really just for my dad.

these photos are really for my dad.
hi dad!
how do you like them?





(awesome shot taken by D)

my dad has a blog that he just started.
i know.
incredible, right?
it is incredible.
it’s called:
(and so will you).

also, my mother-in-law recently 
wrote an article for a local newspaper.
check it out here.
she is about to change the way kids are educated in the united states.
she really is.
just you wait and see.
and here’s her blog!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, 
who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17

1376. a great day at the fair
1377. an extra set of hands
1378. fair food
1379. a brave little boy (D)
1380. B’s idea to listen to 
a sermon on the way home

just another afternoon.

just another afternoon around our house.
rowdy kids,
a momma who’s counting down the hours
until the hubs comes home and
a sweet little boy being entertained by it all. 


(photo taken by D)


(photo taken by K)

notice those fabulously cleaned and 
organized shelves in the background?
that’s thanks to Auntie L.

A wise son brings joy to his father
Proverbs 15:20

1371. a table set by children
1372. that L smiles at me before we even make eye contact
1373. homemade whipped cream
made by the children
1374. the perfect wedding gift
1375. this thanks, gretch!

picture me {im}perfectly.not mary poppins

i try to be like her.
you know, 
every kids’ dream.
every mom’s dream. 

mary poppins.


but you know what? 
i stink at being her. 
and lately, i’ve just been too worn out 
to even try to be her.


we did finally make homemade crayons last week
like i promised we would.
months ago.

the truth is, i have all of these ideas.
grand ideas, really.
but i rarely (why, oh why is it always so rare?) do them.
we’re still a bit in survival mode here.
but i wonder if maybe we are stuck here,
in survival mode.
forever. 
we might be. 
we might very well be stuck here. 
in survival mode.
i think i might need to change my mindset then. 

i am again blown away 
by all the fabulous women 
who linked up last week.
hooray for showing the internet 
that we aren’t perfect 
and we don’t strive for perfection, either.
that living life is much more worthy 
than creating a perfect life. 


kaylee’s post and her blunt honesty 
rang so true for me.
 
picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal that we don’t have it all together.

i will post a 
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday 
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:
you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,

let’s 
encourage, 
inspire and 
remind 
other women 
that none of us have it all together.  

add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged. 

As it is written:
There is no one righteous, not even one.
Romans 3:10

1366. free lollypops for the kids
1367. the sunshine pouring in our windows
1368. L sleeping 13 hours
1369. getting to sleep in
1370. tj’s coffee

they came to visit.part two

yesterday, i told you that 
we got a lovely visit 
from our friends.
they even brought 
the most beautiful, 
plump, 
fresh 
blackberries from her mom’s backyard.
oh goodness… she knows what i love.
that’s for sure. 


i think that Auntie L spent more time 
with my kids and in my house 
than i spent with her.
actually, i know that she did.


but heading to the beach was something 
that was a must-do on our list.
and so, we did it.
and it was fantastic.
when we went last year, 
it was quite windy but this year,
it was utterly and completely perfect. 


what we thought would be 
a fairly normal week around our house,
quickly turned into a very wild week.


D caught his first ever
hermit crab.


she happily watched all five children 
(while folding laundry, 
making some yummy treats i had pinned on pinterest 
and organizing our bookshelves) 
while B and i had a meeting with 
our pastor to gain some Biblical wisdom 
on a situation we’ve been involved with.


then on another day, 
L had an appointment with his new speech therapist at 7:30am, 
and from there we headed to school.
we then headed home for a nap and 
quickly left to see a new doctor 
for an hour and a half appointment 


the next day, he had school 
with a developmental assessment packed in.
oh where has our summer gone?
i know exactly where it went.


but, we still got some great one-on-one time together
after her babes fell asleep in the family room.
while we ate dessert.
and talked.
with the lights on.
i know, incredible, right?
i know my children would never, ever do that. 


we tried to get all of the big kids
to have a slumber party in one room.
and you know what?
they successfully had a slumber party.
which means that they would not go to sleep. 
so we separated them
and K sobbed because she didn’t have anyone to sleep next to.
for the first time ever, 
babydoll didn’t count as “someone.” 


the good Lord has certainly blessed her with
some absolutely incredible children.


and the good Lord has blessed her children
with the most patient and loving of mommies.


and of course, the good Lord has blessed us 
by all of their friendships.


l    o    v    e    d
the ocean.
and that’s an understatement. 


he gave it two thumbs up. 



the boys checking out the surf.


sand on the nose.
it doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
nope, it doesn’t get much better than that.


holes were dug
and then filled up 
by little girls 
who were trying to bother older boys. 
they succeeded at that, too.


and little L was loved by his Auntie L. 
we all were.

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, 
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

1361. Auntie L’s love
1362. the art that D creates
1363. the art that D teaches K
1364. that K is mildly amused by her art teacher
1365. a helper while folding laundry

they came to visit.part one

if you hung around these parts last year,
you’ll remember when the Ws came to visit us.

and, if you’re fairly new, you’ll probably remember
that Auntie L recently came to visit 
without her munchkins. 

well, all three of them made the trek again this summer
and we could not have been more delighted.
both the boys and girls are so close in age.


Auntie L, 
(as my children refer to her)
was my college roomie.

she spurs me on with her incredible dependence on God. 
she most certainly is a woman of incredible faith,
a woman who’s biggest desire 
is to strive after God’s will for her life.
it’s so inspiring to be around her.

Auntie L is so super talented as she 
owns her own handmade baby goods shop.
the cutest blankets, bibs, burp cloths, and diaper clutches.
check out her fruit


J is six months older than D


and is at least ten inches taller.
(notice D on his tippy toes!)


we made a trip to the 
natural history museum
to check out the dinos.
this photo was when we were on our way in,
explaining the rules to the kiddos.
(and yes, the girls asked that their hair be matching.)


i was there, too!


D and K stood for the camera
while E and J showed us 
their kung-fu moves


we loved the new exhibit 
that just opened a few weeks ago.


i mean, who doesn’t love dinosaur bones 
hanging over their heads?


we saw nearly every inch of that museum,


even the ginormous whale-like dino.


plenty of bear hugs were given


and the microscopes were a big hit.


i think D may want one for his next birthday.


sweet, sweet E absolutely loved the children’s area.


and K was cute, 
even if she was looking 
the wrong way in the telescope.


and this little man?
he was on his best behavior,
as usual.

more to come of their visit… tomorrow!

1356. good, good friends
1357. built-in playmates for my kids
1358. sweet Auntie L who gave me so much of her time
1359. sunday night movie night
1360. tj’s onion rings. 
oh. my. goodness.

for the boys (and girls).

i am
completely and 
totally 
smitten
with 


these bow ties
(or used as hair clips for girlies).

*i have not received anything in return for posting about this cute etsy shop

1351. the weekend
1352. an awesome report from a PT
1353. lunch with my love in the backyard
1354. a fun night out
1355. connecting with a sweet mom 
who completely and totally relates 
to having a kid with SN 
and having two other children

to the beach.

we have been to the beach twice
in the last three days.

how awesome is that?
so awesome.
it is definitely feeling like summer around here.


and little L stuck his feet in the water 
for the first time, post-surgery.


and he loved it
nearly as much as he loves me.


and nearly as much as he loves the camera.


i think it’s one of his favorite new things.
(lovely artistic shot by my sweet friend, L.)


and, the beach trip included a cold dr. p
(no lime though).
more photos from this past week coming soon.

1346. a friend who can’t stop serving
1347. being able to leave the bigs at home, a lot
1348. encouraging words from a doctor 
(i know, not the norm, right?)
1349. watching L work hard
1350. when L smiles before we make eye contact

picture me {im}perfectly.recognizing His blessings

someone sweet that i know
emailed me last week
because it bothers her 
when i talk about my imperfections 
on my blog. 


which is all fine and dandy 
but i know that she doesn’t blog hop.
and she doesn’t see
perfect life after perfect life 
being cultivated and broadcast over the internet. 
when i read those perfect life blogs,
i immediately compare my life to theirs.
and then i feel like my life is lacking.


but do you want to know something?
when i read what Ann has experienced 
in her incredible 1,000 Gifts book
and her response to the life she has been given,
i was moved, 
i was encouraged, 
i was charged 
to find those blessings in my life, too. 
those blessing everywhere around me.
those blessings just perfect for me.
Ann was so relatable 
because she proudly proclaimed her imperfections
and the trials that she has endured in this life.
because the truth is,
we are all imperfect.

for all have sinned 
and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 3:23


my intent is not to be self-deprecating 
but to reveal to all of you lovelies 
that my life is not perfect and neither am i. 
nor do i try to make it perfect
or make it look like it’s perfect
(my husband is really good at 
reminding me about that one). 


B and i had some really 
great, deep conversations 
with some dear friends over the weekend 
(which was a blessing in itself 
because there were five children, 
five and under demanding our attention).

one thing that we talked about was
recognizing God’s blessings in our lives. 


sometimes it’s easy for me 
to look at my life and see 
trial 
after trial 
after trial 
instead of 
blessing 
after blessing 
after blessing.

but just recently, 
i have started to clearly see 
the measureless blessings 
that have been poured upon us.
and i am choosing to recognize them as
pure gifts from Jesus.

i am so undeserving of any of these gifts
but God has redeemed my life
from what it used to be.
as one of my favorite verses says:
I will repay you 
for the years 
the locusts have eaten
Joel 2:25


i will not let satan steal God’s joy.
steal His perfect gifts.
i will only give credit to the Lord.

what would my life be like?
what would my walk be like?
if i recognized every gift as a blessing.
gifts only from God.

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, 

Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
Psalm 130:3-4


and holy moly,
did you check out 
how many lovely ladies linked up last week?
it’s blowing my mind.
you really ought to visit each and every blog
of those brave women who linked up.


it was so hard to pick just one to feature 
but here it is:
Kara’s blog

really touched a nerve with me. 
i, too have been humbled by the love of my children
when i have been oh-so undeserving of it. 


just like the love of my Savior.

picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal that we don’t have it all together.

i will post a 
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday 
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:

you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,

let’s 
encourage, 
inspire and 
remind 
other women 
that none of us have it all together.  

add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged. 

1341. berry shortcake
1342. fresh pineapple
1343. ice cream in a cone
1344. rich conversations
1345. hearing about where God is working in people’s lives

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