It has room for friends too, if you are looking for a playdate give us a call, we would love to have you!!

We enjoyed the "veggies" of our labor from our garden. It was our first year and we were thrilled with all the produce. Anybody need grape or Big Boy tomatoes? We have more than enough to share.I got to spend the day with my beautiful IL cousins in Louisville as my wonderful husband volunteered to take care of all 3 boys by himself so I could go. We range in age from 34 to 17, but when we are all together the talking and laughing are nonstop!My oldest turned 5!! And Transformers are now his World. I never dreamed I would know so much about Autobots and Decepticons. He also quizzes me on the Transformer cartoons I watched when I was little (I had an older brother). He's turned into such a great big brother and we are proud of who he is becoming and look forward to seeing him continue to mature.And the boys had their first campout on Friday night - and it was a complete success. We thought for sure they would end up inside by morning time. But both boys loved it and are looking forward to the church Father/Son campout in a few weeks. Grant even slept in until almost 9 am!And how is the newest babe? So sweet and easygoing - thank goodness! Everyday he is becoming more aware and loves to smile and coo - especially at his brothers. He is a good sleeper and seems to always have been part of our family. We are blessed to be the crazy party of five!