We are plotting and planning

we've had an AMAZING break so far. christmas was fabulous in storm lake. always so fun to spend time with the burbacks. every single time i am beyond thankful that i not only LOVE my in-laws, but i LIKE them. we laugh hard. we have a blast.
i barely got my camera out at all. i'll download pics a little later. i was just happy to enjoy our time together.
then my brother and his family arrive later this week. we will celebrate christmas and new years together over the weekend. SO looking forward to that as well!
paul had monday off from work. we did NOTHING. had a fire going. drank a bottle of wine and dreamed about 2012. we have been planning a vacation as soon as school gets out. and we got that all finalized yesterday! we are heading to the upper peninsula in michigan to kayak/bike/hike for a week!! and we are pumped!! we will be renting this house for the week...

it has been so fun to plan! i LOVE planning trips. seriously. i think i missed my calling as a travel agent. in the midst of all this planning, we realized we would have to bring along our kayaks and our bikes. we had purchased the kids an inflatable kayak for christmas, but still have 2 kayaks that we need to transport outside of the car. we found a kayak rack for the top of our car. we were kind of giggling about how we would look driving down the interstate with kayaks on top our car. and then we remembered we needed to purchase a bike rack for the back of the car. we hit up amazon and started looking. we found one for a very reasonable price and then died laughing when we looked at the photo....

for real. it's going to be hilarious. 2 kayaks on top and 5 bikes on back. a family of 5 PLUS a golden doodle inside. oh my word. one day i will miss this. i know i will. but for today, it was just hysterical. feeling so so blessed. truly. my cup is overflowing. and i cannot wait to take pictures of our own gear gracing the outside of our van this summer. it will be a blast.
(oh...and did i mention while we are in michigan, the dirks family will be just down the road from us? can you imagine THEIR car with a family of 7?? so fun! can't WAIT for this trip!)

Lani

She had a solo at our Christmas program at church today.
So sweet.
Brigg, Lani and Ayla were all in a little play as well.
And after that we rushed to a local nursing home so Lani and Brigg could play piano in a Christmas recital.
Here's a video of Lani singing...

This brought me to tears...

Read the article HERE
I love what Christmas does to the human spirit.
Love.

Really?

have i really be absent that long? wow. that's forever.
i feel like i start every blog post out with a big "we have been BUSY".
but it's true. every time i say it, it is true.
and i am thankful.
because we have several kids who love to GO.
and a dog that loves to eat. and run. and chew tissues.
and i have a job that i LOVE.
and my husband has 2 jobs that he doesn't hate, too. :)
all really happy, good stuff.
so i am thankful for it all. bring it.

since i haven't updated in a while, i think i'll just give a quick run down.
paul is doing great. he is still working 2 jobs. mpw and home inspections. his home inspection business continues to grow. i have a love/hate relationship with this business. i love it because HE loves it. and he is GOOD at it. and it brings in a nice little extra income for us. but i hate it because it's all done outside of regular business hours. so i get a little up tight when he is gone ALL DAY LONG and then working on his computer all night long finishing up a report. we are working on getting some new software that might eliminate some of that extra time in the late night hours. but they call it moonlighting for a reason.

i am also doing great. busy busy at school. still so thankful that i got a job in the 5th grade. i don't think i could possibly do those younger grades. we had to show the puberty video the other day. that was great fun. something i didn't really think about when taking this position! good times indeed. we strategically planned it the last hour of the day on the day before thanksgiving break. we are smart. worked like a charm. haven't heard them speak a word about it since their return.
i love my students and my co-workers and my parents. i can't imagine walking away from this job. although i have days where i daydream of staying home with the kids again. then i remember that 2 of them are in school all day and ayla is a holy terror. :)
we are going to mexico in march!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
leah is getting married. i only have 2 personal days a year. i am taking them both for this trip. it will be a QUICK trip. leaving on an EARLY flight on a thursday and returning on an afternoon flight on that sunday. i wish it could be longer. but it will be so awesome to be in that beautiful place and watch leah and jeff tie the knot. SO FUN!! SO HAPPY for them! can't wait!!!!!

brigg is still taking piano lessons and playing basketball right now. oh...and his music teacher taught him how to play the recorder with his nose. true talent. :) she also taught him how to wash the recorder in the dishwasher. ha!
he is growing like crazy. when he stands in front of me i can rest my chin on the top of his head. wow. i'm dreading the day when he no longer wants to give me a kiss and hug goodbye in the morning and before bed. love him so much.

lani is doing horseback riding lessons and piano lessons. she loves them both. she is great at them both. i tear up every time i see her on that horse. for real. she is so happy in those moments. i'm so grateful she has found something she loves. as any mother would agree, i'm sure, it's so amazing to see your child happy and thriving.
she is doing great in school and her reading is finally taking off. she loves to read. and i honestly was very concerned about her reading for a long time. then suddenly it just clicked. so fun to witness.

ayla. oh ayla. this child is refining us every.single.day. by the time she leaves our home we will be THE most patient people on the planet. honestly. there will no others in existence who will have a greater amount of patience than we do. we will have had years and years and years of practice with her. :) she is hot or cold. and it can change with NO notice whatsoever. she dropped out of preschool. it was just too many changes all at once. and now she's fine. she is doing great at daycare. she never complains about going. but she is always ready for the weekend. she knows what it means when i tuck her in bed on thursday night and tell her "tomorrow is FRIDAY!" she loves the weekend and her time with all of us. oh...and she is so funny in the morning. INSISTS on kissing and hugging brigg and lani goodbye. it drives them crazy. but she won't let them out the door without it. cute.

willow is huge. and shaved. but honestly, that dog is getting SO GOOD. she's getting calmer by the day. but she still loves to find tissues and chew on them. i do not understand that. i think if you are not big dog people, golden doodles are the dog for you. we haven't done much in the way of training, but she is really pretty well-behaved for a dog of 1.5 years!

we are heading to storm lake for the holidays. i am really looking forward to our break together. one of the HUGE perks of teaching. i get all that time off with the kids over the holidays. makes me happy!! my christmas shopping is done for the most part. couple little things to pick up, but really not too much. thank you trusty online shopping. i love you.

and it's still not too late to pick up a stove for christmas. they have been FLYING off the shelves the past couple of days! so fun!

i'm off to play with brigg's christmas gift....a kindle. i've wanted one for years, but somehow my 10 year old is getting one before me. how does that happen??
happy weekend to all....

cyber monday...

there are SO many great deals out there today!
and i'm not gonna lie...i may have purchased several items from my christmas list today.
BUT.
the best purchase i've made so far, you ask?
STOVES!
you can give them in someone's name and the adventure project will send them an e-card HERE.
check it out.
if you're looking for a gift idea for me, i'd LOVE a stove or two purchased in my name!! :)
for real.
consider heading on this journey with the adventure project.

Stoves!

Remember Jody?
You know...that friend of mine from a while back? :)
I may have mentioned her a time or 2 on this blog.
And guess what...she's still a part of my life. And she's been busting her butt this past year or so getting The Adventure Project up and running.
Their impact has been amazing.
Their philosophy is new and different and is filled with dignity and and the belief that creating change from the inside out by providing sustainable solutions is possible.
It's awesome.
Watch this...

Give a Stove this Holiday - The Adventure Project Campaign on Vimeo from The Adventure Project on Vimeo.

I love this for may reasons but one of the main ones is that for the first time ever Jody is speaking at a normal pace and her arms are not flailing. She must REALLY REALLY believe in what's she's doing because that took some serious self-control on her part. :)
(love you, jody!)

So I will be buying stoves for Christmas. Because the impact is huge.
And sustainable. And good for the earth. And amazing for communities that are working to pull themselves up out of poverty.
I hope you join me.
GO.
Check it out!

still adjusting

ugh.
seriously, will we ever get this figured out?
i stayed at home for the better part of 10 years.
i did everything home-wise.
because that was my job.
bills, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, pet care, running errands and on and on.
so we knew when i went back to work full-time that it was going to be an adjustment to say the least.
we knew we were going to have to make some shifts in responsibilities.
and honestly, we've transitioned quite well.
but once in a while, things just get overwhelming.
and i freak.
like this morning.
last night brigg found a tick on willow.
this morning i said to paul "what was the date you took willow to the vet? we probably are about at one month and need to give her her next pill for fleas, ticks, heartworm, etc."
he stared at me blankly.
"what pill? i didn't give her a pill that day."
WHAT?!?
(enter my freaking out because our neighbors dog died of lyme disease last year).
so we bicker back and forth as i'm throwing dishes in the dishwasher and FORGETTING to switch over the wet clothes into the dryer. barking at him from the kitchen as he's rushing lani along to finish drying her hair and get the big kids out the door.
apparently i never told him about the pill.
because i just DID IT.
it was never written down.
i don't have a list.
i did things for TEN YEARS.
it was just something i did.
so now when i forget i just assume someone else will pick up my slack.
without ever telling them.
(or him).
and it's frustrating! for both of us!
so paul rushes out the door with me shouting out reminders as he's in the doorway and i rush out the front door to get ayla to daycare 10 min late.
after i drop her off, paul and i meet again on our cell phones.
we go over the plan for the day.
for the weekend.
what am i forgetting?
he says "you need to write it all down. everything you do."
oh my.
I DON'T HAVE TIME!
but this weekend that is the plan.
write it all down. because geez, this stuff needs to get done!
in my panic i had visions of a dead dog and sobbing children and late bills and paul's business failing and us living in a van down by the river.
you know how one little thing in your brain can evolve into the end of the world? :)
yeah. that's me.
i'm trying. i don't want to fail at any of my jobs.
and we are getting there.
but we are obviously still going through an adjustment period.
(paul called the vet and he calmed my worries. we think willow might live. whew.)

The American Girl Store

ok.
my american girl place post! :)
so we went to the store after a long night before and a train ride to chicago and we had already walked all over the city with no stroller so ayla was tired.
and this place was insane.
totally crazy busy.

it was loud and overstimulating for me.
but we had been planning this and we also had reservations for "tea" at 4:00.
so we ventured in and someone must have seen the overwhelmed look on our faces.
she was like a personal shopper.
for real.
she just walked around with us and helped us find what we were looking for.
she was nice.
but paul and i kept looking at eachother and kind of giggling.

because really, i don't think paul and i are American Girl people.
we know so many people who love going here.
so i really hate to say anything negative.
BUT we did not love it.
although we DO love ayla.
and she had been dreaming of an american girl doll for a long time.

4:00 came and we went to "tea".
a loud bell rang and everyone that was sitting outside got to go in and be seated.
they had highchairs for the little girls' dolls.
and little tea cups and plates for the dolls.

and finger food.
little sandwiches and some mini scones and some fruit.
paul had decided he didn't want to eat any of the food, but he still had to pay a $10 "sitting fee".
appparently to just BE in the room.
oh my.
did i mention we are not american girl people?
also...did i mention that we could not stop looking at eachother wide-eyed and laughing?
:)
ok good.

so the moment we gave ayla her doll made it all worth it.
she was so cute.
and so happy.
and i think paul's 2 hours of torture turned into a smile. :)
i'm so glad we went.
i'm so glad she loves her doll.
but i'm pretty sure we'll never go again.
whew.
i LOVE chicago.
but i'm thinking we'll stay away from this store in the future.
we'll stick with checking out marilyn's panties. :)
and i won't give a "formal" review.
because honestly, i know LOTS of people who love going here. I hadn't heard one person that shared my distaste, so take what i say with a grain of salt. you should check it out yourself.
you may be pleasantly surprised.
happy birthday ayla. we really really love you.

One of my favorites...

Tonight we finished harvesting the garden.
Brussel sprouts.
One of our favorites.

This has been so fun!
The kids LOVE picking our produce out of the garden!

And the best part?
The kids ate brussel sprouts tonight.
All 3 of them.
They would NEVER eat them if they hadn't picked them.

So awesome!
And really...I had NO IDEA this was how brussel sprouts grew!
Crazy!!

Can't wait for next year's garden.
We will tweak things and it will be even better!

Our Storm...

Oh Ayla...


How can you possibly be FOUR YEARS OLD today?
How is it that it feels like you are only a baby but yet you have been a part of our lives forever?

Our little unexpected gift.
The one who turned our world upside down even before you showed your face.
We had no idea what was coming.
And then on November 9, 2007, you arrived.
And our lives have never been the same.

Over the past 4 years you have REtaught us how to be parents.
You are passionate and intense.
You are stubborn and curious.
You bring spunk to our household.
You are UH-dorable.
Everywhere we go, people tell you that.
But I love it best when they say "she is so CUTE!" and you say "AND smart."
with attitude.
It's true. Brains, beauty and spunk.
You love deeply.
You scream loudly.
You laugh genuinely.
You are ONE OF A KIND.

As you turn four today, I pray that you learn to channel your intensity for good. That you use your confidence and energy to spread love and joy.
I pray your curiosity grows and motivates you to learn more. To love deeper and give freely.

We love you, Ayla Lyn.
We cannot imagine our lives without you in them.
You have completed our family.
We cannot wait to see what God has in store for you.
Happy birthday Ayla bean.
With all our love, Happy Birthday.

On the way...

done

As u Can imagine...ayla is tired. Long weekend.
Good exciting funny moments mixed with stubborn crabby tired moments.
This is ayla. In muscatine or in Chicago.
She is no different.
She is in love with her American girl doll.
She waned to go to the dolls where u pick one that looks like you.
She picked the black doll with long black hair.
She insisted.
So cute.
We love her so so much.
She wears us out.
And now Paul and i are ready for a vacation. :)
More to come when I'm not on my phone jammed in a train....

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almost there!

We are so excited!

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2 of the 2989 reasons...

we love living out here.
Sepp...

and Leona...

they live directly across the street.
they are amazing.
they have 8 grandsons and NO granddaughters.
they say they don't need any...they have ayla and lani.
it's a perfect relationship.
we adore them.

jennie took pics

i did not.
to see some from lani's night last night.
go to her blog HERE.
they are so cute.
so lani.

fun stuff!

last night was so fun!
i had 12 conferences. i lost my voice.
but then paul picked me up with all the kids (+1) in tow and we headed to incredible pizza to celebrate lani.
it was a great time.
by the time we got home the kids were beat and they went to bed pretty quickly.
then paul and i watched the MOST amazing cardinals game.
there may have been texting and facebooking and screaming and jumping going on during the whole thing.
not to mention laughing and jumping into paul's arms while he swung me around in circles when it was finally over.
at one point i tried to wake up brigg but he was way too tired. i was so disappointed.(i am not the best mom ever, but fun!)
it was a great time.

and TODAY is going to be great, too!
no school.
lisa and i planned to meet with lani and macy to celebrate their birthdays together.
you may remember the story of lani and macy. if not, you can read about it HERE.
what a special time in our lives.
what a special relationship they have.
so thankful we get this day together just the 4 of us. it's going to be awesome.

so i am off this morning. lots to do before we head out.
my cup runneth over....

8 is great.

At least that holds true for Lani.
Today she turns 8.
And I tell you what...this child is beyond great.
What a blessing she is to us.
Patient. Kind. Generous. Compassionate. Humble. Not confident. Compliant. Shy. Sweet.
So.
Not.
ME.
Sometimes I wonder how she came from my womb. :)
(fyi...i ordered the above photo in an 8x12 canvas for her birthday. she loves bridgette. can't wait to give this to her!)

But I'm SO thankful she did.
Eight years ago God gave me a girl.
I didn't ask for one.
Honestly.
I thought I'd end up with all boys.
The night I went into labor I asked for the "blue room" because I was sure boy number 2 was about to arrive.
And then our little Nalani showed up.
And I turned to Paul with tears in my eyes and literally said, "I didn't know I wanted a girl!"
I remember it like it was yesterday.
And honestly, I remember nearly every second of Lani's first few months of life like they were yesterday.
It was a rough transition for us. Add in 6 surgeries in 12 months and you had one stressed out momma.
But man, Lani was and EASY baby.
An EASY toddler.
And now and EASY child.
Our calm before the storm, some might say. :)
(more on our storm on HER birthday...)
Last night as I sat there thinking about Nalani in all her sweetness, I was overcome with emotion.
Gosh, God knew what we needed.
And our sweet little baby turned out to be a perfect mix of sweet and strong.
Compliant and determined.
Quiet and witty.
Compassionate and brave.
She is incredible.
And I love her with all that I am.
As she turns 8, I pray that her confidence grows and she fully recognizes her God-given gifts.
I pray that she continues to be sure in who she is and what she believes. That her faith grows and her worries disappear. That as she matures, she learns to hand over those fears to the one who created her and loves her even more than I do.
Thank you God for Nalani Alma. For her sweet, generous, compassionate, funny heart. Thank you for picking us to be her parents. Thank you for hearing my prayers for all boys and saying "Nope." Our lives are so much better because of Lani Lou.
Happy birthday Lou Bug. We love you so so much....

This week

Conferences.
Lani's birthday.
on top of...
piano lessons, basketball practice, and a home inspection.
but no school on friday.
and honestly, i'm super nervous about conferences.
ugh.

500 women

i HAVE to share this with you!
The Adventure Project is at it again. Upping the stakes. Still working towards the goal of hiring 500 women.
As of tonight there are 147 covered.
We are looking for people to step up and sponsor the rest this month.
There are only 2 weeks left.
I believe we can do it!
$162.
$120 for health care training classes and $42 for a uniform and tote.
I am pumped!
I cannot wait to receive our photo next year of the woman who was hired because of our one time donation.
You, too, can help.
Go HERE to check it out!

god must have known...

i was going to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day today.
that is why this weekend was so awesome.
i needed it to get me through today.
i'm exhausted.
and as a friend said "the highs are really high and the lows are really low". (or something like that!)
and that is truth.
hoping tomorrow is really high.
because i can't take another one like today that soon.
night blog world....