365 Project | Week 25

We are back! :) Yep, 2,369 miles and 17 days later we returned to home sweet home. We loved visiting family, but it is good to be home again. :) We did, however, return home to a rather busy, chaotic schedule which includes a partially finished bathroom remodel, a huge project for Chris at work, and a full week of VBS. And tonight my brain is wide awake when my body is supposed to be sleeping, so instead of fighting it, I'm allowing myself to simply do what I'm laying awake thinking about. ;) (Thanks for the encouragement from those who have commented that they missed my posts!)

So here's week 25 ... mostly pre-vacation. :)

Day 170. We thoroughly enjoyed an evening of food and fellowship with our brave friends who invited us for dinner along with our three energetic munchkins. :) Among other things, we loved learning how to play Mexican Train Dominoes!

Day 171. One of the very last baths in our leaky tub ... Matthew's eyelashes are definitely cuter than the caulk attempting to seal the tile seams. ;)

Day 172. Yep, a "Kid's Cave" complete with DVD player and our library's copy of "All About John Deere" definitely makes a doctor's visit much easier for Mommy (and MUCH more fun for the kids!) :)

Day 173. We were obviously in the middle of packing--while Hannah and Peter were sorting crayons for their travel boxes, Matthew discovered a bug. Since toilet paper is obviously the most effective means for killing bugs, he carefully procured that wonderful tool and heroically killed the intruder. (I have another, rather fuzzy picture which proves it, in case you were wondering.) ;) And I am also now blessed with three comparable pictures of my young children all discovering the joys of a rather long roll of that white stuff. :)

Day 174. We split a rather long journey to Grandma and Grandpa's into two days and thoroughly enjoyed our visit at the Creation Museum at our mid-way stop. I love this picture of Chris and the kids we captured out in the gardens. :) Matthew loved his dinosaur!

Day 175. Thus began day 2 of vacation as our super duper travelers donned crowns from lunch the day earlier. Next stop ... Grandma and Grandpa's House!

And next stop for me? My pillow! :)

Sweet dreams, friends! :)



365 Project | Week 24

I think this week could best be described as "the calm before the storm." :) It was a quiet, low-key week. Very nice. :) However, with preparations underway for vacation and a bathroom remodel, things will not be staying quiet for long. :)

Day 162. Oops! Nearly missed my picture for the day, but this one was a good one to capture anyway. Matthew loves wearing the same jammies as his big brother, and you can just see the home of Pokey, our newest family member, sitting behind Peter. Must say that I never thought I'd be finding vacation care for a snail. :)

Day 163. Rest time for the big kids involved designing the backdrop for their latest performance, and we were treated an exciting rendition of "The Nativity" just before bed. :)

Day 164. Day #2 of rain + a tired mommy = a book-a-thon complete with popcorn. :) It was a fun way to spend what could otherwise have been a very blah morning.

Day 165. Summer arrived with 90 degree heat, and we thoroughly enjoyed cooling off at the pool. It was the first of three visits for the week--thanks for the pool membership, Grandma and Grandpa! :)

Day 166. We've discovered our new favorite place to enjoy lunch ... no bicycle built for two, but a swing built for four. :)

Day 167. I've put Hannah in charge of planning our menu for Friday evening--she looks through my Simple and Delicious magazines and chooses both main course and dessert. We enjoyed Orange Beef and Asparagus Stirfry and Frozen Raspberry Pie this week. :) We topped off our evening with pool time with Daddy--he definitely makes aquatic activities more fun!

Day 168. While Peter and Daddy helped some friends load their moving truck, Hannah, Matthew, and Mommy ran errands and discovered another new park. :)

Day 169. Happy Father's Day! We love you, Daddy! :)

And with that, I announce an online leave of absence ...

vacation, here we come! :)

365 Project | Week 23

It was hard to choose photos for this week! So many "special" things to remember that there was hardly room for the "everyday" things which are just as special. :) But maybe (hopefully) some of those extra pictures will make it into another blogpost ... some day. :)

Day 156. Drumroll, please! :) After over three years, we are blessed to be able to touch a button and regulate the temperature of our home. What a wonderful blessing, and one which I will not take for granted. Thanks, honey! :) You've done a great job! :)

Day 157. We are blessed with the most awesome swim teacher ever! :) Thanks, Miss Emily! :) (We started counting down the hours to our first lesson from the moment we rolled out of bed in the morning ... which made for 11 hours of counting since the lesson started at 7 p.m.!) Both kids are doing great and having fun, although the water's been a wee bit chilly. :)

Day 158. Every afternoon about 2 p.m. we have quiet time. Matthew naps, but for Hannah and Peter, it's is as long as the Patch the Pirate CD they choose to listen to. The first 20–30 minutes is "book time" when they may read or lay with head on pillow. Afterwards, they can play quietly in their bedroom. We are all glad for quiet time in the afternoons.

Day 159. For the first time since our new schedule began, Chris and I enjoyed the treat of "breakfast for two" since the kids were still sleeping. (On a side note, Peter, who had been waking up at 6:45 like clockwork has suddenly begun sleeping till 8:00ish since I began blowdrying my hair in the kitchen instead of the bathroom. Funny how stuff like that works.)

Day 160. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about Jewish culture this week, and we ended the week with a traditional "Sabbath" meal. It was fun, educational, and special! :) (It all started because I picked up a couple boxes of Jewish food mixes from the discount shelves while Hannah was reading All of a Kind Family.)

Day 161. Who wants to cook after having a yard sale? With a second loaf of Challah and a new soup recipe, we were so glad to be able to enjoy an evening of fellowship with our friends after their busy day.

So much more filled our week ... it is GOOD to be home.

365 Project | Week 22

This week we began settling into a more "normal" routine--subject to regular tweaking. ;) We most definitely enjoyed ourselves! :)

Day 148. It's been neat to see the Lord use our 2-year-old as an effective prayer warrier for a friend on short-term missions this summer. About a month ago we purchased a picture frame that would allow us to rotate through our missionary prayer cards in order to remember them consistently for prayer, particularly at mealtimes. Matthew, however, took a definite interest in Mr. Ryan and the airplanes pictured for his aviation ministry in Alaska. He requests prayer at every. single. meal. for Mr. Ryan and his airplanes--he urgently points to the picture, and there is no peace until we verbally acknowledge that yes, we will pray for Mr. Ryan and his airplanes. (And if we should happen to forget, there is no peace after prayer until we have prayed again and remembered Mr. Ryan and his airplanes.) If anyone tries to rotate the picture, Matthew flips it back within the hour. So, we are praying for Mr. Ryan--a lot. And continuing to remember our other missionary friends in more of the haphazard order we were subject to previously.  

Day 149. We are thankful for the men and women who have given their lives so that we might have freedom. And for those who put themselves in harm's way and continue to do so ... thank you.

It was a special blessing to be able to remember Memorial Day with the kids this year as I have always before had to work on that day. Among other things, we enjoyed making our patriotic wreath. Hannah traced and cut out all of the stars while I used hot glue to affix them to a paper plate ring.

Day 150. This week's new park was a definite winner! :) The slides were really fast and it's actually less than ten minutes from our house! :)

Day 151. Sir Peter discovered (and has since adopted) a snail. Fascination definitely ensued--my 5-year-old young man who is in regular need of instruction on self-control was as still as a statue for nearly ten minutes as the snail crawled from the palm of his hand all the way up his arm and onto his other hand. Pretty cool to watch. But no, Peter, I'm really not interested in having the snail walk up my arm. I'll just take pictures. ;)

Day 152. One huge blessing of being home has been the opportunity to help the kids get more involved with household responsibilities. Of course, if Hannah and Peter are doing something, Matthew absolutely must be involved. On a sidenote, my littlest guy transitioned from "momma" to "mommy" this week. I kinda miss "momma."

Day 153. Did you know that June 1 is National Donut Day? We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating it with our neighbor friend and free donuts from Krispy Kreme. (It was even better because Daddy was able to join us for the donuts on his lunch break!) :)

Day 154. Mommy decided to conquer the creek this weekend while Matthew was napping and Daddy was working on HVAC. Hannah and Peter thoroughly enjoyed playing in the water and digging a "swimming pool" while Mommy gave our 15–20 foot tall "bushes" instruction with my newly purchased 2-in. loppers on the fact that "bushes" are not intended to overshadow trees, and they were going to have to try again from something closer to about 2 feet. Four+ hours later, we can now see the trees again, and the bushes will hopefully be manageable with hedge trimmers as they grow back. :)

Day 155. And this is the reason my 365 post was delayed. About ten minutes before we were to leave for church, we decided to put the crock-pot back in the fridge and pack PBJ sandwiches for a picnic lunch. What a fun afternoon! It was a beautiful day for a drive, and we thoroughly enjoyed going back to a park that we were at just about three years ago when Peter was 2 and Hannah was 4. Amazing to see how much they've grown.

And so the days go by.

Thankful for the blessings and challenges that fill each one.

365 Project | Week 21

Has it really been two weeks? In some ways it feels as though it's only been a few days, and in other ways it feels as though it's been a lifetime. Regardless, it's been good to be home, and I am thankful. 

Day 141. We've been listening to Radio Theatre's "The Chronicles of Narnia" as we drive around town, and we're in the middle of The Horse and His Boy right now. Somehow "The Dog and His Boy" seems an appropriate title for this Sunday afternoon snapshot.

Day 142. Hannah took it upon herself to design and create costumes for the self-directed play "David and Goliath." Unfortunately, the play has since been delayed until further notice. The costume designer failed to consult with the lead actor concerning costume specifications, and the aforementioned and henceforth unnamed actor was not pleased to wear a robe with flowers on the material. ;)

Day 143. One of Mommy's goals for the summer is to explore a variety of our area parks. This particular one ended up being a bit disappointing, but I still love how this picture captures my kids' stages.

Day 144. Ahhh. The delights of a puddle. ;)

Day 145. On Thursday we turned our door buying adventure into a picnic adventure. We happily discovered a very nice park, and my crew wore themselves out after lunch. And what picnic adventure is complete without a silly face picture? :)

Day 146. A hose was a welcome addition to a rather warm Friday afternoon. LOVE Peter's expression in this one. He had the upper-hand, and he knew it. ;)

Day 147. With over 200 pictures taken, it's rather difficult to choose just one, but we enjoyed the blessing of a wonderful time of fellowship with the families from our "Homebuilders" class on Saturday. So thankful for each one who was able to join us, and encouraged to see how the Lord is growing each family.

Amazing to look back and realize that these pictures capture just the tip of the iceberg. So thankful to be able to spend these days with my kiddos.

365 Project | Week 20

The votes are in ... EVERYONE is loving having Mommy home! :) It's wonderful to be able to simply enjoy being home, and not feel as though everything has to be crammed in to a couple hours (or left undone altogether.) Along with getting to spend lots of time cuddling on the couch reading books, doing crafts, going to the park, and celebrating birthdays, we managed to thoroughly clean the kids' bedroom and trim most of the bushes around the yard--in addition to the normal household responsibilities. It's been nice. And what's even better ... we get to do it all over again next week ... and the week after that and the week after that ... Ahhh. :)

Day 134. Mommy and crew! :) Love these munchkins to pieces!! :)

Day 135. Happy Birthday to ... me. ;) My gift to myself? We cleaned out the kids' bedroom. :)

Day 136. We all agree that going to the park is lots more fun than cleaning bedrooms! :)

Day 137. Shopping with my crew. :) Whew. Glad I can do this in the morning when everyone is still fresh. We're still working on our groove for this aspect of things, but it will come. Overall, the kids did great--it just takes about twice as long.

Day 138. We had so much fun celebrating Daddy's birthday!! Mommy is still super excited, because I managed to completely surprise him with his freshly tuned and repaired bike! :) It involved getting it down from the ceiling hooks by myself, getting it in the van, two trips to the bike store, storing the bike at our neighbor's for a couple days, and then an 8-step scavenger hunt to finally find the surprise in our guest bedroom. And none of that was spoiled, because my ultra-observant husband failed to notice that it had been missing for a week+! :) Woo-hoo! :)

Day 139. A couple girls from church gave us the sweetest gift of an evening of free babysitting--we celebrated Mothers' Day, my birthday, Chris' birthday, and our anniversary with dinner at a very nice wild-game restaurant, a trip to Lowe's, and free icecream at Coldstone. :)

Day 140. The kids were super excited to hang our very own American flag. (One perk of our Lowe's trip the night before.) :)

And that be that! Birthday season has now concluded, so we'll be settling into a summer "routine" ... along with preparing for our Sunday School picnic this upcoming weekend. :)



Birthdays Abound!

'Tis the season for birthdays at our house. :) Thankfully our blog has not been silent due to my 365 Project, but thorough documentation of anything has been less than stellar the last month or so. However, birthdays came and went and we rejoice in the blessings of each one. Here's just a glimpse of our days celebrating Hannah and Peter ...

Growing up, we always hung our birthday banner--can you imagine how excited I was when I found the exact same one for my own family!?! :)

Peter enjoyed a soccer theme this year. :) He took this cookie cake to school ...

And we enjoyed this cookie brownie as a family. :)

Soccer shoes and a soccer goal completed the theme. :)

With Legos by special-request. :)

We celebrated Hannah-bug this weekend ...

Thanks for the birthday dollars, Uncle Pat and Aunt Judy! :)

Thanks for the PJ's, Grandma and Grandpa!

And thanks for the birthday song, Grandma!

Thank you to each one who sent greetings and helped make each of their days special!