Project 365, Week 15

This week was grueling with taxes and Passion and a 12-hour stomach bug that hit several. But we were so close to the end and Opening Night came and we pulled out the blessings.

April 8

For the last two weeks+ of tax season, I wasn't able to be home when the kids got home from school. I tried to leave lists of chores and things to get done. Sometimes they went above and beyond, sometimes they fought, sometimes they did too much time on screens and sometimes I came home to find them happily playing together.

April 9
Shaun and I snuck out to see Aiden do his wax museum project. He chose Winston Churchill and did nearly all of it on his own. His poster was my favorite...just the facts sir, just the facts.

April 10
Rehearsal 3 of 4 for the week.

April 11
I was sure God made the sunrise just for me this day. As I talked myself through pushing back my exhaustion and facing another day,  I drew strength from sensing His presence and love.

April 12
Going through photos of dress rehearsal the night before. This one part got changed and its my new favorite. These voices, this scene...so powerful!

April 13
The kids had been at home alone all day, so after work we all went with Shaun to collect rent money and find yummy ice cream.

April 14
Show 2 of 5 and Maddy was home for the week. Always so fun to see her!!

April's 10 on 10

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month (Wednesday).

{Document a snapshot of your life; find beauty among the ordinary things in your day! }

Workout and sermon and warm coffee very early in the morning. Life is good!

Three different schools means three different waves of kids across three different hours of the morning. 

How many nine year-olds read the newspaper over breakfast? :)

So much work to be done five days from tax deadline. Its tricky to jazz up pictures of a full day at the office, but I enjoy what I do. Its a mix of back office paper-pushing and customer interface.

After a quick stop at home to grab three kids, on to the barn to grab the fourth.

From there, we went to church for dress rehearsal. We love that we get to see cousins (and that dinner is served)!

Amanda and I tucked away in a corner of the building so she could serve a sentence handed down from the meanest parents ever.

She was thrilled to be a stand-in for a speaking/solo part. She nailed it and looked beautiful!

Project 365, Week 14

Turning the calendar to April was a little energizing. It only increased the workload but it made us believe there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, the weather keeps getting nicer and mid-late spring in Connecticut is lovely.

April 1

The fact that God chose to make days is such a gift! I'm so thankful for the fresh start every 24 hours. And the fact that the sun rises each and every day through and despite life's circumstances brings me such hope and comfort.

April 2
No picture.

April 3
Most of the year I'm able to be home for when the kids get off the bus but not the first two weeks of April. Avery sent me this, letting me know they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. :)

April 4
Nathan bought our office lunch. We sat together for 20 seconds to take this picture, but it was a good idea and yummy food.

April 5
Another sunrise...good thing!

Since we only see little man every other weekend, we can really notice the changes that happen fast....new teeth and new tricks.

April 6
Our family is the first to have children living in our home. The neighborhood is still getting used to our shenanigans, including baseball in the front yard (and arguments about ghost runners ;)

April 7
Baseball...a good sign of spring!

Project 365, Week 13

This was a hard week. Tax season is wearing and our reserves depleted. The hope of spring is something to cling to.

March 25

I'm so grateful for my core group of girls...we've been sitting around a table together for many years and its always inspiring and life-giving. Also, the food here is amazing!!

March 26
Its a hard-knock life here! This acre+ parcel is the largest we've ever lived on and we're feeling it with fall and spring clean up! Fifty percent of the time I have workers who choose happy hearts and make it into fun and I grab my camera because I think, oh, how sweet and fifty percent of the time there is much moaning and grumbling and I desperately want to send them inside to do screens so I can just work alone. :)

March 27
All kids were involved in the rehearsal this night.

March 28
So sweet to watch my boys doing the evening's crossword puzzle together.

March 29
Amanda desperately wanted me to go on her science field trip with her, which I was so touched by since I know not all middle schoolers love having their moms kicking around. She did pick my outfit the night before. ;) I was super grateful for the time we had together...she needs lots of one-on-one.

I was surprised to see our next door neighbor give the opening address as the associate dean of something or other at UCONN.

March 30
I asked Avery to take this photo. It was SUCH a beautiful Saturday and my first time of the season sitting out on the porch. The Instagram version is that I have a beautiful house with a beautiful sunroom and I had a relaxing enough day that I could leisurely sit, undisturbed to read and journal.

The real life version is outside of this camera's frame the porch is a dusty mess from winter with dead plants and dog-chewed cardboard spread around. I was up and out of the house by 6AM getting the first kid to their activity. In between the running of the day I worked at the office . Shaun and I were barely speaking. Late afternoon I grabbed these couple minutes out of desperation, forcing the issue of fixing my eyes on Truth, reminding myself of the One who never changes and is always faithful.

Both versions are true. Life is beautiful and life is hard. Life has joy and sorrow and they often overlap. And we can always chose to be grateful.

For Christmas, I bought our family tickets to a Tim Hawkins show. We're big fans and many of his jokes are laced through our every day conversations. The night of laughter was good medicine.

March 31
Amanda snapped this photo as the day was closing out. Thankful for extended daylight!

Project 365, Week 12

Welcoming spring was exciting this week. Here in New England it means our days of snow and really cold are numbered. Things are slowly coming back to life and the birds have poked their heads out, a song on their beaks. 

March 18

If it hints of being nice outside, we try to go for a walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes there are deep, meaningful conversations and sometimes there's just bickering.

March 19
We attended Aiden's school conference. We heard that he is respectful and kind to everyone and he doesn't hand in his homework very often.

March 20
First day of spring!! The five of us had a couple hours together. We went to get free Rita's Ice and none of us cared for it and it was chilly and there was an unplanned kid meltdown. But it ended happy with a little soccer and, no matter how we rang it in, spring is here!!

I bought some new bedding for the first time in many years, inspired by these pillows from Aldi. ;) I'm a make-your-bed-every-day person and it makes me happy to walk in and see the new light, bright bed.

March 21
In the fall the local paper sent us a week trial and it worked...we got hooked. Shaun specifically requested it for the daily crossword puzzle, which draws a crowd most nights.

March 22
The sisters were going to be away for the day, so we invited Rocco to sleep over...Aiden was over the moon! They are the sweetest together.

March 23
The girls had to be dropped off at church for 6AM. When I woke up, we had a surprise 8 inches of snow. I did my best to shovel a couple paths before we had to leave and then I just drove through it with the Suburban. When we got to church, 15 minutes away, they didn't even have a dusting of snow! Later Shaun looked at a map of the state and we were in the very small space that got dumped on...even a mile away there was less. Very strange.

The girls attended a missions summit with their youth leaders and got a new perspective on the world.

For much of the day I covered the office, but Aiden and I also snuck out to do a little sledding. The snow also just happened to be perfect for snowballs, so we had a fight too. It was so good to get time with him and give him some attention.

March 24
First time on the stage at rehearsal.