They're trouble...

Derrick took Sienna out to run some errands yesterday and when they got back to the car, she climbed in and said, "It's stinkin' hot in here, turn the air on!"


My dad was here visiting and helping out with some projects and Sienna yelled to him from the other room, "Pop pop, come in here so I can spank your butt!"  Yea, that's no way for your kids to treat their grandparents, I know!

Reese was wanting to impress one of Carter's friends who was over here playing with him the other night.  She and the other kids had been collecting beetles in a big jug for half and hour and she asked the boy, "We have like a thousand soldier beetles, you wanna see??"  He seemed unimpressed.  I had to laugh to myself at that one... don't think she's gonna get asked out on any dates any time soon.

I was reading Sienna her bedtime story the other night and looked over at her, thinking she was listening very intently.  But actually, she had her foot in her MOUTH and was chewing on her toenails.  NOT COOL....NOT COOL AT ALL!  I guess chewing all her fingernails down to the nubs left her with no other options.  Nope, she's not getting asked out on any dates any time soon either!

Lawson is cruising around like a champ these days and he's getting really quick.  His favorite mischief making activity is to make a beeline for the dog food anytime the door is open.  Yes, he's a big fan, of eating it, that is.  And dumping the whole bowl out onto the floor....and dumping out the big water dish all over himself too.  Sigh...and so it begins...

Blessings...

I want too much...

I'm always looking for the "next thing"

I'm so quick to judge others when I need to be careful of the things that I struggle with myself first.

Our newest Swallowtail "hatchling"

Reese told me today that she wanted to go to the thrift store, "To look for new toys."  And I was pretty quick to jump on her about her attitude, about being ungrateful for all the toys she already has.  It's true, she truly does't need any more... but neither do I.  And in spite of all the blessings in my life, I find my self too often wanting more.

Job 1:21 - The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

In times of plenty and times of want alike, we must always count our blessings.  I have found myself dwelling too much this summer on the things I perceive the Lord has "taken away."  Maybe I need to shift that focus back now to the things He has given.  Perhaps the things that are blessing you this week are small...like a tiny hummingbird or a butterfly with beautiful colored wings.  Or they may be bigger and more obvious blessings... healing from an illness, a new baby, good news at work...

This week I've been blessed by friends, old and new, by my children who make me laugh every day, by the beauty of creation, by my devoted husband.  I have much to be thankful for!

Full House...

I was on a roll today...got the plants watered, the laundry sorted, the house was pretty clean even...then things went downhill from there.  I caught Lawson trying to eat the dog's food, so I put it on top of the washer.  I ran outside to move the hose to a different tree, and when I came back in he was holding the dog's water bowl and dumping it all over himself.  I threw in a load of laundry and went downstairs to play with the kids.  After about 15 minutes I heard a big crash and knew what had happened.  I'd left the full dog food bowl on top of the washer and the spin cycle had sent it crashing onto the floor.  Even better, I'd scraped a bunch of oatmeal that Sienna hadn't eaten into it for the dog so that was now splattered everywhere.  Why do I even think I have a handle on things some days??

Today was such a cool, almost-Fall-like day.  I don't even want to say that because it's August and just to early to be thinking that way.  The kids were actually complaining after dinner about how cold it was outside.  I jokingly told them that it was almost Fall and that they needed to start writing their Christmas lists.

"What do you want for Christmas this year Carter??"
"More kids!!"  he answered without skipping a beat.

WAIT....WHAT!?!  Seriously!???  

"Like More brothers and sisters you mean, Carter?"
"Yes."
"How many more?"
"25!"

Oh dear...sorry I asked...

Back to the grind...

Derrick's three week leave from work finally finished up yesterday and we were all sad to see it end!  We decided to visit the fountains at Station Square since summer is quickly coming to an end as well!  BOO!  Lawson really loved kicking his legs and bobbing his head up and down to the music.  I was reminding Derrick of one of our first dates, when we visited those same fountains at night and had dinner there and just sat and watched the fountains for almost an hour.  Then we got stuck in a ridiculous traffic jam exiting the parking garage where we'd parked and it took almost 2 hours to get out.  Sigh...what was then total misery...now to be sitting alone in a car with Derrick for 2 hours with no kids sounds like a relaxing vacation!...  Oh how things change!

So today was back to reality...no more sleeping in (past 7 am)...  The cat saw to it that I didn't get much peace to start my day by throwing up both in my bedroom and in the basement.  Lawson then followed that up by throwing up on my shirt and I found about a thousand ants on the floor in the kitchen after all that was cleaned up.  Seriously...can't a tired mom catch a break!?!

All Creatures Great and Small

Our day started with an exciting new experience...the monarchs and swallowtails we have been carefully tending to for several weeks hatched into gorgeous butterflies. We actually got the monarch from a friend as an egg and watched it first hatch into a minute caterpillar.  We took the caterpillars with us up to Syracuse and back and watched them grow and grow every day.  We saw the caterpillar turn in to a cocoon and today it finally hatched.  It was just amazing to see how fast so many changes occurred.  The kids were absolutely enthralled to see the butterfly emerging this morning...we all were.  To see what just 10 days ago was a squirmy caterpillar emerge, stretch out those gorgeous black and orange wings and later take flight as a butterfly....WOW!  Everyone was able to hold the butterfly while it's wings were still getting strong and they loved seeing it up close.  Our friend who gave us the eggs just happened to be here today and helped us to tag the butterfly for project Monarch Watch.  Now the butterfly will be going on an AMAZING journey to Mexico...hard to believe a tiny, delicate butterfly can make a trip like that!

 How do these simple creatures know to lay their eggs on milkweed?  How to the caterpillars know to eat and eat and eat, to stop eating to molt off their skin several times, to climb and hang upside down to form a cocoon, to shed off the shell and become a butterfly, to learn to fly just hours after emerging, and to migrate THOUSANDS of miles away to Mexico??? ...it is just mind boggling!

Slippin' and slidin'

 Very hot day yesterday = slip n slide fun in the backyard.  We don't ever want this summer to end!!

If you give a worm a headache...

After we paid the kids their first big allowance from a week of new chores, Derrick told Sienna to go put her coins in her piggy bank.  "But Dada, I don't have a piggy bank."  "Yes you do Sienna."  "No, I have a Hello Kitty bank."

We found a very large tomato horn worm on one of our tomato plants the other night and the kids were having fun playing with him.  Sienna put him in a bucket and was shaking it and when our friend who was visiting asked her what she was doing she said, "I'm just giving him a little headache."

Carter was picking Lawson up by his arms the other day and Derrick told him not to hold him that way, that it could dislocate his arms.  Later on he saw Reese do the same thing and told her, "Don't hold Lawson that way his arms will be discombobulated."

We now have 8 caterpillars/cocoons in our house in various stages of "becoming a butterfly."  A friend got us hooked about a month ago with two monarch eggs and now we are a mini butterfly sanctuary. You can actually see them growing and changing every day...it is pretty fascinating. We even took two of them to Syracuse and back with us. Have bugs...will travel...  Like we didn't have enough critters to keep track of in this house already!?

Here Now...

"All I know, is I KNOW that You are here now..."

These words have run through my mind again and again for the past few weeks.

"Grace found my heart where logic ends"

There is no logic, no sense or purpose to so many things that happen in our lives.  It is hard to reconcile the existence of such deep pain with the knowledge of a God who loves us and wants what is best for us at times.  I know I have struggled...still struggle.  I want answers so badly, want to know why, want to know how it all works out in the end.

In these moments where my struggle is greatest, where my doubts begin to creep in and I want to be angry, I find Him.  He is here right now, whispering my Name.  He is holding me tightly in His arms, loving me in spite of my un-loveliness.  

And He reminds me that sometimes the "answer" I get is just to trust Him.  I can't handle having all the information right now, I can't know everything before the story unfolds.  And He is far more capable of  taking the reigns that I am.

I hang on so tightly to the things I love...so much that they cloud my vision of Him.  His grace blows my mind...to love me when I continuously get in the way of His better plan and try to do it all on my own. 

I was reading the girls the story of Jonah tonight (which we have been reading every night for the past 2 weeks now thanks to Sienna).  She calls it "Jonah spit the fish out."  and I don't have the heart to correct her that it's actually the other way around.  So anyway, we were reading "Jonah Spit the Fish Out"...and I love the version in the "Jesus Storybook Bible"...because it says that Jonah had a "not very good plan" which was to disobey God's command and run away from God.  And he really thought he could do it...run away and hide from God.  God had to strip away all his comforts and put him in the darkest most hopeless place to get him to wake up and listen, the slimy, smelly belly of the whale.

God doesn't want to punish us, but He will use our pain for a purpose.  He uses it to help us tune in to Him, and to tune out all the distractions.  When Jonah finally was spit out onto that sandy beach it must have seemed like paradise to him.  And he know right then that he wouldn't turn his back on God again.  He would listen...He would obey.  


Here Now (Madness) - Hillsong United
Skies spin their dance
Within Your breath
Time runs its race
Within Your hand

And my mind runs wild
To comprehend
What no mind on earth
Could understand

Your ways are higher
Your thoughts are wilder
Love came like madness
Poured out in blood - wash romance
It makes no sense but this is grace
And I know You're with me in this place

Here now
All I know is I know that You are
Here now
Still my heart
Let Your voice be all I hear now
Spirit breathe
Like the wind come have Your way
Cause I know Your're in this place

Faith makes a fool
Of what makes sense
But grace found my heart
Where logic ends

When justice called
For all my debts
The Friend of sinners
Came instead

Day at the Lake

 We enjoyed a picture perfect afternoon of boating at Moraine State Park yesterday.  The weather was amazingly comfortable and the kids enjoyed their first time on a  boat, even getting chances to drive.  Sienna, of course, took every chance she could to steer the boat right at the shoreline...she's a crazy driver!

We started off the trip with a visit to a farm nearby where a family with 10 kids does all their own farming, harvesting, and runs a farm market, sandwich shop and donut shop.  It was pretty amazing...maybe something we should aspire to?? hahaha

Then it was up to the Park to rent our boat.  We were even able to bring Hershey along who definitely seemed to enjoy the trip just as much as the kids.  Lawson enjoyed holding onto her leash while we jetted through the water.

Just a girl in her glasses and an Oreo!