Josey leaned over to me and said,
"Mommy, Jesus is blowing us kisses...I can feel Him."
Soooo sweet!!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Escape Adulthood: Challenge #3
Do something that is typically seen as inappropriate for someone your age.
I ran and jumped over a big hole on the beach, then followed that up by skipping back to my towel.
Um. This one made me nervous. I struggle with being WAY TOO WORRIED about how people perceive me. So, doing something that was inappropriate for my age (in public) gave me heart palpitations and sweaty palms, for reals!!
I didn't plan this one ahead of time. The moment presented itself on the beach while I was there with my two boys. They were running and jumping over a very large hole that some other kids dug. I realized that this was the perfect opportunity for challenge #3. Of course, a zillion other things were going through my mind like:
People are going to see your "four-kid-havin'-body" run...on the beach...in a bathing suit.
You are going to fall...in front of all these people.
You are 34...not 10.
You are going to twist your ankle...then your summer will be ruined.
But those thoughts were crowded out by:
No one is really watching you, except your kids...and they will think you are super cool for doing this.
If you fall, that will be funny...really funny.
You are 34...not 84.
Your ankle, and your summer, will be fine.
So, I did it. I laughed. My boys laughed. It was great, and both my confidence and body survived.
P.S. Thank goodness I have no photo of this one...no one wants to see that! :-)
I ran and jumped over a big hole on the beach, then followed that up by skipping back to my towel.
Um. This one made me nervous. I struggle with being WAY TOO WORRIED about how people perceive me. So, doing something that was inappropriate for my age (in public) gave me heart palpitations and sweaty palms, for reals!!
I didn't plan this one ahead of time. The moment presented itself on the beach while I was there with my two boys. They were running and jumping over a very large hole that some other kids dug. I realized that this was the perfect opportunity for challenge #3. Of course, a zillion other things were going through my mind like:
People are going to see your "four-kid-havin'-body" run...on the beach...in a bathing suit.
You are going to fall...in front of all these people.
You are 34...not 10.
You are going to twist your ankle...then your summer will be ruined.
But those thoughts were crowded out by:
No one is really watching you, except your kids...and they will think you are super cool for doing this.
If you fall, that will be funny...really funny.
You are 34...not 84.
Your ankle, and your summer, will be fine.
So, I did it. I laughed. My boys laughed. It was great, and both my confidence and body survived.
P.S. Thank goodness I have no photo of this one...no one wants to see that! :-)
Challenge ideas take from "The Escape Plan" written by Kim and Jason Kotecki
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Escape Adulthood: Challenge #2
Find a reason to celebrate and do something to celebrate it.
We celebrated the "2nd Day of Summer".
This challenge was difficult for me at first because, as I typically do, I started to over-think it at first. Once I relaxed a bit, I realized that we had a perfect thing to celebrate. Although we didn't celebrate the first (calendar) day of summer, we could absolutely celebrate the 2nd day right? After I made that decision, the rest was easy.
The kids and I were all home together that day, and we had already decided that it would be a low-key day at home with no major plans. So, I declared that we were celebrating the 2nd day of summer. We all wore hats and sunglasses. Then, we took a walk down to Olive Market where we purchased refreshing summertime beverages (lemonade and iced tea). Then, after we got home we went to the pool. We ended the day with a movie and frozen hot chocolate. Yummy!
We celebrated the "2nd Day of Summer".
This challenge was difficult for me at first because, as I typically do, I started to over-think it at first. Once I relaxed a bit, I realized that we had a perfect thing to celebrate. Although we didn't celebrate the first (calendar) day of summer, we could absolutely celebrate the 2nd day right? After I made that decision, the rest was easy.
The kids and I were all home together that day, and we had already decided that it would be a low-key day at home with no major plans. So, I declared that we were celebrating the 2nd day of summer. We all wore hats and sunglasses. Then, we took a walk down to Olive Market where we purchased refreshing summertime beverages (lemonade and iced tea). Then, after we got home we went to the pool. We ended the day with a movie and frozen hot chocolate. Yummy!
Yay for summer!
Challenge ideas take from "The Escape Plan" written by Kim and Jason Kotecki
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Escape Adulthood: Challenge #1
Spend at least 15 minutes immersing yourself in a field you know nothing about.
I drove a Duffy boat.
Honestly, I was quite nervous about it. When I was planning the day out with friends, I hadn't really thought about the fact that I was going to have to drive. The night before, I really started to stress. I asked Korey to give me some pointers (he's the one that has driven before when we've gone on these day trips). So with his advice, and a ton of prayer, I got behind the wheel of a boat for the first time.
What was I scared of?
crashing, getting lost, crashing, hitting someone on a paddle board, trying to pull back into the dock, and (did I already mention) crashing
Of course, none of that happened. As usual, my fears were totally unwarranted. It was a weekday morning. The water was calm. There were very few boats out. It turned out to be a great day.
At the end of it I felt very proud of myself that I tried something totally new and different. It forced me out of my comfort zone. It was fun, relaxing, and exhilarating all at the same time. I would totally do it again.
I drove a Duffy boat.
What was I scared of?
crashing, getting lost, crashing, hitting someone on a paddle board, trying to pull back into the dock, and (did I already mention) crashing
Of course, none of that happened. As usual, my fears were totally unwarranted. It was a weekday morning. The water was calm. There were very few boats out. It turned out to be a great day.
At the end of it I felt very proud of myself that I tried something totally new and different. It forced me out of my comfort zone. It was fun, relaxing, and exhilarating all at the same time. I would totally do it again.
Here's a shot of my awesome passengers.
God love them for trusting me with their lives!
Challenge ideas take from "The Escape Plan" written by Kim and Jason Kotecki
Monday, July 2, 2012
Adultitis
So, I've been following this pretty fabulous blog for about 10 months now. It is a husband and wife team. They are on a mission to rid the world of adultitis. They really are pretty awesome, and thanks to their blog posts and books (and a TON of pushing and shoving nudging from God) I am starting to overcome some of my own symptoms of adultitis. Translation: I am learning how to slow down, lighten up, have fun, and enjoy life. The first book I read of theirs is Escape Adulthood. It was an excellent read and had plenty of great nuggets of wisdom like:
"How much better would life be if we didn't have to worry so much about where we were going and had more freedom to enjoy the scenery?" -Jason W. Kotecki, Escape Adulthood
Now, I am reading another book of theirs called The Escape Plan. It is a book filled with 40 different challenges to help eradicate the adultitis in your life. I'm excited about doing this. It's totally out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing. I decided to blog about what I do for each challenge instead of writing it in the journal. That way, I can post pictures too. It should be pretty fun and silly. I may totally humiliate myself. That's ok. It's time for me to stop worrying about what people might think of me and realize that they like me better when I'm a little messy and frayed around the edges.
"How much better would life be if we didn't have to worry so much about where we were going and had more freedom to enjoy the scenery?" -Jason W. Kotecki, Escape Adulthood
Now, I am reading another book of theirs called The Escape Plan. It is a book filled with 40 different challenges to help eradicate the adultitis in your life. I'm excited about doing this. It's totally out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing. I decided to blog about what I do for each challenge instead of writing it in the journal. That way, I can post pictures too. It should be pretty fun and silly. I may totally humiliate myself. That's ok. It's time for me to stop worrying about what people might think of me and realize that they like me better when I'm a little messy and frayed around the edges.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
First Family Camping Trip
OK. So I promised more info on our first camping trip. Here it is. We had so many things go "wrong" on that trip that it is now such a great story. I wish now that I had taken pictures of our issues so I could post them here. Oh well, live and learn.
#1- Car Sick Dog: Daisy gets car sick. So, on the way to the campground, Eden had to catch her...ahem...vomit in a plastic grocery bag and hold on to it until we arrived.
#2- Asher almost lit the Cleveland National Forest on Fire: Oh yes he did! Once we got our camp set up on the first night, Korey lit a camp fire. The kids were playing in it with sticks. It was all fine and good until Asher lit the end of his stick and proceeded to walk around with it, right by some trees. Woo boy. Our voices raised in unison over that one.
#3- Our Air Mattress had a Leak: That made for an interesting first night of sleep...or lack of it. First, the mattress kind of turned into a taco shape, with Korey and I smashed together in the middle. Then, Daisy proceeded to get into bed with us and bounced us all around. Finally, we woke up in the morning with Korey's side almost flat, and Abby and I raised up really high. Looking back, it was quite comical.
#4- Vomit Covered Baby: Our second night there, Abby got a little sick before bed. I didn't think anything of it. We put all the kids to bed, then hung out by the campfire for another hour or so. When we went into the tent to go to bed, I turned on the light and glanced at Abby in the playpen. She was covered in vomit. Apparently, she got sick and rolled around in it. It was EVERYWHERE; matted in her hair, covering her clothes, everywhere. Lucky for us, the campground had free, hot showers.
#5- Car Sick Dog, Take Two: Daisy got car sick on the way home, too. Unfortunately, Eden didn't catch it that time. We were literally pulling into our driveway at the time.
The really crazy thing is, that we truly did have a great time and can't wait to go again. Here are some photos of our good times.
#1- Car Sick Dog: Daisy gets car sick. So, on the way to the campground, Eden had to catch her...ahem...vomit in a plastic grocery bag and hold on to it until we arrived.
#2- Asher almost lit the Cleveland National Forest on Fire: Oh yes he did! Once we got our camp set up on the first night, Korey lit a camp fire. The kids were playing in it with sticks. It was all fine and good until Asher lit the end of his stick and proceeded to walk around with it, right by some trees. Woo boy. Our voices raised in unison over that one.
#3- Our Air Mattress had a Leak: That made for an interesting first night of sleep...or lack of it. First, the mattress kind of turned into a taco shape, with Korey and I smashed together in the middle. Then, Daisy proceeded to get into bed with us and bounced us all around. Finally, we woke up in the morning with Korey's side almost flat, and Abby and I raised up really high. Looking back, it was quite comical.
#4- Vomit Covered Baby: Our second night there, Abby got a little sick before bed. I didn't think anything of it. We put all the kids to bed, then hung out by the campfire for another hour or so. When we went into the tent to go to bed, I turned on the light and glanced at Abby in the playpen. She was covered in vomit. Apparently, she got sick and rolled around in it. It was EVERYWHERE; matted in her hair, covering her clothes, everywhere. Lucky for us, the campground had free, hot showers.
#5- Car Sick Dog, Take Two: Daisy got car sick on the way home, too. Unfortunately, Eden didn't catch it that time. We were literally pulling into our driveway at the time.
The really crazy thing is, that we truly did have a great time and can't wait to go again. Here are some photos of our good times.
Hiking
Tree Climbing
Playing
Cooking
Sitting
Reading
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