The other day I saw the girls playing together and said, "Awww, are you guys going to be best friends someday?"

Alathia replied, "We are right now Mom!"

(Here they are wearing dress-up skirts that were my mom's when she was little.  My cousins and I used them and now they've been given to our girls.)

Friends

The other day I was thinking about friends and what a blessing they are.

It's so hard to see friends going through trials, especially all at the same time.

Sometimes I don't even realize how much I allow myself to "take on" the burdens of those near and dear to me until I begin to feel crushed by the load and then take stock (aka "sit down and write a blog post") and discover why I'm so pooped.

In the last few weeks I have seen my friends go through so much!  One of my friends delivered twins, beautiful little girls, naturally, both sunny-side-up, no drugs!  She has little help and lives on a ranch an hour from town and the twins doubled the number of her kids! Another two friends had twin baby girls this spring (what's in the water here in WY?) and are both juggling their new babies as well as 3 older kids too.  A friend from church has had to have ANOTHER back surgery this summer.  She has endured 3 or 4 back surgeries and a decade of excruciating pain and has 3 young kids to care for.  Another friend with 4 kids just had gallbladder surgery and had some serious complications.  I have a friend dealing with the difficulties of being married to a non-believer.  I have several friends whose husbands are away from home most of the time doing jobs in other towns or states.  I have a friend who moved away and is struggling with loneliness and being over-worked with little support.  I have a friend planning a wedding (which I get to be in, yay!)  I have friends dealing with depression/discouragement and relationship issues, whether with their husbands or with their roommates, and others who are just too busy and have too much going on but don't know how to stop the crazy cycle. 

I have two friends struggling to get pregnant and three friends whom are pregnant and very uncomfortable!  One of my dearest friends moved a couple of weeks ago, and a different friend moved into her old house!  Another is contemplating a move and a possible time of living apart from her husband due to the move.  I have a friend who is caring for her second preemie baby and pumping milk around the clock as well as caring for her 4 other children.  I have friends who are going through financial hardship or have had major disappointments (house sale that fell through),  and other friends who do not know the Lord and desperately need His hope.  I have a friend, who along with her husband and the 3 little foster kids they are adopting, had to be evacuated out of her CO home for 2 weeks due to forest fires.   I have one friend whose town flooded.  I have friends who have gone through divorce, and some who are remarrying.  Friends who are worried about their adult children and the choices they are making.  Friends who have to work a job or run their own business on top of caring for their children and home. 

I have friends, who tragically, have been the victims of abuse in their past or who have seen their children abused and are walking through the healing process with them.  I have friends who have more children than I do and mother with grace and truth.  I have old friends and new friends; friends who know the ugliest things about me and still hang out with me, and friends that only see the surface and think my life looks pretty great.  I can't even get on fb anymore and read my news feed because I see so many needs, or people discouraged and hurting, struggling with life's hardships.

But in all the difficulties, I see so much beauty in my friends.  I see the stamina and strength of these beautiful women.  There is not a one of them that doesn't have some amazing quality that is shining through in the midst of all their trials and difficulties.  They all work so hard and are carrying such an enormous load.  I'm amazed by these women and encouraged that God gave me exactly what I needed when I first moved back to my hometown and found that all of my high school friends had moved away.  He brought me out of my loneliness and providentially brought all of these women into my life at just the right time that we would be a comfort to one another.  I'm amazed at the variety of friends God has given me; from super-organized to super-messy, from ultra-conservative to totally secular, from friends who hardly speak my language (Lupe, my friend from Mexico) to friends who have a life almost identical to mine (2 girls, 2 boys, loving hubby, into health food and women's ministry, etc.), friends who I see almost everyday and friends I only know through blogs and facebook.

Sometimes it frustrates me that I can't do more for my friends.  I wish I could spend regular time with each of these precious persons.  I wish we could have more conversations that are not interrupted 50,000,000 times by little ones.  I wish I could make each of them a delicious home-cooked meal and take their kids off their hands for a few hours.  I wish I could send each one of them a gift card for dinner at a restaurant.

But I can't.  I can't save the world.  I can't rescue everyone.  The Lord knows that I often try to do so and burn out quickly!  And since having Katri, I can rarely find the motivation to get a card in the mail anymore.  But, what I can do is pray.  I pray for them, feeble and broken and unworthy of having my prayers answered.  I pray that God touches each one of them, because He's the only one who can get through to them in the perfect way, at just the right time.  He's the one that can give them peace, bring strength in their trials, and provide for their needs.  He's the one that can change their hearts and lift their discouragements.  I pray today that He uplifts each one of these dear women, provides for them, lavishes His love on them, and gives them the strength to go on!

Summer School Schedule

At the beginning of the summer I had such grand plans for how our summer learning was going to go...as usual.  I had a chart written on the chalkboard that I'm sure looked impressive to everyone who stopped by and saw it.  In spite of my best efforts to keep life simple, the "learning schedule" for the summer that I had envisioned us doing is not happening like I expected.  But, my kids are still learning and growing and doing a lot of fun things.  I admire my homeschooling friends who take the summer off because I understand that if you don't, if feels like you never, ever, ever get a break.  And I admire my friends who don't take the summers off because if you stay on a routine the kids behave better and don't forget the things you've worked so hard to teach them. 

 My goal is to find the middle ground somewhere.

General Stuff:

Devotions and My First Book of Questions and Answers at breakfast

Read-Aloud book every day after lunch:

The Tanglewood Secret

The Children's Book of America

Trumpet of the Swan

Read 3-10 stories a day from the library

Bible Stories/Devotions with Daddy at bedtime

Attend weekly ladies' Bible Study group where kids play with a babysitter and their friends

Attend Pray & Play at the park each week where the kids ride bikes, play, and picnic together

Memorize a large passage of Scripture together (Sermon on the Mount)

Chores:

Cleaning Rooms

Making Beds

Helping Mommy Clean and Set the Table

Helping with Katrielle

(Ali can now change her diaper, pick out her clothes, get her dressed, fix her hair, and put her shoes on!  And she loves doing it!)

Assisting Daddy with dump runs, lawn mowing, fence-building, errands, etc.

Helping put away laundry

Teach Ali to start a load of laundry

Teach the older 2 how to clean their bathroom

Keeping the yard cleaned up

Jer--Pet sitting for Grammy's class salamander

Academics:

Boys:

Get Ready for the Code, 1-2 pages at a time

Practicing writing their name

Reviewing ABC flashcards and MFW themes for each letter

Jer--sounding out simple words

Playing the Memory Game together or with Daddy

Alathia:

Manuscript workbook to improve handwriting

Reading for 1-2 hours each day

Listening to books on tape/Adventures in Odyssey

Writing thank-you cards

Reader's Theater class at the library for 1 hour, twice a week, with a performance at the end of July

Math flashcards practice

Just for Fun! 

Delight-Directed Stuff!

Library Story Program for the 2 older kids at the library--if you read/are read to for 1,200 minutes you get a prize and there are occasional programs/craft days

Swimming--in our backyard inflatable pool, in lakes, in Grammy's creek, in the local swimming pool, or at friends' homes with large pools

Crafts with Auntie!  My aunt is a major crafter and she enjoys doing "Craft Days" with Ali where they work on projects and she spoils Ali rotten with candy, new outfits, lunch at a restaurant, etc.

Helping Grammy with the Community Garden--my mom's summer job is teaching 2 gardening classes for little children twice a week.  Our kids often help her water, check the plants and the worm garden and visit the garden!

Boy's Club for Jeremiah--a homeschooled friend who is two years older than Jer got the idea to start boy's club with snacks and activities

Have the 3 oldest kids attend the Lutheran VBS program which they look forward to all year!

Playing with Cousins!  We spent a lot of time with little Jed before they moved to MO for their next missionary assignment, and they are excited to see David and Daniel when we visit MN.

Field Trips

Go camping once or twice this summer

Go to Yellowstone

Do a Beach Day at the lake

Attend our annual church family camp at the end of the summer

Go to Animal Land in my husband's hometown when we visit his family

See the Sea Life Aquarium in the Mall of America in the Twin Cities

Visit the Legoland store in the MOA while there

Go on a boat ride with Grandpa Joel

Gold Rush Days at South Pass City

Other Goals for Our Family

Go on a Mother/Daughter Date with Ali (we went to a Fingernails & Fondue party the other night and had a blast!  Ali and I both met some new friends in the homeschool community and are eager to get together with them again!)

Go on a Mother/Son date with Jeremiah

Go on a Mother/Son date with Justus

Spend time reading to Katrielle by herself

Go yard saling together

Take the kids to a carnival and ride a couple of rides

Have a "Recap of First Grade and Preschool Night" where we showcase the work we've completed in our homeschool for Grammy and Boppa and Daddy

Continue to teach the kids cooking skills

Do several of Money Saving Mom's activities in her 4 Weeks of Frugal Fun series

Do a few art projects with Ali

Take the older kids to the Children's Museum

Host a 5 Day Club and provide the missionaries with meals and/or lodging

Do a wild photo shoot as a family

(We did a hotdog dinner and ketchup and mustard fight in white t-shirts which my photographer friend Whitney graciously photographed for us for free!)

Have Grammy, who is a schoolteacher, work with Ali on handwriting

Go hiking to the falls in a nearby canyon

Go on a nature hike

Attend the Bike/Safety Rodeo at the library

Attend at least a couple of Daddy's softball games as a family

Lots of family bike rides

Host a young ladies Tea Party and craft day for Ali and her friends

Throw a big double-birthday water party bash for Justus and Jeremiah (their b-days are 3 months apart but Jer's is at a bad time of year and he wants a water party and they want to do their birthdays together this year in mid-August)

Walk to a friend's to visit her new baby ducks and new foal

Complete the Identity Kits for each child that they were given at the safety rodeo

An Education in Fun

Summer is a time for Bible clubs in the park and having young missionaries over for meals...

...a time for lifelong friendships to form...

 ...a time for learning to share with cousins.

Summer is a time for coloring pictures for your Mommy, just because...

and for putting together cool puzzles.

It's a time for chasing Daddy when hiking in the mountains.

Summer is sisters, little and big, doing everything together...

...and a young son assisting Mommy on a photo shoot...

...and catching his first fish with Daddy.

Summertime means fun and food with friends on the 4th...

...it's a season for getting to know your uncles...

...and remembering our history...

...and celebrating what's beautiful.

Summer is larger-than-life...

...a chance to come together with your neighbors...

...and enjoy your family.

It's a long, cool swim and a water fight with Grammy in her creek...

...and jumping on your friend's trampoline until your shorts fall off!

It's discovering what Mrs. Amy's homemade ice-cream tastes like...and going back for seconds...and thirds!

It's hanging out for hours in your friends' back yards, having BBQs, water balloon fights, and swapping tales of yard sales, or coupon deals, or mommy meltdowns.  It's pool parties and picnics at the park.

It's the perfect time to kidnap your nephew and spoil him rotten.

Summer is definitely the season for getting an education...in fun!

A Tasty Meal

Inspired by Lindsay's post on making gyros at Passionate Homemaking, I decided to make these for our last meal with my brother and his family before they head to their next missionary assignment in Missouri.

The food was so pretty, I had to take some pics!

Iced water freshened with limes and orange/carrot/ginger juice I juiced in my new juicer quenched our thirst on a hot July evening.  I recently watched the movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, which is free to watch at Hulu and on Amazon Instant Video.  I loved it, and was compelled to start juicing.  While I'm not doing a complete fast, I am juicing once or twice a day, in addition to doing my daily vitamin smoothies, to add nutrition to our diet.  I got a juicer for $10 on our local fb swap page--it had only been used once or twice. 

This week, I purchased the Italian Pack from Bountiful Baskets.  For $10 I got a red onion, yellow onion, garlic bulb, big bag of parsley, little bag of thyme, little bag of basil, little bag of rosemary, yellow squash, eggplant, zuchinni, mushrooms, and red pepper.  I couldn't have been more thrilled with it!  It helped add so much variety to our gyros!  I used homemade crockpot yogurt for the tasty cucumber sauce.  Instead of ground beef, I grilled some thick roast beef lunchmeat that was leftover from 5 Day Club week.  My husband doesn't grill and I was tired of always being the one to slave over our charcoal grill so I was thrilled to get a George Foreman grill from my friend Amy's yard sale for $5.  I used it all the time and love it!

Feta cheese isn't something we eat a lot of, but it really added a yummy tang to our pitas.

I sauteed the red onions and the mushrooms in butter and garlic salt.  I'll let you in on a little secret. 

I could eat an entire bowl of them myself...they are sooooo delicious!

I purchased some pita pockets from the store.  We don't have air conditioning and it's too warm this time of year to bake.  I've made homemade pitas in the past and they just aren't worth the time and effort when I can buy some natural-ingredient ones for a pretty low price at the local grocery store.  Mangos, grapes, and strawberries from our Bountiful Basket made for tasty side dishes.   Grammy brought dessert:  Huge ice-cream sundaes with all kinds of toppings on them.  She let the kids have seconds on them too!  After stuffing ourselves with good food, we went to a carnival that was in town and the kids were so excited, including my little nephew Jed who blew us kisses from the tiny train ride the whole time he was on it.  Anna and I, on the other hand, are feeling our age and felt really sick after only one wild ride in a spinning cup!

A Moment for our Marriage

On June 23rd we celebrated 9 years of marriage!  It sure feels like it went by sooo quickly!  Much of the last nine years have been a sleepless haze of caring for infants and toddlers; but we're finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel!

These last couple of years have been very tough ones.  The enemy has thrown just about everything he can at us to try to hurt our marriage.  We have carried enormous loads: having 4 small children, fixing up the house, homeschooling, working physically exhausting jobs and working more hours than the typical American, doing ministry, fighting postpartum depression, financial strain living on a single income in a dual-income world, extended family problems, and sharing in the heartbreak of many of our close friends, including the divorce of 3 couples we know and love.

We DESPERATELY needed some time away together.  My husband really wanted to go away for a night on the actual day of our anniversary, even though it was our busiest time of the summer.  It was truly like MOVING MOUNTAINS to make this weekend happen.  My mom, who was supposed to watch the kids while we went away, wasn't sure if she was going to be available or camping until about a week before.  Then my nose was broken in softball, so I had to juggle doctor's appointments and big decisions about surgery the week before our trip, not to mention the pain, which interferred with a lot of my household chores, causing me to get behind on my never-ending housework. And we didn't know until 3 days before if the trip would happen or if I would be having nose surgery.  Our anniversary was sandwiched in between Father's Day, Josiah's birthday, and a week of hosting Child Evangelism Fellowship missionaries and clubs.  I also had two cleaning jobs to do on that Friday.  So, in order to get things together I had to re-schedule my cleaning jobs and work them at different times, Josiah had to work extra hours to make up for taking a day off, I had to deep-clean the house to get it ready for the following week's company, I had to do some extra grocery shopping and make meals so they'd be ready for my mom to serve the kids, and set up the guest room for my mom to stay in.  I made a schedule and lists for my mom regarding childcare, packed for the trip, made sure everything was lined up for the four 5-Day Clubs I was overseeing the following week, made plans to teach Sunday School as a sub for Jer's teacher the Sunday after the trip, got someone to pick up my huge Bountiful Baskets order since I'd be gone for that, and went to visit a friend who lives on a ranch in the middle of NOWHERE (not kidding!) an hour from town who was due any day with twins. 

To top it all off, we almost cancelled our mini-vacation when we got into a disagreement the week before the trip and were very upset with each other.  It was beginning to feel like this trip together would never happen. 

By God's grace and His Spirit at work in our hearts, we agreed to put aside our hurts and frustrations and go on our trip in spite of the huge amount of work it would take to pull off.

I'm so glad we did!  It was truly the best vacation of our entire lives!  It was the first time we had slept in a hotel room by ourselves, with no kids, since becoming parents in early 2005!  Granted, it was only two full days and one night, but it was such a refreshing time!  My husband doesn't have many vacation days during the year. The few vacation days he has have always been used for having a new baby or visiting his family in MN, which means 36 hours of driving with little kids.  So, we don't get to have truly restful vacations very often.

It was a wonderful treat to just rest...to just do whatever we wanted to do....to not hurry....to not hear "MOOOOOOMMMY!!!!" every minute of the day....to not have to visit with anyone....to sleep in...to relax, have fun together, and just enjoy the simple pleasures in life.   And anytime a rural Wyomingite gets to go to the "big city" it's exhilarating!

One of the ways my husband truly blessed me was by being very generous. He's typically very frugal and a tightwad =) great manager of our money, but I've always had a secret wish that he would be lavish once in a while. I didn't ask him to be extravagant on this trip, but he just was. And it was marvelous! We ate at a delicious, fancy Mexican restaurant, went shopping at a real mall (a huge, once-a-year treat for most Wyomingites), went thrifting, ate at Olive Garden (our favorite restaurant ever!), and at Red Lobster.  He even drove extra-cautiously for me as our different driving styles is one of our biggest bones of contention on road trips/vacations.

I appreciate the fact that Josiah was willing to go sniffing and sampling lotions with me in Bath N' Body Works, take me to a great book sale at the city library, browse 5 different clothing stores' little girls' section looking for swim shorts for Ali, and spend a lot of time with me in the hot tub and swimming pool at our hotel.  After a luscious meal at Olive Garden, in which we had the best server we've ever had and the best-tasting food we've ever had at an OG,  he suggested that we see a 3-D movie.  I've never seen a 3-D movie before so I found it very exciting!  We saw the new Disney cartoon Brave, and it was kind of scary!  Maybe it was the 3-D aspect that made it seem real or the fact that I know several people who have been mauled by grizzly bears, but it seemed pretty intense with all of those monster-bear scenes!

After the movie, it was so warm and peaceful outside, we went for a walk and looked at the stars.  Josiah thought our shadows looked really neat in the lamplights so he persuaded me to get out my camera and shoot some pics.  I'm so glad he did, as they were the only pics I took on our getaway!

I have to say, that it was a huge blessing on our vacation that our hotel was so clean and our restaurant meals so delicious.  I've seen my share of icky hotel/motel rooms and sub-par food service but we found our suite at the Mainstay Suites in Casper to be immaculate, and the food at On the Border, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster to be mind-blowingly awesome!  So, this is just a shout out to those businesses for great service!

Our anniversary trip went by way too fast!  I'm so thankful we got to go and renew our friendship and spend some quality, kid-free time together. 

Peaceful