Beautiful...

Isaiah's Story from 31Films on Vimeo.

Fall Fun

So, our last home in New York only had four itty bitty, baby trees which equaled no leaves in the fall to play in. We have made up for it this year already! Whew.... there are a lot of leaves out there! With probably only 1/4 of the leaves down by early in the week, the pile was nearly as tall as Isaac! The boys have had a blast in them.... I think that they are going to make up for missing the vast amounts of snow in Buffalo by enjoying the leaves in the fall instead!

Yep, how's that, Buffalo friends?! Using the snow shovel on leaves instead....

Ellie had fun in the leaves, too.... well, kind of....

Thankful Thursday....

Today, I am thankful....

1) For the blessing of grandparents. Three of my grandparents have all entered the nursing home in the past couple of months. Last weekend, my kiddos and I did the "grandparents' tour" and visited them.... I was incredibly reflective.... and incredibly grateful for all that my grandparents have invested in my life.
2) For our ONE YEAR anniversary!!!! One year ago this week, we moved back to Indiana! WHEW.... what a whirlwind it has been.... but it's been so rich and so full of blessings, too. We have learned much. God has stretched us much. And yes, we are feeling settled here. Life is good..... on most days, anyway! ;)
3) For our church. It's a great fit for Scott in ministry. It's a great fit for our family. I am beyond grateful.
4) For a leaf sweeper!!! We were excited to purchase a home this summer that has nearly a full acre WITH full-grown trees, but with that comes MUCH work every fall. We decided to take the plunge and buy a leaf sweeper to pull beyond the mower.... it has been worth EVERY PENNY already in one season! Much family time saved (and yes, our boys are still learning how to use rakes, too)!
5) That my little sis lives in the same city as me! Seriously, what a blessing! I love her.... A LOT!!! :)

Have a blessed day! Much love!

"Stuff Christians Like"

I've talked about Jon Acuff's blog before on here.... I love it.... and sometimes, it even makes me snort when I laugh.

The post today was GOOD.... really GOOD....

Scott's Football Coaching Debut

So, a little over a week ago, Scott made his football coaching debut. After the game, he informed me that it was one of the LEAST favorite things that he had ever done. I was actually surprised and said, "WHY?!" His response....

"Oh, it could have been OUR kid crying at halftime after he threw an interception....." (side note: he has had plenty of completed passes this season.... this game just wasn't his best!)

And yes, the list continued on from there as he dealt with a group of very discouraged kiddos who couldn't seem to get out of the "passing zone" and run a play.

So, a week later, he informed me of another incident that occurred during his coaching debut....

There were 1 1/2 minutes left in the game, and the kids were really discouraged because it hadn't been the best game....

Scott told me that he was trying to encourage them and said, "The important thing is that we learn something at every game."

The response from one of his players, "I learned that we suck!"

Well then....

Maybe Scott should go back to his glory days of coaching middle school girls basketball..... not 6-8 year old boys in flag football!

I LOVE Scott's expression here.....

And Aaron's expression here as he calls out the play!

Flashback!

I love video cameras. I love still cameras. I love blogging because it helps me to capture glimpses and moments. I love looking back..... enjoying..... reflecting.

Tonight, when I returned home from an awesome time out with a friend, Scott had pulled up this video....

Our Isaac.... memories that bring me so much joy. I'm excited that I'll still have the opportunity to watch this clip of my little sweetie when I am old and grey.....

Thankful Thursday....

Today, I am thankful....

1) SOOOO thankful that Scott is SOOOO helpful with our kiddos and around the house. Last week, I got nailed with a yucky, yucky stomach bug and LITERALLY didn't leave our bedroom and bathroom for more than 15 minutes in a 24 hour period. Praise God, it was Scott's day off anyway, and he was amazing. It's such a blessing that I didn't even have to worry about the rest of my crew.... I could just focus on getting better!
2) For an amazing morning at MOPS. Such a great topic.... such a great speaker.... such a great discussion! So thankful for all of the women!
3) That Scott and I worked together on Monday and unpacked 11 more boxes! Woot-woot! One step closer to being "settled" (is that even possible really?!)
4) That we finally have a low key family weekend coming up! So excited!
5) For the pastor that I have the privilege of living with, serving with, and growing old with! Did you know that it's Pastor Appreciation Month? Have you hugged your pastor today?! Um.... I have (well.... my "Teaching Pastor", that is!) :)

Have a blessed day! Love you!

MOPS Update

So.... I don't know if I've mentioned it here.... but I have the amazing privilege of coordinating the MOPS group our church. Such an amazing group of women.... such an amazing team of leaders.... yep, such an amazing privilege!

I'm excited about tomorrow. One of my dear friends told me about a friend of hers who has spoken at MOPS groups on various topics, including home organization and home management. After reading THIS POST from Jackie, I am even more excited to hear from her tomorrow morning at MOPS. I love being "in the trenches" with other moms.... I love that we can learn from one another as we humbly walk together, arm in arm....

Oops.....

So.... today is Aaron's birthday! We love celebrating! It's a great day!

So.... a little story to share.... what you need to know prior to this story is that all of my babies have been born via c-section. After his brother and sister were born, Aaron always talked about the "zipper" that the doctor gave me to get out the baby (vertical incision right under my belly button + staples = zipper like appearance).

SOOOO.... last night as I was tucking Aaron in at 8 PM, I was feeling really reflective. I said to him, "Buddy, do you know what I was doing at this point 8 years ago?"

A: "No."

Me: "My body and I were trying REALLY hard to get you to come out and have a birthday, but you didn't want to come out so the doctors had to take me to the operating room after 28 hours instead to do surgery to get you to come out."

ENTER: MOMMY PANIC. Um..... hadn't really thought about the fact that this could lead to questions like:

"Mom, how was I 'supposed' to come out?!!!!"

Thankfully, as I saw Aaron laying there pondering, I quickly filled the silence with, "You remember, THE ZIPPER?!" and then QUICKLY changed the subject.

Whew.... close call....

Yes, I know THAT conversation is coming quickly. But didn't want to have that talk on the eve of his birthday....

Happy Birthday, Aaron! I am celebrating you, no matter how you made your way into this world! :)

Getting over "my-house-isn’t-good-enough-itis"....

I read this post from Simple Mom this morning and loved it. It was a great reminder for me.

One of my dear friends was at my house last week for a visit with her kiddos, and about two hours into our visit, I laughed and said something about the endless pile on my counter (which I haven't quite been able to conquer yet!) She gave me the biggest blessing and said,

"I love your pile. I love your home."

And we proceeded to have an awesome conversation about how we FEEL in each others homes. The reason we both FEEL good there: because our friend is there, with open arms and an open heart. We have seen each others homes clean.... and we have seen each others homes with piles. It doesn't matter. We FEEL good.

God also provided me with a new spirit of gratitude in this area when Scott returned home from Haiti. Scott and the team from Sonrise built two homes/emergency shelters for two families while they were there. One of Scott's favorite memories from the trip..... when they had completed the second, they prayed for the woman who would be living there. Her response: praise and worship!

Perspective is certainly a good thing.

Simply beautiful....

Thankful Thursday....

Wow, it IS Thursday again, isn't it?!

So, today, I am thankful....

1) For my amazing, amazing friend Angie Mc. We met while sitting on the bleachers at our husbands' church softball games, and we have been friends ever since (wow, for over 11 years!) We have walked through cancer.... we have walked through multiple miscarriages.... we have walked through the births of 7 babies.... we have laughed a lot.... we have prayed a lot.... and goodness knows, we have cried a lot. I love her. I am blessed with a lot of sisters in life, and she is certainly one that I absolutely treasure.
2) For an amazing team of mentor moms at MOPS. We had a great panel discussion this morning. It was truly a blessing to me, and I am sure, for all the moms who were there!
3) That my hubby doesn't have a marketing job where he travels all the time. He's been gone quite a few days this month.... truly thankful that this isn't the norm. "Two are better than one...."
4) For one-on-one time with Isaac while Ellie naps during the day. I treasure this middle child of mine (because I am one, I've always had a tender spot in my heart for middle children!) We have so much fun reading together.... our current favorites.... "We're Going on a Lion Hunt" and "Five Little Monkeys"!
5) For God's provision in our lives. We've had great times.... and we've had rocky times.... but He has, without exception, always been faithful! Whenever I slip into some anxiety about the future and finances, I only have to look at His fingerprints all over the past to find a sense of calm. He is good. He is faithful. He is trustworthy!!!

I love you all. Have a blessed day!

Life as a momma.....

Sometimes, it is just plain awesome when another momma is REAL and HONEST about the joys AND the struggles of motherhood. I read THIS yesterday, and it was so encouraging to me as I nodded my head and said, "Yep, been there...." (thanks, Michelle....)

After a hard day on the homefront around here today (yes, Scott is gone again....) I needed a laugh. And yes, I found it HERE. I don't "know" Megan.... but I love the authenticity that is poured out on her blog.

Our little biker

Isaac learned to ride his bike at the end of the summer. He was so proud of himself when daddy took off his training wheels, and now, he is riding like a champ, jumping up the curbs and everything!

(and yes, as always, pardon the mommy commentary!)

Blog header....

So, I know that I should probably change the picture on my blog header because it is over a year old, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet.

Just a random thought that I wanted you to know.

Yep, that's how I roll.

Random.

This moves me.....

.... and I am certain that I am moved because the heart of the orphan moves the heart of God. I read this post, and it wrecked me. We went to the Star 88.3 Adoption Celebration, and it wrecked me. I hear the stories from my precious friends who just adopted, and they wreck me.

And then I ask, what do I do with this wreckage that is in my heart right now? Well, for many reasons, we know that we aren't bringing an orphan home.... tomorrow, at least.... BUT.... we can still make a difference. For today, that equals being a monthly sponsor with Show Hope, which provides medical care for orphans who are waiting to be adopted and also provides financial assistance for families who are in the painfully expensive adoptive process.

That's for today.

Beyond that, I don't know what our future will hold, but I know the One who holds it.....

Sugar....

As I was tucking Isaac in tonight, I loved the sweetness of our conversation....

Me: Buddy, I love being your mommy.
I: I love being your kid.
Me: You're a great kid.
I (without hesitation): You're a great kid, too!

Oh, I love them....