for Sarah...

Eden in all her swimsuit loveliness!

"fluffy butt"!  ;)

introducing...

OK, OK, OK...I'll finally share about our new (old) puppy.

Meet Terra.  Or, as Eden likes to call her "baby puppy".  That has, actually,  kind of become her new name.

That, or "stupid dog"...that really depends on if she's done something like this....

Terra and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship going on right now.  When she's resting in her kennel, as she is right now, it's very easy for me to reflect on how good of a puppy she actually is.  She slept through her first night with us without a peep!  She learned to sit within the first week.  She doesn't bark all the time.  She stays in out yard without wandering too much.  When she outgrows this puppy stage (in three freakin' years) she will be an outstanding pet!   

The hate part (and hate may be too strong of a word) is just due to the typical puppy obnoxiousness.  She wants to chew on EVERYTHING...ALL the time!  And (this part really isn't her fault) those kids of mine who begged and pleaded to get a dog...well, let's just say I hear "it's not my turn" a lot.  They ignore her or scream about her most of the time.  So, the typical story about kids and pets...

sigh.

Thank goodness for Chris.  He opposed the puppy from the get go, but he loves her to pieces and has the most incredible patience with her.  I do hear a lot of "I told you so" comments, though.  And, I must say,  I'm really not very fond of them! :) 

Then we have moments like these...

The kids do love her (as do I) and they're getting better about helping out with her.  Before we know it we won't be able to remember life without her.  She'll be family.  I guess she already is...

It all started here.  

Sept. 18, 1999

Well, not exactly...but it is where it really started.  Inside that church we said things like honor, obey, cherish, love.  Till death.

Then this...

March 7, 2003

and this...

February 22, 2006

and this...

February 5, 2010

And the love is there all along.  Only it's buried under thoughts like, "could you not have worn a nicer shirt to the birth of our daughter?  I mean, really..."

This September we will have been married for 13 years.  The past 9 years we've had company.
I find myself thinking about this more and more.  Let's be honest...marriage is hard to begin with, but take a marriage and add a child {or two or three} and it becomes a challenge.  {gasp!}  Yes, I said a challenge.

Now, I refuse to believe that we are any different than most couples.  We fight {verbally}, we hurt each other {emotionally}, we say things we don't mean, we harbor grudges, we're petty.  Maybe I'm wrong, maybe we just have a bad marriage...but, I don't think so.

Our journies require a personal responsibility;  to ourselves, to each other, and to our children.  Our partners become a mirror of sorts, and sometimes what we see in the mirror isn't very pretty.

Our lives our busy.  We run constantly.  Our kids aren't perfect and neither are we.  We try and do the best we can.  Or do we?  I know I'm guilty of treating my friends and co-workers with more kindness and repect than I do my own family.  I speak more gently with strangers than I do to my own husband and children.  I'm quicker to forgive, slower to anger.  And, I know, this is not right.  I also know that I'm not alone, but that doesn't make it ok either...

It's not hard to remember the day I married Chris.  In fact, I can recall it quite well.  We had faith in our marriage.  We had hope for our marriage.  And, we had love.  Sometimes it's hard to keep the faith.  Sometimes the hope fades.  But the love is there...always there.


       "Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the grestest of these is love."
                                                                                                       1 Corinthians 13:13

summer busyness, a puppy, and some really good books

Not necessarily in that order, but 3 big reasons that blogging has taken a back seat for a good month {almost 2!}.

We've been busy.  Baseball finally ended.  I forget that I hate baseball until we're in the midst of baseball,...every year.  I don't mean I hate baseball.  I like to watch baseball.  I love to watch Colin play and, this year,  pitch.  But,  I do hate Little League with a passion!  Baseball brings out the crazies.  Plus, there are two games EVERY WEEK!  It's too much.  And, this year we had the added joy of Chris being head coach.  It was a miserable season, and I'm glad it's behind us!  I wish I could go into further detail, but honestly I just want to forget it all.  Just remember, two games a week and crazy parents...enough said!

We have a new member of the family.  I'm kind of embarrassed that I haven't formally introduced her yet, but it's still kind of in that love/hate phase.  A new puppy is, without a doubt, worse than a newborn.  I promise to fill you all in, with pictures...soon...I promise.

I finally just finished reading East of Eden.  What, you thought I was going to say the Shades of Grey series?  Well, I read those too.  Yes, I did.  They were dirty.  And I liked them.  And no, I'm not into S&M now by any means!  It was pure fluff...not that well written, but entertaining!  So, I decided to counter the literary smut with a classic I'd never read.  It's all about balance, people...
And, WOW.  Great book.  Fantastic.  Thought provoking and so well written.  It took forever.  I lost many hours of good sleep trying to get through it and just not being able to put it down. And now, the problem I'm always faced with after finishing a good book, what do I read next?  Any suggestions?  I do have a pile of books purchased and never read...I guess I'll start there...


I do miss my blog.  It has always offered me an opportunity to sit and write, a hobby that I love and that I don't really do except when blogging.  It allows me to clear my head a little and to record things so that I don't forget.  I have been feeling so bogged down lately trying to remember what I must not forget.   The guilt of possibly forgetting to record something precious...a story about one of the kids, an amazing thought....whatever.

I promise to return soon.  I have to introduce our puppy.  And, I have some Eden-isms that are cute and that I need to write about so that I don't forget.  If you find them entertaining that's just an added bonus... :)

TTFN

I wear my heart on my sleeve.  I'm sensitive.  I like to talk things out.  I'm not a smoother over-er {new word alert!}.  I don't like to sweep it under the rug.  I don't like the "let's talk later" when I know the later will never come.

I once opened a fortune cookie which read "your sensitivity is an asset".  I saved it.  It's in my wallet now.    I'd love to believe it, and I do to an extent, but mostly I find that my sensitivity is a big, fat non-asset.

It makes parenting even more difficult than it is.  It makes marriage more difficult than it needs to be.  It repels would-be friends.  It makes my job...well, painful.  

What I want to know is, when do I learn how to not let that sensitivity effect me all the time?  'Cause I try...I do!  Although, hormones don't help and I've got them...I'm inching closer to 40 and they're all crazy   up in here!

How I'd love to let stuff just NOT effect me!  My head gets it, my sensitive heart doesn't.

Where, oh where, is sensitivity an asset????

Really.  I'm asking...

I have neglected my blog for so long that the whole blogger set-up has changed on me!  Wow...

So, hello...I'm alive.  You were starting to be concerned weren't you?

I appreciate that.

Truly, I do.


What I need in life is just a few more days to the week.  Just a few.  Preferably days I could be at home.  And, maybe since I'm just dreaming, those days could have a few more hours.  You hear me, right?

We've been busy with stuff like baseball practice and soccer games.  This, my friends, is the beginning of the end!  We now have more than one child in sporting activities!  Ugh...it's as bad as I thought.  This Saturday we have a baseball "jamboree" and a soccer game going on all at the same time in two different locations!

I know, I know...we're not alone.  You've been there, maybe...  Don't worry, I'm doing all kinds of sucking it up!

I guess to bring you up to speed with our "stuff", I'll just cover some of the major goings on...some of the "firsts", if you will...

Colin shot his first turkey!  It was, in Chris' words, the fastest hunting trip he's ever been on!  It was a good one too, I guess.  What that means is that Colin will have turkey tail-feathers hanging on the wall in his bedroom...oh joy!  I really have an issue with dead animals, or dead animal parts, hanging in my house!

As I mentioned above, Ty is now participating in organized sports.  He chose soccer, instead of baseball, for his spring sport.  I think Chris may have been upset about it...just a little.  I think Ty knows himself...baseball, especially at his level, can be very, very boring.  He's much happier in constant motion, and man can this kid play soccer!  It helps to have a very athletic, older brother who has shown you the ropes!  He's been nicknamed "the hammer"...

This is the first year that Colin will be able to pitch in baseball.  He is , in my unbiased {and biased} opinion, the best pitcher on his team.  He seems to have a real talent for it.  He's been lucky enough to work with a family friend, who used to be a pitching coach, and has learned a few helpful techniques.  I'm extraordinarily proud of him...this kid is going somewhere in baseball!

Also, it's Chris' first time as head coach.  He's great with the kids, but it's been tough.  He's been travelling with work which has taken him to PA, TX, and MN.  Unfortunately a lot of his travel has occurred during the weeks of baseball practice, so it's been harder to coach.  Also, only about half the kids on his team take it seriously.  They either spend a lot of time goofing off or don't show up at all.  Coaching takes a lot of time, and is a big commitment...it's too bad some families and players don't respect that.  { I sound like a 90- year- old, I know!}

Miss Eden is just growing away on me.  She "gave up" the paci a few months ago.  It wasn't nearly the drama I thought it would be, thank goodness!  Since then she hasn't stopped talking.  There are occasions that I wish we still had the paci to stick in her motor-mouth!  She also has been dabbling in some potty-time.  She has yet to tell me when she has to go pee pee, but on several occasions she tells me her tummy hurts, which means she has to poopy.  Won't be long now, I guess, which breaks my heart a little bit...she's growing up way too fast!

And, as I mentioned above, Chris has been traveling a lot with work.  His traveling means I'm single Mom-ing it for days at a time.  It's been a rough adjustment, but I'm getting better with it.  It makes me appreciate him so much more, and that's a good thing that has come from it I guess.  I'm not saying I didn't appreciate him before, but some things I took for granted...let's just say that.  If I give him too much praise his head will swell upon reading this and I'll never hear the end of it!

So, that's what's been going on around here...

Have a great day!  I'll be back, no worries!

*p.s. has anyone had trouble uploading pics to their blog?  This post was a nightmare trying to upload these pics!

I like nonsense.  It wakes up

the brain cells.

- Dr. Seuss

{just a little fun with photo booth on our Mac}

labor of pride

I spent a good part of my weekend washing windows.  It's a time consuming, tedious, labor intensive job that is totally and utterly worth it to me.  It always starts here...

Always.  I love this room in my house.  It's a three season porch and we spend a lot of time out here in the spring and fall.  Yesterday I started the task of sweeping and de-ladybugging which led me window washing.  Once I start in there, I cannot stop!  The colors outside become so vivid, the view so clear, it's like a drug...on I go throughout the house, cleaning windows.  About 3 hours in I always think, "Why the heck did I start this?"

I know the answer.

It's pride.  Many of you know, well let's be honest, all of you know {I doubt I've picked up any new readers} that we've been working on our house for a ba-gillion years.  Our initial timeline for home improvements fell by the wayside a LONG time ago.  Let's just say that our house needed new paint, a new front porch floor, and a new roof about 5 years ago.  Roof....check.  Paint....1/2 check.  New front porch floor....ummmm....scheduled for this spring?  So, basically, our house looks pretty dumpy from the outside.  Most people, who know us, know that we're working on it.  For those who don't know us....I just want them to see how freakin' clean my windows are!  Because how many scurveballs do you know who take the time to wash their windows?

Right?   Right.

So that's my motivation.  That, and it's so much easier to see Spring's beautiful show through spotless glass.

a first {and probably last} attempt...

...for a while anyway!

style baby!

random

I've decided that once a month I'm going to write a random post.

Just some thrown together stuff.

Deep thoughts maybe.

Maybe not.

And, today's the day...lucky you!


On my bookshelf right now.....

10 Conversations You Need To Have With Your Child by Schmuley Boteach
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

My new favorite chocolaty snack...

This is yummy!  First introduced to me by my sister Karen {thank you very much} several months ago and then re-introduced to me by Super Target who started carrying it and placed it in a location where I saw it and was reminded of it's goodness!

My most recent Rescued Junk purchase...

An old drawer makes a perfect trophy shelf!  And only $16!  I love it....Chris thinks I'm crazy but puts up with me anyway.

My most recent children's book purchase....

An oldie but a goodie!  Miss Suzy and her house in the "tip, tip, top of a tall oak tree" is an old favorite I couldn't wait to share with Eden!  Loved the story and the pictures then...love them even more today!

My FAVORITE Disney purchase....

These silhouettes were only $8 per child and it was AMAZING how talented this little old woman was who cut these.  If you've been to Disney I'm sure you've seen these, but I'm still so impressed with the talent these people possess.  The kids sat in a chair across from this woman who eyeballed them and snipped away simultaneously while she created each silhouette.  And they look like my children!  I love them and will cherish them till the day I die!  I'm still trying to find the perfect spot for them...

How's that for random?  Happy Friday!