happy halloween!

garbage day

Every Wednesday, our garbage day, Ethan is reminded of this fabulous game he likes to play. He piles a whole bunch of toys on one end of the couch and climbs up on the other end to drive his own garbage truck. Then he gets to the dump and scoops everything onto the floor.

Ahhh...such a wonderful imagination that little one has!

nana and papa visit

My parents came up for a visit this weekend. As always, we had a great time. We did a little early birthday celebration for Liam. And they are such troopers! They braved three hours of freezing, rainy weather to watch the big kids play soccer.

After church on Sunday, my Mom decided it was time that my kids had their first Happy Meals. So off we went. The girl behind the counter at McD's was astounded that they'd never eaten there before. Everyone ate their fries and milk. That was about it. I asked them yesterday what they'd say if someone else invited them to McDonald's. "No thank you," they replied. But hey - it was an experience.

Thanks for coming Mom and Dad! We love it when you visit!

....the kids all have their Halloween costumes on in this picture. Any guesses????

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.
~Corrie Ten Boom

the jesus storybook bible

The kids and I started reading The Jesus Storybook Bible today. They've read it before - this is the first time for me. From the outside it appears to just be another kids' Bible. But inside it is filled with wonderful, insightful treasures. Here is a small part of what we read today:

"God breathed life into Adam and Eve. He loved them with all of his heart. And they were lovely because he loved them."

...lovely because he loved them. For no other reason. Not earned. Not bought. Lovely because he loved them. I needed to hear that today.

disneyland!!

Airplane tickets - done
Hotel - done
Park tickets - done

Seeing two kids bouncing around here with excitement over their upcoming trip - worth it all!!

silly ethan

This kid cracks me up on a daily basis! Here are a few examples:

I told him to go outside for a few minutes to get his wiggles out before naptime. When I went to call him in, he informed me that he still has wiggles in his legs and he can't come in yet.

When I went to get him up from bed yesterday morning, he started laughing and said, "Mama, my bed looks just like a jail!" (He's still in a crib.)

This morning he hopped down from breakfast pretty fast. I asked if he was all done. He said, "Yep, he says he all full already." "Who's he?" I ask. "My tummy!"

anxiety

I am an anxious person. I worry about everything. I'm quite sure I will die of some heart-related illness due to decades of worry. (And I eat oatmeal every morning thinking I can somehow counteract the damage.) My worry is not selective. It's quite inclusive, in fact. I worry about all the usual things (money, health, security, choices for our kids, etc.). I worry about my family. I worry about my friends. But I get really ticked at myself when I worry about things that I should be enjoying. Like our upcoming trip to Disneyland. I'm a mess! I'm worried about the money. I'm worried someone will get sick and we'll have to cancel at the last minute. I'm worried about leaving Ethan (he's staying with my parents). I'm worried there will be a problem with our flight. I'm worried there will be a snafu with our hotel. Or that it will be gross and dirty and I won't be able to sleep there. Or that there will be bed bugs in the room. I worry about Audrey on the flight. Will her ears bother her? I worry about Audrey at Disneyland. Will she be affected by motion sickness that she occasionally gets in the car?

I'm finding that anxiety causes me to shut down when it comes to making decisions. I just can't handle too many choices so I just don't make one. We found out this morning that the hotel/ticket package we were looking at went up by $200. Probably because we waited so long to make it. But I'm in shut-down mode. Can't make a decision. What if it's the wrong decision? Do we save a few hundred bucks and stay someplace cheaper or go for the better place? Free breakfast or a view of the park from our room? Too many choices!!

So now I'm just angry with myself. What a great opportunity this is going to be! I'm so grateful we are able to do this. I'm so grateful my parents can watch Ethan so we can enjoy time with just the big kids. I'm so grateful Patrick was able to get time off from work. Why, oh why can't I just relax and enjoy the process??


**A few hours later** The kids and I just read a couple of chapters from our current Christian Heroes book. We are reading about David Livingstone who sacrificed so much to open the interior of Africa to the gospel message and work toward ending slave trade. What an amazing man! How small my worries appear when they are viewed from an eternal perspective. How small are my worries appear when I am reminded of people who have real struggles in their lives. How selfish I am when I try to do this on my own. I am reminded that my blessings are so great and my faith is so small. "...I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24b

before and after

All three kids were in desperate need of haircuts this week. So off we went to our neighborhood hair dresser.

Before:
After: (minus the three-year-old who didn't want his picture taken)

Looking good. Thanks Heather!!

sibling weekend

I spent a wonderful weekend with my siblings in Bend Oregon. I've decided that if I could be a time traveler for one day I would go back and tell my 14-year-old self, "You just wait. Although having so many siblings makes you crazy right now - you will be SO thankful for each one of them very, very soon."

Thanks Mom and Dad! Five was just right.