Peter Pan Road Trip

My niece and nephew were Tinkerbell and Smee in Peter Pan Jr. with opening night tonight!  The boys and I made the trip and it was awesome!  Great job to all the amazing middle schoolers...have fun with the next two performances!

BSF's-Best Sisters Forever

I so hope they are dear friends.  On days like today when they enjoy each other, play with their honey's (dolls) and do gymnastics together, I know they are so wonderful to and for each other.  But the things they love could divide them if they don't master jealousy, competition, and envy...praying for these precious girls and what God has for them.

Rich Time Together

Had fun talking about the Assyrian captivity during school and Analiese had some amazingly serious questions about why and what happened to the tribes and how God responded...really fun to have her so interested. Had dear friends over...laughing, sharing, commiserating, pondering...Peter,Ben, Henry, Lilly-Minecraft, (Colin's felt picture even), Lightsabres, Barbie's, Legos.  Great times of this stage of parenting.

Noticing

Today I had to apply the words of Micah when he says "The Lord does not retain His anger forever". We had a bit of a rough start this morning, but by 10 am I told the kids that that mom left and a new one had come.  Our day improved after that...I found a library book I had lost and paid for so I look forward to that refund...Colin and Analiese faces caught below during a discussion about hell.  Analiese did cooking class all on her own while others waited for the beaters!  Back handsprings at gymnastics and learned the city of Rome was just starting to b built the same time Jonah was in the belly of the fish.

Everyday has discoveries, choices and amazing moments...it is helping me to notice them more...

Kiss Bug and Air Hug

Every night that I put Alexa to bed, we throw kisses to each other and catch them.  We called them Kiss Bugs and sometimes give Air Hugs. Alexa wouldn't want anything more than for someone to sleep in her room so she savors even the last few seconds...However, if this happened she would never go sleep, so she has her own room.  It always breaks my heart as Alexa is very sweet day in and day out...doing dishes, helping out, doesn't complain, thoughtful, asks how you're doing, and randomly tells you she loves you. How do you say no to this girl? Every night I have to say no and it breaks my heart.

Good day with superheroes flying around, kids sledding, more and more raffle prizes rolling in for GALentine's Day, and continuing to consider the things God is speaking to me about this year...more on that later.  For now, I am watching Hollywood Game Night.  Nate Berkus is on tonight! Love that guy!

A Day of Rest...ahhhh

Church w.baby dedications....so sweet, hearty brunch, minecraft Kleenex box feet on a sniffley boy, an awesome 2 1/2 hour nap, dinner at Chili's (running into the Osterday's to boot), and a relaxing trip to Target...ahhhh...ready to start a new week now!

On top of all that had some amazingly encouraging ministry things happen...my heart is so full!

The Changes of a Day

When I get up in the morning, I know one thing for sure... Life will move fast, and there'll be many different things that happen in a given day.  Today I went from a ministry meeting to picking up Brandon from a friend's sleepover, to taking Analiese to a friend's, to cleaning, to straightening up the back porch, to organizing some things, then realizing I needed to get dinner in the oven.  The weather outside was changing just as fast! Went from sunny to cloudy to extremely blustery in a matter of one hour. That didn't stop the snowboarders on the hill in the backyard-they were out there all afternoon! They're such champs!  Throw in some gymnastics in the living room (you can bet on gymnastics every day-that one is also for sure!)  Jeff helped out with the mashed potatoes and we were able to relax a bit after dinner with a game of Yahtzee.  Whoosh. Typical day... The changes are the things that I have begun to rely on throughout a given day. When my kids were especially small it seemed like a day was going to last forever, but I did eventually learn that things change so quickly so when it felt like things were getting overwhelming and I couldn't do it anymore the tone of the day would change. Ahhhh... The changes are always there and some offer a relief and some are overwhelming, but regardless I can rely on the fact that things will change and somehow that does bring some stability to our ever-changing days.

A Good Day

Some good school time, sweet time with a dear student at Jamba Juice, freezing cold temps made me wonder if I really want to buy Popsicles by April 17th!  We tried to stay warm at gymnastics (some did better than others!)...Alexa got her back hip circle tonight!  Definitely time to take back many library books and the boy with the sweet tooth eating a chocolate covered marshmallow!

My New Way to Blog...in Photos!

Yesterday, we finally got back to school after I was sick for several days. Happy Birthday, Papa Cheech! Some time to relax and play board games too!

Today was sooooooo cold!  2 degrees as I drove home from campus!  Otherwise a great day with school, cleaning, and a beautiful sunrise.