TTT: Season 3, Episode 38

1. Tomorrow is a big day for me...I'm cutting my hair! I'm kind of nervous because I've gotten so used to my long hair. The convenience of being able to just pull it back in to a ponytail, being able to let it just air dry and not look all that bad, the fact that my little boys love it. Overall, when looking at the whole of my life, I've pretty much been a short hair person. It was short through most of high school and short through most of college. Super short at one point. I grew it out while Mark and I were dating and it was long for our wedding. But within days of returning from our honeymoon, I chopped it all of for Locks of Love. Then, it proceeded to stay short through Kolbe and Rudy's births. I got tired of looking like a page boy and decided to grow it out again shortly before we moved. And since then I've only had it trimmed once or twice. (I know...that's horrible. Even when you're growing it out, you should still have it trimmed, right!?!) I decided why not do Locks of Love again so I've just continued to let it go, but now it's to the point where I look in the mirror and just know that it's not doing anything at all for me. Let's face it: the celebrities that have long, gorgeous flowing hair have extensions in. Nobody's hair is naturally that luxurious while also being that long! And mine has reached the "that long but now nappy" phase. But hey, I've pretty much run the gamut on hair styles. Really, if you check out some of our early family portraits, it's hard to tell if my parents had four boys or five. And did anyone else out there rock the perm? I did. In a very un-natural way. Seriously...no one's hair naturally looks like that!!! I mean, unless she was struck by lightening. So yes, I do have reason to be apprehensive about tomorrow's cut. Because of Locks of Love I'll definitely be losing at least ten inches but this time it's even longer than last so hopefully post cut it will be long enough to still at least look somewhat attractive. (No pageboy.) My biggest requirements are that I have to be able to pull it back, have to be able to tuck it behind my ears and the cut absolutely, positively cannot involve the clippers in any way whatsoever. Say a little (frivolous) prayer for me around 10:00am tomorrow.

2. Life is full of "seasons" or "phases" and I'm so happy that right now we are finally in just a normal, steady season of life in our family. Summer time is always fun, but chaotic. So fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants. Out of routine, here, there, and everywhere...it's full of adventure but just so unstructured. And, of course, the winter holiday season is all over the place too. Lots of traveling, lots of activities, parties, etc. But then in between you have these periods of just normal-ness that are so nice. Sure, the calendar is filled with this and that but it's all routine. Things that last their scheduled hour or two at the same time and place every week and that's that. It's nice. It makes me feel somewhat in control of our little family! And really, considering we always seem to be going through some major life event, it's nice to just have nothing significant going on for a while. Life is good.

3. Each week when I sort through my phone pics to add to my post it always surprises me how as the weeks pass, different kiddos seem to steal the show. I never realize it's happening as the days pass but then I go to set up the pictures and find seven of Grant and one or two of the others. Or a whole slew of Kolbe and not much else. This week, my little Rudy seemed to steal the show. Like I mentioned last week, he has been such a sweet boy through all of the changes going on with Kolbe and one of the things I've loved most about Kolbe going to his little pre-school on Tuesday and Thursday is getting to spend some quality time with Rudy. He's so, so unique. And though they're connected at the hip, he oh, so different than Kolbe. For example, some fabric that a customer of mine requested came in this week. Upon opening it, Kolbe sees it and says, "Mom, that fabric has Os all over it." And then Rudy interrupts with "Kolb, those aren't Os. They're glazed donuts. And these ones are donut holes." (polka dots)  He's definitely my creative, imaginative one. He sees things through different eyes that anyone else. And as always, he's just the biggest (and best) tender-heart around. I love everything about my Rudy. He's a dreamer, that one. And I can't wait to see where all of his dreams take him.

We had a lot of rain on Sunday...the kind without thunder or lightning so we went out for another round of playing in the rain! And this time turned in to a great round of making mud pies. We detached part of the gutter, moved a bunch of the rocks, and had the perfect little mud pool. Rudy was the ultimate mud pie chef.

But all three boys got in on the action!

Pa joined us for dinner last week while my mom was hosting a get-together for the ladies on her street. He loves to play "wrestle mania" with the boys. They usually choose some object (in this case, his keys) to be "the power." Pa is the owner of the power and it's the boys' job to try and steal the power from Pa!

Another bolt of fabric or a typical creative hide-and-go-seek spot for Rudy?

Rudy fell in love with this awesome tweed fedora at Old Navy today. He wore it home and proceeded to keep it on the rest of the day. He wears it well, I'd say! 

And, of course, your weekly dose of yummy baby. It's the obligatory picture of Grant, because he's just oh so precious!