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

Please don't steal my pictures.

I enjoy being part of this great big social media world.
One of my favorite parts is seeing other people's pictures.I'm sure it's one of your favorite parts too!
I love to look and I also love to share my own.

Recently I was browsing through some of the people following me and
I was shocked to find two of MY pictures on someone else's site with captions I didn't write!

I know it's bound to happen if you put yourself out there,
but it was strange and creepy to see.

I don't mind if you want to use a photo...
(not that I am a super professional photographer and people are dying to have my works! ;)
..but if you do, please don't pretend it's your own picture and write your own captions.

I try to give credit where credit is due...it's the respectful thing to do.
I ask you kindly that you do the same. :)

Thanks so much.
XxOo

Friday.

Tomorrow is supposed to be 45 degrees with a 100% chance of rain, and I am totally fine with that!
This week has been cRaZy. I am looking forward to a slow Saturday morning with Jeff around...
...a fire in our wood stove, waffles and washing my kitchen floor.
Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

I'm sure a lot of you have seen this video ....it made me cry. Sooo sweet!

...and a song for your weekend.

Happy Friday.
XxOo