"The Best Day Ever"

Some things you don't realize how good you have it until it's gone, others you recognize their full greatness while they're still in your midst. The Best Day Ever!!! Definitely falls into the latter category. So, let me back up just a bit. What is the Best Day Ever? Well, when Lucy enrolled in public school she made friends with a sweet and quiet little girl. We'll call her "E". As I got to know her mom through a mutual friend, I quickly learned where E got her caring and friendly heart from. 

Throughout the school year the girls had a few play dates and some other fun outings. As first graders it was fun to watch their friendship grow. I had Wiley not quite 2 weeks before school got out for the year. We were in baby heaven! E's wonderful mom asked me what we were doing for the last day of school, my response was to spend the afternoon staring at said new baby (or something of that nature). She insisted on taking Lucy along on what she described as The Best Day Ever! It involved lunch out (a rare treat), parks, splash pads, ice cream and more! I of course agreed to let her take my child on this grand adventure and met them for ice cream when all of us at home had woken up from a nap. Lucy indeed had The Best Day Ever!

Last year, we all joined along with them. E and Lucy had been in separate second grade classes, but were still good friends. Murray and E's younger sister R had been in the same class and were also good friends. The youngest of their girls fell right in between Ginny and Wiley. We were quite the site! Applebees for lunch with 7 kids, the park, the splash pad, ice cream. Back to her house for pizza, popsicles and sparklers. It was The Best Day Ever!  That ended in tears as we said goodbye to these amazing friends. 

From the moment we drove away, Lucy and Murray asked, what will we do for The Best Day Ever next year? It won't be the same without them. I whole heartedly agreed...and my mommy heart started praying. Praying for fun friends to share new memories with and to keep in touch with these old ones. 

Well, yesterday was our first Oregon version of The Best Day Ever and it was a success. When you're competing with memories, you have to get creative; so we did. We had a picnic on school grounds with the girls in Lucy's class. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the year and to say goodbye to one friend who won't be returning next year. We brought friends home with us and played for awhile before heading out to the pool. We had promised the bigs they could both have birthday parties this year; as the day approached I thought, why not have Murray's on the last day of school before everyone scatters for the summer. With all the swimming lessons we've taken this year I learned our local pool is actually an inexpensive option for an out of the house party. So, party we did! 

We invited Murray's class and siblings too, along with a few neighbors and friends. We swam for an hour and enjoyed ice cream sundaes topped with candy and sugar and lots of laughs from the boys. 

We had to take a "break" for Lucy to sing at the 8th grade graduation with her class, and Murray to have baseball practice. But we finished the night (really late) with a hunt for glow bracelets in the yard and everyone went to bed with a soft glow in their beds. 

What a great day with bittersweet memories. I love that we are making such great friends here. I love watching new friendships form and all the love and laughter being shared. But yesterday I did wish we could be sharing The Best Day Ever with our Michigan friends (although, they have another week of school, so I don't mind we didn't have to wait).

As we said so many goodbyes last year, I remember telling Lucy that we could be sad as we said goodbye, but that all the people we loved we were taking with us in our hearts. The things they taught us and the memories we shared would come with us to Oregon because they helped make us the people we are. Yesterday that came to a full fruition. 

Thank you Mandy for teaching E and R to love their friends, to welcome them to a strange new school. Thank you for seeing a mom with a new baby and inviting my girl into your family tradition. Thank you for sharing your joy with us. The Best Day Ever is now a cross country event and I hope one day we get to share it with you again (wouldn't that really be the best day ever?!?).

More than corn...

There's more than corn in Indiana...
there's a favorite family of ours! 


We were able to go and visit Ginny's godparents and their 2 beautiful daughters.
We had a houseful, but Katy and I managed to get 1 project off her "before baby arrives" list. Her hubby Mark loves when Katy and I get together and do home improvement projects. 
This one we actually did start to finish without spending any money and had 5 kids awake and around at the time (baby #6 was well behaved in utero during the project as well). 


Here's a few pictures from out time with them!

Ginny and Olivia: Olivia is totally ready to be a big sister again and loves holding babies. We compromised and she helped Ginny sit up quite a few times while we were there! (Also, a happy birthday note to Olivia...she turned the 05 while we were there! Where has the time gone?!?)

Chloe helped entertain Ginny while the moms worked in the kitchen! She too will be a great big sister very soon!

Poor Murray...a house full of girls. Katy's sister-in-law (a friend from college) came by with her 2 kids for the day and we had some nail painting fun. Murray did partake and walked away with green nails. Maybe he'll get lucky and Katy will have a boy in March...I'm not holding my breath though...

Ginny loved catching up on Katy snuggles, we're all super excited to get to meet the new baby this spring. 


Overall it was a great couple of days and I had a wonderful time catching up with an old friend while Nick delighted in class discussions working towards his masters (we're almost there...). 

Thankful Thursdays

Friends. Friends are something we often take for granted. After living here for almost 4 years I feel like I'm really starting to know who my friends are in the area. It's a great thing to have...a girlfriend to call for a cup of coffee when you need a break. Another girlfriend for a go to play date where your kids will play and you can catch up over fries and a coke (it was at McDonald's).

I'm also super thankful for my far away friends. I don't know how I would make it through life without certain people being just a phone call away! I'm certain many days my children's and/or Nick's fate has been changed once a friend let me complain and I calmed down.

It's really nice to know I have friends. One thing I often talk about with my friends is the "mommy dorm" lately it's been updated to be a street we all live on. How wonderful to have your closest friends as neighbors. To let your kids run from yard to yard, to coordinate cooking dinners, carpool, running errands...all the day to day needs to do with a friend. I'm not discounting husbands...don't get me wrong, my husband is a great helper and I enjoy when we are able to do these thing together as well, but I also want him to feel free to work late if needed or spend time with his own friends and hobbies. There's also just something about the companionship of a girlfriend.

On this Thursday I am thankful for all of my friends out there...near and far. Thanks for all the joy you bring to my life!

Thankful Thursdays

Friends. Friends are something we often take for granted. After living here for almost 4 years I feel like I'm really starting to know who my friends are in the area. It's a great thing to have...a girlfriend to call for a cup of coffee when you need a break. Another girlfriend for a go to play date where your kids will play and you can catch up over fries and a coke (it was at McDonald's).

I'm also super thankful for my far away friends. I don't know how I would make it through life without certain people being just a phone call away! I'm certain many days my children's and/or Nick's fate has been changed once a friend let me complain and I calmed down.

It's really nice to know I have friends. One thing I often talk about with my friends is the "mommy dorm" lately it's been updated to be a street we all live on. How wonderful to have your closest friends as neighbors. To let your kids run from yard to yard, to coordinate cooking dinners, carpool, running errands...all the day to day needs to do with a friend. I'm not discounting husbands...don't get me wrong, my husband is a great helper and I enjoy when we are able to do these thing together as well, but I also want him to feel free to work late if needed or spend time with his own friends and hobbies. There's also just something about the companionship of a girlfriend.

On this Thursday I am thankful for all of my friends out there...near and far. Thanks for all the joy you bring to my life!

Thankful Thursdays

Today I am thankful for friends who share their talents. On Tuesday morning I was putting laundry away and listening for kids playing in the next room. I turned my head the wrong way to quickly and had shooting pain in my neck and shoulder. Combine this with the already uncomfortable pregnant lady syndrome and I was not a happy camper.

Good thing I had already started the process to get a referral to see the chiropractor...except that when I called my doctor the paperwork had not been put through...ugh! I seriously thought I wouldn't be able to move ever again (slightly dramatic...but it's how I felt)!

Enter Blizzard 2011. We didn't get hit very hard, but we did get a day off, so Nick was home all day and I was able to take it easy on Wednesday.

Enter amazing friend from church who is a trained massage therapist. Ahh, movement in my neck. She was quite impressed with the size and number of knots in my neck and worked extra time to make sure I would be comfortable today. Yay!

To make everything even better, the rush on my referral came through so I'm headed to the chiropractor! Woohoo! This may all seem mundane to you...but I am so excited to be able to move around again...it's no good when the mom can't turn quickly to see what mischief is happening!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I'm hoping with the return of a schedule this week, and moving out of my first trimester that this New Year will also bring renewed energy....I'm hopeful, and optimistic...but still skeptical! So far this pregnancy I've lost 2 lbs, gained a belly and taught Lucy the joys of breakfast in bed....even if it's only slightly buttered toast. She's also learned that sometimes mommy's get sick when a baby is in their belly. Murray is still oblivious to what is going on. Oh well, he'll figure it out soon enough, if not as my belly grows he'll be in for a rude awakening in July with this one decides to make an appearance and turn his world upside down.

New Year's is a mark for new beginnings for so many people, but it's also a time for reflection. I tend to usually fall into the reflection category. It's hard for me to see the new calendar as a new beginning, I feel like life adds "fresh starts" in more natural ways than a day on the calendar. It is however impossible as a mom to not look at a "holiday" and remember what the past year was like with your kids and be in awe of how they have grown and changed.

We had New Year's Eve at a friend's house about an hour away. Last year they came to our house and spent the night. Last year she was newly pregnant with their son, and didn't even know it yet! We spent the evening drinking wine coolers and reorganizing my kitchen since Nick had just "finished" the remodel. The boys looked after the kids and when they were tucked in their beds brewed Nick's first batch of bear.

Last year we celebrated New Year with an almost toddler (Lisa's), a 1 year old (Murray), a 3 year old (Lucy) and a 4 year old (Lisa's). This year we had 5 kids ranging from 6 to the newest one who is just 4 months old. What a difference a year makes! The kids could play all by themselves. The toddlers are true second children and are much better at sharing and interacting than their older sister's were at this age. At one point the adults were eating dinner with the baby nearby and all the other kids were playing in the basement!

Lucy and Julia had their first official "sleepover". We've spent the night at each other's houses many times, but last night the girls slept in sleeping bags on the futon in the basement. They went to bed watching a movie after getting their finger nails painted and eating popcorn.

I look at Lucy and Murray and can't believe the independence they've each gained. I can't imagine Murray not being able to tell his jokes, and communicate so effectively. Lucy is looking bigger and bigger every day. She colors in the lines, and is starting to show personality of a true little girl...both the good and the bad! (she's even started talking back on occasion!) I know every Mom says it, but I really wish I could just pause time for a moment, just freeze my children as they are and keep them innocent and snuggly. At the same time I look forward to what this next year will bring and the memories I'll have to look back on as we ring in a new year again!

What a gift each day is! Right now I will enjoy Lucy singing loudly her version of "Away in a Manger". My favorite line in her medley is "the cattle are flowing". I know next year she will probably be big enough to know that's the incorrect word....but right now she can just sing her little heart out and Nick and I will just cherish her honest love for our Lord.

I'm doing my best to cherish and enjoy Murray's need and desire for Mommy to help him do everything. It may make the days long, but there will come a day when he won't let me kiss him goodnight or help him button his pants. I know when these days come I'll look back and yearn for the moments I'm enjoying now.

2011 will certainly bring many new beginnings at our house. We'll reach each one and cherish the changes, but right now I'm happy to remember how far we've come in 2010.