Swagger Wagon

A friend brought this video to my attention...because they know my quirky love for my minivan...and white people rapping.


If you get a chance, check out the other Meet The Family videos from Sienna.  Hi-lar-i-ous.


Interestingly (or sadly)...I really do think I'm cool in my minivan Swagger Wagon :)


For realz.  Enjoy.

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It Can Wait...

It's raining here today.  


I need to clean this house.


But there's a Little Miss. that wants to snuggle her mama...


Look at those cheeks...

Irresistible, no?!?


Lucy is 7 weeks old today...the house will wait...the baby won't.


Don't worry, I'll give her a smooch for you.

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I Heart Them

I've been thinking a lot lately about things I love.  And yes, I am one of those people who says love in all sorts of contexts.  I'm also one that says things without always technically meaning things.


Have I lost you yet?


Here's some of my favorite (random) things right now:

• Lily Padz.  They're reusable silicone nursing pads.  I heart them.  

• My back door that is now painted red...

Ignore my shadow ;)

• The blog Morning By Morning.  I adore it.  I was hooked the moment I found Stacey...which has been awhile ago now.  Her life sucked me right in...and the blog...well just go look.  I can't quite explain it, but it plain just makes me happy every time I visit.  The pictures, the lay out, THE COLLECTION...seriously, I want to copy her in about ten different areas.  I mean, really, this is a gal who makes me want to collect vintage Pyrex...who knew!?! She just opened her own Etsy shop and...well...part of me doesn't even want to tell you about it because it's so dang cute I want to buy it all myself.  She has me hooked on vintage. 
• Lucy Feet.  Good grief I can't leave them alone.  Or cover them up.  Man I love baby feet.  Grown up feet = bleh.  Baby feet = sweetness.

More to come...

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Julie is Gone.

Julie flew back home to Norway last Thursday.  


April (with Lucy's arrival) and May had been so crazy around here that we all sort of lived in denial about her leaving.  Me especially...I'm pretty good at denial.


It has been a whirlwind of a year here in the parsonage.  As we walked into the airport to send her back to her own country, I couldn't help but feel like we'd just been there to get her.

And at the same time, it was sort of surreal thinking of all that had gone on while she was here.  The last time I walked into that airport as the mother of boys, and this time I walked into the airport with a teenage daughter and baby girl...a baby girl that wasn't on my "plan" list for the year.  I can't help but look at myself in this picture and laugh a little...because that Sarah didn't have a clue what she was in for. :)


I still don't.


Before Julie arrived, you probably noticed *cough* that every other post involved her.  And then August came, and Julie arrived and then she pretty much dropped off the radar from my blog.  Before she came, I remember thinking how much fun it would be to blog about life with a teenager.  And then she came, and I realized, I can't blog about that, not now at least.  Because at the time, no matter how funny, or frustrating, it was just too soon.


It's amazing how some time can give us a different perspective on any given situation.  Over the next year, I hope to look back on the time Julie was here and reflect and learn from those experiences.  


Julie became a part of us.  And saying good bye at the airport that day was much harder than I had anticipated.  Or maybe it was just the fact that I had to come to terms with it...there's no denying she's leaving when you watch her board the plane and lift off.


I learned a lot about myself, having Julie here.  I learned I have waaaay more to learn about having teenagers.  ;)


It was for a time.  I keep reminding myself of that.  So much of life is just for a time.  So much of me  wants to hold on to everything just the way it is.  I look at the boys and I think STOP GROWING SO FAST.  And Lucy...already filling out and growing by the minute, and I find myself sad that it's going so quickly.  Yet...it's supposed to.  They're supposed to grow.  Julie was supposed to go home to her family.  And if I'm sad for too long, I'll miss out on the joys ahead.  


So here's to learning to let go, embracing change...even enjoying it. 

Love you, Julie!  

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Pictures...

A week or so ago I tried to share some amazing pics with you...but my computer idiotness defeated me.  But today I triumphed.  Can I get a Yipee from anyone?!?  

Yipee!!!  

All the pictures are courtesy of my friend Sarah.  Sarah and her family are on deputation to be missionaries in Germany.  We met last Summer, through blogging and mutual friends.  Then in August they came to tiny town to our little church to share their ministry.  And we got to meet.  And became instant friends.  After Lucy was born, she took these amazing pictures as a gift to us.  I love them.  And I love her.  And, if you go check her blog(s) out, you will love her too.  I promise.

Now...on to the "aww-ing"  (because isn't that what we all do when we see cute pictures?) 

You can click on the pics to see them larger...

Even Odie got in on it ;)

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Blatantly Obvious

I'm feeling very contemplative lately.  Maybe it's the lack of sleep.  Maybe it's the isolation that mothering a newborn brings.  I've been sucked into my own little world of feeding, diapering, snuggling, feeding, feeding, feeding, well...you get the idea.  Or maybe it's God trying to show me something about myself that I really don't want to see.


I'm savoring every moment of this newborn-fog, because I know how soon it will be over.  Gone like a flash. And I know how much I'll miss it. Yet, it's hard to escape the sense of invisible I feel lately.  I don't mean "invisible" in a depressed sort of way.  I know my value.  I know my purpose.  I know the hope I have, because God is in those.  I mean "invisible" in a disconnected from other life activities sort-of-way.  It's made me realize that life goes on without me.  


Friends will find others who have time to lend advice or just a listening ear...
Ministry will continue and even flourish...without my constant attendance...
My boys will survive without their momma knowing every detail of their day...
Running partners will find new running partners...
Life continues on...it doesn't stop to wait.  It doesn't fall apart because I'm not there.


It's got me contemplating.  Why does that hurt my pride so much?  How can it make me feel both relieved and insecure at the same time?  Relived that I don't hold all things together.  (Big surprise, I know)  Relived that I can step aside and take a break.  And the ugly insecurity?  It's for the exact same reasons...weird.  


Pride (for me) always always always causes a host of problems.  It's always on-going.  Kinda like weeding flower beds.  One day you can spend countless hours pulling the nasty weeds, and you go to bed that night thinking man, my flower beds look perfect...go me!  Only to wake up the next morning to find dozens of weeds  have seemingly grown within hours.  And then, if you're me, you think  ahhh...why bother weeding at all?!?  Dumb things just keep growing no matter what.  So I give up for awhile...until one day I notice how terrible my yard looks!  They can only be ignored for so long.  Sooner or later they're blatantly obvious.  There's no ignoring them anymore.


That is pride for me today. Blatantly obvious.  Not very pretty to look in the mirror at.  Time to undo it.

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So Much Good Stuff...

Please note this is my third blog post this week.  *wink*


Last night our church held a baby shower for Lucy and I.  Lucy looked like this the whole time...

My friends from church did an amazing job hosting.  From the pink and orange decorations, to the yummy chicken salad croissants and cheesecake it really was perfection.  They even had everyone there address their own thank-you envelopes, and then sent me home with extra thank-you cards AND stamps.  Is that genius or what?!?  Being the terrible event hostess that I am,(seriously, I'm not joking...you don't want me to host anything for you...it will be oh-so-blah) I so so so appreciate those who are gifted at it.  THANK YOU MY FRIENDS!


My friend Jenni was a surprise guest and devotionalist (is that a word?  Doubtful, but I like it)  Anyways, when I saw her walk in I was confused.  I had thought I'd just given addresses for invitations to family and church people.  Jenni is technically neither.  Then I wondered if I had slipped her name in the invites without realizing it?  (my sleep deprivation on top of my already-bad-memory makes that entirely possible)  Turns out, it was just a lovely surprise for me!  She spoke on Hannah in the Bible, and reminded me of my own journey to Lucy.  Jenni and I have been friends for 6 or 7 years now...she listened to me (for quite some time) convince myself that three kids was more than enough for me.  She was also there a couple of years ago when God started whispering that maybe there was more to His plan...the letting go of the control was a journey.  It's funny how God can bring me through such a profound experience or lesson, and before long, I've already forgotten the journey ( I blogged about it here and here.)  Last night Jenni reminded me of that journey, and that Lucy was planned by God long before I had consented to handing over control.  What if I hadn't?  Makes me tear-up to think of the blessings I'd be missing...makes me examine my life right now...where am I not giving up control?  What am I missing out on because I think I know what's best?  Thank you Jenni...for being the friend that asks the hard questions, even when I don't want you to ;)  Love you.


Here's some pics...

This quilt was made by Betty from church.  Betty is a special lady to us, and this quilt is just amazing.  Did I mention she's in her mid-eighties!?!


My mother in law got Lucy her own little stroller.  I commented on how she definitely won't have her brothers wanting to share it...

I. Was. Wrong.

He also confiscated this box from her loot...

Check out all the stuff...

And the shoes!!!!

And the cutest diaper bag ever...

I'd been eyeing it since December.  But resisted.  *insert pat on back*  Thanks for not resisting, mom!! :)  

A friend gave me this...along with a Starbucks card.  Does she know me or what?!? Lucy slept through the night last night...11:30pm-6:00 am, yay!  Now, if she could keep doing that for the next week I might be able to catch up!  Until then...my kitchen looks like this:

Gonna get to it...eventually.  

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