What I Wore Wednesday

Well, it's what SHE wore Wednesday, and she most certainly dressed herself.

purple shirt, purple whale short sleeve shirt, green peasant skirt,

brown corduroy pants and brown boots all compliments of Ruthie Rozema's hand me downs.

Holes in the knees of the corduroy pants? Those are compliments of hours on the floor putting puzzles together and countless afternoons in the sandbox.

Scooby Doo sticker- guest reader at preschool

sweet, sweet smile and adorable little sister- straight from heaven

Happy President's Day Weekend

Snow snow snow, LOTS of good food and drink, 5 happy kiddos, fort building, a snowman named Dixon, a talent show, thunder and lightening, kids spa night with Uncle Ron, Pizza Factory turkey sandwiches, walks, fires in the fireplace, feeding the ducks, mandatory naps (for all), more good food and drink, great conversation, snow Gelato, plenty of laughter = perfect weekend.

No Thanks, I'll Walk

She's walking! She's been taking a few steps at a time but hasn't shown too much interest in walking in the last few weeks. Yesterday, she decided to go for it. I guess she really wanted to share her raisins.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, friends.

May you know how deeply you are loved today!

Oh, Washington!

The girls and I got off of the plane in Seattle last weekend and I said, "Ah, it's good to be home!!" Oh, wait. I don't live here... but it sure FEELS like I do... amongst the wonderful friends, familiar places, plenty of good coffee, and that good 'ol grey sky.

Ready for takeoff.

It's not a party until someone gets a strange balloon animal.

On our way to Gig Harbor with the Rozema girls to see the Vaccaros

Vaccaro, Rozema and Eckert kids (minus Ben and Sadie)

Rozema's House

The girls stay entertained while Ron recruits at Seattle Pacific.

Ron booked my flight to and from Seattle on the spur of the moment which means we flew home on separate flights. Ron took Sadie with him since she's still free and doesn't need a seat and Rosie and I flew home together. Rosie's a piece of cake to travel with... guess what I did on the way home? Read a b.o.o.k. I never thought the day would come.

Skype for Tots

Much to my chagrin, my preschooler is becoming pretty technologically savvy. She can play the Curious George and Clifford games on PBSkids.com like it's nobody's business and she can work my phone better than I can. There's nothing like waking up from your nap and hoping onto Skype to chat with your cousins. They talked about the important things: boxes of raisins, Disneyland, and gymnastics. Lucy and Henry showed Rosie their best silly faces and Rosie showed them her best jumps.

WE ARE OK!

We are surfacing, and our little family of 4 is doing just fine. Grief like this teaches us about letting go and hanging on to the right things. We are keenly aware of God's tender mercies and are so grateful for His many many blessings in our lives. To be totally honest, I did not know what joy in the midst of pain looked like. My husband is no stranger to loss... and he helps me recognize the joy. Do you want to know what some of my joy looks like?