More Summer Fun and a birthday bash

Homemade pizza night, which the kids have been begging for!  They each had a personal pan sized pizza that they could make however they wanted.  We don't do this often enough.

Our back porch is rotting and falling apart, but the stairs were in the worst shape.  We've had several kids fall down the stairs and get hurt, and the bottom two steps just rotten away completely and you had to jump to get down into the yard.  It was a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Finally Grandpa Lawlor came over and helped us rip down the old steps and rebuild new ones.  Ben got to help with the project, which he enjoyed. Three generations of Lawlor boys playing with plywood and power tools.  It was a moment.
(view from the top of the stairs, Grandpa at the bottom)

Tonight was a combined birthday bash at Peter Piper Pizza, to celebrate Grace turning six and Ben turning nine (which won't actually be until July 19)  We have three summer birthdays, and the parties don't always coincide with their actual date of birth.  We also often combine parties because it's just too much for me to handle three kids between June 6 and July 19.  Grace and Ben each got to invite just a few friends, and we let Ember invite a couple just so she wouldn't be bored.  The total bill was WAY less than planning parties at home, and I didn't have to decorate, entertain, cook, or clean up.  It was the best party EVER!  We still need to do something for Ember later this summer, and I have some ideas about that, but I got two out of three done.  Whew.

That big pile of purple tulle next to Grace is the most beautiful tutu ever made.  Seriously, it's so amazing and sooo well made.  My friend Janalynn makes and sells them, with 100% of the proceeds going towards the medical fund for her son Adam, who has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  To follow Adam's progress go to Adam's Hope on Facebook or visit http://www.dreamweaverhairdesign.com/ to contribute to his medical fund or to order one of your own amazing tutu's.  

Then at the end of a busy and stressful day, I saw this.  Wow.

I love Arizona sunsets.

So there's more of our summer so far, and we're not even halfway done yet!

Family catch up

I haven't blogged about my family in awhile, so I just have a few pictures to add to play catch up.

After the ballet recital, Grace could finally get a summer haircut!  We didn't need to put it up in a bun again for awhile.  Ember is choosing to grow her hair as long as Rapunzel.

Grace's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Jankunis.  She was amazing with Grace!  She got a special award for being the best artist in the class.  Grace does has a love/hate relationship with markers... she loves them, and I hate them.  But I'm proud of her!

Ben made a birdhouse at Scoutcamp and we've had lots of bird activity, he's very proud of himself.  We caught this hungry bird on our way to the grocery store one day.

Grace face had a birthday, she turned six years old!  We just had a small family party for her, she'll get together with her friends later this month at Peter Piper Pizza.  She couldn't decide what her favorite gift was, a new bike or lip gloss.  We also went to the pool to celebrate her special day.

Our summer has also been filled with the drama of a serial killer in our back yard.  

Does she look menacing to you?  No, sweetest face ever!  She's just developed a taste for chicken.  Our neighbors have chickens and unfortunately the fence between our properties is in serious disrepair.  We've offered to split the cost of a new block wall and they've said no every time.  Our dogs get in their yard, their dogs and chickens get into our yard.  Whichever way it goes, Elphie kills the chickens.  I think the neighbors have finally decided to chip in for that fence.  Good call.



Ember also completed three weeks of summer orchestra and had a concert this past Friday.  I forgot the camera, but she did great.  Advanced orchestra is a little more stressful and she's feeling some discouragement that she can't do everything the first time she tries it.  Remind you of anyone, Mom?  Thankfully Ember's Mom is also a violinist, and I'm always happy to help.  It's fun for both of us.

Future summer plans?  Peter Piper Pizza party for Ben and Grace's birthdays, swim lessons, Ember's birthday and a party for her we haven't planned yet, vacation to California, playing tourist in our own state, and the usual trips to the pool and library. 

And can I just say to Janalynn, I owe you something big for introducing me to www.myjobchart.com.  My kids are motivated, working hard, not complaining... they're like new kids, it's fabulous!  :)

So the kids home for summer hasn't driven me crazy just yet, but I'm not gonna lie and say I'm  not looking forward to August 10.   

I am a nice person.

I am a nice person.


I let the car with the blinker on go in front of me in traffic.

I let people go ahead of me in the grocery store, the guy with fewer things, or the Mom with a screaming baby that just wants to go home.


I am quick to offer compliments on someone’s new outfit, hairstyle, beautiful babies or talented kids, a craft project, anything someone might be proud of.

I carry thank you cards in my purse and leave them under the windshield wipers of vehicles carrying a Veteran’s license plate.

And of course as a Mom, I do my best to love and serve my family every day.

I am a NICE person.


Some people aren’t nice, like the guy who honked and flipped me off in traffic today. Maybe he’s nice sometimes, but not today. He was a stranger, and I didn’t take it personally. I didn’t do anything wrong, and he was probably just having a bad day. I can handle that sort of unkindness. It’s generic.


The kind I CAN’T handle, and the kind that I’ve been the victim of lately, is when it is personal.

The kind that doesn’t come from a stranger, it comes directly from someone I know, and someone who knows me.

When it’s someone from the neighborhood / church that critiques my mothering skills, and the observations aren’t good. They’re downright mean.

When I’m called names that I don’t deserve.


Then, a stranger swears at me in church during a baby blessing and calls me a mean mother.


Another stranger yells at me for parking in the wrong place, which I chose because it was shady. Someone parks there every day, but no one complained until it was me that parked there. She knocked on my vehicle window and criticized me in front of my kids.

I have a longer list, I feel like I’m getting dumped on more than normal lately, from people who know me, and people who don’t, but I’ll leave it at this in order to make my point.

I have decided that I don’t have to be treated like that and just accept it. I can stand up for myself, and for my children. I can say “you’re wrong about me, and you’re out of line.” I’ve been doing that for the past month and I’ve discovered something about myself.

I don’t feel nice anymore.

I’m standing up to friends, family, strangers, anyone who attacks my character or abilities, and I’m defending myself. And the more I do it, the more bold I get.

To the woman who told me I had to move my van, I told her to back off, and who was she to tell me where I could park, the police? Did I take your spot, is that why you’re mad?

To the woman who swore at me at church, I turned around and said, “Are you kidding me? Grow up. Be quiet during the prayer, and don’t swear in church.”


To the woman who called me un-Christlike because of how I handled a situation where my son was being bullied and then assaulted, I told her to keep her eye on her own family and quit judging mine. Then I “un-friended” her on Facebook.

I still want to be a nice person. I don’t want to feel bitter, angry, or cynical all the time. I’m beginning to look for opportunities to put someone in their place, instead of looking for opportunities to lift someone up. I don’t like the transformation, but I’m also not ready to go back to laying down and taking it. I’m looking for balance.


How can you be strong and stand up for yourself without becoming hard?


I just want to be nice again.