Springtime Blooms...

My husband (and son) have been diligently planting flowers throughout the past few weeks. The plants survived a couple late-season frosts thanks to sheets EVERYWHERE. I told Blake that we should shut-off all our outside lights b/c our house looked a bit like a creepy graveyard on Halloween!

While I appreciate the beauty that flowers bring to the yard, I'm certainly NOT a gardener. To be honest, I am just not into dirt. Not a fan; plain & simple.

Nonetheless, I did contribute to this year's springtime flower displays by snapping some photos. :)

Mothers Day Weekend

We hosted Mothers Day at our house yesterday with some of Blake's family. We feasted on a menu designed (and prepared) by my hubby which included: marianated & grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes, a lettuce salad (consisting of dried mangos, strawberries, asparagus, pine nuts), roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese, multi-grain bread, amazing rhubarb pies provided by my MIL and Oberweis ice cream which is my FIL's specialty :)

Here are some snapshots of our time together. These little guys sure do love being together and they absolutely ADORE their grandma & grandpa, too.

Jonah playing outside with playdoh & trucks -- what could be better!

love little Jared's sweet expression in this shot...

way to go, grandma: the attention of all three boys at once!

Xander with one of his favorite people -- these guys are BUDS! :)

officially a member of grandma's rhubarb pie 'fan club'...

Always More That's Right...

If you were to ask me whether I was more of a half-empty or half-full kind of gal, I would instantly cast my vote for the FULL side of things. But my heart has been convicted lately regarding the reality of that self-perception. Do I simply desire to be viewed as optimistic because that seems the more worthy attribute OR do I actually live my life with a heart of gratitude & thankfullness? The conviction deepens along with the following realization -- I can complain with the best of 'em!

I can complain when the weather does not cooperate with my plans (who likes to go to the park in the rain!). I can whine about my son's troublesome behavior (my kitchen floor can attest to his latest eating style). I can lament having too much to do & too little time (and yet waste valuable minutes/hours doing unnecessary tasks).

So why all the self-examination? It was triggered by a line I recently read, "...sharing in the certainty that, even with all that can be wrong with the world (or the weather, or a marriage, or a person), there’s always more that’s right…”

It is SO easy to see the negative aspects of life -- dirty laundry, piles of dishes, disagreements, broken relationships, lies, poverty -- the list could go in so many directions. And yet the truth of the matter is this -- there is SO much good in life; so much MORE that is right. The sacrifice of a Savior. The love of family. The joy of the seasons. The laughter of a child. The kindness of a stranger. So much MORE that is right.

I have committed in my heart to be more aware of the GOOD and less concerned about the wrong. Perhaps you'd like to accept the challenge to do the same?

Mowing: Daddy & Me

Blake and Alexander mowed the yard for the first time this year. Alexander and I had been practicing throughout the afternoon as Xander make circles in the almost 6-inch high grass, in some places (we planted grass last year so its coming in but not yet a rich, lush, even lawn). After dinner, the boys headed outside to retrieve the necessary tools/equipment. The moments that followed had me totally cracking up!

Sitting on the stoop by the back door, I acted as 'base' as Alexander facilated between muttering, "I fine!" and "I run away!" while watching Blake add gas, oil, etc. to the mower. He was quite certain the mower would make the same obnoxiously loud noise as the snowblower and he's not a fan of noise. He can often be found commenting (about trains, trucks, sheep, children at the library, my singing, etc. etc. etc.) "Too loud! Too loud!"

Here are some picture of my boys workin' together...

Those who know the somewhat scaredy-cat personality of our son, will appreciate the following. Check out the expression on the little guy's face (and his daddy's amtagonistic one, too)!

Getting Back To 'Normal'

Ahhh...things are getting back to normal around here -- as if that word should even exist in the vocabulary of one who's parenting a toddler, huh?

Why normal? Because my husband (and more importantly in my son's eyes -- DADDY!) is back from serving at the Bonne Finn Hospital in Haiti. While I missed him tremendously, I am thrilled to have him return to us with a heart that is overflowing with a passion for serving God & others -- in big & small ways.

Sometimes I cannot believe that I lived alone for several years before getting married b/c I was NOT looking forward to the loneliness. So...Alexander and I simply embarked on what I haved termed the 'grandparents tour' while waiting for Blake's return. What a delight! Free childcare! Great meals! A change of pace! What's not to like?

First we headed north to g&g S's where we spent time doing this...

g&g have an AMAZING yard and I am counting on them to provide my son with a little horticultrure training :)

...and some of this (my apologies for the snotty nose)

And then we headed south to g&g H's where we spent time with these cute cousins (drew)...(and isaak)...

Alexander assisted with planting the garden (or rather, tried to walk around in the buckets my parents use for protecting plants from the wind)...

...and spent some time hoeing up weeds while I helped myself to the first crop of rhubarb from my mom's patch (in background of pic)...

We enjoyed our time with g&g's but glad we are back at home, together as a family, again.

CrAck!

So here's a kind-of-humorous story for your Monday morning.

Yesterday. We're in the church kitchen helping with lunch clean-up. Alexander is playing hide-and-seek with his grandma by ducking inside some doors which house the recycling bin.

Suddenly there is a loud 'CRACK!' followed by the muffled wailing of a child.

Oh yes! My son found a preventative mousetrap in the corner & was inspired to investigate. What he found was NOT to his liking.

Fortunately, his fingers recovered nicely but I'm thinking his adventurous exploits might be less in the days to come -- or is that just a mother's wishful thinking?

A Day At Lincoln Park...

Earlier this week, Alexander and I spent a day with some friends at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was quite the adventure in modes of transportation -- from car to stroller to Metra train to city bus to stroller -- repeat in reverse :)

We ate lunch in the park where Xander managed to smear his PBJ up & down my pants while sitting in my lap. Then we proceeded to the Farm where Alexander was delighted by the huge John Deere tractor & I thought the egg exhibit was pretty cool. After a minor (okay, MAJOR) meltdown upon leaving the Farm, we continued onto the Zoo.

It was a gorgeous 80+ degree and sun-shiny day made even better by getting to be with Kasey & Alea, Bekah & Titus, Deanne & Olivia.

exploring the tractor (Xander and Alea)...

i can't decide if there merekats are cute or scary-looking...
what a fascinating animal...

climbing thru the 'egg tunnel'......and popping out the other side.

Sorry...no pictures of the littlest ones (Titus & Olivia) as they dozed thru most of the afternoon much to their mother's delight :)