BOO!

Didya miss me us?

Been a little busy (you can see parts of why here), thinking about blogging everyday, went to work on my 10 on 2sday post on Tuesday... and my computer wouldn't recognize my external drive with all my personal pictures on it.  Slight freak out, while remaining outwardly calm.  It magically started working today. Although, this picture was taken today and not on my other drive... blah, blah, blah, now I'm rambling... Gonna wake up and run tomorrow when the temp is supposed to be somewhere around 20 degrees out... I may be insane, not sure... so g'nite!

She makes me laugh...

I hope Avery forgives me for posting pictures of her making silly faces...



...I just can't help it ~ she makes me laugh!

What to do? Peek-a-boo!

My hubby is very handy with wood working (when he has time), and has now made us two entertainment stands. Sadly, though, this one stands empty (long story), but not unused...


*whistling*
No one here!



No one here, either!



Peek-a-boo!



Peek-a-boo-you!



Ah man, they caught us!

Watch out...

...for the...



...tickle fingers!



She'll gitchya every time!






(actually, you really do have watch for the tickle fingers... they like to touch the camera lens too...)

Brynn says hi!

Hope your Friday is happy...

Understanding Loss

This morning I prepared to send a card out to my cousin with the following verse:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  
Psalm 73:26

After writing today's date down I had to do a double take.

Has it really been 5 years?

I remember vividly how emotional this time was for me 5 years ago.  I had just started a new job in a new town, found out I was pregnant shortly thereafter, my brother was preparing to be deployed to Iraq, and my Grandfather's health was failing rapidly. 

And 5 years ago today I experienced my first loss of a close family member.

I remember feeling fortunate that it took 25 years before I ever had to experience a loss like that, but also having no idea how to process those emotions because it was a situation I had no experience with.  And goodness, I was already emotional as it was.

So I dug around this morning and found the flier from my Grandpa's Memorial Service and I want to share a part of it that is sticking with me this morning:

The Lord has blessed us with so many good things in our lives that we might think He has abandoned us when sorrow comes along.  In our sorrow we may not feel His Presence but that doesn't change His promises to be with us... and we may not understand, but He doesn't ask us to.  All He asks is that we trust Him. 

The hardest part of my faith has been not understanding why certain things happen ~ why "God allows it."  Losing someone is SO hard for the human brain to comprehend, especially when it doesn't seem like 'their time.'  And as difficult as it will always be for us to understand, God gave us his words to provide comfort, as long as we trust in him.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  
Psalm 73:26

He was an amazing man, is thought of often, and will always be loved and missed...

10 on 2sday

This episode brought to you in part by random-ness from the camera in my phone:


1.  A week may just be the longest I've gone between posts...

2.  I learned last week that the grocery store aisles are not wide enough...  ask me why. 

3.  I am going to assume you asked me... one of my children broke a jar of jelly at the store.  It was totally slow motion, I saw her reaching for it, and it was too late...  and yes, it was embarrassing.

4. Brynn's new favorite thing to do is empty the tupperware drawer into the sink.  So this is often what my sink looks like because there is never enough space in the dishwasher to fit it all in at the same time:

5. Avery can reach WAAAAAAAAAAY to high for my comfort. 

6.  Evan got a hold of the foam stickers and decided they belonged on his wall, and his bed, and his furniture, and a few other places.  I guess I should be glad it wasn't something that didn't come off easily!

7.  This was the sight as I was getting breakfast ready one morning.  Four different types of milk ~ some nearly empty, two types of juice.  Can you imagine what it looks like in our fridge?!!?  Not much room for anything else...

8.  The girls pulled the. entire. box. apart.  And had lots of fun while doing it...  My first thought was; well, cheap entertainment.  But then I went to buy a new box of aluminum foil and it was like $8!?!?!  That seemed liked a lot!  So I went with generic just in case this happens again... 

9.  Speaking of cheap entertainment... I am SO glad we had 3 brooms in the garage.  I couldn't believe how entertained these kiddos were with the brooms.  I WILL be reminding them of their previous enthusiasm to help me 'clean' when they are, oh... say, 14 years old!!

10.  The last couple weeks my patience has been tested more than it ever has before.  (see #2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 8 for a few examples)  Some days I pass the test with flying colors.  Other days I fail miserably.  I am reminded of how often I fail when Evan covers his ears as I discover one of his wrong-doings.  Just been one of them weeks...