Fun in the sun!

Summer has finally hit Minnesota! It was near or above 90 degrees all last week, and the humidity was through the roof!

It's the middle of August, and it FINALLY gets warm....figures!

Because of the heat, last week we did two beach days with friends...


Seriously, Caleb could LIVE on the beach! He is so happy and content...and still tries to eat sand when I'm not looking! Stinker!


Here, the kids are working hard on filling the "communal bucket." They did this for at least 30 minutes...not exactly sure why it was so much fun!

Getting the beach takes so much effort...but it is so worth it once we are there!

Then, on the other days, I filled up the ol' kiddie pool and let the kids....


...fish?

Yup, Sammy "caught" fish most of the time. Big ones, little ones, ones that were purple, and ones that tried to swim away.

Where did she get her imagination!


Not sure about the imagination, but she certainly got her good looks from me!

Not Me, Monday...it's been awhile!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday. Once again, it's time to confess all those crazy, silly, and downright funny things we have done in the past week (or weeks, since it's been awhile)! Our good virtual friend, MckMama leads us always in our endeavor. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week.

Confession is so good for the soul!

When driving my mother in law to meet some family from the Twin Cities, I did NOT bribe my children to be good in the car by promising ice cream from Dairy Queen.

I also did NOT buy them a sundae to share, and then once we loaded the car, proceed to go through the drive thru and buy myself a peanut buster parfait and eat it in front of them while I drove.

Nor did I do everything in my power to keep them awake during the hour and 20 minute car ride back (even though it was close to 3:00 and WAY past nap time) so that I could put them down for a long nap when I got home.

And my sole purpose was not because I wanted them to get in a good nap, but that I WANTED to take a nap! (They did take a GREAT nap once we got home, by the way!)

I did NOT eat, over a one week period, eat three entire Hersey chocolate bars covered with peanut butter late at night because I was tired and stressed and overwhelmed and missed my hubby terribly. (Did I mention he had been gone 14 out of 20 days from July 18 through August 6?)

After watching five children, ages 1 to 4 1/2, for almost three hours, I did NOT eventually cave and put in a Veggie Tale video AND then a Dora video. Nope, I wouldn't have placed children mindlessly in front of a television.


At the Crow Wing County Fair, I did NOT let Sammy color and color and color in the old time school house (just because she did not want to leave the fair) and color and color until I almost screamed!


After both Brad and I were sick for a couple of days, Sammy's room did NOT look like this...for like two straight days...because I was so tired and sick and I really didn't care.


And here's the clincher!

I did NOT let Caleb wear a band-aid EVERY DAY...for over 2 and a half weeks...in the exact same spot...because he threw a fit every time it came off.

Don't believe me?


July 12


July 20


July 22


July 25


July 29...notice he's sporting TWO band-aids! Good thing they are cheap!!!

Happy Not Me, Monday!

What happens when both parents are sick with colds?

This!


And this!


I have been battling a cold since Thursday, and Brad woke up Friday morning with whatever I had. It is SO HARD when both parents are sick! Sammy and Caleb have a bit of runny noses, but are overall doing well. I was so looking forward to this long weekend since Brad was going to be home FOUR DAYS IN A ROW...but, we've been spending most of our evenings and nap times in bed trying to get better. And neither one of us has had any energy to clean up...well, really anything. So we will continue to live in used tissues scattered everywhere and will keep dodging all the toys littered around the house as we try to get better.

But, on a good note, the kids have been playing pretty well and pretty contentedly by themselves.

See!

Seriously! When is someone going to clean up this place!

It's true what they say...

...the days are long, but the years fly by!



Being a mother of toddlers is exhausting! And some days, yes, I confess, I try to make the clock to move more quickly to 8:00 and bedtime so that I can get some stuff done around the house or just relax.

But, as Sammy gets older and learns more things (seriously, she can ride a bike--with training wheels AND swing by herself--when did that happen!!!) and takes small steps every day towards independence, I cherish each day with her more and more.

Even when she wants to sing her favorite Bible songs at the top of her lungs...in the clinic waiting room. Even when she wants me to play ponies with her..."just for a few more minutes, Mommy." Even when she gets up to go to the bathroom at night...at least three times.

I'll admit, some days ARE long, but these (almost) four years with Sammy have flown by!

Today was a good day...

I know I've been complaining a bit about Brad's schedule this summer. Granted, it has been very busy and a bit rough on our family the last few weeks, but this is the lifestyle that we choose to live.

And it's a life that we would never want to change.

But despite being a single mom, and despite Caleb crying for his daddy at 6:00 in the morning, and despite having to change EVERY diaper...today has been a good day.

This morning Caleb woke up early, but was easily comforted back to sleep. And after Sammy woke up, she cuddled in bed with me for a few minutes and then headed back to her room to play for awhile. And I didn't get out of bed until 8:00!

That, in itself, is a miracle!

Then we headed to a play date with some friends. How I LOVE play dates! They have breathed such life into me this summer. Connecting with other moms and meeting new ones has been so thrilling. I am such an organizer and connector and extrovert that this totally turns my crank.

After three hours at the park, I took two very, very tired children home for nap time. I was able to clean the house a bit and spend some time on the computer relaxing. I LOVE nap time!

Then, right after Caleb woke up, it was time to head into church to have supper with Brad and the rest of the Missions: Brainerd students.

(FYI, Missions: Brainerd is an entry level missions trip that all our students are required to do before they participate in any other missions trip. Students sleep and eat every meal at our church and serve our community all week. In the past, we've done Vacation Bible School, back yard clubs, painted homes for the United Way, done lawn care and landscaping, walked dogs at our humane society, and a variety of other things.)

This year, our students were sponsoring a "parent's night out" and offered free babysitting for three hours.

That's right, free babysitting!

And even though I tried to convince Brad to sneak out on a date with me (he's kinda running the trip, so that really wasn't going to happen), it was such a glorious night for me.

Sammy and Caleb got to be with the same friends from this morning AND Brad decided to stay in Caleb's room to spend some much needed "daddy time" with him.

It was such a blessing for me, Brad, and our kids!

Not to mention the other couples and single parents that were able to enjoy a night out. (Oh, and they even handed out a bunch of $5.00 coupons at area restaurants! They really did think of everything!)

So I got to run errands...by myself! No car seats, not whiny kids, no making sure Caleb hadn't climbed out of the cart! My errands got done so quick! (Totally underestimated how long they would take me BY myself!)

I also got to spend some time reading and doing my devotions. And I also went on a three mile run!

It was so refreshing!

Brad made sure the kiddos were in their pajamas when I picked them up, and after a few stories (and a light snack) at home, they were off to sleeply land.

What a good day!

You know, I really don't think we stop to enjoy the good days enough. And even if we do, our memories of them fade so fast.

Oh, but it's easy to remember the rough days...the days that we wanted to climb back into bed and hide under the covers. The days that we wanted someone else to come and take our children away. The days that we thought would never end.

It's our human nature to remember the bad and not the good.

But that's not what God wants us to do.

Psalm 106:12-13 says, "Then they believed his promises (remembered what He had done) and sang his praise. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel."

He wants us to remember who He is and what He has done for us and NOT remember the lies that Satan tells us every day. The lies that we aren't good enough mothers or that people don't like us or that we must be the only person struggling...

And He longs for us to DAILY remember Him...that's why He says over and over and over again in Deuteronomy..."do not forget."

"be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." -- Deuteronomy 6:12

So, today I will remember...remember a wonderful time spent with my children and my friends....remember the gift of THREE wonderful hours...remember that God does and will continue to provide exactly what I need, when I need it.

I will remember...