Spring {Fast} Forward

It seems as though each day is filled with the same daily rituals and activities...but each day is precious...and I want to remember the busy, the chaos, the quiet...all the simple things that each day brings that we sometimes forget to cherish...because it's all going way too fast...especially now with Spring in the air, and Daylight Savings Time.  {How can just one hour shift our whole schedule so much?!}

 {1-3} my growing belly ~32 weeks!  We are so excited to meet baby {girl} no.4, but I'm a little sad at how fast it's going.  I've been fortunate with good pregnancies...and I love all the little flutters, kicks and movements happening inside!  This is surely the last time I will have the joy of experiencing this special gift!

{4-6}  we celebrated Great-Grandma Martha's 96th birthday!  What an amazing example of how to live life to the fullest!  We are so blessed to have her!
{7-9}  we spend lots of time at the ice rink...but love watching Emily practice, having fun and enjoy what she loves!  Hoping maybe Elizabeth might enjoy it one day soon, too!

 {1}  Elizabeth is still learning how to manage a good sleep schedule...she still prefers the comfort of mommy as her pillow!  I love snuggling with her...but there is little sleep happening for this tired momma!
{2}  our frequent evening backyard visitors
{3}  school-ride buddies...Alex and Emily prefer a ride to school in the mornings, and I'm happy to ride with them as long as they ask me...and only if Ellie is awake {which she usually is} and she prefers to have Skipper ride along too!  And Dan takes them on Friday mornings when he is home.
{4}  enjoying a girls' movie night watching The Wizard of Oz, Emily had not seen it before now and I never get tired of watching it!
{5}  trying out a fishtail braid...finding ways to get around not having a much-needed haircut!
{6}  spending time at the carwash thanks to unlimited monthly washes!  It feels good to have clean car...at least on the outside...the inside is another story!
{7-9}  our backyard friends, Alex and Emily enjoying a fun snow day!

 Ellie has been enjoying her weekly tumbling tots class!  I remember taking Alex and Emily to the same classes at this age...and I can't believe it's her turn! 

{1}  spending lots of time on the couch these last few weeks...no.4 is making me a tired momma...and enjoying some quiet time watching Ellie play.
{2}  it's been such a gray, gloomy and cold late winter and there was a wonderful day of sun and warm-enough weather to open the sun roof and enjoy the fresh air!
{3}  another pass through the carwash!
{4-6}  Emily had one of her best friends sleep over as part of her birthday celebration...we went to see the new movie Oz, the Great and Powerful...Ellie stayed up way too late too...enjoying lunch and ice-cream at Zaharako's after playing at the kidscommons the next morning, showing off her duct tape earrings her friend made for her birthday.
{7}  Ellie dressed for a rainy day
{8}  making duct tape crafts with Emily...her new hobby!
{9}  Ellie and Skipper enjoying a sunny afternoon...waiting for Alex and Emily to come home from school!

{1}  my lap is getting smaller...but is usually full of snuggles from Snowball and Ellie daily...enjoying some morning cartoons.
{2}  making dinner...taco pizza is one of our favorites...but Alex would rather have Wendy's!
{3}  letting an unwanted houseguest go...Please tell your friends and family you are not welcome here!  ...ugh!...
{4}  over the river...my daily drive to town and back...another cold day with light snow flurries, pretty...but wishing for this to be the last time to see snow this season!
{5}  browsing the fun gadgets at Best Buy while Emily is at skating practice...Alex could spend all day here!
{6}  happy to see a beautiful sunrise following more gloomy days, on our way to school in the morning!
{7}  enjoying luch with Emily and her friends at school...she requested Subway and Ellie loved being around all the kids!  Sadly, it won't be long before she's eating lunch here daily too.
{8}  big girl Ellie going on the potty!  she loves to go every time before her bath and sometimes before getting dressed each day...but she's only actually gone potty once!
{9}  ending our week, celebrating Friday and the beginning of Spring Break with dinner out and a yummy treat at Yo Mama's...I only had a few rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips with mine! 

Winding {down} and Gearing {up}

We are still winding down from our busy week we had last week visiting with old friends, completing a Lego Robo camp, starting a new session of ice-skating and finishing up volleyball! 

Monday- Picking up Alex from staying at Grandma's for two nights...shopping and eating lunch...makes for some sleepy passengers...

Tuesday-Friday- Alex and Emily completed a Lego camp where they learned to build and program their robots to complete obstacles and challenges...competing against each other on the last day to see who's robots completed the most obstacles correctly...

{Emily's teammate was one of the only participants who completed the first programmed obstacle correctly...landing her and Emily in the local newspaper...not only was she thrilled to have her name mentioned in the paper...but it was front page material!  She was super excited!}

Tuesday- We met with our old friends who moved away and now live in Tennessee and came for a 'work' visit...her husband had business meetings which meant we got to have fun!
Emily also started ice-skating again, beginning a new session a level higher!  Good job Emily!
We also watched her volleyball team win their very first game!  They were so pumped and we couldn't contain our excitement either!

{Emily earned 5 points for the team...and also recieved the 110% Effort Award!  We are so proud of her energy and willingness and enthusiasm in everything she does!  She had fun on and off the court!}

Wednesday- We had another fun afternoon meeting up with our friends for a pizza lunch and play time at The Commons and kidscommons kid's museum...

{Alex and Emily love climbing the rock wall and Alex climbed the wall blindfolded as one of his challenges...and he made it to the top!}

Thursday- One more visit with Carmen {can you tell we miss her tons?} for breakfast before she heads back to Tennessee...until next time...

Friday-Saturday-Sunday- The weekend awaits!  We made it through a busy...but fun week! 

Time to catch a breath...

Enjoy the gorgeous skies we had every single day...

Celebrate a braces-free smile with ice-cream and Twizzlers...

{...new retainer...still with his bottom braces...}

{...squeaky new grin!}

Getting rowdy with a new bouncy ball...

Preparing for Sunday school...

{cutting out paper crowns for the kids to decorate...David, Shepherd Boy and King!}

Getting up early and spending all morning outside...catching grasshoppers and spreading mulch...

...And trying to get a little bit of sleep...

...as we are gearing up for a much needed relaxing vacation at the beach...
...leaving our best furry friends behind...

{...bless Skipper's heart...he is going on 14 years old and he will be staying with the vet while we're away because he needs a few more tests to rule out this and that...we are not sure what to expect yet...but we've been preparing for the day he will no longer be our loving pet for a long time...and have been giving him lots of extra love and hugs until we leave!}

...here's to another week full of fun and family...as a sunny beach awaits!

Wordless Wednesday {Fun on the Run with Friends}

{...I know, I know...my wordless wednesdays are never wordless...but...whatever...on with the post...ha!}

{we were so lucky that our friends from Tennessee came back home for a visit!  the kids had fun seeing their old buddies playing in the sand, throwing water balloons, swinging and squirting water guns...while the moms could chat and catch up!}

{we had a busy day running from here, there and back again...but it was a beautiful day driving through stoplights to drop/pick up kids from Lego camp...grab lunch...meet at friend's house...home for a very quick breather...ice skating...volleyball...home...}

{these two have been friends since before they could barely talk...and used to look like twins!  emily now has some catching up to do...but I hope they are always good friends...even if they only get the chance to meet once a year...we miss them!}

{...so tired after this day...but that's what summer is all about...friends, fun, summer camps!  we are thankful for friends and activities to keep us going!  no rest for the weary!}

Girlfriends

As you know...I've mentioned it several times...I love my MOPS group!  They are such a wonderful support and a great group of girlfriends!  I've been involved in MOPS for six years...and thought that this would have been my last year...but we have been so blessed and are excited for our new member to join Martin Manor in December!  Which also means I get to continue with MOPS, grow in my faith, learn new tools to be a better mother, and make even more girlfriends!

Wednesday night our good friend Carmen came to visit us from Tennessee to join our monthly Bunco fun!  We miss her so much!  She moved away last October and is closer to her family...but she will always be a part of our MOPS family too!

We always have so much fun...and I stay up way too late!  Then we met for breakfast at IHOP before she headed back home.  It was so good to catch up and I always laugh so hard I cry when we all get together!

Emily also had her good girlfriends over two times this week after VBS for some {very loud} fun! 

{Poor Alex is always outnumbered with the girls!  They sure know how to tease each other and chase him to try and kiss him!  He is not fond of that game at all!}

But it was nice one day to at least get out and swim off some energy!  They played Marco Polo for the longest time!

I'm so thankful for my girlfriends and for Alex and Emily's friends!  It's fun to watch them grow in their friendships and hope they stick together for a long time!  Emily and her friends here went to preschool together and all go to different elementary schools now, so it's great that they can still get together often!

{it's so funny...the little girl on Emily's right is four...and her sister is on the other side of Emily...she and her other friend are six too...it just shows how little Emily still is!}

Just Breathe

Ah.... {insert deep breath!} It's officially Summer Vacation now! School is out and we are in our pajamas, and it's almost 11:00am! The perfect morning, as far as I'm concerned!

Last night I hosted Bunco, which our MOPS group gets together to play once a month at someone's home! I love, love, love this group and look forward to it every time! More than even playing the game, we have the best time just sitting and talking, laughing, and continuously spooning yummy food into our mouths! What's better than a spoonful of chocolate cake with whipped cream and Heath crunch topping? I know, nothing!

So my point is that I feel like I might be able to relax now and take a break from life and remember how to breathe again! I have this book called breathe: Creating Space for God in a Hectic Life. I've actually had it for quite some time, but not really read the pages. It's been more of a decorative piece more than anything because I love the simple cover and the colors of it. But, as I was picking chip and cake crumbs off the floor from last night {it gets pretty wild with moms and food in one room!} I saw the book on the tv stand and decided to pick it up. For some reason, the words just spoke to me and I thought...I do need to stop and breathe...when was the last time I really even prayed...or sat in silence...and relaxed? I immediately found this page... "What can I invest my time and energy in that will last? And the Bible is pretty clear that the only thing that will last into eternity is relationships. What do you really treasure, when it comes down to it?
My kids, my husband, my friends, these are treasures that matter to me. Jesus, my friend and leader, is the best treasure of all. He's the pearl of great price, and his love permeates not only my relationship with him but also my relationships with people he's given me. People are more important than stuff. When it comes down to it, which is more valuable: my daughter or my diamond?" God has brought some amazing friends into my life through MOPS and even blogging! And now that summer is upon us...I hope to spend more time with them...and especially relaxing with my family...with less stress...more breathing! And even greater...spending more time with God!

With a busy schedule and late nights, I find myself depleted and with even little energy to pray or find the words to say. But reading the few pages that I've come across this morning, I've found that there's another way to pray and it can even work much better than trying to muster a monologue directed at God. "It involves breathing, and listening, and focusing on God, rather than on myself. This type of prayer is incredibly calming because it allows me to connect with God, even when I'm feeling stressed out."

So I welcome summer {Woo-hoo!} and hope to relax, be with those that matter most...and just breathe...

Dating my Best Friend

This idea came from Mom over at Mom's The Word. What great advice, inspiration and humor she always has! Please go visit her and read what she has to share!

If you already know me, than you know that Dan and I went to the same Middle School and High School together. They were small schools and everybody knew who everyone else was. But we didn't even become friends until our Senior year in high school. So we were definitely friends first and had the same group of friends that we always went to school functions together and games with. He was always a gentleman on our dates and never ceased to impress me, and always funny! He has a great sense of humor {so why was I voted Class Clown and not him? Guess I can be funny, too!} but is the smartest person I know! {Oh yes, he was voted Most Likely to Succeed. Guess that came true when he married me!} All kidding aside, we had some great laughs together!

I can't remember an exact moment that made me laugh or was a disaster, like Mom mentions, but I just remember having the best times playing Nintendo, going to the movies, drive-in diner, walking the golf course to watch him play {maybe that wasn't my favorite thing to do, but I wanted to impress him, too by seeming interested!}

Ok, I do have a moment that still makes us laugh {but maybe not back then} and I'm going to tell on myself with this one! One of the things that we always loved when hanging out at Dan's house was his mom's home-made chocolate milkshakes...mmm...we still crave those! One time when getting our shakes and snacks and heading down to the basement to play Nintendo, I tripped and made Dan spill his milkshake all over everything! oops... But I didn't want to get into trouble, so Dan told his mom it was his fault, and he took the blame! She wasn't very happy and said "Darn it, Dan! Why do you always do things like that!" {But you must know, she never, ever gets mad about anything, or ever raises her voice...that's why it's kind of funny...now! If she knew it was me that did it...she probably would not have been mad! Poor Dan!}

We had fun being friends then, and are friends now. Things may be a little more serious now that we're adults and parents, but he knows when to say or do something funny! And I definitely see where Alex gets his humor from! I hope that Alex can be just like Dan when he finds the right girlfriend {but he will never be old enough to do that!} and make her laugh and treat her with respect, and be her best friend, too!


Don't forget to share your stories with us, too! I wish I had another really funny disaster story to tell you, but my mind just can't think back that long ago, but I hope you are with your best friend, too! {If only I had our Senior Prom picture to share with you! It is classic! I had some pretty big hair!}