Oh the Bliss!

Tonight I went to a meeting for the preschool co-op Addison will be in this fall and there were three tiny babies, we're talking weeks old here, and a few pregnant mommies and HOLY MOLY I was seriously going crazy with envy! I think I even got tears in my eyes at one point while looking at a 3 week old. I kept staring at those tiny little ones and thinking, I want one of those, I NEED one of those! I know, I know, Mia is not even 7 months old yet, but I love babies SO MUCH! I am a baby mama and I don't think that'll ever change. I am really good with babies too, and toddlers most of the time, it's the bigger kids that are becoming the birth control for me, no offense to any of the sweet "bigger kids" in my life. I love you, but I feel like I'm in over my head when I'm around you. I don't know what to say, I'm not sure how to act. I used to be so funny to you and now I'm kind of annoying, and vise versa. One of my kids is quickly becoming a...

I recently posted a little question on FB about joining a new CSA and got lots of good questions and feedback in return. I think CSAs are fantastic little gifts to us here in the promise land of California, where local produce is plentiful and quality farms are just up the 5 freeway (PS. They have CSA programs EVERYWHERE, not just Cali, so check it out in your area, all you cross country readers! Ha...). I know only about the tip of the CSA iceberg. There is a LOT of info out there, so click that great little Google button and see for yourself. Here are my two cents worth on the subject: First; What is a CSA? Good question. "Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit, in a...

Many, many, many times throughout the day I wish I had a little video camera implanted in my brain so I could capture all the moments with my kids that I really don't want to forget. If I could, I would get these clips on film... ~Ben putting his "blinders on" so that he won't be tempted when we walk through stores where he knows he wants something - which is everywhere we go. We've been talking a lot about the fact that the enemy knows coveting is a weakness for Ben, so he will use that to try and tempt Ben any time he gets a chance. It's really neat, and pretty funny, to see him fight that temptation by covering the sides of his eyes and walking as far away as possible from toy aisles and candy aisles. ~Troy singing, and singing and singing his little heart out. Every time I try to get a recording he stops immediately. So I just cherish his exuberance and LOUD voice and try to etch it into my memory. ~ On that note, (get it- note... ha!), I'd love to ha...

this picture of my mom. Isn't she adorable???? I love her cheeks, I like to think that I got those cheeks, minus the dimples - but Addison got those so it's all good. Mom, you're a beauty queen! And though I've learned not to post important things on Friday nights because most people don't read blogs over the weekend, I just had to post this picture because it's just so darn cute. Love you Mom!

Today we said goodbye to our beloved German Girl. (I say that as a term of endearment, Flavia knows that too). Most of us looked like this... But by the afternoon we recovered a little bit. Thanks, in large part, to this... More to come on Flavia's departure later... I must now go drown my sorrows in a chocolate lava cake from TJ's.

Going against my personal vow not to buy the kids anymore unnecessary stuff until Christmas I purchased these two items today... They are phenomenal. Writing that little post about the things my parents did to infuse Jesus into my life growing up I remembered learning at least 100 bible verses, maybe more, from a great little tape called GT and the Halo Express. Every song on the tape (tape... ha!) was straight scripture. Even now I can recall those verses (ablbeit with a silly song in my head) because using song as a way to memorize is a great tool. So when I heard about this little gem (it's actually gems, there are three other CD's I want to buy... maybe for Christmas ;-)), Seeds of Purpose , I figured it'd be money well spent. Oh and the REAL treasure about these CD's is they come with TWO dics - one to keep and one to "sow". Get it? Seeds? So cute. My ABC Bible Verses has been recommend over and over from moms at my church because it's a really simp...

Happy Birthday, Troy David You are so loved. Your smile, first one at just three weeks old, is one of the biggest, brightest lights in our lives. Not a baby for nearly long enough... So full of contagious joy. You are sweeter than the sweet. And one of the highlights of my life. I love you so much Troy! Happy 2nd Birthday! (I just went back and read the story of his birth, which I wrote on his first birthday. I can pretty much say the exact same stuff about him now, he is such a special boy. You can read the story here , if you want.)

My dad posted this picture tonight on fb reminding me and my brothers of the childhood devotional book my parent's would read to us pretty much nightly. I loved seeing that picture! I love, and am so grateful, that I was raised by parents who took shepherding our hearts, even from a young age, very seriously. They read scriptures to us, sang songs with us, filled our minds with the things of the Lord. Their discipline was biblical and their desire for us to desire a the Lord was potent. Some of my memories of my Jesus infused childhood: ~ GT and the Halo Express ~ My mom singing "Angles Watching Over Me" all the time. All. The. Time. ~ Memorizing bible verses as a family on road trips. ("If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray...") ~ listening to Dr. Dobson and/or Adventures in Odyssey every morning. ~ My mom reading John 14:27 to me whenever I was scared at night. ~ Praying I would always be caught, and never get away with any s...

Today I was out and about with my kids, just me and the four. We were running errands with no particular time frame in mind, for once, so we took our time and took a little walk around the shopping center. We got some smoothies, where Tman made an incredible, nothing but net, slam dunk in the trash can that had the whole place in awe of his throwing abilities- unfortunately he made the shot with my car keys. After fishing those out (so gross, btw) we walked in and out of the smaller shops in the center. A watch shop, a women's tchotchkes boutique, a ceramics store and whatnot. All places where, I'm pretty sure, the owners eyes grew wide and breathes were drawn in when they saw me and my crew waltzing in. I mean really, wouldn't you sort of want to gather your finest wares and protect your valuables if you saw three little kids walking in? Um, yes. We're working on self control around here and that means going into stores that have really pretty things right at their le...

O Blogger Sarah, Blogger Sarah, wherefore art thou Blogger Sarah? Deny thy children and refuse thy wifely duties; Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my creativity And I'll no longer be a blah person. I'm feeling uncreative lately. Probably pretty obvious by the lack of actual writing on my blog. But pictures are nice, no? Well, I'm a writer - or so I like to pretend- and I miss writing. But every time I sit down and start to type paragraph ends up looking like this: "Blah blah blah, blankity blank blah, tired, yada yada yada, busy, blah blah kids, wha blah wha wha, crazy." And who wants to read that? You? Really? Hmm. In that case, oh devoted reader that you are, here is a writing exercise to help get my writing juices flowing again. I will write whatever comes to mind with no thought to rhythm, grammar (as if I put a lot of thought into that anyway, am I right Wendy?), or cohesiveness. Ready? Here we go... "Blah blah blah, blankity blank blah, tired, yad...

Did this last month just fly by for anybody else, or was it just me? Here is a pictorial documentation of last month's happenings. Started the month off with Mark's favorite event of the year: 4th of July Pig Roast. Yum. Mia tasted plums for the first time. We checked out the OC fair We got a TV. Don't get all excited, we're canceling cable (after only having it for 30 days) next week. Turns out we really haven't missed much over the last four years and can't justify spending $$ monthly on something neither one of us really enjoy. Had some yummy frozen bananas on Balboa Island. Addison got arrested. Three precious children decided to all sleep together every night, which just melts me. Spent a gorgeous Saturday morning at San Clemente beach. Don't forget about the train ride to Fullerton and my morning out with the girls! What a sweet month it has been. August will not be so sweet - Flavia leaves us for a week (to visit her the family she stayed with last ti...