a little embracing the camera.

today i'm embracing the camera with jonathan.
{ he's 9 and super fun and trying to be funny at all times }
here we are chillin in the lobby of our hotel this weekend....
i love the chill out time with the kiddos during vacay.
no chores.  no meals to be made.  no laundry to do.  ahhhhhh.
just good fun and laughs
and possibly a toddler temper tantrum or two
{but who's counting those?!}

getaway weekend 2012
legoland
{embassy as usual...}
portillos
{chicago style dogs and chocolate cake shakes}
swim.ming
not.so.much.sleeping
lots o fun.
{ikea run.  oh, yeah!}

happy spring, everyone

insta-ing it up and not letting this blog die.

--Upwards Bball Closing Celebration--
jon had a blast and won a $25 movie theater gift card.
justin and i were on the balcony level with the younger 3
charity's lack of enthusiasm for all things bball had us leaving early.
peeps tell me stuff like this gets easier as the kids get older.
 { it better. }

i pinterested up a handful of fun ideas for St. Patty's Day
homemade cupcakes, rainbow stuff......
it came down to green apple juice, lucky charms and store bought shamrock cookies
{ i heart reality. }

these 2 are double trouble in the mornings
matt climbs into char's crib and they jump and dump toys in every.where.
i get like 12 extra minutes to get ready in the morning.
this routine is not changing anytime soon. 

matthias was so excited to find these mcqueen cookies and got me to buy them.
it says "easter" in bold red letters on the box
excuse me while i raise the question,
what a race car has to do with the resurrection of Jesus?!

caleb is not our biggest sports guy of the fam
but he does love a good competition, esp involving numbers
so march madness brackets have been exciting
justin's been pulling some late nights for the love of basketball
#iwillneverunderstandsacrificefortheloveofsports



i would like to congratulate toppers pizza for 2 things:
*AMAZING breadsticks
*a slogan that entertained caleb for the whole meal
"spank your buds"
{justin and i agreed sometimes literacy with our children is not a blessing}




on the way to MOPS matthias asked if i would hold him
i really wanted to stop the car right there on I-94 and snuggle
but i made it to the church parkling lot and i held him tight
can i please freeze him at this age?
he said on the way, 'mommy, you are super pretty'
 {precious, i tell ya }




march.
wisconsin.
booyah.



i left the house tuesday night with 5 heaping baskets of laundry to be folded
and came home to this
my mom tucked charity into bed and went to town
 { moms rock. }




tuesday night must've been my night
because on the way to my meeting i got a call from my friend, sarah,
letting me know she made my fam dinner
and was wondering where she could drop it off
i'm so blessed.
this has been a crazy and fun week of prepping for our church's womens retreat
and i've had friends praying for no headaches for me
others sending encouraging texts
and these delicious sandwiches made for me.
wow.  thank You, God!




this girl here
my little baby who's (gasp) turning 2 next month
now thinks that drinking from a cup and straw is so very sophisticated
and a sippy is just....not.
please stop this whole 'growing up thing'
warning:  i'm so not going to be okay on april 13th!




captured on camera
proof that my kiddos all like to hang out
hi-ho-cherry-o style
LOVE

{charity's got her daddy wrapped......and she knows it!}

happy weekend, all!
i'm retreating it up with the women from my church
 and justin's doing the solo dad thing
til the wee hours saturday night.
so grateful for a husband that is cool like that.
{thanks, babe.  love you tons!}

linking up HERE

cheesy

this lil wisconsin girl has the cheesy smile down

and her mama's heart captured.

linking up HERE

shredding and whats going on besides the happy insta pics.

i don't really even know how to get out what's going on
in my mind and heart and body right now.
well, what's going on with my body is easy to explain:
jillian michaels.  30 day shred. 

i'm on day 23 and i absolutely love it and how it rocks my abs.
i was completely convinced that after 4 kids i had lost them. 
but now they're found. (does anyone else feel like singing amazing grace at this point?!)
and it's a sweet reunion, let me tell you.  albeit a sore one.
my arms.  ouch.  my legs.  ouch.  my shoulders. ouch.
{mercy}
----------------------------------------------
what's going on in my mind is a lot of leviticus. 
(say wah?!)  ever read through that book? 
i know the last time i read through it was in my old testament survey days in college.
and i remember just completely hating it and longing for joshua or the psalms to begin.
and wondering why in the world i was reading all this icky stuff anyways.  ewwww.
but this time i was reading it because i really wanted to......
this whole 'reading through the bible chronologically' 
is rocking my world.
i see it now.  i see how leviticus is important to fully grasp the holiness of God.
sometimes just reading through all the the israelites had to do to atone for their sin is
gross and intriguing and L.O.N.G......
but all they had to do in their sacrificial offerings was necessary
if they wanted to commune with God.
because He is so holy. holy. holy.

and if they knew what was good for them,
they did every. single. step. of sacrifice, {exactly as God instructed}
and being a 'non-instruction' reader myself,
i was completley overwhelmed and kept thinking
if it were me....
i'd probably forget step 2 or do step 7 wrong
or completely forget about step 89.
i would be so lost in atoning for my sin through sacrifical offerings.

i've been known to take my salvation through Jesus Christ for granted.
i've been known to recite prayers in sort of a 'routine' way,
taking for granted my access to Him, that He's always there for me,
waiting and wanting me to talk with Him.

linking up leviticus to hebrews and seeing what has become of
those old school rituals to gain fellowship with God......
they have become unnecessary.  totally and completely unnecessary.

because of Jesus,
i don't need to find a young bull without defect
and have its blood be smeared all over the place
in order to be forgiven
i don't need to go through a priest
i can go to God through Jesus, my precious savior who has paid the price
once and for all
and i can pray to Him at all hours, all the time, anytime,
casting all my cares upon Him
because He cares for me (I Peter 5:7)
not because i'm special in my own right
but because i'm special to Him because of His love for me.
and you're special to Him, too
did you know that?  do you grasp that?!
-------------------------

what's going on in my heart has to do with my church.
its going through some real stuff right now
which is really junky.
and to be honest, my soul is worn out from churches going through stuff
but the truth is all churches have issues, because they're made up of sinners
{like me.  i'm one of those.  and i'm in the church}

and when justin and i went through a lot of church junk 2 years ago
i had people ask me
what made me not turn my back on the church?
after all, plenty of people do when they see what sinners can create church to be

i was tempted. 
i was cynical for some time. 
wait, i'm still working my way back from the cynicism i've put in my heart
when it comes to church.  but anyways....

church is God's people, His body.
and i love God. 
i love Him, i love Him,  I.  LOVE.  HIM.
and so i cry out to God that He'll show Himself in amazing ways through His body.
and then i watch the body of Christ fail.
and i cry out to God again that He'll unify His people to accomplish His will.
and then i watch the body of Christ fail again. 
and again.  and again.  and again.

and because i myself am just a sinner in process
i turn to cynicism and then i repent and turn to cynicism
and repent.  and repeat.
i truly need a good heart revival. 
daily.

i refuse to give up on the church because i refuse to give up on God.
He's so faithful. so forgiving.  slow to anger, abounding in love.....

i know it's only a matter of time before God leads justin and i back into full.time ministry.
i know it and sometimes i shudder. 
{and sometimes i get impatient and wonder why it wasn't yesterday already}
.....so go figure that one out for me, k?
this is real, people.  this is my life i'm sharing here.
but it's my story and it's for His glory and i want you to know,
to be at the end of this blogpost and make NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT

God is to be glorified.
He uses things in our life to draw us near to Him.
the good stuff and especially the junk.
to HIM be the glory.

life is not about you and it's certainly not about me.

so read leviticus and be overwhelmed. 
then read hebrews and see how that's all taken care of now. 

or read john and see the amazing love Jesus has for us.
and then decide, along with me,
that He's worth all the glory you can pour on Him by living for Him
no matter the cost.

whew.  that's all i've got.
that's a lot of blogposts floating around in my head, rolled into one.....

{have a beautiful march day!}
living for the One who is the Lion and the Lamb

linking up HERE

.












 

{source}

if silent movies can win grammies

perhaps this silent blog will carry on

-------------

we've got SNOW.

{at least it looks pretty falling down}
enjoy your weekend and all that it holds for you!

linking up HERE

few words. it's all i've got.

Aldi shopping.  at the beginning.
about 4.25 minutes before fussing broke out
and again i remind myself, it's so worth it.....
the prices are so worth it......

lego guys are in battle
but these 2 brothers are playing together like BFFs
LOVE

cousins.
look alikes.
cutie pies.

fazolis for sunday lunch.  {BREADSTICKS}
when you get in the car with the hubs after church and he suggests eating out
you submit.  that's what ephesians 5:22 is all about

matt and me on a sunny afternoon
{shadows are so fun}
especially when you're 32 4.

i love these two guys
and i love their intersecting striped shirts

truffle pie at bakers square
i'm sorry if you don't have one in your area
and i'm sorry it's only on the february menu...which ends in 5 more days
{it was our pie date together.}  and this was one amazing pie to share.

the next night was my pie date with this guy
 and when the waiter asks if we'd like anything to drink 
Caleb says, "diet coke, please"
really?!  cracked me right up.

3 day week of school.
thursday = helping mom make cookies
jon adds the whole bag of white chips.....hello goodness.

meanwhile, charity found the beater on the table
and.....this must be a nature thing cause surely she's never seen her mama do this?!
smart girl.  i don't need to teach her a thing about chocolate.

i'm getting in some extra cuddles these days by saying to charity
"would you like me to lay you down for rest or rock you?"
and she points to the rocking chair.  i know.  i'm stealth like that.

snow is not all fun and games.
6:27AM this morning
i'm glad to be the one snapping the pic from the cozy indoors

Dear Babe,
this is me attempting to make my own breakfast.
you make it better.  please never leave for work early again, k?

1 DS
3 boys
30 minutes of entertainment....more if i'd allow (tempting.)



cookies from the phew
{yum.}
thanks josh!

{kids church project}

this has just been 'one of those weeks'
everyday i thought it was one day further into the week
so waking up and having it be friday (again) today was pretty disappointing.
ever been there?  mercy.

while i've got some pretty deep thoughts rolling around in my head
{hard to believe i have those somedays amidst diapers and laundry and crockpot creations}
i am too weary from the day-to-dayness to put them into complete thoughts
but i'll leave you with this
a verse i've been turning to while getting dressed and folding laundry
and one that i shared with my mops group this wednesday morning....

isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast
because he trusts in You
trust in the LORD forever
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock Eternal


and that's all i really need to know to get me through
the daily dailyness of life. 

i hope it encourages your heart
have a super weekend, all!

linking up HERE