Ordinary Miracles

Life this past week was full of what I call ordinary miracles- things that can happen to us any day and seem very routine and ordinary, yet are wonderful.

Phoenix and I were painting some paper plates, just for fun. And then I decided to abandon the paint brushes and finger paint (Phoenix quickly followed my lead, of course). The yellow and blue paint covering our hands quickly turned into green paint, and we had so much fun making hand prints and painting plates. I realized this was a moment to be remembered.

Another time, I decided to be BRAVE and make homemade bread. I have tried before but didn't do so well. Phoenix loves any opportunity to get his hands dirty so he quickly climbed onto a chair to help me. Every aspect of the bread making thrilled him- the rolling pin, the sticky dough, the messy flour. He was copying everything I did and it was adorable. In the end, we were covered in flour (as was the kitchen) but ended up making a great batch of rolls and a loaf of yummy bread that we just finished off this morning (thanks Wendy for teaching me and for your bread recipe!). Yum. If you've never made your own bread, I highly recommend it. The store bought bread doesn't even compare. It's like two different food products, the taste is so different. Another moment to be remembered.

Joslynn has a lot to offer. If any of you don't know her yet, she is a very sweet girl who loves to have fun. She rarely cries and is ready to smile any time. We have so much fun laughing and giggling. She loves our dog, loves her Daddy because he will wrestle her, and loves her brother because he does things to make her laugh. Her new thing is making noises with her mouth. I will click my tongue or make some other sound, and she is really good at copying me. I am surprised by how much personality she has for only being 8 months old. Phoenix tends to be intense, loud, and boisterous. Joslynn is very feminine and observant, but she has this fun, bouncy side of her that we all enjoy so much. She is like her Dad in this way- she likes to have fun and be silly. And like any girl, she has become very chatty.

Isaac and I looked through our memory box yesterday and reminisced about "the old days". It was good to look back on old letters, cards, and pictures of us from when we first met and started dating. I concluded 2 things: One, I love Isaac so much and remembering the past reminded me of that! And two, we are getting old. We might only be in our twenties but pictures don't lie. Five years of marriage and two kids later, we don't look quite so fresh and thin! Ha ha. But I enjoy growing older with my best friend. It brings lots of moments to remember.

As a stay-at-home wife and mother, most days are filled with things like cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, paying bills, and the like. And then there are those occasional moments that catch you by surprise. The finger painting, bread making, and so many other things are what make my life worth all the diapers and crying and time-outs and "If you do that one more time, I will scream!!!" At the end of the non-animated version of Charlotte's Web, there is a song called "Ordinary Miracle". I love the song and find it very fitting as my theme song.

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Smithville

Yesterday, Isaac had a rare day without any appointments to go to, so we decided to have a Dream Day. I recommend this to anyone! We drove around with our camera and took pictures of anything we hope to accomplish some day. We didn't get as many pictures as I'd like, since Joslynn and Phoenix were not big fans of riding in the car for hours, but we did get a great picture of a farm house on lots of land (like what we have only much more land and the house had a wrap-around porch). We also took photos of horses.

Our little road trip lasted all day and we encountered some interesting things along the way. On one of our stops, there was a head on collision accident (praise God, nobody was hurt). That was very exciting for Phoenix because there was a tow truck and he loves big trucks. He and Isaac stood by watching that scene for 15 minutes. We ended up in a town called Smithville (must say, I love the name). This is the town where one of my favorite movies was filmed, "Hope Floats." So we got to see all of the locations where the movie was filmed and that was neat. Check that off my Bucket List! Smithville is a very cute town, and it used to be a railroad town so the little Visitor's Center there was full of train pictures and toy trains that Phoenix just loved to play with. They also had some old, original trains out on the tracks that he got to climb around on. He loved it. Also, a new movie is coming out soon called "Tree of Life" starring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt (comes out June 3rd). It looks like a good movie and it, too, was filmed in Smithville. If it isn't rated R, I will be sure to check it out.

It was a lot of fun to visit a small, country town that they say is a town still stuck in the 1950's, meaning it is a safe community with great family values and a faith-based population. We really loved it there and had a lot of fun. I was raised a city girl, but I must say that the combination of being married to Isaac and living in Texas has brought me to love the small town country life.

Welcome Spring

The weather here brings me mixed emotions. On the one hand, I really love the mild winters. On the other hand, the summers are terribly hot but mostly HUMID! Thank the Lord I have curly hair, so the humidity helps my hair. Summer is just around the corner already, so I am enjoying the more mild Spring weather. We have spent a lot of time doing outside things: playing in the water (which is just me spraying Phoenix and Mack with a hose), blowing bubbles, and the continual garden preparations (weeding, watering, tilling). And there is still the everyday trip to the mailbox that we all enjoy. Each day around 11 AM, I carry Joslynn on my hip (which is where she spends most of her waking hours) and walk down the gravel pathway to our mailbox, with Phoenix and Mack trotting alongside me.

I recently started persuading Phoenix to take naps again. He has been missing his daily nap for about a month and seemed cranky and irritable from about 3 PM until the end of the day (a very long day!). So now, after lunch at noon, we read stories (as active as Phoenix is, I am still awed that he likes to sit down with me and read) and then he lays on his favorite blue blankie that he has had since birth, and watches a Baby Einstein. After 15 minutes of this classical music show, he is out like a light, and is much happier for the rest of the day.

Joslynn turns 6 months old this week (wow!). She is rolling over, sticking her feet in her mouth (flexible!), and developing such a sweet personality. She is very gentle and has such a sweet spirit. She loves her Daddy and her brother (and me, of course), and she is laughing and talking more and more each day. Sometimes I hold her so close to me and thank God in my heart for giving her to me. She smells divine all the time and rarely throws a fit of any kind. She balances out her brother quite well. She is a breath of fresh air.

Isaac is doing great. He recently added selling insurance to his list of talents. He has been doing great and loves the change of pace. The alarm business was great for us for two years, but we felt it was time to move on to something different (which God confirmed for us over and over). I do credit handfuls of life lessons learned to our time spent selling alarms. We will see what God has in store for us in the insurance business!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him..." Romans 15:13

Broken

Three things have been broken today.

1. Broken window...Our siding glass door. Phoenix threw a rock at it this morning and it slowly crackled until the entire door looked like stained glass.

2. Broken dog...Our beloved yellow lab, Charley, was hit by a car just an hour ago. He didn't make it and we feel his absence already.

3. Hearts...Breaking the glass door seems like no big deal now that our little Charley is gone. I know that death and loss are an unavoidable part of this life. We are all so fragile, as is the world that surrounds us. Still...I am sad that Charley will never grow up to be a big boy. I am sad for Mack, our black lab puppy, who misses Charley so much already that he is laying down and won't get up. I am sad for Phoenix. Charley was his best buddy and helped Phoenix sleep in his own room when he was too scared to be in there by himself.

Isaac and I miss Charley so much.

Funny Things

Yesterday was a warm day. So we were all outside in our backyard, working on the soon-to-be garden. Isaac was digging post holes for the fence that we are putting up around said garden. For some reason, Phoenix was outside in his diaper with no shoes on. All of a sudden we heard him screaming...and then we saw both of his legs sticking straight in the air, kicking like mad. He had fallen head first into one of the post holes! It was so funny. When Isaac pulled him out, his hair and eyelashes and everything were dusted with dirt. It's not as funny typed up. Way funnier in person.

Then today, we were getting ready to eat dinner. I made Phoenix a quick peanut butter sandwich since we were eating fish, which he won't touch. At the table I was holding Joslynn and Isaac said "What IS THAT on your shirt?" My white shirt was smeared with peanut butter all across the front. I had no idea how it got there...until we heard Joslynn sucking away at her fingers. I was holding her when I made Phoenix's sandwich, and I guess she stuck her hand in the peanut butter jar when I wasn't looking and then smeared it on my shirt...she then proceeded to lick the rest off her little hand and she seemed to be enjoying it very much. Peanut butter...her first taste of solid food.

Hello 2011

We just got the internet at home a couple days ago, so now I can start blogging again!

When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to see that it snowed. I haven't seen snow since I lived in Salt Lake. I miss it! Isaac, Phoenix, and the dogs are out playing in it right now. Yes, the dogs. We recently got a black lab puppy we call Mack and a yellow lab puppy we call Charly. Except for the many accidents on the carpet and the constant chewing on everything, they have been a lot of fun. It is nice to finally have a yard with enough space for our dogs to run and play all day.

Life in Thorndale is going well. Isaac just returned home from a long business trip. First he went to Illinois for a week and then to El Paso for a week. It was a long two weeks! I did a lot of things I thought I'd never do, like go to the grocery store by myself with the kids (that was interesting). I am grateful he doesn't have to take these kinds of trips all the time anymore, like he did when he worked for VitaMix.

Phoenix is still a wild bundle of energy. Chasing the dogs around is his favorite thing to do, and he does it almost non-stop. He also likes to spend time in the "classroom" we set up for him in our spare bedroom. It's full of educational toys and books and fun activities. We have a class fish (a betta) and we spend a couple hours a day in there, learning and playing. He is still the pickest eater ever! Recently he has been saying the CUTEST prayers. Like when he got out of the bath a couple days ago, he was laying down while I dressed him and he said "Dear Jesus, thank you Mommy and Daddy...thank you bath...thank you boat. Amen!" and just now, he came inside and said "Dear Jesus, thank you snow. Thank you trucks. Amen!"

Joslynn goes in for her 4-month check-up on Monday. Wow, has she gotten big and chubby! Let me tell you, she is so sweet and so precious. There really is a big difference between baby boys and baby girls. She is very social and loves to just stare into your eyes, then gives you a huge smile. We say her eyes are as big as Texas because she is wide-eyed, always looking around. She sleeps through the night (whew!) and her favorite thing is for me to hold her and carry her with me everywhere. And I don't mind a bit.