Magic Moments

We're starting to get cabin fever. The good thing about being cooped up is that we've had lots of time to make strides in school. We missed a few weeks while we moved and celebrated Christmas but we're back on track. It's no secret that this child loathes math. But, Chester gives lots of moral support. I startled the cat when I grabbed my camera so pretend he's laying his head on Aiden's math book patiently waiting for him to be done.

I'm posting about January now that it's February and trying to commit to this blog yet again. Between now and my last post we've been to Disney World and Harry Potter World (a post to come), we've moved, we've been to Arizona, Tom has started a new job, we're trying to sell our house, we're living at the cabin while Tom lives with his sister during the week. We're working hard at school and trying to find a new normal. We're so happy to be home in Minnesota. Friday night we went to see the Ice Castles that are built each year. We had a great time exploring, going down the ice slides, watching the fire dancers and hanging out with Uncle Jim who came with us. We used to spend weekends by ourselves, and we made the most of it, but it's so nice to be able to go out for pizza with our family and not have to say sad goodbyes. It's 38 degrees outside today so while it lasts we played outside. Tom continues to patch up the walls of the sledding ram...

Cade turned 4! He's our stubborn 3rd born and he's quite sassy. He definitely shakes things up around here! The other night the bedtime shenanigans had gone on for quite some time when Cade said, "Mama, I'm going to get up and get some graham crackers." I said, "No you are not and the graham crackers are all gone." To which Cade replied, "Fine then. I'm just going to get up and dink around." Then Tom replied, "Fine then. I'm just going to give you a spanking." So....we aren't hard up for humor and we've got a spunky little boy who keeps us on our toes. We always joke and say that Cade is really great at standing up for his rights. Paired with his stubbornness he a very sweet and loving little boy. He's always the first to tell me how pretty I look or how much he loves me. When he prays at night he tells Jesus how much he loves his brothers. He watches Aiden and Sage and wants to do everything they do and be inclu...

Last weekend Aiden played a soccer tournament in Charleston. In short it was HOT and exhausting and so much fun to watch him play. His team won both games on Saturday and lost both games on Sunday and took home second place. I hate to say this and sound like a typical sports mom, but on Sunday they played the same team twice and they were so mean. They loudly talked about their plan to run players over and if my children had played with the attitude they had I would have escorted them off the field. Also, Aiden is 11. He plays U12 soccer and the team they lost to registered as U14. The size difference in the pictures in pretty obvious. However, we were the better team and the boys played hard. They lost only by 2 in the first game. All in all, it was a great weekend and we're so proud! (Aiden is number 4. The team wearing the black and yellow jerseys is the same team.)

I want to go back to summer. Life by design at the cabin is carefree. The burdens of life don't leave but the cabin is a place where the pace of life isn't fast or threatening and it's easier to maintain the right perspective when you wake up and look at a lake each morning. We are full swing into all the things that make up life. We aren't over-committed but we have three active kids and so Tom and I full fill our daytime duties and then pass like two ships in the night during the early evening hours shuttling kids here and there, getting kids ready for bed, reading stories, brushing teeth, nagging certain people to pick up their smelly soccer gear off the bathroom floor, tucking in their tired bodies and then collapsing ourselves and starting again the next day. We talk too much about the stresses of work, the drama of the day and all the things that make life so life-y. Thankfully, our weekends are mostly empty so we take naps and catch up and watch movies and eat pi...