quiet.

this weekend, i was supposed to be gone.
L and i were to take a trip to visit a sweet friend.
but then... L got a cold.
even though it was a little cold, we were not allowed to go
(per the doctor's orders).
big bummer.
huge bummer.

but, since B was going to take the big kids to his mom's for the weekend,
we kept with that part of the plan.
so even though L and i didn't actually go anywhere,
it was a nice, refreshing weekend.
just the two of us.


i did some of this
(baking more
and more
and more
sweet potatoes
for my little sweet potato).


i did a lot of this.


and more of this.


and even this.

i know, when do i ever put my feet up when i'm not sleeping?
and reading?
reading a book that has absolutely nothing to do with child rearing, in fact.

and get this, i started many projects and
wait for it....
finished them too!

life with one child was so simple and easy.
(and just so you know,
when i had just one child, i would have never
described my daily life as "simple and easy")
and even though i was absolutely relishing in the peace around here,
i found myself longing for the noise.
the good, comforting noise
that comes with having a bundle of small children in the house.
all at once.
even if they are constantly climbing on each other
until one's laughter turns to tears.
even then.

so even though the house looked immaculate,
and it was so quiet,
it was just a tad too quiet for me.
maybe just a happy balance is needed.
i don't even know what that would look like or how to pull such a thing off.

136. the bathroom hand towel that stayed hung up all weekend long
137. grocery shopping with one child and not rushing to get home to the others
138. sleeping with only one monitor on
139. getting ahead (even only slightly)
140. long, uninterrupted phone calls

laugh.

it's {embrace} the camera day!

isn't this the cutest shirt?
such a sweet birthday gift.

131. making L laugh
(especially because we were warned he may never have a social smile)
132. a wonderful mother-in-law who is always happy to help
133. B reading the new novel he's writing to me.
134. using the weather as an excuse to drink hot liquids in july
135. fun outings with the children (and B!)

dry ice.

a sweet friend sent me something scrumptious for my birthday.
and do you know what was packed alongside the yummy treat?


of course you don't.
how on earth would you guess that it was dry ice?

doesn't B look so mysterious in this shot?
i love it because mysterious he is not.
and that is yet another reason why i love him so.


D didn't want to get very close but K
(our adventurous one)
was of course, fascinated.

126. being inspired
127. enjoying a much needed girls night out and getting completely pampered.
128. a sweet husband who so willingly watches the big kids
129. L experiencing a tear-free snack time at mommy-and-me
(never done before)
130. a surprisingly productive day

happy 4th of july.

happy, happy 4th of july!

we've been listening to this all day.


here are their interpretations of our great flag.


well, at least her dress is cute.
thanks to her Grammy!


they are getting all geared up to celebrate this great holiday by
going to bed early
and watching the fireworks on tv tomorrow morning!


and a big thank you to all the people who have served our great country.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

some goodness.

one night, i received this text:
"check next to the front left tire of your car."

and this is what i found.

yum.
yum.
yum.

so the next day, i was inspired to make a little goodness of my own.


and boy was it good.
absolutely, positively one of my new favorite desserts.

and yes, both of these recipes were made from our freshly picked blueberries.
and for those of you who have asked, we picked them right here.
but you'd better hurry because you only have a couple weeks left to do it.
although, their other location has some great stuff to pick year-round .

and, for those of you who would like the recipe
for the ice cream cake i made for B's birthday, here it is
(this is my mother-in-law's recipe - just slightly changed):
bake an angel food cake from the box
break the cake into bite size pieces and drop them into an angel food cake pan
make one layer
put vanilla ice cream on top of that layer
pour chocolate syrup over the ice cream
repeat the angel food cake, ice cream and chocolate syrup layers until the cake pan is full
cover with saran wrap and freeze

Now arise, O LORD God, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation,
may your saints rejoice in your goodness.
2 Chronicles 6:41

121. a sleeping baby on a beautifully sunny afternoon
122. having the windows and doors wide open
123. finding an incredible PT for L
124. an open spot in the new PT's schedule
125. holiday weekend dessert plans.
bet you thought i was going to say holiday weekend plans.
nope. B's working
all
weekend
long