14 years ago...

...we had our first date (sorry for the wonky scanned pic, but it is worth seeing)...

(and there are SOOOOO many things about us in this picture that make me cringe): 
1) What is up with my hair? Did I not own a mirror at 19?
2) What is up with my clothes (are those OVERALLS)? Hoping that was the style...
4) It's obvious that I was hitting late night food WAY too much!
3) And what is up with Rob's ghostliness?


Anyway, who would have imagined in an April six years later...

 ...we would say "I do"...

Now, after 8 years, we've been blessed with 100s of laughs, 1 dog, 2 precious boys, one adorable baby girl, and so much fun together. I married my best friend and have so much fun with him every day. Here's to 80 more years of wonderful memories to look forward to!

 

Bulletin board project

The walls in Mary Flynn's room were too bare. They needed something and I started thinking, we need more room for pictures, but it's not in the budget to buy a ton of frames to hang on the wall. I kept seeing darling bulletin boards on other blogs and in magazines. 
I decided I could make one myself. 

Step one: Buy bulletin board at Wally World. I think this one was about $7.

Since I didn't take ANY during pics, I am going to try to remember how I got here:

 Supplies:

bulletin board

pink ticking fabric (about 1 1/2 yard)

about 10 yards of ribbon

heavy duty stapler

quilting batting (medium thickness)

So, I started with cotton batting under my fabric so the board would have some tuft.  I lined up the fabric and batting so the lines were straight on the board with about 2-3 inches overhang. Then I pulled out the industrial stapler and stretched fabric/batting over sides to the back. I stapled the top and bottom first, then stapled the sides. Then I went back with some over-sized gro-grain rick rack to attach the pictures/bows. Again with the stapler, I lined up the ribbon, starting in the corners stapling, then filling in the angles. And I was done!

Easy enough...and a very quick project. Because of the size of the bulletin board it took up a ton of space on the wall which is exactly what I was going for.

And once I got through, I realized it was the perfect place to keep our bows (cause she WILL be wearing them once she gets a few more strands of hair!).

our loud child

Luke does not do anything at a low volume. He loves loud, cries loud, and plays loud. I guess that may be part of being the middle child, but he is going to be heard. Several weeks ago he found the drum set and Reed did not like all the noise. Reed told me that he wanted this sign to stay up for three weeks...so it did!

Creations by michie -- BUBBLE!

Since all things pink, girlie, and pouf-y are foreign to me, I have been very excited to get going on some fun girly projects for Mary Flynn. Here is what I've been up too:

And here is the result:

...and another

...and another

Mary Flynn is going to be bubblicious once summer comes along! 

Chalkboard project

Isn't this a gorgeous cardboard painting (tehe)? I have had my eye on it at our local antique store for about a year. Mom and I were in there several weeks ago and thought I might could get her to come off the price a little -- got her down to $50! I have been wanting to paint over the painting with chalkboard paint "a la" Ballard but did not have the $400 in my budget!

So here is the end result:

I simply taped off the sides around the frame and painted directly over the old painting with Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint. So so easy! 
Some weeks I post what we are having for dinner and others (mostly) it looks like this. Once we start t-ball in a few weeks and our summer starts getting busy, I'm sure it will be more like a who/what/when/where to keep us organized. 

Bu-tee-ful Butterflies and Give Me Grace

So, every year our church gets caterpillars. You get these in honor or memory of a loved one. You watch them make their cocoon and eventually hatch into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly part is supposed to come right around Easter weekend. Then on Easter Sunday, our entire congregation goes out on the steps of our church and releases our butterflies. Just as Christ dies and rises. These caterpillars seem dead, then emerge from their cocoons to go forth into the world. It is a wonderful way to teach our children about Christ's resurrection. 

Well, we got 4 caterpillars this year, honoring the boys, Mary Flynn, and my mom and her husband Charles, who do so much to help us. Well, last night, Reed starting screaming,"Mama, come in here--HURRY!" Our first butterfly was flitting around in its box and he and Luke were beside themselves. Rob and I are hoping/praying it will live 2 weeks in its temporary home (which is a corsage box) until we release him on Easter Sunday morning. Be it natural causes or the curiosity of two little boys, 

we may need to have an early release to guarantee his survival!! 

Luke keeps saying, "It's a bu-tee-ful butterfly," "Mommy, see the bu-tee-ful butterfly!" He never just says butterfly, it's always "bu-tee-ful" butterfly. 

I am touched each time our children say a prayer or bless our food. Luke said the blessing last night with his own prayer, repeating, "Thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, thank you God so much, AMEN!" Simple and sweet! I am going to remember that one for sure!! And he also (which is so so sweet) loves to keep everyone "safe" in his prayers. He will name every person he knows individually saying, "keep mommy and daddy safe, keep baby sister safe, keep "fill in the blank" safe." I am loving hearing them pray -- it sometimes brings tears to my eyes hearing their prayers -- I see them learning more about God and seeing Him in their respective "worlds" each day.

And speaking of children and prayer, a sweet sweet friend of our family, Gloria Mason, gave Mary Flynn a prayer book for children called, Give Me Grace. I started reading this book to Reed and Luke each night right before bed and if for some reason I forget, I am very quickly reminded. They are short prayers for each day like this:

Saturday in the early morn

make me thankful I was born

Give my spirit peace within

let each day with hope begin.

Reed has started to recite some lines by memory. Luke just says what Reed says (then follows with his list of "Keeping ____ safe). My hope is that they will memorize each day and can teach them to Mary Flynn once she is old enough, and remember them for the rest of their lives.

Books on the nightstand

So, I have had these three books on my nightstand for a while and I am loving all three. 

 

The first is called The Happiness Project. My cousin, Suzanne, told me about it at the Fair this year and I happened upon it at the bookstore. It is a wonderful account of Gretchen Rubin's year of making her life happier. Not that I am unhappy (nor was she), but there are so many little things we can do each day to be happier people. One of my favorite parts of this book is the "treasure house of happy memories" part. She wanted her children to remember their childhood home as a happy place when the think back on their lives. Don't we all!! Now, each afternoon I try to really think hard about how I spend my time with the boys and make every moment count. I TRY to take TONS of pictures which in the future will help us recall happy memories. Don't get me wrong, some afternoons involve a 2 year old screaming because he is not getting his way and a four year old not wanting to share with his two year old brother, hence the screaming, but hopefully they can look back and remember mostly the laughing, playing, and loving! 
 

The Happiness Project

Okay -- let me preface this book by saying if you don't want your toes stepped on by God, wait until you do before reading this book. It (God) will move you in a mighty way while reading it. I was so moved by it that we are in the middle of studying it in our Sunday School class and some amazing things are happening there. It truly makes you think about your own personal walk with God, spreading the Gospel, and the people around the world who haven't heard it!

Radical

This is a daily devotion book that I also read about on Fly Through our Window and it speaks directly to me every single day. The main thing that registers with me is how Jesus wants to to have a minute to minute conscience relationship

Jesus Calling

Back to Blogging...and A LOT to catch up on!

Well, it's time...to get back to this ole blog. I think about it all the time. Posting it is a totally different matter. With our family of 5, it's hard to find time. 

But just a little update:

Mary Flynn is 3 month old! It is so hard for me to believe. She is looking like a teenager (j/k), but seriously -- she is growing up WAY to fast. She is smiling all the time and is sleeping from around 9ish to 6ish -- which is wonderful! I am loving making her precious bubbles, burp cloths, and outfits. I just finished a bullatin board for her room (I am going to try my first "how-to" post...more on that to come). She is looking so much like her brother Reed! We baptized her April 27 at our church and it was a special day! Our families came and ate lunch at our house afterward and we had such a lovely afternoon. She wore a gorgeous heirloom gown made by my sweet sweet first cousin, Suzanne. She also make Reed and Luke's gown/bubble and truly has a gift. I walk in Mary Flynn's room everyday and just want to put her in it because it is so sweet and angelic. A keepsake she will have forever!

Luke -- hehe... What can I say? The child makes me laugh and makes it so hard for me to discipline him because of that. My loving rough and tumble boy! He is saying some of the funniest things lately. Also at 2 1/2, he is finally 100% potty trained. It took getting lots of prizes and TONS (literally) of stickers! He still likes to put a sticker on his "poster" after each visit to the potty. All I can say is Hallelujah -- only one in diapers! 

He is always saying, "mommy, come play with me, mommy, come watch a movie with me!" And I am learning to just drop what I am doing at the time and do just that! Lately, he has been seeing "dina-surs" over at our neighbors house who want to "get me" at around 3 am. Reed has come to the rescue and it makes me wish I still had a monitor in their room so I could hear exactly what he was saying...I'm sure it is precious!

Reed continues to remind us not to break the "lemon speed" so the police won't get us, wants to pick "dandle-lights," and tons of other "off" words that keep us rolling. K4 is almost over, which is very hard to believe! He is becoming an expert marksman and corrects me every time I call the arrow a bow (as does his daddy!). 

Luke and Reed have started to get in bed with each other every night. Some nights we try to keep them separated, but they truly LOVE (and sleep better) sleeping together. I think it is so sweet and am such a pushover when they ask if they can.

I am going to try to start putting all the funny things they are saying on here so I can remember! I know since I can't remember what they were saying two weeks ago, I am going to be so sad 20 years from now when I don't have a clue. And some of the things they are saying and doing, I know I'm not gonna want to forget!