Happy Weekend

This weekend I'm looking forward to...
1.  Fall in Wisconsin.  Cool breezes.  Changing leaves.  Bonfires.  Cedarburg.
2.  Visiting with family.  
3.  Taking time to sit and enjoy.  Bonfire is definitely in order.  Repeating this ensures it happening.  
4.  Squeezing my youngest.  Haven't seen her since Tuesday night.
5.  Absolutely loving that my whole family will be in the same place.

Wordless Wednesday

The infamous basket of laundry.
Never seems to get put away.
Its been moved around the same room for about 3 weeks now.
To put it away means saying Goodbye to a season.
All of these clothes are labeled 3T.
Little Miss skipped a whole size in clothes.
Not okay with that.
Good thing they are Fall clothes.  Fall makes me happy.
Never got to pull out the 2T.
Not sure where any of it is right now.
But you can bet I would have searched furiously if I thought she'd fit into any of it.
So long summer dresses and 24 months.
Hello 3T.
You will be worn by a crazy, energetic little lady.
She will wear you down, turn you different colors, and tear you up.
Enjoy!

 A Little Babble about a Cup.

Whenever I get a Caribou drink, I find it really hard to throw away the cup.  Have you seen these cups?  The whole theme is “Life is short.  Stay awake for it.”  Yes, I do see the correlation to caffeine.  Most mornings I do need the jolt that caffeine offers to stay awake and get through.  But, all the sweet things written on this cup, make it hard to throw away.  This one says “Tear Jerkers, Chocolate Breakfast,  Hula Hooping, Grilling, bonfires, smores, looking into a loved ones eyes, etc”  All these moments (and so many more) are definitely ones I want to be awake for.  I think, no I know, its hard for me to do.  To stop all the busyness, and  actually sit still long enough to enjoy my children playing…actually playing, not fighting.  To listen to their sweet laughter.  To answer the question that is asked every night at dinner (started by Emma and now followed by Norah) “What was your favorite part of the day?”  Usually the answer is “Right now.  This.”  Some times its because I didn’t “rest” or “stay awake” for other moments of the day.  It seems silly to write a post about a cup, but its so much more to me, in this journey I am on.  The way God wants to get my attention.  He gives me such sweet moments throughout the day.  A fresh fall breeze.  Sun shining through the trees casting shadows as I walk on a path.  My chubby daughters cheeks that I just can’t get enough of these days because I know they will fade away as she gets older.  I was given this book for Christmas last year.  I never finished it, but really need to.  It’s about being thankful to God for all the sweet moments/gifts He gives us daily.  The author gives a challenge of writing them down.  There are times I’ve taken up this challenge, and it has brought blessing.  A sweet spirit of God being with me throughout the mundane, or what I would consider the mundane of my day.  It helps me pick up my camera and capture these moments with my family and friends.  To look at life through a lens.  And some times, I need to put my camera down if it becomes more a distraction.  And in the end, its more than just a cup that jolts my thinking back into place, its about cherishing this crazy journey called life that I get to be on.

SIMPLE Honesty.

Life right now.

Things are hard.  We've been frustrated lately.  We're getting through.  Trying not to succumb to hopeless thinking.  We're fighting to stay "awake" to the little moments of joy.  Pushing through our desire to sit it all out right now.

Monday was a HUGE God day (isn't every day, even if we can't see Him), Ben had a horrible headache.  A friend and I prayed, and then I got a text from Ben saying his headache was gone.  Amen.  Another friend shared their need for a check to come in the mail, otherwise bills weren't going to get paid.  She got home; a check was in the mail.  Another Amen.  Other friends had their third little one, despite what looked like complications.  She's healthy and beautiful and doing great!  We need these sweet God moments in the midst of life right now.  We're thankful for them.

I think I grind my teeth at night.  They hurt!  I've had dreams of not being able to bite down correctly.  Makes me think I am actually trying to close my mouth all night long.  Yikes!  I've been waking up with my jaw clenched.

Trying to figure out potty training.  Norah's gone several times on the potty.  Not ready for cold turkey panties yet.  I'm not ready for the clean up.

Emma loves school.  She does ask me about homeschooling though.  I just remind her it wouldn't be watching cartoons all day.
She's been interested in what she's going to be when she grows up.  Today, she told me she no longer wants to be a Vet, but would like to be a farmer.  After I told her that farmers get dirty (she thought farmers dressed fancy like cowgirls), she told me she's going to stick with being a Vet or working with animals actually.  The whole giving shots to animals makes her sad.

___________________________________________________________________

Emma turned 6 since the last time I wrote anything.  She's Sweet.  Lovely.  Beautiful.