Colorado - Part 1

Just as I was taking the flip flops out of the closet after too long of a winter hibernation, we packed up for a trip to Colorado.  When we decided to go in the middle of April, I knew it would be colder there than here, but I wasn't anticipating snow and 20 degrees!

After a rocky start (landing in Denver in the middle of a blizzard and not being able to make it to my brother's house in the mountains because of the snow), we ended up having a really great week.  Mr. Mister tried skiing, we had some indoor fun, and we all ventured out when the sun came out and it finally warmed up to 30 degrees!

Here are a few pics to get started.  I'll post more later.

 

 

 

 

 

Passing the Winter Days

Now that it is beautiful outside, I wonder how we made it through such a long and cold winter!  I was so thankful to be in our new house with more space this year.  Our playroom got a lot of use and kept the kids entertained and happy for a long time.  Toward the end of the winter, though, we were all going a little stir crazy so we had to get creative.  I thought I'd document some of the things we did to pass the days.

Playing in the snow
 

Playdough and crafts, including pipe cleaner creations from this book.

 

 

Playing in the muscle room at Mr. Mister's school.  This indoor playroom was such a great way to burn energy without having to bundle up!
 

Science experiments.  Really basic stuff like what sinks and floats, the old baking soda and vinegar volcano (add dish soap for more bubbles!), adding food coloring to whole milk then adding a drop of dish soap and watching the colors swirl, making igloos, and making butter!  The butter was so delicious.

 

 

 

One day as we were putting different things in the water to decide what would sink and float, Mr. Mister said, "This is so awesome!  I bet no other kids are having this much fun!"  Haha.  So easy to please sometimes.

And now it is finally spring!  So we can got to the park instead, which we did today.  Yay!

More Perspective

On the heels of my last blog post, I thought I'd share another blog that someone recently passed on to me.  It's called To parents of small children: Let me be the one who says it out loud.  It's by a dad of three boys under five (who also happens to be a pastor) who writes honestly about how hard parenting can be.  And how normal it is to struggle sometimes. 

So after being inspired to enjoy even the days that are long, it's also good to remember that there are some things about having little kids that are just hard and that's okay!

The days are long...

...but the years are short.

I ran into a friend at the grocery store the other day.  Her two boys are grown and married and live far away on opposite sides of the country.  I had Mr. Mister with me and she marveled at how he'd grown since she'd last seen him.  And then she told me, "I'd give anything to have two weeks with my boys that young again.  To sit and play and cuddle with them.  I never thought they'd both be this far away."  And before she left, grocery cart surely less full than it once was, her eyes brimmed with tears and she said, "The days are long but the years are short."  

As I walked away, grocery cart much fuller than it once was, my eyes brimmed with tears, too, and those words rang through my mind.  The days are long but the years are short.  

Isn't that so true?  I have often thought about that same idea without those words to describe it so well.  These days full of noise and activity and no down time can seem so long sometimes, leaving me exhausted and secretly longing for the quiet that comes after they are all finally tucked in for the night.  But then I look back and wonder how these little ones grew this old so quickly.  Literally, where did the years go?  

And sometimes I wonder what the future may hold.  What will they be like when they are grown and married?  Where will they live?  Who will they be?  That day seems so far away.  Almost like it will never really happen because at this point I can't even imagine the day that everyone will get in the car by themselves.  But I know the years will not slow down.  I will not get these days back.  These days where Mr. Newton giggles his way through the itsy bitsy spider and Mr. Mister reads his way through his first books and our Little Miss cruises her way through the rooms of our home.  These moments are such gifts, such treasures to hold onto.

So once again, I am reminded to be present where I am.  To love them well today.  To put down my to do list that will always be there, to look past the laundry and the clutter and the noise and to get down on the floor with them and hold them just a little longer.  Because while these days can feel so long, I don't want to miss the years.

February Fun Part 4 - Waterpark

I thought I'd finish my February updates before March is over!  Our last big event of February was our annual trip to an indoor waterpark with the PA fam.  It's always such a fun weekend with them and so nice to be warm in the middle of a long winter!

 I only got a few pics on my phone because we were busy playing the whole time.  The kids had so much fun. Mr. Mister was adventurous and tried some of the bigger slides this year.  Mr. Newton was happy to splash around and jump on waves in the wave pool.  And our Little Miss loved crawling and splashing in the baby area. 

 

And of course, Papa took the boys to the arcade before we left.  This was one of their favorite parts.

The day after we got home, Mr. Mister slept til 10am and took a three hour nap that afternoon.  I think they were worn out!

February Fun Part 3 - Celebrating Life!

There were two very special celebrations of life in February.  First, I went to an adoption shower for a very dear friend from college who I haven't seen in years.  She and her husband live several states away and are very close to bringing home two little ones from the Congo! 

It is so refreshing to my soul to spend time with her and it was an honor to celebrate this huge milestone with her.  They are not home yet but praying for the rest of the waiting time!




And of course, the celebration of our girlie's first birthday.  We had a family dinner the weekend before and a simple playdate and lunch on her birthday with some other 1 year old friends.  It was a fun celebration of a life worth celebrating!

February Fun Part 2 - Date Nights!

We had two fun nights out in February.  The first was a wedding (I forgot to take pictures).  Our kids were invited but we gladly took a night out by ourselves instead! I love weddings when you are so excited for the couple to be married.  This was one of those weddings...they both never stopped smiling.  

Our second date night was a night of worship with Jesus Culture.  It wasn't a typical concert.  It was a night of prayer, ministry, teaching and worship.  My soul needed that night -  it came at a time when I needed a very real reminder of God's greatness and the magnitude of His love for me.   I was so refreshed by the worship and by remembering how real God is... that He is not a God who is far off, but that Jesus dwells in me and with me.

Here's a quick video of the worship.

An extra fun part was that we ran into the worship band after it was over.  It was fun to be able to tell them how much of an impact their ministry has had on our family. 

And we told Josh, the drummer, that he's a legend in our house.  

The boys love to watch the Jesus Culture videos and drum along with him on their bucket drums!

(although whenever I ask them to play more quietly, they ask why Josh gets to play so loud!)