On my own, but not alone

When Kevin first excepted his job he had to be in south Texas within about a week.  I worked really hard trying to figure out how we would get it all together and go with him.  It didn't work.  He had to go and we had to stay.  

Let me completely set you up for what life was like then.  Desiree was merely one month old.  Heath had just barely turned two.  Kieralee and Lathen would both have birthdays, turning six and eight, while Kevin would be working out of town.  I'd take a minute and express how hard a new born is when it's just that one baby, and then how much harder it is when you have three other children that need you, and then tell you how unimaginably hard it is with no husband to help, but there are no words.  Plus, I don't want to come off ungrateful.  I was so bless to not only survive those three months of single parenting four children but I thrived (most days).

There was that one week that I was so sick I thought I really might die.  It was so bad that one night I simply ordered a pizza, opened the box and laid it on the living room floor and let the kids have at it.  After I laid the open pizza box on the floor I curled back up on the couch and Lathen turned on another episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender.  

Three months, that's how long our family didn't have Kevin.

We were blessed though with some pretty amazing experiences and some pretty amazing people.  One family was mowing my grass every week, another was stopping by asking what I needed.  I guess I'm a little stubborn and kept telling them I was fine.  So, finally they started just showing up with food, or cookies or taking my two oldest to the pool to swim.  I will forever be grateful for the service that was showed to me and my kids during those hard months without Kevin.

Of course, I know more than anything it was the grace of God that we made it through those months.  It was His help that gave me the strength to do everything that was required.  I will never forget the tender mercies showered on me during that tough time.

We live in a van down by the river

Well technically it's a 5th wheel and we aren't really near a river.  

This is home. 

How did we end up here? Well the short version goes like this:

What do you do when you husband takes a job as a superintendent of construction that will require him to move every 3-4 months?  You make your home mobile and move with him!  

The day we had a pet lizard

A lot can happen in four months.  That's almost how long it has been since I blogged.  I'd like to start by saying I am alive and so are all four of my children!  We survived 3 months without Kevin, barely.  Before I back track and tell you all of that story I'd like to knock the dust off my blog with a happening from last week.

Kieralee came busting into Red Bird (that's what we'll call the camper/rv/5th wheel/home) holding a lizard by the tail.  She was all to happy to report she caught him herself.  Lathen quickly went to work making it a, and I quote, habitat.  It was complete with rocks, grass, dirt, sand and a bowl of water.  I let the kids keep him for the day, as their pet.  Then before bed I had them release him back into the wild.

Hulu Hooping

Kieralee got a hulu hoop for her birthday.  She didn't know how to hulu hoop and I had no idea how to teach her.  Then I had the idea to find a how-to video online.  One tip from this video and Kieralee had it.  She has since improved her skills, I just don't have any video of her recent hulu hooping.  She can even turn while doing it, which to me seems out of the world good, but that may just be the mother in me talking.  

Hulu hooping day 1

Sweaty after an afternoon of practicing. 

Wildlife, up close and stuck on our porch?

We have a nice little screened in porch.  The door to the porch rubs and sticks and often gets left open because it's easier than trying to open it and close it every time the kids go in and out.  I guess we weren't the only ones who liked the convenience of the open door.  

Mama bird had five baby birds.  The kids loved checking on them (I was worried sick they would scare the mother off, but she was a brave little mama and always came back)

Then one fateful day, while the kids were playing on the porch, the first little bird decided to make its way out of the nest and into the world.  Unfortunately for him (or her?) the open door was not easy enough to find.  Never fear, Lathen and Kieralee were near...and not afraid to help.

They helped each bird.  The little birds would fly around confused for while and then end up on the floor of the porch.  Lathen and Kieralee gently picked them up and sat them outside the porch on the ground.  A few hops and they were off!

Kieralee cried because she desperately wanted to keep one, "They're so cute and I love them and I've always wanted a pet bird!" she lamented.  Sorry Kieralee, these birds belong in the wild.  

A little bit artsy

I remember Lathen was four before he started to enjoy coloring.  Kieralee was right behind him, wanting to do what her big brother was doing.  So she was two when she started coloring.  They both love it now.  Coloring, drawing, painting, chalking, they love it all.  Heath on the other hand was enjoyed coloring since he was just over a year.  It may be that he has watched his older siblings color and copied them, but I wonder if there isn't just a bit of an artist in him as well?  I guess only time will tell.  For now I am just taking in this wonderfully fun side of my little guy.  He loves to color, draw, paint and chalk.  Oh how he loves his sidewalk chalk! 

The house we currently live in has the most wonderful front sidewalks.  Plenty of room for a two-year-old's imagination to create masterpieces.  

 He even likes to use himself as the canvas. 

 He welcomes co-creativity 

He really does get into it.  He runs back and forth from the chalk box exchanging colors, calling out to me what he is drawing.  A spider, a truck, a superhero, a bad guy, a tiger, a lion, and the list goes on.  No wonder he ends up covered in chalk and lying down, it's a lot of work!  I love every minute of it. 

Hi-Yah!

Sometimes the best memories are made in your own yard.  Nothing fancy, nothing planned, just pure childhood energy and creativity.  

I think it is safe to say that at our house fighting is a daily occurrence.  No, not the inappropriate kind of fighting that can drive a mother crazy.  The pretend fighting, the good guys verses the bad guys.  Whether it's army men, medieval knights, Jedi warriors, superheroes or ninja's, we fight for the good side everyday.  Sometimes I watch from the windows, other times I watch from a chair outside and occasionally (ha, my husband will laugh at my use of the word occasionally) I sit in the grass with the camera taking it all in through my lens.  

One of these occasional occurrences happened recently.  The ninja's were out front fighting the bad guys and they got extra creative and I couldn't resist a spot on the grass with my camera in hand.

The secret to their high kicks reveled when little brother joins in.  He can't quite clear the board high enough to have it out of the frame.  

I loved so many things about this day.  The way the two oldest came up with the idea to use a board and a chair to get cool kicks in the air or the way their younger brother wanted nothing more than to imitate them.  

My grassy spot was the best seat in the house for all the action! 

If imaginations were considered on IQ tests...

My kids would have the highest scores!

My three oldest kids practically live in an imaginary world and they come up with the most amazing ideas, games, places and people.  

I think Einstein and Seuss would agree with me on having a IQ test reform. 

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge.  Knowledge is limited.  Imagination encircles the world." -Albert Einstein

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.  Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living." -Dr. Seuss

"Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere." -Albert Einstein 

Tent Calerpitters

I was a grown, married woman before anyone (my husband) pointed out that I said the word caterpillar wrong.  I guess it was one of those childhood speech habits that never got caught or corrected.  Instead of saying caterpillar I would say calerpitter switching my T's and L's.  I still have to check myself every once in a while before I say the word, just to make sure I'm going to say it right.  

My kids have some pretty cute versions for words too.  For the longest time they said playtend instead of pretend.  Kieralee called the kitchen the chicken.  Lathen called sandwiches ratchets.  They both called hair gel jay and mo-hawks machetes.  I'm getting off topic.

It's that grand time of year, tent caterpillar time.  I used to love finding a soft tent caterpillar and keeping it for the afternoon as my pet.  I used to think they turned into beautiful butterflies, I know better now.  But childhood is like that, filled with wonder and imagination.  My three oldest have been having fun collecting their own tent caterpillar pets.  Lathen even tried to make his a home so he could watch it change, but sadly it died.

Toothless

It's a sign that they are growing up whether I am ready or not.  Saying goodbye to baby teeth and hello to adult teeth.  Well at least goodbye to baby teeth, the adult teeth haven't come in yet :)