2016

We are getting into the groove this week again...schooling, piano practice, and laundry. Always the laundry. Sometimes it's good to be back to a routine. I am also trying to be more purposeful about working out. The elliptical and I are friends again...as well as the new (to us) stationary bike we picked up Monday night! The sellers were happy to get rid of it, and we were happy to bargain with them...to get it for a better price. Win-win. And it's a Schwinn! (See my little rhyme there?) :)

Hard to believe that this year, 2016, we will finish 4th grade for Mr. P...and Kindergarten for Kenz. Time flies. I never realized how much, until I became a parent. I know what my Dad meant, when he would say, "It seems like just yesterday you girls were little..." We were looking back at old pictures, as Joel works to get our (many zillions of) photos organized. I can't believe how things have changed, since this pic of us leaving our 1st house in 2007!

We celebrated 12 years of marriage in December. We have 2 more kids since this pic. And have 2 precious miscarried babies in Heaven. We currently live in our 3rd house. Time. Flies. I think this is motivation for us to live our days with purpose and find the joy in every thing.

Ephesians 5:16,17 says See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Such a challenge to me! Redeeming the time...which is so fleeting. I want to work in 2016 to find the joy, even in the routine. Especially in the mundane things that sometimes fill my days/weeks. And to be thankful for them. Thankful for these 3 little people that call me, "Mom". And for the man I love, who calls me his wife. These are not things to be taken for granted. 

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. - Philippians 4:14

New Blog...What?!

I have a new blog, devoted to healthy eating, fitness goals, encouraging one another, and just feeling better. The title is Comrade Connection. Go check it out! :)

Fabulous Fall

And we're back. Wow, it's been over a year since my last post. Time to remedy that. This school year has been busy so far. One child is learning multiplication. One is learning her letters/sounds. And the littlest? Hopefully learning how to use the potty on a more frequent basis. ;) Goals!!

And a random pic from this morning, of Fall Fun!

Things I'm Loving

I am horrible at putting together regular blog posts. Just terrible. But, I have come to accept that. ;) Instead of a long written post, I wanted to do a fun post of the things in our lives right now that I am loving! Life moves quickly, and chances are if I don't write things out...I will miss out on the opportunity of being thankful for them.

If anybody reads this post, feel free to comment on what you're loving right now. :)

Here goes, I am loving :

• My coffee station. I printed off a free printable from Pinterest. It says, All I need today is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus. AMEN! Every moment. I need Him...

• What's not to love about a good hug? I snapped some pics of this peanut loving on her Daddy! Joel was trying to go to work...but Sophia didn't make it easy. She wouldn't let go of him. So sweet!

• I'm also loving the above pic that I hung in my room. My Sister gave it to me for my Birthday...it's about TRUSTING GOD in the happy moments, SEEKING HIM in the difficult times, TRUSTING HIM in the quiet moments, and THANKING HIM all of the time. Love this reminder. <3

I feel like I should explain, that bottle on the picnic table is rootbeer! ;-)

• I love quality family time. A couple weeks ago we had an outdoor picnic. Nothing fancy...I made some sandwiches and we had lunch outside. Enjoying the weather. And each other. We also had some homemade apple crisp with butter pecan icecream...YUM!

School Days

I can't believe the Summer is over. Time went too quickly. Today we began the 2014-2015 school year! Preston is in 3rd grade and Mckenzie is in Preschool. It seems that one of the biggest challenges this year is going to be keeping Sophia entertained. :) She is 19 months now and loves to climb up to Mckenzie's desk and sit in her little chair or try to get into whatever Mckenzie is doing. Fun times. I am going to take this year "day by day", as my Sister and I were talking about last night. I know I need the Lord's grace to handle the busy-ness of this school year and hopefully become more patient in the process. Excited for things to come!

 The "big kids" this year!

What about me?? :)

The Things Kids Say

Lately my kids have been cracking me up. And amidst the fighting and tantrums that can occur on a daily basis...it is good to sit down and remember some of the "funnies".

Kenzie has a very vivid imagination. We have to be careful about what we allow her to watch, because even a seemingly friendly cartoon can have something that will scare her and cause her to wake up at night, from a bad dream. The other morning she was telling me about a dream she had. She said, "Mom I had a dream last night, but it wasn't a scary dream. But it wasn't good either." When I asked what it was about, she replied with, "Well I got to go outside, so that was good. But then I didn't get a snack, so that wasn't very nice." Of course! I can understand what a concerning dream that could be. Snacks are obviously very important to her. :)

And then there was today, when I told her to stop jumping on the couch. And she replied with, "I'm not jumping. I'm BOUNCING." Of course.

Preston also told her today that her breath smelled like sasafrass. That was a new one for me. ;-)

I got to have an afternoon date with my Honey on Sunday. We went through an open house (it was quaint, but not one we loved) and also bought him a suit at Kohl's. We got P a little blazer too, his first! They will be decked out on Easter Sunday. :)

Really pondering this year what it means to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. We were talking at Bible study the other night, about the pain and shame that Jesus endured on the cross, taking our sin upon him. My mind cannot comprehend all that he suffered. And I can't fathom the fact that He paid the penalty for all of my sins, past-present-and future and the sins of everyone that has ever lived (and ever will live.) And the pain of that moment, where God the Father had to turn his back--because He is a Holy God, and can not be in the presence of sin. Jesus cried, Eli Eli lama sabachthani : which means, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?, and in so doing...directs us to Psalm 22. I am so humbled by His willingness to die. And so thankful that He is Risen!

Life in Motion

We are plugging away. P is working on 2nd grade school work. Kenzie is working on her flair. ;-) And Sophia is teething-she is up to 9 teeth now, with another about to pop through. We have battled sickness in our house, for the past few months it seems! Kids all have something now...from hacking coughs to a tummy bug for Sophia. It seems that every virus going around tries to find its way into our lives. Ready for Spring weather to arrive--and stay, so that maybe we can all be healthy for a little while.

Today I was able to go to a luncheon at the Hilton downtown : the Completely Kids Author luncheon. We got to hear an author speak. Her name was Rosalind Wiseman. Her latest book is about relating to boys and the pressures they face today. We're not quite at that stage yet, since P is only 8...but eventually, I will see more of what she talked about, I'm sure. Some of the things that she shared, I could relate well to--boys can still have complex emotions and struggle with how to share them-girls are not the only ones that can have emotional turmoil over how to solve a social conflict, etc. She also mentioned that if your son is telling you about someone that is giving him a hard time, it is probably something that has been on his mind for a while! So if we as parents respond with a, "Get over it" kind of attitude, that is not acceptable. They have been TRYING to get over it! Working at problem solving together is what will hopefully bring about a positive outcome (and perhaps a stronger bond between parent/child). Overall, I'm glad I went and thankful for the invite. It was a tasty meal and I was able to sit at a table with 4 of the ladies I go to Bible study with. What a fun event...even though it was way {way} outside of my comfort zone. ;-)

 Sweet little lady...wearing Kenzie's lady bug antennas. :)

 Math worksheet for today...see how excited he is?!? Haha.

 All ready to go to my luncheon today...{Yes, I know I am way past the age of bathroom selfies...ha!}

I asked P if I looked very "luncheon-y". And he responded with, "I don't know what that is." :)

 Just excited to get dressed up mid-day. I don't usually get to go out to fancy events like this.

 Sweet Sophia and a dolly.

The girls over the weekend at We'll Smoke You BBQ in Gretna. We ate there with family visiting from Iowa...oh my! 

I want to go back. Seriously good barbeque.