a shovel, a sidewalk & some snow

It's the end of October, and already we've had 24.5" of snow in the past two days. I am sooo not a winter person, and all this snow is not my cup of tea. No doubt the snow is spectacular - something only our amazing God could create, but really, I could do without the shoveling, wet clothes & shoes by the front & back doors, puppy paw prints on my kitchen floor, the surprise of stepping in a puddle in really strange places in the house (can never figure out how the puddles get there when the clothes & shoes are by the doors), shoveling, lost gloves, cleaning off the cars, driving, & did I mention shoveling.

Today as I finished shoveling the driveway and started on the sidewalk, I faced a small dilema - how much of the sidewalk is my responsibility? The neighbors on the left had shoveled their sidewalk & stopped EXACTLY at the edge of their property line & the beginning of ours. So I started where they had stopped and headed down the sidewalk towards the neighbor on the right who hadn't shoveled their sidewalk yet today. When I came to our mailbox which marks the end of our property, I had a decision to make - not a decision that would change the world or someone's life drastically, but a decision just the same. My arms were tired, & no one was watching to see whether I would shovel so it was really, really tempting to walk away. Then I thought about another neighbor who yesterday brought me fresh baked pumpkin bread straight from the oven and how that little gesture made my day. And you know, that little stretch of sidewalk really wasn't that long. I just hope I don't have to shovel tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Peter!

that's my man

Peter is 45 today! Yesterday we celebrated with Todd, Denise, Mark & Carla with dinner at the Morrison Inn. We love these two couples, and I think it's awesome that Peter has friends who love and support him in ways that I can't. They can spend hours together golfing, drinking beers, smoking cigars, eating icecream & just hanging out. If men are allowed BFFs, they must be it.

Tonight we'll celebrate with the girls, and as much as they love their own birthdays, they love celebrating ours. Our family tradition is going to a restaurant that the birthday person chooses (we ruled out Mc Donalds & fast food in general early on) so tonight we are going to the Bonefish Grill for seafood - I think it's the Queenslander in him.

Celebrating Peter is one of my greatest delights, and I love that we get to share parenting and growing "up" (sounds better than growing old) together. He is my calm in the storm, my focus in the middle of chaos, the hand that I hold and the man that I love. Thank you for laughter, compassion & strength, and thank you for being a faithful man of God.

Happy Birthday love of my life!

a never-ending birthday

a birthday tradition - decorating the locker

a top seller prize - skydiving

an experience like no other

a birthday dinner (jilly's choice)

a buffalo burger at ted's montana grill

a party with friends - jilly + 9

a favorite dessert - homemade icecream sandwiches by grammie but had to use a muffin to hold the candles

a photo scavenger hunt

team A (a wooden bench)

team A ("express" yourself)

team A (bubble gum galore!)

team B (inside a photo booth)

team B (jilly's middle name) team B (a gatorade machine)

a horse & carriage ride

after getting rained out 2 yrs in a row...
...it finally happened

a lei made especially for her

a "nacho libre" smile

a birthday pumpkin pie

a celebration with family

and more family

and a big sister

Twelve Tomorrow

Happy Birthday Jillybean!

J is for Jillybean – the nickname Auntie Jana gave you (& it stuck for good)
I is for the independence you are beginning to embrace
L is for laughing when you race Daddy to bed every night
L is for the longing we have for you to know Jesus more and more each day
I is for insisting on perfection in everything you do
A is for attitude in a small package
N is for never giving up in field hockey even when the other girls are twice your size

…and because there is more to say…

C is for the calm and cautious way you meet new challenges
L is for lounging on the sofa ‘cause you are a tv junkie
A is for the A student you work so hard to be
I is for the incredible gift from God you are
R is for the ridiculous & silly times you have with Lisa, Hilary & all your friends
E is for the energy and life you bring into our lives

We are so glad that you belong to us. We love you!

sick day :(

Jillian is home sick today and not very happy with me for keeping her home. You see, Jilly hates missing school because she hates getting behind in her work. She's the kid who comes home from school, opens the books & gets started on her homework immediately - even on a Friday. Missing a day of school truly messes with the organization and structure of her day and week, and already she's stressing about making up the work from today.

Our weekend was a bit crazy with an extra person in the house & a 21st birthday party (Happy Birthday Bradley!), and it's almost like Jilly didn't have time to be sick. So today it's time. She's hanging out in my bedroom (today, of all days, we're getting the sofa and the carpets cleaned so the family room is off limits) and getting in as much screen time as possible. What makes this sick day so "fabulous" is that there's no school on Friday, so it's a 3 day week for Jilly.

Holden is on a diet!!!

now...

...then (& w/ mama isabella)

Yup! That's right! After Holden's yearly visit to the vet, she told us we need to cut back a little on what we're feeding him. He isn't in the "overweight" category but bordering between the "slightly overweight" and perfect category. Holden didn't care - just wagged his tail & tried to lick the vet's face, and being a beagle who obviously will eat anything, thought the lean treats were still pretty awesome.

Milo goes to see the vet today (It's nearly impossible to take both of them at the same time by myself, so we do it in two visits.). We'll see if he passes the weight test.

girls in the house

cupcake party

girls in the kitchen

mallory & her girlies

bonus: they cleaned up their mess

I knew that as the girls got older their desire to hang out with mom & dad & each other would change as their desire to hang out with friends grew. I'm o.k. with this - partly because I know it's a part of life & where they are right now & mostly because they both have made fabulous choices in friends.

I have always wanted our home to be a place where they felt comfortable to bring their friends, and I love that they do. I like the peace and quiet of an empty house, but I also really like the sound of kids in the house doing their thing. So when the house has girl things strewn from one end to another after a sleepover, icing on the ceiling from a cupcake party, makeup on the counter after getting ready for homecoming, tshirts drying/hanging in the garage for spirit week, & music & laughter & talking, I smile. It's all good and just as it should be.

this one's for the girls

by Martina McBride

This is for all you girls about thirteen
High school can be so rough, can be so mean

Hold on to, on to your innocence
Stand your ground when everybody's giving in

This one's for the girls

Who've ever had a broken heart

Who've wished upon a shooting star

You're beautiful the way you are

This one's for the girls

Who love without holding back

Who dream with everything they have

All around the world

This one's for the girls

[photos by jordan remke]