The Now and the Future

After a week break from Preschool because his teacher was sick, Clark is back in school and very happy about that!  I love picking him up every day and hearing him tell me weather or not he got to sit by his girlfriend in class and what letter they are working on and who got the silly cup at snack time.  So many important things going on in his life :)

I have learned that I need to never try taking pictures of Kalvin anywhere where there are rocks.... I end up with only pictures that look like this.

So I am trying to think of some of the highlights from our life lately.......

We got to have a day playing with Cole.  That was fun, except for an incident with ants.  They starting crawling on Kal and he flipped out and was screaming and crying.  He kept yelling, 'Mom help me!  Clark help me!'  It was pretty sad.  I think that it devastated him a little bit.

We decided to calm down with some Dora

I have been so excited to start this little man in piano lessons.  We will probably wait til the next school year, just because we don't really know where we are going to be a few months from now, so we don't want to get him started with a teacher if we are leaving. 

But I think he is really going to enjoy it when we do start him.  He loves music so much.

I think that Brad is really starting to feel the pressure when it comes to getting ready to take the board exam and having to make lots of big decisions soon.  He doesn't know if he wants to work in a hospital or an out-patient clinic or home health.  There are so many pros and cons to every option.  And I know that this is a blessing, but there are SO many jobs for PTs all over and its super over-whelming!  We don't know where we want to be.  We don't know what to do.  Brad took a scholarship that helped us out a lot while he was in grad school, but one of the requirements for taking the scholarship is that he has to work in Nevada for 2 years after he graduates and he has 5 years to fulfill the agreement.  Soooo most likely we will be in Nevada for the first 2 years after he graduates and then after that, who knows.  Maybe we will stay.  It is the highest paying state in the country for his field.  I don't know.  He gets over-whelmed some days though and then just says that we are moving to Alaska this Summer.  I tell him not to threaten me with that, cause Im all for any excuse to buy tons and tons of boots and hot chocolate.  Anyway, we are praying that things will become more clear a month or two from now.

I told Clark that we are probably moving out of Grandma's house in a few months and he was quite upset with me.  He finally told me that we could move, but only if he could pick the house... and that house would be his Aunt Emmy's house.  After we talked about that for a while we finally agreed.  He says that we can move in to a new house as long as it has a slide on the roof and we can get a thousand baby chicks.  I should probably warn Brad....

The other day we went to Home Hardware to see all the bunnies that they have there and the boys just fell in love.  The bunnies were climbing all over each other, fighting over their little water bottle thing and the boys were laughing so hard.  They were just dying and everyone in the store thought that it was great.  I think we may need to add a few bunnies to the thousand baby chicks.

And a zonkey.  I don't think that my life can be complete until I own a zonkey.  Its half zebra and half donkey and its the cutest thing ever!!!  I need one.

Im addicted to my camera.  I cant stop taking pictures.  I spend way too many hours online reading all these photography tips and tricks and tutorials and crap.  I don't know if I am getting any better.  I still don't know what I am doing.

My goal is to learn how to shoot in manual  mode.  Maybe that sounds like no big deal to some, but it confuses me.  Thank heavens my sister-in-law was a photography major and I can bug her with all my questions constantly.

But, weather Im getting any better or not, I don't care that much.  I just love it.

Mostly because I love my two little models.

They don't love it so much all the time, but I just bribe them with candy and sips of Dr. Pepper.

Im such a good Mom haha

So that's our life right now.

Mostly a whole lot of living in the moment and a whole lot of taking pictures

And a whole lot of attempting to plan our future ;)

The Ultimate Career



I feel like I have seen SO many blogs and articles and posts lately bashing moms.  Especially stay at home moms.  They are blowing up my news feed.  It makes me sad.  I don't really know what is going on with people these days.  And really, I feel that anyone who thinks that being a mother is a lazy approach to life and that it doesn't contribute very much to society, obviously hasn't given the subject very much honest thought.  We are all entitled to our own opinions and mine are obviously on the complete other end of the spectrum when it comes to so many so-called 'feminists'. 

 

What are my opinions you ask?  Well...... I think that Motherhood is the most beautiful sacrifice there is.  I think that homemaking is a lost art.  I think that being a mother is a divine calling that affects absolutely every aspect of the world we live in.  The outcome and the success of the next generation weighs heavily and solely on the shoulders of parents, mothers in particular.   And unlike what has been stated so much recently by so many, it is actually much easier to be selfish and to live only for yourself.  Being in a marriage means putting someone else before yourself and being a parent means putting a lot of people before yourself.  I think that it is the ultimate training in becoming a good and decent person, quite frankly.  Because aren't we suppose to love and care for one another?  Aren't we suppose to be understanding and to practice patience with every soul we come in contact with?  Being a mother gives you the opportunity (weather you like it or not) to become that kind of a person.  

 

But now that I have said how I feel about motherhood, I want to make it clear that these women who despise the idea of marriage and family don't bother me.  They have the right to make the best decisions for their own lives and I would never presume to know what is right for them or what will make them happy.  My problem is the insulting and childish way so many go about stating their beliefs.  Why are people so quick to judge?  Why so quick to put others down?  For me, whenever someone is blatantly rude, I feel like it shows a lack of maturity and its very hard for me to take them seriously.  Not to mention, it sends up all sorts of red flags about insecurities to do with where they are in their own life.  But, if these issues truly do matter to them and if they want their voice to be heard, they should do it in a way that speaks to people and opens up conversation and provokes thought.  Don't just shout at the world that you're right and that you hate anyone who lives their lives differently than you.  Unless of course you're going for the whole 16 and misunderstood image. 

 

All I can really think to say is (and maybe this is because I am a mother) ... ENOUGH!!!  Enough judgment.  Enough belittling.  Enough unkindness.  I don't know when all this became acceptable, but its time to stop.  Weather you are single or married, a doctor, a lawyer or a mother, no matter what you are now or what you hope to be, be kind first.  Be respectful of others, because people matter.  Being a doctor matters.  Being a lawyer matters.  Being a Mother matters.  Being a person matters. 



 

 

Anyway, I am going to just go ahead and end with a picture of my two beautiful purposes in life along with a quote that I love....

 

'The homemaker has the ultimate career.  All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career.'

 

-C.S. Lewis 

Clark's 5th Birthday

Here is the little man eating his birthday breakfast. 

He didn't want to do a thing before opening his presents.  And he got a lot!  Honestly, Brad and I only got him one gift and the rest are from Grandparents and Uncles and Aunts.

We decided since he got a t-ball set for his birthday, we'd go have a picnic at the park and try it out.

Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen in your entire life?!

He was pretty serious about it!

And he was pretty darn good

Anyone who knows Clark, knows that he is kind of a shy and sweet and a careful little boy.  He has always had a little trouble with trying new things.  But something about turning 5 has given him all sorts of confidence!  Its like he has just decided that he is old now and so he is going to act old.  It started the day after his birthday.  He has never once in his life got himself dressed.  I've worked with him trying to teach him how to put on his own shirt, but he has never done it.  Until the day after his birthday.  He came waltzing into my bedroom that morning all dressed all by himself.  He insists on doing everything for himself now, including dishing up dinner on to his plate all by himself, putting tooth paste on his tooth brush all by himself, scaling the kitchen cabinets to get himself a drink of water.  And every time I go to help him and he stops me, he just says, 'Mom I'm 5 now'.  Its the cutest and saddest thing ever!!  Infact, if I think about it long enough, I think I could make myself cry.  He is a big boy and he knows it!  Which is why he made us take the training wheels off of his bike ON his birthday.

Saturday evening, the family all came over and we had pizza and rootbeer at Clark's request

I made him cupcakes.  I swore I wasn't going to, because neither of the boys like cake and have never eaten a single birthday cake I've made them, but Clarky asked and asked for cupcakes and promised me that he would eat them.  So, I did it.  He wanted these butterfly cupcakes he saw, but I decided not to, cause they were going to be too much work.  I made him these worms in dirt ones and was feeling bad all day that I didn't just make him the ones he wanted... But after he blew out his candles and took one bite and ran from the table, I was glad that I didn't spend all day on butterfly fondant!  Plus, he thought the gummy worms were cool.  Kalvin was super freaked out and wouldn't take a single bite, because he was sure it was real dirt on them.  He even took his cup and was trying to scrape it all off.  He gave up and left too though.

Such a little sweetie!!!!

Happy 5 years Clarky!!!!  We love you more than you know!!!