Five Minute Friday: Friend

Friend. My mind immediately goes to a few people who I treasure and value...a few people who epitomize the word "friend" in my life.

I am so thankful for those few people, those few girls, who know me so well and yet love me. They are those who get me...they get that I'm not a people-person, that I don't love crowds, that I could care less about what others think. The few that come to mind are people who I feel like I could spend all day every day with and never get sick of them. It wouldn't matter if we had tons to say or nothing to say at all, just being together would be enough. These friends are the ones who get the 1st text asking for prayer when something happens or the text that just says " I am so over this day". I think I could count these girls on 1 hand and I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't need armies of people that I know, I just need a few girls who know me well.

The ironic thing is that none of these people are people who I see daily, weekly, or even monthly. Some of them I only get to see once a year....but it doesn't matter. They are my front row, they are the few I have chosen to be real with and to let in and I wouldn't trade them for anything! You know who you are and I hope you know how much I value you and treasure you with all my heart!

Be Still

Well, Hope is on day 5 of high fevers which means we are on day 5 of laying low. I had big plans for our week...work, Small Group, church, Hope's 2nd triathlon, Disneyland, etc. And instead of all those really fun things, we've stayed home. We've watched movies, we've exhausted our piles of books, we've just hung out...for 5 days. If you know me well, you know I'm not very good at being still or staying home. I like to be on the go, to have full & busy days. And yet...here we are. I've tried hard this week to encourage her to relax, to watch movies, to rest. It's been a long week! So, while I had these grandiose plans of a fun and busy week, God had other plans for us. So here I am...trying to be still, trying to enjoy the down time, trying to enjoy just BEING with my kids rather than going and doing. Ugh!

Five Minute Friday: Glue

There's a really cheesy song that I love by a band called Sugarland. It's called "Stuck Like Glue". It has a catchy melody and is easily stuck in your head after hearing it.

There you go making my heart beat again,
Heart beat again,
Heart beat again
There you go making me feel like a kid
Won't you do it and do it one time?
There you go pulling me right back in,
Right back in,
Right back in
And I know-oo I'm never letting this go-ooo
I'm stuck on you
Whutooo whutooo
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue
Whutooo whutooo
Stuck like glue
You and me baby we're stuck like glue

I guess what I love about this silly little song is it sums up how I feel about my sweet husband. There is no one else I'd rather be with, no one else I'd rather have by my side, no one else I'd rather be stuck to...like glue! I think I could spend all day every day with him and still not get sick of him. He is my better half, my common sense, my sounding board, the one my heart loves! Thanks to crazy work schedules we often go days without seeing each other but I find those days when we are together, I don't want to leave his side...I don't care what it is we do or need to get done, I'd rather do it together. He really is my better half and I am so thankful God chose him for me! 

New Bed!

Jaye and I both grew up wishing we had a loft bed...but no such luck for either of us. We've been talking about it for awhile and we decided that this year would be the year to get a loft bed for Hope. Hudson is getting bigger and is into EVERYTHING and we want Hope to have a space that is hers and that she can feel to create/dream in. So...today we built a really fun space for our sweet girl!

Prior to today, Hope had a cute picket fence bed that was given to me when I was in need of a bed. It's been such a cute bed and I love that she got to use it too!

Even Hudson tried to help today! He would climbed up top if we would've left him alone long enough!

We couldn't find a twin loft that was just right so we bought a full-size and then customized it by adding shelves up top and cutting 6" off the bottom. Love the way it turned out!

She loves her bed! She moved all her favorite books, toys and stuffed animals up there immediately!

Still not sure what else we'll add...definitely need to add curtains that will close it off so she can have a fort and need to find a smaller cozy chair to curl up in with a book! It will be a work in progress!

Five Minute Friday: Choose

(Every Friday for over a year, hundreds of people have joined a writing flash mob at Lisa-Jo Baker‘s blog site.  They write for five minutes flat all on the same prompt that she posts on her site at one minute past midnight EST every Friday.  No extreme editing or worrying about punctuation, grammar or font.  Unscripted, unedited, real.  I am going to do my best to be a part of the fun.)

CHOOSE...this is the story of my life now days. On most days I have about 60-90 minutes to get things done and most days it is a struggle to choose which things I will do. Do I choose to read my Bible or clean house? Do I choose to pack lunch and get ready for work or prep dinner for that night? Should I choose to shower and get ready for the day or play with Hope? All of the things listed above are important and ideally, they should all get done each day...but there's not enough baby-free time to do so. So each day I must choose what comes first.

To be honest, most days I probably don't choose the most important things. Unfortunately, playing with Hope usually gets pushed aside so the practical things get done....things like getting ready for work and packing lunch or prepping dinner. Am I proud of that? Absolutely not. Thankfully she's really good at playing by herself but it still stinks to miss out on that opportunity. So each day I must choose what gets my time and some days it is not the eternal things that get chosen, it's the mundane and very necessary things that need to get done.

Two is Better than One!

 I've been thinking lately about how thankful I am for these 2! Our world is crazy, busy and very messy most days, but sure is a lot of fun! I love watching these 2 together...whether it be screaming contests (not my favorite thing), sitting side by side in the cart at Target, snuggling up together, wrestling together, or laughing together...there is one thing that is undeniable...their deep love for each other! Watching them together makes me think, "and this is why we didn't just stop with one kid". I love watching them together! I love watching their relationship grow and watching them begin to play together now that Hudson can understand more and keep up with Hope! Some days our life is pretty crazy and I can't find time to get anything done but I wouldn't trade them for the world!

 I've caught myself smiling several times the past few weeks as I walk into Hope's room to one of her creative endeavors/schemes! This girl has the best imagination and is so creative! The pic above is from a tea party she was having with her friends...love how each one is dressed up for the occasion! Yesterday and today she's been working on cutting out tiny pieces of paper, coloring them, and then gluing

And then there's this munchkin...T R O U B L E! Not really, just too smart for his own good and so very curious! He loves anything that is cause and effect. He wants to figure out how they work and then manipulate it over and over to see it in motion. I'm pretty sure he says his own form of "eat, light, off, uh oh, and Mama". He knows that a monkey says "aaa aaa" and will sometimes growl/rumble like a lion. He is non-stop and always in motion. He crawls super fast and gets from point A to point B faster than you can blink it seems! He makes me laugh!

Five Minute Friday: Hero

The 1st person who comes to mind when I think of the word "hero" is my Dad. "Why is he your hero?", you might ask...there's many reasons, but here are a few:

1. He has poured into the lives of countless teens, adults, families, couples, kids, etc...as he has followed God's calling in ministry.
2. He has had unswerving faith in God's plan and has followed God's leading even when the road ahead made no sense and led to struggles and wandering in a very dry desert for a very long time.
3. I don't know anyone else who has a shepherd's heart like his. He is a natural shepherd and genuinely desires to guide and help others.
4. He loves my kids so well. From swimming in the pool every day of summer, countless piggy back rides and carrying to the car, to games of pretend and hide and go seek, to coloring, to sharing M&Ms and candy, to long walks, to tricycle rides...and these are all with my sweet Hope who adores her Grampy with all her heart! What a blessing it is so watch your kids grow and flourish as someone you hold so highly loves them so well!
5. My Dad is the one who took me to school and picked me up most days growing up. I loved our car rides together and our conversations about everything and anything.
6. He loves selflessly. For as long as I can remember my Dad has served our family. He has worked hard to provide, he's gotten the glasses of milk, made the snacks, and done whatever is needed to care for my Mom, my brother and I.
7. He epitomizes the word "perseverance".
8. Each night when I lived at home, my Dad would tuck me in bed & pray with me. Most nights he'd leave my room saying "Goodnight princess, I love you". I am my Daddy's girl and always will be.

My Dad has created an amazing legacy of faith for me and my family to follow. He has impacted the lives of more than I can count and has made an eternal difference in the world. He loves wholeheartedly, serves with everything he's got, and is just all around incredible! My Dad = My Hero!