Full, full, full

Life is very full right now...

A very full weekend away with Joe to Spokane to entertain customers... a truly new experience for me... hockey game, peacock room, shopping, churchill's (3.5 hour dinner), the piano bar, breakfast alone with Joe (the only time we got to spend along together)... oh wait, I forgot about the 5.5 hour car ride there and back, big horn sheep, books on cd (ick... I prefer books on paper). Stopping at my new favorite eatery for a turkey sandwich and salsa tasting and few *treats* (turtles, anyone) for late night.

Watching my children *bloom* before my very eyes... 2 days away gives a Mama a whole new perspective... can they really grow that much, can their vocabulary mature, can their ideas change/reform, can they look at their mama in the grocery store when she reaches for their hand and simply smile and hold her hand.

With traveling with Joe came a better understanding of his time spent away from us.... I'll take teaching any day!

Looking ahead to this week... it's full! I have a list of places to be and projects to do, the kids have their schedules and Joe has his... it's full, it's our family...

love

Have a happy, orangy kind of day!

What to do...

Baby girl has a sore throat.

She has a cough.

She does not have a fever.

She plays at home, wrestles with the dog and her brothers.

She called me twice from school yesterday... "I'm sick."

My response... "I can come and get you so that you can take a nap or you can participate in school... your choice."

She chose to stay at school.

This morning... no fever, froggy throat... I told her she could stay home in.her.bed.

She was in her bed, until I got back from the bus stop... she thought she could rest on the couch and watch a show.

{NO}... "I'm sorry, you're sick. Back to bed you go."

Called the school... informed them that she would be in bed... "sick"... they all chuckled... I think that means I'm a good mom in their eyes!

A gift...

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."
~Desmond Tutu


Baby Girl with her baby cousin... so precious to finally have another girl in the family.

Praying...

Praying for a friend... a friend that I don't know in real life, but someone I realized I've become attached too.

Joanne Heim suffered a stroke yesterday morning... she's young, she's vibrant, she's full of life and now she and her family wait...

I'm a little shocked by my feelings, so I'm praying... specifically Psalm 46 (which the family has requested).

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. [1] A Song.

46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present [2] help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Practice

Baby Girl had a meltdown... "I'm not good at basketball... I can't dribble..." in all of the 7-year-old drama she could muster.

I had a split second to decide how to respond... I decided to respond with a lesson; which in turn gave me a lesson (doesn't it always work out that way?)

We talked about how she could get better... {PRACTICE}

We came up with a plan... {10 minutes each day}

I involved her brothers... {you will each work with her on different days and you will MAKE IT FUN}

I was so impressed with her first lesson... {Pepe did an amazing job and since Phinneous saw his example, he is on board as well.}

My lessson:

• I have many things in my life that I feel I can't do right now... hmmm... {PRACTICE}
• Everything doesn't have to be sooo painful {MAKE IT FUN}
• It won't happen instantly... {PLAN, TAKE IT SLOWLY}

So, today I will {PRACTICE}... love, patience & new routines.

Wordless Wednesday

{Ha... me without words}

Have you giggled today? Watching these girls get up on this mat brought LOTS of giggles... especially watching Baby Girl hoist everyone else up and then figure out how she would get up on the mountain of mats too. What I saw was the most determination and fight I've seen in a 7-year-old. She assessed the situation and DID.NOT.GIVE.UP until she had achieved her goal. Definitely a lesson for me to live by!

And the joy continued...

All three cuties in front of the tree in their new Christmas pjs.

Jeep was surprised with his new blanket and squirrel!

Baby Girl received zhu zhu pets... she'd been wanting them for a long time and big-brother gave them to her!

Pepe was excited about his huge lego set (which he has already put together and loves).

Phinneous admiring his new silly bandz... he really liked his new glove and ball (that measures how fast he throws).

It was a wonderful time together as a family... not too much stuff, but enough to make everyone feel special!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...

We spent Christmas eve with very good friends and their family... friends that we have had since Joe and I began dating... in fact Joe goes back even farther with them. It is a friendship in which you help each other out, compliment each other, appreciate each other... it's incredible.

I lost count at how many people we celebrated with... kids opening presents... my kids opened their Christmas eve pjs... loved watching the excitement and the embarrassment (I guess when you're a 5th grader it's weird to open pjs in front of people.)




And then we headed home...

And what to our wondering eyes had appeared... I do believe Santa had been to our house while we were gone...


They were excited, surprised... they opened half of their gifts and then chose to save the rest for morning... it was pleasant and nice and exciting and a joy to watch my children so happy.

To be continued...