What a lucky girl!!!!

And I mean me...not her.

I am such a lucky girl to spend my days with this smiley, giggly baby.

Could not love her more.

And check out her leg rolls and uh, ankle rolls!!!

Yummy.

Toys!

Torrance is really enjoying her new world of toys!

Everything is something for her to play with.

She just LOVES to sit on Daddy's lap and try to help him play the Wii!

I brought up some of our old baby toys and we discovered Mr. Crinkles.

He was one of Avery's favorite toys and Tori seems really like him too!

SO cute!

And this toy is really cool.

Lots of lights and sounds and then all those little wheels start to spin.

I showed it to her for the first time today and at first I think she was scared.

But she came around and will just stare at it now trying to figure it out.

Fun stuff!

*love*

You see this guy with me?

He was made specifically for me.

I believe that.

I have no doubt about that.

Since the first time he touched my hand...I had no doubt.

He knows.

He knows me.

He knows when to let me pout.

When to let me vent.

When to hold me close.

When to let me cry.

When to let me rant (I'm a HUGE ranter...)

And when to call me out and say Becky! Snap out of it! Suck it up.

He is perfect.

for me.

He probably wouldn't be perfect for anyone else.

Isn't that cool?

And he thinks I'M AMAZING!

We've had our struggles.

There have been hard times.

hard.

But he always knows where to go when times are tough.

He's never afraid to ask for help from someone who might know more.

He's never afraid to ask forgiveness.

He's never afraid to take one more step with me.

Never afraid to say - we cant do this alone - and pray with me.

Without him I think I'd be much less of anything in me that is good.

He is the love of my life.

My Love.

I think about him a lot during the day.

I think about how he makes me happy.

Those thoughts make my days better.

Brighter.

Lately as I think about him God has been putting a few other people onto my heart.

Five others to be exact.

No, not my children...

but the five others out there right now who will one day marry my children.

There are so many things I think about and pray about for them.

What are their homes like?

Do they see their parents fight? Is there abuse in the home?

Does their mom show their dad respect or does she nag him and act unsubmissive?

Does their dad show their mom real love? Does he build her up? Or does he belittle her and make her days harder? Does he teach his children the way a woman should be treated?

Do they see their parents work together with their Savior to solve problems?

Do they talk about Jesus at the supper table?

Do they pray together?

Do they argue over finances? Do they argue over everything?

At the end of the day are their families joyful about being together?

Oh how I pray for these five people out there.

Because I know that my oldest is going to be 10...and if the next 10 years go as fast as the last 10...well, its scary is what I'm saying.

So, I pray for their salvation, their intellect, their capacities for love, their senses of humor, their work ethic, their families, their health....

I pray that my children find the one God made just for them.

And that someday...at the end of their days...when they walk in and look one of my children in the eye in their homes together...they will see true love and commitment in each other.

Its a lot to pray for..

And I pray even more for my own kids and what I am teaching them and what they are learning as they watch me! It struck me recently, Im not just raising MY kids...Im raising someone's future wife or husband. Wow...this job just keeps getting bigger and bigger!

Was that one in the job description?

After my kids salvation my biggest prayer is that they will have happy, healthy, God-glorifying marriages and families.

So, to the five of you whose names I dont know...

yeah, this is your future mother-in-law...

and I'm praying for you.

His Love

Easter is approaching and I'm at the perfect spot in my

Jesus 365 Devotion to read about it.

It includes some great quotes at the end of each day that I always love.

These quotes struck me tonight and made me feel humbled and loved...beyond measure.

God loves each of us...as if...there were only one of us.

Augustine of Hippo

Nails were not enough to hold Him nailed to the cross - Love held Him there.

Catherine of Siena

A Face Only a Mother Could Love...

Just Kidding Avery!!!

You'd be cute even with no teeth!

Yes, Avery lost one of her front teeth this week.

She put it in a baggie under her pillow.

When I went in that night to play Tooth Fairy I discovered there was also a note.

It read, 'I love you Mommy.'

ah, I love that little girl...missing tooth and all!

Kindergarten Round-up

Well this little 5 year old had Kindergarten Round-up on Friday!

I am not sure that excited is even the right word to describe his emotions leading up to this day.

He was BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS!

Jordan came home so I could take him to the school just me and my boy.

I had told him they wouldn't have recess so he didnt need boots. Well the minute we walked in he heard one of the teachers say that they would have recess.

Sullivan does not surprises.

(Jordan says this curse comes from his mother...meaning me.)

He started bawling. Bawling.

And so I walked him in.

Helped him hang up his coat and bag.And sat with him for a minute.

I reassured him that he had his coat and hat and that was enough.

Well then he saw his good friend Kaden also bawling.

And ANOTHER little boy too.

Suddenly he said he was scared and he wanted me to stay.

I took him to his table and got him started coloring with some friends and did some more reassuring. Then he said, 'Ok, Im ok, you can go'

And that was when I almost started my bawling.

I'll tell you...this is my third kindergarten round-up.

It aint getting any easier!

And something about him being a boy is making it even harder.

Really, is he going to stop letting me hug him?

Is it wrong that I actually enjoyed him telling me that he wanted me to stay?

Oh Sully...you are so ready for school. You are so smart and you love to learn.

I am more excited for you to experience school than I was for your sisters. I know that you are going to love every single second. You are SO ready. So ready.

And I promise I'll work on getting myself ready.

sorry

Well if I haven't just been a barrel full of monkeys lately I don't know who has been!

Sorry about that.

It was nothing that some sunshine and a lunch/shopping/spa date with a friend couldn't cure!

I'll be back tomorrow with some fun pictures of a cute 5 year old and his big day & a cute 6 year old and something she is missing!

half

I just walked past my kitchen counter and saw that half of it was clean.

Directly in the center was my washcloth...and everything to the right was filthy. I stopped right in the middle of the task. Just left it and went onto another.

Its the story of my life these days.

half.

I get to pay attention to half of the things I want to, listen to half of the stories from the kids I want to and cuddle half the amount of time I want to. My house is a COMPLETE mess. I spend way less than half the time I want to with Jordan...ugh. I have zero time to myself. The only thing I seem to be able to do 100% is complain in my head!!!! UGH!

half.

hate it.

I know its going to pass...Torrance is getting easier and easier, spring is coming, summer will follow closely behind, we have so many funny things just sitting on the horizon.

But MAN! Right now I just CANNOT get ahead of the game.

And I dont want to spend my life waiting for the horizon. I want to be the type that lives in the moment. So I'm off to work on that today.

But half of me will probably be focusing on tomorrow.

Did it!

Over $10,000 was raised yesterday for clean water!!!!!

World Water Day!

I am sick.
So Cassie is posting this for me! :)
And Cassie works today, so it's going to be quick.
Basically, I have committed to blogging about world water day today.
My goal is to get 10 of my readers to donate $10 HERE.
All donations go to The Adventure Project.
Did you know there are thousands of broken hand pumps throughout India. Actually, one third of all hand pumps installed in the last twenty years in developing countries are now broken. And 4,000 children die every day because of lack of clean drinking water.
That just doesn't seem right.
The Adventure Project is working to create change from the inside out.
Instead of going in a drilling more wells, The Adventure Project is partnering with WaterAid to train and employ handpump mechanics. The mechanics earn an income, bringing themselves out of poverty, and they save lives – turning water back on for thousands of people each year.
You can be a part.

The Adventure Project - World Water Day 2011 from The Adventure Project on Vimeo.

Just go HERE and donate. And follow along to see that the goal of $10,000 is met today.
If it is, it will be matched with ANOTHER $10,000.
Thanks for listening!

ugh and ick

somedays i really feel like im failing miserably at this whole mothering thing.

like today

i have a bad head cold. my head is in a vice grip and i have a fever and chills.

I want to cry and crawl in bed and have my own mommy take care of me.

but im 34 and i have 5 kids. so suck it up girl.

so i make it till 3:30 pretty well.

then the older 3 come home. Avery says, mommy, can I have alone time with you tonight? And right after that sully says, mommy will you please play legos with me and instantly after that the baby starts crying on the monitor. and i feel like the worst mom in the world cause i have to get the baby and the other two are going to be told no again...and I havent even said hi to Lauren and 5 minutes before they all walked in the door Tess had asked me to color with her.

I have to say 'no' a lot.

its hard.

somedays are so much better than some others

and i know im going to miss these days with all my heart...which makes the days when i want to give in just that much harder.

seriously calgon take me far far away. my kids deserve a much better mommy today.

Sunday Night...

Is there anyone out there who likes Sunday night?

Ick.

I get weepy on Sunday nights - especially after holidays or long breaks.

I dont want Jordan to go back to work and I dont want the kids to go back to school.

But on to happier things!

I've been told that I haven't posted enough pictures of Torrance on here lately...

And if anything is happy - its her!

So here she is!

Having a blast in the jumperoo!

(Thanks Charlee for loaning it to us...she loves it!)

(She also loves her links!)

So here's to a new week!

Full of smiles!

OH MY CUTENESS

The girls pictures are ready to view...

mycatchlightimaging.com

email me if you want the password to see them.

;)

Thursday and random

I'm back to bullet points...

* Went to bed last night with the start of a migraine. Woke up to a bad one. Melanie wisely suggested I start charting these because I've had a lot lately. I blame barometric pressure, remaining pregnancy hormones and allergies. But yeah, she's right, these last two have been ridiculous. I need to keep track of them.

* Attended a 'No Wa-Wa Beach Party' at Venengas today. The kids had a total blast. Jen - thank you - it was such a fun time for the kids and moms! The proof that I am not feeling well - I didnt even take my camera...and there were many fun photo opps.

* Lauren and Avery's flower girl dresses arrived today. I cried when they put them on. Lauren's is black - she looks 16 and beautiful in it. Avery's is cream - she looks beyond precious in it.

* Torrance has officially found her voice. Wow, she is a talker. Adorable. And loud.

* 15 years ago tonight Jordan and were in Florida for spring break. It was a little different than our spring break now! Where has 15 years gone?

* I think my hair is finally starting to stop falling out. FINALLY.

* Torrance is not a fan of baby food or cereal. By the look on her face you would think I'm trying to make her eat a Starburst. Funny.

* We went to the park and on a walk last night - without coats!

* March Madness is fun - Charles Barkley as an announcer is not. Go away.

* My husband is hilarious. I love it that he makes me laugh about stupid things all the time.

* I talked to my brother on the phone tonight and somehow I started talking about people digging the 'root of a zit' out of their head. Seriously. That was when I stopped the conversation and told him I was on way too many migraine drugs to be talking on the phone. Then we both laughed and laughed. Apparently I also should not be blogging. Wow. Someone take that computer away from that woman!

* Migraines = torture. Migraines plus 5 kids = just shoot me.

* My new prayer is for God to give me peace about my kids getting older. For Him to help me relish in each new phase. That I wont spend my days longing for the days that just passed...but that I will spend my days thankful for the time we have. And seeing the awesomeness in each new age. And truly older kids are FUN. Lauren and Avery are simply FUN and SO much less physical work! :) But, I know I'm going to struggle with it. I know that. And I want to be ready for the new types of work that come with these new stages and ages and not be pining away for the past and end up missing important moments. So I'm starting my prayers for it early. And I'm already seeing some results. I'm putting away the babyseats that a certain almost 5 month old has already outgrown...and truly, I'm not sad. They take up a lot of space and getting the out of here is good! See - progress! Aren't you proud?

* Its 8:30 and I'm going to bed.

The Capitol

Jordan loves taking the kids to historical places.

We've never been in DSM on a weekday with them and had the time to go into the Capitol building so it was fun to have the opportunity this trip.

I think Sullivan's highlight may have been the metal detector. He asked the guards a million questions and he really wanted them to put him through the machine where they scan the bags.

Lauren and Avery liked seeing what the inside of the gold dome looked like.

And its so fun that Lauren is starting to learn about government in school.

She really enjoyed seeing where the laws are made.

Avery and Tess thought we were in a castle.

They LOVED these stairs.

At one point we saw a pretty young woman in a dress and heels and

Contessa gasped and asked, 'Is that the princess?'

Seriously.

Cute!

Jordan loved the law library.

And what's not to love?

Look at all those books!

I swear it smelled like history in there.

And I miss card catalogs.

How cool is this!

The two year old

While we were watching a show on fire Contessa started to wear down.

She left us and went to this table to put her feet up.

She got down right annoyed when her big sister tried to ask what was wrong.

And then just broke down.

And I guess needed some time to herself...while surrounded by tons of people.

She took herself to the corner and did this for about 10 minutes.

She perked up though when daddy took her back to the bubble station!

Oh to be two!

Science Center of Iowa

If we accomplished one thing on our get away it was ensuring that the kids were tired upon our return! Its 8:20 and they are all still asleep after going to bed just after 7:30 last night!

The kids' favorite parts of the trip were swimming in the hotel, staying up late watching movies, eating lots of snacks, going out for supper, getting pizza at the hotel, running up and down the hallways of the hotel and using the elevator, eating breakfast at the hotel...you know all those things that are just so fun as a kid!

We also went to the Science Center and the Capitol Building.

And we had lots of fun there too...but really I think the hotel would have been enough for the kids. They told us thank you so many times that I was about to tell them they could stop being so grateful.

Here we are about to enter the Science Center. And I believe Jordan had told them all to hug me. Its kind of scary to see 4 kids run at you full speed! But I love how happy I am in this picture.

Ready for the Science Center!

One of the highlights is making your own paper rocket and then seeing whose flies the farthest.

Of course Mr. Perfectionist takes forever on his and the kids get rather impatient.

Oh wait, that's me. I get rather impatient!

Seriously Dad, lets go!

Still waiting....

Finally!

Ready to launch.

And I'm happy to report that Avery and I won!

We worked together to build this arch.

But knocking it over on Avery was more fun!

This contraption is full of air that blows balls all through the maze.

But Sullivan thought it was for playing basketball.

He shot at these 'hoops' forever. I had to drag him away.

Spring Break 2011

We are home from a super fun 3 days in Des Moines.

These short trips are the ones I hope they remember the rest of their lives.

I know I will.

To break it down for you:

I love my kids - they are amazing.

I love my husband - he is amazing and he loves me in a way I don't deserve.

And right now - I'm really loving the fact that all the kids will be in bed by 7:45.

And I will be following shortly behind. I am wiped.

More tomorrow.

Party goers

Adrian and Torrance - could not be cuter.

Avery and Papa Dennis

Aaron and Sully - they stick pretty close together around all these girls.

Tess and Lauren

My 'tween...ugh.

I have no idea.

Jackson is an only child and really doesn't know what to think when he is around his 9 cousins.

Oh Tess loves her some Adele time!

Adele takes a bit of time to warm up to Tess however.

And somehow I got zero pictures of Alexa!

MAGIC!

New to this year's line up was a magic show.

Lauren was the lead magician.

She had the crowd locked in.

Then Grandma took over for a couple of tricks.

Unfortunately, her tricks didn't quite pan out!

However!

The biggest trick of the day was from little Torrance!

During the middle of the magic show she decided to show off...

She rolled over for the first time!

LOOK AT ME!

And I swear this accomplishment was just as fun to watch on #5 as it was when Lauren did it.

I squealed in delight.

And I find it so cool that one minute they can't roll over...

and the next they are doing it over and over like they've known how all along.

SO FUN!

St. Patrick's Day Party!

Grandma Cindy pulled off another successful St. Patrick's Day party

for all 10 of her grandkids this past Saturday.

We're thinking about hiring her out as a professional party planner for kids' parties!

Here she is with all 10...wow.

Ages: 9, 7, 6, 5, 5, 2, 2, 1, 5 mo and 4 mo.

So it wasn't chaotic at all.

How fun is this table?

These were rainbows and clouds - rainbow cupcakes and whipped cream!

And rainbows with pots of gold - rainbow jello cups and yellow finger jello in pots.

Seriously fun! Those jello cups took 3 days to make.

And the rest of the food. Just about all of it was green!

The party consisted of lunch, magic, a leprechaun hunt, playing with 'good luck goo', and crafts.

Thank you Grandma Cindy!