I joke around alot about having a ton of kids and being a stay at home Mom, but in reality, there is no place else I would rather be. I am super blessed to have a husband that works so hard so I can stay home and play with the kids. All.Day.Long. Yes, some days are longer than others, but everyday is such an amazing gift. That's all. Short and sweet today.

Houston, we have a crawler....

Yep yep, after many weeks of training, tears, and even a few bumps, this handsome little devil

is now mobile. Ok, well, he just went forward the once today, but, he was so proud of himself, and once I started clapping and jumping around like the crazy lady I am, he was really excited. Or maybe he was scared, I am going to say it was excitement, because I am the one telling the story here :) Anywho, that picture was taken Labor Day weekend, at Grandma Betty's surprise party, doesn't he look so cute and squishy? Such a sweetie boy.

Here's Lucas sitting on the steps of the pool watching his cousins and sisters swim. Thankfully, we were able to keep his boy parts covered the whole time he was swimming. He has become quite the little Houdini when it comes to diapers/swim suits and swimming. Little rascal.  

Here are the girls on the first day of school. Of course I didn't think about letting the camera acclimate before I snapped the picture so this is what we got. If you really want to know, I had to get them out of the car, because I realized as we were pulling out of the driveway that I hadn't gotten a picture of them yet, then run into the house to get the camera so I could get the afore mentioned picture. Mom of the Year award right here people.  

Things to Remember

The way Lucas says "where it go" when he is looking for something.
The way Myles turns on the floor like he is on a turntable but can't for the life of him go forward.
And how he gets so frustrated when he sees the kids leaving him behind.
How excited Trinity was to lose her front tooth, finally.
How getting Lucas a mohawk turned into a full blown out scream fest, complete with tears, snot and little bits of cut hair.
The way Myles' belly sticks out of ALL his 12 month jammies.
And his wrinkly old man forehead.
How Chloe blew all her money she was saving for a guinea pig on candy.
How proud, thankful, and amazed that I have such great kids.
And that they are not going to be little forever, so instead of thinking of all the stuff that needs to be cleaned, washed, or picked up, I need to play cars, barbies, or color(outside of the lines) with them a little longer. Hold them, and squeeze them a little tighter, and let them know everyday how much they mean to me.

Utter Randomness

Just who told this little guy that it was ok to grow up?

 I mean, really, stop it already. He is just too cute, and I am already imagining my heartbreak when he learns that his friends are way cooler than hanging out with his mom. Then, there will be girls cooler than the friends that are cooler than mom...and oh.my.gosh. I just got bumped down the list in a span of a few years. Heartbreak.Seriously.

 See, refusing to sit in the booster = growing up...and yes, it is perfectly acceptable to eat your breakfast without pants.

 Ahhhh, seems we are not too mature to stick our hands in our cereal bowl.

 This is my upholstered headboard I made. In a day! Granted, the universe aligned just so the boys both took their nap together so I could actually complete this project, thank you universe.

 There is the baby I made, propped up against the headboard I made, and he likes it. He told me so.

Apparently, if you pull the hood over your face, Mom can't see you playing in the bassinet that you are just a smidge too big for.

Random things

Life here with the Costner clan has been going full speed ahead, with 4 kids, there is always something happening, boo boo's to fix, arguments to referee, rooms to clean....oh wait, they don't do that, that's just me...well, anyway, you get the picture, right? I end up saying alot of this...

I chose this picture because her hair looks amazingly like mine, not because of the caption, though that fits perfectly as well. Now on to the good stuff....like a fun little game of Where's Myles......

Someone has decided that spoons are too easy to use....

Then there are the sweet moments when Lucas is not trying to sit on Myles

Then we went to the beach and found Cousin It

Just kidding, it's Trinity hiding under all that hair

Myles got his first taste of oatmeal

apparently he thinks I make amazing oatmeal...or maybe just the oatmeal is amazing...though the one thing I have learned is the way to my kids hearts is through their stomachs....

Especially if it's a bowl of cake batter.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 5

Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.

Seeing my husband's face when he held our son for the first time is my favorite memory. This picture shows the absolute joy he felt, I felt, shoot, I think my doctor even felt it :)

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 4

Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

I don't have a picture for this.

Except in my mind.

I don't even really want to forget it, because that would be one thing less I have of him.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 3

Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

There is not much to say about this, pretty self explanatory. I do love me some Grey's Anatomy.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 2

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you are closest to

Obviously, the person I am closest to is my hubby, Steven. I love that he knows me so well, and loves me despite my many shortcomings. He is a man of great faith, an awesome dad, and just a pretty terrific guy all around. I am so blessed to have him as my better half, and believe me, he is the better half of this equation. I love you Steve-O

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 1

While totally slacking off taking a much needed mommy timeout, I came across this and thought it would be fun to do. So without further ado....

 Day 1 - A photo of yourself and 15 facts

1. I share a birthday with my mom.

2. I love crafting.

3. I might love coffee more than crafting. ok I do love coffee more than crafting, but those two go hand and hand.

4. I am kind of shy when meeting new people, but once I know you, you might not be able to shut me up.

5. I sing as loud as I can when I am alone in the car, because while I love to sing, I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. 

6. My husband bought me a miter saw for Christmas, and yes, it was for me and I do know how to use it.

7. I eat ice, lots of it, so much in fact that my husband may think I need a support group for it. I hope they have ice there.

8. I hope to someday live right off the water.

9. I love hot summer days.

10. I get excited over a good bargain.

11. I pitch left handed, but do everything else with my right.

12. I get nervous speaking in front of crowds. My face gets all red and hot, and I usually forget what I want to say and end up saying ummm alot.

13. I love reading, but I don't get to as much as I would like.

14. I am a terrible procrastinator,which leads us to our final fact...

15. I am late to everything. My family always tells me that functions start an hour or two earlier, so I can be sure to be on time. It drives my super punctual husband batty.

upcoming challenges....

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you are closest to
Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 4 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 6 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of your favorite night .
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your favorite day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Party over here!

When you have a houseful of kids, the party never stops. You could have any number of things happen, like a shaved eyebrow.....

or an exploding laundry basket.....

and when things get really rowdy.....

(Please excuse my dirty window, the maid ran screaming from our house one day and we haven't seen her since)

Lucas has been telling Myles how he is so happy to have someone smaller than him to bully love.

Myles is not impressed....

It must be the hair.

Yesterday was a tough day. I thought about Marcus alot, and when I think about him, there is always the question of why in the back of my mind. Why did this happen to him? To us? Why are we left to pick up the pieces, feeling so alone? When I start questioning these things, it's easy for me to lose sight of where my focus should be. It is easier still for me to be angry, angry because I am hurting, angry because I feel let down, or betrayed. Though, it is these times, the worst of times, that God wants me to rely on Him, not myself or other people, but Him. I am reminded that God sent his only son, here, to this terrible, broken place to die, so that my son could have eternal life, completely whole, and healed. He alone knows of His plans for us, and He doesn't owe us an explanation, and one day, when I am holding my son again, I will see the bigger picture.

I think about him all the time. I still have a hard time saying his name, or looking at his pictures, and his stuff is still the same as it was when we got it from the hospital, I can't seem to do anything but move it from place to place. So it sits, in the blue Texas Children's bags, untouched, but I think about him.All.the.time. I wonder what things would have been like, what I thought they were supposed to be like, twin outfits, a triple stroller for the boys, a van full of kids. Big man,little man, and middle man, that was how I pictured it, and it is hard for me to accept that God had other plans for my middle man.Bigger plans. Better plans. God answered my prayer for healing, not according to my plan, but to His. I am thankful to serve such a loving and merciful God. I am thankful to have been chosen for such an amazing journey, as painful as it is.

I apologize for being such a blog slacker. I needed to take some time away for a bit, time to purge my home of the over abundance of crap stuff that made me feel like I was being smothered, time to focus on my children and husband, just time. Also, somehow, Lucas and Myles have teamed up and decided that when one goes down for a nap, the other should wake up for no apparent reason and stay up until right before said napping child wakes up. Which explains why jammies are standard dress around here more days than not. Last night this little pact they have extended into the wee hours of the morning, yet, they are both napping and the house is quiet so the joke's on them.
I am almost finished with building my bookcase. There may or may not have been a few wrong measurements, so the bookcase may or may not wobble like a weeble, I can't say for sure, but I can say that the math man is taking a look at it to see what he can would fix, if there was a problem.

Alarm clocks going off, being up before the sun rises, and clothing arguments can only mean one thing, school's back in session.

That means no more sneaking off with moms camera to take self portraits. Too bad, cause laughter is the best medicine.

You have to know I laughed when I saw these. Self-expression. Good for her, fun for us. Also, just in case our dentist is reading,

Nice huh? While the girls are off to school, I will be alone with this

who has learned the fine art of pulling off his diaper. Luckily, this is not my first rodeo, so we do this

because while clothing is optional, diapers are not. Also this guy

who looks scared because those chubby little hands in the corner there are always out to get him.
While we adjust to our new normal, we continue to thank everyone for their prayers and kindness. This has been the most difficult season we have ever had to face, and yet we have been overwhelmed by the love and support we have had during this time.