Love in all things

Valentine's Day
It's another day that reminds me
of what I am called to do
in all of life's circumstances.
I am here to love.
Love my husband.
Love my children.
Love my family.
Love my neighbors...as myself.
Love those that may seem unloveable
because really... they are me.
I have done the unthinkable.
I have behaved in selfish,
 bitter, impatient, angry, foolish
 and completely unloveable ways.
Yet, I rejoice in Jesus Christ
who gave his life for me,
who knows me,
and loves me still.

That's real love.

Like no other.



 

 

 

 

Thought I would share a few photos
of our V~day and the loves that
I can't get enough of.

xoxo

What a difference a year makes

March 2011

  

March 2012

Was looking back through photos today
remembering what a little bundle
our baby J was...
and what a firecracker she is now.

Reminscing the yesterdays.
Loving the todays.
Pondering the tomorrows.

Look out for the salami

Our little miss has been filling me with

laughter over the past week with her

incredibly inventive vocabulary.

Earthquakes have been the main topic

that are occupying her thoughts right now.

She's been worrying about them quite a lot.

So last week when she brought it up

our conversation went a little like this:

LM: I keep feeling like an earthquake is

happening

Me: Why is that?

LM: Because it always feels like my bed

is shaking at night

Me: We haven't had any earthquakes lately

that I know of

LM: Well I guess an earthquake is better

than a salami.

That would be really bad.

Me: What's a salami?

LM: It's when the water comes up

onto the land.

I like salami.

But not that kind. 

I'm gonna miss this age.



vessel of love

As much as I adore these beauties,
being a wife and mother
can be a frustrating and challenging
task at times that sometimes
leaves me feeling haggard and worn out.
I have had my days of exhaustion,
anger, worry, fear and tears.
ANNOYED.  Boy, can I get annoyed
by my children (and occasionally my husband too).
But the gift I have received in knowing
these precious people I call family
outweighs the hard times a hundred times over.

I am realizing that usually the rough days
are that way because I allow the pettiness of
circumstance take center stage.
 I do not want to be a mother, wife or friend whose
days are dictated by circumstances.
I want to set my sights on what is higher
 than life's daily ups and downs because those things will
always be present and many times out of my control.
I have a choice to live in joy or to live in the
fleeting moments of a world that is everchanging.
I can choose to be a vessel of anger or love.
A vessel of bitterness or forgiveness.
A vessel of harshness or gentleness.
I choose the latter. I will fail at times~without a doubt.
And on those days I will ask for forgiveness,
readjust my focus once again,
dust myself off and move forward.

The fact that God has entrusted me with
these lives to love, serve, guide, discipline,
forgive and learn from is an enormous gift.
One that I would never exchange or return,
because they were wonderfully made
that I may enjoy and delight in who
they were created to be.

Hope you are enjoying the people you love today.
Everyday.

"If you have only one smile in you
give it to the people you love."
~Maya Angelou~

The littlest sister

Sweet Josie Love joined our family
 on Sunday, November 21st at 3am
 in the comfort of her daddy's arms.
She was born a healthy 6 pounds and 12 ounces
at home while her youngest sister slept.
Her biggest sister was an incredible help
throughout the labor and birth
and stayed up with us until dawn
welcoming our little peanut.

Josie's birth story:
The "due date" for our baby was said to be November 20th which we were skeptical of as the other two girls were born ten days and two weeks later than the projected date.  Needless to say I was a bit surprised (although excited) by the contractions that started around 4am on Saturday the 20th.  I asked Matt to call in sick as I was sure the baby was coming.  He did.  And within 3 hours the contractions had stopped almost completely I was so disappointed.  We went on a walk around our neighborhood, visited friends at a birthday party, and laid low for the day.  Matt debated going in to work that afternoon since there was no sign of labor, but stayed home at my request.  By 10:30pm the contractions started coming much more
 regularly and with more power than before.  Bri got out of bed when I told her I thought the baby was coming that night and kept me company until around 1am when I decided to wake the Mr up.
It was not a friendly wake-up.  It was a "why the hell are you sleeping while I'm suffering" awakening.
Needless to say he was slightly dazed and confused by my crankiness.  I wanted to know when the heck he was going to call the midwife cause the contractions were coming fast and furious.  The next couple hours were somewhat of a blur.  My daughter, husband and midwife were readying the room while I concentrated on getting through the contractions.  They took turns assisting and comforting me between preparations.  At 3am our little girl made her entrance with my oldest daughter and husband by my side.  Mr. N held her as she came into the world and announced to me that we had another little girl.  I looked up at Bri who had lost the color from her face and looked like she was about to drop on the floor.  She was helped to a chair where she could regain her stomach.  Josie was wrapped in a towel and brought to my chest immediately.  My Mr woke Maya to meet her new sister.  We were left alone as a family to enjoy our beautiful new gift.

I loved having our little Josie at home.
I loved being in my own room, in my own bed.
I loved the sweetness of our time to enjoy
our little beauty and embrace her new life as a family
in the warmth of our nest.
I loved the peacefulness that surrounded us
from the moment I went into labor,
throughout the birth and after she arrived.

I love my little Josie.
She is yet another blessing in my life.
I am thankful beyond words.

Smile makers

Love letters between sisters.  Rare and beautiful.

(Those are exclamation points in the middle of the words~
I guess she really means it)

Time in the backyard with our newest family members.

Scrumptious fish tacos by our chef~in~training.

Neighborly love in the form of strawberries.

We have made a point of sticking around home on Memorial Day weekends to avoid the insanity of traffic on the roads, and have realized that we quite enjoy it.  Picnics at the park, barbeques with friends and time just enjoying the simple pleasures of home settled nicely into our days.

Of course, most important were the thoughts and prayers
 for those serving past and present on behalf of all of us. 
Grateful I am.

Supercalifragilistic weekend

Last weekend I gathered up my girls and drove to my in-laws house for our much anticipated outing to the musical~

 The show was nothing short of fantastic.  From the stage props, to the costumes to the talent involved it was such a fun time to experience with the girls & my mum-in-law.  What a wonderful gift it was (thank you mum)!

After our day at the theatre, mr. man and I got a night out sans kids.  We had dinner at Malo and then decided to check out the Griffith Observatory.  The view from the newly remodeled building is spectacular!  Entry to the observatory is free, but we decided to watch a show in the planetarium which did not dissapoint. Since I didn't have my camera on hand (and I'd never do it justice anyway), I found this stunning photo online and had to post it.  I randomly found the photography blog for Della Huff and had to share. 

As great as Saturday was, the fun didn't stop there.  Sunday morning I rose to a hike with my dad-in-law in Griffith Park up to the observatory again.  The air was crisp and clean from the latest rain and the view of  L.A. was phenominal! 

Since I knew I would want to get some photos on the hike I stopped specifically to buy batteries for my camera because they were low.  On my way out of the store I opened the package, took the new batteries out in one hand, the old batteries out in the other and got distracted (this happens so easily with me).  When I realized I didn't know which were old and which were new I put some in and it looked like I guessed right...that is until we got to the amazing view when my camera abruptly said to me "you're not so bright, are ya?"  Did I consider putting the other set of batteries in my pocket?  Of course not.  Consequently, the picture above is the only decent photo that was taken before my camera gave me the bird and went to sleep.

After the two hour hike with my FIL, Bri and I went to see a movie that I had heard about.  To Save A Life is like no other teen movie I've seen.  It's message is powerful and positive unlike most movies that are directed at this age group.  It recognizes and addresses some of the major issues that teens are facing with a rawness that gets your attention and then demonstrates that through thoughtful choices and behavior we can save not only others, but ourselves from the slippery slope that only leads downward.  If you know a teenager who hasn't seen this film, I highly recommend it.  It's not playing everywhere, but you can find the closest showing here.

We finished off the day with the last half of the superbowl and pizza.  Not usually my style, but I enjoyed every minute.

Spending time with family is always a gift.  But THIS weekend was simply magical.

Sweet buddies

The little miss has a wide variety of imaginary beings in her life including her friends Vanilla Twirly Whirly Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream (whose daddy I refer to as Mr. Fudge). Since I've been trying to figure out what they might look like for the past several months, I decided to do a sketch of how I imagined them and what do ya know...the little miss confirmed it, I was right on.

They come over every week for a few days at a time to play, eat dinner and have slumber parties. They really are the easiest houseguests ever and I just love having them over. I'm diggin the beehive style they've got and am tempted to try and create some chocolate and vanilla dolls for the fun of it.

Thanks girls for being such good friends to my little miss!

Mother's Day...hmmmmmm

My friend over at Ambrosia Girl created these little beauties for all those dad's who could use a little help this Mother's Day. The girl's got serious talent and I love all the options she gives, especially the last two. I slipped mine in between the folded boxer shorts to try and be slick. At least it gives him a few ideas, right?

And although Mother's day is certainly NOT about gifts (especially store bought ones), I happened upon this little piece while web browsing today and couldn't resist posting it...

Love this necklace on etsy by birthdesigns

oh, and this cold drink dispenser at Crate&Barrel made with recycled glass just makes me daydream of summer barbecues with friends...

Now that I've gotten those little desires off my chest, I have only one thing left to say. There is absolutely nothing on earth that could brighten my day more than the two beautiful jewels that I wake to each and every morning. Truly the BEST gifts ever.

For the love of tidepools

This time of year brings many days of beach strolling for our family. We enjoy summer days at the beach most definitely, but with winter comes the excitement of sea creatures and exploration that brings out the kid in me and in all of us. It becomes a game of "who can find the most interesting creature." We love packing up the family for cobble hopping whenever we know the tide will reveal its precious gems.

What's your favorite way to enjoy winter~wonders?

The verdict is in

Best birthday gift....ever

Matt loves his new roadster due to it's hauling capacity. He can load anything from surfboards to groceries plus his favorite girls.

Sweet treats

Maya turns out to be a girl after my own heart and takes ownership over the air hockey table at a new indoor playground we visit today. She spends about 80% of her time in this very spot, rarely tempted by the many bouncy-bright toygems all around her.

A nice close up of this beautiful visitor as I was watering today.

Miss M gets to stop and chat with her favorite neighborhood purrrball...Patches

Then off to fly (more like pull) the butterfly kite at the park

The view from the baseball diamond. One I hadn't noticed before.

Watching the full moon rise on our way home.

Getting a slight glimpse of my studyholic daughter

Talking to my Mr before the night is done