What Exactly Do I DO???

I've been asking myself this question the last couple weeks. Maybe it's the whole school starting and getting into a routine thing that has stemmed my questioning. Everyone has something that they do, right? Well, I've been having a tough time figuring out exactly what that thing is for me. I don't like to scrapbook, I don't decorate, paint, refinish furniture, make jewelry, or anything of the sort. I actually hate most crafts and quite honestly, even if I liked them, I am not good at any of them. I don't bike, go to the gym, do yoga; I can't run yet because my hips still ache from having a baby. And let's be serious- I haven't really ran for any good length of time since I trained for the marathon when I was pregnant with Leah. I'm actually a fairly good cook, but don't like it- I only do it out of necessity. I don't bake, crochet, knit or make quilts; I can sew, but I'd rather buy it than make it... I have incredibly crafty sisters who are always coming up with some cool thing to make. I didn't get that gene; it totally and completely passed me by. I'm not that great of a housekeeper- my house is never spotless. I'm not a party planner- I buy my kids' birthday cakes if they want something cool- I would never even WANT to attempt to make a cool cake. I don't like wrapping gifts to make them look beautiful- I think it's a waste of paper and ribbons, actually. I don't sing, play the piano, or any other musical instrument for that matter. I don't speak any foreign languages. So, WHAT DO I DO???

The question has truly tortured me. And then I decided this: everyday I raise three little girls and a tiny baby boy. It is an exhausting and somewhat daunting task at times. It's not glamorous, most of the time I don't get a thank you for it, quite frequently no one even notices the hours and hard work I put into it. Most of the time the job I have performed looks like I never even did it. And yet, I do it again and again, always knowing that the outcome will be the same. Right now, with these four little kids living in my home, it doesn't matter that I don't DO anything else. Someday when my four little ones are not so time consuming, maybe I will want to decorate or paint a wall in my house. Maybe making dinner will become a pleasant experience instead of a burden. Maybe I will have the time to run without feeling rushed. But, for right now maybe it's a good thing that I don't DO anything. There are no projects undone, waiting for me to finish them; I'm not longing to be somewhere else because I know there is nowhere I need to be. For now I will do my dishes, finish my laundry, pick up my living room, and if I'm not too tired when it's all done, I will read a good book. For now, I am content doing nothing.

Quinten's First Haircut

So, we did it. Actually, my friend Selma did it. Quinten's hair officially became an eyesore and had to be cut. It was out of control. It was unmanageable. It was just too darn long. On Saturday I was walking Callie down to play with Selma's kids and she invited us in for a short visit to her hair salon (aka her kitchen...). It was quick and painless and he looks a million times better than he did. So, thanks for saving Quinten from more bad hair days because of his mother's lack of ability to do a boy's hair. Selma, I owe you! And, thanks for taking the pictures to document this big event. :) Ice cream? Let me know when you want to go!
The before shot. Look how long it looks!!
The after shot.... so much better.

Our First Grader

Today was the first day of school. WE ARE SO GLAD!! It was time for everyone's sake. Alexa was practically bouncing off the walls waiting to leave... that will teach her to get up early, huh? :) Alexa's teacher is Mrs. Bosh. And, the real highlight of the whole thing is that her best friend, Kinzlee is in her class. They are thrilled! And, as you can tell from the picture below, they wanted to dress the same for the first day of school. They both had these dresses that we probably bought last year (Melissa, is that right?? I can't remember). They wore leggings under them because they are getting a little short to be dresses... Kinzlee has managed to grow more than Lex- surprise, surprise. Alexa's can still almost pass for a dress. Anyway, they thought it was cool and loved that their teacher said something about it. Funny girls. I snapped the picture below after their walk home- they were both red, hot and sweaty... and I think they were both chanting something about air conditioning. We love Kinzlee and will be pretty much devastated when they move.... or they could just decide to stay.....
Alexa loved every minute of her first day and can't wait to go back. Lunch was great, three recesses were great, the waterbottle in the back of her chair is great- you get the idea. I'm so happy that she is happy and that this transition was conpletely painless for her.

Everything at home went well, too. Callie and Leah had a great day together- luckily. If someone could promise me that everyday would be like today, I would be a happy mommy. Wishful thinking, right?? We'll just have to wait and see what the year holds for us. Callie doesn't start Preschool till September, so she's a little antsy now that Alexa has started school. We'll just have to stay busy enough until then!
Kinzlee and Alexa after their walk home. We are so lucky to live just a few blocks from the school in such a great neighborhood. I am lucky that I don't have to take Alexa and pick her up everyday!

Quinten's Hair

OK, we know he was born with a lot of hair, but it just keeps getting longer and longer... This last picture was taken yesterday- It is so long that the whole curl thing it is doing was not intentional. And I'll admit, in the picture it looks stupid. I promise it doesn't look as stupid in person. His hair is the first and sometimes only thing people comment on. I know he has a ton of hair, but he has a cute face too; let's focus on that for awhile... So, do you cut a two month old baby's hair or do you just let it grow?? I don't know. I've never done this whole boy thing before....

Quinten's Blessing

Yesterday we blessed Quinten. It was a great day. We somehow managed to get to the church by 8:35... miraculous, I know. All of Andrew's family in town was able to come and be with us. It was the first blessing of all my kids that my parents had to miss. However, spending three weeks with them in July more than makes up for it. Andrew gave him a great blessing and Quinten was fairly quiet through the whole thing. Actually, I couldn't hear him at all, but Andrew said he was a little fussy at first. He slept through most of church and all through lunch afterwards- even with a crowd of noisy people in our house. He woke up just as the last people were leaving. So, that will explain all the pictures with him in his carseat- we didn't want to wake him, so we left him alone.

Like my flip flops?? I was wearing real shoes earlier...
It was a different experience listening to the blessing of our little boy as opposed to our three girls. I kept expecting Andrew to say "she" (which he didn't). Quinten is a special little boy- we love him so much.


The cousins. It's completely impossible to get a good picture of that many kids. Poor Brandon and Austin, who are the oldest by quite a bit- I always feel bad that they have to pose for cousin pictures with our unruly little ones.