bittersweet

one of my new favorites, shauna niequist , is absolutely amazing!  i read her books a few months back and they rocked my world!  i started with bittersweet and quickly moved to cold tangerines.  she talks about jesus, life, marriage, friendship, loss, her home team (everyone needs a home team!) and being honest.  i am about to reread them both and then maybe a third time!  yes, they are that fabulous.  these books have helped me move in a direction that has been difficult, but good.

if you need a good cry, laugh or encouragement, check out her books.  i don't think you'll be disappointed!

a couple of weeks ago she shared her 10 favorite blogs, many of which are totally great!  some of them will have you howling!

*not pictured

 the big boys were at kidsgames every morning last week which left asher and i time to run errands, sit around and play with friends!  asher and finn are a riot together.  so fun that asher has his own little friend(it doesn't hurt that i am a huge fan of finn's mom)!  thanks for having us over for FRESH coffee and water time!  we heart the reviers! 

*not pictured:  asher's meltdown over a juice box.  he managed to squeeze it all over my pants and bag.

 crazy uncle james(yes, the boys call him that thanks to their mom;)) and aunt megan were out visiting and we got some time with them.  they watched the boys swim their second swim lesson of the summer.  the boys were proud!  grandma chris treated us all to frozen yogurt which was a fun treat!  so grateful for family!

*not pictured:  ryder's rough(extremely grumpy) wake from his nap before swim lessons.  he didn't really come to life until the middle of swim lessons when aunt megan and crazy uncle james waved at him.


*in attempt to keep this family journal/blog legit and real, i am going to try to include some of the moments we don't capture with our camera.  i'd hate to look back on these years and forget that real life(tantrums, crying, fighting, a tired mom who locks 3 little boys out on the back porch in order to get 5 quiet minutes) was happening in the midst of a few good shots:)  life's way sweeter when it's real- so here it goes!

happy father's day!

 happy father's day to two great dads!  love, loyalty and faithfulness are very important qualities in any relationship, but especially in marriage.  i am so grateful for my wonderful husband and dad who have lived out these qualities.  generations to come will benefit from their lives!

 i have the greatest husband!  he looks at me in a way that makes me forget that i've been chasing children all day and playing in the dirt.  he loves on all of us in a way that makes us feel special.  i love that about stew.  given the opportunity, our boys would spend every waking minute with their dad, chasing, tackling, doing tricks and sitting on his lap.  when i think i can't go on, stew has the energy to keep life moving.  he is generous with his time and is my favorite friend to sit and chat with.  thank you, little, for all you do!  i love you and i am so glad we like to be together(most of the time;))!
when i asked ryder what they like about daddy he said, "when he plays with me and be funny."

it's always a challenge coming up with a father's day gift for stew.  he loves thoughtful gifts and i can lack creativity.  this year i asked the boys if they wanted to make daddy a book.  they were in! isaac wrote "daddy" on several pages for his contribution.

ryder drew a sequence of pictures and then dictated what i should write.  i honestly howled when he did this one.  

picture 1:

"that's when daddy was mad... when isaac went poo poo in the bath.  he was so mad.  those are his angry eyes."

picture 2:

"it's daddy when he was happy."

there were additional pictures of daddy, but these two were my favorites.  i love when they come up with this stuff!

asher colored a picture as well.  that character LOVES to get a marker in his hand and go crazy!

old school friends

 last saturday evening we spent time connecting with dear old friends.  it had been way too long since we had all been together.  boy has life changed over the past 10+ years!  i love remembering old stories of students, work and the craziness that we call life.   of course the rest of the old menlo crew was missed, but one of these days we'll get a reunion on the books!  so grateful for these folks!

the newest arrival (mark and katie's little guy)

i can't believe i am just now meeting baby holden!

 olive and melissa

 true to form with these guys...

 it's no wonder our early 20's were so much.  it's amazing that we got anything done back in the day.

shannon's getting hitched

 shannon and i met when we were 2 and our parents have been neighbors ever since.  this past saturday we had the opportunity to celebrate shannon and her soon to be husband, john.  he returns(he's currently deployed) at the end of july and they will be married at the end of october.  congratulations you two!

calling all super heroes!

 our little super heroes were thrilled to celebrate their friend logan!  they had a wonderful time running, jumping and eating!  thank you for including us in the adventure.  happy birthday logan!

 tell me these two don't look like superman(flying) and spiderman(hands out and ready to climb).

 this character was all about playing with the big kids.  i can barely believe he is 17 months!

 spiderman showed up!  isaac introduced himself as spiderman and then followed it with, "my real name is isaac."  love him!

 please notice that my son did NOT leave the photo opportunity!

 asher decided he wanted the boys' cake.  he was MAD he didn't get any and is usually good at letting us know when he's not happy(he might have got that from his mom).

goodbye fresno

our last day was spent at the pool, playing in the waterfall and saying goodbye. 

can't wait to see these people(scott too) soon! we love you!

fresno: what a trip!

 the fun continued as our boys learned some fun new wii games.  even asher danced his way through the game.  emma is such a great big sister, making sure all are included.

 of course our boys wanted to show off their monkey tricks(stew swings them by their legs, high enough to touch the ceiling.).  stew managed to give all 9 kids a turn, proving he doesn't need a gym membership to get a workout;)

 asher will not be left behind!

jessica is very soft spoken and great at going with the flow.

sweet becca is an absolute riot,  a true entertainer.

we were introduced to the most amazing trampoline place.  it was incredible!  we "need" one of these in san diego.  kids AND parents get to jump!  (*those who have given birth, you will find that the bladder control is minimal when jumping.  learned that the hard way.)

we were asked several times what group we were with. 

let's here it for $10 pizza from costco.  how else do you feed 8 kids on the go?!

our best silly faces.

and then we thought we could make a pyramid...

i can barely believe this was the first time jenny had met asher.  she has made a point to meet each of my babies before they left the baby years.  when isaac was born, jenny came down to meet my sweet boy before he had his cleft repair.  before he was even born, i called jenny to tell her we found out isaac would be born with a cleft lip.  i was worried about how people in public would respond to his lip.  without hesitation she said, "you take that beautiful baby out and show him off with pride."  and we did just that!  i get teary eyed just thinking about all i have learned from jenny.  her life is lived in such a way that you can't help but know jesus better when you're around her (and scott for that matter). it's clear that the most important thing in their lives is loving jesus and loving others.  

i can remember when jenny kept a perfectly clean house.  she had a designated cleaning day(tuesday).  i was always amazed out how she could get that done with kids around.  this visit i realized she had let that part go.  her house wasn't dirty by any means, but it was well lived in.  when i asked her about it, she told me that she had to let that go.  she now has 6 kids that need a lot of love and there's no time to designate a cleaning day.  to be honest, i was more impressed with the fact that she had chosen what was more important for her family. 

i have been reading parenting book after parenting book in search of wisdom.  funny how having 3 little boys will lead you to crazy parenting reading!  yet, it was through a three day trip to fresno that i got to experience the kind of family environment i want to give my children.  her kids aren't perfect, but they care about each other and are so kind to others.  funny how our children pick up on what we do, rather than what we say.  

i learned so much!  i wish jenny would write a blog, but how does a mom of 6 find that kind of time?!  she is full of amazing stories and lessons learned.  she has such a kind heart and a real love for the fatherless and the hurting.  as we drove away i sobbed.  it was so good to be with a dear friend.  i left challenged to look in my own life and see how i am caring for the unloved.  how can i eliminate the things that keep me from truly enjoying my children?  it was a needed trip.  thank you drakes!