Snow storm

Today we had a massive snow storm! It has already dropped 2 feet of snow. The boys went out this morning and had a great time and came in after 45 mins. It was cold and it was coming down fast and hard! Here are some pics of my adorable kids all bundled up:
Here is a picture of our gorgeous backyard:
And here is a pic of Gary cleaning off the trampoline so that we could take it down so that it didn't break with the weight of the snow. Yes, it should have been done the day before but it wasn't.I had thought ahead and bought the kids waterproof hats and gloves, snowsuits, snow boots, and wool socks so they would be ready for the snow. I, on the other hand, do not own these items but will be purchasing them asap! It's ridiculous that I won't buy myself anything even if I need it! Thank goodness for Gary's military gear-he was completely covered when it came to snow and outdoor gear! Now we just need a snow shovel :)

Karma bites me in the butt

Have you all seen My name is Earl? I think that show is SO funny. I Love Jaime Pressly and Jason Lee but I also like the message about karma. Do a good deed and good things happen, do something bad and bad things happen.
OK, so karma has come back to bite me in the butt. Yes, it is true. I am not an innately bad person. I try very hard to be nice and kind. So, why the title?
I have friends who write blogs, facebook comments, and call me on the phone and discuss their children's many messes and destructive tendencies. I would listen to them and say things like, "that sucks", or "Oh my goodness", or "I am so sorry" but you know deep down I'm wondering "Where were you when your child was smearing poo all over the toy room wall?" "Why did you have a permanent marker out anywhere that a child could get to it?" and so on and so forth. Yes, my judgments may have been silent but they were there. And then I had Ammon...
This child is adorable and sweet and SUCH a MESS!!! He gets into everything! I am on him all the time. He has a room full of toys but would rather prowl around the house opening cabinets, pulling out cleaners, and spray them all over the place. Or he'll open cupboards and pull out 2 butter knives and use them as light sabers (he has toy light sabers on the floor of the toy room!) or as drum sticks, or as swords. And if he decides he is done eating or drinking he will just throw it all on the floor! Without warning and no matter how many times I make him clean up his mess! The other day I asked my husband "Whose demon spawn is this?" And then I went into the kitchen where my hubby had been fixing himself a glass of OJ. The cabinet door was opened from where he got his glass, the pitcher of OJ was left out on the counter, and the fridge door was opened. Seriously? Do you want to commit me to the insane asylym??? I am trying to mellow in my old age. The house is not nearly as clean with 4 boys as it was with 2 and that's OK! But I am also trying to teach my children responsibility and the value of work. Holy cow! If Ammon doesn't send me over the edge of a cliff, my husband will! Thank goodness for my OCD Zechariah who helps keep the place clean and in order and for my sensitive Gabriel who can't stand for me to be upset at him and therefore, won't make the mess in the first place. Ammon, on the other hand, could care less. He was put here on this earth to bring happiness to others and to be happy! He really does make me happy! And he sure is happy getting into my stuff! :)

Zechariah loses a tooth

Zechariah finally lost his very 1st tooth! He is almost 7! Two weeks ago Zechariah came home from school and we were talking about something when I noticed that his teeth looked weird. I asked him to open his mouth so I could get a better look. I saw purple around his bottom tooth. I asked him what was wrong. He said "nothing, it's just kinda wiggly" I said, "You have a loose tooth?!" All excitedly. He was like, "Yeah I push on it at school" I said, "Show me!" and then he popped it out. Just like that! No, forewarning, no drama, nothing! I was shocked and so was he! He couldn't believe it just came right out! My baby is growing up!

Playing catch up

Yep, it's been a while. I am playing catch up. There have been so many times that I have blogged in my head about numerous things but have not gotten to the computer to do it. Now, I don't even know when these things happened. Am I lame or what?

I'll start with trimming the Christmas tree. The Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving I pulled out my Christmas tree and started trimming the tree. Here's a little of the goings-on.

Rebekah, the psychic

I am predicting right now that my husband will be deployed this summer. I hope I'm wrong-but let's face it: I rarely am! :) I didn't want to post this on Facebook but it is what I am thinking and since I don't journal-there you go. I've been telling him since we moved here and he took over the SAC (Special Agent in Charge) position for the previous one who went to Iraq, that he would come home and Gary would go. Gary said no, the other guy was due to PCS blah, blah, blah, but something inside me kept saying otherwise. So today he comes home talking about how his ASAC is leaving and his DET sergeant and now the previous SAC may be coming back and staying. "OK?" I say to my sweet husband, "So, you're going to Iraq." He says probably not and he doesn't know that yet and blah, blah, blah. Mark my words (I'll gladly eat them if I'm wrong) my psychic prediction is that my sweetheart will be overseas this time next year (sigh) Oh well, he's due. It's been over 3 years. I've done it before. People do it all the time. I'll put on my big girl panties and deal with it. But DANG! I sure will miss him while he's gone. He's my very best friend in the whole entire world.
My husband, my love, my friend

The difference b/w night and day

First, I have to put it out there...
I am in love.
I am head over heels in love 5x's over!!! Is that possible? Can I have so much love to extend to so many men? I can and I do! I am first and formost head over heels in love with my wonderful husband. He loves me too. Completely and fully. I don't think he even thinks there is one single thing wrong with me! (He can keep on thinking that!) And secondly, I am in love with my little boys. They are each so different (hence the title of the blog) and wonderful and incredibly handsome :) No, I am not biased either. I get comments like these everywhere I go so I figure I can't totally be in la-la-land. Anyways, I have been thinking about how different my boys are. It is truly amazing! So, I felt the need to blog about it. I hope you enjoy.

When Zechariah was 2, he was obsessed with trains. He would even categorize them by color (Oh how I love that he takes after my OCD-it makes my life sooo much easier!) He was also obsessed with Star Wars. He is friendly, wants to please, and loves people but is content in staying at home and being in his own world. Every stick, pencil, marker, or crayon instantly became a light saber to be dueled with me or his Daddy. He spent and spends hours upon hours building Lego creations and wants to be a Lego engineer when he grows up.

Then there is Gabriel.
Gabe is painfully shy. He could care less that there is a mess everywhere. He is content in stepping on anything in his way to continue his play. Plus any stick or pencil became a bat to him. Every round shaped item was there for the kicking or throwing. He is very sporty and wants to play them all! Too bad most sports won't take kids until they are 5 or 6! So right now he is in JuJitsu and LOVES it!

And now for Ammon. Wow! What a vivacious kid! His sticks, pencils, and crayons become conductor wands and drum sticks. The balls are for throwing and kicking put can also become microphones at a moments notice. He loves everyone and says hello to complete strangers wherever we go. People flock to him. He is extremely laid back and easy going.

I can't wait to see what Elijah will be like.
I am sure my boys will ebb and flow, change and grow as they go throughout this life. But observing them is such a testimony of pre-mortal life. They were people before they came here. I am just their caretaker for a time. I am privileged and honored to be their mother. I am so excited to see what the future holds for each of them.

Gabriel and the mouse

When Gabriel was about 18 months old, Disney Pixar's Cars came out. While he LOVED the movie and would ask to watch it all the time, there was one major problem: the preview of Ratatouille at the beginning of the DVD. OH MY GOSH! Gabriel would be sent into hysterics when the woman would scream because she saw the rat and then the rat would fly into the screen and freeze there with this panicked look on his face. I literally had to press menu the minute I put the DVD on so he wouldn't freak. So when Aunt Sarah came to visit and brought along her "pet" mice with her, I thought we'd have problems.
I was wrong! :)