Mother's Day Eve

Oh my friends.  It has been a while and I owe a download of a whole bunch of great photos of our very full lives.  But, what inspired me to finally blog today was triggered by folding laundry on the eve of Mother's Day.  It is 10:28pm .  Scott is in bed with Kidney stones, AGAIN,  The boys are still up watching the Avs game on the couch,  Liesel is watching her own shown upstairs on an air mattress by herself, and I am folding laundry while finishing the bottle of wine I opened last night while watching Netflix with my earbuds in.  Definitely not "Mother of the Year".  But I choose to look at it differently:  I am THIS family's Mother of the Year.   Here is the spin...  My husband is being nursed to health,  my boys are snuggling on the couch,  my daughter is independently entertaining herself, and I am enjoying my Mother's Day Eve.  Let's all move into Mother's Day, and every day, with a kindness to ourselves....because this mothering thing can be hard, but with the right lens it can be so rewarding!  

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prelude to Spring

We have called it a wrap on January and February 2021. We had a beautiful weekend which made me want to also call a wrap on winter and welcome spring, but I have lived in Colorado long enough to  know that this is a trick.  The 60 degree, sunny days this weekend was such a nice reset, but I am sure snow is in our future.  That being said, we enjoyed the sun while it lasted, we sat on the deck, we played in the yard, we did some farming, we welcomed a baby goat,  we did all the spring things. It fed our souls and gave us the energy needed to get to "True Spring".

The looks of Liese;l

Milo Playing hockey with Max

Snuggle time with our dog lover

Grammy and Grandpa came for a short visit.  It was so nice to see them.  Both of them and Nana and Papa have started the vaccination process.  

Outdoor breakfast  date with our cousins

Park time - while at this park Liesel was climbing everything, like she does.  A man in his late 70's came up to Scott and I asked if she was our daughter.  After we claimed her as ours he said "That is one tough girl".  During the conversation Milo headed over and the Man said to him, "Buddy,  you are going to have to work hard to do to keep up with that girl".  Who doesn't love to have their daughter's strength recognized?  I will say her internal strength matches her muscles.  

Then there is this guy.  Second round of stitches in two years.  I'll tell you what you will be hard pressed to find another boy as brave as this little guy. 

100s Day at School.  

Maddox dressed like a 100 year old man

Liesel decorated a shirt (and of course a mask, because why not?) with 100 feathers, 100 unicorns, and 100 gems. 

Milo was too cool, but still cute

Eggs for days

So, because of COVID, Scott hasn't been traveling much this year.  So he is a bit stir crazy....the result...holes in my house.  He has recruited Milo to redo our mud room.  

True Love.  I remember when he use to look at me this way :)

Liesel and Nana.  I don't know what we would have done this year without this wonderful woman

Winston an Mac

If you can't find Nebby just look for Liesel, she won't be far away

Snow time

Our new farm addition was born on March 5th.  Everyone, meet Stephanie (yep Liesel named her)

There are few things in the world cutter than a baby goat

Dinner on the Deck...Pizza was ordered because Mom and Dad were enjoying the sun too much to go in and cook. 

The sandbox was put to good use this weekend. 

"I love you so much, even with you scream".  Oh, Mac, thank you for the sweet, honest, and a little humbling sentiment.

Walking the dogs with Nora

Mack walking Maya from our house to Nana's.  Maddox owned this 2 mile walk....Maya...Not so much. 

Nebby asleep with Liesel. 

 

2021! A New Year!

A new year.  We are ready for a fresh start.  We are feeling optimistic that this year is going to be better than 2020, not a high bar was set.  In all honesty we have had some really good times in 2020.  We do hope to see more family, friends, and even more laughs in 2021.

So far the new year isn't much different than last year.  I am still working from home, the kids have 10 days of remote learning in January before they return to in person learning, we continue to lean heavily on my in laws to help in these crazy times, and we are all eager for change.  The kids have started to put together their new year's resolutions:  Liesel's is to become a better reader and horse rider,  Maddox's is to not make Mom yell so much,  and Milo and Scott are still developing theirs.  In response to Maddox'  I have decided that maybe I shouldn't yell so much in 2021.  Leave it to our kids to call us out on what we need to change :) 

'bout right

Remote learning at Nana's house the week before was Holiday Spirit.

Liesel showing her spirit

Milo reading away

check out this cute cookie Milo's teacher, Mrs. Russ, made him. 

We got a lot snuggles in over our Christmas Break

The faces of Liesel

Mischievous

Funny

thoughtful

a little spicy

and of course loving

We did our Christmas celebration and gift exchange with our cousins out doors this year.  It was bit chilly but warm with love (cheesy, true, but very cheesy)

These crazy nuts.  Liesel helping Maddox with some school work

Holiday Nails.

This year's New Year's Card

Where'd all the pictures go?

This morning I thought, I got time,  I am going to be productive and blog.  I always start my blogs with downloading pictures to jog my memory as to what I have been up to.  As I started to look through pictures I realized one thing I have not been up to is taking pictures.  I want to say this is because I am too busy enjoying the memories instead of taking pictures.  The truth is I just forget,  I am not the mom who remembers to take pictures.  Perhaps I can improve that in 2021. Besides work and remote learning we have been preparing for Christmas.  COVID Christmas consists of lots of family time, but missing our family far away, but trying to call them often, online shopping, but still trying to support local businesses, tons of cooking and baking, and making memories, but not taking pictures.  I do have a few pictures to mark our memories from December. 

Our sweet little Nebby 

Baking Time

My little coworker.  I gave Liesel one of my old lip sticks and she can't seem to get enough.  There are lots of layers of lipstick on these lips.

Grammy's Christmas cookies.  Equally delicious, but nearly as pretty as hers.

Lots of Christmas movie watcing

Maddox spends a lot of time in my kitchen with his mama

Milo and Dad are starting to finish our basement.

It's beginning to look like Christmas

Since a lot of our Christmas traditions are on pause this year Martin/Martin treated employees and their families to tickets to the Bandimere light show.  We had a great time and the kids loved hanging out of the sun roof while we drove through the light show.