Sometimes and Always #6

I'm back to link up with Megan at Mackey Madness for the 6th week!  Come and join the fun over at her sweet blog!

Sometimes - I can't help but let my little men sleep in the bed with me when their daddy is away.  


Always - I never sleep very well when my husband is away and my kids are in the bed with me.  I am either too worried about being alone in the house and being the only protector for my babies, or I am worried that if I fall asleep, I'll sleep too heavily and not hear if my children need me.  When Eddie is here, he is definitely the lighter sleeper, and I have come to depend on him waking me up if needed.  However, when he is away, I guess my mommy instinct kicks in and won't let me sleep as soundly.  


Always (there's no sometimes for this one) - I am so glad when my husband gets home after being away for a night or two. 

Sometimes - my boys can be a handful!



Always - I love the way they love each other!




Sometimes - I could lay and look at this precious face all night.





Always - I need my sleep!


Sometimes - law school classes are really boring.


Always - There is a class that really teaches you something shockingly profound and useful.  Tonight, a professor for the UNC School of Government spoke to us about the difficult job judges have of making fair and just decisions when it is human nature to automatically process, stereotype, and allow bias to influence our decisions.  Literally, our brains are made to function on "autopilot" so that we can react more quickly in dangerous situations for survival.  We need to be aware of our biases so that we can make a conscious effort to override "autopilot" and actually base our decisions on careful thought.  It was definitely an interesting and personally challenging lecture.  I think we all need to realize and come to terms with our personal biases...we all have them and just need to work on overcoming them.  If you are interested in learning more about your own personal biases that are built into your brain, you may want to go take the Implicit Association Test (IAT).  

I had a little trouble coming up with these tonight in case you couldn't tell!

A Weekend of Boy Fun

This weekend was just a ton of fun for Evan, but we all managed to enjoy ourselves a little.  Evan and his cousin Lanny had been plotting a sleepover for a while so we finally managed to arrange that for them.  Lanny is the second of four children so he enjoys getting to "escape" from the zoo for a little while.  Of course, he does bring a little of the zoo with him wherever he goes.  His mommy said his house was way too quiet while he was away.  The whole Smith zoo actually came over on Friday evening to play a little after dinner, and they left Lanny for the night.  All of the kids (including little Cate, the youngest of the crew, and Uncle Paul, the oldest) enjoyed a big light sabre duel!  On Saturday afternoon, Evan had a birthday party to attend for a little boy in his preschool class.  He and Alejandro will also go to the same school for kindergarten as Alejandro lives in our neighborhood.  The boys had a blast playing together at Space Kidets, a little fun playplace with bouncy moonwalk type fun, and Evan enjoyed seeing his favorite girl, Ashlee, too!  On Sunday, we enjoyed a great church service and then ate our traditional Sunday lunch with Uncle Paul's family at Brio.  We then went home to nap, do the week's laundry, and get ready for another week.  Daddy had to get ready to leave town today for a little trip to Atlanta, and we also had to make a little trip to Target for a few groceries and necessaries for the week.  All in all, it was a pretty typical weekend for us!

Yes, even the girls (Emma and Cate) like light sabres and Star Wars!

Cate and Brody playing together.  Aren't they the cutest?

Evan and cousin Lanny having a slumber party!  Eating popcorn, watching Batman, wearing pajamas, playing in a tent, staying up late, etc., etc., etc.

Popcorn...yum!  

Flying spaceships. 

Evan's buddy, Alejandro, enjoyed his birthday party.

Silly kid!

Here comes Evan!

Shooting hoops in a room with bouncy floors is not as easy as it looks!

Brody joins the fun after waking from his nap.

Miss Ashlee enjoys jumping and sliding in style!

Man, that kid sweats when he's playing hard!

Awww, this is Luca, Alejandro's little brother!  Isn't he just a doll?

The big birthday boy.

Pure sweetness!

Sitting like Mommy.  We both had fun in the moonwalk!

My sweet boys.

Sweet big brother kisses.

That's one happy baby!

Mommy left him in there, but he found her.

Climbing out by himself.

Evan and Alejandro enjoying their ice cream.

Miss Ashlee had a friend to play with too.

Sweet boy.  His eye was red and swollen from one too many  pokes to the eye with a light sabre the night before.

Happy Birthday, Alejandro!

Evan much rather prefers ice cream to cake.

He loved this little mini-golf set in the arcade room.

Brody enjoyed riding the snow mobile with big brother.

Alejandro telling his friend, Ashlee, goodbye.

And of course, Evan had to give her a hug!

Brody hid under the table with his golf club.

He enjoyed learning to play golf.

Brody knows how to get a hole in one!

I might have to set Daddy to work making us a little mini-golf course at home.  These were so cute.

Daddy and Evan enjoyed a game of air hockey.

Evan just had to have this Spiderman web shooter.  We all paid the price!

Silly string was everywhere!

Thank goodness it cleans up easily!

Yes, I got it too!

And the baby, of course!

What I'm Lovin' Monday #4

Loving coming up with things I love and am thankful for as we enter a new week.  No matter how trying and depressing a Monday can be, I think we can all benefit from looking on the brighter side of things and finding those little and big things that make us smile!  Join the fun and share your loves for the week!  

Loving sweet kisses like these!

Loving silly string!  Oh, big brother got us good!

Loving young love!

Evan and his first girlfriend!

Loving little boy slumber parties complete with pajamas, popcorn, and staying up late watching a superhero movie!

Loving little boys learning to play golf!

Loving posts like this one at the M.O.B. Society today.  Although I know I have a few years before I really have to worry too much about the "sex" talk with my boys, I am so happy that there are good women out there with so much wisdom and advice to share.  I am so worried about the onslaught of worldly views on sex that may tempt my sons one day, and I pray that God will give me the right words to say when the time comes to lead them in the right direction.  Coincidentally, our pastor's sermon yesterday was also on this same topic, and it was so well done.  If you have a little time, go and listen to a little of it here.

I am pretty much loving all things boy these days.  I am also loving being reminded every day of how lucky I am to have found the one and only man for me!  I love you and the beautiful life we share together, Eddie!  Although I am not loving that my husband is leaving me today to go out of town to Atlanta for a few days for work, I am so thankful that I have a husband that I can trust and depend on to be there for me and our family.