Joyfully Weary

The last loop of the paper chain has been torn. Our bags our packed. Our car is loaded. In just a bit we will begin our 17-hour road trip to a beach house in Virginia. We are going with some of Husbandie's family and are incredibly excited for the week of relaxation and fellowship.  Small issue: the house we are staying at doesn't have internet. But I actually think it will be nice to be "unplugged" for a whole week. I had a originally planned to work ahead and schedule some posts for when we are gone, but this week has flown by and my time got consumed by other activities.  We started revamping one of the rooms in our house into an official school room - lots of painting and sanding. We also had some great park time; a little with just our family and then with some friends we don't see nearly enough.  I am sure I'll have lots to share with you when we get back. Until then, I hope you all have a fabulous week. Thanks for reading! 

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". He is in the small graces.... small graces pointing me to the larger one... little glimpses of the kingdom come..." an enthusiastic  artist  silly crafting fun   a classic count down - only 6 more days and we are headed to the beach! post donut bath - this girl has been getting in to all kinds of messes  lately  cutest workout partner ever  finding not 1 but 2 pairs of $1.80 shades at goodwill - they are are not the most fashionable but since I can't seem to keep a pair for more than a couple weeks, the price was perfect.  a surprisingly strong helper This past week has been rough. The boys and I have been battling over some behavioral issues and I haven't handle it the best. I've let myself get frustrated. I've  yelled  raised my voice far too often. I've forgotten to be loving and encouraging. I've ...

A couple weeks ago, while subbing at the child care center, I spotted some 3D folded paper art and decided I had to try it with my boys. We changed it up a little bit, using paint chips instead of construction paper. The thickness of paint chips hold shapes better and all the colors add to the fun.  Our Supplies: construction paper, tacky glue, scissors, paint chips Step 1: cut paint chips into strips Step 2: zigzag/accordion fold strips (this is optional, we left some pieces unfolded and used them to make arches)  the accordion folds are a lot of fun on their own  this was a great fine motor exercise - it took mini man a while to catch on but he finally got the hang of it Step 3: put a drop of glue on both ends of your strips Step 4: place strips in desired positions  Our finished work: mini man's big buddy's  This activity was a lot of fun and is defiantly one we will do again - I think it would...

Usually, Little Lady's crib is a corner of her room a good distance away from the window, shelves, and changing table. This past weekend, though, we rearranged it to be a guest room for my family. When they left on Sunday we were all so tired we decided we would wait until nap time to move it back - BIG mistake! About fifteen minutes after laying Little Lady down we heard some unexpected noises. Husbandie went upstairs to check and found this... it's hard to see but her diaper is covered in about an inch of butt paste I'm glad he was the one who found her because he immediatly yelled for me to bring the camera - I would have probably just yelled.  Butt Paste does not clean up very easily. It took quite a bit of scrubbing to get it off the crib and the window. Little Lady also took a bit of scrubbing; she had two baths yesterday and her hair is still a little on the crazy side. Husbandie teases me all the time about not screwing lids all the way back ...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". " these are the small graces, the little moments when the miracles come... they are a reminder to the heart there is more to life than meets the eye... He is in the small graces.... small graces pointing me to the larger one... little glimpses of the kingdom come..." two very cute sleepers *they each have their own bed, but last night this is how we found them two more very cute sleepers starting a new book sunsets found treasures a visit from my uncle Carrol - he lives in Japan so this was an extra special treat. *little lady and he got along swimmingly  a rainy day at the zoo saved by indoor exhibits enthusiastic tooth brushers  my little brother, Adrian a weekend with my mom and two of my little sisters This week was very busy and full - our house was packed with family. There were tim...

This girl... looks like her daddy but seems to to have her mommy's personality  carries her blanket everywhere still sucks her thumb lights up when her daddy comes home  is talking up a storm; new words everyday, but "maaama" is still her favorite has no problem keeping up with the boys, but still finds time for more feminine pursuits: purses, mommy's makeup & jewelry, babies, shoes, etc.  already has her own sense of style; she frequently insists on wearing specfic clothing items and shoes hates having her hair done  loves the water is not afraid to get dirty loves doggies is slow to smile but when she does the whole world seems brighter shows a scary amount of determination and will power - she already insists on doing things all.by.herself likes to color - not always on paper already likes to take care of people, especially her babies and her brothers  ... is growing far too fast. 

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". "sometimes they slip by without notice sometimes they are very hard to see other times it's very clear when they are happening to me"  a 4th of July parade with three amazing kiddos - they had great attitudes despite the heat canon repairing and returning our broken camera in less than a week at no cost to us. this is extra amazing because we were a couple weeks past warranty - canon for life! our first red tomato the crazy  cute outfits little lady insists on wearing popcorn and impatient little hands finishing an amazing book as a family and then celebrating by watching the movie version indulging in parade candy. i told him he could have 3 pieces during the movie, he chose to eat them all at the same time :)  an afternoon "business" date with husbandie " these are the small gr...