I just don't have any pictures.

I don't.  I should and I don't.  I need to get better with just taking snapshots on the phone.

Sorry I didn't write last week but I was too busy watching the superbowl game.  That was quite the game don't you think?  I loved it even though my team lost!

So onto the Belt family happenings.

Jacob turned 7...really, 7!  I still see him this way.  Recently he mentioned to me that he had never had a friend birthday party and well, he was right.  So, by mentioning this he guilted me into hosting one for him yesterday.  I told him it was his one and only friend party. (I hate throwing birthday parties...it's just not my thing).  It went smoothly thanks to Ben, Riley and Kenzie.  They helped me so much.  I was so glad when it was over.  Now, only one more to host for Riley, he's never had one either.

We have had such nice weather lately!  Almost all the snow is melted and I think winter may be over.  Lucky for us but not so great for the ski hills.

Quote of the day:

Kenzie (while digging in her brother's bag for the shared cell phone):  "Ew!  Is that your singlet?" running to the sink to wash her hands.

Jordan:  "Why do you always have to act so much like a girl?"

Kenzie:  "Because I could get cauliflower ear or something just from touching your singlet!"

Yes, she did say she could get cauliflower ear from touching his singlet.

She also commented to me later that, "I could get poisoning just from that smell, mom!  Grody!"

Life seems to have reached a sweet spot lately with the business.  I have brought in front desk help to relieve me some up front and it has been well worth it.   Now we are working to get a building of our own.  Always something to do.

Glad life with the business has slowed down because life with my children is speeding up...or rather, just requiring more of my focus and attention.  To be honest I always feel exhausted, emotionally exhausted that is.  I'm exhausted from constantly trying to decide which battles to fight and which battles to let lie.  Do I let my kids have a phone or make them share?  Now that Jordan's has an ipod do I let him have snapchat, instagram, twitter or do I limit those things? (The snapchat is gone through his own choice and he's a boy so the other two he doesn't care about.  Ha, after a few days of texting his friends he got bored with it! Of course, Kenzie won't be that way)  Do I talk to my daughter's performing arts teacher about her being the ONLY seventh grader in  the group and get her moved up a group or do I let it lie and teach Kenzie perseverance and patience and long term vision.  Do I fight with her about the leggings and tank tops she wears to school or just be glad she isn't wearing the short skirts and shorts that I see around?  Do I worry about the friendships they make or don't make?  Do I let them go to the movies with a group of kids their own age or do I chaperone them?

It's all these battles and more.

The hardest things about your children getting older is just learning to step back while still maintaining the appropriate amount of supervision.  The thinking and rethinking of this along with the battles you sometimes have to fight when you stand your ground is so mentally demanding.

And yet I still have the younger boys and with them it's different worries...are they getting enough of my time?  Do I tell them I love them enough?  Did I read enough with them?  Did I play enough with them?  Did they have a healthy enough dinner?

It's funny.  When I was in dental school we were friends with a couple named the Evans.  Dar, the dad, came from a family of 10 children.  One of the things I was always appalled by when he would talk of his childhood was when he would tell me that really in his family they never had a set bedtime.  That many times they would just fall asleep where ever and whenever in the house each night.

Funny how perspective changes when  you get to that stage of being so busy. Many are the times Jake falls asleep just like that.

I don't think it's because I'm being neglectful.  It's really just more the schedule we now are running with the teenagers.  I have a brother who is seven years younger than me.  He is five years younger than the youngest of us older four.  My mom always said Matt had a different childhood than we all did with mom chasing all of us teenagers around.  I can understand what she was trying to tell me now.

Speaking of my children I want to share my new favorite song before I sign off.  It is by One Republic.  I love it because I think every parent wants this for their child.  Here's the video and below are the lyrics:

Hoping you take that jump

But don't fear the fall
Hope when the water rises
You built a wall
Hoping the crowd screams out
Screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay
Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad
The only way you can know
Is give it all you have
And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain
Hope when the moment comes you say

I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
With every broken bone
I swear I lived

Hope that you spend your days
But they all add up
And when that sun goes down
Hope you raise your cup
I wish that I could witness
All your joy and all your pain
But until my moment comes
I'll say

I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
And things that I did
With every broken bone
I swear I lived