Blessings

Have you heard this song playing lately?  Every time I do - I take a deep breath and am reminded that God's plan for my life is far better than my own.

 Blessings, by Laura Story

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Silves Family Reunion - 2011

Another summer, and another Silves reunion at the Deming Logging grounds!  While we are not yet part of the camping crowd, we do enjoy hanging out with everyone on Friday night.  This year was the best night yet, since having kids.  They all just played and played, and I was able to visit with quite a few of Tyler's cousins - Tammie was up from Seattle, and Phillip and Rachel with their new baby girl, and Laurie... delightful!

 Aww... sisters!  This picture cracks me up - because I had to take it several times before all parties released blogging rights to it!  :-)

 The Boogs and Wy-Wy were best buds!

 "Wayne!  Ethan!  Want to have your picture taken?"

 No - this is not Wayne.  This is Tyler's-cousin's-son-Blake.  He's 10 years old, and it's a little freaky how much he and Wayne resemble each other! 

 Philip - payback is coming.  Next year I'm taking your 18 month old, and plopping her down in front of the messiest cupcake I can find! :-)

I love these relaxing evenings spent with family - listening to the kids playing in the background, BBQ'ing and enjoying life.  Aaaah.  Summer!

No "Mo" of this!

During our most recent round of Silves boy haircuts, Wayne asked for a mo-hawk.  He was so excited and insistent, I said, "Why not"  He gets to have it until Saturday, when it needs to be buzzed before church on Sunday!

Two Much Fun!

Wyatt's 2 year old birthday celebration was 2 much for just 1 day, so we partay'd over TWO days.  After a fun trip to get groceries in the AM, we met up with some of our best family/buds at McDonald's - it was a last minute thought, and oh so much fun.  Wyatt was SUCH a big kid, and he loves hanging out with his buddy Treven.  No one believes us when we tell them that these two are just 8 days apart - and that Wyatt is OLDER!  Treven is wearing a sizer 5, and Wyatt is barely in a 2 - Treven also runs and climbs and generally just acts older.  He is talking in whole sentences, and Wyatt is just starting on some single word identifiers.  I also love that both Breanne and I know that there is ZERO competition - God created each of these boys unique and special - and we love them!

 After all that playing, poor Wyatt was TIRED.  He was asleep in the car before we left the McDonald's parking lot.  Poor kid!  Good thing our afternoon plans were to hang around the house, make birthday cake, and dinner.

 The brother's can't get enough of their TWO YEAR OLD little brother!

 Wayne and Weston INSISTED that Wyatt wanted pizza and fruit salad for dinner on his birthday.  The pizza I get, but "Fruit Salad?"  I have NEVER made a fruit salad for them before!  But since that was what the birthday boy wanted... I delivered!!!  He actually did eat it too.  Happy boy!

 After cake, Dad got home from work, so it was time for a few presents.  Wyatt's main gift was his ride -on John Deere loader, but he scored a few more toys that he just loves; a ball, a lawn mower, a bean bag game, and new jammies!

 So Wednesday was PARTY day - and after a VERY LAID BACK day, by 4pm I decided we better kick it into party mode, since I had to make dinner and the party was starting at 6:30pm.  Wyatt was all decked out in his fancy clothes - a new shirt!

 And did I mention the large bump in the center of his forehead?  It went with my "blue" theme for the party.

  With the weather at least decent, we were both inside and out which was perfect for all the herds of kids that were over.  We are getting to have a lot of cousins!

 Wayne found the place he usually likes to go - Uncle Deryl's lap!  I'm sure he was showing him something on his Cars 2 game (a present from Uncle Todd.)  And Uncle Deryl is nice enough to act like he cares!

 Wyatt took a break from the party to go play tractors.  Everyone was there for him, but he was content hiding out in the corner of the yard playing by himself. 

 Eventually it was time to open presents - and Wyatt was SPOILED.  A new bike and helmet, a trailer, clothes, a bubble machine, and some cash for his savings account - thank you so much everyone!  He loves everything and is having a blast playing with it all.

 And finally - time for a cake and a song!  Actually it ended up being TWO songs - one for Wyatt that Wayne missed, and when Wayne came flying around the corner from the toy room, in TEARS that he had missed singing to Wyatt, everyone made him feel better by singing one more time to Wyatt.  Wayne was happy, but Wyatt???  Wyatt was a bit scared out of his mind - poor kid!  The center of attention is all well and good, until everyone breaks out in SONG!  :-)

Happy 2nd birthday Wyatt!

Bellingham Bay - Crabbing 2011

With yet another "zone" opening up, we thought it was time to head out again.  I was SO HOPEFUL that we would have nice weather - we woke up to sunny skies and birds chirping.  But by the time we hit the water, it was gray skies all the way around.  Again.  Oh well - we don't need sunshine to have a FAB time!!!

Yup, that was the sun, if you can call it that!

Wayne got promoted this trip - he is now in charge of throwing the buoy's overboard after the pot goes in.  He was pretty pumped to be given such a responsibility!

After dropping all of our pots, we had to wait for them to soak for a bit - so we motored over to Eliza - a small island with a number of different homes and cabins - thanks goodness we know the folks who own this one - and it has a BATHROOM!  Aunt Barb - I can't tell you enough how excited I was to see your cabin - THANK YOU!!!

Tyler took the kids to the playground - tell me this - how many times have you had to unbuckle your kids outs of life jackets so that they could go down the slide?  Yeah, I thought so!!!  We truly live in an AMAZING place  - what a blessing!

Since there is a 20 minute rule for parking on the dock - we quickly headed back and out to check our pots.  The weather was starting to turn super nasty - so we packed it in and called it a day.  12 good sized crabs, some great pictures, and a lot of fun memories with Grandpa were good enough for us for the day!  Thanks Dad for taking us ALL on the boat - we have so much fun with you!

E-town Parade

How's this for an adventure....  Ryan, Breanne, and me with 6 kids at a parade?  Yup - it was crazy but FUN!  I missed my sister - she was home recovering from her C-section with baby Taylin, and Tyson...  I think the quote I got was "Tyson doesn't "do" parades!"  :-)  So we met at our house and walked downtown, with strollers and lots of kids in tow.  I have to say - it was actually pretty tame.  The kids are all getting just a little older and a little easier - and the Everson parade is pretty laid back.  We had PLENTY of snacks and juice to keep everyone happy for a few hours! 

I told the boys they could go up to the cone, but not across it.  Typical for them... they toed the line!

 

Afterwards, we all walked back home to checkout the new pool!

Wyatt John - Two Years Ago

 Today our baby boy turned TWO.  I can't hardly believe it, and I was actually trying to remember when he was born - but it was all a little bit fuzzy.  Okay, a LOT fuzzy!  What has 2 years done to my memory?  So I looked back on the blog, and found this excerpt from a post shortly after he was born:

I don't trust myself to remember everything, I've had a hard time blogging from just a few days back! I've been a little emotional, and yes I know that that is totally normal. I think I have a stronger realization of just how fast Wyatt is going to grow, and I'm not ready for him to do anything more than be our precious newborn. He is so perfect and sweet and soft, and wholly dependent upon me.... I love it!!! He always turns his head when he hears my voice, and just loves to lay against my chest and tuck his head under my chin.

Oh, how I love looking at pictures of Wyatt as a baby!  Looking at this picture, I can still FEEL him in my arms, snuggled into my chest with his head tucked under my chin.  I can still feel his soft hair, and his smooth, soft skin.  *Sigh*  But I can also feel the bump on his head from a spill he took while trying to climb a piece of furniture, and his always sticky fingers, because he doesn't ever stop eating.  And my sweet quiet Wyatt now takes every opportunity to tell me, "No No NO!"  :-)

And remember this sign?  How right Aunt Tara was!  Most of the rules still apply too!


And here's a shot from his newborn shoot.  Remember his long dark hair?  How I could spike it?  How he'd grab his hands together?

Err.  Fast forward to one year later - his first birthday.  It was a bash!  But he still looks like a baby to me.  I'm good with that!

 Oh wow.  I forgot how far apart his front teeth were too!

 And now the little stinker thinks he needs his own chair, instead of sitting on my lap.  What!?!

Dear Wyatt,

Today you are TWO, and you are pretty proud of that.  Your brothers and I doted on you all day - they brought you anything you wanted, let you have whatever toy you wanted, and planned many special surprises for you.  They insisted that you wanted fruit salad for dinner, with pizza, so that's what we had.  You ate a lot too!  All day I kept seeing you do "big boy" things.  You sat in the shopping cart at Albertson's, ate a donate and sausage McMuffin for breakfast, and played Legos at Aunties.  You played on the playground at McDonald's, at chicken nuggets for lunch, and skipped your nap.  But at the end of the day, after dinner, dessert and all your presents, when you were snuggled into your jammies and getting sleepy, you crawled into my arms, and tucked your head underneath my chin.  You may be two, but you still need your mom, still love to be snuggled and cuddled.  Your personality is growing bigger and bigger every day - and it won't be too much longer until you give your big brothers a run for their money.  They couldn't love you any more though Wyatt - they are the first to get you out of bed in the morning, always get snacks for you too, and are never happier than when they are taking care of you.  Our family wouldn't be the same without our 3rd W.  I look forward to the coming year - it's going to be weird with your brothers heading off to school and you being the one left behind.  You are going to be lonely!  In fact, Grandpa and Grandma watched you the other day while we took the big boys to see Cars 2, and you were CRUSHED to see us leaving you.  The moments in your life when you've been without one of us with you have been few and far between.  I hope and pray that is always the way it is Wyatt.  That our family is close - that you love your Mom and Dad, and that you and your brothers stick close together and have a very special bond.  I pray that you would come to know Christ as your Savior, and that you would have a personal passion for God's word and commands.  I love you so very much, my sweet, precious boy. 

I'll love you forever,
I'll pray for you always,
Forever my baby you'll be.

Love,
Mom

Quote of the Night

"Look!  My shrimp can touch its own butt!"
                                                         - Wayne Silves, age 5

"No, No, No!" and "Wanna fight?"

Wyatt is quickly approaching TWO.  It's right around the corner, and Tyler and I are in utter shock and denial.  He's the baby.  Our baby.  He's small for his age.  He's sweet and quiet, and...

Hmm..  Have you seen Wyatt lately?  Somewhere in the past 6 months... he's grown up.  Grown up, filled out, mixed it up a bit.  But when?  I don't even know.  I just know that today when I looked at him, I had THAT moment.  The moment when I looked at him and KNEW. 

He was not a baby.

Do you remember that moment with your kids?  It seemed like that moment came so much sooner with Wayne and Weston.  Maybe because I wanted them to be all big and grown up, and I want Wyatt to stay small and our baby forever.  But apparently what I want doesn't matter in the grand scheme of life, because he's not a baby anymore.  He eats like a horse, has all of his teeth, and wrestles with his brothers.  If you ask him, "Wanna fight?" he'll make two fists and start boxing with you.  If you ask him something, ANYTHING, he'll likely respond with "No, No, NO!" just because he can.  He doesn't want to go to sleep, hates to miss out on the party, climbs things he shouldn't climb, and has NO fear.  He loves his brothers, and tries to do everything like they do.  It's his way or the highway, and don't even THINK of trying to feed him anything - he can do that himself.  He is a BIG boy.  He's growing up, changing, and we are starting to see the AMAZING little boy that God created as a one of a kind master piece.  I am continually humbled by the gift of three sons that my Lord and Savior has given me - three boys that are so very special and so very different.  And just me to be their mom.  How can I possibly be enough for each one of them?  How can I give each of them what they need?  And when my mind starts to spin with the gravity of it all, a long ago memorized verse pops into my head:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13

And I am able to rest in peace again, knowing that God will give me what I need each day.  As we enter that blissful stage known as the "terrible two's" I'm sure there are going to be a few challenges ahead.  But along with those challenges, we have the privilege of getting to know this little boy, (not BABY) who God created.  Makes me smile!



P.S.  Can you tell the house is quiet?   Tyler's playing basketball, and all three kids are in bed.  Too much time to think, I think!

Bigger and better

I just had to show you all the flowers that Tyler got me for our big anniversary - he had a bouquet made that totally copied the bouquet that I carried down the isle.  It was AMAZING back then, and it is AMAZING now. Lilies, roses, eucalyptus leaves, streg. something.  It is AMAZING!

The boys have been having a blast in the pool.  I can't believe how small it seems this year though - they have both grown so much!!!  These pictures were taken on our LAST DAY in our little pool.  Tyler and I decided that we would take the plunge so to speak - and got a bigger pool.  The boys both love the water, and swimming, and I want them to be comfortable and confident in it.  It's a way fun thing for our little family to do while hanging in the back yard!  So after the last day of playing in the small pool....

...  we put up the BIG pool.  Yes folks, it's BIG.  It takes up almost half of the back yard for now.  Down the road we'll move the swing set/dog kennel area and put the pool in the back corner of the yard, but for now it is under our watchful eye right off the patio.  For now it is COLD, but with a few days of sunshine, I'm sure the whole family will be going for a dip!

Anyone up for a pool party?