Ice cream anyone?

We have an ice cream truck that drives through our development every day. I usually will allow my kids to get ice cream 1 time during the summer...usually towards the end so that the persistent whining doesn't take place all summer. In fact, last summer Sierra didn't know it was an ice cream truck. She always loved hearing the music so I told her it was a song truck. She was mystified when I stopped it at the end of last summer to get ice cream.

Since the ice cream man has also felt inflation (it's expensive!), I decided to treat Christian and Sierra to ice cream when Dakota wasn't home. Oh my. What a disaster on a humid day. The ice cream melted so fast they couldn't keep up with it.

Do you think Christian enjoyed his?

Creatively summer

I was really nervous about this summer. I thought my kids (Dakota in particular) might get super bored. But so far they have been anything but bored. Alot of that is in part to Dakota being the engineer of all things creative. If he does not become a lobbyist, he probably will be some type of mechancial engineer (all gifts and abilities he got from me...ha).

One of the new activities is playing on the thing that you roll under the car to work on it ...what is that called (see, I told you he got his abilities from me). Anyway, the kids take turns laying on it and one of them pulls the other 2 around the garage with bungee cords. Even Christian pulls the oldest 2...it's so cute. Mom did put a stop to riding this thingy (whatever it's called) down the driveway.
(by the way, Dakota is not hurting Christian in the picture...that is their pose. Check out Sierra's glamour pose).


The best activity yet has been what Dakota calls train. He took the pin out of a big wheel that has a handle to push younger kids...so the handle then just drags on the ground.

He got a blanket for Christian and Christian sits on the handle. Dakota even made him a sippy cup holder. All morning long, Dakota drove Christian around on the "train".

These kind of events are when I just love having kids.

I'm sure none of that desire came from the kids being entertained for hours;)

Summer fun

As much as I enjoy blogging, I often get behind. Really behind. So once again, sit back and time travel. It's only about 2 weeks of time travel, but enough to get you out of your current reality! Now that you took the time to travel, I hope that you are not disappointed. This is really not that exciting of stuff.

Anyway, during the 1st week off of school I took the kids to a local garden nursery who had a Kids Day. They had a lot of simple activities for the kids and they were all free!

The kiddos enjoyed digging in the sand. Well, Dakota enjoyed that the most. Christian simply wanted to run to the next activity and throw the golf balls around.

Seriously, he threw one in amongst some flowers and we were not able to find it.

And so we had the next activity...mini golf. Well it was one hole. This too was somewhat of a disaster. Besides losing 1 ball (when there were only 2 to start), Sierra and Christian decided to fight over the golf club. Being that they are the same size now, it would have been a good time to gamble some money over who would end up with the club. Yes, there were screaming kids...even 1 on the ground screaming. But hey, we are having a fun family event here! :)

The little monster did settle down. We were able to make pinwheels and the kids each got to pick and pot a flower...for free!

The event ended with free hotdogs and ice pops. That was pretty eventless except that Christian was trying to sneak hotdog rolls from the hotdog lady.

Yep, there is nothing like summer fun.

In 24 hours

hey! this is the last day to post a comment to win a copy of "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World."

Well, so much for setting the world on fire!! I awoke 3am Saturday morning and couldn't sleep. I should have known something was wrong when I was hot. The AC was on and the ceiling fan was on. Sometimes it still gets hot in our bedroom, but when I saw my husband covered up still, I should have KNOWN something was wrong (I'm usually in a sweatshirt, flannels and blankets, while he is uncovered with the fan on!)

After 2 hours of not being able to sleep, I headed down to the couch to watch tv. By the time I hit the living room, I KNEW something else was wrong. I KNEW I was going to hurl (sorry for the graphic post). So it began. The stomach virus at the end of June. I spent the ENTIRE day in bed.

Sometimes I secretly wish that I would get sick so that I could spend the whole day in bed. But after 5 movies in a row, my back, neck and head hurt sooo bad. So much for enjoying a day of tv.

So I slept a ton on Saturday. This morning I woke up feeling like my old self. However, Sierra bopped down stairs with swollen eyes and a cough. She did not feel well so we stayed home from church. Mark was already there because he did worship (it is a rare Sunday in our home when we actually go to church together).

So this afternoon Mark laid down for a nap with the kiddos. I left to go to the Mosaic picnic early. He called me and said, "I think I'm going to puke". Great. So now hubby has the virus.

The crazy thing is that we did not get sick all winter! Everyone said how sick they were this winter. Not us. I thought it was the extra protection the cow hormones and non organics gave us. However, I guess not. Oh well. The good news is that it's here and gone in less than 24 hours. If you have to get sick, that is what I want!

Set the world on fire

I told you I'd "be back". Well, I'm not officially back, but I'm starting to feel much better. Maybe it is because I only have 1 kiddo today! Isn't it funny how funny relativity is?
When I only had Dakota, I thought, "my goodness, when will I ever get a break from this child".

Now that I have 3, I think, "holy cow! Let's party! I only have 2 kiddos today!

And now today, just the one? "yep, it feels like vacation".

It is all relative.

I did ask Mark, "Do you think if you had like 8 kids, having only 7 would make you say, "hey, let's go out to eat since we only have the 7?" Mark was quick to answer..."no, I believe you would have to half your numbers to feel the extra breathing room."

However, he tends to get nervous during these types of conversations. "Why in the world is she asking me about 8 kids?!"

Since,I'm almost back to being me, I have posted the lyrics to the song that's playing. I love, love this song. I believe it will now be my theme song (until I am in my depressive low, then someone else can start the fire;)

Have a wonderful weekend...and oh yea...make sure to post a comment to be entered again for the book give away!


Set the World on Fire (by Britt Nicole)
I wanna set the world on fire
Until it`s burning bright for You
It`s everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

I, I am small but You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but You, You are strong enough

toTake my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with YouThere`s nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father`s hands

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah
I`m gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

feeling down

i think i might be depressed. well, depressed for me. i typically am a very stable person. usually i have my down day, but then i'm ready to take on the world the next. however for the past 2 days i feel defeated. i feel completely overwhelmed and stressed with work, with the ministry, with the adoption (ok, it's mostly about the adoption).

when i'm tired and have no energy and feel on edge...I am a horrible mom. typically in those times i dont' want to me a mom...so of course i can't be a good one.

i really wish i could transport myself until the time that Nevaeh is home. but alas, that is not the way life works.

do not worry about me. trust me...this is short phase...i will have some crazy ambitious idea tomorrow. or so i hope. but goodness, for tonight i sure could use some type of med...but then we couldn't adopt from China so i will have to hold off.

i think i should go to bed before 1am. yea. that might actually help my energy level!


ps. feel free to leave a comment to be registered to win a copy of the book "Having a Mary Heart in Martha World."

A chance to win something

So much for posting yesterday. It was a crazy day. I had a lot of things to do for work (yes, I do have a very part time job where I work from home), plus Sierra came down with the stomach virus. Disappointing since Mark and I were planning on going on a real live date Tuesday night (it's been quite awhile)

The good news is that our highly paid babysitter(thanks mom;) was willing to adjust her plans and we went in the afternoon while the kiddos slept. We had dinner and a movie...a nice relaxing afternoon and evening.

I was sad that I was unable to attend She Speaks this year, but according to my friend Jami...we are to build tension with our blogs. The great thing is that I was building tension before I even knew about this;)

I mentioned that everyone should stop back again (all 10 readers :) for an exciting give away.

Well, I am excited to announce that I am giving away (Jami, can you feel the tension building...am I doing a good job of it?)....1 copy of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.

So how can you win this book? Simple, (I don't like to complicate things)...just leave a comment! Everyday that you leave a comment I will enter your name in the random drawing! I will try to post everyday until Sunday....so you will have several opportunities to win! I will draw the name on Monday.

Best of luck...send your friends here that could use a copy of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (by Joanna Weaver).

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

Out of all the books that I've gotten to review, this is by far the one I was most excited about. I have been wanting to read it for years and am thrilled that I am finally in the process of doing so. I have not finished it yet as I am currently in the process of reading 3 other books (yes, I love to read and thus why the posts have been few).

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, by Joanna Weaver is definitely a worthwhile read. You probably have already read it or at least heard about it. It is basically about your desire to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary did....but feeling the demands of life like Martha & being pulled in the wrong direction. "Joanna Weaver shows all of us-Mary and Martha's alike-can draw closer to our Lord: deepening our devotion, strenghening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy."
I once heard a respected author share that a good book should have something underlineable on each page. Rarely have I ever read such a book, but without a doubt this book has something to underline on every page. There were many things that stood out to me, but let me share one thing that "hit me" as I read:

Satan's
never been terribly creative.
The tools he uses today are the the same
tools he's always used- and no wonder,
for they've been quite
effective. From the Garden of Eden to Martha's
Bethany Kitchen to our
own everyday world, Satan still plans his attacks around
what I call the
"Three Deadly D's of Destruction." They are Distraction,
Discouragement and Doubt.

Throughout time, Satan has resorted to these
tactics to
bring down God's best and brightest. The underlying strategy is
fairly
simple: Get people's eyes off God and on their circumstances. Make
them believe that their "happiness" lies in the "happenings' around
them.
Or send them good news-about somebody else. When they're
thoroughly
discouraged, tell them God doesn't care. Then sit back and
let doubt do
its work.

It's really a brilliant strategy, when you
think of
it. Plant the Deadly D's deep in human hearts, and sooner or
later
people will destroy themselves. Unless, of course, someone
intervenes-which is exactly what Jesus came to
do.

Powerful, huh? To get a chance to win your own free copy, hop on over to Joanna's blog tour and leave a comment.

You can also receive a chance to win a free copy of her newest book With This Ring. Just leave a comment about which chapter in Having a Mary Heart....is your favorite and why.

I also will be posting about another chance to win your own copy of Having a Mary Heart...so stop by again tomorrow!!!


Joanna Weaver was voted the Most Promising New Writer of 1997 at the Mount Herman Writer's Conference. She has authored Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and written for publications such as Focus on the Family, Home Life, Aspire, and The Evangel.
A pastor's wife for more than eighteen years, she and her husband have counseled many couples, both those approaching their wedding and those struggling in marriage.
The Weavers live in Montana and have taught young married classes and spoken on the topic of marriage throughout the northwestern United States.

Once again...I need your help!

Yes, I was terribly bored with my old blog header. I have attempted to learn HTML, but since I'm not getting paid for such knowledge, I decided to stick with what I know...digital editing;) Just wait until you see my adoption blog update! Unfortunately, it can not be unveiled until I get that preapproval for our precious Xi Y.Y. That one annoys me terribly and I can't wait to update it!!

Ok...I have always gained help from my blogging community and my tens of readers. I'm in need of new suggestions! I am looking to buy a digital camcorder, specifically for our adoption. I have debated about it and decided that I want a seperate device than my digital camera. The video clip on my regular camera is very poor quality. I find that the clips eat up your memory and you can't do much more than 1 minute. I know I could upgrade my camera...I've thought of that, but I don't trust just having one device on hand for such a major moment!!

I typically only tape for 1 minute at a time, but there are times when you just need to have it on longer. So regardless, if you have a digital camcorder, what kind do you have? Do you love it or hate it? If you do not own a camcorder, but use your regular camera for both, I'm willing to hear your arguments about that.

25 cents

Apparently I am worth at least 25 cents.

I had stopped at a yardsale today while running errands. Apparently, I ended up with a 25 cent sticker on my arm.

A middle aged man walks up to me and says, "I see you are for sale. It appears that you are 25 cents."

I laughed and said, "well, I guess I am."

He quickly said, "I would buy you."

I kind of chuckled but then stopped in my tracks. The man had already walked away, but I'm thinking, "does he realize what he just said? He said he wants to buy me!"

I really don't think he realized what he said. He was already looking at the stuff and he wasn't giving me the "I want to buy you eyes".

But still.

You NEVER know what you will find at a yardsale.

Summer. Glorious summer!

This is why I love summer. I arose at 7am to a quiet house. I sat on the couch reading the paper, watching the Today show and sipping my coffee. Finally at 8am I checked my blogs and my emails. I looked at the clock. aaahhh. Only 2 days ago I would be at the bus stop right now. But not today. No sirree. I can plant my fanny wherever it wants to be planted.

It is 8:30am. The house is still quiet. Children are sleeping snuggly in their beds as all children should do at 8:30am.

When the kiddos did arise at 8:35am Dakota came sweetly to me and asked, "mommy? aren't you going to sit and the couch and snuggle with me?"

Why yes I will Dakota. Because it's summer!!! There are no rules.

And now it's time for the day to officially begin. And ooh yea! The new chore system starts today. I realllllly relaxed on the kids chores during the school year. But summer time creates a whole new institution. So today I don't have to put away the dishes. Yipppeee!!!

God bless summer!

ps. you have to remember that this is my 1st official summer. before this summer, the summer was like any other day of the year. the kids were with me all of the time minus the few hours a week of Dakota's preschool. but this year feels so different since Dakota was in school all day long. so now I'm wondering...how long until I begin to say, "school. Glorious school!"

Thanks

Thank you to all my faithful bloggers for letting me know about the photo problems yesterday. I have no idea what happened. I posted them last night and they were there. And then today "voila" they were not! I just reposted them, so if they disappear again, I guess my adorable pictures were not meant to be seen!

Thanks

Mommy, I don't want to die.

I believe we have passed the bicycle safety test in our household with flying colors. Today Sierra got on her bike and asked me to help her put her helmet on. She said, "mommy can you help me put my pony helmet on? I don't want to die."

This is wonderful! She thinks she will die without a helmet! Of course, an hour later she was riding without one. I admit I'm not a nazi enforcer with the helmets.

And now, the safety element has spread to even the youngest tike. Now Christian wants one when he goes 3 wheeling! It is the cutest thing! He is a crazy man on his little battery powered motorcycle!!!

Welcome to your summer!!!!

It's official!!!! Dakota is now a graduated kindergartener! I took lots of pictures of his last day of school, since the 1st day of school, my camera acted up and I had no photoworthy pictures!!

I've been beyond excited for the kids to be done school. No more schedule!!! I can not wait to sit and read a book while the kids gently splash in the kiddie pool. I know. This is probably not my reality, but it's fun to imagine! My handsome man was very excited to finish kindergarten. It had nothing to do with being off school for the summer...it had to do with being able to say he is going into 1st grade!

Because of my summer excitement, I decided to make a big deal about the entrance into summer. So I began a tradition. Sierra helped me to make a banner and streamers for the front door that said "Welcome to your summer!!" Of course we were more impressed than Dakota.

I then suprised the kids with a big goodie basket of summer toys!! I filled it with dollar store goodies...squirt guns, badmitten rackets, fishing games, bug houses.

In the middle of looking at everything, Dakota said, "mommy? Can I tell you something? Thank you so much. This is just awesome!"

And hopefully that is what our summer will be....just awesome.

A tribute to daddy!

I decided to tribute the daddy in my daily life. The most important daddy ever...the daddy to my children!!!

Now you will notice that this picture is not award worthy. Why? Well, let's dissect it. First we have the boy with the Hershey Kiss pajamas. He actually was OK for this brief (and I mean, 1, 2,3 snap the picture brief) photoshoot. However, he was sitting his 40+ body on his dad's knee...which dad cannot handle...so dad was uttering pain for the entire "1,2, 3, snap".

The little girl. Oh my. Do I need say more? She is completely turning into ALL girl! She was ticked at something (imagine that).

And then there is "hair boy". I was amazed to find that he looked at the camera for this shot. Seconds earlier as I was wrangling him in, I was bit (yes, actually bit). He was kicking and screaming, but I guess somewhere along the line he managed to look at the camera.

So, the photo that I intentionally shot for my Father's Day tribute actually ended up perfect!! It's perfect, because this is what a father does. He fathers non perfect children. It is not easy and the troops aren't always happy.

I could never be prouder of my hubby as a daddy. He completely nurtures our children. He loves to spend time with them. He has wiped almost as many hineys as me. He has probably given more baths than me. And he has definitely spent more hours chasing the kids through the house playing monster than me. He is the best, best, best and I'm so blessed that my children are able to have a daddy like him!