I Love You Because...

He says...

I say, "don't talk back to me, Mr. Sassy!"

He says, "I'm not talking back, I'm communicating back."

.... I hate it when 'lessons of parenting past' come back and bite you in the a$$.

He says...

I say, "don't talk back to me, Mr. Sassy!"

He says, "I'm not talking back, I'm communicating back."

.... I hate it when 'lessons of parenting past' come back and bite you in the a$$.

All About Mommy... According to Owen

Silent Saturday

Quilt Retreat 2013

Seriously, I just had one of the best weekend's of my life. You know the moments when you feel like the stars align and miraculously nothing goes wrong?!? I know, I sound completely annoying but this was a MUCH needed break for me and everything was perfect. 

Last Tuesday night I took a late flight out to SLC and met up with Mom and Spring (and 48 other women) in Midway, Utah at The Homestead Resort for a Quilting Retreat. It was so inspiring and so much fun! We quilted all day, every day from at least 8am-11pm. We chatted, we ate yummy food, we enjoyed the scenery and we got soo much done! (collectively, I mean. Personally, I didn't get as much done as I should have. :) ) I got to meet my Mom's friends and soak in the glow of thier crazy, CRAZY talent. When I grow up, I want to be them. 

I got to go to a few cute quilt stores and stock up on supplies that they just don't carry here in the South (supplies for 6 quilts and a Block of the month club!!). It was wonderful to see two of my favorite people on earth all weekend and I was lucky enough to be able to spend Saturday afternoon/evening with my neices and nephews. (It made me wish my kids lived closer to thier cousins!) before flying out Sunday night. 

While I was off on my own, Husbandface was expertly taking care of things here at home. He took on role of teacher, cook, chouffer, Lego designer, maid and builder ON TOP of being  WORLD'S BEST DADDY... Wednesday morning I woke up to these texts... It totally set the tone for a PERFECT weekend knowing I had nothing back home to stress about. 

(Thanks Babe, for the most perfect birthday present ever. You're the best.)

Dreaming of fabric,
Joanna  

Enjoy Life.

The Trick is to Enjoy Life. Don't Wish Away Your Days Waiting For Better Ones. 
Marjorie P. Hinckley 

Dear Ethan, Lorali, Owen and Cameron,
This spring I have realized that my time with you is going by way too fast. You guys are growing up and changing before I even have time to blink. It's both sad to realize and amazing to see. It's made me change my attitude and outlook quite a bit. You see, Dad and I have dreams. BIG ones. Some have already come true and some we have to focus on and work for. Sometimes we become so focused on the next step, or the next dream that we forget that RIGHT NOW we are living about 100 dreams that at times we didn't think we would ever reach. I need to stop and enjoy you and your amazing talents. Enjoy our amazing attitudes and fun personalities RIGHT NOW.  Because YOU ARE MY DREAMS. You four are the reason I trudged through hard days in my past. You are the reason I put my dream job on hold. YOU ARE MY DREAM JOB.  

Love you to outer-space and around the world, all the way to Grandma and then to Jesus.... and BACK.
Forever,
Mommy  

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I hate sounding like a broken record but, homeschooling has changed our lives more dramatically then any of us would ever have thought. Yes, we've had to make sacrifices but the rewards have been so great that we barely miss it. This is better for our family then the public school they were in and It's better then the private school Ethan was in. It is by far the best way to educate OUR kids.

I really wish it hadn't taken us this long to realize it.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Wallace

Character

 

One of the best parts of being a mother is seeing your children grow up and watch them turn into amazing people. This week has been rough on Doug. His depression is sometimes unpredictable and  Ethan has taken it personally and hard.  Last night our not-so-little-anymore-man came outside to sit by me while I trimmed a few plants in the backyard,

"Mom, I think sometimes people have a hard time."

"Yes, sometimes you have hard times too, buddy."

"Yes but just like when I was in school and you saw it hurt me, you stepped back and decided to homeschool me to help me. Sometimes we have to do that for other people so that they can be thier best just like you made me my best..... 
I think we could do that for Dad..... (long pause as he gets lost in thought)
Like Dad loves legos, if we buy him legos I bet he'd cheer up."

 

seriously.... melt.... my.... heart.
He's going to be an amazing man and I am so lucky to be his Mom.

Joanna  

I collect cute things.

Spring Break 2013

Last week went by too fast and in an effort to remember in my old age how wonderful my life was *at this moment* I'm going to do the uber fast- one-liner-recap of the week....

Monday- 
The kids BEGGED for a Happy Potter Read-A-Thon Day... we stayed in our jammies and read for hours and hours finishing book #2 just in time for dinner. 

Tuesday-

Today was all about spending time with the BFFs... Lunch w/ Cottrell's then Doug and I joined Phil and Alicia at a Pink Floyd tribute concert.

Wednesday-
 

The kids enjoyed some adopted Big Sister Time all morning, Owen went on a date with who he calls 'my miss rebbie', and then Doug and I took the kids to see Mary Poppins at the Fox Theatre! 

Oh, I have to say more about the play because it was sooo flipping good! The songs were 'practically perfect' and the set?! HOLY COW, I loved the amazing 'pop-up' backdrop and colorful sets.  The kids were more then adorable and I found myself looking over at them AMAZED that they are mine. They were cracking me up during supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, just trying to sing along but not being able to even pronounce it. (don't worry, they've been practicing it ever since and have it just about down pat) I am soo blessed to be thier mommy and for reals, Husbandface and I make freaking cute kids! At the end of the show as Mary Poppins is saying goodbye she kisses Burt on the cheek and Owen (in a loud five year old 'whisper') says, "Eww! That's so gross! Now they're going to get sick! Only married people can kiss without getting sick. That's discusting." The entire time Doug and I are trying to hush him but we were laughing so hard he didn't really think he had to listen to us. It was adorable and a moment I want to remember FOREVER. I bought a Mary Poppins  Umbrella as a souvenier and the kids have just been praying for rain so they could fight over, play with it.

Thursday-

After living in GA for 9 years I finally made it to the Tellus Museum. I got to spent it with another wonderful friend from high school, Jackie whom, lucky for me, moved to Georgia because she missed me so much. (okay okay, it was because of her hubby's job but let's face it, I'm the one that benefits.) We took all the kiddos to the museum and I'm pretty sure they loved every minute of it. Ethan practically had to be yanked out of there and feels like he 'missed too much' because I was rushing in through exibits (5 hours wasn't enough time spent obsessing on science). It was such a great day! 

Friday-

We played in the dirt... ALL DAY. Doug and I are working on A MAJOR YARD WORK RENO and Friday was the day we told the boys they could get as dirty as they wanted, dig where ever they wanted and build whatever they wanted.... Needless to say I think they were in heaven. They even helped me move dirt and rocks and earned a few bucks in the process. My back still hurts from all the work I did but the kids? THEY had fun! (I'll post picts of the backyard project soon.)

Saturday-
MORE yard work but the highlight for all of us was....

Doug's nephew's coming into town to visit!! In Doug's family though, nieces and nephew's aren't what you're thinking. They're our my age. Seriously, Casey and Brandon are the coolest cousins ever and my kids can NOT stop talking about how awesome they are. They pulled out all the stops, playing Star Wars, Having a Rock Bank competition, Teaching multiplication and Poi and generally showering my kids with tons of love and attention. IT WAS SOOOO FUN TO HAVE THEM AROUND and I totally wish they lived closer.

We all hated saying good bye but were glad they got to stay all weekend. 

How do define a perfect Spring Break? You head out to a favorite location? or reach out to your favotie people? For us every year seems to be different. This is our Spring Break 2013. Yeah, no beaches, no crazy parties, no trips but still perfect for our cute family. 

Hoping not ever to forget how perfect it was,
Joanna  

 

 

 

 

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