Seaside 2013 -- Barrus 2.0

Barrus 2.0...what a great little escape to Seaside, Oregon!!  Big Ben and Little Ben played in the Seaside 2013 Beach Volleyball Tournament last week and the rest of the herd decided to tag along.  While they played volleyball, we enjoyed the sun, sights, and sounds of the beach.   We even managed a little side trip to the Tillamook Ice Cream factory. 

Hundreds of miles and 4 days later we pulled back in the driveway.  We were happy to be home and extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to spend time as a family.  And what's even better -- the Ben's came home as CHAMPIONS of the tournament in the U-15 parent/child division.  Nothing better than a little sun, our family, and limited wi-fi/phone connections (we were unplugged from technology...it was GREAT!) Enjoy the pictures!

"Life by the Yard is Hard"

The last 60 days have been grueling.  Well, to be honest the stress for me started on New Year's Eve of last year when we received the first "notice" on the front door of our rental home.  Inside...I freaked out.  How could this happen to us when we were paying on time?  Where was our family going to go?  Would we have to go?  When would we have to go?  And, every time another letter was hung on the door or someone stopped to take photos or do a check to see if someone was living in the house, I freaked.  It was hard not to.  I had no control over what was happening, even though our family lived there.  My husband, who is my rock, was steady.  He was patient.  He listened and reassured.  I still freaked.

This morning, this quote by President Monson struck me:

“Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it’s a cinch. Decisions Determine Destiny.” 

In the last 60 days, we have moved, traveled, and adopted.  Phew.  I am exhausted just writing that sentence.  Change has been hard.  It has felt like a marathon that just wouldn't end.  It wasn't a completely unexpected move because we had sensed that there was trouble with the bank for almost a year.  But unexpected to move in them middle of November.  But through it all, when we let the Lord handle things by the yards and we focused on the inches, things have worked out beautifully -- a new home for a great deal and two beautiful new children.

That doesn't mean that change is easy.  Leaving our church family is HARD.  Moving is HARD.  Unpacking is HARD.  Making new friends is HARD.  Did I mention that moving is HARD??   Keeping a preschool open while moving is HARD.  Making friends with new neighbors who have been traumatized by large Mormon families (lol) as their neighbors is HARD.  Working with Health and Welfare through our adoption is HARD.  Knowing that BK is struggling and not wanting help from his family is HARD.  And yet through it all, I've been at peace knowing that the Lord is handling all of the big stuff.  He's cool like that :)

Why do we insist on living by the yard?  Why do we insist in knowing what is better for us even though we can't see the full road ahead?  I can only speak for myself, but I am fiercely independent and want to be self-sufficient.  The last 6 years have required us to put all of our trust in Heavenly Father for providence.  We had to humble ourselves through lost jobs, failed businesses, loans that needed repaid, medical bills, more medical bills, the passing of mark, more medical bills, job changes, 4 moves...and yet through it all He could see the road ahead while we trudged along.  He could see the cliffs, pitfalls, 90 degree turns, and the end.  But I still insisted in driving the car!

It's something I'm learning to change -- I need to be more like my husband -- steady, patient, and not freaking out when things are out of my control.  (Note...I don't literally freak out....but I do freak out on the inside and lose sleep, hair, and a whole lot of years off of my life just to be clear :) )

These experiences, even with how HARD they have been, have strengthened my faith in the Lord.  That I need to let Him lead my life and quit trying to drive.  That I need to focus on the inches instead of the yards.  And that I need to continue trusting in my awesome, spectacular and fabulous husband.

Oooohhh...I love it! I've been a bit crafty this weekend :)

I have what some would call a Pinterest-problem.  But, I have good boundary skills and don't go there every day.  If I did, my husband would be in a lot of trouble because there are so many wonderfully talented people who post wonderfully creative and helpful things on Pinterest.  The real genius is if I could find away to blog about all of my Pinterest projects and make money doing it....now that would be genius.  Just sayin'

This weekend I did manage to get a few things done that I have been wanting to do for a very, very long time.  Think years....Yeah for me!!   

Big Daddy is very excited for this project....you can just see it in his face!

Even with a BROKEN finger, he still helps out.  LOVE

Uggg...can you just see that ugly blank space. 

Ah....LOVE these beautiful boys :)

The finished product

Vinyl letters

Showing Big Daddy how much I appreciate him

AND, there's more.  One of my goals as a mom is to be more proactive in telling my children what I appreciate and love about them.  I tend to get sucked in to nag, nag, nag mode and I hate it.  So this week, I did something about it and made some very cute and fun ways to tell them how much I love them more often.  Here they are...

Each boy has their own hanging outside of their bedroom.  

These hang underneath the bulletin board I hung for each boy for their art, special recognitions and such.  

The hallway

SUPER simple to make -- I printed the template off on white paper.  Framed it in a cheap $3 frame from Wal-mart, and wrote on them with a dry erase marker so that I can change it daily.  (that's my goal atleast).  It also helps improve literacy skills for the two little people in the house.  

OOOOO.....ahhhhhh......Ohhhhh...is what I heard from the boys when they saw them.  Now, to remember to write on them often -- I'm filling their love buckets and helping them see all of the great things I see every day but forget to tell them about.  

My husband loves me...THIS MUCH!!!

Okay, I admit it...I am a bona fide Type A clean freak...with some issues.  And those issues come in the shapes of 6 boys, two dogs, a flock of chickens, a herd of preschoolers that come daily, and a husband.  :)  Combine those issues with the fact that one must sleep a few hours a day and working full-time, and the house can spin out of control in about 2 nanoseconds.  There are literally nights I lay in bed and focus on not having a panic attack about how messy I feel my house is.   In reality it is probably not as bad as I see it...right??

I am so delighted that Spring Break is here!   Because that means that I get to SPRING CLEAN!!  And while my children are less than delighted at the idea of cleaning during some of their break, they certainly appreciate that happy mama = happy family :)  Too bad that rationale doesn't work for other things around here...like doing homework, putting the toilet seat down, and brushing their teeth.  But one can dream, right??

One of the blessings of being a mother of 6 boys is that there is never a dull moment around here.   But it also means that there are mass quantities of laundry, unmatched socks, and sports uniforms that need washing.  Jane Jetson had it good...well atleast when it comes to the laundry.  And can I just say that homes built in the 1970's really weren't designed for a large family with a gazillion loads of laundry to do every day...literally.  The laundry room in this house is large enough for my washer and dryer and that's about it.  I hate it.  And for a room that I spend a lot of time in, I hate it a lot.  :)

So my super-husband (complete with his cape) came to the rescue this Spring Break and turned that little room in to a space that doesn't cause hyperventilation.  Beautiful, Pinterest-inspired pedestals create an additional 14 inches of storage space, but the difference is AAAA-MMMMM-AZING.  And while I will still have billions of pounds of laundry to do every year, I will no longer have them waiting on my laundry room floor for my attention. Here's to Big Daddy and his little elves for making my break fabulous and I'll be thanking them every day I'm in that little FABULOUS space.

Enjoy the before and afters...but please don't look at the piles, the dirt, the stacks, and the clutter.  Those are just figments of your imagination...really. 

Before...Notice the nice two tones of paint

The cupboards on the right are pretty useless because of the piles of  C-R-*-P...just sayin'

Someday their wives will thank me :)

Dad's love helpers

The almost completed pedestal...Oooohh

Painted black and distressed.  Can you say "FAB-U-LOUS"!

Yup, my husband really does love me...THIS MUCH!!

To download the plans for these beauties, be sure to visit http://ana-white.com/2011/01/sausha%E2%80%99s-washerdryer-pedestals.  BEWARE...her site is addicting as Pinterest.  I'm already planning the most FAB beds for the boys room, and laundry sorters, and...but I don't want to freak out Big Daddy.  He needs to rest and recuperate from this project before I drop the bomb.  LOL

Middle School Music Festival

Several weeks ago, BJ had the opportunity to participate in the 2012 Spring Music Festival in Nampa.  He chose to participate in the vocal competition and sung "How Great Thou Art" by the Irish Tenors.  The ALWAYS AWESOME Lisa Spjute accompanied him...I just love her and if you see her, tell her that she's just the bomb-diggity because well....she just is!

The video below is of his actual performance for the festival.  You will need to turn your volume up in some places.  We were there a little early and heard several young ladies perform before BJ.  It was nerve wracking (I don't recommend it for future competitions...LOL).  The judge was fabulous but he wasn't holding anything back on these young ladies --- critiquing them, asking more of them, pushing them to be better musicians.  He even called one girl's performance "nice if you like vanilla".  I just about wet my pants -- what was he going to say about BJ's performance and would BJ be able to handle it?!!  Oh my...nerve wracking!  You'll see what happens in the video, so I won't ruin it for you.  But needless to say, it was one of those moments when as a mother you are freaking out on the inside while giving your child the thumbs-up sign with a wide-toothy grin for encouragement right before they go on stage.  My heart was beating out of my chest I was so nervous for him.  And then when he was done it was everything I could do not to jump up and down and embarrass him....I really had to contain myself.  Enjoy the video...and the love Big Daddy gets at the end from the Judge.   :)

And again, a HUGE thank you to Lisa for just being so great to work with and very patient with our teenage (yes...our first-born is a teenager...UGG).  She put up with his burps, his giggles, and even his apology for spitting on her flowers (he missed while spitting out the window) right as he handed them to her.  Its a good thing I love this kid....and she loves him to.  Thanks Lisa....I {LOVE} your guts!