three months down…

only 204 months to go, at least.

and for some reason i am thinking that’s all this post needs. it sort of speaks for itself. especially if you live nearby and see us and the kids frequently.

no complaining, it’s just a long road. one that some days seems like it will take longer than 204 months. and one that on other days seems like it’s going to be traveled way too quickly.

none the less, it’s our road, and no matter what obstacles we run into, we know the journey will be great.

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could it get any better than this?

it used to be cool when a guy would slip you a note in 7th grade. or take you to a movie and look silly while he was trying to figure out how to hold your hand without making it obvious that he was trying to figure out how to hold your hand. now after 5 years of marriage, it’s really cool when your husband writes a post about you on his blog. so, i have to direct you here. he’s just great!

and we had a great night away last night. the poor people that we are now, we were only able to travel to a hotel 7 minutes from home, but it really did feel like a trip far off somewhere. we ate dinner out, went swimming in the hotel pool, and went out for ice cream. we slept in and had a good hotel breakfast. we watched a family with 5 children eating together and we were thankful for the break from our 3. you always hear people say getting away every once in a while is a very good thing and now we can testify to that. it’s only been 3 months, but the break was needed already.

and, we needed time to be just us.

and we had a really good time.

thanks baby.

looking forward to next year!

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happy anniversary

five years.

five years ago today, josh and i got married.

five years.

it’s almost hard to believe.

ten years.

ten years ago, josh graduated from high school.

the reunion is tomorrow. not dreading it, but not looking forward to it much either.

three months.

on Sunday, it will be three months since the kids came home.

the five years and the three months really jump out at me. our marriage is stronger now, we are closer now, than we’ve been before. in some ways that’s surprising because the last three years have been the most challenging. full of challenges that would drive some marriages apart. thankfully though, the Lord has used all of our trials, to build us up.

our daughter and i spent some time watching our wedding video recently. my eyes filled with tears as i listened to the pastors talk about how God brought us together for a purpose. how He has a plan we can’t see, but He will use us to build His Kingdom. how He created us invidually, and how He made us into a couple, to bring Him glory. and i watched the video with my daughter. five years ago i could have never imagined where we would be. i always wanted to be a mother, but never dreamed of it happening the way it has.

and i never could have imagined the way God has chosen to use us in other areas of life as well. He has provided us with amazing opportunities to be involved in work for His Kingdom. and He has shown us together that living this life for Him is what life is all about.

and He has given me a best friend in my spouse. i wasn’t sure in the beginning if i’d literally be able to say that someday. today i can say it for sure. our marriage is good and strong and safe and fun and stable and growing. and i couldn’t ask for me.

thank you josh for five great years. i am looking forward to the next five. and the five after that, and the five after that, and on and on.

happy anniversary.

i love you.

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the birthday club

i turned 30 on june 23rd of this year. i felt 30 that day, maybe even a few days before that. but, today, i feel completely 30. my friend anne is 30 today. she is one of my best friends from jr. high and high school.

there were four of us. anne, alyssa, rachel, and me. we are all 30 now. and for some reason, as of today, 30 feels complete to me. there’s just something about knowing we’ve all reached the same milestone.

happy birthday annie. 30. can you believe it?

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welcome back

and welcome to my new home at wordpress. my husband says it’s better than blogger, and the good wife i am, i listen to him and allow him to switch me over. haven’t learned it all yet, but i’ll work on it.

i am torn. half of me can’t believe it’s been so long since i have blogged. the other half of me can’t believe i am blogging now. so much has happened since the last post. the kids have been home for two and a half months now and life has changed immensely.

things have gotten easier. at least most days. there are still moments i wonder what in the world i am doing. but, a majority of the time, things feel pretty normal. the kids seem to be adjusting really well. our daughter really remembers a lot from her past and she brings it up quite often. some people would maybe be bothered by that, but i am grateful. it gives me insight into where she is coming from and what this transition has been like for her.

just yesterday, on our weekly visit to sam’s club, she informed us she was going to a meeting. she was pretending of course. after her “meeting”, she told us she visited with her dad(biological) and that she told him about us(my husband and i). she said she told him how much we love her and she told him about all the things we get to do. she said he was happy she is with us. we asked her if she was going to meet with her mom(biological) to tell her the same things. she said yes and she thought it would make her mom happy too.

so at the age of four, five in the fall, our daughter can process what it would be like to share about us with her biological parents. and she can process how they might feel about it. wow. goes to show you we have no idea what goes on in their heads unless they tell us. i am so glad she feels comfortable sharing that private stuff with us. i hope that never changes.

potty training with our brand new three year old is in full swing. yep, our middle son turned three last saturday and he’s catching on to the whole “squirt your potty into the toilet” thing pretty quickly. pooping on the toilet is a whole other ball game though. any ideas are welcome. ask your friends, ask your parents. he has no interest in “pushing his poopie out into the toilet”.

and getting back to turning three, we threw our first birthday bash as parents. the whole time i wondered if i was doing a good job. were we accomidating? did we choose the right food? was everyone having a good time? the verdict came in that everything was great.

we had our families and the kids former foster mom over for a cookout. it ended up raining off and on all day so the food was cooked outside, but eaten inside. 18 people in our house is a lot of people.

our son did a great job calmly opening his gifts and saying thank you for each one. he did have a hard time with blowing out his candle though(only one since we had cupcakes). someday i’ll post the video.

we went camping monday and tuesday night with josh’s parents. actually, we got rained out tuesday night and had a sleepover at their house. but, the whole trip was very fun and very memorable. first time camping for me since i was a kid. first time ever for our kids. they were quite the troopers, adapting very well to whatever was presented to them. here they are working on the campfire before we actually made a campfire. then, they weren’t allowed anywhere near the fire pit.

tonight, we ate dinner outside for the first time since we moved in four years ago. i have always been interested in putting in a patio that would hold a pretty table and chairs set. josh has always suggested a picnic table. it hit me today that a picnic table would be a great buy for us. we don’t have a patio yet so we don’t really have a stable surface to set a table on. and, the kids would be able to climb up on a picnic table bench easier then they would patio chairs.

so this afternoon, josh went to lowe’s for a picnic table. $87 later, he unloaded a new beauty into the back yard. our dinner consisted of corn dogs, french fries, grapes, and blueberries. and after dinner we played with bouncy balls and on the swingset. a good time was had by all five of us.

as for my absence from blog world, having three kids severely limits my computer time. as the kids are home longer, i am sure this will change. but, for the time being, i’ll have to force myself to stay up later at night to keep in touch with whoever reads this. speaking of which, i’d like to know who you are. feel free to leave a comment when you stop by. that’s actually preferred. even if you’re family or close friends, it’s nice to know you were here.

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lessons learned

it is a gorgeous night here in north east ohio. there is a great breeze moving through the house. there is one load of clothes in the dryer. one in the washer. the dishwasher is full, but the dishes are clean and dry. the sink is empty. i am showered. my three children are sleeping. and it’s only 9:20pm.

i just wrote about not having time to blog and now i have plenty. we had a good day today, not that we have had any bad ones. but today was very good. we went to the park. my aunt shannon visited. we played in the backyard as a family.

it will be a month this saturday since the kids moved in. one month. wow. and i think i have already learned some valuable lessons. Continue reading »

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lack of inspiration

yeah right! i am on inspiration overload.

my real problem, lack of time.

i’ve had a new post in the works for a couple of weeks now, but by the time night rolls around and i have some ‘free’ time, i am too tired to blog.

sad, isn’t it?

or great, because i am tired because i have three very healthy and active children who keep me on my toes all day long.

it’s not easy and i get frustrated. but i am grateful!

i’ll fill you in in a few days. i hope.

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