8.13.18

Thankful this week for the fullness of life.... living up each day... whether it was with snuggles for hours with endless kid movies, or with outdoor sweaty walks and bike rides, or waiting in never ending I-80 traffic... each summer day was so celebrated.... and we are thinking we have enough stamina for school now?! t-minus 7 days til they start.

 Thankful for my mom and ray taking hannah everywhere with them. 1st stop was Walmart and apparently she "needed" a cute helmet. Good choice, sis, and yes if her dreams to bike to school daily come true, the helmet is a must!

 thankful for root beer float day and for teaching our sheltered kids what a float is! Goodness what a mom fail! Yes they thought the idea was cool. Yes it was a happy few minutes and silent sipping! And of course in true high maintenance hebert form, the two youngest "couldn't" eat the soda infused ice cream. That would be just too easy ;)

 Iowa Bound!
Thankful that the crazy serious accident was on the other side of the road, and although there was 1 fatality, the other motorcyclist and the semi driver both survived. Be careful ya'll! These roads are nuts!

 Thankful to have arrived at Ray's place just in time for the most gorgeous sun set!

 thankful for the peace that country life gives. Look at that sky, Serious watercolor perfection.

 thankful that when we are with grandpa ray, we are so protected.

 thankful for a fun grill your own hot dog supper!

 thankful for simplicity, fire flies & the glow of the fire

 thankful for the cutest freckled nose & a snuggled bug on Mimi

 Rise and shine! Get ready for the Fair! ( And another impressive sky!)

 Thankful that all our kids are wide eyed and bushy tailed ( goofy smilers) in the early hours.

 We are ready! I think I was more excited than all 5 of them, but that's ok! #akidatheart

 all the hearts ( for the guy next to me, and being able to crop off my arm and thighs)

 We arrived close to 9am, the fair grounds were open at 7am, yet the buildings were just opening as we and the whole planet arrived.

 Aww!! That itty bitty brand new piglet!!

 So my mom and ray are basically adventurers. They love this ride. The kids all were dying for it. Matt, my partner in being scared of heights, was my hero and opted to ride with Hudson so I wouldn't have to.
They all took off. A kid each, and there they went. The round trip was shortened to one way, as the heights got higher as they rode and Hudson increased in squirminess (#thatfallisfar). The kids are alive and in 1 piece, Matt too ;) and we couldn't believe that  Mimi and Ray wanted to go back on it later. #theyrenuts

 All smiles for  the initial few minutes!

 Going to the fair with grandparents means a few extra perks, such as fun rides!

 We wanted iconic fair food .. and although I didnt get anything sweet deep fried... it was just too hot for that... the footlong corn dog was delish

 #beastmodebro

This farm activity was so fun! The kids had to walk through the "farm" and do the "chores" and then at the end they got a paper buck to redeem at the "general store" for a fun snack! 

 And minutes later .... leaving just 3 hours after arrival.... they gone...

Thankful that Matt did in fact go to the early morning Friday interview... we might have debated... after 3 interviews already, with seemingly interested employers, we were like really!? But he did... and then he got an on the spot offer... and took it... and will only be 5 miles from me! Another way to reach the city! Love him and his heart to help the middle schoolers! Math and Science here he comes!

Thankful for a full weekend of fellowship! It was packed with hang time with awesome friends, and although the kids were shot Sunday afternoon after it, we were thankful to have had the chance to connect with the peeps that we did.... knowing just too soon school / work scheds make our social calendar slightly challenged.

Thankful for another adorable Tessa dress! I had to snap a pic before swim suits came on! The back detail is so fun!

8.6.18

Thankful this week for...
inspiration after visiting the Billy Graham Museum
We literally took a picture of every single notable thing... not going to ruin your own visit, so will only post a couple cool pics

thankful for our friends returning home from their summer adventures!

thankful for good friends who strengthen and encourage.
maybe more schooling in matt's future?!

thankful for birthday giftcards and rainy afternoons! 

thankful that the Pay Your Day event at Build a bear, a month ago, was too crazy and got shut down, ( i didnt even know about it- but they sent $15 vouchers to every rewards member!) Hudson got a free kitty and Allen joined the fun for his 1st B-A-B! Of course, lover of all things Blue, got a Blue bear and named him "Blue Blue". 😍

 thankful for our new friend Matt and his desire to share his testimony with the PGM friends

 

thankful to celebrate another year in this awesome guy's life!!!
H a p p y        B i r t h d a y             Mattyyyyyyyyy

(I love how his trainer surprised him with all these balloons- and the banner- so sweet right!? but little did he know... matt and balloons NEVER mix... especially the latex type....and then the trainer proceeded to hand pop EACH one post workout, Matt barely survived 😮🙈🙉)

 thankful for our fave sushi spot in Schaumburg... well worth the hour drive!

 thankful for a yummy healthy supper at Mariano's! It was so hard NOT to have cake for the bday supper, but we both said no, and didn't even miss it ( except now writing this, I want some cake)

 thankful for having harrison working out with us! Leslie is a strong, awesome instructor, yet Harrison wasn't sure it would be enough ( yes this kid is too much!). But then like 1/2 way through he was DEAD. Right. That old lady trainer has some guns, son! It was a good wake up ;)

 thankful for sunny summer afternoons with Allen!

 thankful for IKEA and their childcare service... oddly enough it was empty on a Friday night. What?! No couple wants a free hour of IKEA walking!? Ok, well I get it, but Matt and Big H wanted a movie that the littles couldn't watch, and I wanted some cute black and white things for my classroom.... and viola... IKEA made it all happen...

 thankful for this little fish

 thankful for a very special afternoon celebrating a very special Grandma! Mrs Pike's 95th birthday celebration was Saturday, and it not only provided a way for us all to love on her, we got to have Dusty Mila and Allen!! Allen did so well playing with Hannah, maybe they will be back to visit there more !

 How am I the one looking pregnant!? Mila is stunning in this maternity dress, that I would totally wear not preg! So cute right!?

 thankful for smiles on sunday in new dresses with yummy cake!

 Captured! Finally we get a picture, with kids in cute clothes and everyone smiling!

 thankful for Grandpa Ray's untiring patience and love of all things Hannah related. He is so good to her ( us all!), and it's so fun watching him play girl things! Who knew he could pretend to be Hannah's pet dog! Love him!

 thankful for classroom stuff coming on the same day as our stuff from Washington! It was like Christmas! thankful that in some of those boxes are our friend's Tessa's hand me downs for Hannah's fall outfits!! her closet is stocked!! Thank you Hales!

thankful for my room... oh 108 at Wadsworth ... here we go again!

 having a day to just look at the blank walls and the empty space... gets my brain going.... can't wait for the classroom reveal at the end of august... all I can say is Black and White... with pops of teal, yellow and pink... ready to change this place up... 

thankful for matt's interviews this week.... will see what doors open and how God leads!

thankful for tickets to the Iowa State Fair! Our kids are at fun ages to try this fun event out! Here's to pigging out on all things on a stick! Yum!