The Window to the Soul

Eyes. On any given day I am astonished at my children's eyes. Not just because I think they are so beautiful, but because in their eyes I see so much. Eyes tell us so much about a person, have you noticed? Look into the eyes of your children, your spouse, your friends. What do you see?

Here is what I see in my children's eyes:

Kylee is the only one in the family with brown eyes! I have always loved her brown eyes! In these eyes I see a love for life, like I have never seen before. I see an affection and allegiance to all of God's creatures, big or small. I see structure and fairness. I see acceptance and FUN! I see a girl who will give all of herself to anyone, but will carefully keep enough for herself. Kylee's eyes help me stay focused and give me the ability to handle and accept life.

Tyler's eyes are one of  the first things I fell in love with when he joined our family. His eyes erupt with wisdom and knowledge. When I first looked into his eyes I knew that I was holding in my arms someone great, with endless potential. In his deep blue eyes I see curiosity and accomplishment. I see brightness and sensitivity. Just looking into Tyler's eyes will assure you that the world if full of things to be constantly explored. In his eyes I see wonder, action and love.

Baily's green eyes are full of sunshine and brilliance. It doesn't matter if Baily is sick or sad, her eyes always have a sparkle and a light. In her eyes I see possibilities, new ideas and hope. Her eyes remind me that life is to be enjoyed. In her eyes is love and a love for life. Baily's eyes hold a place for forgiveness, ability and a acceptance.

Malia...of all of my kids, Malia reminds me the most of myself. When I look into her green eyes I often feel like I am looking in a mirror. It is really fun to look into her sensitive eyes and imagine that I am looking at myself. Malia's eyes are still, and peaceful. Her eyes are illuminated with a sense of simple, pure balance. When I look into her eyes I see a gentle nature, but an intense ability to discern what is good, fair and right. I see comfort and the ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

My little Dalin.  It only took me about 21,000 tries to get this picture of his eyes!!! His eyes scream Wiggle worm!!! Dalin has taught me more about life in his 22 months than I could have learned in a lifetime. His pale blue eyes are soft and gentle. His eyes show his need for comfort and peace. In his eyes I see an unyielding sense of awareness, confidence and affection. Dalin has the ability to take in all that he sees and thoroughly assess if it is safe! fun! and worth-while! His eyes are what keeps me going, keeps me strong and patient.

My New Bowl of Ice Cream

Meet my new bowl of ice cream. It is a lot less creamy and does not have near enough sugary goodness as I am use to, but I am pretty excited about it.

For the past 2 nights, instead of putting the kids to bed and sitting down to a big ol' bowl of vanilla with chocolate syrup goodness, I have laced up my running shoes, dusted off the treadmill and ran like crazy. Well, let's be honest, it is more like a slow jog...but I am getting there.

AND, while I am burning some calories I am catching up on some re-runs of Lost. Now, instead of my nightly dose of sugar and cream, I am getting my nightly dose of Jack Shephard!

I learned something pretty fantastic about setting goals the other day. I have always been really good at setting goals, but really, really bad at keeping them. I realized that in my need for perfection I usually set my goals too high.

Here is a quick and easy method for setting goals. It is called the M.T.O method. So, for instance, I want to get back in shape. I have been exercising on average 1-2 days a week. So instead of saying, (in a Wonder Woman voice) "I will exercise 6 days a week and I will never eat ice cream again!" I set a MINIMUM goal. I want to at least work out 3 days a week. Then I set my TARGET goal. Ideally, I would like to exercise 4 days a week. And my OUTRAGEOUS goal (now remember, outrageous does not mean impossible), would be to exercise 5 days a week. Make sense? This way I am never setting myself up to fail.

If I only get 3 workouts in one week, I am still within my goal range, and I won't give up because it seems impossible to achieve my goal. Yes??

Now I am going to go Deep Blue my legs, cause they are killing me!!!

Flip flops and tank tops

I have been assaulted by summer clothes!!!

I have been putting off getting the summer clothes from the attic for weeks now. All of my kids, especially my 6 year old, have been badgering me daily to "pleeeeeeaaaaassssseeeee get the summer clothes down!!!" So, today was the day.

5 kids, 8-10 bins and bags of clothes...sorting through the ones that fit, the ones that don't have holes or stains...then sorting through drawers and closets for clothes that don't fit to put away...

I lose a year of my life every time the seasons change!

It was a hot dog's-for-dinner kind of a night. I tell you what, I am exhausted. At least we are good for another 6 months.

I don't know how the vacuum ended up in this picture...I sooo did not vacuum today...

mr grumpy pants

Dalin woke up from his nap grumpy today. He actually does this every day. I am really bothered by this. It takes 10-20 minutes for him to "happy-up". Today was no different.

I was sitting on the couch with him today after his nap and it hit me...I am the exact same way. I hate waking up. If I was a 1 year old I would cry too. I feel like crying every time the morning comes, but I am a big girl, and can't throw the fit that I feel inside.

So, Dalin, I am okay with you waking up grumpy. I know how you feel...

New Family Pictures

Another year has somehow passed! How did that happen? As I reflect on 2011 I have mixed emotions. This year has been hard! But, it has also been wonderful! We have had a lot of illness, sleepless nights and trying to figure out what the heck we are doing in life. But, we have grown so much and have had so many good times too.

The kids are loving school. And I do mean LOVING. The Montessori Charter school that they go to is amazing. It blows the education they were receiving at public school out of the water. All three of the older kids are learning and growing so much. Malia and Dalin keep themselves entertained so well as the only ones home most days.

I am very enthusiastic and hopeful for 2012. I am so grateful for the hard times that we had this year because they helped us, as a family grow and learn so much. We are better at somethings and also have a clearer picture of what we need to improve upon.

Here are some of our recent family pictures =) Warning: There's a lot, and they are in no particular order!