It's no secret that I'm not good at updating my blog.  I really, truly am sorry for that.  I wish I had the passion for writing and the time to do it that I used to have ... but I just don't!  I don't think that's a bad thing, though.  Here are some of the great things that are keeping me busy:

- I went back to work almost two months ago.  I am managing a salon in a town near me and I absolutely LOVE it!  My life is a little more chaotic, and trying to balance it all out doesn't always work out the best, but at the end of the day I am a much happier wife and mom because I have this job!

- Ethan has been in daycare since I started my job and it has been SO good for him.  Miss Holly (his daycare provider) is completely amazing!  He is learning so much and he loves the other kids at his daycare.  Plus, he's REALLY happy to see mommy pick him up at the end of the day, which makes this mama's heart SO happy!

- Claire will be 16 next month!  She currently has her learner's permit (for driving) and is doing her best to figure out the chaos of controlling a vehicle.  She's doing pretty well, though I do wish we had more time to dedicate to letting her drive more frequently.

- Monte and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary in a few weeks.  I can't believe that we have been a family for five years already!  Those years have flown and our kids have changed and grown so much - it's almost unreal!  I am hoping that the next five years slow down so I can truly enjoy the time that my kids are still living at home with us!

- I'm starting to wish that I was a little less of a morning person!  Days like today are great days to sleep in a little bit, but my eyes popped open at 5:30am and there was no going back to sleep.  My family and friends make fun of me that I go to bed right after I put Ethan in bed at 8:30pm, but it is so nice to be awake and refreshed in the morning!

- Ethan and I have started a bedtime routine that I love!  After I put him in his crib, he wants me to crawl in there with him and snuggle.  We will snuggle, make airplanes out of our hands, play "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and pretend that his crib is a ship.  The other night he wanted me to get daddy to climb in there with us ..  he doesn't quite get the fact that there's just not enough room!

- I attended Women of Faith in St. Paul again this past October and it was SO wonderful.  Great time with amazing friends, wonderful music, phenomenal worship, great speakers.  I LOVE it!

There are lots of other things going on, too, but those are the highlights!  I hope to blog more regularly, but unfortunately I can't make any promises.  For now, now that I'm missing you!! :)

Peace out, girl scout!

This past week we were up north at a cabin on a lake in central Minnesota - just the seven of us, with nothing on our agenda but relaxation and time to spend together.  It really was a wonderful week away - we spent a lot of time fishing, swimming, making meals and taking walks among other things.


It was during one of our walks that I learned a parenting lesson that I felt all the way down to my toes.  We had been walking for a couple of miles and I really had to use the bathroom, so we stopped in to a local resort and Monte and the kids played in the game room while I headed to the lobby in search of a restroom.  On my way back out through the lobby I was caught behind a family of three, slowly meandering their way through the hallway toward the exit.  Since I didn't want to be rude and rush around them I, too, slowed my pace and drifted through the hallway toward the door.  I watched the couple in front of me, listening to their accent that hinted the obvious fact that they were not originally from Minnesota.  I watched their little boy who moved back and forth through the hallway, not really paying attention to where he was walking, but instead being distracted by all of his surroundings, as little boys often do.

Then it happened.

I saw the easel sitting nearby that was displaying a large sign promoting the various activities the resort was currently offering.  I saw the little boy walking toward the easel, all the while looking the other way.  I saw his foot get caught on the easel leg.  I saw him trip and I saw the sign begin to shake.  The boy's dad very nonchalantly reached out his hand and steadied the sign while the boy's mom reached down to the ground and extended a hand to help him up.  A very familiar fire of frustration began to burn inside me, and I expected to immediate hear the boy's mom scold him for not paying attention.  What she said left me speechless:


The fire inside of me immediately was quenched as I watched this display of a mother's love.  Instead of being frustrated with her son for not paying attention, she was concerned that he may have hurt himself.  She was filled with love for him and that love was her only reaction.

How many times has it happened in my life that I have scolded my children for not "being good"?  How many times have they been distracted and I have allowed that to frustrate me?  Too many.

This is a lesson that has stuck with me and one I am deeply trying to put into action in my own life.  I want to be a mom who first loves in all things.

So while this felt like a major Mommy FAIL, I know that it is going to lead to Mommy Victories, too.

I'm grateful for this lesson, grateful for being humbled.

I haven't been great at updating.  In all honesty I haven't been great about keeping up on most things - when did life get to be so insanely busy?!  We're in the full swing of summer at our house and are staying busy with baseball, soccer, cross country, driver's education (for Claire) and a new job (also for Claire)!  At this point in life, my main job is chauffeuring my kids to the many different activities we have going on.  I am often so busy with our schedule's craziness that I find I'm not sure what to do with myself when I get some downtime.  Like right now, as I'm sitting in the waiting room at a local car repair shop, I'm realizing that I can't handle just sitting and watching "The Price Is Right" ... I need something else to keep me busy, thus this blog post is being created!

I know I mentioned in a previous post that we currently have our home on the market in anticipation of selling and moving closer to our extended family.


When we listed our home on February 25th, I was filled with excitement and anticipation about what this journey would bring.  Now, 92 days, 25 showings and five open houses later I would have to admit that my spirit is dragging.

We have already reduced the price once with anticipation of drawing the attention of new buyers, but unfortunately we have yet to draw the attention of someone who wants to buy our property.

I can't help but feel frustrated at the fact that it hasn't sold.  I can't help but feel frustrated with the whole process.  I can't help but feel frustrated at the possibility of it not selling and our family not moving.

In my frustration, I can't help but wonder if it is God's plan to keep us in this house, or if there is a possibility that He is trying to teach us something through this long journey.  I can't help but let my emotions go on a roller coaster of their own - getting super excited and hopeful for a sale, and then bombing out at the bottom and being super frustrated and ready to just pull the house from the market.

I've never been through the sale or purchase of a home before, so I think I came into this sale with unrealistic expectations.  However, 92 days of people telling you they're not really interested can start to wear on you after awhile.

Lord, my faith is taking a beating here.  I really haven't been able to see beyond what I want to know if it's what You want for our family.  Please remove the blinders from my heart and my eyes and allow me to see what You desire for us.  Open the doors that need to be opened and slam shut the ones we shouldn't even look at.  Help us to put our trust in You.  

... and I really would love it if You wanted to bring us a buyer.  I really really would :)

No, I don't mean a conversation with myself.  I mean a conversation with Kelley.  She was my four oldest children's mother (so, if I were being technical, my step-children's mom).  She was killed in a snowmobiling accident when my oldest was 10 and my youngest was 2.  She was a phenomenal woman - a loving wife, sister, daughter, friend - and most of all, an incredibly devoted mother.  I often wonder what a conversation with her would be like.

A week ago today, on Tuesday, April 23, my Grandma Evelyn passed away.  She was 90 years old and had lived a very full life.  My sister and I, along with our two youngest munchkins (Khloe and Ethan) were able to go visit her a few weeks ago - a visit for which I will forever be grateful.  I got to look into my Grandma's beautiful blue eyes and tell her just how much I love her and I got to hear her talk about her excitement to finally see Jesus face-to-face.  She was at a point where she was done with everything here - there was no more reason to eat when she could be feasting in Heaven.  I am so thankful that she had Jesus in her heart, which means that we will see each other again!

Growing up, we would visit my Grandma every Saturday (as we lived only 15 minutes apart) and we would spend time together playing 'Kings in the Corner' and eating Pinwheel cookies (which were my favorite, once upon a time).  We would listen to "Wheeler Dealer" on the radio and watch "The Andy Griffith Show" and "The Waltons" on TV.  My memories of her are priceless and she will forever be in my heart.


I love you so much, Grandma!  Enjoy your reward, dance with Jesus and eat the feast prepared for you.  I miss you like crazy and can't wait to see you again!

My darling little boy is now almost 29 months old.  Funny that I put it that way when I promised myself I wasn't going to count his age month-by-month, so allow me to correct myself: my darling little boy is now two-years-old.


He is a ball of energy and excitement!  He loves to play outside, to "drive" my truck (in other words, to sit in the driver's seat and hit every button and switch he can find!), to chase each other through the house, to play, but most of all he loves to TALK!

Here are some of the precious things that come out of his mouth quite frequently (that I'm blogging about because I don't ever want to forget them!):

"My Rumple-Tum-Tum" - this is what he calls his belly!  It's my fault, really, because I started telling him that his stomach was his "rum-a-tum-tum", and that changed into rumple-tum-tum.  It's incredibly cute, though!

"Christmas Clear" - if the kids are in trouble and Monte is correcting their behavior, he often ends with asking them if it's clear to them how they're supposed to behave.  They say yes, he then asks them "How Clear?".  The expected response is "crystal clear", but Ethan has this one just a little confused!! :)

"The Forte Giant" - this comes from an episode of Little Einsteins.  In the specific episode, there is a giant (called The Forte Giant), who sings "Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum".  Ethan loved this so much that he often will go and put on anybody's shoes, stomp his feet and sing out "FE-FI-FO-FUM! ... I'm a Forte Giant!"

He's also a truth teller (which is great!).  For example, last night Monte saw him eating a piece of chocolate right before bed, so he (Monte) asked me, "did you give Ethan this chocolate or did he just take it?"  Before I had a chance to say anything, Ethan looks Monte square in the eyes and says, "I just take it."  :)

He's such a silly little boy who makes me laugh all the time!  I'm so grateful that he is mine :)

It seems as though I've abandoned my blog, which I truly kind of have.  Life has been extremely busy for me as of late ... these are the things we've been up to since my last post: