Exhale

Happy Monday!!
Today is the official back to school week in our house, and it has been long awaited! Our summer was a long, relaxing, full of fun at the beginning with M & big H away for 2 weeks... then it slowed down to a "normal" time with a few VBS events in there..and fun day trips around our amazing city & just lounging around.. I did finally embrace that *since i love the go go go* but the movie marathon days were FUN & just goofing around were FUN.... then football and soccer and cheer began & then routines come & how this mom loves her routines :)
 Praying that our new routine for the 2015-2016 school year is the best for our family although I am most certainly Doubting Thomas already {Hannah has PM kindergarten 12-3... her normal nap? 12-3 & Hudson naps that same time... so praying with pick ups and drop offs and everything in between that God gets the glory & I learn some flexibility & the P word..}

Thankful today for ....

Plumb's song "Exhale"
Enjoy the lyrics, below. The opening line {It's okay, to not be okay... {just be real and be broken - in the broken times, the great Potter makes us whole.... and the chorus part about We do not exist for us, but to share your grace & love... powerful...}
"Exhale"

It's okay to not be okay
This is a safe place
This is a safe place
Don't be afraid
Don't be ashamed
There's still hope here
There's still hope here

No matter what you've done or who you are
Everyone is welcome His arms

Just let go let His love wrap around you
And hold you close
Get lost in the surrender
Breathe it in until your heart breaks
Then exhale
Exhale

Spirit come tear down the walls
That only You can
That only You can
Reconcile this heart to Yours
Right now God
Right now

Just let go let His love wrap around you
And hold you close
Get lost in the surrender
Breathe it in until your heart breaks
Then exhale
Exhale

Oh God We breathe in your grace
We breathe in your grace
And exhale
Oh God we do not exist for us
But to share Your grace and love
And exhale

Oh God We breathe in your grace
We breathe in your grace
And exhale
Oh God we do not exist for us
But to share Your grace and love
And exhale

Just let go let His love wrap around you
And hold you close
Get lost in the surrender
Breathe it in until your heart breaks
Then exhale
Exhale
Exhale
Exhale
Exhale

Thankful for it being WEDDING WEEK!!!!!! {6 days... s.i.x}

With wedding hubbub comes family {Insert all the super happy faces here!!} My 3 aunts on my dad's side are coming from MA.... it's been since my dad's funeral (7 years ago) that we have ALL been together!

Thankful for my back aches... literally guys, every single morning I wake up hurtin' & I am only 32!! Cmon!! But hoping with yoga, and more core workouts, my back aches will disappear without a chiro visit... but we shall see... I am thankful for this ache however because it gets me outta my uber cozy bed each morning well before anyone else... and I can blog on Mondays, uninterrupted, and do devotions, "Woman's Heart" by Beth Moore needs a shout out here...

Thankful that we were able to update our mini patio area... (cement slab... but patio sounds better ;))
{Love that Fall stuff is out which means summer stuff is priced to sell! Happy Budgeting mama!}

Thankful for our 2 new bird feeders....during my fore mentioned uninterrupted time, I can gaze outside and see hummingbirds {Man these creatures fascinate me!!} and then a "normal" sparrow feeder. The flocks of sparrows are amazing! {Flocks? Herds? Schools? Who knows what the group of sparrows is called?!:)}

Thankful for presents arriving right before back to school- love us some Nike gear!

Thankful for Harrison's awesome tackle right before the end zone, during the 4th down at his game this weekend. The other team was SO close to the end zone... and  then came the neon green cleats {Only way we can make sure it's Harrison lol} and boom- he gone- They did end up losing, but we love seeing his passion & fire & excitement for football & his team. *Side note, I want to bottle up his joy- after a loss- his head wasn't hung low and mopey- instead he was happy and grinning from ear to ear about his "sick tackle on the QB"... keep that positive vibe my boy! XO

Thankful for beginning a new year at a new school. Remember I told you blogger friends, change isn't my fave, except for spiritual change, but a change of schools can be great{secretary Peggy & Teresa you have our hearts, when I thought Miss Patsy from Palos West ruled the world, I found out that your hearts and kind smiles will make both our kiddos excited to come to school... secretaries are SO special and truly set that welcoming or not to welcoming tone.. praising the lord for great, kind, energetic happy secretaries}.

Thankful for our new vaccuum.. friends its the little things right? And this 59.99 super deal of a vac has a Febreeze filter, which means our place is smelling like fresh rain after each cleaning...
ahhh-mazing...:)





(Our's is lime green not purple & Meijer beat Amazon on price!)

 august 24 2015 : harrison is a 5th grader

 nike presents from MA 

 After being married 11 years, we celebrated by Football practice , slurpees, swimming & being silly :) #parentliferocks ;)

 Adventure day last week: Bass Pro Shop

 Golfing with Hudson is its own adventure ;)

 That is ALLIGATOR folks! 

 Silly kids :) 

XOXO

Last week of summer

During this last official week of no school we are trying to embrace no schedule & just enjoy each other ... 1st stop : 7-11... the new slurpee flavors are delish :) 

simple breakfasts with my silly trio


real summer weather! Hooray for 90 degrees and sun this past weekend...boo for that intense heat happening during Harrison's 1st game {and he had to be there 2 hours before the game even started! 4 hours in 90 degrees made a VERY tired big H!}

a successful start for Harrison's new football team... first game was a loss... but it was really awesome seeing the team come together.

scoring a Barbie Dream House for 6.99! Sells new on Amazon for 199!

  meeting Kamila's dad, Ziggy. Although he speaks 99.9% Polish, we were still able to communicate somewhat, and it was adorable how Hudson, usually not a fan of strangers, goes up to him & starts pointing at trees and airplanes and babbling away to him & Ziggy seemed to understand . Maybe Hudson speaks Polish :) Maybe Ziggy speaks Hudson :)

rain

that Hudson is now crib-less and we said goodbye to all things cribby ... its been 10 years of having someone in a crib... see ya later gater :)
 {After a few mornings of opening his door, to see him playing on the floor already, we decided he was trying to tell us 1- he's an expert climber and 2- that he is ready for a big boy bed. So for our kids, we make it simple. we take the crib mattress out, put it against a wall for support, and the other side is floor level anyways so if he was to roll off, he wouldn't get hurt. Hudson has an intense love for cars and trucks and will sleep with 2 stuffed Pluto dogs, 1 sheep or "Baa", and his entire car collection, especially the biggest hardest Tonka truck ever... yet he sleeps... nap time wasn't super easy initially, but bedtime has been fabulous {8-7}& we have faith that with consistency nap time will go smoother. He is the son after my own heart who loves pitch black and wakes at any sign of light. Like a peep of light shining through his black out curtains in the corner- he's up... so I will work on that this week & hopefully nap time will feel like midnight in there}

for memories. As we are trying to round up photos for a wedding DVD for dusty, it's been so neat to look back at our memories and to look at our life in pictures. My dad was so thorough and so organized and documented so many wonderful memories.

smiles & snuggles


for our anniversary this FRIDAY... 11 years!!!  {insert all the heart eye emoticons} Guys- lets get real- our marriage began as a 21 year old {me} super bratty, vain & retail therapy extraordinaire  and 25 year old {matt}.. simple small town Matt..., young, tan, fit, goo goo over each other- with literally NO care in the world about anything... just being together.... I am SO thankful that we started out simply... My dream date was to be at a gym. His was too. We met in Boston, as he was renting my childhood home from my dad, and was attending the church that we went to too... we laid on the hood of his ghetto o.l.d Toyota Cressida, and star gazed in the driveway on West Wyoming Ave,,, talking about Heaven,,, we knew we had something real... we knew that we were just meant for each other ...despite his empty wallet and my very high maintenance self ... from those 2 weeks in Melrose in 2002 to now 2015, we aren't as fit anymore, we are tan though, well he's red like a Maine Lobsta as of now, our wallets are still pretty empty, but our  love for our Lord has most definitely grown together. And I think that that's the most important piece of our marriage puzzle. Our hearts beat as one. And seriously that's a miracle.. It takes 2 to tango but some days I can tango with my selfish self and man, God is good. To still love me even when I am so un-loveable and don't show His love to those that matter most to me... God washes us with grace like every hour some days... the days of mourning after the loss of my dad...the days of stress during family heartbreak... the day when you  get a call that your brother in law's fiance overdosed leaving  their precious little girl motherless...  the joyful days when our son trusted Christ and the days of pregnancy {which I adore & miss, but am thankful for our trio and think that we are finito :)} the days when Matt works from home, and the kids attack him with hugs & nerf guns while his boss is emailing him -the corporate american stress is great & then Hudson drips Popsicle juice on our white couch and the mailman brings bills that we dont wanna see...and the car A/C breaks.... and this and that... you've been there...wheres the towel? Throw it in? Surrender to Satan and the attacks and the "norms" of our country? Not even a chance.. When my heart is overwhelmed...lead me to the Rock that is higher than I... through it all... the love that we have is not a tan & fit kinda love ... its the deep in your heart straight from Heaven love that connects and keeps us as one and we fight for our marriage & we kick Satan out A.L.O.T... and we pray that you fight for yours & give Satan the boot too :) XOXOXO

* 200th Post *

Thankful this week....


that we got a new car.... what happens when you brother works at a dealership & figures out great deals... and although I miss the extra space of our van for yard sale hauls, I am loving the MPG and the sportiness that a fun sedan provides...


that we  got to drive to MI to support friends during a time of loss.  I was saved during a meeting that Jim Smith was having back in MA, in 1989! Every time I saw him from that time on, I was always thankful for how God used him to speak to me, at the young age of 6! And now, he is in Heaven, healthy, renewed, rejoicing and able to look at the One he talked about, all the time!! What a very very neat thing to think about, right? That reunion day will be here before we know it! "even so come"


that he (jim smith), was married for 63 years... I love testimonies like that... love is not easy- relationships take time, they take work and sometimes hard convos, but I love that there were still LONG marriages... our society shows us - this is not the norm, but before God, it should be. Pray for marriages everywhere...

for endorphin's & the natural high they give

for early morning grocery shopping time... Kid free cart  & customer free store

to have survived another hudson haircut fiasco  ... Sigh...


for fresh summer fruit & veggies {current faves squash, berries & watermelon & farm fresh homemade strawberry rhubarb pie!}

for the republican GOP debate night  - I'm the furthest thing from politically minded as they come - but Trump is totally a crack up!

for preseason NFL


that my dad has enjoyed 7 years in Heaven {8.9.08}

 Coming back from Michigan

Timbits!!

When the iPad dies... you play with toes... 

The cutest co-pilot ever :)

 She loves her zzz's 

 She is our Chips & Salsa lover 

Homemade pizza!!

New wheels :) 

Squished in uncle dustys car :)

Loved this.

Love our gym! If you want to go, google Lifetime Fitness... there may be one by you! You will L.O.V.E it...Saturday was Ariel at the Pool day, and facepainting :)

What a week! XO

Good Morning!
New week, new start, beginning of a new month, a busy, awesome month... let's do this together... with God's help :) If you are wanting an August Scripture plan... head over to www.swtblessings.com for her awesome August plan. This week was an awesome God week... you have those too? I know every day and every week should reflect that, but sometimes I grow cold and thankless... and just carry on out of duty but miss the God Stuff... this week we were in tune... thankful that God never leaves even when I grow cold or distant...

Thankful this week for answers to financial prayers... praying very specifically is seriously so awesome. I am so thankful to see power in prayer. It felt like God was literally in our house on Friday & it was awesome!

Thankful for answered family prayers. This month is wedding month for my big bro, and with that comes Satan, who is wanting to destroy anyone's testimony and break apart our family who has been broken and mended so many times... so we kicked Satan out yesterday, and we all knew it was him and his fault and man, it felt good to stand strong in the Lord. No joke guys, if you are a believer, and things get crazy and ugly, it's noone's fault but the devils... kick him out... pray him out & move on!

Thankful for our zoo pass. Investing in memberships is ideal, and our zoo has a new section that is brand new, and we felt like we struck gold. Too much fun!!

Thankful that my hubby has been able to work from home 2 days a week as he strengthens from his ulcers and stomach pain.

Thankful that Dust got him a Porsche for his birthday weekend. He really really really enjoyed it!!
 {I did too, but man, that car goes fast, and it's REAL life, not a race car video game.... yikes... I had to try extra hard to be joyful going 90... I am not so young and carefree as before... sigh...}

Thankful for a christian babysitter, who we trust and has endless patience with our 3 silly kiddos, and who is available super last minute

Thankful to see our young people leave to attend a Seed Sower event... how awesome that teens want to use a week out of their summer to mingle with other Christians and to serve the Lord. Love it!

Thankful for visitors at our worship gathering, who gave very very blunt, needed ministry. You know that time when you can hear a pin drop? That time when you know he is talking straight at you and your heart stops because you have been praying for that specific need or situation? Yeah. That. Powerful stuff. Also equally amazing, was the fact that our squirmy Hudbud was still and on my lap for that entire message, allowing me to literally soak every.thing.in. That was a God thing!!

Thankful that Harrison's new football league has been a success. We love the coaches and the organization compared to last year's league. He has been getting sick workouts every night at practice! 2.5 hours!

Thankful that Harrison can meet new friends, so fast. He knew no one on his team, he walks up, they're playing catch, he joins, he catches the ball & makes a touchdown. I literally just melted inside. He has courage to join in. He has the ability to play and play well. He has the kindness that makes him stand out & he listens to his coaches. I appreciate this boy to no end and am praying that he adapts as successfully to his new 5th grade class in a few weeks, too.

 Porsche rides :) 

Oh how we LOVE this city!!!!

 Happy 36th to my dearest bestie!!! 

 Best news ever thanks to Shape Magazine

 Zoo date 

 This is the new spot... Hudson is sooo all about the Hands on stuff... loved his interaction with the goats.. sooo cute.

 

 {He is now a Pioneer, not Stars, but we needed a practice jersey :)}

 Look at these faces. XO