A Few Days to Go

I took pictures for a friend a couple weeks ago.  She had her baby four days after this picture was taken.  It was so fun!  I so dream of doing what my friend Traci has started--one day.  For now, it was really fun to play.  This is one of my favorite shots.  

Not the Typical Mother's Day Weekend

It feels like forever since I tried to do this. Thursday night I was very brief in my post.  Earlier that evening I had taken Jack to Kathryn's program at school.  It was the end of the year musical program.  After that we went to Steak 'n Shake.  It was fun to have that much time with just Kathryn and Jack.  They were so good and it was really fun.  

Later that evening I felt horrible.  I have been eating pretty well the last few months, and so I thought my late evening calorie fest at Steak 'n Shake was just giving me heartburn.  Well, it just got worse over the course of the night.  I couldn't sleep and the pain was really bad, so at 6:00 in the morning we called a dear friend to come and watch the kids, and Jerry took me to the ER.  After a few tests, they decided I needed to have my gall bladder removed.  Our friends and neighbors were just amazing.  They took care of our children.  The kids got up well for Corrie, and Kathryn was very understanding about me not being able to go to the Mother's Day Tea at school.  

The surgery went well.  I was able to spend the night at the hospital.  I was so thankful to get to do that.  My parents came down to help out with the kiddos.  I got home late yesterday.  I'm still sore, but things are going well. I am so thankful that they did the surgery and didn't have me wait to have another gall bladder attack.  Everyone was so kind and really helped our family.  Not the typical Mother's Day, but I am so thankful for how God took care of me and our family.  

Please Pray!

You know I just haven't had the umph to do this.  Life is busy and crazy and challenging and fun.  However, I was going through my blog roll tonight and went to Leslie's page.  Please, please pray for them.  Leslie's cancer is back and they are just going through so much.  Thank you!

The Thrill of the Hunt

This morning was just super fun.  Garage Sale season is in full swing.  I just love it.  Seriously, one good deal, and the whole morning is worth it.  Today was just the best!  Kathryn really needed a new bike.  There were tons of neighborhood sales this morning, and at the first one, I found a super cool bike for her.  I asked the lady how much she wanted for it, and she was like, "How about seven dollars?"  Made my morning.  I was so excited!  What fun!  Jerry has been working on the desk he found for Kathryn too.  He sanded it down and is painting it white.  So fun!  Then after I picked up Jack, I asked him if he wanted to go garage sale-ing some more.  He loves it because the very first time he went he got a fun, loud, toy weed wacker for a dime.  Now he is hooked.  We went to a house and she had Rescue Hero central.  We don't have any of those things, and really, they haven't talked about it much.  Jack spent nine dollars of his own money and got this Rescue Hero tower thing, a jet, a boat, and five guys.  They are loving life tonight.  He is so proud of the fact that he bought it too.  Love it!  Ok...one last thing that I have to share...I found a pair of tags on GAP capri pants for $5.  Love it!  So fun!  Course you either get this or think I'm crazy.  :)  I have some dear friends here that love this too.  We call each other all morning and share where to go.  So fun! Hopefully tomorrow will be fun too!  

A Weekend of Fun Blessings

As I sit here, it is hard for me to believe how much has happened this weekend.  It is very surreal. Friday Jerry and I went to garage sales.  It was basically the venue for just spending time together and chatting.  It was fun to drive around and run into a few friends and look for some fun deals.  My husband is just the best.   We did that together in the morning, and then that evening he let me go and meet some of my college friends for dinner.  

Then Saturday morning Jerry and Steve taught a cooking class for the women's spring event at our church.  They made yummy food for twelve gals while I took the kids to chic-fil-a.  When I returned, the women said just the sweetest and kindest things about my dear husband.  He is just wonderful.  Then Jerry let me go catch up with my college friends again. 

This weekend was our "Taylor Girls Weekend."  Nine of us got together to just visit and catch up. One of our friends moved to Upland in the last year, so we were not only able to see each other, but we were able to revisit Taylor together.  This was only the second time I have been able to go.  It seems I have basically been pregnant or nursing most of the other years.  What a rejuvenating time!  It was so good to just talk and laugh and listen and laugh some more.  Those of you that couldn't make it this year, you were dearly missed.  I so hope that there is a time when we can all be together for one of these.  

It was amazing to walk around the campus together.  We were walking on the sidewalk that leads from the DC (where we ate) to our dorm.  It was just surreal for me.  How many times did we do that very walk in college?  Then, we got to our dorm... I haven't been back to the dorms since we graduated, so that was just fun.  Someone said the picture of Grace had faded.  Someone else said it smelled the same.  We went into the lounge and then we had our own ring down for our friend that got married last year.  It was so fun to just laugh and remember those times from college.  She passed around her ring for all of us to see.  Then she stood up on the bricks for us and told us how she got engaged.  Then another friend that got engaged after graduation shared her story too.  We cheered after each of them told their story.  A few people walked through the lounge while we did that.  We are all married now, and there was just something so sweet and surreal and fun about celebrating that in an old fashioned Taylor way.  

Then we went on our wing.  The room I lived in as a freshmen is totally gone and is now part of the laundry room.  Of course we were just talking and laughing.  We even joked how we are "those people" now.  We could remember when other gals would do this when we were in college.  Now we were the ones going down memory lane, amazed by what had changed and what was the same.  Everything would trigger another story.  The bathroom has been remodeled, which only made us laugh about time when the dividers to our stalls ended up under the bell tower.  

Then it was off to Ivanhoe's for lunch.  We had dinner at T.O.P.P.I.T (The Only Pizza Place in Town).  Breadsticks and more fun down memory lane.  Later that night we were able to get shakes from Ivanhoe's.  We had lots of time to visit and relax.  It was much needed down time for all of us.   Melynie has some great pictures up, and I'm sure Traci and Heather will add some soon too.  

We had a class tonight at church and some dear friends were asking about my weekend.  I feel like it was just so rejuvenating and like a time to just reboot.  That may sound silly, but I can't really describe it.  I think the fact that we were there together when it wasn't a crazy alumni time made me way more reflective.  It just looked like a regular spring Saturday at Taylor.  It just hit me how back then I wondered what was I going to do?  Would I get married?  Who would I marry?  Where was I going to live?  How was God going to use me?  Would I have children? So many questions and challenges.  Then tonight it really hit me how God has just been so faithful.  Different memories would come to mind as we walked around campus, and oh, to just tap the old me on the shoulder and say, "Don't worry.  God is faithful.  Trust Him and trust His timing."  Now we are all in a different season and there are new questions, but God is the same.  He is faithful.  His timing is perfect.  I am just so thankful.  What a blessing these women are in my life! 

 

Discoveries

Today I was making dinner, and I had the Food Network on TV.  All the sudden I hear one of the kids yell, "Hey Mom, Rachel Ray is using one of our tools."  Jerry will be thrilled to hear that one. She was just using one of those big hand held zesters--I can't remember the fancy cooking term for it.  Anyway...

Earlier we were outside playing at our neighbors' house.  It was a beautiful day, and I was able to visit with our neighbor and watch the kids play in her backyard at the same time.  At one point Henry went out of my view, so I asked the other kids, "Hey guys, where is Henry?"  (Note they were in a fenced in yard, so I wasn't worried.  Where could he go?  Oh, where there is my Henry, there is a way.) Kathryn goes, "He's going in and out of the dog door."  Nice.

Hidden Treasure

So this afternoon the kids were having fun playing outside on their park.  Henry asked me to move his beach chair into the sandbox so he could pretend he was at the ocean.  We put the chair down, and there, all alone, was one tiny robin egg.  The kids had so much fun holding a "real" egg.  Normally we would leave the eggs alone to hatch, but the sandbox is definitely kid territory, not bird territory.  So they got to tell Daddy what they found.  What joy it brought them!  So fun to see things through their eyes.  

Our Monday Adventure

Today was a bit of a crazy day!  We were outside for most of it though, which is such a welcome switch.  I took the kids to the park and walked around the track with the younger two in a stroller.  The older two rode their bikes and played with bubbles.  Then a dear friend met us up there with her three kids.  They were all having fun.  The bleachers of the ball diamond are always a fun place to play.  I know I have told my children countless times to be careful and not jump off the bleachers.  Alas, some things are only learned the hard way, and as much as I can say things to try to protect them, sometimes they try them anyway.  So Jack jumped off the top row.  He hurt his foot, but we were able to go straight to Dr. Jack's office.  Then we went to the hospital for his "fancy picture" of his foot.  Jack could understand x-ray much better than Henry.  The people at the hospital were so kind.  They gave the kids coloring books and crayons.  Thankfully we were seen very quickly.  They called back early this evening, and everything is fine.  He must have just bruised his foot badly.  Kathryn is really trying to take care of him, and he just spent most of the evening relaxing on the couch.  

Every now and then I have these big "Mom" moments.  It may sound ridiculous.  Of course I'm the mom, but sometimes the fact that we have four kids hits me harder than others.  Or I think back to when I was a kid and my parents were doing something very parental, and now that is me.  I can't really articulate it very well.  Today though, registering Jack and putting on his little hospital band was a very real "Mom" moment.  I am so thankful that all of it was just for an x-ray.  

Totally unrelated....my dear friend Jennifer is giving away some fabulously fun blog candy.  She is so generous and amazingly talented, not to mention just a super nice friend!  Good luck!

Celebrating A Sunny Weekend

We have finally had two sunny days in a row!  Yesterday we celebrated by going to the zoo.  We hadn't been there since the fall.  It was fun to just take one stroller.  The kids are getting big so quickly.  Henry thoroughly enjoyed his newfound freedom of walking at the zoo.  The best part though was when he climbed up onto the first rung of a fence where they had a bunch of ostriches and gazelles.  He climbed up and then as loud as he could, he yelled, "Hello animals!  It's me Henry!"  So cute.  Jerry actually got the whole thing on film.  Total fluke, but we are so thankful!  He had some great comments.  There was the bit too about how the monkeys needed some "goop" on their "tushes" aka the baboons needed diaper ointment.  We went to the big butterfly exhibit too.  The kids loved seeing so many different butterflies up close.  Jerry even commented how it was just the perfect day.  He ended our evening by making a fabulous halibut dish with a mango salsa.  Then he built Kathryn some cubbies for her closet.  He is just the best!  

Today was church for half of us.  Half of us stayed home with our colds and whatnot.  Jerry and Steve made a great lunch--deconstructed pesto pasta--it is fun to just say.  Henry ate four helpings!  Hopefully I can find a way to grow basil this year without the beetles eating it all.  It was so good.  Steve had brought some of his mom's pesto over Monday.  We ate all of it.  It was just the best thing.  Oh to make pesto remotely as good!  Then we played outside with all the neighbors.  Then the guys made a pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and other yummy goodness.  What a great weekend!  Hope you enjoyed yours as well!

The Shark

So today I was cleaning up after B had finished her snack.  Henry is in this phase where he likes to help me with the swivel vacuum.  We used to own one that was called "the shark," which is why I still call the little vacuum the shark.  So as I look at the mess of crackers on the floor, I asked Henry to go get the shark.  

"Ok, mama," he said. 

Then he ran out of the kitchen.  I got busy doing other things.  A few minutes passed, and Henry comes running into the kitchen. 

"I got it mama," he said as he proudly held his big stuffed Bruce the shark up in the air for me to see.  "I got Bruce."

So cute.