An unexpected "stay-cation"

Friday evening Mark worked longer than we had expected he would need to. After a home cooked meal we decided to venture out on a family walk. (Did I mention that we stopped for ice cream on our way to our walking spot?) We had a great time and got some much needed exercise in too.
Saturday morning I headed out alone for a new do. I was way overdue for a new style. When I got home Mark had the dishes cleaned up and the baby napping. Then he offered the chance to discover a new little soup and salad lunch spot followed by a hike in the mountains. This is a favorite activity for us, but this year we have not made it to the mountains together yet - and July is almost over. So we headed out and had a blast. Again, the differences in our girls' personalities shined as bright as the sun. Sophie looked around discovering the differences in leaves, moss, spiders, etc. As we walked she slowed more and more claiming she wouldn't be able to make it all the way back. Haleigh walked three times the distance of any of us because she walks a slalom style path covering more ground side to side than forward. She stepped on, jumped on, skipped on every rock along the way big or small. And Mackenzie babbled and rubbed the back of Mark's head as she rode along in the backpack.
That evening the girls enjoyed a babysitter and Mark and I headed for dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday.
Sunday we awoke to get ready for church. We had the sweet blessing of worshipping our awesome God! After a shift in the nursery we headed back to our new found soup and salad spot, joined by many of our small group families. Then headed home to get the house ready for a special visit from Aunt Becky and family. (OK so I didn't get all the house ready but most of it. But Mark did complete a great store run for some good grilling!) They arrived with great celebration from the girls. We fed the kids hot dogs and fruit and sent them to the yard to play in the water slide. Then we grilled Grandpa's BBQ chicken with corn on the cob, salad, and fruit. And dodged the flies as we ate and watched the kids play. It was a super sweet weekend!! AND it wasn't over yet. Mark slipped in a surprise that Monday he wouldn't have to go to work:). We'll continue the "stay-cation" fun with the next post...

Sweet summer days, sweet summer memories! There is nothing like summer to create great memories. After the older gals had some sweet one-on-one time with family we met back up to hear of all the special fun of Bible school and Grandma adventures. Then we went to the zoo. The adults didn't have great expectations of this zoo trip and although we poured on warning after warning trying to dull the expectations for the girls we all had a GREAT time!! We saw lots of animals, fed the bears some moon pies, cheered as the prarie dogs tunneled beyond their boundries, and fell in love with the goat kids as we fed the ones that were out of their pens. Then to top off the trip we got to have our picture taken with a lion cub!! Too much fun for all 4 generations present and accounted for!!!

After we returned home to Daddy we had a super special day. We stared the day with a plan of eating a fun breakfast out before we attended a friend's birthday party. But Daddy's check-out at the office ran a little long and Mommy was unorganized as most necessities were (and still are) in the suitcases. So a breakfast out turned into Dunkin Doughnuts drive through. "Oh fun" you think, but that before you realize the party is a "decorate your own cupcake" party. So loaded up on the first filler of sugar we find the party location and head in to ic

e our own cupcakes. It was so fun to watch the girls decorate. Sophie had a design in mind, a mountian with a snowman on it. Haleigh also had a design in mind, "load it up." She piled on the icing until it literally slid off the cupcake. They got to eat the first cupcake they designed and then they got to ice another one. Again, Sophie created an ocean scene with gold fish (sprinkles) and octopus and seaweed. Haleigh created a 3D color infusion.

Then we happened next door into a second hand kids store. There we found what could be the solution to an ongoing struggle of family time vs. exercise. A jogging stroller and a trike with handlebars. SO last night we had an awesome time at the park all three girls on wheels for about an hour and then fun on the playground. (Funniest part is when Sophie got ahead of Haleigh and me just enough to jump off her bike and lay down in the grass to breathe jump back up and go again!) Many of these images I wish we had on film, but to be honest it was all we could do to keep all wheels in motion and not running over each other!

Let's just say everyone slept very well.

Enthralled by HIM!

This evening I had a meeting where we discussed the topic "Being Satisfied By Him/Rich Towards Him." It was follow up to a podcast, I honestly can't even remember the pastor's name right now. But I have to tell you my perspective has been shifted and I feel like I need to share it. I don't know if I need to share this for my sake, for my girls when the time is right for them to delve into this blog, or for a reader out there known or unknown. So here it goes...

My God is big, He can do anything! So here are some questions I need to ask: Am I completely satisfied with Him and the life He has chosen for me? If I am satisfied in Him what does that look like?
Lately, I have been so focused on getting a diagnosis for my youngest I have convinced myself that I will rest when the name of this thing is given to me- then I will be satisfied. Well, not really. Once I get a diagnosis I will want a specialist to give me a treatment, then I will rest and be satisfied. Well, no. Then I will want her to be well...
A few lines after this is when my computer went completely blue with tiny scripts changing without my prompting cause me to quickly unplug and shut down. I thought my computer caught a virus, but the next morning all was fine. Today my sister helped me realize my post may still be here and above is what was left. The rest of the post was that in this time of my life God is indeed with me and in control of the hand that is dealt to me. To be honest, the hand He has allowed to be shuffled my way is a great one of many many blessings! My husband, my girls, my precious sisters and parents and extended family, my church family full of friends who know my heart and challenge me to be more like Him, a home that I am more than comfortable in, the list goes on and on and on even more. So why is it that the struggles seem to get my focus? My prayer is that the One who walks me through the struggle and builds a closer relationship with me through this time will become my focus and my greatest satisfaction!!

Planting flowers in July?

It may seem an odd thing to plant flowers in the middle of the summer, when the days here are 92*and higher. But since the days here have been 92* and higher I needed some fresh flowers. I am hoping I will be disciplined enough to water (or assign watering) as needed to get the flowers through the upcoming holiday weekend. To be honest even if they don't make it the attempt of planting was worth it just to have a couple of "planting hours" with Sophie and Haleigh.
While Mark mowed the yard I put Mackenzie down to bed and then headed out to plant our flowers with the big girls. As I arrived out back Sophie was doing her normal waiting with a book in hand. And then there is Haleigh, my "free spirit" child, she was dancing around the yard picking up the fresh cut grass clumps and throwing them into the wind. She couldn't have been any happier at Disney. We had gathered our supplies, just ready to plant when Mark yelled that he needed me for just a minute. While I went down in the yard to move some things from the mowing path I left the girls waiting again. When I returned to the planting station I found Sophie much further along in Miss Piggle-Wiggle's Magic and Haleigh was sitting with her feet in the bucket of dirt. Not only were her feet in the dirt, but she was rubbing handfuls of dirt over every bare part of her body and so extremely proud of how crazy dirty she was.
We finally began to plant and each of the girls picked the flowers she wanted to plant. Both were very proud of their individual pots. Haleigh insists we need to go back for some more to fill the rest of her pots. --- Last year we had a grand idea of planting in terracotta pots and letting the girls paint their pots. I think Friday we will freshen up the pots and see what our little artists will do this year!
AAHHHHH!! Another priceless summer night!!