Our Village

They're home!

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I couldn't agree more.

Bill and Espy just got home from their trip to Arizona, and it's been fantastic to have them physically in our home.  When you add in all the experiences and stories that they've been sharing with us, it's been one big ball of emotion around here (at least for the wife
and mother of the house).

I applaud those of you who are both dad and mom for much longer than eleven days.  The only reason why Bill and Espy came home to a sane (not completely exhausted) woman and somewhat tidy home is because of the awesome support system we have.  It's beyond amazing.  All of these things were an encouragement to me (and to Isabella and Evangeline) while they were away,
and this list isn't exhaustive:
texts
grass-cutting(s)
phone calls
gifts
messages
meals
movie nights
snacks
carpooling
conversations
coffee!
playdates
pre/post-bedtime visits
prayers

Thank you so much to all of you who were a helping hand, ear, hug, etc. just when we needed it.  Thank you for sacrificing your own time to spend time helping us or being with us.  Bill and I appreciate it more than you know.  I'm thankful and ridiculously blessed by the example of your friendship.  Our hope is that we can be same kind of friends to you -
and for you to call us on it if we're not.  Not a joke.  We love you!
(Special shout out to my parents who were readily available whenever we needed a meal,
a playdate, a ride - or when Mommy needed a time out.)

presents from our Espy

family dinner

 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
John 15:13

Miss Mommy*

November 2010

December 2012

My mom is amazing.

Proof: here and here.

Not only that, Bill's mom is fantastic as well.

I have awesome mentors.

In addition to savvy advisers, God has surrounded me with other moms to walk with on this journey.  Some have older children, others are in the same boat as me, and still others have recently boarded this roller coaster ride known as motherhood.

Bill is ridiculously good in his role as husband, father, and best friend - however he has no idea what it's like to be a mom.  I don't fault him for that.

However, that void is filled with friends who I can reach out to in a heartbeat who have the right

words, hugs, smiles, tears, prayers,

or a combination of all of the above to help me realize:

I'm not in this alone.

Their reassurance, encouragement, empathy, and love keep me going when I'm sometimes at my wit's end.  They are amazing and beautiful inside and out, and I'm thankful for each and every one.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Miss Mommies*.

You are a gift to your children.

You are a gift to me.

*

Dear Evangeline,

You have recently decided to call me Miss Mommy.  Perhaps you hear the children I take care of call me Miss Grace?  At any rate, it's kind of cute and I'm kind of a fan - unless you make it a permanent thing. Don't do that - it would make me sad.

Love you forever, 

Mom

18 Years In 35 Minutes Or Less - And Go

I knew my friend was going to be in the area (via social media - of course).  I had a fleeting thought to try and connect with her, but like most of my thoughts - it was interrupted by a dirty diaper, a ToDo list, a math problem, dinner prep, or all of the above.

I got all sorts of excited when I found this in my inbox:

Hey...I'm [in town] for a couple of days...alone, no babies :)  where are u?  Wanna grab coffee?

I enthusiastically responded with:

I would LOVE that!  ...  I keep children during the day, and our evenings are crazy - but, do you think you could sneak away "early" tomorrow morning?  I plan on running an errand or two and would love to grab coffee before or after it if works with your schedule!!

Give me a time...after 9am works well.  Nephew will be gone to school then  :)

I was thinking 6/7ish AM - too early??  I'm crazy - I know.  I have to be back to get the bigger ones ready for school and home for our little ones and the little boy I take care of...

lawd... I think I can make it... lemme check...  

Our conversation continued with the logistics of where and when,

and I was so excited to wake up and get to see her this morning!

The last time Na'imah and I were in real life together was probably at our high school graduation.

In 1995.  Almost 18 years ago!  Seriously?  The last time I saw her I wasn't even 18 yet - that's a little bit ridiculous and hard to wrap my brain around.  Although it's been that long since we've physically been with one another, I feel like we've been able to see each other grow and change because we live in such a crazy technological age (one of the positives of this
thing called the internet).

I'm so happy we got to spend those moments together at Starbucks this morning.  It felt like time never passed, and we were in high school again - but not really.  You know what I mean.  She's still the same girl I knew - just more beautiful and grown up and and all that good stuff.  We picked up right were we left off updating each other on life, the men, our babies and anything and everything in between.  Our lives couldn't be more different yet our personalities so much alike -

inside twins if you will.

God carved out that special time with an extraordinary woman just for me, and I'm so thankful.

Until next time, friend - big hugs and blessings.

Maybe our next coffee date will be in Barbados?

I'll talk to Bill about that.

Celebrating the Fourth

SUPER THANKFUL FOR

hamburgers  ~  corn on the cob  ~  hot dogs  ~  cornhole

fireworks  ~  ice cream  ~  friends  ~  family

our military  ~  and our country

 The night before the 4th, our family enjoyed a night together at Busch Gardens.  Bill and Espy rode Verbolten, and Isabella rode Le Scoot Log Flume for the first time.  She wasn't a fan of the big

Off to McPherson

You already know how we feel about you about you - no more crying!

Lots of hugs and prayers all the way to Kansas.

Miss ya already - love ya forever,

B     G

Espy     Gi     Bella     and     Evy

Memorial Day Weekend

We went to the beach Saturday morning, and it was perfect - not too hot, not too cold, and not crowded at all.  The girls had lots of fun burying each other in the sand

and splashing around in the water.

 

This one's always ready to smile for the camera.

 

Evangeline enjoyed running into the ocean and eating sand

over and over and over again.

 

 

We had Lolo, Lola and NeNe over that evening.  Bill used my uncle's marinade for our steaks (SO good).  Espy helped me shuck our corn.  We usually shuck, foil-wrap, and throw them on the grill - one of our summer favorites.  We had a simple salad, and Mom and Dad brought the rolls.  Everything was amazing.

Then, the girls had a fashion show.  Of course.  Don't you have fashion shows after cooking out?

(Fashion Show!  Fashion Show!  Fashion Show at Lunch! 

What show is that from?  Bill and I love it!)

The day before, NeNe took Espy and Gianna shopping.  Not only did she get them a ton of outfits, but she had lots of stuff for the littles, too (Thank you, NeNe!).  They tried to convince Evangeline to participate with them, but she wasn't enthused.  It was imperative to try every single outfit on for all to see.  These are only a fraction of the pictures that were taken.  Please notice and enjoy the deterioration of our hopscotch runway.

The next day we had Daniel, Lindsey, and sweet Miss Abigail over after church.  Enjoying getting to know this family!  We missed having Nathan, Christen and their girls - but we understand not wanting to share germs (thank you!).

On Monday, we headed to our friends' going-away party at one of the local parks.  It's amazing to see how one family can touch so many different lives.  That's all I'll say about that since they haven't moved - yet.

It was a great weekend, and a sweet introduction to this time of year.  The girls and I are excited about filling our memory-makers with some fun summertime adventures.

Weekend (and Monday) Recap

• The weekends go by so ridiculously fast!
• Friday night we had the boys from youth group over for salad and spaghetti.  Our girls LOVE them.  Boys - thanks for reading books, playing tea party, and paying special attention to them!  It's always tricky trying to keep the girls out of the living room when they start talking serious, but they were hooked up electronically while I cleaned up the kitchen.  Fresh brownies (I'm trying not to bake so much because I tend to enjoy leftover baked goods a little too much) helped ease having to go to bed without playing with them some more.
• Bill had a men's thing at church on Saturday.  Before leaving, he built the girls this:

• Shortly after he left, he got a text saying that he's not allowed to build forts unless he's

The Light

Photo by: Jelle Drok

I've been surrounded by great friends, and it's been awesome.

They're fantastic because they've:

brought coffees when sleep and sanity were dissipating

made sure my mind hasn't been lost in the sea of little sicknesses

given the girls rides home when getting out of the house was nearly impossible

checked to make sure all of the girls have survived a mom who's still learning patience

The list goes on and on,

and I'm humbled.

I've been equally impressed with the honest conversations we've been having lately,

 real thoughts on:

unexpected jealousies

 difficulties in motherhood

real, true relationships vs the illusion of friendship

huge life changes

when the truth in love hurts

God moments

life in marriage

taking emotional risks, and how that plays out uniquely in each of our lives

I'm just now seeing the light at the end of this tunnel of funkiness that I've 

created for myself.  Little sleep along with my own depravity provide a great opportunity for self-reflection.  We're all a messed up bunch trying to love each other the way that He loves us, and I'm happy to be a part of it.  My hope is to reciprocate the friendship these girls have shown me the last couple of weeks.  My desire is that this love will also extend beyond my own comfort zone to those who need it the most.

These Are Not New Year's Resolutions

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I don't make New Year's Resolutions.
I'm not a huge fan of setting goals, commitments, objectives,

or anything like that when January 1st rolls around

(which is weird because I'm sometimes OCD).

Call me a realist (or maybe even a pessimist?),

but when it come to NYRs - I refuse.
Thanks, but no thanks.

I think part of it might be my Type A personality
(a temperament marked by excessive competitiveness and ambition, an obsession with accomplishing tasks quickly, little time for self-reflection, and a strong need to control situations).

By the way, you wouldn't think I was such a Type A if you saw our house right now -

but that's a subject for another time.

I know myself too well.  At the hint of failure, I'm done.

If I miss one step of the process, I'm out.

If I even sniff doubt in the air, I'm through.

If things don't happen just so in this specified amount of time,

it's obvious that it's not going to get done so why even bother?

It really is a terrible way to view things, isn't it?
I continually pray that He can use my personality for Him,
and that I don't use it as a device to torture my friends and family.

Despite my desire not to voice big plans for 2012,
I still have thoughts on what this year could hold: 

discovering new recipes

bettering my mind

blogging consistently 

getting in shape 

strengthening my relationship with God 

becoming the person (neighbor, wife, mother, friend) that He wants me to be 

We'll see how these intentions pan out.  Until then - thank goodness for a God who still loves me when I fail miserably at my non-resolutions, and for the grace and strength He gives me to reach some of those pseudo-goals.

Here's to anticipating what this New Year holds for all of us!

Being Intentional

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new year

new beginning

Thankful for His mercies that are

Christmas Eve Shenanigans

We spent a Merry Christmas Eve with my parents and my sister and her husband:
small breakfast for the girls
gift opening with Bill and the girls
brunch (tocino, eggs, rice, and samporado) at my parent's with Evan and Sarah
home to tidy up the house and cook a few things
my parents, Evan and Sarah come over for dinner and gifts
Mom and Sarah bring ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, palabok, and rolls
I have beverages (try this Wassail recipe!), sweet potato casserole and corn casserole
sweet friends drop by
girls' annual Christmas "performance"

family gift exchange

We can't wait to meet Samantha!

 

1 day 'til Christmas!

BakeFest and Christmas Town

I spent the morning baking, baking, and baking with the girls' "help."

After all that, we headed to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens with our friends (we love them!).

This is the first year we've been able to go, and it was lots of fun.  The weather was perfect, and the crowds weren't bad at all.  We were kind of nervous waiting in line for the Festhaus, especially when

Yankee Candle Time

My parents and I took the girls here today:

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I love love LOVE a Yankee Candle - add in ChristmasTime and our sweet friends, and we had a fantastic combination for a holiday outing.

Cookie Baking and Olive Garden-ing

The girls got to bake and decorate cookies with their Tito and Tita.
They LOVE going over to Evan and Sarah's!
I'm thankful they enjoy having the girls over, too.

In response to my asking if they were good, my sister said:
They were just loud and didn't listen a lot - I think because they were so excited.

Evidence:

Surgery Highly Doubtful...

...my favorite words of the day!

I'm so excited that this girl

 had a fantastic eye doctor's appointment this morning.  Thanks to those of you who were praying for us.  Her chances of having the same surgery that Espy had when she was five years old are getting

A Night with Addie Louise

Addie came over tonight, and it was great fun.

After dinner and lots of playing, reading, coloring, etc. -
all the girls finished up a movie we started the night before:

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They LOVE Addie (even though they kept calling her Regan),

Party Party

Went to a Christmas party tonight -
Lovely girls.
Great food.
Always a good time.

Highlight of my weekend:

This girl making such a smooth basket - her first ever of her first season.

Cookie Swapping

 I went to a cookie swap with Abbey tonight,
and it was amazing!

I got to bring home a sampling of this deliciousness:
cowboy cookies

Elf

Watched this awesome movie tonight with some friends:

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It never gets old.  Ever.

21 days 'til Christmas!

Thankful (18)

Thankful for campfires,

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s'mores, and this time of year.