I wish I was a pencil

I love this book. As I've mentioned in past entries, my husband has been gone for most of the month. Most days we did pretty good, but there were definitely moments when I found myself wishing for that extra set of hands, or the warmth of him beside me. I wished he was there to help me tuck in our 3 little angels each night, and I found myself wishing we could talk face-to-face and not just on the phone. If nothing else I realized just how much we depend on him to keep our household running smoothly and effectively. Even though we managed to stay fairly organized and accomplished those "To-Do" lists each day, there was a tangible absence without him here. Luckily he will be done with his class this Wednesday and life should return to normal, but having him gone this month helped me prioritize my life once again.

This week my Visiting Teacher stopped by with the book, "I am a Mother" in hand. It was one of those books that once I started reading I could barely put down. There are so many great quotes about motherhood in this story that I found myself wishing I owned the book so I could highlight and mark up every page. There is one story in particular that made me stop and think...prioritize... yet again what this life is truly about. In her book Jane Clayson Johnson relates a story she saw in Time Magazine. It was an interview with Mother Teresa in which she was asked by the interviewer to describe herself. This is what Mother Teresa had to say:
"I am like a little pencil in God's hand. That is all. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used."

Man, if only I could get myself to that place...How amazing would life be if we all could submit our will to the Lord's will. I imagine there would be a lot less contention and destruction in our world if we did. A pencil in the hand of God is a very simple sentence, but it's a sentence that holds infinite power within its words. If we would allow Heavenly Father and our Savior to direct our lives rather than us trying to forge the way on our own, it would be so much easier. We probably wouldn't find ourselves wishing we had an eraser if we did.

A Tag of 8

This was on my friend Melissa's blog. I've seen a lot of fun tags this month, but I had to think really hard to come up with 8 things in a couple of these categories. The only one that came easy was the catergory, "8 things on my wish list." I have too many dreams!

8 T.V. shows I love to watch:

Top Design
Project Runway
E.R.
Lost
Survivor
The Amazing Race
So You Think You Can Dance
Monk

8 Favorite Restaurants:
Uno's
Crazy Horse
Copper Mill
Fuddruckers
Sonic
Culvers
Macaroni Grill
Any playland establishment because then my kids are occupied and Kevin and I can actually talk with each other.

8 Things that happened yesterday:

Finished reading the Old Testament. Started the New.
Went to Church.
Watched a Movie with the kids.
Helped Kevin Pack for Chicago.
Did a load of Laundry.
Mopped up our mini lake from a leaking water heater downstairs.
Read a bunch of books to my boys.
Checked out a couple minutes of the Emmy's...Wasn't impressed so I went to bed.

8 things I am looking forward to:

Friday because that is when Kevin will be home again!
Conference Weekend. I LOVE it!
Watching Caleb's Soccer game tonight. Go Golden Gophers!!
Our Washington DC trip in 3 weeks
The changing of the seasons. Fall is a beautiful time.
My sisters wedding because I can't wait to see my family.
Christmas. All of a sudden it feels like it will be here soon!
Our next move. Not sure when it will happen, but things are starting to align.

8 things on my wish list:

To have all 3 of my boys serve honorable Missions.
To visit all the temples I can.
A new mini-van. A few years down the road, but a nice dream.
A trip to Hawaii.
Visit Europe.
A Cruise...I am a vacation junkie.
Buy a house.
I wish Ethan's surgery will go ultra smooth next month!! Ethan is my brother Travis'and his wife Mary's baby boy and will be undergoing major brain surgery sometime in October. I wish everybody would say an extra little prayer for him.

8 people I'm tagging:

Any one who wants to do it!

A day in the life of Motherhood!

We still find plenty of time to play in the mud!
Continue to practice our "Cooking Mama" skills.
Enjoy a break from the rain so we can ride our bikes to school instead of take the bus. This of course means mom looks like a stalker as she drives alongside the boys in the van to make sure Jordan does okay on his first try at the mile and a half journey. I'm not sure why I was worried. He was a pro!

Throw in a game or two of soccer.


Manage to make it to karate class on time. That's a major feat in itself!
Take a few minutes of our day and devote it to friend playtime.
Visit our "favorite" store (wink~wink) as we are rushing on our way to Scouts.
Keep on perfecting those soccer skills on a field a few miles away from Jordan's soccer field. Wish that schedule worked out a little better.
Feed a few friendly ducks
Make that...feed a few friendly ducks our packed lunch after mom said not to!! Let's hope ducks don't mind a little peanut butter and yogurt!
Take homework to soccer practice knowing we'll be up really late tonight if we don't!
Cheer on our little Sunfish in his favorite shiny red shorts!

Now breath a sigh of relief because we can start the ride home, make a late dinner, relish those 10 minutes of quiet reading time, and tuck in for the night. Of course that's mom's cue to finish the laundry, load the dishwasher, sweep the floor, read to Caleb, and finally go to bed herself!



You know the song lyrics "Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked, and walked....and walked"? Well, I've decided to change the words this week to "Mommy's so tired today as she drives, and drives, and drives, and drives...all day!"
Boy, without Kevin around I am managing to drive from one end of town to the other numerous times each and every day trying to keep up with a busy September schedule. The miles are racking up on the odometer, and my eyes are little more bloodshot than usual. Maybe I can go pick a cucumber from the garden and make some eye compresses which will hopefully, magically make those dark circles under my eyes disappear. Not likely, but a dream nonetheless.

It's a crazy, busy, yet wonderful life!

I feel incredibly blessed to have all of this beauty every day...even if it does mean a few extra dark circles under my eyes.
It's a minuscule price to pay to see my kids smiling faces each day!

We miss you Kev...See you late tomorrow night!

Happy Engagement Jillee & Allyn

My little sisters Kelcee & Jillee on my wedding day, April 12, 1997
The 3 Ehrhart sisters: Jillee (left-hand side), Tami, & Kelcee (right-hand side)

My little sister Jillee has officially announced that she is getting married. Lucky for my little family that means a trip to Utah is in the near future. It's been over a year since we've had the chance to visit home, and this will be a wonderful excuse to travel back. The wedding is set for April 10th and I am so happy to be one of the first to say congratulations on your engagement Jillee and Allyn!

Here's a little picture for you to reminisce the last time I saw you all in white! I can't wait to see you all grown up in an even prettier gown!

Surprise Dad..The Tooth Fairy is Coming AGAIN!

Dear Kevin,
Look what happens while you are away and a couple of our kids decide to play! I think it is going to be a late night once again as we wait for the Tooth Fairy to come and leave a dollar under one very happy boys pillow, and magically change that glass of water next his bed to resemble the color of her dress (shout out to Hannah here~~Thanks for the extra important tooth fairy tip). Miss you and love you. See you real soon.

A Lonesome Week Without Daddy

How well can you fit 4 people in a self-shot photo when no matter how far you stretch your fingers... your not able to magically make your arm grow another few inches? Well for all you curious minds this is how well we fit with 3 squirming kids and a mom who needs longer arms!
Way easier to do when there is only 2 of you to fit inside the little lens~
Hey dad~~ No worries. I'm keeping an eye on those tomato worms for you even though you're away.
Art class is obviously starting their Optical Illusion unit this month so here's Kyler's first attempt. He's really quite proud, and don't be surprised if he makes you a special picture to hang above your hotel bed for next week!
More and more and more self portraits. Kyler tells me we have a tripod somewhere, but where's the fun in that?
One last one for you of some giggling boys. When you're cuddled this close you can't help but tickle them all!

Fair warning to all you readers...Kevin has been working in Chicago this month so we have been very lonesome here at home without him. Since he is missing all the day-to-day activities I promised him I would post a bunch of photos while he is away so he can keep up with our crazy life. This blog thing comes in handy more and more every day. So babe...here is all of us missing you. Love you...See you Friday.

The Top 10 Pros & Cons of being a Soccer Mom

1. Picture Perfect Moments. (PRO)2. Learning a new facial expression called PERMAGRIN! (Major PRO)
3.. One word: VICTORY!!! (PRO)
4. Games whether rain or shine. In this case a whole lotta rain!! (CON)
5. The meeting and making of new friends. (PRO)
6. Wondering why all the parents are laughing out loud when you don't know that soccer and tackle football are NOT the same sport. (CON for kid & PRO for mom)
7. The joy you feel from being outside. (PRO)
8. Physical Fitness! (PRO)
9. Feeling happy because there is no such thing as winning or loosing when you are three. (PRO)
10. The concentration you see in your kids faces as they finally make foot and ball merge together. (PRO)

HAPPY SOCCER DAYS TO ALL YOU SOCCER MOMS AND DADS OUT THERE! LET THE FUN BEGIN!

Apples, Apples, Apples

Jordan straight from his 1st Soccer Game

Kyler Finding some perfect Golden Superiors
Crane's Orchards

Caleb lucked out with his own wagon ride
A Family Fun Activity
If you happen to live in Michigan you know it is almost a requirement to be a fan of apples (well that and anything else to do with The Lions, Tigers, Red Wings or Pistons.) Since I haven't quite got on the sports bandwagon yet (still a much bigger fan of Utah and Chicago Teams) it's a good thing I happen to like apples. Michigan happens to be one of the top exporters in the country and apple season has officially begun. We're in for a month of great treats in this house.

School Days Again!

Kyler about to enter the world of 5th Grade
Anxiously awaiting the arrival of bus #9
No first day jitters for these two.
Caleb needed in on the action. He couldn't walk his brothers to the bus without his backpack on.

See you in 8 hours boys!
Caleb's turn behind the camera....What do you think? It only took about 10 tries before he got a picture in semi-focus.
Two handsome boys off for a new adventure in the 5th and 1st grade classrooms.
Jordan & Mom
All the boys...including the little tyke who can't go to school yet, but that doesn't stop him from wishing the scenario was different.



It's FINALLY here...The start of an all new school year. Excitement for my boys, and relief for their mom. After a wonderful, busy summer, it's a bit refreshing to get them back on a regular school schedule. Plus, it gives me another excuse to pull out my camera and snap away. I'm sure my kids will only enjoy this for a couple more years, so I need to take advantage while I still can. Remember when your parents tried to pull out the camera when you were a teenager....Oh, the dread. I see where my mom and dad were coming from now. As a parent you want to capture every moment in your child's life so you never loose the memory associated with the event. Not only that, you have good leverage when your kids get older and one or two of those embarrassing photos just happens to resurface at inopportune times. (Hmmm...what pictures should I store away for later use?)

It's always exciting to get dressed for that first day in a new grade, put your new backpack on, and somewhat hesitantly and a whole lot excitedly walk to the bus stop anticipating what lies ahead. My boys couldn't wait, and I can't wait until they get home with a whole new batch of stories to tell me. I'll look forward to it all day and try not to miss them too much while they are away. Caleb and I will have to be creative to fill our time while they're gone. See you soon boys! I'll try to not miss you too much!