:Grace:

If truth should really be told,

We find that we all fall short.

And as we digress, we collect stow aways;

tokens of lies that lodge in the shell of our lives.

Our bodies tell us what our minds repress.

Immersed in death,

And all because we stopped asking the right questions...

I fell.  I fall.  I qualify because of....

And grace?

She walks with us,

In every soiled step we take.

We are misled by lies that promise passion.

But I have never felt the kiss...

Have you?

Only the sting and staleness of a cold cold death.

If truth be told,

There is no guarantee that says we stop falling.

But...the landing place is different.

Safer.

We fell...

Into His arms.

And after that,

We aren't so easily confused.

We no longer accept destruction for beauty.

And as we go right on falling,

Grace goes right on catching!



Out with the Old, In with the New

::crickets::

I know it's been so long since I've written, sigh, but I have just been one tired mama. 
Between apartment hunting, homeschooling, spring cleaning, rearranging, and running endless errands, I have been one totally burnt lady. 

Now with a house in mind and our current house all clean and organized....it'll be time to start packing before we know it.  Ugh and yay!  I am excited for the big changes that are coming...namely little boy number 3 due to arrive in early June.  But I am getting extremely stoked about the new house, new endeavors, and the simplicity I swear I will adhere to no matter what life brings.  With all of the newness that is coming I have truly been able to see my life and what really matters with far more clarity than I have in the past.  All I want my life's focus to be is God, my family, and the people I hold so dear to my heart. 

Let's all rid our lives of the things that just lag us down with weight and are void of life.  With the beauty sprouting all around us, let's remember our true place in this world and make time to be that beauty for the people around us.   Our lives are truly for one another....not things....or places....but the simplicity of relationship.  And if you let everything go that shouldn't have a hold on your heart, you will find peace, and in that peace, you will learn to live fully alive.

Happy Spring everyone!

A Pukey Hibernation

I've finally come out of my weekend hibernation.  It wasn't a pleasant or relaxing hibernation.  More like the kind where you're curled up and fetal, crying for your mommy as you battle your gut-wrenching queasiness.  I am thankful though that the pukes were short lived because I am pregnant and have nothing else for my body to surrender.
 
As a busy mom, the idea seemed thrilling (sick or not) to hold this golden pass that allowed me to stay in bed and be waited on all day.  Oh...and the sweet bliss of sleep!  So with the guilt gone, my husband took over my duties, as he selflessly put his on hold.  And I slept.  It was interrupted with bathroom trips, little rowdy boys climbing on me for hugs, my husband forcing me to stay hydrated, and my body just waking itself to remind me just how crummy I really felt.

BUT...two days after my sleepathon, I awoke to reality.  I felt better!  My responsibility-free days were over.  So I did what any self-respecting mom and wife would do.......I milked one more l o n g nap, then got to my feet and again tied the apron strings. 

Remnants

I am the type of person that doesn't function well in clutter.  I'm not a cat.  I can't be comfortable laying amongst a pile of papers like it's a feather pillow.  I am a firm believer in everything having a place and getting rid of it, if it does not.

As of late, it only seems that my house is clean from the nightly pick up, and naturally in the morning as well because nobody is yet awake to destroy it.  Every hour in between has proven to be a labyrinth.  I feel like that little metal ball having to dodge walls and mounds of stuff that will trip me up and stand obnoxiously in my way.  I just wanna get from Point A to Point B in a direct and efficient way.

Sharing with you all of my anal retentiveness, I will now let you know that I have tried these past few days to really take joy in the clutter.   Not the literal piles. More of what they represent.  Instead of peering into the living room with anxiety, I began to look at each item and revel in how thankful I am that I have children to pick up after.   It's actually kind of cute to see where things drop.  It gives a glimpse of where my children have been and what they've been enjoying and building throughout the day. 

The trail of blocks leads to my children's hearts.  The books that lie in disarray prove my children's intelligence and intrigue.  The mass gathering of bouncy balls in the corner shows their mischief as they ambush Justin and I and laugh until they can't hardly breathe.  The pile of muddled blankets and the overturned chairs and random boxes explain their imagination and love of tents and tee pees.

So from now on, when cleaning isn't feasible in the moment, I will try as hard as I can to cherish the remnants of my beautiful boys, knowing that someday they will no longer live under our roof, creating, exploring, loving, and playing.  So for now I will gladly take it!

A Tribute to Teal

I just wanted to share a little taste of my new obsession with teal.  It's a fabulous color, and as we redo our living room I hope I do the color justice.

51 Things That Totally Gross Me Out!

(not necessarily in order of grossness)

1. probiscus monkey's...seriously have you seen one of those things!?  puke
2. people who share ice cream cones with their dogs
3. seeing a container full of chew spit
4. milk breath
5. touching raw meat
6. when you see someone smelling their hands as they exit the restroom
7. the term 'mucus plug'   *gag*
8. extreme back hair exposed by a tank top
9. the smell of egg salad as it leaches out from under a tupperware lid
10. placenta smoothies...not the taste, (I wouldn't know), the concept
11. old women who pluck their stray chin hairs in public
12. blond haired babies being called 'toe head' babies
13. long toenails
14. seeing wet hair in a drain
15. SUPER sloppy eaters
16. cats in heat
17. dogs in heat
18. biting into a big juicy breaded mushroom *blah*
19. sitting on a seemingly harmless toilet only to find that it has drips of someone else's urine
20. seeing a dog eat its own vomit
21. the centipede flavored prank jellybean that Israel gave me...I have nothing to compare it to....but it was NASTY!
22. warm seat cushions
23. hearing a full nose being blown at the table
24. neck beards
25. cracking open a double-yolked egg....eh, throw that thing away
26. men smacking their chic's butt
27. flip flops and socks
28. pugs (sorry pug lovers)
29. the sound of really dry skin rubbing on scratchy fabric
30. people who pick their kid's nose with no tissue
31. tapioca pudding
32. really muscly, veiny people
33. crack attack
34. seeing toddlers sucking on the handle of shopping carts....there have been traces of feces found on those things people!
35. finding a coarse, gross, stranger hair in your food
36. saying 'toot' or 'fluff'' in reference to passing gas
37. bottom diggers
38. while we're down there....speedos
39. dirty, unwashed facial hair
40. silverfish and giant centipedes
41. biting into an entire cherry tomato
42. witnessing nose picking
43. saliva that turns into a foam that then collects in the corners of someones mouth
44. the feeling of chalky hands
45. stepping in doggie poo
46. sharing anything dairy with someone else
47. the stench of gauged ears if one doesn't have in a natural plug...F O U L
48. I once saw a cat peel a dead, smashed frog off of the road and then (dry heave)...it ATE IT!  It looked and sounded disgusting (and I can't imagine it tasted good either)   *shivers*
49. snotty sneezes
50. rubber band saliva (the kind that stretches from the top to lower lip and never seems to break)
51. sharing gum or toothbrushes

'Bedcess...?'

Throughout the school day, Israel and River take fun breaks where they jump on the bed together.  I know....bad mama for encouraging them to jump on furniture, but hey, it's a ton of fun (and our bed..hah)!  Israel recently dubbed these brief breaks....'bedcess.'  The combination of recess and jumping on the bed.  It's hilarious to watch, and the boys just giggle and have so much fun. 

Enjoy!

Woohoo!