The day I almost killed my "Are you crazy???" oldest child.

Since I've been little I have been afraid of rivers.
I love them....walking by them, looking at them, even eating ice cream next to them....
....but they make me nervous.

I have this fear of someone falling in and being sucked down and dragged for miles and miles
underwater and found years later tangled in weeds.

There are signs next to this particular {very wide and deep and fast moving} river
with a little stick figure and arrows pointing down. Pointing down as in...
...The river will suck you under! and you'll be dead in two seconds!

The signs say strong current. There are warning signs and danger signs all over the place.
{okay...there are two signs..but to me, a nervous mom, that's tons of signs everywhere..Ha!}

Yesterday afternoon we were out and about...the day was beautiful..
...so we decided to take a quick walk by the river since we were so close.

I was standing on the grass next to the big bridge when I look over and see....

THIS!!!!!!! I wanted to kill him. I don't think I was ever more angry with a child in my life!
My body was numb....my legs felt like jell-o.
{but yeah, I still snapped a picture...not sure why???..to show his father?
who would have probably done the same thing} Why do I have a house full of dare-devils?

How did he get up there? How was he going to get down?
Did he want his mother to have a heart attack?

That' it! No more Dude Perfect Videos in this house! ;)

It's not my little kids I have to worry about taking to the river! It's my 17 year old.
Oh little Frankie..you who are already pulling yourself up onto the coffee table...I'm in trouble.

Life with boys. So much fun and it's also turning my hair grey.

XxOo

Carrots.

Carrots.
High in Vitamin A. Rich in Antioxidants.
Great for digestion. Good for your hair, eyes, teeth and nails.
They taste good too.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love having a baby in our house again?
Well, I do.

It's another rainy day here in the Midwest....
....my kids are starting to speak with British accents!
The positive side to rain in the forecast every single day {except Thursday}..
....Everything is lush and green and beautiful.

Happy Tuesday.
XxOo

They had my camera...the number was 15.

Wool sweater and hot coffee in the afternoon....why are you so cold in May Illinois?

Right now I'm freezing and tempted to have my boys light a fire in the wood stove.

One day the girls and I {Frankie in wrap} were walking around the city.
while down there....they asked for my camera. (the girls..not Frankie ;)

I usually give them a number and tell them that is the amount of photos they can take....
...otherwise I would have 200 pictures to delete when they were finished!

I love to watch them...they take it so serious. Hold the camera high.low.get down.turn on angles.
They try to capture the "perfect shot"...what they see in their mind.

...and how wonderful that they have the opportunity to do this now!

Remember the days of film? That was expensive to experiment with, right?
Giving them 15 photos each would have cost $8-$10 after developing.

Thought I'd share a few I found from my camera....not sure who took which ones...
{confession...I did edit them a little..but just a little}

 

I guess me shopping was picture worthy.
Hello Madewell  ...I'll take one of each thank you.

Lunch at Shake Shack.
Little cheeseburgers burnt into the tabletop.

We happened upon an art exhibit. The girls were thrilled.

That's one of the things I love about Chicago...
...there is always something fun going on.

Go ahead, visit without any plan! I promise you'll have a great time and find a million things to do.

{This last one I took of Sophia}

Okay...I need a second home in the city.
I was thinking this one or something like this.
If anyone wants to buy it for me...I'd appreciate it and I'll also act surprised. :)


Hope you have a Great Memorial Day Weekend!
Happy Friday. XxOo

Just a little about the weekend.

He has hidden chef super powers....he used them all weekend long. I was just the clean-up girl.
Two days off of cooking...it made me realize how much time it takes out of my day.
I don't mind...I love to be in the kitchen, but it does take time!

I wish I had a clocker on him...something that keeps track of the amount of kisses he gets in a day.
I'm sure the numbers would be in the billions.

Sunday we..*cough*...Jeff grilled pizzas for us.
But I stood next to him and told him how great he was. So that counts, right? ;)

Tip of the day...
If your baby takes a binky/pacifier/nuk.....make sure you remember to take it with you on the train.
Especially if it's early morning and passengers are on their way to work. ;)

Happy new week to you.
XxOo

Where We Share Tunes on Friday.

"Keep those wrists up"....littlest brother teaches biggest brother.

Music is so delicious....

We sing this to Frankie now that he's Big Stuff.
{although we give him all our love..Ha!}...{and check out her hair...now that's BIG stuff!}

My sister got me hooked... LOVE these guys!
Take a listen to their whole album...Jeff and I have almost burned it out. ;)

Liz fact...I'm scared in my basement when it's night time. I run up the stairs saying over and over...
Greater is He that is in me than he that is of this world. Jeff laughs every time.
So when he heard it.....He played this for me.   Overplayed on the radio? Yes, but I still like it.

I'm not a big wine drinker...but I do have dirty dishes in the kitchen sink!...
this song, I love it so much...A rainy evening song while sitting on the porch.


The bad in life isn't so bad if you focus on the important people,
the ones who mean the most, the ones who are there for you thick and thin,
the ones who love you no matter what...it will be alright.


What are you up to this weekend?
I think I'm going to plant striped Italian beets {new to me this year}
and some more herbs in my herb garden. And Jeff will be home!!! Yay, Yay, Yay!
I love weekends.  Have a great one.
XxOo

These two!!!

These two little guys...the youngest of all the cousins.
I foresee a lot of backyard tent sleeping, cowboy wrangling, bug collecting, fishing, wrestling,
bike riding, baseball.football.basketball playing in their future.

I am thankful to live only 7 minutes away from {one of} my sisters.
They don't appreciate it yet...but these little guys will love living close too. :)

P.S. I think my son is going to need a haircut pretty soon. ;)

Happy Middle of the week to you.
XxOo

4 reasons we like him in our bed/ 4 questions answered concerning it.

We like him in our bed because....

1. It feels safer. I know he's breathing, sleeping, waking, dreaming....etc.

2. He sleeps soundly by my side. If he's with me, he sleeps as long as I sleep.
I have never been "up all night with a screaming baby".

3. It's easier to nurse him at 2 am..I don't have to leave my bed.

4. He's just SO cute and cuddly! I love having him next to me.
Especially first thing when he has those happy morning eyes.


Questions people have asked.....

1. Aren't you scared of rolling onto him?
Nope. We sort of just know he's there. Instinct?
Also..none of our other 5 children were turned into pancakes...
....so we're comfortable with it.

2. Aren't you scared he'll never go to his own bed?
Not at all, the transition has never been a problem in the past.
Usually I will nurse my babies right before they fall asleep....
so instead of laying them down into our bed when they fall asleep,
I lay them into their crib. It's always been very easy!

3. How do you and Jeff have..you know, "adult time"?
The same way we always have.
There was a short period of time back in December when  Frankie's radar was on high alert...
..but, where there's a will, there's a way! We make it happen!
You learn to be creative..which can also be even more fun at times.

4. Don't you want your bedroom to be your sanctuary...No kids allowed?
Please! He's a baby. Do you really think he's going to know limits like that?
All of our kids know not to walk into our bedroom without knocking..
They never go into our room unless it's to talk to us when we're in there.
They all know and respect that it's Jeff's and my room....
...and they all slept in our bed.



I know sleeping together with baby isn't for everyone...but it really works for us. We love it.
If you're interested in reading some of the great benefits of "sleep sharing",
this is a great place to start.

XxOo

Mothers Day...It's Not About You.

My sister Gianna is here for a visit! I don't want her to go back. sniff, sniff.
Yesterday my sisters {minus one} and my sister in law went to lunch and did a little shopping.

It's Mother's Day this weekend. A day to recognize, appreciate and honor our moms.

People have been posting all sorts of gift ideas, videos, different stories..etc.

I have also read...
....articles written by wives giving their husbands and kids lists of things they want for Mother's Day.

...articles written asking pastors to not have moms stand up and
be recognized during church because there are women that have miscarried and feel bad and
aren't sure whether they should stand or not.


While I did laugh at some quirky articles ~ as I'm sure they were written lightly just to be funny...
..it had me thinking.

Here's the thing about Mother's Day...if you're a mom....it's about you, but it's not about you!

It's about your Mother. Your Grandmother. Your Great Grandmother.
The line of beautiful women that have traveled the path of this gift
called motherhood long before us.  THEY should be the focus here.

All the things you are wanting recognition for from your own children, they did that! for you.

Somewhere along the years moms have slowly turned the day into Self Day.
A day of expectations and wants for themselves.

Now before I start getting blasted with negative comments....hear me out.

There is nothing wrong with your family showering you with love and gifts.
We do it for my mom and my mother in law and my kids and husband do it for me!

But I don't make them. They do it on their own.
I don't demand it and I would NEVER make them feel like they have to do those things for me.
I appreciate and love anything they do..big or small.

Also..I see nothing wrong with a pastor asking mothers to stand up and
be recognized during a church service......yeah it stinks to miscarry! I know...I've gone through it.

...but asking all other moms to stay seated because it will make you feel uncomfortable...
..well, that's just a bit selfish. I know it's painful..but it's a minute or two out of your life!


Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and called her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

Don't rise up and call yourself "blessed". Let them do the praising.
Let them with their own free will do something special..then it's truly from the heart.

Praise your own Mom and stop worrying about how "your" Mother's Day is going to go down!

Teach your kids by example to honor their mother by honoring your own....
...or being a humble example of what motherhood should look like.

My mother has never once made us feel like we have to spend time with her or buy her anything!
She has never given us kids or my dad a list of expectations for the day.
Never once has she been upset because Mother's Day didn't pan out the way she wanted it to.

There has never been pressure or guilt or any selfish motive when it comes to Mother's Day.
We never feel like we've let her down because she doesn't have expectations of the day.
She puts herself last...even on Mother's Day. Isn't that what true motherhood is?

Don't make Mother's Day a day of dread for your family.
A day of expectations on your part and a day of them hopefully not letting you down.
Don't do that to your family! It's the complete opposite of what motherhood is supposed to be.

Let it be a day your family can look forward to honoring you {if they choose} in the way they want.
Have no expectations. When you have no expectations, you will have no disappointment.

Let your family love you in their own way.
And make sure to let your own mother know how much she means to you.

Have a great weekend and
a great big Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
XxOo

The easiest meal ever!

Since today is Cinco De Mayo and we try to eat tacos on Tuesday anyway...
...well, it just worked out.

My sister Dana shared a chicken taco recipe with me.
It took less than a minute to prepare...no, I'm not joking!

Put frozen chicken breasts into crock pot. {They doesn't have to be frozen}
Pour a jar of salsa over the chicken. Add a package of taco seasonings.
Turn crock pot on high...walk away.
Come back hours later and voila! Chicken tacos are ready.

Just shred the meat with a fork and add whatever toppings you'd like.
So, so, so easy. and they are so, so, so good.

We made chicken into nachos too. {as you can see above}

Okay..let's do a recap.

Chicken Tacos
Chicken Breasts {frozen or not}
1 Jar of Salsa
1 Package of Taco Seasonings

Put all ingredients into crock pot...turn on high..walk away.
Yeah..it's that easy. Thanks Dana. :)

Happy May 5th!
XxOo

I had my camera on the wrong setting...

...all weekend long!
Who doesn't check their camera settings for two days? {hand raised}

....Saturday was gorgeous. We went to one of my favorite neighborhoods for their garage sales.
Even if I were to find nothing...I like walking around. I go {almost} every year.

Beautiful,beautiful, big, old homes. Trees blooming everywhere!
Days like Saturday make me love spring...
...days like tomorrow {60 and rain} make me not like it so much. ;)

 ...I have this thing for colonial style homes.
We actually bought an old one 13 years ago and still live in it.
However, I have always been in love with the one in the above picture....
... and if I could, I'd trade mine for it in an instant!
{sorry my house..I do love you so much, but...c'mon..look!}

The picture doesn't do justice for the house.
It looks bigger in real life....and you can't see the pretty porch off the side or
the cute little building next to it...we'll blame it on bad camera settings. ;)

Deal of the weekend?

My girls rode away on two vintage schwinn bicycles in perfect condition from the 1970's.
Two sisters used to own them...their dad was asking a pretty penny $$$.

When he saw Allison and Sophia he said he'd give us a deal
because he'd be happier to see little girls actually use them....instead of dealers buying them..
..and let me tell you! We got a deal!!!

....and that's it for poor quality photos and talk of garage sales.

Hope your week was off to a good start.
XxOo