homeward bound.

in approximately FIVE days, we'll be on the other side of the country, leaving the hubby behind for 3 1/2 weeks. i've been a little skeptical about how the airport will pan out with my two babushkas and me. alone. an almost three hour layover does not sound like fun with children...i could be totally wrong. airports are full of adventure, people watching, and gift shops, right? but who wants to spend their time doing that when papa and grammy are waiting only two more hours of sky time away? not me, that's who.

i'm trying not to focus on the fact that the first half of our homeward bound visit will indeed fly by, but i am definitely anticipating when the hubby joins us mid-december. you see, we'll be away for 7 weeks. seven weeks of glorious family hugs, warm fires, cozy mornings spent reading the newspaper, cousins reuniting, much needed catch up time with friends, black friday shopping with my dad, more shopping with my mom, thanksgiving eating, christmas partying and new years celebrating. seven weeks of soaking in home. and all the people that come with it.

here's a little eye candy i'll leave you with...family resemblance, much? just kills me.

a truly happy birthday.

i woke up to find this lovely piece of artwork hanging from the hallway. it was such a wonderful surprise on the way to my birthday cup of coffee! even though the hubby had to work almost all day, we made the most of our morning by swimming and answering numerous phone calls with singing grams on the other end {*smile}.
i was completely and utterly spoiled rotten by my friend-across-the-hall. she's become much more than that as she whisked me away to all of my favorite places on my actual birthday. her hubby watched all five kiddos {awesome gift, right?!} while we went to lunch and shopped some of my birthday money away. i came home to find a delicious {and adorable!} dessert made by same talented friend while her fam and a couple friends sang their own rendition.

my family spent the whole weekend making me feel special, leaving me on a 'birthday high' until monday morning. big bouquet of sunflowers, chocolate covered blueberries, lunch at red robin, a trip to ikea, starbucks, and target. twenty-nine isn't so bad after all!

on my birthdays, i love the opportunity to reflect on God's faithfulness in my life and how's He's brought me through another year with an overflowing bowl of blessings. i'm always left standing in awe at His grace and humbled at His work.

have i mentioned that i love my birthday? it's kinda a big deal {*wink}.

beautiful.

some things i may never know of my mother, but here are some that i do.

{circa: later than sooner *wink}

on her birthday, i love to think about the ways that she's touched my life and it always overflows into the ways that she's impacted those around her.

like i've always said, her joy fills a room like warm rays of sunshine through an open window. i've always known her for her joy. her glowing smile and her optimistic view of ordinary happenings in life. she's the party in the family. the head-banging-concert-goer. the pump-up-the-music-in-the-car-driver. the whistle-while-you-work kind of gal. i rarely recall a day when a bad attitude ruined her day...if at all.

i've always known her to be approachable. open hearted. understanding. but quick to direct and correct with a gentle spirit. she knows how to love when sometimes loving is all you can do.

my mom is a rare gem. a sparkling beauty. she is, indeed, in full bloom.

happy birthday, mama! here's to many more years of making memories with one of my best friends! xoxo

a little party planning.

this is just one of the very fun and lovely things i've been doing to keep myself more busy than i've been since we've moved here. all things baby just bring warm, squishy feelings and then add party planning to the mix and you'll most definitely find me there!

on some really great things.

i should formally tell you that i am done doing life, everyday. after all, we successfully reached 52 weeks last week, completing our first year on this awesome adventure. i'm not yet decided that this is a fantastic decision, but the goal was to capture our first year through a picture-a-day and now that i've accomplished that, i believe blogging will once again become less stressful and more freedom-filled. i guess time will only tell.

i can't believe i haven't documented that miley girl has climbed her mountain and rightfully seated herself upon her royal froggy throne. she has completed a monstrous potty achievement, which should be turned into a national family holiday, naturally. sunday, june 13th was the date of her crowning achievement and since then, we've continued to see glimpses into a diaper-free future. hallelujah and amen.

we are so super excited to have signed jessa up for her first sports team! much to the hubby's elation, she will be playing soccer starting this fall...AND gets to be on her "new friend's" team. how cool is that? our friend's babushkas attend a well known private school and we are so thankful they have room on their K-1 team for jess to jump on. i get a little anxious when it comes to finding the right sport, the right team, and the right area for things like this. it makes me all a bit nervous the first time around {like anything, i suppose}, signing up for something so unfamiliar. it's safe to say i can chalk another blessing up to living in such an awesome community!

after some investigating and after an almost tragic event of a friend losing her blog, we have decided to turn our blog into a book {jumping up and down!!}. this is good on so many levels; including, but not limited to, having a hard copy on hand in case something awful like that happened to us {i just don't think i could ever blog again if that happened}, it is something wonderful and beautiful to pass on to our girls {i would have LOVED to have something like this from a loved one - no pressure mom *wink}, it just looks too cool not to do, and i'm just a little bit of a sucker when it comes to seeing something like that and not doing it {the website we're using puts it all together and gives you a peek into how they lay it out - awesome! so if you ever take pictures of my children and they are completely gorgeous and you want to charge me a fortune, then a fortune you will make - j/k...ok, so probably not...just take my wallet}. with that said, we've also decided to get this done once a year as a backup journal. i'll let you know how it goes...after the pennies are saved and it arrives in its pretty package.

the hubby is a.l.m.o.s.t. done with his first 5-week greek summer course, which will just quickly launch him into the next 5-week session immediately after. at least he's 4/5 to half the way there {make sense? yeah, not to me either}. the closer we get to august, the closer he gets to his two week vaca - even though we're not going anywhere - before he delves right into year two. babe, you're dong GREAT!

slice of kindness.

my girls are getting so big. which means their sicklies and colds get bigger with them. i really despise seeing them feeling so miserable. wiggly with body aches. bright pink with high fevers. sweaty bed head after nap {even though mixed with their sleepy groggies, it's pretty stinkin' cute, if i do say so}.

jessa was so disappointed to miss her little friend's birthday party this morning. all her friends gathered downstairs to make pizzas and color their own aprons while she lay sick in bed. my heart broke right next to hers as i was telling her it's ok to be sad and that being sick never comes at the right time. this is the birthday boy {picture taken a few weeks ago} and what he did after his party was the sweetest thing...

...they brought jessa some slices of pizza he had made at his own party with two pieces of BIG, blue birthday cake. jess told me, "that was so sweet of rana, mommy." it's so encouraging when her five year old friends can teach her love and kindness at just the right time. the Lord has blessed her, and all of us, with such amazing people to build us up when we're down. to walk along side of us when we feel broken. to help carry our burden when it feels too heavy.

whether five or ninety-five, goodness is found in sharing a slice of pizza or a piece of cake. now that, you can take to the bank!

dear mom.

mama, this is for you.

on this mother's day, i'm reminded that today is more than a hallmark holiday. it's more than the second sunday in may. more than a sing-along card sent in the mail {which, i know, i didn't do} . more than the idealistic celebration of the american mom. because we all know you are so. much. more. than that.

and today means so much more than that.

today is just the beginning. a mere catalyst for remembering all the other days i can't get you out of my mind. all the other days that your opinions, your values, your beliefs and thoughts resonate in my mind throughout my own mothering experience. your sound judgement. your steady strength. your lessons learned. your "just-STOP-it!" attitude {*wink}. it's been there all along and i've been paying attention.

i am thankful for our relationship on a daily basis, quite literally, actually. the Lord knows how grateful i am for His molding and forming our parent-daughter relationship into something so much more. you will forever and always be my mother...the parental influence that is guided by discipline {i will always expect you to keep me on track} and spiritual accountability. in the past, i knew i could come to you with anything because i expected nothing less than the truth...even if it hurt. that shows the kind of respect i have for you as my mom, as a woman, and now, as my bff. i can only pray my girls are guided by the same gift of openness found in me.

to be honest, you made it look so easy. raising children. keeping the house extremely orderly. keeping schedules. homeschooling. shopping. simply keeping it all together. it's like it came so...natural. the joy you have in serving pumps through your veins like your own blood. it seeps even from the smallest smile you make, contagious and ready to spread.

but you've taught me well. i know better than to think mothering is some magic pill you take every morning. it's not a mastered skill you learn in school. it's not fairy dust or bippity-boppity-boo stories. it's teaching. guiding. directing. it's truth. grace. it's virtue lived out...the greatest being love. you gave me the greatest gift any parent can give a child - you gave me the gift of knowing Christ. you gave me love in the purest form. in its truest definition. and now i have the privilege of building that strong foundation in the hearts of my children.

you have left me the greatest legacy.

i love you, mama.

happy mother's day...every day.

like my new birthday chair?

i do!!
{thanks uncle jake and auntie 'chelle!}

life, everyday {week forty three}.

{04.09.10} friday: it's in the sweet moments...like being carted off to bed in daddy's arms...that i like to capture. once again, little hands tightly grasping. there's just something about those baby hands that get me every time.
{04.10.10} saturday: happy birthday twinkies! thanks to the their mommy, suzie, i got this A-dorable picture of them on the verge of three years old. we had a very fun, bubble-filled birthday party for them this evening. we love every piece of their energetic, full-of-life munchkin-ness!
{04.11.10} sunday: this picture was drawn by little five year old hands and a really big heart. this picture has been on the fridge for a couple of days, a place i can be reminded every day of its meaning and impact on a emotionally challenging week. jessa colored this picture on a special day; on a day that the Lord knew i needed it. she explained to me that it was a sunset, rain, a rainbow, and blossoms on the trees. to me this picture represented healing rain, promises, and new beginnings. so i officially titled it, 'healing rain'. she drew a duplicate for the sweet baby boy, daniel, that was in the icu for nine days. as we continue to pray for healing, daniel is still gravely sick and has a long road ahead of him. thank you, jessa, for reminding me who reigns on high and who brings the rain.
{04.12.10} monday: our first official pool day of the season - yay for princess beach towels, pink goggles, and cute brightly stripped swimsuits! after a few days of watching from our window of neighbors and friends jumping in the ice cold blue, the girls were uber eager to take the plunge.
{04.13.10} tuesday: my hubby. even though today he turned twenty nine, he is still full of boy. the same boy that climbed dangerously tall trees in their backyard woods. the same boy that zip-lined over carved stakes on their farm. the same boy that jumped off his childhood roof. that dug holes. bucked hay. picked apples. and just may have tested his life limit a few too many times {quite surprisingly, and thankfully, he never broke a bone}. here's to my hubby who still sticks his head in crocodile's mouths. who studies so hard. works so hard. dedicates himself to his family like his life depended on it. i'm so grateful he understands what the Lord has given him and demonstrates that through his life's integrity. here's to my babe. my rock star. my main squeeze. happy birthday my love {and thanks for suggesting the zoo for your birthday - how FUN!}!
{04.14.10} wednesday: this week's sisterly moment brought to you by bedtime strikes sprawled on the living room floor, secretive giggles hidden from mommy, and just plain silliness five minutes past their sleepy zzz's.
{04.15.10} thursday: she's still my boober {a name i haven't called her since infancy}. she's a goob. a monkey. a ball of scrumptious cuteness.

life, everyday {week forty two}.

{04.02.10} friday: this week's sisterly moment brought to you by after bath snuggles huddled around the computer screen while learning how to read. seriously? so sweet.
{04.03.10} saturday: again, it's that little hand gripped around something so tight. so firm. miley was so excited to pick up bright eggs that littered the grass. with daddy by her side, she cleaned up pretty well, demolishing any sign of candy in her pail immediately after the chase was over. she clung to that pail...ready and waiting.
{04.04.10} sunday: mmm...strawberry shortcake. a delightful way to end a blessed easter sunday. my girlies in their dresses would have been much more adorable. lesson learned.
{04.05.10} monday: this weeks bonus sisterly moment brought to you by doctor giggles and stethoscope tummy tickles. love how miley has to close her eyes when 'playing dead' {with a smile smeared on her cute "sickly" face}.
{04.06.10} tuesday: let me introduce you to my organizer. jessa girl is a cleaner. an organizer. a shopper. a folder. a putter away-er. instead of leaving every bath toy they own scattered all over the bottom of the bathtub, she carefully puts each away in its proper container and lines them up neatly in a row along the edge. she makes sure everything has a home. each little trinket has a place. when she folds pants, she makes sure they're buttoned and zipped before tucked away in its assigned drawer. true story. as much as this makes my heart happy, i hope it doesn't haunt her as she grows to have a place of her own.
{04.07.10} wednesday: thanks to some friends, we discovered a slowly dying mall that has a pretty neat play place {which means not highly populated by other little munchkins}. miley took to this jeep right away; climbing in and out and all over.
{04.08.10} thursday: shoes. hats. jewelry. this girl knows how to accessorize...most importantly, this girl knows to how be girl. those shoes are lookin' good miley girl.

i'm here.

it's not so fun getting back to the routine and schedule of things after family leaves. however, it is necessary. it doesn't help that miley girl keeps asking "where's papa?!" when she wakes up and hears the front door open only to discover it's daddy coming home from a morning run.

as playgroup resumes this week, i can't help but think we only have five weeks left {including tomorrow's class}. this whole year we've been taking one week to do each letter of the alphabet by implementing a bible portfolio project with the upper case letter one day and a game/craft/lesson when we do the lowercase partner on the following day. with only ten playgroup meets left, i'm going to have to teach one letter per day if we're going to make it through the alphabet. when i went to count it out, we will complete 'Z' perfectly on the last day we meet {which will also have to include a large party of sorts - of course}. i feel like i should still be in the stages of organizing a lesson plan for the year. like i should be planning our schedule. buying supplies. getting it 'together'. but here we are...almost done. *boo*

most of my precious little ones that come to preschool playgroup are moving away when we're all finished, which is the main reason we need to finish on time. we've seen several come and go throughout the year, but out of the four i have left, one has already moved an hour away; another is moving to england; one is moving to vermont...and then the other, along with jessa, will be moving into kindergarten. i'm feeling windblown by time. whoosh.

we had a lovely easter weekend together even though it was saturday morning that grammy flew back home in the "hairplane". the girls had a easter egg hunt {as in, find the obvious eggs as they sit in the grass} over on the campus lawn on saturday morning. it was our first experience with anything like that...and it lasted three minutes and 16 seconds. if that. i was shocked at how quickly 500 eggs can be scooped up by eager little hands. thankfully, the girls walked away with several in their little personalized pails, miley consuming ALL of her candy thanks to daddy's help unwrapping. he's weak when it comes to sugar...and more weak when it comes to miley girl giving him 'the look'. we all know it.

we had such a relaxing, carefree kind of easter sunday {with my focus being on what it's really about} that i didn't even snap one picture of my girls in their dresses. bummer, yes. end of the world? not so much. the only picture i took was of our dessert i made. big whoop. food? cute girls in dresses. food...? cute girls in dresses...? i think i see a set-up photo op on the horizon.

actually, i can't stop thinking about what God the Father gave and what God the Son obediently sacrificed on my behalf. why me? why everyone else? why Him? His perfection and holiness made Him the Only begotten. the Only choice. the Only option. the Only out. it was the only way God the Father would be satisfied with the abolishment - the annihilation. obliteration. extermination. elimination - of sin. of death. Jesus was it.

and we can have it.

and we can share it.

and we can demonstrate it in our lives.

that just pumps me up!

life, everyday {week forty}.

{03.19.10} friday: it would not have been a good day to lose these...thankfully, they were accessible each and every time i needed them. today, i felt like a headless chicken, trying to find spare moments to run much needed errands before the busy weekend. sometimes, a deep breath that says 'slow down' is all i need.
{03.20.10} saturday: breakfast of champions - thanks to the hubby's nine to five. mmm...
{03.21.10} sunday: thanks to the spring snow showers {what?!} all night, we headed off to church in beanie hats and boots. every ice covered overpass and bridge had a fresh accident. scary!
{03.22.10} monday: aww...there you are, spring! nice to see you again.
{03.23.10} tuesday: grammy brought the most special gifts with her in her suitcase...
{03.24.10} wednesday: happy 2nd birthday sweet miley girl!! hoping you enjoy endless hours in your new razzleberry kitchen! it's peanut-sized & petite, cute, and peppered in pink...just like you!
{03.25.10} thursday: i had so much fun decorating her mini puppy cupcakes; and she had just as much fun pulling off puppy to play. it was such a blessing to have our friends, caleb and alethia, come over with their mommy and daddy for a little cupcake party. i'm still just a little overwhelmed with the fact she's two.

birthday girl!

dear miley rae,

where to even begin with you...your cuteness is indescribable by words and your sweetness can only be experienced through your little kisses. i'm amazed that God knew you were exactly what our family needed and by adding you, He added a flavor of giggles and joy that seep into our everyday together. i love how you wake up - crazy bed hair with smiles and hugs ready for everyone. i love the way you say bye {how you pronounce it "dye"} - kisses all around before you leave. i love how you make silly faces, each one more funny than the last. i love your cheesy smile for the camera. i love how adventurous you are, exploring independently. i love how you climb. dig. and run. i even love how you drink your juice. how your tiny voice has such a powerful impact on my heart. how your nose crinkles. when it comes down to it, i love every little thing about you. you sprinkle cuteness all around just by being you.

on this special birthday, mommy and daddy are praying for Jesus to wrap you in His love and grace. you are His, and we pray you grow learning more about Jesus everyday. we love you entirely - happy birthday sweet girl!!

life, everyday {week twenty nine}.

{01.01.10} friday: it was a snuggle-on-the-couch kind of day. it was a hold-your-puppy-tight-with-love kind of day. it was a wait-for-my-bottle-in-peace-and-comfort kind of day. it was a pajama kind of day. it was the beginning-of-a-new-year kind of day.

{01.02.10} saturday: a little bling in the back pocket. she was so confident, sure of herself, as she strutted around with cell phone and sparkly lip gloss flashing in her jean pocket.

{01.03.10} sunday: this week's sisterly moment brought to you by creative games to pass the time. this includes carly, the talking, walking, bobbing-head giraffe. this includes carly hiking herself all the way down the hallway towards waiting sisters. one sister still a little unsure of carly, toes curled in safety, off the floor, as carly makes her approach.

{01.04.10} monday: a little creative time-out. i had helped a friend make her little one's first birthday invites and produced this little card for a new baby. it was so refreshing to dig the supplies out, dust them off, and put them to good use. note to self: do this more often.

{01.05.10} tuesday: she was so excited. so excited to cut her own chicken with her own knife all.by.herself. she was so excited to show me her display of silverware, ready and waiting nicely by her dinner plate. perfect for a princess.

{01.06.10} wednesday: our weekly battle has been trying to get this little peanut to eat. she's decided she likes to look at her food, take [maybe?] two bites, and proceeds to throw her arms in the air declaring, "all done!" yeeeah, this doesn't work for us and over time, won't work for her either. here she is during lunch time, refusing to take her last two bites {even though there's still a good ten left in her bowl}. eyes swollen with tears. nose red from screaming. mac n' cheese covered lips pouting in refusal. but still cute. darn stinkin' cute.

{01.07.10} thursday: the girls and i have had fun decorating a little for v-day. we covered this pink mailbox with everything sparkly to fill with loving acts of kindness. it says 1 cor. 13:4 on the other side, reminding us what love truly is. when someone sees another member of the family display love and kindness in its rarest form, a note goes in the box...adding up for treats come valentine's day.

life, everyday {week twenty eight}.

{12.25.09} friday: love the hair scoop. love the expression of pure and utter surprise. love that it's christmas morning and "happy birthday Jesus" was the first thing we did. love that miley's eyes are wide with excitement. love that a new princess castle is waiting on the other side of those girl's innocent joy. pure happiness is one of the best gifts of all.
{12.26.09} saturday: the day after. intoxicated with bliss. wrapped in papa's arms. warmed by snuggled love.
{12.27.09} sunday: little mohawk miley was assisting grammy with one of the most important food groups: spaghetti. in our house, it's that important that it belongs in a category of its own.
{12.28.09} monday: our second date and first double date since we've moved. if the chic eye wear didn't give it away, we went to see avatar in 3-d. and it just gave me a good reason to display my dorkiness in full fashion.
{12.29.09} tuesday: this is papa. this is papa making breakfast. this is papa making breakfast in our apartment. this is papa making breakfast in our apartment for his special girls.
{12.30.09} wednesday: can you even believe my dad has never graced the awesome monstrosity that is ikea? we just had to introduce him immediately. *wink. plus, a little fresh air will do us some good.
{12.31.09} thursday: sleep beautifully, baby girl, into the new year. so much awaits you. so many dreams. so many unexpected blessings drifting your way.