Spring Break 2013

Spring Break around here has a whole new meaning than it used to! I used to think of fun trips to Acupulco, or Padre, or just a week to relax and see friends...now its an annoying week when the boys are out of school, way to many people come to Austin for SXSW, everything is crowded, and I am looking for things to keep the boys occupied and  me from going crazy.
Lucky for us, things really worked in our favor this year. We were busy! It certainly helped that the weather was absolutely perfect for being outside!

The Friday Spring Break started my friend Sarah Alspach was in town for SXSW for work and before she got too busy with meetings, Owen, Cash and I picked up some Torchys Tocos and met her at her hotel for lunch and then took her to the convention center.  It was way to quick of a visit, but so glad I got to see her!

So we started Saturday with a visit to see my grandmother, something we do almost every weekend.

 Somehow the boys ended up without their shirts on while we were playing in the yard.

We also welcomed a new cousin into the family, little Ari Lindauer and celebrated his bris.

A trip to the fire station...it is always cute to see big guys oogling over a baby!

A little soccer playing with Dad...

Cash increased his pace to move from place to place, and figured out how to push himself up into a sitting position.  He is also still obsessed with tags, the one of his duck in particular.

And he is enjoying the new freedom of taking a bath in the big bathtub.

We also had some friends come into town this week.  Lauren Muckelroy was in town (Melanie's twin sister) and we were finally able to play with Judson!  Unfortunately we didnt get any pictures of all the boys because between pulling leaves out of Cash's mouth, Owen continually hurting himself, and Will throwing up all over the playscape, we had our hands full!
The following day, Sara Womack came into town on a whim with Bo and Layne and we all met up with her and Melanie at Hat Creek for some lunch and a little playing.

Our friend Meredith was also in town this week with her three kids, Payton, Mallory and Nolan and she put together a little playdate with a bunch of Zeta's who live in Austin.  It was so fun to see all these kids together and to see just how many kids we have produced in such a short period of time!

Top: Bo Womack, Will Dow, Eli, Owen, Nolan Yates, Payton Yates, Hayes Newberry, Zoe Townsend, Kendall Newberry, Bottom: Rex Down, Cash and Layne Womack

It was so great to be able to see so many old friends this week!
We finished Spring Break with Eli's first soccer game. I was pretty much dreading this first day because I had to idea how it would go.  But Coach Shapiro and Coach Haegelin (I have known both of them since I was a little kid!) were amazing.  There are 8 kids on the team, most of which we know already, so that helped!
Eli did great during the 30 min practice, but after about two minutes into the game, he lost it.  I think its because he knew Pop had bought him a super cool new Lego set he had been begging for for weeks and he knew Pop was going to give it to him after the game and he just couldnt wait any longer!  All of the boys were absolutely precious!

 Getting suited up in his new uniform.

 Ready to play with buddies Cole and Henry

 First practice kick went straight into the goal!

 Owen was a little disacpointed he couldnt play too!

 We left Cash at home with my mom to nap, so it was just us and the Big Boys

 Owen is really into taking pictures with my camera...not too shabby!

 I really wish I had the energy to ellaborate a little more on our fun spring break but its been a very trying week at our house with my mom in the hospital, my mother-in-law in the hospital, and a sick, non-stop throwing up kid. I have been working on this post for too long and am ready to be done with it! My energy is tapped!

Time Travel

I know I will look back on days like today with such fondness, but right now, I am just happy today is over.
Everyone was fussy, whiny, constant demands.  Nothing came easy today.  I made dinner, no one ate it.  I walked out of Cash's eye sight and he fell to pieces.  Logo creations fell apart and Mommy didn't know how to put them back to together the right way, and Dad was at work.  Our house was cleaned today and within 1.2 seconds of the boys walking in the house, it was back to being a dump.
Just when I thought I got everyone down for naps, I walk into the Big Boy's room to find them like this....Eli crawled into Owen's bed and brought toys! So no nap for Eli and Owen.

And I heard Cash call out after a 30 minute nap. So no break for Mommy.

It was just one of those days.

With kids, and cleaning the house, making appointments, running, and just staying afloat, the days often fold into each other with surprising speed.  So much so, that I am often stunned to sit down and realize a few days or weeks have slipped through my fingers.

These days go so quickly, and I know that means I am supposed to sit down and value them that much more, but man alive, I would like to freeze it- Matrix style- so that everything else around me gets suspended, but I get to catch up.
I want to slow down and cherish these moments, even though they seem so frustrating at the time.  I know there will be a time that I will miss walking into the boys room and finding Eli in the crib with Owen, along with every single toy in their room at 6am, or acting as an umpire and keeping track of whose turn it is to sit in the middle seat in the car, or breaking up fights, or Cash wanting me to hold him every. single. minute. of. every. single. day, or  getting up with him every single night (still) just because and have him look at me with the biggest, sweetest, most endearing smile as he reaches up and kicks his legs with excitement as to say "Mom, I just love you and want to spend time with you and the middle of the night is the only time I have you to myself!," and have him repeat this multiple times a night and finally getting him back to sleep just in time for Eli to creep out of his room at the crack of dawn.  I know I will miss stepping over toys in every single room of the house, and finding snacks that I was so happy about them finishing inside of toys weeks later. I will one day look back on finding crumbs on the couch and leaking milk cups, Alphabet magnets on the fridge, tiny underwear around the house (because for some reason, they both like to change underwear throughout the day), always having dirty dishes, and dirty laundry, and dirty hair, with such fondness.  I just know I will miss those calls in the middle of the night to cover someone up, and the little pitter patter of their cute little feet running around the house playing Super Hero Fireman, them wanting to constantly show us a new trick,  finding the bathroom floor covered in toilet water and having everyone deny they were playing in the toilet even though their clothes are soaked, or turning around to find Owen with his pants at his ankles in the middle of Hat Creek Burgers relieving himself, or the boys wanting to come get in bed with me, cuddle with me, and want to be with me.  There will come a day when I am no longer cool and everything I do embarrassing and the last thing they want to do is be with their Mommy (tear). I do appreciate these moments even through I have to remind myself to some days.

I go to bed feeling spent every single day.  But in the morning, I get to wake up to these guys and know its all worth every single frustrating, tiring, moment.

I have been blessed with three beautiful, healthy, loving boys who love each other dearly.  For every time I want to pull our my hair, comes a moment where I hear them giggling in the other room at each other and my heart melts a little.  For every time I feel like I am cleaning up yet again, one of them comes up to me and tells me they love me.  For every hour of sleep lost, comes moments of great joy and satisfaction.

I would not give this up for anything, but man alive, it is hard being the mom of three young boys!