Birthday Girls

Piper celebrated her SIXTH birthday in March?!  That's just plain crazy.

She wanted an American Girl Party so La La and I had one for her and Bella over Easter Weekend.  I forgot to blog about it:)

   

Bella Boo turned 4.

 

We did crafts for our American Girl party because we still have lots of little guys we love to celebrate with too.

Everyone hard at work on their canvases

 Piper's Masterpiece

La La made the cake.  She's pretty awesome.

The Dolls needed a place setting too

Happy Birthday to our sweet Middles.

Piper, you are a joy. Since you've turned 6, I see you maturing more and more. And the Lord's work has become evident in your life.
This past weekend, we had Tristen's Birthday party and it was a sleepover.  There were about 10 little girls in the tent. Whew!  You woke up in the middle of the night and came out to tell La La that you were cold.  She told you to go get in your sleeping bag.  Your response, "I don't have one because I gave mine to that other little girl because she didn't have one."

And your sister, Gracie was away this past week with Nanny and Papaw. You missed her SO much.  You seemed lost without her.  One day you sent her a text.  It said, "Hi Gracie I mos you so much. Theis is Piper."

Oh man, these things make my mama heart melt!  To see you serving others and loving your sister like this have been my prayer for you for years.  Thank you Jesus!

School's Out!

Gracie and Piper finished school two weeks ago!  They had a great first year with Dr. Gray and we are thrilled with all they have learned.  Second Grade and Kindergarten are in the books. 

We finished off the year with a friendly kickball game. Oh yeah!

The Grays and The Pattersons vs. The Gibsons and The Townsends.

These are from my phone, so not super great.

That is Dr. Gray above. She's a mean kickball player:)

Philip and Dr. Gray's daughter Erica.

Ava Townsend.  Go girl! We tied.  Thankfully for our team the dads showed up, or they would have creamed us:)

The Gang.

Pipey showing off her work for the year

The girls start summer school this coming week:(  Mama is sad.  I love having them home.  But it's only 3 days a week and for just a few hours.  I think it will help with the summer boredom factor and keep those little minds a going.  And Reese and I will be eager to pick them up and have fun when they are home!

Way to go girls!

Reese Update and A Peek into our Marriage

Reese is getting better day by day.  She is still coughing and spitting up some, but it's much less.  We were supposed to leave for Charlotte this weekend but we didn't want to spread any germs.  So we missed Tristen and Bella's Dance recital:(  It's been a long month, but I think in a few more days she will be back to normal.  Well, normal is relative.  Here she is wearing Piper's Amercian Girl's Doll glasses while I was painting the playroom yesterday.

Now, this next story, I hope you think it's funny. It cracked me and my friend Christy up so much, I had to share it with you.
You all know I have a pretty awesome husband.  He rocks.  Plain and simple.  When we are asked about our marriage and what we need to work on, he always says communication. And if you're reading here, you know how he thinks. And you know me. Case in point: Yesterday Jeremy and I were working on projects around the house.  I have lots of painting to do and he was doing lots of odds and ends. We went room to room discussing what needed to be done in each space.  We had some extra cabinets left over from our last house that he wanted to use.  So we were going to put them over the toilets in the bathrooms.  He took measurements and showed me where they would go.  I said it was fine.  Several hours later, he tells me the one in our bathroom is done.  I walk in there, and this is what I see....

What tha What??!!  I mean, really.  I just stood there stunned.  He said, I showed you that's where it would be.  And I just stared at him, and said, "What makes you think that would look good?"  And he says," It's just for storage, not for looks. And you can still get to the towel bar."  Cause if we move the towel bar...more painting for me.
  Oh my word, now I am only 5 ft 2 inches.  I can't even reach the bottom shelf, let alone any other shelf in that thing.

  So I was recounting it to Christy when she asked me what we did yesterday.  Then we we got off the phone I texted her a picture.  She was dying.  And so was I.  I went to bed still chuckling.  Oh I don't get the logic.  I sure do love my man though!
   

Soccer!

 Gracie and Piper played soccer this spring!  We just wrapped up the season this past Saturday.  We had a fun time each Saturday out at the field!

Gracie's Team, The Bears

 Girlfriend hustles so hard.

She scored a few goals this season:)

The beginning of the season, was coooold.

Gracie loved it and says she wants to play again next year!

Next up, Piper, and her wonderful coach, Daddy:)

Sister scored a few goals too:)

We played Upward Soccer,and loved it.  For Piper's age it is more instructional and the rules aren't as strict.  Jeremy tried to teach them the skills needed for soccer.  Gracie's age was more competitive and really fun to watch.  Soccer is hard!  I have no clue about it, but I sure enjoyed watching my girls play:)

Helllooooooo

Yes, Jeremy and Aunt Gale are getting after me, so I better do some catching up on here!  I have so many pictures to go through, so this post won't have any.  Bummer.

We did move in to our new house at the beginning of April, and I am still trying to get us settled.  This time it seems like there's so much to do!  We are loving, loving, loving the location.  It is soooooo much closer to everything.  I have so much more time during the day at home.  The house, let's call it our cozy little cottage, ahem, is taking some getting used to.  It's a lot smaller.  I didn't think it would feel like it was that much smaller, but it does.  And I don't really like that.  Just keepin it real.  So it's cozy, and I'm still trying to figure out where to put this and that.  I've gotten rid of TWO vans full of stuff too.  We have an awesome back yard and Reese spends most of her time out there:)  Piper has a friend next door.  And that is a huge blessing!

  Have I told you lately how amazing our friends and families are?  Seriously ah-mazing.  My mom and sisters came up to help tie up the loose ends at the rental and we unpacked most of the kitchen while they were here. Tracie helped on BOTH ends.  She came up and packed for several days and then came back the week after we moved in to help me unpack.  I can't live without her.  Then, my inlaws, oh my inlaws.  What in the world would we do without them?!  There are no words.  They packed us, unpacked us and everything in between.  Papa has been up here several times a week for the past several weeks working on our yard, putting in new faucets, toilets, and sinks.  They are beyond incredible.  I am so thankful.  And to top it all off, our precious church family here moved us and helped us unpack.  And clean. And they brought food. And lastly, my friend Lisa came up to help me get started on decorating. THANK YOU ALL!!!  We are SO blessed!

  School is winding down for the girls.  Their last day is Friday!  They are totally excited and ready for a break.  We all are.  They will be doing some summer school in June and August.  Their teacher just wants to keep up a little because they lose so much during the summers off.  It will be short and sweet and just a few days a week.  I think it will help them not get as bored for the summer. They have done so, so well this year and are above grade level!  We are very proud of their diligence.

  Last but not least, Can you please pray for Reesee?  She has been sick for three weeks now.  We are fairly certain she has whooping cough but we are still waiting on the results to come back.  She is pitiful.  There's lots of coughing and throwing up at the end of the coughing.  And the gasping for air during the cough.  It's no fun.  Pertussis is going around the schools here and she has picked it up. ( And no, my girls are not vaccinated.  But most of the kids in the schools that have it were.  And yes, I still stand by my decision to not vaccinate them.  I knew this was a risk.  Maybe I'll write more about this later:))
  Yesterday she started the antibiotic that would be given if she does have pertussis.  She is still pretty sick, but it might be helping a little.  Please pray it does.  The nurse practitioner told me today that the next step will be the hospital.  She is very, very contagious if she does have pertussis.  So I am keeping her away from everybody until we know for sure.  We've all been sick with various things, but she is definitely having the hardest time.

  So there's an update of what's been going on the past two months!  I owe you lots of pictures.  From Gage to Piper's Birthday to soccer and lots in between!

Guess what???

We did it! We this house:)

We are excited and overwhelmed all at the same time.  This will be two moves in 11 months, and a serious downsize...and down grade from our current house:)

It is 4 minutes from school for the girls!! Did you hear me?! FOUR minutes!!

It's on 3/4 acres with a beautiful fenced in back yard. It's not in a neighborhood, but it's on a street that has many small neighborhoods off of it.  And there's a family from church that lives behind us.

Please pray for us.  We wanted to live more simply and save money.  But I want to be honest, it's going to be an adjustment.  It's 1,000 less sq feet than we have now, and it's the smallest house we've lived in since having kids.  Yes, it can totally be done, (don't judge me!) it's just going to take much more organizing than I'm used to.

Can you pray for something else?  We close on this house the day my sister is due!  I will NOT miss that birth! So I have to have the house packed before I leave for Gage's delivery. That's anywhere from 2-3 weeks from now.  Not only do we have to pack, we have to patch and paint as well.

We are excited about this new chapter.

1,000 Gifts

About a year ago, I was introduced to this amazing writer, Ann Voskamp.  She blogs at A Holy Experience.  This woman has been through some trials in her life.  She began writing down things she was thankful for each day.  She calls it a dare to live fully, right where you are.  I decided to take her dare and I've been recording my gifts for the past few weeks. 

Here is a letter from her that is on her website:

A Letter From Ann

Dear Friend…

Haven’t we met before?

I’m the lady around the corner trying to keep up with all the kids and the laundry and the bills and the dishes and who can never find the last library book that was due yesterday, the one finding the planet all spun a bit so fast that life can make her dizzy.

You too? Small world.

Maybe you too are looking to really, fully live, right where you are?

We have got to find ways.  For the ways we live now is the way we live.

Life isn’t an emergency.

Can I tell you what I did, that changed my life? In the deepest, most meaningful ways? I wrote a book about the whole radical journey and what really happened… (You can read what people are really saying about it here.) …

But this is how it began… and it’s sort of crazy, and it seems ridiculous, even trivial. I named daily blessings, literally counting everyday gifts – all the way up to one thousand – more!

But this is how the change started:

1. Morning shadows across old floors
2. Jam piled high on toast
3. Cry of a blue jay high in the spruce

I know. I didn’t think I was fixing anything in the beginning either. But this literal counting of everyday gifts — all the way up to one thousand — more — what if it’s this wildly simple way to move our focus beyond burdens of life to the blessings of now?

I’d no idea that that this making a list of blessings  it’s actually guaranteed to change your life. I mean — if I told you that that doing this one thing increases your happiness, improves your physical health, and is exactly what God made you for –  would you do it?

Researchers said of those who do this one thing of keeping a gratitude journal:

“Participants who’d kept a gratitude journal felt better about their lives as a whole and were more optimistic about the future … they were a full 25 percent happier than the other participants.

They sleep 1/2 hour more per evening, and exercise 33 percent more each week and

felt more joyful, enthusiastic, interested, attentive, energetic, excited, determined, and strong.”

That’s exactly what writing down 1000 gifts did to me. It woke me up to really living.

This dare to count a thousand gifts from His heart, it became the ultimate love dare, counting all the ways He loved me.

So this is the thing, friend: What if finding love is as simple as recording 1000 gifts?  We may be women weary. We may be women wounded. But we are women wooed. What woman doesn’t long to be loved, to be treasured, to be showered with gifts? A thousand — more!

Oh friend,  just begin – and wake to find yourself loved.

Every Monday morning, a whole community of us gather together at my place and share our lists and the joy. Isn’t that the memo every Monday needs: that  joy’s possible even here and thanks is the only way to breathe.

We’d love for you to join us and breathe deep — alive.

And the rest of the week? We can meet here. Meet here and change our lives.Meet and share a few gifts, share a picture, share the joy and together encourage each other to slow down because life is not an emergency and taste and see the goodness here and this place is made to be what David speaks of in Psalm 35:18:

“I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.”
Together, we can all list a thousand, more, and fill the world with our thanks, a thousand, endless thanks!

Together, right where we are, we could gather at this community watering hole — and drink from the holy grail of Joy.

Lets…

All’s grace,
Ann

“This book is the Song of Solomon for our century.

It is a love letter between Jesus and a woman he has been wooing for a lifetime. And when we read it, we realize her story is our storyand the love language she learns, is one we can also learn.

This is the story of a passionate love affair with a God that is not a distant lover.

This is Mere Christianity from a woman’s perspective.

This book is the love song you will want to listen to on repeat until you know the words by heart.”
~Lisa-Jo Baker,  DaySpring

And here are some of my gifts so far:

1. For a husband that loves me

2. For beautiful Sunshine

3. For quiet during naps

4. For God's Word

5. For finishing the Book of Daniel!

6. Sunrises

7. Getting up for my quiet time

8. Sleeping with my girls in my bed:)

9. A hard working realtor

10. That Jesus Loves us, Oh how he loves us

11. A creative Aunt Gale

12. Being able to do Abbie's shower

13. a nephew

14. forgiveness

15. sisters

16. Last minute visits with friends before I leave Charlotte

17. AWANA

18. heat

19. Life, school

20. Having lunch with Mom , Pam and Sheri

21. reconciliation in a friend's marriage

22. Megan

23. iphones

24. face time

25. DVD players in cars

26. That Jeremy stopped by the school to see his girls

27. smell of clean laundry

28. being able to bless a family in need

29. Africa

30. Gracie's Servant's heart

31.. Clean bathrooms

32. Warm weather in February

Don't you wanna join me?  It's been so neat to count blessing everyday.  God is faithful!