When all else fails....blog.

Why hello friends, it has been some time. 

I think I could write for days and not be able to

do justice to the life lived since I last wrote in this precious space.

Not that our life is SO interesting, we are just doing a lot of growing around here!

The little crew coming up on FOUR! 

The oldest turned EIGHT!

BIG STUFF.  BIG PLANS.

I hope to share soon some of what we've been up to this summer.

It does not include a summer-to-do or bucket list,

we opted to be completely wild and free. 

Six of us were born in summer months {yes September is summer technically}
 so the season runs in our veins, 

this by far our most favorite and treasured time.

In the meantime you can see all is well from our instagram feed.

Well yes, it is nearly 4am and I am writing, what what??!

In as much as I could not catch you up on the past year adequately here,

I also could not do this day justice.

Let me say it included {and in some cases still includes}

no gas, no electricity, our house alarm going off when said electricity came back on for two.minutes.straight at 3am,

a husband working 24 of the past 30 hours, oh just a regular day.

It is good though to feel like I want to write again.

These past few months have been tough, I should clarify not because of my kids
{and good, always good}.
I will leave it at that.

In addition I lost my outlet here, my passion for sharing us,

and I am figuring out something I am more comfortable with, 

which means you will be hearing more from me {grin}.

And yes the new project is still coming along in our very little spare time.

Lately though I feel inspired and discouraged both.

I know strange.

I want to change it or at least talk about it.

In working on myself, aside from trying to have a better
self-dialogue throughout the day, phew I can be critical;
I am also trying to sort out what I am responsible for and what I am not.

It is no secret I try to give control to God, yet I usually sabotage myself.
Shame has had so much to do with it,
and I am working so hard at it because I do not want to pass this on to my boys.

I see it every.single.day.
People trying to distance themselves from others because they don't want to
catch the "bad" happening in someone else's life.

Christians who wouldn't recognize Jesus if he walked into church.

The workhorses trying to work harder and harder because that is how you get ahead,
and those who have financial issues, health issues, {insert issue here} just don't do enough.
They just don't.
How hard one works = How successful one is.

We have to stop.
We are not in control.
The shame I have felt is because I feel like I have done something wrong -
let myself and my family down when I can't control whatever "it" is, and the storm does hit.

Now let me say, I have worked hard my entire life,
those who really know me, know this, no martyr just a hard worker.
I do believe it is important...

Yet that is not just it.
I have to surrender.
I am not in control.
It is not about me.

And we all need to stop looking around and thinking when someone has a misfortune,
or illness, that it cannot happen to us because XYZ.

We are all one step away from anything.
We are no better, no worse.
No layers of protection, no free pass for being the best.

Perhaps you know this better than I do,
I am still learning.

Here are some ways I remember...
Inspiration Words Board

It was good to chat.
Let's do it again soon.
Maybe not at 4am.

{michelle}

24 Simple Advent Activities

Fear not friends!

 While today is December 1st, if you have yet to fill 

your advent calendar, you are not alone.  

I am putting the finishing touches on ours this evening.  

I found that most of our activities fell within 6 categories:

craft

movie

event

silly

treat 

giving

{Craft}

tree trimming, ornament decorating,  snowglobe making 

{Movies}

check out ABC Family's 25 days of Christmas programming guide

{Event}

zoo lights, polar express train ride, holiday town celebration

{Silly}

one of our favorites...

and another.

{Treat}

baking Christmas cookies, making Jesus a birthday cake,

celebrating any half birthdays during advent

{Giving}

simple acts of kindness 

The organization of this list two dozen things just made it easier on me to add in our favorites and traditions, but also include some new things for the year.  

For us the events usually fall on the weekend and the rest during the week, movies often on Friday nights.  I also use the silly day on our busiest schedule day of the week, i.e. every Wednesday is silly day.    

1.   zoo holiday lights celebration

2.  mail letters to Santa 

3.   read about the candy cane and enjoy one as a special treat

4.  {movie night} jack frost and ice cream sundaes for dessert

5.   do something special for someone in our family to say "I love you"

6.  make and decorate ornaments

7.   town christmas celebration and tree lighting

8.  polar express to the north pole

9.  make snowglobes

10. spreed some cheer to our neighbors

11. find mom for a silly break 

12.  gaze at the same stars and moon as they did on the night of Jesus' birth

13.  make candy cane playdough

14.  holiday lights drive and slumber party by the christmas tree

15.  family bowling

16.  half birthday treat and church christmas pageant

17.  {movie night} gather all the Whos in Whoville to watch how the grinch stole christmas

18.  a silly surprise will appear before your very eyes, say frosty 3 times!

19.  {movie night} polar express and hot! hot! hot! chocolate bar

20. write down your gift to Jesus this year and place in our special box

21.  dinner by candlelight to mark the longest night of the year

22.  make your favorite cookie for santa

23.  bake Jesus' birthday cake

24.  Christmas Eve! open your WEAR present

In addition to this family focused advent calendar, 

we will have our Jesse Tree and devotionals to follow along with daily.  

We also do a Christmas book advent every night like this one.

While my boys are not quite ready for a full on 

charitable advent calendar I love these 25 ways to pay it forward.  

What are some of your family's favorite advent traditions?

peace,

:: michelle ::

Let them Play Ball {Inside}

Since we have been back from Disney I haven't felt well.  

Really it started before, but I just wanted to have this 

special vacation for us, and we did, it was magical.

I bet you thought this post was going to be about something else {grin}.

I woke up and headed to the ER this morning,

I will spare all of the details, but with my symptoms, 

the ER doctor told me {thankfully} later that he thought

I may have had a mass in my abdomen.

My CT came back clear.  

I still have yet to have all of the answers I need,

but I do know at that moment, Matt and I reaching for each other's hands,

that all that mattered was us and getting home to hug my loves.

Fastforward...

Tonight I read a Facebook post from a well known author 

{ahem, Mrs. Emily Giffin} and there are over one-thousand comments

about whether one should allow their children to play ball in the house.

Hot topic.

Overwhelmingly the answers were no, never, under no circumstance, 

something could be broken, someone could be hurt...even with a Nerf ball....

it's the absolute worst thing you could let your child do.

OK, made that last one up, but some were close.

I say let them play ball.  Nerf ok, whatever you decide.

Here no shoes inside, no baseballs indoors, 

but we hung a basketball  hoop {not talking the Nerf kind}

in our oldest's room and he is regularly found kicking his 

soccer ball {used indoors only} around.  

I might add his ball control skills have really improved.  

I am sure you get my point.

It's not one of respect or injury, it's one of letting the little 

stuff that doesn't matter go once in awhile.
Something I am reminded of often, like today,
most of you know our story.

Yes set boundaries, set rules, designate areas,

it isn't a free-for-all here.

Don't you love once you disagree with the majority they think you're

filming the next Animal House with your toddlers?  

{Griffin could totally pass for John Belushi}.

I guess what I am saying is lighten up once in awhile.

I say this to my rule-following self.

Live a little.  

Whatever is "the thing" ease up a bit.
It feels good, I promise.  And it's hard for me too.

Maybe I just don't have a home filled with super expensive stuff,

no china to destroy, no massive flat screen tv to ruin.

Our floors and walls are dinged by life.

Would I love to have it differently?

In my mind I think so, but not in my heart.

We LIVE here.

Go long I'm open! 

Night friends,

:: michelle ::

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes...

When You're Fast Asleep....

More Disney pics to come,

aren't these precious?!!

:: michelle ::

Almost Three...

In one short week, this little group of handsome men will be 

T H R E E

Crazy isn't it?!

:: megan kelly photography ::

We have some magical fun planned for their big day! 

For now, I am going to take in the last days of two

and relish the charms of the present.

{lovely reminder from Lay Baby Lay}

Wishing you all beautiful moments together 

squeezing out the last bits of summer before it bids us farewell!

:: michelle ::

I Love to Laugh

My girl Mary Poppins, we love her.

Today would have otherwise been a do-over-day

if it hand't been for her and the infamous

I Love to Laugh lyrics.

Ever since we did Mary Poppins in the 6th grade,

I can recall the words as well as I rattle off my own address.

The more I laugh
The more I fill with glee
And the more the glee
The more I'm a merrier me.

It's true isn't it, laughter just does it sometimes.

Aiden started laughing today for no good reason,

and Mary popped into my head,

so I joined him. 

We were laughing hysterically over absolutely nothing.

Ethan came in from school and asked what we were laughing about.

I told him we were just laughing to laugh.

So he starts in and well it was contagious.

I could definitely use to laugh more,

and as usual my boys reminded me

how good it is for the soul.

Laugh away!!

::michelle::

My Brother's Keeper

{via}

It may have had something to do with staying up way to late to 

watch The Hunger Games last night,

but the idea of protecting one another
and the lengths we will go to do so has been on my mind today.

If you haven't seen the movie

{I think I was probably the last on the planet},

there is this underlying theme of protection.

Heck, the main character takes the place of her sister

in the ultimate battle for survival.

I have watched my little guys bicker like crazy,

so frustrated at one another, thankfully briefly,

but loudly and madly all the same.

Yet, I have witnessed this consistent way in which they

protect one another, all five, seat, toy, food, the most random

of things, they protect in their brother's name.

I'm not sure if I really noticed it much before today,

and it's not something I ever really explained to them how to do.

It just seemed to happen.

As a mom, I am going to try hard not to come between it.

It's so pure and honest.

Looking out for the one who is the first to read your life's story,

who has many of the same pages in their own,

is right, it is noble, sweet, and it is 

just what you do. 

Grateful my boys got that memo.

Good Night Friends,

:: michelle ::