We are the Champions...

Disclaimer: Yes, this is one of those bragging mom blog posts. But to my defense, this is not Gabe's first win of the year. He has had an awesome season so far! I just hate to sound like a bragging mom, so haven't blogged about Gabe's previous wins. I couldn't help but blog about this, with both boys winning in the same tourney! I hope it's not too obnoxious of a post, ha! So read on, with the risk of me sounding like a mom who needs to trade my Yukon in for a mini van with a bumper sticker that says: My kid is an honor student ;)



Gabe & Cooper can sing the above blog post title after today's home tournament. That's right, they both won their brackets!

And I have once again discovered that I am NOT made to be a wrestling mom. Either I'd better toughen up, or hopefully the boys will lose interest! ha! But keeping in mind how much they both love the sport, I think I'd better just toughen up.

It's not that I'm a complete wimp and can't handle watching my kids play sports. I can watch them play football or baseball just fine. It's just wrestling one-on-one, boy versus boy, and it's completely nerve-wracking to me!

And then there's the crazy parents. Yes, I said it...CrAzY! I've witnessed parents yelling at the refs, yelling at their child, making their child cry, making the refs almost cry, telling their son NOT to shake their opponents hand because they should have won, etc., etc. It's disgusting, really. No wonder there's so many poor sports out there.

But I digress. Back to the nerve-wracking part...

Gabe's last match today was against a boy who we knew would be a tough competitor. He placed second at state last year, or so we heard. If you recall, Gabe wasn't able to compete at state wrestling last year due to a broken arm. Anyway, the match went back and forth and back and forth. Gabe was almost stuck on his back twice, but he powered through. There's nothing that makes me more proud than to see my child working hard, trying his best and not giving up. Win or lose, that's all Jason and I ask as parents, that they don't give up and they try their best. And today, that was enough! Gabe ended up pinning him for the championship! Yay!

I did videotape the match, but I'm scared to watch it for fear of embarrassment. I am not normally a loud person. But something about watching my kids wrestle brings out the 'loud' in me. I cheer loudly {for me, anyway} trying to yell out moves that I don't even understand. "Put in the half, turn him, dig deep, chest to chest, on your toes." These wrestling terms just start spewing out of my mouth as I excitedly jerk the video camera around, trying to steady myself but to no avail. Then I'll stop watching the match through the camera and a few seconds later realize that I'm pointing the camera at the ground. The results are not pretty. I'll try and sift through the footage and see what I got, maybe posting a portion later.

But for now, I am proud of both my boys!

This is Cooper's first year of wrestling, and has he ever surprised us all! You see, Cooper has never shown much interest in sports. I don't know if it's because he would rather not compete with his naturally athletic older brother, or if it's just his laid back personality. But before this year, we had thought Cooper would not be a wrestler. He's not overly aggressive, and can tend to be a bit sensitive. Cooper is also a bit of a clown, always joking about something. We had thought he'd never desire to step foot on a wrestling mat. And if he did get out there, we were fairly certain he would either giggle or cry his way through the match.

Knowing we would never want to pressure our kids to do anything they didn't want to do, we presented Cooper with the choice to wrestle at the beginning of the season. Cooper is five, and that's the age you can start practice at our school. As I said, there was no pressure, we just asked. And to our surprise, he said yes! So Cooper started practice and really enjoyed it, but he still wasn't sure about wrestling in a tournament. The first tournament we took Gabe to this season, we gave Coop the choice to wrestle or watch. He chose to watch. The next tournament, he chose to watch again. We thought that maybe he wouldn't ever want to compete. But finally, he told us he was ready. We waited in anticipation to see how he'd react to a real live match. And we quickly learned that this boy is meant to wrestle.

When he gets out on that mat, it's as if a switch has been flipped and he's all business, ready to get a win. He has picked up the moves so easily, and uses those moves with assertiveness, confidence and focus. But he hasn't lost that smile, grinning ear to ear as his hand is raised up in the air in victory. It's glorious, really. Today marks Cooper's second tournament, first championship and first two pins!

So although wrestling may not be this mom's first choice of sport, I certainly see the hard work ethic it has helped encourage in my boys. And I certainly enjoy the rewards...two little boys with a humble confidence and good sportsmanship to boot!

Tiny Coop, at a whopping 41 pounds...
{excuse the poor photo. I had my fixed lens on and could not zoom out. And since I had to get back so far to get all the boys in, I had a head in the way! ha! Despite the poor photo, I do love their faces. Click on the photo to see it larger. The boy on the left almost in tears. The boy on the inside right, with crossed arms & giving the evil eye. And the boy on the far right in last place, but looking the happiest of all. Then there's my Coop on top, looking a bit overwhelmed!}



And Gabe, wrestling at 58 pounds...
{This time the head I got in the shot was purposeful, because it's Cooper cheering on Gabe. Isn't that sweet!}



Way to go boys! We really couldn't be more proud of your great attitudes, win or lose.

Oh My Darling, Clementine.

My kids love these...



We keep a constant supply of clementines this time of year and go through at least one box a week. The best thing about them is how easy it is for the kids to peel them all by themselves, unlike oranges which still requires mom's help. Believe me, any task I can make simpler and less time consuming with four kids is treasured!

I thought most kids would conquer the clementines themselves, but I discovered that is not the case when Cooper brought them to school for his snack choice. I guess I took our experienced clementine eating for granted. The teacher said a few of the kids tried to eat them with the peel. {Yuck!} And some needed the teacher's help to peel them, which I'm sure would cause even the nicest of teachers to grumble silently at me a bit. {Note to self: No more clementines to school for snack!}

Regardless, we love clementines. They always bring a smile to my kids' faces...

He did it!

Just look at the photo above. Doesn't, 'He did it,' pretty much say it all?!?

Chloe, so quick to point the finger of blame.

But what you don't know is that Chloe was the one who got out the box of Cheerios and brought them into Gabe and Cooper's room where she knows she isn't suppose to have food. Chloe is the one who had just asked mom if she could have another snack {what would have been her fourth snack by 9:30 a.m.} and mom had just declined. And Chloe is the one who then proceeded to sneak upstairs, get into the cabinets, get out the Cheerios and escape to Gabe and Cooper's room to eat in hiding.

But to Chloe's dismay, Gavin joined her and foiled her plan. When I came upstairs from the basement looking for where Gavin had run off to, I heard Chloe whispering, "No, Gavin, no! No spilling the Cheerios." I knew I had to grab my camera and be ready for what I was about to see. My four children have given me way too much experience with these incidences to miss out on a photo op!

Oh Chloe, looking so guilty as she says 'uh oh' and covers her mouth...



Gavin, on the other hand, didn't know what the problem was. He was enjoying his Cheerios buffet all over the rug. And afterall, how upset can you get at a boy wearing his 'I {heart} mom' pj's.

And He shall direct my path

Yesterday my kids ventured back to school after two wonderful weeks of Christmas break.

Two wonderful weeks, filled with lots of game playing...


cookie making...
{in my new kitchen, might I add!}


movie watching...
{Chloe with her new Rapunzel doll excited to go see 'Tangled'}


and Christmas blessings...


...all spent with these four goofy and wonderful kids I am blessed to call mine.



Mine, on loan from God of course. Because as much as they are mine, they are given to me by the Lord, who calls me to raise them up in His ways. To train them to be servants for Him. To ultimately surrender them to Him, for whatever He calls them to do.

How humbling is that! And yet, so reassuring at the same time.

Because I am so not capable of raising these kids up to be servants of Christ. Not on my own, anyway. And even with the help of my wonderful, God-fearing husband, together we are not capable of raising them up in His ways. No, if we tried to go it alone, we would fail miserably. Because how are we to raise them up in His ways without Him.

I've been thinking about how many times I try to do things on my own. I don't mean completely forsaking or denying God and going at it alone. No, I mean the little ways my own selfish desires creep in. How many times do I wake up in the morning and start my morning routine, get the kids breakfast, send them off to school, clean the house, do a little photography work, squeeze in some daily quiet time with the Lord, only to go on to the next task as if I'm crossing God off my to-do list along with everything else that day.

That is NOT God's plan for my life, to have Him be an item I cross off my to-do list. Because it's not about crossing off prayer time or Bible reading everyday. He is not a mere thought that should be given a little attention each day. He is a way of life. It's about living each and every day, all day, for Him.

In theory would I say I do this? Yes. But do I really do this? I mean, really live all day long for Him? I'm sad to say the answer is no. Way too much of me gets in the way instead. What I think I should be filling my time with. What I see as important tasks I need to get done on any given day. What I want to do, not what the Lord would have me be doing, or thinking, or living. Afterall, with my jam-packed, pre-planned schedule, how do I allow room for God to change things up? How do I allow Him room to work and to live in me in everything I do?

So to start this year off right, I am not making a resolution. I'm not much for resolutions. I'm just re-evaluating my life and my offerings to the Lord and realizing that I want more. More of Him and less of me. I want my life to SCREAM Him, with the whisperings of my wants and desires to grow ever quieter in the light of God's will for my life, each and every day.

Less judging others, more loving them. Less frustration with my four kiddos, and more patience for them. Less focus on me, more on others and more on Christ.

More.

And the more prayers I can get from you out there who may desire the same thing in 2011, the better! After all, not only can we not go it alone without Christ's help in all we do, but we also need fellow brothers and sisters to walk beside us, lift us up and keep us accountable. Because we should all desire more for our lives than anything this bleek world can offer. And in turn, our children will desire more too.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

Introducing Charlotte

A lot has happened since I last posted. Yes, we finished the remodeling of our main level...enough to live in it for Christmas anyway. I will save the 'photo tour' until some more of the finishing touches are completed. But first, I'd like to share with you an addition to our family. No, not a child, although I'm sure my husband would love for that to be the case. And it is about time for another child, according to our two-year addition rate anyway. But I digress. Our new addition is none other than a puppy affectionately named Charlotte by our kiddos...




If you remember, our Saint Bernard Samson passed away this past spring. {If not, you can click on the previous link in blue and read about our Sam.} Was that ever a hard loss. Sam was our baby before we had babies. He was our first 'child' and was always a staple in our family from the time the kids were born, not only making Samson's passing hard for Jason and I, but for the kids too.

Ever since then, the kids had shared from time to time how they would love to have a dog again someday. Not to replace Samson, but to have a new dog to get to know and love. Well, for this dog-lover, the kids didn't have to do too much convincing.

I secretly began researching in late summer. I knew our next dog would be a soft coated wheaten terrier. This breed has all the wonderful personality traits of a Saint Bernard...loyal, good with children, loves to be with the family, playful yet gentle. But none of the physical downfalls...massive drooling and shedding. And when I found puppies in Des Moines that would be available in time for Christmas, Jason and I knew that one of them would be our new pup.

My friend and I, along with Gavin {my only child who can keep a secret because he's too young to tell} traveled to meet the breeder half way and pick up the pup. I was immediately in love and knew the kids would be too. Especially Gabe, our oldest son, who took Sam's passing the hardest and who just loves animals.

After two weeks of 'hiding' our pup, first at my parent's house, then Jason's parent's house, we discovered just how in love Gabe would be. Not that the other kids weren't happy too. It's just Gabe's reaction was over-the-top. See for yourself and watch the video clip of the kids meeting Charlotte for the very first time.

Just a little background information about the video...I took the kids for a drive, while Jason brought Charlotte to our house and got her all ready. He set up the camcorder to capture this first meeting, and are we ever glad he did.

Gabe may not like this video clip much when he's say 16, but right now he thinks it's funny. All the giggling you hear is our seven-year-old son Gabe, not a high-pitched little girl as you may think. 'Giddy as a school girl' pretty much says it all...



The giggling continued long after this short clip ended. Gabe's reaction was priceless. And I think it's safe to say, Charlotte is loved by all four kids...



And I think it's also safe to say that Charlotte's puppy energy is no match for my four kids. They know how to tire a puppy out...

Jib Jab Fun

It's that time of year again when everyone seems to be posting their Jib Jab creations. I couldn't resist joining in on the fun once again. My kiddos LOVE to watch themselves star in these silly videos over and over {and over} again, laughing hysterically like it's the first time they've watched it every single time. Hilarious. I just had to share this one. Notice Gabe's face, as it really does add so much to the production, ha! Enjoy!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Dare Devil

All of our kids have been climbers. Remember this post from when Chloe was in the climbing stage? Well, Gavin is no exception. It took him a little longer than his siblings to get started, but now he just won't stop. Gavin climbs up on the fireplace hearth, then onto the couch. He climbs up onto the toy box, then onto his sister's bed. And then he climbs up onto the chair, and proceeds to the top of the table. It's a full time job just removing Gavin from the heights he reaches over and over and over again, everyday. Yesterday his climbing got the best of him...



{Doesn't he look like he's thinking, "Mom...no photos please."}

I looked over just as Gavin was gripping the chair he'd climbed onto that was tipping over backwards. I ran to him and watched in what seemed to be slow motion as his chair fell. Before I could reach him, the poor little guy had landed face down onto the floor. I'm not sure if Gavin's face hit the back of the chair, the floor, or both, but it sure hit hard! And we have tile floors...ouch!



It's amazing how these accidents always happen when Jason is gone and I'm left to try to remain calm for the other kids while tending to the accident victim. I'm not sure I did a great job of remaining calm this time, since Chloe was running around the house yelling, "Oh no! I don't want Gavin to die!" and Cooper was bringing me the phone to dial, "the police and the hospital guys to come help!" Yes, I think the swollen spot in the center of Gavin's eyes and his uncharacteristic screaming fit for ten minutes got the best of me. I feel so bad when I look at his happy and very swollen little face. It really does only take a few seconds for a toddler to get themselves into trouble.

Yet Gavin continues to smile. I think he could win an award for happiest baby. We are always getting asked, "Is he always this happy?" The answer is, 'YES!' Even with a head injury...





Regardless, the head injury isn't all bad. Gavin is being nursed back to health by his sister. Chloe has been so sweet to Gavin, bringing him his cup or some snacks, making sure he's entertained and comfortable. And I think he might be liking it just a bit...



{I just love this photo because this is so authentic of Chloe & Gavin. Chloe, attempting to hold her hair out of her face, and Gavin smiling with food in his hands. What a pair!}

Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow!

We awoke this Saturday morning to the season's first accumulation of snow. The kids and I have been anticipating it for weeks, and it was a welcomed sight to gaze out the window this morning at our white lawn and neighboring fields. Whether you like snow or not, and obviously The Sanders Family does, it's hard to mistake it's beauty. And then there's the excitement it brings as kids pile on the snow gear and have a ball outside!

Here's a few shots of the kiddos outside today. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

So much girlfriends

Cooper is home sick today with an ear infection. But that hasn't stopped the laughs around here.

I overheard Chloe {age three} say to big brother Cooper {age five}, "I'm gonna be your girlfriend, ok Cooper?" Cooper responds, "No Chloe, that's gross. You can't be my girlfriend if you're my sister. Mom! Tell Chloe she can't be my girlfriend cause she's my sister."

Me: "Chloe, you can't be Cooper's girlfriend because you're his sister."

A few minutes later, Chloe and Cooper are still debating about it. Cooper then says, "Geez. What is it with me anyway. Every girl tells me she wants to be my girlfriend. This girl and that girl, every girl! Even boys want to be my girlfriend! {Oh my!} I have so much girlfriends, I'm going crazy!"

I then say to Cooper, "I wonder why all the girls want to be your girlfriend?"

Cooper, blushing, says "Well mom, I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm so awesome. That's what *Jane {*name changed to protect her identity* ha!} says anyway."



See what I mean? With all these kids, the laughter never ends around here.

Family Photos - November 2010

I have been booked solid this past fall with photo shoots every week. I was averaging four photo shoots a week, and that's coming from this so-called 'part-time' photographer! When you consider four days of shooting, and all the editing that comes after those sessions, I was definitely much more than a part timer the past two months! Just check out my photography blog and you'll see why this blog has been neglected!

Anyway, because of the busy schedule, I actually booked a session for my own family to get photos for this year's Christmas cards. I knew that if it wasn't on my calendar, I'd put it off until it was too late. So, a few weeks back, before this bitter cold hit, Jason and I gathered up our kiddos, headed to our field, and took some photos. Gabe took this one of us...



Then I took one of each of the kids...









And finally I set up the timer and took some of the whole family. It's always hilarious when the timer is set up. Boy, how I need a remote timer. Instead, I run back and forth between the family and the tripod trying over and over again to get just one photo where everyone is looking. Here's one of the better ones, which you'll notice on the header above. {Yes, I know! A new blog post AND a new 'look' for the blog! I'm on a roll today!}



For the above family photo, I actually had Gabe run back and forth between the camera to press the timer button each time. I tried once, but it wasn't very easy piling kids on top of me every time I returned. I'm sure I have some outtakes of that...I'll have to search the originals! ha!

I am saving the family photo I used for the Christmas cards for later, when I actually get the cards addressed and mailed out. Not to say the photo I chose to use for the cards is better than the above photo...just different. But after the cards are mailed out, I'll post THE family card photo and the actual card design. For now, enjoy this last one of the kids...



I hope your Christmas season is starting off Merry & Bright!