Tuesday, May 30, 2017

We do school at home...the summer edition.


Homeschooling #9
We wrapped up the school year last Friday. {clap,clap,clap}

I am a big believer in school starting after Labor Day and
ending before Memorial Day weekend.
We do not do "official school" through the summer. Why?
....because we LOVE this season and all that goes along with it!

I want to be swimming in the sunshine and weeding my herb garden and
going to the beach and taking walks to the park and handing my kids popsicles
and lemonade and sitting on my porch while they fly past me on bicycles.

Like always, we will be part of the summer reading program at the library...they love this.
.....and journal-ing throughout the summer.
{ok, I'll be honest here, I should say I'm going to TRY to make them
keep up with journal-ing...this is one of those things we always start and never finish. Ha}

Art projects will still happen..because I have girls and well, that's just what they do!
{at least my girls}

We will be visiting lots of Farmer's Markets because I blog over at Twin Gardens.
We will also be spending lots of time making pizzas at markets
and catering with Savino's Brick Oven.
{and eating pizza...oh my goodness you guys have to try our pizza!!! You'll love it! I promise.}

I consider this more educational than a stack of worksheets.
I'm thankful my kids have these opportunities.







Happy Summer Days!!!
XxOo

Monday, May 22, 2017

Miscarriage can feel like a really mean trick.


One minute you're staring at a positive pregnancy test, smelling baby lotions and
looking at how very, very tiny newborn onsies are....

...and the next, there is no heartbeat on the monitor
and the technician says..."I'm so sorry."

Miscarriage is a tease.
You're going to have a baby, and then....you're not.

Unfortunately it's part of this life here on earth. and even in loss God has a plan.

He had a plan when He gave us a baby to dream about,
even if it was only for a few short weeks.

I can see good that came out of it. My kids learned, I learned.

Most of the pregnancy I've been down...I was put on semi-bed rest from the start.
I'm tired of sitting. I'm tired of being careful. and I'm tired of wearing a pad!

My kids have done so, so much in the past couple of weeks helping out around the house.
I can not tell you how great they were. {still are!}
I mean, Frankie is potty trained and I had nothing to do with it!!! How incredible is that?



Our baby was due December 14.2017.
I'm ten weeks along. The baby has been gone for a while though.
I'm scheduled to have a D&C Wednesday morning.
...unless I miscarry on my own before that. Which I do not want to happen!

The last time I miscarried it dragged on and on and on and
I ended up needing the surgery weeks and weeks later anyway.
At this point...I just want to be DONE!

If you're one of those people thinking...well, she's older now,
my midwife had the best thing to say about this...
"If you're young enough to get pregnant, you're young enough to have the baby!"

Don't let your age ever scare you into not having a baby if you want one.
You have to be careful with statistics...they aren't always the most accurate thing to go by.
{I could write a whole book on this!}

One of my kids asked why we had to lose our baby when there are other people
who have babies that don't want them or are mean to them.
It's not a comparison.
God doesn't work that way.
He doesn't compare our life to someone else's when He chooses to give or take away.
That's a human way of thinking....and it's easy to wonder.
...but again, that's not how God works.

We are an individual, with an individual story,
{yet intertwined so beautifully with others, if we follow His will..
....life fits together perfectly.}

He is writing a story with each of us separately.
In the end, we will have our own life tale.

What we choose to do with that life is up to us.
Love. Help others. Serve each other. Be kind.

There are some who will choose unwisely.
In the end, they will have a sad story and a sad legacy to leave behind.

We must do our best with what we are handed.
Trusting that it is the best for us even when it doesn't feel that way.
From every situation in life we can find something good.

My early miscarriage pales in comparison with what other women have gone through.
I am thankful this is happening now and not months from now!

My cousin had written her infertility story a few weeks back.
I found it so inspiring when she wrote...

"If you're interested in my IVF story, I'm going to tell it here.
I know when I was starting out with a fertility doctor,
I read the stories of as many real women as I could find. Here is my story."

How true!
It's so nice to read a story told by a real person, going
through a similar situation, rather than a doctor on WebMD!

We had friends lose their 11 year old daughter the day before Christmas Eve.
I have friends who aren't able to have any children.

We are sad about the baby, but have so much to be thankful for.
..and quite honestly...in situations like this, God really does give us Grace to handle them.

I am fine and ready to just move forward...
as in riding my bike! running outside! planting my garden!
Going on a date with my husband!!!

Just thought I'd share.
XxOo

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Wrapping up the week on Saturday...I love this lens...oh wait, I don't. I do love this song though.and the tacos. and the muffins.

I found my old lens in my camera bag..I thought...I haven't used this for a while.
When I uploaded my pictures, I remembered why.
I never thought I would be a person who cared about camera lenses...but I do.
...and all last weekend I used the one I highly dislike. Oh well.


My grandparents live on a lake...and all the grand kids and great-grand kids think it's the greatest.
Especially since there are many fishermen{and fishergirls} in our family.
{I am not one of them..I just like to be outside by the water...maybe cast once or twice}








When your neighbor graduates high school...and they have a party and hire a Taco Truck.
No matter how hard a person tries, no one can make tacos like the Mexicans can.
The cilantro, the onions, the beef, the corn tortillas...so good.




It's Saturday. It's raining... It's 48 degrees outside.
I am freezing and wearing a big chunky sweater....in May.
I have sour dough rising in the kitchen.
The girls and I are on the couch watching this old movie ...it's one of my favorites!
{I think I've seen it 2,000 times...I will never get tired of it no matter how old I get.}

Jeff and the boys are working on our family room/dining room renovation...
..I think today the wall is coming down! I'm so excited!
I love any home project....and this one is a big one.

Cute little song for you to listen to.

Happy Weekend.
XxOo

Monday, May 8, 2017

Lately around here.


Sunshine came.....but it's still chilly.
{Dear warm, where are you?
I reeeeeaaaally want to open my windows and wear sundresses!}



My herb garden needs tending to.
That will most likely happen this week.


Bath night is every night...thank you sand and dirt.

Thanks to Alex, our back porch is summer ready...whenever it decides to come.

{Sophia taking sunset photos with my camera ^^^..love finding their pictures when I upload.}

This girl made us homemade pizza Friday night...Thanks Allison.

Dinner by Jeff.
He's seriously amazing in the kitchen.




Jeff was fixing my clothesline posts and he "helped".



And that's lately around here. :)
XxOo