Busy week.

I don't think I shared what Beth did. I promised I'd take a picture of her because she wanted to tape it to the book she's making, and I finally got around to taking one (I took a bunch and she picked her favorite), then had it printed at Walgreens. She quite happily taped it to the back of her book, and I think it was adorable that she wanted one on her book. She has dreams of publishing her work, and who knows, maybe she'll be the writer in our family.



I also did a photoshoot with the girls this past week. I've been wanting to do one with them for some time, and finally got around to doing it. I got some great pictures, but my favorite is this one. I'm going to blow it up and we're going to frame it for the wall.



I'm starting school with the girls tomorrow. I'm mostly excited, though there are a few things I still have to get taken care of. Kate is the only one who's not excited, but I think as soon as she starts, she's going to love it.

Quick recap.

Back at the beginning of the year, I made a loose resolution to keep up better with this blog. As you can see, that resolution went the way of many New Year's resolutions. I'm trying again, though. Life has been very busy this summer, and yet in another way, it's been a good one in which to relax.

My mother-in-law has lived with my husband and I for the majority of our married life. It's too long to get into tonight, but she's lived with us in this house for almost six years, and she just moved out last Tuesday. It's been really nice having the house to ourselves. It was nice having her here, too, but with her gone, we have more room. Each girl can have her own bedroom, and Jon and I moved things around in the house.

This summer, I also made a homeschooling friend. She has two kids, similar in age to my younger two. She's not a Christian, but we get along well. I met her at the library, and we've been trying to get together semi-regularly.

I stopped working this past July and I have enjoyed this summer home with the girls. We've gone to the beach, hung out with friends, the older two went to camp for a week, and done many crafts; the only thing we haven't done is camped out, and we may be remedying that this week. Jon's having a great year at work, for which we are all thankful. I'll be starting school with the girls in the next week or so. I don't know how excited the girls are, but I know it's time. And getting back into a regular routine will be good for all of us.

I know I shouldn't sign off without a picture, so here you go.

Again, my fabulous friend wrote an outstanding blog post about realizing your true worth, even if it's just to your own circle of friends and acquaintances. Pop on over there and tell her if you liked it!

http://dontstopbelieving.me/2015/03/do-what-you-do-be-what-you-are/

Mom, winter, and a cruse.

My mom's birthday is next week, and she hasn't seen the girls in a long time (well, she saw Jill just last year when Dale died), so she flew out from Arizona to visit with us for a week. Of course, being CT, we have several feet of snow wherever you go, and the bitter wind bites into you when you step outside, so I can't take Mom everywhere I want to. We're still managing to have fun, though.

Jill and Beth went to art class this morning, then came home and started school. Just 'cause MawMaw's here doesn't mean school's out of session! We're only doing a half day today, though, and I know they quite like that. Mom took us out to McDonald's for lunch--the girls each had a Happy Meal and ice cream, something that almost never happens.

Speaking of winter days, I've actually not battled depression this year. I do every winter, and I think it's because I've been working. So I'm staying busy, and getting out of the house multiple days a week. I think I won't like work quite as much when the sun in shining outside and those perfect spring or summer days beckon, though.

Oh, and I know this update is sort of all over the place, but I have one last piece of excellent news. Jon, because he's had so many excellent months at work, won a cruise. We're going in April for a little over a week and I CANNOT wait. I've never been on a cruise, and I've never been out of the country, and I'll be doing both. :D

I don't link to other things a lot with this blog, but I thought this was beautiful. My friend Brenda wrote it, and if you've ever felt discouraged in your Christian walk, you should definitely read this.

http://dontstopbelieving.me/2015/02/lessons-and-love/

I woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. The sun hadn't fully risen, so the world had a blue cast. No animal or man had broken the snow, so it coated tree branches and blanketed the ground, pure and clean. I didn't have an opportunity to take pictures, but it was beautiful. I hope to get out later today with my camera and capture at least a little of what the world looked like this morning.

Since this is a public blog, I don't want to say too much, but Jon may have a work opportunity coming up that I would appreciate prayer for.

He was on vacation this past week, and he's been very busy on the house. The walls are sanded and painted, a new light and a new fan are hung, and our house is starting to look nice! We're hoping to get our floors done this summer, and if we do what friends of ours did, it won't cost too much to get it done.

I'm almost done with school!! I finished all my classes weeks ago, but I've had this one test hanging over my head (it's not graded, but all seniors take it and its given to many colleges); MBU is in the top 10% of school (I think it might be higher, actually), so I'm feeling pressured to do well. I have to have a proctor and someone at the school will be on the other end, I don't know, making sure I don't cheat? Anyway, since Brenda (my pastor's wife) has proctored all of my tests, Jon and I wanted to get her something nice. I can't wait to give it to her! It's a nice set of knives that Jon got at Penny's; with the sale and a coupon, he got a set of almost $300 knives for $100.

My husband, the father.

They say that you'll fall in love with your spouse more when you see how they act with your children. I believed the saying even before I had kids, but 11+ years later, it still holds true. When the girls were babies, Jon didn't interact very much with them. He'd hold them and change them, but it wasn't until they started moving around and making noises and becoming little tiny people that he really bonded with them. Now he'll come home from a long day at work and tickle them or read a story to one or the other, he'll help them with their music practice if they need it, and he'll do it all gladly.

He's silly with them, he shares his interests with them, and I can see his love in the way he acts around them. He's genuinely glad to be around them. Before marriage, I knew he was good with kids because he and I used to babysit kids of a couple we were friends with. But he amazes me--even when he's tired or grumpy, he still shows he loves them every day, and I'm beyond thankful for that.

*blows off dust*

Hi, there! Remember me? I used to post here semi-regularly. With a new year upon me, I'd like to do so again. It's been so long, though, that I'll just hit the highlights.

Jill is ten years old. I don't know when that happened. I think I might have blinked, because it seems to have gone by just that fast. She plays the flute and takes voice lessons, loves all animals and insects, loves nature shows on TV, and would read all day if I let her. She's a funny mix of kid and not-kid, and as she figures out who she is, some days I have a grumpy kid and other days I have a fantastic kid. But I love her and enjoy this crazy ride she's taking me on as her mom.

Beth, at eight, is almost always sunshiney. But that's always been her personality. She makes friends with every person she meets. She plays the piano and harp, loves all insects and animals, and while she likes reading, she prefers graphic novels and stories over regular novels. She also has a passion for art, and if it came to a choice between art or reading, she'd choose art every time.

Kate, my baby at six, is definitely a youngest child! She loves attention, and while she's typically pretty happy, knows how to turn on the whine to get what she wants (which, funnily enough, doesn't work, so who knows why she still tries!). She's a sweet kid, and adores her big sisters. She plays the piano, and while she also loves bugs and animals, she also loves dressing up and pretending to be a princess or a super hero, whichever strikes her fancy.

These kiddos are crazy, always-busy, and make me smile each day. Sure, we have our hard days or our frustrating days, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. I love watching my girls grow and change every day.

Jon and I are doing well. I have a part-time job, but I'm trying to get a writing job of some sort since I just finished college and now have my Bachelor's in English. I love writing, always have, so I hope I can find something. The thing about writing is so often, you need experience to break in anywhere, but no one will hire you since you don't have experience.

I plan on taking up the clarinet and piano again. My clarinet is being serviced, and I don't know what happened to my piano book, but I look forward to reimmersing myself in the world of music. Also, now that I'm done with school, I can read books again. I checked out almost half a dozen just today! And I can keep the house clean and spend time with my girls and jut live life.

I'm hoping to start writing in here more regularly, so stay tuned!