Hmmmmm ...

*****Consider yourself WARNED that this post is LONG & WORDY ... but I'm not gonna change it cause it's for me ... JUST WARNING YOU!!!*********

I don't quite know what to title this post ...

I have wanted to blog for a while, but have not wanted to sit downstairs in the cold to do it.

And now that I look through my pictures I REALLY don't have much to blog about ... BOARING!

I had moments in the last month that as a Mommy, or grown adult, I don't think I have EVER had!!!

These last 3 weeks have been hard & lonely with a husband outta town & 3 kids around.

Emma's off-track until after Chrismtas so our schedule has gone out the window ... which isn't a bad thing at ALL!!!

{I think I am REALLY liking this TRACK thing!!}

But with no Hubby home is makes NIGHTS the hardest!

I'm burned out ... my kids are tired ... & there's no HELP in sight!!!

I can handle the days, but when it gets close to dinner time I tend not to be the most LOVING...FAIL!!!

But that's ok ... a new day comes & I get to try again.

I'm grateful for tender moments when my children SHARE ... I have to capture them, so that I CAN REMEMBER THEM!!!! :)I also really do LOVE the helping hands that I receive from ALL 3 of them!!But my biggest Ah-HA moment came last week in an outing. I wanted to go, but apart of me was dreading the whole event. I didn't know why? {... Was it because the 1st year I was married I went with my Hubby & it was so CROWDED, people were literally BREATHING down my neck the ENTIRE time, & I vowed never to return ... ESPECIALLY with KIDS ... YES, I think that's why!!!}

But we went ... BECAUSE MOMMY NEEDED TO GET OUT!!! :)

Once we got into the event I was a little frustrated because I had a child who didn't want to be by me ... they wanted to be by cousins ... which is understandable, but it's a crowded place & I worry about being able to keep an eye on 3 kids, so I just wanted them by ME.

Needless to say, I LOST that battle & everytime I asked this child to come by me & got the upset/grumpy look ... oh well!

I at least got to have 2 other children by me the whole time & THAT did make it EASIER!As the "looking at the trees" progressed my attitude began to change as I realized that as long as I didn't tell that child to come by me, she listened to EVERY word I said ... like slow down, stay BEHIND so-&-so, come in front of me, hold that persons hand, etc. So it was OK! :)

{don't ya LOVE the HOT PINK of this tree!!!}It was a crowded event, but nothing like I remembered it!

The only time I felt like I had people BREATHING DOWN MY BACK was when we'd stop, so I didn't get many pictures which I am kind of regretting now, but I think my kids enjoyed themselves. As I got to watch them, I realized that I DO have good kids ... I HAVE done something right ... & I felt an over-whelming sense of gratitude for them & the way they responded to my wishes.

I'm grateful that even though we all miss Daddy SOOOOOOO, SOOOOOO, SOOOOOO much, I at least have these little MONKEYS to keep me company!

That day was one for the record books!
I'm grateful that I was able to stay a little longer at the Festival of Trees & spend some one-on-one time with just my kids in a public setting. That is something that usually overwhelms me, but on that day, after the events that went on, I wasn't overwhelmed AT ALL!
I KNEW my kids were manageable by MYSELF & I KNEW that they LISTENED to me!
Once we left we came home & had Breakfast for Dinner & got to spend the evening together watching Smurph's & eating Popcorn ... It was a PERFECT day to hold my kids close to me on the couch!
& you know what ... I think I wanna go back again next year!!!!! :)
{a new tradition!}
Speaking of traditions:
This year I FINALLY finished my muffin tin advent calendar ... I finished because I HAD to do it as a craft for a Super Saturday ---YES, great MOTIVATION!!!
Soooo, it's been fun to start a "NEW" thing around here!
If my kids are GOOD during the day ... NOT PERFECT, but GOOD ... then the magical ELVES come & put 3 little TREATS in the muffin tin for them to have then next morning.

My kids love to rattle it on the door in the morning to see if anything is in there ...
on 1 day there were 3 candies in there, but 2 of them were bitten/broken in half {Emma insists that the elves broke them, becuase they didn't want to spread their germs} Emma & Zachary KNEW that the broken ones were for them becuase they KNEW they hadn't acted very good the day before, but they were grateful to at least get something. It's been fun to watch them assess themselves throughout the day to see if they will recieve any candy from the elves ... hopefully we can make it to Christmas with all 3 of them getting candies EVERY day!!!!