2018 Backlog - Summer Fun Photos

June 10, 2018 - Jude lost his first tooth

Rainy's 7th Grade School Picture

That day Heidi and I rode around Raleigh dreaming about what our chicken homes could look like one day!

Uncle Ray came for a visit and became very protective over our chickens:)

Josh and I only had Rainy and Jude one evening so we took advantage of our
time with them and went bowling together.
Ya'll, Jude would literally lay down on the floor and slowly push his ball forward.
It was by far the S-L-O-W-E-S-T game I've EVER played, ha!

Then, on yet another evening, we were left with only Alethia and Jude.
We decided once again to "do for two what we wish we could do for five"

and headed to the put-put course.

First stages of making this area into a space for "one more"

This came from my Papa's hibiscus plant in Colorado!

I hope it survives here in North Carolina

Another one of Zeke's creations.

A time portal with secret messages from the past!

Rainy had an end-of-the-school-year bonfire for her friends.

I'm thinking we're gonna have to do this again because it was so fun!

Josh and I were gifted some tickets to go see Punch Brothers...

and oh.my.goodness. they did NOT disappoint!

A Walk In The Park

I went to go grab some socks out of my bin so we could go on a walk to the park today.

Apparently I waited too long to do laundry (again) because I didn't have any.

It's a good thing Rainy has the same size (within a half of a size) foot as me.
And it's a good thing she was generous enough to share a pair of clean socks with me.
And it's a good thing that I don't have any issues with wearing mis-matched, tie-die socks,
because that particular kind was my only option, ha!

This means two things:

1. I care very little about my own personal fashion
2. My daughter is growing up

Both of which can be good or bad depending on the way you look at it, lol.

Josh and I didn't realize the gem we had when we moved into this house over 7 years ago. The trails that connect to Rolesville Park are practically in our backyard and I can't even count the hours we've spent running/walking/scootering/pushing strollers/pulling wagons/adventuring in those woods and on those trails.

Today we spent most of our time back in the deepest parts of the woods looking for hidden trails we've missed over the years.

Sometimes when I'm in these woods I take for granted the utter beauty that is right in our own backyard.  But not today.  The last 3-4 days have been mentally very dark days for me, but this morning I woke up and that dark fog had lifted, bringing a fresh motivation for beauty and life.

(I have also realized I have a love affair with old red barns.

Or maybe it's just old things in general.)

Today I'm overwhelmingly thankful for the sunshine, the gorgeous weather, the lifted "fog" and the treasures we can find in our own backyard.  But most of all, I'm grateful for my keeper who never slumbers, but instead keeps my foot from being moved, even on the darkest of days.

"He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber."

Psalm 121:3

Friday Five - Five Reasons To Stay Up Late This Saturday Night

5 Reasons Why YOU Need To Stay Up Late This Saturday Night

1 - We will all be turning our clocks back, so you really get an extra hour of LIFE!

2 - It's way more fun to have a date night that begins after your bed time typically begins (Right?! Or maybe I'm just old, ha!).

3 - And what could make a late-night date-night even BETTER than when it includes LIVE MUSIC and GREAT FOOD!

4 - There will be LIVE MUSIC at the GATEHOUSE TAVERN in WAKE FOREST this Saturday night from 9-12.

5 - This particular night of live music will be brought to you by none other than Josh Via and his buddy Tad (and the occasional appearance of Your's Truly).

Come on out to:

GATEHOUSE TAVERN

This Saturday 

November 5, 2016

9-12pm

Five Things On Friday

I have my lovely assistant Areyna here and she is going to indulge us with 5 activities that are way better than school.

1 - I would rather paint my nails than sit here all day doing school.

2 - I would rather practice for FX (family worship night) tonight than sit here all day doing school.

3 - I would rather read in my bed than sit here all day doing school.

4 - I would rather draw at my desk than sit here all day doing school.

5 - I would SO MUCH rather hang out in my room listening to music than sit here all day doing school.

There you have it folks.
Straight from the tweens mouth.
It's a good thing school is now done for the week and she can get busy on all of these other awesome things that are so much better than sitting here all day doing school;)

Happy Friday ya'll!
See you at FX tonight at 7PM!

Friday Free-For-All

It's raining (big shocker there!),
it's windy,
it's cold,
and there's the excitement of extreme weather buzzing all around us.

And changing clothes out for a new season for a Colony is NO SMALL FEAT.

The amount of clothes our kids have been blessed with is overwhelming!
Hand-me-downs.  They are like perfectly timed, practical Christmas gifts in boxes and bags every time we get to sift through them, find what works, and gift them on to others.

That has been my rainy day activity while the kids are tracked back in,
and daddy works on school from home,
and Jude takes a L-O-N-G nap.

Now I keep catching myself looking at my hipster little 3-year-old with the new haircut his daddy gave him this morning.  We have NEVER had a kid with short hair (Unless you count the first year of Rainy's life.  I never thought that girl would EVER get hair, ha!), so seeing a little boy, buzz-cut, mohawk-ish hairdo is almost more cuteness than I can handle!  I wouldn't be surprised (or even mind) if Zeke follows suit.  He has been on the brink several times, but just couldn't stop changing his mind.

Areyna was on the verge of tears last night trying to convince me that the chickens has told her how unhappy, wet and cold they were and that they NEEDED to come inside.

Yeah, not gonna happen...

I'm going to play Bunco tonight with some ladies in the Rolesville community.
"What is Bunco", you ask?
I don't even know, but I DO know that it's gonna be completely out of my comfort zone, but that's what grows us right?!

So here's to another cold and rainy day.
I prefer to call it FALL.
I complain less if the word FALL is involved.
Besides that means I can burn the pumpkin spice candles that I've been hoarding all year long and go to the store and stock up on Wassail ingredients!
Oh, and everything FALL makes me happy
(minus the cold rain and the lack of sunshine).

Take 5

Band: Daughter

Song Title: Youth

Timer set on five minutes.

Go!

It has been so hard for me to find time to write lately.  I can't for the life of me figure out why.  I mean, I only have 1 kid at home!  ONE!  But he's a pretty demanding little tyke and if I don't stay on top of him he tends to think he rules the roost.  So, I spend much of the day loving, and correcting, and teaching, and correcting, and chasing, and correcting, and playing...

My mom had her first round of chemo yesterday.  I cannot stop thinking about her.  I texted with her today and she said she isn't feeling all that hot today:(  I hate that she has to go through this, but so proud of her fight!

I have a timer on my phone to pray for my quad at 1pm every day.  It is becoming one of the sweetest times with the Lord as I reflect on how far we have all come and praying for the future choices we make and seasons we will be in...

Jude is in full swing of potty training.  He wears "big boy undies" during the day and has only had 1 accident so far!  OK, it's only been 2 days, but hey, I rejoice in the little things around here.

This spring has been my favorite one to date!  It has been absolutely PERFECT!  Cool mornings and evenings, a gentle breeze in the sunny afternoons...sigh...we haven't been inside much.

My chickens make me happy.  I think that every depressed retired person looking to find purpose and fulfillment should plant a little garden and raise a few chickens.  I know that chickens can't solve the worlds problems, but they sure come close:)

Timer off.

PUBLISH

#ColonyLife - If I ruled the world

Friday Question:

"If you ruled the entire world what would your first rule be?"

Areyna:"there would be no school"

Zeke:"everybody has to wear underwear. No, no, no, that's not it.  Everybody has to have a tent that they can go in whenever they want that has computers and gadgets."

Alethia:"you should never throw food away"

Cai:"no eating candy.  wait, no.  It would be no spitting out food."

Jude:"we have to ride our bikes and get our boots on."

Friday Favorites ~ Recipes, Cozy Feet and Pick-me-ups

It's Friday, although I just had to look at my calendar to double check.

This week has been quite the whirlwind of wind, snow, ice, wind, ice, school cancellations and lots and lots of playing outside.

We may not have had much of the accumulation variety, but it was enough to fulfill our winter storm desires!

TRUTH ~ Did you know that you can use scooters and tricycles to sled if the ice is hard enough?

I figured, since it's been kind of a crazy week, and this mama is feeling a TAAAAD bit C-R-A-Z-Y, (that and the fact that I haven't written one all week), I felt like a list of sorts was in order.

TRUTH ~ If you have been all played out from the snow and can't fathom putting your boots back on and braving the cold temps, you can get away with laying in front of the window (inside) and moving your feet in different locations on it as targets for the kids to throw snowballs at so they feel like you are still playing with them.

And since I am sitting here at 10:16pm with all 5 Colony members FINALLY in bed, and feeling VERY thankful and grateful for that fact, I thought I'd make my list about some of my favorite happy things.

1 - the afore mentioned winter weather. I do have some pics but I'm too lazy to upload them onto my computer (you did read that it is 10:16pm, right?) so they will just have to wait.

2 - my slippers, made by none other than my mom.  They make my feet happy:).  For real!  They are the only slippers I have ever owned that don't make my feet clammy or sweaty.  I Luh Them.

TRUTH ~ You can never have too much hot chocolate on hand for cold, snowy days.

3 - My new body wash that I made.  After making my homemade hand soap (2-3 Tbsp. of castile soap, 1 tsp. of Vitamin E oil and 5-6 drops of Thieves EO.  Fill rest of bottle with water and mix) I was sold on finding some more ways to implement my essential oils into other areas of my life, and the body wash was next on the list.  I combined a few recipes I saw floating around Pinterest.  The only thing I would do differently is make it with fractioned Coconut oil instead of regular Coconut oil.  But the smell is SO yummy!

1 cup Dr. Bronners plain liquid castile soap

1/2 cup of vitamin E oil

1 cup melted Coconut oil

then add:

7-8 drops of Ylang Ylang

10 drops of Grapefruit

7-8 drop of Lavender

4 - "cookie balls" - Actually Known As "Homemade Granola Energy Balls".  We make them on a weekly basis and Jude knows when I've forgotten an ingredient as he is the key chef for this recipe.  It has become a family and friend favorite:

2 cups oats

2 cups unsweetened, raw, shredded coconut

1 cup flax seed

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup raw honey

1 cup peanut/almond butter

TRUTH ~ In order to make it to our mailbox without busting your a$$ on the ice you must make sure you have appropriate shoes on, dig your heal into the ice and slowly roll your foot forward while digging the heal of your other foot into the ice.  I'm guessing it could get rather embarrassing if this technique were not mastered before heading down to check the mail during rush hour.

5 - My parents being here.  Josh is in Israel for the next week and things have been a bit difficult on the home front.  It's always nice to know that you have some extra hands, cuddles and book reading bodies to lean on (not to mention help in the kitchen)!  So thanks, ya'll, for coming.

Five happy things for Friday.

Have a great, happy weekend ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All

Not 3 minutes after getting the boys out of their room this morning, were they commanded to report back to their beds for a restart.  Every single one of them was whining and crying about something!  Talk about waking up on the wrong side of bed!

I have had 7 kids this week.  My ears were literally ringing yesterday with only one kid in the house and nobody to argue play with.  It was so quiet...

I am happy to announce that the ColonyShop now offers personalized Christmas Ornaments.  Go get your order in before it gets too cold in my shop to feel my fingers.  I think the shop's next big purchase will be a space heater, ha!

How in the world is Thanksgiving next week?!  I can't even wrap my mind around that.  Because that means that the Colony tracks out in 2 weeks for Christmas, which means I have a lot to get done before they are home 24/7.

I am super excited about my Monday post.  I'll give you a hint what it's about.  It will last for 31 days. It's a challenge.  And it'll make you warm and fuzzy inside:)  Can you guess what it is?

This week, even with 7 kids, our experiment is still on track.  Cai asked about something, but after being reminded that it was part of the experiment he quickly changed directions and found something else to play with.  When Alethia asked for her desired object that had put away, she did cry for a couple of minutes, but was quickly distracted by the other playing kids and didn't think twice about it.  We are still hearing less complaining and grumbling and more "thanks mom"s and "can I help you do anything"s.  It's been so refreshing!

I know this is short, but Josh and I have some bundling up to do for our weekly Friday family jog.

Happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Favorites ~ with lots of things to click on

We introduced Zeke to this wonderful contraption called the Neti Pot.  It has absolutely rocked his world!  In fact, Cai came out the other night asking if Zeke could "please use the Neti pot because he is sounding so gross with his nose!"

My life has been transformed by a new site I found called, Fooducate.

Alethia is actually sounding out, stretching and reading words!  I love seeing her light turn on as she sounds out the word and actually gets it.  She is doing excellent in school!

Nothing will get you moving on those half-completed home projects like inviting 100 or so people over for a get-together for Journey.  I push-mowed our 1 acre lot for the last time this year (thank God!) and raked until my fingertips were numb (I have weird pinched nerves from playing the violin for 30 years) and my hands could hardly grip the rake any longer.  We also FINALLY finished our fireplace.  I'll post the results next week!

Rainy was accepted into a special art program at school.  It meets at 8am on Fridays before school and she is SO pumped to start this morning!

Did you know Christmas is just 47 days away.  And here is a great resource (with a giveaway) to help get you and your family in the right frame of mind as you start preparing for this time of year.

Speaking of Easter Christmas, I know a great resource to give as a Christmas gift!  You should go check it out;)

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's back up to the much sooner holiday that is quickly approaching...Thanksgiving.  My friend, Jenn, wrote a fabulous blog about instilling an attitude of gratitude into your children.  You should go check it out.

My sister-in-law sent me a link to this post with this photo...and Holy Cow, if that doesn't looks almost identical to my Cai-bo!  How CRAZY is that?!

Jude can almost fix his lunch by himself now.  I'll ask him what he wants to eat and he will actually give me a legitimate answer as he scours the refrigerator and pantry for what his pallet has a hankering for.  It is too cute watching him walk around and think about the perfect meal for his afternoon.

And lastly, but definitely not least(ly), theColonyShop monthly feature is the adoption charm/bracelet/necklace/keychain for Adoption Awareness Month.  It is by far my top seller on Etsy, and a great gift for the adoptive/foster mother/guardian as well as anyone playing a part in the restoration of a child.

Well, I've got go complete one more project before the multitudes arrive!

Happy FALL Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All

Today is the first day in a long time that I haven't felt like I'm in a haze.
My mind is clear and focused.
My heart isn't racing for no apparent reason.
My fingertips aren't going numb and my legs don't feel like Jell-O.
My anxiety has vanished, just as quickly as it came storming in.

Deep breathes.
The silence isn't consuming.
The storm outside isn't depressing.
Contentment is here.

Nothing has changed.
But that's anxiety.
Sometimes there are definite triggers that set it off.
Sometimes, a lot of times, it's just nothing.

I have a dear friend who sent me a bunch of quotes about anxiety and depression.  This particular one has sung true for me...

"I yearned to get better; I told myself I was getting better. 

In fact, the depression was still there, like a powerful undertow. 

Sometimes it grabbed me, yanked me under; other times, I swam free."

The season on Lent is right around the corner.  I have a friend who is working on making So Much Bigger Than The Bunny into an ebook.  But for now, if you are interested in buying it you can go HERE.  Make sure you download the songs that go along with it HERE.

With the kitchen done(ish), the dining room complete and the living room finished (I'll post pictures of that later) I have decided to take a break and just enjoy what we have accomplished so far!  It's kind of nice to have those painting projects under out belt.  I can't wait to redo our countertops in the kitchen and fix the flooding issues in the basement:)

I had another idea for the ColonyShop.  A charm bracelet called "The Ebenezer Bracelet".  You can add different charms to it to signify key moments and monuments that God has brought you through.  Each disc would stand for something different.  Maybe it's just special moments you have walked through like the birth of a baby, your wedding day, the day you got saved, or a season marked with hurt or pain that you found yourself tested through.  Who wants to be my first test subject!  The bracelet with 1 charm will be $10 and then add an extra dollar for each additional charm/memory.

Ok, this rain is making me tired so I gotta get up and move around a little bit.
Happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All ~ unconventional ways of making coffee and the lie I told my kids

I lied to my kids last night.
Yup.
They are INFATUATED with our new refrigerator (thank you friends for this gift, BTW!) that has dispensing water and ice. (It really is the small things around here, ha!)
Last night I had stepped in one too many melted ice puddles and made a very rash decision.  I pushed the lock button.
Zeke frantically came running down the hallway yelling, "MOM, it's broken! It's BROKEN!"  I told him that the frig just does that when it has to "fill back up".  His response, "Oh cool!".  Yup, we may be "locking" the refrigerator down after dinner every night:)

I woke up this morning, like I do every morning (thank God He isn't done with me yet), and dragged myself into the kitchen to make coffee.  I rinsed the coffee maker out and prepared it to make some fresh brew.  I had part of one bag left before opening the newest one so it was going to be the Tasha blend this morning.

I emptied the contents of the first bag into the coffee maker.
&*#D!
I forgot the coffee filter.
Ha. I must really be tired!
I carry on with my process and try to salvage the grounds into a filter and re-rinsing.

Disaster averted.

I open up the new canister and begin scooping into the now-placed-into-the-coffee-machine coffee filter.
About 2 scoops in I realize that these grounds are not really even grounds, they are beans.
Oh good grief!

After several minutes of coffee-ground-bean-mess-making I just decide that some of the beans can be left with the grounds for some added "flavor" and proceeded with the accurate way of making coffee.

And that, my friends, is the way this week has been.

I've had to do, and re-do things, and say, and re-say things, and reiterate, and re-reiterate things all week.

I'm tired and I JUST WANT TO DRINK SOME COFFEE!

BUT, it IS Friday, Josh's day off.
And it is sunny, praise the Lord!
And it is FALL.
And I do have so, so much to be grateful and thankful for.

So happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All ~ superheroes, throwbacks and gym memberships

Jude refuses to use covers at night.  Not only will he not cover up with them but he can hardly even stand them being in his bed.  Now his bed contains his pillow pet, a bubby and his cute little self.

I had a realization during the never ending laundry escapade...Areyna wears clothes only 2 sizes smaller than I do!  We are about to be able to share clothes.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Josh and I enrolled at a new gym.  The rates are rather impressive, it has FREE personalized childcare, and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!  I just completed my maiden voyage with Insanity this morning.  It totally kicked my butt, and there are sweat marks on the floor to prove it!

We went trick-or-treating with our friends last night.  Combining our 5 with her 6 and her sister's 2 we had quite the entourage.  I'm pretty sure a few houses had to turn off their porch lights after we raided their candy buckets:-)  I know you are thinking, oh my, what about your safety, but don't worry!  We were staffed with a half dozen superheroes, a doctor, a firefighter, and a fairy godmother to grant us any wishes, just to cover all the bases:)

Left: Jude(Batman) and his buddy Isaac(bear) 2012 ~ Right: Jude(Superman) and his buddy Isaac(fireman) 2013
riding in the same wagon ~ feeding each other lollipops ~ too much cuteness!

Cai has a friend from Journey named Fisher.  I've never met him or his mother, but Cai, and sometimes even Alethia, speak of him often!  He sounds like a very sweet boy.  Cai pronounces his name, Fish-O.  I spoke for a women's group on Wednesday evening, and wouldn't you know, Fisher's mom was one of the ladies in the group!  I was THRILLED to come home and tell Cai that I FINALLY met his friend's mommy so we can get them together to play!  I love that we have family close by and that our kids are blessed to be able to play with them so often, but there is something about seeing your kids branch out and meet new "un-family" friends that is really special!

That's all I got!

Happy NOVEMBER 1st ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All ~ the chill

I woke up yesterday morning and it took a while for me to notice, but eventually I realized just how nice and warm I was as I looked out the window as the crisp, cold breeze blew through the trees.  My eyes opened wide as I quickly made my way to the thermostat.  "He turned the heat on!"  "He turned the HEAT on!" "He turned the heat ON!" "HE turned the heat on!"

We ALWAYS wait until the last possible moment to take such drastic measures!  But he'd already made the decision.  Without me!  He didn't even give any warning that this day was even close to happening!  (maybe because it's been difficult for me to get out of bed when the thermostat reads at 63 degrees)

But then again, I really think this is one of the coldest Octobers we have ever experienced.  I remember Octobers past where my beautifully crafted pumpkin sat, rotting on the front porch, in the humidity and heat.  So, for the sake of the blue-lipped, cold-tootsied children in this house I will forgive you, Josh Via;)  And I apologize to all the rest of you who were counting on us to hold out on the heat-up with you, ha!

Speaking of Josh Via, he just headed out for the last fall retreat/camp/trip of the season.  We are all so proud of how hard my man works for this family and for The Kingdom, but we are already anticipating his return.

Speaking of an anticipated return, my anxiety level was a COMPLETE "0" yesterday!  It's been a L-O-N-G time folks, and I am already anticipating it's return...maybe today?

I just saw an add for Katy Perry.  I've never in my life listened to one of her albums...until now.  Not my favorite, but it's something different.  What are you listening to lately?

I just downed a mug of Alka-Seltzer cold and sinus:(

Here's to a weekend filled with warm heat, cold breeze, stuffy noses and new music.

Happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All

It's Friday again.

It's another beautiful fall day (Just kidding, Jenn!  It really feels AWFUL! Don't believe a word I just wrote:)

For a girl that always has something to write about, I sure have had a time coming up with posts this week.  It's like my motivation and inspirations last long enough to give me an idea and then it vanishes into thin air.  And I'm a detail girl.  And when the details vanish so does the need to write about it.

Oh, the #FirstWorldProbz that I struggle through;)

Josh is sitting in the arm chair working on a session that he is teaching on building a worship team this afternoon.  I love him:)

Cai is piling all his superheroes into a dump truck and spilling them out over and over and over, while singing his superhero theme music.  I could listen to his cute little voice all day.

Alethia has asked me to dress (and undress) her polly pocket dolls over and over and over.  Playing contently in her own little world.

Jude is sleeping.  I love that he is reluctant to give up that early morning nap.

Rainy and Zeke only have a half-day today!

I think we'll play outside until the sun dips behind the horizon and we can't stand the cold anymore.

Even when my days are spent fighting the inner battles that plague me I see His favor on my life.

Through these little people.  Through this family.

God is good all the time.

Friday Free-For-All (and the longest run-on sentences in the history of mankind)

This time last week I was balled up in a corner, hiding from one of my best friends, who I intentionally locked out of my house, who had been called in as a reserve from my husband (I know it was you!), who was out of town (in NY for 5 days), because I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't talk on the phone (phones give me anxiety anyway), and kept ignoring his phone calls (sorry baby), and definitely couldn't talk to someone face-to-face (she still left me a sweet fall scented candle on my doorstep, so she still loves me:)...and then went to a HUGE event at our church full of games (tons of games), people (oh so many people), food (which was nice because food makes things so much better), candy (way too much candy), gospel presentations (which I uncontrollably cried through because I was SO proud to be part of a church who loves on our city and church body the way they do), my 5 kids (yes, F.I.V.E.), by myself (in a sea of people which also causes high anxiety), and tears (always tears) just WAITING for the right time to come flooding out (always perfectly timed), on my other friend's shoulder (sorry for the tear stains on your shirt), just because she said that I was an awesome mom and she didn't know how in the world I do it...

Man, I'm glad I'm not in that place anymore.
I'm pretty sure if I had to go much longer like that I would be balled up in a corner in a nut house!

Days like that are hard.
Man, they are hard.

But I'm not there today.

In fact, it's Josh's day off (praise the Lord) and he took the two older (Alethia and Cai), of the younger 3 (Alethia, Cai and Jude), to eat lunch at school with the older 2 (Rainy and Zeke), and the youngest of the 5 (Jude) is soundly asleep, and I'm sitting here (just me) wondering what in the world I should accomplish during this rare moment of peace and quiet (fold laundry, get a shower, catch up on emails from my kid's teachers that are piled up in my inbox, unload the dishwasher), and all I want to do is sit and enjoy this rare moment of peace and quiet...

and maybe write a blog that is full of the longest run-on sentences in the history of mankind.

But it's Friday.
And Friday is family day.
And this family day is chilly and dreary and WONDERFUL!

So I'm off to sit on my couch, staring out the window, as I sit in my jammies, unshowered, and enjoy this rare moment of peace and quiet.

Happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All ~ Reading Until Dawn

Good-bye Summer, it's been nice playing with you.

Hello fall!
Hello cool, crisp mornings.  Hello pumpkin spice scented candles and fall decorations.  Hello beautiful colors and entire days spent outside.  Hello open windows and happy hearts.

Rainy and Zeke track back in on Monday.  It is a bitter sweet thing.  While I am going to enjoy the normal routine of life and the days of only 3 littles to mother for a few hours a day, I am going to miss leisurely mornings and multiple-kid-problem-solving play and late night fun.  But that's the good thing about year-round schools, you get to do it all over again in just a few short weeks!

We have a massive hole in our backyard right now.  I can't blame it on anything other than the kids being in their own world a few days ago, which lead to brilliant ideas and plans for the dirt patch, which lead to shovels and digging and dirt baths and dirt in hair and ears and diapers...and eventually, yes, I did give some of them Jude a bath!

We have entered the sweetest ever season with Areyna.  I'd been trying to get her to read the chapter book that her Uncle Andrew and Aunt Dana gave her for her birthday, A Cricket In Time Square, but naturally it wasn't going to happen because it was a mom idea;)  Well wouldn't you know, she began reading it "undercover", literally, at night with her little bed light.  The more she read, the more she got into the book and characters, until she was staying up way into the night.  She finally finished the book last week and was dying to read MORE.  You better believe I jumped on the momentum and found some books for just a few cents on Amazon.  Rainy was literally waiting on the front driveway for them to arrive in the mail:-)  In the meantime our friend, Bonnie, brought over an armful of her kids old books for Rainy to read while she waited.  She is probably 3/4 into Charlotte's Web and is still going strong!  I am ecstatic!

Along the same vein, the other kids have been noticing Areyna following along and highlighting in her Bible during family devotions at nighttime.  They keep asking for a Bible and wanting to know what page we are on so that they can follow along too.  Since I am a responsible mother I told them that one day, when they were older and more responsible and mature we'd purchase a Bible for each of them and teach them how to take care of it and keep the pages nice and crisp...JUST KIDDING!  I found a good deal of some children's study Bibles that they can grow into and ordered them right away.  You would have thought I gave them the moon as we passed them out.  Their eyes were big and their thank you's have been numerous.  So naturally, we did have a lesson on how to care for their Bibles, (ie. keeping up with them at church and not bringing them outside and leaving them in the rain:), but went right into how to mark them up!  Bibles are not meant to sit neatly on a shelf.  They are weapons and are gonna get dirty, and colorful:)

Here's to many more years of coloring in Bibles and reading under the covers until dawn.

Happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All

Josh and I have been sitting on our front porch, sipping coffee for well over an hour.
The girls have pulled up chairs beside us to read.
The boys are creating comic books with stickers and markers in the living room.
Jude is sleeping quietly in the back room.

Today has been such a much-needed family day.

Our hearts and bodies are recharging from a whirlwind of a month.
We are finally able to process everything with words and comfortable silence.

Even though Rainy and Zeke are still tracked out we finally have a semblance of normalcy and routine.


So today there is...
no plan
no agenda
just being together as a family.

Today I am thankful for so very much!

Happy Friday ya'll!

Friday Free-For-All ~ I Love A Good Swiffer Cleaning and Other Confessions

I remember when I got my first Swiffer.  I'm pretty sure my mom actually bought it for me and I'm not quite sure if my friend, Jenn, had one first or if I did, but we both ended up with one around the exact same time.  We had an instant love affair with our new cleaning companions.  I loved the smell, how light they were, the instant gratification of a mess so nicely cleaned up.  (yes I'm a nerd.)  One day while talking about our new swiffers (hey, we didn't have pets or kids yet, we had to talk about SOMEthing!), we both realized that we had this ridiculous habit of "allowing" things to fall on the floor and make a mess just so we could get our handy dandy little swiffer out and clean up the mess.

OK, so I couldn't find a picture of me and Jenn (I promise she's my best friend!), but this is our girls, and Cana.
Rainy's two best friends about to be in two totally different parts of the world.

It's not every day that you can find a friend that shares such a tight bond.

Now every time I pull out my trusty swiffer to wipe up a spill (that I may or may not have purposefully left on the floor) just to mop up on a sad day (cleaning is therapy. yes I'm a nerd), I think of my sweet friend.  This sweet friend of mine is moving to Haiti in a couple of weeks.  I'm almost positive she won't be able to take her swiffer with her.  It's gonna be a sad, sad day when she has to leave me it behind.  But rest assured Jenn, I will think of you every time I wipe up the sticky apple juice residue and leftover pasta sauce off of the kitchen floor.  (PS-if you have any swiffer juice left over would you mind bringing it on by?;)

Speaking of cleaning...

...does anyone else ever do "the smell test"?  You know, when you find a shirt on the floor and aren't quite sure if it is in need of a washing or not?  You give it the ol' smell test.  Or the baby butt because you keep getting a whiff of something raunchy, or the food in the refrigerator (expiration dates LIE, I tell ya!), the boys undies which have a tendency to get strewn all over the house (Don't ask.  Zeke has an undie fetish) or the jeans that you don't have any recollection of washing any time in the past month (or 3).  No?  Me either, ha!

And since we are into confessions today...

Sometimes when Josh gets home I cry.  Not because he's home, but because he's home.  Ummm...it's like, I've kept my big girl undies on all day, and it's been a ROUGH day, and then in walks my backup and the floodgates have been lifted.  Relief has arrived.  It's pure exhaustion and gratefulness all balled up into one massive ugly cry exhale.  I really DO love you coming home baby!  I love it to tears!

And so I'm off to cry some happy tears because this weary mama has her relief here ALL WEEKEND!!!!!

Bring on the family togetherness!

Happy Friday ya'll:)

Friday Free-For-All

I finished the 35 mile challenge on Monday!  Wow, what a feeling.  I never thought I'd EVER run this much in my life.  I even had 12 days left.  Bring on the next challenge!

It.Is.HOT outside.  And you can totally tell that my kids have had little outside play time.  All 3 boys have been running around the house like complete maniacs for 3 days!  I'm SO ready for the cooler weather that is supposed to blow in this weekend.

My kids have their Boosterthon this week at school.  I remember bringing home the pamphlet of prizes and dreaming of all the magic that could happen if I could possess all those fun "things" when I was little.  They have been ALL ABOUT it, ha!

My brain is tired today.
I'm glad it's Friday today.
I'm glad it's family day today.
And that is all I've got today:)

Have a great weekend ya'll!