slug races and graduation

A few pictures of my boys since I've been so long absent.

Slug races. Only the highest quality entertainment at our house.

Kaalam's new "pet".

Following in big brother's footsteps.

Things don't always work out like you thought. 

A very proud preschool graduate.

the graver outline

So I've been trying to focus on writing lately. I've got a great premise for a story that's starting to flesh into something that's getting to be really fun. For me anyway. We'll see if I can make it interesting to anybody else. I read a book around Christmas that suggested I put my storyline up on my wall in the form of sticky notes and it was like the last piece of what I needed fell into place and everything suddenly made sense in my brain all at once. It was awesome. There are still some holes. You'll notice the second picture with all the white space. That's my climax. Right now it has a sticky note right in the center of it that reads, "Daniel realises he has what he needs, he pushes forward". (I don't know what he needs yet, or what he does to push forward) That leads to, "Daniel and Emma go home". Gripping isn't it? I'm hoping I'll know what to fill all that in with by the time I get there.

Anyway, I started working on an actual outline yesterday. I've never done this before and I'm nervous, which is why I'm over here at my blog typing this out instead of working on my outline. I technically came up with an entire outline yesterday. It took me two and a half hours to come up with it because I couldn't figure out how to start. Wanna see it?

Chapter 1

The story starts somewhere.

Cool stuff will happen.

Then it will end.

Oh yeah. I'm gonna be Stephanie Meyer by Christmas.

yummy hans solo

Kaalam's birthday is this weekend and it's a Star Wars party. I know a lot of mother's who role their eyes and  suck up the theme because their husbands love it, or because their son's are just so excited. Star Wars wouldn't be their first choice, if they had a choice. But I'm not that kind of mom. I've dreampt of geeky parties for years. (All for the sake of my kids of course) When Kaalam was younger, we went all out for parties, but with Xander's adoption and then our move, our party excitement faded a bit with just so much going on. Now that Kaalam's old enough to be excited about his parties, I'm ready to get into full birthday party mode again. I just found a candy mold/ice cube tray of Hans Solo trapped in carbonite. I am so excited! If Kaalam didn't want Star Wars I would have tried to get him to do it anyway, just so I could buy this mold. It just showed up and my first batch of chocolate Solo is cooling as we speak. 

Oh Hans, you are so yummy to me in so many ways. 

images for the graver

After all this time, this post is pretty random, but I'm collecting pictures for a story I'm writing and for some reason  I couldn't pin these from the site I was on. I pinned several, then my internet slowed down and started getting confused and I couldn't get all the ones I wanted. So, I'm probably commiting all sorts of copyright crime, but since nobody pays me for this blog, I'm not going to worry too much about it. :) Aren't these photos amazing?

rock star songs.

So Kaalam is talking to dad just now and he starts singing a little song that he made up. It consisted mostly of "Jerkidy jerkidy, jerkidy."

Brandon - "We don't sing that song. It sounds too much like jerk."

Kaalam - "It's Ok dad. It's my favorite song."

Dad - "Really? I haven't heard that song before."

Kaalam - "It's by rock stars. They live far away in houses. You wouldn't have heard it."

I got featured!

I got featured today on Diapers and Divinity! Hooray!! I love Stephanie. She is amazing. Her blog is all about motherhood and faith and the gospel and it seems like every time I have a rotten day, she's posted something new that is exactly what I needed to hear. And she is really funny. She makes me laugh.

Go check it out! Today it's all about me. :)

Happy birthday Xander!

Xander turns two today! How weird is that? Kaalam was always in a big hurry to grow up and it felt like it took forever. Xander has always been content to ride things out slow, and his babyhood seems to have slipped right past. How is that fair?

I am so excited to watch him turn into a little person. In the last few months his personality is finally starting to blossom. He's quite a little charmer. And he's funny and he's sweet. I swear I could raise 12 kids if they were all like Xander. He has his stubborn spells, but they don't last long and even when he gets angry about something he somehow still makes it adorable. I am so in love with my little boy!

He's getting to really enjoy posing for the camera. :)

For a while there Xander was 100% momma's boy but in the last year he's really warmed up to his daddy and I'm glad. Xander is wild about Brandon now. It took him long enough!

He is such a pretty kid! And he doesn't get it from my side of the family!. :)

Dude! 

time to breathe

I think I may have discovered the three most beautiful words in the English language. Father/Son Campout. Growing up in a big family with all the kids the same age, solitude was a rare occurrence and I used to go to great lengths to find it. To the point where the garage roof became one of my favorite hangouts through junior high and when I could, I would hike for hours through the coulees, always trying to find one more place to explore so that I could be alone for just a half an hour more. In college I would drop Brandon off at school and drive up to Eldorado Springs to be out in the middle of nowhere, just listening to the silence.

Kaalam was born 4 years ago and it's been four years since I've really been alone for longer than naptime, and with no time limit. The boys have all been gone since yesterday afternoon and I am in heaven! Last night I started, worked on and then completed an entire project without a single interruption. I ate when I was hungry instead of when the kids needed to be fed, and I took a bath at the very moment that I decided to. I slept in, I ate chocolate without sharing, I drank water from a cup that hadn't been drooled in and I haven't heard a single person scream or cry or demand anything in hours. I worked all morning in my garden without ever once getting sprayed with the hose, or having to tell anybody to stop picking on their brother or we'll all go inside.

I really needed this. Since last August Brandon's been gone almost 5 full months and I really, really needed a day off. I love my family, but sometimes you just need a little bit of time to breathe. Brandon has offered to take the kids to Colorado early for the 4th of July and then have me fly out a couple days later to give me a bit more time to myself. I am really, seriously considering it. This has been a much needed break.

They'll be back late this afternoon and I think I'm going to lay down and take a nap in the middle of the morning. How awesome is that?