Having too much fun..

...to blog. :) but here are some pics.

Ups and downs

The great part of ups and downs...are the ups! Ha ha. We had a better day today. NOT a perfect day, but a better one!

So I attempted a project. This could have been a disaster, but it went pretty well, considering there was a 3 year old involved! Granted, she did have a blue face and hands when we were done... :) but we had fun! (after I set aside my extreme aversion to paint colors being mixed together!!) And she just loved it so much, I let her continue on some paper.

(still can't get my pictures to load in the right order...)

...more of a "woe is me" day

Those pesky hormones! Sometimes I wish they were less powerful. I'm sure women would lose much of what is captivating and beautiful about us without them, but I am also convinced they are somehow linked to our sinful nature. Perhaps not the cause of it....but fuel for it? Definitely!!

Well, that's quite a preface, eh? Today was a day full of tears...many of them Momma's! That lump in my throat just wouldn't go away til I'd had myself a good cry. And boy did I! ...while washing dishes (after putting the girls down for a MUCH needed early bedtime). I've cried over dishes before, I'm pretty sure. These were not tears of self pity (I don't mind dishes THAT much). They were tears of "I'm seeking You now at the end of this hard day, but why can't I seem to seek You in the midst of the hard stuff!" and then they were tears of "Jesus, thank you so much for wiping my slate clean yet again." ...and then tears of longing and joy for my next home! I never used to long for heaven as I do now. I believe being a mom opened my eyes wider to the "fallen-ness" of this world.

I'm so thankful for the evenings. At the very least, they are a recharge--a time for me to get things straight in my head again! The tears in the middle of the day were frustrating, but the evening tears were cleansing.

Being a mom forces me to really SEE myself. Before my girls, the people in my life didn't reflect back my character to me. I would get feedback here and there for sure, but it was easier to shrink away from if I didn't like what I saw. But children are a different story! My girls see my every move. They mirror my actions...my emotions...my reactions! If I'm short with Evie, she's short with Libby! And when they're not mirroring, how they are generally coping with the day is a direct reflection on me. It's incredible and inescapable. I'm forced to take a goooood look at little 'ol me. Phew. That can be rough!

But I'm convinced I've "grown up" more since my girls were born. And THAT is a good thing! I'm so so so thankful God blessed me with these two precious girls. I'm growing because of them (or at least learning that I need to grow!). AND they bring untold amounts of joy into my daily life. (can't seem to get this app to upload videos, but I captured Libby discovering the baby in the mirror for the first time today! Hilariously adorable!!)

Here's to hormones, children, crying, and dishes!

And here are a few pics from the day before the tears began to flow... :)

that sunset sure seems to come early these days!

Thankful

There are days that I give into the "woe is me" thought patterns...more than I care to admit, really. But tonight I am thankful. Thankful for my cozy warm home, my glimmering, happy Christmas tree, my sweet, healthy children, my washing machine!, my running water, the quiet snow outside, and the peace that enters my mind when I fix my thoughts on Jesus. I fret sooo easily these days. Motherhood only made that tendency in me more prevalent, but when I close my eyes and see Jesus looking back at me...into me, I am quieted. There are so many things more easily endured in his presence.

This is the perspective I seek!! I wish I attained it more often!! Instead of fretting over how hard it is to have Jon working away from home so often and the challenges that places on our parenting and our marriage, I can look into His eyes and just know that He loves me. Ahhh. Rest. In that kind of love, I KNOW He will take care of us...even work it for our good! What a calming perspective!

I sure hope that eventually I will be able to have an upward perspective the majority of the time! How many years of life and "maturity" will it take!? Lol. I'm sure it will never happen in my strength. But I hope, with a lot of help from my Lord, that it will eventually become habit to rest in His calming gaze instead of worrying all my little neurons over the trials of life!

Sigh.

I end this with my sweet Libby Faith...the little one exploring her world! ...and I quote, "...I'm just looking! Really, Mama!" uh huh. ;)

Christmas Traditions

This Dilbert cracked me up in light of my recent phone acquisition. What is our world coming to! :)

On a more sentimental note, I am so excited that my girls are getting old enough to enjoy Christmas! Evie seems to be entering the "why?" phase in her life. (sometimes I have to stop myself from answering the ENDLESS stream of WHY? Questions!!) But it is a joy to realize that I get to teach her the WHY of Christmas! She's still a little young for much depth, but not for long!

Now the fun part is figuring our yearly traditions that will be fun for her and teach her about Jesus! I didn't grow up in a Christian home so Christmas was all presents and santa for me. Now that it's my turn, I want to teach the truth!

So far a fun idea I heard about was an interactive nativity. Buy/make a nativity set. Have Joseph and Mary get closer and closer to the manger during December, and have baby Jesus show up on Christmas! Fun. :) that helps little ones understand the timeline and reality a little better I think. However, I'm sure there are lots of other good ideas out there...any suggestions?

"Mom, take a picture..."

"bunny and I are sitting together and she's laughing!"

I can't see her laughing, but I'm sure E can. :)

Daddy Home!

Having Jon home is the best of times. It was pure joy to listen to my girls squeal with delight when he walked in the door lately after about a week away working! Both of them bounced up and down with arms outstretched toward him. Within seconds, they were in his arms. Within minutes, they had him on their bedroom floor reading stories. I love that he is the kind of daddy to get down there with them. They adore him!

We caught up on family time in lots of ways. Pancake breakfast. Popcorn night. Cutting down and decorating our Christmas tree. Painting on Evie's new easel. I wish it could say that we stored up enough of Daddy to last a while, but when the time comes for him to get back out there and "bring home the bacon" (as my dad used to say), we will miss him just as much as ever...maybe more!

It's been a tough year in that regard. We have been apart about 4 months out of this year total so far. It's sooo hard to be thankful that he has work when it takes him away so much, but I'm trying. I can be thankful and still miss him like crazy, right? Here's to seasons and that they are just that...seasonal. Temporary. One can hope!

Side note: can't seem to figure out why my pictures load in seemingly random order when I use the blogger app...so bear with me!

Rural Idaho Decorating...

Haha! Saw this floating around Facebook and had to share!

This will be a test...

Does my phone have Internet connectivity out in the sticks at our house? Why yes, it does!!! Yeehah! Now, I can keep up with loved ones, blog, email, etc all from my remote Idaho home. I am so pleased!

Christmas Card Bloopers

I find it continually challenging to get non-comedic pictures of my girls! The fact that they are in constant motion does make it tricky! Thankfully, I got a few good ones for the Christmas card. But there were at least ten times as many bloopers!

Cavalia

This year my husband spoiled me on my birthday! Not only did he treat me to lunch and Moonstruck Truffles, but he also took me to see Cavalia. If they would have allowed it, I would have taken a video. The show is a beautiful integration if horses and acrobatics. It was so much fun! Here are some pics of the show from the website and a few from our date.

Three!

That's a big age for my little girl! How did that happen? Sigh. It happened while I washed dishes...gathered laundry...tended my youngest little girl...picked up endless toys. It happened while I wasn't looking! Because I'm pretty sure that she was still a newborn, snugly little bundle last time I checked!

NOW she is a creative, articulate, imaginative, and opinionated BIG girl! I am continually chuckling about what is going on in her world. Yesterday, she opened the closet door and found a beaver! I couldn't see this beaver, but she invited him out to play. He was soon following her all over the house. I could hear her scolding him every now and then for disobedience. But mostly, he was the loyal playmate of the day.

For her birthday, we invited a friend over for a tea party. It was a big hit!

Perks

So far, one of favorite things to do on my phone is read Pride & Prejudice! I've always wanted to, as I've seen the movie a gazillion times (and loved it every time!). AND it was free via iBooks! Yay!

Super easy craft!

I got this tip from a girlfriend of mine yesterday and immediately went home to try it out! And why not? It didn't require buying anything, and it took less than 5 minutes!

The Old T-Shirt Scarf!
Step 1: scrounge up one of the husband's old t-shirts that really should be retired anyway. ;)
Step 2: cut it straight across, just below the armpits. Do the same thing just above the bottom hem. You should now have one big circle of fabric.
Step 3: stretch! I stepped on one end and pulled up with my hands on the other end.
Step 4: wrap around your neck a few times and enjoy!

Cute, cute, cute!

So what does a mommy of two little ones under 3 do when she needs a shower? Well, this mommy corrals them in the bathroom with her. Sometimes this works out better than other times.

Today, my girls were adorable! Libby snuggled down on a towel, and Evie proceeded to cover her with all the bath mats for a "nap." Little sister Libby actually enjoyed it! She stayed there for a good 5 minutes (an eternity in 1 year old time, right?). Then they both cuddled up. Too cute!