Spring sitting!

Spring is my absolute favorite time of the year. Everything seems new and fresh. I guess that is why people do spring cleaning...of course this year I will only be doing Spring sitting! Yup, I am still on bed rest. Although most of my time is spent mapping out all the smudges on my walls that I plan on attacking with a magic eraser as soon as I am able, I really am taking the time to marvel at spring and all it brings. This will be our first spring in this house and I had no idea how many flowers bloom in our yard! What a pleasant surprise! On a normal weekend I would be running errands or cleaning, but this weekend I just sat and watched the kids play outside. And of course thought to myself why don't I do this more often? I guess this is what it took to slow me down enough to stop and smell the roses! (and to write a blog entry!) The funny part is I really expected to just go in, have my surgery, and go home with no problems! I guess I forgot that I too bear the Haynes' name! The next time a doctor tells me there is only a 3% chance of this or that happening, I don't intend to take those odds! I do believe there is a lesson to be learned and a character trait to be strengthened in every trial. Although I tend to be a slow learner, the Lord amazingly never gives up on me. Boy do I thank Him for that!

Concrete Feet

For those of you who may not know we have moved AGAIN! We have officially been in the house for a month and although everything seems to leak, we are very excited and feel very blessed to have a place to call home. Since moving in we have been on vacation, had parents visit,Brandon moved in, kids started school, got the flu bug, & Ben broke a rib (it's a long story, but it was the skunks fault). It seems it may take some time to get settled, but once we are I told Ben my grandkids are going to come visit me in this house if I have to concrete my feet in! The kids are blissfully unaware of the mishaps and have really been enjoying their new home! The pool, of course, has been one of their great joys of the summer!
Our family has been on quite a journey over the past few years and are so thankful to the Lord for not only providing for our every need, but blessing us in abundance!

Eleven is Heaven!

Ben and I celebrated 11 years of marriage this month! We had to get a little creative due to a lack of babysitters so we did something a little different this year. We did a day date while the kids were in school and then celebrated with them in the evening. It turned out to be a really nice time! We went to breakfast and walked through the Ruth Bancroft Gardens. It was stunning! I had no idea cactus could be so beautiful! Then to downtown Walnut Creek to VaDaVi for lunch on the patio. An awesome day with my awesome husband. We told the boys that they get to celebrate with us for dinner and we were going to all make it a special night! As we sat at dinner we talked about the blessing of marriage with them and was surprised at how sweet they were. Spencer said he can't wait to get married and have someone to snuggle in bed with every night! After dinner I asked them what would be special to do together-the awnser: snuggle on the couch and watch a movie, eat popcorn, and drumstick ice cream! So that's what we did. I never thought about celebrating our anniversary with our kids before, but so glad we did! What a special time!
(Matthew 19:4-6) 4 He answered, "“Haven’t you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?’ 6 So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, don’t let man tear apart.”"

Spencer's 8th Birthday

Well, the baby of the family turned 8. We celebrated with an awesome father/son video game party hosted by Games2U. They brought their mobile video game theater to our front door! The boys all played laser tag and then we had a friendly father vs. son game of Booger wars! Boys and boogers-it was a match made in heaven! It was a fun time. As I rocked my wii guitar to Poisons "Every Rose Has it's Thorns" my thoughts of feeling old that my youngest was turning 8 all but melted away! With Ben on the drums we made a pretty cool pair! I don't know that anyone would pay to see us, but it is the closest we will probably ever come to our 15 minutes of fame! Thank you Lord for trusting us with such a precious boy! We love you, Spencey!
More pictures are posted on Facebook!

Utah Trip

Well, I have to say that Utah is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. Waking up to the snow falling was amazing and the mountains took your breath away! We tried our hand, or should I say feet, at Cross Country Skiing with Ben's brother and his family. The snow was falling lightly and the views were stunning. The boys had a blast and caught on really quickly. Ben got to do some downhill with his brother and 8 yr old nephews, who by the way take on Black diamonds like they are bunny slopes! We went tubing, skiing, built a snowman (well sorta), ate to much delicious food, relaxed in the hot tub- yup it was the perfect vacation. Then we came home to a cat that was upset that we left her and showed her disapproval by peeing in her bed and vomiting on the floor when we let her in the house. It was a warm welcome indeed! Hope you enjoy the photos!

Boys=ER Trips

As a mother of boys I learned early that I would not be spending my days having tea parties, but rather digging for worms, catching bugs, playing ball, etc. I learned later, however that I would be spending a lot of my days in the ER! I love everything about being my boys mom. Well, everything except the Emergency room visits. My last trip was with Spencer this past Saturday. My heart sank when the nurse said to me "Hey I remember you, you are here a lot! How is your other son doing?" She was the same nurse Skyler had 2 weeks ago when he injured the ligaments in his knee playing football and now here I was with Spencer who broke his finger playing basketball during recess. The kicker is that he didn't tell his teacher because he didn't want to miss his recess! So when I picked him up from school he said, "Mom I hurt my finger today". I looked down at his purple, swollen to double the size, crooked finger and said "You sure did!" I told him not to be such a tough guy next time! It is funny how they never seem to hurt themselves doing the dangerous things they like to do- like for example climbing trees with saws or chopping firewood with an axe. I probably shouldn't have said that! Lord, Please protect them! Oh, and please let me keep my sanity, I have grown very fond of it!
P.S. Please pray for Brandon this week. He is having oral surgery on Thurs. and is very nervous about it. Thanks everyone!

Sky Guy is Turning 9!

Okay, okay so I fell off the blog wagon there for a little bit, but I am back! I have been such a scatter brain lately that if I would have posted something it probably would have looked something like this-.ksjdglurlwaiugf;.suliwUegwiru????? Not good! With Thanksgiving, christmas cards, and now Skyler's birthday behind me I think I can write something worth reading or at least something that makes sense! This is a picture of Skyler with all his new pals he got for his birthday. Skyler decided that he wanted a puppy party this year. No surprise to us, everything that goes on in his brain right now revolves around puppies! We decided to take everyone to a rock climbing wall to start the birthday celebration. They made it look so simple! Mastered that and bored in no time. Looked at my watch and realized I had 3 more hours to entertain these energetic 9 year olds! Back to the house for games. Had them be puppies while they were playing and realized that they move much slower when they are on all fours! Genius! One more hour down! Cake, presents, singing...okay that didn't take up very much time. Daddy saved the day and played catch, or was that fetch, with everyone in the front yard! Success! Skyler had a blast! I say it everytime one of my babies has a birthday, but I'll say it again. I can't believe how fast they are growing! Happy Birthday my sweet Skyler! I love you so much, but no you can not get a real puppy!

Harvest Fest Fun!

Well, it seems that everyone survived mommy being gone for a week! The house was even clean when I got here! Good job, Honey! I sure didn't have a chance to ease back into the routine, but am very glad to be home with my guys! Last night was Harvest Fest at our church. Although you can't tell from the picture my little Army man was sick with blood poisoning. On Halloween night! No trick or treating for him, but Skyler definitely got enough candy to go around! This picture was taken just an hour after having a shot of antibiotics in the thigh and having blood drawn at the hospital and he is smiling! He's my little trooper! The doctor told him he didn't have enough junk in his trunk to get the shot in his behind so they had to give it to him in the leg. OUCH! He did not get a fever so the doctor said he wasn't going to admit him, but he would have to take it easy. Yeah, easy for him to say! He is getting better though. Nothing 10 days of antibiotics and a shot in the leg can't cure! Just another day in paradise! Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Kissyfur is Out of Surgery!

He is really going to hate that I called him that! Good thing he is in no position to do anything about it! It probably wouldn't be a good time to give him a big fat noogie either, but he's got one comin'! The doctor said the surgery went well. He also said that his recovery should be a lot easier this time and that is a huge praise! He is resting comfortably (well as comfortably as possible) at the hospital. Thank you all for your prayers. I know they are a comfort to him as well as all of us. This is a picture from his last surgery. I'll have to get a new one so we can compare! Please continue to pray for his recovery. His hearing, balance, and facial nerve have all been affected by this tumor. Thanks again everyone!

We Made It to The Top!

Of Mt. Diablo that is! Well, we drove to the top, but that isn't the point. We made it and it only took forever! We had to drive so slow because the kids were car sick that bikers were passing us UP HILL! Well, maybe it just felt that way, but anyhow it was well worth the effort! The views were amazing. Of course, I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I wasn't so terrified that the boys were going to fall off the cliffs and plummet to their deaths! And of course they caught on to Mommy's fear and ran with it. The more fear they senced the closer to the edge they would go! Funny how that works. We took a trail that circled the top careful to avoid all the Poison Oak that surrounded us. The boys were on a quest to find snakes and any other reptiles that were unlucky enough to be caught by them! I count the day a success...warm weather, picnic, beautiful scenery and we didn't come home with Poision Oak or any creepy crawlies! Only two cute little stuffed animals that Nana & Papa bought for them in the gift store! Fun, Fun, Fun!

Prayer Needed!

Well, the Lord continues to give our family things to pray about and so I am asking all of you to join us in lifting my brother Kristopher up in prayer. He is 30 yrs old and has a three yr old daughter named Emma. Last year after suffering with hearing loss and facial paralysis he was told he had a brain tumor. They said it was benign, but needed to come out. He underwent surgery in February of this year and considering what he had just been through he was doing great! Although they were unable to restore his hearing fully or repair his facial nerve back to normal with the help of physical therapy his balance was improving. All his doctors were encouraged by his progress. We thought his six month appt. with the surgeon would confirm what we already knew-he was doing great! The doctor gave him the news that his tumor had grown back and we all felt like we had been kicked in the stomach. Knowing that God is in control of all things I immediately started praying for the peace and comfort that only comes from knowing and trusting in Him. The Lord was not taken by surprise. He says that he works all things out for good for those who love Him. I have trouble trusting in Him fully at times, especially times like these, but I know that He is faithful and true to His word. So please join our family in praying for the Lord's good and perfect will for Kris and all the people who's lives will be touched by this. ( I will be posting an update after his surgery on Oct. 20th)

In Our Hearts Forever

Hello everyone! It has been a long time! I am trying to get my brain back in blogger mode, but I would like to take this week to tell you about a very special person that is no longer with us, but will always be in our hearts. Her name was Barbara J. Haynes ( aka Mom & Gramma B). She was my mother in law and I loved her dearly for so many reasons. Of course I love her for raising the wonderful man I get to spend the rest of my life with- and trust me that was a hard job, but she did it with an unconditional love that is to be admired. She was affectionate, gentle, caring, loving, intelligent, opinionated, and as Ben and I like to say she was sugar and spice and spice and vinager! I will always have great memories of times we had with her and regret that there were not more of them. The boys will miss her telling them all the stories about daddy when he was a boy and all the trouble he got into. Nothing made them laugh more! And I know we will all miss the loving mother and grandmother she was to us. Good-bye for now, Mom. You are in our hearts forever! We love you.

First Day of School!

Well, we did it! We made it through the summer and are now entering the world of early rising and frantic schedules. The first day was easy. Excitement got them up and ready in no time and we made it to school with time to spare! I love the first day of school! Handsome boys in their favorite clothes, squeaky clean sneakers, new lunch boxes that haven't started to smell yet, and smiling faces at the door telling you to hurry up or they are going to be late for school! Ahhh, bliss! I know it will all change when the excitement wears off, but for now I will bask in sweet victory and enjoy my first kid free day in three months! These are the first day pictures from last year and today! Wow, 2nd & 3rd grade! I am such a proud mama!

Boys will be boys!

I wasn't sure what to blog about this week until our pastor gave me an idea! He was talking about wives and mothers and what a typical day in the life of a mother looks like. So, I decided to make a mental list of things I say to my boys in a typical day. Take today for example. Before we even made it to lunch time I had said to them "no using knives while I'm in the shower!" and " You can't climb a tree with a saw in your hand! and "Be careful with that staple gun you could shoot your brothers eye out! Something tells me we are not living a typical life! And perhaps I'm not your typical mom! But at the end of the day I will thank God for protecting them another day and giving me the priviledge to be their mother. This picture was taken on another day when I said to them "Did you really dump the whole bottle of bubbles in the tub?" I guess the moral of the story is, the next time you hear yourself saying something like "Farting at the table is not funny!" just remember this wonderful season in life is so short. I better go check on those little rascals right now!

Memory Lane

My girlfriend Jessica had her baby girl. I went to the hospital yesterday to see her and she is sooo beautiful! Holding a newborn is just good for the soul. It reminded me of the moment I met each of my boys. That picture is as clear in my mind today as it was the day they were born. And now one of them is a teenager! My sweet little blue eyed, six pound baby boy with jet black hair standing up on his head is now my sweet 15 year old that shaves and wants to drive the car! Wow, does time fly when you are having fun! When they were in diapers I thought they would never grow up and then they potty trained and someone hit the fast forward button! Don't forget to enjoy the ride! Thanks for coming down memory lane with me!

We're Back!

Wow! What a great trip! So many highlights I'm not sure I'll be able to get them all in. We visited with Ben's mom, hung out with my brother and his family, went boogie boarding in Oceanside, braved Legoland, stuffed our brains with knowledge at the Science museum, roasted marshmallows, had charactures of the boys drawn in their undies, and the list goes on! I love vacation! Although, besides all the mounds of laundry it is good to be home! There is something very special about sleeping in your own bed! Seriously though, I think I may need a few more washing machines if I don't want to be doing laundry for an eternity! Have a good week everyone!

San Diego, Here We Come!

We are getting ready for our big trip to San Diego! Unfortunately, all these have to come with us. Ben and I just finished filling all our "pill packs" for the trip. It's a bummer Lyme doesn't take a vacation! I think I might need a vacation from getting ready for this vacation! Meds, check. Clothes washed, check. Find someone to feed the cat, check. Clean the car out, check. Load the car up, check. Bring my sanity, Oh, crap I can't find that! Maybe I'll just leave that behind this time instead of my toothbrush! Well, it looks like we are ready for San Diego. The question is "Is San Diego ready for us"? Have a sunshiny day everybody!

Quote of the Day!

I know this is my weekly blog, but I thought I would put in a "Quote of the Day" because God only knows when my life will be organized enough to post everyday like I promised in the beginning! I think I must have been dreamin'! Anyway, Spencer was a bit grumpy when he got up and when I asked him if he got up on the wrong side of the bed he looked at me confused and said, "No, I got up on the left side like I always do!" The look on his face said, "Is there a wrong side"? So cute! It's always a good day when it starts with a good laugh with your kids.
Have you laughed with your kids today? If not, I highly recommend it! Old picture, but thought it was appropriate for laugh factor! Yes, those are diapers, AKA "Super Hero Helmets"! Have a great week everybody!

Thank You Blog Readers!

First things first... I would like to thank you for the comments, emails, and prayers. Keep em' comin'. I love to hear from you! I am doing much better this week, but so much for looking better! As you can tell from the picture I am feeling well enough to be silly with my boy's again. I am taking a break from my meds until I see my doctor again on the 22nd. She said the reason I was so ill is because I was "herxing" which in a nutshell means that the medicine is killing the Lyme and my body is trying to rid itself of the dead bacteria. Crazy, huh? I have watched Ben go through it and now know his pain first hand and pray that Spencer doesn't have to go through it although it's very likely he will. I suppose we will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I rely on God even when I don't feel like it because His mercies are new each morning! "Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning" Lamentations 3:23. Thank God for that!
Last week the verse I would have quoted would have been Psalm 6:2 "Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; Oh Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony"! I'm glad I can laugh a bit about it now! Have a good week everybody!

A Week Asleep!

Well, I'm not sure I have much to blog about this week since I spent it sleeping! It was a rough week dealing with the affects of this freakish disease they call Lyme. I sleep most hours of the day and the times I am awake I am in immense pain. Ben has been so wonderful taking care of everything. He doesn't do it the way I do, but God bless him for trying. I'm not sure what I would do without such a loving hubby so willing to gladly pick up the slack! Skyler is proving to be quite the responsible "man in charge" when Daddy isn't here too. Thanks Sky!
How about this picture! That's reality! No glamour here! Skyler took this picture because he said Ollie was so cute! I agree. Between the two of us, Ollie definitely gets the cute prize this week! I am looking forward to looking and feeling much better next week! Until I write again, hope you all have blessed week!