{TIME-OUT} for Timmy...

The twins love having friends over.  Recently we had a friend over and also watched her baby brother.  Ethan LOVES babies and especially loves it when this little guy comes over.  Here's what unfolded in a tire.....

Ethan:  "Timmy, you are in time out and you need to think about what you did."
Timmy:  silence.
Ethan:  "Do you know why you are in time out?
Timmy:  silence but with a big smile
Ethan:  "Timmy, you are a good boy.   I love you.  You made a poor choice."
Timmy:  silence.
Ethan:  "Go say sorry please."
Timmy:  "mmm."   (walks away)
Ethan:  "That is a good choice, Timmy." 

I asked Ethan why he put Timmy in time-out and he said...."Mom, I am his daddy and I'm trying to teach my son."   

It was so cute and so funny at the same time.  Just when you think your children don't always listen and understand....they do sweet things like this. 

{FUN} in the sun...

SPRINKLERS! We love playing in water! 

....morning {GLORY}

I just recently had a conversation with my friend about morning glory, the obnoxious weed that wants to live at my house....everywhere. (flower beds, grass, in my air conditioner!!!) She said our local garden nursery told her that if you want to get rid of morning glory,....move. Apparently it is a very stubborn ground cover weed prevelant in these parts and we are doomed to put up with it. I guess it could be a nice ground cover if you didn't want to plant anything else. It literraly will wrap itself around everything and will eventually kill your plants. For three years I have been outside weeding my flower beds daily only to find new sprouts and vines all over the next morning. It is crazy! This year,....we have a plan!

Another friend swears by newspaper as a prevention against weeds including morning glory!  As long as you don't plant anything new for a year,..we have been promised that this pesky weed will not be able to return.  We put down four layers of newspaper (after treating the areas with weed/grass killer) and then....

....we finished it off with mulch!  Hopefully this plan will work!  No pretty flowers going in this year!  Hey,...we have too make sacrifices for the greater good... right?!

....a time to {PLANT}

Thank-you honey! 

~Marty worked really hard to put our garden back together after we neglected it so badly last year.  He took out all the grass and weeds, tilled and leveled it all,  and then secured down a layer of newspaper to prevent further weeds.  For Mother's Day, my dad gave us a truckload of mulch for our front and backyard.  Marty used some of the mulch here and then put together these fun garden boxes!  And there is room on both sides to add smaller planter boxes for herbs and other fun things!  So grateful!

...her {LEGACY}

Today is mother's day!  I have the privelege of being Ethan and Nyah's mother and it is JOY for me.  Just like all moms, I have my days where this work that I am doing exhausts me, breaks my heart a little here and there, and stretches me like nothing else.   Even so,..I LOVE being a mom and sincerely thank God every day for my children!  I adore them.  I learn so much from them.  One of my greatest hopes is that I am for them,....what my own mother was for me. 

Mother's Day is a bitter, sweet day for me....

I never imagined that I would be a mom,...without my mom.   I remember when Marty and I were trying to build our family and were undergoing fertility treatments and procedures.  She was my biggest cheerleader and let me know with all confidence that I would someday have that privilege.  Oh,..how I wish she could be here to experience this with me.  I think I would call her,...daily even...just to get her counsel and support.  I know that Ethan and Nyah would adore her and would want to be with her all the time.  I think I would say things to her and let her know that I never meant to take her for granted and now that I am a mother......I would want her to know how much she means to me and how much it meant to me that SHE was MY mom.  I would let her know that everything she did,..never went unnoticed and that I payed attention to the ways she loved people and served.  I would just want to be near her.  I would need her.

For now,...until I see my mom again, I hold quiet conversations with her in my heart.  I often contemplate what she would do in certain situations.  I feel her influence and her love in passing moments which I consider to be sacred.  I see bits of her in each of my sisters and for that I am so grateful.  Her legacy lives in each us. 

Ethan and Nyah know that Grandma in Heaven will always be a part of us.  They love her.  I love her.   I miss.....her. 

 Happy Mothers Day,... my dearest Mom!

...outdoor {FUN}

The weather has been so nice lately and we've been outside a lot!  Today we invited some neighbor friends over for some outdoor fun! 

Ethan and Nyah helped me put together an obstacle course.  Each little kiddo ran the obstacle twice and we recorded both times to see if they had improved.  It was fun! 

We also made little bird feeders with toilet paper rolls, peanut butter, bird feed, and string.  Easy Peasy and a lot of fun!  The kids really love to see birds stop by and play in our trees, on our roof, and now at the feeder.