Week in Review

2016 started off with me facing my fear of the stomach flu.  It hit hard.  My co-captain was out of commission and it was only by the grace of God I managed through it.  God had mercy on me and no one else has been infected, but 3 of the 6 meant the odds were against me.  It was bad.   On Ernie's third day off from work, we squeezed in a breakfast date.  All is well that ends well.

 We've been able to squeeze in some cousin time with our newest favorite.

Volleyball season is in full swing.  Layla and Lene are on the same team which is fun.  Their team name is Set to Kill.

 Marriage ministry continues to be a favorite date night.

We hired some twice a month help at home.  Her name is Lupe and she she has freed up some time for me to do fun stuff while she is deep cleaning. This particular day, Janessa and I did some grocery shopping and then had a late lunch in the park.  I am so very thankful that Ernie encouraged me to have someone help out with the deep cleaning.  There's this misconception that because I stay home, I have to do it all.  I believe it's important to look at your skill set, and make adjustments accordingly. We have adjusted and I'm so very grateful!

Also, I started writing at another blog:  An Invitation
I'm not one hundred percent sure where I will go with it, but I think it will be more my musings of life from a forty year old female's perspective.  I will continue to blog here with our family happenings to document our memories.  However, I am noticing a decrease in pictures since I'm trying to be more hands-free.  Embracing life in the moment means capturing pictures in my mind. It's a new way to live but a necessary one.  I am tired of being a slave to my phone, besides little eyes are watching me. They emulate what they see, so I'd like to give them more of me, at their level, living well.

Hamster, Happiness and Everything in Between

Last week was one of a kind, really.  We had to lay Lene's hamster, Skittles, also known by Nessa as Scoots, to rest.  The kids just happened to have minimum day for most of the week so she had a few girls over to celebrate his life.  It was a beautiful service with bible verses read, two eulogies and a most quaint rendition of "Star Spangled Banner."  His final resting place is in grandma and grandpa's backyard alongside some of our other furry friends who have gone before.

The celebration was a simple gathering of friends, lifting each other up on an otherwise dark day.  I love the simplicity of being a kid and the things that make you feel better and more able to move on.  Note to self:  follow their leads.

The weekend was one of rest and family time.  Saturday ended up at the park with one of Jonathan's close friends from school.  It just happened we both arrived at the same time and got to let our kids enjoy each other's company while we visited and shared how faithful God has been in our lives.  I love when that happens:  what a gift!

Some lovely lemons were given to us from a friend's tree so what a perfect opportunity to make fresh squeezed lemonade together!  The top left picture was taken Saturday morning.  I happened to catch Jonathan with one of the neighbor boys, eating sunflower seeds atop our light posts in the front yard.  They were so cute to listen to and watch from afar.  I didn't want to ruin their third and fourth grade cuteness by opening the door to ask for a picture (even though it would have turned out much cuter ).  I was able to kick my feed up and listen to my girl as she belted out practice solo parts for choir.  Her voice, music to my ears regardless of if she gets a part.  Mother/Son night out with my Bubba-love-a  was a gift.  hearing his heart and all the happenings at school, sitting side by side and totally engaged in conversation for a whole meal with NO interruptions. . .priceless!!!

Sunday dinner at my uncle's with some home made Peruvian food was different from our average day but a gift nonetheless.  Being with my siblings and cousins is my idea of fun.  So much so, that we went out with another set of cousins for wine tasting the night before.  That was fun too!  What a great weekend we had!

Lent started and we gave up dessert as a family.  This sacrifice is a lot easier than television as we have done in the past.  I gave up my favorite social media outlet: Instagram.  It was too easy to browse aimlessly throughout my day.  It has only been a week and I feel like this fast will be a good one for me.  I feel it and it makes me realize how I waste time that could be spent truly connecting with my kids, husband, or friends.  I am still slowly sipping on Hands Free Mama.  I'm going through the house and donating forty bags in forty days and am being cautiously optimistic that my distracted, busy life is able to be reigned in.  I will use this Lenten season to focus on the ones who are here in my everyday world that need all of me--my eyes meeting theirs, my ears hearing their hearts, my hands holding theirs, my feet walking beside them to play or do, and all the while relishing this gift that is their childhood and the role I have to play in it.

In the meantime, I'm still stepping out on faith and seeing where God lands me.  Keeping my eyes on Him.  All the time.