All in the Family

Here are the best of the best. We had such a great shoot that it was hard to pare it down. Thanks to Jessica and Lil' Bits Photography out of Parker, CO for such amazing pictures! We did it all at once- Elliot's 6 months, Naomi's 4 yr, and an updated family picture. Enjoy them and a glimpse of a beautiful Colorado fall!

Building Anticipation

After a productive day of shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating, and movie-watching, I am lacking a little motivation. The kids did a great job wrapping our goodies and decorating the Christmas tree this year. Nathan says it looks like a department store tree (amazing for two toddlers). Check in tomorrow for pictures.

A Little Change

I know I'm so far behind, but I'll start with the new paint colors in the house.


The new kitchen in green.



The dining room.

The living room with the new entertainment center BEFORE the new colors.

The after shot.

The dining room wall.

The brown replaced the red in the living room and entryway.

Showers of Blessing: Part 2

We were so inspired by Jonathan's room that we had to do Naomi's, too! Here are a few of the updates.

Showers of Blessing....

Just a few of the blessings we've picked up along the way this year. Thank you if you had a hand in them! Jonathan is elated!

The Great Purge

I am enjoying the feeling of utter exaustion from last week only because of the great accomplishment. We finally purged the house.

We have had a month of busyness with painting the house, selling the truck, wrecking the car, buying the Envoy, and the normal demands of life. However, it was finally time to use my new-found clarity and sanity reclaimation for the betterment of my home.

We purged the house of all the trash, all the unnecessary things in storage, and ALL of the things I had collected to "borrow" from friends and family. The result? After three-and-a-half years of living in my beautiful home, it looks decluttered and organized (DISCLAIMER: I didn't claim that the laundry was done or that I have found the secret in a bottle to an immaculate house with two toddlers...I just said organized).

With several days until trash day, we have to become creative with the trash of days to come. I have purged so much trash!!! But, it feels like a great weight was lifted just in time for company to arrive. It was well worth the five nights of late nights and week of long days to accomplish the seemingly out of reach goal of taking the house back from the mes

Surviving a World Bigger Than Myself

So, I realize that a month without a new post makes us all feel out of touch. I actually checked my blog on Saturday and thought, "Wow! NY pictures are my last post?" It seems like I've lived a lifetime since that visit.

It seems that I've gotten busy going about keeping up with others in my life. My husband's schedule would put some celebrities to shame. My kids are very busy. I'm by nature a very busy person. But, as many around me remind me regularly, I've gotten a little bad about taking time for myself.

That led me to two very distinct realizations:
1. They are right. I need to take a little more time for myself.
2. There really is a short period of time we have on this earth. I would rather be a bit fatigued for thirty years and felt like my time here was spent glorifying God at every turn and investing in other people who will leave a legacy far more reaching than my own, than to look back on life and realize that I did nothing that was meaningful or that will last for eternity.

So, all that being said, I think that I will go take a nap and leave the housework for another time (I can't tell if this is more to satisfy more me time or to feed my need for procrastination. Take a minute to talk amongst yourselves! :))

Next Up....Turning Three!

This is the cake I made for Jonathan's birthday. The directions said 2 hours to decorate, but it was definately three for me. I got the idea off of a fun website (I'll have to find it and post it later). Jonathan got to have three of his friends over, and then one of Naomi's best friends came over with her brother. We had train cake and plates, train whistles, conductor hats, and kalidescopes. A little organized chaos, but Jonathan still talks about it. Later that day, he got to help me frost his cupcakes to take to Bible study for the kids at group. I'm very glad birthdays only come once a year and that the kids spread their's out well.

Meme

So, I got tagged with this so long ago, but I am only now getting around to posting six quirky things about me. One of the most notable reasons for the delay is that...well...there are so many strange nuances to me that it is nearly impossible to limit them. Here is my feeble attempt.
1. I am HORRIBLE about getting pictures of my kids developed. I have several on my camera currently that I continually lack time to download to the computer. So, I am that terrible mother who has no pictures of her children hanging in the house.
2. I like to read books as quickly as possible. I think that books view this as a survival mechanism in their existence in our house. I just completed an adult book (you know the kind with 300 pages) in two days, because I knew I'd never get the chance again. If it takes longer than a week, I might as well not bother.
3. I hate Valentine's Day. I really do not observe it as a national holiday. I think that it is ridiculous to force the people in our lives to pretend like they like us any more than usual for twenty-four hours. Come on....you could buy someone roses every month for a year for what they price-gouge you for in the store on February 14th. My husband needs no reminder from Congress that he loves me and he should remind me of that as often as possible. That is some fabulous marketing. The list of unreal holidays is long and distinguished.
4. I am fascinated by people. Probably to a fault. If I had my chance, I would shrink myself and crawl around in people's brains to figure out how they work and what makes them tick. This leads to my insatiable desire to understand why people are the way they are. It is also probably why I have a new best friend every 23 days.
5. I think that I am way too busy to ever accomplish the things in life that I think would be truly fun. I would love to learn how to play the violin. I would love to learn how to really play the guitar rather than fiddle with one. I think it would be neat to own a flower shop. I would like to be able to decorate really elaborate cakes. I want to converse comfortably in another language. And, I want to travel all around the world...on a regular basis. If only there were time for all that and more!
6. I don't like candy. Don't get me wrong, I believe that dessert and sugar are a very important part of my diet, but I don't like hard candy. This includes, but is not limited to, skittles, hard candy, suckers, pixie sticks, jolly ranchers, jaw breakers, those horrific disk things, candy hearts (with exception to the sweet tart ones), and pretty much anything else lacking in caramel or chocolate. This may seem like a double standard, but why waste the time on candy when you have cake, ice cream, cookies, pastries, and many other tasty desserts that are much more worthy of the calorie intake.

While that list is not nearly exhaustive, it is a start. I will remind Matthew that he is behind the times on his tag. I will let you all know that Nathan really won't get a blog anytime soon. If any of you wishes to comment and add to the list, by all means you are entitled.

Please, Please Pray

Please pray for my friend who just had her baby. He does have spina bifida. There are a huge number of blessings and a lot of challanges ahead. Baby Titus was almost 8 lbs. and over 19" long. His back was completely closed (which is a miracle, being as the doctors said as late as last week that it wasn't). He goes in for surgery today. They have had many up and down updates. Please pray for all involved and that God will be glorified by the progress that is made.

Here's to 120some days of madness....

Hi ho, hi ho...
Some serious planning we go
A picture on my blog I show
of Dustin and Meg
as the date they peg
Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho, hi ho.

Congrats to my sister and brother-in-law-to-be!



(You can see the ring and details at her blog Meg's Blog)

The Meaning of Life

I feel like there is a void on my blog of what the last several weeks have meant to me. I think that it is kind of like when you go off to college your first year and then come back for the summer. You feel like you have changed so much and others have, too, and it is just so hard to find a jumping off point to explain what is so different.

So, I'll try to be brief AND complete (that might be hard). Nathan and I (and a handful of other adults) took our youth group and young adult group to Juarez, Mexico on a week-long mission trip to build two houses (really glorified shacks that are wired with electricity if the families wish to hook it up) and put on a few Vacation Bible Schools for the local kids. Impoverished does not quite explain the standard of living, especially in the areas outside the city where we worked (we stayed more "in town" in a church). It was such a blessing to touch families and bless them with what to us would be little. The biggest lessons I learned were that God doesn't need a schedule to work, but He uses us when we are prepared and waiting to join Him where He is working and that God's faithfulness really sets His believers apart when they show that to a world that really lacks in integrity and faithfulness.

We turned around from doing that to a week of preparation for our church's VBS. I was put in charge of that this year and helped train some people to continue that work in the future. We had over 100 different kids (many of whom do not regularly attend a "church function") come through our doors over three days. The theme was "Everyday Superhero." Nathan dressed up like a superhero (tights and all) who did not have any super power. The kids all got to learn about the superheros in the Bible, real-life heroes of the faith, and most importantly how they can have a superhero everyday when they ask Jesus into their heart. It was powerful to watch workers come together and plant seed of knowledge into these kids that will impact them for years to come.

Then, God gave us a week of rest. Nathan took a whole week off work, and we vacationed from home. The kids got to go to the zoo, the county fair, Broncos Training Camp, spent a night and Grandma and Papa Rick's house, go to an outdoor pool, and rest in the in-between parts. It was a nice balance of going, doing, being, and resting. God was sure faithful to fill our cups again after we had been obedient to serve Him.

And so now, what have I learned? I spent some time in Ecclesiates this summer and realized how important it is to enjoy the different seasons of life, the little moments along the way, and the memories that fill the walls of my home and the annuls of my heart. There are so many opportunities that pop up, and I've learned to be more spontanious and intentional about listening for opportunities to play and serve. I've learned to be a little more organized and prepared so that I am ready at a moment's notice.

I prepared my fall schedule to be open and flexible by cutting out most of the fluff. So, it shouldn't surprise anyone that God ordained that my time be filled with something else. I will be the JV volleyball coach assisting Matthew at Kiowa this year (barring any other strange political move). Camp started this week, two-a-days start next week. It wasn't quite the new "season" of life I anticipated, but I can't wait to see what God has in store for it!

"...But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 5:3-6

Happiness Is.....

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

There are many things to catch up on blogging. But, I thought in the few precious minutes I had, that I would take a moment to reminisce about how you have been on my mind.

Last Friday, Nathan and I went on a lovely stroll at the Limon Municipal Golf Course (or at least that is their claim). I have to say that the weather was nice. I am realizing that I am a terrible golfer, but I do enjoy the time outside. Thank you again for the clubs. I made sure to use every club in the bag. I wish that had helped my game. It is a sad state of affairs when your pitching wedge is your club of choice for the day. :)

Today, we took the kids to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The kids had a ball. They have a small area within the zoo that kids can pet chickens and goats. It reminded me of the pictures we have of us kids at the zoo with you guys. Jonathan's favorite part was the area that they allow people to feed the giraffes. I thought there was no better way to end the day than to stop by Baskin Robbins (after all, what else would Grandma do?). I made sure that the kids knew that this is something that their Great-Grandparents loved to do, too.

Jonathan would not take his nap this afternoon, so we will have to make a stop by the county fair tomorrow (the fair and rodeo are actually called "Cowboy Up" if you believe that!). He has been begging to go see the sheep, the pigs, the horses, and the cows. He loves the farm (he must have a little Jones in him yet). Hopefully, we will spend some time there this week while Nathan is taking some vacation time. We love you guys and miss you lots. Until we see you soon, we will have sweet dreams and fun thoughts of you and all the memories we treasure in our hearts of you(I can almost smell the chicken-fried steak, cheese beans and potatoes and see the Happiness Is book if I close my eyes)!

With Love, Your Favorite Granddaughter and her crew

"I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete." 2 John 1:12

Hesitation

I am almost hesitant to put up a post, because I am so pleased that the pictures finally got posted. I don't want them to move down on the page.

Quick Update...Naomi started crawling yesterday. She didn't really realize what she'd done. Then she got frustrated that she couldn't do it again. She then wanted to inch around on her head with her feet flat on the floor. Today, she's wanted to learn how to walk all day. What happened to my peaceful little baby?

The garden is in sad shape. I hope that we can revive some of it. Between the snow, cool weather, and hail-ridden thunderstorms, it has endured a lot.

That's about all the news. I need to shove off and take advantage of nap time.

As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength. Psalm 138:3 NLT

I Haven't Left the Planet

I have avoided my blog lately. I feel like a bad mother because of the lack of pictures I've posted lately. So, I intentionally haven't blogged thinking, "I will get my next post on when I have a picture of Jonathan to put up." Sadly, instead of motivating me, it pushed me into self-wallowing and non communication. So, I'll give you the quick update and add another thing to the list that my children will take with them into counselling as an adult.....

Things here are fine. We've had a LOT of rain, sleet, snow, hail, and all-around cold weather. Yesterday got a little dicey in the afternoon, but the real loser in the weather department is my garden. We lost a cucumber plant in yesterday's storm, and it just hasn't been warm enough for the garden to produce much out of all the moisture. Such is life.

The kids are great. Naomi refuses to actually crawl, but I call what she does teleporting due to the rapid speed that she moves in between the glaces I give her. Jonathan continues to talk and talk and talk. He got a haircut this weekend for Smith Family pictures that makes him look much older. Naomi is pulling up on things now. It won't be long until trouble finds her. Avery the dog is doing quite well. We pull a small poodle in hair off of her twice a week, but she does great with playing with Naomi.

Nathan and I are doing well. I have been put in charge of VBS this year (the theme is "Everyday Superhero"... do you think I have a little boy at home?), and I am dragging many other people with me. We are doing three very simple days. I'll let you know how that works. Between summer league baseball once a week, men's softball, and our coed team, Nathan is staying busy. He is quite involved right now with taking care of details for our youth mission trip to Mexico. Please pray that all of those plans come together and we are able to finish all the fundraising for that.

Alright, I will let you back to your life. Look for pictures soon!

"For the Lord your God is He who goes before you, to fight against your enemies, to save you." Deuteronomy 20:4

Barking Orders

Apparently, my two year old thinks that he commands the post around here. Yesterday, it took him five minutes to decide what to drink (as if we have more choices than Starbucks....dream on, kiddo!). He had to decide the color of the cup, and the kind of drink (water...no, milk....no, apple juice....no, milk mommy!....water!!!!). I fully expect to hear him spout of some 2% half-caff mochachino mumbo jumbo before long. What can I say, the kid knows what he wants (or explains it out loud until he decides). I suppose that it was my lot in life to parent a strong-willed child.

But, the funniest thing happened last night. We are at the dinner table, and Jonathan is eating his hamburger and applesauce next to me. Meg and Nathan are at the table witnessing the sight for the first time. Jonathan leans over to me and says, "Mommy, give me some..." as he extends his fist for me to pound. I thought Meg was going to swallow her tongue she was laughing so hard. It is really funny to see pop culture infiltrating a two year old.

We won our first softball game last night 18-11. A fun night all around. We bought the plants yesterday to start the garden. That is one of the best things to look forward to in summertime. Especially with the price of produce going up! Hope all is well with you and yours!

Weekend Update

So, this won't be any award-winning writing noteworthy of Tina Fey, but here are a few of the highlights.

Nathan's team won both games on Saturday. Translation: Kiowa is the district champion, and they play next weekend in the regional tournament. They like their chances of moving on, but the team's focus is the two games on Saturday in Northglenn. We'll see how it goes. It is the first time they've gone this far since Nathan's brother played.

It has come to my attention that I don't have as many pictures posted of Jonathan on the site. Let me assure you that he is doing quite well, I just can't get him to be still enough for a picture. I hope to post another one soon.

As for everything else, unfortunately it is business as usual. The softball season gets underway next week. That is about all the excitement I have time for.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17

Peace for the Moment

I am relishing in the glorious moment that both children are asleep (dare I jinx the moment by acknowledging the bliss?), so I will drop a few lines into space....

Nathan's baseball team is now ranked 7th in the state. They are well on their way to taking the district's first seed for the tournament. Everyone from their district will play a bracket tourney a week from Thursday to see who makes it to the regional tourney. The top two from district go on, and then the top two go to state. We had yet another kid accept Christ at youth group. What amazing stuff to see God at work!

Jonathan is talking mostly in sentences now. Although we have suffered massive backsliding in the potty training battle, he is convinced he is a big kid and becomes the ring leader of activity with any age of friends who come around. He has such a pension for fun and laughter and motion. I am really enjoying this age!

Naomi is rolling around and exploring her surroundings. She can sit up for a few minutes at a time. She is still very in love with Jonathan and loves being right at his side. Someone at church accused her of having Sanjiah hair and Meg thinks we should cut it, but I love her curly hair and white girl fro. Is there really a minimum age for hair products? At 19 pounds, she proves to everyone that she doesn't miss many meals.

Speaking of food, it sounds like our little princess has decided it's lunch time. Hope this catches you up on a little of our madness. I will close on a verse from one of our seasoned mothers in the church to all of the new moms:

"We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed." I Corinthians 15:51

Online Loneliness

I was just commenting to my sister yesterday about how sad it made me that no one posted on the blogs we usually read. I am guilty of this myself, being as that, when I sat down to the two minutes I had to myself, I really had nothing to say. It amazes me that reading people's comments on my blog or reading other blogs gives me some form of adult sentence structure and content. All that being said, I suppose the true void that was there was talking with everyone and connecting on how life is going.

So, I will throw in the quick update. Nathan's baseball team is currently ranked 10th in the state for their classification. That is exciting, but it means that all the other teams view them as the team to beat. No more flying under the radar. Jonathan's potty training continues to go well. We are so close to being there, but nap time and nighttime still challenge us. Naomi decided to roll over on Sunday. Now all of her time is spent on her belly trying to figure out how to keep up with her brother. I am doing pretty well. I think that Nathan and I figured out a way to make a couple of changes to the schedule that might preserve my sanity (the jury's out, but so far so good).

Off to tackle the world for another day. I always enjoy hearing from you all. It lifts my heart and makes my day.

P.S. Who would have thought that blue and green food coloring could look EXACTLY like war paint? Leave it to Jonathan. And by the way, no...Oil-Free Eye Make-up Remover doesn't take food coloring off. It just goes to show that if it is too quiet in the house, something must be up!


"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy." Philippians 1:3-4