On Being a Boy Mama

Thinking lately (with Mother's Day on the brain) about being a Mom, a Mom to boys. I remember sitting in high school and doodling on my notes the words Rebekah Sky. I love that name spelled like that- I had every intention of one day naming my daughter Rebekah Sky. I'm Sky Colleen after my own Mom and my first daughter would be named after me.When Stephen and I first decided we would try to have a baby, I bought a small terrycloth bib with pink ruffly trim and pink words that said "I Love Daddy." I love the idea of tea parties and helping a little girl dress up in big hats and over-sized high heels.Or of late night talks when she would get dropped off from a date or girls nights when she hadn't been asked.

OK, cue that scratchy record interruption sound... because there might not be a little girl in adorable ponytails running around in homemade tutus, but there is stuff like this...

This white rectangle thing with dots is a phone, of course...

Knocking stuff over = awesome!

 Digging in dirt with no regard for the mess = equally awesome.

Sweet hat hair = Oh Yeah!

(said in a Vector from Despicable Me voice)

 Big juicy worm and a hoodie pocket for keeping it in =

the king of all awesomeness!

Ya know what, I caught a wasp for Cooper this morning in the front yard after several attempts with a mesh net- and it was totally rad! I was as excited as he was... well, in that initial moment anyway... thrilled "Thank Yous" would continue for the next half hour :) As grand as tea parties and dress up? No question.

And actually, I do still do tea parties I suppose... they're just actually muffin tin picnics in the backyard or inside a fort made out of our trusty white sheet in the living room. And dress up- for sure! It's just Batman masks and army helmets and plastic feathers strung through headbands to be Indians instead of high heels and flowery hats.

Late night talks... indeed, just that he'll be driving home instead of getting dropped off. I appreciate that it will be him with a larger span of control, actually. And Cooper did announce the other day that when he grows up he wants to marry me, so maybe he'll be the one opting not to ask anyone ;)

How do I feel about being a Boy Mama? One thing's for sure... Disappointment is NOT in the list of descriptors...

Wishing any Mom who reads this a very Happy Mother's Day weekend! I've got some great projects that will be our gifts to our Moms and Grandmas to share with you- just can't until next week or it would ruin the surprise!

And PS... see the new button on my upper sidebar? I just joined a fun site called Top Mommy Blogs and when you click that button, my blog here moves up the list. I think it'll be fun to have a spot to easily connect with other bloggers- click as you leave if you can!

Sticks and Stones

Well, arrows and rocks anyways...
For the past while, Stephen's been digging out some old gear and doing a bit of trading to get us ready to start participating in some 3D archery shoots! Stephen used to be an awesome target shooter and hasn't done it in a long while. This last Saturday was the first shoot of the season. We love any chance we get to get down into the Snake River Canyon- it was a beautiful day!

We actually learned a lot and got more excited to keep shooting in the future. Next time we'll leave Ryder with a babysitter and make sure Cooper really wants to be there for the long haul- they both got tired too soon! It was interesting to see all the targets and lose a few arrows in the process!

The little boys loved this huge rock that was near one of the targets! Coop is telling me "I Love You" from the top!

I was actually able to cover this shoot for the Times News too, which made it fun! I liked being able to talk to and photograph the shooters around us. This is a really cool atmosphere, with most people there as families, packing kids just like we were!

I think this day made Stephen rather proud... and rightfully so! There will be more shots like these coming up this summer for sure! If you drive by our house during the evening these next few weeks, you'll see us out practicing!

Meaningful Monday: Don't Blink

One thing being a correspondent for our area newspaper, the Times News, gives me (beyond just the chance to write), is also the chance to have a moment of time to myself when gathering for a story. Last week I was on the way home from an event I covered and heard the song "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney on the radio. Usually the radio is OFF when I'm driving cuz I don't want the extra noise, but in that moment I had the chance to actually hear the music and absorb the lyrics.


This isn't a new song or my favorite artist or anything like that, but I thought the lyrics were, well, meaningful...

I turned on the evening news

Saw a old man being interviewed

Turning a hundred and two today

Asked him what's the secret to life

He looked up from his old pipe

Laughed and said "All I can say is."

Don't Blink

Just like that you're six years old

and you take a nap and you

Wake up and you're twenty-five and

your high school sweetheart becomes your wife

Don't Blink

You just might miss

your babies growing like mine did

Turning into moms and dads

next thing you know your "better half"

Of fifty years is there in bed

And you're praying God takes you instead

Trust me friend

a hundred years goes faster than you think

So don't blink

I was glued to my tv

when it looked like he looked at me and said

"Best start putting first things first."

Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand

You can't flip it over and start again

Take every breath God gives you

for what it's worth

Don't Blink

Just like that you're six years old

and you take a nap and you

Wake up and you're twenty-five and

your high school sweetheart becomes your wife

Don't Blink

You just might miss

your babies growing like mine did

Turning into moms and dads

next thing you know your "better half"

Of fifty years is there in bed

And you're praying God takes you instead

Trust me friend

a hundred years goes faster than you think

So don't blink

So I've been tryin' ta slow it down

I've been tryin' ta take it in

In this here today,

gone tomorrow

world we're livin' in

So am I "blinking" too much as a Mom? Is there any possible way when they are grown that I won't feel like the answer is yes? I just hope I'm doing the same... taking it in. Hope you are too, whatever "it" is! :)  If you haven't heard these lyrics in awhile, hope you'll watch the video- hearing it is, of course, lots better than just reading!

P.S. These pics are from a warm day we had last week that Cooper called "The Hottest Day Ever!"

Puff Paint and More

Cooper has recently discovered both tape and scissors. As a result, paint is less of a big deal in our world. But it wasn't too long ago that we tried this other recipe for puffy paint- it was a big, fun mess!

This recipe uses the three ingredients above- so easy! I just mixed random amounts of the shaving cream and glue until it seemed right to me, then added the color until I was happy with the hue. Coop obviously loved painting more than just the paper!

And to supervise the scissor obsession, I brought out yet another messy project- springy paper shred chicks!

These are made with plastic eggs and paper easter grass... probably two things in excess around your house too right now, eh? Click through to this idea at Krafty Kat!

And see those two and that sweet bike set-up?!? Their Mom is pretty tough... :)

Can't Resist... More Bow Ties!

I've already ranted about it, but THIS tutorial from delia creates makes the cutest stinkin' bow ties! I can hardly stop sewing them! There is a stack of cut fabric on my table that will be making it's way into my Etsy shop and whoopdwhoop this week (hopefully). :) I used one my favorite fabrics- the turquoise paisley for Cooper's and some fun springy polka dots for Ryder. I actually made two of each (for Taron and Keaton if they wanted), but the other two ended up being too small for even the little boys! I couldn't have been happier with my cute little dudes all decked out! I love how the bow ties look so fresh and fun and that they are the kind you can really tie! I put velcro on mine at the back so that I didn't have to make the boys hold still long enough to tie. It's taken no time at all for me to get fast at it actually, but it took a bit of practice in the beginning! 

For the suspenders, I very loosely followed THIS tutorial from Make It and Love It. I think the boys kinda thought they were annoying, but if they fit tighter than probably wouldn't have been an issue.So long as I can find the suspender clips in bulk, I'll be making more of these for sure! :)