Life and What They Say

It's been one of those weeks.  Nothing terrible at all.  In fact, nothing really that bad.  Just part of the roller coaster of life that isn't necessarily the high point.  You know the feeling...when you just seemed to get bogged down with the little things that you fail to see the blessings glaring in your face and the beauty that surrounds you?  Yeah.  One of those weeks.  And, when that happens, I find myself not really cherishing my boys - none of them - as I should.  I become a bit inwardly focused and as Carter has put it before, "grumpy."

It's almost as if I get focused on one or two little negative things and feel hopeless in efforts to fix those things, so my bad attitude about those tiny things transcends into every area of my life.  Not good.  Just a feeling of disconnectedness, while being fully aware that I'm not being the wife that I need to be, nor the mom.  It passes.  It always does, but I think I could use a bit of an attitude adjustment, too :)

Last night, though, Jeremy came home and told the boys if they ate their dinner we'd go to the park afterwards.  They were dying to go for days!  Actually, Carter was telling everyone he could find that "all (he) weally wanted to do was go to school."  The park is at school.  Little does he know that there is a bit more than recess at school these days.  So, when his sweet dad came home with that idea, Carter ran into the house and said, "Momma, I'm sorry.  I'm weally sorry.  We are going away for a bit.  But, we won't be gone long.  We'll be back.  We're going to school!"

"Oh, can I go with you."

"Hmmm, you'll just have to talk to my Daddy about dat!"

I went.

The slide was ginormous...

This little guy gets funnier/ornerier by the minute.  When he was staying the night at PaPa and Elley's this week, he was supposed to be sleeping.  PaPa told him many times (I'm sure) to get in bed.  He finally went in the room to find Carter dumping the trash in various parts of the room.  After PaPa let him know that wasn't okay, he said, "Oh!  Well, I was jus' recycling."  

Must have learned that from a cartoon.

He's always there to catch them...

Peter's turn...

Poor little dude had a wreck with Carter a few weeks ago.  He hit his front teeth on Carter's head as they were jumping.  This week his little tooth started to turn gray, darn it!

It's writing this post and looking at these pictures that I am reminded that we choose our reactions.  We can choose joy or we can choose the other.  Life is much more beautiful when we choose to recognize all that we've been given...these four being the very core of my gifts.  Why wouldn't I be content?

Lately, Peter has been a teeny bit of a crier.  Maybe more than a teeny bit.  If Carter looks at him the wrong way, you'd think he had broken a bone by the cries he utters.  Needless to say, I realize Carter is no angel and isn't always innocent, but Peter really lives up the reaction.  See...

John Paul is just happy to be alive and anywhere in the vicinity of his big brothers!

Carter woke up from a nap this week, and I gave him his cup of juice.  I was trying to ask him how his sleep was and if the juice tasted good, blah blah blah.  He wouldn't take a breath.  Finally, finished with his juice, he slammed his cup back down on the table, grinned and said, "Well, dat's a happy customer!"

He wants to be so big.  He was asking these older kids if they had met his friend, Peter, yet.  :) He's quite the big brother.

Here's to remembering how blessed we really are and making the most of our days!  Have a great weekend.