...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!!!!

...high high high five...

For loads more High Five Fun check out

From My Grey Desk

......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!!

...seven...

DATE NIGHT!!

Celebrating 7 years!!

Celebrating great friendship!!

Celebrating ever-growing relationship!!

Celebrating 3 boys!!

Celebrating never boring!!

WE LOVE US!!

...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****

...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.

...high 5 baby...

For more High 5 fun, check out Lauren's blog at From My Grey Desk!

...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!

...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

...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!!

...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!

...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!!

...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??

...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:

...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!

...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!!

...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.....  

...two weeks away...

Two weeks away.
Seems so long.
Seem so out of touch.
Kinda longing for a schedule, normalcy, home.
But...
then again...
I'm gonna enjoy the last few hours of this time away.

Texas, weddings, brisket, friends.
Lakes, cabin, hiking, family, fishing, fun.
Bend, alone time, great outdoors, good food.

Each segment of my vacation has been
refreshing, exciting, memorable, lovely
in its own way.

Each segment has 100s (literally) of pictures that will document the times.

I am full of thankfulness for this time away!!

...vaca from my vaca...

What?
Have a vaca (texas) and then get home to another vacation?

Yes, yes indeed!!

My hubby got the week off.
We are staying at a cabin at a BEAUTIFUL lake.
But my oldests school also starts this week...
so I am taking him back and forth each day.
Ya, an hour each way.

Have I mentioned we are not great planners??

:)

We are scrambling, unorganized, crazy
but we are also
relaxing, laughing, and making memories

so its a WIN in my book!!!!

pics to come!!

...I'm baaaaaaaaack...

Returned from the Lone State....
The Big Hair...
The Hot Weather...
And the amazing time....

YEE HAW!

Yes, the wedding in Texas is now a memory.
A great memory.
One I will cherish.

Here are some initial pics.

More later....  its late, especially because I'm on TEXAN TIME baby!!

XOXO

...the first dance...

...the beautiful bride, and her cute shoes...

...bridesmaids...



....more photo booth fun...