Trinkets of Thought - Page 8 of 99 - Life with the Littles-A lifestyle blog of living with five littles.

Farm Fresh Livin’

August 25, 2013 by Maren 2 Comments

There are very few places in this world as peaceful as my in-law’s farm. I love our visits, even if they’re not as often as we would like. Here are just a few more pictures from around the farm.

Note to self: Comb your hair more frequently. It looks mousy.

This picture was taken shortly after Thatcher let his kite go to the Arborvitae abyss and informed me that he was “done playing the kite game.”

The boys ‘helped’ Michael get Thatcher’s wayward kite down. Don’t worry, Mom- they were harnessed in with invisible safety apparatuses…The same ones Michael used when he hang glided off this roof as a child, with his homemade hang glider (Made from wooden 2×4’s). Safety first, Mom. We’ve got this covered.

Sterling currently loves talking on the phone and putting on clothes. Perhaps, this is a sign we’re in trouble in about 12 years?

Thanks, Bunk and Grandma! We had a wonderful time!

Triscuit’s One

August 22, 2013 by Maren 4 Comments

Last week, we celebrated Sterling’s first birthday. The boys have moved from the former term of endearment ‘Bay Didter‘ to an equally cute name–‘Triscuit’. One day while eating the wafer crackers, they started calling her ‘Triscuit’ and it has stuck. So we celebrated Triscuit turning one with a trip to Michael’s parent’s farm.

One of my parenting mantras is “Start as you mean to go on.” If you don’t want them to jump on your couch when they’re 4, don’t let them jump your couch when they are 1; If you intend for your child to try a bite of each item on their plate, start now; If you want to be a family who reads more than watches television, it’s easier if you start reading to them now. So, I suppose the same holds true for how you plan to celebrate birthdays and holidays (even down to the birthday cakes), but I didn’t think of that on Pierson’s first birthday. He got a Brutus the Buckeye cake that Michael spent hours creating. Thatcher had a lion cake that also took time, but was not nearly as impressive. And well, our little Triscuit, though she knows no different, got a box cake with leftover Fourth of July sprinkles. She still seemed to enjoy it all the same, so I choose not to beat myself up over the lack of fancy. She happily jabbered as she ate the cake wanted to tell us all about it.

A few fun thoughts about where she’s at right now. She will never know life without being adored.

Lucky for her, she’s also got some constant helpers.

She’s currently into standing by herself and then clapping for her job well done.

She’s currently saying ‘uh-oh’ and finding reasons to say it (dropping her cup on the ground over and over). She’s saying “All Done” at the table. She’s got four teeth that have arrived since turning 11 months. She loves attempting to dress herself with any clothes she finds laying around the house. She’s a master peekaboo player and says “phh bhh” to let you know she’s playing. She loves talking on the phone and will hold it to her ear and wait for you to answer with “hello?” But her absolute current favorite thing do to is our afternoon dance parties. She climbs up on Pierson’s bed, gets to her knees and grooves to a tune from the Go Fish Guys. She bops right along with the music and holds her own if the boys decide to go in for a wrestle or two. Then, after tucking the boys in for their naps, most days, she’ll make a beeline right back to the door, push it open once again and jabber at the boys as she makes her way back to their beds. The boys laugh hysterically and try to get her to repeat her stealth moves. If I don’t firmly close the door, my little escape artist would repeat this game all afternoon.

Sterling, one day if you read this, I never knew how much I wanted a girl until God gave me you. Each moment, you light up my life, and I’m so thankful He entrusted you to your Dad and me! Happy Birthday, Triscuit. I love you ‘BIG MUCH.’

Momma

Mom Woes Best

August 18, 2013 by Maren 3 Comments

I scurry to the car. We’re late again. I promised myself this time we would be on time. This time, we wouldn’t be late. We’re late.

I’ve never really cared about my clothes, but today it shows more than ever and frankly, I’m embarrassed. I look at my outfit and I’ve got leftovers enough to eat another entree. I try to scuff off the crusted carrot baby food, but it isn’t budging. The specks of orange just rearrange themselves. I look down at my shoes and my tears start. Today isn’t my day.

And them my hand fumbles for the mirror. Why did I ever think that was a good idea?!? I get even more discouraged at the face staring back. My cheeks are wet. The hair that topples down my head looks more like I slept on it wrong than as if I actually tried to roll it in curlers.

When we get to the party, I wonder why sometimes my children act as if they’ve been neglected their entire lives, void of any motherly influences. And, child, have I taught you to eat that way or did you pick that up when you were being raised as Mowgli’s sibling in the jungle? Instead of making excuses for my kid’s poor manners, I remain quiet. Explaining the atrocious behavior won’t sway anyone’s assumptions anyway.

Son, should we get your hearing checked at the doctor’s this week? You must have hearing problems because today I’ve set a new record for how many times any mother has ever repeated herself–and my repeat function is now broken. If there were a Guinness record for that, I’d own it and it would have been shattered by noon.

And son, have you forgotten that throwing books isn’t a good idea? Didn’t we just have this conversation last night? Oh no, maybe you have memory loss. We’ll get that checked out too. Today isn’t my day.

What’s that? Pierson said “Doopy?” As in “Get your ‘doopy’ feet out of my eyes?” I’m sorry–I must have missed when tattling over made up words became vogue. Today isn’t my day.

I’m starting to fade. My resolve to make it calmly to bed time is waning. But thankfully, the end is in sight. We sit down to read the Bible Story and my son leans over his bed rail and spits on the floor–a full-fledged, without abandon, SPIT. As a mom, I wish some days came equipped with a renege. Then, today would truly be my lucky day.

*In fairness, I wrote this post a while back and my days like this are more rare than commonplace. I most DEFINITELY love being a mom, but on these doozy type of days, I have a strange urge to suggest a long game of hide-and-seek. I envision it’d go like this: I’d be the first to hide. And maybe, just maybe, I’d stay hidden for, oh, say 12 hours.

Color Help!

May 15, 2013 by Maren 2 Comments

Over the past several years, we’ve taken this house:

And have made it this:

And now it’s time to make it even better–it’s paint time! But, I’m stressed to the max trying to figure out a color scheme to make our house truly pop. Any thoughts?
Here’s a closeup of the stone:

And the roof:

If it were your house, what color scheme would you choose? Any specific color suggestions? HELP!

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