Summer updates

Summer stuff.....so far......

Ethan is:
*on his own time (like at swim lessons where he won't get in the water until he's ready....then when he gets in and our teacher tries to help him, he gets right back out...can we say "I'll do it my way"?!)
*POTTY-TRAINED! (we fully expected this little adventure to last the whole summer....but it took only a few days - see * #1)
*playing T-ball (or at least "learning" T-ball fundamentals - or at least attending T-ball fundamentals) :)

Addison is:
*now FIVE (5) - holy moly - she partied it up for at least a week ("since I'm the birthday girl...")
*loving everything girly and pink
*so excited about kindergarten (except that she told me she didn't want to go to K when she found out she had to get FOUR shots)
*enjoying swim lessons (although she does NOT want to put her face in the water)

We are working on some landscaping projects. And now that we actually have time to work on it, of course it is in the 90s and no rain in sight.

Tomorrow we will enjoy the zoo with some friends. And we've been enjoying "Yo Yo's" lots! (the new frozen yogurt place close by....so yummy!)

Enjoy your own moments!

There is a reason

It's over. Another year of teaching. What a long, trying year. This year full of both personal and professional trials. There were even recent times where I felt totally defeated.

And then came the last day of school. Started off by 3 girls who made a gift basket for me complete with cookies, a necklace, and Bath and Body Works goodies, along with a note that read "thanks for being a great teacher! We love you!" The rest of the day was tiring, but satisfying. Students who you think couldn't care less offering up a sincere thanks for teaching them well. I have to say, after 180 days of complete exhaustion, career questioning, tears, sighs.....I am reminded:

There is a reason I do what I do.

A reminder that following God's will and doing HIS work really does make a difference.

So, dear God, I pray I don't let you down!

Be blessed.

I wonder

I remember reading a few articles in which family members who had lost a loved one said how they felt about not having that person around anymore. And I wondered "what will that feel like?" I remember one quote: "I think of my dad every day."

How true.

I do think of my dad. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes it is with tears and a deep longing for him to come walking through the door and grabbing the kids for a big hug. Sometimes it is with laughter as I picture him laughing at something we've said or done (last night I literally giggled out loud because I could just see Dad laughing at something Brad had done earlier in the evening). Sometimes it is with pride as I imagine what his reaction would be to an accomplishment achieved by one of his precious family members.

Mostly I just miss him. But I am forever thankful that what I have to fill that void is a vast array of amazing memories and nothing but a blessed full life.

*grrr

The "strong man" post I just did is bothering me. I had spaces between paragraphs that will not show up. I'm not sure what's wrong. But....they were thoughts I needed to write, so you, the reader, have to deal with the one large paragraph (unless blogger decides to put all the spaces in).

Strong man

My cousin just said "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord." I couldn't agree more. We are at day 7 of "waiting up on the Lord." Dad took a major turn downhill last weekend. There were several moments this week we didn't think he would make it through the night. But he did. Again. And again. We are all at such a peace with the situation. We've told Dad it's okay to go. We've encouraged him to enter Heaven's gates. I NEVER imagined telling one of my loved ones that it's okay to go. But I also never experienced such a great peace. This peace that surpasses all understanding. This peace that can only come from the Lord. And so we gain strength. We wonder what is left to learn. And I suppose maybe we'll never know. And maybe we will. Rest in the Lord. If you don't really know Him, I encourage you to. This peace and love is only from God and I can't imagine what this would be like without HIM.

Trials

Funny how we begin a sermon series at church about James, and suddenly life hands you a full deck of trials.

I started getting sick Wednesday night. Just achy and blah. Thursday, due to said blahness, I locked my keys in my car at work, but didn't realize it until the day was over. Thankfully two co-workers who live near me were both in the parking lot still, so I was able to get a ride home. On the way home, my babysitter calls and Ethan is having some issues. I called the doctor, but it was too late in the day to get him in. My co-worker dropped me at my babysitter's house, where Brad picked all of us up. We went home to find NO spare car key for my car. :( So while Brad took Ethan to the clinic, my cousin (thank goodness she was home) took Addie and I back to my school to meet the locksmith. We were all glad to see the bed after that crazy night.

Friday proved to move Ethan and I deeper into illness. It's so hard being the mom at times like this! I'm pretty sure I had a fever when I took him to the pediatrician, and I was miserable, but God got us through!

We've just been chilling out all weekend trying to get better. I finally got medicine today. And I am so thankful for the day off tomorrow. Brad has been AMAZING taking care of everyone! Addie has been able to stay healthy so far - and she got to spends LOTS of time with Grandma and Grandpa this weekend.

Which brings me to my next bummer: my uncle and cousin were in this weekend from out of state to visit with my dad. They are some of my closest family members and I cherish every moment with them. But, I didn't get to spend any time with them. :( It's been so hard having to stay away from Mom and Dad's house, but at least they all had some good quality time together this weekend.

Here's to a better week.

Be blessed.

Ahhh...Friday!

We decided to stay in tonight, although we did order out and treat ourselves to some Friday night pizza. After pizza, we played a family game of CandyLand. Ethan won!! :) (although he tried to move daddy's piece as a joke several times.....and then said "daddy, when we're done with this game, can we go shoot hoops?!") Love that boy!

Addie wanted to start working on her valentine's for school. She got about half of them "addressed" and then it was on to other things. This experience tested my patience for sure. :)

I played in a students vs. staff basketball game today at school. We raised money for heart disease. I wanted to be a cheerleader, but was told they needed more female staff to play, so I needed to play. Oh my, I so cheered in high school for a reason. And I have a whole new appreciation for basketball players. Holy moly. I was pooped. We'll see how sore I am in the morning. :)

Bring on the weekend...

February 6th thoughts...

I'm really not sure if more than 3 people read this. But, whatever. It's an outlet sometimes, so I shall write. :)

About the kids:
Addison attended a birthday party this weekend. She came home with a pink butterfly face painting that covered her entire face and flowers painted up and down both arms. She looked pretty darn cute, but it also made me realize that she's growing up. Fast! She also had a TON of sugar. We're talking way more than typical 5-yr-old party fare. We definitely had a little talk about self-control. :)

Ethan continues to make us laugh. He is just so funny. He comes up with the most hilarious things to say and do at the most random times.

About life:
We started studying the book of James at church this morning. One major point that stuck out for me was "God wants to shape our character so that we grow up to maturity in faith by working through...life circumstances." How true. How appropriate to hear at this time in our lives. I've been trying to be more diligent about digging in to the Word, and it has struck me in the past couple of weeks how much more spiritually mature I could be. I feel like I was living on the faith that I had grown up with and developed along the way, but had sort of hit a rut. I let my life get so busy and filled up with little things that really didn't help me grow spiritually. So now I'm trying to be better at filling my life with God.

Please continue to pray for Dad - for a miracle. Praise Him for good days we've been able to spend with Dad recently, and definitely for all the good times we've always had with Dad. Pray for Mom - for strength, comfort, peace. Thanks for my aunt, who is giving so selflessly of her own time to help take care of Dad and the house, etc. And many Thanks for all the people who are giving of their time, talents, and touch. We are so blessed. (you can check out their blog for a daily update - my mom is so good about that)

Be blessed.

Whew

The past month of my life has been a whirlwind. Staying "on top of things" is next to impossible. Full-time teaching, full-time parenting, full-time daughtering... (yes, that's a word for now!) We started a new checklist system to try and get more of the little things accomplished. It is motivating (I'll share more about that another day), but this week has been so busy that only 2 things have gotten checked off the list. However...semester grades were turned in today, so that is a huge load off my back.

Please continue praying for our family. Dad is doing okay - he has good days and not so good days. But I am encouraged every time I visit because he is more himself these days...cracking jokes and having a great spirit. Mom is amazing - she takes such good care of him and the strength God gives her is amazing.

My friends are soooooo great! Little messages from various people remind me that we are truly loved and so blessed. So many people willing to help in any way possible - and I know they mean it.

I'll leave you with the verse I chose to memorize for our women's ministry Scripture challenge:
"The Lord longs to be gracious to you; The Lord waits on high to have compassion on you. The Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." ~Isaiah 30:18

Thank you!

To all the nurses and doctors who work on holidays: THANK YOU!

Quote

"Wherever you go, GOD is already there."

I saw this on an ornament tonight and I loved the saying. I think I may go back tomorrow and buy the ornament.

Emotions

So I've had a few really decent days. Today, I must admit I've been a little emotional. It probably doesn't help that one co-worker chose to tell me sort of a "bad" cancer story. Really? It didn't sit well with me.

Then, I received text messages from two different people saying they were thinking of me and praying for me. And in the morning, a teacher friend brought me a Starbucks peppermint mocha (YUM!) and a gift. God is so good - He knows just what we need.

Please be praying for Dad. They are still unable to locate the source of the cancer and therefore cannot properly treat it. He is scheduled for surgery next week to basically do a biopsy of the larger mass. The bad part is this surgery is going to be pretty invasive. He will be in the hospital at least one night if not two. But it's a necessary surgery to hopefully start providing some answers, and ultimately, relief of some of the pain.

***

Now, let me talk about my kids - this is usually a pick-me-up. :)

Last night, I was rushing Addie to get in the car because I was freezing. (and tired) She said, "but Mommy, I'm trying to catch a snowflake on my tongue!" I literally stopped in my tracks. To look at the world through a child's eyes! I immediately joined her in our quest to catch the intermittent snowflake on our tongue. What a great reminder from an innocent mind - take time to stop and see what's right in front of you!

May you catch on snowflake on your tongue and giggle like a toddler!

The 6-letter word

I had a catchy way of writing this post about 3 days ago. Now that I'm finally sitting down to the computer, I have no words.

When someone is sick, we take it for granted that we can go to the doctor, get some medicine, and be better in 3-10 days. Then, there's the c-word. It has six letters, and whenever we hear it, it throws us for a loop. It was the 6-letter c-word that we heard a little over a week ago regarding my dad. For those 3 of you who occasionally check this blog, you can find out the details at my mom's blog to the right ("Mom and Dad"). I don't have the patience and time right now to make a formal link within this text. :)

Some days I think I will use this blog to share some of me feelings. Other days I am realistic and know that it's quite possible that I will not update very frequently.

I said on facebook this weekend that we were able to spend some quality time with my brother and his family for my niece's birthday party. We are so blessed. God is good. Someone said it was amazing I "could still praise God." This kind of took me by surprise. I don't feel like it's a matter of "still praising God." If you were in my position and felt the hand of God on my family and felt the strong covering of prayer that we feel....only God can give you peace and strength and comfort and unconditional love in times like this. Times when we adjust to a new "normal" (after being so used to calling on Dad to do whatever). I truly have an amazing family, and only God can take credit for that. We are so incredibly blessed. God truly is so good.

It's been a while...

Not sure if anyone is even checking this blog anymore....but now that it's summer I feel like I want to maybe write a few times...we'll see.

Addison just turned 4. Holy moly. It's been an emotional roller coaster the past few days - for example, on her birthday when she woke up, I said, "Happy Birthday!" She replied, "Am I 4 now?" Me: "Yes!" Addie looks down at herself and starts crying, "But I'm not taller."

At 4 Addison loves:
*ice cream
*lemonade
*dancing
*all things princess
*puzzles
*dresses

And she is not fond of:
*food all mixed together (with the exception of most salads and tacos)
*cars going too fast anywhere near her
*loud noises (other than her own mouth)
*the Chic-Fil-A cow at the mall

Ethan is hilarious. He makes us laugh so much. At 2.7 he loves:
*balls
*telling jokes
*singing
*playing guitar (pretend as of now)
*pizza
*quesadillas

He is not so fond of:
*his sister telling him what to do
*vegetables
*the idea of potty training
*change

Have a blessed day!

The Importance of Love

We visited with friends the other day. While the visit was good, it was also quite sad. One of our friend's days on this earth are extremely limited.

On the way home, I was overwhelmed by what seems like such a simple truth: You can never spend too much time with the people you love.

Next time I begin to think, "should we really bother that person again?" I will reevaluate my thoughts and be thankful that I get to "bother" that person again.

Blessings.

The deep freeze

My camera is sitting here waiting to be plugged in so the completely full memory card can be downloaded. Sorry, once again, no pictures. Apparently I've chosen to spend my time reading other blogs than downloading pictures. Oops. :)

I'm just rejoicing in the new additions to a few of my friends. So exciting for them!

Ethan is finally walking. Just tonight he's decided to do it more often than crawling. Maybe we can finally move him up to the toddler nursery on Sunday. He might like it better in there?! (he begins getting upset when we open the church doors...as soon as we walk through the Kid City doors, he starts crying...he does eventually settle down after we drop him off, but we always sit near the back in case our number comes up on the screen to go get him.)

He is a funny kid. Very clingy, especially with his momma, but it's all good. He makes funny faces and loves to giggle. He is getting irritated at his sister because she knows how to push his buttons. (and this is only the beginning...)

Addison is getting more and more ornary. She's really maturing these days and just seems to know "stuff." It's crazy. For instance, the other night I was trying to get her jammies on her. She would not cooperate with me whatsoever. I was trying so hard to remain calm and enjoy her sense of humor. I was trying to get her to stand so I could zip her jammies up. She was trying to lay down. So she made her whole body limp and was pushing against me trying to stand her up. Then she started giggling. When she proclaimed, "yee-haw" I lost it. Totally had to laugh at that point. Even now I'm laughing just thinking about it.

Some random Addie facts: she loves sandwiches, she sleeps in a "big girl bed" now (really a day-bed because she has a convertible crib), and she actually went pee in the potty last night (okay, so not at all today, but we'll take baby steps!).

I just realized my post title has nothing to do with my post, but you can deal! :) Just know that it's incredibly cold!! :)

Blessings.

Christmas time updates

If there is anyone out there still checking our blog, here is a new post just for you! :)

*We have been spoiled with presents. And we still have one more day of Christmas gatherings tomorrow. I already filled 3 bags with some "outgoing" toys in order to make room for the new stuff (just don't tell the kids). :)

*Christmas has been great. We've had some fabulous family time with people from both sides of the family. It's been wonderful. My brother, sis-in-law, and adorable niece were here for 3 days so we spent tons of time with them. Addie just loves her cousin. She gives Ava hugs all the time and is very motherly with her (though she is only 18 months older).

*Ethan is still not walking. The most steps he's taken in a row by himself is 3. But he'll get there. He is just in no rush. He'd rather climb and roll and crawl. He has a very fun-loving personality. And he loves to eat.

*Addison is maturing more every day. She talks so well. We just switched our TV and internet provider today and she was playing the xylophone for and telling stories to our technician. So cute. She's very meticulous and stubborn, but oh so cute and sweet. And she gives the best hugs!

*We are excited to be on break for a while. I definitely needed a rejuvenating period to prepare for the long haul before spring break. Brad is enjoying our new TV with tons of stations and movies to watch! He's been going crazy as we haven't watched many movies since the kids were born.

*One of my dearest friends, Jenn, is leaving for an 11-month mission trip next week. We were able to get all of us together last weekend and it was only when she was ready to walk out the door that we both realized this would probably be the last time we saw each other for almost a year. As hard as it was to say goodbye for now, I must say that I know without a doubt that she is following God's will, and I so respect her for that. I ask for your prayers for Jenn as she embarks on this journey, trusting fully in the Lord for provision and guidance. She is an amazing woman. Jenn, if you read this, I love you!!

Thanks for reading. God Bless!!

My current favorite sound

My kids laughing...together. :)

Ethan turns one!

I'm smiling so big looking at these pictures. Our precious little boy is so adorable. And he was sooo fun to watch eating his "pupcake" (addie's term). Addie just picked at hers last year, but Ethan dove into his. So fun.

The first picture was the infamous teddy bear picture. Last one. I only did them for the first year for each child. I didn't think we'd make it through this one. He's only laughing because he kept trying to climb off the couch, so I would all but throw him in the corner spot, snap the picture, and catch him before he fell off the couch. All in the name of a good picture. And I was determined to do the picture at that moment because he was so happy having just gotten up from a long nap. But no one else was home to help me. But alas...tmi.

I'm tired.

Brad is supervising a football game tonight. I took the kids over to his school for a while after dinner so we could see everyone and get some nice fresh air. I was trying to get Addie to say "go, _____" (their mascot), but when I said "go..." she said, "Irish!" :) Beth, our babsitter and her husband are huge ND fans. Guess they've been working on cheers during circle time?! :)

Seriously no energy to write. So, that's it for now. At least you got pictures of the cutest little 1-yr-old in the world! :)

Overheard

On the way to the store today, Addie playing: "This little piggy went to Walmart..."

Maybe we go to walmart a bit too often?! :)

Hope to post more soon. Ethan's birthday party was so fun and he was hilarious. Loved his cake and his hand-crocheted (sp?) baseball from my aunt and his wooden firetruck (homemade with great love from his "GGpa"). Pics soon, I hope.

Love to all! Go with God!