a groovy chick

lisa, jenna and me

meet lisa ~ she was in our small group bible study for a few years before moving away... far away to oklahoma.  other than a job, what does oklahoma have that we don't have?  lisa is many things... beautiful, single, a great listener, a provoking question asker, a tight hugger and a fun girl to be around. oh, and she gives the children fresca and trader joe's chocolate, so they really like her!  

prior to her moving, we would get together at unconventional times.  meeting up for breakfast or lunch meant that we could talk without interruption.  however, our breakfast meetings easily lasted until lunch. 

 

she was recently back in town and we had such a fun time!  we spent about six hours cleaning and organizing her closet here trying to figure out what she would need to take back to oklahoma for the summer.  if you know me and my obsession with closets that was actually very fun!  one night she joined us for our weekly bible study and afterwards stayed for dinner and hung out with the family for a while.  the children went to bed and we sat side by side while my husband watched us have an eight minute conversation about light bulbs.  now he understands why i can't recall what we talk about, we are all over the map!  i love that when she visits she is fine simply hanging out.  one afternoon she walked in while i was folding towels.  plopping herself down on the floor she said, *oh, i love folding towels* and pitched in and helped finish them.  she's now back in oklahoma so we have to email and talk on the phone.  lisa, i love you and know you will be back here one day hopefully soon! 

it matches... thanks jenn!

so, back in october (yeah, i'm that behind) my friend jenn sent me this mug.  i was taking a break from all sorts of things (facebook, blogging, internet) and simply in a rut.  this cute thing arrived in the mail and certainly made my day!  a few weeks later i realized that it matches the towel that i hang on my oven door.  serious cuteness! 

frisbee golf and water polo

jd and his college roommate chris (james madison university 1991) have remained close since graduation.  he and his wife christy have four children and we just adore their family.  we try to see each other at least once a year but distance plays a part in that not happening at times.  this past year we have seen them numerous times... a few times while skiing in massanutten, great wolf lodge prior to thanksgiving and now a weekend at the lake.  so fun to spend time with a family that shares such similar values and beliefs. 

like the rest of the world we have been watching some (okay, most) of the olympic games.  water polo has captivated our attention because of the players endurance and the physicality of the game.  even with life jackets on we had a hard time with this one.  i guess we will stick with swimming relays for now... which i won in a landslide.  to be expected maybe, since all of my competition was from the 13 and under crowd.

no official plans are in the works

but if these two were to get married in the future, we would not be disappointed.

these girls

m1 and micadoodle

compassionate, merciful, positive, bright smile
witty, boisterous, trendsetter, charmingfive years separate them but for now that does not matter

they giggle and cheer each other on... and antagonize the boys.

what does the future hold for them? a career, motherhood ~ we don't know yet. i pray they will be women who love God and are faithful. women who know they are set apart and have a pure heart.

but for now we will savor the moments we have. i recently read that we only have 18 summers with our children and then they are "grown".  i want to make the most of that time!

these boys

little man and dude 

best cousins, lego masters, soccer enthusiasts, kick ball kings

what will their relationship look like in the years to come? i pray they grow into men that love God, love family and are accountable to one another when they have struggles. they both have great fathers as examples.

during the school year they don't get to see each other much, but that all changes in the summer when we spend several weeks with them. when it is time to say good-bye they hug and hug and hug ~ and when they think us mommies are not looking they quietly wipe away one stray tear.

beach day

the warm sun was so inviting... several of us got together for just one more outing before katy and crew headed south. all the children had a great time playing in the sand and water.  m2 enjoyed her first beach experience and thought the sand tasted great. the good-bye was not as sad as m2 began to lose it around 3:00; in her defense mommy did make her miss her nap to go. there is an exciting adventure awaiting them in sc... new job, new home, new church (it has to be a good church since it has Upward sports) and new friends to make. we have prayed for this family during this transitional time and they are going to be blessed abundantly! katy in turn will also bless them abundantly as well... she is a great asset to her music minister husband.

katy

where to begin? katy and i were alto choir buddies when we discovered we were both pregnant with boys to be born two weeks apart. j and little man are now six and have been friends since birth. as the boys have transitioned through different stages, katy and i have done life together... asking questions back and forth and comparing notes, as well as slipping karen kingsbury books in each others diaper bags at church. j stayed with our family when his brother was born; both brothers were dropped off around 2:00 AM a few years later when their sister arrived. baby #4 will arrive this summer and we will not be able to help. life is moving this family to south carolina and we will miss them greatly.

we got together for a fun pool afternoon and dinner. katy and i sent the children outside to eat so we could talk in peace... first almost uninterrupted conversation in six years. they played until we turned on the flood lights and when the bugs started biting we let them back in and they played some more.

it was after 10:00 (on a school night) when katy and i shared a tearful final goodbye. her husband warned her that would happen.