my grandparents :: taken when my grandma was pregnant with my dad {sometime in 1947 or '48}
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
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.
Labels:
1000 gifts,
anna,
anniversary,
babies,
celebrations,
jacob,
joe,
kirbs,
lydia,
mail,
music,
rebekah,
sara,
sleep
Friday, September 21, 2012
flashback friday
A little jeopardy for ya ::
answer :: 1.6 decades, 5,842 days, 140,208 hours, 16 years -- long enough for :: 6 kids, 1 apartment, 1 house, 1 major remodel, 6 jobs, 78 birthdays (16 for me, 16 for Kirb, 13 for Jacob, 11 for Rebekah, 10 for Lydia, 7 for Joe, 4 for Anna and 1 for Sara), 16 Christmases, at least a half dozen er visits, 2 extra-long family road trips, 1 pet, 9 vehicles, 2 different centuries . . .
question :: what is, "How long have Shana & Kirby been married?"





So, were you there? Did you come celebrate with us? I know that many of you did! If you have a memory, any memory at all, of that day I would love to hear it: funny memories, random memories, sappy memories, cute memories . . . bring 'em on. I would love to know what it is you remember about our wedding day.
A BIG "Happy Anniversary" to my wonderful husband and, also, a BIG thanks to our family and friends who were there, took part and made the day so wonderful for us. The biggest thanks of all to the Lord for seeing fit to bring us together . . . I couldn't be happier!
answer :: 1.6 decades, 5,842 days, 140,208 hours, 16 years -- long enough for :: 6 kids, 1 apartment, 1 house, 1 major remodel, 6 jobs, 78 birthdays (16 for me, 16 for Kirb, 13 for Jacob, 11 for Rebekah, 10 for Lydia, 7 for Joe, 4 for Anna and 1 for Sara), 16 Christmases, at least a half dozen er visits, 2 extra-long family road trips, 1 pet, 9 vehicles, 2 different centuries . . .
question :: what is, "How long have Shana & Kirby been married?"

Today marks our 16th anniversary! I love my hubby even more today then I did on that (slightly rainy) September day in 1996! Thanks, Kirb, for 16 wonderful years of being my husband and best friend (you've been my best friend for over 20 years now, actually!) our life . . . it's quite a crazy ride. I'm so glad we're on it together! I LOVE YOU!

I hope you all enjoy these pictures of 2 little kids who were (and are still) very much in love! If you were there with us on that day, thanks for stickin' with us through the years! Take a minute to remember the yummy leaf cookies, the VW bug convertables, the flower girl who fell asleep almost immediately after walking down the aisle, the slideshow of baby pictures (which wasn't something everyone did, back in the day . . . it was new & exciting!), the live 4-piece string ensemble, blowing bubbles in the rain and the miriad of really cute little girls who charmed all who were there . . . just to name a few things. If you have other Carlson/Stoll wedding memories, I'd love to hear 'em!



So, were you there? Did you come celebrate with us? I know that many of you did! If you have a memory, any memory at all, of that day I would love to hear it: funny memories, random memories, sappy memories, cute memories . . . bring 'em on. I would love to know what it is you remember about our wedding day.
A BIG "Happy Anniversary" to my wonderful husband and, also, a BIG thanks to our family and friends who were there, took part and made the day so wonderful for us. The biggest thanks of all to the Lord for seeing fit to bring us together . . . I couldn't be happier!Monday, September 17, 2012
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.
Labels:
1000 gifts,
blessings,
crafty,
house projects,
kirbs,
nature,
prayer,
sleep
Friday, September 14, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
you might want to grab a kleenex {or maybe that's just me}
In early 1999 -- January. Maybe February -- we started. Crib shopping, that is. Our first little bundle was scheduled to arrive right around April Fool's Day and he or she would need a place to sleep, right? So the two of us "kids" {me not even a quarter century old and Kirb just barely ahead of me} went crib shopping. We found one we liked after much discussion {drop side? sleigh? dark wood? light? painted? one that converts to a toddler bed? -- so many options} and took it home and painstakingly set it up. Then we took some pictures of the finished, bug-themed nursery and waited for the baby. That baby arrived a little earlier than we expected, but we were ready. Beginning the night of March 25th, 1999 -- the day we came home from the hospital with little Jacob -- our crib went to work. That was nearly 5,000 nights ago. Most every night since then {with the exception of times we were away from home} a Stoll baby has slept in that crib. First Jacob. Then Rebekah {who got kicked out at 14-months to make way for her new sister}. Then Lydia. Then Joe {who had the longest run in the crib -- nearly 3 years}. Then Anna. Then Sara. It has served us very well and has been more than worth whatever it was we paid for it.
But last night that crib was empty. We weren't out of town. No vacations or anything. We were here. We were here and it was empty.
Last night Sara slept in her big girl bed. A twin bed. She looked so big under those covers!
She went to sleep without problem and didn't even try to get out {she was, however, extremely tired!} About 4:30 I heard some little footsteps. She doesn't usually sleep all night, so it didn't surprise me that she would wake up, but I was curious as to what she would do when she was awake and able to escape. No longer a prisoner in that crib, she plodded along in the dark and ended up in our room. She came to my side of the bed and announced :: "I dit out. I sleep a Daddy's bed." So I gave her a little boost and she crawled up, snuggled in and joined us for a couple hours.
I'm not sure how tonight will go. If she'll sleep in the big bed again, or if she'll be in her crib. We're not committed to totally going cold turkey {like we did with the nuks a month or two ago} or anything. We're just at that transition point. Maybe two steps forward and one step back. Who knows. We'll see. But it certainly is the end of something. I'm not quite ready to take the crib down and live in a crib-less house, but that time is fast approaching. Weird! I've always had a baby, it seems, and now I don't any more. I'm certainly a bit sad, but it feels ok too. You can't keep them little forever!
Monday, September 10, 2012
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"::
2555. the warm weight of a sleepy toddler snuggled on my chest
2556. a fabulous start to the school year
2557. terrific teachers
2558. long-overdue shelf paper replacement in our most-used corner cupboard
2559. a fun, unexpected meeting while walking home from preschool {it's a long story involving meeting Sara Groves' bass player and having a nice chat}
2560. a morning in Buffalo with my mom and "the littles"
2561. a new craft
2562. the glorious blue of the sky paired with the pure white of the clouds
2563. trampoline soccer with Anna
2564. coffee delivery from jenn
2565. fresh cucumbers picked, cut and immediately packed in lunches
2566. the stillness and quiet of daybreak on a Sunday
2567. a HUGE flock of birds overhead
2568. perfect day for a trip to the orchard
2569. finding a really fun new park
2570. kids climbing trees
2571. post-workout shower
2572. 23 months of Sara
2573. the sound of coffee beans grinding
2574. Sunday afternoon nap
2575. laundry out on the line
2576. things crossed off the never ending to-do list
2577. a toddler jumping on the trampoline in nothing but a diaper
2578. a walk around the lake
2579. spotting "the monkey man" {the guy who walks around Como with a monkey on his shoulder} and chatting a bit. so interesting!
Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.
Labels:
1000 gifts,
blessings,
family fun,
other blogs,
passage of time,
preschool,
sara,
school,
weather
Sunday, September 9, 2012
23
23 months. That means that at this time next month she'll be 2 already. This is the last month we qualify to go to Baby and Me Storytime at the library. Only 3 more Wednesday mornings and she'll be too old.
{Except for the still waking up at night} If I could keep her just how she is right now for a bit longer, I would in a heartbeat! But I know 5-other-kids-worth that I can't. Each day she's a little bit different. Has learned a new word or phrase, can climb higher or run faster or get down off the trampoline without help. Time just keeps on flying!
I love how she says "library" and announces that she has "lucky poop" when she needs a new diaper {she can't say "yucky", so it comes out "lucky" -- SO funny!}. I can't get enough of her singing "Jesus loves Me" and "Good Night, Good Night" {a family song that I made up when Jacob was a baby}. She always wants to go outside or go somewhere in the van or take a walk.
We all think she's great and are so blessed to have her in our family. We love you, Miss Sara Evelyn!
{Except for the still waking up at night} If I could keep her just how she is right now for a bit longer, I would in a heartbeat! But I know 5-other-kids-worth that I can't. Each day she's a little bit different. Has learned a new word or phrase, can climb higher or run faster or get down off the trampoline without help. Time just keeps on flying!
I love how she says "library" and announces that she has "lucky poop" when she needs a new diaper {she can't say "yucky", so it comes out "lucky" -- SO funny!}. I can't get enough of her singing "Jesus loves Me" and "Good Night, Good Night" {a family song that I made up when Jacob was a baby}. She always wants to go outside or go somewhere in the van or take a walk.
We all think she's great and are so blessed to have her in our family. We love you, Miss Sara Evelyn!
Monday, September 3, 2012
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"::
2522. family camp HERE WE COME!
2523. arriving at our favorite place on earth for our very favorite week of the year
2524. the sound of the rain
2525. our kids walking across camp together
2526. unexpectedly bumping {almost literally} into an old friend that I haven't seen in years :: 1 minute earlier or later and we would have missed a fun little reunion
2527. a loon call breaking through the early morning quiet
2528. chipmunks on the path
2529. live praise music coming out of the chapel at various hours of the day :: brushing my teeth one morning to "Jesus, awesome in power forever, awesome and great is your name. You overcame!"
2530. my selfless, sacrificially giving parents
2531. delicious kettle corn, still warm from being popped over the open fire
2532. family chapel
2533. Joe's smile
2534. sun glistening off the water
2535. seeing to the bottom of the lake :: crystal clear water
2536. canoeing Hidden River with Kirb :: so much natural beauty
2537. sunrise over the water
2538. eagles flying overhead :: 3 of them at once! so majestic.
2539. spotting 4 deers {uncomfortable close and not a bit intimidated by me, I might add} on my morning run
2540. men taking off their hats to read the Word and pray
2541. progressive snack date night with Kirb & my parents
2542. being brave ::
2543. our family camp babysitters :: Marie & Shannah
2544. a exceptionally peaceful drive and being home again
2545. meet the teacher :: Knutson for Joe, Hausman for Lydia and Simonson for Bekah. All teachers we've had before and really, truly love!
2546. the annual back to school parade :: so fun!
2547. the state fair {we love it SO!} ::
| watching the mini donuts fry |
2549. donuts with Joe at the park
2550. how Sara announces "My lucky poopy!" when she needs a new diaper {she can't say "yucky", so it comes out "lucky"} :: we just LOVE it . . . and it makes changing her kinda fun!
2551. morning runs with the older kiddos
2552. fresh school supplies ready for a new year
2553. hanging shelves and pictures up in the basement :: I just keep loving our new space more and more
2554. enjoying the last day of "summer"
Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.
Friday, August 31, 2012
flasback friday
State Fair 2006 ::
We're going to the fair today, so I thought it would be fun to re-live some fair experiences from years past. Have a great weekend!
We're going to the fair today, so I thought it would be fun to re-live some fair experiences from years past. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Dreams
I had an especially weird and crazy dream early this morning, right before I got up {maybe even during the 10-minute "snooze" after our alarm went off the first time}. All day yesterday and all day today our house has been extra full as we're hanging out with 3 extra kiddos. My friend Allie's little man, Sam, and Vince and G-Rae, the 2 kids from the family that I've done daycare for the past few years have been here. Sam is here for 48 hours straight {since he lives on the other end of the world and coming to get him at night isn't so smart}. The other 2 go home at night. When you have a teacher for a parent, childcare gets a little extra tricky the week before school starts, since you need to "go to school" and your kids don't. So what is any good teacher to do? Call us! Thus we've been a 9-kid house.
Possibly that fact had something to do with fueling my dream -- a dream in which I "gave birth" {not in the normal way though . . . you know how dreams are!} to triplet boys! It also might have to do with the fact that we just got home from a WONDERFUL, FABULOUS, favorite-week-of-the-year week at family camp {which, hopefully, I will get a chance to blog about later} and there were 2 ladies at camp who were about 37 weeks, plus there was an adorable 4-week old boy there with his family, and a few other not-quite-as-far-along pregnant ladies there too. Also, I have a thing for babies! {in case you didn't know!} And, also, I have to add that there was a family at camp with 7 kids. Their oldest was a few months younger than Jacob and their youngest was a few months younger than Sara, so basically we had kids the same ages, they just squeezed one more in there than we did. I told them we had 4 girls and 2 boys and the mom answered, "So did we until we had the seventh one." I love being around other big families! They "get it" so much better than most people.
So, back to the dream :: In my dream I was sitting in a chair in a room with another woman {OB? Nurse? Produce manager? I'm not sure of her exact role in the whole thing}. Appearing, seemingly, out of nowhere {wouldn't it be nice if that's how birth really was?} into this woman's hands one at a time came these three little spheres which she then peeled, kind of like you would peel an orange, and then she handed me my baby -- which had emerged from the little sphere. None of the boys cried or anything when she peeled/delivered them, but that didn't seem any weirder to me than the fact that she was peeling them in the first place. As I held the boys one at a time, my thoughts went immediately to the fact that I would have to name them. Being that they came together, I wanted their names to kind of "go together" too.
My first thought was "John, Paul and Ringo", even though I'm not a major Beattles fan or anything. But I shot that brainstorm down quickly when I imagined introducing my kids :: "These are our kids, Jacob, Rebekah, Lydia, Joseph, Anna, Sara, John, Paul and RINGO." It just didn't work for me. Plus, there is also the fact that I'm bothered by rhyming names. Contrary to what many people think, our last name is pronounced "stall", as in the place in the garage where you park your car, or where you pee in a public bathroom, or when your car stops going . . . not like "stole" as if you think we take things that don't belong to us. So, anyway, Paul Stoll is not a good choice in my book. {On a related note, some of you know that my father-in-law is one of 17 kids in his family. Now I fully understand that if you give 17 kids a first AND middle name that you have used up 34 names, which is quite a few, and by the end there you could possibly run out of names you really like. But, guess what they named their firstborn boy? You guessed it. Paul Stoll. He was a wonderful, godly man, but I've always thought it funny that, when they had all the boy names in the whole world to choose from, they chose to name their first boy a name that rhymed.} I also considered naming the triplets "Alvin, Simon and Theodore" but decided that wasn't the right three-some either. Finally we settled on Peter, James and John, in the spirit of the catchy Sunday school song that many of you might know. So, I finally got a Peter, which is a name I've wanted to throw in the hat each time I was pregnant, but Kirb always shot it down.
Maybe I should get Joseph from the Old Testament to come and interpret it for me. Or maybe my Joe could do it. Or maybe I don't want to know!
Anyway, that was how I started my day!
And for you long-time blog readers, in the spirit of 'Thankful Thursday' I will add that we are not expecting any number of babies . . . just in case you were wondering. {And I know some of you were!}
Possibly that fact had something to do with fueling my dream -- a dream in which I "gave birth" {not in the normal way though . . . you know how dreams are!} to triplet boys! It also might have to do with the fact that we just got home from a WONDERFUL, FABULOUS, favorite-week-of-the-year week at family camp {which, hopefully, I will get a chance to blog about later} and there were 2 ladies at camp who were about 37 weeks, plus there was an adorable 4-week old boy there with his family, and a few other not-quite-as-far-along pregnant ladies there too. Also, I have a thing for babies! {in case you didn't know!} And, also, I have to add that there was a family at camp with 7 kids. Their oldest was a few months younger than Jacob and their youngest was a few months younger than Sara, so basically we had kids the same ages, they just squeezed one more in there than we did. I told them we had 4 girls and 2 boys and the mom answered, "So did we until we had the seventh one." I love being around other big families! They "get it" so much better than most people.
So, back to the dream :: In my dream I was sitting in a chair in a room with another woman {OB? Nurse? Produce manager? I'm not sure of her exact role in the whole thing}. Appearing, seemingly, out of nowhere {wouldn't it be nice if that's how birth really was?} into this woman's hands one at a time came these three little spheres which she then peeled, kind of like you would peel an orange, and then she handed me my baby -- which had emerged from the little sphere. None of the boys cried or anything when she peeled/delivered them, but that didn't seem any weirder to me than the fact that she was peeling them in the first place. As I held the boys one at a time, my thoughts went immediately to the fact that I would have to name them. Being that they came together, I wanted their names to kind of "go together" too.
My first thought was "John, Paul and Ringo", even though I'm not a major Beattles fan or anything. But I shot that brainstorm down quickly when I imagined introducing my kids :: "These are our kids, Jacob, Rebekah, Lydia, Joseph, Anna, Sara, John, Paul and RINGO." It just didn't work for me. Plus, there is also the fact that I'm bothered by rhyming names. Contrary to what many people think, our last name is pronounced "stall", as in the place in the garage where you park your car, or where you pee in a public bathroom, or when your car stops going . . . not like "stole" as if you think we take things that don't belong to us. So, anyway, Paul Stoll is not a good choice in my book. {On a related note, some of you know that my father-in-law is one of 17 kids in his family. Now I fully understand that if you give 17 kids a first AND middle name that you have used up 34 names, which is quite a few, and by the end there you could possibly run out of names you really like. But, guess what they named their firstborn boy? You guessed it. Paul Stoll. He was a wonderful, godly man, but I've always thought it funny that, when they had all the boy names in the whole world to choose from, they chose to name their first boy a name that rhymed.} I also considered naming the triplets "Alvin, Simon and Theodore" but decided that wasn't the right three-some either. Finally we settled on Peter, James and John, in the spirit of the catchy Sunday school song that many of you might know. So, I finally got a Peter, which is a name I've wanted to throw in the hat each time I was pregnant, but Kirb always shot it down.
Maybe I should get Joseph from the Old Testament to come and interpret it for me. Or maybe my Joe could do it. Or maybe I don't want to know!
Anyway, that was how I started my day!
And for you long-time blog readers, in the spirit of 'Thankful Thursday' I will add that we are not expecting any number of babies . . . just in case you were wondering. {And I know some of you were!}
Monday, August 27, 2012
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"::
2503. clean laundry
2504. towel hooks up in the bathroom
2505. 8 years of marriage for Luke & Jenn
2506. 86 years of my grandma
2507. Joe and Vince together again :: a great reunion
2508. school patrols in training
2509. freshly mowed lawn
2510. coffee
2511. a glorious breeze
2512. the start of the fair
2513. birthday dinner {for 4 August birthdays and an anniversary}
2514. a good book and staying up late to finish
2515. the library
2516. fair-themed storytime at the library with "the littles"
2517. audio books
2518. family camp! our favorite week of the year!
2519. coffee and donuts to start the day
2520. school shopping with the 2 big girls
2521. hearing the state fair fireworks from our house
Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.
Monday, August 20, 2012
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"::
2475. yummy brunch and a walk in Stillwater with my fabulous Bible study ladies
2476. witnessing a group of older ladies {70's, 80's even, maybe} leaving their weekly coffee date. ALL on bicycles. complete with helmets. totally made my morning!
2477. kids playing in the rain
2478. a cool breeze
2479. free back to school haircuts for 3 of our kiddos {thanks JC Penney}
2480. finally getting the word on Ev's surgery after a long morning of praying and waiting and praying and waiting and praying some more
2481. seeing Ev up and around again
2482. impromptu visit from out-of-town family
2483. glorious, amazing weather. i LOVE it!
2484. wearing jeans again
2485. feeling the warm sun on my back on a cool morning run
2486. life-long friends
2487. Carbones pizza {my favorite!}
2488. my 20th HS reunion
2489. how 2 decades can level the ground of life for everyone {or nearly everyone, anyway}
2490. organizing school supplies for another year
2491. Redbox {and free redbox codes make it even better}
2492. kids and oragami
2493. book club
2494. a 2 hour nap following a late night at the reunion
2495. Anna chasing a bunny in the our yard trying to catch it so she can keep it as a pet {thankfully the bunny was quicker than the preschooler! I'm not really a pet girl!}
2496. another good preschool home visit {our 10th home visit from Roseville Lutheran Nursery School staff. I can't believe it's our 10th time with a kiddo starting a year of preschool there! Yikes}
2497. 2 years of life for my nephew, Schaeffer
2498. 32 years of life for my sister-in-law, Jenn {Happy Birthday!}
2499. Monday morning coffee
2500. state fair week :: the fair starts in a couple days and we LOVE the fair! we love watching the preparations {since we drive by the fair grounds all the time, living so close and all}. gates closed off. trucks arriving. food stands going up. so exciting!
2501. a blessing-filled envelope from a friend in the mail last week
2502. a nice article about my dad in the paper on Sunday
Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday {or maybe the one after that} for the next installment.
Labels:
1000 gifts,
anna,
blessings,
evelyn,
family,
food,
hair,
passage of time,
preschool,
school,
state fair,
weather
Monday, August 13, 2012
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.
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Monday, July 30, 2012
multitude monday {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"::
2394. my grandma's sweet spirit
2395. birthday dinner made by my mom and delivered to our house during an extra-busy week
2396. many heart-felt birthday wishes from many wonderful people
2397. a birthday morning doorbell and (iced) coffee delivery from a thoughtful friend
2398. first guests staying in the basement
2399. 64 years of life for my dad -- what a blessing he is and a great example of selflessly serving others
2400. the Stoll reunion
2401. kids reuniting with their cousins and second cousins and second-cousins-once-removed or whatever all those relationships are
2402. Stoll family Bunco {or is it Bunko? these are things I just don't know!}
2403. basement 99% finished
2404. moving things back downstairs and reclaiming our house
2405. free birthday coffee coupons
2406. friends who pray for, laugh with {because what else can you do but laugh -- well, after you're done crying that is}, support and encourage me through the not-so-fun stuff of life
2407.wrapping up the summer soccer season
2408. Sara's good nature, even when sick
2409. fun Olympic party with neighborhood friends
2410. a fun, just-what-I-needed, life-giving night out with Al
2411. side-splitting laughter while shopping at Patina
2412. Chatterbox Pub {always a favorite!}
2413. making it through a rough week
2414. hope
2415. Jacob's friend Jack :: I love that kid!
2416. a fun day with Jacob :: he's pretty fabulous too!
2417. all-day VBS for the middle 4 kids at Como Park Lutheran
2418. 34 years of life for my brother. What a wonderful man of God he has grown into. I'm proud of you, Luke and am thankful that you're my brother!
2419. Sara's DAILY explosion of new language, she's picking up new words by the minute these day and it never ceases to amaze me. Today she pointed at the radio and told Jacob to "turn on KTIS." Honestly babe, you're not even 2.
2420. Kirb (or God :: maybe a bit of both) fixing the dryer
2421. my dad going to Menards to get a bunch more wood for me -- buying lumber is not the most fun errand to do with kids!
2422. unexpectedly bumping into a friend and catching up for a few minutes
2423. good days
2424. watching a bunny munch on the grass in our yard
2425. a good book, a cool evening and a little breeze :: heavenly!
2426. geese flying through a beautiful sky
2427. harvesting peas, cukes and carrots in the back yard with Anna
2428. a glorious sunset :: what a loving, caring, thoughtful artist God is!
Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.
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