My Mother’s Day

I had a very sweet Mother's Day Week. On Wednesday, I went to Kindergarten Spa Day with Eli! A day of pampering for moms! I got my nails painted green, my hair fixed and combed, a massage, and a snack. The best part was the song Eli's class sang for us – so cute!

On Thursday, I got to have muffins with Caleb at his school (Mother's Day out).

On Friday, I spent the morning working at the Book Fair at Eli's school, with my trusty side kick – Owen. Love this boy! He has been lots of places with me and is always such a good boy. Isn't it cute how we match! Didn't even realize that until someone pointed it out to me.

Friday night, we went to Family Bingo Night at Eli's school and we won this! Such a fun blessing!

So Saturday, Lance kept the boys so that I could go shopping all afternoon!! After 9 months of pregnancy and 6 months of nursing, I was ready to shop for a few new things that fit!! It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed being out and about. We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant.
On Sunday, we had lunch at my parents house and celebrated Mother's Day with them. It was a good week, celebrating with my precious boys & family. Thank you Lance, Eli, Caleb, and Owen. I am a very blessed mom!

Tara

The Blessing of a Mother

I have a wonderful mom. I am a mom to 3 wonderful boys. I have wonderful "mom friends" that I share this journey with. This is a special day to celebrate all of that! I am humbled and grateful that God has given me all these blessings. There were many mother's days that I longed for a child of my own, so I know what that feels like for so many women who are still longing for this. My biggest encouragement is this - God is faithful. He may not answer your prayer exactly as you envision, but he will answer it!

As a mom, I have such a huge responsibility to shape the lives of my boys, and my prayer is that I can do it half as well as my own mom did! I wrote this in my mom's card this year and wanted to share it.

A Few Things I Learned From My Mom:

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right!

It is the little details that make a BIG difference!

A little elbow grease can get most things clean!

Always go the extra mile

Always make people feel special.

Never say can't.

Everyone deserves a special day on their birthday!

Love God with all your heart.

Give of yourself without expecting anything in return.

Everybody puts on their pants one leg at a time!

Always do your best, no matter what.

And never, ever, ever give up!

These are priceless lessons to me and ones I hope to pass along to my children. Thank you mom for being a wonderful example!

I love this quote " A mom is a person who seeing there are only 4 slices of pie for 5 people, promptly declares I never did really care for pie!" So true, so true! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms who always give up the last piece of pie/cake/dessert for your children! You guys rock!

Tara

Snow Day!

I'm back! But I'm not promising much people. Can't. Catch. Up. Oh well, today was a SNOW DAY! Eli was so pumped about missing school. They couldn't wait to play in it. After bundling each kid up (15 minutes per child I might add) they were set for an afternoon hour of fun in the snow. Lance went out with them and pulled them on the sled – lots o' fun for them. He's such a good dad! I'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to being cold. My 4 boys – aren't they handsome.

And then, I had to capture Owen in his first real snow, so I used the bumbo seat that I just borrowed from my friend (thank you Stacey!) to capture this.

I can barely stand the cuteness. This is just one of those pictures that makes you smile when you see it! Love this little one.

We completed our snow day with chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate! Good times. Tomorrow – another snow day!

Tara

Unexpected blessing

Most of the time, the best blessings are ones we don't plan out in our heads, they just sort of arrive! Owen has been such an unexpected blessing to us! One that we didn't really plan on having, but one that now we can't imagine living without! Thank you God for overriding my small brain idea of how my life should turn out!

We are home now and adjusting to our new "normal" life - 3 boys! Eli and Caleb were very excited to have Owen home and love him so! Caleb asks to hold Owen at least once a day, gives him lots of hugs, says "Ahh, he's so wittle" all the time, and has only tried to crawl into the crib once! Eli has lots more questions this time around and wants to know when Owen will be doing all kinds of things like crawling, sitting, eating food, etc. He is also good to find the paci, burp cloth or whatever I need. Owen has been "well received" by the Hall brothers - makes my heart smile!

We have even ventured out a couple of times and things went pretty well

This is my new life! So thankful for it.
Would love a little more sleep, but I'll settle for this right now!

Tara

Family Reunions

In July, we spent two weekends going to family reunions on my side of the family. The first was the Sherrer Reunion which takes place every year the 3rd weekend in July. It was in Oklahoma City at Bricktown. We had to miss the Friday event which was a Redhawks baseball game because Eli got strep throat, but we made it by Saturday at lunch. We had a lot of fun catching up with family that we don't get to see that often. Eli of course loved spending time with his "best cousin" Emma, in fact just the two of them got to spend the night with Papa & Pamma in their hotel room! Here is our group photo taken in front of the Land Run Sculpture in Bricktown (not that you can even see it)

Here is our little family

Next up, the following weekend, was the Bockelman Reunion (my mom's side of the family). This one is held every other year and lasts a bit longer. It was in Sipapu, New Mexico. No idea where that is? Me neither, let's just say it was about 20 minutes from Taos, New Mexico which is a popular snow skiing destination. It started on Wednesday and lasted through Sunday. It was a much different setting than the previous weekend. It was a rustic lodge with no cell phone service, no tv, no internet connection, and no air conditioning (which wasn't needed because the temps were only in the 80s) - talk about roughing it! Ha! But, we had a great time and enjoyed just hanging out and catching up with everyone. We visited Ft. Union National Monument and the kids did a cute marching drill with the park ranger.

The guys had a golf day that got rained out on the 14th hole

The next day, we had a girl's day and 7 of us went for a Sonic run, a pedicure and lunch in Taos. We had a great time! I love those girls so much - when we see each other, we just pick up right where we left off. Wish I saw them more. Sorry, I don't have a pic of that. One the last night, we took our family pics in our reunion tshirts then, Grandpa & Grandma Bockelman had a wedding vow renewal ceremony after 65 years of marraige. It was the sweetest thing. Loved this part.
Family Group ShotOur Sherrer Clan

Wedding Vow Renewal - don't my grandparents look so sweet sitting there? I love that all the great grandkids are sitting right behind them taking it all in! What a legacy they have given us. How blessed we are!

On a last note, Eli had a blast at this reunion! In fact, we barely saw him because he was too busy playing with cousins (just how I remember growing up!)

Tara

Happy Father's Day

I have been so very blessed to have a wonderful Father! He loves God with all his heart and has shown me the daily example of that. He would do anything for you and never expects anything in return. He is also a wonderful Papa to my boys and they love going to Papa's house - how blessed they are too! I am so thankful that he now lives just minutes away from us. Here is what his Father's Day card looks like. He is a pro at putting babies to sleep on his chest (I think he puts himself to sleep as well)! Hope he's ready for round #6!

I am also blessed with a wonderful father for my 2 boys! Lance is such a good dad to Eli and Caleb. He is great at playing trains, building train tracks, playing cars and trucks, building obstacle courses, playing ball, giving train rides on blankets, wrestling, playing Wii, planning trips for them, making root beer floats, and bringing them home surprises! They love spending time with him. Lance's parents divorced when he was 2 years old, so he didn't grow up with a father figure in his home. But he has definitely made a "reversal of destiny" and given these boys what he never had - I'm so proud of him.

Happy Father's Day to my 3 favorite fathers! I had to include my brother who is a wonderful dad to his 3 beautiful girls! Hope you all have a very special day and know what a huge impact you have made and are making on this world! I love you all!

"Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."

Hebrews 13:7

Tara

It's Another Boy!

Last Friday, we went for our 20 week (actually 21) ultrasound. Since we hadn't found out the sex of our other 2, I had mixed emotions about this. Don't get me wrong, I definitely wanted to know, boy or girl, but I also loved the anticipation of waiting until the birth to find out. Not 30 seconds into the ultrasound, the tech said "Well, hello - I guess you can tell what it is!" His boy parts were so obvious, there was no way you could miss it! I couldn't believe it - another boy. On the other hand, I sort of expected it too! For the next 30 minutes, as the ultrasound tech took measurements and pictures - everything looks great by the way - I was lost in my thoughts. Here are just a few of them: "I guess I will never shop for a wedding dress or prom dress", "I won't get to watch a daughter become a mother", "Wow, my little boy clothes will get used by 3 sons - how thrifty I am!", "No bows or cute little skirts", " No need to buy more toys - we have all the cars, train, & trucks a little boy could want", "No princess birthday parties", "At least I've got this boy thing down" , "How in the world will we ever come up with another boy's name!".

As you can tell, my mind was all over the place and my husband kept saying things like "Are you disappointed?", "I'm sorry", "Are you going to go home and cry?". I was pretty quiet . To be honest, I was partly sad and partly relieved at the same time. God has blessed us with another boy and we are excited and know that he will fit in great with his 2 other brothers! I was most surprised at Eli's reaction to the news. I think he was the most disappointed. But I wanted a sister he said - we have to have another one, so I can have a sister. Ha! I think he was hoping not to have to share his toys with another brother! I am looking forward to watching the 3 of them together! I love seeing Caleb and Eli playing together now. So here's to being totally outnumbered at my house!

Tara

Can you say BIG?

This weekend was my cousin's wedding! It was beautiful and so special. What an answer to prayer that she found a man to love both she and her 4 yr. old son. We are so happy for them. One thing for sure, the Bockelman side of the family rolls out for weddings! Just look at our family pic taken after the wedding.See that sweet couple on the front? That's my grandparents - Vernor & Barbara - they've been married for 65 years! What a legacy they have left for this family. All of this started with the 2 of them (and we were even missing a few)! Let me break it down for you. Grandpa & Grandma (2) - 3 daughters & husbands (6) - 9 Grandchildren & spouses (15) - 18 Great Grandchildren - 1 sister & brother in law (2). That's 43 total in this picture. And just for the record, we were missing 16 others, which would have brought the grand total to 59!!! That's a lot of family and I love it! We don't get to see each other as much as we would like, but we have lots of fun when we do. Grandpa & Grandma sponsor a family reunion for the family every other year & usually everyone tries to make it. This is our summer to have the reunion! You can just imagine the noise level when we get together!! God has blessed this family abundantly.

Tara

When God says SURPRISE!!!

I LOVE surprises! But, I'm usually way too nosy and end up ruining them in some way!! My husband can attest to that. Two of the best surprises we've had was waiting until birth to find out the sex of our babies - so exciting and so worth it! There is nothing quite like the anticipation of hearing those words "It's a boy" (those are the only words we have heard!!)

I've come to realize that God truly does give the best surprises, because they usually come when you least expect it! That is what happened to us in March. God said "SURPRISE" you're going to have another baby! What? Um, you're kidding right. Why now, why this timing? I'm way to old for this God. These are just a few of the thoughts that were swimming around in my head. Before I go any further and offend anyone with my initial attitude, let me give you a little background.

Lance and I struggled for 3 years to get pregnant before having Eli our firstborn. I know, that seems like nothing compared to what some people go through, but none the less, it was difficult. Both of our boys were conceived while I was taking the drug - Clomid - a fertility enhancing drug. They are our miracles and have blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. But, as you can see, it wasn't easy or seemingly natural. We had all but locked the door on having other children and I was getting used to having nobody in diapers! God had other plans. He just surprises me so with his timing and his ability to accomplish the impossible (or so we think!)

After wandering around the house for a week in a daze, I finally got to share with Lance. He had been away 2 weeks for training for a new job. It was a stressful training, and I just wasn't going to share this over the phone. He just laughed when I told him! Reminds me of someone in the bible!

So, I am 18 weeks along with my due date set for October 22. Everything looks good so far. Since I am 37 ( in case you were trying to figure that out), I am considered "Advanced Maternal Age" - that makes you feel good. We have already seen a high risk OB and had some genetic testing done - all looks good.

In case you are wondering, we have decided to find out the sex of this baby - since we had our big surpise on the front end of this one! That should happen in a couple of weeks. Eli our 5 yr. old is completely thrilled and really wants a baby sister. Caleb our 2 yr old really doesn't have a clue what is going on. He will be about 3 when the baby is born, just like Eli was when Caleb was born.

Lastly, (sorry for the long post) I keep thinking of this verse. It's a familiar one that everybody loves.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I love this verse, but have come to realize that so often, we all kind of change this verse to read something like this:

"For I know the plans I have for you Lord, declares Tara, plans to get married at 25, have 2 kids ( a boy and a girl) by the time I'm 30 and live happily ever after!"

Anybody else? Time and time again, God reminds me that he is in control, not me. And it is all for his glory, not mine or anybody else's. So, I thank God for our little miracle and for the strength he will give me to raise this child. He will supply all our needs - that's a promise! Please pray for strength, endurance, energy, and a healthy baby.

Tara

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day - we celebrated all weekend. Friday - lunch at Pecan Porch with my mom, dad, & boys, Spa Day at PreK, then dinner at Cheesecake Factory - yum! Saturday - my brother and his family came to my parents and we celebrated his birthday a week early with dinner, cake, and homemade ice cream - lots of play time with cousins. Eli and Caleb were exhausted by Saturday night. Sunday - we had lunch at mom & dad's then I got the afternoon to myself to shop! So fun! Thank you to all my boys for spoiling mePamma with all her grandkids - aren't they so cute!

I am so thankful that God has given me the wonderful privilege and awesome responsibility of being a mother. I has been the hardest job I have ever done, but has brought me so much joy! Eli filled out a little info sheet about his mother at PreK - I got to see it on Friday. It was so cute, but the one answer that so struck me was what he said that I liked to do for fun. His answer - go to the tadpole pond and catch tadpoles! I'm so glad that he thinks what I like to do for fun is spend time with him! I'm thankful for my mom, who has taught me to be the mom that I am!

Tara

Tadpoles & Spa Treatments

We have had a busy but fun week! Here are some of the highlights:

Caught a tadpole - fell into pond trying to catch a tadpole!
Created an "environment" for our tadpole, fed it algae, read about it, watched it endlessly!

Made some Mother's Day cards for great grandmothers and worked on a surprise gift!

Went to Parent's Day at Caleb's school and enjoyed a snow cone- yummy!

Went to Mommy Spa Day at Eli's PreK where he fixed my hair, gave me a massage, painted my nails and served me refreshments! Lucky mommy! Decided Pamma also needed some spa treatments since she didn't get to go to spa day! What a man!

And dinner tonight at The Cheesecake Factory with my 3 favorite boys! Thank you God for these treasured moments - so grateful to be a mom!

Tara

Mom Interview

I'm sure many of you are trying to getting things ready for your moms & grandmas this week, so I thought I would post this fun idea that I tried last year. I got the idea from this blog, but I couldn't find the exact post and didn't really have time to search for it. Anyway, just so you know, it wasn't my idea to begin with (nothing really ever is!). It is a MOM interview that you do with your kids. I tweaked it a bit for us. It felt a little weird to ask questions about myself, so we changed the Mom to Pamma - which is what my boys call my mom (cute huh!). I filled it out as they answered and we stuck it in her Mother's Day card. Fun to hear what their thoughts were. Here are the interview questions.

My MOM

1. I really love it when my mom ...
2. My mom likes to wear ...
3. My mom always tells me ...
4. The best thing she does is ...
5. It makes her happy when ...
6. My mom loves to relax by ...
7. I like it when she ...
8. The best thing she cooks is ...
9. When my mom shops she likes to buy ...
10. My mom's favorite household chore is ...
11. My mom's favorite tv show is ...
12. If she could go on a trip she would go to ...
13. I love my mom because ...

Hope you have some fun with it! I'll post our Dad Interview at Father's day!

Tara

New Bunk Beds

One of the best moves we made ( Lance made) was moving the boys into the same room last October. Eli's twin bed and Caleb's crib with the side off. Actually Lance did it one Saturday while I was with the boys in Stillwater. On the way home he called me to let me know he had been doing a little remodeling - this can be a scary thing sometime! But once I got over the shock of change that I wasn't planning or expecting, I embraced it and the boys just loved sleeping in the same room. Caleb was just beginning a difficult phase of going to sleep at night. This didn't really help much, but it did give him someone to talk to, so instead of calling out for us many times, he would just bug Eli! Thankfully Eli usually conks right out and is not bothered by Caleb's ramblings most nights!

So, we finally decided what we wanted to get for sleeping arrangements in their room and they arrived yesterday. Here they are in their new bunk beds. The first night went well.We loved this one because it was different and it had some nice storage! We ordered it online and were very pleased. Lance and I had to put it together (me reading the instructions, he following) and it wasn't too hard. Can't believe my boys are growing up so fast - what's next - dorm rooms!

Tara

Mind your manners please

I have come to the realization (after many, many frustrating nights at the dinner table mind you) that you have to TEACH your children manners! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to just catch on as they watch you model perfect manners at each mealtime! Ha! I knew we needed to do a little focusing on manners at our house, so we checked out a few books, posted our rules in the kitchen, and began practicing!Eli has done really well with them. Even though he can't read our poster, he knows all our rules and recognizes key words (like burping!). Caleb doesn't quite understand, but he has started asking to be excused when he is finished eating, because that is what Eli does! Another manner Eli and I are working on is greeting people and looking them in the eye when you talk - instead of hiding behind your mother's leg! We've done several "role plays" and he thinks that is fun. He is getting better at that too which just reminds me that practice makes perfect!

Here are a couple of books we read that were very helpful: Why Do You Always Have to Say Please? and Berestain Bears Forget Their Manners . Here's to more peaceful and enjoyable mealtimes!

Tara