Berry Picking

The kids and I headed out raspberry picking a few days ago. It was fun, they lasted only about an hour but we picked almost 7 pounds! Kate seemed to love it the most, she kept saying, "this so fun mommy!"

Here they are fueling up before heading out into the fields!

My berry pickers!

Kate was slightly annoyed that I wanted to take her picture..she wanted to keep picking...

Here they are!!

Olden Days

Emma: “Mom, was daddy born in the olden days?”
Me: “What do you mean by the olden days?”
Emma: “Like before Wii’s, Ipads, and MP3 players. You know, when there were those booths you had to put money in to call somebody on the side of the road.”
Wow, I can’t believe she considers that the olden days….

And guess what we found later that day?? Proof that "the olden days" were not that long ago!!

2 quotes from Ben

“Mom, I love you more than thunder eggs and sand dollars,  so…that’s a whole lot…” -Ben Hughes

“Hey mom, I hope we’re never so poor that we don’t even have important things like mustard.” -Ben Hughes
  I didn’t realize condiments were so high on the need-to-have-at-all-times list…..

Businessman

Yesterday Emma helped make dinner and she made a fruit salad all by herself. It was awesome and she was so proud!  So today, Ben was super excited to be in charge of the salad. He spent about an hour gathering ingredients from our garden (snap peas, tomatoes, blueberries, and strawberries, cucumber). Then he washed them, and with Dave’s help, they diced it all up. As I made the rest of the dinner, he carefully split it into 5 bowls and lined them up. He was pretty quiet during this whole process.
About 10 minutes later I said, “Ben, dinner’s ready so go ahead and put the salad’s on the table”
He quickly said, “Well, I’m actually charging for these salads, so……”
“So, we have to pay to eat the salad?” Dave said.
“Just a dollar per salad” he said shrugging his shoulders.
I just love being charged for food that I already paid for once. I guess we have a budding entrepreneur on our hands….

Camping Trip

Well, we finally took the plunge and went on a camping trip with all 3 kids :) It was.....tiring, but VERY fun! We went to Trillium Lake by Mt. Hood with Dave's brother Adam and his family. The kids had a blast, we didn't sleep at all, and the views were absolutely AMAZING! Enjoy the pics and of course there are a couple stories at the end :)

Before leaving for camping, Emma asked me if there were going to be any wild animals like bears or coyotes roaming around. Because if so, she was “not going to go.” I assured her that even though there are lots of animals in the forest, they usually stay FAR FAR away from us humans. This seemed to help her chill out. 

Later that night while getting ready for bed, Ben says, “I can’t wait to go to sleep in the tent listening to all the coyotes howling!”

Thanks Ben. Thanks a lot….

Well, our first camping trip with all 3 kids did not disappoint. This is how I would break down the whole tent camping experience with 3 kids and a dog:

 

100% of the time you are purely and utterly exhausted, but that goes without saying….

   25%- time spent in and around the pit toilets and squatting in the woods

   20%- trying to find stuff you need in a gazillion different totes

   15%- spraying on sunscreen and bug spray

   10%-making sure 2 years olds don’t trip into the fire

   8%- making sure 5 years olds don’t burn the forest down

   6%- retrieving Frisbees from high in the trees

   5%-calming down an 8 year old when a thunderstorm rolls through

   5%- wiping off marshmallow stickiness from EVERYTHING

   4%- applying band aids

   2%- Priceless memories

I would so do it all over again just for that 2%…..

Happy 4th of July (a little late) !

4th of July seems like AGES ago now, but I never put anything on here! We had a great family day, just hanging out together. We have one kid that LOVES fireworks, and two that HATE them :) So, we have to find a compromise.. We made it through, though, and everyone had a good time!

Dave and I took the kids to see Madagascar 3. It was the first movie Katie has ever been too, so we were REALLY excited too see what she thought about the whole theater experience. Well, after eating half a pound of whoppers  and popcorn during the previews, she zonked out with buttery hands and a chocolate streaked face. She MAYBE saw 2 minutes of the movie- maybe.  She only woke up again when we got up to leave.
    As we’re walking out to the car, her sleepy eyes squinting tight from the sun, she says, “That was a really good movie, I like it mommy.” She was happy as can be.
  So, I learned a few things:
1. Thank God that 2 year olds are free at Regal Cinemas
2. Sometimes Chocolate doesn’t hype kids up, it brings on narcolepsy.
3. It is possible to pass a sleeping kid back and forth across the seats for potty

Cry out to Him

   Katie has had really bad Eczema since she was born. She’s also gotten every bug that makes it’s way around, had several trips to the ER, and had surgery. She’s been our complicated one, not because of her personality, but because she just seems to get sick A LOT. She’s a trooper, though, and even when she’s covered in bandaids and has to wear long pants on a summer day, she’s still smiling.
    The last week has been tough because she broke out with Eczema/Heat Rash/Diaper rash that has spread all over her rear end and down her legs. Every night we’ve woken up to bloody blankets from her scratching it, and trying cream after cream to help her feel better. It’s a process just to get her changed, because it hurts her so bad to wipe off the old creams and put on new ones. Her little body shakes so hard when I’m trying to clean her off.
    Today I was tired.  I was tired of seeing her in so much pain. As I changed her diaper I started to cry really hard. I said, “Katie, I’m not doing this to hurt you, I’m trying to make you better. I don’t like to see you in so much pain. Do you believe me baby girl?”
    She was sobbing and her little body was shaking and she just started saying, “I believe in you mommy, I believe in you mommy, I believe in you mommy”. We cried together until it was all done, new bandages were in place and the sting was wearing off. As I held her in my arms I was hit by a sudden realization.
   Life is not easy. It’s really hard. And sometimes we feel like our heart is being ripped right out, that everything is falling apart, that we don’t understand. People we love are taken from us, there’s divorce, sickness, natural disasters, and sometimes there are men that open fire on people in a movie theater. We DON”T understand.
   But there is someone who does. God is right there with us, crying with us, and sometimes we are in so much pain that all we can do amidst our crying is scream out “I believe in You, I believe in You, I believe in You”.  And he can hold us close while we cry, and say “I’m not doing this to hurt you, you might not understand, but I have a plan to make you better and stronger. I don’t like to see you in so much pain. Do you believe me?”
    My prayer is that we can all cry out to Him, even when we don’t understand why the pain is happening.  He’s listening, even when we’re mad and confused. And just like Katie this morning, we can run into his arms fully knowing he loves us no matter what shape we are in.
 





 

Catching up on the blog!

I know, I know...it's been a whole MONTH since I've updated this! Crazy..hopefully everyone is doing great and enjoying summer! I've loaded a LOT of posts, so sorry for the crazy bunch of stories and photos- a lot was going on this month!

Countdown to the 4th

   I’m wondering at what point Ben will stop running outside every time he hears a loud boom screaming “This is awesome!” at the top of his lungs…Thankfully there is only 1 week of the year that these things are legal or we might just have to enroll him in a 12 step program…
   Oh, and P.S.- he’s been falling asleep on the floor underneath his window every night so he won’t “miss a single one…”

VBS!

The kids had an AWESOME time at Vacation Bible School. The theme was Rocky Point Lighthouse and they even got cool shirts! Here is the Hughes/Ritz gang at the VBS party!

Slow down and listen...

   I’ve learned quickly being a mom that profound and important conversations with your kids don’t usually happen when you want them to. The deep philosophical questions kids have about life will broadside you out of the blue, when you least expect it. For me, this means that I have to continually pray for God to help me “hear” their conversations in the midst of the chaos. If I always have the radio blaring, my phone up to my ear, the TV loud, the Ipad open, or stress written all over my face, I am going to miss these precious moments God is giving me with my kids.
    When I’m 2 minutes from the drop-off at school and Emma asks, “Why are some kids so mean?” or when I’m trying to make a deposit at the bank and Ben wants to know why God lets people live under bridges. Or when I’m exhausted and trying to tuck kids into bed and they ask, “What will heaven be like, mom?”.
   These are the moments I pray for strength and guidance, because I just want to say “Go To Sleep!” or “We’ll talk about it later you have to go to school!” But then the moment is gone- you can’t get it back.
    When Emma was almost 6 we were making a very quick run to Fred Meyer. Our vacuum had started smoking and we had company coming in 2 hours from out of town. I was STRESSED. She was clueless singing along to the Disney Princess Soundtrack in the backseat. We parked and I gathered my purse and phone and then looked back at Emma who was staring out the window.
“Come on honey, we have to hurry!” I said motioning for her to get out.
“Mom”, she said quietly. “I want to ask Jesus into my heart”.
   My world slowed down instantly. I forgot about how much a new vacuum would cost or how I was going to get my house clean in time.  I climbed into the backseat and there in the Fred Meyer parking lot I got to witness a miraculous event on a very ordinary day. And I could have missed it all.
    Just this morning, when I hadn’t even had a chance to brew coffee, I was broadsided again.  Emma and Ben were sitting at the table looking at their crafts they made at VBS this year.
Emma said, “That song ‘Dance for Jesus’ that they played during the offering for the Madagascar kids made me cry”.
I was busy getting the coffee ready so I distractedly said, “I know, it’s a really good song.”
Ben said, “Emma, it’s a happy song about being with Jesus! I had happy tears too.”
Emma said, “Well, it’s sad if it makes you cry.”
Then Ben said, “When your heart starts to feel really big, and you can’t stop yourself from crying, then that means God is trying to tell you something.”
I set my coffee cup down. I was listening now. It was a moment I could never create, and in 3 minutes it was gone.
My prayer is that we can all really listen to our kids, God is sure using them to teach us a lot of awesome things!

Emma's pictures

I cannot believe this girl is going to be in third grade! Time is flying by, and she's grown into a beautiful young lady. She has so much energy and loves loves loves to talk about ANYTHING! She is an awesome helper with Katie, and is making tons of friends. Love her tons!

Hiking around the river...

 working on her cartwheels at the park...

Here she is with her best friend Preslie hanging out in the fountains...

Dramatic

   We called the kids in from playing outside to start getting ready for bed. Ben was whining and moping, and after he fed the chickens and got pajamas on he came and asked me if he could go back outside. I shook my head.
 “No, it’s time for bed.”
  He immediately fell to the floor and the tears started rolling down . “But, mom”, he pleaded, “I have been waiting to do this one thing outside since the day I was born! And now you won’t even let me do it!” Big pitiful groans followed.
 “Wow, buddy, that’s intense.. Since the day you were born? What is this thing that’s so important?” I asked him.
  “It’s a running course with cones and jump ropes and lots of cool stuff.” He whimpered.
  “How were you planning to do that on the day you were born? That would be kinda hard..” I pondered. He stood up and thought about that one for a few seconds.
  “Well…maybe I’ve only wanted to do it since I turned three.. but it’s super important to me!” Then he flails himself down on the couch again.
     I’m thinking 3 hours of Vacation Bible School and 5 hours at a friends house has left this kid a tad bit dramatic tonight…

Benjamin in pics

This kid gives me the most gray hairs, but he's also the first one to climb on my lap for a snuggle. He is rough,  funny, way too smart for his own good, and has a HUGE heart. Here are a couple pics of him in his element...

I took the kids to the river to throw rocks and explore. I specifically told Ben NOT to walk in the water and get his shoes wet. Apparently to him, this just meant he had to walk on his hands....

Gosh I love him...

Here he is with his T-ball trophy! he had a great time playing ball and learned a TON!

The mystery of the disappearing eggs

    One of Ben’s daily chores is getting the chicken eggs and bringing them into the house. He’s been doing this for almost a year now, but lately we’ve noticed something strange. On a good week, we get about 12-14 eggs. But as of late, only about 8 actually make it to the kitchen fridge. Hmmm… So, last week I sent Emma with him to collect the eggs. Sure enough, he came in holding only one. “What is going on with the eggs?” I asked him.
    Emma said, “Ben dropped one- again!”
   “Ben, we have to be careful with the eggs, buddy.”
   “I am careful” he said with determination.
    Then Emma says, “No you weren’t, you were throwing them up in the air and catching them!”
 Ben just shrugged and said, “Well, I try to be very careful when I throw them up in the air… it’s the catching part that’s hard..”

Kate the Great in pictures

Our little Kate is growing up wayyy too fast. Dave always picks her up and says, "Please stay little just a little while longer.." She has been feeling so much better since her tonsils and adenoids came out, and her personality is shining through. She is so funny, and has an awesome smile. Here's a few pictures of her from the last couple months- she keeps me busy!

She took the phrase "shop till you drop" just a little too serious at Fred Meyer...

Something must have been really funny...

Kate and her friend Anika watching Bubble Guppies!

Katie and her friend Peyton hanging out at the Battle ground parks and Rec program!

I wish I could be a kid again...

Katie Lady

    Last night around 2am I was awakened by a very upset 2 year old. Kate was crying uncontrollably, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I changed her diaper, I asked if she was thirsty, I even told her she could come out to the couch and sleep with me. NOTHING was working. She was crying so hard I couldn’t understand what she was saying. I sat on her bed and sang to her until she calmed down a little. I asked her “Why are you crying? What’s wrong?”.
   She looked at me with tears coming down and in between sobs she said, “I don’t like these jammies. I wanted my Ariel jammies.” Then the crying started again.
   OH MY WORD. Apparently she has a Diva deep inside of her. But because I love her so much, I scrounged through mounds of laundry at 2:30 in the morning, and successfully found Ariel pajamas still sticky with syrup- she was so happy, and instantly fell asleep. I’m telling you, people, they don’t make enough manuals for this gig.

    And another...

    Today at naptime Kate was NOT interested in going to sleep. That’s nothing new.. I told her I would sing her some songs and she requested Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So, I sang it all the way through and then smiled down at her. I said “How was that?” She just smiled and said, “Sorry, mom, you don’t get to go to Vegas”. Then she started laughing really hard. 

   I’m thinking we need to stop DVR’ing America’s Got Talent….

Be quiet mom...

Today as Ben and I were running errands, we were busy playing the Animal Thinking Game. I was pretty into it, I couldn’t figure out what Ben’s secret animal was. We were stopped at a stoplight and I was mid-sentence when he said, “Be quiet a minute mom”. I was just about ready to tell him that he sounded kinda rude when he said, “I need to pray for that man over there. He has no leg.” I was humbled right away and I said, “Ok, buddy, go ahead.”
   His prayer went something like this: “Jesus, help that man not to be sad. Help him to have friends and be happy. Help him to grow a new leg or get money for a fake leg. Amen”. As I looked back at him in the rearview mirror he had big crocodile tears in his eyes as he watched the man cross in front of us. I said, “That was nice buddy.” Then he just said, “I hope I could be that brave.” It was quiet for a couple minutes.
   And then just like that the moment was over. He went back to playing the game, and acting silly.  God, help me to take time to pray every chance I get, and not miss these moments because I am just too busy to listen….