Fun in the Desert!

Seeing that this is most likely the last nice weekend before summer we thought that we'd take advantage and have some family FUN!

Cole's parents and nephews met us out by Florence so that Cole could play with his new toy and actually see what it could do. He's had it for about a month now and keeps telling me that just driving it around the neighborhood is NO fun. So even though it was quite windy out yesterday I decided that it was time to let the boy out to play and I think both him and the kids loved every second of it. We really enjoy being able to get out of the house and let the kids run wild for some time. The shreeks of excitment are enough reward for the efforts put into making it happen!

Lincoln and Mason cruising in the jeep!

Cole even let Lynden drive for awhile. She was laughing and squealing the entire time. You could hear her over the engine.

Of course all the kids had to take a ride with Grandpa! Thanks for making it SO fun!

Addison our little monkey.

Hayden has to be the COOLEST kid I know!

Protect Your "Johnson"

Today's traumatic event was is too good not to share! And I know that if I don't write this down somewhere I'm sure to forget, even though I know a certain someone will probably never forget this day........

As some you may know we are slowly trying to potty train Lincoln, not by our choice, but by his. On his own he started pulling off his diaper and using the toilet just after turning 2. I thought it might be a little early for him since I've heard that boys are the hardest to potty train, but hey I'm not going to stop him! Needless to say he has been wearing pull ups for the past 4 months. He has his good weeks and his bad. We've tried to put him in BIG BOY pants, but I think it freaks him out because he actually does worse in them than a pull up.

Anyways, today started as any normal Friday with us all at home taking our time getting ready to go to the store since both Cole and I are off of work we make it a family event. Cole's relaxing and searching Craigslist, I'm in the bathroom getting ready and the kids are trying to pick out their clothes for the day. Every one's busily doing there own thing when all of a sudden you hear a loud slam of the toilet seat in the bathroom and Lincoln immediately begins screaming hysterically. What on earth could have happened?



The worst possible thing.....Lincoln was trying to go pee by himself in the toilet like he always does and the toilet seat slammed down and pinched his "little man" between the seat and the lid. You see he feels the need to stand like his dad when going to the bathroom, but he's just not quite tall enough yet so, unless he uses the stool his "little man" just barely makes it over the toilet seat. He came running into our room butt naked tears rushing down his face and both hands holding himself. I instantly scooped him up and hugged him before surveying the damage. Meanwhile, Cole was dying laughing! After calming him down a little I inspected the area to see how bad the damage was. Everything was noticeably swollen and his poor "little man" had 2 blood blisters right on the tip. I can only imagine how bad that must have felt. I truly hope that he learned his lesson on just how dangerous a toilet can be for a little guy like him and that it really does help to use a stool!

Bumps & Bruises

So it only took 6 months of walking for Lynden to finally get her first taste of ASPHALT! She has decided that just playing outside in the front yard isn't as much fun as it should be. This caused for a grand adventure a little further down the street where her siblings were, but to her dismay she was running too fast in excitement and bit the dust just upon arrival. Needless to say there was hysterical screaming and lots of tears involved. To make it even worse she was wearing shorts! (You see it has been quite warm here lately.) She also managed to bang her forehead on the sidewalk on the way down.

After some much needed love from mom, Addison, and of course our lover Lincoln. She decided that she just might live to walk again. Addison was awesome at helping care her back to health. She even put the bandaide on all by herself. Only to have Lynden rip it off about 30 seconds later laughing the entire time. Then she was right back outside running down the driveway back out into the street.

She truely is our fearlous one and that is now starting to scare me. If she's like this at only 18 months how much more is yet to come? My girls have proven that they definiately have a stronger back bone then their cowardly brother. They will be my daredevils willing to try everything. Constantly pushing the envelope to it's limits and if you listen close enough you'd probably be able to hear them squealing with excitement the entire time.

Awww the SIMPLE things

Chocolate Cake!

How is it that something so simple can be so rewarding and frustrating at the same time?

Watching the transformation that these few simple ingredients combine together to make something so rich and magical all in one bite.

Seeing your husbands frustration as the he tries to make sense of an incomplete recipe.

Making his own changes to try and make things better only to find that his efforts to make something so sweet just might not turn out the way he'd hope for at all.

Giving up in anger as nothing is coming together as it should.

Questioning why he even tried in the first place.

Walking away in disgust not wanting to see what his final master piece has become.

Wondering what went so wrong.

Knowing that everything will be fine.

Smelling the goodness through out the house.

Catching little fingers trying to sneak a taste.

Eyes sparkling with delight even though dad refuses to even try to fix it any more.

Anxiously awaiting permission to sink their teeth into the delicate dessert.

Watching your children's eyes light up as the quickly RUN to their seats in hopes that they might get more than their sibling.

Listening to them squeal and squeak with joy and laughter as they gobble up every last crumb.

Asking for more while they finish licking their plates of heaven.

Thanking the magic maker for trying even though it may not be the beautiful master piece he envisioned.

Rewarding his efforts.

There's always next time!

Can't leave well enough alone?

Ok, so here's the WARNING......... DO NOT continue reading this if you don't want to listen to me vent a little.

I can't come to understand why people can't just be happy with what they have and leave well enough alone. Why do people continually think they are missing out on something? And once they have what they're looking for decide that it's not enough and go on searching for something else. Life CAN be simple.....beautiful......peaceful......enjoyable.....and pretty close to PERFECT if people could just be accepting of how things were.

Why run the risk of ruining something that we've worked so hard on by one simple act, thought or quick impulse just to see what it's like or to fill that void that you might be missing something? Why can't people just take a minute and think about what they might be doing before acting upon it? There's no need to do something that you might regret before really thinking about what you might be giving up.

Now.....I understand that life is a test and that we're all here to learn from our mistakes and have the freedom to choose. And I'm in no way trying to imply that I might be perfect and without fault. I've had my moments of weakness and bad judgement.

I guess it's just hard to sit back and watch someone you love make mistakes over and over again just to get that rush of acceptance. I have a hard time knowing why others need that sort of attention or belonging. Especially when it's been discussed and agreed on by all parties that it's just not the best avenue to take. It can lead one off course and possibly to the destruction of something so vulnerable and pure. Stop thinking of yourself and starting think of those you might hurt or lose along the way. Why build something up just to crush it and have to start over again at the beginning when the road the you've just traveled has not been quick or easy by any means? Why run the risk of throwing it all away? All that hard work, sweat and tears. Why put yourself right back into that dark place you've just climbed of? Why can't people just see the good in what they have and what they've work so hard on accomplishing? Look at the path behind you that has lead you were you are today and be PROUD of the person you've become.

I know I will have to come to accept these questions as one of life's mysteries and rely on our Lord and Savior to help those in need through these troubled times. I will need to be more open and understanding of why people do the things they do and the choices they make. Only our blessed Heavenly Father can make it right and is always ready and waiting to help. All we have to do is turn to him for all the answers. Whether it's what we want to hear or not. He will guide us on our journey to that glorious end that we all seek. Put your trust in the Lord and someday we will all be there for that joyous reunion we are all waiting for.

IN NEED OF A BREAK

Do you ever feel like there's never enough hours in the day? Do you ever wish you could just forget it all and take a break from the world?

Well I think I've found the most relaxing place. If only I knew where it was and how to get there it would be PERFECT! Life has seemed to pick me up in it's whirl wind and set me back down in the middle of the confusion. I'm trying my best to make sense of it all and not fall behind. I guess all I can do is give it my best and dream of a place and time like the one above to get me through.

Back in Business

That's right everyone we have the internet again! YEAH!!!(I think?) I think Cole thought he was going to die without it, but hey look babe you made it a full year and survived:) Too much has happened to try and play catch up all in one post, so we'll just take it one day at a time and see how it goes.

I'm still working part time, not by choice, but because I have too. EWE! Can't wait for the day that I can actually stay home with the little rugrats. Cole changed jobs and is now working for The Department of Homeland Security Prison in Florence. He is one of the lead cooks there and is hoping for the possibility of management to help further his cooking career. The job is ok, but he does miss cooking to order since the prison menu is set by corporate on a 5 week rotating schedule. Don't worry he's not in any danger since he works with all the illegals that are picked up and waiting to be shipped back to their country of origin, whatever that maybe.

The kids are growing like crazy and we try our hardest to keep up with them. It's a struggle sometimes , but we manage somehow. Addison keeps us dancing and is truly our out spoken child. Lincoln just loves being a boy and everything that comes with it. Lynden has turned out to be our precious little one that loves to start all the trouble and run away as fast as she can. And if you ask her daddy she can do nothing wrong.

We were able to finally have some updated family pictures taken with the Perkins family in December. It was then that I realized the last time we had ANY family pictures taken Addison was only 1 month old. Guess its time to add that to my yearly TO DO LIST. (Just wonder when I'll be able to fit that one in. Doesn't hurt to try!) So here's a preview of how they turned out.