it's been a productive week.

Jacob took his first few bites of cereal tonight.

He was pretty geeked.

The whole family was gathered around to laugh at his faces.

Another milestone passed.

it was a proud moment...and now i'm going to go bawl my eyes out.

Well, he did it.

I'm 95% proud.... and 5% freaked out that I have a 6 year old that can ride a bike!

He had to call Auntie Kyle right away to tell her.

Good job, Isaac!
{sorry the video is so dark... but this was a spur of the moment idea when we got home tonight and it was getting late}

The White TicTacs

Attention New Lifers:

Here is the video interview with Zoey after our TicTac incident.

If only it were simple things like this!

"Summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” {Henry James}

The weather was beautiful yesterday... so we took advantage and spent sometime outdoors. We had soccer practice, blew bubbles, picked flowers, played basketball, ate Popsicles... all the wonderful things we weren't able to do over the winter. It made me so excited for summer!!!

 

 

 

 

date day with aunt mary ann

Sak Saum

Ever since I was introduced to the teachings of Christine Caine and The A21 Campaign, I have been totally distraught over the devastation of human trafficking.

Did you know that human trafficking is the second largest global organized crime today, generating approximately 31.6 billion USD each year? And that specifically, trafficking for sexual exploitation generates 27.8 billion USD per year? 

That's why I was so excited to attend a purse party tonight, hosted by our church's women's ministry, that supported Sak Saum "a ministry that offers rescue, rehabilitation and restoration to vulnerable and exploited women who have experienced firsthand the devastation of trafficking.". The particular purses and accessories we bought tonight were made by women in Cambodia. It was so much fun... and for such a great cause!

 I got a purse for me and a coin purse for Zoey (I couldn't get a picture of it because she is sleeping with it). I think I secretly like her purse even more than mine!

Check Sak Saum out!

pretty soon he'll be going off to college

He is walking around in a walker.

He finally found his feet.

He is ready for cereal... but his mother is not.

5 months and counting...

this kid makes me want another

and in all things... session 37

Things I am thankful for on April 22, 2012...

1. Isaiah 58:8
2. Fresh Cilantro
3. An Adventurous Husband
4. Our New Devotional Bible
5. Our other New Devotional Bible
6. Pool Noodles
7. My kids having the same sense of humor as us.
8. Baby Tylenol
9. My kids and niece singing these around the house.
10. Family Errand Days turning into time well spent together.

still my lil mechanic

So fun to look back at this in 2009...

and then to take pictures tonight of this:

wind advisory

The tree in our backyard split last night during the wind and took down the power lines.

There were over 5 explosions.

The Fire Department came. Detroit Edison came.

The neighbors rushed over to make sure we were alright.

We took out everyone's power within a mile radius of our house.

It's funny how the craziest times become the most fun adventures if you let them!

I was just thinking yesterday how we were going to get wood for our backyard fires this summer... ask and you shall receive!

my man.

{photo phone dump}

try it.

Just something for fun.

Quick -n- Easy.

Fill out here, or on your blog.

See what comes to mind.

I am... in the middle of 2 incredible books, "Humility" by Andrew Murray and "The Attributes of God" by A.W. Tozer

I wish... my package from christianbook.com would arrive today. I have some exciting things to start with my kids!

I wonder... how long it will take for Chris and I to make it back to Alaska.

I think... my husband is a saint for putting up with me all these years....and by "putting up with" I mean loving me unconditionally and being my biggest fan.

I always... need to know what time it is: although with my kids, most of the time I can tell by their mood or mine.

I never... wear coats. i dislike them immensely.. and if for some reason I do have to wear one, I take it off as soon as I get in the car.

I hope... my neighbors don't think I'm crazy when they see me carrying in 10 gallons of milk from my grocery shopping trip.

I love... kissing my children's feet. They think it's weird.

I save... keycards and pens from every hotel I have ever been to.

I can't imagine... what I ever did without wet wipes. They are the best invention ever.

I believe... my efforts in raising my kids to love Jesus is the most important thing.

smile.

We were on our way to another thing and I asked Chris if he could stop so I could get a coffee. As I walked to the truck on my way out, I saw Chris in the car smiling obnoxiously at me.

Me: What's going on?
Chris: You need to smile!

I realized that I had a scowl on my face the entire time I was getting my coffee. Why? Because I was completely stressed out about 101 things. To be honest, I didn't know if I smiled at all that day. I met Chris for lunch today and we talked about the incident. You see, I don't mean to look upset, in fact, most of the time I'm not, it's just that smiling isn't my natural response to my day. In realizing that my life is going to this crazy for awhile, I need to figure out a way to enjoy the ride... even if our life is going 100mph!

So here's to smiling and enjoying life... even when you have to tell yourself to.

wishing i could make the sun stand still.

I thought time moved fast with my other kids... with the 4th you can barely keep up!

I can't believe Jake is already rolling over, reaching and grabbing things, and putting his binky in his mouth (usually upside down... that's how he rolls). I wish I could say that I am taking in every moment, but the truth is sometimes I don't even know he has hit another milestone until one of the kids starting yelling and cheering about it. For the most part I don't mind the chaos, I just wish somedays I could freeze time to just hold each kid and kiss their cheek endlessly. It seems like yesterday I was cheering as Isaac started to crawl and now he is asking to call his friends from school on my cellphone. I am definitely excited about the phases to come... I just wish I could bottle this one up and open it up anytime I want.

Secret Church.

I can't get last night off my mind.

I've been obsessed with it all night and all day.

Chris and I have been talking about it all day.

We were a part of our 2nd Secret Church on Good Friday called "The Cross of Christ."

You can read about what Secret Church is here.

And if you want to watch all 4 hours or see the study guide, go here:

Secret Church: The Cross of Christ

You won't regret it... I promise.

Is Egg Dye Washable?

Who came up with the idea to dye eggs?

They need to come over to my house and bathe my children!