7 year anniversary

Well...I better begin by unveiling my identity.  I (J) sit sneakily downstairs as I hear my beautiful bride getting the girls ready for a bath, then a movie, and finally bed.  Today is Sunday, August 12th, 2012 the night before our 7th wedding anniversary.  I thought long and hard on how to creatively show my love for my wife.  In the past I've taken her on a surprise trip, made an art or craft, planned scavenger hunts, or bought her something special.  Not that the year seven is a big year, but I thought this year would be thrilling to hack into her blog and write something from my heart.  So, today (our anniversary) I give you, Leah, 7 gifts.

1. Gift 1...7 purple daisies.  Her favorite flower and already sitting on the kitchen table.  You'll have to trust that they're there. 
2. Gift 2...7 kisses.  We'll save those for tomorrow...wink...and "NO"...reader I'm not posting pictures.
3. Gift 3...7 of my favorite memories of the last 7 years
1. our wedding day
2. birth of Peah
3. birth of Tulip
4. both landing teaching jobs in New Prague - what GOD thing for two fresh grads
5. buying our first house
6. going to Chicago while pregnant with Peach as a little "pre-kids" hurrah
7. This whole summer 2012 - I LOVE the ages of our girls, and the adventures we've taken
4. Gift 4...7 things I love about Leah
1. She is other-centered.  Thinks first about others before herself.  She's so helpful and kind.
2. Her generosity.  Generous with her time, gifts, love, possessions, creativity, and so much more.  One of the first things I fell in love with...so much like Jesus.
3. Simply gorgeous inside and out!
4. Follows the basic Christian command:  "Love Jesus.  Love people."
5. She is real, genuine, and honest.  I love that with her it's no games or facades...with Leah she is true to herself. 
6. Blessed with such creativity.  Her blog and crafts she's does with the girls just scratch the surface.
7. Humility.  Leah never acts or speaks like she's "got it altogether".
5. Gift 5...7 promises I renew today
1. I WILL love my family, protect them, serve them, and be "completely invested" as a husband/father.
2. I WILL teach them the Word of God and pray with them.
3. I WILL honor you and the girls with word and deed.
4. I WILL be be quick to forgive and reconcile with those I've wronged.
5. I WILL learn from my mistakes.
6. I WILL seek to obey God's Word, and do His will.
7. I WILL have an attitude like that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)
6. Gift 6...7 verses
• "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."  
• Joshua 24:15
• "How happy are those who fear the Lord - all who follow His ways...=>your wife will be a fruitful vine flourishing within your home...=>your children as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees."
• Psalm 128
• "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."
• Ephesians 5:25
• "Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
• Ephesians 6:4
• "Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples; if you love one another."
• John 13:34-35 (our wedding verse)
• "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
• Romans 15:13
• "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments I give to you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
• Deuteronomy 6:5-9
7. Gift 7...7 of my favorite photos from the last 7 years

August 2005 - at our wedding rehearsal

Moving to New Prague...Fall 2005

hi-O!  my eyes as I show off that hottie!

Christmas 2008 - baby Peach and Mya (I miss her) 

Leah and 9-month-old Peach - Spring 2009 

Tulip and daddy - April 2011

AND...#7...those eyes and that look:)  

Jesus...I'm so thankful for another year with my bride.  Every day is a gift.  Every child a blessing.  All we have is YOURS.  I declare  a blessing over this 8th year together in Jesus name...AMEN!

30 little things with BIG love

well, today was a big day at our house.

J turned 30 years old.

in case you hadn't noticed, he means a lot to me, so

i wanted to do something totally different and unique for him on this most special of days.

here is the letter that J read while eating a special birthday breakfast this morning:

Daddy, we know you love the quote: “Today, little things with great love.”

We are so lucky to have you in our lives to teach us what this means.

And today we want to honor you and the 30 years of life that you’ve been blessed with by doing 30 little things with great love.

We’ll start close to home and get further and further away….ending with lunch at one of your favorite places!

• Mail a letter to a soldier
• Send a card to Great Grandma Avis telling her we love her
• Call Grandma Zachow just to say ‘hi’
• Leave a treat for our mail carrier
• Take a treat to Gene and Mary
• Bring homemade goodies to Angie, Richard, Nicholas and Sophia
• Bring a meal to Tony and Bonnie
• Leave quarters at the laundromat
• Bring snacks to the librarians
• Chalk up something encouraging on a public sidewalk
• Take some of our garden veggies to next door neighbors
• Bring treasure hunt to the park (basket, items to hide and sign – have fun finding these items!)
• Bring a story to Mala Strana and read it to someone there
• Leave a joke on the Red Box screen
• Push the carts in from the parking lot at Alco
• Go through the drive-through at McDonalds and pay for the person behind us
• Leave $5 at a gas pump
• Leave free carwash at Holiday drive through
• Walk around church and clean up any trash outside
• Find a vending machine and leave enough change for someone to pay for a soda/snack
• Leave a diaper and wipes on a public baby changing station
• Leave scripture in a public bathroom
• Recycle our plastic grocery bags
• Hide dollar bills at the Burnsville Dollar Tree…so some lucky person can get what they need/want for free!
• Bring treats to the animals at the Burnsville Humane society
• Park far away from the restaurant…let someone else have a close spot
• Over lunch, make a list of things we are thankful for
• Leave a generous tip for our waitress at BD Mongolians
• Buy dessert for someone else before we leave
• After lunch, go buy a flower…come home and plant it.

Around 9:30 we set off on our birthday adventure. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.........

we started by taking homemade goodies to our neighbors

then made our way to the laundromat

Peach's favorite part was hiding the toys at the park - I wish we could have stayed around to see the kids that found our little game :)

some lucky guy got 5 bucks towards his gas purchase - hope he passes the blessing along

diaper and wipes for the changing table at the grocery store

me check, check, checkin' off my list!

attempting to clean up the area around church - we couldn't find any trash!

blessing Mother Earth by recycling

when we went to read Green Eggs and Ham at the nursing home, we found this spunky gal, who shares Peach's name!

she is 107 years old!

there were a few things that we wanted to get to on the list, but Miss Tulip started to get a little cranky, signaling that nap time was near.

I thought we could fit it all in, but after 3 and a half years of doing this parenting thing, we've grown wise enough to know when we can push it and when we can't.

luckily, J and I have a little anniversary date planned on Monday and we'll be able to finish up our good deeds then

all in all, we enjoyed the opportunities to bless others and spent the rest of the day wondering who the recipients of our love were and how they reacted to the little day-brighteners we left around town today

as i sit here and write this, i'm reminded once again what a great guy i have

he inspires me to be better

and i know that our kids are learning what generosity and kindness look like by watching him

he truly knows how to take the little things in life and fill them with BIG love

happy birthday, J :)

july extras

july was a lovely mixture of all kinds of wonderful adventures...

like picking raspberries at J's family farm

learning how to give a pedicure ;)

building forts inside and make climbing gyms so these little monkeys could burn off their energy on scorching hot days

our own version of Team USA gymnastics ;)

sweet hair!

making good use of the trampoline that my parents' surprised the girls with during a trip down to their place

spending a few late afternoons at the park

eating so many beans straight from the garden that I don't think more than a dozen made it into the house

and splashing around on the deck.

Here I sit at the end of another month, wondering how I got so lucky to live with these three...and thanking the Good Lord for another 31 days together.