Wordless Wednesday: Wonder & Awe

A Dozen Years With You, Babe!!!!

On the eve of St. Patrick's Day twelve years ago, we welcomed our second baby girl into the world!  I never would have guessed how amazing she would become.  It's such a blessing to have daughters that are sweet and kind and so aware and helpful and just so in tune with what is going on all around you.  I'm just in awe at how blessed I am to have such great kids!!  We had a blast celebrating Ariel's birthday - started off with a fun breakfast of monkey bread, eggs and strawberries (she's known as our "Spunky Monkey"!).  Then I took Rose on up to our local homeschooling ice skating day, totally planned last minute and all by God!!!  It was rescheduled from a snowy February day when they had to cancel it.  So how perfect was that to land on our sweet girl's birthday?!!  ++thank you, God!!++  Then in the evening, I took my middle bunch to A Wrinkle In Time, since that's the read aloud we are currently reading.  Here's a peek at our wonderful day together...

**ICE SKATING FUN**

Melody gave the sweetest gift to Ariel for her birthday.... and that was by being such a good big sister to Rose (only 5 years old) and sticking close to her and helping her skate.  Melody knew that since it was Rose's first time ice skating, she would need a big sissy to help her out.  Wasn't that so sweet?!!  I love my big kids SO much!  They are the BEST helpers!!

**MOVIE NIGHT**

And I have to send out a huge shout out and thank you to my wonderful hubby, who stayed home with the littles the whole day since I was out running the town with the birthday girl to celebrate her special day.  Such a great daddy and husband!!  

++Thank you, God, for the last 12 years with our beautiful Ariel!  Please bless her abundantly over this next year and bring her even closer to You!++

A Berry Fine Day

Last week, my mother-in-law took our two oldest girls out blueberry picking.  After being gone for a few hours, they come home with bellies full of berries and a yummy lunch from Culvers with their Grandma and cousins and 6 pounds of berries to share.  It was a WIN for us all, I'd say.  Our girls love this annual tradition of berry picking!

++Thank you God for time spent with Grandmas and cousins and for all the yummy fresh  blueberries!!++

Puppies!! Puppies!! Puppies!!

My youngest sister rocks!!  She's a momma to four kids eight and under and is so calm and collected.  I just love her to pieces!  I tell her all the time that she's totally in the "thick of it" when it comes to mothering.  Having four that close was harder than my eight right now, mostly because I have so many helpers.  She gets to wear her super momma cape daily to just get by and pray for a TON of grace and love and forgiveness, which comes so naturally in a loving faith-filled family!  Anyways, her and her hubs are HUGE animal lovers too - they have chickens, geese, ducks, bunnies, cats, dogs, and just recently had their second litter of puppies.  Momma dog is a standard poodle and Daddy dog is a labrador.  So the babies are beautiful labradoodles!!  I took 5 of my crew last weekend to go visit the puppies.  I think they are 3 weeks here....

Aren't they precious??!!!  I didn't get any pics of Max and Pookey holding the pups because they snuck off as fast as they could to go play with their cousins!  They love their cousins and are such good buddies with them.  Did you know cousins make the BEST of friends?!!

Halloween 2015

Picking out pumpkins

Our Kids' Halloween Costumes

Fone:  Spartan

Mario:  Ranger

Melody:  Elsa

Ariel:  Anna

Mario:  Robin Hood

Pookey:  King

Rose:  Servant Girl

Yoda:  Yoda  ;)

Halloween Hustle

with some of their cousins

4 sisters Halloween picture!!!  Love these girls!!  

Visiting the Cemetery 

(This year was my first time and my kid's first time not being able to trick-or-treat to a great-grandparent.  My last living grandparent passed away this summer.  So a visit out to the cemetery was a must!  And, a cemetery visit would not be complete without visiting my brothers - Tony and Matthew.  Monday is the day we celebrate All Souls, so we made our trip out the cemetery a little early.)  

Carving and Painting Pumpkins 

 

Was totally NOT expecting the bruised and sore arm the next day!!  But I guess all the scraping with the six pumpkins that we carved was a little too much stress on my forearm.  Youch!  Has anyone else had this happen before??  

Trick-or-Treating

Didn't take a picture of it, but we ended our evening eating the traditional Goblin Stew that I grew up eating as a kid every Halloween.  I made up two big pans and we took them out to my parents to eat and celebrate together.  So glad I went back to Grandma many times to ask her about and to perfect her recipe, when Neil and I were first married.  It had to be "just so" or it doesn't taste right.  She put up with all my questions and helped pass on her special recipe to me, and I am so grateful for that.  Hopefully, this yummy dish will be a tradition that I can continue every Halloween!!  Love and miss her SO much!!

++Thank you, God, for Halloween fun, 

my sweet 8 pumpkins, traditions passed on, 

and for memories made!!++

Swim fun!!!

Last week, we had high temps (in the 90s) with super high humidity.  Might as well have been freezing temps though, since we were stuck inside because of how miserably hot it was outside.  There were even heat advisories out for our area.  So when my sister called and asked us all to come over there and swim for the evening, I immediately said "yes!".  Swimming is the only outdoor actity to do with weather like that.  And, when you swim past 6pm, you don't even need the sunscreen.  Win!!  So, we swam til it was too dark to see and the light up water toys weren't enough.  We ended the evening with kids watching a movie and grown-ups playing cards.  What a blessing it is to have family so close - both physically and as friends.  Love my sisters!!!

The "hostess with the mostest" - my beautiful sister!

My parents, although they didn't swim, joined in on the fun.  My dad got to chase pool toys that flew out.  And, my mom got to help snuggle and love the babies.  

We had a butterfly that befriended us and would not leave.  He kept landing on our heads, arms. shoulder, and finger!  Super cool!

My sister's sweet baby girl got to swim for her first time.  Have I mentioned that she is the first girl after three boys??!!!  She's a princess, no doubt!!

Yoda even got to take a dip.  Of course, the siblings couldn't keep their hands (and lips!) off of him.  He's just too stinkin' cute!!

The two babies and their daddies (and the nasty beer those goofey daddies drink!)....

And, I even got a picture of myself!  Selfie time!!!  Or is it even a selfie with others in the pic?  Ah - who cares!  (Don't you just love the reverse camera options on your phone?)

And another one of sweet baby, Yoda.  9 months olds now!!!

++Thank you, God, for family, fun, and swimming to be our relief with the high temps last week!!++