she is ready. i am not.

Well, the day has almost arrived.... the day my precious baby girl heads off to Kindergarten. I thought I would do so much better with her being my 2nd child to head off to the abyss of school, but no such luck. She is MORE than ready and can barely contain her excitement. We are confident in our prayers to our God who is always in control and trust that He will continue to take her hand, even when we cannot. I'm counting down the days in my head, knowing that my emotional capacity is very low at this point. Give them wings... right?

our little zo-zo.... my, how you've grown!

Happy 5th Birthday to our most favorite daughter EVER!

Zoey, it's amazing how much you have changed over the last year to become a beautiful and thoughtful young lady. You always clean the house without being asked, are always more concerned about others having a good time than yourself and you always make sure everyone feels welcome wherever you are. You love art, crafts, cooking, cleaning, annoying your brothers, putting Elijah to sleep, carrying Jacob on your back and cuddling with daddy. You always keep your room spotless and help mama with all her responsibilities each and everyday. You want to be a teacher when you grow up, and we know you would be amazing at that! For your birthday you wanted art supplies and "girl" legos. We couldn't be more proud of you if we tried. Your heart for worship challenges us daily and we know God has incredible plans for you, girl!!!

Church Baptism/Picnic

Thank you Auntie Li-Li for all the amazing pictures!

good-bye summer. you have served us well.

What a fun summer!!!

Only complaint is that it went waaaaayyyyy too quickly.

We did so many fun things....

• Zoey took her 1st ballet class and looked so cute in her leotard. She knows all her positions and is extremely flexible.
• Isaac finished his 1st karate lessons and can now defend himself and me from stranger danger. Kiai!
• Zoey learned how to swim and can swim the length of the pool by herself. She loves to swim underwater.
• Isaac can do a full-front-flip on the trampoline, can get to the top of our climbing rope like a navy seal and has mastered the monkey bars.
• Chris put up 3 new swings on our play-scape, so almost all of the kids can pump on their own. No more "underdogs" needed!
• Both Isaac and Zoey can do pretty good cartwheels. Zoey is close to doing it one-handed.
• Jacob is now sleeping without a crib. He can climb in and out of it in record time.
• Elijah is now going on the potty daily. We are not potty-trained yet, but it is in our near future.
• Isaac and Zoey can quote almost all of Ephesians 6.
• Isaac can now vacuum out the pool on his own.

I am going to miss having my days with all 4 of my kiddies. It has been so much fun learning, playing and hanging together. I am excited to have some more individual time with my babies, though, I do have to say. Good-bye summer.... Hello school-time craze!

Here is the video of Isaac (Zoey's didn't come out well due to her brothers screaming.) We missed a verse at the end, but I am so proud of how much he remembered!

there is none like him.

I have a prayer pattern.

I usually am drawn to a particular song throughout the week and get stuck on it when I pray. I end up praying to that particular song over and over... and probably play it over 50 times throughout the week. My kids understand this madness and never complain. In fact, they know most of my prayer songs because of this reason. This is the one that I am stuck on this week...

"None but Jesus" sung by Sean Frizzell

realistic DIYs

Things I have pinned in the last few months:

• How to make a beautiful housekeepers bucket to inspire me while cleaning.
• How to make a burlap mail/picture holder for the foyer.
• How to make my very own scented misters for outdoor parties during the summer.
• How to make my own lunchables for back-2-school and save lots of money.
• How to make my own personalized concrete bookend for my bookshelves.

Things I SHOULD have pinned in the last few months:

• How to thoroughly dispose of broken glass over your entire family room while you have 4 children running around.
• How to properly medicate a 3rd degree burn on your neck and chest area do to a scorching hot chili incident.
• How to keep a 1-year-old busy in a doctors office lobby for over an hour.
• How to remove chocolate hershey sauce from a microfiber couch.
• How to take a shower when your 4 children have taken you hostage and are threatening unsuccessful nap-times for the next week.

our treasures become trash.

Well, it's that time.

Time to rid ourselves of the baby stuff we no longer use.

It's bitter-sweet.

I can't wait to get it out of the house and out of my way, but each milk-stained item served our family well... for all 4 of our children. We are donating most of our stuff and trashing the things that are no longer safe for human touch.

Bub-bye baby stuff.

I want to cheer and cry at the same time.

1st born.

i'm not significant.

I've always struggled with this "significance" issue.

I frequently ask the questions, "Is what I am doing right now making any significance in the Kingdom of God? Am I, Lori, significant in the Kingdom of God, or could anyone do what I am doing, and do it much better?"

I have been stuck in the book of Isaiah for months.

I can't peel my eyes and heart away.

It has spoke to me in ways lately that have been life-saving.

This week I read Isaiah 49, with an emphasis on verse 6.

"Is it too small a thing for you to be my servant..."

 Wow.

Is serving God in any capacity, not significant in itself?

When you are a true servant, isn't your movement and posture of one to make your master more significant?

Just my daily re-focus from God that I wanted to pass along.

that's not typically how it works

when he grows up...

Isaac: My teacher at church tonight asked me what I want to be when I grow up.

Me: What did you say?

Isaac: First I would want to be a hockey player, then a soccer player and then a Lego builder.... but I did tell him that if Jesus didn't want me to be any of those things, then I would do what He wanted me to do...........Mom, why are you looking at me like that? Are you crying?

as my Nonne would say, "arrivederci"

3 things broke this week that were very important to me.

1.) A vase that I gave my grandmother while I was in college. When she became sick, she wrote on the bottom that it should find it's way back to me once she passed away. I heard a crash and ran downstairs to find it in a million little pieces.

2.) An antique glass measuring tablespoon that my grandma had also given to me. It was my grandpas. I'm not sure what he used it for, but it was beautiful and you could tell it was very old. I turned on the garbage disposal to hear broken glass banging around inside. When I stopped and started to pull it out, the rare shade of golden yellow glass immediately sunk my heart.

3.) An old picture of my grandparents. I found it soaking wet inside the frame. (I know we have this picture scanned and will very easily be able to replace it, but the symbolizm of it being destroyed along with the other things my grandparents gave me made me burst out in emotion.)

I'm not a material girl, by any means.

In fact, I care very little about things to the point that it can frustrate my husband and sometimes look careless to others. I've just never had a huge attachment to anything... expensive or cheap. For the most part, I can purge things with ease and give things away without giving it a second thought. There are, however, things I have that remind me of special people... and people I do care about. Nothing this week was destroyed on purpose. I have 2 boys under the age of 3 that are extremely curious and can climb anything... I am starting to get used to letting things go. These particular things were hard to swallow because for at least 2 of them, I will never be able to get them back... which in turn reminds me that I will never be able to get the people back that gave them to me. It's sobering.. but the reality is that these things don't help or hurt the amount of loss I feel when I think about my grandparents. They are just things that remind me of them. So, as I am collecting myself and debriefing myself on this tragedy with my entry to this blog, please be reminded to hug a little longer today... be a little more patient with the people God has graciously place in your life.... hold on to the conversations and laughs you have with your kids, your spouse, and your family... give thanks to God today for allowing you to make moments into memories, even when sometimes those memories turn into tears.

Selah.

The Wonder Dare.