prayer request

Please take the time to pray for this little girl.
She is the niece of a friend of ours, and though we don't talk to or see this friend much, we have been following her heartbreaking story since she was diagnosed around February, and have tried to be diligent in praying for her.
Some unexpected things have come up lately that have left her family quite worried. You can read her blog through the link below, but even if you don't have time for that, please pray for Anna. Pray for a miracle of healing. Pray for strength for her little body, and for somehow, peace for her parents.

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=annameg

FIVE DAYS!

SEVEN DAYS!

As many of you know, our kids are in a wedding coming up of our dear friends, Adam and Laura. Many of you may feel like you know them, as the kids and us have shared about them. Well, after more than a year of talking about it, only seven more days! That's only 7 more days that I have to prep Abby to walk down the aisle!!! I keep reminding her that she's doing this for Laura, because if she thought she were doing it for me, she probably wouldn't do it..... Ben and Matthew are excited as well, and I think they'll be able to do their 'jobs' just fine. Stay tuned for an update next week about how that goes!

run, run, run!

A big group of our friends went to the Bix together this weekend. Some of our kids were running the jr. bix Friday night and some of the adults were running the big race Saturday morning. It was lots of fun and everyone did an awesome job. Our kids ran last year, so they all wanted to do it again. Ben ran 1/2 mile, and Matthew and Abby ran the 70-yard dash. They all did great, and ran their little hearts out. Abby was "raising the roof" as she crossed the finish line; can't you just see her?

so excited!!

I'm SO excited!
For those of you who know me well, you know it really doesn't take much to "get to me." I mean, I've been told I'm animated, and I certainly wear my heart on my sleeve, so to speak.
It's no secret what I'm feeling, most of the time; just ask anyone who lives with me.
Well, today, thanks to my technologically equipped friend, Sara, I've learned how to post this "playlist" to the blog.
Again, in most people's opinion that is probably not worth writing about but in the life of this mom, it is worth a lot. It brings me joy. The kind that gives me an immediate smile, like the one I had just now when I saw that it worked!
I hope that these songs get you moving like they do me. I literally can't sit still when I hear any one of them.
Enjoy!

shooting stars and smores

if I were to make a list of some of the "small things" I enjoy most, these two would definitely make the cut. I saw my first shooting star just a few nights ago, and I was upset with myself afterwards that I haven't taken the time to stargaze long enough to have seen one before. What a perspective to sit gazing at the sky and stars above and think about the God who created it all. And that he loves ME. In relation, a speck in the universe, and so unworthy. Pretty amazing.

And to top it off with a well-prepared smore, well, you just can't beat it.

The perfect mallow. mmmm, I can taste it now.

the sendoff

well, we sent off Jason's brother, Brian, last night. It was really hard to say goodbye (for now), but also heartwarming to see the support for their unit. What a perfect way to see them off, through a street lined with people, holding flags, banners, and signs to wish them well. Many of the people family members and loved ones giving one more wave, and others who were just fellow Americans there to show support for the troops. And isn't that what we owe to these men, leaving behind their children, spouses, and other family members and loved ones to do a job that so few choose to do for so many?

the tastes of summer

feel good on my feet

ok, so I am not really a shoe person. Well, my husband thinks I am, but to the degree of some women I know, who have shoes that match outfits by color, I really am not. I have no red, green, or yellow pumps to go with some dress or skirt. I hardly have any pumps, actually, as I live more for comfort.

but everyone should have a good pair of dress shoes, I think I've been told, and since I have an occassion coming up to wear them, I've been searching high and low. I have bad feet though, which makes buying dress shoes painful, literally. My arches are high and dress shoes genereally have no support....so it's been a process.

I think I've bought about 4 pair, give or take, and have returned all of them after walking around on the carpet in my bedroom for a bit to see how they are. Or I found something really cute online, but who can really buy shoes online, so back they've gone.

But it ended recently, when I visited reliable, standby, go to when you can't find anything, anywhere else, Von Maur. They have good shoes.

I also found a pair of flip flops in the process that I bought simply because they are comfortable and have arch support. I didn't need them at all, but they're comfortable and I've worn them nearly every day since. You can see both below!!

dancin' the night away

we enjoyed the festivities at a friends wedding reception last week. it was a great time to see some old friends, and it was a blast to see a new side of our kids that doesn't come out often.
Abby was saying that she wanted to go home and go to sleep, then we went into the bathroom, came out and she heard some fun music playing in the hallway. she put her arms up and started "raising the roof," and danced for an hour and a half!

some of their favorite dancing songs were, "stayin' alive, grease lightning, i like to move it," and Abby's favorite, "who let the dogs out."

pedal Matthew, pedal!!

He did it! Matthew's riding on two wheels!

It's really so much more about guts than ability, don't you think? In our experience it has been.

But he did it, and we're so excited for him. It's all he wants to do now; ride his bike. He has yet to master turning, so it's sort of consuming him for now. But he'll get it, I'm sure.

Two other close friends of mine son's have also started riding without training wheels recently; the little brothers are growing up!! So here's to our two-wheelin' little guys, way to go!!

hot days, cool pools

continued praise

"I was sure by now, God, you would have reached down,
and wiped my tears away, stepped in and saved the day;
but once again, I say Amen, and it's still raining.
And as the thunder rolls, I barely hear,
you whisper through the rain, 'I am with you.'"

These are some of the lyrics to a song by Casting Crowns called Praise You in the Storm.
And boy, I am so trying to do that. Through life's disappointments and unfulfilled dreams that seem so perfect to me, I am trying to continue to praise God, knowing that He is the only one who knows what perfect for me looks like. It's so hard sometimes, to understand why things happen the way they do, but I think what defines who we are is what then?....how do we respond to those situations. And can we continue to praise God through the storm.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

I'm asking for reinforcement here; Jason's brother, Brian, leaves in just a few days to "report for duty" before his sendoff in just about two weeks. His unit will be going to Kosovo until next July. Please pray for him over these next several months; for his safety foremost, and for his heart; that maybe God could draw him closer to himself during this experience.

We will miss him greatly while he's gone. Jason and I will miss our movie buddy, and our kids will miss their playmate....but all of us will miss his company. We love you, Bri!

4th of July

So these friends of ours started a tradition years and years ago and now we've joined them in it. We've been participating for the last five fourth of julys; we meet at the park early (7:30ish) and cook breakfast on camping stoves and electric griddles and such. There are probably about 20-30 people. We all enjoy games of catch and visiting while the cooks are at work, and then we enjoy the fruit of their labor. Simultaneously, we set up our spot along the parade route, right next to the park where we're eating, with canopy, chairs, and blankets along the curb for kids. The parade comes by about 10, and our kids get more candy than we know what to do with. Also by now, it's usually ridiculously hot. It's a long parade. Finishes really close to noon. We head home for lunch and chill time. We'd really like naps, but the kids protest with wishes to slip and slide, so we oblige. It is a holiday.

It's a great day already, but there's more! About 5:30 we head back to the park to meet up with everyone again; with dinner in tow, along with snacks, coolers, games, gloves, balls, and sparklers. We eat our dinners; watch the kids play, and there's usually a pretty entertaining game of kids vs. adults in kickball or wiffleball. It seems like a long time now, but the four hours pass quickly and as dusk approaches, kids do snakes and sparklers, and then we all settle in onto the sea of blankets and wait for the fireworks. It's so dark after that we struggle to find our ways back to the cars 100 yards away in the parking lot.

It's a great time; and I think my favorite part of it all is the tradition of it. I look forward to it each year, and I love that my kids will have this memory one day, and maybe even carry it on with their families.....or maybe a modified version of it at least.

before and after

Well, I did it!! I mustered up the courage and cut my hair. I know, no big deal; but blogworthy nonetheless, as many other seemingly unimportant happenings in my daily life.

I like it, and am glad I did it. And my husband likes it too! Bonus!

before

after