Kellogg's and Family Time Make the Best #GoodNightSnack #cbias

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I think there's pretty much nothing I love more than family time. Nothing rejuvenates as well for me; not alone time or the pulse of a crowd for sure. All of my boys and I being happy together, focused on each other over anything else... those are the moments that get me through the next while and make me continue to truly, deeply love being a Mom. And when they aren't clouded by my having to be in the kitchen instead, I'm especially happy!

Recently Stephen got home late from work and actually requested Raisin Bran Crunch for something to eat! It was a rare, calm night and the boys were clamoring for something more too, so I pulled out these boxes of Kellogg's cereals and we headed outside to our picnic table for a simple dice game and good night snack. I love summer dusk and just soaked up the whole moment, missing our older boys for sure...

My Own 'Christmas Shoes' Story

Oh, my, it is seriously past time for a family update around here! This little blog is keeping me busy lately and I LOVE it, but it also means that otherwise I just want spend time with my little band of men, instead of get behind the laptop again to blog about them, shaknow? :) I do have the most heart warming little Christmas story to share with you- I've been frothing at the bit to get this posted...

So Cooper has been really concerned with what he's giving to everyone this year- he loves giving gifts! Comes by it rightly ;) He's slowly been checking off family members, earning a dollar here and there, and wanting to spend his own money on the gifts he's giving.

He recently set up a little "Chrismis Popkorne" sale at our aquarium shop on Saturday afternoon while Stephen was open and busy. He loves stuff like this! (Ry's face in this pic makes me so sad! He was obviously tired. I sure love my trooper baby- he endures a lot in the name of everyone else.) Anyhow, at the end of the day Cooper just begged me to go to Michaels because he had earned $3 selling popcorn (surely from his Dad and older brothers) :) I knew we had time, so I did agree to swing to Michaels before home. He was over the moon!

First Day of First Grade!

Cooper is now a big time, all-day at school First Grader! I love this pic of him above on the morning of the first day just before we headed out to take him to school- you can just see his excitement brimming over!

These last few weeks, Cooper and Ryder have just really been struggling to get along very well! They just seemed so bored no matter what I tried. I thought that I might actually breath a sigh of relief with the start of school in all honesty... but I was wrong. I still had a tough time. And him being gone all day is such an adjustment! It's all good, of course... sometimes the stuff that is hard is what's good too :)

Ryder is starting Pre-School this next week too, but couldn't be left out :) He'll only be gone for two hours a day, two days a week. Boy have I been glad these last week that he won't be gone more than that!

He said to me a couple days ago, "Mom, you're my best pal." Melted, totally melted :)

This is gonna sound goofy, but honestly, having my kids in school kinda makes me feel a little more... whats the word... legitimate as a Mom. Stuff like packing a lunch in the morning and pulling through the drop-off line makes me feel like I'm a real Mom or something. I know, I know, I'm weird! :P Eventually it'll be bigger things that'll make me feel that way I suppose :)

Love these boys!

So proud of them and grateful for everyone involved in making their school days positive!

Boy Mom Soapbox: Important vs. Most Important

Recently our family went out to eat at a favorite local pizza/ pasta place. It's really popular around here, and pretty well every time we go we see groups of local high school kids there. This particular night, not long after we had started eating, in came what appeared to be an entire baseball team. All good looking young men, all apparently quite comfortable with each other.

I couldn't really help myself- it was, in fact, unavoidable- I started watching them; observing the details of their little party. I watched them watching the basketball game on the TV mounted in the corner, calling out what the players should be doing. I watched them on their phones, texting or posting or some such thing. I watched them carry in stacks of pizza slices and comment on each other's loaded plates. I watched them adjust their pants and their hats and their hair.

Blessedly, I wasn't offended by bad language or grossed out by pants that desperately needed to be pulled up. There was more to admire about these baseball buddies than not. But this vibe was also clear:

They thought they were pretty important.