**Nine**

Today we celebrate *9* wonderful years of marriage!

 can't even begin to describe how thankful I am that God brought my husband into my life. 

Seriously. 

Thankful. 

He is my best friend, 

my favorite person, 

my love, 

my much better half, 

my happily ever after!!

On our wedding day, I couldn't have imagined how much I would grow to love him, how much he would teach me and how much we would share together.

I am deeply thankful for his love, friendship, support, servant's heart, intelligence, humor, patience, patience, patience, hottttness, silliness, and his Wonderfulness. 

These 11 years with you have been the best of my life! 

I love you so much honey and I can't thank you enough for loving me!

It's Only A Day Away...

We had a busy day today! 

(understatement) 

The kids woke up bright and early so I had no problem getting to my 8am haircut this morning.  

Yay for good, much needed, haircuts! 

As soon as I got home, Mr. Wonderful jumped in the car with the girls and drove to pick up some vacation items from my in-laws home. 

As soon as he got home I jumped back in the van with Amelie and we headed to PJ's baptism! He looked so handsome! What a beautiful family my dear friend has! 

As soon as we got home it was lunch and then my husband left to run a million errands.

And, as soon as he came home, he started taking down the second drop ceiling--by himself. Since I almost lost a limb the first time. 

Phew. Tired just thinking about all that!

Also....

Vacation is coming! Vacation is coming!

I'm super excited that

a) I'll be on the beach soon!

b) There will be construction going on inside our house so when we come back we'll have new ceilings!

c) New. Ceilings. 

It's been a long and busy month--I'm so excited to have some family time!

Even though Ezra and Maeve are sick...

and I nearly cut my finger off  taking down the drop ceiling in the kitchen...

Anyways, I'm putting that all behind me and will be dreaming tonight of warm sand between my toes....and probably my teeth although the former is much more exciting than the latter. =)

Happy Weekend!

He's Excited About Our Vacation

Can you tell? =)

Blarg! An Ode To Home Depot

Our counter top is old and ugly 

It just looks dirty and scuzzy 

all of the time

So, off to Home Depot we went

((Since we saved up our dimes))

We wanted a price 

(so we could compare)

But the counter-top guy

Was such an ogre!

Grumpy and grouchy

And angry and tan

the most miserable, disturbed 

angry old man!

We begged and we pleaded 

for some help and direction

but he just sat in his section

and pointed

grunted

unintelligible words 

here and there

all from the comfort 

of his Home Depot chair

So we left full of sadness 

Bereft!

No prices, 

no help, 

no service, 

no smiles

This is a warning to all--

Stay out of their aisles!!

Ready. For. Vacation.

It's soooo close I can smell the sea-air!

Feel the sand and the boardwalk under my toes....

We...

...are going blueberry picking today! 

(It's supposed to be 96! Ahh!)

Wish us luck! 

p.s. I can't find Ezra's hairbrush! His hair is CRAZY without it!

My Grown Up Girl

Over the weekend Amelie had her dance recital!

Their costumes were so stinkin' cute and she looked so grown up and beautiful on stage! She enjoyed the lights and the big stage but says she wants to try gymnastics instead of dance!

My Mom and my cousin Claire came for a visit this weekend!

It was so nice to see them both!

Amelie was very excited since their visit was in honor of her dance recital!

The time always goes too fast but it's always wonderful to have the Granny of the North here!!

Happy Father's Day Honey!

I'm so thankful for my husband everyday but especially thankful that he is such an amazing father! 

We appreciate you for the many things you do! 

Thank you for 

*working so hard every day to provide for us ((and for working even harder when you get home to help me!))

*cleaning!

*getting up with Ezra at 5!

*being silly!

*making us feel loved!

*spoiling us!

*snack runs, coupon organizing, playing the grocery game

*for being wonderful, patient, kind, funny and all around amazing

*for being the best man I know!

Sister Love

Their love for each other brings me such joy.

Love

Their

Sister

Love.

Irresistable Ezra

It's impossible for me to edit down a post of Ezra pictures.

Seriously.

He's so cute.

So charming.

So disarming.

I.

Can't.

(Biased, I know)

But, if you met him in person you would agree-

-my sparkly little guy is special!

At least, extra-special to me!!

It's Been 24 Years (Today) Since I've Seen His Face...

This is my Grandpa

*Roger*

(holding my precious twin brothers)

He passed away when I was very young 

and he was very young

(lung cancer)

My Mother was 30 when she lost her Father

I can't imagine what that must have been like

(Her Father was like the glue that held her family together and without him her family lost its togetherness)

I remember the last time I saw him

He had come home from the hospital and I was so happy because I thought that meant he was healthy again.

I sat on his lap and gave him a hug around his neck

Told him I loved him

He passed away shortly afterwards

I didn't go to his funeral because it was the same day as *race day* at school and I didn't want to miss winning any ribbons 

(I was the fastest then and sure to win some) 

but I felt guilty then that I didn't go

because I loved him 

and he loved me.

Shortly before he passed he made a confession of faith

((Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.))

and I am confident that I will spend 

Eternity In Heaven

and so will he 

We miss you Grandpa!

Please give my brother, and my babies and my GrandmaRose a squeeze from me!

A Picture Is Worth A Million Memories...

My Mama emailed me this picture (passed on to her by my Aunt Theresa) and I couldn't believe the deluge of memories that flooded my mind.

I *loved* this old tire swing. 

So. Much.

My grandparents' home was situated on flat land but just behind their house there was a sharp ledge and a drop off to the creek below. It had to be a 30 foot drop 

(it seemed mind boggling when I was small) and this tree was right on the very edge where the drop off began.

I remember that if you were pushed the right way you flew out over the precipice--like floating in the air above nothing.

It was thrilling.

I would NEVER let my children swing on this swing =)

But my--oh my!!--I loved it so. 

We spent so much time at my grandparents' home when I was little. We lived a mile or two away and would walk there everyday until we moved when I was 5. 

My brain and heart are full to the brim with the happy, bittersweet memories that this simple image evoked. 

It is hard to miss people, places and things. 

So thankful for happy memories like...

*my special red, white and blue bathing suit my Grandma kept at her house for me to use in their pool (loved it!)

*my Grandpa teaching me how to swim--and to keep my fingers together so I would go farther when I would stroke my arms in the water.

*Grandpa cooking

*spider plants

*the ceramic Indian heads that hung on the bathroom wall

*Grandma's karate outfit

*blue jars of noxema on her bed table

*4 wheeler rides with Grandpa to the huge field of flowers/butterflies out back

*dancing with Grandma and my brothers to the Ghostbusters record in their basement

*playing with the old school fisher price little people house and cool hologram book in the toy room

*walking across their bridge to great-grandparents home

*the pretzels (rold gold) that Grandpa kept in the compartment in the end table next to his brown recliner

*the new car smell of Grandma's frequently new Toyota vehicles

I'm thankful for memories and the moments I have each day to make new ones for and with my precious family. 

It Is Well With My Soul! Is It With Yours?

My sin-

Oh the bliss!

of this glorious thought!

My sin--not in part--but the whole,

is nailed to the cross 

and 

I bear it no more!

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Oh my soul!

It is well! It is well with my soul!

{{And Lord haste the day 

when

my faith shall be sight!}}

Amelie Says...

"Urgh...I feel too sassy right now to do any chores."

Well, darlin'--I feel too sassy to not let you do any =)

New Beginnings

This was a difficult week for me.

My Mr. Wonderful was very busy at school, after school, at church, and had a wedding and music team over the weekend, etc and I felt the full weight of entertaining my three very precious, and at times VERY noisy children mostly on my own. 

I didn't really like it.

Don't get me wrong!

I'm so stinkin' thankful and blessed to be with my little ones but sometimes I get tired.

I took them to church today on my own (today was my husband's LAST Sunday away until next school year! yippeeee!) and I was able to enjoy about 20 minutes of the service before Ezra's first day in the nursery ended. 

He did ok and just got a little sad when he realized I wasn't there anymore. =)

Also, the nursery workers were wonderful and kind....so I ended up spending more time in the nursery than I did in the service.

Maybe next week =)

The 20 minutes I actually spent in service I looked at the bulletin and realized my husband isn't going to be home tonight either. 

Boo. Literally. Hoo. 

Summer vacation is coming! 

And until then I'm just going to do a lot of deep breathing, say a lot of extra prayers for patience and for a thankful heart, set up some play dates with friends and keep reciting one of my favorite portions of scripture:

Lamentations 3:22-23

²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

 ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

Amelie Getting Her *Jog* On (And Yes, She Came Up With This "Running" Outfit Herself =)

Thankful For Them

Yesterday....

I had another lovely day with the kiddos yesterday! We had a quiet morning at home and then enjoyed a fun coffee trip with my friend Brie and her little guy! Granny of the East came for a quick visit/present drop off =) and the girls were so happy! Granny(s) are ROCK Stars in this house!

The girls went down for nap and I hoped to as well but then a stinkin' loud train came through and woke up Ezra an hour early from nap! Gah! Oh well! 

I brought my little guy down and we watched The Young Victoria.

And oh my word--I loved this movie! I rarely watch movies anymore because it seems like they are all so disappointing! So many times they are overly sexualized or violent and honestly I don't want to watch that nonsense! This movie was delightful though! My favorite genre--historical romance! The actors were all really lovely and understated and the costumes were ah-mazing! Really--very lovely. If I had a few more minutes in my day I would grab a book and learn more about Victoria--any monarch who has NINE children in the 1700s has got to be some kind of woman!

And now it's Thursday and another week has nearly flown by--I've got to feed the children because they've realized I'm around and they're starting to look at me with those big brown eyes. =)

Happy Day!

The Words Of Paul

I've been thinking a lot lately about the words and life of Paul. 

I'd love to say that I lived in such a way that I showcased the value of Christ, and HIS salvation, that I truly loved others but that I loved GOD most, that I put HIM above and before everything. 

But I can't. 

I am so thankful that *I* have no power to save myself--that Christ has already done the work and that with His help I can become the kind of person who Loves Him more than anything or anyone and loves myself least of all.

 

Philippians Chapter 3:3-14

 3For we who worship by the Spirit of God^b are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,  

4though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

5I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 

6I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 

8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 

9and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.^c For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.  

10I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 

11so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Pressing toward the Goal

12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 

13No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,^d but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 

14I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

A Perfectly Lovely Day

I've had a lovely day with the girls and boy (so far =)!

They woke up bright and early but were happy and played so well! They read books together,

played dress up

and worked on crafts 

while I organized the pantry!

and Ezra?

Well...he did a lot of sleeping and playing and eating baby food 

(homemade this morning while the girls were being angelic!)

It's absolutely gorgeous today, 

(Thank you God for a beautiful perfect NY-weather kind of day!!)  

so after we visited Daddy really quick (and got some excellent deals at CVS and Rite Aid) the girls ate snacks and played outside while I tried to relax in the Hammock.

Or, *hanky* as Amelie calls it. 

The girls were about 3 inches from my face and on top of my body the entire time so it wasn't very relaxing--but really--it was delightful.
Love. Them.

Also.

Thankful.

Ezra....

...slept from 5:45pm last night until 6:30am this morning! 

And he only woke up ONCE at 4:30! I think that's the best night ever! 

It took us 7 months to get here and I'm going to celebrate every sleep-full second!

A Bunch Of Tiny Ezra Pictures. Literally.

My Precious Ezra-Boy is 7 months old and we just dragged him out for some newborn pictures! Bwahahhaa

He's a handsome little guy and smiled like a champ!

So. Much. Love.

I Knew I Said I Wouldn't Mention It But....

....couponing has changed my life!

I'm saving so much money and sometimes even making money by shopping. 

Seriously. 

This stuff is for real!

If you've been tempted to start this is an awesome week to!

Click on over to my shopper's blog to find out more--because really--who wants to spend more than they have to on anything? It's just silly =)

I Still Love Him....

....even though sleeping through the night was apparently a fluke =) Oh well--it's a taste of the future I suppose =)

Thoughts, Questions, Thankfulness, Etc

* i'm so glad it's warm outside! i spent so many wintry months freezing in this house--it's nice to be warm again!

* ezra and his rolling are out of control--it's so funny--we just can't keep him contained! he is also growing out of control and happily we were gifted some big-boy-clothes for him for this fall! yay!

* sippy cups in the dishwasher are like socks in the wash--one piece of the pair always comes up missing. i wanted to experiment today and see if ezra could drink from one and couldn't find two pieces to match up! ack! it's a good thing we're going to target tomorrow (to spend my gift cards!).  

* how old were your kids when you introduced the sippy cup? i can't really remember the ages but i started amelie off with a regular sippy cup (around 8 months?) and maeve with a straw cup (who knows when!?). i'm not sure what to do with e-boy.  

* speaking of ezra--i blended up the ugliest combo of veggies for him to eat tonight--it was corn, green beans and carrots--it turned the WORST color i have ever seen--although, it apparently was very delicious b/c he ate it up!

* i've recently started texting and really enjoy it (it suits my phone phobia!) but dislike it when i try to talk to people who are so into their phone that they can't look up in a conversation! ever feel like technology brings us just as close together as it pushes us apart? it is hard--those little things are so addictive! i love to hear the little text-chime--it's like a magic little bell of happiness =)

* i'm liking this summer schedule of ours--we can do what we want, when we want to and it is lovely! too bad the kids don't sleep in b/c this would be an excellent time to start!

* this week has flown (as they all do)! i can't help but think of our vacay which is fast approaching! so exciting!

*happy thursday!

The Picture Strike. No End In Sight.

At Seven Months He Finally......

SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!!!

(And all God's people said--AMEN!!!!)

Below are some pictures I snapped of Ezra and Maeve making each other laugh!

My priceless little babies!

The Tooth, The Whole Tooth And Nothing But The Tooth

Can you see Ezra's first tooth? 

On the bottom right? 

That's one cute little tooth!

I can't believe my little E-boy is SEVEN wonderful months old!

Truth be told I had a small (*cough*notsmall*cough*) crying fit yesterday when I realized this moment was coming. 

For some reason 6 months seems very much more a little baby than 7 months!

And then, while our family was over, on Memorial Day, he pushed up on his knees like he wanted to crawl.

And I threw up in my mouth a little.

I can't believe how fast this time has gone.

My sweet, chubby, most likely last baby.

These have been such sweet months for my little family and I am thankful for every blessed minute!

 Ezra is such a wonderful little guy--people are drawn to him everywhere we go because of his mega-watt smile. I think he's cute (biased) but when he smiles he practically glows! What a joy! I love even more now that he is sleeping SO well at night! Finally!!! 

It's a miracle and I'm feeling more like a normal person by the day!

Happy 7 months Ezra! We love you so and are so thankful for you!!

The Difference Between Sisters; Camera Shy v. Camera Queen