To the Best of Them All

It's funny when I can draw back and recall moments that weren't photographed or blogged or talked about again and again. I am an obsessive and compulsive picture taker since about age 9 when my nanny gave me my first green and yellow 35mm film camera at my cooler than cool skating rink birthday party. I love taking pictures. I love looking at memories. I've always had a stupid dumb memory, and without photo evidence of a happening I'm in denial it even existed.

So when moments come up in my ever forgetful brain, I feel like I've stumbled upon treasure. Sparkly, shiny treasure.

and I remember that car ride on the way to see some band somewhere. The roads were dark, but we were playing Kadink, which was our normal who ever spotted more cars with one headlight out and said kadink while simultaneously hitting the roof of the car first (because if you don't hit the roof while you say it you forfeit point) game. I had on this khaki pleated skirt you bought me for Christmas and a polka dotted scarf tied tightly around my neck and in a bow, because it made me feel hip and cool, which obviously we were very of both. I'm pretty sure Underoath was on because I remember turning it down as I said, "So you want kids one day? Like how many you think you want?"
and you just kept driving. turned the music back up while you shrugged your shoulders (my friend it was dark, and no, I don't see well but I was watching you) and then you smacked the roof of the car not missing a beat as you hollered "kadink".

I suppose that was a totally appropriate response for a couple of idiot 17 year olds, and I can say that because trust me, we were idiots.

And then I flash back to exhibit B memory when we were newly weds, had been married for oh, about 9 or 10 months and you were outside working on your boat. I was hanging around and invading your personal space because that's what I do when you're around. Then you said, "So uh, I want to buy a new boat motor."
and just as I raised my eyebrows and gave you the look, because the month before you had bought a new gun and the month before this new reel you had to have for your fishing pole and we were broke and you were making us broker, I withdrew my immediate thought and almost response and threw this shocker at you.

"Well I want a baby."

You were going to tell me no. Because kids were not on your radar, we were broke, I was finishing up college, aaaaand we were broke.

and that, my friend is when I bought Adeline with a boat motor.
Okay, stop judging me we weren't Christians yet, that was totally an even exchange in our idiot world.
I know.I want a kid. You want a boat motor. The very next month, I was knocked up, and you were cruising the open waters a little bit faster than you were the month before.

I remember being 40 weeks pregnant with Adeline and begging you to rub my feet because I heard acupressure could help induce labor, and I was desperate. You refused because you were petrified. You wouldn't admit it then, and you probably wouldn't now, but you would not touch me because you didn't want "anything to happen wrong".

and then I remember when she came. I remember the smile you carried around for days. I remember when you were offshore and I called you over the phone to tell you I was pregnant for Gideon. I could hear the smile in your voice. I remember the day he was born, the confidence in your holding his tiny newborn body. I remember my terror turned into happiness as soon as you grabbed me and lifted me off of my feet when I told you Selah was coming along.

Because above all else out of no where we cranked out a handful of little babies, and all of a sudden the man in my life is a freaking awesome father, one I never knew you had in you.
I'm grateful for this daddy man you are to our three babies.

I love that for each baby and each milestone there is another person as excited as me about that first step or funny baby phrase. I'm thankful that when you are home and Gideon does something messed up I have you to look at at laugh with. I'm thankful for the overflowing my heart does when we haven't seen you in day's and our babies have the biggest smiles on their tiny mini you faces when you walk in the door. I'm so glad I get to do this with you. You are my favorite.

God blessed me with the last 11 years with you, and the last 4 in which we've been parents have been my favorite.

I'm thankful that when we screw this up, because sometimes we do we can just turn to the ultimate Father and let him teach us.

I'm so very grateful that beneath a sometimes hard exterior our children have a daddy who prays for them and with them.
How did that happen?
How did the idiot teenagers we were become parents and above that children of our Father in heaven?


Through grace.
Oh my goodness we've gotten grace.

Thankful.

I love you Philip. 
and I don't take for granted a single moment you get to be home and be with us.
You are an incredible father.
and happy Father's day.

Oh, you know.

Hey ol' loney blog of mine.
Guess what I'm going?
Just sitting here at my computer in my office in my penguin pajama pants being super fancy, having an office.
Remember that extra room I had piled with excess junk and boxes and maybe someone will need this one days?
No? Well if you've ever been to my house and asked to use my bathroom and I caught you mistakenly going for the door handle of not the bathroom but the room across from it [which is as described above] and I screamed in urgency as if I saw a gigantic spider near your feet so to distract you from opening the door and either a.) injuring yourself or b.) exposing my junk room?
Welp. Cleaned that sucker out.
It is how a full and functioning homeschool room. Yea, I said it, homeschool--as in my own children -gasp-
Or as I like to call it-- an office.
Because important people get their own office.
and I, my friend, am important.

Also you missed my oldest turned 4, my boy turned 2, my youngest ate bananas and hated bananas and now loves bananas, loved peas but is maybe allergic to peas. Also she's going to be 6 months next week. I'm for real.

Crammed in that was 34 appointments 57 birthday parties, bridal showers, and baby showers, a 30 turned 27 day fast on excess and food and spending and media, 2 books, 1 30 day devotional read, taxes that make me want to bang my head straight into my office desk, sniffles, snot, and coughing, bible studies, a new world of all natural cleaning, and a new purse because I'm no longer the frumpy diaper bag mom with three loud drooly things surrounding me/hanging from me/attached to me, but I am now the hip purse carrying mom.. still with three loud drooly things surrounding me/hanging from me/attached to me.

So yea, there was all of that.
and I wanted to adopt a puppy.
He was cute, but Philip said I had to get rid of the ugly one we already have, which produced heartfelt tears and pleas to keep the spaz dog from my 4 year old. So I guess Scarlet will stay.

Whoa.
4 year old. What?
I have a 4 year old now. How'd that happen?

mmk. My office desk is next to a window, and it's cold making my fingers frozen and typing difficult.
I have no other choice but to just click away and attach several annoying photos of my offspring before I hop on back over to Pinterest where I'll pretend I'm going to actually make the homemade wheat thins and pallet inspired chandelier all in avoidance of 63 dishes that need to be washed.

So that, in a nutshell, is what's been upeth.

I also have these birthday surveys to save and store so you're welcome.
[ AKA Boring to you but lovely to me:]
Adeline @ 4

1. What is your favorite color? green
2. What is your favorite toy? My turtle.
3. What is your favorite fruit? hmm, apples.
4. What is your favorite tv show? Rapunzel
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanutbutter and jelly sandwich
6. What is your favorite outfit? My turtle shirt in my bottom drawer that nanny gave me last night when we were eating dinner.
7. What is your favorite game? The Wii.
8. What is your favorite snack? Chips
9. What is your favorite animal? Turtles!
10. What is your favorite song? ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
 11. What is your favorite book? My Rapunzel book I got at the library.
12. Who is your best friend? Lily!
13. What is your favorite cereal? I like a lot of cereal.
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Chalk
15. What is your favorite drink? juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and my birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My turtle and my dream light
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pancakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? A cupcake.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A mommy.

Gideon @ 2 (and I am answering on his behalf because when asked, he only demanded that I get him more water for every single question)
1. What is your favorite color?Oh sometimes blue. Other times orange. Yellow every now and again except when it's red or purple. Green gets some fame time too.
2. What is your favorite toy? Cars
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas
4. What is your favorite tv show? Preschool Prep Colors
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and Cheese/ macaboni and weees
6. What is your favorite outfit? pup pajamas
7. What is your favorite game? Ring around the Rosie
8. What is your favorite snack?Oatmeal. I know, weird.
9. What is your favorite animal? Pups
10. What is your favorite song? ABC' and Happy Birthday toss up
 11. What is your favorite book? Cat in the Hat
12. Who is your best friend? Adeline. or Justin or Silas.
13. What is your favorite cereal? YUPPIOOOOS (Cheerios)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run away.
15. What is your favorite drink? water or chocolate milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Take your diaper off and run around naked day.
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? 13 miscellaneous toys.
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? pancakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? pancakes.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? AWESOME

I approximate 20 more minutes until someone wakes up. Therefore, I have to go waste some more time looking at my fabric stash and pretending I'm going to make something... or something.

Your Welcome

Between 5:45 and 6:15 in the morning yesterday, I walked past my back door and into the kitchen to fix my first cup of coffee.
A pallete of orange beamed through my windows, memorizing me and stopping me in my tracks. As I opened the door and stood outside in the cool morning air, God's majesty wrapped around me and took my breath away. It was the most beautiful sunrise I'd ever witnessed, and the only thing flawing the scene was me as I stood there in His perfectness with my morning hair birds' nest and no pants on. 60 seconds would unfold new waves or yellow and pink tangled into each other while sovereign shades of red transformed into peaceful purples.

These raw, unedited pictures don't even capture the beauty adequately.

A silent moment in his stillness and in His perfection just adoring his beauty.
A moment wrapped in extravagance and simplicity that I won't forget. 

Prayer for the Rashaida

Heeey.

Sorry I haven't been writing nnn stuff.

I've been a little occupied with God wrecking me and things of the like.

Don't worry though, I'm digging it.

I do want to drop in and ask for my prayers from my praying people.
Philip and I have been doing The Live Dead Journal, [which has been an amazing experience in itself at only half way through.] and God is opening our eyes to groups of people and their cultures and the lives that don't even get the chance to hear about Christ.

16,000 + groups of people in this world

6,800 of them with no active Christian witness.

We live where Jesus is known of, heard of, and spoken of.

There are places all over this Earth where people have not even

heard. His. name.

photo source

photo source and more information here

Our friends have started a Give 12 Challenge asking for 12 minutes a day of prayer for 12 months for 12 different people groups.  We've been praying for the Rashaida people.

They live in Sudan, and they are known for being fierce warrior people.

The cool thing about them is their gentle, welcoming hearts towards strangers.

If you go to their tents uninvited, they will most probably welcome you in for tea or coffee.

They make up about 100,000 Islamic people in their country, with almost no Christians.

Please can you pray for them with us?

Pray that God send them witnesses.

Pray that their welcoming hearts welcome Jesus Christ as the Savior that He is.

We are called to be Lights of this world, not just lights to lights.

Please give these precious, unreached people your prayers.

I know they are heard.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14

Love a Lamb Lovey/Selah's Sweet Sheep

Move over Turtle, there's a new lovey in the house.

 Little tiny Selah baby is approaching 4 months old, and that's right about when Adeline found a stuffed sea turtle, and fell in love.(Gideon was too manly of a baby for a lovey ;) Actually Philip really wanted him to take on to this orangutang thing, but Gideon don't need no stinkin' stuffed animal to sleep.)

 Coincidentally this lamb Adeline and I bought Selah the day we found out she was indeed a she is becoming this little baby's lovey.

Now I have mixed feelings about this.
-This sheep has "spot clean" on the tag so I don't know how well it will stand to washes, and if it becomes anything like "T" (Adeline's turtle) it'll need some frequent washing.
-I have no idea where or what company manufactured this, so I cannot get a back up, which I also learned is preferred to a child with a lovey addiction.
-Also it's light colored. In one-two years it will be black. Keeping it real, maybe dark gray.

But really when this baby cries or can't get comfortable falling asleep that sheep cuddles up next to her and it's done. She's out. and how sweet is it?
Super sweet.
Like you can't even stand it, sweet.

I should probably pick it up so Adeline stops sticking it everywhere Selah is, because she is starting to really love that lamb. Her eyes light up big, her breath speeds up, and her smile is uncontrollable when you whip the sheep out.

These girls and lovey probs.
;)

Apple Pie

I have an obnoxious amount of pictures from today when I made apple pie with Adeline while the babies were sleeping.

There was mess. There was bonding. and there was pie.
All up in the kitchen.
Sprinkled with cute.

The end.

Merry Merry Merry Merry Merry Merry

Peppermint lattes, the smell of pine, glitter-lots of glitter, cozy cuddles, gift wrapping, cookie baking, houses dressed with strands of lights, Christmas movies, music of the merry kind, and lots of story telling about a little baby who was destined to be our King.

Those things rock, and they totally override: spilling coffee on freshly mopped floors, trying to locate to fast children hiding behind green Christmas trees while camouflaged in green winter wear, broken glass from those cool old school lights hitting the cement, fixing burnt fuses on a latter with kids watching while your husband is in another state and explaining electrical things to you over the phone while you cry like a baby about doing "man work", those 4 glass ornaments among the 100 plastic ones that the toddler found and threw, the "he hit me. he pulled my hair. he looked at me. he touched me. he woke up.", the burnt cookies, the payday black Friday where bills ate our money instead of pretty things in Charming Charlie, and did I say broken glass already because there has been a lot of broken glass.

It is all so very worth it. I love this time of celebration in all of its prettiness, and for me new-found chaos.