We are that family!

Growing up there was a family in church that some might describe as "odd."  They didn't eat fast food; they didn't own a tv (and subsequently no video games); their mom made their clothes; they were homeschooled (way before it was popular); there were more than 2 kids and they all got along for the most part.  They were not the norm.

Fast forward 25 years and I find myself appreciating that odd family.

Somewhere in the last few years, we have decided that mainstream is not for us.  Just because "everyone else" does it, doesn't make it right.  Remember when your mom used to say "If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?"  Yah, the same rules apply as parents.  Thanks for that timeless wisdom, Mom. :)

We are very careful about what our girls watch on television.  Some days I'd like to chuck it out the window, but I do appreciate the quiet every once in a while.  I'm not that crazy.  The girls know what shows they are allowed to watch so when we are at a friends house, they will tell me if something inappropriate is on.

While I don't make all their clothes (I can, just choose not to), I do make sure that their clothing is age appropriate (and usually a bargain!).

We try to avoid fast food and sit together as a family each night.  We made the decision to start eating organically a couple years ago and have seen such benefits from it.  We also added vitamins, supplements and probiotics to our daily regimen so the girls are rarely sick.

We spend time outside being active.

Our girls don't always get along, but they do love each other and play well majority of the time.  We have taught them that friends will always come and go but you will always be sisters, so you might as well get along now.

We talk about thankfulness a lot in our home.  The girls take turns praying and it warms my heart to hear the things that they are thankful for.

They are precious to us.

When I was younger my mom wouldn't let me go over to a friends house because she didn't know the parents.  When I asked her why, she explained it this way: "If I had a diamond worth 5 million dollars, I wouldn't just give it to anyone to take care of.  I would choose only the most qualified, and trustworthy people to take care of it. YOU are worth far more than a five million dollar diamond to me.  So I'm not going to just let anyone take care of you." That explanation has always stuck with me.  I've already told my girls the same thing.  They may not understand how much five million is, but they understand that jewels are valuable.

Recently we have been making decisions about schooling for our girls.  We have realized we are not the norm.  Regular public school is not meeting their needs.  It's certainly not a place I want to send my precious gems to sit all day.  We don't feel called to homeschool....yet.  Private school would require a second mortgage on our home, so that's not an option either.  Our only other option is a charter school.  We've researched until our eyes are blurry.  We've toured, asked questions, filled out applications, and now we just pray and wait.

When I told Reagan's teacher about our desire to switch over to a charter, she said "That's a great option for a family like yours."

A family like ours.

Yep, we are that family.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

She...

She is three today.

She is my baby, but doesn't like to be called a baby.  She reminds us daily that she's a "big girl" now.   Since she was our "last" I tried desperately to hang on to the babyness.  But she wanted nothing to do with it! We are a crib-free, diaper-free, baby toy (and giant gear) free house.  She is already learning to write her letters and almost has the 50 states song mastered.

She likes to do whatever her big sisters are doing.  We often hear "I do it myself!"

People tell me she looks the most like me.

She marches to the beat of her own drum (and dresses herself).

She cracks us up daily, which is good since she also tests every bit of patience we have. :)

She....

is our blessing.

Happy Birthday Baby! 

The Eyes have it.

When Skylar was a baby, people used to say "Wow she has such BIG eyes!" And she did.  She has kind of grown in to them, but they are still the largest out of all three girls.

Do you know what happens when you have beautiful BIG blue eyes?
Well, they look beautiful in shots like this:

But the drawback?

They don't close all the way when you sleep!

Freaks me out everytime!

She's lucky she's so cute when she's awake. 

Happy Friday!

Yay! 5!

There's an old episode of The Cosby Show (probably from the first season) where Rudy is sad because she is the littlest in the family.  But her mom convinces her that she is growing up each day and can already do lots of things at 5, that she couldn't do at 4.  By the end, they were both saying "Yay 5!"

Today we are saying, "Yay 5!"

Skylar is 5 today! She has already spent the morning showing me how many things she can reach, and how her feet almost hit the floor when she sits on the couch.  She is convinced that she grew a foot last night.  The funny thing is....it looks like she did.  :) I could have sworn that the jeans she is wearing today actually fit her last week.  Thank the Lord that capris are in style!

Skylar is our fearless one, but also the most tender.  She is incredibly flexible and just goes with the flow. She just doesn't get bothered by much.  She is equally as good of a big sister, as she is a little sister.

She is definitely our happy-go-lucky kid! She makes us laugh; she's quick to listen *(most days) and loves to be a helper.  We are blessed to have her in our family!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! Yay 5!

Keep on keepin' up

I keep waiting for things to slow down.  It's definitely a busy season for our family but I'm realizing more and more that life is just busy.  There's always something to do.  Somewhere to go.  What that also means is that every time I'm doing something, something else isn't getting done.  It gets easy to see the glass as half full or get overwhelmed.

"I'll never get it all done."
Nope.  You won't.

"There just isn't enough time."
Nope.  There isn't.

I find myself saying "I can't wait...." (fill in the blank).  I can't wait for summer.  I can't wait until the month runs out before the money.  I can't wait until the girls can do more chores *(ok THAT one I really can't wait for!!).

I'm learning that today won't wait.  All I can do is keep on keepin' up.
I'm learning to embrace the now.  My girls won't ever be this age again.  Ever.
I'm learning maybe I CAN wait.
God is in today.  He placed me for the here and now.  And where He is, is holy ground.
My circumstances today are holy ground.

"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of it's troubles; it empties today of it's strength."

Fast, and not so fast.

The past 30+ have been a challenge for me.  Our pastor did a series on "fasting" and after some prayerful consideration, I decided to give up all social media.  I also fasted an occasional meal, but that's not what this post is about.

To be honest, when I first decided to fast, I wasn't sure I would make it.  I crave social interaction.  Most days that interaction comes in the online version.  I don't like to feel "out of the loop." Then I started to wonder if folks would even notice I wasn't around.  Of course that made me feel even more anxious! 

"How in the world will my friends function without me?!"

It won't surprise you that life went on.  I didn't log on.  My friends survived without me.  I got on without them.  A few emailed me and said "I miss you" (which, let's face it, made me feel SO good!).  The first few days weren't "hard" but I did find myself picking up my cell phone to check facebook and having to remind myself not to do it.  It was hard to not click on the bookmarks while I was working on the computer.  But after a few days I didn't even think about it.  Then, an odd sense of relief set in.  I didn't feel like I had to "keep up."  

It did help that we had a busy month.  We had Brian's parents visit for a week and had a wonderful time! Then, we had a few days before our good friends from Philly came to visit.  The day before our friends arrived, I started teaching again.  It's a fast track course at the community college with a new textbook so I have to spend almost as much time in preparation as I do actually teaching.  

Now, the real purpose of fasting is to draw closer to God.  So, you are supposed to use the time that you "would be doing something" (like eating or being on facebook) to spend time with the Lord.  For me, my time on facebook and blogger were never large chunks of time.  They were small snippets here and there.  I actually felt a bit guilty because I wasn't being super spiritual and spending hours in prayer.  But our pastor spoke on that EXACT thing during the fasting month.  He said, "God doesn't want you to cram it all in.  He wants you....throughout the day." So that's what I did.  I prayed each time I thought about checking facebook or twitter or blogging.  The oddest thing happened.  I stopped thinking about facebook and twitter and blogging and started just conversing with God throughout my day.  I created a new habit, and I love it.  

I realized that without social media I wasn't just sitting and twiddling my thumbs.  I NEVER had extra time.  My day just got filled up with other things.  I even wondered at a few points, "How in the world did I have time for all the social media before?" I realized that we MAKE time for the things that matter.

People say they don't have time to read a devotional.  They don't have time to read to their children.  They don't have time to exercise.  They don't have time to meal plan.  They don't have time to pray.

Make time.

Even though we were busy, January felt like it would NEVER end.  I even told someone at church on January 30th, "well, back in January..." and she looked at me with a puzzled expression.  Then she said, "Isn't it still January?"  Sigh.  Yes, January was long and by the end of the month it felt like it should be March.

My class is only 8 weeks long but feels like I've already been teaching for 8 weeks.

We all got colds but the girls recovered super fast.  I think my crazy schedule made mine linger so it wasn't so fast for me.

I think all 3 girls grew at least a few inches since Christmas. They're growing so fast.

I hit my goal weight finally! (praise God!) It felt like it would never happen.  I almost got hit by a truck while running last week. He wasn't going fast, but I was.  :)

A week after being here, Brian's mom went to the hospital with a nagging cough and shortness of breath.  She was diagnosed with uterine cancer that has spread to her lungs.  It seems like it hit so fast.  She already went through one surgery and will begin chemo in about 4 weeks.  The treatments won't be fast, but we're praying they are effective.  Your prayers are appreciated.

We are thankful for our family.  I'm thankful for a month of perspective and prayer.  I'm thankful to be back online :D

I'm thankful for these three blessings:

I heart the faces of 2010

It's been a while since I entered a challenge at I Heart Faces, but I thought this week would be fun. 

I love each and every little face in our house, but this picture just melts me.  

This photo is SOOC (straight out of the camera) and I wouldn't dare touch it.  

Her eyes really are that blue (and her face really is that sweet).  

Hop on over to Iheartfaces.com and see some other "favorite faces" from the past year.
Don't forget to vote. :)