Friday, November 30, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Wonder

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

Five Minute Friday: Wonder

Go.

my little girls amaze me.  all new things they learn and even the way they learn things.  the way they respond to situations and how already they fight for what they think is right.

i love how they delight in the little things.  how chocolate milk is the best treat.  and how everyday we talk about going sledding even though grace has never seen firsthand enough snow to be able to sled.

it delights me as they learn new things and can tell daddy that God made them - super cute of course.  and how everyone is a friend but somedays only mommy abi and daddy are best friends. 

wonder means to me that childlike taking in of everything around them.  oh how i hope i haven't lost that ability and that especially this christmas season i'll take it all in - the lights and beauty but also the meaning and reason for it all.

Stop.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #81


I am thankful this week for many things!

1. Getting to sleep in yesterday while my husband got up with the girlies.  And he got up at 6am with a terrible diaper so I'm extra thankful for his patience :)

2. Peace in knowing that God is in control, even when it doesn't feel like it, even when I forget, He is there and gently reminds me.

3. Shopkick.  I know, this is a crazy one, thankful for an app?  But I am going to get to use quite a bit of "free money" to pay for Christmas presents which will seriously help the budget this year.  I'm excited to see if I can cover 100% of Christmas gifts next year!

4. Simplicity.  I am thankful that my sister and I decided that instead of exchanging gifts for the sake of exchanging gifts between us and our husbands we'd both just buy our parents an extra gift each!  I LOVE IT!

5. Faithful Grandparents.  Two of my grandparents are not doing well at the moment and while I want to hold on to them as long as I can, I also know that they love the Lord so it is well with my soul.  Surprisingly enough, it is well with their souls too.  I hope when I'm older I have such faith and peace.

6. Monopoly Deal.  Ok, the game was fun but I'm really thankful that Miss Morgan was able to come over and hang out with me!  I MISS HER SOMETHING FIERCE when she is away at college.  And now this talk of moving...don't even get me started.

7. Applesauce.  That's right, it was annual applesauce time.  I made 35 quarts.  Well, 36 but one exploded.  I'll give away 30 and keep 6 for my family.

8. Date night.  I seriously love date night.  I especially love date nights that include That Crepe Place because bananas, nutella, vanilla spread and peanuts in a crepe are DELICIOUS!

9. My girlies.  I am so thankful for my girls.  For the hard parenting lessons, quiet moments and loudness of it all.  I'm thankful that I am learning and growing just by being their mom! 

10. Friends!  I'm thankful for friends who make it 'easy'.  I love texting friends that I don't get to chat with often about the joys and pains of motherhood!  We all need good friends!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

today...

today is...

...sick baby, cuddle-bug

...floor covered in cheerios, juice cups on the toy box

...christmas tree packed away...still

...dishes and laundry and dust monsters threatening to close in

...sleep granted by a loving husband

...priorities and purposefulness

...christmas lists and ideas

...slow

...peaceful

...mine.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Ouch.

So there is a blog I like that does "Monday Musings" which I feel might be appropriate for me.  But it's Tuesday...and I still haven't done last weeks Thankful Thursday or Five Minute Friday so maybe adding another day is a bad idea.  But it would be an easy way to get my random thoughts out.

Things to think about.

So in other news...

...I cut my hand open.  My right hand, go figure, right below the pinky on the outside.  It's ugly.  Anyway, I cut it washing a cup (I have also broken two cups and a vase in the space of a couple days) so I immediately wrapped it in my dirty dish towel and called Aaron to come home from work (I'm a weenie and he works 2 minutes away).  He came home, looked at it and promptly left to get me bandages.  LOTS of bandages.  And chocolate.  It was nice.  Either way, it is healing.  And I took a picture so if you want to see it I'll text ya. 

...It's almost Thanksgiving!  I can't wait to see my family!  So fun!

...I got a pre-Christmas gift from my parents!  Well, its for the family...probably mainly the girls...but for now it is MY Wii.  :)  I'm excited.

...I have been Instagramming more.  Find me at www.instagram.com/elikil22

...I had more thoughts but I still have a lot to do and my hand hurts.  I did want to post and say happy Thanksgiving!  Thankful this week for a lot!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Updates on Life


Didn't I tell you my dress was awesome?  I LOVE IT.  Seriously.  Best bridesmaid dress EVER.  Oh my goodness, I am so pumped to wear it again in February when we take our Princess Girls out!  ACK!

Anyway, my life has been wedding wedding wedding all weekend and it was AMAZING.  Friday night was the rehearsal and I think we were there until 10pm so I didn't get home until 11-something.  We definitely should have just gotten a hotel in Cincinnati.  Ah well, live and learn.  The next morning we got up early (ok, the other girls got up early...I definitely took advantage of no kids at home and didn't get up until 8:30) and went back to Cincy for the day!  I got home around 12:30am  but got to sleep about 8 hours before picking up the girls for church so I can't complain!

IT WAS AWESOME.  The wedding was beautiful and the reception was SO MUCH FUN.  Seriously, all moms need to go to this kind of party every once in awhile to remember that having kids doesn't mean they are old!  It was a little out of my comfort zone and one guy asked at one part of the evening why I was hanging back.  My response was that while I want to celebrate my friend and her marriage, I also don't want to have a ton of pictures on Facebook that I have to explain to my kids (my big kids that is).  Most people don't believe that you can be at a reception with an open bar with alcohol all over the place and NOT be drunk (or even drinking!).  Crazy, but that is the filter through which I live my life sometimes.

Don't you love this picture?


Made me laugh.  He REALLY is that tall, he is 6'9". 

Other news...

NO, I am not pregnant.  My mom asked me that yesterday.  I'll tell, I promise.  I am down 14.5 pounds now!  ACK!  So exciting!  I definitely wanted to lose some weight before we had another (although as you may by now know we don't time these things so there was no guarantee).  I'd like to lose another 16 but if I get to "healthy" before that I'm ok with that too.  So crazy.

The girlies are good.  Grace decided she wanted to have a tea party so I think that is on the agenda for tomorrow.  We might also try to go to storytime. 

That is the long and short of it.  Life is keeping me busy.  I am reading an awesome book that really has me thinking about my relationship with the Lord.  My kids are beautiful and wonderful and keep me on my toes!

Have a good night!


P.S. Morgan, I miss you!
P.P.S.  Candra, I want to meet your daughter! 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Quiet

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

Five Minute Friday: Quiet

Go.

the quiet at my house is rare.  sometimes it is quiet with background noise.  sometimes it is 'somebody is in trouble' quiet.  most of the time though it is loud.  and fun.  and delightful.  sometimes the noise gets to me so i turn up music louder to drown it out.  sometimes i just take step back and find my quiet on the inside.

i think so many times i let my surroundings dictate my mood and behavior.  instead of stepping out and owning it i get caught up in the loud and crazy and allow it to overtake me.

i think my girls hear me best when i am quiet.  i think i hear the Lord best when i am quiet.  amazing what He will whisper if i stop to listen.

Stop.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #80


I just realized that number #10 today will be 800 thankfuls.  Wow!

First Hair Cut!!!  She was so excited!

Abi got some bangs.  She ALWAYS had her hair in her face.
Yes Morgan, Abi DOES have eyes! :)

1. I am thankful that one of my big kids is getting married this weekend to a man who loves Jesus and will live happily ever after (with lots of prayer and hard work at the marriage thing!).

2. I am thankful that my bridesmaid dress ROCKS.  I am so pumped.

3. I am thankful that she has already given me permission to bawl like a baby.  She's my first big kid getting married.

4.  I am thankful that my bridesmaid dress ROCKS.

4. I am thankful that my mom is willing to watch my girlies all weekend so I can participate in all the wedding goodness without having to worry about them.

5. I am thankful that I get to talk to my Grandparents a lot.  I love them.  I can't imagine a world where you can't just pick up the phone and call them.

6. I am thankful for my husband who is a constant source of sanity in my world.

7. I am thankful that the election is over and that God is bigger than all of it.

8. I am thankful for emails from my friend who is so far away.  I miss her.

9. I am thankful for this book I'm reading...which I'm not going to share the title of because if the rest of it is as good as the first few chapters EVERYONE I know is getting it for Christmas.

10. I am thankful that Thanksgiving is in two weeks and I get to see all my family.  I LOVE IT.

:)

Happy Thursday, be thankful!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

A Letter To Me



Dear Me,

Your office needs help.  You know that right?  Seriously, find the floor.  But ya know, those crumbs on the floor that make you crazy all day every day and those sippy cups by the sink?  Those are signs you have kids and are busy.  It isn't like the floor is covered in crumbs.  (Have you seen those kids eat?  One meal is all it takes.)  Relax.  (But really, find your office floor)

Some days you probably won't make dinner.  Good days, you'll grab a already cooked chicken at Kroger.  Other days, it may be McDonalds.  Trust me, that won't make your kids fat.  Although that and Handy Manny all day might so lets maybe make sure we keep that limit in place.  And you know that husband of yours?  He actually likes to cook.  Good call on marrying him!

You know all those things you tell yourself as you surf the internet?  About how your house isn't decorated well enough or maybe at some people's houses there really is a place for everything?  Yeah, they probably take the pictures right after they clean (and found the floor) too.  Keep working at it, but don't let it define you. 

Speaking of floors, find the one in your closet too.  You have a lot of clothes.  You wear about 25% of them.  Get rid of the rest.  Yes, one day it might look good on you but really, by then you'll want to buy something new anyway.  Say goodbye.  It won't hurt.  I promise.

And no, throwing away some of the pictures that your kid happened to lay a crayon or marker on does not make you a bad mom.  Keep a sampling, keep the special ones, it's ok.  She'll understand.  At least by the time she becomes a mom.

Make lists.  They keep you sane.  But not lists of all the things you don't do well.  That'll make you crazy.  And tackle something you don't want to do everyday.  I bet it doesn't take long before it becomes less stressful.

Eat well.  Eat protein (enlist that husband of yours to cook some meat!).  Don't eat the kid's candy.  Remember, you feel better and more energetic when you remember vitamins and don't eat like it won't last a lifetime on your hips...it does, there is no longer anything funny about that saying.

Most importantly.  Pray when you tell people you will.  Pray right then.  Don't forget.  Make a list.  And read your Bible.  God isn't done talking to you yet.  In fact, pretty sure He'll tell you something most every day.  Do it.  No really, do it.

It's a crazy world out there, surround yourself with people you love.

And have a great day!

Me

Saturday, November 3, 2012

silence.

My house is strangely quiet.  No kids shows rumbling in the background, no faint wisps of music floating up the stairs.  Just me and the keyboard.

It is in moments like these where I think of all the work I should be getting done but instead I just pause for another moment to soak it in.  To find that refreshment that I need when things are loud. and crazy. and full.

I feel like I am always at war with myself - needing the quiet and solitude but craving my family and kids at the same time.  I think that without the quiet I don't do the rest very well.  This is where I am refreshed.

Today's agenda is: work now, while I can.  Love on the girls when they wake up and listen to them laugh.  Finish everything else when they go to sleep.

Balance. 

I'm going to go sip my coffee and drink in the silence of the house for another moment and then chip away at what today has in store.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Roots

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

Five Minute Friday: Roots

Go.

i'm going to assume we're not talking about the insane amount of gray roots i found this morning when i put my hair in a pony tail.  i mean, i had more than my fair share of gray hair at 20 and i have no desire to find out what it looks like now, eight years later, when it isn't dyed.  i'll age gracefully, just not yet.

where was i?

my grandpa came to town awhile ago for a few days.  he and my grandmother always stay with my parents and i usually end up spending more time at their house than mine for the weekend.  i love them.  i love hearing stories about when they were younger.  i love hearing about where they come from and how they got here.  i love love love when they tell me stories about when my dad was young and the things he got into.  i also love hearing them and my dad tell the same story from their completely different viewpoints.

i have a picture deep in the old photo albums of me and my grandpa and i think my sister, at the Air Force Museum, standing in front of one of the planes my grandpa flew.  (still blows my mind to think he flew planes.)  i feel like i have the world's worst long term memory so i don't remember much about being there that day, but i know that it is something that delights him to talk about - flying - the Air Force - those days.

for awhile i have been saying that i want to go with him and my little girls to the Air Force Museum.  and so, after putting it off we finally did.  and we got a picture with him, and me and my little ones in front of one of the planes he flew (ok, maybe in front of ALL of the planes he flew).  i need to dig up both pictures and put them side by side.

i love it.  these are the people i come from. these are the stories i need to learn so that when they are no longer able to tell them, i can.  these are the people who told my dad, who told me, about Jesus.

that's a legacy.

those are roots.

Stop.

Seems appropriate...

I was just telling someone the other day about how Abi has taken to throwing fits then I read this quote yesterday and it made me laugh...


"I have an obnoxious sense of humour and it has always tickled me to see small mites of two feet tall attempting to take over the universe by flinging themselves to the ground and kicking the floor."
- The Common Room

Five Minute Friday to come when I have 5 minutes without my small mites attempting to take over the universe...which might be tomorrow seeing as my two littlest sisters-in-law are coming over for a sleep over (3 & 5 years old).

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #79


I'm thankful, oh so thankful (sung to a tune heard only in my head)...

1. Family Pictures!



2. Awesome awesome awesome time with my grandparents this past weekend!



3. Chris Rice on Spotify. What a weird and diverse play list but makes me happy.

4. That my kid LOVES to go to church and did so great in a new church kid's program when we visited my grandparents!



5. A positive email about my Grandpa's health situation.

6. A kid who keeps getting bigger and has SO much personality!



7. Speaking of personality...we went on a cupcake date...she started dancing...to tunes only heard in her head.


8. My kiddo announcing she was going to marry one of my best friend's sons.  And then telling me in a completely different conversation we needed to go buy roses and cake.



9. Snow!  I love snow.  My kiddo is so pumped to go sledding so she was watching carefully the few flakes we got.

 
 
10. Christmas shopping.  SOOOO pumped for Christmas shopping.