Time well spent with family

Good afternoon, friends and family!

This weekend Victor's mom and step-dad, sister and nephew came to visit. The boys all had fun playing together after not having seen each other for a while. Mom makes the trip down about once a year to visit Grandma (her mom) and since we live next door, she gets to see her son and grandsons as well. This year she also gets to see her first granddaughter as well!

Mom and Sarah

Aunt Heather playing with Sarah

Anyway, we've jumped on the trampoline for hours, made airplanes out of cardboard, ran up and down the road, gone for walks with the dog, played legos and cars, rode bikes, trimmed the juniper tree with Grandpa and Aunt Heather, and played Monopoly. That was interspersed by 1 or 2 naps, meals and nighttime.

The neighbor boy, Shaydon and his little brother Trevon, rode their bikes down the hill to play for a bit. While they were here, they had Jeffrey on Trevon's bike, which is much smaller than Jeffrey's, and were trying to teach him how to ride it. By the end of the day, he was coasting down the hill with his feet off the pedals so he could catch himself. I encouraged him to try putting his feet on the pedals. He finally did and was pedaling down the hill just before the other boys had to go home. It was a little tight since the bike was slightly too small for him. But he had fun.

John, Dillon, Josh and Jeffrey

Since then, he has figured out how to ride down the hill on his bike and finally ride it up and around and every where else without crashing too much.

Now it's the first thing he wants to do in the morning.

Yesterday, we went out to eat and I ate a big salad and lots of veges as well as some great egg rolls. I wish they had spring rolls with the rice wrappers instead but oh well.
So, today for lunch the boys had leftover mac and cheese, while I ate salad wrapped in rice paper. Delicious! I could do that everyday. Well, almost.

Eating out, talking to daddy!

The boys are drinking tea now and cousin Dillon, mama, papa,  Heather and Jazzy (the dog) will all be going home tomorrow.

I've been reading this great book, called The Mission of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson. My friend, Rachel, found it first and shared it on FB. (Thanks, Rachel!)
It's for moms, obviously, but alot of the principles contained therein (look how edumacated I can sound!) apply to parenting in general. So I was sharing with Victor because I see alot of things I can improve on and both of us could use an overhaul in being better parents, closer to the way God wants us to be.

We've been going to bed earlier, getting up earlier, and trying to increase the quality and quantity of our family togetherness and worships. It's amazing how much smoother the day is when the focus isn't on "How many hours til the boys go to bed" but on actually remembering that I made a commitment when I decided to have kids and that God made me a discipler of children, not just an arbiter of justice. I need to put aside my own selfishness and not let the children's interruptions frustrate and aggravate me, but to take the opportunity to teach, lead, guide and spend quality time with them.

Actually, now that I think of it, I need to treat these interruptions, not as interruptions at all, but as part of the regular happenings and the extra stuff that I do for myself, as time outs to collect my thoughts. When they come to me for help or time with them, then my time outs are over. Or something like that. I can always come back to them. But my children will not always be wanting my attention.

Like today's blog. I started writing it in my head two days ago. Sat down at the computer twice today, and finally finished it this afternoon. So, it is what it is. And  I love how the day and this whole weekend went. :-)