Worth It

First things first. Jace played his last soccer game yesterday. I finally took my camera so I would have pictures of at least one game of the season. He didn't really bend it like Beckham or anything (does anyone else remember that movie?? Good times.) but he did pretty good and scored a bunch of goals. ( I am not sure how many, less than 10 more than 5??) He was so excited to score his team's only goal of the game. He had a really fun season with lots of friends on his team and thinks soccer is his favorite sport now.

My soccer superstar

Sprinting for the ball...they were the Yellowjackets. They look fierce don't they? And that ends the "good" pictures. Seriously. I am the worst at taking pictures. I was holding Ashlyn for a lot of them to keep her from running onto the field and most of them that I took didn't even have Jace in them. And I didn't even get picture of him scoring. I should hire someone to take just everyday snapshots of my fam because I am seriously deficient in that area.

Braxton. He was sad most of the season that he wasn't old enough to play. A lot of times he got back at me by running away and making me chase him around the fields like the superb runner that I am. Since this was the last game, we brought cupcakes and soda for the after-game treat and I bribed him to not run away by promising him a cupcake. He complied but wasn't happy about it. As soon as he got his cupcake though he decided to run behind some small hills on the edge of the field area to play...without telling anyone. Tim and I thought he had gone to the slides on the other edge of the field with Jace like he usually does. When we got up there and realized he wasn't there my heart stopped then sunk. As a mother that is the worst feeling. I got more and more panicked as the minutes ticked by, imagining the worst. The slides are right by where everyone parks their cars. I was so worried that someone had just snatched him up and hopped into their car before anyone even noticed. Tim started to run around all the fields (it is a big grassy area with like 8 separate playing fields, and lots of people and lots going on), while I pretty much circled a 10 foot area while starting to cry. Several other sweet moms noticed my obvious distress and offered to help look for him. It was a good 10-15 minutes (that felt like forever) before we found him. I think I might get him a leash, even though after he saw how upset I was he promised never to go far away from me again. We'll see.

Being a mom is hard work. I have only been a mom to little ones but it seems like someone always needs something or is making a mess or is waking up in the middle of the night....etc. I was thinking the other day about all this and then I thought about all the things that make it worth every bit. Here are a few of mine from the last week.

-On Friday afternoon Jace and Braxton played together for two or three hours without one fight. Not one. They were having so much fun making up games to play and were being so nice to each other, it just made my day. I love catching my kids being kind to each other.

-On Tuesday or Wednesday (I can't remember, sometimes the days kind of run together, you know?) when Tim walked in from work we were eating dinner so were all at the table. I said "say hi to Daddy" talking to the boys but Ashlyn was the one that said "hi". Perfectly clear, in her sweet baby voice. I love hearing their first little words. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke so I got her to say it again and again. Every time a perfectly clear little "hi". I never get tired of hearing her say it.

-On Friday Ashlyn decided to start nodding yes if I asked her a question. It is kind of jerky (She just kind of puts her whole head and chest forward, but I can tell what she is trying for) but oh so cute to her mommy. I tested her by asking "Do you want a ba-ba (bottle)? Nod. "Do you want to take a bath?" Nothing. "Do you want a banana?" Nod. It is so cute. I love watching them learn.

-On separate occasions Jace and Brax each came up to me and said "I love you mommy" out of the blue.

-We went to the store and everyone was good. So nice.

-Big hugs and kisses everyday.

There are a lot more things that I could list but the point is the good outweigh the bad. All those great moments with your kids make every mess, every crazy doctors visit, every tantrum, every mess (did I already say that one?) worth it. So worth it. I just try to love every minute of it. Good and Bad. : )

So that my friends, is the end of the week. J-I did it. I hope you are booking your flight here now. I can't wait to see you!!! We will have so much fun. I don't know when I will blog again but it definitely won't be tomorrow. I am tired of hearing from myself. : ) Thanks for reading a weeks worth of stuff from our not-so exciting lives!