Thankful Thursday

Happy Thankful Thursday!

Here are our blessings today in our family...

Micah's Thankful List

I am thankful for...

...going out to ice cream.

...getting a new book, The Avengers.

...having 17 stickers.

...X-Men.

...Grandma and Grandpa coming.

...it being my last day of school yesterday.

Samuel's Thankful List

I am thankful for...

...Daddy

...Nana

...Mommy

...Micah

...Sammy 

(he thought this was hilarious to be thankful for himself and laughed really hard)

...Ella and Sophia

Daddy's Thankful List

(He was home sick today with an eye virus so we had him participate.)

I am thankful for...

...being able to breathe well after getting over a cold.

...cooler weather after the intense heat.

...my wife's high capacity for mothering.

...the "stay-in-bed" chart working well for Sammy and Micah.

My Thankful List

I am thankful for...

...rainy, stay-at-home days in comfy clothes.

...Micah's fabulous last year of preschool with such an amazingly creative and energetic teacher.

...SUMMER!

....Chocolate Fondue Night for our last small group of the season and for an incredible year doing life together.

..Sophia's consistent sleeping through the night...an amazing gift!

...Ella's adorable voice that truly melts me and for the way in which she is starting to put three words together.

-the beauty of forgiveness in marriage...that even when things go awry temporarily, that we can offer each other grace, move on, and continue loving deeply.

...cleansing tears that help release so many emotions from within.

...the spontaneous moments that come from time at home, like my children helping me make eggs this morning for breakfast, Micah reading a book to me on the couch, Ella grabbing a tomato off the counter today while I was making lunch and eating it like an apple, the sweet sibling interactions that happen daily, and the giggles that came from Sammy when I tucked him into bed with a few tickles.

What are you thankful for today?

Welcome, Summer!

It feels as though summer has officially started.

It was one of those "life is wonderful" weekends where each moment just screamed, "Summer is here!"

My in-laws came to town and we grilled chicken, ate out on the patio, and watched the kids play in our yard and run up and down our little hill, I took my boys to a birthday party at a gymnastics center, my hubby and I went out to dinner with friends for a super fun "Couples Night Out" (and left our baby for the first time!), we went to breakfast at my in-laws' hotel, enjoyed being at church, attended a graduation party, and then ended the day at a birthday party for two of my nephews.

Throughout the weekend, the kids did sidewalk chalk and blew bubbles, climbed in the backyard, did races down the hill, ran down trampolines, jumped into a giant foam pit, ate the frosting off birthday cupcakes, brought home new kites, learned how to play volleyball, swam in the pool, dunked their heads in the water, got covered in frosting, ran and giggled with their cousins, ate hamburgers fresh off the grill, and ate more watermelon than any other food for three days.

It was the kind of weekend where they spent more time messy than clean, more time barefoot than with shoes on, more time wet than dry.  It was the kind of weekend where they spent more time with others around than alone, more time at parties than at home, and more time laughing than crying.

It was the pure joy that summer brings.

My daughter, Ella...she just embodies the joy of summer at all times.  Today I watched her, hair disheveled, dripping wet in her bathing suit (and then again later in her only-ten-minutes-dry spare outfit), covered in blue frosting, just smiling at the world, not a care to be had.  She loves life and doesn't let anything get in the way.  She runs and sings and giggles and explores, and she just relishes each moment like there is no tomorrow.  She squeezes the joy out of life as best as she can, and I want to live more like her.

The things of life can often get in the way...chores and schedules, deadlines and sleep-deprivation, discipline and disasters, spills and messy moments...but watching my children from a distance this weekend, I remembered yet again how crazy-in-love I am with all my littles...the amazing miracles that each of them are, and the unique details I love about each of them that make my heart tender and full.  I will confess that my eyes brimmed with tears on more than one occasion this weekend as I watched them LIVE and enjoy the life they've been given.

So this summer, I commit to squeezing the joy that summer can bring, and I commit to living more like Ella.  The days of watermelon, pools, barbeques, flip flops, summer dresses, and sunscreen don't last forever, and I want to live them to the full.

Welcome, summer!

I'm jumping in...

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday...

Sammy's Thankful List
-Christmas
-Christmas presents
-animals...but not crocodiles
-letters
-houses
-Lightning McQueen
-pee and poo
-Elmo
-Daddy

Micah's Thankful List
-my Percival Caterpillar play
-Mason's birthday party that's coming up soon
-that RedSkull is frozen (my side note: this is a superhero toy that got put in a cup of water and placed in the freezer so it can't hurt anyone...)
-that I only have two more golden eggs to find in Angry Birds
-Mommy
-that Grandma and Grandpa are coming soon
-and the moon (my side note again: Micah thought this would be funny cause it rhymes)

-Sammy's Tag reader

-that we have charts and got four stickers

-that Sammy got a new book for getting five stickers on his chart

-that we have lots of events coming up

-breakfast

-that Bike Day is coming up at school

-Bicah (his teddy bear)

-school

-my toys

-that we have a house cause some people don't

-neighbors

-that we went to the Randall Oaks petting zoo

-my Larry picture

(In case you didn't notice, he wanted his list to be REALLY long.)

I am thankful for warm, sunny days, for a fridge full of fresh produce, for presents wrapped, stacked, and ready for all our fun festivities for the weekend coming up.  I am thankful for cleared counters and a motivator to clean my house (as my in-laws come to visit tomorrow).  I am thankful for homemade pizza and for forts built in my house with couch cushions.  I am thankful for a late night phone call with one of my dearest, far-away friends, and I'm thankful for my book study girls that I can gather with and be myself.  I am thankful that we can both share recipes and stories of our kids' silly happenings but also dive into the deeper parts of marriage and mothering.  I am thankful that I can be safe in sharing my struggles with parenting Micah lately, and my hopes and dreams of being a more calm, intentional mama in my discipling of my children.  Thankful for friendships and for not having to do life alone.

What are some of your blessings this week??

Just a Normal Monday

Today was just a normal Monday.

After toast and fruit this morning, we worked on projects at the kitchen table with markers, stickers, and stamps, took a little walk to our neighborhood mailbox, did our typical chores, ate noodles, tomatoes, and strawberries for lunch, and did the drive to preschool.

While the kids napped, I had some phone calls, made a batch of brownies, worked on some laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and nursed my baby.

A totally typical day in my life as a stay-at-home mama.

After we picked up Micah from school, we spontaneously decided to stop at the park.  The 70 degree, sunny afternoon was begging to be enjoyed, so we stopped to play - for just a bit.  I hadn't planned to stop, so I didn't have a diaper bag and had to get home to put together the pizzas I planned to make for dinner.

So as I stood there at the park, Sophia strapped into her carrier on my chest, sun shining on us all, I just wanted to freeze that moment and soak in the joy of the ordinary.

It was such an ordinary day.
Such an ordinary moment.
But I just wanted to capture it all...

Ella's tiny, tenth-percentile-on-the-charts body bouncing through the park in her striped leggings and flip-flops...the way she still holds her arms in the air as she runs and the way her hips wiggle as she moves.  It's almost like a dance-run that she does.

Samuel and Micah - inseparable lately - digging in the sand, running up the grassy hill, and talking through those "trumpets," as Sammy calls them, the speaker/microphone-things that are at the parks where the kids can talk back and forth from yards away.  They would say "Hi, Micah," "Hi, Sammy," over and over again, decide to switch locations, and run past each other to get to the opposite "trumpet" and do it all over again.

I cheered for each of them as they went down the slide, I held Sophia's baby-soft hands and stroked her arms as she contentedly took in all that was happening around her, and pushed Ella in the swing, tickling her legs and listening to her amazing giggle.

Like I said, nothing out of the ordinary...but SO good.

I wanted to freeze that moment and remember Mondays where we threw on sweats, caught up on laundry, and played at the park.  I wanted to always remember their sweet, little voices and the ways in which they move and talk and play.  I wanted to soak up their playing together, doing everything together, and thank God that I have FOUR kids.  FOUR friends.

I want to give thanks in the ordinary, when life is okay.
When the routine is working.
When I have found my rhythm.
Because I know that another day, perhaps even tomorrow, my rhythm might be off.
But for today, I had a rhythm, and it was good.
I enjoyed it.
And I am thankful for the ordinary, for sunny days and littles all around me.

And I just want to remember.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday Time!
I'm hoping that this weekly exercise will help mold my children into grateful people.
I am trying to regularly write my gifts, as well, and I am, by God's grace, seeing myself transform more and more in the joy of thankfulness.

Here goes...

Sammy's Thankful List
-that I got to help Daddy and PaPaPa do the dirt
-that I got dirty

-poo
-pee
(Seriously...we are in the worst, potty-talk phase ever!  Thought I would include this so I remember later that he actually said this when I said, "Thank you God for...")
-Lucky Charms

Ella's Thankful List
-Daddy
-Papa
-Mommy
-Baby
(and definitely in this order!!)

Micah's Thankful List
-that PaPaPa came and that Daddy came back home, even though I already got to see him
-for my field trip (to the Space Discovery Center)

-that we got to see some of the space stuff, even though we only had 10 or 15 minutes (Our train had delays so it threw off the field trip a bit.)
-that we are going to make air tanks for our space unit
-that I got to see Chuck recently

And My Thankful List...

I am thankful that Micah is reading...what a joy it is to have him read books to ME and to read signs everywhere we go.  Zach and I can no longer do the secret-spelling that all parents seem to do...he now knows what we are trying to communicate every. single. time.  He has opened the door to a whole new world, and I love watching him light up with the discoveries!
I am thankful for a day with no plans...I really can't remember the last time I had a day with no plans at all.  So we are throwing on sweats, catching up on laundry, and trying to muddle through some of the piles of my life (and counters).  My kids are making forts with the couch cushions, reading books together, and pretending to go to space.  Love it.
I am thankful for my husband's gracious and appreciative attitude.  I have not put a lot of time and energy into meals this week, as there have been other things taking priority, and so we have had spaghetti, bagel melts, grilled chicken, and baked fish fillets (with tator tots...ha!)...all simple, throw-together-quick meals to which he genuinely responds, "Thank you so much for making dinner."  I love to cook, but when life gets busy, I have to choose other things.  I am so blessed that Zach gets this and appreciates this and doesn't put any pressure on me to do things differently.
I am thankful for new books.  I have three books on my current reading list, and I am excited about each of them for different reasons.  Bloom, a memoir by Kelle Hampton, given to me by my favorite Minnesota friend; Living with Less so your Family has More, by Jill and Mark Savage, the next book we are reading in my treasured book study; and She's Gonna Blow! by Julie Ann Barnhill, a book I got for myself to work on being more patient and calm in my mothering.
I am thankful for an unexpected start to my day.  My husband and father-in-law had early morning Bible Study together today, and as it ended, my father-in-law offered to bring us some mulch for our flower beds. Just as the kids and I were about to eat breakfast, they arrived, so my children were anxious to get outside and see them.  All of us trooped outside in our pajamas before 7 in the morning, and it turned out to be a wonderful way to start the day.  Sammy dug in the mulch in his pajamas and crocs, Micah ran around the yard kicking a ball, and Ella wandered in her rainboots.  It was crisp and sunny and I just stood in the middle of the yard, surrounded by my family, blessed by a new, spring day and my happy children.  I am thankful for our little yard, for fresh mulch, for a generous-with-his-time father-in-law, and for events that deviate from the the norm.

Our early morning romp in the yard...

What are YOU thankful for today?

Happy May!

Some of the best pictures are the unplanned, unposed ones.

Life's spontaneous moments captured with a quick click.

(Note: You can view the pictures larger by clicking on them.)

These are some of my most recent, favorite moments captured on my camera.  I love looking at them and relishing in the joy my children have for life and the love they have for each other.  

Happy May!

Tomorrow is a New Day...

So today I was just not feeling it...
Not feeling the motivation, the happiness, the intentionality that often marks my days.
I was worn out from a busy weekend.
I was behind on my chores.
I was crabby and low on patience.
While I was sitting on the couch nursing, Ella found a granola bar in the pantry and managed to unwrap and eat it one hour before dinner...and I just sat there and let it happen.
It was just. one. of. those. days.
My floors have crumbs on them, my piles of laundry keep growing, and the full counters are evidence of days of activities without breaks to catch up.
The day was full of feedings and diapers and preschool and discipline and toy mess, and therefore, my day ended feeling just as behind as it started.
I managed to have spaghetti and salad on the table for dinner, and as soon as I sat down and looked around, my crabbiness began to melt a bit...listening to all the precious chatter around me, watching Sammy use his fork with such focus, and looking at Ella's spaghetti-stained smile, I started to name my blessings in my heart.
Tonight we went with our small group from church to a worship and prayer hour at a local ministry, and I was so blessed to sit and soak in the truth...that I am loved, that I am His, and that He is GOOD.
All the time.
Even when I am not.
So today, I am thankful for second chances, for a continual refining process, and that tomorrow is a NEW day.

Mother's Day Blessings

This Mother's Day, I have been contemplating my many blessings in the area of mothering.

First of all, I am so incredibly blessed to have an amazing mother.  She and I have always been super close since I was a little girl.  The bond that we share is unlike any other relationship and I treasure it immensely.  She is the kind of mom that seemed to do it all well...making memories, spending time with us, speaking truth into us, laughing, crying, and talking with us, and doing all in her power to let us know that she was crazy about us.  She definitely succeeded.  She is one of the most amazing people I know, and I can only hope to give to my children the kind of childhood she gave to me.

My husband's parents were divorced and remarried when he was a boy, so I have always known both his mom and his stepmom, which gives me two mother-in-laws.  I am so blessed to have great relationships with them both.  They are both so fun and kind and generous and have spoiled us with their love and attention.  They love my children well and love us so well, too.  I appreciate so much the honest, authentic relationships I have with them both.  What a gift.

I am also experiencing Mother's Day not just as a daughter but as a mom, myself.  And I am feeling so blessed to be a mother.  The joy and life and delight that comes from being a mom is indescribable and my journey of motherhood these last six years has been incredible...not easy, but incredible.  A wise woman at church reminds us that God didn't give us marriage to make us happy, but holy.  And when it comes to motherhood, she said that is when we learn to completely die to ourselves.  I have learned so much about myself in being a mother, and I hope that God will use this role of mine to transform me more into his likeness.  Being a mom is my highest calling, and I am honored and privileged to have this most thrilling, demanding, and rewarding job.

I keep hearing this message of not walking the road of motherhood alone, and so I am also beyond blessed to have other mommy friends in which to journey with...both in my best friend, sister, and sister-in-law and in my friends from church and book study and other places...I know that so often, moms can feel isolated and alone, and I am thankful that this is not an experience I have had to have as a mother.  I love getting to share my joys and trials with others going through the same seasons, and I have learned immensely from the mothers around me.

So today, thank you God for my making me a mother and for my mom, my mother-in-laws, and my mommy friends in which I can do life with.

Happy Mother's Day!

My mom, my kiddos, and me at the park today for a Mother's Day picnic together

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday once again...how quickly the week goes from one Thursday to the next.

After Micah's Race for Education at school this past Friday (in which he proudly ran 14 laps!), we traveled to Minnesota for a family wedding and enjoyed our family time in the car, our stay with my fabulous in-laws, and lots of visits with my kids' grandparents and great-grandparents and aunties.  We got to meet up with some of our dear friends for dinner and also got to have some time for ourselves.  It was lovely.  And now I am back to my normal of preschool and chores and taking care of my kiddos, playdates, small group, errands, and appointments.  So I am happy to once again pause with my children and remember our blessings.

Ella's Thankful List
(I said to Ella, "Thank you, God, for..." and she filled in the blanks...)
-Daddy
-Mommy
-Baby

Sammy's Thankful List
-Lucky Charms (which a friend from church gave us...they had never had them before and they were, of course, a hit)
-Noo-nles (translation: noodles)

Micah's Thankful List
-that Miss Linda gave us food
-that we saw Miss Kim at the park
-that Daddy is coming home today
-that we ate lunch at the park

Today I am thankful that my husband is coming home from a work trip...although I am so thankful he has a great job, I don't love his travel time, and I am so thrilled to have my other half back.  I love being a team together.
I am thankful for a wonderful picnic and playtime at the park with a new friend and her daughters (and a stop on the way for coffee treats!).  I met her at this same park right after Sophia was born, we totally connected right away, and I've had a blast getting together with her ever since!  And she only lives one minute away!  Thankful for new friends.
I am thankful for the gorgeous weather, for the sun shining, and the gentle breeze through our open windows.  I love the spring.
I am thankful for a good novel with a happy ending.
I am thankful for Micah's excitement as he conquered the monkey bars for the first time today at the park.
I am thankful for Sophia's constant smiles.
I am thankful for Sammy's sweet hugs.
And I'm thankful for Ella's sing-song voice.

Oh, how full and wonderful and rich life is!  I want to focus on my blessings today, letting go of the things I cannot control, taking my chores and my moments one at a time, and leaving the rest for another day.
My husband (have I mentioned lately how amazing he is?) keeps reminding me to just focus on the ONE THING that I am doing at that time, and I love how simple, yet profound, this wisdom is to me.  I want to be in the moment, focusing on what is in front of me, enjoying it for what it is.
So for now, I am going to focus on unpacking from our picnic, folding laundry, picking up the house from the morning, and making tacos for dinner.  This is my rhythm, this is my every day, and I want to make it count.

 Oh the joy of being a kid and the thrill of your first time doing the monkey bars!

The Un-doneness of Life

There are dishes in my sink, toys on the floor, crumbs on the table, and laundry waiting to be put away...and yet I sit here at my computer to write while a happy baby kicks around on the couch next to me.

So many things on my mind lately about the life I want to live and the kind of mama I want to be...balance, peace, priorities, perspective...

I have decided that I need to find peace with the "un-doneness" of life.

All of my life, I have struggled with perfectionism...wanting to do everything right, wanting to be perfect in all things.  Well, clearly, this is not a reality, and, in my adult life, I have (mostly) come to terms with this and have worked hard to give myself grace for the areas in which I fall short.

As a mom, this pull towards perfectionism has reared its ugly head more than once.  I have, since day one of my first baby's life, created a giant, mental list of what I think it takes to be an amazing mama.  And although I know that it is physically impossible to do all that I want to do, I have still struggled to be okay with that and to actually let things go.  I want to have meals made from scratch, maintain a clean, organized home, have obedient, happy children, give creative, homemade gifts, bake fresh goodies, read many books on many topics, be an active part of our local church, see my family regularly, have special record-keeping books for my children, have updated photographs in frames, get together with friends and neighbors, travel to see family...and the list goes on and on and on.  I sometimes feel the weight of all that I want to do and all that is left undone.

Before I had my fourth baby, I felt like I was pretty on top of things...my hubby and I set lots of time aside to do house projects and organizing in preparation for a new person entering our already-cozy home.  But two months into having four children, I am learning that more often than not, I am getting to the end of the day wondering what I got done...and I am also starting to learn to embrace this as my new "normal."  My days are full and busy of dishes and diapers and laundry and meals...feedings and naps and phone calls and preschool.  So my "to-do" list in life has gone undone day after day after day lately...

Recently, I had this epiphany moment that this is probably going to be the case for years to come and that I better learn to come to peace with the un-doneness that is my new normal.  There are pictures waiting to go into frames, paperwork stacked for sifting through, ceilings that need painting, flower beds that need weeding, baby books that need updating, clothes that need sorting, boxes that need emptying.  But our days are so full with the day-to-day of living that the "extras" often have to wait.  This is not an easy thing for me...In my ideal world, I would be on top of life and my tasks every. single. day.  But is this even a reality?  The answer is a resounding NO.

So while my list goes unfinished and my projects go undone, I am striving for peace with my new normal.  I am committing to embrace the precious moments I have eating lunch with my children, smiling at my newborn as I change her diaper, counting to ten with my daughter as we put her shoes on, memorizing Scripture with my son as I drive him to school, and having dance parties to our favorite worship songs in the middle of the kitchen.

The dishes?
They always seem to get done.
The laundry?
It always will be there.
The projects?
They can wait.
My children?
They are growing quickly, developing into their beautiful selves more each day.
And I do NOT want to miss it running around stressed that I am not accomplishing all I want to.
I will embrace the un-done projects and the imperfect, messy, joyful life that is mine.
My floor will be sticky and I won't care.
My frames will be outdated, but, oh well.
My pantry will be disorganized, but we are well-fed.
The paperwork stack will grow, but we'll get around to it.
I want to end each day knowing that I loved well, chose gratitude, and lived with peace.
I want to seek what God has for me in each day, listening for His promptings and leadings of how to use my time and energy.
And I want to rejoice always because life...is...good.
Will you join me in choosing peace in the un-doneness of life?
It's bound to be a thrilling ride.

Thankful Thursday

I have been thankful that today is Thursday because it is encouraging me to notice the blessings around me and to be be grateful.  It has been a long, tiring week or two, and I am feeling weary.  My days have not been as joy-filled or as smooth as I would want them to be, and I am running on fumes after many, many nights in a row of plans...
Life is so good and so full, but I am tired and starting to notice a shift in my attitude and capacity this past week.  So sitting down to contemplate my blessings is exactly what I needed today.

I am so thankful for Sophia...she has truly been my "happy place" this week.  As soon as I scoop up my precious bundle, my heart softens and I just melt with love for her.  She is so sweet and content and smiles at people with such adoration.  I could hold her forever.  LOVING the baby stage.
I am thankful for my husband...who helps me with chores at night, who lets me cry and vent when life gets overwhelming and listens to my rambling thoughts, who stays on the phone with me for 11 minutes for moral support while trying to kill a bee in our house, who stops at the store to pick up something we need or to get a good deal, who walks in the door saying, "How can I help?", and who is one-hundred percent attentive to our children when he is home.  He is truly out-of-this world.
I am thankful for the anticipation of a trip to Minnesota for a family wedding...thankful for my amazing in-laws who excitedly await our arrival.
I am thankful for our patio and our little backyard...a perfect place where we love to enjoy meals together as a family as often as possible (and I love the added bonus of not having to sweep the floor inside, too).  Today was one of those days where the kids and I ate lunch AND dinner outside and soaked up the sun.
I am thankful for little girl summer dresses.
I am thankful for raspberry lemonade.
And I am thankful for a dirty bath at the end of the day which signifies to me a day well-played and well-spent for my children.

Micah's Thankful List
-that we get to eat outside for lunch for the first time
-that we are going to Minnesota tomorrow
-that right now we're doing this
-that my Race for Education is tomorrow
-that Mommy killed the bee
-that the bee didn't sting Mommy

Sammy was napping today when Micah listed for me his blessings, but I will say that he told four random and unrelated people at Target yesterday that we were going to Minnesota to see Grandma and Grandpa in two days...So I am translating that he is thankful for this event coming up.

Thank you, God, for the joy that comes from a grateful heart.  May this bubble up in me regularly and in the hearts of my children.

(Our lunch in the backyard today...gotta love the sunglasses.)

Exposed

Today I had one of those mortifying-mom-moments...I'm sure we have all had one or two, but they still manage to catch us by surprise, yes?

My kids and I were enjoying a lovely lunch outside on this gorgeous, sunny, eighty-degree day.  We had all eaten our favorite noodles, broccoli, and grapes lunch and the kids were running around and playing in our little yard.  Seemed like a perfect time to nurse Sophia, right?  At only two months old, she needs to nurse often enough that I am always trying to work feedings into our day/meals/naps/playtime, etc.  So when she fussed, I took a chair to sit under our tree and nurse.  Our yard is tucked a bit away from the to-and-fro of neighbors, so I felt comfortable enough sitting and nursing without a cover...

Well, my peaceful moment was swiftly interrupted as Ella (our one-year-old bundle of both joy and crazy) decided to follow a ball over the top of the hill that unofficially marks the back of our yard and head toward the street.  The second she left my sight, I knew I had to go on a chase...  So I quickly set Sophia down in the grass and started to run towards my Ella.

At the EXACT moment I noticed a pick-up truck heading down the street, I also noticed that something was not right on my body...Yes, you guessed it...there was a certain, female body part (hint: the one used to feed a baby) completely exposed to the world, not in its proper place under my tank.  I grabbed my shirt, grabbed my daughter, and high-tailed it back to the safety of my little spot under the tree where I hoped that the man driving that truck will promptly forget that anything out-of-the-ordinary ever happened...

Oh the moments we have as mothers...Never a dull moment.