A good punch in the throat is just what we need sometimes!?

I had a great day today, including but not limited to: kid time, cleaning time, painting time and running time.  It is so easy to get caught up in the whining antics of stay at home mom {...named Jennie}. Some days are really hard. Yes. Some days, I would love to say "have a great day with the kids honey, I'm off to the office". Some days I have to give my head a shake and look at how lucky I am to be at home with my kids. To be able to get my eldest off the bus; to be the first to hear about his day instead of being 'too tired to talk about it' after getting home from a packed day of school and day care. To be able to help get every one else ready in the morning instead of being one more person who is getting herself ready. To be able to take my kids to the park on a Thursday afternoon at 3pm instead of having to jam in it on a Saturday, rain or shine. To be able to have supper ready at 5:30pm instead of just getting home at 5:30pm and wondering what the what I will cook for supper whilst a toddler is hanging off my leg screaming as though he is in the last moments of his life.  

Yes, being a stay-at-home-mom can be relentlessly hard on the head. But being a working mom is so much harder. I've done both and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that life is just so much easier when I am at home. Things run more smoothly. We are happier. 

To all of you working Mom's...you are my heroes. How you keep it all together is beyond me. 

With all that being said, if I ever complain to you about being a stay at home mom, please punch me in the throat.

Hindsight is 20/20

2 years ago today, we ran out of our house and never went back in...what felt like such a tragedy that day, seems like such a small ordeal now, when put in perspective. Forever grateful to all of our friends and family (and strangers) who were there for us that day!

Throw back to fire day:

Didn't we just do this?

Just over one year ago, we unpacked our things {or what was left of our things after our house fire!} into our newly re-built home. And here we are again, doing it all over again. Some may think we are crazy. In fact, sometimes WE think we are crazy. But what would life be if not for crazy? Throw in some temper tantrums, the theme song from Dora, some droopy diapers, lots of snacks, and some solid effort to avoid playing transformers and BAM...that's our life! 

Anyhoo, here we are, unpacking into our new, new home {because only crazy cool people who build two homes in just over 1 year can have a "new new house" and an "old new house".} I wouldn't necessarily recommend building twice in one year. It is certainly not for everyone. Unless you are like me, and have a sick, sick obsession with home building and decor, then YES! it is for you! Don't tell my husband, but I would do it again tomorrow if I could. 

So without further ado, here is a tour of the new new house. 

Cheese!

I am so excited to show you these. An aspiring photographer and good friend of mine took these family pics for us at the local apple orchard. I think they are beautiful and couldn't be happier with them. I COULD have been happier with the weather we had that day...it was so cold! But we still managed to get some good shots between chattering teeth and group huddles. 

My everything...

Ever look at your kids and wonder how the world could possibly not be in agreement about the fact that your children are THE cutest kids in the world? 

Are we in agreement now, world? Yeah, I thought so.

The gift of play

How is it possible that my boys are 5 and almost 2. They are growing so fast it makes me sad. I've been so busy with a new business opportunity that it feels like I've just been co-existing with the kids. They are there and I am there but we are not together. It sounds awful doesn't it?It feels awful! Because I know I am going to be that parent that says "I wish I spent more time with my kids...". But I don't want to be that parent! I want to enjoy every day with them...THOROUGHLY enjoy them. Not because I "have" to or because I "should", but because I want to. To be honest, Ia m terrible at playing and sometimes I find it difficult to give them my undivided attention. The long list of chores I have to do are constantly running through my head...so I'll play for a minute and then get up and do something else. Connor told me the other day that he wishes I played with him more. Did you hear that? Yeah, that was my heart breaking. It wouldn't hurt so bad if it wasn't true. My biggest fear is that he will eventually just stop trying to get me to play with him.

Mike is seriously my parent role model. He is so amazing with those boys. When he plays with them, they are the only 3 people on earth. And there is always amps of laughter protruding from the room. He's capable of playing with both of them at the same time - which I find really challenging. I want to be more like him, but am grateful that one of us is so amazing!

I'm so thankful for my beautiful kids and their beautiful personalities. They are everything I could ever ask for in my children.

I found this quote online and it really spoke to me:

"If I accomplish nothing else as a parent, I would like my children to grow up feeling that they had a happy childhood and that they were not pressured to achieve rather then play, to be people they were not, to live up to unrealistic expectations, or to judge their success by material gain. I want my children to live slowly and to have the time to be children. Let this be their only purpose."

Look at us now!

One year later and look where we are! Blessed in so many ways! Dec 17th will always remind us of our beautiful family and how lucky we are to have each and every one of them, powerful friendships, amazing community and the world's desire to help others. The world is full of exceptional people!!

Loving my new cathedral ceilings, mainly so I can have a big-ass tree!  Also loving my multi-tasking husband. Standing on a bar height stool, kid in one arm, decorating with the other. #bestguyever

Kids unwrapping all the Christmas stuff that made it out of the fire. So much excitement!