In case you were beginning Taiwan -der!

FINALLY, here are the photos from Rob's trip and the Sweeney boy visit!!











And, what was happening back home!













In case you were beginning to wonder, we have not returned to normalcy quite yet. Three days after we returned from our trip to Mexico, Rob left for a Young Life trip to Taiwan. The morning after he left, three of my friend's boys came to stay with us for 10 nights and 11 days while she and her husband went to Ireland. Rob just returned on Thursday night, so I have been the "temporary" mother of three more boys this past week.

I am not going to say it has been easy, because it hasn't. In fact, I have learned some things about my personality that I don't necessarily like. For example, I don't like that I find it necessary to clean the kitchen floor after every meal. This has proven to be way more time consuming than usual due to the fact that four boys are eating and spilling instead of one. I don't like the fact that I find myself getting tired of answering the barrage of questions that come my way all day long. They are just curious boys; why can't I just answer and move on. I don't like the fact that it bothers me to come upon a toilet that hasn't been flushed. In fact, I have learned that 6 year old and 4 year old boys rarely flush the toilet. I need to get used to this - I am the mother of a boy that will one day be 4 and later on 6. I also need to embrace the fact that, as the mother of a boy, there will be pee on the seat once he starts using the toilet. I have thought about this, but I didn't want to believe it until now. (I have an incredible husband who always lifts the seat, wipes the seat if he drips, and returns the seat to the down position when finished. I know, I am spoiled.) I don't like that I attempt to be really quiet in the morning, even though I am awake. I know that if the boys see any signs of life, they are in my room with their huge, incredible smiles and "it is on." They know better than I do, and they know that I need to get up and get moving. "Hey Mrs. Anderson! Are we going to have breakfast?"

Please don't get me wrong. I said it hasn't been easy, but it has been really fun, and truly a learning experience for me as we are going to have multiple children in two months. The Sweeney boys are INCREDIBLE and have had me laughing most of their time here. We have had some crazy fun as we have been to a Bees baseball game, we went to see the movie Earth, we had picnics, lunch dates, play dates with buddies, several bike rides around the neighborhood, our own baseball games, a movie on the Young Life big screen in our living room, battles on the Wii, and great conversations! I am honored that Kenyon and Laurie would ask us to parent their children while they were away, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity. Sawyer is going to miss having the "feeney boys" around. He has had some crazy fun!

I have also learned some key bits of information you can only obtain from a 4 and 6 year old boy - mostly from the 4 year old.

1. Favorite fruit: fruit snacks
2. Why they fart: they like the smell of them. (So they told me yesterday in a fit of farting.)
3. High school kids eat food. (Who knew?)
4. God made us out of skin. (Obviously.)
5. Rocks are also made of skin - skin and wood.
6. Baths are not necessary, even when you have been playing in the mud, rolling around with goats, and pooped on by a chicken. (All of these things happened when we went to visit the oldest brother who has been staying with another friend.)
7. Elmo is for babies, not 4 year olds.
8. You have to be in the Air Force to go to college. (Things have changed since I was in school.)
9. Dessert is a must!
10. It's good to have on clothes in the first place, so don't sweat it if my pants and shirt are both on backwards.


I have to go, but I will return soon with lots of photos!!!