Fun with Friends!

Another warm sunny May day! Matt had a wedding so the kids and I were home and able to have friends come to play for the day. We were so blessed to have Noah and Jacob come play for the afternoon while their mom and dad and baby brother went to a wedding. We had a blast!!!! Because of the nice warm weather we decided to start with some splashing in the pool and water table. It is a perfect size for four little people!We had some snacks....

We played in the sand box...
We even went to the neighbors to play on their castle playground and had so much fun just all being together. At the end of today we were exhausted...

Cameron in his new sleeping bag (thanks Alice and Chris!!)

Thank you to the Lodermeier's for coming to play today...you are a blessing in our lives!!

Yeah for Date Nights!

Matt and I had time together tonight....without the kids....it was much needed....and very nice! I don't want it to seem like we don't love being parents but it was so nice to just have time for us. We were able to go to the Twins game and had great seats thanks to a very special friend :) Just being together felt so good. Now that the kids are getting a little older it seems a little easier to have a sitter come. Thank you Maddie and Siri!!

Here are a couple of pictures from our night out...
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Love you Matt and loved our time together tonight!

A Perfect Day!

It was a perfect day in many ways....

1. The weather was AWESOME and the kids and I were able to be outside for most of it.
   
2. I was able to run and read a bit before the kids woke up and they woke up very happy!
3. We got to see Matt mid day at school.
4. We went to pick up our veggies for planting and I realized I had a gift certificate :)
5. We had a sunny, warm, and calm day for planting our garden
6. Had supper outside on the back porch and listened to some of our favorite tunes
7. Matt got the lawn mowed
8. We went to the Dairy Queen for a blizzard and saw the full moon rising!

I can't thank God enough for such a wonderful day to be with the kids and Matt and get some things accomplished around the house. Maybe it sounds like I am bragging and I'm sorry if it makes anyone annoyed but it really just was a blessed day and for many reasons a day that I don't want to forget.

One of the things I have really enjoyed about our home is the garden and ability to have a place to plant veggies. Last summer was our first garden since living in Albert Lea and although it didn't look very good at the end (I was not very good at keeping the weeds out!) it was so fun and nice to be able to run out and get fresh veggies. It has also been fun because the kids love being a part of the planting. Here are a few pictures of my little helpers...
The sun was pretty intense and I did a good job of putting sunscreen on the kids but maybe not such a good job on myself. I thought I covered most areas of my body that were exposed to the sun but tonight am finding a few spots that were left without. I even found an area where Cameron touched my leg with the sunscreen from his hand...if you look closely in the next picture you can see his hand print on my burnt leg!
After all our hard work we had a great supper sitting outside on the porch. The back porch is a favorite spot for our family as the view into the valley is beautiful. Meals together as a family are the best. As the kids get older they are more and more enjoyable!

To top off our evening we decided to take a trip to the Dairy Queen for blizzards. We gave the kids baths, put their jammies on and headed out the door. If I could have a blizzard every night, I think I would. My new favorite is Oreo Cookie Jar...I would highly recommend it!

It sounds like it will be a great Memorial Day weekend with beautiful weather. Matt and I have a date night tomorrow night so should be a great kick off for the weekend.

Pressing On

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

This is the verse that helped me run 13.1 miles in yesterday's Maple Grove half marathon. Back in January, my friend Alice asked if Matt and I would run the half marathon with them. At first when she asked it sounded fun but I had major doubts I could do it. Matt and I signed up and before we knew it we were training to run. A few short runs during the week and a long run on the weekends...how bad could it be. In January, I'll be honest that I was pretty proud of myself when I could complete a mile!!! Over time I 've learned that my body can adjust but it is my mind that works against me....hence the need for some encouragement and the verse above to focus on to keep pushing me.

Matt ended up not being able to run as his Achilles really started to bother him. I am so proud of him for the time and training he put into it though. He is someone that really isn't a huge fan of running but gave it a huge effort regardless.

Yesterday was a great day to run as it started out cool and the rain held off until we were done. It was a little bit muggy but the cooler temperatures made it bearable. My goals were to run the entire race and to finish. I was able to accomplish both goals and was still standing at the end!!

Matt and the kids were huge troupers getting up and leaving the house at 5:15am to come and support me. It was the best to have the three of them at different points to cheer me on and keep me going. I just want to give a shout out to Alice, Chris, Andy, Megan and Jill who were the friends I ran with. Congratulations to all of you for completing the race and thank you for all your encouragement!!

Here is our group of runners from yesterday...

Conversations with Cameron

I am always amazed to hear Cameron talk. Kids are all so different. Some roll over early, some sit up early, some crawl or even walk early and some talk early. I think Cameron ended up with the talking early part because it seems like he has always been able to hold a conversation (I'm just kidding of course!) Lately we've been able to have some really deep, fun, and very sweet conversations. Here are just a few:

Cameron was having a bad day yesterday and was having a few tantrums (to say the least) at G'ma Debs. He was angry enough that he broke a toy. Here is how our conversation went in the car on the way home.

Mommy: Cameron, why did you get so angry and break G'ma Deb's toy?
Cameron: Because I was hungry.
Mommy: You need to learn that you cannot break things when you get angry. It makes Jesus very sad when you get so angry.
Cameron: OK. (he thinks for a bit) Is Jesus sad when I play baseball? Does Jesus like baseball?
Mommy: Yes, Jesus loves baseball and it makes him happy when you play baseball.
Cameron: Do you think Sogn and Jesus are playing baseball together?
Mommy: (tears in my eyes!!!!) Yes, I think Jesus and Sogn are playing together.
Cameron: Do you think heaven is in outer space?
Mommy: I'm not sure!

We talk a lot about Jesus with Cameron and Emmy and pray that their faith will continue to grow as they grow!

Cameron and Emmy have a bit of a sibling rivalry going lately. At times during the day they are playing so nicely together and at other times they are screaming and mad at each other. Today was one of those days. We played outside most of the day and at one point they were so mad at each other that they were screaming and Cameron threw his baseball right at Emmy's head (thankfully he missed!). I quickly picked him up and this is how our conversation went:

Mommy: Cameron, we DO NOT throw things at people, especially baseballs...you could have hurt Emmy.
Cameron: Emmy was trying to take my car!
Mommy: We need to share! Emmy is your sister and your friend. Jesus gave Emmy to you as a gift to be your friend. You don't want to hurt her.
Cameron: (crying) Emmy is not from Jesus!
Mommy: Yes she is and so were you. You were a present to mommy and daddy from Jesus.
Cameron: (crying even harder!) I did not come from Jesus, I came from a factory!!

Here is one more conversation with Cameron while Matt and Cameron were at the Twins game. Cameron was intently watching his friend Kevin Slowey pitching. Here's how it went:

Cameron: Where did Kevin go when he left the circle? (aka the pitching mound)
Daddy: He went to the dugout to rest.
Cameron: (thinking for a minute) What is he doing in the dugout?
Daddy: Well he went in there to rest.
Cameron: Did he lay down? Did he close his eyes?

Since going to the Twins game, whenever we play baseball at home he will hit a ball, run the bases and then pretend to go into the dugout...he always lays down when he does this!! It cracks us up every time but he really believes that is what the players are suppose to do in the dugout!

Anyway, just posting this blog so we don't forget these fun conversations. My memory is not always very reliable!! Emmy is continuing to learn new words every day and soon we'll be having these fun conversations with her as well!

Ships Passing in the Night!

WARNING: This blog is going to get mushy at the end!!

The title of this blog if funny to me but for some reason it comes to mind when I think of Matt and me lately. We had a bit of a lull after basketball season (at least a few days) and now I am in full swing of my busy time for work and he is picking up with his wedding photography season. We are extremely blessed to have jobs and talents such as Matt has...I believe we are using the gifts that God has given us! The hard part in that is keeping a balance between our family time and most importantly each other. It seems that the time for just "us" is the easiest thing to give up when there is no time left. More and more I am realizing that this SHOULD NOT BE!!

I've begun to realize that sooner than later our kids are going to grow up and move away :( and hopefully some day...God willing...we may get to retire. Then what!!??? I believe Matt and I will still be walking hand in hand...hopefully smiling...and still happy to be together. I realize that to get to that....it is going to take a lot of love and a lot of work! It scares me when I hear statistics about divorce and couples that have been together for 25 or more years splitting up. For this reason, it is so important to take time for one another, without kids, and just hang out and talk! At a recent gathering of my Monday morning Bible study group a friend made the comment that she has made her priorities as God 1st, husband 2nd, family 3rd, work down the line and so on. It was a good reality check for me! It made me think and has since made me think daily about my priorities. My heart and mind have my priorities in the same order she does however, I still struggle to act according to my priorities...especially in this busy time of year.

I feel so blessed to be married to Matt...my best friend and love of my life. He continually supports me (even when I am crabby!!) and loves me, is an AMAZING and hands-on dad, and works extremely hard to provide for our family.

Here is a part of a song that has become a fast favorite of mine...these are the words I would say to Matt -

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I could never undo

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
Gave me you.
- Dave Barnes

I love you Matt!!

Happy Birthday Matt!!

We are so blessed to have a husband and daddy like Matt....Happy Birthday....We love you!!!

What we've been up to

I haven't blogged in a long time about the kids so here is an update to catch up on the last month....

The week of Cameron's birthday we had check ups for both of the kids. We found out that Cameron weighs 28.5 lbs and Emmy weighs 25.5 lbs. She is catching up quickly!!!! I love having their checkups (minus the shots of course) as it is good to get questions answered and it is sort of a milestone in my mind. We have a great doctor that is so good with the kids and he even lets Cameron use his stethoscope to listen to our hearts.

Emmy is working on a number of different words and she even is working on the alphabet. She has the song down very well but the letters don't quite come out as clear. She is at a very curious age and we are finding her to be quite independent. She also loves to dress up!! She recently discovered that she can unzip her own jammies. I caught a picture of her today in her unzipped jammies and her mud boots...it is a great look and makes me laugh every time!!!












Cameron has grown a little taller and can now reach the peddles on his hotwheels and bike. He loves to go down the sidewalk hill on his bike without stopping and because the sidewalk ends between two narrow fence poles getting a helmet was a great idea! G'pa Gary took Cameron to Target one night and they found the perfect Spiderman helmet...it was in the big kids section as he has a bit of a large head for someone his age!! :) Emmy decided that because Cameron got a new helmet, she would have his old one!

During the time I was pregnant with Emmy, a number of people told me that because our kids would be close in age, they would be great friends and playmates. Although Cameron and Emmy are good at getting on each others nerves, I am finding some very precious moments when they play so good together and just love each other. These moments are so fun and very special to watch!

Strength!

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

I had no idea that God clothed me with the kind of strength I displayed today! Check out the photo below...

This is the hole that I put in our shower today as I was shaving my legs (Please don't pay too close attention to the lack of white in the grout between the tiles!!). I put my hand on the wall to gain my balance and ended up going through the wall. I was stunned to say the least! The verse above came to mind this evening as I reflected on the day and thought about my untimely strength.

I have to admit that I have been very unsettled, frustrated, and impatient with our house lately. It is old and has many issues that really need to be taken care of (like the bathroom and shower walls!) and because we don't own the home it makes it tough to be able to get projects done immediately when they need to be. I do believe that God is trying to teach me some things through these frustrating times....patience, contentment, and how to "laugh at the days to come" as the verse says above. If you asked Matt, he would tell you that I have a hard time laughing at things like this so it is on my prayer list.

I believe that God has brought us here and he will bring us to the next phase in his perfect timing. Along the way, he has given us many blessings to be thankful for...healthy and happy kids, a beautiful setting in Sogn Valley, Matt's success in photography, great friends and neighbors, a church home we love, etc...the blessings far outweigh the frustrations!