thoughts are things.

mr. macgregor is thirsty.

I have a ton of pictures from vacation to post, but for right now here's our gecko drinking water. :)

stomas and sister wives.

      I made it through my first semester of nursing school! One semester down and three more to go! I am beyond excited and so relieved to have passed my finals and have a few weeks to relax. The first thing my boys said to me was, "You mean we have you back now?!" The last few weeks have been spent at the library studying for hours and hours. My family has been so supportive and understanding, picking up the slack around the house and loving me through this crazy time. My heart is full with gratitude and I am so happy.


          I met a lot of really great friends in school and we pushed each other this semester. Most of the women I studied with have children and work outside the home in addition to going to school, so it was great to be able to motivate and encourage each other. I believe we all got stronger as the semester went on and really became conscience of what we are capable of. This journey has been humbling, challenging, and exciting- and it's only the beginning! We also had a lot of much needed laughs, especially as the study groups went later and we grasped for ways to remember information. Like stomas for instance...

      The past few weeks have been so busy. May always goes by in flash because it is filled with end of the semester events and end of the school year activities. One of the things that I  look forward to is  judging the Speech Festival at my college. Its fun to listen to students present their speeches and it is even more fun when they have come to you throughout the semester for help. Seeing students that I have tutored excel in their Com 101 class is a great feeling.

     Okay, confession. I love the show "Sister Wives." Since the Brown family moved to Las Vegas, we have seen them at Costco and Walmart but I have never really spoken to them- too embarrassed to bother them. Well, one of their oldest daughters, Mykelti, was a contestant in the Speech Festival and I was her judge the first round. She did an amazing job. After the competition, I asked her and her mom (Christine Brown) for a picture. They were both super sweet and kindly humored me as well as the rest of the tutors/judges. So fun!

  It is now officially summertime for me. I am ready to get back in the swing of things around the house, catch up on all the stuff I have put off, hang out with my family, and get some relaxation in. Ahhhh......life is good!

my eagle scout.

This is teen Matt and his dad, doing Matt's Eagle Scout project. I love these guys.

life in pictures.

 

I felt pretty loved on Valentine's Day.

 

 

 

Yep.

 

 

Clinicals are going well...but someone mentioned scabies and now I think about it non stop.

 

 

 

 

 

Sam is getting big, but he still likes to cuddle.

 

 

 Jeb is very into chess lately. I stink at it.

 

bad lip reading.

I will blog again this weekend, but until then....

oh, geico.

creepy little guitar robots.

Hmmmm...we need to get our six kids guitar lessons fast.

 

happy spring.

new semester.

I started my spring semester classes this past Wednesday. My Anatomy and Physiology II professor is no joke. I was overwhelmed after just going through the syllabus. At one point he said that in order to do well in his class, one must spend 20 hours of reading weekly outside of class. This is where my brain went numb. Ya know what made me feel better? This little nugget of epicosity.

Have a great weekend!

raising boys.

 " My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, 'You're tearing up the grass.', 'We're not raising grass,' Dad would reply. 'We're raising boys.'"

- Harmon Killebrew

happy friday.

baby bieber.

At some point, I will have to find some time to upload new pictures. Until then, enjoy this video. Wish I knew this guy personally. Be sure to listen all the way to the Ludacris part. Hilarious.

sundays.

I adore Sundays. There is something special about allowing yourself to stop and slow down for just a day. Devoting one day a week to focus on our blessings and the things that matter most in our lives seems to make the entire week just a little smoother and a whole lot sweeter. Happy Sunday!

the thick of thin things.

It is very rare that I allow myself to stop. I feel that I am always on the go whether it be with kids, work, school, church or just keeping our home running smoothly. The times that I do find a break in all the busy-ness, I usually feel guilty about taking time to relax and do nothing. That guilt is so overwhelming that it pushes me back into momentum and I find things to keep working on.

My husband travels once a month for work, and my sons visit their dad overnight twice a week. When I find myself with a night alone in the house, just the dog and me, I go into overdrive. I start an organization project, I deep clean the house, I study, I workout...I do anything but sit still. That constant feeling of being on a timer is something I just can't shake.

Yesterday I found myself in that very spot. No husband or kids at home and I started thinking of what I needed to do. I checked my to do list, got into "go" gear (ha, ha - so Charlie Sheen!) when this unfamiliar feeling came over me. I'm not sure why, but I got the urge to do nothing. I only walked the dog, then settled in for a night of nothing. It was great. That nagging guilt I usually have to keep going didn't make an appearance. I was able to rest and renew myself and I know that when my family returns home, I will be a better wife and mom for having given myself a break.

I started to think about how we all rush through life with our to do lists (and I DO LOVE to do lists!) but we rarely stop to be still and soak up the moment. Folding laundry instead of playing Legos, working on a research paper instead of talking with loved ones...are we missing something? I want to stop being caught up in the thick of thin things and I want to be present. I want to stop and look at my sons when they talk to me instead of saying "MMhmm", I want to give my husband my undivided attention, I want to make my friends and family feel like they are the most interesting person I have ever spoken to, I want to quit checking my phone and start noticing sunsets. I want to learn to number my days. I want to be still.

It may be difficult at first. I will have to work hard to keep my mind from wandering to emails needing to sent or what to make for dinner, but I am determined to be present and enjoy the journey instead of always speeding up to reach my destination.

busy, busy.

Life just doesn't seem to slow down. Lots of great things going on and all I have time to share is snippets...

* Baseball started for the boys and this coach likes looooong practices and lots of them.

* Matt has been slammed at work and traveling often. I appreciate his hard work so much.

* We just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! YAY!
We figure that between the two of us, we actually have 21 years of marriage COMBINED ;)

*I have a new calling in church. I miss my Sunday school kids. :(

*I am working for Clark County School District as a substitute teacher's aide. Nice change!

*School for me has been great but demanding. I'm the new book worm of the house. :)

*We were without a computer for 4 weeks when ours crashed recently. Thank goodness for brothers with the hook ups!

*Griffin just got accepted into the G.A.T.E. program at school. So proud of him!

*Jeb has a homework load just about as heavy as mine!

*There are so many 5th grade activities at school! Crazy year!

*And Sam...Sam is Sam and life is good.

trust.

I worry about my boys alot. They are smart, obedient, strong young men, but I can whip myself into a frenzy worrying if I'm doing enough to ensure their futures will be what they deserve. Today was one of those days. I took a long walk to be alone with my thoughts and poured my heart out to my Heavenly Father about all my worry I have been feeling for these two precious boys. He quietly reminded me that they were His children long before they were mine and He will take care of them. I just have to do my best. I found this poem too and it further reinforced His plan for our lives, and we need to be reminded of all the good that is in our day to day even when it can look pretty messy and chaotic in the trenches.

My life is but a weaving
between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow,
And I, in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the under side.

Not 'til the loom is silent
and the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God unroll the canvas
and explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
in the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
in the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares,
nothing this truth can dim.
He gives His very best to those
who leave the choice with Him.

we elfed ourself.

we are farmers.

Our family is on the path to provident living. We started an herb garden and a small veggie garden. One day soon we will have pumpkins, squash, peppers, and maybe watermelon if that lazy fruit ever gets itself growing. Our pumpkins are growing like crazy. I'm thinking we may have our own little jack 'o lanterns this year. Yep, we're totally organic that way.

lazy blogging.

Loving these lyrics right now. Pause the music on the side bar, press play, and get ready to be accoustified. Yeah, that's really not a word.