Finding Comfort In Chaos!
They have moments that melt my heart.
Moments that are unscripted and full of love.
Moments that make me burst into tears and thank God that he blessed them with each other.
Moments so precious that they make all of the usual bickering, crazy chaos and sibling arguments melt away as if they never happen at all.
I love their love.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Lately, our days seem to be filled with little precious moments and when I remember the days that have passed by, big memories flash through my mind.
Cliff and Harper seem to relish in these little moments already and I smile knowing that when they look back on these little moments, they will have big memories too.
Sometimes jumping on a crazy fast speed boat is just what your soul needs at the moment.
And even through my stomach dropped when Ross and Cliff eagerly hopped aboard this boat that goes way too fast and turns so fast the boat disappears behind the wall of the water it creates, I smiled knowing that this experience is one Cliff will never forget.
Seeing the smiles on their faces when they safely returned to me and Harper was totally worth holding my breath for the entire 5 minute ride.
This is daddy/son bonding at it’s finest.
Memories aren’t just for the littles.
Ross and I also enjoy taking tiny moments and turning them into big memories with each other.
Little moments that we will never forget.
Moments that in 30 years from now will be the topic of a “remember when” conversation.
Exploring the world from a different point of view.
Little moment – BIG memory.
The excitement Harper felt when she was surrounded by countless fish is sure to be a moment she will always remember.
Staring at the moon is it’s full glory.
This was a moment that will forever be engrained in my soul.
Creating memories with family is so important.
(We are so blessed that our littles have sweet cousins!)
The little moments of this summer will for sure come together to create some wonderful memories for our family in the years to come.
The little moments often come together to create big memories.
Life is so good.
The beach is our happy place.
Where we love to spend our summers.
Growing up, summer meant playing in the sand, riding the boat out in the ocean, feeling the burn of salty water mixed with sunscreen on my sun kissed cheeks, spending days and days with cousins and being surrounded by family.
Ross and I feel so blessed that our littles can spend a good bit of their summers at the beach.
After all, it is our happy place.
They are comfortable on the beach.
Occasionally a big wave will come and Harper runs to me and yells
“hold you hand Mama!”
And of course I secretly love those big waves because they mean that I get to hold her hand.
Don’t even get me started on these cute, squishy, sandy cheeks.
Our days on the beach are filled with squeals of delight, laughter and pure happiness.
This year, The Boy is convinced he can surf.
Ross and I could sit there and watch him “surf” all day!
He is so stinkin’ awesome, if I do say so myself.
Sometimes we take walks on the beach where we spend time chatting with the littles,
asking them questions, listening to what life is like through their eyes.
They see the magic that this world has to offer and their sweet, innocence makes my heart melt.
Happy.
Freedom.
Late afternoons are spent on the boat.
On the boat, Cliff is in his element.
Asking Ross a ton of questions.
He is a little captain in training.
The best part is when we have friends with us.
Ross is able to sit in the back of the boat and enjoy our family.
This is our happy place.
Smiles fill our faces.
Being together.
Soaking up every second.
This is what life is about.
Exploring the inlet is always so much fun.
And so beautiful.
Then the moment we have waited for is here.
Sunset.
So stunning it takes your breath away no matter how many times you have seen it.
Ross and I laugh when we ride across the inlet to the restaurants and the littles scream and point to the “real” pirate ship!
No matter how many times we drive past it, Cliff always reassures Harper that our boat goes WAY faster than that pirate ship and those pirates will NEVER be about to catch us!
Taking the boat to dinner is always a fun treat.
It’s different and exciting to pull up to the dock in front of the restaurant!
At the beach,
we are all high on life.
Life is so precious and there is something about being here that always reminds us to be thankful for every second we have together.
The beach,
our happy place.
Where is your happy place?!
A few weeks ago Harper had her very FIRST dance recital!
This was a moment I have dreamt of for so long.
She LOVED putting on “wip stick!”
Her excitement was palpable.
Seriously, she looked so sweet in her costume!
I could have eaten her with a spoon!
I was one proud mama and tried to etch every single second in my mind from getting her ready, to her first spritz of hairspray, to the smile on her face when I applied my lipstick, to the excitement when she finally put on the costume she had been eyeing in her closet for a week.
This was her moment to shine and I wanted her to feel extra special on her big day!
Then it was time for her “Tiny Toes” class to go on stage!
Once the lights came on and the music started,
she was frozen.
She stood there just looking out at the hundreds of faces staring at her in the audience and I am pretty sure she was thinking “what in the HECK is going on?!”
It was the cutest thing I have ever seen and I was so proud of her,
even if she just stood there still from the shock of the bright lights and very loud music.
Then it happened,
during the last 10 seconds on the routine, she decided to pick up her flowers and
then it was over!
Seriously, I have never been so proud!
Those few minutes watching her just stand there motionless on the stage was the cutest thing I have ever seen!
This was her moment.
Her day.
She was so excited and really seemed to feel so special.
We are all so proud of Harper and will remember her awesome “performance” forever!
Our tiny dancer finally had her big moment!
We are so proud of her!
She proudly dances on the front of the boat for everyone to see.
Yes, she does have some killer moves.
(Ross says in about 10 years Harper will not be allowed to leave the house…)
And once we are on the beach,
her dancing continues…
Up and down the beach.
Carefree. Living in the moment. Letting the music take her away.
If I weren’t VERY pregnant… I would totally join her.
…Guess there’s always next year!
Then out of no where,
she walks up to me and says “I be da baby, Mama!”
So I quickly wrap her in a towel and hold her.
I sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and whisper how much I love her in her ear.
I drink in these fleeting moments of her “being the baby” because soon,
she will rather be dancing on the beach and not in my arms.
This girl loves to snack.
Chips, gummies and breakfast bars are her favorites.
And if you ask her to share…
you will most likely get a big “NO!” followed by this face:
Then I look at her and see her sucking on her right pointer finger aka “fu fa fum”
and I just stare at her,
trying to etch the way she looks with her little pouty lips sucking on her finger.
Memorizing every little detail of her while she is still little.
Lately, Harper has been walking the fine line of being a baby and becoming a big girl.
I can’t help but try my best to capture the “baby” moments while they are still in her,
because I know that all too soon,
she will step over the line and cross over to the “big girl” side.
No matter how big you get Harper,
you will always be my baby.
I love you!
Happiness is everywhere.
It surrounds us and even though life can be a little crazy… ok, a lot crazy,
happiness is still there.
Sometimes you just have to look for it.
Happiness is seeing that Cliff and Harper want to sit next to each other and giggle about silly things together.
Happiness is the fact that even though The Girl is growing up way too fast,
there are parts of her that are still baby.
It is in the excitement of watching The Boy become giddy with glee over the fact that some planes can land on water and float like a boat.
Happiness is watching them play fully content, in their own little worlds, but within arms reach of each other.
It is in the way she is enamored with sand.
She acts like she has never seen it before.
Happiness is being surrounded by great friends who love our littles.
Even though it kind of breaks my heart when Harper, just like a big girl,
does this with ease…
the way she grins with pride as she replaces the cap is pure happiness.
Happiness is sitting back and watching boys be boys,
even if they are breaking the rules and spraying sunscreen at anyone who passes by.
It is in the squeals and laughter of those who unexpectedly become the next victim on the wrong side of a water gun filled with cold super water.
Happiness is watching The Boy have the time of his life.
And being proud when sister, the usual water gun target, dishes it right back…
never skipping a beat!
(You go girl!)
Happiness is editing photos and coming across an unexpected moment that Ross happened to capture.
Soon there will be three little ones to love with all my heart.
That is happiness.
It is in the way his soul is so sweet and pure.
When you look into his eyes, you can help but be filed with happiness.
Happiness is kissing soft cheeks.
And capturing one of his facial expressions that would have most likely been forgotten in years to come.
Happiness is taking a moment to see, really see the beauty that the world around us has to offer and soaking it in, just like God intended us to do when He created it.
Happiness is everywhere.
Sometimes you just have to look for it.
I noticed an abscess on Harper’s hiney.
Yes, it is Staph…MRSA to be exact.
Yes, she had this same infection and surgery last fall.
I immediately called her pediatrician and off to the Dr we went.
One look at her boo boo and before I knew it, we had a one way ticket to the Children’s Hospital.
I called Ross laughing because you can do two things in this situation:
Laugh or cry.
And I choose to laugh.
Our flight departs in less than 36 hours for St. Louis where Cliff is scheduled to have surgery next week, I have not even started to pack for St. Louis, the house is a complete wreck and my to-do list is a mile long, but none of it matters until Harper is taken care of.
She was thrilled to get a “pwetty bacelett!”
And we passed the time with lots of rocking, singing and most importantly laughter.
Secretly I was dying inside because I knew The Girl was going to the OR at some point
throughout the night or first thing in the morning.
These moments of heartache and fear are when I try my best to hand everything over to the Lord.
He is so wonderful, loving and kind.
He knows how to help a mama get through tough times and He comforted me so I
could comfort Harper.
Getting her IV was awful.
She screamed in pain and all I could do was sit there and watch them stick her with a huge needle.
The worst part is that they had to stick her twice.
Once we recovered from the trauma of the IV placement, Daddy arrived.
(He always arrives after the worst is over… if only I could having timing like that!)
Who knew running back and forth, crashing the IV pole into everything possible could be so much fun?!
Exhausted from her evening run,
The Girl snuggled with Daddy.
At 12:30am, as soon as we were all finally asleep, the nurse came in and told us it was
time for Harper to go to the OR.
So we took a little midnight stroll…
The surgery went great and we were loving on Harper before we knew it!
She was pretty grumpy when she woke up and was also in a little pain, thankfully her nurses were awesome and stayed on top of everything in hopes that we could all get a little sleep.
Getting any sleep in the hospital is like putting a toddler in a room full of open paint
cans and expecting them not to make a mess.
So we pulled an “all nighter” and had no fun, crazy stories laugh at in the morning.
But we were all still smiling, because like I said before…
You can laugh or cry. And I choose to laugh through the crazy times.
Harper is sore today,
but she is in great spirits.
Daddy ran out as soon as the sun came up and got us some “Chick a Lay!”
FYI – that makes everything better.
The amazing Surgeon and Nurses are working hard to get us out of here today so we can catch our flight to St. Louis in less than 24 hours!
Harper will stay home with my amazing sister and wonderful mom.
We are so thankful to have such a wonderful Children’s Hospital so close to us!
God is so, so, SO good!
We are so thankful!
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2
Showing teachers how much they mean to our children is so important!
This year I wanted to give Cliff and Harper’s preschool teachers something practical and fun without breaking the bank!
Yesterday, they proudly gave these to their teachers:
These were simple to make and so much fun!
Here is what you need to make these fun lemonade cups for your little’s teacher:
Cups – found at Walmart
Lemonade – found at any grocery store or Walmart.
Small gift bags – found in the cake decorating section at Walmart.
Tags – I already made them for you! Print from Scribd below.
Start by printing the tags below on thick paper or cardstock:
Cut out each tag.
The larger tags go on the outside of the cup and the smaller tags so on the lemonade packets!
Punch a hole in the top left corner of each LARGE tag.
(I used a small hole punch)
String with some ribbon or twine.
Then tie to the outside of each cup like this:
Next fill small gift bags (found in the cake decorating section at Walmart) with 2 Tablespoons of lemonade mix.
(I put 4 bags of mix in each cup)
Then adhere the SMALL labels to the front of each packet.
(You could use any kind of sticky tape)
Now you should have something like this:
Toss the packets into the cups, screw on the lids and your little one is ready to take a fun, meaningful, simple gift to his/her teacher!
Aren’t these so much fun and super cute?!
Happy Summer!
*You could also purchase individual sized packets of lemonade if you wanted to!
Easter morning.
The excitement and anticipation to see what the Easter Bunny dropped off was almost tangible. But before the littles can see the goodies in their Easter Baskets, they have to be primed, prepped and ready for Church.
I do it this way for many reasons:
1. They are sooooo excited and I just want to selfishly savor the moments of “Mom, do you think he REALLY came?!” and “I can’t WAIT to see what is in my basket!” The look of excitement on their faces and the squeals of anticipation that echo down our hallway.
2. Easter is about the marvelous story of Jesus and how He was raised from the dead so that we can all be saved. Church is our first priority on Easter Sunday. So, by sharing the story of the tomb and how Jesus was not there anymore with the littles between pulling on shirts and snapping bubbles, We make it very clear that Easter is not about a bunny that hops around and puts candy in baskets.
Easter is about SO much more.
3. This way the littles can play until it’s time to eat breakfast and head off to Church!
Once they were all ready,
the moment they waited for ALL MORNING (aka 10 minutes…) was here.
Ross and I just sat back, watching them dig through the goodies that the Easter Bunny left. Smiling when Harper would day “Wook Clee, a Nance (aka a Boa)!” and Cliff would say “That’s pretty Harper! Check out my new dirt bike!”
They popped open the eggs in their baskets and unwrapped their candy as if it would be their only meal for the whole week.
Candy before the big Easter Breakfast Dad cooks is an Easter MUST!
After all of the goodies were discovered, shown to us and played with, Ross and I went into the kitchen to plate breakfast. We were chatting about how cute the littles were and how their excitement was so big that the house could burst when we heard the pitter patter of little feet come around the corner and the girl yelling
“I’m all weady to goooooo!”
The Easter Bunny was spot on this year.
Little Miss Priss proudly wore her new bracelet, necklace, sunglasses and knit slippers to breakfast while Ross and I joked that SHE may be too good to eat with US common folk!
After a wonderful Sermon and scooping happy littles up from Sunday School, we went to lunch and then to my aunt’s house for an Easter Egg Hunt!
Ross patiently held Cliff’s basket while Cliff leaned down to pick up each egg he spotted.
And The Girl filled her basket in about 5 seconds…
She didn’t REALLY care about hunting for Easter eggs, she just wanted to pop them open to devour the candy inside!
Cliff beamed brighter and brighter with pride each time he placed an egg in his basket.
Easter this year was wonderful.
We are so blessed to have these sweet little souls in our lives.
Throughout the day, Ross and I kept looking at each other with the “Isn’t God SOOOO good?!” look.
Happy Easter!
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11:25-26
The Lake.
Our Happy Place.
Where we spend REAL time together.
Laughing, smiling, soaking each other in.
Where Daddy can teach the littles how to catch fish.
Seeing Cliff’s face beam with pride when he reels “the BIG one” in is priceless.
Laughing as The Girl “pets the sweet fishy” before they release it back into the water.
These moments together are priceless.
Ross and I treasure our days with the littles on the water.
Their sweet smiles, their innocence, the funny things they say and the way they love whole heartedly.
We soak them in.
Every little detail.
So that one day when the littles are all grown up,
we can remember exactly what they were like in this moment.
The way her little baby feet look in the sand.
And how the foot print trails she leaves behind tell a story of her adventures on the beach.
How her independence is thriving.
The fact that neither one of them cares that the water is FREEZING.
This year they play together.
Listening to their conversations is so sweet.
They really love each other.
The Girl’s wet piggy tails and sunscreen greased cheeks are too much.
I just have to run over and kiss those greasy, chubby cheeks every chance I get.
Then it happened…
The cutest bathing suit wedgie anyone has ever seen.
The ride back to the dock is when I reflect on the perfect day we spent together
and thank God that we are able to have these moments together as a family.
My arms are full of sleepy littles and I think to myself “this is pure perfection.”
Right here.
This moment.
Then Hollis kicks and I smile, thinking about the miracle growing inside of me.
And how this time next year I will have one more little in my arms and a heart that is even more full than it is now.
Life is so precious.
These moments are what life is about.
