My Babies

I miss my little tiny kiddos.

But don't get me wrong. I've really been loving having older kids. It is super fun, and life right now is pretty easy. I know it won't last forever, considering that adolescence is right around the corner, and one child will follow right behind the other through this sometimes rough stage. But for right now, with kids at 11,9,7,5, we're just sailing along. My job is much less labor-intensive, and it is turning out to be more brain-intensive.

But as I look through these old pictures, I pine for the old days. I didn't know if I ever really would, even though people said, "Enjoy these days. They go so fast." I felt so bogged down in the diaper-changing-nursing-potty/training-homeschooling mode, and doing it all at the same time, that I do feel as though I missed some of the sweetness of the whole season.

If I had it to do over again, I'd "stop and smell the roses". I wouldn't strive so hard for perfection, out of myself or my children. I'd throw responsibility to the wind and leave the house a mess for a whole day to sit and cuddle with my baby, read the same book over and over to my two-year old, build blocks with my four-year old, and answer any question (within reason) that my six-year old asked.

Contentment is often described as enjoying what you have (and where you are in life) instead of focusing on and wishing for what you don't. (Wanting what you have, not having what you want.) I'm choosing to be content right now, and I'm so thankful to the Lord for the sweet memories of our family's history.

Conversation, Overheard, or Big Brothers Missed

Our big boys, Ryley and Josiah, are with Jeremy right now on a much anticipated Boy Scout snowmachine/camping trip. This has left the three remaining Coke family members in an unusual, unprecedented situation. The guys left at 6:30 Wednesday morning and we expect them home around 4:00 today (Saturday). The first two days were super fun and relaxing for me. In fact, for the first time ever, I fed my kiddos cold cereal for dinner. And we ate it in front of the tv on tv trays while watching A Night at the Museum. But the third and fourth days, I must admit, have been super boring. I can't believe how different everything is around here. Here are several things I was concerned about. (I mentioned these to R and J before they left.)

1. I'd have to take the garbage out by myself. (Isaac's not tall enough to reach over the sides of the garbage trailer.)
2. I'd have to unload the dishwasher. (That's Josiah's morning chore.)
3. I'd have to clean the BOYS' bathroom! (yuck...that's Ryley's morning chore.)

Although the list does go on, I'm sure you're getting the idea. But I've found out that I had no need to worry.

1. I've yet to empty the garbage can. (The boys empty it once-a-day, usually.)
2. While we usually run the dishwasher twice-per-day when every one's home, I've only run it once-a-day and even then, it's about 3/4 full.
3. Cleaning the boys' bathroom is a breeze when you only have ONE boy missing the target.

I really miss my guys.

Just now, I overheard the following conversation. (Isaac and Anna just came in from outside and they are enjoying hot cocoa together.) At the risk of appearing, um, un-p.c., I'll write it exactly as it was spoken. (Unlike a true media reporter.)

Anna:
Is Barack Obama a Christian?

Isaac:
Well, I heard him on the radio once.

Anna:
Does Barack Obama lie?
We wanted Sarah Palin.
*******************(okay, I did it...I edited for content. I'm trying to be wise, here. If you really want to know what else was said, give me a call and I'll tell you, over my corded wall phone...)
Because we wanted Sarah Palin.

Isaac:
No, we wanted the guy with the white hair.
Sarah Palin was gonna work for him.

Anna:
Yeah. Why doesn't that guy ever talk?

Isaac:
Hey, how many marshmallows do you have left?

Anna:
I have a green and a pink.

Isaac:
Do you need a spoon? I need a spoon.

As I sit here, I can't help but wonder how that conversation would have changed if their older, more enlightened brothers were partaking.

My Valentine

Jeremy's a stud. Seriously. Guess what he did for me??? He bought a sweet smashed up '04 GMC Yukon XL with 37,000 miles on it and with a bunch of elbow grease and ingenuity fixed it all up and saved us a TON of money. After it was all fixed up, including all the new windows we needed, various other parts, and all the quarters it took to vacuum up three windows' worth of glass, we have less than half its' blue book value into it.

Now we're selling the van and the blue book on it is the same as the amount we put into the Yukon!!

And the cool thing is that he did this for me because it's what I wanted. It means way more to me than if he'd gone out and bought one from a dealer. Which, by the way, would have been much easier and more fun for him.

See? I told you. He's a stud.

A Beautiful Sunday

We had a great afternoon yesterday. We loaded up after lunch and went up to "the property". Jeremy took his snowmachine (or rather, it took us) and we made a bit of a caravan behind it. We tied the sled up behind, then Ryley was on his snowboard holding a rope behind that! (Sort of like water skiing.)

It was beautiful with TONS of fresh, fluffy snow. We enjoyed every moment. We arrived home at 7:30 and I made some chicken noodle soup and cornbread. We ate a warm, filling late dinner and crashed into bed.

Happy Birthday, Honey!!

We celebrated Jeremy's birthday on Friday. The kids and I spent the day getting ready for his birthday party in the evening. Daddy chose pizza for his birthday dinner, much to the approval of all the kids. I baked two cakes (one gluten cake and one gluten free) and we decorated. At 7:00, some friends and family came over. We had a great time. The big hit of the evening was playing Rock Band (thanks for sharing it, Nate and Elizabeth!) The kids played for a bit, then we put them to bed (the cousins, too!) and the adults played deep into the night. Our last guests left and we fell into bed at about 1:30!

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate Jeremy!