Here at the troops. . .

Sitting by my biggest big boy. . . while he attempts to eat a Red Mango smoothie. . . with numb lips, jaw, chin.  It's quite humorous.  But I keep laughing at the TV, instead.  Top Gear.  His favorite show.

Or one of them.

The Coach went to pick up the pain meds so we could get them started asap.  Grandmother took Son #3 to his volunteer job this week at a NOVO day camp so we could be on duty here at home.

I can hear Little Man and two of the girls laughing with my cousin, who is visiting from California.  We love her.  And her sister who left this morning.

Daughter (#2) just got out of the shower - after her first morning back in volleyball practice.  I probably should send her in to clean her room.

Daughter (#6) is at a friend's house.  The first play date of the Summer.  HOW have we not done this even ONCE all Summer long?

We've had a great week with family here from not only California. . . but also Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas (did I miss anyone?).  Lot's of late night movies and games with our California girls. . . many of which I had to excuse myself from so I could get some SLEEP.  All to celebrate our precious family AND the dear lady we all call "Nana", who is celebrating her 95th birthday!

In the middle of which, we've discovered that Daughter (#6) has Acid Reflux (something about the month-long lack of sleep, nightly crying, and weight-loss, followed by an appointment with our wonderful doctor).  She's adjusting to the meds, and so far. . . I think they are helping!

Thank you, Lord.

Summer is almost over.  Unfortunately.  It hasn't seemed very restful.  But it's been good.  Lots to be grateful for and lots going on.

Sometime (next week, hopefully), I need to start having the kids try on school pants and shoes. . . go through supply lists (did I mention everything from the end of school is still piled up on top of the lockers in the garage?). . . make sure backpacks are in working order. . . and get ourselves geared up for volleyball and football season.

Crazy.

I love it.  I do.

But I'm tired.  I am.

(Yoda? Is that you?)

Wishing we were back in Colorado on vacation (like last week - it was lovely!).  Wishing it wasn't 100 million degrees outside.  Ugh.  Wishing I were caught up on posting and pictures and thank-you notes from my birthday (in June!).

The Coach and I were talking a few weeks ago (probably during our weekend together in Branson - Spiderman movie included) and he said, "I think you should start blogging, again."  It took me a minute.  "You mean I've stopped?"

I guess in my mind, I blog a lot.  I'm either praying (more often these days) or writing a post about whatever craziness is going on here at the troops.  Yes, you could say that I am just talking to myself. . . but I'm NOT!  I'm talking to the Lord.  And my blog friends.  Even if you rarely hear what I'm saying.

God is good.  Life is busy.

Happy Friday!

OH!  Son (#1) just got his wisdom teeth out - I kind of forgot that part.  He's doing great!

Thankful Thursday

Sometimes. . . when it's a particularly disappointing day. . . the best thing to do is give thanks.  I know there are hard things.  In our nation.  In our families.  In our lives.   Even the weather is yucky.  But today, I choose thankfulness.  Choosing to be thankful, is choosing to remember that the sovereign Lord God is in control.  Our hope is in Christ alone.

1.  Air conditioning.  That works.  And it helps to close the blinds and keep the lights off, too.

2.  Dinner in the crock pot, smelling yummy.

3.  Clean kitchen, somewhat orderly house, and clean folded laundry.

4.  A husband who has a job that he loves.

5.  A son who also has a job that he loves.

6.  A good week of football camp finished up.  Giving me two very tan, tired, boys.

7.  Snuggles with my Little Man.

8.  Phengren for upset tummies.  Times two.

9.  A day "off", resting with my girls.

10.  "Lark Rise to Candleford".  We've watched two episodes today and we love it!

11.  Vacation to look forward to (assuming the entire state of Colorado doesn't go up in flames - yikes!).

12.  A neighborhood that is mostly shaded for my morning run, even when I don't make it out there before 8 because of little sick tummies, bowls of cereal, and phone calls.

13.  Granddad's and Grandmother's neighborhood pool for daily swims.

14.  Friends and their babies to swim with us!

15.  A yard full of cool green trees.

16.  Birds to watch at the bird feeder (two pairs of cardinals, in particular) and hummingbirds, too.

17.  Ceiling fans.

18.  An evening without basketball practice or volleyball practice or 7 on 7 football.  They are few and far between.  And such a gift.

19.  OnCue drinks with lots of ice.

20.  Sprinkler systems and a whole crew of our own boys to keep the lawn looking lovely.

Today we woke up (after a short night sleep because of a little girl with a tummy ache in our room all night) and I decided we'd take the day off.  No errands.  No extra jobs.  No projects.

I went for my run, showered, supervised breakfast and morning cleanup, started dinner in the crockpot, picked up Daughter (#2) at school, ran to the store for Sprite, supervised lunch, and then a bit of quiet time, then back to school to pick up the boys from camp, fill up the car with gas, and drop Daughter (#2) back at school for volleyball.

Believe it or not, it's been a quiet, restful day.

So very much to be grateful for.

God is on His throne and I can choose to submit to the blessings AND the trials of this day.  Choose to "lean into" the Lord.  Lean HARD into Him.  Not fighting, kicking, screaming, resisting (although I do my share of that, too!).  But resting in Him, even when things don't make sense and our minds can't understand.

Make the Lord give you His grace for a grateful heart, today.

Summertime!

It's hard to believe that just four weeks ago, the Coach and I were packing up to go to Chicago by ourselves for an amazing four days.  It was so very wonderful, restful, romantic, fun. . . we just had the best time!

Three weeks ago, we were packing up our two oldest off to Rwanda with Reaching Souls International.  They saw over 14,000 people saved.  Yes.  I said fourteen THOUSAND.  Life-changing, I tell you.  For them AND for us.

Two weeks ago, the kids and I celebrated my 39th birthday. . . with Starbucks in the morning, dress shopping, Madagasscar 3 at the matinee, dinner at Chipotle with the kids (minus our two oldest) and the Coach, the Thunder game, and the MOST AMAZING CAKE EVER from Lori.  Amazing.

Last week, we were mid-VBS (for three), girls' basketball camp (for two), jury duty (for me - yay.), and were preparing to welcome our very own missionaries back home from their two weeks away.

I don't suppose it's necessary to say that this Summer has been busy.

And we continue struggling to find the balance in it all.

Needing desperately to get things done that we don't have time for during school - cleaning out, organizing, projects.  But also seriously needing FUN time. . .swimming, playing, friends. . . after such a hectic school year for the troops.

Understanding more fully each and every day, what matters for ETERNITY (and it's not cleaned out cabinets, by the way) and yet realizing, too, that the groceries still need to be bought, the meals have to be made, the laundry has to be done, none of which will last even a day.

Loving and finding joy in the blessed life the Lord has given us. . . healthy kids, lots of laughter, a home we love, a job the Coach enjoys, family close by.  Yet, our lives are also burdened with pain, trials, heart-ache. . . as we struggle to submit to the "hard" and find joy there, too.

So maybe the theme for this Summer is balance.  Letting some things go (like the blog) so we can enjoy some others (the laughter at the pool).  Remembering that the PEOPLE (particularly my Coach and my eight troops) matter more than the Projects.  That a relaxed mom matters more than a perfectly clean house. That the TIME with each other matters more than crossing things off the to-do list.  And our HOPE?  It's in Christ. . . not in our ability to handle it all on our own.

And especially thankful for grace. . .

Spoiled for sure. . .

I slept in this morning.  Well. . . at least I woke up at 6 and went back to sleep. . . woke up at 7 and went back to sleep.  A few minutes later I gave up.

It's colder than I expected here in the Windy City.

Yesterday, we were having trouble figuring out the trains from the airport to our hotel (imagine that. . . ), and a couple of guys on their way to the Cubs game helped us out.  The said it was in the 90's last week.

This week?  Not so much.

More like 50's.

Add to that the winds. . . don't get me wrong - I'm used to wind!  But coming off Lake Michigan the wind is COLD.

SO I bundled up with everything sort of appropriate for running that I had in my suitcase. . . and headed out to Lake Shore Drive.

Turns out running is just as hard here as it is at home.

But colder.

And then it started raining.

I'm not complaining, mind you.  The fact that I CAN run. . . on the shore of Lake Michigan. . . by myself. . . at 8 on a Thursday morning.

Is truly awesome!

The Venti half-caff skinny mocha warmed me right up.

Have I mentioned how very SPOILED I am feeling right now?

Thanking the Lord for this amazing time.

Now I think I'll hit Michigan Avenue to find a warm jacket!  Ha!

Every now and then. . .

I'm sitting in a lovely hotel room in Chicago.  Looking out on a view of the city. . . knowing the water is just out of sight in one direction. . . and Michigan Avenue is just out of sight in the other.

The best part of all?  Those countless moments in the last few weeks when I felt like yelling, "I need a vacation!!"

One was on it's way.

I haven't been to Chicago in about 20 years.  It's an amazing city.  It's humorous to me how much it looks the same - I recognize much more than I thought I would.  So many memories.

And trust me.  I wouldn't be on the computer if the Coach were here.  But our reason for coming was a school administrators conference of some sort that he's attending. . . so I'm just tagging along.

So happy to be tagging along.

SO very grateful for the sweet friends and family (in four different places) who are pitching in to keep up with the troops for me so I could come.

This room is so quiet.

And there are so many channels on the TV (I don't get out much).

A big bag of Garrett's Chicago mix is on the counter of our kitchenette.

Starbucks is right around the corner (I'm on my way here in a bit).

Endless shopping (of the window variety) goes on for blocks in every direction.


Leaving home doesn't change anything in the long run.  When we get back, there will still be eight kids, relational struggles, discipline problems, and the never-ending WORK of life.

But for now?

It's nice.

Really nice.

Every now and then the Lord gives us a beautiful break.  A chance to catch our breath.  Rest a bit.  Talk through things.  Spend some time away.

I'm grateful.

And I sure hope the Coach isn't expecting any of this popcorn to be left when he gets back from his meeting!

Waking Thoughts

Don't you love it when you wake up, bleary-eyed, as the alarm is going off, way too early for your liking, and your first thought is that you never went back and cleaned up that red icee that someone left in the car from our after-school On Cue run that spilled all over the car on the way to get pizza before the 1st grade author's tea at school last night?

What?

This has never happened to you?

Apparently I'm all alone.

And we were late to the author's tea in spite of the fact that I didn't stop to clean up the icee.

(sigh)

We are tired at the troops.  Something every night this week.  Friday was a LONG time coming, for sure.

I would say it's quieter with two of the kids gone on school trips. . .

But it's really not.

Maybe we sent the wrong two kids?

I would say that we are ALMOST there. . . almost done. . . almost to the end of the school year.

But ohmyheavens the calendar for the next two weeks is full.  And for the three months after that, honestly.

I would say that once Summer is here, the troops can RELAX.  Finally.  Sleep later than 6 am.  Not rush the little ones to bed on beautiful evenings when everyone is playing outside (I really hate that!).

That maybe, just maybe, I'll get caught up on my "cleaning out" projects (every drawer and cabinet in the house, for starters).  That maybe I'll finally finish switching out the girls Winter/Summer clothes - that I started a month ago.  That maybe I'll get the school stuff that has already started coming home by the dump truck load organized BEFORE August.  20th.

But more than likely. . . we won't.  And I won't.  And it won't.  And I'm pretty sure the eight that the Coach and I are responsible for will NOT magically become everything we hope and pray for them to be, overnight, giving us the peaceful, happy, restful Summer of our dreams.

Sure would be nice, though. . .

However. . . on this cool, cloudy Friday morning (only one more Friday left in the school year!), as I sip my coffee and contemplate how best to clean up the mess in the van. . .

The God of the universe who is sovereign over all. . . loves me.

And that's enough.

So I will be thankful that I can clean out the car IN the garage (it just started raining).
I will be thankful that the coffee is hot.
I will be thankful that the Coach asked me to go on a date, tonight.
I will be thankful for a Little Man who makes me laugh, even if he talks incessantly ALL DAY LONG.
I will be thankful that it's Friday.  Finally.
I will be thankful that the two traveling troops will be home, today.
I will be thankful that the second thing I remembered this morning was that the girls' school pants were in the wash and needed to be in the dryer asap.
I will be thankful that the house is sort of clean.
I will be thankful for new babies and cousins and family.
I will be thankful.

Happy Friday!

A Quick Catch Up!

Whew!

The school year is marching on to the end. . . and the troops are finishing well.  We've had a lot of fun in the last couple of weeks.  Not all of which was captured in photos, but here are a few things. . .

Land Run day for Daughter (#5).  Here's her "claim" with Little Man.  It was a COLD, wet day!

Some of the activities were in our gym, to minimize the time we spent outside freezing in the cold wind. 


They played pioneer games and sang songs and did some "skip to my louing", as well.












Then there was "Annie" weekend.  SO MUCH FUN!  Daughter (#2) was an orphan.  With LINES, forheavenssake!  If you know her, you know what a huge deal this was.  And she loved it!  Son (#3) was Bert Heely.  "You're never fully dressed without a smile!"  And a servant in the Warbucks mansion and a ticket booth attendant in "NYC". 

This is all of the family that had parts in the play, with the Coach's parents.  Not many grandparents can go to a school play and have SIX grandkids participating.  (And they had just gotten in from the 6th grade Washington DC trip with two OTHER grandkids!)

Here are my two with their amazing, awesome, MUCH BELOVED director.  She does a fabulous job!  The rest of the troops didn't even know "Bert" could sing!  Ha!

Sweet little cousin audience members.  Daughter (#5) second from left and Daughter (#6) on the right.  They went to ALL three performances!  It was THAT good!  I'm sure it had nothing to do with the homemade cupcakes for sale during intermission!

And the same weekend, we had the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.  I had to sit this one out (stupid leg), but I LOVED watching the Coach and Son (#3) finish in UNDER two hours.  Unbelievable!  Think I might slow the Coach down a bit?

Here is the Coach and Son (#3) with Grandmother, who ran the half. . . and Granddad who did the FULL MARATHON in his hand-cycle.  Do I have amazing parents, or what? 
(And yes, Granddad raced in his JEANS!)

And then among a multitude of other fun, year-end things this week. . . Son (#1) finished up his year in YLX (Youth Leadership Exchange) with a "graduation" last night.  Here are all of the kids from our school who participated.

And my handsome boy with my handsome Coach.  Love them.

(Note to self:  When wearing "flowy" tops, do not lean forward in pictures.  I've spent enough of my life pregnant without looking that way NOW!  Ha!)

Time to make cookies for Daughter's (#7) Author's Tea, tonight.

We sent Son (#4) off to Creation Nation Science Camp, yesterday morning.  And Daughter (#2) off on her Freshman Oklahoma History Trip, this morning.

Too bad we won't be home, tonight, to enjoy having ONLY six kids in the house!

Thanking the Lord for His ever-sufficient grace and strength. . .

Happy Thursday!