Friday, March 30, 2012

just woke up

Oh Sara Groves. Is there any song that you write that doesn't deeply affect me? This is an old one, but I've found myself listening to it a lot recently.

Just Showed Up--Sara Groves

Spending my time sleep walking
Moving my mouth but not saying a thing
Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in
I was in love with an idea
Preoccupied with how a life should appear
Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

I'm going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that's honest and real until I'm truly amazed
I'm going to feel all my emotions
I'm going to look you in the eyes
I'm going to listen and hear until it's finally clear and it changes our lives

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive

There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real

And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright

Thursday, March 29, 2012

jude runs and jude bikes

We are thinking that Jude has the athletic gene. I'm not sure how "coordinated" he is, so we'll see how he does in sports like basketball or football. The boy sure can run though! He can go nearly a whole mile without stopping. And he's fast! AND he's got good form! I think the best part though is seeing him so excited to do it. This spring we have given Jeneva the freedom to ride around the block on the parkway side without an adult along. Jude can go too, but he has to be with her, not on his own. Sometimes he chooses to run while she bikes. The other day she went around the block 4x with him tagging along the entire time. One time around is about a quarter of a mile. It's so cute to see him chasing her all the way around and pushing himself to keep up with her! Now we just need to teach him to pace himself. He's also becoming quite proficient on the bike. Jeneva was 4 1/2 when we took the training wheels off and she's been biking fearlessly ever since. Jude is 4 1/2 now and I think once his legs get a little bit stronger we'll be able to take them off too. Probably in a couple of months. He's getting more and more confident on his big bike. The other night we went for a family bike ride. Josie was in the Burley of course, but Jude biked right along and did great! Needless to say all the exercise has wiped him out and he's sleeping just fantastically at night.

Friday, March 23, 2012

random family update

~Being pregnant with number four has brought about many unexpected emotional occurrences. Excited? Yes! Four has always been kind of our dream family size number. And I'm so thankful for God blessing us in this way. Overwhelmed? Yes! Four is a lot of little mouths to feed. Nauseated? MORE THAN EVER! Weeks 4-12 (I'm 12 weeks now) have been utterly miserable beyond description. I went on some medication for a while and that helped a bit. Tired? Of course. There's no way around that. I get out of breath walking up the stairs. Determined to enjoy this pregnancy? Yes! Once I'm over the hump of feeling sick, I think I will truly enjoy this pregnancy-maybe not the final few weeks, but hopefully everything in between.

~Jeneva very enthusiastically volunteered to play her violin for March Music Madness at her school yesterday. She only had to play one song--and I think she was mostly excited about the free t-shirt she got. We need to work on her performing skills I think. She played her song 3x faster than it's supposed to be played and then RAN off stage. It was hilarious!

~The weather this March has been unusually warm (mid 70's day after day!). I LOVE IT! It's been truly a gift from God just for me I think. He is relieving me a bit from my winter blues mixed with pregnancy insanity.

~Almost every morning for the past week or two Jude, Josie and I go down to the creek by our house after Jeneva gets on the bus. They spend an hour or two throwing sticks and rocks in the water, trapsing through mud, and hiding in the trees. It's awesome! I love seeing them play so nicely together AND it uses up some of their energy for the day resulting in nice long afternoon naps for both of them. Them taking naps is vital to me taking a nap. And naps for me are VITAL!

~We are so thankful that Steve has a job. He has never gotten laid off or anything, it provides for our family, and the insurance is good. However, he is not satisfied there and we hate his schedule (he works weekends and has two weekdays off). We are praying earnestly for a change and hope God answers that prayer soon. He has been applying for different jobs here in the Twin Cities as well as in Iowa City. Obviously if an Iowa City job happened, that would mean an out of state move and a huge life change. Trusting that God has a plan for us and trying to be patient and satisfied until he shows us what that plan is.

~We are headed to the North Shore (north of Duluth) next weekend for 3 nights. Some friends offered us their time share right on Lake Superior. We are excited for a little family get-away and love it up there. Minnesota at it's best!

~The kids are outside painting right now. I better go supervise before they end up needing bath number two for the day!Italic