Tag--You're It!

Well, a friend tagged me on her blog with a challenge to share 7 quirky things and to tag 7 friends to respond.....so here comes probably a little more than you ever knew about me!

1. I've never learned to ride a bike.

2. I don't blow my nose in front of just anyone....it goes beyond even close friends too. I just can't blow my nose in front of people.

3. I can't sleep with socks on my feet. My little toes have to breathe.

4. I put sugar on my rice and strawberries.

5. I have a freckle on the bottom of my right foot.

6. I don't/can't dance....I think it's a rhythm thing. Even though I sing and play the piano I can't really keep a beat. Maybe that's why all my teachers harped on me to use my metronome.

7. I can't take a nap or sleep without being covered up. Even if I'm hot, I have to have covers on me!

So there's 7 quirky things about me and now I tag:
Janna M.
Amy P.
Mary G.
Laura C.
Cindy G.
Amber M.
Cristina H.

So even if you don't blog--just respond and we'll be able to see a little more quirky about you too.

Megan's first fish

Saturday was a milepost for our little girl. It was her first fishing experience! And yep--she caught one (with a little help from Daddy). We got to celebrate our sweet friend Max's first birthday and played at the playground and pond. Each of the kids took turns and Meg was most excited to catch this little guy! Her catch wasn't quite as big as Jackson's though--he caught Austin! (luckily just his shirt) Happy Birthday Max!

On the mend

Well, chemo is over for my mom! She had her final treatment last Wednesday and made it through the weekend. Her sickness wasn't as bad as it has been and for that we're grateful. The only side effect that seems to remain is neuropathy (numbness in her hands and feet). She's treating the numbness with medication and has a slew of follow up doctor appointments, but is very grateful to be on this side of treatment! We are all so grateful for the friends, friends of family and family who have prayed, prepared a meal, sent a card, made a call to check on her, kept her company, taken her to an appointment, brought a gift, etc.....God has used you in such a special way during this time and we thank you.

Cutest kids in the universe!

I have had a lot of time with my kids this week since Jim's been gone and it's been tough at times, but more than that it's been fun. As Megan and I made a treat for Daddy's return tomorrow I couldn't help but think about how much fun I have just hanging out with these two wonderful children God has blessed me with. We've been intentionally busy this week but we've had fun! I'm grateful for focused alone time with my kiddos! I'm also grateful to have Jim home - our family isn't complete without him. We've missed you babe!

These pics are Meg eating all the strawberries out of my fruit, Jacob with a snack and in bunny slippers and Meg all dolled up in her new dance outfit!

Not for the faint of stomach!

So, here's one more that I couldn't resist......if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know my fear of slithery creatures in my house. I consider myself a pretty neat person--every night all the toys are put away, things in their place, etc.....so imagine my surprise when I'm putting the balls back into the ball pit last night and see this sticking out from under the edge! Oh yeah, it's a petrified frog! I guess it fell from the window? EEEEWWWW!

New pictures......

So, I've had many sleepless nights and yet I haven't gotten pictures uploaded to the blog until now! I was able to upload and order from shutterfly so now I'm ready for a scrapbooking marathon....anyone interested?

Here are a couple of recent pictures from the last few weeks....(Jacob snuggled in, Meg in her sheep ears, making a pizza, chef Jacob and Gran with Jim and the kids)

Catching up

**Update** The kids and I were able to run a little something over to Elini and Diego tonight and my heart is hurting for her. When I asked if they needed anything she only asked for prayer and then teared up as she shared that it hurt so much to leave the hospital without her baby--that's not the way we dream it will be! She is precious in her pictures, barely larger than Elini's palm.....she weighs 2 pounds and 10 ounces. Estella seems to be fighting and doing well.



Well, Jim made it back from his reunion with most of his college roommates and they had a blast! The guys hadn't seen each other all together in 11 years so they had a lot of catching up to do. We've seen many of them over the years with each of their families, but distance and life has prevented such a reunion of everyone all at once. I'm blessed because these men are a part of my husband's life. They have encouraged, grown and laughed together over the years and I'm grateful for what they mean to Jim.

With Jim gone I tried hard to keep the kids busy! We went for walks (Meg walked all the way around to the lake and back), fed the ducks, visited the library, got the car fixed AGAIN and even fit in a trip to Sea World. They've started the trick-or-treating so we checked out the new Count (Sesame Street) show and loaded up on some sugar and mini bananas. Jacob loved those! We were very excited to see Daddy yesterday and had some good time before he left this morning for a conference. We ran errands today and have things planned every day until he comes home!

So much is going on all around us and we're loving being able to love on our friends around us right now. Mama is set for her final chemo treatment tomorrow as long as the doctor gives her the okay in the morning. We are so excited for this graduation! As you are praying we would appreciate prayers for our next door neighbors. They are Christ followers and are from Brazil. Elini was hospitalized two weeks ago and delivered her baby Estella on Saturday at 28 weeks. Mommy was able to come home yesterday and Estella will be in the hospital until her due date in December! Please pray for this sweet family as they are separated and begin this new chapter in their lives.

I pray that you are having a great week! Jim left his computer behind, so I promise on one of my sleepless nights this week to add some new pictures of the kids : )