Saturday Basketball

Week two of basketball went well.  Week three (today) was snowed out.  :(

 Learning to pivot....

 There was a couple minutes of "free play" before the next team came in and Amanda came over and asked if her brother could go play, too.  Without me saying anything she said she would watch out for him and she did so sweetly protect him.

 He, of course, was pleased as punch.  Notice they had to lay his tape measure on the floor so he'd have both hands available.  :)

 After an hour break we were back for Avery.

They were playing a game that had to kids from opposite sides of the gym running for the ball in the middle.  Avery got head-butted pretty good and came over crying.  I was very proud of her for going back in.  The boy was a classmate and we're friends with his parents so I was sure to joke about it after with them.

Random Friday

Even though (or because) its Friday, I'm feeling a little random-y.

I was disappointed to wake up to snow.  With the wonderful winter we've been having (in my opinion, anyway), I had foolishly let myself start to hope and dream, just the tiniest bit, that we might escape this winter without any.  I know...crazy.  I'm happy for those of you that were missing the snow and are glad its here...please enjoy it an extra amount for me. :)

A friend sent me flowers for my birthday and they've made my week extra happy....tulips and the promise of Spring!!

Last night we watched some videos of when the girls were babies.  The ones of Avery were pretty much of her trying to put her feet in her mouth.  A little later we were watching Baby Amanda.  She said, Mom, I did gooder, didn't I 'cause I wasn't putting my feet in my mouth.


Look what I just noticed on my blog archives...

Isn't that strange?  As you know, other than Project 365, which I post once a week, without fail, there is not a lot of rhyme or reason to when I blog.  But look how it turned out...every other year is within 1-4 posts of each other.  I guess that means I will have approximately 188 posts this year....which, by the way, will bring me well past 1000 total posts.  Who would have thought??

Because of the snow this morning, I drove Avery to school, a very rare occurrence.  I observed that I never have to get out of second gear either going or coming.  Nice and close...very sweet!

This month Avery and I have been memorizing: O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Ps 34:8.  Amanda and Aiden have worked on Do everything without complaining or arguing.  Phil 2:14.  I love Amanda's...simple and straightforward.  I also like the period at the end....it doesn't allow for any "buts" or "unlesses"...no excuses, no exceptions...easier to memorize than do.  :)

In case you have time to thumb through a magazine once in a while...I saw this no-strings-attached deal for a 24-month subscription to Family Circle for FREE...go HERE.

The sun is coming through my office window and it feels divine.  Our home's temperature pretty much stays at "refreshing".  Random check, hang on....ok, kitchen (where the woodstove, our main heat source is) is 64 degrees.  The girls' room, just because they have a thermometer on their baby monitor is 58.  Not bad.  Hey...they say you burn more calories when you are cold.  Plus, the random sets jumping jacks I do throughout the day, just to produce a little body heat.  Its all good.  :)

Snow or sunshine, warm or cold, enjoy your weekend!

Rapunzel Hair

Avery and I were browsing through books at the store and she stumbled upon several diaries (with locks!) on the clearance shelf.  It brought me back to when I was young, spending lots of time writing Dear Diary (oh how I wish I still had them!).

These were different than the ones I wrote in way back when.  These are more interactive, fill-in-the-blank, answer the prompts.  

As I glanced through the different options, I noticed many pages were about boys and secret loves, etc.  Not sure what 13 year-old would still enjoy a Princess diary, but hey, I'm not there yet so I don't know.  We settled on the Rapunzel one because there was no mention of boys!

Avery dove right in and started filling it all out.  Somewhere in the middle was "Rapunzel's Hair Care Secrets".  Included are step-by-step instructions on how to wash your hair and keep it healthy.  

Avery, and Amanda who was involved by this point, declared they wanted "Rapunzel hair".  They hopped in the shower and washed their hair, being careful to rinse it really well.

 When they got out I combed their hair really well and gave their ends a little trim.  Avery kept asking me if I had read the "recipe".

 When I was done with Avery's hair she looked in the mirror and, almost in tears said, It doesn't look like Rapunzel's hair!  I paused, not sure if she was joking or not.  No...she was serious.

Well honey, you are beautiful and Rapunzel isn't even real.  


What do you mean??

Again, after checking to see if she was serious, I started backpedaling a bit.  If she wants to believe in Princesses a while longer, I'm not going to ruin that.

Well...she has a professional taking care of her hair.  (yeah...a professional artist)

Yeah, Amanda said Rapunzel is an actress.


Ok.  Well, actressess have someone who does their hair.  Someone like Auntie Bethany comes and takes care of their hair.

 Amanda was also very disappointed that she did not have shiny, golden, longer hair after our little beauty treatments.

Wow...really didn't see any of this coming!

They were pulled together by the time Daddy got home and he was able to tell them that their hair looked beautiful.

I guess some good that has come from this is the girls have been asking for fruit because the book says that fruits and vegetables help promote healthy hair.  That, and there have been some good life lessons that we've been able to talk about.

Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months--since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women--

    Then in this way the maiden came to the king: whatever she desired was given her to take with her from the harem into the king's palace.

Esther 2:12,13

Birthday Blessings

Ahh...another birthday.  Maybe the first one that didn't phase me at all, at least as far as getting all introspective and what not....probably do to the fact that I've been doing that since Jan 1.  Anyway...

My day started at the gym.  I took my time and, just before I hopped in the shower I got my weekly Saturday/Sunday morning call from Avery, asking me where I am....on the weekends the gym doesn't open until 7 so she is often awake before I get home.  She must know by now where I am, I think she just likes using the phone.  :)

When I got home the whole house was awake and excited to greet me and give me their cards.

 Complete with a connect-the-dots puzzle for me it reads:
Mommy Aiden just said I'm just kiddin but I have more the write to you.  (Future blogger, no?)  I love you even when you talk fresh to me.  Your a love to me.  I love it when it's just me and you together.  Its the palm of your hand that's the one of love.  Love Avery.  Even when we're out together.  Happy almost Valintine's Day.

After hugs and cards, we got dressed and ready to go out to our favorite breakfast place.  The girls got all dolled up and even had me curl their hair.  :)  When we got home the girls and I snuggled in my bed and read several chapters of the book we're working on and had fun chatting, too.

We did several things, including Avery and I spending some time in the bookstore while Shaun let the kids play in the playscape.  I was mostly helping Avery look through books,  but I did pick up this CS Lewis book of quotes....amazing.  I related to this one:

I am a barbarously early riser....I love the empty, silent, dewy, cobwebby hours.

After grabbing some lunch we went to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D.  It was fun surprising the kids and watching them enjoy it.

Then we met up with my dad and Kiki for a fun dinner.  Before we left, Amanda was helping the waitress put pizza boxes together....of course!

I have been blessed

And I feel like I've found my way

I thank God for all I've been given

At the end of every day

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve

To be here with the ones

That love me

To love them so much it hurts

I have been blessed

This morning I rounded it out with breakfast with my mom and the kids.  (Love the scarf she made me!)

I received so many wonderful cards, messages, phone calls.  I'm trying to figure out who this woman is that people are talking about in the cards.  I see myself as stumbling and failing and having so much to work on...the gracious cards painted a different picture...so very humbling and touching.

I'm so very undeserving of the grace that has been poured out on my 37 years, but I am forever grateful.

Project 365, Week 2

I'm enjoying a wonderful birthday today.  Hope your day was good as well.

It seems I ended up with quite a few cell phone pictures.  My sister asked me once if those bothered me and I said, no way.  The best camera is the one that's with you!  And even though I don't have an iPhone (yet ;) I still firmly believe that. 

So keep shooting...and sharing!  Now, onto our week....

January 8

One of the foster care requirements was that we not have any flaking lead paint in the house.  Shaun and I had started this project many moons ago and were happy to have the kick we needed to complete it.  SO much better now....except for the wallpaper that was here when we got here and really needs to go.

January 9
Got nuthin'.

January 10
Its been so nice out!  I cannot fully explain how thankful I am for an "above average" January and "below average" snowfall.

January 11
Aiden just happened to be awake early so I took him to drop Avery off at school.

January12
Dark, rainy morning.  BUT...not snowing!  :)

Later, cousin Alayna came over to play for a bit.

January13
It was SUCH a great morning taking Avery to school, I thought I'd take the other kids out later for a bike ride.  By then the wind had picked up and it was actually quite chilly.

Just 15 minutes later on our way home, it started to sprinkle and then quickly turned into hail, which with the wind whipping was actually quite painful.  I have a knack for getting caught in all manner of storms while out walking with the kids.   Perhaps I should start checking the weather occasionally.

My helper.  I thought we were making pancakes but when it was all mixed Aiden said, Momma, can I have my lick now?

He ate the pancake batter and the blueberries, but would not eat the blueberry pancakes.  He is beyond frustrating with his eating!

Daddy's games are so much fun!

January 14

We're having fun starting our Saturdays with basketball.

In order to sell a lens, we met a guy at the mall book store.  While we were there, we killed a little time before church.  Amanda was stylin'!

 All day the kids had anxiously awaited Uncle Nathan coming over to watch the Broncos game.  He never disappoints (even though our team did...boo)!

Betcha Five Bucks

The kids were outside playing and Shaun and I were in the kitchen talking and half watching.  They were in their usual spot but they had a plastic cup that they were going over to every so often and eating from.  

I didn't even really pay attention but Shaun said, what's in the cup?

As soon as he said it I knew...five bucks says its dog food.

Shaun said we didn't shake on it so he still hasn't paid up.

 What a good daddy....he went and got them a real snack.  I know...I can't explain why our FIVE year old STILL loves to munch on dog, cat and horse food.


That's our Manda-girl as we like to say around here.

A man who has friends must be a friend, but there is a friend who stays nearer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24