Follow me...

The night before Ken and I got married, he brought his guitar to my parents house and sang the John Denver song "Follow Me" to me.  It was so sweet, and I'm sure he will be immensely embarrassed that I'm sharing that with you.  However, the song has been so true in our marriage, as I have literally followed him all over the country now in our Navy adventures.

That being said, you are invited to follow me as I follow him (who is following Him, by the way).  Let me clarify...  I've added a Followers gadget to my right sidebar so I can keep up with all those wonderful people who follow our family blog.  If you ever read here and find it interesting or even mildly amusing,  please do click there to become a "follower".  Then, others can click on that and link to your blog (if you have one, but you don't have to) to see what you've been up to lately.  

And if you really want to follow us, we'll be moving to Rhode Island in about 8 weeks.  But you probably don't want to do that.  Because that would be weird.

And because I rarely post without pictures... here's my favorite man to follow and one of my most faithful followers.  :)

Summertime...

The girls got off the school bus for the last time this year on Friday... summer is officially here! The kids are excited and I'm in full planning mode, finding ways to entertain and stimulate 5 little minds during the long days of summer. Our move is coming up in July, so that will definitely break things up a bit. But until then, I'm trying to add a little more structure to our days so as to do some teaching and training along with our playing and resting. We're starting our first weekend of the summer off with a fun weekend with Bumpa and Grandma here.  

We took a trip to the local Farmer's Market this morning...one of my favorite places in summer. I love the colors and smells; the kids love the treats and throwing rocks in the nearby pond. They always have a local artist playing live music and beautiful flowers for sale everywhere. Here's a few fun pictures from our morning.

Observations of a 3 year old

I've come to notice that every time I take a shower and come downstairs with wet hair, Jacob says, "We go to church today, Mommy?"   

Hmmmm...perhaps this should speak to me concerning my daily weekly whenever-I get-a-chance hygiene routine?

Happy Birthday, Jake!

May is the birthday month in our family... being that 4 of the 7 of us were born in this month.    It's late and I haven't downloaded the pictures from today, but I couldn't let the day pass without saying Happy Birthday to my sweet Jakey.  Our first little boy, born into a house full of little women, he has certainly changed things around here, only for the better.  With his sweet smile full of mischief, he can melt my heart and make me laugh all at the same time.  I love you little Buddy.  Happy 3rd Birthday!

The Kindy 500

In the spirit of the Indy 500 which is (as you might imagine) wildly popular up here, the girls' school annually holds the "Kindy 500".  And it is adorable.  It is a big wheel race for the Kindergarten classes and the whole school turns out to cheer them on.  Hannah participated last year and this year it was Gracie's turn.  She was on the gray team, and when it was her turn  in the relay she put the pedal to the medal (or the feet to the pedals, as the case may be).  We were all there to cheer her on, and she very much enjoyed her moment to shine.

Heading out for the big race.  They even took a "parade lap" and a "victory lap".

Sweet Grace...leading the pack!

Happy, happy birthday baby...

Today was Ken's 40th birthday!  We celebrated most of the day because it's not every day one turns the big 4-0, right? His day started with a parade of little feet marching into the bedroom to bring him gifts and breakfast in bed.  (He even looks good first thing in the morning, doesn't he?)
After a fun filled morning of celebrating with the kids, we went to church and then picked up sandwiches from his favorite deli.  Ken thought that we would be ending our day with a date night while our neighbors watched the little ones.  However, we actually ended the day with a surprise party!  A few of our wonderfully generous and kind neighbors helped me (e.i. they did all the work) plan a party for Ken and it was great!  I think he was truly surprised!  The party was complete with fun, friends, decorations, great food and lots of birthday cake.  We even had a poster size (slightly embarrassing) picture of Ken in his "hayday".  The kids played in the backyard while 80's music jammed in the background.    Good times.  Here's a few pictures of the night...and a special thank you to Gary, Jane, Becky and Rob for all your help!

 Happy Birthday, baby!  I can't wait to spend the next 40 years with you!

One last thought:   The party is over and, as I'm blogging about the great day we all had, Ken is at work.  Yes, it's midnight, but tragic situation occurred with one of his staff and he had to go in.  As he is working tonight on his birthday and on the eve of Memorial Day, my thoughts are easily turned to all those who are daily sacrificing so much for our country and for our freedom.  Tomorrow we will remember all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and way of life, and we'll remember the families that have been left behind.  I hope sometime tomorrow you can take a moment to pray for all those serving in the all volunteer force that protects every freedom we have come to enjoy.  I am thankful for all those who bravely step forward, standing in the gap for me and for my family.  I am thankful for my husband and so proud of his heart to serve in whatever way he is called.  And tomorrow, I will be especially thankful for all those who lost their lives in such a way and for the country they died to protect.

Recipe for fun

Ingredients:

4 girls

1 old dolly from the garage

1 booster seat

a dash ingenuity 

a handful of creativity

Mix well

And enjoy!

Baby toes

Who knows where these feet will take them?  This is what they looked like when they were small.

Ready for rain

It didn't actually rain today.  But it will.  Someday.

Monday = Fun-day!

For all practical purposes, today was our weekend.  Ken, after a week of trips, had to work all weekend, so we had all missed out on family time.  It seems we've all been extra tired and in much need of a little fun, so today we took a Fun-day!  Hannah had school, but we checked her out at lunch time so we could all spend the afternoon together.  We don't normally encourage truancy, but today it seemed like the right thing to do.  

It was a gorgeous day outside, so after a nice picnic lunch, Daddy joined the kiddos in a water gun war.

Claire, who loved the action but didn't really care for getting her clothes wet, decided to stick with Daddy for protection.

Grace, always creative, found a new drinking fountain.

Hannah was on the prowl and thoroughly enjoyed the romp in the yard.

After water gun wars and a quick snack, Daddy and the girls went on a bike ride. The he helped Grace practice her big girl bike with no training wheels.  And, yes, as a matter of fact, she is wearing a kitty cat suit.  Why not?

And where was baby boy during all the action?  Why he was laying on a blanket in the grass, just taking it all in, of course.

And Jake gave a running commentary on every car that passed.  The boy loves cars.

Later in the evening, after a dinner of blueberry pancakes and sausage, we went fishing in the lake in our neighborhood.  The girls fished and picked flowers while Jake chased the ducks and played with the worms.  Nathan and I just took it all in.  ;)

It really was a beautiful day.

And at the end of the day, we headed back inside.  Home sweet home, at least for now.

Now who says Mondays can't be fun-days?

this ain't no Christmas letter

I like Christmas letters.  I really do.  Every year, starting in about November, I go to the mailbox with great anticipation, knowing that we will likely be getting letters from long lost friends.  It's so nice to hear from people we haven't seen in a while, to know how they are doing and how their family is growing and changing.  I absolutely love getting them, and we even faithfully write our own Christmas letter year.

Generally we hit the high points.  We usually start with news of a pregnancy or new baby, then we follow it up with paragraph by paragraph run down of everyone's talents, ambitions and accomplishments from the previous year.  Most Christmas letters I have read follow this same format, and overall I think it's a good thing.  Except that it's sorta crap it doesn't tell the entire story.

Don't get me wrong.  I know that joyful heart is good medicine and I'm all for encouraging one another and being all peppy and such.  But let's be honest.  There is another side to everyone's life that's not quite so rosy all the time.  The side that we all face full of struggles, challenges and just plain, ordinary bad days.  I think it's the things that end up one the "Christmas letter cutting room floor" that make us who we are.  And I think sharing those with one another, in balance with all the rosy things, can be the most encouraging thing of all.

Now, I have no intention of making my blog a platform for complaining and whining.  On the contrary, I intend to show just as many smiling pictures of my kiddos as possible and share the funny stories as usual.  This is, however, also my journal.  It just happens to be written for the world to see (all 5 of you).  When I look back and read this, I want to see how the Lord has blessed my family with fun and happiness and also how He has carried us through the days that just didn't seem worthy of the Christmas letter.

So, as you read this blog (and I hope you do), you'll get to see lots of smiles, some funny stories, lots of random thoughts and a little more transparency.  Why?  Because this is life...not a Christmas letter.

Piano recital

Hannah had her first piano recital today and did a wonderful job.  We were so proud of her as she stood up and introduced herself confidently (or at least loudly) and then played 2 pieces and did an excellent job.

Before the recital, waiting nervously for her turn.

Afterwards:  Sweet relief!

Good job, Han!

Psalm 63

"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is not water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and i your name will I lift up my hands."

Oh how I long to long for God the way David longed for God! I see that as I "quench" my hunger and thirst with the things of this world, I am only feeding that appetite. When I feed on the things of the Lord, it is that appetite that grows. Even if it means walking through the desert as David did, am I willing to wait for the true satisfaction that only comes from the Lord?

I scream, You scream....

I remember being at my aunt's house as a kid and hearing the distant music of the beloved ice cream truck.  All the kids in the neighborhood would make a mad dash inside to plead their case for 50 cents.   Just 50 cents was all that stood between a sweaty kid and a Rocket Pop.  Oh glorious day!

Fast forward a few decades.   I get to see my little ones' eyes light up when the white musical truck comes through our neighborhood.  Though 50 cents will no longer get you a Rocket Pop, for a little bit more you can get a Tweety Pop or a Batman Bar.  Totally worth it for the sweet messy smiles on chubby little faces.

tummy time

Sweet baby boy having some "tummy time".   But being the laid back little man that he is, it usually just turns into "rest on my belly and smile at mommy time."  And that's okay with me.  :)

I dare you...

Really, I dare you....

because you really can't do it....

especially if you happen to be a grandparent....

I dare you to look at this picture....

without smiling.

Go ahead....

I dare you.

And now, speaking of smiling, remember track and field day at school?  The day when you get to play outside all day?  The day when the air is full of excitement, intermingled with the smell of sweaty kids?  Well, that day was this week at Hannah's school and a great time was had by all. Ken got to stop by for a while and cheer her on and take a few pictures.  (You know if we were there, pictures were taken.)  Hannah came in the first in one of the track races and 1st in the hula-hoop contest, but the true highlight of the day was the water balloon toss.  Good times.

Mother's Day