Eucharisteo

I attend one of the local Christian church's Bible study here in town and we just finished reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I know that God had the women of that church choose this book specifically for me and what I was going through in my life.  Life had thrown Paul and I a curve ball and I felt like I was struggling with my head barely above water and I needed a helping hand desperately.

Paul has been furloughed since April of this year.  During that time he was able to find a job as a handyman as well as help with a lot of responsibilities at church.  Between him working his odd jobs and me being able to get my old data entry job back, we were able to pay the bills and we had food on the table.  For the most part I felt peace about everything that was going on.  God has always been faithful in the past and I knew He would help us through this time.  Every month, after paying the bills and buying a week's worth of groceries, I would feel my chest tighten and tears stinging my eyes ..... every month I would have to pray again that God would give me peace about our situation and remind myself that He is always faithful.

When I went to the ladies' Bible study I had no idea what this book was about, but it didn't take long for me to realize my life was about to change for the better.  We read the book through the week, then every Tuesday we would watch a video from the author that would be incredibly deep, and after watching the videos we would have group discussions and talk about even deeper issues going on in our lives.  It was uncomfortable sometimes, for me, and I'm sure all the other women, because we don't like to talk about the things we are dealing with.  I know for me, I hate talking about my weaknesses and struggles.

Eucharisteo.  Grace.  Joy.  Thanksgiving.

She taught us about the Greek word eucharisteo -- this is the word that can change everything: eucharisteo—it comes right out of the Gospel of Luke: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them … ” (Luke 22:19 NIV). In the original language, “he gave thanks” reads “eucharisteo.”

The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.” Charis. Grace. Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Chara. Joy.

Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo; the table of thanksgiving. The holy grail of joy, God set it in the very center of Christianity. The Eucharist is the central symbol of Christianity. Glynn, doesn’t the continual repetition of beginning our week at the table of the Eucharist clearly place the whole of our lives into the context of thanksgiving?

One of Christ’s very last directives He offers to His disciples is to take the bread, the wine, and to remember. Do this in remembrance of Me. Remember and give thanks.

This is the crux of Christianity: to remember and give thanks, eucharisteo.

Once she introduced eucharisteo in the book, I have done my best to have grace, to be thankful, and to have joy every single day.  Sometimes it isn't easy when the kids are spilling cups, bouncing off the walls, or not taking their naps so I can get some work done, but I don't let it discourage me.  I am not perfect, but each day I strive to be better than I am today and hopefully I will be where I want to be!

God ..... is always good and we are always loved ..... even when what He gives may appear ugly.  Ann Voskamp

I could write so much more about this wonderful book, but I think you should just read it on your own and see what you think!  I will close with this story about my husband and I that happened just a couple weeks ago .....

On our way home from visiting family we experienced a life lesson.  We drove through a major town and I suggested to my husband that he should get gas.  He had intentions of doing so, but he figured there would be one more station up ahead every time he passed an exit leading into the town.  90+ miles later, we got off on the appropriate exit leading us to the next major town that is 30 miles away, and we only have 15 miles of gas left in our tank.  We have ran out of gas more than once in our nearly 8 years of marriage so that fear is always in the back of my mind (that is also why I nicely suggested getting gas 90 miles ago, but oh well!) so realizing we would be stranded in the middle of nowhere with four small children and no cell phone service was hitting home fast.

Even though I felt the anxiety creeping in to my heart I did my best to remain calm.  My natural instincts would be to start a fight, but I knew God was giving us a life lesson and I really didn't want to blow it.

We found a little town on the side of the road that we pulled into hoping to find a gas station ..... they had a school, a fire station, a post office, and no gas station.  At this point we only had 10 miles left so we pulled back onto the highway hoping to find a station soon.  Paul and I watched the miles go down from 10, to 9, to 8, to 7 ..... I suggested to Paul that we needed to pray together that God help us, and he made sure to let me know he had already started a long time ago! :-)  I started praying too -- whether in my head or out loud I can't remember -- but I prayed and asked God to divinely help us.  I told Him I had faith that He would help us whether we found a gas station or not.  I had peace as Paul and I continued to watch the gas gauge go down to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 .....

We drove on 0 miles for a little while, and we saw a bend in the road.  I told Paul with confidence that there was a gas station around the corner and that God was with us.  I didn't know for sure since I had never been in this area before, but I strongly believe God told me.  We went around the hill, and there was a tiny little gas station just waiting for us.

God took something that could have been ugly and taught us an amazing lesson -- though we didn't realize how amazing of a lesson till the next day.

The day after we were home from our trip Paul went back to work as a handyman.  A couple hours after he left he called to say that, after 6 months of being furloughed from the railroad, they were calling him back to work!

Sometimes we feel like we are running low on God's blessings.  We see the blessings meter running down to empty and, though we have no idea how God will do it, we know He never, ever, ever leaves us stranded on the side of the road.  He will always remain faithful.  He just wants to see how faithful you are to Him.

I am kind of surprised at how long of a post this is.  I read through it wondering if I should edit it to make it a little shorter, but honestly I feel like everything on here needs to stay.  So for the few who actually read this post to the end, I really hope it blesses you and you feel encouraged.  I don't know what you're going through in your life, but God does, and maybe He led you to this post for a reason! 

In the stressful times; seek God.

In the painful times; praise God.

In the terrible times; trust God.

And

At all times ..... At all times ..... At all times

Thank God.

Our first camping trip!

Last week we tossed around the idea of going camping over the weekend.  We almost didn't do it, but we knew we deserved a weekend getaway and the kids would have a lot of fun!  So we packed the car and made sure we were ready by the time Paul got off work on Friday and left for the most relaxing weekend ever!

 

Well...

 

We got lost.  We were almost to the lake when we took a wrong turn and drove a long time down the wrong road.  Whaddya gonna do.  We did get back on track and found where we were supposed to be.  Paul headed straight for the lake to go spear fishing and the kids and I went down to the beach! 

 



 

 

Max absolutely loved the water.  He didn't act afraid at all!  He enjoyed playing in the sand and water.  It was the perfect temperature too!  I enjoyed watching my kids play and have so much fun.  I enjoyed just sitting and knowing I didn't have to do anything!

 

Doesn't this look funny?  We're here in the mountains and there are seagulls!

 

Paul and Kirby didn't get any fish that night, but they had so much fun!  Can you tell?  They would try again the next day and still come back empty-handed, but they had a great time being out in the water and almost catching "the big one."

 

The scenery was just beautiful and I knew I had a very relaxing weekend ahead of me.  Laying around on the beach, reading my book, playing with my kids...it was going to be fantastic!  The kids did not act bored once -- sleepy, yes, but they were running around everywhere enjoying their first camping trip!

 

Zoe looks so funny in this picture, but it's the best I could take of her eating a s'more!

 

The kids were having a blast eating s'mores and being around the campfire!

 

Even baby Titus -- who didn't leave my side.

 

The next day we enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast and waited for the sun to warm us up a little bit.  As soon as it got warm we got dressed and headed to the beach!  We spent many hours down there and it was wonderful!

 

Sometime in the afternoon we had to say goodbye to Paul's family.  The kids HATED to see them go, since we just got there.  We had fun with them the one day we got to see them!  Gram helped sweeten the sad moment with cookies, though.  That helped. :-)

 

Even Titus got a yummy cookie!

 

Here is a picture of my beautiful family on our first camping trip!

 

After we took our family picture we decided to take a walk by the lake.  While walking I noticed lightning on the other side of the hills and kept bugging Paul with my worries of a storm coming.  He assured me over and over that the wind was blowing the storm away from us.  No worries.

 

We got back to our tent and the wind had picked up some.  We decided to just go to bed and we were sure the wind would calm down soon.  The wind only got worse and worse, and guess what happened?  The lightning was right over top of us!

 

The wind ripped the rain cover part of the tent off -- I like to call it the roof -- and that kind of freaked the kids out, but I put them all to bed anyways while Paul got out of the tent to try to fix the problem.  This is what happened next...

 

Me: Ok kids, let's hold hands and say our prayers.  'Thank you, Jesus, for this wonderful day-"

 

A gust of hurricane wind came and completely leveled the tent with the kids and I in it!  You should of heard the screams of terror from the kids!  They were beside themselves!  It's actually pretty funny now!

 

Paul tried putting the tent together when I noticed a huge gaping hole in the wall of the tent.  Oh, did I forget to mention the borrowed tent?  ::sigh::  How disappointing.

 

We finally gave up once the lightning got worse and it started to sprinkle.  I packed up the kids real quick and then Paul and I packed up our camping area in the dark.  It seemed like it took forever, but we threw everything in the car and then left just as the rain started to pour.

 

We made it to Great Falls and we both were exhausted.  We found a hotel room on priceline and decided to head home the next morning.  We got to the room, put the kids to bed, and I headed to the bathroom to take a much needed shower.  Titus started to cry but I didn't even care, I wanted a shower so bad!  I went to start running hot water when I went looking for shampoo and conditioner.  There was none in sight!  There was soap, but no shampoo.  Then I noticed the sign that said any extras, like shampoo and conditioner, could be purchased at the front desk.  ::sigh::  So I gave up and rescued my crying baby who didn't calm down and go to sleep till 4:30 in the morning.

 



 

Paul got up in the morning and went to the continental breakfast to bring something back for the babies.  When he came back, he tossed a couple packages of muffins on the bed for the kids.  When I asked what they had for breakfast he said packaged muffins and fake fruit.  Haha!  Perfect!  The kids loved the muffins, so that is great!  They got something in their tummy and Mommy and Daddy headed for Starbucks.  Liquid breakfast. :-)  Yummy!

 



 

We spent the rest of the day in Great Falls and then headed home around dinner time.  Once we parked Zoe said, "Can we go camping again?"  I'm thankful they're not scarred!  As soon as we got home I threw all three babies in the tub!  I enjoyed my hot shower -- and my shampoo and conditioner.

 

So our weekend didn't work out the way we planned.  It kind of was a bummer.  But we had fun and we have some laughs about the kids' first camping experience!  Hopefully it will work out a little bit better next time.  Ha!



Zoe's broken arm

The plan was that as soon as Paul closed the store on July 2 we would all get in the car and drive all night to go to a cousin's wedding in Washington state.  I was so surprised at how everything was falling into place -- I packed early, got my house clean, with the help of Paul's dad the care was cleaned and packed and ready to go.  7:00 p.m. rolled around and we were putting last minute things away in the car when Zoe fell off the porch swing.  She wasn't being crazy or anything...just sitting on the swing and decided to get down.

 

When I heard her scream I could tell she was in pain, but I had no idea it was so serious.  I tried to calm her down by holding her, we prayed for her, we offered her a cookie, blah blah blah.. nothing was making her feel better.  Paul walked in the door and we told him what happened and we both made the decision to take her to the ER and have her arm checked out.

 

On the way there she was falling asleep, but every time Paul hit a bump or we made the slightest move she would cry out in pain.  I knew it was serious.  I prayed the whole time for my little girl.  All the while I felt sick to my stomach because I had to watch my little girl suffer.

 

 

Going to the ER is never fun.  They always take for.ev.er. to get anything done.  The time came for Zoe to get X-rays.  Paul carried her in and I followed behind.  The screams coming from my baby made me cry and, again, I felt so sick watching and feeling helpless.  I just wanted this all to be over!

 

I think we were in the ER for a total of 4 hours.  They told us that Zoe had Nursemaid's Elbow and wrapped her arm with an ace bandage, gave her the tiniest sling they had, told us to give her ibuprofen for the swelling, and gave us the clearance to drive through the night.

 

I was talking to Paul and asking her if she would feel up to the trip.  Would she even want to be the flower girl anymore?  She must have overheard me because she had the most serious look on her face and said, "Mom, I am going to the wedding and I'm going to drop the petals."  We got the rest of the family and drove through the night heading toward Seattle!

 

When we were about 2 hours away from Seattle I got a voicemail from the ER doctor saying he was going over Zoe's X-rays with the radiologist and the radiologist said Zoe DID have a fracture and there was a chance of her arm being dislocated.  I. Was. Furious.  I said, "Well what do I do now?!  You said it was ok to go and we're 2 hours out of Seattle!"  He told us to immediately go to and ER in Seattle and have them check her out.

 

We took Zoe to Children's Hospital in Seattle and they were absolutely amazing!  When I told the story I could tell they thought our ER was crazy.  Join the club!  We were only in there for 2 hours and Zoe felt so much more comfortable with them than she did with the people at our local ER!  They put a hard splint on her because she still had some swelling, and I scheduled an appointment for her to get a cast as soon as we got home.

 

After all that junk was over with we headed up to Darrington to Paul's papa's house and we stayed there till after the wedding.  While we were there my mom sent a package and it happened to have some surprises in it -- like Tangled!  My mom sent the package before Zoe broke her arm.  It's almost like God told her Zoe needed it ahead of time!  She was SO excited and told me over and over how much she loves the movie. :-)

 

On Tuesday we went to our local orthopedic surgeon and he took more X-rays of Zoe's arm (cha-ching, cha-ching, right?) and showed me the results.  Apparently the ER sent over their X-rays while we were gone and considered her break a Type 4 break which mostly involves surgery.  They did not tell me that over the phone which, again, made me furious with our local hospital.  But the doctor said that she had a very common fracture, showed me the X-rays and explained all the details with me which made me feel so much better.

 

Zoe picked her favorite color and the doctor put on the tiniest little cast ever and said we were good to go.  He was so nice in a gruff way!  It was like I was talking with my own Papa. ;-)  I immediately liked him and knew he was the best.

 

In two weeks we go back for a follow-up with more X-rays and we'll see where she's at as far as her healing!  Zoe is back to her normal self now that she has a cast on.  She definitely feels more comfortable knowing her arm doesn't hurt anymore.  I'm thankful for that!  She now is ready to help with most everything around the house...except maybe cleaning up her toys. ;-)  That is when I'm reminded with the cutest speech impediment, "But Mom...I have a bwoken awm."

 

When I think about everything we have gone through in the past week I get to feeling a little overwhelmed.  No one likes hospital bills.  Yikes!  But I know that all things work together for good to them that love God.  He has a reason behind everything that happens in our lives...whether they are good or bad.  I have peace knowing He will never fail us nor forsake us!

 

Oh, and now I am looking into plastic bubbles for each of my children.  Just kidding.  But seriously. :-)

Fun in the sun

I think this is the busiest summer I have ever had in my life.  It's not going to slow down any time soon either!  As you can see from the picture below...it's tiring!

 

 

Last Friday was Paul's day off so we spent the day walking, swimming, taking afternoon naps, eating pizza, and enjoying a bonfire with s'mores!  Yum!  It was a perfect, summer day!  We had a lot of fun with friends and family and I know we will be having more bonfires (and s'mores!) in the near future! :-)

 

Max has discovered that he can climb into Titus' crib using his toddler bed as a boost.  This is so great, right?  Not really.  But it is.  Haha!  Confused yet?

 

Max is such a great big brother to Titus!  He climbs in there to try to make Titus happy.  It doesn't always work...but at least he's trying!  It's kind of fun to listen to over the baby monitor.  They both gasp when they get really excited so they tend to have a gasping conversation when Max crawls over.  It's pretty funny!  Oh, and sidenote, Max has shared cereal with Titus.  So now Titus is crazy about Honey Bunches of Oats.  Thanks, Bub!

 

Saturday we celebrated Emilie's 7th Birthday!  It's crazy to think she's already 7..  She had a beach themed birthday party and it was a lot of fun!  All the kids had a blast!  Here's most of the kids together.  Emilie is in the middle with her Minnie Mouse ears. :-)  The girl LOVES ears.  She wears her Minnie Mouse or cat ears almost everyday.  So Auntie Grace made sure to add to her collection.

 :-)  I got her elephant, zebra, and puppy dog ears plus a few other little things.  She was very happy!

 

Yesterday we went to church and my kids were the only kids to attend, so they got to stay up and listen to Papa preach.  During church, Zoe was designing clothes and taking pictures of them.  Ha!  She is so funny.

 

Tuesday night, after Paul gets off work, we will drive through the night to Everett, WA.  We will be in the state of Washington till Sunday having fun with family.  It will be a fun time!  But because we are leaving tomorrow night, I have A LOT to do today!  Packing, cleaning, getting the car ready, appointments, blah blah blah.  I guess I better get started!  Happy Monday!

Rainy days and Mondays

This past weekend we went to our church's Regional Convention in Isabel, SD.  It is an 8-9 hour long drive from Havre.  Our kids did extremely well on our way there!  They had their movies and snacks so we didn't hear much from the back.  We listened to an audio book in the front and that helped pass the time for awhile too.

 

But nearing the end of our trip...

 

 

...we were done.  We all were getting pretty restless.

 

Some were even getting loopy!  Haha!  Paul cracks me up when we go on road trips.  There's a side of him I don't see very often.  He gets wide eyed and starts screaming like a maniac.  It's hilarious!  He keeps me laughing. :-)

 

South Dakota had some very pretty sunsets.  This picture I took with my iPhone does not even show the amazing colors we saw!  And the sun...it was so orange!  I enjoyed watching the sunset very much.

 

We got to our destination around 9:30-10:00 I think.  We all were SO GLAD to finally be there!  We quickly unpacked the car and went straight to bed.  When my alarm went off in the morning I was so disappointed because I still needed a lot more sleep.  I drank coffee every morning, and every break to keep my eyes somewhat open! ;-)

 

It was great seeing the people of our region!  Some were not able to attend, like Sister Joann Eddy and Brother Scott.  We prayed for them often during our services and I have continued to pray for them since being home!

 

Sister Bock took over to Sister Joann and I couldn't help but chuckle through the whole thing!  Sister Joann puts so much effort into her Sunday school boosts and Sister Bock did a great job!  Sister Joann had all the materials for a Life Boat.  There is only one door to the Life Boat, and in order to get on you must get your ticket from Jesus!  She even put together little tickets for the Life Boat for each and every person at the convention, and we are supposed to write down the names of those we need to pray for who still need their ticket aka salvation.  I still have my ticket in my Bible as a reminder to pray for my unsaved family and friends.  I'm so thankful for the hard work and faith that Sister Joann Eddy has for Sunday school!  She was such a blessing to me even though she wasn't able to be there.

 

Nancy used some good lookin' kids for her boost. :-)  It's kind of hard to see, but they're spelling out the word BEACON.  Each letter stood for something different...but I honestly can't remember now what they were.  That's what I get for not writing things down!  But we do need to be a beacon for the lost souls, amen?!

 

Zoe held the letter O.  We didn't see it half the time. Haha!  But she did great standing up there with the other kids!

 

All of our kids did really well during the convention.  We had some hiccups, but considering they're all under the age of 3, I'm thankful they did so well!  Thank goodness for coloring books and goldfish crackers!  Max loved having Paul around so much.  He would snuggle up to him a lot and eventually fall asleep.  I love seeing Paul with his babies!

 

Brother Ard was our evangelist for the weekend.  I enjoyed his sermon very much!  Brother Ard is one of those people I could listen to all day.  His type of preaching is telling stories of his experiences.  I love that!  I felt so blessed by his sermon.

 

You can tell Max was having a lot of fun, huh?

 

I was happy to see Brother Thompson was able to attend this year!  I have known him pretty much my whole life.  He is such a sweet man.  Even though his voice is not what it used to be, and he thought he would never sing or preach again, he was still a blessing.  He gets so involved in the songs when he leads!  He worships the Lord with his whole body.  You can see the presence of God all the way down to his toes.

 

Brother Thompson sang a simple chorus near the end of the convention, one I remember him singing back in the day and my Dad singing it often too, and you could see he meant every word.  "I Just Want to Thank You" is such a simple little song, yet so powerful when you sing it to the Lord and mean it with your whole heart!

 

Sunday afternoon Paul and I had to say our goodbyes to all the ones who were going on to camp.  I know they are having a great time!

 

The trip home was not as easy as the trip there.  As a matter of fact, the kids took turns crying nearly the whole 8-9 hours we were on the road!  I felt bad for Dave since he had to ride home with us.  I know it wasn't fun for me, but I tolerate it since they're my kids.  Poor Dave was just stuck in there!  Haha!

 

Zoe was so grumpy she didn't even want her picture taken!  She got mad at me for taking it anyways.  I told her to get over it.  Haha!

 

This is a picture of the front of our car.  It looked WORSE than the picture is even showing!  You could not even read our front license plate.  Because of all the rain we have had lately we have an abundance of mosquitoes.  It has been a nightmare!  On the last leg of our trip it sounded like it was raining -- it was the amount of mosquitoes hitting our windshield.  I was very much disgusted!  Oh, and to top it all off, we ran out of washer fluid.  Gross!

 

We got home around midnight.  We dropped Dave off at his dark and lonely looking home (wink wink) and then we headed home, put the kids in their beds, and then went to bed ourselves.  We didn't even unpack the car!  We were so exhausted.

 

Poor Paul went to work bright and early yesterday morning and worked a long 12-hour day.  Mondays are always rough since that's his biggest work day, but at least he gets off around 3:30 the rest of the week -- and now has Saturdays off!

 

Yesterday morning, after the kids had their breakfast, I put Zoe and Max in the stroller and I strapped Titus to my front and we went for a walk.  I walked 1.55 miles to Paul's work to get the car.  I know it sounds crazy, but I have been walking a lot lately -- kids included -- as a workout, so I enjoyed the walk very much!  The kids did great, too!  I am so thankful for that.

 

After we got the car we grabbed lunch for Paul (and us) and then the kids and I headed to Walmart.  Again, the kids did very well and I'm thankful!  The only downfall about that trip was I forgot Titus' pacifier in the cart.  Rats!

 

We came home and I put all the kids down for a nap.  I took advantage of the "quiet" and took a shower.  While in the shower I heard Zoe running around the house.  She eventually came into the bathroom and said she couldn't sleep.  I also heard the boys laughing at each other in their rooms.  I made Zoe go back to bed and I finished my shower.

 

After I took a shower I did a quick pick up around the house.  It should have been a thorough one...but the kids did not cooperate.  THEY DID NOT TAKE THEIR NAPS.  Our neighbor down the street invited us over to play so the kids and I walked down there.

 

When we got there it was a little rough.  That's what happens when kids don't take their naps.  But after awhile the kids were playing in the sandbox and having a grand time!  Keshia and I enjoyed being out in the sun and talking and watching the kids play.

 

Before I knew it, it was time to go pick up Paul from work.  As soon as I picked him up it started to rain.  Grilling for dinner was out of the question. :-) 

 

The kids fell asleep on our way home (shocker) so Paul and I just sat in the car for quite awhile.  I was not looking forward to running my kids through the rain -- even though our house was right there!!  Eventually I just did it and everyone was wide awake by the time everyone was in the house.  Oh well!

 

While I was making dinner I happened to notice Paul sitting on the couch and all three of his babies were snuggled up to him.  I absolutely love this!  They are so happy when he comes home -- especially on Mondays when he is gone all day.  I'm so thankful Paul is such a wonderful dad!

 

I'm thankful for the weekend we had and the opportunity to at least go to convention.  God is good and I'm always thankful for His blessings He bestows on us!

 

Today the forecast shows the high to be 80 and sunny!  Paul gets off at 3:30 so I'm sure we will somehow take advantage of the beautiful weather this afternoon.  I have a lot to do around the house before, though!

 

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Some people don't like riding with the windows down.

On our way to Arkansas it was pretty wet and chilly. It was the complete opposite when we were on our way home! Almost the whole way we saw 90+ degree weather. It was great!

Paul and I had this GREAT idea of driving with all the windows down -- including the sun roof. We were having the time of our lives! Max on the other hand...

...was NOT having a good time. We were laughing so hard at Max with all the windows down! I was crying! I still look at this picture and laugh. He just wasn't having fun at all! 

Zoe had a great time, though! She loved it! She was giggling and clapping her hands like she was on an amusement park ride! She's just like her daddy. :-)

Since being home I have rolled the windows down just to see what Max does. He immediately covers his face with that here-we-go-again face! It cracks me up! 

No rolling down the windows today.. It is a chilly, rainy day. I don't mind it. :-) Perfect day to clean and watch movies while folding laundry! 

Back into the swing of things

Wow! I have not posted in for.ev.er. My fans are starting to go away! I have been keeping really busy so far this summer and I'm LOVING it! Paul, the kids, and I went down to Mountain View, AR last week. We were gone a total of 10 days and it felt amazing! I loved having Paul all to myself and him not working. 

I will post pictures later, but while we were down there, we kept busy riding horses, meeting tons of new people, played music for many hours, we went on hay rides, went to parties, had Sara's graduation...we did not have any down time and it didn't bother me at all! I definitely wished I could be on vacation forever! No work, no bills, nothing stressful...it was so heavenly. 

Every single one of us had such a wonderful time. It was very hard to say goodbye. I hope to see everyone again soon --- and I know plenty that would love for us to stay permanently! ;-) Saying goodbye to family is a very hard part of growing up. 

Since being home life has seemed a lot more quiet...it's weird! It's been a little rough getting back into our old routine and for some reason my motivation has left me... ;-) I actually had to take time out of writing this post to put together a To Do List for myself for tomorrow. So I should be all set! 

Check back later for pictures!

Growing Up

 

No matter how old you are, one is never too old to learn a lesson!  This past week God is giving me a lesson.  In the beginning of the week I was freaking out and allowing my emotions to overtake me to the point that I was experiencing anxiety.  As the days went on and I realized I wasn't handling the situation the way God wanted me to, I went to Him in prayer.

 

I love how, when you realize how silly you are and you remember to take a minute and ask God to help you...immediately you feel His warmth and peace like snuggling up with a load of laundry as soon as they're out of the dryer.  Did that make you sigh when you thought of it?  I know I did!

 

I still have little things in my life that are stressful, but I have a loving God who is holding my hand and guiding me through it all.  I'm so thankful I could cry.  We serve such a wonderful and loving God!

 

 

So this weekend it is my turn to leave my husband and kids and go out of town.  I am really excited because this is only my second ladies retreat I have ever been to, but at the same time I'm so nervous because I have never left my babies before.  I know Paul and his dad will do a great job, I don't doubt that, but I know how emotional they get when Dad leaves...how are they going to feel when Mommy leaves??

 

Yesterday the kids and I went to the library and picked out a few books for them to read this weekend.  I also picked up an audio books for us ladies!  Today I put together a Daddy Survival Kit for Paul and his dad.  Call me paranoid. =D  It just made me feel better writing things down, ok?!

 

I know that when this weekend is over I will feel rejuvinated spiritually, mentally, and physically.  By the time I get home I will be so happy to see my husband and babies, and I know I will have a clear head because of my mini break!  Even though I'm slightly dreading it. =D  By the time the weekend is over I will decide if this needs to be a yearly thing...or if one time is good enough for me. :)

 

Off to take my babies to the park!

Home Sweet Home

Being in Bozeman for two weeks was so. much. fun!  It felt great to go on a "vacation" and just relax for awhile.

While in Bozeman Zoe had to sleep in a big bed for the first time in her life.  She has always slept in her crib or in the pack-n-play with Max.  Well, we soon figured out they were getting too big to share a bed together, so Zoe slept all by herself.  As you can see from the picture above, she was pretty nervous in the beginning!  After Mommy laid with her and talked about how exciting it was to sleep in a big bed, and after a little sip of apple juice, oh, and after turning the bathroom light on, she was good to go!  I remember her saying in a shaky voice, "Mommy, you sleep over there?" I said, "Yes baby, Mommy is sleeping right here."  She said ok, rolled over, and I could tell she was asleep in a matter of minutes.  I'm so proud of her!

We had to spend some time in the hotel room because I needed to work, but when I was not working I tried to take the kids out on the town and explore.  We FINALLY found a park and the kids LOVED it!  Max got to swing for the first time and he chuckled the whole time.  Zoe got a kick out of seeing him swing with her too.  Zoe also claimed that the whole playground was "me house" which means.. her house. =D  Everything has turned into her house lately.  It's adorable!

When we did have to spend time in the room I made sure to play with them with their toys, or we even did some finger paints!  One of Bubba's birthday presents. =)  Don't worry, I'll post about his birthday too!  But that will have to be a completely seperate post.

When Paul was off work for the weekend we made sure to go to some museums AND a corn maze!  It was so much fun to spend time together as a family!  I loved every minute of it!

Now we're home and back to the daily grind.  Kind of. =D  We came home to find a horrible bee situation!  My kitchen alone is covered in hundreds of dead bees.  There are dead bees everywhere in the house.. it's disgusting!  Yesterday in the morning/early afternoon I didn't notice any live bees in my house so I figured it was cool enough that they were gone for good.  Unfortunately that was wishful thinking. =(  By the afternoon we had 80 degree weather and there were multiple live bees in my house!  The kids and I spent the afternoon at Gram & Papa's house.

So this morning, while it is cool, I plan on getting things done around the house and trying to get organized since being gone for so long.  By this afternoon, though, I'm packing the kids up and leaving.  Max has been stung once already this year and that is one time too many for me!  I will be buying junk from Walmart to try and stop this madness.

While over at my inlaw's house we made a homemade pumpkin spice latte!  Literally everything was homemade -- even the whipped cream on top!  It was so amazingly delicious that I want another one this morning!  I had to tide myself over with a pumpkin pie poptart.  Haha!  Not the same.  I will definitely have to keep the ingredients on hand at my house, though.  I have a feeling I'm going to gain weight this fall/winter with this drink...

It is nearly 10:30 and my kids FINALLY woke up!  It's time to greet them with kisses and a poptart! =)  Happy Tuesday!