The Littlest Lowe Longingly Looks on at the Legendary League of Leading Lowes

I'm sure our littlest Lowe wonders if he will ever be able to do what the big boys do! Some days they just seem to have all the fun! Today was one of those days.

While I was cleaning, I couldn't help but take a few pictures of our littlest Lowe as he longingly looked outside at the older boys having all kinds of adventures!


When he realized that I was taking pictures, he decided to come after me--or maybe obtaining that shiny object his mommy was pointing at him was his goal...



To help assuage his grief at being the only brother inside, I set him up for lunch and a show. Ham, cheese and bread never tasted so good, and as always, the entertainment was perfect! Maybe being the littlest Lowe isn't so bad after all.

Happy Birthday Chantelle!

The "House of Lowe" loves good food. So when our wonderful friends Tami and Chantelle asked if they could make us dinner on Chantelle's birthday, we felt extra loved and excited!! Everyone knows friends and food are a perfect combination!

They began by putting the boys to work.
(I didn't hear any complaining about the job they were given!)

The head cooks then got to work, so the Big Guy Lowe and I tried to stay out of their way while still catching up on news of the day!


Because Chantelle's birthday is the day after St. Patrick's day we had a green themed meal--green Kool aid, green rice, green salad, green frosting on cupcakes. They did refrain from coloring the sweet and sour chicken green though...maybe next year we'll try that??

To top off the scrumptious meal we sang to our wonderful Chantelle after which she asked the boys to help her blow out her candles. Again, no complaining about that job!

We are grateful for and thoroughly enjoyed our wonderful evening together.
Tami and Chantelle~ We love you and are so glad we get to be your friends!

Life Lessons; a follow up

We are so grateful for the life lessons our oldest son has learned this weekend.

It was scary and hard. There were many tears, some family prayers, holding hands and sincere encouragement. In the end, growth and progress was achieved...by parents and son.

I guess we each can add a notch to our life lessons board and give a collective sigh of relief.

Life Lessons

There are many times as a parent that I find myself unsure with the actions and decisions that need to be made because of one of our children's choices. I want to handle things the best way possible, but that isn't always a clear line from A to B. Then throw in the differences between children and one good choice we've made in the past for helping one child grow doesn't always work with the next! I know that many people don't have the opportunity to parent with a spouse, and that must add so much more pressure to these times when life lessons need to be taught. Gratefully, the Big Guy Lowe and I get to tackle these challenges together. I find reasons on a daily basis to be more and more grateful for my wonderful Big Guy Lowe. He is truly one of the greatest blessings in my entire life. We make a pretty good team, if I say so myself.

Pokemon.


Did you ever think that Pokemon would be the instigator of life lessons in honesty? I can't say that I have ever been tempted by these cards, but for a six year old, I've found their allure is pretty strong. So strong that some of these little cards were hidden from a friend's collection the other day while he was visiting our home. Now, smiles do creep into the corners of my mouth as I think that our oldest didn't think of trying to hide them in a better spot than under the ottoman in our playroom where they were promptly found as we were all involved in Saturday morning cleaning.

That pleases me. Maybe that means that he will be able to learn about the importance of honesty before he is able to develop those more complex thoughts that come the older we get.

Well, gratefully (for us parents at least) the cards were found, and an emotional morning has ensued. After talking in depth about honesty and stealing, how it makes us feel inside, how it makes others feel, saying a prayer asking Heavenly Father for forgiveness and the courage to do what is right, we contacted the other family and have arranged a time to go over to their home so apologies can be made in person and stray Pokemon cards can be returned with twice as many of our son's own cards given as retribution. As parents, we are hoping for this to be a pretty memorable experience for our oldest son.

I don't think we'll be forgetting it any time soon either.

I used to be tough. Now I'm...well...not

Some people know of my past as a survival skills instructor. I used to hike, guide, explore, and live off the BLM land surrounding Capitol Reef National Park.
To this day, Windgate Sandstone walls--those beautiful red walls of sandstone are high on my list of things that make me happy. While doing the survival thing, I obviously spent a multitude of nights out in the desert.
I was one tough chick.
(Don't all girls think that about themselves when they are in their early 20s?)

I'll admit though, there were some experiences that caused me alarm while I was out there. And I might have even been overly cautious much more than once during that time in my life. Overall though, I wasn't intimidated by noises in the dark.

So time has elapsed and it has been quite awhile since those desert days. I now sleep in a very comfortable bed, in a home that I love, next to the man of my dreams (sigh) far away from the desertscape of the American Southwest.
And somehow, I've misplaced my toughness in the transition!

Now, instead of pointing out varieties of spiders--which to avoid and which are harmless, I ask the Big Guy Lowe to squish them for me. And the nights when he is traveling--I miss him so much. I hear those noises in the dark.

Somehow my toughness has become elusive, but nothing shows that more than my packing a,wait for it,
oh yea, a heavy-duty spatula as night-time protection!

(From what, you ask? Obviously overcooked steaks! The Horror! The Horror!)

Since my boys won't read this for many years most likely, let's keep this quiet. Because I think they still think I'm still tough.
:)

Good bye

Am I really becoming one of "Those" moms? I just did something that puts me in a new category of moms, and I'm finding a mix of feelings about this.

Not that I have that long to ponder this as my boys are almost arguing with eachother, and thoughts of making dinner are entering my mind (have I mentioned that I really dislike deciding what to make for dinner??), laundry is being washed while other clothes need to be folded, final preparations are being formulated so that our "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday" activities will be completed so we can have an enjoyable Sabbath, etc...

I'd better get to the point. I have just given away all our baby clothes that are 12 mos and smaller. No more onsies that look doll-size. No more adorable one-piece outfits that fit little bodies so well and are easy to use. No more hats to keep a newborn's head warm.

I really am okay with all of this, mostly.

What would I have thought if I could have seen a picture of this day seven years ago, as doctors were convinced we would never be able to conceive a child? I am now the mother of three boys! We never do know what is in store for us in this life, we can only have the faith to keep pressing forward (verse 20), knowing that the Lord is aware of us and has things under control--even if those results may not be what we would choose at that time. Our Heavenly Father knows the experiences, good and hard, that will help us be the best children of His that we can be. I know that's true.

I know that's true.

So as I say good-bye to my life as a mom of an infant, I look forward to my life as a mom of little boys and then onward from there.

The couple that received the clothes are expecting their first child--a boy. How excited I am for them as they become parents of an infant...

A glimpse into our sick days

No one likes being sick, no one! This time of year always seems to cultivate the germs that wreak havoc with our temporary health--just enough to make us feel physically miserable and somewhat paranoid that everyone will end up getting sick before health is restored. As a mom this all has an added facet--being responsible for clean-up! Yuck!! It's a wonderful thing to have a husband who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty right along with me!!

Our oldest is in his second day of fevers over 103 degrees. The good part of this for me is that I have so loved just stroking his face and hair and having quiet times just to love him. For that I am grateful. The two older boys get to kick back and watch cartoons together--somewhat peacefully too!
I figured I'd throw in a few other pictures of our youngest as he is blissfully oblivious to my attempts at seperating him from germs. Ignorance truly is bliss! Is that really what I look like without makeup?

Ohhhh! I love those cheeks!! Don't you just want to chew on them or squeeze them or something???
At the same time that I've been complaining, I'm reminded how grateful I am for these small challenges. In our extended family right now, as I type, my youngest sister is in labor with their third child--a girl this time!! While this is a happy event, I am grateful that I am not in labor and getting ready to go through the infant stage of sleeplessness again. (recently been there/done that!) My sister is a strong one though, so I have no doubt that she will soar through these initial discomforts as they are expanding their beautiful and active family!! Good luck Emily!! In another branch of our family tree my cousin is laboring diligently to support her husband as he had a heart transplant just over a month ago and is currently facing life changing challenges each day. His surgery was performed in another city than where they live so my cousin has been seperated from her 4 children since the transplant other than an extended weekend when they were brought up to them. The kids have been lovingly watched over by grandparents and aunts and uncles, and all will be well. Blessings continue to come and we all rejoice as each hurdle is overcome--however large or small it may be. We love you Melanie and Scott!!

So I guess as I sit here, I am grateful for our sick days! Yes, there are aspects of them that I don't like, but looking around lets me see many other challenges that are being experienced by others that we love and I realize that we are just fine! I'll just keep the antibacterial wipes near by with a prayer of gratitude in my heart!