SEND THE CHILDREN TO BED WITH A KISS

O, Mothers, so tired and weary
Worn out with the toil of the day,
As you tend to the needs of your family,
Exposed to the noise of their play;

Your patience so often is tested
And often so much seems amiss;
But, Mothers, whatever the problems,
Send the children to bed with a kiss.

The dear little feet wander often
And stray from the pathway of right;
The dear little hands find new mischief
To try you from morning 'till night.

But think of the sad, lonely mothers
Who'd give all the world for your bliss,
And as thanks for your infinite blessings,
Send the children to bed with a kiss.

For someday their noise will not vex you,
The silence will trouble you more,
And you'll long for the sound of their voices,
For a child's sweet face at the door.

And to hold a child close to your bosom
How much it would mean just for this;
For the comfort and joy of your future,
Send the children to bed with a kiss.

Dylan & Clara

These two have so much fun together! Clara is the daughter of Lee & Stacy B. She is visiting today, and I got this cute picture and just had to post it! Dylan is 'all boy' and Clara is 'all girl', but when they get together, they meet in the middle. I was upstairs on the treadmill in the playroom and they were playing and I loved watching them interact. Dylan had a gun and Clara had her doll, but they were playing together and never missed a beat!

Happy Birthday, Teresa!!

Today is my sister, Teresa's 36th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite little sister! :) I'm wishing you a very special day today!!!

A Weekend with the Family

We had a nice time with Dave's family this weekend. His parents are visiting from New York and an aunt & uncle from Minnesota and a cousin from Austin were here also. We spent some time here and at John & Karen's. The boys love being with their cousins, Chris and Laura and we missed seeing Amanda this weekend, who they love also!

The boys taking a ride on the golf cart with Chris.


We have been clearing out an area by our house and are almost finished. Dave helped the boys start on a 'fort' this weekend. They have plans for a big, fancy one! ha Bryce wanted to paint a sign for it...

and this is what it says!!


The boys with Laura on the trampoline. Bryce was 'mid-flip', which Mom doesn't approve of! But, he's pretty proud of himself! :)


Dave, cousin Don and brother John (at John and Karen's house.)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a wonderful day! We had a fun family day. The boys really enjoyed using the heart cookie cutters today! They made me heart sandwiches for lunch, then made heart cookies after dinner. Their Daddy made sure I had a special day and it was fun to see them all working together!

Valentine Party and Rodeo

We went to the full-fledged rodeo tonight! The boys really got into the cowboy gear. Papa Beeman keeps them outfitted in their western attire! This is the first time Cayden asked to wear a hat, so we gave him one of Bryce's old ones. So, I guess Papa knows what he'll be buying next!

Bryce had his Valentine Day party Friday. This is a picture of him with his 1st grade teacher, Ms. McClure.

'Mini Rodeo'

Bryce's class went to a mini rodeo yesterday. So, me and the other 2 boys went with them. My boys absolutely love rodeos and Bryce really gets into the bull riding! When the first bull came out of the shoot with the cowboy on his back, Bryce did his 'jump' and fell right out of his chair! Poor guy, he was really into it! :) My camera didn't do too well in the lighting in the arena, so I didn't get many pictures. After the rodeo, we toured through the pens of many pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, etc... that were being shown by school kids.

Our Beautiful 'Winter' Days !

We have enjoyed being outside so much here lately! Our weather has been beautiful! I took the boys to the park last week and we had a ball! We have the best park in our area right by the train station, so the boys love watching the trains while they play!

My 'other' BOY

This is the cute little guy that I keep during the school year. Matthew just turned 1 in January and is very happy to be walking now! His Mom is a school nurse here, so I just have him during the school year, which works out great for us both. I started keeping him after Spring Break last year and he was just 3 months old! I get double takes if I venture to the store with all 4- my 3 blondies and a darkie! One day a lady said "He's not yours, right?" :) Cayden enjoys having Matthew around on the days when Bryce & Dylan are both away at school.

A Day To Get Together!

I had 4 ladies over for a Sloppy Joe lunch yesterday. Rose W., Tisha H., Stacy B. and Malinda C. came, along with any non school aged children! :) It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed themselves as much as we ladies did!