Bowling!

I took the kids bowling with a friend and her kids yesterday. This is a first for my little ones. They LOVED it! They want to take daddy tomorrow (he's coming home today)! The pics are blurry because I took them with my phone and then had to resize them.

Good Reminder

http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2010/07/from-a-very-early-moment-in-my-mothering-career-i-got-it-that-if-you-dont-take-the-time-to-teach-a-child-a-job-or-task-there.html

For some reason I could not put this in as a link but you can still get here by pasting and cutting.

Thought this was a good simple reminder that little ones will not just do a job when told to but must be taught.

Cutuest Baby Boy!

Ok so I know I emailed this pic to lots of people but I'm so in love with it I wanted to post it too!

Strawberry Weekend

This weekend we got a bunch of delicious local strawberries and made jam one night and then made an amazing berry shortcake tonight it was YUMMY!

Summer Solstice

To celebrate the first day of summer we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. It was a cool evening and not very summery but ended up being a perfect evening for a fire.

Rachel's Visit

We had such a nice visit, lots of just hanging out and a lovely trip to Alki. I'm sad we didn't get a picture snapped at Alki but we were lucky to remember to take any pics as these were quickly snapped on Rachel's way out!

Great Idea!

I read in a magazine, a recipe for strawberry frozen yogurt. It is so simple: Blend 6-8 oz vanilla yogurt and 2 cups frozen strawberries, freeze for 30 minutes or serve immediately. I tried this today and my kids love it, they think they are eating ice cream!! I love it because I know they are eating normal, healthy stuff (and no sugar)!

My Take on Mastercards Ad...

Watching my kids play contentedly outside while I cook dinner - $1000

Watching my 2 1/2 yr old son stand and pee in the corner of the fence (independently) - $2500

Explaining to my daughter WHY boys can do that and girls can't - PRICELESS

Wonderful Words

This morning the kids went to the sitters across the street. I rested in the quiet. As we were walking back home AJ had to go poop and evidently couldn't hold it. So we got upstairs and got him stripped down in the shower. I swished out his undies in the toilet and left them to soak. As I was getting him ready for nap I thought I'd multi-task so I sent Abigail to go pee and get in bed. All of a sudden she yells "MOM, AJ'S UNDIES!!!" OMG! Well okay, I urged her not to flush and just get into bed. Okay, she cooperated, thankfully. So I got AJ tucked in and went to deal with the undies now soaking in Abigail's pee. SIGH. (rubber gloves made this not a big deal at all.)
I went back to check on AJ and he hugged my neck and said "You da best mommy ever, ever aw da rorld." WOW, that was all the payment I needed!

Flowers from Friends

A knock at the door generally means one of Noah's friends either looking for him or telling on him, a neighbor needing to borrow something, or Brant with his hands too full to open the door. Imagine my surprise when the knock at the door meant an absolutely gorgeous bouquet just for me. And not just an amazing assortment of flowers and a very cool square glass vase, but even more than that. It was a reminder that two very special women with whom I have shared many experiences were thinking of me and celebrating with me in the completion of the longest, most drawn out undergraduate degree ever.
Rachel and Carrie, I was so blessed by your gift. I immediately carried it outside to show off to my neighbors. I love you both so much. Thank you for your thoughts and for recognizing this significant completion in my life!

Two Weeks Old!

Abigail's End of the Year Program

Last night we enjoyed entertainment provided by Abigail's preschool. They sang songs and recited pledges and prayers. It was wonderful!

1. This is Abigail with her two best friends (from left) Diamond and Camille. 2. She and Logan, a friend of ours that lives here on base. 3. Abigail and Diamond. 4. And lastly is us out to dinner with Erin and Maria!

Grave Mistake.

This weekend I ran to the commissary for a few necessities. "Ice cream sounds good, I'll get a pint." So I strolled past the freezer cases and my eyes fell on Haagen Dazs Java Chip. Since I was in a bit of a hurry I thought "Sounds good, I'll give it a try." BIG MISTAKE. It is incredibly yummy, smooth, satisfying. BIG MISTAKE.

Overheard

Kaelyn: "Your baby is hungry"

Elyse "Ok, I'll feed her"

Kaelyn "Are you going to feed her with your nibbles?"

Elyse "What?"

Kaelyn lifts up her shirt and shows her "Your nibbles."

Tonight's Dinner Conversation

AJ (arms extended in classic muscle man pose): "I m a strong super hero! (GRUNT) I will save you."
Abigail (sweet and composed): "Thank you for saving me from the lion, hero, will you please call for dinner?"
AJ (flexing again): "GRUNT"

...for some reason I felt like I was in a caveman re-enactment!

First Haircut!

Look at that long hair! It was down to her waist.

This is pretty much how she was for the whole first half....leaning on Mamas tummy.

First Snips!

Ta-Dah! She was comfortable by the end and now has hair half way up her back. I have to admit I'm a little surprised that I was kinda sad since I was the one pushing for the cut :) They put "princess" braids in her hair which she promptly wanted removed when we got home in favor of a ponytail :)

Fun In The Sun!

We are having great weather and I think summer is on it's way! This weekend we decided to kick it off with the purchase of a pool and Strawberry Shortcake for dinner!

Abigail's Birthday

Well, Abigail is 4! She partied for like three weeks. We had a party at home with my family and our close friends, she had a party at school and we celebrated twice with friends here at Travis AFB (not pictured)! What a lucky girl!

Story Time Sleepover

Lovely Reminder

What To Always Remember when You're Working

All work is good work. The work of our hands is always making the world a better place.

And work is my liturgy, motions of worship to Him, who from, and to, and through, are all things.





All once was perfect, ordered, pristine, back there, In the Beginning. In That Garden. But not now. Not in this house, not in this garden.

Science may call it entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, the wearing down of all systems, the measure of chaos. God calls it sin and decay, and my daily battle.

Weeds, dirty laundry, piling dishes, dust collecting...this is life after the Fall.

Yet, in small ways, I return to Father and the Perfect Time Before when I order, wash away, sweep clean...beating back the chaos, the powers of destruction.

Simple acts of cleaning are my humble, conquering efforts in the quotidian struggle between chaos and order, creation and disintegration, God and Death. And I frame this cleaning as my monastic beauty, my daily wrestle, to create, in imperfect ways, a world for these loved ones... like You created so perfectly for humanity when the world began....

Deliberate, ritual motions maintain an easy order. Easier than wresting order out of invading chaos. And a tidy house ushers in the possibility of a tidy heart.

A heart beating with His, in a place more like that place In the Beginning.

Is this housework a picture of entering into Redemption? To bring restoration to that which has fallen...



"To lift up the hands in prayer gives God glory,
but a man with a dungfork in his hand,
a woman with a slop pail,
give Him glory
too.

God is so great that all things give Him glory, if you mean that they should."

~St. Ignatius Loyola



Lord, today I mean that all of it should.