an unexpected holiday.

(this photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post)

i got to take an unexpected holiday this weekend.
yes, after our family time on saturday, the fun abruptly stopped.
i thought i had food poisoning or the flu.
but it was actually a bad case of mastitis.
yuck.
for any of you who have gone through that... i now understand your pain.

B called my ob to see if i needed to go on an antibiotic but the only things she wanted to prescribe me had penicillin in them. my mother is allergic to penicillin and i figured we have had enough fun with hospitals in the last year and a half to take that risk, so i politely said
"no thank you."
actually, before B asked for the prescription, he and my ob had a lovely chat about what he was writing now and his takes on the Tiger Woods world. see, my doc went to stanford and met Tiger before he was Tiger. so she's always been interested in B's writing.
all while i was resting my head on the toilet.
good times.

thank the good Lord for B.
he quickly rushed outside to carry in
the groceries and children
that i left in the car once we got back from shopping at tj's.
he held down the fort while i was
"putting my feet up and relaxing"
as my doc suggested i do.
if only it were that glamorous.

also, i thank the good Lord for Auntie B.
she came over in a heartbeat with
plenty of things to help mend me back to health.
the children were well taken care of by the both of them
and soon enough (well, not actually soon enough, because
when a mom is sick, she can never recover fast enough)
i was feeling better.

i do have to say though,
the best kind of showers are where you shed your pajamas,
shower and then put fresh, clean jammies back on.
in the middle of the day.

it was certainly not the vacation i had dreamed of...
but i did get to sleep in my own bed
without having to listen to any baby monitors all night long.
that was nice.
sort of.

261. rest
262. feeling good
263. being rescued
264. not caring what the house looks like
265. catching up on emails

twice.

a friend recently asked,
"have you gone on any vacations just the five of you?"
to which i responded
"LE, we have gone out to dinner,
the five of us,
one time... in fourteen months."
enough said.
yes, that one experience was that wonderful.
but now we can notch that number all the way up to two.


LE with L

we have had to schedule our family time lately.
B's been working up a storm and life's just been very full.


so on saturday, we had a deliciously wonderful time at a lovely park


where they have a man-made creek running through it.


B and i took turns hanging out with L on the grass,


while the big kids ran around in their swim suits.

and then...
B and i decided to take the plunge and go out to dinner.
with our three children.
all together.
at the same time.
it was a spontaneous decision... one that could easily backfire.
but we were willing to take the risk.

we went to one of our old haunts,
one of our fav bbq places.
the kind of place where your hands smell like
bbq sauce long after you've scrubbed them
with soap and water because it's soaked into your fingertips.
no matter how careful you were to keep it just on your sandwich.

we were seated next to a family of three
where the one and only child was
happily watching a dvd while her parents ate in silence.
needless to say, we were the focus of the restaurant.
all of the staff was staring at us (not in a bad way) from behind the counter.
for our whole meal.
as B said, "they've heard about people having
three kids, they've just never seen it before."

and do you know what? we had a really good time.
like a really, really good time.
all the way through dinner.
i know.
amazing.

this doesn't mean that we are going to rush out and do it again anytime soon.
no, let's just relish in what a good experience it was.

256. taking photos
257. looking at photos
258. really, really good bbq
259. hilarious voice mails
260. good family outings

this is how she rolls.

we went for a walk the other day
and K wanted to
push daddybabydoll
in her stroller and
carry babydoll in her "ergo."
she is one busy momma.
i have no idea where she gets this.


as she was pushing and carrying,
she said (and i kid you not)...


"mommy, this is how i roll."
yes it is, baby.
yes it is.

251. leaving the house for five hours without any child in tow
(a first since before L was born)
252. coming home to children fed and in bed
253. good, really good conversation
254. lots and lots of new art on my art wall by D
255. driving a very fun and completely unpractical car (until monday)

soaking it up.

oh my.


what a glorious sunset.
absolutely glorious.

happy weekend!
we are soaking up every last drop of summer around here.
this includes swim parties,
eating outside,
enjoying the recent calmness of the last couple of weeks
and of course...


putting babies in wipes boxes.


obviously.

246. the shade of pink in a watermelon
247. a cleaned out fridge
248. a cleaned out freezer
249. my new melon baller (thanks, mom!)
250. talking on the phone without any children around

strangers.

it's {embrace} the camera day!





i am a part of a message board online for parents of delayed children.
it amazes me that even the most simple question such as,
"how are you doing?"
sparks words upon words upon words.
your heart completely unfolds and you bear your soul.
to total strangers.
but total strangers who unfortunately understand.

check out my new "all about this blog" link at the top.

for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10

241. a mother-in-law who honestly likes to do laundry
242. a mother-in-law who honestly likes to iron
243. swinging in the front yard
244. baking cookies
245. complete and total strangers

here, there and everywhere.

this is all over the place.
just like my mind today.

first off...


aren't these the most beautiful tomatoes you've ever laid eyes on?
and they taste even better than they look.


L and i have been pouring through paperwork, assessments and evaluations


in order to prepare to fight for his much-needed therapies.


see, in this photo, he's showing me that in this report,
his doctor recommends he continue with all therapies,
not discontinue them.


as you can tell,


he's been a huge help.

and for some other random things...
when i was visiting my sweet friend, KS in KS, we went into downtown wichita
and pulled into a parking garage. i kid you not, her 3 year old
asked where we were as she had never been in one.
not in wichita, at least.
how awesome is that?
so awesome.

and, (note to self) while complimenting the TSA officer of the efficiency and ease
of going through security at the airport in wichita,
i got a complete pat down.

while in KS, i learned that KS and her husband have a rule.
whoever is last out of bed in the morning has to make the bed.
B must have thought i was joking because
it's been over two weeks since i told him about it.
i wasn't.

and lastly, i just took my sis to the airport
and she packed four pairs of heels with her.
for a six-day trip.
i cannot even imagine.

236. sleeping the best i have slept in years
237. an all alone drive in the car
238. a full, wonderful day ahead
239. Auntie B who does my costco shopping
240. finding exactly what i needed at staples

more picking.

it's {embrace} the camera day!

woo hoo.


sometimes i feel like i'm still pregnant with L
since when we're out, he's almost always in the ergo.
i'm just glad i didn't have to give birth to a 22 pounder.

last week, we headed out to one of our favorite farms
to see the animals and pick some fruit.
as you recall, picking fruit is one of my favorite things to do.
ever.
now, when i go with such young children, i have to set my expectations really low
as to how much fruit we will actually be able to bring home.
but i know one of these days, having lots of kids will pay off big-time
when it comes to picking fruit.


this momma loves her some silhouettes
the goals of the day were
to spend a good chunk of it outside,
get as dirty as possible and
pick just enough raspberries
to make B's favorite homemade ice cream.
check.
check.
check.


as you can tell, queen K,
(as she will be referred to in this post, and this post only)
wanted to store up as much energy as possible
so that she could unleash a fruit picking monster later on the day.


thanks to sweet K (not queen K),
for her willingness to pull queen K around in the wagon.


all aboard, the awesome wooden train.


Aunt R and N getting ready to feed the animals.


N, stifling a smile


this girl just belongs on a horse.


sweet K and Auntie B


wowsers.


there is something absolutely lovely about
being outside in the middle of nowhere.


and the fields of flowers!
so awesome.


miss confidence and her boots
(which used to be her brother's)


what else would you expect Auntie B to serve on a farm
but freshly baked soft pretzels.
and let me tell you,
she gave Auntie Annie a run for her money.


D and the sunflowers


queen K was a great fruit picker, but somehow,
none of her pickings ended up in the container.


he's got a sweet little grin in this shot because
i told him it was time to go and that we only had time for him to pick just five strawberries.
we're all glad that he picked so many more than five.

231. fresh raspberries
232. wagon rides
233. pony rides
234. haystacks
235. rows and rows and rows of fresh fruit and veggies

a whole bunch of extra time.

you know those days where everything goes smoothly,
your children are
sweet,
kind,
and obedient
all day long,
you have endless amounts of energy
and you never need to tap into your extra pocket of patience?

well, that was not today.

today, i was informed that L has been denied
for one of the therapies that he is currently receiving.
one of the therapies that is so necessary to his progression.
i am able to appeal the decision (Praise God)
but, it entails preparing for and getting a hearing date set.

perfect. just perfect.
it's funny
(not really)
because i was just
(not)
thinking that i had a whole bunch of
extra time on my hands
and was wondering
what on earth i was going to fill it with.
now i know.


there's nothing i wouldn't do for this little man.

but then, i was able to have a quick visit with Katherine Wolf and her husband
(who both have endured so, so, so very much.)
and how could i not leave feeling encouraged?
it wouldn't be possible.
just being in the presence of my dear friend brings hope.
hope in the Lord.
and, a visit
always,
always
provides sprinkles cupcakes.

Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

and this one has been ringing in my ears:

Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Hebrews 12:1

the race marked out for us.
not the race marked out for others.
the race marked out for us.

226. a sprinkles cupcake
227. a mellow night ahead
228. none of your children need to visit the public restroom at the mall
229. getting everything on your list from target
230. promised dessert from yogurtland

update at 8:47pm:
God is so faithful.
as B is out getting us some yogurtland,
i had my quiet time and prayed for my children
(and my husband)
and do you know what was on the calendar to pray for my children today?
perseverance.
and do you know what verse was listed?
that's right,
Hebrews 12:1.
He is so faithful indeed.

bowl or bust.

a little while ago, i took the kids to the hollywood bowl.


we took a picnic lunch and
got to listen to a free rehearsal of the la philharmonic.


everything about it was lovely.


well, except for the fact that my children were there.
as you can see, K thoroughly enjoyed the music.
and after about seven minutes, they were ready to go back home.


i on the other hand, would have loved to stay and eat my lunch
while the beautiful music swept me away to some far away land.


i love these shots because
she is two


and he is four.


they were quiet during the rehearsal
but only because i had to constantly remind them.

while i was praying for L the other night, i heard God whisper,
"just wait.
just you wait."

He is so so good.

221. God's whispers
222. a morning with my girl
223. a husband willing to do anything to get L back to sleep at 3am
224. finished projects
225. feeling prepared

you are my sunshine.

yesterday, we went to the getty
for one of their garden concerts for kids (and adults).
we saw elizabeth mitchell perform for the second year.
and yes, she was amazing.
again.
she's one of those rare children's musicians that doesn't sound like a children's musician
(a.k.a. drive you up the wall 15 seconds into listening to their music).

but, i did something i almost never do.
i forgot my camera at home.
i know, can you believe it?
neither can i.
it sort of felt like i had left one of my children at home.
sort of.

not to worry though,
my mother-in-law remembered hers and my dad had his iphone.
phew.
i'm glad we were able to document the day.


not only did she remember her camera, she brought guacamole.
yum.
it was homemade, but i don't need to say that
because just about everything she serves is homemade.
i learned that pretty quickly into my dating relationship with B.


D was happy there was music,


K was happy there was food,


L was happy i was there,


i was happy other people were there,


and i was also happy B was there,
(he missed it two years ago because he was busy writing his Tiger book)
and yes, i've forgiven him for living in solitary for forty days
(yes, forty whole days)
in order to finish that book.
i just hope he won't have to do that again for the new book he's writing.
okay, hon?
okay.
glad we got that settled.


little L is my sunshine.
(i started singing that song to him in the nicu, the first day he was born.)
it's his song.


this little guy sure loves to have his picture taken.
but i don't need to tell you that, do i?

p.s. what's with all the halloween stuff popping up in catalogs and in stores already?
doesn't the world know that i'm trying to live in the moment?

from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
Psalm 113:3

216. garden picnics
217. bay cities deli
218. sleepovers
219. almost finished projects
220. grocery shopping all by myself