Just of the Kids..

My kids bring me so much joy. I just want to ramble some of momma ramblings about these two little buttons.


Every night Gabe's prayer goes like this - " Thank you me nana, Thank you me papa, Thank you me mama, Thank you me daddy.....and on and on until he runs out of family and people he can remember and then we start on round two. Its so precious.

that look just means trouble lol

He is a milk thief, for real, every morning the kids go and grab their milk out of the fridge but Gabe has figured out if he wakes up early he can drink both cups and then innocently crawl back into bed!  So we often wake up to Eliana's distressed cry that Gabe has stolen her milk again.  I don't know where we are going with this parenting wise but Ed's solution is to hide Eliana's milk in a special place in the fridge and so far that works most the time. lol

why the comb?? 

He also loves being a super hero and a dinosaur so at any point in the day you can hear him roaring or see him running past you in a cape with his arms out flying.  He and Eliana came up with called stuffy heros...I don't know what it really entails but I know there is a lot of running and flying and hero type work and then randomly Gabe will switch characters and become a dinosaur again and start roaring. Always makes me smile.


Eliana is at such a neat stage right now. She is so grown up that it keeps shocking me when she shows off her sense of humour or just how much she is learning and figuring out.  The other day I asked her to help me find the computer mouse.  She then went and very deliberately found our cats mouse toy and brought it to me cracking up the whole time. She thought she was so funny (I did too actually so we had a good laugh together)
We were driving into town the other day and Eliana saw a sign on a store and she says to me, "mom, I know how to spell store - S A F E W A Y" I was amazed because I didn't realize how good she was getting at recognizing her letters and it was frankly just pretty darn cute.


One of the funniest things the kids have done to date happened just the other morning. My kids are both VERY sensitive to sound. Like toilets flushing, hair dryers, blenders, vacuum cleaners...anything remotely loud sends them crying and or screaming to their rooms. Ed (ingenious dad that he is) has two sets of construction ear 'muffs' (I know they are probably called something else more manly...lol)  
Anyway if I am vacuuming or using the blender or anything like that the kids will run and put on their ear muffs.

pepper looks a little less
than thrilled lol

So now that you have this important backstory, you will understand why I was quite startled and confused when the other morning I was standing in the kitchen and all of a sudden our radio was BLARING.  Like shake the shingles blaring.  I couldn't even try to call into them to turn it down. I marched into the living room ready to set the world strait and ended up laughing and running for our video camera.
For there in the living room were both kids absolutely buck naked running around dancing to the music for all they were worth both wearing their ear muffs. Nothing but their ear muffs.
Such a great moment.


In the day to day it is sometime so easy to forget what little treasures you have running around the house.  Laundry and dishes can suck the life right out of a body - but I am so glad that I get to be here and watch my kids grow and change and just be kids.  They breath life right back in that hole the laundry left...lol

Hope Springs....

It never ceases to amaze me the power of time away.  I am not even talking about an amazing two week vacation at a tropical location - all four of us actually went just a couple of hours away to have a sleep over with some friends. 


How sweet it is to be out of your own home and environment, that at least for me is a constant reminder of every responsibility I have in my life, and rest in the company of friends.  We have such great friends who are masters at hospitality and I am SO grateful to have them in our lives.


This short little spurt was especially meaningful to me right now.  It was the breath of fresh air I needed. I was out of the snow and into that land of spring.  It made me giddy to put my kids into running shoes and not worry about 15 layers of clothing. On a more substantial level I think just being away gave my mind some space to process some of what I have been learning and walking through as a family lately.  


The word of God has been such a comfort to me lately...its as if the words are meant just for me  - just at this time.  How cool is Jesus.


As a new years challenge we have been memorizing a new verse every couple of weeks.  I chose the following passage more arbitrarily than not - only to be astounded over and over again as it has proven absolute applicable in almost every area of our life since the year began.

Proverbs 3:5-12

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh,

and refreshment to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your substance

and the first fruits of all your produce;

they your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights."

I Heart Red

What Can I Say

I have to say that this year so far has been weird.  Every time I have sat down and thought, 'hey i should blog'...I have been at a loss.  Its not because I haven't had anything going on but quite the opposite.
I posted the above you tube clip 1 - because it is VERY funny and 2 - because I totally get this whole 'crisis of confidence' phrase right now!


Our family is in a weird season of what feels like transition and change.  I feel as though there are seismic waves, of varying intensity, sweeping through our life and challenging the way we view stability.  "Oh you thought that was a given?? A sure thing?? Lets just shake that up a bit!!" 
And that sure leaves me feeling insecure and given to a certain amount of anxiety.  When shaken down to its root it always seems to come back to two foundational questions for me. "Is God big enough to deal with this" and the even more importantly "Is He Good."  They are such hard questions to grapple with and you know a couple of months ago I would have had very little trouble answering YES! to both.  
Right now, it is only by faith that I can even squeak out a small little yes . I know what I believe but sometimes that 'crisis of confidence' is absolutely immobilizing.
I hug my chest and cry to the Father to help me see and to walk through this season with some measure peace even though I am blind to His hand moving and guiding us.


So pardon my 'tongue tied' blog as we navigate these unknown waters before us.  I am so grateful for all of you who share in our life and our journey - day to day and 'virtual' friends alike :)