The Road to a Friend's House...

is never very long.

For February break, the kids and I headed to upstate New York to visit our dear friends, the Gagnier's.  This was the first time the kids have been on a road trip for more than three hours.  They were great travellers and we had enough snacks, books, electronic devices to last a while.

It was the kids' first time to upstate NY and only my second. 

All of the kids got along great and it was just so amazing to see their friendships grow with each other.  They kids played outside, played inside, made forts, watched movies, painted rocks, and laughed!  We also went to the Musuem of Play in Rochester.  It was crowded, but a really neat place to visit.

We also went to a farm where we met roosters, chickens, rabbits, cows, and goats- lots and lots of goats.  They kids loved it.

It was great to be in the country for awhile and slow down. 

The best part, however, was spending time with Morgan.  There's nothing like good cup of tea and visit with a dear friend.  We miss them a lot, but know that they are were God wants them. 

Texas, Christmas, and More

This year was our time to head to Texas for Thanksgiving.  After running like a mad woman whose backpack spilled open, we finally made it to Lubbock.  This was perhaps one of our most enjoyable trips there.  The weather was great- most days we didn't even need a jacket.  The kids were able to play outside every day and ride their bikes.  We drew with chalk nearly every day on the sidewalk.  The kids loved to torment my parents' little dog.  We played marbles every night, though the ladies didn't do so well.  It was so great to see my kids and my parents connect and really enjoy each other's company.  The kids did some crafts, went geocaching, went to the science musuem,  went to a Texas Tech basketball game, and to the movies. 

I always have these grandiose plans, which work out perfectly in my head, but not so much in reality.  I was furiously sewing pajamas for my kids on Christmas Eve so they could wear them that night.  I was a bit frustrated with myself because I let this happen.  This year it seemed easier to buy gifts for everyone else but our kids.  For some reason, buying presents for Isaac and Isabells seemed difficult.  We just couldn't think of a "big" gift for each of the kids this year.  But, you know, what Isaac's favorite gift was?  A $20 Finn McMissile car from Wal-Mart.  He was so excited!  And Isabella received the doll bassinet that she had her eye on.

The weather this winter has been so warm so far.  I keep waiting for the snow to come, but so far only a dusting.  We did take advantage of this and found some woods to walk in only 10 min from our house.  We had a blast being with each and was able to do a little geocaching as well.

  

So the lesson learned:

Don't sweat the small stuff.  Keep it simple, and don't feel bad if plans go awry.
 

A Bad Case of the Gonna's

Yep, that's right.  I've self-diagnosed myself with a bad case of the Gonna's.  Some people may call it "Round to It" or "Find the Time" or "Someday." It has a lot of synonyms, but it is all bascially the same no matter what you call it.  I've been meaning to update this blog of mine and I'm gonna do it tomorrow.  Oh, that pair of pants that need hemmed, I'm gonna do it this weekend.  And then, as soon as I say it, the thought leaves my mind and almost never returns.

So, here is my pitiful attempt at battling the disease by actually blogging!  I've had a million, well, not quite a million, blog posts in my head.  Sometimes, I think that it would be a good idea if I had a wireless router in my head or even a USB port right to my brain.  And then, I realize that probably isn't the best idea that I've ever had.

Here's a list of things, in no particular order, of what is happening in our lives:

• Isaac is doing great in the first grade and is reading so well.  I am always so impressed with him.  Though Rick did have to turn the raft boat around so he wouldn't read the graffiti under a bridge.
• Isabella started pre-school and is enjoying herself.  
• Isabella also started Rainbows at school and it is truly the highlight of her Wednesdays.
• We just had our second ladies' retreat at church with 70 ladies!
• Books I have read/am reading/is currently on my nightstand:  Kisses from Katie, Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner, Generous Justice, Heaven is for Real, Have a New Kid by Friday, Everyday with Rachel Ray magazines.
• I had an a fabulous time at Catalyst with our church leadership and was challenged to "Be Present."  So I have decided not to noodle on the computer when the kids are around.  That is tough!  
• Survived a hurricane and an October snowstorm with no power loss during either one.

Sometimes You Need a Bad Dinner

Rick, the kids, and I were on vacation together with ALL of his family on Cape Cod this past week.  While the time together was fun, it was also nice to have built in babysitters so we could go out on a date for night.  Rick's family offered to watch the kids so we took advantage. 

We decided to eat at this place right on Falmouth Harbor.  It had good reviews and was in a great location.  We got the last booth.  And then it all went downhill from there.  The waitress took about 10 minutes to take our order.  We ordered calamari as an appetizer, lobster mac-n-cheese for me, and Rick had baked haddock.  Although the calamari was tasty, it took them 20 minutes to bring it to us.  And after about an hour, we still hadn't received our dinners.  We told one of the hostesses that we just wanted our check so we could leave.  Then we overheard them talking about about the kitchen being backed up and to just serve us more bread!  Did they not know we were right behind them and could over hear their snarkiness?  As we were getting up to leave, they conviently served us our dinners.  So we stayed.  The lobster mac-n-cheese was burnt around the edges and consequently the whole dish was dry and awful.  We tried not to be nasty, but did voice our complaints and they took off my meal from the check.  It was one of the worst restraunt experiences.

We drove to Falmouth center where most of the shops were closed.  So we decided just to meander our way back to the house by way of the ocean view roads.  And that's when the night was saved...

As we were driving, we saw a flash of green light.  There were fireworks going off across the water on Martha's Vineyard.  We stopped at a beach, got out of the van, and then sat on the sand to watch them.  It was so cool.  It was magical: a perfect view, sand in my toes, the beautiful night sky with a ton of stars, listening to the ocean waves, and sitting with the love of life next to me.  That little twenty minutes became my favorite part of the whole week.  And I would have missed it all if not for the terrible dinner.

I Should Wake the Kids...

from their long Sunday afternoon slumber.  I mean, afterall, I do want them to go to bed at a decent time tonight.  Maybe I'll wait, however, just a few mintues longer to get this post out of head and onto this blog.

Rick and I took a much needed mini-vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park.  I've always wanted to go there and since it was much, much cheaper than NYC, we headed up downeast.  We stayed at a bed & breakfast in our own little cottage.  It was perfect.  We enjoyed tea and dessert every afternoon.  And each morning, we down to the dining area where we enjoyed a warm, delicious breakfast.  The best part was this magic silver tray that we put our dirty dishes on because they just magically disappeared.  (Note to self: I need one of those.)

Acadia National Park was just beautiful.  Despite the fog and chilly weather, God's beauty shone through everything.  We drove through the first national park east of the Mississippi and made several stops along the way.  We made it to the top of Cadillac Mountain that overlooked the island.  My favorite part was the carriage tour of Day Mountain, where we learned how the carriage roads were made and lots of local folklore.  We also had lunch at the Jordan Pond House and had their famous popovers, which were yummy.  We did a little walking/hiking around the pond, but the black flies cut short our trip.  Both of us enjoyed learning about the history of the park, including how all the land was donated and Rockfeller designed the park.

Rick went golfing at Kebo Valley Golf Course, the eighth oldest golf course in the country.  I went shopping.  We also walked across the biggest sand bar we've ever seen and went hiking that ended with a view of Bar Harbor's harbor.

Nature has always been one of the ways the Lord speaks to Rick.  God, however, can speak to us in many unexpected ways.

We decided to go to church on Sunday before leaving Bar Harbor.  The church ended up being a two room building with only 15 people there- we are two of them.  Although the people were extremly friendly and welcoming, I immediately felt superior.  I mean, my husband is a pastor of  nearly 400 person church.  We have a live worship band.  We have more than two rooms in our building.  And on and on.

And then as the music started, the Lord spoke to my heart and this is what I wrote down:

As I set here in a one room church in Bar Harbor, God has rebuked me.  I walked in here feeling self-righteous and superior.  The worship was a Powerpoint presentation.  I even wondered why Rick didn't introduce himself as a pastor- he deserved the respect.  As the songs played, they were deep!  They got right to the point of worship.  It isn't about us, our buildings, our style.  It is aobut God.  These people are here b/c they want to worship God!  They memorize scripture every week.  They lift each other up in prayer.  They are involved in each other's lives. As we talked to the co-pastors, a husband and wife team, she said they have been here for 16 years.  They have committed for the long haul (her exact words).  They both work outside jobs b/c the church can't support them.  It kinda reminds me of the apostle Paul.  These people, my readers, are the heros we need to celebrate.  These are the folks who are in the trenches.  These are the ones who labor day in & day out without any glory or fanfare.  They share both praises and struggles- someone has recieved relief from stress, someone's mother just received a cancer diagnosis.  People are people no matter where they live or what they look like.

Isaac's Handbell Concert

Isaac had his first handbell concert on Palm Sunday.  He joined the handbell choir after Christmas and has really enjoyed it so far. He was very excited to play and informed me several time that his handbells were "aqua", not blue.

Isaac has grown alot during this school year.  The obvious change is that he is getting taller!  I think he grows each night.  He is reading now and can tell time.  He is also gets more and more handsome.  I wonder sometimes why God blessed me so much to be his mom.  He is my compassionate, loving son and has truely lived up to the meaning of his name, "laughter."

What Have We Been Up To?

Since it's been a while since I've blogged, I thought I'd give a quick synopsis of the past two months.

I celebrated my birthday with a tasty breakfast at the Four Sisters' Owl Dinner with my family. Isaac and I love breakfast foods. I also opened a beautiful pink and silver necklace that was picked out by Isaac. Rick hit it out of the park with his gift- my own Tiffany blue box that contained a silver link bracelet with a heart charm! I love it! Then, in the evening, we had a nice dinner with the president of our alma mater, Evangel University, and some fellow alums. It was really great to see old friends and hear about all the new stuff going on back in Misery, oh wait, that's supposed to Missouri.

We took a family trip to Lincoln, New Hampshire where we joined the rest of Rick's family for ski vacation. Isaac did great and by the end, he didn't need any help. Caleb, my nephew, also did great for his first time. Isabella was ready to go, but is still a little young. So she'll be out on the slopes next year. Guess I'll have to learn to ski for the 5^th time so I can keep up with my kids.

We also managed to go the pediatrician's office twice in a week- once for each kid. They both had ear infections. Isabella also had pink eye and congestion in the non-infected ear. They are both fine and I have some amoxicillin still in the fridge. BTW- I highly recommend the temporal scan thermometer. So much easier- in fact, my little daughter tells me almost every morning that she had a temperature!

I am hoping to get selected to run in the Falmouth Road Race in August. So I've started training for that 7 mile run. It's been really challenging, but also really rewarding so far. Lauren, one of my sisters-in-law, and a friend and I are all hoping to win the lottery for it. I am very slow, but am really working on consistency and endurance as I've never run seven miles before. Last week was the first time I ran four miles. I read this book called, Marathon for Mortals (thanks, Beth), and it really helped me to get motivated. I also realized that it's not about how fast I go or how much better I am, but that I finish the race (and not get injured).

Isaac and I are also planning for our garden this year. So far we have seeds for tomatoes- beefsteak and roma, multi-colored sweet peppers, cilantro, and sunflowers. I want to get them planted in little starter containers this week so they can be ready to go by the end of May. Hopefully the snow will be gone by then! Oh, and yes, we did get about 4" of wet, heavy snow on April 1^st.