"Easter 2015"

Just 2 months behind posting, but that's okay - as long as it gets in here!

Came straight from a soccer game so still in jersey!  

Easter Sunday morning, April 2015
Ellison, age 3 

Easter Sunday morning, April 2015
Elijah Brooks, age 6 1/2 

Am pretty sure she is sticking her tongue out on the family Easter picture! 

"Just a little bit of randomness"....

I have no particular order to these pictures for this post - they just make me smile, and I didn't want them to get lost in the shuffle of a gazillion pictures in years to come!  So, here is "a little bit o' randomness...., and happiness".

Last soccer game of the season - and he scored 2 goals on his last game! 

This girl can have a gun in her hand one second and a baby doll the next! Never a dull moment. 

She dressed her baby in a gymnastics leotard :) 

Haircut day for EB

Nothing says summer like this! 

She needs a sparkly gun to complete the ensemble :) 

silly faces :) 

Date night with my hubby to see "Chicago" live!  Was a fantastic concert. 

End of the Year bowling party. This kid can bowl!!  Who knew??  I was super impressed with his hidden skills. 

Ready for summer! 

Super sweet and super sad night. We had to say goodbye to our precious friend "Miss Jenn".  Jennifer has been like a dear Aunt to our kids for the last few years. It has been an absolute joy and privilege to walk alongside of her as she has grown in her relationship with Jesus. She has been a rock of support for me personally and spiritually, and she has left her imprint on our family. She is a dear friend, whom we loved instantly. She knows how to love, and loves so well.  She left 2 weeks ago to move to Maine to be a part of a ministry there. We sent her off with heavy hearts, but hearts full of gratitude for the time we had with her. She is ready for this next step of her life, and we know God will use her in a mighty way. 

Just thought she was precious sleeping with her arms folded, and I think she looks so much like my sister in this picture. 

Helping to cook, with a mismatched outfit and my black heels on! 

My handsome son, who is seriously going to pass me in height by the time he is 10 !! 

"Slow down....."

We all need to slow down - I need to slow down. I am trying to be very intentional about slowing down the pace of our lives. I don't feel the need to do all, be all, and see all.  I know that I can't, and I am finally beginning to give myself the freedom to admit that and be okay with it. Life moves fast, and I can easily get caught in the current of it all - but I don't like to be in the current. I would much prefer to sit quietly on the edge of the water and enjoy the view. I think about this often, when I am starting to feel out of control and life is spinning and spiraling in many directions - and there are certainly seasons of life where the pace moves faster than at other seasons and you just have to buckle up for the ride. But, I think sometimes it's easy to get into a habit of moving quickly, feeling the pressure (or our children), to do it all, to be everything to everyone, and we don't even realize we are doing it.

Sometimes what I need is a ladybug to make me slow down! It's during these times that my vision becomes alittle clearer, and the line between the important and non-important becomes better defined. 

The kids and I sat in the yard and watched a ladybug take turns crawling up and down all 10 fingers on each of our hands for close to 30 minutes recently. He would crawl from one finger to another, then to another hand, then up and down ours arms and we would pass him off to the next person and there he would do the same. We just sat there, had a thousand things to do, but at that moment, nothing was more important than watching this ladybug turn our hands into an obstacle course. I don't know why I was so fascinated - maybe because the kids were - maybe because we were all happy in the same space for an extended period of time, maybe because it was good, cheap entertainment, or maybe it just felt good to sit and be still. For whatever reason, I was thankful for this little moment in time and space. It seems so insignificant, but in the moment, it was big. 

"Just another Sunday morning....."

Jay leaves the house really early on Sunday mornings, so it's up to me to get kids dressed and to church on time. Occasionally we have a few extra minutes to snap some pictures on the driveway before we leave. This was one of those mornings where the morning was running smoothly, there was no fighting or arguing, no catastrophe in the kitchen, I got a shower, and all was right in the world for a few minutes!  So thankful for these sweet smiles!

"Day at the Farm with Friends..."

Still playing some catch up on this blog!  Back in March, we enjoyed a day at the farm with some friends over spring break. As usual, I am happier, breathe easier, and life doesn't seem quite so complicated out there in the open space. Good times were had by all, and the pictures speak for themselves!