winter remains...

weather is most unpredictable here in the mountains of western north carolina.

not two weeks ago we were wearing short sleeves & the boys were outside playing in the sprinkler. and here is what we had this past sunday...snow! granted it is only february, but the crocuses were already in bloom & the tulips & daffodils were well on their way to flowering.

"mommy time"

aydin & his new best friend...a hamster he has named rembrandt

"rembrandt" out & about...

& in his ball...

with baby due in about 6 weeks, i am focusing my energy on spending some quality one-on-one time with the boys. saturday i took aydin out on the town...we went to a couple of thrift stores, out to lunch and then on to the toy box, a local toy store (where we picked up the above "hamsuta", the happy hamster).

it was a great day...

i love our boys! they are all amazing & inspiring beings...and each of them so different from one another on so many levels even though they are born out of the same genetic material.

it is humbling how intuitive they are, how receptive...how they spot the beauty & wonder in the world around us without even trying.

ehren, our youngest (2 years old).

we found this doll carrier at a local thrift store and he absolutely loves it!! so young and already an excellent papa...i know he'll make an excellent big brother.

he is always so busy.

a couple of weeks ago i woke up, not late, but later than i usually do and found him in the kitchen making coffee...no joke!! he had the coffee pot in the sink filling with water, and he was on the opposite counter in the freezer. i poked my head around the corner and he said, "coffee?"

needless to say that this one we need to keep a constant eye on. he is mr. independent! :)

a new beginning...

for a good year or so i have been meaning to get a blog up & going, and today seemed to be a good day. the boys are playing quietly in the other room, ehren is napping, and i had that "i will accomplish something that i have been putting off", today, feeling.

why a blog??

no, i do not have an exceptionally large amount of freetime...trust me here. we have 3 boys (8, 5 and 2 years), we homeschool, we are expecting our 4th (a girl!!) in 6 1/2 weeks, and my husband works nights/sleeps days...meaning that pretty much everything involved in our daily routine & the running of our household falls to me.

i have been wanting to start a blog because i think that is it important that we take a bit of time everyday (or even every couple of days) to admire the love & beauty around us, the little things that make life worth living, the innocence, life and evergy that are our children. it is important that we, as mothers, not get so caught up in the "daily grind" (laundry, lessons, cooking, cleaning, dishes, diapers, etc) that our life passes us by. we have to take a step back and b*r*e*a*t*h*e & give thanks...but we must also make time for ourselves, and acknowledge all that we do.

when we spend our days, from morning until night, moving from one task to the next, raising our children can easily fall into that mundane...bowl, cereal, milk, vitamin, napkin...eat...wipe faces, wipe tables...the mental to-do list that we all have, and that is perhaps the worst tragedy. our children deserve better, and we are better than that...and yet i sometimes find myself in just that sort of mindset. autopilot...isn't that what they call it??

so, long story short...i am spending the little bit of time before baby is due to do some inner work. i am stiving no longer to be super mom, but to be here...in the moment mom.

and so the journey begins...