I did that this morning, but mine weren’t all that funny. Here’s the basic gyst:

1. Lose 10 pounds. —————Okay. I lost 3. Whatever, I will take it.
2. Motivate my unmotivated son.——–He is WAY more motivated now, but that took getting Dad and teachers and virtual school and growing up all involved. I cannot take credit for this.
3. Help the boys more with school work.………………….Dear Lord, I did not mean I wanted to home school again. Let me be more careful about what I say…
4. Publish 1 post on the blog/week……..I was doing well with this until October-November I think.
5. Publish Israel ebook. HEY! I actually did this one! Hurray!
6. Learn to play piano. I can now do basic songs, to include Greensleeves, Home on the Range, and some simple Bach and Brahms arrangements. I can even play two different things with both hands at once, and this took a lot of work.

But what about this year? Are goals a good idea in 2021?

Should we tempt fate in this way? If 2020 took our toilet paper and our schools from us, what could happen this year???

I mean really, there are no crazy thoughts anymore. These are all reasonable concerns. Ha! We try not to get carried away, but 2020 has left us changed.

What do you think? Troubles or no troubles, we still have to have something to reach for, right?

This morning I pulled off the miraculous stunt of having coffee in a quiet living room. It was rainy, and the boys all slept in. Alan was busy doing his thing, and behold! Quiet!!!

Normally, there is far more talking and people asking me questions. I am thankful for this too because I love my family, but the constant activity here makes one especially grateful for the moments of silence too.

We are not having Sunday school this morning either, so I had extra time to do quiet Bible study in my cozy sofa recliner. My coffee was hot, and the reading was straight from the words of Jesus. It just all felt especially wonderful today.

The verse that hung in my mind after I had said my morning prayers, eaten my breakfast, and headed back up the stairs was this one:

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Matthew 16: 22-23

“You are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Peter was worried about the physical well being and survival of Jesus. Maybe he still thought Jesus would be a political leader instead of a spiritual one. Jesus did not come to be King of Palestine or Rome. He came to be something far greater than that, an eternal savior for all mankind.

But how do we do concentrate on the things of God rather than the things of men? I mean practically, how do we do that exactly?

Those are the thoughts that I am currently chewing on. I want this to guide my goals.

What comes to mind for you when you think of the “things of men?” I mean currently, the things of men are largely about the corona virus and POWER. Man, does everyone want the power! So many headlines today are about the election. I thought the presidential election was over two months ago, but all that hoopla is still going on.

Those are things of man. They may be important, but they are neither eternal, unifying, edifying, or spiritual. What about the things of God?

The things of God concern people’s souls.

This is what DOES last from generation to generation. The things of God are what matter most–

–making sure you are doing your God given work.

–Taking care of your children, your spouse, and your parents.

–Looking out for other people you see in need.

—The good news of the Gospel: You don’t have to live in guilt and shame. Jesus came and paid the price for our sins, so we can be forgiven and at peace with God and man.

I feel like the Bible’s list of the fruits of the spirit is a great indicator of the way that is worth living:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22

Ever since I read that verse the first time, as a child, I have loved that last sentence. Against such things there is no law. You will not get a ticket for being loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and having self-control.

So my goal this year is to continue focusing on fostering a love of God in my children and my Sunday school class.

I still want to be a better wife and take better care of myself too.

Last year was BIG. I went in thinking it would be a “duller year” because we would not be moving, for once. But oh man, was I wrong about it being dull, and I am glad I was. THREE of our four boys were baptized in 2020. THREE!!!

Hallelujah. That is exciting.

It was such a HARD year though. Why is it that the best spiritual things tend to happen in hard times? I don’t know. We are reminded of our need for God maybe? And in a rich country like America, sometimes this is what it takes.

I hope all of you have had a restful Christmas break. The real world gears back up tomorrow (Monday) for most of us. It is easy to dread going back. The break was needed so extremely badly this year. But I am just reminding myself that often it feels good to get back to “normal” once you get going.

I hope all of your weeks prove to be fruitful and blessed.

God loves you. He is always there when we call on him.

The post What’s Worth Focusing on in 2021 appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Do you ever listen to podcasts? This morning I was listening to Crystal Paine’s (of MoneySavingMom.com) New Year’s podcast, and she was talking about goals.

Crystals’ goals were for the week and not for the year, as she is a foster mom now. Plus, she’s also giving birth this year, so she decided it was better not to make year goals for such an unpredictable year. That is usually my life too: so much going on.

The talk about goals started the hamster wheels in my brain a turning though. I had not even thought about goals for 2020 or even this week, and here it is January 6th. Ha!

Suddenly, I began to think about what the year ahead of us here at the Testosterone House looks like. This SHOULD be a happy, not so crazy, kind of year.

1. We are NOT moving this year. Cue the confetti. Praise the Lord. We are so tired of moving. Don’t even get me started.
2. We will send our oldest son to his first year of high school this year. When I say that out loud, my mind goes blank. I can’t even get past, “What???”
3. The putting down roots process should probably be worked on. I have participated in almost zero activities since we got here. That’s so unlike me, and yet it is true.

Really that’s it. That’s all the big plans we have for this year. Hallelujah though man, we’ve had way too much upheaval for the past 6 years. We are overdue a duller year.

Now you know since I’m sitting here saying this year is going to be chill, something huge or horrible will end up happening, and I will rue the day I wrote this post. But how can anyone know the future?

So without further ado, and only a tiny bit of thought put into these, here are my goals for 2020:

#1. Lose 10 pounds.

Stop laughing. I am serious. Yes, I need to lose 20, but I can’t even seem to lose 5, so we’re going to go with 10.

#2. Find a way to motivate the son who does not care what his grades are in school and doesn’t try very hard.

#3. Help the son who does care but is having a hard time at this particular school to make As and Bs because it will make him so happy.

#4. Be such a consistent blogger again that I’m publishing at least 1 post /week and also have my Israel ebook published.

Plan of action

For the 10 pounds: Intermittent fasting, set a sugar cap for each day, weigh myself every morning, exercise 6 days/week…..Eat more salad.

Motivating the unmotivated: Build his confidence by praising his successes in school. Continue star chart but change it to reflect study time. Study with him 10 minutes/day.

Helping the motivated: Check his math homework daily. Study with him 10 minutes/day. Build his confidence with praise.

For the blogging: Read 5 blogs/day. Write 1 hour/day, 6 days/week. Pin 5 posts/weekday.

This Week’s Goals

#1. Re-lose those 2 pounds I lost last week and then gained back this weekend. Y’all, I really wish I were joking.

#2. Exercise every single day, with one day off. Do not go to bed until this is done.

#3. Keep a food log on 3 days.

#4. Intermittent fasting Tues.-Fri. and Sunday.

#5. Study with each boy about 15 minutes/day.

#6. Mail Mom’s calendar to her. I accidentally shipped it to my house.

#7. Cook dinner every week day and Sunday lunch.

#8. Clean house 1 hour/day.

#9. Get 10,000 steps/day most days, for a total of 70,000 in 7 days.

I think these seem fairly reasonable, especially since we only have 2 nights and Saturday morning with extracurricular activities right now. That’s so nice. Winter is quieter, and I love that.

Do you have any goals for this week? Do you tend to make way too many or forget to make any at all? I go back and forth with doing both of those things. I’ve been good lately about putting only 6 things on my to-do list each day, but then I do something odd. I will do all sorts of other things and not do numbers 5 or 6 on my to-do list. Ah well. Life is a learning process.

“And he [Abraham] believed the Lord, and he [God] counted it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6

The post My Goals for 2020 and for This Week appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Happy 2018, friends!!!! I’m so excited to introduce y’all to my friend Amy Lloyd today. We met back in 2010, when we were living in Washington, D.C.

Back then, Amy was busy with two little ones just as I was. Even then she was singing, which is her passion. But here’s a little known fact: Amy used to be a staffer on Capitol Hill. Her background is actually in writing. She was working on the Hill the day of 9/11…y’all help me convince her to share that story with us next! (You can do the convincing in the comments section below.)

Psst! Also check out the links to amylloyd.net to hear her beautiful voice!! (What Child is this is my favorite!!!)

Today Amy is here to talk about our New Year’s goals and the more satisfying, encouraging way that she has found to plan out her year and keep her focus straight.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions

guest post by Amy Lloyd

 I have a love-hate relationship with the New Year. I love the fresh start and the excitement of a new chapter waiting to be written. Oh, the possibilities! However, over the past few years, I have found the New Year’s goal-setting process to be extremely counter-productive. I stress over priorities for the coming year. Then I become irritated with indecisiveness. And, finally I rehearse each failure from the previous year as I write that same goal once again.

I think we all agree time is a gift to be used wisely, and I still believe that setting long and short-term goals is a great tool to help live a life intentionally. I won’t go into how to set goals here. There are plenty of other blog posts with those details this time of year. (And if you cannot find something free to read, there is a billion dollar self-improvement industry pushing products and services to help you.)

What I am here to say is that Providence does not always work on a calendar year, and you don’t have to either.

What if your current season in life or profession does not move on an academic or calendar year? I am a mom and a singer. Although there are some aspects that work with a calendar, often both of these occupations require a lot more patience than a calendar year to see results.

Or, what happens when God’s plan is to turn your world upside down with some kind of trial? In the last four years I have had a major surgery with lengthy physical therapy, we have relocated to Indianapolis after living in the Washington, DC area our entire adult lives, and my husband has worked four different, very demanding jobs.

A year ago, I had almost given up on the New Year. In an effort of self-compassion, I decided that I would wait until February to do my annual goal setting…or possibly not make them at all. Then, on December 29, while scrolling through my Facebook news feed, I saw the headline of a post by my blogging friend Moriah that read: I DON’T DO RESOLUTIONS. I was curious. Her blog introduced me to #oneword365.

Moriah explained that she picks one word that she applies to all aspects of her life for the entire year. Simple. Profound. Game-changer!

I decided I was going to try this. While being incredibly indecisive on picking my one word for 2017, on January 1, my teacher Peter posted on his blog that he was not making resolutions. Instead, he was making “renewals.” That’s it! My word for 2017 was renew.

I loved that the word renew reminded me of Bible verse that says: But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV)

I needed to renew my strength in all aspects of my life so desperately. I was determined to apply my one word, so I wrote it as a reminder every day in my Panda Planner. Consistently writing my one word was key. Although I highly recommend a written journaling planner, the same concept works for a pocket or wall calendar. After a year of writing my one word again and again, I can look back at 2017 and be encouraged that the word renew permeated my life.

So, what did I do with those long and short-term goals? I renewed them, which helped me prioritize and gave more purpose. My goals are long-term fixtures that are evaluated as needed as God guides and directs my life.

As I wrap this up, you might be curious as to what word I have chosen for 2018…my new word is steadfast. I started with “discipline” (too harsh), then debated upon “consistency” (too boring), then I was reminded of a book I read, A Steadfast Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick. Steadfast means abiding, determined, enduring, persistent, relentless, resolute and unwavering. I am looking forward to studying this word more and applying it in 2018.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! (Psalm 57:7, ESV)

Maybe you set goals but want to try one word to help your focus. Maybe goals are not your thing, but one word is simple and something you can do! The #oneword365 blog says: Remember – Your one word is intended to be your guide, not your harsh standard. It’s not about doing more, but about being who you were created to be.

If you choose a word for 2018, I would love to hear about it! Comment below, on Facebook, or send me a message through my website. Happy New Year!

Amy Lloyd is an Indianapolis-based worship artist. When she is not driving her daughter to ballet, she is driving her son to tennis. True to her central Illinois roots, she is a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fanatic. For bookings and to check out her music, go to www.amylloyd.net. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @lloyd_amy_.

The post Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Daniel, waiting for present-opening time at my parents’ house

Christmas is over, and boy, was it a good one. In the photo above, all 4 boys were watching the clock intently. Christmas truly is magical for children.

I’m so thankful for a Christmas when my kids were healthy, we didn’t have to fly, there were no funerals to attend, and all went smoothly.

Now on to the new year!

2016 was all about drama. Yep. Drama. I’m hoping 2017 will be more about persistence and less about big things happening.

But who can tell the future? I’m not even good about making plans for the future. This year I want to be better about it, even though our best laid plans are so often a joke.

Before I plan for the future, I always look back at where we’ve been. This helps me to stay realistic. I can be idealistic and get myself into ridiculous situations.

I want to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground and perhaps allow my head to wander into the clouds just a little bit…

So let’s look back. Google Analytics tells me which of this year’s posts were most popular.

Top 10 Stories from 2016

#10. Exciting News, Dirt Angels, and Checking on Daniel

This is what my to do list looked like the other day:

-Morning Chores

-Check on Daniel.

-Shower/get ready

-Check on Daniel.

-Start sheets.

-Check on Daniel.

-Put away laundry. Move sheets to dryer.

-Check on Daniel.

-Well, you get the idea.

#9. JD Presents the New VeggieTales DVD Giveaway

It was exciting to partner with VeggieTales. I’ve always loved them, and giveaways are always a hit.

#8. What do I wear to the wedding?

As it turns out, my friends love to help me pick out what to wear. Ironically enough, I woke up with a swollen hip, and none of those dresses fit. Want to see what I actually wore?

This, and it looked awful on me. That’s why I cropped the photo. But it was okay because we had so much fun at the wedding. Want to see the bride?

She’s the beautiful red-headed one in the white dress!! (Ha! Obviously) This is the family red-head photo!! Gingers rule!

#7. The Linq Procedure: Another Half Naked Story

Yes, occasionally I blog about my health problems. I hope that it helps other people with similar problems. And sometimes I DO just want to whine!

Only 1 more health article on the list, I promise:

#6. Health Update: Ventricular Tachycardia, My Favorite Doctor, and Tendonitis Everywhere

This tells the story of a PA who I was so excited to find after having so many MEAN doctors. What is the deal with the rude docs? Why are you a doctor if you don’t even like people? I get so nervous about medical stuff, I need straight up Mary Poppins  when I go to the doc’s office!

#5. Life gets really fun once you get over yourself! 

This one’s my favorite. Here’s a quote from it:

“Ha! I bet some of you wonder why I’m always sharing my crazy crap on the internet.

It’s worth it, y’all. Do what you love, and shamelessly share it. It may even turn into income for you.”

first Christmas in Nana’s new house

#4. The Story of My Wedding Dress: What Fire Couldn’t Burn

….Grab your tissues for that one.

#3. 3 Fall Funnies and a New Giveaway for Your Kitchen

Again, giveaways are popular! But this one did have some CUTE stories.

#2. When We Met Matthias: Story of a Military Family

This was the GOOD kind of drama. Emma stayed with us for just a few weeks. She labored at our house and brought her new baby home to our house, and it was so exciting to be a part of it.

#1. Logan

Alan lost two teenage cousins this year. These were two separate tragic single-car accidents, devastating events.

Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.

Isaiah 57:1 New Living Translation

Last year wasn’t easy. Life is full of both the good and the bad for each of us. I wanted to share a happy Christmas video to perk us all up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRARmGIWgf8

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you for being a part of our 2016.

The post Our Top 10 Stories from 2016: The Drama Year appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Alan and me the night he left for Iraq, 2003

This week is Veteran’s Day, and as the wife of a veteran it’s a holiday full of meaning for me.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, I thought I’d share this letter that I wrote to Alan on New Year’s Eve, 2003. Alan was in Iraq, and I was living in Texas. What started out as this nightmarish, depressing event (sending my husband to war–I was all of 22 years old) had gradually turned into a year of growth and new friendships.

Did you know that we military wives have our own “battle buddies”?

We do, and they were a life-saver that year. That was the year I learned that I do not enjoy teaching. I experienced the first major failure of my life when I quit that job before the year was over because it was so hard and miserable I couldn’t handle it.

I found many things I didn’t want to be. I thought I would never figure out what I DO want to be, so I headed back to graduate school, but the answers weren’t there either.

But I was never fully defeated because the Lord sustained me.

He sustained me with mentors and friendships and love, and when 2003 closed, I was still full of hope. This is what I wrote to Alan:

**************************

9 months down!!!!!                             I love you!!!!!!!!

Wed.,  Dec. 31, 2003

Day 275

Wow! This is the final day of 2003. But like I read in one of your letters, it was indeed a rotten year. Good riddance, 2003! Don’t let the door hit you on your way out. One thing’s for sure. It’s a year we won’t soon forget.

 But I’m so glad it’s over. For me, 2004 brings so much hope! Much like 2002! I remember New Year’s 2002 so well, and so fondly. I KNEW big things were in store for me that year. I knew you were becoming an important part of my life. And I had a feeling my life would be forever changed. I had a feeling you were “the one.” I remember sitting on my porch, holding my little Sylvester and crying. They weren’t tears of sadness or even tears of extreme joy. I guess it was just a moment in which I was preparing myself for the future. And I was letting go of the little girl inside of me, the innocent girl about to be rescued by her prince, about to grow up.

 I didn’t know I would be getting married that year, or moving far away, or even that I’d be graduating.

I knew nothing of what was in store. Yet I can CLEARLY remember that the Lord was preparing my heart.

He was preparing my heart for you. And all the wonderful things you brought into my life. No one changed my life more than you. But it was a wonderful change.

 On the flip side, 2003 was not so wonderful. It was equally eventful. Only the events of 2003 often brought grief and hard lessons to be learned. I know we have grown this year though. We do grow from trials.

 But 2004 means something much different to me than either 2002 or 2003. To me, it is a year of hope, love, and laughter. That’s because when I think about 2004, all I see is you coming home to me, and spending a year together with you. Wow! How amazing it will be! Me and you together at last!

 So from January to March. Those 3 months are the joy of anticipation. And then You. You here in my life again. I can’t wait!

 I don’t have a New Year’s resolution. But I have a New Year’s hope. It’s like the final hump in this long deployment. The halfway mark was hump 1. And the end of 2003 was hump 2 to me. 3/4 of this journey is over!

 Yes!

************

3 months later, I hung this sign at our very first home together. I lived by the airfield, so I got to see Alan’s ginormous cargo plane fly right over my house as it landed. I’ll never forget the elation of that day.

It was a 4 page letter, and that was the first 3 pages, and I actually did write “Yes!” that BIG at the bottom of page 3. I meant it that large. In fact, it’s actually a little bit larger. I wonder whatever happened to the fourth page.

Happy Veteran’s Day, y’all!! I’m so thankful for my veteran.

The post A Letter of Hope from 2003 appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

After a 19-day vacation to see our folks, it warmed our hearts to find this in our driveway when we returned. What a hug to come home to this sweet driveway art! Our friends did this for us while we were away.

“We can do small things with great love.” –Mother Teresa

Isn’t it funny how it’s the little things like this that make our days bright and cheery?

And oh, while vacation was fun, it is always wonderful to be “Home Sweet Home”.

Joshua, Caleb, and a buddy of theirs (one of them that did the driveway art) were discussing “New Year’s Revolutions.” Yes, I corrected them. Joshua quickly understood the difference. He joked, “Ha!!  This year is a revolution!! Yaaaaaaaah!”

One of the boys said that he wants to have peace and goodwill on earth. Another one wants to own every single Lego Star Wars buildable figure.

“What’s yours, Mom?”

Um, uh…”Well, I haven’t fully decided yet, but I do hope to get rid of my hip pain this year.”

I got blank stares for that one. It’s hard for elementary kids to relate to chronic pain, I think.

So yeah. Not planning a revolution this year…..I don’t even have a concrete resolution.

I just want to do my job well, love my family, and move the family back across the country without stressing out about it. I’m so done with stress.

You know what I want most for this year? I want to focus on being a good mom and a loving wife. If we all did that, the whole world would be sweeter.

making gingerbread houses with the little guys

“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
― Mother Teresa

Yes, I got a bicycle for Christmas. No, my hips didn’t love it, but the boys were so excited to have their mom ride bikes with them. Thanks, Santa Alan!!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! I’d love to hear your resolutions/goals. No, really. I get my best ideas from other people, so do share.

Bring it on, 2016.

The post Bring it on, 2016! appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

When we first moved to California, I was so EXCITED!!!  I live within 10 minutes of beaches, swimming pools, hiking, an aquarium, glory, glory, glory!!!

This is going to be FUN. We are going to take exciting field trips all the time, I thought. We are going to be pros at this. The boys will get to see how the beach is different every time you go.

We went to the store and purchased wet suits. We had BIG plans.

And gradually reality began to settle in.

Bath tubs became clogged from sand, so we learned that sand does plunge right out. Problem solved.

Wet suits? Well, it takes us an hour to all get into them and all get back out of them when finished. Then you have to rinse and hang the things.

Someone really should be on hand to go into the waves with the boys, while someone handles the one-year-old.

Oh.

Taking four boys to the beach is actually a two person job, and thus ended my dreams of weekly trips to the shore. After all, Alan really should go to class.

One does not simply take four little boys to the beach.

But there’s still the pool, right?

Well, the big pool is freezing, and the little pool only allows 5 people at a time. The pool has no lifeguard, and I can’t figure out how to hold two babies in the 4 foot pool at one time, so that’s when I realized that…..

The pool is also a two person job now.

Sigh. Neither does one simply “take four little boys to the pool.”

But there are still trails to hike……

Only the big boys like to run ahead and climb things. Meanwhile, the trail has to be either stroller friendly, or I have to wear JD in the baby carrier.

Plus, it takes us about 2 hours to get ready to go anywhere as a family, so……

One does not simply “Go hiking with John David.”

I realized that hiking is pretty much a two parent job as well.

Well, I will just take them to the playground, I said. Only Joshua rarely wanted to do that, so it’s not much fun to drag him….One does not simply drag Joshua to the playground.

And that is how I ended up secluding myself in the walls of my big, beautiful, home near the sea.

My new goal for 2015:

Re join the world. We are making progress. Yes, it still takes us two hours to get ready to go anywhere. Thankfully, Alan’s course-load isn’t as bad as previous quarters, so he’s able to join us more.

Joshua has basketball practices, and they both have golf lessons, so at least we have to get out for that.

This week I decided we were getting out or bust. No matter the obstacles. Nothing would stand in our way.

Was it JD’s nap time by the time we all got ready? Yes, it was. We forged on anyway.

On Thursday, we very excitedly headed out to the library, Point Lobos, and the McDonald’s drive thru. All four boys were thrilled. The library was PACKED. There were two second grade classes and a preschool hour filling the place up.

Did I let that stand in my way? (I hate crowded places. I use a jogging stroller, and I’m kind of introverted these days.)

Nope. We forged on. Joshua tends to pick a series, read every  book in it, and then be crushed when there are no more to read, so that happened. The library was completely out of Big Nate books.

And yet, Caleb and I went digging and found more books than we’d ever found before! Calvin and Hobbes! Ninjago! Garfield! Henry and Mudge! Peanuts! We even found a beautifully illustrated children’s edition of Beowulf, which was the most celebrated find of the day.   I was the one that found it. I was a little horrified. That is so not my kind of reading, but it is famous literature, and I knew they’d like it, so we are reading it anyway….

I don’t understand boys’ literature at all.

I finally managed to pull them away from the library. They LOVE that place. There’s a rug in the floor that is blue, and there’s a giant stuffed sea otter. Daniel clutched that loved-by-a-billion-library-kids-before-him old sea otter, and hugged him, and hogged him, and oh, he was so happy. He and the sea otter kept jumping in the “water.” (blue rug)

The librarian kindly invited me to this page full of library events, all for different ages, all of which apply to at least one of my children. I politely said thank you and accepted the calendar. No need to tell her that gathering all four of them up and leaving the house, to go to a crowded place full of small children, is sort of a nightmare to me.

One day we will graduate from the jogging stroller, diapers, and pouring out Cheerios, and these things will sound more appealing to me.

Good-bye sweet library. Off to Point Lobos we went! There are several American Disability Act approved trails, so we used one of those. The thing is, the trail is only .8 miles, so that’s super short. However, it worked perfectly. Daniel was exhausted from being out late at Cubbies the night before, and the wind was ripping into us, eliciting aggravated grunts from John David.

We hit McD’s on the way home, where, as usual, I failed to buy quite enough food. Man, it takes a lot of food to feed us!!!

We were home by 2:00, I think. Daniel ate his lunch, and then I put that grouchy, sleepy boy to bed.

Success. I’m calling that success. Yesterday we toured a local sports center, complete with child care and swimming for Joshua and Caleb, and we are thinking about joining it. Maybe we will finally “get out more.”

The manager gave us a tour. Of course, the boys couldn’t keep their hands off each other, not in a mean way. It’s just that boys are very physical.  Raising boys is a lot like raising lion cubs.  At one point, all three hunched over JD, making googly faces at him. They were all smiling, and JD was whacking them in the face, just as happy as he could be. They loved it!

Don’t worry. I don’t condone toddlers smacking others in their faces.

The manager remarked, “At least they get along.”  Yes, that’s true. What a blessing!

There wasn’t anything ‘simple’ about this whole ‘getting out more’ thing. I feel accomplished and tired.

Have a great weekend, ya’ll! 🙂

The post One Does Not Simply Take Four Boys to the Beach appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.