Island Time

It's SPRING
 It's SPRING
 It's SPRING!

We've already had several days in the 80s!
 Life has been moving quickly and been busy since my last blog post in February.

Life has been full!
It has been filled with our children...

and trips to Costco... (if only for the samples...)

and muddy playgrounds...

 really, really, muddy playgrounds.

And duck feeding..

And duck chasing.........

...And oh, it also included a visit to

a little tropical island 

in the middle 

of the pacific ocean.

 It all started back in February...... John won an award at work for the Best Global Producer.
 I am thrilled and honored that I am  married to such a successful, hard working, brilliant man. 
Furthermore, the company also said some really nice things about John's character and the way he conducts his business. I really couldn't be more proud. A man of integrity is worth more than any amount of money as far as I'm concerned. 

AND, as an added perk, he also won us a spot at the annual Peak Performers trip, which takes place in Hawaii!

John and I were both completely giddy. We were so excited about being away together,
 on an island, 
for a week, 
without the kids. 
                                                               It almost seemed surreal. 

 As much as I love all of our children, I personally have not been away from them for more than a few days.  I was so unbelievably ready. 

My mom volunteered to fly out and watch the kids with Amanda.
My Aunt Robin also flew out to help my mom.
  And of course, we had John's parents too who are 15 min away who could come and go when needed.
We could vacation and rest assured that we had a big tribe surrounding our family at home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well March really flew by with the anticipation of this trip coming up in April.
But, before the trip...

There was St. Patricks day...

Green oatmeal. (I admit, it doesn't look great...)

And Easter! 

The kids are dressed in their Easter Best!

This what James does when we ask him to smile

Levi's Easter best is his Vest

Butterfly Girl

My Grandma came to visit for 12 days and stayed through Easter. 
It was very special to spend it with her. 

We love GG

Painting those Easter Eggs

No visit would be complete without a visit to the candy store

The hunt is on!

Truly a beautiful March day 

James finds the candy...and is not going to let it go

We made a trip out to the tulip farm. Always gorgeous.

There's that classic James smile again

Not amused

Then at the beginning of April there was John's birthday...and our 11th anniversary...BUT>>>>>>>

                                                  Then came mid-April and HAWAII!

John and I left on a Wednesday night after putting the kids to bed. We stayed downtown near the airport because our flight the next morning was early (plus it was fun to start our vacation a night early!)

Navigating the airport and flying without children was magical. In fact, everything about that week in Hawaii was magical, mostly because it was just the two of us, and well, life was really really easy. 

The week was spent in a beautiful hotel right near the beach. We were really spoiled with VIP treatment. 

John's company truly rolled out the red carpet with extravagant parties,

Yes, they built a ferris wheel on the beach

 famous entertainers (um, like Stevie Wonder...) 

Yep, really him. Private concert.

and an abundance of food and drink under the palm trees. 

Oh these parties were unlike anything I've ever seen or experienced before. I kept comparing them to The Gatsby parties. 

Just completely unreal. Pictures don't begin to show the opulence poured forth. 

We took an excursion to a live volcano (its been smoking since 1983) 

Hiked through lava tubes

ate breakfast at a local restaurant (where the Hawaiian Big Boys dine) 

Pancake with coconut pudding on top. Seriously HUGE amount of food. 

drove a jeep through rain forests...

...walked with our toes in the sand, 

Saw Sea Turtles!

and watched  the most glorious sunsets I've ever seen.

And relaxed. 
I have to say, I finally truly and utterly let myself unwind and refresh.

My Monday Morning

We didn't communicate with the kids all week. My mom said she'd only contact us if someone were in the hospital.

I focused on being in the moment. I didn't spend time missing anyone because I knew that I would soon be home again. And this was a gift, to be away and be recharged. 

After a week we ventured home and I was eager to see the kids. I greeted them in the morning when they woke, and the reunion was so so sweet. 

"Hi Mommy! Hi Mommy!" the boys reached out to me from their cribs, eyes wide and excited. 

And then there was Evie, who burst into the room and gave me the longest, sweetest, tightest hug I ever had. No words needed to be said.
                                                                          It was the best. 

My Aunt and Mom left for Chicago a few days later. Although we were sad to see them go, John and I felt energized and ready to take on the family again. 

I know it's only been a few days since being home, but John and I both have more patience, energy, positivity, and endurance. 

 I especially, feel so unbelievably recharged. It really is amazing what a week away can do to the spirit and mind. It allowed me to take a step back and see things-my life- a little bit differently. 

February: Nursing homes and Chocolate Martinis

One of the things I still love about the Pacific Northwest is the early springs. This is my 10th spring here, but I still get so excited in February when all the flowers start to bloom around me. Growing up in the Midwest,  we would still be buried in below zero snow for at least another month or two.

Blooming in our backyard

February has had a lot of activity.
My mom was here visiting and we got to celebrate her birthday by going on a Portland chocolate tour. Yes, you heard that right..a three hour tour of sampling, drinking and learning about all that is chocolate.
I can now tell you the difference between Belgium and Swiss chocolate and what makes white chocolate white. AND, I can tell you that the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland makes the BEST chocolate martini.

4:00 chocolate martini...I could get used to this.

And it wouldn't be valentines day unless we had a bag of cheap cartoon valentines. Evie had her preschool  party. Luckily Grandma was here to patiently sit with her at the table while she signed each of her 18 valentines. I can't even imagine the amount of valentines we will be buying, signing, and delivering when I have all four in school. 80 maybe?! Anyone want to come over and patiently sit with the boys while they sign theirs?! ;)
Speaking of cheap cartoon valentines, when did those go out of style? This is the second year that Evie has brought home a bag of  elaborately hand crafted,  witty, candy-laden heart-shaped masterpieces. Ok moms, when (and why) did you spend so much time on these?
I hope everyone enjoyed the beauty of Evie's  Disney tear apart ones that I bought the day before because I got them for 70% off at Fred Meyer.

Speaking of Pintrest Mom, I admit, I can not judge because I do have a bit of that in me too.
I did do one slightly creative valentines day project/surprise this year. After all were in bed,  I decorated the outside of everyones bedroom door with hearts. On each heart I wrote things I loved and appreciated about them. (However, like the handmade valentines,  I think I appreciated my effort more than anyone else did...;) 

Ok, I'm realizing that I might not be able to complain about the Valentine Diva Moms after I write about this next activity...
 When my mom was here, we baked heart shaped cookies and the kids (well, really Evie) passed them out at the local nursing/ rehabilitation home. (I know...I know...I still have that teacher in me and I feel like my kids need meaningful field trips...)
I didn't really know how Evelyn would act around older people in wheel chairs who really had a hard time hearing, talking and moving. Nonetheless, I knew it would be a great experience for her and would get her out of her pink and red heard shaped, sparkly bubble.

I have to say it was a delightful, meaningful experience for everyone. The residents all really enjoyed seeing the three boys run around and they loved sweet Evie politely asking if they wanted a cookie.

Evie did so well. She seriously LOVED  walking up to every person and handing them a cookie. This is something we need to make more of a habit of doing in the community.

"cookie anyone?"

The boys really just wanted to eat the cookies themselves

Speaking of community, we are enjoying our neighborhood even more this Spring. John and I took the four kids out for a walk around the block the other night and to our amazement, no one wandered off or needed to be chased! It was really MANAGEABLE! We even stopped and talked to our neighbors while the kids played together on their driveway for about 30 minutes...all without any meltdowns, attempted escapes or catastrophes!

Life is changing folks!
There is light!!
The chains are slowly breaking!
We WILL be able to do family outings without being stressed out of our minds!!

Yet another reminder that life is but a series of Seasons....the "three baby and one toddler season" has ended and we are now in the "three toddlers and a young child" chapter.

Still terrifying and exhausting...but it promises a little, tiny, teeny, bit of more sanity in the house ;)

Happy 2nd Birthday!

To my three two year old sons,

A message from your mother.

You are two now. 

When I had you, I sobbed in your daddy’s arms because I was so overwhelmed and the future seemed like too much to handle. 

Having you was not part of my plan.

But now as I think back on the past two years, I couldn’t have dreamed of better sons or a more blessed life. 

Daddy didn’t really know how to comfort me when I cried and worried. He only said, “Let’s just focus on surviving for two years."

Two years seemed like an eternity away. 

The “day in and day out” of life just seemed like too much at times. 

It still does. 

But here we are. 

Two years. Day by day.

Love is powerful. Love fuels sacrifice. Love changes people. I can say that my love for you has changed me. It's an extremely painful, exhausting, excruciating chipping away process; a chiseling of my former self. Sometimes I don't know who I am anymore.

 I feel lost in it all. 

But I know that in it there is a plan and a greater purpose evolving. 

It's all worth it. 

You are all worth it. 

Dear Caleb,

My firstborn son. My joy. The one who refuses to let a day go by without smiling or laughing. People were afraid you wouldn’t walk, because you crawled last and you couldn’t sit up like your brothers. However you shocked us all by taking your first step first and navigating the stairs standing all by yourself. You love people. You smile at the ones who usually don’t get a second glance. You love the outdoors and exploring and talking to neighborhood cats. You insist that I don't take myself or life too seriously, as I’m prone to do. You give me hope that one day there will be a lot of laughter around our dining room table. 

Dear Levi,

You have such a sensitive heart and spirit. I love the way you love your family. I love the way you talk to me and explain exactly what you need and what is really going on. Yes, you can be a bit dramatic at times, but I know that you just have a strong sense of justice. As a newborn you observed the world around you and were very interested in how the world worked. Even now, you help me to see the world with a fresh perspective  You give me hope that I will always have someone who will want to hang out with his mama.

Dear James,

It took awhile for your personality to come out because you slept  a lot as a baby. Even now, you prefer to lounge, drink juice, watch TV and have your back scratched. However, I see that assertive spirit in you, and I know that it will be channeled into something incredible. Basketball will undoubtedly be a part of your future, and I’m so excited to sit on the sideline and cheer you on at all your games. I know that deep down inside you are a team player, and I'm so grateful you are on our team. 

First haircut!

I couldn't imagine my life now without doing everything for "four." 

Happy 2nd birthday boys. You are loved. You are cherished. You are my boys-my Caleb, my Levi, my James-forever.

Love, 

Your mama