Just When You Thought You Caught Your Breath-Part 2

I know I left you all hanging.  Waiting with baited breath, if you will.  Wait no more! Part two of the "Great Photo Catch-Up" is here.

First up:  Pictures I never thought I would take.

It is a well known fact that I am no bird lover.  Since I was very young, I have never been fond of birds.  Their flapping wings, unpredictability, and pecking beaks absolutely freak me out.  However.  This summer a momma bird Robin made herself a nest under our deck.  Since The Girl is a lover of all nature (and anything that needs nurturing), she was beside herself with excitement over this nest.  She was just sure that meant babies.

And she was right.

Within a day or so of noticing the nest, Momma Bird (we called her MB out of our deep fondness for her) had started laying eggs.  The Girl went right into research mode and found out that Robins lay one egg a day up to about four eggs.  Once the last egg is laid, we have a seven to nine day wait before little baby birds hatch.

Wait we did!  And somehow, I kind of grew fond of MB, and her little bundles of joy that were on the way.  When they arrived, I lost all semblance of myself, and just went into crazy bird lover mode.  No one could recognize me.  Not even myself.

Here is MB and her sweet little bundles:

The first time we noticed that MB was acting a little different, we waited for her to leave the nest and when we did we found these guys:

Here's MB (she even looks like a good momma bird, right?):

 The next day:

 And then there were four:

After waiting we met these three guys (sadly not all the eggs hatched, which we learned is normal):

These guys are a little older than freshly hatched.  We aren't sure how old, though, because we were in Orlando when they hatched.  We decided they were so ugly they were cute.

We decided it was the most cute when we could get them to open their mouths for food at us.  I know it sounds mean to trick these little guys like that, but we were careful not to bug them too much.

 

This is literally the next day.  These guys don't mess around.  They grow super fast.  I love their little bald heads.  Also, their opened eyes make them not so freaky looking.

 

Just two days later.  Not as cute, right?  Too birdy for my taste.

 

Then we left for our South Dakota trip and when we returned our babies had left the nest.  I was a little sad.  However, MB returned a couple weeks ago!  She rebuilt her nest, and laid three more eggs.  Just yesterday we watched as two more babies hatched and we are hoping for a third by the end of today.  I haven't taken anymore bird pictures yet.  I may have gotten my bird fill with the last batch.  The Girl, however, is in LOVE and has practically video taped the babies every waking breath.  I love that girl.

Before baby robins invaded our hearts, we had reserved almost all of our summer hearts to swimming.  This year has been a bit off swimming wise.  We were traveling a lot of the time that we had really nice weather, and then my kids have changed things up on me.  Turns out, they only like to go swimming when their friends can also come with them.  So while we have been to the pool maybe two times without friends, the rest of the time we are towing people along.  Which is great, however, we aren't at the pool all that often anymore.  Again, I can barley recognize myself.

What you can't see is all of the wildfire smoke we endured this day in order to take a dip.  The things I do for birthdays.

He calls this: Up From the Deep

Here are the kids with their dear friends from birth:

All boys love to perfect their cannon balls:

We took a break from all the wedding planning to go with this guy to the pool:

Some sort of trick:

 

We've even had time to spend with cousins at their grandma's private pool.  Private pool is also known as: "Do whatever tricks you've ever wanted to try in a pool".

Lastly, we celebrated The Little Man's birthday.  Hey, we were only a month late.  He wanted to take his buddies to see Despicable Me 2.  So, that meant we had to wait a month for opening day and then the holiday weekend to pass.  The movie was great, the kids were awesome, and there were lots of laughs and frozen yogurt to be had. 

All these boys, self-serving themselves frozen yogurt.  You should be afraid.  But we had fun and that's what matters, right?

 A group of happy boys after a hilarious movie:

I think the initial powerful force of the fire hydrant of photos has slowed down.  From here on out, I am hoping for a slow stream or trickle of pictures.  

You're welcome.

 

Unleashing the Fire Hydrant o'Photos

Since June was such a whirlwind of travel, preparing to travel, and coming home from traveling, I never wanted to took the time to share some pics from our adventures.  Because, let's face it, I've never been a great friend with uploading tons of pics to Blogger.  That's not to say I've shied away, just that I put it off until there are so many pictures to share that it is like unleashing a fire hydrant.  

Hold still, you're going to get wet!

First up, I hosted a bridal shower for my youngest sister who is now just a mere few weeks away from her wedding day (yay!).  It was a vintage-garden-themed-brunch shower.  We were to all wear big floppy hats, sip mimosas or tea, and nibble on fruit, bagels, and sweets while enjoying conversation, gifts, and a game all out in my backyard.  June can be a little tricky weather wise around here, and especially the first part of June.  True to it's past history, the day turned out to be a bit blustery.  We tried so hard to keep with the outdoor theme, but at some point, you just have to count your losses and invite people, you don't really know very well, into your home which hasn't been cleaned or prepped for visitors.  Bliss.

Afterwards, we sat on the porch and enjoyed some sunshine:

The bride and the bridesmaids (except one)

The bride, myself, and my mini shower helper

And then we were off!  Universal Studios Florida and Disney World were calling our names.  We spent eight days hitting the parks, swimming in the pool, and just hanging out as a family of four.  This was the first trip (longer than just a night) were it was just the four of us.  Can you believe that?  I guess you can say we like to travel with people.  It was nice to be just the four of us and do whatever the four of us wanted, whenever we wanted.   Not that traveling with others has been bad, this was just different.  And nice.

Here are some of my favorite pics (although we are missing a large number of pics due to getting the wrong disc from USF):

 Be still my beating heart, we made it to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  This was the main focus for the entire eight days.  It was amazing.  The details were spectacular, and in general we ran around like little geeky wizards and witches for two days.  Fun.

We rode rides so many times, that I literally had to call it quits.  The kids and The Hubs never say die, though, so they kept on going until the park closed.  I guess the Butterbeer kept them fueled.

Besides Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there was other fun to be had:

A little bit of Mexico the Epcot version

New York City

The Hubs thought he would try out for Fear Factor, but missed the final cut for casting.

Animal Kingdom

My roller-coaster riding junkies.

Ah, yes.  The Tower of Terror.  Back row, baby! (at least that's what the kids said)

Purposely acting silly on the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster

I sprung for the digital PhotoPass so I could be part of the pics this time.

Saying good-bye was sad, alas, it was good to get home.

Home brought us laundry, more laundry, and a quick turn around time before we headed back on the road again.  This time the kids and I hit up South Dakota.  This is where my paternal grandma lives along with much of my dad's side of the family.   We road-tripped it, saw almost all the family, ate a lot of burgers, and the kids watched a lot of Netflix courtesy of The Hubs's Hotspot which brought wi-fi wherever we went.

(Seriously, these kids these days!  We had Barbies, coloring books, and our imaginations.  That's it!)

We still had a good time as a family (my parents and uncle joined us), and it was very special to see my grandma, who is 96.

We heart you Netflix

How cute is she?

Four generations

The Little Man's favorite part: 4 Wheeling

The Girl's favorite: Catching frogs

Grandpa's favorite: Driving tractors with the grand kids

As an aside, I've road-tripped it out to good ol' SD probably about 25 times in my life.  In all those times we've never stopped at the Ft. Kearney museum.  If you aren't familiar with I-80, in Ft Kearney, Nebraska, there is an overpass that spans over the entire highway that has been made into a transportation/Westward expansion museum.   I think my dad was motivated with having the grand kids along, as on this trip, he decided making a stop might be fun. And it was!

The headphones were for a self-guided tour.  We also got to weave our way around a fort-type maze where you punched a card at the start, at designated points in the middle, and at the end.  It got a little competitive at that point, and there may have been a couple of tears, but all in all, it was the best rest stop I've ever been to.

And speaking of rest stops...here's a good place for a rest.

Up next: pictures I can't believe I even took, swimming, and a birthday boy.

June, you were so busy!

Still Whining About an Ear Infection

"To stay upbeat about life, accept that you won’t be perfect all the time, and neither will the people or things around you."- Joyce Myers Ministries

I needed this encouragement this morning as I battle with a still raging ear infection, antibiotics that didn't work the entire weekend I took them (except to give me the wonderful gastrointestinal side effects), and a summer that feels like it is slipping through my fingers as I lay in bed for another day.  

He has been faithful by my side through this morning.  As I feel frustrated, He encourages me, comforts me, and reminds me of His perfection in all things, times, and circumstances.

Lord, help me to find rest in this time.  Sitting still long enough to heal physically and be renewed spiritually.  Forgive me for impatience, a constant need to rush and do, and for finding joy in circumstances instead of you.  Amen.

Can I Get a Re-Do of Day One?

As eager as I was to "officially" start my summer vacay, it seems to be delayed once again.  My ear has been bugging me for about a year now.  I thought it was from all the swimming I was doing in preparation for my triathlon last summer.  However, over the winter it never really cleared up.  It kept feeling better then flaring up again, then feeling better only to flare up even worse than the last flare up.  Typical for me, these days, I just kept putting it off.  Swearing at  each flare up, I was going to call a doctor the next day.  Only to wake up the next morning and forget, become too busy, or just feel better. 

In May it was getting pretty bad.  The problem was two fold: I actually didn't have a primary care doctor, and hadn't had one in years, and I really didn't have the time to go to a doctor.  Fast forward to our recent trip, where the kids, my parents, and I went to visit my grandma, who lives in South Dakota, and I was back in a bad place with my ear.  I mean bad.  I decided right then and there, when I got home I was going to call the doctor my mom sees, and I was getting this thing taken care of. 

Thankfully, this time I held true to my word.  As soon as I got home on Wednesday, I made an appointment for that Friday.  That Wednesday night, I noticed that my ear was really starting to hurt down into my jaw.  The next morning I realized what I thought was bad was actually just a small foretaste of what was to come. 

Good grief! I had no idea how painful ear infections could be.  I'm also irritated to be plagued with an ailment that is usually reserved for infants and toddlers.  Also, I'm now in a spot where I can start enjoying my summer break schedule wise, but now I can't. 

I'm thankful for finding a doctor, and I'm thankful for medications.  Now I'm just praying that the antibiotics kick in quick, and I can be back in action soon.

He Waits There

For the past two years, I have been part of a ministry that reaches out to incarcerated youth in my area.  Once a month, I get to have a chance to sit in a small group of girls who are serving time.  In that hour I listen to them, I pray with them, I share the Word with them, and, hopefully, encourage them.  I hear hard stories, get hard questions, and deal with hard emotions.  It's never easy there, but it's always beautiful.  I've gotten to witness first hand the softening of hearts, forgiveness, reconciliation, and even salvation.  Works that can only be done by The Almighty. 

Last night we looked at the parable of the talents in Matthew.  In this parable Jesus was teaching about three servants who were all given money by their master.  Each one of them was expected to keep the money until the master's return, upon which the master would be asking for it back.   Two of the servants took the money given to them, invested it, and doubled the amount.  One servant, out of fear, took the money, buried it in a hole, and then waited for his master to return.  When the master returned he was elated with the news that two of his servants doubled his money while he was away.  However, when the third servant announced that he had done nothing with the money entrusted to him, and returned the original amount, the master was furious with him.  He took the amount entrusted to the third servant, gave it to the first servant, and threw the third servant out of his house declaring "If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?" (Matthew 25:26)

As the girls and I sat and discussed this parable, told thousands of years ago, and what it could possibly mean for their lives now, here in 2013, I could see one of the girls go deep into thought.  She sat and remained silent for a while.  Fearing I had lost her attention somehow, I asked her if she had any thoughts to what the parable was teaching her.  She responded with this:

"I think that God gives us all these opportunities, and He expects us to use each opportunity wisely while we are here.  When we waste opportunities, abilities, or the things He has given us, it makes Him sad."

She paused, staring off into nowhere, just long enough for us to notice a break in her words, but not long enough for me to ask another question, or elaborate on what she had said. 

She continued with, "I've been wasting my time before coming here.  I think I've been given many chances to do wonderful things, but I chose not to.  My mom and my grandma have been trying to encourage me in who God is and the plans he has for me, but I ignore them.  So I think He brought me here so I would have to sit still long enough, and away from all the distractions, to find Him.  I've noticed since being here, that a lot of people have been asking me to pray for them.  If I wasn't here, I wouldn't even consider it.  Now that I am, I do.  I didn't get to be released when they said I would be.  I was very disappointed, but now I think that I needed to be here to continue to know Him more."

More silence.

"I don't want my time here to be a waste.  I'm tired of wasting my time outside of here too."

And like that, I once again got to see Jesus meet someone face to face.  In jail.

Isn't it just like Jesus to wait for someone there?  A King who came to this earth not to be served but to serve.  A King born to an ordinary woman in a feed trough.  Not in a palace, not to royalty, and not with any sort of special ceremony.  A King who spent his time not with the most important people, but with the most unnoticed people.  People who were sick and dying, people who were outcasts, people who were criminals.  A King who came to be with the "least of these". 

When I think about Jesus, who He loves, and how He serves, it makes sense to me that He'd wait for this girl there.  In jail.  That terrible, cold place.  That place full of people who are outcasts, who society frowns down upon or even purposely looks away from.  A jail where few acknowledge  (or know) who He really is and how loved they are by Him.  When I really think about who Christ is and what He came to do, it makes perfect sense that He wouldn't hesitate for a second to sit and wait for people there.  No one is too lost for Him to love and no one too low for Him to serve.

These things that God has allowed me to see and be a part of, thrill me to no end.  They deepen my roots of faith, and they make me fall deeper and deeper in love with Him.  Him, who chooses to go to the ugly places, the most hurtful times, and patiently wait there.  A King.  In those places?  My heart could burst.

^" Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?”
^" Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”--Matthew 9:10-13 The Message

Day 27 is Day 1

Here, on June 26th,  I'm finding myself on day 27 of summer break, my most favorite time of year.  I had such grand hopes for this summer.  Well, actually for every summer.  Plans of warm days, pools, sleeping in, resting, no shoes, eating out on the deck, and just over-all joy.  I was going to document each day of this break with a "Photo-a-day" project.  I also had this "home summer camp" idea where the kids would have these activities each morning that would help them to achieve summer goals, learn, have fun, and exercise.  Oh, I had plans. 

The first weekend of summer break doesn't really count does it?  I mean, it's the weekend, right.  We were going to have those days anyway.  Plus, I threw my sister a bridal shower that weekend.  Which let's face it, while it was super fun and special, was still a ton of work.  Also, that Sunday I spent doing laundry and packing for a trip that was going to take place early the next morning.  So, yea, I'll say that weekend didn't really count. 

Then we went on this trip.  It was a great trip.  Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida for eight days.  We got up early, we stood in lines, we rode rides, we ate, we drank, we swam, we slept very little.  We (OK, it might just be me) came home exhausted. 

Then, there's the laundry.  Again.  Also, the fridge doesn't stock itself and dinner doesn't come together on it's own.  Also, someone had a birthday, and we celebrated Dads.  I chopped off all of my hair the day after we had family portraits taken.  Yup, we did a lot of shopping to find just the right outfits for those babies.  Also, for one week, we thought we were moving.  They needed to know exactly which model we wanted to build and all the different options we would like to add.  I had to make up my mind quickly because I was leaving again.  But before I could leave, we needed to have clean clothes packed.  Laundry, suitcases, and lists.  Lots and lots of lists because at this point, I'm beginning to feel like I can't remember what day of the week it is let alone all the different things the kids will need to make a 650 mile long road trip to visit with great-grandma just that much more bearable. 

I'm so thankful for the time spend with my family, for the safety and health we had while traveling.  My kids were angels the whole time, as well, and now we are home, and my calendar is relatively clear.  And it's day 27, yet it feels like day 1. 

My summer break is starting just a little bit behind schedule, but I think it's finally here.

My Boy. He's Eight .

I really don't have words.  My baby.  My youngest child.  He's eight. 

Gulp.

Oh, who am I fooling, of course I have words.

Little Man,
You are my most favorite boy in the entire world.  I don't know that anyone could love another little boy more than I love you.  You are the sweetest, most scrumptious, hilarious, loving, compassionate boy I know.  I could not be more proud of all the things that make you, you.  You have not only been wonderfully made, but you are also purposefully made.  These past eight years have been a thrill for me to watch God form you and make you into who you are.  When I watch your compassionate heart lead others with gentleness, I feel like I get glimpses of God's plan for your life.  It's easy to see that His spirit lives inside you.  You have had an amazing year, and you surprise me almost everyday with your wit, love, kindness, and intellect.  Thanks for a great year, Buddy.  I couldn't ask for a better "job" in this life than to be your mom.

Love you to pieces,
Mom

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