Spilled Milk

We all know the saying, "there's no use crying over spilled milk..." In theory I know this, but this morning it was I who was crying over it. Not only because we buy the organic stuff and it's almost five dollars for a half gallon, but more so because it was one more thing to handle...

Yet another thing to clean and more evidence that my children aren't perfectly obedient. I don't expect them to be. Like me they can be impatient. Therefore, when I tell them to wait for me to pour the milk and they don't because they want it now and it spills I'm left with overpriced milk puddled on my counter, dripping down my cabinets and pooling on my floor. So we all clean it up together.

And yes, I actually cried.

However, God is so good. I'm so glad He handles me more gracefully than I handle them. Often my impatience leads to a mess and we clean it up together. Cleaning is rarely fun, but so rewarding when it's done.

I feel like my heart had a good cleaning today. The Lord worked with me to sop up the puddles, drips and pools. We refined my outlook and He breathed contentment into me through every load of laundry and each tile I scrubbed on the bathroom floor. Praise Him for that.

I know I've been absent from this space for awhile. Drake has been traveling less and the activities of summer have left me tired at night. We've had some unexpected things come up in our family, but through them the Lord has strengthened us with His unrelenting grace.

I pray you all are having a blessed summer, I'm hoping to share glimpses of our's with you soon.

And remember when you're on your knees cleaning up spilled milk, the Lord is right beside you.

Embracing It

Drake was supposed to have a work dinner Tuesday tonight. I've acclimated to the flying solo gig because of all the travel that he does. If anything having three kids has taught me to let go and just embrace the craziness that our life often is.

Our afternoon to bedtime went as follows.

My fabulous mom took the girls to Target with her while Trent was napping. Rather than do ANY housework, I laid on the couch the whole time and even fell asleep for 20 minutes. She's pretty much the best mom, I was totally dragging due to a wisdom tooth coming in and a power nap gave me the extra burst I needed. Thanks Mom!!

Take Juliana to dance at 4:30.

Use the hour she's at dance to do my own Target run with just the little two.

Battle Samantha staying seated in the cart. Cave and open a box of Goldfish.

Get everything loaded in the car and realize that Trent is still holding the beloved box of Cars band-aids I promised him, they are not paid for.

Unload both kids and run back in to pay for them.

Pick up Juliana three minutes late from dance.

Mini corndogs for dinner. I justify because I also put avocado and blueberries on their plates.

Blueberries dumped all over the floor, thank you Samantha.

More dishes, more laundry.

Change a poopie diaper and carry baby into bathroom for bath. While filling the tub she pees on the tile and I turn around and step in it. She laughs.

Honey calls to say that the work dinner has been cancelled and asks what's for dinner...errr.

Plans of putting the kids to bed and eating ice cream bars (yes plural) while watching re-runs of Lois and Clark the New Adventures of Superman (my favorite show) are now foiled.

Get other two bathed and put baby to bed.

Honey pulls up, he suggests I go to the gym. I love him so much.

Honey puts other two to bed while I'm at the gym.

We both enjoy an ice cream bar while watching ESPN :-).

That was just Tuesday afternoon folks, yesterday I had my rear end hanging out the tiny bathroom window that's in the front of our house trying to instruct Trent how to unlock the bathroom door. Samantha has eaten sunscreen this morning and licked the top of Drake's deodorant, she's eyeing some accessible chapstick right now so I better get...but I need to say this first...I love it all. I laugh myself to tears sometimes when I reflect on my days. The joy is rich. The exhaustion is real. I choose to embrace it.

Fourth of July

We changed it up a bit this year. My good friend Mandee's parents were out of town and just happen to have a gorgeous home fully equipped with a pool in Camarillo. Mandee invited us to join them for a couple of nights to celebrate the Fourth of July. Can we say road trip?!

Rather than just drive straight there and back, Drake thought it would be fun to make a few stops along the way to spice it up for the kiddos, he's such a great dad. We fueled up and hopped on the 5 for a little adventure.

Going under tunnels (aka wide bridges) requires putting your hands in the air.

Being the dessert lovers that we are, we had heard rumors about a Sprinkles ice cream shop that had opened up in Beverly Hills...thanks to the Safari search engine on the Iphone we had the route mapped for us in roughly 10 seconds and we were on our way.

{look closely, do you see it?}

While Drake and I would say Sprinkle's Ice Cream was overrated and overpriced, our kids would beg to differ...

The price was worth their delight.

Back in the car we slowly made our way on the 405 all the way up to "Autumn and Avery's grandma's house". The kids read billboards, scanned for license plates and annoyingly adorably asked how much longer till we got there about every 20 seconds.

Then we got there. The thrill of friends and new surroundings was a sensory overload and the kids were in heaven. A sleepover with friends, sleeping bags and smore's. TOO. MUCH. FUN.

Then there's these two. We endearingly coined them as "Bonnie and Clyde" by the end of our stay. They are always together and will cause trouble. We are just praying that Nonny and Poppy's new fountain makes a full recovery after their assault. Boy are they cute though...

Mandee's fabulous guacamole and sangria kept me too occupied to bother with lots picture taking on the Fourth, but I did manage to snap a few.

{Bonnie and Clyde morning shift}

More s'more making.

The kids weren't the only ones loving time with friends, it was a treat for us adults too. Sitting around the campfire till 2am, dads playing tennis in the morning and mommy jacuzzi time after the kids went down. Thank you so much Ermanis' for inviting us, is it too early to make room reservations for next year...? That is if the said fountain assault doesn't ban us from ever coming back.

On our way home we had the privilege of meeting up with Drake's great aunt and cousin for lunch. 

They have been members at the LA Tennis Club for decades and treated us. The real treat was their company. Aunt Nancy is past the age of caring what others think and is a hoot.

I'm overwhelmed. Our time as a family was precious. We had so much fun. The memories we created on this trip will be cherished. By the end I was tired and refreshed at the same time. I adore my husband. He goes out of his way to make things special. We did not see fireworks and that is ok. We celebrated our freedoms in so many other ways. God bless the USA.

Iphone Life

It's Monday. I meant to do a Friday post, I've got my share of confessing to do, but life was happening. That is a good thing. Life, activity. It's all goin' on in these parts.

VBS, swimming lessons, friends and home improvements that both exhaust and energize us. My phone has become my source of documentation lately. I still pull out my camera when we're at home or at "events", but for the most part it's my trusty Iphone (who by the way took a dip in the pool at swimming lessons and made full recovery in a bowl of rice) that snaps the otherwise fleeting moments in our life.

So here was our week according to my Iphone...

{new solar lights on the walkway, hi Jamie's car :) }

{latest Team Gross disguise, sweaty bun hair with a distracting flower}

{TJMaxx score, $19}

{diving board action shot}

{pounding pavement}

{reward to follow}

{confession: I was SO annoyed with this little girl who kept moving while I was trying to get a picture of Trent...I know, I know, not her fault}

{sweet boy}

{classic post-swimming lessons treat}

{there's a Sammy in my sink}

{Chick-fil-A drive thru with friends}

{best behavior at AAA}

{lunch at Yellow Deli with my sweet niece}

{the reality of three children+husband}

Our morning walks continue and I'd be willing to challenge almost anyone to an arm wrestling contest because the weight of my double jogger has given me some sizable biceps :). The backyard makeover of 2012 continues and we are anxious for completion so that the BBQ's and nighttime cocktails can resume. After four years of living here, Trent finally has closet doors (HUGE thank you to my brother Mark for installing) and they look fabulous. Juliana continues to facilitate all kinds of play between my three and I love observing. As I type there is laughter and squealing in the living room because of some game she made up.

Life is crazy, but rich. God is good, faithfully showing me that each of these children have something to teach me about myself and about His goodness. 

We've got some fun Fourth plans with dear friends, stay tuned...What's everyone else up to for the holiday?