cinco de mayo

We've had a good start to the weekend. Yesterday Dad and DH painted. They got our bedroom done and I love it. Sadly now our curtains and comforter don't match the room. And the list never ends!

E got to go to Jake's birthday party. A big event to be sure. All day he kept asking is it night time yet, is it night time yet. He bought Jake Star Wars guys and was very excited to give them to him.

H had Emmaline spend the night. They put on make-up, polished toes, ate popcorn, played outside, set up a tent inside and watched movies. They were asleep before midnight so that was good. Now it's almost 8am and all is quiet except for G toddleing around the computer room with me.

S and J went to a girls camp kick off of star gazing, hot dog eating, tye dye shirt making and other fun activities. I went to pick them up late last night and drove through a beautiful TX thunderstorm. We've been getting rain on and off all week and lots of storms. Nothing severe for us so that's a good thing.

G got molars yesterday, at least I saw them for the first time yesterday. She's growing up :(

On the not so fun side of things we had some familial conflict. J and H sometimes have issues. H can be a pesky little sister and J isn't always tolerant. Yesterday what started out with an innocent bump escalated into kicking each other, not acceptable. H came crying, J got in trouble. It wasn't handled well and we had a downward spiral of crying and hurt feelings.
It's very difficult to know what to do as a parent. We really want to teach the children to be kind to each other and to foster an environment where feelings of love for one another can grow. I remember being the oldest kid in a large famliy that I often just wanted to ignore the fact that the younger kids were there, I didn't always want family obligations or even the joys of family life. So I understand J's feelings. I also know that now as an adult I love my siblings so much and love the time we spend together and hate that it's not more often. They are truely a joy to me. I think in the long run that will be the end result for these guys too. I hope it will. Still I want it to be nice now too. I want each kid to feel safe, loved, valued, important, heard, empowered, to have a voice and a place and a soft spot to land. Is that too much to ask?

Some time I'll post about step families. When I have the words sorted out. It's an added difficulty that's for sure. I am not a step mom so I don't know what that is like. But I watch DH, a good man, who loves my kids and our kids and wants to be a great dad but who isn't perfect (that's a shocker I know) and I see the kids and their struggles and I feel like I need to be a bridge between them and bring us all together. Someones not doing a great job of it.
This is why marriage is so important. Choose well, stay committed, be obedient to Heavenly Fathers commandments avoid some of these problems for yourselves and for your children; that is the advice I want to share with my girls. Choose well. (and Ethan of course)

Anyway, soccer party today. YW fund raiser is going on. Tonight is our about semi annual girls night so big fun plans. Hopefully it will be a good day.l