Lovin' Life

Last week I decided at the last minute to put a few things on a friend's garage during city-wide garage sales!  It was a crazy idea, especially since I had NOTHING priced and ready to go and made the decision the day of to do it.  I'm not usually one to just leap into something, having two little boys sometimes makes that difficult, but it went great!  Here is a snapshot of how the days went just to show how well the kids played together!  They loved the fenced-in backyard with the swingset and toys and once they figured that out, I barely saw them...unless I went to check on them!  Thank goodness for good friends, good kids and a couple of really nice days in our little part of the world!

Iowa Farm Boys

Just a few pictures to make up for the last post!  Here is how we have been spending many of our days playing lately - when we're not outside!  Ben has really started playing in a very imaginative way and feeds, waters and takes care of his "farm animals".  Cooper just likes putting as many animals as possible into the barn, dumping them out, and starting over.  Whatever floats your boat buddy!

Numbers to live by

Here are some numbers this morning: (no pictures - sorry Grandmas and Grandpas!!!)

2 - The number of hours earlier than usual that Cooper woke up :(
45 - Minutes it took me to simply clean the bathroom toilet because of my two "helpers" following me EVERYWHERE!!!
11am - The time it was when I finally got the boys dressed (still waiting for a shower myself)
3 - Number of sips I've actually been able to take of my coffee
1,000 (maybe exaggerating a little) - Times I've wiped Cooper and Ben's noses because the allergies/teething/crying are not being kind to my boys or their momma!
15 - Minutes left until lunch when Matt may be home so I can get a little break from this CHAOS!!!

Zero - The number of times I have regretted being home with my boys today!  Although it's been a hectic, long, difficult morning, I wouldn't trade this for anything.  When Matt and I decided to start our family, we knew this would be the right choice for us an although there have been times when it hasn't seemed to be the right fit, God keeps reminding me that I am raising His children while they are here on earth and I'm trying my hardest not to let Him down.

Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a working mom.  I've even applied for jobs in the last few years thinking I would like to give it a try.  But every time I think about leaving my boys, I just can't bring myself to face the reality of not being with them every day like I have since they were born.  This stay-at-home mom is staying right where she is. . . HOME!

PJ Day

Finally a (somewhat) good picture of both boys and what is Ben wearing?!  Yes, his Cars PJs!  On Wednesdays we usually have nothing scheduled and nowhere to be so we stay in our PJs most of the day.  Cooper was only dressed this day because he had a major blowout in his monkey PJs and needed a change!

Oh well, I was just impressed that they are actually both looking at the camera and not struggling to get away from each other.  They really do love each other and spend most of the day on each other's good side - I LOVE having two boys who are the best of friends!

He sleeps! (and sleeps and sleeps and sleeps...)

I AM SPOILED!!!  Both of my boys were pretty fussy babies (Ben pretty much had me in tears the first 8 months of his life) but we at least have one thing going for us. . . they LOVE their sleep!  Being a stay-at-home mom, we have the luxury of sleeping until we want in the mornings.  I can't remember the last time I used an alarm clock and I like it that way!  In fact, it's now 9am and Ben is still in his PJs.  What about Cooper you ask. . . well, he's still sleeping; as usual!  The kid LOVES HIS SLEEP! ! !   In fact when he first woke up this morning at 7:30am (gasp!) I definitely rolled my eyes, rolled out of bed and trudged upstairs because he is never up that early.  All he needed was a little snuggle from mommy, a blanket over him and his paci which had fallen on the floor.  He gave me a nice hug and then lunged back towards the bed.  When I asked if he wanted to go back to sleep, he gave me a definite "yeah" (one of the few words he does know for sure!)  Haven't heard a peep from him since!  It's not unusual for him to sleep 12-13 hours a night and then take a marathon nap in the afternoon. 
I could not find a recent picture of my sleeping angel because, let's face it, I'm not going to take a picture of my one-year old sleeping and potentially wake him up.  He is not a happy camper if he gets woken up :) So instead, here's a picture from almost exactly a year ago when we at an Easter Egg hunt. Yep, slept through the whole thing!

Don't you just want to pinch those little cheeks?!?!

Celebrating Easter

Embracing the camera today with our picture from the beautiful Easter day we had here in northwest Iowa!  We were outside for hours on end that day and definitely took some good naps in the afternoon.

The men in my life. . .

I love these boys!!!

Cooper - 14 months

Ben - 3 1/2 years

Easter Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we had!  It started Saturday morning with a small-town Easter celebration where we heard the story of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins (something we are working on getting Ben to better understand this year) and continued onto the park for a egg hunt.  Cooper was quick to pick up on what he was supposed to do and it was so fun to watch!  Sunday we attended one of the best Easter services I can remember in a long time at our amazing church and then spent most of the rest of the day outside enjoying the glorious weather!
But the impact of the weekend did not escape me as I looked at my two beautiful boys playing, laughing and just enjoying life.  Could I do what God did?!  Sacrifice either of my children so that everyone else in the world who believe in Him might be saved?  What kind of unconditional love must that take. . . what grace has been given to us. . . how undeserving are we?!  But that's the point.  We are undeserving of this grace yet it has still be given to us.  Praise God for loving us so much that he would do this for us . . . He is truly our Heavenly Father who loves us to no end - Praise God!!!
 

I thank God every day for these two little blessings!  Happy Easter season!

Chubby AND Cheesy!

This is the "little" man of the house!  He is now in a phase where I get the camera out, he turns and says "cheese!"  It's actually more like "cheeee" but he gets the idea.  We are sure that he is going to catch up to big brother sooner rather than later in size and then Ben is really going to have his hands full when they wrestle! 
We are really looking forward to a beautiful Easter weekend, complete with the dying of Easter eggs, hearing the story of Jesus dying on the cross for our salvation and having a visit from family. . . and the weather should be perfect!