Our garden

Today I started the day off with cleaning the house while the kids played together then we had lunch and the boys went down for a nap. While the boys were sleeping, Hunter not really, Lotus washed some rocks and I planted all my vegetables that I have had planted in pots. After that I mowed the lawn and we all watched a movie and then had dinner. After dinner we put Brayden to bed and Lotus and Hunter went out to paint two rocks each. I decided instead of using plastic markers for my plants I would let the kids paint rocks and then I would seal them with a clear coat. We will need a total of 10 rocks and Lotus washed that many today, so we will finish them on Sunday or Monday. The kids had a great time painting, Hunter loves mixing all the colors together and Lotus was asking what we planted so she could paint pictures. Hunter loves putting H's on his pictures after he draws them and today he painted an H when he was done with his rocks. I love how proud the kids are of themselves and their accomplishments. They were really great kids today and Brayden just adores Lotus as much as Hunter does. He loves when she plays with him and he is all smiles when she gives him attention. We definitely have some amazing kids!

The kids

I promised the kids that we would stay home for a couple of days and have some down time. Lotus has finished school and loves to tell me that she is a 5th grader now. Time flies by, I remember when she was 4 and was scared of the dark and was going through the stages that Hunter has started. She is coming into being a young woman and while it is sad to see the little girl slowly disappearing she is becoming a responsible and funny tween. The boys love having her around and Hunter is back to being my lovable and helpful little guy. Brayden is crazy busy all the time but now understands sit down and get down, words I think that I use every couple of minutes with him. He is not fearful of anything and is constantly climbing the furniture and wants to be on top of the table while Lotus and Hunter are coloring. Yesterday Hunter was upset about wanting a toy that Brayden had and Brayden leaned over and gave it to Hunter. It was really sweet to see him share and know that he hears me telling Hunter to share with him all the time. Hunter was really shocked by this and looked at me in amazement and said, "My brother just shared with me". This of course melted my heart to see them sharing and playing nice instead of fighting with each other. I just hope that they grow up to be close with each other and I will try my hardest to nurture their relationship. When Brayden was done with his dinner last night he put his bowl on his head and got the exact reaction he was looking for from Lotus and Hunter. He is a ham and loves it! Then while he was in his bath he figured out how to blow on the whistle and he was so proud of himself that he continued to do it for the whole bath. Hunter is full of questions about everything and it's a wonder that I can get him to be quiet for a moment to eat. The kids have all been playing so well with each other and being happy enjoying each other and it just has made my days.

Father's Day Weekend

It was so wonderful to be able to pick my husband up last Thursday and spend some nice down time at home with him. He surprised Lotus by picking her up at school on Friday and Hunter was thrilled to be able to drive with daddy in his truck. It really hit me how much I missed him once he was finally home. We spent Friday doing yard work and Hunter and Sean went and picked Lotus up and we spent the evening together as a family. Saturday I cooked everybody breakfast for Father's day since Sean had to leave first thing Sunday morning. Then while I was outside picking weeds, Sean spent time in the garage messing around with his jeep. Then we went to Matt and Merrilee's for dinner and it was relaxing just hanging out with friends. Off to home and bed we went and then we had the kids up and out the door at a little after 7am to take Sean to meet Jack so they could catch their flight. I haven't really talked to Sean about the flight back to Wyoming but I sure hope it was better than the flight home on Thursday was. I am very thankful for the Father's Day weekend with Sean and the kids.

The last few days have been really trying with Hunter. He has been really upset because on Sunday we dropped Sean off to go to Wyoming and then we dropped Lotus off to go back to her mom's. I can tell he is really confused by everyone coming and going and he asked me if I was going to keep him forever and ever or if I was going to give him away. It is really hard trying to be the parent that is comforting and loving while at the same time keeping strict rules and structure. I am still trying to find a balance and routine and I know that, that is part of what is messing with us this week. It was great to pick Lotus up from school today and know that she will be with us through the 4th of July and that Sean will be coming home for that weekend too. The kids played and danced tonight and it was great listening to them all laughing, hearing your kids laughing together is one of the best things in the world!

We all got to talk to Sean tonight and say our good nights and even Brayden got on the phone. It was great to hear Sean in good spirits tonight and to know that he is kicking butt at work and is doing the great job that he always does for the company. I know it really boosts his spirits when his boss is congratulating him on the job that he's doing.

I try to remind myself each night as I go to bed that tomorrow is another day and I am blessed with each and every day.

Oh what a day!

Yesterday we spent the first half of the day running our errands at Costco, the grocery store and the pet store. Then we came home, had lunch and the boys went down for naps. While the boys were napping I washed my car and Sean's truck, then washed the dogs and then washed the floors. I was trying to keep myself busy while I was waiting to hear from Sean about whether or not they were going to come home or not. I finally heard from him around 5pm and he told me that they had been told around 10am that they were coming home because there wouldn't be anything to do for at least a week, then at 2pm they were told they were staying. I could tell he was really bummed about being in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do for a week, so I was positive for him and told him it would be okay. When I got off the phone I was really bummed because I had my hopes up that with nothing for the guys to do, they would send them home. Then Merrilee came over for some crafting and she brought a wonderful bottle of wine and we laughed and talked while the boys played. It ended up being a great night. Then I received an email from my other friend Julie asking if I needed her husband to come over and mow our lawn. I am very thankful for the friendships that I have made out here, it is comforting to know that there are people close by if you need them. I also have a great neighbor who has been checking in on me every couple days and I see them walking with their daughter here and there. I knew that there would be those days that I would be down about him being gone but it's hard when you find yourself there and don't know what to do to get out. I can thank my family and friends for being there just when I need them!


This morning I got everybody up because we were headed to my grandma's house so I could continue working on a waterfall and pond that I started for them. The kids and I were singing in the car and everybody was in good spirits and I thought I heard my cell phone ringing. When I answered it, it was Sean telling me he was coming home this weekend instead of next. My morning couldn't have gotten any better than that. So I will be picking him up in Purdy around 4pm on Thursday and he will fly out again Sunday morning but we will enjoy our time with him greatly!

Sunday

So we have now begun week 2 of Sean being gone and today was a very productive day. We hung out this morning and then went to the Farmer's Market this afternoon and picked up some corn for our garden and a different type of pumpkin than we already have. We came home and had some lunch and the boys took really good naps. While they were napping I was able to clean the house and even cleaned the oven, now that's always a miracle. I haven't completely gotten used to taking all the garbage's out yet but I'm sure I will. When Hunter got up from his nap today he was talking about us all eating dinner and about daddy. I had to tell him that daddy was still away working and he asked me if daddy was still his daddy. It broke my heart, but we talked about how daddy will be back and we will keep talking to him on the phone and making him pictures. It has been a hard transition for him since Sean has been home and laid off for the past 5 months to now have him gone. They were pretty inseparable while Sean was home and it was so wonderful to see the father/son bond happening. Hunter enjoyed working outside helping dad and going to the boy store (Home Depot). He's having a hard time understanding why he can't go work with dad now. The hardest part has been that in the last week he has begun asking "why" about EVERYTHING. It is awesome to watch them become such curious little people about the world around them. Brayden is in love with animals just like Hunter was at this age and he loves that our cats tolerate him poking their noses, pulling their ears and laying on them giving love. He was sitting on the couch this morning and kept saying "kitty" while he was petting Little One. He has also now learned how to push the dining room chairs out so he can climb onto the table. This morning he demonstrated to me how he can pull himself up on the edge of his crib and almost reach his toe over, not much longer and I'm going to have to come up with a solution for that. Any suggestions?

The Zoo

We had a spectacular day at the zoo today. The new penguin exhibit was open and it is so much better than the old one. The kids could sit up right next to the glass as the penguins swam by. They had a fun time watching them swim. Hunter was fascinated by the giraffes. We happened to go by when it was feeding time and I don't ever remember seeing the giraffes that close any of the times that we have been at the zoo. The whole car ride this morning he kept talking about the tigers but on the way home he told me his favorite was the giraffes and that they are "so tall". The girls all got their faces painted but even though there was a Thomas the Tank and Spider Man, Hunter didn't want one. Brayden was busy today and was fascinated by everything that was going on around him. They were both pretty good today and I had a good time and I am glad I got the wagon. The boys could see everything going on around them and nobody was whining about being tired, so I won one battle. We finished the zoo off with ice cream and everyone was wore out so we called it a day. I am glad that Sean and I got to connect on the phone today twice after I kept missing his calls the past few days. He left me a message this morning asking if I had moved while he's been gone, I've just been outside enjoying this weather. When we got home from the zoo today we had dinner, baths and bedtime and I went outside again and pulled weeds until it was too dark. I can't believe how many days it's been since we have had rain. Sean told us that he went into Jackson Hole today to check out the town with one of the other guys and they are just trying to kill time. They tested their test hole today and will know more come Monday as to what they are going to do for 2 weeks while they wait for the anchors to be built and shipped. Well I am off to bed now so I can start another day tomorrow......

Wagon

I decided to get a new wagon that would fit both boys because when we are going on our walks Brayden is getting too heavy for me to carry in the backpack and Hunter gets tired 3/4 of the way through. We are also going to the zoo with our friends tomorrow morning and I won't have to rent anything they can now ride in our wagon. I put it together last night when the boys were sleeping and when they woke up this morning they went straight for it. I kept the box because I thought that one of them might want to play with it but not yet. As I am typing this they are fighting over whether the door should be open or not. I am glad that they are enjoying it so far, the true test will be tomorrow at the zoo. We miss you honey but are glad that this week has gone by so fast. I hope that it is going by fast for you too. I hope to hear from you tonight! We love you!!!

Brayden now 14 months old

The Front Yard

This is our latest project that we've been working on. When I spoke with Sean tonight he wanted to know if the grass had started growing yet. It has been 9 days since they hydroseeded and it is coming in fast. It is looking really good! More lawn for me to mow and while I'm mowing it I can again appreciate all that my husband does for our family :) After my episode with the lawnmower on Monday I am very thankful for the things Sean does around the house.

Birthday weekend

We celebrated Lotus, Ireland and Uncle Dave's birthday this past weekend. Everyone mentioned that it was weird that Sean was not with us and it was. The kids had fun. Hunter squirted the ants with Lotus' water fan, Brayden was busy with grandma and grandpa's raccoons and he discovered chocolate covered strawberries. Lotus and Ireland decorated each other's faces with chalk when they got bored drawing in the driveway and Lotus ran around trying to see who's shirt she could wipe it off on and she got unsuspecting Uncle Dave. They played hard and then slept hard on the car ride home.