an update of sorts

While perusing thru old photos to get a head start on Mom's Christmas calendar, I came upon this gem. My Grandma Taylor and her momma. Wasn't her name Joann, Mom? beautiful.

It's fun the pics that end up on your computer when you have a slew of kids plugging their iPhones into home base. These next pics are Will's. This bike above belonged to my dad..Will is the proud new owner of this beaut.

cute #1 and #3.

Will borrowed this from me and I borrowed it from Pinterest. It just really sums up my general apathy toward all the football blather in the coming months. Wish I cared. No, I don't.

The Shire. awesome!

Will dutifully playing Barbies with Molly. That's Mandisa. That guy Barbie really does look like Will.

The crew we took up to New Buffalo/Michigan City area last weekend. Cammi K. got to go and we loved having her.

This is the Stray Dog, a very coooooool restaurant. The building was fabulous and I realized the kind of decor I favor...beach house. Plank walls, white trim, big windows, lotsa little white lights and industrial stuff. 

another gem from Will

and yet another

Once we found the "Riverwalk" area, we could've stayed there all day. This day was beautiful. You could see Chicago across the lake. The clouds were like cotton balls.

Good Saturday morning to ye!

Aren't these clouds delicious lately? 

Blogger is kinda buggy this morning...never quite cooperates as it should. grrrr.

Here's a little snippet of what's going on in this part of America...

David and Mel are currently on a youth retreat with our church. I could say a lot here but won't ;)

We've faced a lot of crazzzzy things with his company and such these past few weeks. Every time we "make" it thru a week, we say "Whew! We faced a lot...hopefully this NEXT week will be quieter/more sane/easy/whatever". And then the week comes we're outta the gate like horses. Crazy horses.

Today, I have the immense pleasure of going to the Wonder Basement. Wanna know what that is? Yeah, I just bet you do....

My friend, Tonya, my fabulous Stampin' Up demonstrator and probably one of the coolest/favorite people I know, has her monthly Scrap-Complishment. I always think I'll get to go but Saturdays are always weird and unpredictable. Someday,when my kids are all grown up/away/married/etc., I will definitely miss this.

So that's what I'm doing today for a bit. I am in total crafty momma mode. 

We took a trip up to Lake Michigan last Sunday. We stayed until Tuesday. I have a boatload of pics that I need to upload but I don't want to right now. Go to Facebook...they're all there till I can get to my beloved blog.

It was such a good trip. We so needed a change of scenery and what scenery we saw. We rode our bikes, we scaled some dunes (oh my, that is so much harder than I thought it would be. I haven't done so since I was 17.) 

Coming up...October. Month of even more crazzzzziness. Birthdays, Harvest Parties, the last month before all the holidaypalooza begins....man, I'm just trying to keep my head above the waters and breathe. 

On a healthy note: I've found a girl that I will be going to for personal training...some might say that this is expensive. I don't know yet...but it's going to be worth it. I have found it is hard to hold my self accountable to my friends/loved ones in this area. Why? Disappointment/vulnerability, who knows...When David, bless his amazing soul, tries to be my Slim Goodbody trainer, it makes for some challenging, ugly days. I love that he wants to put my health first and I love that he is willing to pay for me to get help, which in turn, helps my kids, family and me. 

This is a spiritual matter. more on this later.

So there ya have it...a little blog visit from me. I hate that I'm such a blog loser of late. I really do want/crave to get on here more often than I have but honestly, it is just sooo busy that blogging seems to fall to the bottom of the list. 

My bad.

Thanks for visiting, thanks for encouraging...

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

God bless you!

little bits from the past

strawberry shortcake and huckleberry pie doing some little sundances.

levi was so small in 2009

Molly is the age that Jack would be in these pix. Obviously, he wouldn't be wearing strawberry dresses, girlie hair bands or pony tails...but it's still something to help me imagine life in our house with a two year old.

blurry but the daredevil shows thru...

this was the age when she started pulling her 'tude. 

see what I mean?
and look at all of those goldielocks

ahhhh. these were the days.

when she'd still take naps, suck a binky and had to be wrapped in her blankie, which she still has. I'd hidden it in a tote and we were going thru tote to find things for Baby B and alas! Molly found the love of her life. (she didn't even know she'd been missing it...but all of a sudden? she had to have it NOW!) o well!
Jack would surely plunk himself down on the same living room carpet and get his blankie up by his face to sleep. 

I love this because it hardly looks like her nowadays..is it just me, or did her nose seem ginormous here? it definitely isn't now, it's cute and freckly...but wow. this is the ugly cry.

My heart is heavy on many fronts tonight so I thought I'd sit down and scroll thru old pix tonight.

I don't know if that's ever a good idea but I found these little treasures that made me 1.) Miss old little Levi and Molly and 2.) Miss Jack because he'd make our pictures so much more adorable these days.

I won't blog much, just wanted to put my little flag up to tell you I was still here.

Hope to blog more this week, as the 3 youngers and I are going to our friends' house to get crafty and home ec-ish...surely I will take pictures of that, right?

yeah, we will see.

until then...stay safe, stay sane and stay in the Word.

photo booth phun

My girls with Ella P.

Molly, right after her first self-inflicted hair cut in the spring of 2010

this is presh
I love binky babies.
there, i said it.
don't judge.

nerds

1.) My hair was SO short here but I loved it
2.) this pic reminds me of my mom

i like this pic because jack was in my tummy here. (I look horrible)
I don't like it because E, David and Moo are missing.

But Moo ends up in pleeeeenty of photo booth fun. Here she is with Miss P.

Most of my goofy sons

We even have some Ellie N. fun in our photo booth

and a boy with a panda on his noggin

Not that I am suffering from a shortage of pics, by any means...because I know I post plenty on Facebook and Instagram...but these will have to do for this evening.

Can I just say that I'm overwhelmed?

ok. thanks for letting me get that off of my chest. admitting something is half the trip to getting better, right?

As if homeschooling wasn't an undertaking in and of itself...having a self employed husband, who does a good portion of his work from home or on his phone (in our home or in our presence), and two sons and one daughter who work for him a couple times a week, and a wife (that's me) that helps out to pay for her cell phone, and classes the kids take and yada yada yada....We have just switched payroll companies this week. A very cool new program but still so intimidating for me. I'll be fine and I'm already figuring it all out (and it's kinda fuuuuun) but it just seems like a lot and I feel like I'm zoned out half of the time, trying to remember every dang thing I GET to do. not have to. get to.

if I can just look at it that way, it makes it seem a little bit more bearable.

All is well...dealing with stress does not agree with me. choose joy.

just go ahead and choose it. no one can do it for ya.
and we have so much to be thankful for. well, except this oppressive heat...and lack of rain but otherwise, we have sooo much to be thankful for. Fresh garden tomatoes, cool kids, a swimming pool, sunflowers,  clean clothes, food in our tum tums, Mary Poppins playing downstairs before we have to take it back to the library, a hard working and helpful hubby, a God who supplies all of our needs.

I could go on but I'm going to bed early tonight. I've GOT to get these younger kiddos on a better schedule. gotta.

gotta run...hope you are well. stay cool. happy 50 years ago that MLK made his I have a Dream speech.

these pix have nothing to do with my post

I think this is Luminate. Mel got to meet them at Camp Electric. 

Bart Millard, lead singer from MercyMe...sings as well live as on radio. 

Jon Micah Sumrall, lead singer from Kutless...my new favorite. 

Jeremy Camp, here and below. One of our family favorites.

so, as the title stated, these pictures, though amazing and fun...have nothing to do with my blathering here...they are just some fun pix I stumbled upon, on this laptop. I really need to be better about uploading my phone pix to this computer or taking pix with my camera but my iPhone takes such good pix, it's hard to wanna take them with my cam. does that make sense?

Yah. ok...so a little update of sorts.

Psalm 146:2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

Is this not a really beautiful verse?
I have, in no way, shape or form, arrived, as a believer in Jesus Christ. I struggle every day with my attitude or thoughts. I do wake up, get out my Bible, notebook and pen, sit down, usually at the table, occasionally out on the deck, to read God's Word, pray, sing....and that is the ONLY sure thing in my life right now. He is refining, shaping, challenging me. If you meet me, know this.

God's promises are true. I'm so thankful for this.

Hebrews 13:2 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.

Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Just a few of the truths I've been trying to cling to. More on these later.

David is working a lot...I'd say too much but this work is a gift and he's good at it. amazing actually. (I feel like John Watson, blogging about Sherlock. My Sherlock friends will get this joke). David is cool because every day is an adventure to him. He finds JOY in the everyday...doesn't mean he's always "happy" or fun to be around but he is radiating the Joy of the Lord. Sometimes, I don't get him or even like him...but I always love him and thank the Lord for putting him into my life. He's a wunderkind. He holds me accountable and leads his family well. I thank the Lord for him.

I just re-read that. All that to say, I'm renewed in my role as his helpmeet...He is my first human priority. My goal is to be a good wife, teach my daughters how to be good wives. Show my sons what a good wife looks like.

 My kids are my 2-6th priorities. If I have time after that to be anything more, to anyone else, then BONUS!!

Why am I blogging about this today? Not sure...felt it needed to be said. for myself and maybe for someone else. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being a wife and mother. It is the highest calling, no matter what feminists tell you or any other person for that matter. I am honored to be a wife and mom.

For the mom that is struggling to make sense of it all...for the new mom, for the seasoned mom...for the mom with an almost 19 year old, 17 year old, 15 year old, nearly 11 year old, 6 year old and baby boy who should be two toddling around but isn't...he's instead walking streets of gold. For those moms. Moms who call on the name of Jesus Christ and moms who question....

gotta run, little Molly moo is done with her bath. Much love and praying going on over here.

...I'm not dead yet....it's getting betta...

I know.

I know....horrible post title

Horrible neglect of my dear, dear blog.

My apologies.

I honestly don't think my life can get any busier. I long for those days of

JUST
BEING
HOME
ALLLLLLLLLL
DAY
LONG.

don't you?

This pic up above makes me hurt. Physically, mentally...that boy in there...he didn't even take a breath.

If you have babies that have taken breaths and lived, rejoice. for me, please.

If you have babies that haven't taken breaths, or didn't take many breaths, after the initial pain, shock, horror and general horribleness of it all, we can rejoice but if you can't? I get that.

Jack was so cool. What a tiny doll boy he was. That hair. his chin. His perfect little limbs, hands and feet. I remember feeling him move and how he'd do this little shake thing. I couldn't wait to see him do it out from under my flesh. I'm past feeling totally jipped (that is so not a word) about that and on to just soaking up, enjoying moments and finding JOY in little things.

We were out for classes, lessons, errands today and as we drove past Community South, I thought...Jack was there. that is the one place he visited outside of our home, outside of my belly. it doesn't smack me in the face so hard now days.

Then I got thinking..."What a cool kid he is" and what a gift he is, was, will always be. His short little life has caused me to see things so differently now. Not perfectly or completely full of understanding/wisdom/grace but so much more in that direction. I want to see the world as Jesus does.

Grace.
Mercy.
Truth.
Forgiveness.
Love.
Patience.

Thank you, Jack my boy. I miss you and let me tell you, there is a slew of babies being born all around me (thankfully, a good portion have been girls but still....) and holding Li'l G's tiny baby sis, Baby B was miraculous and mysterious and wonderful. A gift from God. (I haven't blogged about her yet but she is PRECIOUS and tiny and has a head full of beautiful ombre hair). So glad for you, Myssi and Adam. Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again, I say REJOICE!


Ok...I need to get back to the work of the day...ordering curriculum that I forgot to get, organizing what I DO have, getting the mess of a classroom in order and really, in the whole scheme of things, just wanting to take a nap. hahaha.

Don't forget to watch the Perseid Meteor show tonight....Will and I caught a few meteors late last night and THAT, my friends, is a cool thing.
Adios!

25 months and a little pictorial update

I know what you're thinking...wow! this update goes all the way back to the 80's.
No.
I just wanted to share a few oldies to commemorate my brother's two sons arriving this past weekend.
Sibling love.
nothing like it.

Andy and I.
I was his favorite.
until 78
LOL
Beck's obviously always had more style than me
can't blame the kid

Charlie, 10, Phebe, 7 and Duncan, 12. Pheebs is staying in Florida.

My hubs and I. He's quite precious to me. I like to call him HIGH MAINTENANCE but in all actuality, I may be the HIGH MAINTENANCE one.

These pics are completely in random, space cadet order.
Pardon me.

Moll and Nora at Moll's 6th bday party. I can't believe I've been blogging for over 6 years now.

Tom refuses to submit to Andy and Scott's tomfoolery. Go Tom!!

We had a rare evening with this guy and his incognito bro, E. They ran a job at C9 for David in the month of July.
I miss seeing my big boys.

This was on the campus of Cedarville University, which will be a blog post in and of itself.  Stay Tuned for Camp Electric/Melanie post.
You know what I just discovered, by accident in mistyping Mel's name? If you take the L out of her name, it spells meanie.
Very fitting for this picture.
hahahahahahahhaha

My Dad, back in the early 60's. We were shocked as to how much Ethan resembles my Pops.
Makes sense, considering we named him Ethan James.

Someone may or may not need a haircut???

oh little guy.
I miss this tiny face.
I still have this face in my presence, for which I am most thankful...it's just not as small or innocent anymore.
doll boy.
see below.

Molly keeping her dad warm in JULY.
I have to say, I love a chillier July but this unseasonable chill is just weird.
makes for chilly, if any, swimming.

Zinnia love.
Sunflower love.

Majestic block delivered our newest load of retaining wall blocks.
Now, for the time to actually assemble wall?
Good question

This is what Ethan has been up to...farming, logging drive time, working with his dad a lot....
He's such a nice guy. We call him the Pied Piper because any time there are kids around, he is right in the center of them.

I feel so behind on my blog. So much has transpired that I've missed and so much is on the horizon and I just don't have the "time" to blog that I "used" to. haha.

25 months ago....this.
Hello....goodbye.
I miss this little person and feel his absence daily.
What I'd give to sniff your toddlerness and scold you for being pesky.
We all wonder and we all MISS you immensely, Jack Oliver Precious Boy.

In the news:

~My mom's back/hip/pelvis injury seems to be improving after a li'l nose dive in healing last week. Thank You, Lord! Get well, Momma!

~Our Aunt Sherry had surgery on her shoulder today. She is the soul up above, just in case you are new here, that is in the Jack pic with Melanie. She and our Uncle John lost their son, Tim, to CF 28 years ago. She is well-acquainted with grief and has been such a blessing to our family. God worked out all of those amazing details in having them move here 4 months before Jack died. Please pray for her, as she has had some annoying troubles with her "bionic"shoulder in the past few months. 

The thing I love about my mom and Sherry is their resilience. I know they cry and cry out to God in their pain...to be expected...but their spirit of selflessness and positivity is such a testimony to their Godly characteristics of patience, meekness, and love.

~David, Will and E are in IL this week. Finishing a rest stop there. Amen. Will is in his friends, Jonathon and Olivia's wedding this weekend. Jon is the Uncle of Li'l G. 

~Li'l G became a big sister this past Saturday, when Baby B was safely born (nearly 6 pounds) to Adam and Myssi. Praise the LORD!! She is a beautiful, tiny thing! We are so happy for Adam, Myssi and their family. Our youth pastor, Greg and his adorable wife, Erin, little 2 year old son, Nolan, welcomed Macy Louise a week ago yesterday (same day as Prince William and Kate!!) Babies everywhere. I'd like to get a sniff but I'm not holding my breath. haha.

~I have a rash behind my right ear. I shared it on FB last night...and many people said it sounded like Shingles. Ahhhh. Alas! it is not. How stupid and relieved was I to find out I have a case of Poison Ivy. See if I wrestle around in the weeds, feeling invincible anymore?? Yuck and ouch.

~Duncan, Charlie, Piper and Nora all started their adventures in the Perry Township schools today. Per Beck's report, all went well, with only a few minor glitches along the way! I know that is a big relief to all involved. Whew!!

~My kids have been doing school through the summer. Albeit, lighter loadages but I'm gearing up to start them out next week. Since we've changed Levi's math curriculum, he is actually excited about that part of school. Now, if I could get him excited about Phonics/Reading/Spelling/Proper Grammar. Urgh. 

Ok, the annual Young Summer Reunion is 8/10-8/11 and I am taking some crafty supplies to pass the time so I'd best be figuring that out...hope this update was fun.

*Note: I didn't blog much about Melanie because she will be in the Camp Electric post. yo!

mosaics and things that make up our days.

Good afternoon.
I have really neglected my blog. There is NO excuse for this.

This li'l mosaic fishy is hopefully going to be a table top for us someday. David is also going to do one with Jack's name. I'm really excited about that. When we will have the time to really do that, I have no clue.

A few things that have been happening lately:

~Mel just returned home from Camp Electric yesterday, much to her chagrin ;) not really but man, she had a wonderful time and I'm so happy for the lessons that she brought from her 4 days learning how to be an integral part of worshipping Jesus Christ. I believe this is just the beginning of an important part of her life.

~My momma fell almost two weeks ago and is suffering so with jumbled vertebra and pelvis probs. She had standing x-rays done today that will show her doc of osteopathy just how to treat her. Feel so bad for her. Get well, Mom.

~When I was a youngster, I LOVED Princess Diana. a lot. I would dream of meeting her and for some reason, I really adored her. Who didn't? Now, to watch her son and his beautiful wife welcome a new baby, do such normal things...and to see how adorable they are with their little son....awww. My heart melts. I know that even people of privilege can suffer loss, as Wills did when his momma was killed...but I couldn't help but think, wonder, question..."Do they know what a gift it is that their baby George Alexander Louis, is alive and breathing?" Will I always wonder about this? I do believe I will. I think it's just a natural part of loss. I naturally imagined myself on that stoop on the Lindo Wing in London, holding Jack and all of his beautiful brown crazy hair just blowing in the breeze. This is how he lives.

congrats to the Royals.

~I do believe that if things do not slow down a jot, I may implode. Why can I not handle the crazy pace that is our life? When I think of getting our school year going in full swing again (we have been doing Math/reading/phonics thru the summer), I want to curl up in a ball and disappear. To be able to do the things that I'd like to or that are necessary...well, they may have to wait till I have full blown arthritis and oodles of time. I have two elementary aged kids left. So weird. just weird.

~On a really cool, answer to years of praying note: My brother, who has been here for a little over a month now, is in FL retrieving his 12 year old son, Duncan and 10 year old son, Charlie. They will be back this weekend and starting their new school next week. Phebe, his 7 year old daughter, will be staying with her mom. I'm really excited about getting to finally really know my nephews and brother. Yay!!!

On that note....I must go for now. I must. I will aim to be back on here sooner than two weeks. poor blog. poor poor blog.