Flashback Friday

I don't know about you, but I am loving Flashback Friday!! I go crazy ooohing and aaaahing over old pictures. I also love looking at your pictures, so link back and leave a comment to let me know if you participated!

Last week we tried to teach Luke to ride a bike, but his tire was flat so it was a no-go. Luke is usually my very adventurous child, but for some reason when we took the training wheels off his bike (before we knew there was a flat) he was quite apprehensive. Really puzzling. This afterall is my child that goes down hills at full speed on his scooter. I guess a little trepidation wouldn't be bad.

Anyway, once we told Luke that Caleb learned to ride his bike before he was 5, Luke was suddenly all over the idea. Here are some picutures of Caleb the day he learned to ride his bike:

I love how his bike is so little and his helmet is so big that it is falling in front of his eyes. He has definitely outgrown both the helmet and bike!

And sweet little Lukie! I love this picture! I love how little Luke is and that you can see Caleb riding away in the background!

(Next week's Flashback Friday will be a themed edition: baby pictures! And not just of the kids - pictures of you and your spouse!! I'm already looking forward to it!)

Father/son bonding at its finest

Boys will be boys. Really, it doesn't matter whether you are 4, 7, or 30...if there is a video game on, you don't hear a single word mama is saying. Nor do you know that she is taking your picture and in all honesty you don't care. All you care about is winning. Oh, and that no one gets in the way of the screen.

Flashback Friday!

(I started a little series here last week and a couple of you played along. Let me know if you do this week. I had fun looking at your pictures!)

Seriously, I dug back in the vault for some of these pictures. And had so much fun in the process! I could look at old pictures for hours and never get bored. Here are the ones I picked for this week:

This picture is from our first family vacation in 2003. Caleb was a year old and we went to Spring Canyon, in Colorado, with our best friends. That place is amazing! Our BFF's have a son Caleb's age and we all had a fab time! Joseph and I love the outdoors so this was a great trip for us. We got to go ATVing, hiking, played in the mountainss and enjoyed it all with some of our favorite people and our only child. My how things have changed. Since then we have been on 2 other family vacations with these same friends and now there are 7 kids between us. We are blessed!

There are my boys! Gosh, I love these little faces.

Lazy Summer Days

…NOT!

This has been the busiest summer I think that I have ever had. Every week I think, “Oh next week things will slow down around here and I will work on those projects I had planned.” Umm, hasn’t happened yet.

We have had a lot of company this summer and are gearing up for more next month. My dad has been here for the past couple of weeks and the kids have loved it. He plays with the girls and reads poetry to the boys. Yes, poetry. They beg for it and love it. I know, weird. Joseph and I can’t figure it out, but if it keeps the boys busy who are we to question?

It has been nice that he has been here to watch/entertain my kids this week because I am organizing a big dinner tonight for the incoming residents and fellows. When I took on the job of Madam President (don’t worry, you can still call me Sab Mad) this is the kinda thing that I thought I would be doing. I just forgot to factor in that I would be working with women and when there are more than 3 women together there is drama. There are more than 3 women working with me. ‘Nuff said.

Random story that I have to tell, mostly because I wanted to call my BFF immediately after it happening but she is in Korea and the time change isn’t conducive to me picking up the phone at my whim. So this is how I’m telling her the story. The rest of y’all can read too if you want. Or you can talk amongst yourselves… Oh, I guess you can’t so you will have to read!

Okay, okay – to the story.

We were on our way in the gym the other day and as usual Luke gets to the building first while I am lagging (way) behind with the twins. SIDE NOTE: Can I just say that the hardest part of working out isn’t the workout itself. It’s getting the 4 kids out of the car, into the building and checked into their classes. THAT is the real workout!

End of digression, back to the story – So I’m lagging behind with the twins, working hard to get them to keep moving in the right direction when all of a sudden I hear Luke screaming. Not just crying, screaming. I knew there was something wrong because Luke isn’t the kind of kid that cries easily when hurt. He’s tough. So I tell Caleb to stay with the twins and run ahead to find Luke standing in the doorway hysterical while some woman is standing there holding a cup of coffee. I said, “What happened? What’s wrong?”
Luke keeps screaming and the woman calmly replies, “Coffee spilled on him, but he’s okay. It’s not that hot.”
WWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Even if that is so, is that the first thing that you are going to say to me?
So I grab Luke and start wiping coffee off his head and face (yes, she spilled it on his head and face) with my shirt and scream (yes, scream) at her, “It’s coffee!! Coffee is hot!!”
“Well, bring him inside,” is her response.
To which I scream (yes, scream) “I have 3 other kids over there, I can’t just leave them!” She looks at me and then walks off. I seriously wanted to kick her in the face, but was too busy trying to console Luke and gather the other 3.
Luckily I have lots of friends at the gym and one came and took the girls where they needed to go, while the another one took Caleb where he needs to go and another got Luke some ice. And then this is the point where I start to cry. I’m so sad my baby is hurt and furious at that woman for hurting him!

Good new is Luke is fine and not even remotely traumatized. Bad news is I am still fuming and totally traumatized!

So I’m retelling this story to everyone that I have contact with. Everyone.

And I’m telling my 2 neighbors yesterday, one neighbor knows me, the other doesn’t. When I get to the end of the story I say, “And if I see that lady at the gym, I’m going to drop kick her in the face.”

Can I tell you the look of horror on the face of the woman who doesn’t know me. It makes me laugh even as I type this. Really hard.

Yep, lazy summer days - these are not!

A visit from some old friends!

Last month (I know, I'm WAY behind!) some friends of ours came through town and spent a couple of days with us. The visit was too short, but I love that we reconnected like there hadn't been 5 years since the last time we were together. The last time that we saw Jay and Amy, as a couple, I was pregnant with Luke. And the last time we saw them separately, Luke was a newborn!

Since that time they had Hailey and we had the Twinkies. Here are some photos of our girl's together. There is only a couple of months between them, so in essence they were like triplets!

3 Little Beauties in a tub! Aren't they sweet?!

Pool Par-tay!

We love you Jay, Amy and Hailey and hope that it isn't another 5 years before we see you again!

Flashback Friday!

I was looking through some old pictures on the computer the other night and was overwhelmed by how big the Twinkies are and how fast the time is flying by me. So...I decided on Fridays I'm going to post a picture of times past. Enjoy!

(If you want to play along, let me know so I can stop by your blog and take a peek. I LOVE looking at old pictures!)

I'm not sure who is learning more...

...me or the kids I'm "teaching"?

Today is the last day of VBS. Whew, it has been a crazy week. Crazy busy, crazy tiring, crazy hectic, crazy fun, crazy overwhelming, crazy crazy!

I signed up to teach 2nd and 3rd graders with my girl, Emily, and it has been wild. God has been teaching me SO much through this past week. We are sharing BIG, hard truths with theses kids and are not dumbing it down. It has definitely not just been a "Jesus loves you, pass the potatoes" week.

Really, God has been teaching me lots and I want to tell you all of it, but I have to get ready or we will miss the last day. Super quick, though, our first day was 1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" That word 'lavish' has been bugging me all week and while I like Merriam's idea of "bestowing profusely" I read something this morning that is rocking my little world!!!

If you never click another link that I direct you to, please click this last one. It's a little lengthy, but absolutely amazing. And if it seems too lengthy or you just want the part that is shaking my world the most, scroll down to the John Piper quote.

I keep reading it and can't get enough!
Seriously better than ice cream!!!

8 years and counting!!

Today is our anniversary! 8 years. Wow, even as I type, I'm still surprised that we have been married that long. It really does seem like yesterday... and if you want to know what yesterday looked like you can go here for the correct my version of the events or here for the incorrect my man's version of the events.

I really never had any dreams of getting married. I didn't grow up dreaming about my wedding or what my house would look like or how many kids I would have. I actually didn't even think that I would ever get married. When I met Love, I was a self-professed vagabond, who was carefree, spontaneous, adventurous and had no plans of marrying and having children. I wanted to be a missionary in Africa. I had plans for roaming the world and sharing how Jesus changed my life. And marriage wasn't even on the radar, much less in the picture.

It's funny how life changes. Because within 7 months of dating Lovey I was married, had moved to a state I thought I would never visit much less live, and was pregnant. And yes, in that order. I remember our first Christmas together (in Alaska!) thinking that exactly 1 year earlier I never in my most wild dreams would have pictured where I am today - married, pregnant, and oh yeah even Alaska. Wildly crazy.

Life is rarely how I picture it. I'm not sure that I ever imagined what marriage would look like, but if I did, this isn't it. It's so complicated. There is good, hard and not-so-good. We have had all three. How could you not when you have a life that is as full as ours? We're in a hard spot right now. Or actually coming out of one. We've been challenged a lot in this thing called marriage. And there have been many times where giving up has felt way easier than learning and growing. But I know that the only way that we will thrive, because I don't want to just survive marriage, is by remembering the covenant that we have made before God. Covenants aren't broken. People are and hearts are broken, but God's covenants are not.

So we move forward. Sometimes in tiny, little, cautious steps and other times in huge leaps. But we move forward. And forward is a good direction in marriage.

I love my man. He deals with crazy every day at work. And then comes home to even more! But that is what I love about him. He knows every day on his way home that he is coming home to crazy. And he still comes home. And he works hard to love on us in tangible ways. He is my partner in every sense of the word. There isn't a job around here that is "my job" or "his job" because we really do share in the workload. Okay girlfriends, sometimes he does more! I admit it. But sometimes I do too...sometimes?!

I also love that my man loves Jesus and has a relationship with him. Last night, I was sharing my heart and telling Joseph all about VBS and how I was going to present the gospel today. He 'gets' it. And cares. And prays. And teaches his children.

Yep, I love that man.

God makes me laugh on a regular basis. Our plans rarely ever match up. Here I am 8 years later a military wife, having done 3 major cross country moves, with 4 kids, a dog, having lived through a career change, medical school and now residency. I can't even imagine what the next 8 years have in store. I know that they will be full of laughter and joy, but I also know there will be hard times that test us. I also know without a shadow of a doubt that we love Jesus. And that he's enough. More than enough.

I love you JKM. You are my hero!

Is that you Chuck E.?

I miss my friend!

I have tried to start this post many times, but have quit halfway through because it makes me sad.

My BFF, Kellie, moved last week and I'm a little lost without her. There have been so many times this past week that I have picked up the phone to call her and remembered that I can't call her because she is in Korea and phoneless. Its been a blue week.

Kellie is my friend that has helped me get through the past 2 years while Joseph has been gone or had a crazy schedule. We met when the twins were 5 weeks old, Joseph was gone for 5 weeks and I was a mess. It's funny because we had "met" over email a couple of years before when she moved to Minot. I knew a friend of hers in DC who 'introduced' us over email and then I 'introduced' her to some of our friends in Minot who she became really good friends with. It really is a small world in the military! We had heard about them and they had heard about us through the grapevine, so it was fun to finally meet. We became friends quickly and I have relied on her heavily over the past couple of years.

Kellie is the one that I call when there was any drama happening around here - and there's always drama around here. She has helped me get through the early years of twins, intern year, many months of Joseph being gone, first days of school and lots of kid drama, marriage drama and life drama. Kellie is one of my only friends who will spontaneously drag her kids all over town for crazy, chaotic, kid fun with me. Our kids can be together for days without any fighting, crying or arguing - which is really rare for kids!

Kellie is also the one that I call at 4:30pm and say, "What are you having for dinner?"
To which she would reply, "Ummm, I have chicken out. Why do you ask? What are you doing for dinner?"
And I would say, "Well, I think we are going to eat at _______ (you name the restaurant). Wanna go?!"
"Yeah let me call Dan, but I'm sure he'll say 'yes' and I can always make chicken tomorrow."
And then we would take 7 kids out to dinner.
Often.

And many times by ourselves when our hubbies are working.

Kellie, my friend, I miss you so much! Thanks for being such a great friend to me and for being there through the craziness of the last 2 years. Life here is going to be different without you, but I am most thankful for FB, blogging and IM.

My Posse

Aren't we a good lookin' group?!

My life in bullet points

I'm tired and I have mucho to say, so bullet points will have to do:

• My kids say funny things all the time. All.the.time. Today, was especially hilarious. Case in point: Somehow green crayon managed to make its way in the laundry, through the wash and colored all the clothes in the dryer. When I asked THE ONE who is responsible for this travesty how crayon got on our clothes and his response was, "I don't know. Purple is my favorite color, not green." (sigh) What to do with that boy?
• So while I thought this was funny, Caleb topped it off. I got pulled over on my way home from the gym today for "speeding." I wasn't speeding. Really, I wasn't. So the officer lets me off with a warning. Of course this whole thing is fascinating to my children. F-a-s-c-i-n-a-t-i-n-g. Questions all day long. At one point Caleb says, "But mom, why didn't he give you a ticket?" I had already answered this question is 100 different ways, so I said, "Maybe because I'm so cute and sweet and nice and adorable." To which he says, in total seriousness, "So what does that have to do with anything?"
• Joseph is finally off his month of nights!!!!! The first part wasn't that bad. It got bad when he started doing 12 hour nights. Those are brutal. And thankfully done for a while!
• He has a decent schedule this month and then leaves for a month. This year he will be gone 3 months. Thankfully not consecutive. And so it goes...
• We have had good friends of ours stay at our house for the past couple of weeks. It was fun, overwhelming, exhausting, hysterical, fabulous, demanding, joyful, chaotic and just plain crazy at times. But you would have to expect that when there are 7 children under 7, 4 adults and a skunk dog. Right?
• Our good friends left Saturday night and it was a hard goodbye. Being a military family means that we get used to saying goodbye, it doesn't mean that we ever enjoy it or that it is ever easy. This was the first goodbye that we have done where the boys really "got it." They took it pretty hard. So have I. Fruit snacks makes it easier for them. Chocolate makes it easier for me.
• I didn't take many pictures while our friends were here because Kellie has a better camera and we used it. I'll have to get some of those pictures. And that camera. Too bad our AC is going out and that will be our next big purchase, not a new camera.
• Because our friends were here and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, I put all my other "stuff" on hold. Now it is overwhelming.
• Lets take a sharp turn and allow me to tell you that there are two things that I am interested in doing. But am afraid of failure. Okay, that's all I want to say about that.
• It has been ridiculously hot here. Record breaking. You guys know I kick my kids outdoors as much as possible, but it is too hot for them out there. So they have found a new indoor activity to keep them busy. XBOX. It really makes me laugh to watch them play. Caleb of course has it figured out. Luke, on the other hand, plays with a controller that isn't even on. And he is blindly overjoyed. I am very tightly controlling this because the LAST thing I want are kids addicted to the tv and video games. We aren't that kind of family.
• One way I have found to keep it under control is to not own any games for the boys. It makes no sense financially (and that always bothers me) but if we don't have games they can't play right? If we need something we can always rent it at Blockbuster. And take it back when I am sick of the video games. Works for me.

Well, I guess that's it. I thought I had a lot to say, but as I read over that nonsense I realize it was a whole lot about nothing!