a girl can dream

do you ever do this?

drive by a house that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

no, i'm just strange?

well, this house just says, "come on in and stay for awhile!"

it is completely and utterly out of reach.... just one of those houses that makes me hit the curb everytime i drive by because i can not take my eyes off of it.  i don't know what it is... the porch? the roof line?  the blue door? it is just the epotome of charming!

i had a dream house in tyler too.  it's fun to have found one here that makes me smile!  i think it's ok because i don't have any feelings of discontentment or jealousy... i just really think these people have a beautiful home and i wouldn't put up a fight if the keys to this place just appeared in my hand one day.  HA!  :)

it's totally the little things

life is simple

i should be more grateful

here are some things that have brought joy this week...

valentine gel clings

B E A U T I F U L flowers from my guy... in an arby's cup.

beginning the switch to the real deal.... we're leaving formula behind (and, yes, g has to drink soy milk as he has an intolerance to milk).

i bought a single burner (mandate from my mommy in law...hee,hee) and we made MAC and CHESSE people!!  really... i boiled water without having to run next door!  it was amazing!  :)

and i ate something yummy in my own apartment.  little did anyone know that i was choosing not to eat b/c the choices were not appealing.  today... i bought a cheddar and jalepeno bagel - spread it with chipoltle mayo and stacked it high with ham, turkey, and munster cheese.  it was glorious!

what ifs

so my husband is the KING of what ifs.  he enjoys throwing them out there and he knows that i usually roll my eyes and question why he would even bother thinking about that possibly happening.  ha ha... we are so different and i love it!

but the LORD has been throwing some what ifs my way and i've had to question some things...

1.  what if i admit my needs to others and allow the body of Christ to be our hands and feet during this time. what if that helps others step into a role of blessing and motivates me to continue in the same pattern? (I peter 4:10-11)

2. what if cleaning the house (or in our case, our room)  isn't so it can be spotless and i can feel accomplished/proud of myself.  what if i do it so that our family can ENJOY it?  you know, lincoln log, CARS cars, barbie kind of enjoy it!!?? (2 cor 10:17-18)

3.  what if i can't meet the needs of my family the way i wish i could? what if that is how it is suppose to be?  what if, instead, i show them that my weakness is made perfect in HIM and it is ok to admit that i can't do it, but show that i have faith that HE can (2 cor 12:9)

4.  what if play dates are not JUST meant to be fun for my kids or bring me a much needed break.  what if play dates aren't about me at all?? what if i spent time with people because i want to know them well and love them often and i want to show my kids how you do that (phil 2: 3-4)

5. what if showers and workouts and quiet moments aren't something i am entitled to?  what about those without running water, homes, and bibles?  what if i lavished in those moments (few as they may be) remembering that i am beyond blessed to have them at all?

ahh, what if??  have any what ifs of your own this week?  i would love to hear them!  may the LORD be speaking to you in new ways and may you have ears to hear (matt 11:15)

through the lens

the busy crazy end to the year kept me from posting these pics.  but i still had to share!

michaela powell took the time to capture some great shots of our family of six.

and just in case it was looking like this was a wonderful time of well behaved, smiling children... let me include these two shots...

 

oh, and back to being cute...

well, sorta

these kind of pictures are more us anyway!

her words...

allie asked if she could write an email to her old teacher, mrs. martin.  i asked her what she would like me to type and these are the exact words that she spoke:

mrs. martin,
i wonder how it is going with your class.  i know that i had to leave because of the lord calling dad to a new job.  i miss you so much.  i'll come and visit you sometime.  tell your class that i miss them so much.  i've been meeting new friends everyday.  my teacher is mrs. titmas.  i've been learning a lot from her. i hope that you will have a great night.

love allie

i was so struck by her words about the lord.... she is learning some gospel truth during this time - truths that will be with her forever! when the Lord calls - we answer!  amen?

this and that

i wish i could muster up more than just random events of our week in my posts.  you know, like something deeper... how much we are growing spiritually through this transition or some cool parenting lesson i have learned along the way.  and those thing are happening, but i think i'll be able to process them better later.  right now... i'm living moment to moment with not much debrief time.  :)  so, once again... here are some pics to sum up our week:

aunt jeni pops in often and WE LOVE IT!! (oh, and yes... she use to be a blonde!)

and my fabulous sis let ALL the kids spend the night so lance and i could eat alone and sleep through the night for the first time since moving.  ahhh!  it was wonderful and this is the pizza we ordered from Grimaldi's Pizzeria! YUMMMMMY!

some really generous friends gave us some gift cards and one was to in and out burger.  one night after dinner, baths, and pjs... we went just for a shake and some fries!  they had a blast!

the next day we "happened upon" a soda shoppe.  old school.... very cool and the cones were a buck.

house hunting has worn riley out on more than one occasion.  ha! still no luck there, but we have faith!

i sought out sprinkles one night in an attempt to eat my worries away... i think it worked... you should try it sometime!  hee,hee.

since we usually have our laundry in three different baskets and i use to do the kids clothes one day and ours the next.... i've never quite seen anything like this.  six people in one basket for only FOUR days... wow!

took the boys to the galleria indoor play area when the weather got crazy cold.

and the "mat room" at the church is available too... allie was so mad we went without her so we'll be going again this week AFTER school.  :)

many blessing on your week this week.  

my goal for this week is to wake up asking the Lord for direction instead of planning my days and pretending to be in control.  i've gotten out of the habit of beginning the day reminding myself that i'm not in charge.

just a few happenings...

little cutie in the bath tub!

the kids can be seen here when daddy leaves for work or when they know aunt jeni is coming to visit.

allie got to try out her easy bake oven skills.

 i've been trying to manage in the two story walmart/sams... crazy dallas!

before the rain started yesterday we had been trying out a new park a day... i think our total is six so far.

slowcooker friends

my heart is about two weeks behind my body.  this is the week when emotions fly.  i can sense all sorts of feelings bubbling up within me and i'm tempering them with the loving voice of my Savior as He whispers his truths to me.

lonely is defined as destitute of friendly companionship.  that can not be the word to describe how i am feeling because i have been so sweetly pursued by many wonderful people in the watermark community.  in fact, it is because of these thoughtful people that i'm just beginning to realize the process that my mind is going through.

i think the word longing better describes where i find myself today.  i have "a strong, persistent desire" to have deep relationships again.  oh, if this could only happen more quickly.  but the hard truth is that those type of friends take time to develop... moments, memories, and experiences can not be microwaved... it is a slow cooker process.

 i'm getting plenty of experience with our crock pot these days.  other than a griddle, it is our only source to cook from in the apartment.  the crazy part about the crock pot is you have to plan ahead and you have to spend ALL day with it.  in order for the foods to taste good, all the ingredients have to "marry" together for hours.  this process has been a reminder of the time and effort it will take to have deep relationships in our new place.

it has also been a reminder of the even stronger and more deeply rooted part of me that really just LONGS to be reunited with Jesus.  tyler is not my home. dallas is not my home.

my home is heaven and my heart is longing to be with my Father!

our urban loft

here is one view of our cozy place. 
that is the kitchen under the shinning light.  

and see that closet??

that is actually allie's room:

here is another angel that includes our computer area and sitting space.  griffin is tucked behind that dresser and see the other closet door??

that is the boy's room.  

caleb is on the left:

and riley is on the right

here is our tv and "walk in closet"  :)

that door leads to our bathroom

(oh, and really cute kid!)

and the master suite (filled with kids of course)!  :)

that's the tour of our space... we hope to post pics of a house soon, but so far we haven't found anything to make a fuss about.  

there have been some difficulties to living here, but really we are just super thankful.  

thankful to be together.  

thankful to grow closer as a family.  

thankful that there isn't much to clean.

but if you think of it, please be praying for the perfect place to come along soon! i'm ready to feel planted in dallas.  right now, i feel like we are on a REALLY LONG vacation.  :)

between the christmas fun...

we had a few things going on...

you know- like packing and moving!

on the last night in our house, we let the big kids have a slumber party on mattresses on the floor
 and they thought that was pretty cool.

the next day we loaded up the U-haul while the kids played in the yard with their great buddies nate and eli.

one last pic in front of the house... can you believe we brought FOUR kids home to that house in just six years!?

The loeffelholz family surprised us with a sweet send off... such amazing friends!  sigh!

and as if that didn't get the water works going... kara left this book of verses for me in the car.  kara, friend, you are a friend beyond measure.  i will cherish every good and crazy memory that i have with you.  thank you for being such a wonderful friend and now, business partner!  these verses are life to my soul right now... thank you for having the fore site to know that i would need them... you are WISE and I LOVE YOU!

and the tears stopped just in time to see say hello to the big D!

we've been settling into our new place while looking for something a little more permanent... i've taken the pics and will post them tomorrow!

christmas: part three

we weren't at my parents two minutes and the boys found the singing characters.

this was, of course, griffin's first experience and he loved it too!

my mom had a boy santa and girl santa pass out the presents... 

is anyone surprised at the volunteers?

i had to include this pic.  my grandmother was given a cordless phone by my mom and aunt.  she was baffled that anyone would give her something she wouldn't know how to use!  ha!  love you gran!

my aunt robin brought the silly sting for the annual silly string fight and became #1 in the kids' hearts and loathed by my dad for the clean up.

and as i was trying to shoot some pics my brother proved that he is still a punk.  love you, matt.

all in all a great time... i did not take enough pics this year, but everything seems blurry.  luckily, the kids played with their new things and acted as if life was normal.

we, on the other hand, had so much happening...

pics of our "loft" and dallas events coming soon.