So what if I missed a year…Here’s what’s going on RIGHT NOW

Having not blogged in about a year, I’m finding this post to be EXTREMELY difficult! I started drafting one a couple weeks back and then I ended up just deleting it. I started another draft last week and after several revisions, I deleted that one as well. That being said mainly to warn that this post may be a total massive jumble of sentences but I just gotta get thru it! Haha.

I’ll start with my family b/c that’s easy…I’ll just hit the highlights.

Jon –

Remember that toy chest that he started over a year ago? It’s finally almost done! AND, it was actually worth the wait! Yes, I was beginning to wonder (sorry babe!)… The man takes his time but he sure does good work! He had it 90% complete and then decided he didn’t like it. Seriously?! But alas, all that’s left is to stain! YAY! Next project…bunk beds for the boys. I’m thinking if he starts them next week they may be done by the time Jude is in 1^st grade. Hehe.

Here's a picture of the Toy Chest, version A. The lid was wharped a bit from being stored during our move transition.

And, Here's a picture of Version B... Isn't it pretty! I'll post a final picture once it's stained and complete! What'd I tell ya?! Worth the wait!

He’s still very into Ultimate Frisbee. When I first heard of the game, years ago…I thought it sounded nothing short of silly. Now that I have watched Jon play it, they totally don’t mess around! It’s like Frisbee meets football meets soccer meets rugby…yeah, that’s what it’s like! :) He plays every Monday night at the LMRA and most Saturday mornings at Gateway Park. He’s good! Dave played this season (on another LMRA team) so Nicole and I brought the kiddos out to watch the evening they played each other.  

 Cousins

                                    

Jon playing frisbee with Jude

Joel showing off skillz...

The yard work never ends! I thought moving into a brand new house would provide a weed free brand new yard. WRONG! What would I do without a husband that finds lawn care therapeutic?! Answer – pay someone else to be my yard guy, haha. Thankfully, Jon is amazing when it comes to keeping our yard looking good! I bet he’s spent no less than 72 hours (not consecutive ofcourse) pulling weeds by hand!! Outside of that, he’s added borders to block out weeds around our front trees and flower beds & he’s helped me plant several new plants/flowers. Most recently he sought out a couple local places to buy fill dirt and mulch in bulk at a great price! He spent last weekend starting to fill in the dips of our yard to eventually even it out to a flat beautiful “golf course” look and we bought mulch and fixed up the front flower bed. I love pulling around the corner and seeing how it has all come together! Keep up the good work, babe! :)

Here's a "drive by" pic I took a couple weeks ago. This is pre border around the trees in the front, yellow rose bushes, fill dirt in the yard and mulch in front beds... I'll post some more pics soon but it does give an idea of what we're working with. :) I wish I had a pic pre-weed pulling!

Jude & Joel –  

So I’m super anxious about letting Jude go visit Grumpa and Mimi this week. Stan, Jon’s dad, will leave Dumas in an hour or so (around noon thirty) to head this way. He will stay the night with us then take Jude, Ivye and Kathryn back home with him to hang thru Thursday. I’m not positive he knows what he’s getting into! Haha. Jude is such a good kid and I KNOW he’ll have a blast so I hate to hold him back from going this year but ofcourse, I have some “mama bear” concerns… My head is running! What if he gets homesick? What if he misbehaves…will they discipline like we do? Will he feel left out going with Kathryn and Ivye? Is he just too young still? *sigh* Being a mom is hard stuff! I’ve talked with him every night about it and he remains consistent in wanting to go so that brings comfort. He keeps asking if he’ll get to play with the kitties. They’ve had 3 new litters in the last month so there will definitely be kitties…not to mention the donkey, horse, Molly dog and other critters! As hard as it is to let my babies grow up, I know they are… and I’m so thankful for the family and friends that help keep them grounded and loved along the way!

It’s time to potty train Joel! It’s not easy giving Joel the individual attention like we were able to with Jude so Jon and I plan to really focus on him while Jude is gone this week. It would be AWESOME if we could get him potty trained by our Cali trip!

The “Terrible Twos” were easy! The “Terrible Threes” suck! Don’t get me wrong, Jude is HILARIOUS and I love the good days of his three year old little self! BUT Whoever said that year two was the hardest was not a mother to my boys. Jude is TESTING us with everything he has (another reason why I fear his weeklong trip to Grumpa and Mimi’s)! Did I mention being a mother is hard? Haha. I watch Joel studying, just sitting back taking notes and it makes me cringe! So far, routine is the best medicine! Consistency is such a hard battle when you’re a busy family but it’s truly necessary! Any little thing that doesn’t go “his way” is so dramatically the end of the world for Jude! Example - Heaven forbid I help him open his string cheese when he wanted to do it all by himself, even tho yesterday he threw a massive fit because he couldn’t open it alone & needed help. I will say he is coming around more lately (prayers up and fingers crossed)! He understands consequences and he knows he SHOULD be using manners. AND MAJOR MOM BONUS, him and Joel have been playing so great together lately!! {{Heart melts}} I see a lot of Jon in Jude and imagine he was similar growing up…strong willed and stubborn to his core but extremely motivated and smart with a big heart! Joel reminds me more of myself…kinda selfish (note: I absolutely hate admitting that’s a characteristic of mine), very social and a bit hyper sensitive..ugh, yep…that’s me!

Here's a quick video of the boys trying out their new bounce house... we bought it a couple weeks ago and I swear we've already used it enough to get our moneys worth! :)

And me...

I am loving calling Fort Worth home! I don't know why it took me so long to agree that moving from Keller to Fort Worth was best for our family... Jon has been trying to convince me for years! He was totally right (he usually is, shhh!).

I love our neighbors, the convenience to work & the boy's daycare and our new church! It's such a joy coming home each day!


I'm still sewing! Not as much as I would like to most days but I make time here and there to try new things & manage to always have the boys in matchy matchy holiday appliquéd shirts. :) Right now I'm working on stuff for Dave and Nicole's baby boy (Ryker), due July 24!

This week I'm helping my mom out by watching her business (www.mnmshopping.com)  while she's on vacation. It's been kinda fun! I get to play in all her new trendy clothes and post on her FB wall, etc w/o the responsibility of owner stuff like paying rent! :-P

Here's one of my favorites right now, blk & white chevron skirt & Bubble necklace. I wore it on Mother's Day. :)

I definitely don't leave the family much time for boredom! ;-) I tend to pack out our calendar.  Jon jokes with me quite a bit about not being able to sit still! Better than the alternative, right?! Life is too short to waste it on a couch!

I am 100% confident God has his hands on every part of our lives and it gives me such a comforting peace of mind! I've never been happier and I'm not taking it for granted! I work hard to play hard and give thanks for my every day and blessings!

That's all I got for now! Feels good to be bloggin' again!

Hugs,

Brooke

Blogging for my Soul

I go back and forth on whether or not I should invest time into blogging. I have always loved the idea of having things written down to reflect on later and the ability to share what’s going on in our lives with family and close friends that are interested! Time just gets away from me! Having the Facebook app on my phone keeps it at my fingertips so I do keep that up to date but I’m more leery of what I put on the site lately and though I do put lots of pictures, I try to keep it somewhat vague and high level. When I write in this BLOG, It offers more gratification and it can be very therapeutic! Even if noone reads it, I have it for myself and my family and I do hope to turn it into a book one day for J&J. So…all that to conclude that I miss blogging! I shall start it up again! :)

XO,

Brooke