Thirty thankful days-day 6-Happy Birthday!

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!


Today is my birthday.  I am turning "halfway to ninety" as my daughter kindly says.  Wow.  That is a concept in itself...you know, the whole getting older thing.  But today, besides being thankful for 45 years of life, I am thankful for simple birthday celebrations.  As I mentioned on Wednesday, it was Bubba's birthday this week as well.  So, this weekend is when we did the celebrating for both of us.


I am so thankful that Bubba was up for a celebration that ended up being so easy-schmeasy.  He chose to have less friends involved, but to do more activities.  The less-friends part eliminated the need for formal invitations, the need for booking some sort of "party package" somewhere (whew--cause I let it get away from me and probably would have had trouble getting the date we wanted), and in general, lowered the amount of energy we would have expended corralling a large group of boys.  Bubba chose to have a friend from school, a friend from the neighborhood, and a friend from church and that was it!  

glow-golf

We took the boys to play glow-in-the-dark mini-golf, then lunch at the food court (I know, boring, but it makes 11 year old boys happy), then they tried out the laser-maze, and then my hubby took them to the Puss in Boots movie, and Dairy Queen for a treat.  The all-day shindig finished back at our house where Bubba opened some gifts.  They all had a really great time--and there was no prep, no decorating, not even a cake!  I'm so thankful.

the party-ers at lunch

After Bubba's day-o-fun, we spent the evening with my family celebrating both Bubba and my birthdays.  We had dinner together (ordered in--easy), opened gifts, had ice cream cake, and just hung out.  Simple and just perfect.  I'm so thankful!

Bubba got tickets to see the Air Force football team play--he's going next weekend with dad and grandpa!

new purse!

Today I will be at church in the morning, and then having a luncheon for my children's teachers.  When all of that is over...I am free to celebrate however I wish.  I think a nap will be involved.  You know...I am, afterall, halfway to ninety!  


What are you thankful for today?  Link up or comment!  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

thirty thankful days-day 2

Every day in November I am posting something I'm thankful for, and I would love to have you join me!  Link to your thankful post below, or write about it in the comments.  Let's be thankful together!

Today is a no-brainer on what I'm thankful for.  Today is my son, Bubba's 11th birthday, and today I'm so very thankful for him!

Bubba:

is adorable (i'm totally objective here).

has a compassionate heart.

is hysterically funny.

has awesome freckles.

still loves to snuggle.

loves Jesus.

plays soccer, basketball, piano and trumpet.

is a great companion and helper.

always makes new friends.

has a great imagination.

kisses me goodnight each night.

is diligent.

keeps his room the cleanest of us all.

is a ham and loves to be on stage.

tells me he loves me.

is an absolute gift to me.

I'm so thankful for my Bubba!  And for the snow day he got for his birthday--we are going to get to hang out all day!

What are you thankful for today?  Link up your post below or leave your answer in the comments.  Let's fill up blogland with thankfulness!

A few simple instructions for the link up:

-please link to your specific thankful post--not just your blog

-please link back to theGoodlife in your post so others can join the fun!
-feel free to grab the 30 thankful days graphic--I haven't figured out how to make it a button yet.  I'm such a techy, huh?

Insta-Friday

It's Friday!  It's a long weekend!  That calls for posting something silly and fun, so I'm joining up with jeannett and friends at Life Rearranged--sharing only photos from our cell phones!  Hope you enjoy an insta-gram glimpse at the Goodlife.

Bubba has added a new instrument to his repertoire--the trumpet!  He couldn't wait to bring it home and blow into it (can't call it playing yet!)for us.  Beginning band--oh, the joyful noise of it all.

We've been covering Pickle's textbooks the old fashioned way--paper bags. We had to shop at whole foods just to get some though. 

Took this on a morning walk.  There was not a cloud in the sky above Pike's Peak.  I pretty much love where I live.

Every day I drive past one of the many fields of these yellow wildflowers that are in bloom this time of year.  They make me happy.  They make my hubby sneeze.  Those two are not related. 

This foot belongs to my adorable niece who was sporting these new shoes when we hung out last Friday.

The owner of that cute foot.  Here she is making a silly face while eating falafel for the first time.  She loved it!

After our lunch at Garbanzo's we did some quick shopping at Target.  My 5 year old nephew was pushing his baby sister around.  I loved this view.  :0)

Not to be left out, Pickle always makes sure I have a new self-portrait on my camera and phone.  She took this last night.  (smile)

Happy Labor Day Weekend, bloggies!  Take some pics of the fun on your phone!

School Days and Catchphrase

I don't know if you have ever played the game Catchphrase...but this electronic game has a beeping timer.  It starts beep...beep...beep...keeping the pace of the game going.  As time gets shorter, the beeping quickens.  Beep, beep, beep, beep, beepbeepbeepbeep!  It makes me feel panicky--oh no!  time's running out!  

When I'm not careful with my thoughts...I can feel the same way as I see my kids grow up.  It seems like time is accelerating.  Beepbeepbeepbeep... yikes!  Back to school is definitely one of those seasons where I hear the rapid beeping in my head...

We had the fastest summer ever.  Really.  Before we knew it, it was time.   Tuesday was the day, and I made the kids pose for the obligatory first day photos.

Pickle is heading into her sophomore year.  I can hardly believe how grown up she is becoming!  (I know all moms say such things...but it's true!)

ten fingers = tenth grade.  that's how we roll.

And if it's not enough that my baby girl is a young woman, my little boy is in his last year of elementary school!  Bubba is in 5th grade...be still my soul.  Handsome little devil, isn't he?

While I want time to slow down, I choose to embrace.  Be proud of who they are becoming, be excited for each new step they get to take.  Walk alongside them while I can.  Hug them a lot.  And try not to be freaked out by the accelerated beeping I hear now and then in the back of my head...

Blog-hopping with the Company Girls today...

I'm marveling...

Bubba is ten today.  Double-digits!  It's easy for warm reflections to fill my mind.  I am sentimental looking back at the way God used this tiny boy as a balm of healing to my wounded heart.  Smiles cross my face as I remember the cute little tike he was.  I suppose it could be bittersweet to realize how grown up my youngest is.

(Indulge me as I share three of my favorite little-bubba pics--I can't resist.)

 a decade ago

riding shotgun in poppop's rv

ring-bearer extraordinaire

However, today I want to celebrate who God has made Bubba to be.  With each year, his unique make-up, his gifts and talents, his personality, are revealed with a bit more clarity.  We marvel at God's workmanship in creating this boy.

We got another glimpse of Bubba through the eyes of his teachers last week at his parent-teacher conference.  His teachers used these words to describe him:

a joy

well-liked

enthusiastic learner

sees God in life easily

a strong faith--he "gets it" 

a careful communicator 

a deep thinker

hard worker

expressive

quick to serve

compassionate

bold to share his faith verbally

We did talk briefly about some of his academic challenges, but the conference focused on qualities that will exist well-past his 4th grade academic achievements.

My heart swells.  Not with pride (well, maybe a little) but with gratitude.  Gratitude for teachers who take the time to really know my son.  Gratitude for their willingness to share their observations with us, rather than just focusing on reading and math.  Gratitude for this marvelous boy that God has given us the privilege of parenting.

October 2010

Unwrapping the gifts of my son and of special teachers today with emily at chatting at the sky.

Caffeine Time

It's Friday again.  I love Fridays, they are my day off from work at church. The kids and hubby are out of the house.  And it's quiet.  I catch up on stuff.  Do crazy things--like, you know, laundry.  And, I catch up with some bloggie friends at Home Sanctuary and have some virtual coffee diet coke with them.

This week has been about two main things for me:

First, this Sunday is our fall kick-off for our children's ministry.  We are changing things up a bit and I am really excited.  I have been recruiting and training staff, learning songs, thinking about the environment I plan to create, preparing this Sunday's lesson, etc. etc.  I have LOTS left to do.  But God has led clearly and provided all along, and He will get me to Sunday as ready as He wants me to be.  He has been teaching me to be still and let Him do the fighting.  So I am doing just that.

Second, my friend Carly has challenged her girlfriends to spend an hour a day over 24 days with God with a 24over24 challenge.  I thought that would be manageable, I can easily spend an hour or two with God when I make a point of it--and do that a few times a week.  So I joined in and invited my bloggies to join in too. (I have been thrilled with the handful of gals who are going for it...God is working!)  What surprised me, is that while I love to spend time alone with God--finding an hour every single day is tricky.  It's worth it though, I can already tell. It's not too late to join us--find out the scoop here.

This Friday finds me a little busy.  I spent the morning helping in Bubba's class.  The house has suffered the results of a mom-with-brain-overload week, a sick daughter, a sick dog (yuck!!), and some assorted laziness and distraction.  So I am in the midst of catch-up (as usual) so that I can stand to be here.  Aaah, it will be good to find the counters again...

Just for fun, let me show you what I came home to last night.  Dave and I were at church for meetings.  Bubba who normally isn't much of a sports watcher, has decided to embrace dad's team, the Minnesota Vikings in full force.  We came home to find him in front of the TV--all decked out in purple and yellow with signs he made to set the tone.  We just cracked up.

it's good with the shorts, huh?

see the signs on either side of the TV?

Dave says this is a beautiful thing.

And this morning we told him the bad news.  They lost.  He wore his vikings sweatshirt today anyway.

Off to get-ready-for-but-not-worry-about Sunday, to make my surroundings peaceful again, and to sit and listen to God for an hour.  Have a beautiful day, bloggies.

goofy, but he smells good

My boy...

...finds it difficult to take a picture without a silly face or pose.  Hubby took these first day of school pictures, and the one on the top left was the only "normal" one out of many.  What a goof.

...is pretty excited about his first day of 4th grade.  He was up and dressed in no time flat.

...is concerned for others.  As I tried to tame his bedhead, he applied some of his dad's cologne.

  "Gotta smell good for the ladies", he said.

Oh boy.

it's just a part of their life

Yesterday would have been Aidan's 11th birthday.  He's gone, but very much a part of our family.  On his birthday each year, we honor him by having a family night.  We visit his grave, and usually go out to dinner.  Sometimes we do something fun--just the four of us.

Sitting at the cemetery yesterday, where one child is buried, I watched the other two.  They bopped around, noting names and dates of the little ones buried in "The Garden of Angels"-- a part of the cemetery set aside for babies.  They paused at their brother's grave, as well as at the newer grave of their cousin Sadie.  They placed rocks--on which they wrote messages--on both graves.

As the sun sank in the sky, we couldn't help but notice Pickle's tall silhouette.  She was so small the first time we came to see her brother's "name".  Much time has passed.  Having a brother in heaven is not odd to these two.  It's just part of their life--their reality.

Bubba asked yesterday morning (on his own initiative) if he could bring some mementos he has of Aidan to school--wanting to introduce his classmates to the big brother he never met.  It is important to him to acknowledge Aidan's life.  I understand his teacher read the entire memorial bookmark to the class--including the lyrics to the song we had printed on the back.  Bubba said she cried a bit as she read.  Bless her for allowing Bubba to share this part of his life with his community at school.

It's just a part of their life--my other two.  A normal, but important, part.  God has woven Aidan's story into theirs.  I think it's beautiful.  I'm unwrapping this gift today with emily at chatting at the sky.

I hate sayin' it...

You know, the B-word.

Busy.  That's what I am, that's what my husband is, that's what my kids are.  I hate saying that because I think we totally overuse that word. But honestly, sometimes it fits and life feels full right now.  It's not that I don't have ANY time to blog, just no leftover energy to put thoughts together.

So, I'm popping in to say hello and that I'm not, you know, dead or anything.  Just the dreaded B-word.

I'll leave you with a picture or two from Bubba's Wax Museum at school.  He was Billy Sunday of all people.  He froze in his pose until someone pressed his "start" button, then told a bit about Billy's life and allowed visitors to guess who he was.  Hubby and I had a great time pressing buttons and "meeting" all sorts of famous historic people!

Happy Crazy-May everyone!

Company Girl Coffee 5.7

Well, it's definitely May.  The schedule is full and I am starting to mark days by what event we put behind us... As of today we have Pickle's choir concert behind us, and Bubba has gone off to school as a Bible character for Bible Character Day today.

Here he is:

Can you guess who he is???

Look closely...

You are right!  It's Jonah (after being spit up on the beach!).  That's supposed to be seaweed and sea creatures all over him.  We decided against being wet, or any barf smell.  I am guessing his teacher would thank us on both accounts. :)

AND, I think I've located an outfit for him to wear next week for his wax museum--he has chosen to be Billy Sunday.  Wish he picked some cowboy or something easier...

By the end of the weekend, we will also have small group, Pickle's piano recital, Youth Group Rummage Sale (Pickle's working at 6 am tomorrow and I have gotta get my stuff together and dropped off tonight!), another soccer game, VBS promo kick-off, and Mother's Day behind us.  God willing.  :)

I am definitely starting to feel the need for school to be over (my kids have been feeling it for a while).  I want there to be less "stuff" in all manner of directions needing all sorts of outfits, and prep.

Are the rest of you company girls in the same crazy boat as me??  (better this boat than the one Jonah was in I guess...)

signs of boy.

A boy lives here.

There's no doubt.  Evidence abounds.

This belongs to a boy.

(yes, it's on the floor)

So does this.

And these, left on the stairs.

And this award proudly displayed by a boy, for sure.

And this is perpetually worked on and shoved in the corner until time is found to work some more.

And this proud collection (of disney pins) is one of many collections he treasures.

And everything needs to be saved.

note here:  the orange car his sister made him--broken, but must be saved

his  school papers--save

and the darn happy meal toys--this one a plastic coffin???--save!

Sounds of boy are here too. Adventures in Odyssey and Tobymac blast from his bedroom.  Every move he makes has a soundtrack--motors, screeching brakes, pretend screams.  The doorbell is always ringing, cause playing outside is always best.  And the laughter.  Lots of laughter--especially at falling down and bodily noises.

Yup, a boy lives here.  With us.  (you see, one of our boys lives in heaven).  This one lives here.  It's messy, smelly and delightful.  Aren't I blessed to be a boy's mama?

sporting part of his veteran ensemble for dictionary day at school

Now, if I could only figure out how to keep him clean for more than five minutes...

Unwrapping this everyday, yet profound gift with Emily at Chatting at the Sky.