ashes to beauty.

 "At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received."

At the Foot of the Cross - Kathryn Scott

With Spring arriving this week, we welcomed it with Jack's first flipflops ever. He loved them. They hardly stayed on his feet, but he wore them around the house in his diaper for awhile. You would have thought there was gold on his feet, he was so excited.

I know the second picture is fuzzy, but I just couldn't help myself. Way too much fun. 

++


His grace is new every morning, but I really feel it today. I can't carry much of anything on my own and I'm so thankful He can. He is secure and consistent and His love is unending. He is faithful.




We have been attacked by sudden allergies. Besides feeling stuffed up and congested we are trying to make the most of this nice weather. How, you ask? Why by taking 2 hour naps and pickin up some yummy Easter candy like these and these. Yum and yum. Goodnight.


p.s. I'm not ashamed to say I love this song.



I could listen to again and again.

Our favorite? To play it after dinner/and or to coax Jack to finish his dinner and we dance. Well, mostly I dance, but Jack does a few jigs from his highchair. John jams out by convincing Jack his purred green beans (because by this point he won't eat much of anything) are good. He eats them, unknowingly, and smiles and claps his hands high. That's my boy.

being present

"If we are all alive ten years hence, let's meet, and see how many of us have got our wishes, or how much nearer we are then than now..."
-Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Ch. 13

++


Thursday was a day for a Swap It Party. It's a great idea, but with 12+ kids under 5 it was kind of chaotic. We all brought forth our undesired items of clothing and a topping for the pizza. I went through everything I owned (in search of a purple sweater I never did find) and got a whole garbage bag full. Oh. My. Goodness. When we arrived, there were kids and pizza and yummy (oh so good) apple crisp.






After a couple hours of rummaging through each other's things (kind of funny when you think about it) and filling the bag that I had emptied when I arrived, we enjoyed lunch. And the kids began to get tired. Jack fell off a chair, a little girl scolded me for pushing her and Jack had emptied an entire plate of apple crisp (it was so good!) all over the couch and floor. We decided it was time to hit the road (jack) and the boys barely made it 10 minutes into the drive. 

So precious.


What fun. 

++




This weekend has been magical thus far. After fighting off a bad cold (and soaking my face in hot water and stuffing it full of vitamin c) I awoke before the sun and hit the road to pick up my bountiful basket. There's something about trekking out in the cold (before most of our neighbors) and feel the 20 degree weather and see the sky barely peaking through. I enjoy the brisk cold and once the car has warmed up I open the window a bit.










God's faithfulness is so present in the way He provides kindred spirits wherever He leads. I have been in some lonelier places and there...there He's been my only friend, but He always seems to reveal a kiddo or seasonal friend even in those times. Here in this season He's brought some dear souls who enjoy being genuine and whimsical. My cup runneth over.

dog days

"Take it slowly. This book is dangerous!"

-Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

Yesterday started early.

...like 6:30am early.

Which was okay because I let John sleep in ('let' seems like an unfair word. He hardly ever sleeps in. He enjoyed a sleep in, I should say.) I gently awoke John around 8:30 to remind him that it was 50% off day at Goodwill and I was looking forward to headin' onward to find some deals.

And deals I did find.

A stop at the Donut Factory may or may not have been included. Ok, it was.

Were the Goodwill deals something I couldn't live without?

No, not really.

But were they great because they were 50% off?

Why yes, they were! 

About four thrift stores later I returned home to find Jackboy sick as a dog. John had called at thrift store #2 and said Jack felt a little warm and had fallen asleep. I wasn't too concerned, but when I felt Jack's feverish forehead and saw his glassy eyes I knew. The poor kiddo was sick. We took his temp and it was 102.5. A first for him. Honest truth: a part of me was kind of excited to get to pamper our little boy and pretend to be a nurse (not an original aspiration of mine, fyi) and maybe even bust out some dr. quinn moves. However, after the ibuprofen had kicked in he was back to running around (yet stopping for more breaks than normal.)

So, today Jack was smothered with snuggles, nose wipes, binkies and applesauce. I loved seeing John take care of Jack. He's so gentle and sensitive to how his boy is feeling. It's absolutely precious. Every so often John will remind me how Jack might be feeling, for example, he said, "I know that when I have a fever I get the chills. I bet he has the chills." I kind of giggled, but sure enough, later Jack was full of chills and snuggling up so tight he couldn't get enough. Father and son. That's all.

Friday night my parents came up for a visit and it was delightful. We went out for dinner and then walked around our tiny mall (it's seriously ridiculously tiny) so mom could return some shoes and we could get some coffee. I put Jack's pj's on after dinner so he could fall asleep on the way home (I didn't realize we were going the mall) and within minutes of entering the mall, Jack is out of the stroller and runnin' around like a wild javalina. I quickly realized I am one of those mamas who lets their kid dance in circles in his pj's in the mall. on a friday night. What has become of us?

After dinner with my parents and the trip the mall, John and I cozied up on the couch and watched Julie and Julia. Gets me every single time. I love everything about that movie. The food, the love and the laughter. Mostly, I love Meryl Streep. She truly is amazing.

This morning Jack still has a fever. He slept well last night though and only woke up once. I know this too shall pass. I'm trying to enjoy the extra snuggle time. To play it safe, we're staying home from church. Our first time since he was a newborn.

Will we see this Jack tomorrow? Please come back and play.

a hint of hot water

Until recently, our kitchen sink sprayed out hot, violent water. upon moving in (last june) we (let's be real, it was me) noticed that the kitchen faucet has one of two spray options. none or A TON. and it couldn't be spraying just luke-warm water, no sir, it was scorching.

(side note: while at bible school in England my dear friend and room mate at the time, Bonnie and i would wake up around 5:30am for hot showers. they were a luxury in those conference hall rooms. we figured out that if we got up before everyone else we would have hot showers. and who doesn't love a hot shower? okay, not everyone, but in a northern England winter, we did. we would then go back to sleep until we had to get up. we were desperate to stay warm. the times we didn't get up at 5:30? oh yeah, freezing showers.)

last week my man installed a new faucet. and it's beautiful and works right and cleans the dishes well. however, i am so used to blazing hot water that i still find myself scorching my fingers.

(second side note: I love our little night routine. John typically gives jack a bath (he may or may not include a podcast in that part of his evening) and I turn up my fav-music-of-the-moment and clean the dishes. And by clean, I mean, I take my time cleaning the dishes. I guess I didn’t realize that routine included me trying my very best not to touch the too hot water.

"There are those who think that I'm strange
They would box me up and tell me to change
But You hold me close and softly say
That You wouldn't have me any other way."

 mindy glendhill - anchor

Tonight when I realized I was unnecessarily letting the water run too warm I thought about how the hot water is kind of like life at this moment. Though painful, the water needs to be really hot to effectively clean the dirty dishes. That doesn’t keep it from hurting sometimes. things seem kind of like hot water lately. it's good because God is using it to purify and cleanse, but it hurts too. a good kind of hurt (because, wouldn't you know i don't mind hot water on my hands? after 8 months I'm a little used to it.) the water is hot, but I know He keeps cleaning the dishes. He's using life to teach me how to adjust. i prayed for it. 

His way is good. His plan is perfect. My heart rejoices. Even when I don't understand.

++

On Friday, my mom came up north to help me with a project. She's a real go-getter, that mother of mine. Mind you, I inherited more of my dad's personality and although I like to accomplish tasks, I also love to watch a good movie, roam around Target for a couple hours and blog. Obviously. But mom wanted a project and a project I would have for her. And we have a grand time doing projects together. So, once she walked in the door I thought of something for us to do.

this was Jack, attacking the camera one step at a time.

We reorganized our laundry room and transformed it into a usable playroom. Since we moved it's been mostly a storage room/mud room/where I stash everything I don't want Jack to get to. With the exposed heater and water heater (one of Jack's favorite obsessions) I was always nervous to let him play around them. Well, this was nothing for my mom and it took her about five minutes to find a solution for that...and everything else. Four hours later we had reorganized our garage, laundry room and rearranged our furniture in our family room. My.mom.is.incredible. (told you she's a go getter. I try to learn all I can.) Personally, I could keep it this way for a few years. I know mom will be back and eager to have another project. Let her come, I'll find somethin'.

partner in crime

"When everything feels all over
When everybody seems unkind
I'll give you a four-leaf clover
Take all the worry out of your mind
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door
Let my love open the door."

let my love open the door as performed in dan in real life

This week I was reminded of what a kindred soul John is. 

He's that type of best friend that you want to fight your battles with. He's the solid and secure base that makes the every day seem not so scary. He's the one you want on your team when disaster strikes. He's the one you want stroking your hair when you're pukin' (cause he did. It was gross.) He's the one who graciously goes to walmart at 3am to get soda for his puking wife. what.a.man. did i mention he saved me last week? yeah, that's him.

just a couple of youngins'!

pre-marriage, pre-baby, pre-prescott! so in love.

'cause it's hard when people say mean things, or expect more out of you than you are able to give or demand things that are completely unreasonable. It's hurtful when people take their anger out on you. Of course. But somehow it's much easier to take when you have a partner in crime to share the reaction with. To laugh or cry or just watch something funny to distract you. Somehow, those hard trials in life seem less painful when they're shared. 

sometimes, I imagine what we'll be like 30 years from now. We talk about it often (seriously, my man likes to PLAN!) We talk about our empty nest, full hearts, children possibly scattered across the country (or world) and our prayers and hopes for the lives. We talk about the adventures we'll share and the trips we'll go on. We talk about how hard it will be to let go and how we'll possibly do it. We sit in silence. 

I think we both wonder how we can love Jack so immensely, but remember that one day he'll need to fly. That our time with him isn't forever. We hold him with open hands.



I try to quickly remind John (or, er myself...) to enjoy the moment and not worry about the future. We know change is good and Jesus brings change so all we need to do is focus on the now and pray for His will.


discover other sunday citars.

sunday citar

Yesterday was a day for an adventure.

However, when I woke up at 8:30 (thank you Jack, sir.) and realized I had to be across town by 10 I wasn't prepared for such an adventure. I rushed to get ready (it's always those mornings that I can't figure out what to wear) and rushed to eat breakfast (frosted mini wheats with raisins to be exact.) I drove towards an unknown destination and tried to figure out where I was going. I tried and failed. Miserably. In fact, I made a wrong turn and found myself stuck in the mud, snow and slush. I tend to hit panic mode when things like that happen. I have flashbacks to when I was sixteen and accidentally ran my dad's car into the side of the garage. (To my credit, I had never driven in a car before and was asked to move it from one side of the driveway to the other. I panicked. Let me tell you, I can panic well.) Which is strange, really. When I gave birth I had read enough garbage books to prepare me for the pain so I waited until transition to hit the panic button on my freak-o-meter. And did I panic? Why yes, yes I did. Especially flyin' without any pain meds whatsoever. I panicked loudly, too. 

So yesterday. Yesterday, I called John (who was home with Jack) crying my eyes out and telling him "I am stuck. Come save me. Come save me!" I could hear the softness in his voice as he tried to console me and remind me that everything was going to be okay. 

Sure, "okay" until I realized I had both sets of our Land Cruiser keys. Claaaasssiic pig as my sister would say. Now I was both embarrassed and hitting panic mode like it the was the snooze button on...any given day of the week.



I waited a while before calling my dear friend Keri and her hubby Orion. They came to the rescue and we worked for a while spinning tires, trying to get the car out with the help of their truck and falling on our bums on the ice. Finally, we gave up and decided to drive the 20+ min home to John. I was reaching my limit and knew it was time for Mel to exit the scene. She had done enough damage.


Enter, my dear John. Some days I feel like I take his kindness for granted and that his gentle spirit and noble ways as merely his character and not treasured for the wonder that they are. 

 

 

Yesterday, he reminded me of his Knight-ness and saved the day. He drove the Land Cruiser to the hill that had captured the car and before long had pulled the vehicle out of it's rut and onto dry land. Such a picture of what he does for me more often than not. He's so consistent and solid. I need to tell him that more often. I really don't know where I would be without him. Probably still stuck on that hill. 

I think Jack was enjoying the adventure a bit more than me

"You have no pretenses
All your walls are fences I can see right through
You have no two faces
You know where our place is and that’s why I need you"

Undone Sara Groves

holiday favorites

"Let's watch the old year die
With a fond good-bye
And our hopes as high
As a kite
How can our love go wrong if
We start the new year right?"

Let's Start the New Year Right - Bing Crosby

After Christmas is one of my favorite times to look through old pictures, watch family movies and sit and watch the cold weather turn from Christmas to winter. It's a great transition. Especially because winter doesn't really start here until mid-December. Snow continues to cover our yard and roads and trees. It's still 14 degrees out there, peeps. It is cold. With a cup of hot chocolate, my favorite fleece and some pleasant music I am geared up to embrace winter and say goodbye to the wonderful holidays. fare thee well.

I think little Aaron loved Christmas.

Jack and I were the only ones up at 7am Christmas morn.

John showing off his Christmas present for the camera. Jack is no amused.

Grandpa and his number 3 grandson.

Taking a Christmas day walk with my boys.

 

My sister in law, Leilani and I holding each other's kiddos. Babies on Christmas = serious fun.

     Welcome, 2011! We looking forward to seeing what you hold.

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