Tuesday, October 9, 2012

...through the eyes of a 4 year old...



...love these...








...there were about 20 pictures of the blue sky.
And he was excited about each one.
Makes me think of all I take fore granted!!
Thank God for blue skies,
for peoples feet,
for a view from 3 feet tall,
for fun friends who love my son!!
And last but not least...
for digital cameras!!
:)



...mrrightandmrsalwaysright...

Ok wedding #3 is coming up!!
This weekend!!

I am excited.  But this wedding is again proving how I operate.

-  I have the dress and shoes BUT I am delaying trying dress on again. 
    Thus I am constantly plagued with unfounded (I hope) fear that it won't fit now.
-  I have to figure out what to do with hair style.  doh.
-  I wanted to get hair colored... now I may have to do myself.
-  I had big ideas for fun presents... and now will have to give them to them later.

Why o why am I such a procrastinator??

I could blame having 3 littles.
But I 've been this way my whole life.
I could blame the fact its fall, and fall is so busy.
But I had plenty of time to plan.
I could blame... myself.
And that would be right!
But why blame? 
Instead, live and learn.

So.....  now through Saturday will be filled with WEDDING!!

My fun bride-to-be-friend posted this today to us bridesmaids today:

"Just so you realize...your lives could be MUCH worse. Now, get back to scanning my Pinterest board, constantly checking your phones for my calls & then when you see I haven't called you call me to see if I am okay, facebook stalking me... NOW!"

I better get going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Cutest couple EVER!!
soon to be
Mr. Right and Mrs. Always Right\
:)




Sunday, October 7, 2012

...start 'em young...


Not really.
But once in a while...
its fun
to get a "coffee"
with Mama!

xoxo




Saturday, October 6, 2012

...fuzzy socks...


Though it is 70+ degrees in Oregon
(unheard of!!)
it is still
C.H.I.L.L.Y
in the
morning
&
fuzzy socks

are

out

to

stay!!!




Friday, October 5, 2012

...i am not the cool mom...

I realize there is a role I often play.
It is the "not cool" role!!
And I am now playing that at my kiddos school.
Maybe if you have kids in school you know what I mean?
Mom's get together, and it just seem like comparison abounds.
Its not said out loud, but its in the air.
Who's wearing cute stuff, who's hair is just right, who has the best house.
Who's kid is smart, does well in sports, is musical.
And the one that gets me the most... who has the most spectacular birthday parties.

Ok, I realize I am sounding judgey.
I apologize.
But I am judgey.
Not to the Mom's.
Not to the people.
But I do judge the spirit of comparison.
How it robs us of security.
It keeps us from real friendships.
It stops us from opening up, being ourselves.
It puts so much pressure on us, when the last thing we need is more pressure.
It keeps us from being free.

So I'm  not going to play.
I will run to drop him off in my sweats and messy hair.
I will wear whatever I need to wear, and make an effort when I feel like it but only because I feel like it.
I will not get into the flow of one-upping.
I will care about other Mom's, and help them to shine.
I will love on the "sporty" mom who thinks she has to know every NFL score and baseball players name.
I will love the "perfect" mom for her heart, and not let her appearance impact me one way or the other.
I will talk to the shy mom, who may often be mistaken for snooty and stuck up.
I will try a hug on the stand-off-ish mom, just to see if she really is.
I will talk about my struggles, my failures, my hatred of birthday party pressure.
I will do my best to be real.
I will be un-cool.

Wanna be un-cool with me??

Thursday, October 4, 2012

...show of solidarity...

(is solidarity a word? if its not, it should be.)

Raise your hand if you hate spending money on teeth.
Raise your hand if you agree your fridge crushed ice maker should crush the ice smaller.
How about it if phone batteries should last much, much longer?
Or who agrees it should take LONGER to get unfit than it takes to get fit?
If cars should run well and last forever?
If its way too sad to spend so much on gas?
That there is never enough time to sleep?
And that is sucks when you actually have time to sleep, but you can't?
Raise your hand if think your metabolism should speed up as you get older.
If you think pets should live forever?
If you think it should be sunny all day, rain at night, and snow 3 days a year?

Raise your hand if...

Ok, I'm out.
Thanks for playing along!

:)


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

...what fitness really means...

Such a difference between how I grew up...
Misconceptions of fitness.
Only focused on perceived body image, which was never good.
On being skinny.
On looking a certain way.
On being a certain size.

And what fitness really is.
Being strong.
Being healthy.
Your body able to work as it was made to work.
Eating what your body needs to be efficient, for your brain to work, for optimum performance.
Being who you were made to be -
the end result being you do look your best when you look as you were made to look.

On that note:
Love love love this class we started today for my boys.
Not a "workout" class like for adults.
But a body awareness, spacial and stretching skills, appropriate activity and strengthening and endurance.
Learning along side about play and fun and social skills.
And water, and stretching, and muscles.
So fun!!!

(Not to mention I get to do a kick-buns spin workout while they do their class - ummm, perfect!!)






Fitness Link


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

...everything changes with one phone call..


Ever have one of those moments?
Distracted, overwhelmed, or bored.
Doing dishes, cleaning up a spill, staring in the fridge.
Same ol' same ol'....  until...

the phone rings.

And everything changes.

Nothing is the same.

You wish you could go back one minute.
To before the phone call.
To the same-ness, to the routine, to the known.

But you can't.
It will never be the same.
You have received the information
and
even if you are in shock,
you are in denial,
you are numb
still you just know
nothing will be the same.

Yep, I had one of these phone calls 2 days ago.
We are getting through.
A terrible terrible situation turned out less terrible.
(thank You Jesus)
But still
life has changed
nothing is the same
we can not turn back time.

And after the shock
and after the details
and after the process
and after the adrenal wears off, and we hit the wall
and after a day of rest, starting to heal
I can say:

I am thankful.

Thankful for what counts.
Thankful for my husband, my kids.
Thankful for our family and friends, that love us and that we get to love.
Thankful that God is in control - especially in times that are so out of our control.
Thankful for peace that passes our understanding.
Thankful for the power of prayer.
Thankful for health, and people, and the things that are important.

Thankful for you, even though I don't know you.

And hoping this encourages you...
Take a moment.
Appreciate the routine.
The little things.
The people.
Whatever you see out your window, or across the room.
A reminder to not take things fore-granted
or to lose sight of the important because of the busy.

And I am praying no phone calls like that ever happen again
to anyone.
But it is a fallen world
and they do happen.
So I am praying too for when those phone calls come
that whoever is receiving the call is surrounded by those who love them.
Those who will hold their hand.
Who may not know the right thing to do or the right thing to say,
but will be there - the ministry of presence means so much.

And praying too that we can be that support,
that love for someone else,
if their phone should ring.




Sunday, September 30, 2012

...hil-ari-o-so...


Little guys playing soccer.
Which way to go?
Where to stand?
How to kick?
Fall down - have to check for owies...
That one hurt! 
Little cry.
Need a hug. 
Ready to go again.
Missed high-5s. 
Try again.
Twirling round.
Lots of smiles.
Lots of water.
Yell for teammates.
Look at that cloud.
Running fast.
Mom is cheering!
Which way to go?
Yay Team!
...and snacks!!!!



Thursday, September 27, 2012

......arrrrrrrrrgh matey....

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Ok, I know we missed it...  it was a while ago, I don't even know what day.
But we did our own
Pirate Lunch, treasure hunt, costumes.
How fun right??
I can't take credit - our dear friends set it all up.
I am so blessed to have friends that love me
and love my kiddos
and pour their love into our lives!!

Yay for Pirates.
Yay for friendships and adventures.
Yay for love.





Arrrrrgh!!


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

...seven...


DATE NIGHT!!
Celebrating 7 years!!
Celebrating great friendship!!
Celebrating ever-growing relationship!!
Celebrating 3 boys!!
Celebrating never boring!!
WE LOVE US!!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

...love story...

We met.  ****September 2003****
I was pastoring a Middle School group, he came to be a leader.
We hung out for a year.
We had fun.
We hung out.
We tried to not like each other.
We pretended we didn't.
We denied.
We tried.
Then he told me... he liked me!!  ****September 2004****
This was at Starbucks (fitting!)
I knew, right then, how much I liked him too.
We went on first date. 
A bike ride, but he got a flat tire 2 minutes into it.  We hiked instead!
We told everyone.
We dated.
He proposed.  ****July 3, 2005****
In front of whole church.
Invited my whole family.
So sweet!
We got married!!!  ****September 25, 2005****

Saturday, September 22, 2012

...dwight...


Yes its true. 
THIS happened...


Today, my husband has continually threated buzz cuts.
To the point I had to resort to some pretty heavy duty threats to protect the remaining curls!

And then, he went on to create this...


He says its in honor of The Office, and their last season.
And has started to call him
"Dwight"

O dear.





Thursday, September 20, 2012

...new...

new.

new = change

new = different

new = growth

new = uncomfortable

new = opportunities

new = life

new = unknown

new = possibilities

new = scary

new = expanding

new = trusting

new = not old

new = where I wanna be

Watch out new. 
Here I come!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

...fall...

Sometimes I forget I love Fall.

I love summer.
Especially here in Oregon.
Summer is fleeting.
You can not miss a day in the sun
because there just are not many.
So Fall means summer is coming to an end.
That sunshine is on the way out.
Days are getting shorter.
Winter/rain/dark is coming
for months on end.
So I dread Fall.
But when ite here
and there's no denying it.
And I go out on a sunny day
with the leaves looking gorgeous!
And I remember to love Fall
the leaves
the sunny afternoons
the brisk yet not cold evenings.

So here's to enjoying Fall.
Lift a hot drink with me,
and go kick up some leaves!!

...eating...

Thoughts on eating.

Its such a weird subject.
We have to eat.
Our body is a chemical machine.
It needs food to run.

But eating is so attached...
to emotions, likes/dislikes, habits.

For me...
I am not a big eater.
Meaning I do not LOVE food.
I do not like to cook.
I do not like to spend money on food - groceries or eating out.
I do not like to spend time thinking about meals, preparing meals.
I have none of that "joy of cooking" or "love to feed people" stuff.

I also have some un-health mixed in there.
I grew up where us group of teenage girls really just didn't eat.
Hardly at all.
And when we did eat, it was fat-free, chemical crapola.
And so down below I think I still have some of that eating = bad lurking in there too.
That "even if I'm really enjoying it,
I am still calculating calories and thoughts of cellulite are robbing my joy"
feeling.

I have said that if they could make pills, and I pop one 3 times a day, I'd be happy.

Now I am not anti food really.
I love a juicy apple...
Berries.
Bread.
A good sandwich.
A home cooked meal.
Chicken and dumplings!

But just now and then.
Not 3 times a day, day in and day out.

So where is this leading?
I have been seeking a healthy attitude about food.
I want to tackle it 2 ways...
Both to really know and understand and meet my body's needs.
And then also to be free of any hang-ups, any image stuff, any unhealth.

I want to pass down to my boys an understanding of food.
A knowledge of what they need.
A practice of moderation.
A skill of cooking and preparing yummy and healthy things.

So let the food adventure begin!
(Thank goodness for blogs and pinterest - they really make this a whole lot easier!)

XOXO




Sunday, September 16, 2012

...jillian is baaaaaaack...

ok...
just heard great news!

jillian will be back on biggest loser!

did i mention I LOVE HER??!! 

yay.

plus sounds like it will have a special focus....
teen obesity.

for more here's an article....

GO JILLIAN!!  See you in January!!


Saturday, September 15, 2012

...siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick...

Anyone else see this info going around lately???

http://www.healthybitchdaily.com/post/what-the-hell-do-i-buy-dryer-sheets

Ok, so basically...

most dryer sheets are coated with BEEF FAT.

Icky.

And it gets worse.

Read the link about.

I gotta find an alternate.

Ick.



...just do it...



Why does running feel sooooooooo good?

Endorphins.
Time outside.
Time alone.
Moving the bod.
Doing something.
Relieving stress.
Burning calories.
Accomplishing a goal.
Listening to a good teaching.
Time with God.

Why would I ever miss a run?

Lazy.
Busy.
Mopey.
No time.
No motivation.
No energy.

I like list number one better!






Friday, September 14, 2012

...H54F...


...............................High Five For Friday...............................


For much more High Five Fun
Go to Lauren's site at From My Grey Desk.

Have a great great weekend!!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

...the mini van delimma...

Had an Xterra.
Loved it.
Worked great for 1 baby.
Worked great for 2 babies.
Third baby.... no can fit.

Resisting getting a van.
Until one day
my wise Mom said....

"What?  Are you afraid you will look like a mom with a bunch of kids?"

So I caved.
I still wasn't going to make it easy though.
I told my husband I'd get a van if we found a good used one
that was black
and had a sunroof.

Truthfully, I didn't think they made black minivans and I didn't think they made them with a sunroof.
Bratty right??

And the first lot we drove into...
there it was.
Black with a sunroof.
*sigh*

GOOD NEWS IS...
Now I love it.

Its easy to load.
There's tons of room.
The seats go up and down.
It gets better gas mileage than an SUV.

And

B.E.S.T.O.F.A.L.L.

their seats far enough apart that they can't touch each other!!

(If you are around toddlers, you feel me here!)

So hollar to minivan drivers everywhere.

And as my son starts soccer for the first time
I guess I am also embracing SOCCER MOM.

Will wonders never cease??




Wednesday, September 12, 2012

...its wacky all right...

As I run into my son's school office
because I forgot
that its Wednesday
and Wednesday's are early release
and I see his grinning face as he laughs:
"Wacky Wednesday, Mama!"

Now, this is the 2nd Wednesday of the school year.
I give myself lots of grace.
And so did they!

But the office lady says:  "Gotta remember - Wacky Wednesdays!"

And yes, it is WACKY all right!

(and yes, I had to google "all right" versus "alright" because I never remember. 
A good reference site is here!  And spell checker also had to tell me that
Wacky does not have an h!)

Today has just been off.
Ever have those days?
Not feeling great.
Monthly loveliness in full swing.
Slept in instead of going to workout class.
Got up late and had to rush the boys out the door.
Got caught up in photo project and didn't get things done this morning.
And then, on way to pick up oldest son, remember, DOH - its Wacky Wednesday.

So I've decided, just now while typing this, that I'll stop
and spend 10 minutes thinking of what I'm thankful for.

Here's a little activity I ran across I like to do:
Write down 10 things you are thankful for.
Now read through them, being thankful.
Then write down 10 more things you're thankful for.
And take 5 minutes just being quiet and reflecting.
And finally, write down 10 more things your thankful for.

I like it because the first 10 are off the top of my head,
but I find by the last set of 10 that I'm really being thoughtful, and really feeling thankful.
Just a good time to take a *pause* and put things in perspective.

So off I go to do that.
But in the meantime I'll just close by saying... I still wish I was right here:







Tuesday, September 11, 2012

...i am thankful...

KINDERGARTEN!


The first week went off without a hitch....
Well...
Actually...
 ...there were several hitches.


We accidentally planned our week summer vacation the week school started.
In a cabin 1 1/2 hours away.
And so he and I woke up every morning at 6am and headed to town.
But we made it there every day,
we had good talks in the car,
and made memories.
And I am thankful.


The school Maddox attended last year for pre-K had to close.
Too expensive and economy sucks.
But his closest friends ended up at his new school too,
and we are getting to know these families even better,
and they share our values, love of life, and are super fun.
We get to do school together as a community.
And I am thankful.


Maddox had a rough 2nd day of school.
He broke the rule and ran when he wasn't supposed to.
He fell, and bloodied up his knees and elbows.
He didn't want to get in trouble, so spent the rest of the day hiding his owees
and keeping in his emotions.
He cried and cried when I picked him up.
But he got to work through how to handle the situation.
We got to talk about rules, and learning, and grace.
About asking for help and how we all mess up.
We got to pray against shame
and talk with his teacher.
And I am thankful.


God loves my kids.
Even way more than even I do.
He is with them
even when I am not.
He is in control
and knows whats best
and keeps them safe.
And I am thankful!



Monday, September 10, 2012

...under the falls...

(NOTE:  Though I have returned to "normal" life,
I am still not willing to stop vaca reminiscing.
You would not blame me if you had a day like today...
Youngest vomited 1 minute from doctors office,
tooth crumbled and fell out eating a Ritz cracker,
and my stolen wallet was returned.)

(And ok, that last one is a good one but all the stress the missing wallet caused
the past few days was not good!)

(Ok, back to the reminiscing.....)


So my most favorite thing was Tumalo Falls.
This is a 90-something foot falls near Bend, Oregon.
BEAUTIFUL.
In and of itself.
But...
The best part...

YOU CAN GO UNDER IT!!

Our waiter at Red Robin actually let us in on this "locals" spot.
There is an unmarked path that is pretty safe that leads you
RIGHT UNDER THE FALLS.

I mean, RIGHT under it, or rather I guess, right behind the falls.
Literally.
Here's the view...


Still don't believe me???  Watch this!:


and...
WADDA RUSH!


Better than 100 cups of coffee.
May not look that glamorous (trust me, I laugh at myself in this)
but seriously
it is
THE BEST!


Refreshing,
exhilarating,
fight-or-flight inducing,
adrenaline rushing
wonderfulness!!

You should try it sometime!!









Sunday, September 9, 2012

...hanging onto the moments...


Back home from vacation!


Piles to tackle.
Van to clean out.
Kids to put to bed early.
Week to get started.


So I will hang on to the moments
of summer
of relaxing
of sunshine
of fun
as long as possible.

And I will revisit these pics as needed
to hopefully take me back.....