Joyfully Weary

This past weekend we went to the American Girl Place to celebrate these three girls birthdays. They all have January or February birthdays and decided that instead of a party they wanted to have dinner with each other and their dolls at the American Girl Place. They all have hand-me-down dolls: Felicity, Kristen, and Samantha that they are very attached too.  Too make it even more special we invited grandmas to join us. How cute do Maca and Little Lady look in their matching red coats? I am so grateful that Little Lady has these friendships. I am still close to friends I met in first grade girls scouts. I'm hoping these three will also be life long friends.  They are great girls who also come from families who also love the Lord. Their  moms are actually good friends of mine. It's such a blessing to know that her best friends are being raised in families with similar values.  I love how Little Lady can be completely herself w...

  A couple weeks ago Mini Man turned eight. To say he is a joy is an understatement. Mini Man has always been an extrovert and seems to thrive off people. There is something more to him, though,  that is harder to put in to words...the best way I can think to describe it is that he is extremely empathetic. He's always been this way. He seems to have a sense for what others are feeling. He will frequently describe the motives or feelings behind someone's actions.  I think because of this he is quick to forgive.  Mini Man also seems to have the ability to put people at ease and make them feel welcome. We hardly ever go anywhere that he doesn't make a new a friend. Jeremy and I joke that he must be magnetic. He'll step outside to play and the next thing you know 1/2 dozen neighborhood kids have joined him in our yard.  Recently, he's been telling me that he is shy. I haven't been able to pinpoint why he's started to identify this way; he's ju...

We've decided that for each of our kiddos' tenth birthdays we are going to take them away for a solo couple of days with us. A time to build memories of adventure and laughter. A time to fill them up with our love. Also, a time to have serious talks about the joy, privileges and responsibilities that come with getting older.  Big Buddy turned ten this past August and we took him to St. Louis for three days. He's a big Cardinals fan. Originally, we were suppose to go a game but I misread the schedule and booked our trip for the wrong time. He was gracious (seriously, words cannot describe how impressed I am about the man he is growing into) and was fine with just doing a stadium tour instead.  The thing he most wanted to check out was the Insectarium inside the St. Louis Zoo. This kid is insanely passionate about arthropods. Jeremy and I  joked that we should of just taken him to a fie ld for his birthday - the moments where he was bursting with the most excitem...