BAD feeling...

You know the "bad feeling" that you get when you realize that you have forgotten something or can't find something of great importance or necessity? That sense of panic that invades your inner gut area as you realize that there could be GREAT ramifications and consequences for what you can't find???

Have you had those moments?

Well, today, this happened to me. No, I didn't lose my kids or leave them anywhere (that would be TERRIBLE!). But, I did leave my purse somewhere. Well, not just somewhere...the Target shopping cart corral to be exact. In the front part where you can sit a young child. THAT is where I left my purse this morning.

One would THINK that I would have seen my purse as I pushed the cart into it's home. That, before I left to go back to my van, I would have noticed a brown purse sitting right in the front, right in front of my face. One would THINK that would be the case.

However, for me, today that was NOT the case. I left Target and went home completely oblivious to the fact that my purse was left alone in the cart.

Fast forward one-hour later. I am getting ready to leave again to join up with my friend, Lori (who had my girls over for school while I took her son, Lukas with me on errands) for lunch. I got Caleb and Lukas buckled in the van and looked to where my purse USUALLY is and was SUPPOSED to be. Right between the two captain seats in the front of the van.

But, hmmm...no purse was there. No problem...no need to panic yet. I ran inside to check out my other "purse spot" (in our back entryway) only to discover that it was not THERE either.

In comes the "bad feeling"... WHERE could it be? When was the last time I remember having it? Did I bring it home from Target? Oh NO...did I leave it at Target? Or even worse, did I leave it outside in the cart corral???

Visions of my purse IN the cart at Target come to my mind. YES. I remember seeing the purse sitting in the front part of the cart as I got the boys buckled in and grabbed the groceries out. I DON'T remember grabbing my purse. Or leaving it there either, for that matter!!

SO, I ran inside to look up Target's phone number. I quickly called there and WAITED for at least two minutes for someone to answer the customer service phone. Finally a nice young man answered. I told him my dilemma of the missing purse. He questioned his co-worker and she said that YES, they did have a purse there...in MY name!!!

WHEW!!! :-) Relief flooded over me!!!

Target gave me a bit of a scare when I went to pick up my purse, though. They couldn't seem to FIND it...it was not in the safe and not in the typical lost and found spot. After calling on half the store and asking all of the employees around, the Target gal FINALLY tracked down my purse. Never ever have I been so happy to see this purse. :-)

And, thank the Lord, EVERYTHING was in tact...no cash was missing (I only had about $25 in there), my few plastic cards were there, and no checks were missing from the checkbook. Oh...and all of the other junk that has infiltrated my purse over the past while was still in there too!

Thank you, thank you, you honest, kind, anonymous person who brought my lonely purse in from the Target cart corral. I am so grateful for your integrity...

Now, if only someone would be so kind as to find my BRAIN and bring it back to me...I would appreciate that!! There WILL be a reward! :-)

Like I said in a post a bit ago..."If I only had a brain," my life would be so much less complicated!!!

My Future's so Bright...

..I gotta wear SHADES...

...and a sweatshirt that is two sizes to small (can you tell by the hood?)...just because it is VIKINGS apparel! Kids just have the funniest sense of "style" sometimes, don't they? Caleb thought that he was REALLY cool in these shades!!!

Even though I may have passed on some of my abilities to tell GREAT jokes to my kids (ha ha), I am hoping that their choices of "fashion" are NOT what they have found ME wearing...

Just couldn't resist this funny picture of my Caleb boy!!! In some ways I think that it doesn't even look like him. :-)

I've Been TAGGED!!!

My friend, Laura, tagged me for this fun get-to-know-you activity!! I have never done something like this before, but I enjoyed reading her answers SO much that I thought that I would do one too!!! So, here goes!! :-)

I am…...a child of God, a wife, a mom, a friend, a daughter, a sister...all in one!

I want.....to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord in ALL that I do!
I have.....to go to the bathroom. TMI? :-)

I wish.....that there was more time in the day!!!
I hate.......the injustice that I see all around me. That so many live in huge mansions while others are sleeping on the floor, hungry.

I miss......my family and friends who live away from us.
I fear.......my husband or children dying and the depth that I would miss them. I also fear dying and leaving my family behind. I don't necessarily fear "death" itself, I just fear the heartache that comes with the huge loss of death.
I feel..........for others very deeply very often.
I hear.........my fingers clicking away on the keyboard, the dryer going, and some laughing upstairs as the kids play with their Daddy (this is one of my favorite things to hear!).
I smell........my laundry in the dryer.
I crave........chocolate more now than I ever used to.

I search......God's Word for direction in my life. And, sometimes I search pretty hard for my keys if they are not just left in the car! :-)

I wonder.....A LOT of things. I wonder what it would have been like to watch God speak and the world come into existence. I wonder just how God can listen to tons of people praying at the same time?? Lots of things like that. And, I also wonder who wrote the Book of Love! :-)

I regret........choices that I have made that have hurt others' feelings; being an impatient and reactive mom sometimes.

I love...........my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, my wonderful hubby, my three kiddos, my family, my friends, my church body. And I love to laugh, be goofy, run, read, spend time with family and friends, scrapbook, and be OUTSIDE (when it is warm out...I love HOT weather!).

I ache.........for my kids to know, love, and want to serve God with all of their hearts, souls, minds, and strength!

I care........for all of the people in my life!!!
I always.......tell my kids not to say "always" (or "never")...rarely is there an "always" in life that "always" rings true!!
I am not…...good at living in chaos.
I believe.........in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for all of my sins and shortcomings, and that through the gift of salvation I will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
I dance........like a break-dancing machine. Just kidding. I really don't!

I sing............a bit like Whitney Houston. ha ha No, really, I have always wished that I was a better singer. But, I still love to do it...especially in the car, by myself, with the music jacked up really loud!
I cry...............OFTEN...what can I say, I am an emotional gal!
I don’t always.........find myself as patient as I would like to be.
I fight........to get myself up and going earlier in the morning.
I write.......in doodles when I am talking on the phone.
I never.........say "never"...

I listen.........to others around me as I desire to get to know their hearts!!
I need..........to relax and take life one day at a time...I can get too ahead of myself sometimes and feel worry and anxiety.

I am happy......when I am with my family and we are all together; when I am having some great in-depth conversation or lot of laughs with friends; and that I get to stay home with my kids and watch them grow and change each step of the way!

Now it is my turn...I tag my fellow-blogging college friends (IF you have time and energy for it, that is...no pressure!)...Mck Mama, Sarah, Rachel, Yvette, and Staci!!

"It's So Hard to Say Good-bye..."

We spent the evening last night having supper with some dear friends of ours, Stacey and Aaron, and their three kiddos. They came over, and despite the cold weather, had a fun grill-out kind of night!!!

Here is Stacey and I...

My girls with their buddy Aubrey (6 years old)...

Caleb with his buddy Lukey (4 years old)...

Aaron and Pat hanging out "playing" as guys do best!

Stacey and I met about 2 1/2 years ago...and as she puts it, it was "love at first sight"! From the very first time we met at MOPS, we totally clicked right away! After spending the morning at MOPS talking and getting to know each other a bit, I took her phone number and email and said that I would be in touch to set up a play date or something.

Little did I know that that first playdate and interaction would blossom into an amazing, heart-connected friendship!! Most friendships take TIME to really develop and grow...but, with Stacey, it just happened so naturally and quickly! Never before (since college days) has a friendship bloomed and become such a big part of my life in such a short amount of time! Stacey is such a kindred spirit and such a sweet, thoughtful, fun-loving friend! She puts up with my attempts at humor (and even laughs too!), is so kind-hearted and compassionate, is selfless and giving, and is so easy to talk to and be real with.

What a gift her friendship has been and continues to be in my life. But, I sit here with tears in my eyes knowing that things are going to change here soon. In less than three weeks, my dear friend and her family of five will be moving to Michigan (17 hours from here) where her husband, Aaron, is preparing for his residency in the ER.

I have such mixed emotions (and I know that she does too!). Of course I am excited for their family to start their new venture in their lives and see what the Lord has in store for them in the new "home" that he has led them to. Of course I KNEW that this was coming (they were stationed here for three years while Aaron was a doctor and served his "time" to the Air Force). BUT, of course my heart is very sad as I look to say good-bye to Stacey being here and living in the same town as us.

It is just SO hard to say good-bye...and it has been something that I feel like I have had to do quite a bit in the last year. A close friend of mine, Jaci (Consider it all Joy), and her family moved to Texas last August so that her husband, Brent, could go to seminary. Our kids really enjoyed playing together, Jaci and I were pregnant together, and shared SO much together as friends and families.

Then, that same month, my sister and her family moved away as well. I can't even tell you the MANY tears that I cried anticipating this! Oh how I miss having my sister, Katie, and her family here. I miss watching the cousins play and seeing my nieces and nephew grow on more of a daily basis. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking of it.

And, now, in less than a year's time another DEAR friend of mine is moving away too. What heartache all of this is. But, I guess when you love and care deeply, "pain" is part of the process, isn't it? The only other alternative would be to just cut my heart off from people and not allow myself to be vulnerable in building deeper friendships. And, after experiencing the HUGE blessings of true friendship and love, I could never do that either! The heartache that comes with saying good-bye and deeply missing someone is totally worth the blessings, joy, connectedness, love, and FUN of the life-long friendships that have been built.

Stacey, Aaron, and kiddos...you are loved SO much and will be missed SO much too!!! Know that our home is always open WHENEVER you want to make the drive back here!

"It's so hard to say good-bye," isn't it??

(Singing a little Boyz II Men yet?)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...Christmas?

In April (almost May)??

Isn't there something just totally WRONG about all of this???

How can we go from grilling out and shooting hoops last weekend (in shorts nonetheless) to a snow covered land THIS weekend?? Isn't it supposed to be getting nicer and warmer?

Everyone is "antsy" to be outside (including ME!). Caleb even said to me this morning, "Mommy, can we play basketball outside?"

To which I said, "No, Caleb, it is snowing out...so, we can't play basketball today, buddy."

"Well, we can wear our BOOTS..."

True, Caleb, we could. But, we shouldn't HAVE to wear BOOTS on April 26th, should we???

BIG NEWS!!!!!

Hold on to your seats...we have some BIG news to share with you all!!!

Instead of just announcing it myself, we thought that we would have Caleb do the honors...(watch the video before you scroll down...)

Did you watch the video??? :-)
















Was that the "big news" that you were expecting??

Did you REALLY think that I was pregnant?? :-) hee hee hee

While I was doing some "organizing" (I use that term lightly here) in our storage room today, Caleb came in to see what was going on (isn't it funny how kids always want to be involved in the process of something when you really would like to do it YOURSELF?).

He noticed this Vikings guy sitting high up on a shelf. This Vikings guy was a gift from Craig (my sister's hubby) to Pat one Christmas years ago. You can imagine how excited Caleb was when he saw it again today (those of you who know him know that he is a true Vikings lover!)!

Immediately as I took the Vikings guy down, Caleb took him in his arms and said that he was his "little broder"!! Quickest, most painless birth (and pregnancy) I ever experienced, I tell you!!! :-)

It actually has been quite cute. At lunch, Caleb wanted his "little broder" to sit by him. He wanted to bring him with as we went out and about today...yes, we even used our spare booster seat for him! :-)

Although he hasn't spent ALL day playing with him (he got to have some time playing with the closest thing he has in his life that resembles a TRUE brother, his buddy, Lukas) he has sat with him, wrestled with him, and played football with him.

Oh, I am sure that Caleb would have SO much fun with a true "little broder" and would be a great BIG brother too! But, since Caleb is our "baby" (and will probably always be - nothing is 100%), I guess little "Adrian Peterson" is going to have to do!!! :-)

Joke of the Day...

Kylie : Mom and Dad, I have a joke for you.

Me : OK, what is it?

Kylie : Do guitars go to the bathroom?

Pat : No, I don't think so...do they?

Kylie : Well, they must...why else would they have BOTTOMS then???

:-)

Oh, the jokes my kids make up!!! It is just all fun and laughs around here all of the time, I tell you! ha ha ha

No, really, I DO love made up jokes. In fact, I used to make up jokes ALL of the time when I was a kid. And, I thought that they were really pretty funny if I do say so myself. Let me give you a sample...

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Curtains...

Curtains who?

Curtains hanging on the wall!!!

Are you LAUGHING yet? Well, if not, let me try another...

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Bed...

Bed who?

Bed in the bedroom!!

I know...funny stuff, huh?? OK, not really. But, I used to really think that they were really funny jokes.

What can I say, I guess we now know where my kids get their "dull" senses of humor!!! :-)

"Hoop" There It Is...

Yes, Pat DID officially get the basketball hoop up on Saturday night. He was even out there working after dark to get it all up and workable so that the kids could play some basketball on Sunday!!! Thanks, Pat...you did great! :-)

Mackenzie has been wanting to play, practice, and learn more about the game of basketball and really wants to play on a team next year. So, we thought that we would let her see if she really likes the game by being able to practice this summer. Plus, Pat and I both love to "shoot around"...so, it should be lots of fun for everyone!!!

Little did we know that Caleb LOVES to run around the driveway and dribble. He wouldn't stand still at all as I tried to snap a picture of him. Here is the run-around dribbler in action!

I sure hope that the neighbors don't get sick of hearing bouncing balls...I have a feeling the kids (and the "big kids") might be using this hoop a lot!!! :-)

Fun with numbers...

We are back!!! :-)

We had a wonderful weekend away. The weather was BEAUTIFUL (sunny and very pleasant). We were blessed to hear Gary Thomas share for the first time his messages on his new book, "The Beautiful Fight." We were in the company of many other individuals who love the Lord and want to serve Him. Pat and I were able to have some time just to relax, rest, and play a bit together. It was super refreshing, enjoyable, encouraging, challenging, intense, and yet very relaxing as well!

I have some thoughts of some different ways that God has been challenging me...but, maybe I will get those together and share them later. I thought for now, I would give you a little numbers run-down of our weekend away...

48 - the total number of hours that we were gone and away from our kids...

3 - the number of tries it took for us to actually GET out of town (after leaving our house - and one time being about 3 miles from home - we had to head back to our house TWICE - we forgot our fan - a necessity for sleep - and Pat forgot his binder of music - a necessity for leading worship. But, since the music ended up not being at our house, we had to THEN go to church. We got quite the chuckle seeing how much work it was for us to get out of town WITHOUT the kids!).

3.369 - the current price for a gallon of gas (did anyone else look at that number and think, 3+3=6, 3x3=9, and 3+6=9??? Yes, what came to mind right away!!)

75 - the number of minutes that it took us to drive to camp (Pat was driving)

90 - the number of minutes that it took us to drive home from camp following someone from church and not wanting to FLY past them.

4 - the number of hours that we had for FREE TIME at the conference this weekend on Friday afternoon. We didn't know what to do with ourselves! When do we EVER have FOUR hours of "freedom" with no kids and no "projects" waiting to be done around the house???

9 - the number of holes that I played of frisbee golf

5 - the number that I was OVER par after playing these holes

4 - the number that Pat was UNDER par after playing these same holes

2 - the number of people in our house who have sore right shoulders from playing frisbee golf. (Yes, sad but true!)

7.5 - the number of hours we spent listening to Gary Thomas talk and share about the main concepts of his new book, "The Beautiful Fight."

7.5 - the number of hours that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed and was encouraged after worshiping the Lord and listening to Gary share!

0 - the number of kids who were THRILLED to see us when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's house (it wasn't like they didn't WANT to see us...they just weren't totally ready to LEAVE G and G's!)

2 - the number of kids who got their hair cut while we were gone (Thanks, Mom, the girls love their new cuts!)

1 - the number of kids who are still trying to grow a full head of hair!

4 - the number of loads of laundry that I just sorted and have waiting for me now...

0 - the amount of ambition that I have to DO that laundry...

3 - the number of hours that Pat has been working on getting a portable basketball hoop up

?? - the number of hours that he has left in order to FINISH putting it up (Poor guy!! Why do these projects always end up taking more time than you want? You should see ALL of the bolts and screws that came with this thing. Wow. You are doing a great job, Pat!)

2 - the number of taped TV shows that we have waiting for us to view tonight since we missed them on Thursday night...Survivor and The Office!

Well...it was good to get away...but, it is now good to be home as well!!!

Hope that you are having a nice weekend as well!! :-)

On the road again...

Let's face it. I don't "get out" much. :-)

Now, I am not trying to say that I NEVER leave the house (because we do lots!), or never "get out" with friends or get a break from the kids or anything like that. Because I really do.

But, what I don't do very much, it seems, is "get out" and leave our lovely town for a weekend. With a hubby who is a youth pastor at a church and needs to be around most Sundays, we spend most of our weekends right here at home. And, don't get me wrong...I love being at home and with my family!

However, it is nice to "get away" every now and again. Two weekends ago, I got away with my dearest friend, Lori, and got some scrapbooking done (and even got snowed in an extra night!). And, believe it or not, I am actually getting away THIS weekend as well...only this time I get to escape town with my HUBBY - and without any kiddos!!!

Our church has hosted a conference here the last few days. A speaker/author by the name of Gary Thomas has been putting it on...and it has been great!! He is going to be doing a weekend retreat this weekend, Thursday-Saturday, at a local camp a few hours from here for a Christian Counseling Center and its staff and board members, and they have asked Pat to come and lead worship! So, yes, I get to tag-along and be a part of this great conference...AND get away and spend some quality time with my hubby!!

If you have never heard of Gary Thomas or read anything by him, I would highly recommend it! I have only read two of his books, The Sacred Marriage (a must-read!) and Authentic Faith (one of Pat's all-time favorite books...and I love it too). Gary is a great, practical, Biblical, down-to-earth writer and speaker...and I am so looking forward to being challenged and encouraged in my walk with the Lord at this conference this weekend!

It has been really busy at our house these past few months...and I have a feeling the next few months are only going to get busier! Our senior pastor (who has been serving our church for 36 faithful years...yes, I did say 36!), is retiring this May. So, with no one yet to fill his shoes, Pat and our Family/Discipleship Pastor will be filling in and doing the preaching for the summer...on TOP of all of his already busy summer trips that he has with the youth group!

So, having this time to "get away" to intentionally focus on having some quantity and quality time with each other away from the kids will be so wonderful!!! We did this two years ago (the exact same scenario only a different speaker)...and it was so refreshing. So, I really am looking forward to doing it again!

My mom and dad are taking the kids, so of course they are excited to have some time with Grandma and Grandpa!! Thanks, Mom and Dad...we so appreciate you both!

Well...we are "off"! We just gave the kids their good-bye hugs and kisses (Caleb made me cry as he held on SUPER tight and just kept telling me that he was going to miss me! I am going to miss them all so much as well!)...and are getting all packed up and ready to leave here!

Hopefully on this "get away" weekend, we won't get snowed in...the LAST thing that I want to see right now is any more snow! Good thing that the weekend weather is actually looking pretty nice!!

Hope you enjoy YOUR weekend as well! :-)

The. Real. Thing.

If you have been around "here" for a while, you know that my Caleb LOVES music...and more specifically he loves the drums and the guitar!!! He is constantly picking up "things" to be guitars and making his own drum sets with whatever he can find to bang on!

So, imagine the PURE excitement and thrill when THIS is given to us...

Yes, no longer does Caleb have to pretend to play guitar. He nows has The. Real. Thing!!! And, man oh man does he LOVE it!!

The Worship Pastor at our church, Bruce, just resigned recently and took a different position. While he was here, he definitely had a sweet affection for our kids. Bruce bought this guitar for HIS kids when they were little. However, now that they are all grown and in college, he decided to pass it on to us, knowing how much our Caleb loves the guitar! So, right before they moved, he brought this guitar over as a gift to our kids.

Can you tell that it is loved??

Thank you, Bruce...this guitar definitely will get used and I know will become a guitar that Pat teaches Caleb (and maybe the girls too) to REALLY play someday!

Here is a little "jam-session" that Caleb enjoyed on this new "love"...yes, he is a bit expressive when he sings and plays!

TRIPLE the celebration!!!

This weekend my sister, Katie, and my brother, Tony, and their families came home to celebrate some April birthdays in the family!!

My mom and dad have birthdays that are nine days apart (my dad's is actually today!)...so, it works well to get everyone together to celebrate them both together! We had a lot of fun last night all hanging out and celebrating my parent's lives. I know that I speak for both of my siblings and their spouses when I say that we are SOOOOOO blessed to have such wonderful, supportive, godly, encouraging, prayerful, giving, and loving parents. They have been such a wonderful example of marriage, love, and parenting as well!

We love you SO much, Mom and Dad, and feel so blessed to have you as parents and for our kids to have some loving, relational grandparents as well! Hope you had a Happy Birthday celebration!

Here are my parents with their seven grandchildren - ages 6 1/2 to 6 months!

The cousins all dancing and having fun together...yes. Caleb is playing the "air guitar"!!

Caleb really loved holding Isaac...it was pretty sweet!

And, to cap off the "triple celebration" we also celebrated my niece Olivia's FOURTH birthday today (it really is on the 20th). Here is the "cutie pie" herself!

We love you, Olivia, and miss having you live so close to us! We hope that you had a fun day today!!!

Like Mother, Like Daughter...

Sometimes, for me, I see things in my kids that remind me of ME and how I am. My oldest, Mackenzie, and I are quite a bit alike. We are both the first-borns and seem to have lots of the same "natural tendencies." And, sometimes this is "fun" to see...and other times I feel responsible for her struggles!!!

Here are just a few things that will let you get to know me a bit more so that I can better explain what I am getting at here...

**If I am honest, I can be a little "anal"...and definitely have perfectionistic qualities that I have had to fight in my life. I thrive on and like order and chaos makes me CRAZY!!! Although it never seems to be the case (especially with three kids), I like things to be in their place (and it bothers me that not everything in our house really has a place sometimes!).

**My mind is constantly going and I can't help it...and I secretly add numbers in my head when I see them (whether on a clock, a license plate, a phone number, etc.) and I get really thrilled when they all add up to each other (you know, 1:56...1+5=6). I know, I am a big nerd! :-) I have been known to analyze and over-analyze things, people, my feelings...you name it (must be why I pursued a degree in Psychology in college, huh?)...my mind is just always going!

**I am a highly sensitive and emotional gal...sometimes more than I would like to be! I cry easily and feel deeply. I am a "peace-keeper" and a "people-pleaser" by nature and always try to really be sensitive to those around me.

Well, my Mackenzie has inherited some of these traits as well...and I saw them all in action tonight!

As I was getting the kids each some water tonight before bed, Mackenzie came into the kitchen a bit teary. Knowing that she was really tired, but still concerned about what was going on, I asked her what was the matter.

Mackenzie: "Did you or Daddy put the sheets on my bed?" (I had washed their sheets this morning...and Mackenzie, who resides on the top bunk, has quite the "orderly system" to her belongings up there. She keeps her special things up there as well as the things that she doesn't want Kylie to get into. She has learned quickly that Kylie enjoys "getting into" things!).

Me: "Daddy put the sheets on. While we were at Grandma's and Grandpa's for supper tonight, he came home and put them on before he went into work for a bit." (He had worship practice for Sunday). "Why? Is there something wrong with your bed?"

Mackenzie: (Totally crying hard now...) "Well, I was just wondering who put the sheets back on because MY little blanket was on Kylie's bed and HER blanket was on mine..."

Me: "That's OK, honey, we can just switch the blankets, OK?"

Mackenzie: (Still crying) "Well, I just feel bad. I mean, Daddy worked so hard to put the sheets on, and I don't want him to feel badly that he put the wrong blankets on the bed. I just feel bad for him...he worked so hard to get the sheets on."

Me: (Giving her a big hug and trying not to smile) "Oh, Mackenzie...Daddy will be fine. OK? It was a simple mistake...I am sure that he didn't even notice since they are both pink. It is OK, honey."

Mackenzie: "Well, I just feel bad because he tried so hard to do this for us and I don't want him to feel bad."

Me: "Daddy will be fine, OK?" (Mackenzie is settling down a bit more) "Are you feeling better now? Are you OK?"

Mackenzie: "Yeah... Oh, look, Mom, 3+4=7."

Sure enough, I look. The clock said "7:34."

Hmmm...sound familiar??? :-)

"If I Only Had a BRAIN"...

I know what the Scarecrow feels like on "The Wizard of Oz" when he is singing "If I Only Had a Brain"! Oh, how I can relate to that feeling!!

I feel like as the days/years go by, my brain is failing me as well!!! I can't believe the number of times that the "wrong" words come out of my mouth!!!

Here were just a few comments from me in a span of TWO minutes while I was getting the kids to bed tonight (Pat is gone)...

"Mackenzie, Caleb...I mean KYLIE, please come here and go potty..."

"Caleb, please come into the bathroom and put your ponytail on..." Ponytail? Oh, I meant pull-up!

"Come on guys, put your lights away and turn the books off..." What?

Oh, I MEANT to say, "Put your BOOKS away and turn the LIGHTS off..."

Come on, brain, don't fail me now!!! :-)

I can't tell you the COUNTLESS times this happens to me throughout the course of the day. I mix up words, say the wrong ones, call my kids by the wrong names...my brain is moving way faster than my mouth could ever speak (and my uncles used to always give me a "hard time" for how fast I talk!) and thinking about WAY more things than it possibly has the ability to do, I guess!!!

Has "motherhood" done "this" to anyone else??? :-)

Thank goodness...

...that the weather that we LEFT just today,


...is NOT the weather that we came home too!!! I am SOOOOOO happy to say that we totally missed the storm and have NO snow here!!! Here is a picture from TODAY here...

Wow. What a terrible storm it was that central Minnesota received. Where Lori's mom lives, there was almost 24 inches of snow! INSANE!

We were very glad that we didn't try to leave yesterday to journey back home...we heard that the roads were awful! Even today they were very snowy, slushy, and not that great for the first while. But, they got better as we got closer to home...and we were so thankful to come home to a spring-like day here!

When we got back, Lori and I took the kids for a LONG walk and enjoyed some out-door playing! I can't even tell you just HOW refreshing it was to leave the snow. It truly was depressing to see winter starting ALL over again! Yikes!!! I have had spring fever ever since winter started (can't you just tell that I LOVE it?), so it was super refreshing to be able to be outside today!

Our walk around the long block...

Caleb kept on running and then falling on the grass claiming that he was playing football and "tackling" the grass...

We then took out one of the girls' FAVORITE summertime activities - SIDEWALK CHALK!! Pretty much all last summer, our driveway was always covered with some new chalk-creation! They go "all out" and create big houses with everything imaginable in them! So, they were excited to be able to do that today!!

And, it wouldn't be spring without some dirt or mud on the face, right? Caleb somehow got a little "mud mustache" in today's excursion outdoors!

Anyway...it was really good to "get-away" for a bit. Although I am tired still and didn't sleep the greatest away from home, I feel really refreshed as a MOM. It was so good to see my kids today. I did MISS them. I felt like in my time away, I gained some "perspective" and feel a bit more patient and "ready" for the days ahead and the last weeks of school here.

Plus, looking at pictures and different memories also made me realize (again!) just how FAST they are growing up. And, oh how I LONG to enjoy the moments that I have with them while they are in our care and still young...

Oh how I LOVE being at home with my kids and love them with ALL of my heart...but, oh how it was nice to have some "time away" too... So, thanks, Pat, for "giving" that to me, and thanks, Lori, for the GREAT time away!!!

As good as it was to "get away"...there truly IS "no place like home"!!

All Snowed in...

...but at least we have somewhere to go!!

Who would have thought that one could get SNOWED IN in the beginning of April???

Lori and I are officially "done" with our scrapbooking weekend; however, we are NOT on our way home yet! Fortunately, the camp that we scrapbooked at this weekend is just a few miles from her mom's house. So, we are staying here, enjoying some WARMTH and some time with her mom, and even being blessed with a home-cooked meal that we don't have to make!!!

So, although we miss our families and were looking forward to seeing our kids (and hubbies too!) and giving them big hugs and kisses, we won't be doing anything tonight but staying indoors!

Hopefully the roads will clear in the morning and we will be able to make our jaunt home to "relieve" our hubbies from their "single-parenting" duties! Thanks, Pat, for being flexible and switching around your "plans" for the morning at work! I appreciate it greatly!!

Here are a few pictures that Lori's mom took from her house today. As you can see, the snow is coming down pretty well...and it is STILL coming down now as I type this.

CRAZY STUFF, huh?? Just when we think that "spring has sprung," winter creeps back up on us like this! Isn't this just WRONG for April??? Well, hopefully this snow all stops soon! It was refreshing, fun, and great to "get-away" for a long weekend, but it will be good to get back home too!!

One. Huge. Headache...

Yes, that was what my afternoon was today!!!

You see, I am getting ready to leave for a "get-away" weekend with my friend, Lori...and it couldn't come at a better time!

Pat has been super busy lately (pretty much gone EVERY night last week with meetings, youth group, and then a Districts conference all weekend that was hosted here in our town!). So, needless to say, I have been single-parenting much lately...and on top of that not sleeping very well. So, I am super exhausted. I am SO looking forward to getting away and RELAXING for a few days.

However our weekend is away is not just for "relaxing" as we are planning on doing some major scrapbooking as well!!!

But, in order to scrapbook, one needs some pictures, right?

Well, you see, that is where my HEADACHE is from today.

I have been terrible about being "on top" of my picture-ordering! All of my pictures are uploaded on my computer and put in "files" and labeled according to events. But, actually ORDERING them and having the "hard copy," well, it has been a YEAR since I have done that. Yes, you heard me right. ONE YEAR! I still haven't even ordered Easter pictures from last year! I have ordered some specific pictures that I have put in frames around the house. But, other than that, I don't have a single photo from the past year of our lives!!!

So, in order to get ready for this, these past few weeks I have been working hard at editing, cropping, uploading and ORDERING many pictures. Knowing that I needed them by early this week, I specifically placed a big "send away" order from Walmart at the beginning of last week ordering most of the pictures that I would need to get some major scrapbooking done.

I got an email on Monday that said that my pictures were in. Tuesday, my friend, Lori, went to pick them up for me...but, they weren't there.

No problem. They assured her that they would most definitely be here Wednesday (today).

So, I went in this morning. Yep, you guessed it...NO pictures.

I started to freak out a bit. Here I am going on a scrapbooking weekend and I have NO pictures from this past year to scrapbook. Where were my 342 pictures that I spent HOURS figuring out and ordering????????

They had no answers for me other than the fact that they had received them and scanned them in. And, now they were NO WHERE to be found! What a HEADACHE!!

IF I really wanted them for tomorrow, my only option was to go back and reorder them all one-hour.

Now, this wouldn't have been that bad if all of my pictures that I ordered would have been on one memory card or something. Of course they weren't. That would have been too easy. And, it wouldn't have been that bad if they could have just pulled my order up on their computer and reprinted it. But, I guess that isn't possible either. Can you even believe that my order was GONE???

My only option was to go through EVERY single album that I uploaded onto the Walmart site and totally spend close to two hours RE-ORDERING. Like I didn't have anything else to do today!!!

I was not a "happy-camper" to say the least!! Thanks, Lori, Stacey, Katie, and Pat for listening to me "vent" during my intense frustration and stress this afternoon while I re-ordered my pictures with a not-so-great attitude!

Let's just say that although I do have a physical headache right now, the story DOES have a "happy ending"! I actually got ALL of my pictures at NO CHARGE!!! My one-hour order was refunded...and so was my original send away order! At least I got "paid" a bit for the stress that I went through!!!

So...with my pictures here and ready (at least I hope...I haven't picked them up yet!)...I am off tomorrow for a weekend away. I am so ready!!! :-)

He delights in me???

***Just FYI...I actually wrote this post last night, but just got around to posting it today!!!

Zephaniah 3:17 says,

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Wow. That is a "tough" truth to "swallow" for me today. Does God truly "delight" in me???

Let me just be honest. I have NOT "delighted" in myself today (nor can I imagine anyone else "delighting" in me as well). To put it more bluntly, I have greatly annoyed, frustrated and disappointed myself.

I have been impatient when I have wanted to be patient. I have been frustrated when I wanted to be gracious. I have been easily aggravated, irritated, and edgy when I wanted to be calm and merciful.

Then, it seems that the more I was impatient, easily aggravated and edgy, the more frustrated I became with myself.

And, then the more I became frustrated with myself, the MORE I became even MORE impatient and MORE irritable and MORE edgy.

A "vicious cycle" that I just couldn't seem to "break" this afternoon.

Don't I sound like I was a "blast" to be around??? (Thank you, Lori, for being such a faithful friend to me and wanting to hang out with me even on my not-so-great days!)

Do you ever want a day where you could just escape "hanging out" with yourself?? (Not possible, I know!) :-)

After sharing my heart and frustrations with Pat this afternoon, when he came home he "made" me hop on the treadmill for a bit so that I could "run off some stream." While I was running some verses that I often think of when I feel at "war" within myself came to my mind.

I feel like if we are all honest, we do at times struggle inside the way that Paul shared in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

I HATE being easily edgy and irritable and impatient with my kids. I HATE when I feel more like "throwing the towel" than persevering through the tantrums, disobedience, and whining. I HATE when I am crabby and just don't feel like myself.

I realize that all of these things that I shared are merely feelings. But, what I HATE is when I act on those feelings and DO what I hate to do.

Then, on that same run, the truth from Zeph. 3:17 came to my heart.

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Do I really believe that God "delights" in me? That He "rejoices over me with singing"? That even on my bad attitude, sinful days, He still loves me for ME???

It can be hard for my mind to convince my heart that this really is true. I can FEEL so "undelightful" and so unloveable in those moments. Yet, how comforting and what security it brings to my heart and life to know that my Heavenly Father delights in me, accepts me and loves me. Just as I am.

How thankful I am for a God who is so faithful and whose love is unconditional. That He gives me "second chances" (and million chances somedays!) to be forgiven and start anew...

And, I am thankful that tomorrow is a NEW DAY!!!** I need a "new start"...and a good night of sleep!!!! :-)

**Oh, just so you know, today has been a MUCH better day (well, until Walmart Photo Center lost 342 of my pictures that I NEED to go scrapbooking this weekend. But, that is a whole 'nother post!). :-)

18 Months...and Counting!!!

Today marks a "big day" at our house. It is no one's birthday or anniversary or anything like that. And, no, I am not doing anything with "April Fools" (even though I DO love "jokes")!!

However, it does mark the celebration that it has been 18 months to the day since Kylie had her last seizure...October 1, 2006 was her last one.

In some ways, it seems like forever ago that we had to witness and experience this. It truly is terrible and heart-wrenching watching your child have a seizure. Plus, her last one was REALLY scary. We were SO close to calling 911 or trying to rush her to the ER. It lasted almost 7 minutes...and the after-effects can be just as traumatic (throwing up, completely "out of it", etc.).

When I look back, it is crazy how in some ways, it can feel like that all didn't really happen. Almost like those 1 1/2 years of her struggles with seizures/finding the right combinations of medications was a bad dream/nightmare. Yet, in other ways, it is SO real to my heart and mind because I know the pain and hard times and how the Lord has used it to grow me and shape me.

Even though she has been seizure-free for 18 months, we have had some ups and downs with medication adjustments and side effects. But, all and all, our Kylie is an active, healthy, normal 5 1/2 year old girl. Besides the two medications that we have to "remind" us twice daily of her struggle with epilepsy, it is almost something that I don't even think about anymore on a day-to-day basis. And, this is AMAZING and crazy because for almost 1 1/2 years, it was such a hard part of my EVERY day and my every thoughts. Watching her every move. So concerned that she was going to have a seizure. Wondering IF and WHEN it would happen again.

My heart is FILLED with thankfulness at how well she is doing. We head back to the doctor in just under 5 weeks here. And, the last time I talked to the nurse on the phone a few weeks ago, there was actually TALK about the possibility of weaning her off the meds IF she stays seizure-free for TWO years (and it is just "talk" right now as we haven't heard it directly from the doctor's mouth).

Now, I know that we are still six months away and Kylie would have to stay seizure-free and have a clear, normal EEG, but, still that thought invokes many different emotions (and some anxieties and fears too if I am honest!)...

But, we will just take it "simply one day at a time" here...right??? I am the "queen" at getting too ahead of myself...

Anyway...I just wanted to share my "good news" with you all. My heart is filled with thankfulness. The Lord is faithful and continues to uphold us no matter WHAT He allows or brings our ways. I am just so thankful that even when I can't see the "big picture," HE knows and I know and trust that He is faithful to use our circumstances and hard times for GOOD in our lives. According to HIS purposes.

Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."