OH HEY.

long time, no see.

 

how's it going?

 

good?

 

well, me too!

 

finally. it was pretty rough last week. really, really, really rough.

 

but it's done now, so yay!

 

yesterday i felt like i could breathe again at work. whoooooosh. i feel so much better. i actually kept looking around thinking i should be running around doing 18 million things.

 

but nope - just the normal busy. normal busy is manageable. i can do normal busy. last week, i don't want to do again.

 

saturday was the craziest day. the entire week had built up to a community event that i help run here at work. i was at work at 7am and left at 2:00pm...and then drove four hours to see my bff patty.

 

she lives in virginia and is finally graduating from college this may! yay! WITH HER PhD! YAY PATTY! she is such a rockstar and is so SUPER smart. it was so nice to catch up.

 

oh, and she is pregnant - WOO-HOO! a baby yoda! i can't wait to meet baby bobby, whose real name is: haralabos. they are greek. thank goodness for nicknames. i would never pronounce the kid's name properly. i can barely spell patty's last name: ferssizidis. also - i got it right the first time! go me.



after the run, after the wake-up, no make up = YIKES.



 

 

 

anyway, i missed the shower because of the event at work, but i still had some good times catching up with patty before we both went to sleep at 10pm. we are grandmas.

 

my plan was to sleeeeep in the next morning. maybe until 7:30! i was so excited, until my stupid body woke me up at 6:30. blah. no fair. i ended up going on a run, since everyone else was snoozing and was really grateful for that time.

 

pics from the run:

 

 

 

i left the next morning. it was a quick trip, but good to get back to these joksters.

 

 

 

 

this morning i dropped hallie off from school and she wanted me to take her picture. she is really growing up. she used to want me to walk her in every. single. day to school. then a few weeks ago i told her it was time for her to walk in herself. the first time was rough, but i persisted and now she is a champ at walking herself in.

 

here she is with her little buddy, tessa, do you see how teeny hallie is? she is a little petite thing!

 

presh.

 

the end.

 

 

A TERRIBLE, ROTTEN, NO-GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

yesterday.

 

it started by getting cat pee on my feet and shoes first thing in the morning. yeah. no good.

 

and then work got stressful and yucky and so, so bad. i was feeling overwhelmed and bummed out and stressed to the max. i tried praying and just couldn't seem to get anything under control.

 

i hit my limit when i was driving in springfield and my check engine light came on my dashboard lights started flashing at me.

 

i pulled off to the dealership and immediately texted a friend for some prayer. it took about five minutes and then:

 

1. i realized how blessed i was that i was RIGHT by my car dealership; and

2. they got me right in, there was ZERO wait time; and

3. it ended up being something minor that could have been serious; and

4. it confirmed my decision to not drive four extra hours in the car the day before for the tumbling meet (my engine probably would have burned up; and

5. the mechanic gave me a big discount; and

6. i found some very important papers that i had lost; and

7. dave got home in time to see the kids before bed...and henry's face when he walked in...oh, i never want to forget that look. it was so precious; and

8. i am so grateful for praying friends.

 

it is so amazing how quickly the prayers worked. sometimes it takes awhile to see results from prayers, but not yesterday. it was fast, it was SO fast and it was so needed. i was so GRATEFUL.

 

***

 

today is another crazy day, but i'm going to try so hard to not get stressed out. this week is one of the busiest i've ever had at work. but i can do it.

 

 

 

BREAKNECK SPEED.

uuuugggghhhhh.

 

i feel like this month is flying by. this week has been crazy. i got to play mom to two extra kiddos on monday and tuesday nights (which was so much fun, seriously), had class on wednesday night, a work function tonight, make-up horse lessons and tumble team practice tomorrow, plus a tumbling meeting on sunday.

 

keller, hallie and cameron, hanging out :)

it's been crazy and exhausting and oh yeah, i had a paper due somewhere during that week too. plus, it's registration period at work.

henry's new trick - each morning he has managed to stick one arm out of his jammies. such talent.

 

and dave is gone.





 

 

sometimes it feels like everything happens at once. and maybe it's better that way. because then i really appreciate the slower pace in between the craziness.

 

 

i don't want to wish my days away, so i'm going to try to enjoy the crazy.



oh, these two.

 

last night was my one "normal" night at home, so i lived it up. supper, lunches made, homework done, baths, stories, bed for the kiddos - and then my beloved cup of hot tea, my fuzzy blanket and two episodes of mad men on netflix. it was magical :)



trying to facetime with daddy!



the end.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS.

more bubble baths.

 

 

with bubble beards.

 

(henry does not agree)

 

fishing with best friends.

 

 

sunday bike rides.

 

and warm evenings on the front porch.

 

 

this weather is so good for my soul.

 



GRATITUDE 3.0

1. oranges.

2. hallie's love of horses.

3. a hands-on husband.

i am obsessed lately with oranges. and i am grateful for them, because they are sneaky. they make me think i am eating something sinfully sweet and bad for me...and they are soooooo good. i eat at least one a day. maybe that's why i haven't gotten hit with the bug that is currently taking down my family, one by one? interesting.

i know i say it a lot, but i love that hallie loves horses. she is so unique and i am grateful that she can love something without needing other little girls in the same thing. it makes me happy.

dave. period. he's a good day, a hands-on husband and is good for my sanity. and bad for my sanity, but it balances out. if we can get the flu and taxes behind us, we will have a good rest of april.

the end.

HALLIE & PAPAPA @ THE FARM.

hallie is on spring break this week.

 

when my dad came in for easter weekend, she decided she wanted to go back to missouri with him and spend two days/two nights at the farm.

 

this is a big step. for both of us.

 

but she loved it. had a ball. slept good, ate too much and had tons of mints/caffeine/etc. awesome.

 

favorite parts, according to hallie: brushing the horses, library with grandma chronister and visiting the amish.

 

she wants to go back this summer for sure. dad, are you game?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BABY GETS A BUZZCUT.

i couldn't handle the hair anymore.

 

it was long and fuzzy and a total rat's nest in the back. and to make it slightly less traumatic (???), i decided to do it myself. because, why not?

 

also, i used clippers. a #5 all over. perfect.

 

does he look traumatized? i mean, really. i strapped him into a booster seat, turned baby einstein up and gave him a sucker. he should feel lucky.

 

except that i missed quite a few spots. whoops!

oh, a video? SURE.

 

GUILT TRIPS. AND BAD SPELLING.

note #1 received from hallie (bottom right): "i love you. you are my heart's desire. you are a good mom."

 

note #2 from hallie, shortly after (top): "you are mean. you hurt my heart. i am mad"

 

and her grocery list: "carrots, popsicles, ice cream, chips, pringles."

 

you can see we have some work to do on her spelling, but these crack me up. dave thinks we should start correcting her spelling, but i'm afraid it will make her stop writing notes. and the more she writes, the more she'll improve. and they are hysterical.

 

EASTER.

easter is one of my very favorite holidays - and yet, sometimes i feel like i am not grasping the ENORMITY of the holiday. i worked good friday and then we had plans that evening. i never took the time to reflect really, or think much about the huge significance of that day.

 

and then easter sunday itself was such a whirlwind of sunrise service, naps, lunch, naps, etc. but, it did hit me on easter sunday. that it wasn't about the food or the clothes or the easter baskets. all of those things can go away, because the ONLY important thing was that on that day, the tomb was empty and we were filled with living hope. jesus gave up his spirit, died for our sins and now sits up in heaven with god the father.

 

so while my kids looked adorable at church and man, those naps sure felt good...that's NOT what easter is all about. it's about jesus and let's not forget it.