All It Takes

When it's Monday morning, and you wake up just a little late, and you order a Diet Coke but end up with a Dr. Pepper instead.  And, then you have to do the walk of shame past your boss when you arrive at work just a little bit late, too...

When you're trying to make dinner, give all the kids baths, and clean up a two year old's mess...

And when, it's time to put the babies to bed, and all you want to do is climb in the crib with them and sleep until Friday...

All it takes this sweet thing's smile to wash away the frustrations, stresses, and worries of the day.

Marin Jane.

Little Bird

A conversation with my Ellery...

"I've been thinking about it, Mama, and I don't want to just crawl or walk to get to where I'm going."



"I want to FLY!"

"If I just flap my arms up and down like this, I just might get off the ground."



"Ummmmm... flying is a lot of work, too."



"Actually, Mama, if you wouldn'd mind just bringing me my little purple doll, that would be great."

Monday Nights with Dave

Money. Yes, I’m about to go there because lately money has become a heavily discussed topic in our home. Jon and I are currently in the middle of Dave Ramey’s Financial Peace University that our church is offering, and it really had has rocked our world, let alone, our budget. Since we both work, money is something we’ve never really obsessed about, but things tend to change when you have a baby…or three babies…and you suddenly realize that it’s not about you anymore.

As a parent, you are responsible for providing for your children’s current needs and planning for future ones as well. So, would I rather treat myself to a daily drive-through lunch or save that cash to take a family vacation to Yellowstone? Should we buy that new armoire to house the t.v., or should we put that money into a car fund to ensure that we don’t have to finance one in two years? Would I rather go ahead and buy those cute little shoes that Marin doesn’t even need or stash that money away in a college fund for her? I’m not saying that I’m never going to splurge on cute little this-or-that’s, but after taking this class, I think I’ll be much more cognizant of where each dollar goes every month. The choices Jon and I make regarding how and where we spend our money directly affect the three little pairs of eyes gazing up at us. Here are some other topics we’ve discussed, that I feel strongly about:

Sacrificial giving… giving is easy, but generosity to the point of sacrifice is not. Our prayer is that we become a family who takes joy in the surrender, and that we teach each of our children to give with a generous heart.

Stuff…enough is enough! How much STUFF does one family need? Really. It’s time to get rid of some stuff at the Bushwar house. Craig’s List, here we come. And, perhaps a garage sale in the spring.

Thrifting…I love shopping. I love finding a great deal. And over the past few years, I’ve discovered the best way to combine the two—buying consignment. So, when the kids need clothes or we need a new patio set, exploring gently used options first before running to Gap or Lowes would be a smart thing for us to do.

Credit…Proverbs 22:7 states, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” That’s a pretty heavy, but true, message. That being said, we are committing to never financing another car again, cutting up all credit cards that we really don’t even use, and sticking to the philosophy of, “If you don’t have the cash to buy it, you don’t get it.”

And that is my two-cents worth on money.

Taking the Zoo to the Zoo

What a fun weekend!  My sister, Debby, and sweet Avonlea came to visit, and we tried to pack in as much as possible with four kids under the age of three.  Our formula for the weekend was:  Eat-Shop-Eat-Visit-Sleep-Visit-Eat-Zoo-Eat-Shop-Eat-Visit-Sleep.

They were at the house when I got home from work on Friday, and we headed out for a little shopping and dinner at Northpark.  Then on Saturday morning, we woke up, ate a quick breakfast, and headed to the Dallas Zoo.  Jon was busy playing golf with a buddy on Saturday, so it was just the girls and Liam.  It was crazy busy when we left, so our timing was perfect, and we got a parking spot about four steps from the entrance of the zoo--always a bonus!

Cheetah



Elephants



Avonlea

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Babies

Cousins

Eight Months

Eight months ago today we met our little baby girls face-to-face for the very first time.  They were both so tiny, new, fresh...overwhelming.  Now that we’ve had two-thirds of a year to adjust to the responsibilities of parenting three children under the age of three, we are finding ourselves spending less moments feeling besieged by exhaustion and more time soaking in the joys of being parents. 

Happy Heart Day!

It's really hard to get a good shot of all three kiddos at the same time, let alone before 7:00 a.m.  I guess no one feels like smiling that early in the morning.  Liam's giving it his best shot, but see what I mean? 

 And the second runner-up...

Movers in Da House!

We've had a busy, FUN weekend...a little work, cousin Gavin's birthday party (that also included a cool bounce house), church, and then the icing on the cake, the Imagination Movers concert.  Liam l.o.v.e.s this show on Disney.  We actually record it everyday because it only comes on at 12:30, and we listen to the cds to and from school every day.  In fact, the Movers have been his favorite program for quite a while now.  Needless to say, he was pretty psyched to see them live and in person!

The highlight of the show was when Rich, Liam's favorite Mover (because he plays the drums), walked past Liam and tapped him on the head.  It actually kind of rocked his little world.

Thanks to Nana and Papa for watching the girls and letting Mama and Daddy go on a "date" with Liam.

Valentines

Looks like these two little ones...



Will be each other's...



Valentine!

Negotiations

Liam has developed a new skill lately--the fine art of negotiation.  Pretty typical two-year-old behavior, but he's proving to be pretty good at it.  (He may be following in the attorney footsteps of Grandpa and Great-Grandpa).  Now, I don't think I'm one of those parents who entertain the notion that your bottom line in a behavioral situation with your children is flexible, but I do realize that sometimes with a two-year-old, the best card to play is the one that lets them think they have some ownership in the decision.  That's where we were today during lunch.

"Liam, you need to finish your green beans," said Mama.

"Don't want anymore."

"Tell ya what, give me five more good bites, and you'll be all done."

Liam countered, "No, not five.  Three.  I take three more bites."

"Tell ya what, you can take three more bites, and then two more after that, and you'll be all done."

"Okay, great!"

And, with that, all the green beans were gone.

Ice+Snow+Freezing Temps=No School x 4

Texas.  It's a crazy place to live.  Growing up in Minnesota and spending my first three years out of college teaching in Minnesota, I've never experienced a weather break from school that lasted more than two days.  This past week, we were pretty much confined to to the house...and it's been great!  Here are some fun memories:

*Baking sugar cookies with frosted hearts on top.
*Throwing all the kiddos in bed with us for morning cuddle time.
*Little pink sweat shirts over fleece pajamas.
*Star Wars pancakes for Jon and Liam.
*No alarm clocks for six days.
*Answering, "Yes," to Liam's first question of the morning, "Still icy and snowy outside, Mama?"
*Listening to Jon and Liam sword fighting in the living room.
*Catching up on laundry and seeing the bottom of every hamper in the house.
*Spending the afternoon blowing raspberries back and forth with the babies.
*Big brother trying teach little sisters how to crawl.
*Five minute walks to Tom Thumb to buy groceries...like cheesecake and Dr. Pepper.
*Looking out the front window and seeing one car go past every minute instead of thirty on a normal morning.
*Sharing high-fives as we cheer for our favorite Price Is Right contestants.
*Jon braving the icy roads for fountain drinks.
*Waking up with the shades open to see five inches of snow on roof tops and tree branches.
*Having time to cook real meals every day.
*Seeing our swimming pool iced over like a skating rink.

Getting Some Sun

It's cold.  It's really cold.  Almost single-digit cold.  Three days off of school cold.  We've been in the house the better part of these past three days.  Can you tell by this picture that we're a little ready for a warm-up?

Girls Need Girls

Before Jon and I were married, I lived with two treasured friends, Marybeth and Michele.  My Mom, sister, and I share a closeness and love unique to families.  My girlfriends from college--Donna, Veronica, and Marybeth (also formerly mentioned roommate) are forever friends, and even though we are spread throughout the country, our relationships have deepened as the years pass and are not bound by geography.  Since moving to Texas, I have formed new relationships with other females through work and church and marriage.  I say all this to point out how important it is for women to spend time with each other, for us to love, inspire, and build up one another.

This past weekend, Jon was Super Dad once again and allowed me to spend time with friends.  Friday night was book club with a group of teachers who I've worked with at Crockett.  We always have fun, and usually end up spending five minutes talking about the book and two hours talking about other stuff.  Then, on Saturday morning, our church had its annual Birthday Brunch.  I always look forward to this event because it forces me to get to know women that I normally might not, but since we happen to share the same birthday month, we sit together at beautifully decorated tables.  The tables this year were pretty fabulous, especially April.  Anyway, I truly appreciated all the quality "girl time" I had over the weekend.  Now with two daughters, I can't wait to plan fun little activities that only a girl could love!