The Williams Family!!!

We have missed the Williams family SO MUCH since moving here to Florida.  If only we could have brought them with us.....

...I guess the next best thing is a visit from our dear friends.  The kids went straight for the pool, which I think was around 70 degrees.  WAY too cold for me!!

We celebrated Aidan's 9th birthday.  Happy Birthday Aidan!!  Shelley and I "decorated" his cake to look like a soccer ball.  It was a loose interpretation of a soccer ball at best, but it was yummy!

Shelley cut her finger really bad on a razor.  She now has no finger print on her finger.  It was bad, and yes, all that gauze and tape was necessary.

We did easter baskets (buckets) and went to church with 7 matching kids.  CHEESY!!  But we all loved it, including the kids, so who cares if it was cheesy.

We did an easter egg hunt in the yard.  Aidan and Hannah helped Nate.  It was really sweet.

This was truly the best picture we could get of the kids.  It was so funny trying to get them all to smile for the picture.  

The beach pictures were lost in the crash of '09.  We had an amazing day at the beach.  The weather was perfect and the kids swam and had fun in the sand and water.   We also celebrated Madisyn's birthday, but my pictures are fried.  Happy Birthday Madisyn!  Thanks for sharing your special day with us!

My life story in a nutshell...

I love my home.  Its a beautiful home, but I am not much of a housekeeper.  That's not a really big secret, its just a fact.  So I checked out a book from the library on home organization, thinking I might change the very nature of my being.  I sat down a few times to read it, but was interrupted, then forgot about it.  Then I received an email from the library saying it was overdue.  Already????  I resolved to read it for real this time, as I'm sure it could change my life forever.  I found it in my car.  It was wet from a water bottle that had spilled.  I read a few chapters and layed it on the kitchen counter, where it acquired some bbq sauce.  So now I have what was a brand new sparkly library book, which is overdue, water damaged and stained with bbq sauce racking up late fees.  Should I still try to read it or concede and return that poor book to its rightful owner?

Spring break... part 1

I emailed the DO of our squadron about 3 weeks before spring break asking if there were any interesting trips going out with space for a crazy lady and 4 small children.  There wasn't anything, so I made plans to "stay-cation", not a bad option at all really.

Then I received a phone call Friday after school saying they had a plane leaving first thing Sunday morning.... perfect!!!  So we packed our bags and flew to Colorado Springs for spring break on a G-5.  I really can't think of a better way to spend a vacation.  It was a sweet ride and the squadron really jumped through hoops to make sure we would be able to fly without Jarin.

The kids made Papa and Nana's house look like a jungle gym.  We all had so much fun!

If you look REALLY CLOSELY (you can click on the picture to enlarge it) you can see tiny bits of snow blowing around.  It was 25 degrees when we arrived.  Brrrrr!!  Typical Colorado weather -it warmed right up and the weather was perfect for most of the week.

We made a trip to Mr. Bigg's play place...

Nate loves his Papa.  He kisses his hands and elbows and forehead, etc. etc.

Nana and Hannah made a quilt top together.  It was Hannah's first time.  My mom taught me to sew;  I'm so glad Hannah could have the chance to learn from her as well.

I really feel like this trip was an answer to prayer.  I was feeling so down and lonely before we went and being there with my parents and visiting with good friends was such a huge lift for me.  It really couldn't have been more perfect!

Then we rushed home to get ready for the Williams family to come.  How fun!!

What am I doing?

There are times that I look at my life and I wonder "what the heck am I doing" and "how did I get into this mess?"  The house is littered with toys.  The yard is littered with toys.  The sink is filled with dishes.  The laundry is reproducing at an incredible rate.  The car is full of "stuff"- all kinds of stuff, and I rarely get a quiet moment to myself, let alone a shower.

Then I have a moment like this:

It was an early-release Wednesday.  I picked up the girls from school and we drove out to the produce stand at Parkesdale Farms to enjoy fresh strawberry parfaits, with fresh-from-the-fields strawberries.  Heavenly!!!!  I sat at the picnic table with my four kids dripping strawberry juice and ice cream on themselves and giggling.  I couldn't help but smile, the "I'm so incredibly happy" kind of smile.  I saw so much more than strawberry-ridden children.  I saw what Heavenly Father wanted me to see, four of His precious children in my care.  Here in our family to bless our lives in so many ways.  I saw the smiles of children who are safe and happy, who don't know hunger, who don't really know pain.  Yes, we have been without a husband and a father for months now.  Yes, it has been difficult.  But we have been so blessed!  I am so thankful for moments like these where I get a glimpse of the big picture, even if its just for one afternoon before I re-enter the "what's for dinner, Mom?" trenches.  Anyway, I'll take it!!  I'll gladly take the hand I've been dealt....  This really is what its all about.

Hannah's birthday!!

Happy Birthday Hannah!!

I can hardly believe that Hannah is now 9 years old!!!!!  Seriously, 9????  Just in case you don't know Hannah very well, let me fill you in:

She's 9!! (still can't believe it)

She is my #1 go-to gal.  She loves to help out around the house and she is awesome with the other kids, especially Nate.

She sings like an angel.  She even writes her own songs.

She devours books.  She reads every time she gets a chance and often finds it burdensome to put books down for meals, conversation, etc.

She is an excellent swimmer.  She's on swim team and has improved so much in the last year and a half.

She boogie-boards like a champ.  We went to the beach a few weeks ago and she rode every wave in all the way to the beach.  Where did she learn that?!?!

Speaking of learning things, she plays piano by ear.  She got a keyboard a couple of years ago and has been teaching herself to play.  That's a talent I can't begin to wrap my mind around!!

That's just a glimpse of our Hannah.  She has a kind heart and a gentle spirit!  She honestly strives to do the right thing and is an amazing example to me.  I love you Hannah!  Happy Birthday!!

The crash of '09

We love our Mac computer.  When I say "we", I really just mean Jarin.  The mac and I haven't been getting along so well.  Last week, it crashed.  When I booted it up, I got a picture of a file folder flashing with a question mark in front of it.  Not a good sign.  After a prolonged visit to the mac people, our computer now has a shiny new hard drive, which is great.  But all of our data is gone, which means that all of our pictures are gone.  I think Jarin backed it up sometime before he left, so we should have pictures from the long haul, but all the pictures from his deployment are gone, except for a few which were still in the camera.