full of goodness

i've been convicted lately of how often i use the word, "busy"

i realized it just the other day when replying to an email that a dear friend had written in the beginning of december...

i had asked her to send me some dates when she and her hubs could come visit us.  she sent three dates that would work in january.

and i just found the email...buried under all kinds of other "important" emails...just in time to have missed three opportunities to spend time with her.

ugh...that felt awful.

and as i started to apologize in the email, saying how "busy" things had been over the holidays, i realized how lame that sounded.

like being "busy" is some sort of badge of honor

"we've been really busy lately" seems to be the mantra of all the mommas i talk to...as if being not busy is a bad thing

it's not that i think being busy is bad...

but when it takes away from the important things that i really want to make time for, i shouldn't throw the term around like it makes me super-mom and everyone else just needs to okay with our "busy" schedules.

so, i've decided that our days are full of goodness, but not too busy for important things like baking cupcakes and making room in our home and schedule for friends that we love.

a few weeks ago, Peach dug this cupcake cookbook off the shelf.

my mom had given it to me as a birthday gift (in may!) and i had thought we were just waaaaay too "busy" to do fancy cupcakes like these.

but, with my new conviction lingering in the back of my head, i decided that peanut butter chocolate cupcakes from scratch were just the ticket for Monday afternoon.

we made a GIANT mess

and licked delicious batter right off the spoon while discussing how ridiculous it is that we EVER purchase cupcake mix in a box when the real deal is soooooo much better

here's what we ended up with  - not exactly the picture in the book, but yumm-o none-the-less

we gave some to friends, took a batch to day care and treated ourselves to a few for dessert.

yes, my life is busy.

but it is busy because it is full of really good things.

like these cupcakes

and this girl :)

giving good gifts

i LOVE giving gifts....

i can't tell you how many times i buy or make something that i just loooooove and have the hardest time wrapping it up because i want to either look at it or keep it.

i've been known to have a hard time keeping them a secret (and have even given a few early on occasion) because i just cannot wait

when Christmas came this year, i was downright giddy to give the girls the gifts i had been storing up since summer

i've already got valentine's treats and easter basket goodies that i've taken out, organized and put away, only to take out again, re-organize and put away again (mostly just because i like looking at them)

anyway, i'm rambling...

the other day i was reading in Matthew 7

"If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him."

whoa....here i am bursting with excitement about the tea set i just made my niece for her birthday.

making sure the letters are just right, picking out fancy napkins and making felt tea bags with cute little cupcakes in a pretty bag and painting wooden blocks with glitter to look like sugar cubes.

and God gets MORE excited about giving me my heart's desires

my Father wants EVEN MORE DESPERATELY to give me all the perfect details according to His will

i don't need to worry about how, in the WIDE WORLD, we are ever going to fit our growing family into this little house.

God has a plan...and all the details are perfectly laid out in that

He's working on it...patiently waiting to reveal it to me

wanting it to be just right

i don't need to worry about what my job will look like 10 years from now...the gift is being designed...perfected...and i will unwrap  it in His most excellent timing

i don't need to worry about who my children will choose as friends

the Lord, whom i trust, is working it all out for our good...

...these lovely gifts that He's giddy about giving me.

of course, i don't believe for one moment that all this means that life is just peachy

i know that there are things that are downright awful that happen in this world and i won't pretend to understand why

but, His Word says that He's into giving good gifts....really good, awesome, detailed gifts

thank you, Lord for teaching me this

thank you for opportunities to see your Word in my life

and thank you, in advance, for the good gifts that i can expect as your beloved child 

wednesday night delight

when J initially told me that he was thinking about teaching an Awana class at our church on Wednesday nights, and bringing Peach along to participate in the cubbies (preschool) program, i was NOT in favor of the idea.

i'm pretty protective of our time at home.

i think it's because i know that the day is coming when our schedules will be packed with sports, band lessons, plays, musicals and all other manner of organized activities.

and this window of time when our littles are happiest just being at home is so precious to me...

but, i have to admit that J was right on this one.

he convinced me that it would be good for Peach and that i'd enjoy the extra time with Tulip.

that ended up being the understatement of the year....

i didn't think about it while i was whining and complaining that our wednesday nights would be occupied by something other than family time.

but, i have never had regular time alone with Tulip.

sure, i get little snippets here and there.

but, she's never really had my undivided attention.

Peach had J and I all to herself the first 2 and a half years of her little life

i look back on that time and realize how unique it was to be able to hold her whenever i wanted...

to be able to say "yes" to every whim that came our way.

Tulip never had that...

until our Wednesday night date night ensued.

now, we get a few hours, every week when it is just us.

and i'm trying to be really intentional about noticing her during that time...studying her....fighting the urge to get things done and just enjoying this sweet time.

because come May, we're gonna' have to share this time with the new baby.

but for right now, i'm loving Wednesday nights...

the way she gets all excited when she sees the moon from our deck window...

how she says "cozy" when she wants to watch a movie or read a book while wrapped in a blanket on the couch...

singing songs together in the car...

listening to her tell me all about her day in babble that i only catch bits and pieces of...

the way she does the splits and wants me to join her - yeah right!...

her fresh from the bathtub scent...

sharing snacks...

i really wanted to take her for ice cream last night.

but, we got all bundled up only to find out that our favorite ice cream shop closed at 4 pm...

drove down main street a bit further to find that another coffee shop that we love closes at 5...shoot!

so, we settled for a cookie at the grocery store on the other end of town.  she didn't seem disappointed. :)

we had the best time, just sitting in a booth, coloring, munching our cookies and sipping this yumm-o tea from a straw.  we were only there for a half hour, but you would have thought i took this kid to Disney Land - she was so happy to just be with me.

hope i never forget how awesome it feels to be loved like that.

coming home made the night even better.

because the best part of my Wednesday is always bed time.  J and Peach get home late on wednesdays, so Tulip and I just take our time.  we read at least dozen books, instead of the usual three or four.

we snuggle in the rocking chair, both wiggling to find that just right place around my bulging belly where we're both comfortable.

i shine her nightlight stars up on the ceiling and we look for the moon.  sing some more songs.

pray. hum.  and i let her fall asleep right there with me.

no other night of the week do i indulge in such sweet, slow rocking, stroking her hair, scratching her back, letting her drift off in my arms.

after she's safely tucked into bed, i usually have a little time to get some things done around the house before Peach and J come bursting through the doors, full of stories about all the fun they had at Awana.  it's a win/win situation to say the least.

this wednesday night gig is one of those things i would have never asked for.  just one of many reasons i'm so grateful that the Lord (and my husband) know the desires of my heart even when i don't.  :)

cocoa and questions...

i had this plan to make a scrapbook of all my children's birthdays.

and on each birthday, i would ask them the same 10 questions.

and take a picture of them doing the same thing or standing next to the same thing...so i could see how they grew.

so far i've documented one birthday out of four for Peach

 and Tulip?...well...my scrapbooking stuff hasn't seen the light of day for over a year, so i'm not getting my hopes up about that.

as much as i'd like to be the pinterest queen of my dreams, i've come to the realization that you can't win 'em all...

but, this one asked for hot cocoa just the other day.

perfect opportunity for a little chat...just me and her.

so here's what was said - in between little sister tantrums and baths and wiping noses and peeling questionable substances off the floor - before i forget.

Peach, what do you want to be when you grow up?

mmmmm...a teacher

really?  why do you want to be a teacher?

because mommy and daddy are...everybody is a teacher when they get big.

i can see why you think that.  we have lots of grown up friends that are teachers, but some people become artists and writers and doctors and dentists and scientists and all kinds of things.

hmmmm...what's a sine-tist do?

they do all kinds of things...some work with animals, others make medicine, like uncle luke.

i'm still gon' be a teacher.

okay.  it's a fun job.  i really like it.  but you might change your mind someday and that's okay, too.

who is your favorite friend right now?

megan

why do you like her so much?

because when we play house, i am always the mom and she is always the puppy.

that makes sense.

what do you like to do with daddy?

go sledding.

and play one two three (where he rolls her up in a blanket like a swing and counts to three, then flings her onto the couch)

and have tickle torture.

what do you like to do with mommy?

make stuff.

what do you like to do with your sister?

have night light parties and sing songs.

is there anything you don't like about having a sister?

yeah....

like what?

like when she messes my stuff up

and when she pulled up the plug in the drain and lost dora forever!

i DID NOT like that, mom...

i know.

which book do you like to read right now?

Shoe-la-la...daddy does funny voices for that story

are you excited about our new baby?

yeah...will i still get to go to bonnie's when the baby comes?

yes.

good - 'cause i know you probably are gon' sit on the couch with the baby, but i still want to play with my friends...

gotcha.

i hope it is a boy

wouldn't that be awesome?

but it might be a girl.

if it is, we can just trade, okay?

hmmmmmm.....

with who?

with alex and sam and ben - they need a girl and we need a boy

what can i say?

she's one smart cookie...

so happy she's mine :)

a quiet start

we've had a quiet start to the new year.

after all the excitement of the holidays, we've been enjoying a couple low key weeks and weekends snuggled up at home.

i remember this happening totally by accident last year...just not really planning anything during January.  and i loved it!

it was so nice to have time to explore new toys, slowly say good-bye to the Christmas decor and put the house back together.

so, this year we intentionally left lots of open spaces on the calendar and we've been soaking up

forts, dress up, playing doctor to stuffed animals, reading new books dozens of times, sledding at our newfound hill, baking cookies and our favorite...flashlight hide and seek :)

not to mention some good, quality cousin time as well

as you can see, i've majorly slacked on the picture taking

j says that's because no one gets more into kids toys than i do.

it's true.

i had been itching for Christmas to arrive so the girls could get all the fun stuff that I...I mean SANTA...had been collecting at garage sales all summer

my favorite?

littlest pet shop.

i got this adorable little playground at a garage sale for five bucks and then spent the rest of the summer collecting pets to go with it.

i actually set it up in the basement on several occasions, just to see all the fun stuff i had managed to collect and organize it in a little tub, making sure all the pieces fit just so....and, i confess:

 i played with it...when the girls were in bed...before Santa put it under the tree. :)

i mean, honestly...can you blame me?  just look at that monkey...

i don't know if it is their little bobble heads or their big eyes, but i just love setting up their beds, food station, park and pretending the afternoons away.

the best part is that it is finally a toy that BOTH girls can equally enjoy.  

Peach is in love with this Strawberry Shortcake grocery store that she got from grams and gramps

her Polly Pockets come shopping here and i just adore her little voice telling the customers  "that will be fourty three dollars and nineteen cents, please" when they want to buy a bunch of bananas

she learned about Doc McStuffins from a cute little friend and my parents got her the dvd.  quite by coincidence, i had found a little pet hospital for her and she's been busy playing doctor to the animals, fixing their owies and recording it all in her very own
big book of boo-boos

Tulip has turned into a reading machine and her most cherished activities include looking through books while clutching her new and beloved squinkies.  These are the ones we can't stop picking up.

i did get a few grown-up gifts that i'm enjoying as well...including new pots and pans - NEVER have i enjoyed cooking so much!

and...drumroll please....PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS!  Yay - it isn't up and running on my computer yet.  I need to get an update before I can install it.  But, BIG improvements on my pics as I'm going to be able to do all sorts of fun edits now - yahoo!

all in all, it has been a delicious start to 2013.

eventually, we'll get back to the busy-ness that we enjoy

Peach has been asking about gymnastics

And we've got a baptism, birthday party, scrapbooking weekend and golf get-away coming up

but for now, i'm savoring the slow

high hopes that the rest of the year is this yummy.