Happy Friday!

wants to be just like his big brother

my most favorite photo from the week. Happy Friday!

hugs

I have some catching up to do from our week down with my family; here are some photos and a couple videos from the past couple weeks.

 playing in the water fountain in morgan hill

found my running magazine #totallyengrossed #lilreader

 swimming

 napping

Lor's graduation  click here for Lor's graduation video

 

 our favorite day was spent at jenny's pool (in her apartment complex) talk about a nice pool! it was huge and we had so much fun. (i'm pretty sure it was the nicest and calmest pool we've ever been in)  Caleb did not get out of the water the entire 3 hours we were there! The boys loved it!

We had a great trip!
 pool video (here's a video I made of our pool time) The first two clips dave happened to capture on camera without realizing what actually was happening. We were all dying when we looked back and saw what my mom thought no one else happened to see. I think we watched it seriously a hundred times! Anyway, mostly this is for our own amusement but enjoy :)

Happy Friday!
 
looking forward to a warm weekend spent outside and hopefully in water (at the morgan hill aquatic center!)

 

 

movie night

 

Have a wonderful weekend.

ready to celebrate

 watching daddy mow the lawn

this morning the sun was already warm and we basked in at 8am after breakfast; swinging in the swing and playing barefoot. lately, we've been making smoothies and eggs for breakfast and then practicing our letters on the kitchen floor while we eat it..  i love this little routine we have in the morning that starts our day. Last week was busy and this week will be too, but I soak up our moments of time here at home and savor them. an extra hug lucas gives me while on the swing. a song caleb sings while he plays in his 'car' in the backyard. both boys trying to tickle me and then laughing. we might not have much time to be just home anymore, but i'll soak up the moments that we are and enjoy the ones when we aren't home...exploring new places and doing different things.

several things in life right now are completely out of my control. Mostly it is health wise...which is upsetting for me as i've always been very healthy and have never had issues! especially regarding my teeth. (up till lucas' pregnancy I had perfect teeth. not one cavity....sad to say that it all went downhill during my pregnacy with lucas...a cracked tooth. a couple cavities awhile later. and now a fractured tooth that happened during caleb's surgery week. i think i broke it grinding my teeth in my sleep...talk about what stress might do to you! the process to fix it has seemed slow..changing dentists and now with a temp crown on, not even gonna mention $$. but mostly the timing of it...let's just say in my mind seems horrible! but thankfully that isn't for me to say.) so...not to bore you with the details as i'm sure hearing about my teeth isn't very exciting for anyone! least of all me...i'll move on...all this to say is that all these things in life right now...i'm having to surrender to the One who can carry them for me. Placing my trust in Him. Always my greatest struggle, letting go. Father's homily on Sunday spoke right to my heart. He beautifully described the wind as being God's breath lifting us up above our circumstance and fire as being God's way of making us anew in Him. The newly baptized stepped forward in white and we prayed over them and it being pentacost sunday everyone was in red (my favorite color) and it was truly a beautiful mass.

we've squeezed in two days (in a row) of OT for caleb this week before heading south for my sister's college graduation tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping this week can be restful and fun for all of us and that dental issues will be at bay (for d too. he's having some troubles of his own.. which once again is just strange because we both have had zero issues up until very reccently...he'll be switching over to my new dentist...are we just getting old over here? when it rains it pours so they say!). I hope we can just relax and enjoy being around family. I think we all need a change of pace. A refresher. And what better way than to celebrate my sister as she graduates college!!

 yay lor!

can't wait to for tomorrow :)!

embracing the good.

lately.

 neighborhood walks. construction work and admiring flowers/plants are always 'pause' worthy in our book.

two songs i'm loving right now...

Nothing to Fear
Andy Cherry.
to listen to the song...click here.

No circumstance of mine
No darkness no divide
Can keep me from your promises
No pow’r on earth could fight
The presence of your light
Chasing all my doubt away
There is nothing to fear
You are with me
Nothing to fear
You are holding me
Why should I worry
When Your love surrounds me
There is nothing to fear
You are with me

Above and below
You are in control
You hold me with your promises
When trouble hides your face
You're never far away
You my God are strong to save

My hope is you alone, it's you alone it's you
I trust in you alone, it's you alone it's you

Cause you have never let me go
Cause you have never let me go
Cause you will never let me go

Pouring It Out For You
Newsboys
to listen to the song click here
"Pouring It Out"

O for grace to trust
O for strength to love
O to cast my cares down at your feet
O for feet to dance
O for a heart to romance
O for lungs to lift your name so high

My hands go up, giving you glory
I just can't get enough
You are so worthy, Lord
I'll keep pouring it out for you
My cup is overflowing
With your perfect love
You're all I'm longing for
I'll keep pouring it out for you

O for faith to rise
O my soul come alive
O my God You are all I need
O for feet to dance
O for a heart to romance
O for lungs to lift your name so high

My heart and flesh they cry out holy
Jesus be my one and only joy

 

my sisters. and my little boys. relationships I treasure.

 sisters of the heart. for always. best friends forever.

love that I have two sons who share such a special brother bond. It's beautiful to watch and I feel so blessed that God entrusted us to nurture the bond they'll have as brothers for a lifetime.

 

feeling for. praying for. thankful for. my sister jenny. she's truly one of the strongest persons I know and I'm so thankful for her! She inspires me and teaches me what it really means to have courage.

 

and some randoms...

 mama's helpers unloaded the groceries. love it when i'm distracted and then later I find something like that...both boys put away some stuff in the fridge. It leaves me with a smile and a laugh on my cheeks.

 i just had to put this picture up. yes, that's caleb on top of lucas...and lucas is loving it by the way. anything rough lucas adores! the boys love to tackle each other down in true rough house fashion. truly never a dull moment around here. i love these brother boys of mine so much!!

 and my last random...it is always amusing to me to come into caleb's room after his nap or in the morning when he wakes up...this is when we discover what he was up to 'before he fell asleep' because mostly we just hear clicking and clacking and singing and chatter....trains.books.dominoes.sometimes stickers end up on things like the back of his door and last week we banned water in his room because he was feeding his fish water and pouring water in his fish food. yeah, um, he's really quiet when he does all these things though! discoveries happen in the morning :)

 

 and then lucas...he keeps finding leftover pudding cups from caleb's surgery. (they are hiding in the back of the fridge)...then he has a pudding bath. i think they have all been eaten now and I don't plan on buying anymore, ever.

this sweet boy of mine. he is so happy. (almost) all of the time. singing, dancing, babbling, jibber jabber, his body is always in motion and he almost always has a smile on his face. he's like a musical bird that is in a constant flutter of joy. and my heart is singing happy tunes because caleb's humming and singing and playing and loving on his lil brother again. this is the first normal and healthy weekend we've had in a few weeks and it feels wonderful!

 

sideways. oops.

i live for my early saturday morning runs and this one did not disappoint. when i run life just slips away for awhile and i feel total peace. i'm so thankful that running has come into my life! yes, i miss my swimming days, but running is the next best thing.

bound up in my 3 boys this weekend and treasuring our togetherness and time spent home. next week we celebrate my sister laura's college graduation! we have caleb's bio-med apt thrown in there and our eye dr apts but i'm so excited to spend time with my family celebrating something that laura worked so hard for! she definitely struggled and overcame a lot to get to where she is right now and we're so proud of her!!! summer is just about here and that means camping and more family time and i'm so excited for it all :) we need some time away from home with our families because they bring out the best in the boys and provide d and I with much needed breaks.

Hope you are enjoying a restful weekend.

 

 

 

our happy place

 

we spent sunday at our happy place with some special people too :) I'll let the pictures above do the talking...

 

some of my favorite moments so far this week...

caleb singing in the car, lucas humming along ("carry me carry me carry me now." "let my words speak love, let my words be true..." ) i love how pure and innocent and sweet they are, especially as I look in the rear view mirror and both boys are dancing and smiling. even though I don't like driving in the car a lot...i love our special moments together singing and dancing.

 

have you seen the movie THE IMPOSSIBLE? based on a true story! it is amazing. I can't stop thinking about it! I highly recommend seeing it. It was soo very sad and hard to watch, but wow, the beauty of humanity that shines through such a horrible disaster (the tsunami) I think what made it really hit close to home was that it about a family and they are on vacation with their three sons. The mother's love and the father's devotion in this story and the brothers' bond and strength. Okay, I cry just thinking about it. It's truly a beautiful and remarkable story.

 

Tonight we start up a new study in bible study. We are doing BRAVE, by Angela Thomas and I'm excited about it!!

 

This week we have...a lot of dr. apts! two dentist apts (one for d and one for me) two dr. apts (post op for caleb and one for lucas' eczema) and basically wow! it's just a lot of apts. a couple more mixed in there. but that's okay. it's a busy week, but we still have time for hanging out in the backyard playing barefoot.

 

Amy Grant has a new album released today and we were listening to her new song (played on klove) in the car on our way to Caleb's post op apt. today. I totally teared up hearing it. It's beautiful. It's called "How Mercy Looks from Here" She talks about how she wrote it as she reflected on how amidst her struggles she can look back and see God's abounding Grace in her life. She talks about realizing He got her through her past struggles, He is going to get her through her current ones. I love the musical instruments and sometimes songs just strike a cord with me (okay a lot of songs do) and this one did just that! I made a lil video of the boys with their auntie jen. She is going through a hard season right now and I thought this song was a good reminder that God will see her through this struggle too. click here for video

 

Happy Tuesday! :)

 

oh yes and one last thing! one more week till the premiere of bachlorette with des!! (she was my favorite from last season of the bachelor) pretty excited about it :)

 

In honor...

 

In honor of motherhood

To those who gave birth this year to their first child - we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year - we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains - we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away - we mourn with you

... To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment - we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms - we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children - we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heartache, and distance with your children - we sit with you...

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood - we are better for having you in our midst...

To those who step-parent - we walk with you on these complex paths...

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising - we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

~ Author Unknown

 

Happy Mother's Day. I am so blessed by my mom and my mother in law! Two very amazing mothers who are an inspiration to me and a place to turn to for wisdom and encouragement. I loved the poem above. It puts to words what motherhood is all about. It celebrates women everywhere. Those in the trenches, those hoping, those mourning. I know so many beautiful and amazing women who have experienced loss, joy, and heartache. Some carry their burdens quietly, some share, some comfort.These beautiful women I know are an inspiration to me everyday and I pray for them and honor them.

via image

 what happens when mom's not looking *mischief *

sister love.

caleb's mini shadow (lil bro follows him around everywhere. does what he does. etc)

the boys are starting to feel better. caleb's on a breathing treatment and lucas is on some allergy medicine.

d and i have had some dental issues going on and i'll be glad when all our apts are over with (visiting the dentist twice a year is not pleasant, but having to go in 3x before they figure out what's wrong with your tooth not fun! hello crown) *i'm sure everyone loves hearing about our teeth so moving on...

someone very close to me is going through some serious health issues, something doctors are having trouble diagnosing and it's been one wrong diagnosis after another...and failed treatments for almost a year now. it's been a frustrating and painful situation, one she doesn't talk about. but she is one of the strongest people i know. she hasn't given up. she has a good support system. a lot of prayer is being lifted up for her. this week was hard, for her, for me...being able to comfort her only over the phone and not with hugs hurts. tears dripped, hearts together even though we're miles apart. She went to Another specialist and received Another diagnosis. Hope whispers. Faith holds on.  So, for my praying friends...if you can lift her up in prayer when you think of it, please do. Prayers for healing, prayers for strength, prayers for patience, and prayers for peace, that she may feel love wrapped around her in this season she is in. Thank you.

i keep waiting for our specialist apts to be over with. for things to settle down over here. for quiet to settle over our house once again. it hasn't happened yet. caleb's apt with a bio-med dr. is in two weeks. more dental apts next week. work is almost simmering down as a new BI is taking over my thursday case. I'm holding out hope for June. I'm hoping our calendar stays mostly empty during the week and that our routine settles back. Caleb's finally singing and mostly back to himself even though he's all flared up with breathing treatments. Today we were home all day. No apts or driving. We walked, we played in the backyard. The boys felt mostly good. These are the days I love. Our home days together. I love Fridays because it is the one day in the week where we have absolutely nothing on our schedule (almost always). And it because it is the start of our weekend. Family time makes me happy.
 
Happy weekend!!

hold on just a little bit longer.

life lately...

gardening and smiles again.

needing to remind myself of this...

 (and loving this song right now)
 stronger by Mandesa (click on the link to hear the song)
lyrics....

Hey, heard you were up all night
Thinking about how your world ain't right
And you wonder if things will ever get better
And you're asking why is it always raining on you
When all you want is just a little good news
Instead of standing there stuck out in the weather

Oh, don't hang your head
It's gonna end
God's right there
Even if it's hard to see Him
I promise you that He still cares

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
And things can only get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger
Gonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger
Believe me, this is gonna make you ...

Try and do the best you can
Hold on and let Him hold your hand
And go on and fall into the arms of Jesus
Oh, lift your head it's gonna end
God's right there
Even when you just can't feel Him
I promise you that He still cares

'Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
In time it's gonna get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger

life lately hasn't been blissful, that's for sure, but webbed into our daily moments of hard there are many joyful ones. lucas is saying so many words! "bye daddy!" "tractor" "truck" "mommmmaaa" "brurdur and clubb" for caleb. "apple" "mine" hand him a toy phone and he'll carry on a conversation with elmo. he loves trucks and tractors and trains. he even gets all amped up and says "chug chug chooo choo!"

 

caleb is singing again. i love how we'll be driving and a song on klove comes on and he belts out the words like he's known them all along. "where you go i'll go...i will follow you" and it seems he knows all my favorites, so we both belt them out, smile at each other in the rear view mirror and then bust out laughing. i love that he's laughing and smiling again.

 

i'm holding tight to these good moments.

 

the harder ones i try and push aside, like the fact that we're on day 10 of recovery for caleb and he's already having an allergy flare up and will most likely go on another breathing treatment. he's still waking up in pain in the night but we've found chewable children's advil and he doesn't spit or throw that in our face :) he loves his 'purple vitamin" and now he's down to just once or twice a day on children's advil. no more high dose pain medicine that throws his moods into a tailspin (that was so hard/sad)

 

lucas is sick/allergies again. it's hard to tell, but either way, he doesn't sleep so well when he doesn't feel good. i'm counting my blessings that at least we made it 10 days out of surgery before they are under the weather again. i'm even more grateful that they stayed healthy before the surgery and during most of the recovery, especially that they slept well and caleb was able to heal.

 

besides being tired, and looking at dave every now and then wondering if the two little boys going at it with sticks are really our children? and not wolves or hooligans who like to hit  each other every 5 minutes or so and then hug and kiss like they have never fought ever>>>besides depending a lot on prayer, long runs, hot showers, and chocolate chip cookies...through the days post surgery...we're doing just fine.

 

Hope whispers good things...like a sister's college graduation in two weeks, and a camping trip at the beach in two months with our oregon family...and other things that always prevail with good. much good, over the hard. we're being stretched and pulled. but no matter how hard that may be at times, i can look back and know...the hardest walks i've been on have always turned into the greatest blessings.