And so it begins...

Lately we began the next 18 or so years of our lives. I knew that marrying Brad was going to put me in the sports-mom category (I think it's in my kids' genes), and let me just say, we have arrived. Jane Bradley has started her first team sport this week, and appropriately enough, she is on the pink T-ball team.

Beckham thinks he is too...

So, Beckham had claims on JB's new batting helmet. She was prepared to fight back, so my neighbor, also the head coach of her team, offered Beckham a much more masculine replacement... You can't really tell what this is in this picture, but the thing that looks like a black wig is actually a black t-ball helmet turned around backwards. He thinks he sees better out the back...

So far, Jane Bradley is the only Madden on a team, but Beckham is really ready to join them all...

I hope your weekend makes you as happy as Beckham with a pink t-ball helmet :)

Thanks for coming back!

So it's been a while, and the photos of the week were scarce. Brad was out of town for 5 days last week, and I was doing great to keep the kids fed, rested, and out of the middle of the street. 
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Brad is a quirky guy. One of the ways to his heart - pack for him. The man hates to call people he doesn't know on the phone, and just under that, is trying to find all of the things that go in his suitcase. So... in true honeymooners-lovey-dovey-starry-eyed-fashion, almost every time, I pack the two small kids and also the one larger one... 


This time Beckham got involved...

While dad was gone, there was a lot of living-room playtime... I was cleaning up the house one day, and saw Beckham watching TV. Then I noticed his feet. Then I ran for my camera.... Snapped one just in time, because the nanosecond after my camera flashed, he got tired of standing in them... I can totally sympathize, B.

Afternoons weather was gorgeous. On days like that, I don't ever want to live anywhere else... For the other 350 days of the year, it's debatable...

Saturday morning couldn't get here fast enough. The hours crawled by. That morning, we had some construction work done in the middle of the living room floor... Many towers were built, and many were re-built...

Not sure that B knows the difference between a kaleidoscope and a telescope...

After building got old, Jane Bradley invited Beckham to join her for a living room dance party... All before 10 am. They got down to "We Are the Dinosaurs" for a while....

After we got Brad back, I really wanted to keep us all in the house for a long time and not let anyone leave. I did let us all out for church and took JB to a birthday party, but everything else got wiped off the schedule. I just wanted us all back the way we belong after a long week... We've been letting the kids go back for seconds of sunshine since it's still out after dinner. They had some backyard fun before they crashed... That's what childhood is made of, right?

Jane Bradley made Brad this card when he came home. I'm pretty sure that she drew him as a saints football player, and this is his jersey with a fleur-de-lis and his helmet. I especially love that she said, "Thanks for coming back..." Brad and I got a good laugh, but really, I was pretty thankful he was back too...

One last thing, We are about to shop for another vehicle for me. I am looking for something that holds 4 kids (like to be able to carry an extra), and will hold luggage for travel. I've never been a minivan fan, but it's looking to be a pretty practical option. Also, the other options seem to be the full sized choices like the expedition or the suburban. I know I have some friends who drive the mid-sized vehicles with 3 kids, but how do you travel? Trying to figure out the logistics and wondering if I have any other options. I would love a comment if you have any thoughts! Also, if you particularly loved working with a specific person at a dealership, please let me know - I hate going to those places blind!


Have a great week! Thanks for coming back :)

St. Paddy's Days

We had several birthdays on the cul de sac this week. 


The spree ended with a complete razor scooter gang on our street. All of the birthday girls got them for their birthdays, and the older kids already had them. That left one kid on the street who was a have-not... Jane Bradley. I came home from work that day, and she was mid-break down. I tried to convince her that I thought there was a good chance that the Easter Bunny might want to know that this was her biggest request (actually, he already knew... he told me that he had ordered it already and he wanted me to hold on to it for him until Easter Morning). She tried to be strong, but on the second attempt to ride alongside the others, she came inside and sobbed. It was sad, and I was weak... So Easter came a little early, and the squirms and squeals of delight made it all worth it. You can see the puffy eyes and the happy smile in the picture. Awww....

I wish I could say we finished Spring Break with lots of scooter rides and enjoying the weather. We did not. JB came down with the stomach bug on Friday, the last one of us to be struck. We stayed in, missed 2 birthday parties, and I lysol-ed my house. Again. For the fourth time - not that anyone is counting. Friday night, she was feeling a little less green around the edges, and after all of the village kids went inside, we went out to get some fresh air. Glad I had my camera because Brad was in a super good mood. He likes Fridays - and all of the other non-work days :)

JB didn't want to smile so much. She'd had a lousy day...

That's okay. Brad brought enough silly for all of us...

Beckham took a spill. He looks to make sure we saw him, and then he gets up saying, "I'm okay! I'm okay!" Little toughguy...

Brad's after-work Heisman...

And his NBA-esque dunking skills... 

And Beckham has the gene - we are sure :)

Thankfully, Saturday was not a bust. JB felt great, and we even ventured out for a light lunch. There was just one major mishap. In the midst of all of the changed plans and sicknesses, we sort of forgot about St. Paddy's day. I really still can't believe it. I attribute all such things to pregnant brain... It's so real.


Jane Bradley discovered the mistake after church on Sunday when she told me she knew exactly what she was going to wear on St. Paddy's day. We told her she had a long time because it was yesterday, and she was horrified. Then she decided that she wasn't missing out, so we all had to put on our green clothes for the whole day. And we did. 


The creepy ice cream truck came by on Sunday. Seriously, this van just looks like something off of a horror movie to me.

Here's the evidence of our March 18th St. Paddy's Day get up. 

This guy makes a pretty good little Irish leprechaun, even if it is the day after St. Paddy's day :)

Happy Weekend Conclusions

Well, I made it. It's almost Friday when I'm writing this post, and while the week has gone NOTHING like I'd planned or pie-in-the-sky wished for, the village kids and the perfect weather delivered. 

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Conclusion of the week: Beckham is growing up too fast. He started out in the fast lane, and since all of the kids are older than him, he just chases close behind them. He wants to be one of the big boys so bad. They let him hang with them, and he thinks they are huge rockstars.

* * * * * 

My sister stopped by, and her boys hung out in the van while she dropped something off. I heard some big belly laughs coming from that general direction, and I saw that Beckham was doing a little stand-up comedy at the door. 

* * * * * 
Jane Bradley hung with her girls this week. 

And then there were water balloons. This is a giddy, very sneaky laugh...

And the water balloons were followed by some good ol' fun with a water hose...

I hope your weekend is as happy as a bunch of kids with a hose :)

Low Key

The street is alive this week. We're all on a spring break STAYcation, and the kids are having fun being kids. I've had a little trouble moving around in the past couple of days, and the doctor's office has instructed me to stay put. So I parked myself with my camera in the middle of the daily commotion, and thankfully, I am feeling much better today. 


The kids have had a fun time looking for things to do together outside. The days have been filled with things like scavenger hunts turned into easter egg hunts, power wheels cars, and water balloons. They even tested out the pool once or twice... I hear it was cold...


Beckham gave Coco a ride in the jeep - she didn't love LOVE it. 

The scavenger hunt was a hit that didn't last as long as we list-makers had hoped... Beckham was proud of the leaf he found.

The hunt is on...

Right as the kids are saying that they can't find ANY ladybugs, one lands on a nearby knee... 

We had a few items in the hunt that required a photo. This is the photo of a tree-hugger... 

Here is the one of friends drawn in chalk...

Okay, I have to tell this one last story. We have a collection of random bathtub toys. I really like that they aren't a set, just a hodgepodge of random waterproof items that have ended up in a box. Bathroom creativity is a high point of our nights. So the other night, B was in the tub, and he realized that there were two Cinderellas. 

I picked up the smaller one and began to talk to the other, like me, being a girl, would handle the presence of two Cinderellas... Beckham thought that was funny, so he took the smaller and said, "Hello, Rella... Hello, Rella..." Then he, being a boy, proceeded to let the smaller Rella pound on the bigger. Like, both Cinderellas fought each other on the side of my tub. I sat watching in complete shock. I thought, "Man, Boys really do just get here this way..."

Sometimes it's okay if fantasies fizzle...

Have you ever been on a vacation where someone planned the entire itinerary, and you just got to go along for the ride? You either love them or you hate them, usually. I happen to love them. I love for someone to research for me all of the coolest things in a new town and surprise me with one thing after another... That's the root of it all - surprises. Well, I had it in my mind that this spring break- our "staycation" - was going to be one of those vacations. 


I usually feel like the vacations with no plans end up with alot of fast food, last minute restaurant toss-ups, and wasted daytime trying to make a shot-in-the-dark decision of what to do. This is what I was aiming away from this week. After all, I wanted this to be a vacation. 


Today gets a 6 out of 10 on the scale for me. It started out strong, but fizzled out at lunchtime. and that's okay. I think I'm reorganizing my goals and just going out for a solid good week. No more staycation fantasies for this pregnant mama...


So we started out in our usual fashion - Krispy Kreme!

 Beckham thinks you need one too...

 JB snagged a hat for the car ride home... Beckham did too, but he enjoyed ripping his into confetti.

 After breakfast, we went to the library for a refill on books, and headed home. I cleaned out the garage while the kids played in the yard. I was thinking that I was going to do one thing productive and let the kids run out some energy outside while it was not raining. I was expecting a monsoon after lunch... which never happened. So my garage project lasted longer than I planned, and I was extremely worn out before lunch. 

 The kids played kick ball in the cul-de-sac today. Jane Bradley decided to make her own solo t-ball game. She would hit the ball and run around the bases that she drew with sidewalk chalk. Then she would do it again and again... Then she got bored.

After baths, this guy decided pj's are not for him. However, rain boots are perfect. He begged "I need boots!!!" until I got them down for him. He wore them the majority of the night.

 Who cares if you have mac and cheese on your face when you have eyes like these? 

 Finished the night with a mostly-friendly puzzle (until Beckham became counter-productive and took all of JB's pieces out - fight ensued shortly thereafter...).

The day was pleasant, and I think had I not been so exhausted so early, I would have rated it higher. Still, I am super thankful that we were healthy and not camped out on the sick-couch!