well, hello.

i'm trying my best to write a new blog post and i simply can't. there's so much to say, so much to convey, and so much to catch up on i don't even know where to begin. and so i'll begin where my heart is...with a gratitude of grace list; the mere fact that God's grace has overwhelmed my life to the point of being speechless, i feel inadequate to communicate His goodness in the same way that it's impacted my life. these are some ways i've learned more about the God i serve and the way He has His hand on my life...my life; and that's something for me to talk about.

-our family dynamic has changed since last semester. the hubby got hired at our church as the small groups coordinator, making him more available to us at home and equipping him for our future ministry. God's provision is always more than we could ever think we needed.

-homeschooling has challenged me in ways i didn't expect and has yielded opportunity to trust the Lord in areas that normally cause a bit of panic. as i do the best with what i'm given, God has poured His peace over future decisions that need to be made.

-i have had the honor to volunteer with the women's ministry on campus, coordinating the small groups for seminary wives. it feeds my organizational bug by keeping me busy with emails, planning meetings, and helping keep a very effective and necessary ministry running. i am still amazed at how the Lord plopped me into this position and how i see Him drive the ministry for His glory. it is an indescribable feeling to watch first hand how He equips and teaches.

-every morning i wake up i am reminded of God's strength. sometimes Jesus chooses to heal physical pain. sometimes He calms the storm within. but for me? He has chosen to give me a spirit of dependance and faith in knowing that He is enough for me. my spiritual healing is far greater than any physical healing i need and provides my peace within. most everyday is a battle to remind myself of what i just said, but at the end of the day i always land on the same side in knowing Who my victor is - where my alliance lies. i want to be concerned with the building of my character and the perseverance of my race. i want to get to know the me that He created and understand the purpose He's created in me. i want to deeply know Him and accept His profound love for me. even when i feel defeated before the sun rises, God has a way of waking me up to victory and glory everyday.

more to come on our trip, our holidays, and our family life together...

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.

photos by carson.

just a few...




more to come...

my girl.

i'd know that half-face anywhere. i found this sweet gem on someone else's blog that i don't even know. we attended an adorable princess party a few weekends ago and the photographer captured the best of our miley girl. gotta love her.

she handcrafted the necklace she's wearing at the cowgirl-princess tea party that day, carefully choosing each bead with thoughtfulness and intention.

finding this made my night. and now i have an email in to the person who captured this, hoping to capture the rest of miley's face...and the family, too. *wink.

family blogcast.

i'm never one that's comfortable when things fall behind, like my blog. it causes brain cramps for an extended amount of time, therefore, putting it off even more. and just because it hasn't been posted most definitely doesn't mean it hasn't been happening. with one blink, as usual, our summer was here and now it's drifted away like the dried up dandelions. school has started {and for more than just one of us!}, schedules are still finding their place amidst unexpected sickness and unplanned happenings that life always has to offer, and new opportunities have presented themselves through growth and experience. life has taken on a new journey this fall and with it, i'm bringing what i've learned over the summer...

the more sporadically i do things, usually the more fun they are. why add complication to kid's crafts and activities when the main thing they want is to spend time with you? i learned that joy is spent in a few moments of crazy, messy fun with a side of sporadic sprinkled for good measure.
our sweet friends came over one morning to make waffles via 'kids culinary institute'...learning how to measure, crack eggs, stir properly, and create fluffy masterpieces oozing with butter.

how cute in all their aprons, yes?!
i'm learning more and more to just kinda let miley do her thing. here she is, no harm or mess being done, simply talking to grammy on the phone. grammy had mentioned coming to see her on an airplane, so miley jumped up on the ottoman to peek out the window in hopes of seeing that special airplane. on most days, miley girl is spinning around like a tornado, using her imagination with whatever she can get her hands on. this is where i'm easing up a bit and just letting her make her tremendous messes and working even harder with her on learning how to pick them up.
over the summer, miley bug has also found a new fascination with poofy "'rora-belle" dresses, as she calls them. she wants to wear anything that spins every.single.day. this is her ladybug outfit that was gifted from a friend. she simply adores it! she prances around the house on her tippy toes and lightly flips the petal bottom with her hands as she dances. you should have seen her the other day at walmart...lady bug dress and all.
and here's our little scholar - daddy's not the only one with the studies now. after the first couple of weeks of kindergarten, both mommy and pupil have learned so much! i, personally, have grown already as her teacher and mommy, learning some hard lessons about myself in patience and gratitude for the opportunity to watch jess blossom every day. she is such an eager learner and wants to do things on her own timetable. she loves saying, "i know" to pretty much every new concept we do, giving me the 'graceful' opportunity to politely teach her that she doesn't {*wink}. she's excelling at math, loves it{!}, and her handwriting improves everyday she practices. she's reading more and more words all on her own as we go through the '100 easy lessons' curriculum. she's a fast learner and i'm learning to stay caught up with her!

i can't really put into words how busy i've 'felt'. wondering if i've really been that busy is up for debate, i suppose. true, i've added lots to my agenda and my health has continually gotten worse, but God's faithfulness keeps me going and His grace steadies my steps. i have so many stories to tell and thoughts to convey, but never seem to have the right words to tell them the way they should be told. the Lord's goodness is such a beautiful thing...i don't want to mess it up with my inaccurate and incapable descriptions.

my prayer is that i have the continued strength to keep going, but more, that i have the strength to leave the story behind. i don't want my girls to miss out on what the Lord is doing in my life because of my lack of confidence or ability to do it. He is so very good and His truth is what i have left to dwell on at the end of every day. they need to know. and i need to remember.

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

quiet moments.

the simple things left behind by little hands brings joy to my ordinary days. miley girl's creations leave me thanking God for such a fun little girl with an imagination that grows every day. she always seems to find the perfect little places to line up her favorite toys and leaves them for mommy to discover. i love it.
isn't it wonderful when you realize that the goodness of God carries over into the desires of our hearts that aren't always necessities? our neighbor friend at the end of the hall knocked on our door the other day asking if we wanted this...for free. i was prepared to pay a little something for it, but when he said he was just going to throw it away {?!}, i happily took it off his hands. whoa. i immediately felt the goodness that the Lord has for my girls...complete with all the wooden furniture, and car {and a couple of 'liv' dolls}, they play with it for hours! thank you, sweet friends, but most of all, thank you, Lord for impressing it on their hearts to think of us!
happiness is found in the quietest of moments.
there have been many quiet moments found in this last week as we've been relishing in every minute of our break together. sadly, our courtyard and pool will be closed starting this coming monday due to the construction on our building. here's to hoping i continue to find the small blessings in ordinary days as we spend most of our time inside during the heat of the rest of the summer.

pixie dust.

it was just yesterday she was prancing around in my favorite pink cowgirl boots. fairy wings sagging behind her as she magically danced around the front yard, sprinkling her cuteness around like pixie dust in the hollow.

now's she asking me to call her dude because it's cool and spends way too much time in front of the mirror than any five year old should. oh, sorry, i meant five and a half. she is almost six, you know.


look at that face. it used to get her anything she wanted...who am i kidding, it still totally does.

{jessa girl at 2 & a half}

crafty talent.

i find the most intriguing things around the house. from the toilet seat covered in foamy bath toys to elmo on an african safari, miley girl's craftiness and imagination are always a pleasant surprise to stumble upon.

having herself wrapped around papa's finger is most definitely one of her best talents...how else would he let her put barrettes in his beard and pink sparkly headbands on his hairless head?


her food concoctions are some of her best.
and that hair? most definitely a craft. how else would you explain it?

papa love.

it wasn't long ago that we moved here and settled in, wondering how often our grammy and papa visits would stretch in between each other. you see, we need these long hellos and warm hugs. they keep us going...counting down with gummy worms until the next airplane lands or in this case, motorcycles come barrelling down the road.

it's amazing what the physical presence of family can do. we are blessed beyond blessings with the amount of time they've spent with us and most importantly, with our girls. their investment into our lives has been irreplaceable. and we are thankful.

we are thankful for family all over that have invested in prayer and thoughts of our little family. we can say with confidence that we feel uplifted every day knowing that we are loved in so many ways. it really is overwhelming. overwhelming to know that God loves us so much that He has purposefully put those people into our lives for a specific reason. we'd be foolish to look past them...foolish to ignore their influence. foolish to keep walking without a glance in their direction to say thank you.

every physcial visit reminds me that there are so many more who are lifting us up in spiritual and emotional ways. and for that, i want to look up and say, thank you. i don't want to miss an opportunity.

as we've been soaking in every minute of "papa & papa" {referred to by miley girl} time, here are just a few favorites from the last 10 days. thankfully, we still have two full days left...

and a few from our christmas in july celebration on the 15th...i really don't need a reason to throw a little party, but how often do you recognize Christ as the newborn King in july?

i think she's in love.
it's a little known fact that when my dad visits, he'll be hanging something or putting something together for me. this time? he did both {you rock, dad!}.

exhibit a: love my new curtains that i ironed for six hours to earn {thankyouverymuch *wink}.
exhibit b: yup, ikea. thankfully, i only go there when {both} my parents visit. true story. haven't been there since december.

daily moments.

just a little r n' r in style. i could seriously watch her sleep for hours...or until i doze off myself. which happens more often than not.

she's found her happy place under the dwelling of our heavy comforter. it's really interesting - she'll either sleep for an hour and a half in her own bed or three in ours. which do you think mama's gonna choose for her naptime destination? and at night, she's happy as a clam in her own big girl bed. but quite frankly, she doesn't have an option on that one. *wink

a sweet sisterly moment brought to you by suspenseful movie snuggles, big sister protection, little clenched fist and eyes as wide as the sky.

a fish named miley.

it's been a gloomy-rainy-foggy-stormy last few days. i have to say, i kinda like it. with the sun always, always, always shining its 100+ degree rays, it's nice to have a 'cold front'. however, with that said, it's not as easy to have a break from this {it's not exactly a brilliant idea to swim with looming thunderous clouds overhead}:

{taken sometime last week}

they have been playing so well together in the pool. i love when jess carries miley around as they spin and dance, sing and splash. they play 'ring around the rosie' and then go under water together, coming up with a face full of giggles.

a couple of sundays ago, we were at the hubby's uncle's house bbq-ing and swimming with his lovely family. ever since then, miley has been a fearless fish in the water. she loves swimming back and forth between two people, face fully in the water. she loves pushing off the swim ladder and finding her way back under water. she spends endless amounts of time bouncing off the pool stairs and swimming back to the top.

last summer during our move down here, we stayed at various koa's for the night, which all happened to have pools. since then, we have been dunking her under water with us and i guess you could say it paid off.

she's a fearless fish named miley. and nemo just happens to be one of her favorite movies.

then and now.

this soft pink blankie, littered in all its girly flowers, has seen many, many miles. swaddled around snugly baby miley. wrapped around shoulders. draped over head. laid across lap. a cushion for her infant carseat. a sleepover pal. a peek-a-boo buddy. drug through the supermarket. across the zoo. down the elevator. this blankie has been her favorite from day one.


*separation anxiety may or may not be provoked when said blankie needs washing.

small, happy moments.

moments like these make my heart and soul happy on so many levels.

moments like these seem to strip my pride away. the ugly parts of my being that like to complain inwardly that my hubby is too busy. they rear their ugly head when they say, "yeah, yeah...we expected this, but...". inward struggles that crave more quality time. more family time. more of him with them. with me.

but then i get these moments that spill sweetness all over the dinner table like a glass of milk. they whisper to me through the silly giggles that we are right where we're supposed to be. we're doing fine and we're hanging on. we've been called and we will be sustained.

beauty and grace.

{captured 03.14.10}

this girl would dance until she had blisters on each tip of her petite toes. she dances and twirls and spins and glides wherever there's room for her dress to bloom. just today, she showed me her new technique for opening the refrigerator door...as she pulled it open with a flick, she then spun around once, grabbing hold of it as she came back around. she proceeded to do the exact same thing out of habit with the pantry door.

i don't remember dancing around the house...or the store...or starbucks...when i was little like this one does. i just remember crayons and markers, coloring books and tracing paper, stickers and stencils. but this girl? she loves it all! i wouldn't be surprised if she throws in a pirouette as she kicks her way across the soccer field in the fall. *smile

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!

life, everyday {week fifty two}.

{06.11.10} friday: the hubby finally, and i mean finally, decided what to do with his birthday money that's been laying around for a good two months. we got a sweet deal on a new set of clubs off ebay...please don't ask me the type, their names or what they do cause quite frankly, i'll just tell you they hit golf balls. and according to the swoosh, they have something to do with nike. oh, and he's very, very...very excited about them. very.
{06.12.10} saturday: the countdown begins! one sour gummy container for jessa, one for miley. jessa calls it her "countdown candy" and miley calls it her "papa candy". either way, fewer worms means fewer days until they get here. we started today with 30 in each tub...munching our way to papa and grammy's motorcycles rumbling down our street for a 12 day visit!
{06.13.10} sunday: our little bronze babushka. and it's not even summer yet...
{06.14.10} monday: i simply adore the little peeks into motherhood that the girls leave around the house for me to find. apparently, miley had made a little safari atop the toilet seat. i think this beats the piece of bagel left under daddy's pillow and the nibbled rice cake in the laundry basket.
{06.15.10} tuesday: "my ba-by bel-u-ga, swimming in the deep blue sea..." after bath time, i wrap her up and we sing the baby beluga song together as i rock her back and forth. the excitement she finds in that as she sings along is priceless.
{06.16.10} wednesday: my new, uber creative friend across the hall {more on them later} makes these adorable flower headbands. i've seen them around, but didn't realize just how stinkin' cute they'd look on miley's semi-hairless head. though it's half the size of her peanut noggin', it just seemed to fit her personality perfectly.
{06.17.10} thursday: meet 'livi. one of three of jessa's "new friends" as she calls them. everyone that we run into {or talk to on the phone - like grammy}, jessa exclaims that she has "new friends!" she understands the importance of this because we prayed that the Lord would bring her new friends since all of her friends moved out this spring. we encouraged her that God knew what she needed and during that, i grew to understand that He also knew what i needed...and they moved in right.across.the.hall. His timing. His implicit care to detail. His abundance in love. each and every time, it's overwhelming to experience first hand. our new friends are a treasure and we've enjoyed every open-door minute with them!