the best day.

any birthday that you are not
in the hospital
is a good day.
even if you do receive the most incredible present
on your actual birthday
(a.k.a. L)
you are still
in the hospital.


even if your extremely generous and thoughtful husband
gets take-out sushi from your favorite restaurant, you are still
in the hospital.
even if you get gifts and an ice cream cake (the best)
from your now nurse friends, you are still
in the hospital.
so this year, it already started out better than being
in the hospital.

and this year - boy this year was a bang!
it started and ended with such a celebration.
such a celebration of life.

it all began on saturday, when my sweet sis completely surprised me
by flying in from texas for the special weekend!
not even my parents knew she was making the trek.


i soaked up every single second with her.


and so did L.

on sunday, i got breakfast in bed.
by the way, my family has this horrible tradition of taking your photo
first thing in the morning on your birthday. we've even been known to
re-do a photo (and try to look sleepy) in the case of
someone forgetting to capture that moment.
B has so kindly continued that tradition...
needless to say, that photo will not be posted here for the whole wide world to see.
even though L looked just fine.


sweet Auntie B and me
with the most adorable hand-made (by Auntie B) mobile hanging in our tree out front.
and don't even ask how it was found on a wedding blog.


a couple mobiles up close.


i got to be with my husband and my children.
all of my children.


i got to share the day with my sweet little L.
we will always get to share this day.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Psalm 23:6

one year ago today.

one year ago today.
one year ago today i was frantically finishing knitting a scarf.
one year ago today i had been on hospital bedrest for 40 days.
one year ago today i was anxiously awaiting our newest arrival.
one year ago today i was secretly hoping L would arrive today because
then he would be born on the 12th of the month like both of his siblings.
(boy, did God have a much better birth day planned.)
one year ago today i had no idea what this year was going to look like.
not one tiny bit.
one year ago today i was pregnant.
one year ago today i was very, very pregnant.



today, i am able to see how this past year has been much more fulfilling than i could have ever imagined.
ever.

and this article so beautifully articulates where i am beginning to head with my gift.
it is a must read.
a must.



david crowder's "how he loves" song has been resonating with me as of late:

He is jealous for me,
loves like a hurricane, i am a tree,
bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
when all of a sudden,
i am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
and i realize just how beautiful You are,
and how great Your affections are for me.

and oh, how He loves us so,
oh how He loves us,
how He loves us all

yeah, He loves us,
oh! how He loves us,
oh! how He loves us,
oh! how He loves.

we are His portion and He is our prize,
drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
if grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
and Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
and my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
i don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
when I think about, the way

81. unexpected gifts
82. surprises
83. pure joy
84. simple joys
85. how He loves us

dirty fingernails.

it's {embrace} the camera day!


D and me hanging out in the front yard
while the other little munchkins sleep the afternoon away.


my freckly face.
must be nearly summertime.


D telling me all about the sun and the moon.


praise God for our little gardener.
without him, nothing would ever be watered.
and tonight, we enjoyed fresh basil in our tomato sauce and
all of the lettuce in our salad was from our garden.


Auntie B and D working on some fun projects.


all of the kids joined me while i got a haircut.
B has been getting his hair cut from Germain since before we were engaged.
she's practically part of the family.


as
complete
and total
bribery,
i have been leaving the big kids notes each night
which greet them when they get up in the morning.
the notes tell them of some of the fun that we will have each day.
they only get the notes
if
and only if
they go to bed nicely.
seems to be working thus far.

76. fresh food from our garden
77. wonderfully accurate developmental assessments
78. the windows open while the sprinklers are on
79. it nearly being the weekend
80. priceless moments following dinner

meet my children.

it's about time you meet my children.
and by that, i mean that you really get to know them.

meet D:

age: 4.5
favorite color: orange
favorite thing to do: make people (or just himself) laugh
best buddy: princeton
(princeton was B's when he was a kid - hence his matted fur)



meet K:

age: 2.5
favorite color: pink & pink
favorite thing to do: be dramatic. about everything
best buddy: babydoll



meet L:

age: 1
favorite color: green, maybe?
favorite thing to do: be held by mommy and mommy only
best buddy: owlie friend



lately, i have been hearing God's whispers.
they have been distinct and wonderful.

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
1 Kings 19:11-12

71. being encouraged
72. encouraging others (my spiritual gift)
73. experiencing something that opens my eyes.
and i mean really opens my eyes
74. checking things off of my to-do list
75. anticipating birthdays!
(you all know how much we love birthdays here)

spectacular, spectacular.

i love being disciplined.
i get a kick out of it.
i know... i'm strange.
i love using my time as efficiently as possible.
am i the only one out there?
for instance, when i heat up K's milk for bedtime, i use the 45 seconds to do as many things as i possibly can.
it really is amazing what can be accomplished in that short period of time.
i am convinced that it eventually will save me hours and hours.

this is what happens when we don't regulate
how many buddies D gets to bring into our bed for his rest time.


it's like a disneyland gift shop in there.

we had an absolutely spectacular weekend.
we went away,
ate great food,
saw a lot of family,
even some dear friends.
we were spontaneous,
and we had so much fun.


we had a delightful visit with Great Gram
and her fabulous new haircut.
the kids (i.e. the kids and B) putted on her putting green and K snuck in a few snuggles.

we decided to go to an annual parade on the island where
my dad grew up and where my other grandmother lives.
her husband, whom my children call "that guy" knew every single person in the parade.
and each one made sure to wave to "that guy."


L loved the parade except for the sirens.


D and Great Grammy had a fantastic time grabbing every piece of candy thrown near where they were sitting.


D clapped, cheered and smiled throughout the entire parade.


K reaped the benefits of having an outgoing brother.


a rare shot of B and me.
we were both up a lot last night


because of this little person.

66. maple bar donuts
(from the same donut shop my dad went to when he was a kid)
67. gorgeous sunny days
68. boat rides
69. extra help in the mornings (thanks, dad!)
70. being home, once again