Celebrations

It was a big weekend at our house. We celebrated some birthdays. We had a lovely, very fun birthday dinner at my parent's house to celebrate Kirby's birthday, Sara's birthday and Allie's birthday. I won't give away everyone's ages, but combined they turned 92 . . . which is OLD!

Happy, happy birthday to 3 of my favorite people on the planet. My amazing husband, my sweet baby girl and my what-would-I-do-without-her best friend/sister. I am so very thankful for each of them. They are such blessings in my life, and the lives of so many others as well.

sister love

We don't get to all spend enough time together, so we enjoyed every minute of our Saturday together celebrating!

the birthday "kids"

R & R

Kirby doesn't travel for work too often, but we are just on the heels of him having been gone for 13 days straight. That makes for a long solo parenting stint, so we (and by we, I mean HE) worked it out so that I could join him for a few days in the middle of this trip. I flew from chilly MSP in Minnesota to Phoenix, Arizona (a treat for any Minnesotan by the time late-February rolls around) where we stayed for 1 day before settling in to our rental car for the drive to the Palm Springs area of California. We stayed with a UNW donor in her home (where we have been before -- me once and Kirb a few more times than that). We spent much of our time with her, but had some time alone as well.

We got to experience (again) a walk through the life of Jesus. It is a garden walk with beautiful sculptures depicting important scenes from Jesus' life. The experience was made even more meaningful by the fact that it was Lent. More about the experience can be found here.

The first night of my part of the trip I fell asleep at 7:14 pm (according to my Fitbit) and slept for more than 10 hours. I guess parenting 6 kids without your partner for 6 days through 5 play performances, 2 sporting events, 2 doctor appointment, kindergarten round-up and 3 musical concerts (yup, all that in 6 days) will wear you out. The extra sleep was exactly what I needed to enjoy the rest of my time (and I continued to bank nearly 9 hours of sleep each night for the remainder of my trip. Sleep is one of my favorite love languages!)

We had a wonderful time of rest, relaxation, sunshine, hikes, runs, palm trees, mountains, coffee and reading. I headed back home on Wednesday (after having arrived on Sunday) where I picked up where I had left off with the kiddos until we were ALL home together again a few days later. The kids were all so happy to have their dad back home. He is a very major part of their day to day lives (putting them to bed, praying with them, reading to them, cooking dinner, being their rock), so he was greatly missed. They missed me too, but I wasn't gone as long as he was, so his homecoming was highly anticipated!

I am so thankful for my parents and their willingness to take care of the kids so that I could get away for a few days. I am also thankful for our "village" that helped me out while Kirb was gone and were waiting in the wings in case anything came up, while my parents were staying here, that required a bit of reinforcement (thankfully they managed just fine without needing any reinforcements!).

The sunshine and warmth we banked will help us make it through the last cold stretch of winter until spring is here to stay!

Even though I am not much of a traveller, I had a great time away and enjoyed the time with my favorite person in the world (and away from 6 of my other favorite -- shorter -- people!). Even this non-traveller can benefit from a bit of away-from-home R&R from time to time!

19

Yesterday was our 19th wedding anniversary. 19 years. That's nearly half my life at this point. It seems, simultaneously, that we have always been married and that it was just the other day that we were walking down the isle. Time is strange like that so much of the time! I can't imagine a person I would rather travel the journey of life with that my husband. We are a great team! We have a great time together and compliment each other well. He loves me way better than I deserve and is so patient. I am constantly grateful for the immense blessing he is in my life and in the life of our family. He rocks! (also, I think he's pretty darn cute!)

This particular anniversary, as it turns out, we were face to face with a few of the less favorable phrases from our nearly two-decade-old vows :: "in sickness" and "for worse". I have probably, in retrospect, not felt great for a few weeks now, but life is pretty busy in September so I just kept moving forward. Well, life also has a way of stopping you in your tracks when you've gotten to a certain point. Early yesterday afternoon I developed a headache. Not totally uncommon for me, although not normal either. I did my normal "headache stuff" and nothing seemed to help at all -- in fact it kept getting worse. Then I took a couple ibuprofen (which I don't normally do or need to do, but this was quite a headache!) and still it just kept getting worse. Monday nights, as it turns out, all 6 kids have activities. 3 with gymnastics, 2 with  football and 1 at tennis. It is the one night of the week that is always crazy. Well, by the time we needed to start shuttling kids to and from stuff, I didn't feel like I could safely operate a motorized vehicle. I had extreme pain and was feeling dizzy/weird. So I crawled in our bed about 5 pm. I got up to eat a little something at some point and finally to brush my teeth and change out of my clothes before going to bed "for real" for the night. I woke up this morning after more than 12 hours of sleep (I slept pretty well, thankfully), but still had some pretty serious pain in my head. The dizziness was gone, but had been replaced by a weird fuzzy/out-of-body feeling that was so strange -- similar to the feeling you have when you arrive home from somewhere in your car and can't exactly remember how you got home; you can't remember the streets you drove on, or the route you took, or the time in between when you left point A to drive to point B. I think most people have experienced that and know what I'm talking about. I knew that I had walked the kids to school and had conversations with a few people, but didn't really remember or register fully any of the morning. So, I called my chiropractor and scheduled an appointment for late morning. I went and he worked on my and said my neck and upper back were a really big mess of tension and misalignment. He said that he thought I should start to feel better soon and that if I woke up tomorrow still in pain, I should come back. He's a great guy and I'm thankful for him. The pain has lessened already, but the other weird feelings are still sticking around. I'm hoping to be clear-headed before the kids get home from school.

This 19th year of marriage has probably been the toughest one we've had, not on the marriage front particularly, just the general life kind of stuff has been stretching, to put it mildly. It's also been wonderful, with lots of blessings and laughter and fun. But it hasn't been easy! I'm hoping for a re-do on anniversary celebrating later this week, headache-free and am also hopeful that one of these days (weeks, months . . .) things will take a turn for us and we can quit holding our breath and finally breathe a little easier around here.

Here's to a great 20th year of marriage. I would be a disaster without this guy by my side! I am so thankful for him and that he loves me! What a blessing.

Wonderful Experience

I am currently tagging along on a work trip with Kirb. In California. Where it is currently about 70 and sunny! What a huge blessing. It's been more than 4 years since the last time we got away together (although my parents graciously swap houses -- and our kids stay with our house! -- with us each fall for a night or two around our anniversary). Plus, it's been a horrendous, cold, snowy, LONG winter and so some California sunshine is so very wonderful. While here, I have spent a little time "working" with Kirbs (meeting with donors), some time in the car, a little time by myself while he works and a little time together with him enjoying the MUCH nicer weather than what we've had at home this winter. Tomorrow starts our roughly 48 hours of pure vacation with no work commitments at all. Whoo hoo!

While in the Palm Springs area, we stayed with a wonderful lady that Kirby knows from work. We spent about 36 hours enjoying her hospitality and spending time with her and in her town. She took us to breakfast at this lovely restaurant on Saturday morning (not too early -- plenty of time for a mountain-view, outdoor (without layers of clothing), 7+ mile run to build up a good appetite!). There was outdoor seating in a fabulous setting (any good Minnesotan who has the chance to eat breakfast outside in the month of March in a place where the sun is shining and the food doesn't instantly freeze, better take the opportunity whenever they can!). We ate our delicious breakfast, looked around in the gift shop attached to the restaurant, which is mainly based around dates -- of all things -- since the restaurant is located in the middle of a date farm. I got quite the education on dates. SO very interesting! (really!). We noticed, while enjoying our breakfast, that there was a large fenced in area, labeled as "The Walk", behind the outside dining area. Nancy said she didn't know too much about it, as she'd never been back there. She didn't want to go after breakfast, because she had not brought along her sun hat. But we were intrigued.

We had a little down time in the afternoon and decided to go back and check it out.

I should really back up a bit . . . I was asked a few weeks ago to be a part of a collaboration surrounding Holy Week. Visual artists and authors from our area were asked to be a part of a "Stations of the Cross" exhibit to go along with our church's annual art show that we host each spring. I was honored (with a HUGE dose of intimidated and filled with anxiety!) to have been asked to be one of the visual artists! Yikes! I was collaborating on a significant, deeply meaningful project with some SERIOUSLY talented (and did I mentional, professional?) artists that I have major respect for and in whose artistic company I would never put myself in a million years! Yikes! (did I say that already?)

Anyway, I got the feeling this "Walk" was along the same lines as the stations of the cross and was hoping I might find a little inspiration for my part in the project (my piece is due at the end of this month. That's just over a week from now . . . cue mild -- or not so mild! -- panic!) It was, in it's most basic description, a visual walk through the life of Jesus. There were 15 stops along the way, each containing a sculpture and a verse of Scripture. Each "station" had a beautiful, meaningful natural backdrop that mirrored the life event in the life of Jesus. There was also a brochure that they gave you when you entered that showed a photo of each sculpture with a longer passage of scripture to go with each, as well as a commentary on the scene. 

It was such a meaningful experience and I'm so thankful we had (and took) the time to do it. I am thankful that the Lord lead me to this experience to help me gain confidence (a little, anyway) for this lofty project I have been asked to do. If Nancy had suggested a different place for breakfast, I never would have had this particular experience (woudn't have even known it existed). If I hadn't had the blessing (HUGE blessing) of tagging along on this trip with Kirby, I never would have had this particular experience. If we would have not had some down time in our day while we were there, I never would have had this particular experience. I love how everything worked together to give me the opportunity for this extra insight and chance to be freshly reminded, in a new way, of the life and death of Christ. That's so like God to bring all those circumstances together! I am thankful.

Check out the website (linked above) and if you are ever in the Palms Springs area of California, check it out in person. You will be glad that you did! Also, if you're local to the Twin Cities, come check out our church's art show and Stations of the Cross exhibit this April.(and don't be too critical a certain, timid "artist" that will try her best to represent visually, in a meaningful way, what her Lord and Savior went through in the Garden of Gethsemane.)

Now I'm off to enjoy the last couple days of vacation! I think I will read a book while enjoying the poolside sunshine! (My apologies if you are somewhere where it is cold and snowy today . . . I feel your pain. Just not actually right at this very moment!)

On a related note, I could never, ever live in the Palm Springs area, where we spent the first two days of our trip (my trip anyway, Kirb spent a few days working in Phoenix before I arrived). I thoroughly enjoyed it and am so thankful for my time there. Truth is, although I find the mountains glorious, full of spendor and beauty, they kind of freak me out. (Maybe more than 'kind of'). If I did a 360 degree circle and looked toward the horizon, I could probably have seen mountians on the horizon (and often pretty much RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME) about 300 of those 360 degrees. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel a bit panicy and claustrophobic. I felt a bit trapped. "What if we needed to leave?" I asked Kirb. "That doesn't make you feel panicky that we're surrounded by mountians on pretty much every side?" He assured me it didn't and we shouldn't have to flee quickly in the next 48 hours and I should just enjoy the beauty. Easy for him to say! Mr. Matthew-6-who-never-ever-worries-about-anything! Therein lies the beauty of marriage. It's my job to worry and it's his job to not. At all. Ever. (I'm not even kidding about this one.). Man, do I love that guy!

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude "Monday" post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's blog, which is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration to so many (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3833. Melting :: the sights and sounds
3834. forgiveness
3835. a clean microwave
3836. temps in the 40's with sun!
3837. a visit from Brie
3838. fresh snow stuck on everything :: SO beautiful! (can you spot the cross in our yard? Joey built that -- with a little help -- it was all his idea.)

3839. a major snow storm and no need to leave the house (our first legitimate SNOW day after 5 days of no school due to extreme cold so far this winter)

3840. Kirby's hard work for our family
3841. the boys watching Olympic hockey at the Hansen's on their snow day
3842. safe driving on nasty roads
3843. crafting with Kaaren
3844. book club night :: can't wait!
3845. neighbor family that shovels out the entire block :: we have the most fabulous neighbors! who does that these days, anyway? not too many people, I imagine!

3846. time with friends
3847. Qwirkle and LOTS of laughter
3848. packing meals for people in Rwanda on a Saturday morning with my parents and the Newmans :: 3 generations volunteering together.
3849. going to Sam's basketball game (and as a bonus, they won!)
3850. going for a run, despite the cold :: I always feel better once I've been running, even if it isn't so fun to actually be doing it (the HAVE DONE feeling is good, even when the DOING is tough!)
3851. lunch at my Grandma's
3852. the funny things Sara says
3853. real mail :: going out and coming in
3854. the library
3855. thoughts of summer :: kids all registered for camp



 May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Multitude Monday

Without any further delay, here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3691. another fever-free, seizure-free night for Sam
3692. no middle of the night phone calls
3693. tamiflu for Kirbs' influenza A
3694. pancakes
3695. warmer temps
3696. Sam home from the hospital and sleeping in his own bed
3697. outside running 3 days in a row (one day in capris, even!)
3698. naps
3699. a "new" Garmin (how I love hand-me-downs!)
3700. hanging out at GG's watching the original Parent Trap
3701. Refresh prayer night at church
3702. cleaning out closets
3703. an almond latte (bought with a gift card!)
3704. my favorite blanket
3705. sunshine and 40
3706. Sara's new ECFE class
3707. mother-daughter date with Anna
3708. book club night

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Gifts continuted

When last I left off with my gift-counting it was months and months ago and I was at #3214. I'm now at #3690. I won't list all 450+ for you, but just a recent hand-full. So, without any further delay, here's my continuing Multitude Monday (I realize it's not Monday. It's been a wonky sort of week. A little grace, please. Thank you!) post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3666. a mug of yummy chai on a cold morning (WELL below zero)
3667. a warm corn bag to pre-heat the bed before you get in
3669. brothers and sisters getting along
3671. kids excited at the news that winter break will be extended (well, except for the 2 that WEREN'T excited by that news)
3673. immunity and good health
3683. a new wallet that leads to purse clean-out and purging
3684. my selfless husband
3685. snuggling with Sam in his hospital bed and praying! Lots of praying!
3686. clean sheets
3690. morning call from Al with the hospital update :: a good night for Sam. no seizures and no fever. Praise God!

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Multitude Monday {double feature}

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3189. Mom's night at preschool

3190. Anna's bravery for her Kindergarten shots

3191. some great finds at the annual "garage sale" at our school

3192. a fabulous CSC banquet (one of my favorite nights of the year)

3193. my longest run ever (over 6 miles)

3194. 1st thru 4th grade talent show :: so entertaining!

3195. middle school open house with Rebekah

3196. my book club girls (what a blessing!)

3197. spring weather . . . finally!

3198. trampoline back up again in the yard

3199. clothes hanging on the line

3200. a really, really good book

3201. a freshly vacuumed house (thanks Mom!)

3202. a playdate for the 2 littles and a bit of time to myself

3203. the college-aged girl with her Bible and open journal on the table at Starbucks, writing away like crazy. 

3204. birds chirping outside the window during my early morning quiet time

3205. well-deserved good news for a dear friend

3206. powerful words

3207. 60's and sunshine

3208. Rebekah reading "Charlie and Lola" to Sara before school

3209. dinner at my parents

3210. chats with friends

3211. our basement filled with kids watching a movie on Saturday night

3212. a productive morning

3213. washing and packing up all the winter gear!

3214. 18 years today since he asked and I said yes

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3174. free Starbucks :: I ordered at the drive thru and when I got to the window the guy informed me that their computers were down, so they couldn't ring me up. They could still make my latte, they just had no way of charging me for it. How great is that?
3175. a new babysitting job for Bekah
3176. 1/2 way through Kirb work trip and no major problems
3177. Kirb getting back home safely
3178. parenting with a partner again :: so much easier as a team!
3179. listening to my kiddos perform :: Bekah singing and Jake on the trumpet
3180. a super fun night with TONS of friends at a girlfriends annual gathering with probably close to 100 other ladies (my once-a-year night when I stay out WAY, WAY past my bedtime)
3181. having my parents over for lunch
3182. a nap on a cold, gloomy Sunday afternoon (following my late night)
3183. hearing from the mom who drives Jacob to jazz band 2 mornings a month what a nice boy she thinks he is (who doesn't love hearing good things about their kids?)
3184. friends who give our kids rides to stuff
3185. a hearty conversation with a girlfriend about running :: it amazes me that I would actually choose to carry on a conversation about that particular topic at all!
3186. waking up to NO fresh snow on the ground for the first time in a lot of days :: there's still plenty of the white stuff on the ground, but no new snow overnight for once!
3187. cross things off my to-do list
3188. taking time to make some cards :: it had been a LONG time since I had done that. I almost forgot how much I like it!

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3153. our REI dividend arriving right when we needed new rain boots :: perfect timing!
3154. packing up
3155. the amazing, fabulous, genuine, caring, smart men that teach 5th grade at Falcon
3156. a great 3-day trip to the Audubon with Lydia's class
3157. such a nice group of 5th graders to spend 3 days with
3158. making the "Ort Hall of Fame" for the first time ever in Falcon Heights history (our group went 4 meals with ZERO food waste . . . our teachers and a few dads were more than willing to "take one for the team" a time or two and clean up some trays, I'm sure)
3159. seeing kids challenge themselves, even when they're a bit scared :: at the end they are so glad they did it
3160. watching the kids genuinely encourage each other, even kids who aren't friends with each other
3161. the 4 fabulous girls I had the pleasure of bunking up with
3162. learning to use a compass ("Put Red in the Shed and follow Fred")
3163. being home again
3164. Face Time
3165. sunshine
3166. snuggles with Joe who was home sick from church
3167. getting in a run between rain showers
3168. a friend of mine drove by me when I was out running, slowed WAY down, opened her window and starting singing "Hey Shana, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind. Hey Shana!" Made that last mile or so MUCH more fun and a bit less painful!
3169. my dad pitching in to help when I needed hand
3170. Joe's quick recovery
3171. a good nights sleep
3172. chirping birds
3173. our washer and dryer

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Well, my parent's 42nd year of marriage started out not as uneventful as we would have hoped. The abbreviated version is that my mom thought she had the stomach flu last week (my dad was out of town), but I finally convinced her to let me take her to the hospital where she was admitted, "vacationed" for 5 days, had an obstruction surgically cleared from her abdomen and had her appendix removed. She is home now and is recovering and hoping and praying for no more hospital stays or surgeries EVER. Praise God it all turned out ok in the end.

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3030. 41 years of marriage for my parents
3031. summer planning -- it WILL come someday, right?
3032. morning phone calls from Al -- a great way to start the day
3033. folding clothes, still warm from the dryer, on a bitter cold winter's day
3034. chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips -- a favorite of mine!
3035. good advice from a smart friend
3036. getting my mom to the hospital before things progressed any further
3037. great medical care
3038. caring, loving, praying friends
3039. cell phones
3040. my wonderful, flexible, sacrificial husband
3041. nurses :: I sure couldn't do that job, and they do it SO well!
3042. ear buds that don't fall out . . . FINALLY!
3043. a good run :: sunshine, warm temps, paths free of ice and snow (although I did have to dodge a few puddles) and faster times
3044. a great retirement celebration for our senior pastor who has faithfully served our church for the past 23 years!
3045. my mom being home again after 5 days in the hospital
3046. my nephew's preschool program -- a bright spot in a not-so-bright day!
3047. when the kids play well together
3048. a visit from my aunt and cousin from Massachusetts -- so wonderful to see them!

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3016. fresh snow crunching under your feet
3017. book club :: love my book club girls!
3018. praying together with my friends for the sister of one of our dear friends who has cancer
3019. my Bible study :: such a blessing all around. the people. the study. the treats! love it!
3020. heart-shaped pancakes for Valentine's Day dinner
3021. our 22nd Valentine's Day spent together
3022. date night
3023. Chatterbox Pub
3024. an almond chai smoothie from Tea Garden {about as close to heaven as you can get . . . it had been SO long since I'd had one}
3025. Valentine lunch at my parent's house

pink ladies at our Valentine's lunch

3026. state swim meet at the U of M
3027. a relaxing, long weekend without much to do
3028. fresh haircuts for the boys {well, Joe and Kirb . . . Jake refuses!}
3029. good wrist check-up for Bekah, she can pretty much start doing everything again

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2795. my Bible study girls
2796. lots of crafting
2797. Pandora
2798. mother-daughter time with my mom
2799. Beka's generous donation of 13 inches of gorgeous curls to make a wig for a cancer patient ::

 
 
2800. celebrating a life well-lived, although much too short
2801. coupons
2802. Anna practicing her piano lesson
2803. my bestie home safely from a 15-day work trip to Asia and back with her family
2804. a fresh-looking and less-shaggy 13-year-old after a much-needed haircut
2805. our thankful tree from my mom
2806. a winter-ready garage
2807. beautiful weather well into November :: not something to be taken for granted as a Minnesotan
2808. my husband's servant heart
2809. clean sheets
2810. hanging laundry on the line in late November without even getting numb fingers
2811. sunshine
2812. Jeff :: the girl's soccer coach
2813. a fun second-grade concert

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2778. hope
2779. wrinkly baby foreheads peeking over shoulders :: I can hardly stand it!
2780. how the grain of wood looks after soaking up a bit of stain :: so beautiful
2781. the great energy in church on Sunday
2782. answered prayer
2783. Evelyn home again, after spending the week in the hospital
2784. seeing Clarence back at church on Sunday
2785. tear-inducing laughter with friends
2786. determination and dedication
2787. light at the end of the tunnel
2788. my hard-working, dedicated husband and his amazing {God-given} leadership skills
2789. encouragement and affirmation from others
2790. game night with girlfriends. Boxers or Briefs :: such and fun and funny game!
2791. a great 6.23K with Kirb and the 3 big kids. great way to start off a Saturday. {Jacob finished WAY quicker than I expected him to and Kirb -- who doesn't run and hasn't been training  and running for a year and was wearing JEANS for crying out loud! -- was ahead of me nearly the whole race, although I beat him in the end. My bitterness and jealousy get a bit of a break due to the fact that he is still ache-y 2 days later, whereas I feel just fine, and have since I stepped out of the shower. So extra proud of my boys! The girls had a great time too, and Lydia has declared her desire to run lots more 5Ks with me.}

2792. new, updated pictures of Melvin in the mailbox
2793. Sara Groves. Live!
2794. waking up to our first dusting of snow

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2760. starting the day off in the pool swimming laps {not so hard on the knees and hips}
2761. crafting success following a failed attempt
2762. the excitement and joy of cousins being reunited
2763. thrifting with my niece and sister-in-law
2764. getting into bed after a long day :: good and tired
2765. compliments from strangers
2766. morning in Buffalo with my mom and the little girls
2767. inspiration
2768. celebrating a friends 40th
2769. safe travels for a friend {now praying she gets home as smoothly and safely in a couple weeks}
2770. creating
2771. beautiful fall days
2772. the delicious dinner for 13 Kirb made the other night
2773. nap time
2774. the thrift store
2775. our church
2776. long, warm showers
2777. an extra hour {theoretically to be spent sleeping, but that doesn't usually work out so well when young kids are in the house -- but I'll take the extra hour, even if I can't enjoy any extra sleep}

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

40 + 2

It's been a big week around here.

This guy turned 40 ::

And this girl turned 2 ::

Here are a few little snippets of what you are like at age 2, Miss Sara ::

• you have some really cute mispronunciations that I will be sad to see go someday soon :: J-bud for Jacob, down-sit for downstairs, while-ee-bee for library
• you say "I 'cited about." all the time. I ask you, "what are you excited about?" and you answer, again, with "I 'cited about." (hello mom! I already told you!)
• you always want to be on the go :: I go outside, I go in my carseat, Let's take a walk -- are phrases I hear many times a day
• you love your carseat, and going places -- and you're very curious about everyone else's carseats too. you especially love to go in your Ama's carseat
• you run and play and jump and ride your bike and do a pretty good job keeping up with those 5 older siblings you've got
• you sleep in a big bed
• you gave up your nuks a couple months ago, but still talk about them and miss them -- but you're doing great without them!
• you finally are sleeping through the night more often than not
• you love books :: being read to and looking at books are some of your favorite things to do
• you know most of the words to your 3 or 4 favorite books, and can sit down alone with a book and tell yourself the story

 

• you "raise the roof" and "head bang" when rockin' music comes on
• you still sit (extra safe) in a rear-facing car seat. I plan to get it turned around forward facing in the next couple weeks -- you'll be "so 'cited" to face forward, I think
• you STILL adore your Daddy. you love me too, but you're crazy about him (not that I can blame you!)
• you're fearless
• you love babies (just like your momma)
• you are our favorite 2-year-old on the planet!
• we love you so very much -- all 7 of us (and then some)

I can't believe this was two year ago already ::

We are so glad to have you in our family!

Happy Birthday to the oldest and the youngest members of our family!

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2642. folding Jacob's laundry and tucking in a little love note
2643. Sara napping with the covers pulled WAY up over her head and her adorable little toes sticking out the bottom
2644. the gurgle of the coffee pot
2645. the hum of the washer
2646. a productive crafting day
2647. a big win for Jacob's football team
2648. Rebekah's tender heart
2649. a good night at swimming for Joe
2650. goggles, swim cap and Minnie Mouse dress on Anna
2651. walking home from preschool :: Sara knee-deep in leaves at the curb, crunching with each step
2652. a good, productive PSC meeting for Kirb :: getting closer
2653. Paul Healy, Bethel University alumni of the year. I can't think of anyone better for the honor
2654. blazing reds, golden yellow, deep purples, glorious oranges :: the beauty of fall
2655. a night with all 6 kids at home
2656. Joe reading to his little sisters
2657. an idea in my head that turned out even cuter than how I imagined it
2658. lots of orders this week
2659. Lydia's smile
2660. a great -- although chilly -- 4th 5K
2661. my best time yet
2662. time with dear friends
2663. people willing to watch out kids so we can have time away without them
2664. a great football coach for Jacob
2665. another win for Jacob's team
2666. playing Qwirkle
2667. memories
2668. the 1980 Sears wishbook we had fun looking through and laughing
2669. 40 years of life for my favorite person ever born :: Happy Birthday Kirbs!
2670. REALLY hard laughter
2671. beautiful fall colors
2672. the continued blessing of our new basement space
2673. the blessing of hand-me-downs
2674. the fabulous "village" of people that help us raise our kids -- and who drive them places when there are more things to go to than our family has drivers
2675. quiet
2676. creativity
2677. no more crib in our house :: and me being ok with that
2678. sweaters and warm socks
2679. the faithfulness of God
2680. Lois doing so well. Seeing her back in church again
2681. PSC progress :: a light at the end of the tunnell
2682. Paul Healy's head towering above everyone else in church on Sunday morning :: always great to have him home
2683. making and creating things
2684. a beautiful sunset over downtown

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2599. the early-morning sound of the paper guy backing out of the driveway
2600. the way Anna calls the newspaper "the news" :: i.e. "The news is here mom."
2601. our annual neighborhood block party/potluck
2602. meeting the newest neighbors {a new couple who moved in down the block and a 10-day old baby from across the street that I hadn't met in person, only in pictures
2603. a visit from Kirby's brother
2604. bike day at preschool
2605. 45 kidless hours to celebrate our anniversary
2606. sleeping in
2607. 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep
2608. 16 years of marriage
2609. watching Jacob's football game :: coffee in hand, Kirb by my side and no kiddos to keep an eye on
2610. shopping at i like you
2611. massage
2612. long-standing, meaningless-to-the-rest-of-the-world traditions between me and Kirbs that make us both smile
2613. dinner at Chatterbox
2614. my sacrificial parents and their willingness to stay with our lively brood!
2615. coming home to our half dozen
2616. transferring birthdays and special dates into my new 2013 calendar {that I almost paid full-price for, but then saw the exact one I wanted in the clearance section for 70% off :: someone had written on about 3 pages of it and then returned it, so it was "used" . . . hey, I've got white-out!}
2617. checking things off "the list" that have been on there for MONTHS
2618. Sara singing Toby Mac
2619. great finds on a trip to Goodwill
2620. re-affirmation that the book is always better than the movie
2621. "Step into Africa" with the 4 bigs. a fabulous experience. SO glad we went!
2622. writing a letter to Melvin
2623. new babies
2624. 5K coming up this weekend for me, Rebekah, Lydia and Joe
2625. "for all your goodness I will keep on singing. ten thousand reasons for my heart to find" :: love it!


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

mutltitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2580. fresh sheets dried on the line
2581. a glorious late-summer day
2582. running with Joe
2583. safety when I got rear-ended {I was pretty shaken up, but neither me nor the vehicle were injured -- although I can't say as much for the car the guy who hit me was driving}
2584. the Sunday morning bird choir
2585. now these 3 remain :: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love.
2586. hope!
2587. prayer
2588. climbing into bed at the end of the day
2589. shared tears
2590. successful transition to a big girl bed for Sara :: I'm AMAZED at how smoothly it went!
2591. re-arranging, cleaning and de-cluttering the girls' room
2592. a good sale on toilet paper right when I needed it!
2593. finished projects :: after months and months of having an idea in your head, it's nice to see it come to fruition
2594. my really, really, really hard-working husband
2595. perfect weather
2596. friends
2597. the fact that my husband loves me -- a fact I am especially thankful for during the times when I'm not very loveable {which, believe it or not, is quite often!}
2598. old pictures

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday {yet another two-weeker}

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2429. Joey telling me about his crazy dream
2430. dragonflies all over the place in the evening sky :: so cool
2431. Sara's face covered in chocolate after eating her pudding pop on a 90+ degree day all by herself -- Little Miss Independant
2432. falling asleep again when I had given up on sleeping any more for the night
2433. hanging up beautiful art in our basement hallway :: all done by our kiddos
2434. genuine gratitude from my kids
2435. a great morning of shopping in Buffalo :: great bargains!
2436. being "carded" at Trader Joe's buying beer for Kirb
2437. the boy pushing his mini cart around Trader Joe's belting out "Mighty to Save" without an ounce of concern that someone might not like the fact that he's singing in the grocery store
2438. lemonade stands
2439. kids occupied for hours and hours {see #2438}
2440. a fun baby shower
2441. night out with a friend
2442. dinner at IKEA
2443. IKEA shopping {with a gift card!}
2444. the farmer's market
2445. unexpected, encouraging email from a friend {Hi Katie! . . . thanks, you made my day}
2446. girls enjoying a birthday party at the roller rink
2447. an absolutely perfect weather day
2448. evenings at the park
2449. visit from Mel, Chad & the kids
2450. exciting news
2451. my Grandma's TV debut {she's toward the end, if you watch the clip}
2452. BopBop and Joe taking a bike ride
2453. Rebekah singing with and praying for Sara before she goes to bed :: to hear her pray that Sara would come to know the Lord makes me so joyful, grateful and blessed!
2454. my friend Jodi's little guy, Eli, on the news :: what a brave little man he is!
2455. a cool, beautiful morning run
2456. music and how it touches me so deeply
2457. lots of time to create -- it makes me feel alive and refreshed
2458. apologies, hugs and forgiveness
2459. Joe reading to me from "Farmyard Tales" until I fell asleep
2460. dancing flames and glowing coals
2461. decorating the basement
2462. a family walk
2463. the sounds of the night :: taking time to really listen and hear them all
2464. Sara's laughter
2465. finding videos on my ipod that Anna recorded of herself
2466. beautiful evening walk with my love {and Sara . . . we left the others at home with a movie!}
2467. seeing kids playing tennis in the middle of the street while out on a run {and the fact that I knew the kiddos made it even better}
2468. laughing as a family
2469. my mom :: she is such a blessing in my life!
2470. crafting up a storm and being totally caught up on orders for the first time since May :: that feels good!
2471. Smashburger with Rebekah
2472. "throwing away" Sara's nuks :: bittersweet, my baby is getting so big {unfortunately still not "big" enough to sleep through the night!! honestly babe, let's get that one nailed down already!}

2473. Joey's desire to be baptized
2474. my patient, loving, meal-cooking, dish-washing, kid-putting-to-bedding, hard-working, cute husband


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday {or maybe the one after that} for the next installment.