4 months young.

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earn some wii time.

the kids got a wii for christmas.

the kids want to play the wii at all times of the day.

the kids ask mom at all times of the day if they can play the wii.

the mom gets seriously annoyed.

the mom dislikes the wii now.

enter the wii chart.

the kids have to earn wii time for the next day.

and the kids cannot ask to play their wii time unless a few select chores are finished.

mom likes the wii a little bit now.

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supplies: piece of cardboard from a box that we got in the mail---that is what the wii chart is on.

pretty paper.

fun scrapbooking letters.

ribbon.

clothespins--this is what their names are on.

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caedmon responds really well to charts like this (staying at the top) so this wii time chart has been a good addition to the house.

and i realize that an hour of wii time a day is a lot...it's a rare day that they actually earn a whole hour.

i don't think i've ever said the word wii more in my life, than in this blog post.

ohdeedoh.

check out my interview and more pics of hadley and kohen's room over at ohdeedoh:

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/hadley-kohens-shared-stripe-stunnernursery-and-kid-room-tour-109528

also, as i was perusing through my google reader tonight i saw that apartment therapy put it on their page too!

fun :)

birthday countdown.

we are counting down the days till this guy is no longer 5.

so hard to believe that my first baby is about to be 6 years old.

i blinked and 6 years went by.

i heart faces--hands theme.

i had just snapped this picture on sunday, when i saw the theme at i heart faces...hands.

thanks to the lovely sarah bray for letting me use her hands...and her diana!

dear kohen scout.

i love you lots.

especially when i see you doing things like this.

man, i would have some killer abs if i could do such a thing.

holding your legs up in the air, as well as your top half?

you readers out there...get on the ground and try this right now...it's not an easy task.

and he held his pose for like, 12 minutes.

i also love your sweet feet.

even though they almost always have lint in between the toes.

your daddy loves to sit and pick the lint out.

it's like a bonding experience.

i think it's rather gross.

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but you know one thing i don't love that you can't seem to stop giving to me?

lack of sleep.

yes, my friend...this is not a good thing.

oh, stop being cute...i'm trying to scold you here.

it's been a long 4 months with you sleeping in daddy and i's room.

but tonight, it all stops.

you heard me right, little kohen scout.

tonight, you move to your crib.

tonight, i won't hear every sound you make.

tonight, i won't feel the need to get up and put the pucky in your mouth every 30 minutes.

tonight, you might find your thumb, since you insist on having to suck on something at all times of your life.

tonight, you just might have to cry a little.

but it'll all be worth it tomorrow.

tomorrow, you'll have a mama that has actually gotten some sleep.

and that, my dear little kohen, will be so sweet.

i love you kohen scout.

and p.s.

if you're wondering if kohen will be waking hadley up tonight, he won't be...she's crashing on the floor of the boys room tonight. it's like a big slumber party. they love doing that.

plaaaaaayin' in the rain.

bored kids + cold, rainy weather = bored kids playing in the cold rain.

(note--these were taken about 2 weeks ago, when my kiddies weren't sick. some would say this is the reason why they got sick, but i say "shut your mouth" to such a thought.)

good times.

yah, she doesn't love the camera.

not.one.bit.

i heart milo.

playing with my new umbrella, ella, ella, hey.

cute.

hurry...the rain is a coming now.

last one of the day.

notice how soaking wet she is.

now.

everytime it rains, milo wants to go outside and play.

what i would tell them.

WHAT I WOULD TELL THEM:

(If I knew what to say.)

You are a miracle.

And I have to love you this fiercely: So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory.

You’ll forget all this when you grow up.

But it’s okay.

Being a mother means having your heart broken.

And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.

And it’s the best there is.

And also, sometimes, the worst.

Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to.

Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are.

But you must remember this: What you’re doing matters.

And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.

And nurturing the good in this world is nothing short of a privilege.

That’s why I have to love you this way.

So I can give what I have to you.

So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on.

I have watched you sleep.

I’ve kissed you a million times.

And I know something that you don’t, yet:

You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.

And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.

i read these words in my google reader, on this blog and i had to share.

i am knee deep in snotty noses, poopy bottoms, icky coughs, needy children...and sleep deprivation.

so, watching that video, put things back into perspective for me.

such powerful words.

happy heart day. belated.

hope your valentines day was good...

mine was spent at the urgent care with 2 sick little boys.

milo and kohen both have bronchiolitis (yes, i promise that's a word) and RSV. nice, eh?

say a little prayer for their health...and my sanity.

be back when my boys are back to health!

on any given day.

this is what my lovely living room looks like, on most days...

laundry on the couch, waiting to be put away (but why put it away, when you're just gonna wear it in a few days anyways? that's my new motto.)

milo, at the kitchen table...eating. like usual.

this particular day the kids were watching "movie time monday" on disney.

an anderson kid favorite.

such a favorite, that my kindergartner decided to play hooky so he could stay home and watch it.

he woke up this particular morning and told me he was tired and didn't feel well.

i told him he could stay home.

later on that morning, this was the conversation that happened:

caedmon: "mom, i totally forgot that movie time monday is on today!"

(a dinging goes off in my head and i'm redirected to a convo caedmon and i had the week before...he told me all about how a certain movie he wanted to watch was going to be on movie time monday next week...we talked about how he wouldn't be able to watch it cause he would be in school...blah, blah, blah.) suddenly i realize that i've been played.

by my 5 year old.

me: "did you know this when you told me you weren't feeling well this morning?"

caedmon: (under nervous laughter) "well, yah...maybe...yes, yes i did."

sweet.

the kid is a smart one, i tell ya.

so, you'll see that he is enjoying his movie, complete with popcorn and a comfy bed on the floor.

oh well.

i'll remember all previous conversations with him, next time he tells me he wants to stay home.

celebrate the boy.

i was really excited when i saw THIS blog, and what they are doing during the month of february.

they are celebrating the dirty, silly, stinky, loveable and oh so cute boys in our lives!

(on a sidenote, it's been about 8 months since hadley has let us wash under her armpits---she has this major tickle thing going on---so she could technically qualify for that dirty and stinky category).

anywho...we LOVE our boys.

being a mom of 3 boys is full of fun.

full of crazy.

full of loud.

full of spiderman underwear.

and full of lots and lots of pee around the toilet.

but we LOVE our boys.

every single squeezable and pinchable ounce of them.

life would be way less interesting without our boys.

way less stinky (except for hadley's armpits).

way less joyful.

we LOVE our boys...all 3 crazy boys.

so, check out her blog if you want to find some fun and interesting DIY crafts for those sweet boys in your life!