I had them at 'leaf pile'.

I have a lot of people ask me how I get my kids to smile for me in pictures. For one, they are fairly vain. They like pictures of themselves and so they like to look their best. ;) Two, their father is great at standing behind me and making a complete fool of himself to get them to laugh. (It's why I take him to my session like a piece of my equipment.) And lastly, if all else fails, I am great at gritting my teeth and threatening things I wont really do. Like throwing out all the leftover halloween candy. But I don't typically do that at client sessions, no worries.

I do love these smiley goofballs, though. They were pretty ok with this session, since they got to sit in their beloved leaf pile. The world is going to stop turning when they realize the county is going to come by and suck it up.

Until that happens, I'm definitely going to keep using that leaf pile to my advantage. It's got even more leverage right now than Halloween candy.

A Terrible Blog Post.

Sometimes, a lot of times, after the kids go to bed and I realize it's been forever since I blogged, I sit here and try to blog. And like right now, there really isn't any room left in my exhausted brain for coherent words after another day with 4 children has left my brain a puddle of mush. Tonight was another (yes, another) work till 8pm night for their father. So we had another movie night, and spilled more popcorn all over the floor and broke up more fights over who was in who's spot and who took who's blanket and pillow and I can't see through your head so I'm going to poke you in your eye and make mom wonder why we have movie nights ever in the first place.

I am obviously exhausted while I'm writing this and didn't just delete it against my better judgement. But maybe sometimes my better judgement is to squelched by the desire to tell someone besides the 4 month old that I wish I could sleep as much as she's supposed to but doesn't because she is so ungrateful and has no idea how lucky she is to be a baby who is supposed to sleep all the time. I really don't tell her that, much. And I always tell myself that really, why do I even need to sleep? I mean, I just get interrupted anyway. Kind of like every thought I did have while writing this blog post...interrupted by my child-induced lack of focus. What is up with this blog post anyway? It's terrible. ;)

So in continuing with my jumble of thoughts...I can't wait for next week. I've decided I need a break. From life. (I'm not sure life is really going to GIVE me said break, but I'm not going to take that laying down. Except I'd like to spend some time laying down . So maybe I will take it laying down. So YOU take that, life.) We aren't doing school. I'm not cleaning the house that I clean every week. I'm not making my bed. (Sorry, mom. You taught me better.) I'm maybe not be getting dressed until Thanksgiving. And then I might wear leggings cuz they totally ARE pants, haters. Ok, they are pants if your shirt is long enough. Even my chicken legs are not brave enough for that.

Speaking of chicken legs, I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. (Even though we don't actually eat chicken on Thanksgiving...but we will be eating lots of things I have so disciplinedly not eaten recently.) I have kicked my own butt and Billy's cleaning up our eating habits and am pretty proud of ourselves. I haven't eaten dessert in weeks, and I'm surprisingly ok with that, thank you 21 Day Fix. Another random terrible blog thought...I loved the 21 Day Fix so much that I started coaching for BeachBody. But I am a terrible salesman so have no fear...I wont try to sell it to you. Or any of the other Beachbody programs. Even though it's awesome. And even though if you are trying to lose any weight or change any eating habits I totally recommend it. Ok, I might try to sell it to you, a little. Just because it is awesome. And I think working out and eating clean are awesome. (But yeah, cake is cool, too.) I said that. Moving on.

I think the only way to end this terrible blog post is to say that I just love all of you that read this. And I'm so glad you read this. And I hope to one day make sense again, and to find my sarcastic whit that is buried under a pile of laundry, and deep profound thoughts that don't involve chicken legs and crushed popcorn on my floor, and to stop blogging about the fact that I'm not sleeping even though I  love the 4 reasons I'm not sleeping. So yeah. Terrible blog post - out.

Stomping Grounds

I'm never really sure what exactly stomping grounds are, unless they are talking about the upstairs of my house where it currently sounds like a herd of elephants are having a dance party. But apparently that's where I was last weekend: my old stomping grounds. Liberty University. We went up to visit my sister who is currently attending school there, and to see exactly how old we could make ourselves feel by not being able to recognize half the campus.

Seriously, though. I didn't recognize half the campus. And alot of what I DO remember isn't still standing. AND to add insult to injury, they made my old dorm into a male dorm. Come on guys! ;) Kidding, kidding...I did really enjoy seeing how far it's come. And was only a little bit bitter about how spoiled these young LU students are.

I mean, the library by itself I could have walked around for a week. It had a robotics system that retrieves your books for you. (I could really use one of these for when I take the hooligans to the library.) It has a bazillion nooks and crannies to read/study in, although who does THAT in college? And this awesome interactive wall of Liberty's social media, study rooms where you can sync your electronics and write on the walls...like I was saying, I could have walked around it for a week. It has a cafe, but then again so does the gym which is bigger than the gym we currently go to. There is a parking deck (REALLY could have used that while I was commuting!) and new athletic fields, etc.

It was really looking good. And while I'm known for reeeeeally not being a fan of college (I'm a homebody...dorm life totally was not this introvert's thing, although I'm blessed to still be friends with some pretty awesome roommates/dormmates, etc!) I was totally proud of how far it's come and all the great opportunites the new students have. I wouldn't mind at all if my kids wanted to go there. Although they aren't going to college, for years and years and years.

We ate at Macado's, one of my most favorite restaurants ever that Richmond is SADLY lacking, and just enjoyed spending time wandering around remember all the fun college memories...like sleeping. Dear heavens how I miss sleeping. I might even go back to school if it meant they'd let me sleep. But I'm at the stage of my life where I'm walking around looking at this rapidly growing campus and thinking...in 10 years this is going to cost about: iwillneverbeabletoaffordthisx4. Gotta get the first grader and kindergartener busy on those scholarships already. Slackers. ;)

Gumzzz.

This week has been pretty crazy. Do I say that a lot? I probably do. But I mean it. I think Billy worked until 8pm almost every night...the kids thought he was never coming home again. I think, as this kiddo has gotten more and more content, (I mean it, y'all...its like a different baby and I could not be more thrilled with that. Prevacid has a very special place in my heart, and in Amaryllis's esophagus.) I'm dealing with his long hours a liiiiitle bit better.

She watches a little more TV than I'd like to admit, but hey...I figure since I held her, and we both screamed, for the first 3 months of her life, we both deserve a little TV break. I typically try to do school with the older two while she's napping, but if she happens to be awake she will sit in her bouncer or her bumbo and chat up Caillou or Daniel Tiger like they are BFF's. She has that adorable baby gummy grin going on.

I guess life gets a lot more smile-worthy when your throat isn't on fire, huh? The doctor gave us the go-ahead to start giving her some cereal, but I think we are going to wait a little bit longer. She's only 4 months old. and I'm really enjoying this smiling so much I'm scared to change anything right now. I did catch her eyeballing this awesome pasta dish Billy made last night though...so maybe cereal isn't too far in her future.

Goodness.

I put all my hope in the truth of Your promise 
And I steady my heart on the ground of Your goodness 
When I'm bowed down with sorrow...I will lift up Your name.

Because You are good to me, good to me.

I lift up my eyes to the hills where my help is found 
Your voice fills the night - raise my head up to hear the sound 
Though fires burn all around me I will praise You, my God. 

Because You are good to me, good to me. - Audrey Assad

Just reminded, as the sun filled my home, my babies' laughter filled my heart, and my husband's arms wrapped around me, that He is good to me. Even though in the middle of the constant stress of hard-lived life, He is good to me.

Wild Child(ren).

I'm not sure who handed this shirt down to us, but it's pretty cute. And it suits her I think. If I'm honest it could probably fit any of the Barron children. They are a wild breed. They'd scare the pants off of the faint-hearted. But they mean well, they just have a lot of energy. Well, except for that time Tirzah pinched Jericho's nose so hard it bled. She did NOT mean well I'm pretty sure.

And occasionally, they've been caught giving Amaryllis a little too much "tough love"...as in pushing her swing too high or kissing her until she shrieks. Again, I'm certain they mean well...what kid doesn't want to be pushed high in the swing? Thank heavens she was strapped in. She is pretty good about taking it all in calmly, but then when she's had enough she doesn't hesitate to let the world know. Babies (especially in this household) are pretty tough cookies.

Love watching this particular wild child find her spot in the herd. ;)

His Heroes

Last Thursday was Merrick's 7th birthday, and we really had an awesome day. I love celebrating my kids' birthdays. It's probably a good thing I have a tight budget, or I'd spoil the heck out of these little people. I mean, like ponies and bouncy houses spoil them. Mom, stop embarrassing me kinda thing. But alas, I'm on a budget. And that's probably for everyone's good.

I did spoil him to the best of my poor folk ability, though. We had set aside a little bit to take him to see Marvel Live!, and it was like his dream come true. I mean, the guy was bouncing up and down in his seat with excitement. Ok ok, he bounces in his seat all the time, but he did grab me and planted a kiss right on my lips as a thank you. He knows I'm that mom who loves kisses, and plan on embarassing him for as long as he'll let me kiss him.

I didn't know who half of the superheroes were, but he knew every single one. He even knew all the names of the villains, who I'd never heard of either. There were motorcyles and pyrotechnics and spiderman flying around on his "webs", as well as about a million other little kids in costume. (Wolverine seemed to be a popular guy this year for someone who's so cranky.) Merrick seemed sold on wolverine, too, and desperately had to have a stuffed Wolverine to take home. Cuz when you think of cuddly you always think of an angry man with foot long claws, right? Right.

I always know we've hit the jackpot with Merrick when he tells us, "this was the best day of my life". He told me that as we were leaving the show. (I definitely agree. The day he was born is one of the best days of my life.) He says that a lot, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing it.