10 Smile Tuesdays

So busy this last week...so many smiles! Here are but a few.

1. My in-laws 50th Anniversary celebration. 50 years, wow!!

2. Girls night with my girlfriends. I'm a total dork and was freezing in Starbucks so my friend, Bobbie, was kind enough to retrieve her sons Lightning McQueen snuggie from the car. Love it!

3. Lilla's sunflower garden finally came up. Yay! We planted them quite late so they are tiny but I was so glad to see their shiney happy faces anyway. They made Lilla quite happy too.

4. The start of jean season.

5. A family photo shoot I did for my friend. :)

6. Anna picking up a fur stole and insisting on wearing it all day at my mom's house.

7. Lilla thinking she was hilarious wearing this mask. Eek! Anna was not a fan, clearly.

8. Lilla and Michael camped out in my parent's backyard per Lilla's request.

9. My parent's bought a golf cart to tool around in. Lilla loved, loved, loved it!

10. Setting up for my in-laws anniversary party, I got this picture of my husband with some of his brothers and nephews. It's a big family!

And a couple extras...

11. Anna doing the YMCA at the reception.

12. Going for a walk on our trail.

13. My brother in law reading books to the girls before the reception.

And last but not least, Michael took Lilla fishing for the first time this week too. She caught four fish and had a great time doing it!

What are you smiling about this week?

YMCA

Because I thought you needed a good laugh today, I had to post this picture of my 20 month old daughter, Anna, doing the YMCA yesterday at my in-laws 50th anniversary celebration.

This kid is in a category all her own! And, I like it that way. :)

I want to remember

Years from now, when I am old, my house is empty and ever so quiet, I want to remember...

...the sound of Anna's voice in the early morning, calling from her room, "Mama, Mama, Mama!"

...the clip, clap of Lilla's bare feet as she runs into my room to "get me up"

...the smiles and laughter I get from Anna as she reaches for me from her crib

...the little arms reaching around my neck to hold me ever so tightly

...the warm feeling when I wrap up the girls from baths into their hooded towels and hug/dry them down on my lap

...the way Lilla makes up songs about everything and anything, just to stay up one more minute

...wet baby slobber kisses on the mouth from Anna

...Lilla's uproariously, uncontrollable, contagious laughter

...Anna saying "cheese" as she cheeses it up for the camera

...Lilla, so proud that she can dial the phone and call Daddy by herself

...Anna dressing up in anything immobile, including my socks and the futon cover today

...the smell of fresh bathed babies, with cool skin and crazy hair

...the feeling of Lilla's little hand in mine, letting me lead her just about anywhere

...earnest, faithful bedtime prayers from a 4 year old desiring her family's salvation

...Anna running so hard the top of her body can't keep up with the bottom

...my husband telling Lilla "Michael and Lilla" bedtime stories every night

...the excitement that a bottle of silly string can provide at a birthday party

...bubble beards at bathtime

...Anna's raised hands, twirling dance anytime she hears a beat

...every precious moment.

Just a few things...

Anna clapping her hands watching the Elephants

We've been so busy around here lately. We've started our new year of homeschooling. Lilla is having a good time, especially with the french she began today. She is quite adorable, I must admit, when she says, "Au Revoir" and it sounds better than me after two years of high school French. Hilarious.

Also this week, we've gone to a baptism for 100 people at our church, went to my mom's house to spend time with my grandma who lives in Florida, went to the zoo to see the butterfly's one last time this summer, adopted two fish, one of which has already passed on to that big fishtank in the sky), had a playdate at the park and made new friends and had dinner with my bestie and her family tonight.

Lilla learning about a sundial

Blogging seems to have taken a backseat, which pretty much always seems the case in the summer. We are outside more, tending the garden, taking care of the yard, attending gatherings, grilling, and just doing the normal summer stuff. I think as fall approaches there will be more time to spend processing and writing better posts. I'm sure there will be many more pictures, as there never seem to be a shortage in this home! And hopefully, I can catch back up with more blogging buddies, who also seem to have faded away this summer.

Anyway, hope you are well and your weekend is full of blessings!

God's economy

Just read this off a friend's facebook post. It hit home with me, as I am quick to jump when little things annoy me. I get irritated often, just like last night when my oldest jumped on the couch where I had just told her a cup of water sat. Patience was not my strong suit at this moment. I was thinking of God's economy. Fortunately, this helps me to a little more.

A magazine article asked, “How would you respond to this? You ask one of your children to go get a rake, and he dents the car with it as he’s bringing it around.”

I hate to think how I’d respond!

The article advocated viewing such incidents “from God’s eternal perspective,” such as asking, “How much is that dent going to bother me a year from now?” The author said, “In God’s economy, it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.”

It wasn’t long before a test situation arose. I went to take some cheese from the refrigerator and found part of the outside dried out. What a waste of good money! I had purposely bought a larger piece than usual because it was on sale. “Who forgot to put the cheese back in a plastic bag?” I started to bellow accusingly.

I took a second look at the orange wedge on the butcher block. How important would this be in a year?

I trimmed off the dry part and tossed it on the back porch for two grateful cats. Then I sliced some, wrapped the rest, and placed it back in the refrigerator. A reminder was in order for the family. But not a tantrum.

Not in God’s economy, anyway.
Father, please give me Your perspective.
—B. J. CONNOR

Disney

A little over a week ago, we went to Disney World for the week.

Something not at all like us.

We never take vacations.

This year we did.

And, I can't say we were disappointed.

We had fun on a Safari.

And having breakfast with princesses.

And hugging Mickey.

And kissed Donald on the nose.

Seeing a Broadway type production.

And shot down the bad guys.

And spent a lot of time trying to cool off.

And finally saw The World.

Fear Not

Yesterday, as we were preparing dinner on the grill, Lilla brought her beach Barbies out to play on the deck. The Barbie pool had come with a little itty bitty bottle of sunblock, which, of course, was dropped and fell between the slats in the deck.

Lilla was so upset and wanted that little bottle so badly. Unfortunately, there is only about 6 inches between the deck and the slab of cement beneath it. No adult could possibly get under there. Also, my landscaping is way overgrown, and woah, am I not prepared to find out what might be living in there!

So, although there was crying and nashing of teeth, I had to tell Lilla we just couldn't get it. She kept begging and saying, "Why not?" I finally said, "Listen, mommy is scared to go anywhere near the edges of the deck, I don't know what I'll find!"

In her sweet little Lilla way, she said, "But Mom, we have Jesus, and when you have Jesus, you have nothing to fear. Right?"

And just like that, I am speechless again.

Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Nothing beats the beach

This past week we spent in Florida. Disney was the name of the game for 5 days. The last two days we spent driving back to Indy and we are ever so tired. But, we did manage to fit in a couple of hours in Jacksonville beach on our way back, and oh, we love the beach so much. It's too bad we are so land locked, because I would so be there all the time. Here are a few pics from that day...

We can hardly wait to go back again!

Saturday Photo Hunt - Colorful

We went to Disney World last week. They have a shopping area there called Downtown Disney. It's got an awesome lego store that you can pick out the amount, type and color of legos you want. I took this with the Kodak I carry in my purse so the resolution is not great, but I think you must get the hint in how COLORFUL that place truly is!

To participate or see more entries into the hunt, go to http://tnchick.com.