Long Live LOVE!!!

Currently, i am supposed to be at Craigs Street with the girls....but here I am in front of the fire editing tonights pictures.....sorry gang...i will join you next time!!

But I just realized its been almost a week since my last post....so here we go!  My reasons are understandable!!  You see, Rachel and I have been sister-wives, (minus the husband sharing part!) taking care of all the little boys and keeping them from taking over the place!!  Its been a wonderful, crazy, fun week.....but being the first low key night with only a few 'pop-ins'...i really needed to just be on my own and have some fun with my own family

We will start from this morning!  Isaac wanted to take the bus.  Elliot wanted to go with Nancy.  Chris walked isaac to the bus, i drove Elliot to Nancy's.....Nancy took him shopping with her before school since they had to leave so early--her she is giving the boys their little gift of silly putty after school that she and elliot had bought together that morning.  I don't think they get the concept of it yet as they are too busy just seeing how far it stretches!

Nancy lives right across the street from the Rentons new house!!!  So, we stopped by after the silly putty-pick up!!  Here is Everett!!  yes, we are all impressed and love him already! 

 Elliot fell on his face falling out of the car while looking for his lost silly putty......still can't find it.

 After I played short order cook for friday nights dinner, we all headed to the gym for some FUN!!!  We raced the plasma cars around the track that Chris built!!  Elliot decided to switch it up and see if he could beat us on his trike....umm...he had issues!

 He, however, has no issues.....he's just happy.

 Chris built this crazy vertical playground for pennies!!!  Grabbed what the camp had around, plus a few extra supplies {remember the cargo net from my livingroom a few posts ago?  Here is it!!}

 Photo credit shot to Isaac!!

 He was fast!!

Belaying Chris!!

 Umm....I think I may be doing it wrong?

 Isaacs turn!!!

 He's up for it....

 Elliots turn!!  And he is ALL business....

 He hurt his thumb prior to climbing....

 "Long Live Love!! We Die Together!!!|"

 Timid at first....then he fell in love!! 

 Best Friend.....

 Beautiful Boy....

Working on a new editing program and i think i need to work on the pixels when shrinking....but i am too tired to redo a few of the fuzzy shots...it was such a great night.  I love my family...I love that we laugh alot.....I am so blessed.....

"life truths" from my dads morning "forward"....

He sends me quite a few forwards, that i often just skim ....but i really liked his latest one. 

Go ahead....read it through...think about each one.......

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written."

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Change the way you think.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Release your children when they become adults, its their life now

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Just because you believe you are right, doesn't mean you are. Keep an open mind.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. Your job is to love your children, not choose who they should love.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come... (Can’t wait to find out what! )

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield..

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Excitement 'round here.......

Houseguest knocked on the bedroom door around midnight the other night. "A mouse just ran across my bed"

I am so glad I took this shot of Jaxon telling off Chris that Chris WAS GOING TO TAKE HIM (not sure where Chris was going, but Jax was COMING!)

Glimpses of this past week.....

The week blew by!!  And now its Sunday night...lunches are made....Rachel is putting her kids to bed, Chris is putting our kids to bed....and i am hiding out in our room, blogging.  I know 8pm is too early to go to bed, but I am done.  It was a nice day....as low key as it can get with 5 little boys running around!

Rachel and her boys are staying with us until Paul arrives this coming Thursday with the U-haul.  Chris took isaac and max mushroom picking after dinner tonight and apparently they just had the best time....Max even asks Chris if he can call him 'dad' while they are out in the woods.....Chris hesitantly says 'umm..yeah, i guess.'  hahah....

Christie and her family came for supper wednesday night! 

Here we are dueling it out on her first game of blokus.....

 Sneak preview of what Chris is building for the fall teen retreat....yup, its a cargo net!  He has built it from rope--did all the splicing himself!! Talented boy!! Can't wait to get it out of my livingroom!!!

 We stopped by to help Andy around his new house....here are the boys entertaining themselves out on the road outside Andy and Nancys house {she lives across the street!!  Lucky Rentons to have such a sweet neighbor!}

 Yeah!! Air Guitar with the trim!!!

 Friends.....

 Chris went mushroom picking and pulled out this beauty!! 

 ...and then he realized how he was holding it and held it up a little more!!!

 He also pulled out his first 'chicken of the woods' mushroom!  Huge hey?  He cooked it up and tried it but was a little nervous.....parts of the internet had mixed comments on this mushroom, so he was nervous about getting sick....last night, he was scared, he got all sweaty....it was pretty gross....he was fine this morning but i don't know if he will ever eat it again!

 This weeks adventures is having 3 more boys join our family! 

Here they are on their first solo adventure together....i snuck a picture!!!

Its 9 now, and Rachel is sitting beside me here on the bed with her computer on her lap...i think we are going to be good friends.....

Aujourd'hui......

C'etais un jour longue....mais tres bon!

Ce matin j'ai pris Merryam et les garcon a l'ecole, puis j'ai nettoyer l'office de chiropracteur......j'aime nettoyer parce'que c'est tranquile and je suis productive!!  ET il y a beaucoup d'argent quand j'ai fini le travail!

Apres nettoyer, J'ai vu Nicole et addessa pour un cafe a McDonalds!  J'aime beaucoup les cafe froids! MMM...mais aujourd'hui j'ai essayer le Mocha froids....pas si bon.  Tant pis!

Apres une jolie visit avec Nic, j'ai visite les garcons a l'ecole!  {j'ai un mcmuffin pour isaacs snack!}  Je sais! Je sais!  Je suis une maman marvaleux!! 

Premier, j'ai vu Elliot jou dans la park avec toutes les autres enfants....il ete content....bon.  Puis, je continue a la classe de Isaac!  C'etais temps de manger, mais person ete dans la classe, seulement les etudiants!!  D'alors, j'ai assis avec les etudiants pendents qu'ils mangent.

Apres dejeuner, Julie Marie {la professeur}, demand si je veux aider les etudiants avec les livres!  Oui!! Oui!!  Donc, isaac veux lirer avec moi, j'aider un petit garcon qui appelle "Zavier".....il lis les livres tres vite et tres bien, mais j'ai decouver qu'il a lis les deux livres deja!!!  Tricheur!!  ;-)

Apres nous lisons, la classe a jouer un jeu dehors avec la monitriss francais.....un jeu avec les arbres, les lapins et les renards!!!  Tres amusant..j'atais un Renard!!! 

J'atais tres content de parler francais un peu aujourdui!!  C'est comme un bicyclette!!

Apres ecole, c'etais tres chaud, donc nous allons pour les slurpees avec Merryium....puis un visit avec Amanda et sa famille.  C'etait bien.....

Ce soir, Sarah a visite, nous mangons beaucoup de chocolate pendent que Chris regard le tv avec isaac dans notre chambre.....

Maintenant...je suis TRES fatigue!!  Mais, c'etais un jour tres bien avec mes garcons et beaucoup de meilleur amis!!  Bon Soir!!!

11pm cereal time with my dad....

He carried my 'skype' head from the office to the kitchen tonight.....

time for cereal time with my dad!!!

 he actually doesn't know that i took these shots and am doing this while we chat!!! hahaha

This pic below is my dad throwing his finger back and forth really fast and it looked like it was going super speed.....i laughed.

Here is my dad learning about what i did taking pictures while we chatted and laughing!!

He is currently searching all over his computer looking for that same button so he can do it too!

Oh boy...wait til he googles where HIS camera is...then i am in for it!!
Love you dad and our night time chats!

Girls Night Out!

It was in the works for a little while....we read "the Help" and wanted to see the movie.

this tuesday?  Sure!!  Lets do it!!

Tuesday came around and Nanaimo seemed like a long way to drive---boys had piano til 4, chris had a meeting til late......

Wonderful in-laws stepped in and took the boys for the evening.....so i got to go out!!!! 

We stayed local and did Craig Street.....great food, potentially smelly server, but couldn't totally tell because i am mainly a mouth breather....but the girls swore it was him....

Calamari was not a hit {too many rubbery tentacles}....the nachos and Belini WERE a hit....

After eating, we headed to the local theatre....mainly mold and concrete, and they still charge the same as beautiful theatres......quite fitting actually for the movie we were about to watch!!

We all enjoyed it....Kim was funny to watch through it.....she smiles deliciously when people are vomiting and dying, but then closes her eyes when a pig or test monkey come onscreen about to be injected with the virus!!

Here are my beautiful counterparts as we pose in the moldy theatre.....thanks iphone.

 Classy gang we are, we posed in the bathroom too....but turned out it was video and not still.....

See the summer glow that we still have?  Not much longer.....the rain has set in.

Canning with Kelly!!!!

Imagine it:

two domestic divas...40 pounds of peaches...no interuptions.

 OH the PRODUCTIVITY!!!! 

i mean, do you remember how crushed i was last week? missing my little ones? pining away for them as they learned new things? made new friends? as they left me in the dust?

Well....I am starting to enjoy my time in the dust pile!!!

 This picture made me laugh!!

Check it out....the girl has to be on her TIP TOES to check on the peaches! 

Me?  I would be ducking right about now so as not to crack my head on the overhead fan!!!

Mid-production,

I thought ahead and made my little munchkins their own little peach cups

 as well as a fresh cobbler for lunch!!

 We are CANNING!!! 

Most memorable comment of the day, out of Kelly's mouth:

"sigh....I have never done this without my mom"

Ah...so here we are: both transitioning women....;-)

 Lunch I made!! Naan bread pizzas!  Fresh fruit crisp!  i love foodie shots...

 The Bounty!!!

 Canning was fun--it made it SO much better doing it with a pro!!  THANKS kelly! Jam is next week!  OK, so here below is just a random shot of the boys and I at breakfast this morning!  Oh man, they make me laugh....seriously...such a fun stage, i feel like i laugh alot more than i used to when they were younger!

 Isaac and I were having an intense discussion over his reading the other day, and he switched into french half way through one of his sentences....he didn't mean to, but it totally rocked my w